Chapter 265 - 257: A Great Favor

Chapter 265: Chapter 257: A Great Favor

At Shenghai North Railway Station, the platform was packed, almost overflowing with young students.

A middle-aged figure in a long gown, black hat, and white scarf stood before the door of the soon-to-depart train. Facing the youthful, vibrant faces, he gave a deep bow.

BANG!

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. A bullet grazed the brim of the bowing man’s hat, striking the train car and sending sparks flying.

"There’s a gunman! Protect the Teacher!"

The crowd of students on the platform immediately surged forward, linking arms and shoulders to form a human wall, desperately pushing forward to protect him.

Gunshots continued to ring out from the chaotic crowd, seeming to come from every direction.

Fortunately, the few black-clad bodyguards surrounding the man in the long gown were quick-witted and sharp-eyed. The instant the first shot was fired, they swiftly shielded him in their midst and bundled him onto the train....

WHOO WHOO—

As the train let out a long blast from its whistle, it began to move with a CLANK-CLANK, slowly at first, then picking up speed until it finally pulled out of the station.

The young students on the platform cheered in unison, as if they had just won a great victory.

In their excitement, they tossed their hats and scarves into the air, loudly reciting passionate poems and waving vigorously at the departing train....

At a street corner outside the train station, a black sedan was parked quietly, as if waiting for something.

Before long, several furtive figures emerged from the stream of people at the station exit.

The leader, a tall and thin man, walked quickly to the car and tapped lightly on the window. The window rolled down, revealing Nan Xiangcheng’s impassive face.

"Section Chief."

The man reported in a low voice, a hint of shame in his tone, "We failed. He got on the train."

"But rest assured, Section Chief, we have men on the train as well..."

A cold glint flashed in the man’s eyes as he said viciously, "I guarantee Li Mingyi won’t make it off that train alive!"

"Was that Li Mingyi? You seem so certain."

Nan Xiangcheng suddenly cut the man off, glancing at him coolly.

The man’s words caught in his throat. He lowered his head and fell silent.

The atmosphere by the car grew tense for a moment before Nan Xiangcheng spoke again. "What’s the situation with the other two routes?"

The man hesitated for a moment before replying in a low voice, "We intercepted the one at Guangci Hospital, but... it was just a decoy."

"The route from Samantabhadra Street to Vermilion Bird Street... we couldn’t stop him. He got away."

Nan Xiangcheng frowned at this. "That’s the route he escaped from? What about the three from the Black Tower?"

"All dead."

"Hah!"

Nan Xiangcheng laughed, his anger boiling over. He couldn’t help but curse, "Three useless fools, and they called themselves experts?..."

After a moment of swearing, Nan Xiangcheng’s anger seemed to cool slightly. The man by the car carefully spoke up again. "Section Chief, what are our next steps?"

"What to do? Do I have to teach you?"

Nan Xiangcheng’s expression was frigid, a cold light glinting behind his glasses. "The person who wasn’t killed? Send more men to kill him."

"As for here in Shenghai...."

Nan Xiangcheng let out a cold laugh and said slowly, "Gather all remaining hands and find Wen Zhiqiu."

"Since Wen Zhiqiu is so eager to be a righteous hero, we’ll give him a little help..."

"Li Mingyi isn’t dead. I want him dead!"

As the window slowly rolled up, a few business cards were tossed out lightly.

"If you don’t have enough men, make these calls.... If you can’t kill Wen Zhiqiu this time, don’t bother coming back to see me."

"Yes, sir."

The car slowly pulled away. The tall, thin man watched Nan Xiangcheng’s car until it was out of sight.

Only when the car had completely vanished did he bend down and pick up the scattered business cards with phone numbers on them, one by one.

He then summoned his subordinates and quickly gave his orders.

.......

Outside Tongji Gate was a stretch of barren wilderness.

The rickshaw puller seemed to know the way. Fu Juemin followed him on horseback.

He activated [Yao Ling], monitoring a two-hundred-meter radius around him.

At first, some furtive figures lurked nearby, but perhaps having witnessed his display on Vermilion Bird Street, none of them dared to make a move.

Later, when the remaining Revolutionaries, led by Tang Jing, caught up, these "little ghosts" hiding in the shadows quickly and completely retreated.

Fu Juemin escorted the rickshaw south for seven li.

A heavy rain had just passed, making the road muddy and extremely bumpy. It was fine for Fu Juemin on horseback, but he had no idea how the person in the rickshaw was enduring it.

When they reached a barren patch of woods, he saw a group of people waiting in the distance.

Seeing Fu Juemin’s party arrive with the rickshaw, the group immediately came forward to greet them. Fu Juemin’s gaze swept over them, and he spotted a somewhat familiar face in the crowd.

It was the woman who had protected Li Huaisuang with a gun back at the Zhabei City Fortress.

The two groups merged, surrounding the black rickshaw. Soon, the curtain of the rickshaw was lifted, and a figure slowly stepped out.

From his position on horseback, Fu Juemin saw a man in a black coat and black hat emerge, carrying an old leather suitcase.

He looked to be under fifty, with an average build and a plain, ordinary face.

The man had clearly had a rough ride. His face was pale as he got out, and he had to squat on the ground and dry heave for a while. Only after recovering did he slowly straighten up.

"Why are you staring at me?"

The first thing the man did after getting up was speak to Fu Juemin.

"I wanted to see just how remarkable this Li Mingyi is, the one we went through so much trouble and lost so many lives to escort."

"But now that I see you..."

Fu Juemin withdrew his gaze and said flatly, "It seems there’s nothing special about you at all."

"You!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Jing, in the crowd, couldn’t stop herself from retorting.

But before she could speak, Fu Juemin shot her a look. "Did you think my kick last time was too light?"

Tang Jing’s words caught in her throat. Her pretty face flushed with anger, but under his indifferent gaze, she resentfully lowered her head.

Fu Juemin’s words were barbed, but the man didn’t get angry at all. Instead, he smiled and nodded. "You’re right. Li Mingyi really is nothing special."

"Of course, I’m not the real Li Mingyi either."

With that, the man raised his hand and tore off the beard from his face, along with some sort of skin-like disguise, revealing the face of a young man in his twenties.

This young face was also unremarkable, but his eyes shone like morning stars, making him seem exceptionally sharp and spirited.

"My name is Lin Zhaonan."

The young man extended a hand to Fu Juemin, his gaze sincere and his expression open.

This "Li Mingyi" was a fake!

Not only was Fu Juemin surprised, but even the Revolutionaries responsible for the escort and reception were stunned, standing frozen in place.

"Then where is the real Li Mingyi?"

This question didn’t come from Fu Juemin, but from one of their own people.

The young man answered, "The real Mr. Mingyi was on the first route."

"Relying entirely on students and the procession for escort? That’s too risky!"

Someone couldn’t help but exclaim.

The young man shook his head. "No, the Li Mingyi in the car on the first route was also a fake."

"The real Li Mingyi was mixed in with the procession. He was to be secretly escorted away midway through. By now... he’s probably already reached a safe place."

PHEW—

The group of Revolutionaries from the Ming Society finally breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Fu Juemin sat on his horse, listening quietly as they finished speaking.

"Three decoys on three routes, and all of them were fake."

"You people are clever, truly remarkable..."

Fu Juemin spoke slowly, but his tone held little praise.

A light flashed in the young man’s eyes, and he responded, "I understand what you’re trying to say."

"But this third route... wasn’t entirely a fake either."

He lifted the old leather suitcase and said seriously, "What we were truly escorting on this route was this case, which contains registers and documents."

"This case is more important than my life, Lin Zhaonan’s life. It’s even... more important than the life of Li Mingyi alone."

"None of you have labored in vain."

"Sir, this time, you didn’t just save me, or Li Mingyi. You saved the lives of every single one of our comrades in the Ming Society."

The young man handed the suitcase to someone beside him, then suddenly took a step forward and gave Fu Juemin a deep, formal bow.

"I, Lin Zhaonan, on behalf of Mr. Mingyi and the entire Ming Society, thank you, Sir, for your great and righteous deed!"

At the young man’s words, everyone from the Ming Society present was visibly moved.

It felt inappropriate not to bow along with the young man, yet if they were to truly thank him, they found the words hard to say.

They all looked hesitant, their movements uncertain.

Fu Juemin, still on his horse, took in all their expressions. His gaze finally settled on the young man named Lin Zhaonan, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. "You sure know how to flatter someone."

"Forget it."

Fu Juemin suddenly shook his head, a wave of disinterest washing over him. He pulled on his reins and said flatly, "I’m leaving. You’re on your own now."