As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and rummaged around, eventually pulling out a card.
To be precise, this is a playing card!
Ace of Spades!
Chapter 283 [The Commission]
Upon seeing the old man Edward pull out a playing card, before Old Tian could even speak, Zhu Rong immediately widened his eyes and shouted, "Old Edward! You actually went back to the service center?!"
Gonggong's expression also changed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Old Ai, this is no joke. You said you were leaving for a while to take care of some personal matters. We are all friends, and we have never pried into your privacy. But after you left us, you actually went back to the service center in secret?"
Old Tian remained silent, but he was staring intently at Edward, his eyes narrowed, a glint of light flashing within them, revealing his true thoughts.
Edward flicked his wrist and tucked the playing cards into his sleeve. He put his hands behind his back and smiled faintly. "I know you must be very surprised, but I have my reasons."
Zhu Rong snorted angrily, her voice clearly filled with rage: "The reason! Hmph! Did JOKER approach you? Ha! Very well! He actually made you the Ace of Spades! Everyone knows that JOKER basically doesn't care about the organization's affairs, so the Ace of Spades is practically the person in charge of the entire service company!!! Holding so much power, he's quite the big shot!"
Edward didn't seem to have any intention of refuting it, he just smiled faintly.
Old Tian finally spoke. He tugged at Zhu Rong, pulling her back, and then slowly walked up to Edward. The two were only two or three steps apart, staring at each other face to face.
“Old Ai, we’ve been friends for years, and I’d rather believe you have your own special reasons for doing this.” Old Tian’s tone was serious. “So, I won’t blame you for your choice. But, I ask you, since you’ve decided to go back to the service center, why did you come here to find us?”
Edward smiled and said, "I'd like to invite you..."
"No way!" Zhu Rong shouted. Gong Gong quickly grabbed her, but Zhu Rong continued to struggle, yelling, "I'd rather die than go back to the service center!!"
“That’s not what I meant.” Edward shook his head.
Old Tian pointed to the ruins inside the house, his expression grave: "Tell me the truth, this... really wasn't done by the service company? Where are the people left here? Where did Mr. Lin and the others go?"
“I’m not lying to you.” Edward shook his head. “This place was like this when I came here. I don’t know where the people here went.”
Several old guys on the abandoned street were arguing loudly, and the bystanders couldn't get a word in edgewise.
In the end, Chen Xiao went over and stood next to Lao Tian: "Uncle Tian... I think we should try to find someone first."
He nodded to Edward: "Mr. Edward, long time no see. I'm not entirely clear on your situation with Uncle Tian and the others. But... we have a few friends who should be staying here waiting for us to return. You arrived here before us; did you see any valuable clues?"
Edward smiled. He was originally very thin, but his eyes were sharp when he smiled: "Chen Xiao, you've grown a lot in such a short time. When you first came to my shop, you were just a clueless newbie. Now..."
"Shut up! What did you say about 'my shop'? Now that you've gone back to the service center, the coffee shop is no longer yours!" Zhu Rong interrupted angrily.
Chen Xiao sighed. He truly couldn't understand what irreconcilable past grudges existed between these old monsters, and why the others seemed so resentful about Edward's return to the service center. They even seemed to hate him?
Everyone else waited outside, but in the end only Scofield, Prince, and Phoenix walked in.
Shi Gaofei looked at the ruins in the house and sneered: "Edward, to be honest, did you come here to take me back to the service center? Hey, to take a piece of trash like me, you actually have to send the Ace of Spades in person? I thought you would only send two face cards at most. You actually sent the head of the service center in person."
Prince chuckled, "Scholar, don't worry. I think you old monster suit my temperament perfectly. I won't just stand by and watch them capture you. Don't worry, if they want to make a move, I'll definitely help you!" As he spoke, Prince grinned at Edward, "Edward, we're old acquaintances. If it's going to be a fight, you should know that I, Prince, would be more than happy to oblige."
Edward smiled, but instead of looking at Prince and Scrooge, he looked at Phoenix: "And you, little Phoenix, you don't think I'm here to cause trouble, do you?"
Phoenix shook her head, her expression somewhat complicated: "I didn't expect you to actually come back to the service center... However, I believe you're not here to arrest anyone. Because... with so many people here, with your strength, whether it's Uncle Tian or Prince, you can only handle one at most. So I believe you're not here to cause trouble. But..." Phoenix gave a wry smile: "Based on my understanding of your character, even if you're not here to cause trouble, you're probably here to bring us trouble."
“Haha, you said ‘we’.” Edward chuckled. “Little Phoenix, when did you become one of them?”
Phoenix blushed slightly, but made no attempt to hide it as she leaned closer to Chen Xiao, raised her head and said loudly, "Chen Xiao is my man, so naturally I'm with him."
Edward was somewhat surprised by Phoenix's audacity and chuckled softly, but his tone became complicated: "Alright, little Phoenix, I just hope you understand what you're doing. And... won't your friends get into trouble if you do this?"
"That's naturally a problem I need to worry about myself," Phoenix shook her head.
Edward glanced at the group of people on the other side: Lao Tian, Zhu Rong and Gong Gong, Chen Xiao, Phoenix, and Prince. They stood around him, subtly surrounding him. While Shi Gaofei didn't seem to have much fighting ability, a mad scientist like him would inevitably possess some kind of magical gadget. Although he stood on the outer edge, he was also watching Edward intently.
Edward smiled and suddenly raised his hands: "Alright, old friends. I came all alone, and there are no ambushes outside. Facing several S-level and several A-level experts at the same time, I would have to mobilize all the elites of the entire service agency to be enough, right? Besides, I think everyone knows how strong Chen Xiao is now. I don't have the ability to deal with him."
"What exactly are you here for?" Old Tian asked with a stern face.
Edward didn't answer directly, but smiled slightly: "If I remember correctly, today is Thursday."
"..." Lao Tian, Zhu Rong, and Gong Gong all changed their expressions: "What are you trying to say?"
“According to our rules, Thursday is the day we accept commissions,” Edward smiled.
Zhu Rong spat and said, "These rules have nothing to do with you anymore! You are no longer one of us!"
“Sigh…” Edward sighed, looking at Zhu Rong with a sincere tone: “Zhu Rong, we’ve been friends for many years. I know you’re all disgusted by my sudden and quiet return to the service center, but if we think about it carefully, aren’t we being a bit too obsessed? Besides, as friends for many years, you should know that I must have my reasons for doing this.”
Looking into Edward's eyes, Zhu Rong was filled with anger, but in the end, she could no longer say anything.
Old Tian said calmly, "You mean, you've actually come to us to commission us?" His tone was very strange: "You were the one who set this rule in the first place, but now you're actually commissioning us!"
Old Tian chuckled as he said this: "But you've probably forgotten, haven't you? According to the rules we agreed upon, the power to accept or reject a commission doesn't lie with me or Zhu Rong Gonggong!"
He turned to look at Chen Xiao: "Kid, now you're the one in charge among us old guys. Whether we accept the task or not is up to you."
Chen Xiao was in a dilemma. Although Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, and Lao Tian clearly harbored some resentment or even hostility towards Edward, Chen Xiao himself still had a rather favorable impression of him.
After all, when I first arrived at the coffee shop, I took over this old man's position. And this old man gave me a job; if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have met all these friends I have now: Lao Tian, Zhu Rong, Gong Gong…
In fact, if I hadn't gone to the coffee shop, I wouldn't have met Phoenix there!
Moreover, Edward, this old man, enjoyed reading banned books like "Jin Ping Mei" and even had a rule in his coffee shop that "beautiful women are free." Although he was eccentric, he was still an interesting and insightful person. Chen Xiao really liked him.
He hesitated for a moment, then tried his best to speak in the most sincere and calm tone: "Boss Ai..."
“I’m no longer the owner of the coffee shop!” Edward smiled slightly.