Chapter 138: Any Last Words?
"I spent twenty million for a top expert to protect me for a week, and Dark Night sends me... you?" Zhou Fan sized her up, his eyes filled with obvious disbelief.
"You can request to cancel the transaction." Bai Zhi glanced coldly at Zhou Fan. She also didn't understand why this man would spend twenty million to protect himself. 'Does he have that many enemies?'
Besides, with her current reputation and status within the organization, an assignment of this level shouldn't have been given to her. After all, she was already one of the top five experts in the organization and usually took on larger, more difficult missions with higher commissions.
"No. 9. I remember that the numbers in Dark Night are ranked by strength, right? That means you're ranked ninth. Based on the twenty million commission I offered, that does indeed correspond to an expert ranked sixth to tenth. But that guy Lorne should have at least sent me someone ranked fifth."
Zhou Fan looked at her coolly. She was wearing a hat and a mask, so he couldn't see her face. Though her eyes were beautiful, they were too cold, devoid of any emotion. 'As for her figure, it's probably not bad,' he thought.
Zhou Fan carefully sifted through his memories, searching for an expert from Dark Night who matched this description. He finally zeroed in on someone who, before his ambush, had only been ranked twenty-third within the organization.
"First, I don't know what your relationship with Lorne is. Second, while I may be No. 9, my current strength can legitimately place me in the top five of the organization. Just a week ago, I challenged and defeated No. 5. I just haven't had the chance to change my number yet."
Bai Zhi's eyes narrowed slightly. She stared at the man before her, who seemed quite familiar with their boss, Lorne, and spoke word by word, her tone not just cold, but also tinged with a hint of arrogance.
"In that case, let's go." Zhou Fan said nothing more, stomped on the gas, and started the car. Their destination: Jiang Province.
While Bai Zhi was internally cursing Zhou Fan for his rudeness, a mocking glint flashed in his eyes. 'Dark Night... have you finally taken the bait?'
That guy Lorne thought Zhou Fan wouldn't encounter any real danger here, so after a brief moment of thought, he accepted the twenty-million protection job. To be safe, however, he still sent No. 9, who had been making waves in the organization recently.
But he didn't know that it didn't matter who he sent. What Zhou Fan wanted was to create the impression that he was working with Dark Night. His goal was to drag them into the mess, which would help him rapidly expand his own power.
Just as the car reached a somewhat remote location, less than two hundred li from Jiang Province, the corner of Zhou Fan's eye twitched imperceptibly as his gaze casually swept over a truck approaching from the distance.
However, Zhou Fan didn't say anything, pretending not to have noticed. In any case, he had paid for protection. Even if it was to achieve his own goals, he wasn't about to let his money go to waste.
Suddenly, when the large truck ahead was still over two hundred meters away from them, it swerved sideways, blocking the middle of the road.
At the same time, another large truck appeared behind them, also turning to block the road. In an instant, the two trucks had completely cut off Zhou Fan and Bai Zhi's path.
"Stop the car. Don't move. Wait for me." Bai Zhi knew their opponents meant business. After giving Zhou Fan his instructions and the car came to a steady stop, she slowly stepped out. Her leather boots struck the ground with force as she took the lead, walking toward the truck blocking their path ahead.
In an instant, forty or fifty people jumped down from the front and rear trucks. Every one of them was professionally trained. And among those who jumped from the rear truck, Zhou Fan saw a familiar figure: Extreme Shadow, the intelligence team leader he had personally groomed.
Zhou Fan opened the car door and leaned against it, steadying himself. He took out a cigarette and lit it, his deep-set eyes looking toward the rear.
Extreme Shadow was dressed in a light cyan suit, his hair slicked back and shiny. He saw Zhou Fan at that moment, and his steps clearly faltered. Although he hadn't participated in the assassination attempt on Zhou Fan a year ago, after Ye Fei's successful power grab, he had killed many of those loyal to Zhou Fan during the subsequent purge.
Therefore, Extreme Shadow knew with certainty that even if he didn't try to kill Zhou Fan, Zhou Fan would definitely kill him. After a brief moment of hesitation, he led his men forward, soon stopping less than ten meters in front of Zhou Fan.
"Instructor, long time no see."
As Extreme Shadow uttered this title again, his heart was a mess of conflicting emotions. He had only killed the others to prove his loyalty because he thought Zhou Fan was dead. If he had known Zhou Fan was alive, he would have fled immediately and waited for Zhou Fan to return and take his revenge.
Like Viper, he had been personally trained by Zhou Fan. He knew exactly how powerful Zhou Fan was, and how ruthless his methods could be.
"It has been a while. A damn century, it feels like."
Zhou Fan chuckled, then tossed him a cigarette. "Any last words? For the sake of all the years you followed me, if it's not too outrageous, I'll help you fulfill them."