Chapter 27: Arriving Ahead of Schedule

That afternoon, Li Wei returned to his mansion. HL's surveillance team bugged his third phone as well. A handful of surveillance personnel stayed behind while the rest of the team headed back. They still had plenty of work to do. The losses from that morning's battle had to be dealt with, a detailed incident report had to be submitted as soon as possible, and there were now three of those maddening coded messages.

Shortly after Li Wei hung up at Jixian Garden, his phone had received the coded text “44，6，7│6”. As before, this baffling string of numbers and symbols would have to be deciphered by HL's so-called experts and professors.

Taking the phone with him, Li Wei locked himself in his room. The events of the past two days were still vivid in his mind, and he had a growing sense that Tian Yi was no ordinary kidnapper, but a very dangerous figure of considerable importance. The seventh prince Ji Cheng had mentioned clearly had no interest in him or Jiang Yun. If he really came, it would be for Tian Yi.

As Li Wei tried to sort out his tangled thoughts, a strange series of squeaks and creaks suddenly came from beneath the bed, giving him a fright.

Li Wei immediately leaped off the bed and backed several meters away. He stared into the darkness beneath it, trying to locate the sound, but dared not take a single step closer. Just as he was wondering whether to call someone in to check for a bomb, a toy soldier crawled out from under his bed.

The toy soldier was palm-sized, dressed in green camouflage and wearing a steel helmet. Its movements were stiff, and its painted expression never changed. Plastic toys like this had gone out of fashion a hundred years ago. Children from even slightly better-off families began using advanced electronics at an early age, and toy manufacturers gradually shifted to producing only expensive, officially licensed anime merchandise. By 2030, cheap physical toys had all but vanished from the scene and found their way into museums.

Of course, this toy soldier was no mere piece of plastic. The technology inside it was every bit as advanced as a cyborg's. After crawling out from under the bed, it stood up, came to attention, and saluted. Then a plastic panel on its back opened and a black object fell out. At the same moment, the soldier seemed to lose power. It clattered to the floor and lay still.

Li Wei watched for several dozen seconds before cautiously approaching. He picked up the black object that had fallen out of the soldier and examined it closely. It had a USB connector, so it could apparently be plugged into a computer.

He could more or less guess that this was part of the game. Since he had to complete the next stage alone, without HL's involvement, the bugged phone was no longer any use. Naturally, Tian Yi would find another way to contact him.

Li Wei had no idea when the toy soldier had been planted beneath his bed. If Tian Yi had sent someone to slip into the villa and hide it while he was on his way back from Jixian Garden, that merely meant his opponent was efficient. But if it had been there all along...

He let that thought go no further. No one would admit to being the unruly Monkey King trapped in the Buddha's palm, and Li Wei was no exception.

He switched on the computer on his desk and plugged the black object into a USB port. Two seconds later, he found he had lost control of the machine. A dozen or so windows flashed past, and he couldn't make sense of any of the data they displayed. After a succession of bizarre pop-ups, the entire screen became a video chat window. Tian Yi appeared, holding a cup of coffee.

“A pleasure to speak with you again, Young Master Li. You're getting closer and closer to the final stage of the game. Even I'm starting to look forward to seeing you clear it and reach the ending,” Tian Yi said with a smile.

Li Wei couldn't muster a smile. “Mr. Tian... I realize now that you're a very capable man. If I've offended you in any way, I apologize.”

Tian Yi gave a cold smile. “Go on.”

“I don't know what you really want, but I hope... no, I beg you, I beg you to let me quit this game. Jiang Yun is yours to do with as you please. Do whatever you want to that woman. I don't care. I can give you a great deal of money too, as long as you leave me alone...”

“You finally said it...” Tian Yi cut him off. “Then... can I take that as an admission of defeat?”

Li Wei had never regarded this as a game in the first place. Seeing a chance that his request might be granted, he answered at once, “Yes! Yes! I admit defeat!”

“If you admit defeat, you won't get to see the good ending, you know. Are you all right with that?”

“Anything, as long as you leave me alone,” Li Wei replied.

Tian Yi sighed. “Very well. This is your choice.”

A small inset appeared in the corner of the screen, showing a photograph of a house with its address displayed in a line of text.

“Those HL people in your villa are all resting in the guest rooms on the ground floor. Slip downstairs quietly. Don't go to the garage. Go outside, hail any taxi, and head to this address,” Tian Yi said. “The game can only be declared over once you've collected your prize.”

“No... there's no need. I don't need a prize, as long as...” Before Li Wei could finish, Tian Yi cut in. “If you don't want to collect your prize and end the game, we can continue with the fourth proposition...”

“Wait!” Li Wei said. “I understand. I'll go and get it now.”

Tian Yi yawned and ended the call.

In the bookstore, Gu Wen, who was sitting opposite him, said, “Li Wei has more or less served his purpose, but is it really all right to end things early?”

“It doesn't matter,” Tian Yi said. “All three clues have been given. Tea Immortal will understand. Since Li Wei can't hold out to the end, let him uncover a bad ending ahead of time.”

...

Meanwhile, at HL's Beijing branch.

Ji Cheng sat behind his desk, typing away. With a report on today's whole damned mess due before the day was out, he would probably be working late into the night again.

Suddenly, the electronic door to his office opened, and a young man with blue hair walked in at the head of a group. Several senior officers, including the branch chief, crowded behind him like lackeys.

“Captain Ji, I presume? Hello,” the newcomer said.

His uniform alone showed that he outranked Ji Cheng, who rose and replied, “May I ask who you are, sir?”

“I'm a special agent from headquarters,” Tea Immortal replied. “Krause Wittstock.”

“Your High—” Only then did Ji Cheng realize who he was.

Tea Immortal didn't let him finish the title. “Some minor matters kept me occupied over the past few days. I originally expected to arrive in about three days, but things were settled sooner than anticipated, so I came as quickly as I could.” He didn't even seem inclined to sit down. “On the flight here, I familiarized myself with the broad outline of events through yesterday. There are still a few points I need you to fill in. We'll go to Li Wei's now. You needn't write today's report either. Just brief me on the way.”