Chapter 271 - 119: 2012, Creating the Future

Chapter 271: Chapter 119: 2012, Creating the Future

He counted silently to himself as the motorcycle sped through the suburbs, finally arriving at the western part of the small island.

He was beyond familiar with the roads here. Come to think of it, he’d been to the villa more often than his own home.

Ring Mountain Road lay before him.

He shifted gears, letting the bike crawl forward a short distance.

Then he stopped.

He couldn’t go any farther up.

The surroundings were utterly silent.

The engine’s roar would alert the bodyguards inside.

From here on, he was on his own.

Zhang Shutong hid the bike in the shadow of a cliff face, then felt something smack against his helmet.

He looked up. Snow from the cliffs above was accumulating, piling higher and higher before clumps of it tumbled down. It felt as though the slightest noise could trigger an avalanche.

But it didn’t matter. This was meant to be a silent operation from the start.

He took a flashlight from the bike’s storage compartment and scanned the area. Not a soul in sight.

’Of course not.’

Gu Qiuyan was scheduled to be murdered in the early hours of the morning.

Zhang Shutong knew he was in a race against time with two different parties.

First, there were Father Gu’s people; he had to get Gu Qiuyan out before the bodyguards returned.

Second, there was the killer, who was also on a deadline to secretly hide her away before anyone else arrived.

His goal right now was to ensure Gu Qiuyan’s safety. As for the killer, he’d leave them to the bodyguards stationed at the villa.

Based on Lu Qinglian’s assessment the other day, the long-haired woman could handle an ordinary person like him, but she was no match for several fully-armed bodyguards.

Of course, there were still unsettling mysteries. For instance, Zhang Shutong still couldn’t figure out how she had gotten into the villa in the first place.

That’s why he had to get her out.

And why he had to be fast.

Zhang Shutong took a deep breath and set off.

He had traveled this Ring Mountain Road many times.

He had an excellent memory, and every easy and difficult stretch of the path was etched into his mind. Though he felt weak, that didn’t stop Zhang Shutong from wringing out every last drop of his stamina. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself faster and faster until he was gasping for breath, his heart pounding violently in his chest.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes... He used his footsteps as a timer, counting every two steps as a second. This time, he made it to the outside of the villa in just fifteen minutes.

The time was now 10:30 PM.

The night was still. All around was a snow-covered wilderness. In the distance, he could see a light on in the villa’s first floor.

The two bodyguards weren’t back yet.

He breathed a sigh of relief, but he knew the real challenge was just beginning.

Every second still counted.

If the bodyguards happened to run into him on their way back while he was leading Gu Qiuyan down the mountain path, it would be a disaster.

He switched off his flashlight and quickly arrived at the villa’s main gate. Zhang Shutong felt a pang of relief that he had studied it so carefully. While he still couldn’t fathom how the killer got in, he at least knew how to sneak in himself.

Zhang Shutong also knew there was a security camera over the gate. If a bored bodyguard were to glance at the monitor right now, he would spot a suspicious-looking man in a helmet standing at the entrance. Then a whole group of them would rush out, cracking their knuckles, and pin him to the ground.

So, he first committed the keypad’s location to memory, then sidled into the camera’s blind spot and keyed in a string of numbers from memory.

He only had one chance. This damned lock would trigger an alarm in the living room after a single failed attempt.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

With a soft BEEP, the lock disengaged.

Zhang Shutong even knew the hinge on the left door was a bit rusty; it would let out a grating screech if pushed past a certain angle. He carefully squeezed through on the right side, gently closed the door behind him, and entered the front courtyard. Soon, the terrace of the second-floor room came into view.

The curtains were drawn, the French doors half-open, but the room inside was dark.

But before Zhang Shutong could try to contact Gu Qiuyan, he heard a door open. A bodyguard had come out for a smoke.

He cursed under his breath and quickly ducked under the eaves.

Zhang Shutong waited patiently, but before the first man could even finish his cigarette, another bodyguard came out. The two started chatting by the door.

"Want to do another patrol?"

"Sure. The boss is still up, anyway. Good to be seen making the rounds."

With that, the two men switched on their flashlights. The whole scene felt like a game of cat and mouse.

Zhang Shutong was the mouse, but fortunately for him, they were patrolling side-by-side. If they had been more professional and split up to flank the property, they would have inevitably found the suspicious character trying to spirit away the young miss.

Zhang Shutong crept into the backyard.

The backyard was massive. He hid motionless behind a large tree and suddenly felt he knew this place better than his own home.

The bodyguards soon walked past his hiding spot. He let out a breath of relief, wondering if he should make a run for it now or wait until they went back inside.

He quickly decided to wait and play it safe, but just then, something nudged him.

To be precise, it wasn’t a person but a big, furry head. It seemed to have grown impatient watching Zhang Shutong stand behind the tree for so long.

The Doberman!

Zhang Shutong’s heart leaped into his throat.

He’d forgotten one thing—the dog wasn’t on a leash. Then again, it made sense. The Doberman was a guard dog. After all those free meals, it was expected to earn its keep when it mattered.

But who would have expected it to walk right up to him?

He thought he’d gotten familiar with the dog, but he’d been gone from the villa for a full day. Who knew if it would suddenly turn on him?

Zhang Shutong blinked at the huge animal. ’Don’t you dare bark,’ he thought. ’If you do, I’ll have your young miss fire you. If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me. Besides, I saved your life, didn’t I?’