Chapter Sixteen: Unexpected News

Chapter Sixteen: Unexpected News

Inside the office.

After Bai Zeshao left, Shen Guohua glanced at the empty medical report on the desk and murmured to himself, “Xiao Bai, you’ve changed, and so have I. I just hope our original dream hasn’t changed.”

With that, he swiftly wrote a few large characters across the report: “Everything is normal. Passed.”

Outside the office, Bai Zeshao looked back at the tightly closed door. He was certain that Shen Guohua had already noticed the problem with his wound. If it had been just a regular gunshot, it wouldn’t have mattered much. But Bai Zeshao had deliberately picked a fight to draw attention away, making the wound worse. That, in itself, suggested something else.

Still, Bai Zeshao knew that since Shen Guohua had told him there was nothing wrong, his medical report would be clean. Yet when it came to Shen Guohua—his childhood friend—he found himself unable to truly understand him anymore.

Not long after, Bai Zeshao and his companions left the hospital and returned to the Special Affairs Bureau. Standing at the office window, Bai Zeshao gazed at the scenery outside, mulling over the plan to rescue Mr. Li.

But he had no idea where the safehouse was—not even a single clue. After all, the purpose of a safehouse was secrecy. Any member of the action team involved in guarding Mr. Li was forbidden from leaving the safehouse until the mission ended.

The only one who could come and go was the leader of Team One, Ye Mao. But Ye Mao was an experienced agent, and his whereabouts were never easy to track.

Time passed slowly. With no leads, Bai Zeshao stayed late at the office until it was time to go home. Near his doorstep, he spotted a familiar figure limping ahead—his neighbor, Ah Hai.

“Ah Hai, what happened to you?” Bai Zeshao hurried over, concern in his voice.

“Brother, it’s you! Off work already?” Ah Hai smiled when he saw him.

“What’s going on? Did you get into another fight?” Bai Zeshao pressed.

Ah Hai had moved here later in life. His parents had died young, leaving him to fend for himself, and he’d fallen in with the wrong crowd. But under Bai Zeshao’s influence, he’d gradually turned a new leaf. Still, seeing Ah Hai’s bruised face and limping gait, Bai Zeshao couldn’t help but worry.

“Brother, I haven’t been fighting for ages! You’re wrong this time. This morning, I was hit by a car. The guy inside was really arrogant—got out and started cursing at me for being blind, so I cursed back. Then he pulled out a gun and roughed me up. That’s why I look like this,” Ah Hai said helplessly.

“He pulled a gun?” Bai Zeshao frowned. “Ah Hai, who do you think they were, just flashing a weapon like that? They must have some powerful backing.”

“Who else could it be? Either the Special Affairs Bureau or the Party Affairs Office. But I think it was probably the Special Affairs Bureau—one of the guys who attacked me looked familiar; I think I’ve seen him at the Rose Cabaret,” Ah Hai recalled.

“The Special Affairs Bureau? What time was it when you got hit? What did the guy who attacked you look like? Maybe I can help you get even—you know I’m with the Bureau now,” Bai Zeshao said, patting Ah Hai on the shoulder.

“Brother, let it go. It’s not the first time I’ve been beaten up. But I do remember what that guy looked like—he had a big mole at the corner of his mouth…”

“What did you just say?” Hearing about the mole, Bai Zeshao’s heart skipped a beat. He interrupted, urgently pressing for details.

“I… I said the guy had a big mole at the corner of his mouth. Brother, what is it?” Ah Hai asked carefully, seeing Bai Zeshao’s sudden excitement.

“Was it at the lower right corner of his mouth? Was he about thirty, medium build?” Bai Zeshao quickly described the figure in his mind.

“Yes, that’s him. Why? Do you know him?”

“No.” Bai Zeshao shook his head, though inside he was thrilled. He realized that the man Ah Hai described was one of those who had escorted Mr. Li from the interrogation room earlier that day.

If he could track down this man, he might be able to find the location of the Special Affairs Bureau’s safehouse. That would give him a real chance at rescuing Mr. Li.

He pressed on, “Ah Hai, where were you hit by the car?”

“At the intersection by New First Street.”

“New First Street…” Bai Zeshao’s mind raced. There was only one way in or out of that intersection—straight onto New First Street. By his logic, the safehouse was very likely somewhere along that road.

But actually pinpointing which house it was would be difficult. There were many residents on New First Street, most of them wealthy or powerful. Even his and Mr. Li’s dead-drop box for contact was set up there.

The two pistols Bai Zeshao had recently acquired, along with the codebook he’d risked so much to retrieve, were hidden in that very dead-drop. Still, with the range narrowed down, he was confident he could find the safehouse soon.

In high spirits, Bai Zeshao clapped Ah Hai on the shoulder. “Hai, did you see a doctor for your injuries?”

“I couldn’t afford it,” Ah Hai said matter-of-factly.

“Rascal, did you spend your whole paycheck at the Rose Cabaret again? Chasing after that dancer, Ah Chen?” Bai Zeshao teased.

“Brother, you know everything—don’t rub it in. It’s embarrassing enough,” Ah Hai replied.

“You know, that cabaret isn’t the kind of place you should be frequenting. We don’t earn money easily, yet you throw it all away on a dancer. You two will never be together. I’ve never met this Ah Chen, but I’m sure she wouldn’t look twice at a regular guy like you. Is it really worth it?” Bai Zeshao said earnestly.

“It’s worth it. Actually, we…” Ah Hai started to say something, moved by Bai Zeshao’s concern, but stopped short, remembering what Ah Chen had warned him.

“What is it? Why did you stop? Is something going on between you two?” Bai Zeshao asked, curious.

“It’s nothing.”

Bai Zeshao didn’t press further. He helped Ah Hai into his house, took out a first-aid kit, and dressed his wounds.

“Brother, thank you. I’ll be going now.”

“Rascal, what are you thanking me for? Take it easy on your way home,” Bai Zeshao reminded him.

Left alone in his room, Bai Zeshao stared into space, his mind racing as he considered how he might finally uncover the safehouse’s location.