They went back to the room to rest.
Perhaps because it was the off-season and there were few guests, the room was actually very clean. Lu Zheng and Lin Wan freshened up and were just about to sleep (or rather, start their happy couple’s exercise) when they both suddenly froze, their eyes sharpening.
“Several cars just pulled up outside the guesthouse,” Lin Wan said abruptly.
Lu Zheng nodded. “All parked a short distance away. Engines off, no movement, nobody getting out. They’re all still inside the vehicles.”
“That’s odd. This guesthouse is the only one around here, isn’t it?” Lin Wan frowned.
“Is this… some kind of underworld deal? They picked this remote spot and we just happened to stumble into it?”
“What a coincidence…”
“Perfect, let’s watch the show!” Lu Zheng grinned, switched off the bedside lamp, and moved to the window. He lifted one corner of the curtain.
Lin Wan’s curiosity was piqued too. She quietly joined him and peered out. “Three vehicles in total. Two saloons and one people-carrier. I’d say at least ten people.”
“Where’s the other party? Still not here?” Lu Zheng wondered. “Don’t they usually set traps in advance?”
Lin Wan gave him a speechless look. “People in that world value reputation above all. Black-eating-black isn’t as common as you think. Sometimes the underworld’s rules are stricter than the law-abiding world’s.”
Lu Zheng countered, “Sounds nice, but in the end it’s just the biggest fist making the rules, and those rules exist to let the strongest squeeze out maximum profit.”
Lin Wan: That actually makes sense. Can’t argue with that.
…
With nothing better to do and the lights already off, the two simply waited by the window.
Half an hour passed. Still no movement from the three cars.
A full hour later, when it was already past eleven and Lu Zheng was starting to get impatient, the car doors finally opened.
“Bloody hell, they’ve got some patience. Wait, where’s the other side? Stood up?”
Lu Zheng and Lin Wan exchanged a glance, unsure what was going on. Then they faintly caught fragments of conversation as the men got out one by one.
“Lights went out over an hour ago. It’s past eleven. They must be asleep by now.”
“No sign of movement. They’re definitely out cold. We can move.”
“Why not wait until the early hours?”
“Driving up then would make too much noise and might wake them. They’re asleep now. You want to sit in the car another three or four hours?”
“No way!”
“Then let’s go. Grab them, straight to the dock. The boss is getting impatient.”
“Right, right!”
“They got to enjoy Athens, lucky bastards.”
“That woman’s Interpol. Very high alertness. Of course we had to be careful. We didn’t even tail them, let them have two full days of fun so she’d relax.”
“Think of it as their last taste of freedom before they die.”
“Heh, poor little Interpol lady.”
“Upstairs, upstairs. Keep it quiet. The owner already sent all the staff away and hid himself. The whole place has only our two targets now.”
“No problem. Catching a pair of lovebirds fresh from the sheets? Piece of cake.”
“That woman’s seriously hot. Hope the boss lets us have a turn before he finishes her.”
“Shut up. She’s dangerous. Take the money and go find your Marilyn.”
The group fell silent after a couple more sentences. They reached the front door, pulled open the unlocked entrance, and twelve men slipped noiselessly inside.
In their third-floor room, Lu Zheng and Lin Wan stared at each other.
“They’re here for us?” Lu Zheng looked baffled.
“For me?” Lin Wan’s eyes widened. “I don’t have enemies in Greece!”
“Relatives or friends of someone you arrested?” Lu Zheng asked.
“I’ve no idea!” Lin Wan shook her head.
“But how did they drag me into this?” Lu Zheng was puzzled. “From what they said, this whole trip was a set-up.”
“I don’t know.” Lin Wan shook her head again.
Lu Zheng was lost for words. “Then what do you know?”
A smile tugged at the corner of Lin Wan’s mouth. “I know that once we take all these guys down, we’ll know everything.”
Lu Zheng: Damn, that’s solid logic. Can’t argue.
…
Moments later, they heard soft noises outside the door. The group had reached their room.
Lu Zheng shook his head. “Amateurs. All bunched up at the door. No one covering the windows for a pincer attack.”
By now both were fully dressed, luggage already stowed in Lu Zheng’s gourd.
Lin Wan bent to tie her trainers, her figure a perfect curve from the side, then straightened with a smile. “Just a bunch of third-rate gang muscle. You expect SWAT-level tactics?”
The instant she finished speaking, the door was kicked open and a swarm of large men charged in.
Only to find Lu Zheng and Lin Wan fully clothed and waiting.
“WTF?”
“They’ve spotted us!”
“Doesn’t matter, we outnumber them. Grab them!”
“Get them!”
Lu Zheng smiled and took one step back. Lin Wan gave a feral grin and shot forward.
Bam, bam, bam!
Bang! Bang!
“Aaaargh!”
“Quick, ah!”
Gunshots rang out, shattering the night-time quiet, but the place was remote. No one heard.
Less than a minute later, ten black-clad thugs lay unconscious across the room and corridor.
The two ringleaders, still conscious, were dragged inside by Lin Wan.
She switched on the ceiling light. Lu Zheng and Lin Wan sat in the chairs by the window while the two leaders, now trussed hand and foot with their own rope, slumped on the floor.
Interrogation began.
“Who are you?” Lin Wan asked.
“We’re not talking,” one said.
“Just send us to the police station. We’re done,” said the other.
“Nothing until our lawyer arrives,” the first one shook his head.
Lin Wan blinked. They clearly thought she was some rule-following, by-the-book cop.
“You were just trying to kidnap us.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “You even planned to kill us.”
“So what if—”
Before the first one could finish, Lin Wan tapped his Tánzhōng acupoint with one finger, then sealed his mute point with another.
“Urgh… ngh… hss…”
Eyes bloodshot, veins bulging, face contorted as if in excruciating agony.
She glanced at the second man. Before he could speak, she gave him the same treatment.
“Urgh… ngh… hss…”
“This technique of mine is called the Heaven-and-Earth-Annihilation Great Soul-Searching Hand,” Lin Wan announced, raising her hand (whether they understood the name or not). “It reverses your blood flow so every inch of your body feels like it’s being devoured by ants, yet leaves no external marks.
If it goes on long enough, you’ll die in unimaginable pain. Your own muscles will crush your bones and flesh from the inside, yet even the best forensic doctor won’t find a single trace.
Even if it’s brief, the damage is permanent. Right now, you’re both walking the road to death…”
Ignoring Lin Wan’s theatrics and the two men now shaking uncontrollably, Lu Zheng picked up their phones and scrolled through the contacts.
After a moment he shook his head. “Pretty cautious. No info on their boss.”
Lin Wan shook her head too. “Doesn’t matter. They’ll talk soon enough.”
She reached over and unsealed the second man’s points, then asked coldly, “Ready to talk now?”
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk! We work for Papa John!” the man blurted, nodding frantically.
