Chapter 949 Suspicion
While the people of Imperial continued with their morning, it wasn't long before Lu Tian arrived at Ye Zhongwei's bungalow. This time, he didn't take his Black Maserati Levante Trofeo but his matte black Audi r8.
He parks the car on his friend's driveway and steps out.
"Boss, you're here."
Xu Long greets his boss as usual. The moment his call with his boss ended, he came outside to wait.
He had spent all night helping Ye Zhongwei take care of Qin Jun, Song Jing Li, and Kira. It was indeed a restless night.
Lu Tian gives his assistant a nod and walks past.
"How are they?"
Xu Long followed his boss but kept a foot back. When he heard the question, he didn't waste any time and gave the details.
"Qin Jun suffered a minor concussion to his head, but he's stabilized and up. As for Song Jing Li and Kira, they have minor cuts from the dispute with the perpetrators. They were fatigued from lack of sleep, which was why it took them a while to regain consciousness."
The boss and assistant duo chatted as they entered the house. There, they met Ye Zhongwei at the front door.
"Well, good morning, my dear friend. Did you have a good sleep? I sure didn't."
Lu Tian looked at his friend, and he could tell at a glance that the man was exhausted. He could see the dark circles under Ye Zhongwei's eyes.
"Are they clear to leave?"
Ye Zhongwei stared at his friend. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were on the brink of closing. He was barely keeping himself up.
However, he was a doctor, and it was his duty to help those injured.
Not only that, this was a request from Lu Tian.
"Yeah, they're clear."
He gives his answer and turns away. Heading for the hallway, he doesn't look back but waves his hand.
"I'll be in my room getting my beauty sleep. Try not to bother me."
Lu Tian doesn't watch his friend leave and goes to the living room. He has often visited Ye Zhongwei's home and knows the layout.
The moment he set foot inside, he made eye contact with the three men he had brought in.
Qin Jun sat alone on one couch while Song Jing Li and Kira sat on the other across. There was only a coffee table separating them. Each person was bandaged and covered in bruises.
When the men saw him come in, no one spoke a sword but nodded in greeting.
The air around him was cold and intimidating, causing the temperature in the room to lower.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtLu Tian walks to the couch that Qin Jun is sitting on and sits beside the man.
"What happened?"
Qin Jun shook his head, which was bandaged due to the wound he received. He leans back on the couch, and his eyes search the space in front of him.
"We had a new lead, but by the time we got to him, he was already dead."
Thinking back on it, they had been too careless. No one knew they were in Imperial except for Chief Kim and Lu Tian.
"I should have been more attentive."
Kira spoke from across the room. His hands curled into tight fists when he thought about last night.
They returned to their hideout when they were left with another dead end. He didn't check the hidden surveillance he had set up around the perimeter because there was an alarm.
If someone had to come near them, it would have alerted them.
However, he was too careless.
"They had disconnected the alarm system I set up and were hiding in wait for us. By the time we realized something was wrong, they were already attacking."
Lu Tian listened to the men give a summary of the night before. His brows furrowed the more he listened, but he didn't say anything.
"It was definitely him."
Song Jing Li spoke up. He punches the armrest of the couch with a tightly clenched fist.
"I know the way that bastard takes down his opponents."
Lu Tian, Xu Long, Qin Jun, and Kira didn't need to know who the person Song Jing Li was referring to as it was Choi Li Sun.
They had been working on the case for years to know how the man does things.
He sends his men to the target. They never enter the building but shoot from outside before setting the place on fire to get rid of any evidence.
If someone were to escape, they would track the person down and play a game of hunting.
They would let their target run and give chase. To them, it was a thrill to watch their target hide in fear of them.
That was why Song Jing Li and Kira were hiding in the forest.
However, no one expected Lu Tian to arrive right on time.
Qin Jun was already aware of how Lu Tian came to help them. If it weren't for the man, he doubted they would have survived the night, especially when he was already unconscious.
He looks at the aloof man, and his expression turns serious.
"Thanks for your help."
Hearing him, Kira didn't hesitate to chime in his gratitude.
"I really appreciate your help last night. I have to admit, I almost thought it was the end."
Lu Tian didn't speak right away but gave a single nod. Judging from the information they provided, it seems like they were getting close to finding Choi Li Sun.
The only problem was that someone alerted him, so he was able to get to them first.
Thinking about this, the frown on Lu Tian's face deepened. No one in the room was able to read him, and neither did they dare to ask.
After what felt like an entire day, he parted his lips, and his deep voice sounded.
"There's a mole."
The second the men heard him, everyone stared at him with bloodshot eyes.
"What do you mean? How can there be a mole?"
Kira spoke first. He was in a slight denial that there could be a mole. Before they came to Imperial, they had already taken care of all the moles Choi Li Sun had planted.
If it weren't for that, they would have never come here unless…
He looked at the man across from him but dared not voice his thoughts.
Lu Tian didn't need to look at the three men to know what they were thinking.
His expression remained unfazed, but the air around him intensified more than it already was.
He looks at Kira, and one corner of his mouth every so lightly curves into a smirk.
"You think it's one of my men?"
His head slightly tilted to the side, and the smirk on his face grew a bit bigger. His demeanor manifests with danger.
"Or are you suspecting me?"
Kira was taken aback when Lu Tian's dark eyes suddenly met his. He didn't know why, but the man's gaze was piercing as if seeing right through him.
He didn't even realize that he was holding his breath.
"Hey!"
At that moment, Xu Long, who had been keeping quiet at the side, spoke up. His tone was menacing, unlike his usual carefree one.
He takes a step forward and crosses his arm over his chest.
"You better get that brain of yours fixed, or I'll gladly fix it for you."
By looking at Kira's expression, he knew what his boss was referring to. They were from City Z, and now that they were in Imperial, the mole his boss mentioned could be anyone.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAnd after the ambush last night, it was easy for them to have the suspicion that the mole could be someone on Lu Tian's side.
However, not on his watch.
He stares Kira straight in the eyes. The friendly air around him was nowhere to be seen.
"No one on this side is the mole. I can vouch for that."
Kira was tongue-tied by the assistant. They were supposed to discuss last night's ambush. How did things get to this?
Unable to comprehend the situation, he scratched his head in frustration.
"That's not what I mean. You're—"
"Shh!"
Before the man could finish his words, Xu Long cuts him off by shushing him. He walks over to Kira and stands before the man, revealing no fear in him.
"If you even dare to think that it is us, I, James Long Bond, will deal with you."
For a moment, Lu Tian felt proud to have Xu Long as his assistant. However, when the man mentioned his James Bond name, he could only take it back.
"That's enough, Xu Long."
He stops his assistant and looks at the three men one by one.
"If I wanted you dead, you would've been dead. Giving you the authorization to be here wouldn't even be on the table, let alone allowing you to step foot in Imperial."
His dark eyes stop at Kira, and his words continue.
"Because I respect Chief Kim, I'll let this go."
Having said enough, he stood up from his seat.
"I'll have a different location arranged for you guys. Your old location has been compromised."
Without waiting for a response, he walks away from the living room.
Xu Long doesn't spare the three men another glance and follows after his boss. If his boss didn't stop him, he would have beaten the living hell out of Kira for even thinking they were working with Choi Li Sun.
"Wait."
The boss and assistant had yet to reach the front door when Song Jing Li stopped them.
He walks over to them and stops in front of Lu Tian.
"I know that the mole isn't from your side. Neither does Qin Jun and Kira."
He didn't want to admit it, but Lu Tian was a good man. If Lu Tian weren't, he would have come to help him.
He leans forward and bows to the man in front of him.
"I know this because you still came to help us despite my hostility towards you. For that, I am truly grateful."