Chapter 134

Dong Xinlei was stunned and asked, “Brother Dong, is it your direct boss, Dong Fang Yi, who’s here?” Seeing him nod, he couldn’t help but add, “So what if he’s here? Why do we have to avoid him?”
Xie Wendong joked, “Because he’s too talkative. He must have a lot to say after not seeing me for so long. It’s better to avoid him if possible.”
“Oh!” Dong Xinlei pretended to be indifferent and turned around to look. He was also curious about Dong Fang Yi and wanted to see what kind of person could make Xie Wendong avoid him. Xie Wendong could tell what he was thinking and laughed, “That middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses and an upright appearance is Dong Fang Yi!”
Sure enough, through the crowd, Dong Xinlei saw a middle-aged man in a sharp suit, wearing glasses, with slightly gray hair, walking into the mall surrounded by five or six burly men. His brows were furrowed, as if preoccupied. This must be Dong Fang Yi, a high-ranking official in the Political Department with great hidden powers! Dong Xinlei memorized his appearance carefully—maybe one day he would become his next target. The relationship between Xie Wendong and Dong Fang Yi wasn’t solid; they just used each other, and their relationship could turn hostile at any time. In Dong Xinlei’s mind, Xie Wendong’s enemies were his own enemies, and he never showed mercy to enemies.
After avoiding Dong Fang Yi and his group, Xie Wendong pulled Dong Xinlei away, sighing, “I originally planned to go to the rooftop to check things out, but it seems unnecessary now. Even if there’s a clue as small as an ant, Dong Fang Yi can find it. That old fox has a keen sense.”
A cold glint appeared in Dong Xinlei’s eyes as he asked, “Brother Dong, since this Dong Fang Yi is such a hassle and we have to report to him regularly, why not just get rid of him? That would save us a lot of trouble.”
Xie Wendong shook his head and laughed, “That won’t do! Not to mention how troublesome his status is, he also brings us many benefits. It depends on how we use him. If used poorly, he’ll be like a time bomb that could explode at any moment. But if used well, he’ll be our safest haven. Heh, I don’t want to destroy that haven so soon!”
“Sigh, Brother Dong, I really don’t know what’s in your mind. You call him a haven when he’s clearly a bomb. I’m afraid one day we’ll be destroyed without even knowing why.”

“Hehe, Old Lei, it seems you’ve forgotten who I am! I’m Xie Wendong. No matter how sly that old fox is, in front of me, he’s just a fox!” Xie Wendong smirked, seeing Dong Xinlei looking dazed, and laughed as he strode out of the mall. As soon as he stepped outside, the clear sky suddenly turned into a downpour with no warning at all. Raindrops the size of beans pattered on the ground and on Xie Wendong’s body. He sighed inwardly: What a sudden rain! Just as he was thinking this, everything around him seemed to darken, and the rain seemed to lessen. Xie Wendong turned and saw that it was Dong Xinlei holding up his just-taken-off coat over his head, smiling and saying, “Brother Dong, you can plan everything about others, but you can’t predict what the heavens will do!”
“Haha!” Xie Wendong laughed loudly. “That’s right! Planning lies with humans, but success depends on fate. But I control my own destiny. If even others can’t influence me, why should I fear fate?” With that, Xie Wendong pulled away the coat covering his head, letting the rain pour down on him fully. He had an inherent arrogance that he rarely showed, but when he did, it was absolutely insane. Seeing the pedestrians on the road taking cover from the sudden downpour, Xie Wendong wiped the rain from his face and said proudly, “Interested in having a race with me? You decide the finish line!”
Dong Xinlei was also inspired by Xie Wendong’s attitude and shouted, “Sure! The finish line is the hotel where we’re staying!”
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Wendong had already started running at full speed. Dong Xinlei cried, “Cheating!?” and then chased after him with his long legs.
The two ran one after the other in the rain, the splashes of water beneath their feet so white that even the heavens might look helpless in the face of such people.
Xie Wendong spent his entire life running, chasing his dreams and his strength. There were always people following him, helping him up when he fell, pushing him forward when he lacked strength. These people ran alongside Xie Wendong on the path of life, chasing those distant yet seemingly within reach dreams.
In the end, neither of them could be declared the winner. They encountered patrol officers halfway and were “courteously” invited onto the police car. After understanding the situation, the officers took them back to the hotel. Thus, Xie Wendong left the impression that “Beijing police are very responsible,” after all, they didn’t disdain him for being drenched when they invited him onto the car.

After returning to the hotel, the two took showers and put on the new clothes they had bought earlier. While eating, they discussed their plans for the next day. Even clever as he was, Xie Wendong couldn’t figure out exactly what to do, so he simply said, “We’ll act as the situation demands!” After dinner, they went to bed early to rest and regain their strength, unsure of what would happen tomorrow.

The next day, Xie Wendong and Dong Xinlei got up early. After eating a few bites, they rushed to the mall they had visited the previous day. Although they arrived early, there were already people who had come even sooner. At the entrance of the mall and its surroundings, several plainclothed individuals in various outfits, looking like tourists, were wandering back and forth, their sharp eyes secretly observing passersby.

Dong Xinlei, being experienced, had seen many plainclothes agents and disguised bodyguards. At a glance, he knew these people were unusual—they were either police or spies sent by the Political Department. He stopped the taxi driver about to stop and told him to keep going, then leaned in and whispered in Xie Wendong’s ear, “There are official spies here.”

Xie Wendong nodded without saying anything, but inwardly thought, “Dong Fangyi is really fast.”

The taxi drove a little further before they got out and found a corner from which they could see the mall without being noticed by the spies. Xie Wendong said, “Lao Lei, go inside and see how many spies there are. There must be people from the Political Department here; it’s not safe for me to show up.” Dong Xinlei agreed and strolled in leisurely. After walking around the mall, he silently memorized the number and locations of the spies, then bought a pair of sunglasses before walking out slowly.

Upon seeing Xie Wendong, Dong Xinlei sighed and said, “There are at least thirty plainclothes agents inside. The main entrances are all under their control, especially the elevators leading upstairs. It’s impossible for an assassin to enter armed without being detected.”

Xie Wendong couldn’t help but smile and said, “It seems Dong Fangyi didn’t reach his current position by chance.”

“What should we do now?” “There’s no good solution but to wait.”

“Wait for whom?” “The Red Army members!” “Even if they really come, should we disrupt their plans or save them?” “It depends. If we have the chance, we’ll save them. I’m curious about the Red Army and want to establish a relationship with them.” “Oh, I see.”

Time passed slowly, and more and more people came in and out of the mall. Dong Xinlei didn’t spot any suspicious individuals. He glanced at his watch—there was only an hour and a half left until the time the prime minister was supposed to pass by, according to the intelligence. It was now 9 o’clock. Xie Wendong patted his shoulder, signaling there was no need to rush, and said with a smile, “If the Red Army members can stay calm, why should we worry?”

Dong Xinlei’s face turned red as he said with a bitter smile, “I’m afraid the information from the Soul Group might be inaccurate, causing us to wait in vain.”
Xie Wendong glanced at the passersby when a figure he hadn’t seen in ages came into view, stirring his emotions—it was him! He smiled and said, “It seems we won’t have to wait in vain.”
A young man in school uniform, of medium height, with a backpack on his back and looking no older than twenty, entered the mall. The guards at the entrance didn’t even glance at him—who would pay attention to a student? Dong Xinlei found the student’s face familiar; he was sure he had met him before but couldn’t recall where. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asked, “Brother Dong, I’ve seen that student before, but I can’t remember who he is right now.”
Xie Wendong stretched his limbs and said, “That’s right, we’ve met him. At HD School’s cafeteria, that arrogant kid who gave me a Red Army business card—have you forgotten?”
“Oh, right!” Dong Xinlei slapped his forehead. He remembered now; the kid’s name seemed to be Wu Ming. He said, “That kid still doesn’t realize he’s trapped in a web of danger. Should we go save him?”
“Heh, I hope he’s not an idiot!” Xie Wendong put on the sunglasses bought by San Yan and headed toward the mall.
There indeed were people from the Political Department among the guards here, but in reality, few within the Political Department actually knew Xie Wendong. “Few” didn’t mean none—Zhang Fanyou was one of those few, and coincidentally, he was the person in charge here. At first, he didn’t notice Xie Wendong but focused on the tall Dong Xinlei, wondering why this man, who had been in once before, was back again. Zhang Fanyou had a good memory, and Dong Xinlei’s appearance was indeed distinctive, making it hard not to remember him. Just as he was about to go ask, he saw Xie Wendong beside Dong Xinlei through the crowd. Though Xie Wendong was wearing sunglasses, Zhang Fanyou recognized him at a glance.
He and Xie Wendong had some history—back when Xie Wendong led a group to raid the Red Fire nightclub controlled by the Soul Group, they killed the Soul Group’s leader in H City, but Xie Wendong was also seriously injured and captured by the police. Initially, Xie Wendong thought he was dead, but his actions caught the attention of the Central Political Department. They sent a young man in a suit to pick him up—that young man was Zhang Fanyou.
Seeing Xie Wendong arrive, Zhang Fanyou stayed silent, knowing this man was extremely powerful. He must be here for the Red Army matter as well, and perhaps he could get some clues from him. With that thought, Zhang Fanyou quietly slipped into the crowd to observe Xie Wendong’s movements.

Xie Wendong and Dong Xinlei moved forward without any obstacles, searching everywhere for the student-dressednameless one. After walking for a while, Dong Xinlei gently pulled Xie Wendong’s clothes and pointed toward the elevator. Xie Wendong glanced over and indeed sawnameless one, looking relaxed, walking in the direction of the elevator. Just as he was about to enter, he was stopped and questioned by a plainclothed man in security uniform. Due to the distance, Xie Wendong and Dong Xinlei couldn’t hear what they were saying. After a while, they sawnameless one hand over his backpack to the security guard for inspection. The guard took out a laptop and a few books and found nothing else, before politely returning them tonameless one and letting him enter the elevator.

Seeing this, Dong Xinlei asked, “Brother Dong, what should we do?”

Xie Wendong thought for a moment and said, “Wait here for me. I’ll go up by myself.” Without waiting for Dong Xinlei to react, he strode over. When he reached the elevator, he was also stopped by a plainclothed man in security uniform. Xie Wendong looked at him and naturally took out his ID from the Political Department, waving it in front of the man and saying, “One of us!”

The plainclothed man, seeing that he was from the Political Department, though unfamiliar with him, didn’t dare offend him and quickly asked, “Is there anything unusual upstairs?”

Xie Wendong’s expression darkened as he frowned and said sideways, “You’ll know if there’s anything you should know. Stop talking! I’m asking you, which floor is that student-dressed guy going to?”

Startled by Xie Wendong’s sudden change in attitude, the plainclothed man didn’t dare delay and quickly replied, “Yes, the 20th floor.”

Xie Wendong checked the floor numbers on the elevator, which showed the building had 22 floors in total. He thought to himself, stepped into the elevator, and didn’t forget to snort loudly as he passed the plainclothed man. After the elevator carrying Xie Wendong left, the plainclothed man spat on the ground and cursed, “So what if you’re from the Political Department? Think you’re so great!”

“The Political Department isn’t that great. It seems you’re quite dissatisfied with us!” The plainclothed man’s curses were heard by Zhang Fanyou, who had followed them, who said coldly with a dark expression. His subordinates behind him also looked angry, snorting loudly.

“Ah?” The plainclothed man, seeing it was him, thought to himself, “It’s over!”