Chapter 29: Baiting with One's Own Life

One of the men in black asked in Fusangese, “Still can’t reach Sakamoto?” The man addressed bowed and replied, “No, Chief Takenaka. I’ve called dozens of times, but no one answers.” Takenaka snorted coldly. “Sakamoto is probably tangled up with some woman again. He’s utterly unreliable.” The others around him burst into laughter.

“If he’s so useless, he can’t blame us for taking the credit. Brothers, let’s do this job well and claim our reward when we get back!” Takenaka shouted.

Gu Xiangnan and Su Hanyan didn’t understand Fusangese; they could only stare at each other, trying to guess the meaning from the tone.

The men in black continued their search ahead. Su Hanyan knew that another hundred meters forward would bring them to the greenhouse, where the Xianlingzi was kept.

The Xianlingzi was ill-suited to this region’s geography and climate. Su Hanyan had invested heavily to build a special greenhouse, meticulously simulating the temperature, humidity, and light required for its growth. After years of effort, the single original plant had multiplied into hundreds. Yet even so, the yield remained extremely limited, making the medicine derived from it priceless and nearly impossible to obtain.

It was clear the men in black were after the Xianlingzi. If they dug up the entire crop, then China would lose Xianlingzi forever, and it would become a treasure of Fusang. Worse still, if their goal was to destroy the plants, or if they mishandled them in transit, the Xianlingzi could die out entirely.

Su Hanyan would never allow such a thing to happen.

After the men in black moved on, Su Hanyan leaned close to Gu Xiangnan’s ear and whispered, “Xiao Nan, the Xianlingzi is in the greenhouse ahead. We can’t let them find it. Can you draw them away?”

“No problem. I could finish them off in one move,” Gu Xiangnan replied, about to stand, but Su Hanyan quickly pressed him down.

“Xiao Nan, if they find the place, they’ll come back again and again. We can’t always be here to stop them. Besides, I’m afraid if a fight breaks out, the Xianlingzi might be damaged.”

Gu Xiangnan paused; his senior sister had her reasons.

“So what should we do then?”

“I’ll lure them away.” Su Hanyan nodded resolutely, suddenly stood, and dashed out.

Dozens of men in black were fanned out, searching. Su Hanyan ran through the grass, the rustling betraying her movement. One of the nearby men, startled, swung his flashlight over and shouted, “Who’s there?”

The sound echoed sharply through the quiet valley.

“Did you find something?” someone called.

“Something just ran by.”

“Don’t get jumpy—it’s probably just a rabbit.”

That sounded reasonable, so the man turned back and continued searching. Su Hanyan quickly darted through another patch of grass. The man in black again turned and swept his flashlight over the area.

“Something’s not right. Something definitely ran by,” he shouted, drawing several others over. They advanced with flashlights toward the bush where Su Hanyan was hiding.

The sparse grass couldn’t possibly conceal a full-grown person. A beam of light revealed a crouched, white figure behind the grass.

“There’s someone here!”

Nearby men in black immediately raised their guns. Takenaka, hearing the commotion, called his subordinates over for support.

Crouching behind the grass, Su Hanyan judged from the snapping twigs under their shoes that she was surrounded. Even though she trusted Gu Xiangnan’s abilities, her heart still raced wildly.

All the men in black began to close in on her position, and Takenaka started shouting, “Who’s there? Come out! Otherwise, you die!”

The sound of bullets being chambered followed.

The moment had come.

Su Hanyan slowly stood up, raising her hands.

“Don’t kill me!” she pleaded, feigning a sob.

“It’s a pretty girl!” someone exclaimed.

So it was a woman after all—the men’s tension eased. But what a beautiful woman she was!

Su Hanyan tugged at her white shirt, which barely reached her thighs, exposing a pair of long, luminous legs that shone in the flashlight’s beam. She exuded a breathtaking allure.

The men in black collectively gasped; some felt weak at the knees.

Their guard dropped, and they lowered their weapons.

Someone suggested, “Chief Takenaka, there’s still time—why don’t we have a little fun?”

Takenaka hesitated.

The top two buttons of Su Hanyan’s shirt were undone, and as she moved, it slipped lower, revealing a smooth shoulder and a deep, inviting curve.

Someone began to swallow audibly, chiming in, “Yeah, let’s have some fun! Sakamoto’s not here yet, and we’ve got plenty of time.”

Takenaka finally decided, “Make it quick. Finish before eleven-thirty.”

The men in black leered as they approached Su Hanyan, though Takenaka, as their leader, stayed alert at the back.

Su Hanyan acted terrified, slowly retreating.

“Come on, pretty girl, let’s play,” someone jeered.

At these words, Su Hanyan turned and ran.

None of the men took her seriously—she was trapped, with no chance of escape.

Su Hanyan knew the area well.

She planned to lead the men away in the opposite direction.

She ran to the edge of a cliff, finding herself with nowhere to retreat. The men in black advanced, grinning.

But to their shock, the woman who had just been panicked now stood tall, one hand on her hip, smiling at them.

Had she given up?

Su Hanyan suddenly clapped her hands twice. “Xiao Nan, are you not coming out? Do you really want me to entertain them?”

The men in black heard a noise behind them and turned, only to see a man swinging a giant palm at them.

A gust of energy slammed into them, lifting them helplessly into the air before they crashed heavily to the ground.

A chill ran through them all.

Could this be the legendary Chinese kung fu?

They had seen it in Chinese movies, but never believed it was real—just special effects, a fantasy.

Only after experiencing it did they realize how terrifying it was.

Some tried to get up and run, but Gu Xiangnan gave them no chance. With a flick of his finger, they spat blood and collapsed.

One man reached for his gun, but Gu Xiangnan snapped his arm.

“All at once!” someone commanded in Fusangese.

Twenty men surrounded Gu Xiangnan, but he was too fast—all they could see were fleeting afterimages.

A few sharp slaps echoed, and suddenly, everyone was lying motionless on the ground.

The clearing was silent.

“Xiao Nan, you’re a bit slow today,” Su Hanyan teased as she walked up to him.

“A man shouldn’t be too fast,” Gu Xiangnan replied, pulling her slender waist into his arms and pecking her lips.

Su Hanyan shyly tapped his shoulder. “Let’s take care of business first! Go interrogate them—find out who sent them!”

Gu Xiangnan went to check the fallen men.

He had seen clearly, from his hiding spot, who the leader was.

But after searching, there was no sign of that man.

“Damn, one got away!”