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In the crowd, Mei Zi searched for him a thousand times, and suddenly turning around, she was overwhelmed with joy to the point of tears.
"Is it really you? Are you truly the person we’ve been looking for? This is amazing! Finally, we can afford to eat, and we won’t have to go hungry anymore."
Mei Zi grabbed Jufeng's shoulders, her eyes squinting with delight. She never expected that fate would be so kind to them. Despite just having gone through a trial, a surprise arrived in the next moment, leaving her emotions in a whirlwind.
However, before Mei Zi could fully embrace her joy, Niu built a high wall beside her, blocking the sudden surprise from entering.
"Mr. Ju, I don’t know why our master didn’t provide us with a clear name or description of the person we were supposed to find when he came out. But we can’t just take your word for it so easily. This concerns the livelihood of our family, so please clarify how you are certain that you are the person we are looking for."
Niu’s expression turned serious, his youthful face taut and comical. Hearing this, Mei Zi’s joyful expression gradually faded as she realized she might have been too hasty in her excitement. She turned to Jufeng, waiting for his response.
Understanding Niu's concerns, Jufeng explained, "If I’m not mistaken, the person you were protecting should be from the United Heart Association."
It was a question but also a statement of fact. Jufeng believed that in vast China, along the expansive southeastern coast, there was no other force capable of nurturing such young talents except for the elders of the United Heart Association or those referred to as the Hall of Offerings.
Mei Zi and Niu exchanged astonished glances before their expressions shifted to joy. Clearly, Jufeng had hit the nail on the head.
Seeing that Jufeng had revealed his origin, Niu’s doubts diminished significantly. He continued to ask, "That’s correct, Mr. Ju. However, we still need to confirm what exactly you want us to do. If our master cannot reach an agreement, we will have to consider other options."
Niu meant that while they had confirmed Jufeng's identity, they shouldn’t be too quick to celebrate because finding the target didn’t mean everything was settled; what mattered most was the final negotiation. If they couldn’t come to terms, everything would revert back to square one.
They came from the elder level of the United Heart Association and were tasked with protection work. The best outcome would be to continue this work but simply change their target to Jufeng. However, Jufeng had no intention of allowing such plans; he wouldn’t leave himself vulnerable like Hua Gang did now. He didn’t need anyone to shelter him; for him, mutually beneficial partnerships were the most reliable relationships.
Of course, this applied only to strangers.
Jufeng smiled slowly and said, "There’s no rush on this matter. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll give you some money now so you can take it back and solve your family’s immediate needs—consider it my greeting gift. As for our future cooperation, we can discuss that later. I happen to have something to attend to tonight; why don’t you come along with me and see?"
Mei Zi didn’t expect Jufeng to be so generous; without thinking twice, she agreed immediately. Niu felt somewhat embarrassed by such straightforwardness but hadn’t had time to express his gratitude before Mei Zi pulled Jufeng away to join him in whatever business he had mentioned.
In Long Night's Hecheng cityscape—beautiful and tranquil yet not bustling—the quiet prosperity allowed one to truly savor its essence.
Jufeng led Ikeda Masahiro with Mei Zi and Niu following closely behind along a secluded and ancient street. After walking for half an hour, they arrived at an Abandoned Industrial Park.
From a distance, the Industrial Park appeared shrouded in darkness, with even the occasional cat's meow sounding pitifully sparse.
Standing at the side entrance of the Industrial Park, gazing at the scenery within, Jufeng stood still, seemingly waiting for something.
Having spent so much time with Jufeng, Ikeda Masahiro had learned to wait and had come to understand Romain's habits. He was someone who preferred to have others follow him quietly and could grasp his every word and action intuitively. Therefore, Ikeda Masahiro made an effort to minimize communication, choosing instead to align his actions with Jufeng's.
Meizi and Niu followed Jufeng's gaze, staring for a while without discerning anything significant. Meizi was not one to tolerate silence easily; she was unaccustomed to the quiet of the Long Night. After a moment of silence, she asked, "What are you looking at? What's so interesting about a pile of ruins?"
In truth, it was not merely a pile of ruins. The dilapidated industrial area concealed some old low-rise buildings that were still habitable. These places were favored by those seeking refuge in the darkness, which was why Jufeng had come here.
"You'll know soon enough," Jufeng replied.
Upon hearing this, Meizi pouted, clearly unimpressed by Romain's enigmatic demeanor. However, since they needed something from him—something that concerned the well-being of their entire family—she restrained her impulsive nature.
Before long, a rustling sound suddenly emerged from within the Industrial Park. The noise grew louder and then faded into a low murmur before eventually dissipating.
The entire process lasted about a minute; however, apart from a few nearby individuals, those further away could hardly hear it.
Meizi and Niu were martial artists with heightened senses and immediately recognized the nature of the sound. They were not particularly surprised; after all, they had been immersed in martial arts and violence from the start due to their profession being related to combat.
Yet neither had ever been on a battlefield nor taken a life; at that moment, they were merely listeners. Despite their calm demeanor, there was still a hint of unease within them.
"Do people from your world enjoy killing?" Meizi asked as the sound faded away.
She was naturally directing her question at Jufeng.
Romain shook his head and replied, "Look at those vendors arguing so fiercely; have they ever shown any intent to kill? Now look at the people here; they have no past grievances yet can silently take a life at a glance."
"So, not everyone enjoys killing; sometimes it's just a profession. Once you've chosen it, there's no way to avoid it."
Meizi nodded, somewhat understanding, while Niu added, "Just like our family, we have protected others for generations. We can't do anything else; it's been destined since birth, and there's no way around it."
Jufeng looked at Niu with appreciation and added, "It's not that you can't do anything; you can wash dishes. Just with that skill alone, you can live well in this world."
Niu glanced at Meizi briefly before returning to his previous demeanor. Jufeng pondered for a moment and understood Niu's meaning—he was indeed sufficient on his own, but there was still Meizi beside him, so he needed to think of other ways.
Ikeda Masahiro didn't perceive the sounds from the Industrial Park as strongly as the others and wasn't particularly interested in their conversation. Instead, he felt a wave of fatigue in the night breeze and yawned.
Jufeng turned around and said kindly, "It won't be long; we'll head back to sleep soon."
Ikeda Masahiro snorted coldly and turned his head away, implying that Jufeng should stop being so pretentious, but deep down, he felt sweet as honey.
Before long, two figures emerged from the Industrial Park and headed straight for Jufeng. Upon reaching him, they bowed respectfully and greeted him as "Brother Jufeng."
"How's the situation inside?"
"Reporting to Brother Jufeng, there are about a hundred people inside. The leader has died, and we've injured over twenty of them without any losses on our side."
The speaker was a member of Azure Wind Antelope's second phase, exuding an aura of bloodshed after a fierce battle yet maintaining a steady breath.
Jufeng nodded. The speaker paused briefly before continuing, "Brother Jufeng, there's one more thing. Just now, Master Bill reported that our Brothers in Xucheng suffered heavy losses; one Captain has fallen."
The Captain was a position established after Hurricane grew stronger, positioned below the Master and Vice Master. Below them were the Team Leaders, and beneath them were the Captains.
Upon hearing this, Jufeng's expression hardened, and his aura shifted dramatically, startling the Azure Wind Antelope member into a deeper bow of respect.
Jufeng murmured, "The Grand Elder of Hua Gang truly lives up to his title; he thinks just like I do."
Shifting his focus to his subordinates, Jufeng continued, "Send my orders to expand Azure Wind Antelope's net even wider. Since we're going to fight, we must fight to the end; whoever defends first will lose. Also, have Bill come see me as soon as possible."
The subordinate immediately took the order and quickly disappeared from the sight of the four.
Their side had suffered injuries, and only Pizza Hut had the strength to act like this. Originally, Jufeng's plan was to continuously use the Azure Wind Antelope to attack Hua Gang's leader, creating an atmosphere of panic and fear. However, he did not expect that Pizza Hut would come up with the same idea and act so swiftly.
Jufeng thought to himself, this is truly a formidable opponent!
"Let's go."
Jufeng called out to Ikeda Masahiro, as well as Meizi and Niu beside him, smiling as he said, "It seems we should also get some sleep. By the way, the funds for our expenses should arrive tonight. We can postpone our negotiations until then; once we have what we need, we can make a decision."
Jufeng did not require Meizi and Niu to do anything specific; he simply continued to provide them with money. Meizi and Niu had no reason to refuse it, as they had always held a favorable view of Jufeng. This indicated their willingness to continue discussions, unlike Shi Yushu from the United Heart Association, who would rather starve than accept his gifts.
Poor Shi Yushu was unaware that the support he longed for had already fallen into the hands of his rival.
(To be continued)
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