"What? What? Who sent me? What do you mean?" Li Ling looked at Ma Qitong, bewildered.
Ma Qitong stared into Li Ling's eyes for a few seconds. Li Ling met her gaze without flinching. Seeing that there was indeed only doubt in Li Ling's eyes, Ma Qitong nodded, turned around and took a few steps, saying, "You don't need to explain to me, and I don't want to know."
"As long as I know you're not a policeman, not sent by my father, and not one of my father's enemies, that's enough. The more you know, the faster you'll die. That's the truth my father taught me since I was a child."
Li Ling nodded and said, "Your father is right. In that case, you can go back now, right? I still have things to do."
“I’m not going back,” Ma Qitong insisted.
"Then what else do you want to do?" Li Ling asked, spreading his hands.
Ma Qitong crossed her arms and asked seriously, "Are you working alone?"
Li Ling's eyes flickered slightly as he asked, "What are you trying to say?"
“If you’re working alone, I can help you find better jobs. My dad and brother are short-handed, and it won’t be as hard work. They’ll pay you a lot of money. My dad has a lot of influence on the border.”
"Besides, I also want to see you." After saying this last sentence, a rare blush appeared on Ma Qitong's face.
Li Ling pondered for a few seconds, turned around and paced a couple of steps, then looked at her and said in a deep voice, "You're a smart girl, I think you've already guessed what I do."
"I'm sure you've heard that the worst thing for people in our line of work is to get emotional. Once you do, you're no longer fit for this line of work, because our hearts will be vulnerable. You're a good girl, and I don't want to hurt you."
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Chapter 62 We Are Not on the Same Path
Upon hearing this, Ma Qitong said anxiously, "You won't hurt me, we're from the same world..."
Li Ling interrupted Ma Qitong and asked in return, "But we're not on the same path. Besides, how do you know we're from the same world?"
Ma Qitong smiled slightly and said, "My father and brother, in the words of the police, are 'drug lords.' Between a hitman and a drug lord, is there anyone cleaner? Aren't we from different worlds?"
Li Ling shook his head and sighed, "I said, even if we are from the same world, we are ultimately not on the same path. Assassins are creatures that walk in the darkness, and what we need is absolute discretion."
“Drug lords, on the other hand, are under constant police surveillance. If they make a mistake, they will face utter ruin. I don’t think that joining your father will make my life any better.”
"What about for me?" Ma Qitong blurted out, looking at Li Ling hopefully with a soft voice: "Do you believe in love at first sight?"
Li Ling fell silent. He turned his back to Ma Qitong, his eyes flashing rapidly. After weighing his options, he finally spoke in a low voice, "I still have a few things to do. I'll come find you after I've finished them."
Upon hearing this, Ma Qitong was overjoyed and grabbed Li Ling's arm, saying, "Are you telling the truth? Don't lie to me."
Li Ling turned around, looked at Ma Qitong, and said calmly, "I have killed people, many people, but I have never lied to anyone. A killer's promise will be fulfilled with his life. I said I would come to find you, and I will definitely come."
Hearing Li Ling's words and seeing the certainty in his eyes, Ma Qitong was overjoyed and said, "Then why don't I go with you?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ling's face darkened, and he resolutely rejected the idea, saying, "Of course not. What I'm doing absolutely cannot have any accidents. Your presence will distract me. You stay home and wait for me. I'll appear in front of you on my own after I've finished my work."
Ma Qitong pouted before reluctantly saying, "Alright then! But I should be able to help you in some way in this county, right? The whole town is full of soldiers now, so the two of you definitely can't do anything for yourselves."
She pointed to herself and said, "I'm different. I'm a woman. I have advantages. At least, I can drive you around and pick you up."
Li Ling looked at Ma Qitong for a while, then finally smiled and nodded.
...
The rest was simple. Li Ling and Chen Pai drove Ma Qitong's car to the logistics center. Ma Qitong looked at Li Ling, who was wearing a black hood, and a look of worry appeared in her eyes.
Li Ling gave her a reassuring gesture, and then he and Chen Pai used a grappling hook to climb over the wall of the logistics center. Ma Qitong watched this scene and sat in the car, secretly praying for Li Ling.
Once inside, the two stealthily moved in, easily taking out two sentries, and planted a simulated C4 bomb in a key location within the logistics center before immediately retreating.
From the moment Li Ling and his companion entered the logistics center until their retreat, it took less than fifteen minutes. After they came out, they immediately drove out of the city.
"Ah Ling, be careful, I'll be waiting for you."
After leaving the city, Li Ling and Ma Qitong put on their backpacks. Ma Qitong's eyes were red, and she looked at him with reluctance, giving him some instructions.
A strange light flashed in Chen Pai's eyes as he glanced at Li Ling with a half-smile. Li Ling nodded to Ma Qitong and reassured her gently, "Don't worry!"
After saying that, he and Chen Pai ran up the mountain together. Once they could no longer see Ma Qitong's car, Chen Pai asked softly, "What happened? Why did you use a fake name?..."
"It's nothing, it's just that this girl's identity is not simple, so we're just taking precautions." Li Ling didn't intend to say more.
"I'll report this to my superiors when we get back. Let's go! Let's fight first. Even the most important things can wait until this battle is over."
...
The following morning, Li Ling and Chen Pai arrived at the agreed meeting point. When they arrived, all the other members of Lone Wolf Team B had already arrived.
Seeing that Deng Zhenhua and Shi Dafan were actually gnawing on beggar's chicken, Li Ling went up and snatched half of it, tearing off a chicken leg for Chen Pai.
While munching on beggar's chicken, Chen Pai asked, "We blew up the Blue Army's logistics center. What's the situation with you guys?"
Hadron replied, "We've taken down the radar station."
The old man took a bite of chicken breast and said, "The tanks of the armored regiment were reduced to a pile of scrap metal because all their drivers were killed."
Deng Zhenhua waved the chicken wing in his hand and said with a grin, "The Eagle Division has been wiped out."
Li Ling pointed to the chicken leg in his hand and laughed, "You can tell just by looking at this, hehe."
"Wait, something's wrong with the Blue Army's radio. This signal has never appeared before," Shi Dafan, who had managed to seize a radio from the Eagle Division, suddenly said, pressing his earpiece.
Upon hearing this, Chen Pai immediately took the earpiece, put it to his ear, and heard a plaintext communication—
"Tiger head, tiger head, this is Cobra A1. We have completed our mission and are heading to the next attack point."