Wan Tong’s face turned even redder, her gaze silently full of reproach.
Li Shen coughed lightly, lowered his head, and gently leaned against her shoulder, his voice dropping even lower. “It’s really locked.”
He couldn’t control his body’s reaction, but his rationality was fully intact.
Wan Tong : “…”
Was he not embarrassed at all?
But then again, a thirty-year-old man certainly had thick enough skin.
She simply closed her eyes to rest, doing her best to ignore the ‘locked’ gun.
The flight lasted for over an hour before landing on the helipad of another villa, still within the borders of T Country.
This house, like the previous one, lacked any signs of daily life. It was clearly just another temporary stop for Li Shen.
Li Shen escorted Wan Tong back to her room before heading to another room with Wu Li.
Wan Tong fiddled with the small ornaments in the cabinet, weighing the situation she was facing.
Although she didn’t need to win over Li Shen for her mission, for some reason, his favorability towards the Raider had remained at around 50.
She had made it clear to him that she hated Damon. Li Shen had promised not to see him again, yet his favorability toward Damon never decreased.
Was this level of trust really just because Damon was his therapist? Or had Damon used some psychological suggestion on him during treatment?
And today’s attack on the island, Damon was definitely involved.
Li Shen’s intelligence network was top-notch, yet he hadn’t received any advance warning. Even Shishi had no clue about Damon’s movements. That was highly suspicious.
[If Damon didn’t use the system to assist his actions, he’d be much harder to track.] Shishi said.
[So you’re saying he’s relying on his own abilities? Or maybe he has an even more powerful organization backing him, capable of evading Li Shen’s intelligence network?]
[That seems to be the case.]
The more Wan Tong thought about it, the more anxious she became. The only solution was to deal with Damon first.
Meanwhile, on Li Shen’s side, a screen on the wall lit up, displaying a man making a report.
After listening, Li Shen turned off the screen and looked at Wu Li. “Take care of the island situation. Ignore everything else.”
“There were 23 intruders, mostly mercenaries. I suspect a few of them were there to gather intel, but they’re all dead now, so we couldn’t investigate further,” Wu Li paused before continuing. “Brother Shen, according to intelligence, the island’s coordinates were sold on the dark web. The buyer specifically requested… that girl’s life.”
Wu Li kept his report concise, sneaking a glance at Li Shen’s expression.
Sure enough, the man’s downcast face instantly darkened, his demeanor cold and dangerous.
“Find out who it was, no matter what it takes.”
“I’ve already given the order. But that person seems to understand how our intelligence network operates and has strong counter-surveillance skills. So far, we’ve only confirmed they’re part of a group.”
Li Shen had already suspected as much, so he wasn’t surprised.
His eyes darkened. “Still no information on Damon?”
“His background is clean, his social circle is small, and so far, nothing unusual has surfaced.” Wu Li hesitated before asking, “Brother Shen, are you suspicious of Damon?”
Li Shen had always been lenient toward Damon. Wu Li had assumed it was because he trusted him.
But now, Li Shen’s expression was unreadable as he handed a sealed bag to Wu Li. “Deliver this to him.”
Wu Li didn’t question it and accepted the package solemnly.
Inside the transparent sealed bag were a few long strands of hair, women’s hair.
“Any updates from the Z Country sanatorium?” Li Shen continued.
Wu Li shook his head. “Still no response.”
Ever since that girl appeared out of nowhere, Li Shen had been asking about the sanatorium more frequently.
The two hadn’t been talking for long when soft footsteps sounded outside.
Wu Li opened the door and stepped out, only to find Wan Tong walking in.
As she passed by, Wu Li turned back to stare at her, a long-forgotten memory suddenly resurfacing.
Years ago, he had read a news report about Brother Shen’s undercover mission. During the operation, a criminal organization was dismantled, but several families became targets of revenge. One of them was the Cen family. Three out of four members were killed, and the missing one, an 18-year-old daughter, was reportedly assassinated despite heavy police protection.
The case had made headlines back then.
Wu Li had only heard about it at the time, but after joining Li Shen, he familiarized himself with all news related to him.
The girl in the report was said to be beautiful and academically outstanding. Wu Li tried to recall the censored image of her face. Shockingly, it overlapped with the girl in front of him.
But it had been ten years. Even if she had survived, the age wouldn’t match.
He quickly came up with a reasonable explanation.
Ah, a stand-in.
“Wu Li…”
Daina suddenly stood in front of him, blocking his path, looking unusually hesitant.
Wu Li : ???
Daina glanced at the closed door behind him, struggling to speak. “I think… I’m done for.”
Wu Li was even more confused. He was starting to lose track of this kid’s thought processes.
“I planted a bug in her room, but she found it.”
Wu Li’s mouth twitched. “If she hadn’t found it, that would’ve been the real problem.”
Inside the room, Li Shen approached Wan Tong. “Not going to rest for a bit?”
A scorching summer afternoon was indeed perfect for a nap.
Wan Tong spread out her fair palm in annoyance, revealing two black listening devices. Puffing out her cheeks, she muttered, “Daina is targeting me.”
Li Shen glanced at them and chuckled softly, taking them from her hand. “How do you know he planted them?”
“I didn’t at first. But I just saw him, and he looked guilty as hell.”
“He’s young and playful.” Li Shen’s tone was almost like he was defending his own child.
Wan Tong pursed her lips and frowned at him, really wanting to ask if he cared about Daina more than her.
Sensing her frustration, Li Shen lowered his voice and said, “Should I have him come over and apologize?”
Wan Tong shook her head, took the bugs back from his hand, and mumbled, “No need, I won’t hold it against him.”
Honestly, she had just used this as an excuse to see Li Shen.
Leaning back slightly against the table behind him, Li Shen stretched out his arm and gently pinched her fair earlobe. It was slightly reddened, likely from an insect bite.
The calloused pad of his finger rubbed over the tiny red spot, and instead of discomfort, Wan Tong found it oddly soothing.
Seeing her quietly let him do as he pleased, Li Shen smiled, his heart softening into a puddle.
“Did you apply medicine?”
“Yeah, these mosquitoes seem to love biting me.”
Li Shen continued to rub her earlobe, his gaze darkening slightly as he said in a low voice, “I’ll take you back home in a few days. Just bear with it a little longer, okay?”
Wan Tong’s eyes widened as she looked up at him. Why did he suddenly want to go back?
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. Seeing that he seemed to be in a good mood, she asked, “Li Shen, can you help me find my Brother?”
She had deliberately looked up news about the Cen family. Three dead, one missing. Her brother, Cen Lingyu, was still unaccounted for.
Li Shen’s intelligence network spanned the globe. Maybe he could find him.
At the mention of her family, Li Shen’s hand froze. Slowly, he lowered it and said, “Alright.”
Wan Tong wrapped both hands around his and whispered, “Brother Li Shen, I don’t blame you anymore.”
Her father had been a terrible man, aware of and even directly involved in numerous criminal activities. He worked for crime syndicates, and in the end, he lost his life because of it, dragging his family down with him.
Li Shen had only done what he had to do. In fact, after witnessing his life over the past ten years, seeing how he had been living almost as if in atonement, she couldn’t bring herself to hold it against him anymore.
He had approached her with an agenda, but his feelings for her were real.
When news of the Cen family’s downfall broke, nearly half the public believed that their tragedy was merely karma, that they had deserved to be hunted down.
Back then, Li Shen had gone to great lengths to clear the Cen family’s name. Who knew how much pressure he had endured to prevent them from being completely vilified? Father Cen had committed crimes, but his sins should not have extended to his wife and children.
Wan Tong’s goals in this world had become much clearer. Kill Damon and find her brother.
Li Shen pulled her into his arms, his embrace so tight it was almost suffocating.
“Alright. Whatever Tongtong wants, I’ll make it happen.”