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In his sleep, Cui Ming was gently awakened by Evelyn's hand. As he came to, Evelyn said, "There’s a problem."
Cui Ming immediately dove into the bushes to observe the villa, which was brightly lit. An ambulance was parked in front of it.
Evelyn continued, "A few minutes ago, the villa suddenly lit up, and the ambulance arrived with Jayce the Godfather's private doctor. He moved quickly, jogging upstairs with the emergency medical team."
Cui Ming asked nervously, "Did you see Jayce?" Could it be that he had misjudged the situation and Liu Meier was there to poison Jayce?
"No," Evelyn replied.
As they spoke, a stretcher was brought down, revealing Jayce the Godfather. Jayce, his daughter, and the private doctor boarded a sightseeing vehicle at the entrance. Jayce drove off, following the ambulance to the rehabilitation center. Shortly after, nurses, two bodyguards, and the butler followed in another sightseeing vehicle. Evelyn asked, "Is Little Lu among them?"
"Impossible," Cui Ming answered.
Evelyn said, "Was Jayce the Godfather's health crisis inevitable or coincidental? If it was inevitable, we’re in big trouble. Jayce is heading into enemy territory, and your piece on the board is useless. The rehabilitation center is full of blind spots; we won’t be able to detect their presence in advance."
This was something Cui Ming hadn’t considered. The rehabilitation center was well-equipped, spanning three floors and covering a large area—almost like a hospital. The emergency room was on the first floor, while patient rooms occupied the second and third floors. Their line of sight was obstructed by an annex where staff resided, limiting their observation of the main building. This meant that even if Cui Ming could teleport, it would be difficult to provide immediate support to Jayce if he were attacked.
What should they do? If Jayce went in like this, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance something would go wrong. Cui Ming’s mind raced as he analyzed the situation; he believed it would be better to stir things up now rather than later. Stirring things up would ensure Jayce's safety but could jeopardize Wandering's plan. Although Cui Ming understood how crucial Wandering's plan was and how severe the consequences of its failure could be, he couldn’t sacrifice Jayce’s life for it. That kind of cost was never something Cui Ming was willing to pay.
"We need to go down there; it's better to disturb them," Cui Ming said.
Evelyn agreed: "Wind and Beiyue can remain inactive for now. We can sneak down using a more discreet route; they might not notice us. But once we go down there tonight without incident, tomorrow will likely be safe." In other words, their fishing plan would fail.
Cui Ming concurred: "If nothing happens tonight, we’ll pull Jayce out and retreat without letting our target notice."
Evelyn nodded and said, "Follow me."
Having observed during the day, Evelyn had found a quick route—a dry sloped grassy area. She crossed her arms and slid down quickly on her backside. Cui Ming followed suit. They soon reached the foot of the hill where Evelyn led him toward the nearest villa. Using the cover of trees and other villas, they advanced toward the main building. The ground distance was nearly one hundred meters in a straight line. Evelyn pulled Cui Ming up onto a villa roof where they could see directly in front of them.
Cui Ming spotted Jayce and let out a sigh of relief. The first floor housed the emergency room next to the operating room; it was a semi-open structure. Jayce sat outside near a small rock garden smoking a cigarette while his daughter sat beside him lighting her own cigarette as they talked; she kept wiping away her tears.
The streetlights were bright. Evelyn was inside the chimney. In modern times, some wealthy people preferred burning wood for warmth during winter instead of using heaters, a traditional method of heating. Evelyn hadn’t checked if the chimney was clean before jumping in, leaving only her head exposed, which was wrapped in cloth, making it inconspicuous. The most impressive part was that Evelyn could transfer her Force from certain parts of her body to others, allowing her to hide effectively.
Cui Ming, on the other hand, had no such advantage. He crouched beside the chimney, relying on the shade of a camellia tree in the backyard to conceal himself. This method could fool a gentleman but not a rogue; if a security guard patrolled, it would be hard to spot Cui Ming. However, a practitioner with keen eyes would easily notice Cui Ming’s breath rising from his hiding place.
Now it was a gamble—betting that the Godfather's illness was orchestrated by someone else; otherwise, they would be alerting their target. Of course, it was also possible that the target wasn’t even at the nursing home and that he had been worrying himself for nothing all day.
Cui Ming analyzed calmly. Liu Meier's appearance was no coincidence; it was inevitable. What was the purpose? He had guessed wrong earlier; it wasn't an attack on Jayce but rather on Jayce the Godfather. The trap had already been set. Where was it? A sudden attack? That could work, but it wouldn’t be something a smart person would do given the crowd present. Sneaking into the villa? The chances were slim.
Cui Ming carefully searched for small details with his keen eyes and then focused on a room twenty meters from the emergency room, adjacent to an annex building. This room was completely covered with thick curtains and had a sign that read "Consultation Room." Consultation rooms are typically where doctors communicate with patients' families about their conditions. However, families dislike this place because if doctors invite them there, it usually means one of two things: either the patient is in critical condition or the doctor needs to discuss unconventional treatment options or decisions regarding the patient's care.
...
At three twelve in the early morning, after waiting for ten minutes, Cui Ming saw the lights in the consultation room turn on as a doctor and a nurse entered. He noticed that the doctor came from the emergency room holding some samples—likely tests conducted while trying to save Jayce the Godfather—and needed to explain the situation to the family. Such formal communication indicated that Jayce the Godfather was in grave danger.
But there were no issues with the doctor and nurse unless their target had already infiltrated the nursing home.
The nurse led Jayce and his daughter into the consultation room but did not enter herself out of respect for their privacy, closing the door behind her.
Inside, Jayce and his daughter saw the doctor examining X-rays taken earlier. The doctor wore a mask and asked them to sit down before getting up to pour them water: “Please don’t worry; have some water first. I’ve added sugar.”
Jayce took a cup and said, “Doctor, sugar can calm people down; just tell us what’s going on.”
Meanwhile, Jayce's daughter had already started crying. The doctor took out a bottle of medication and poured out two pills: “Ma’am, your heart isn’t well; please take this medication first. Both of you, I’ve said not to worry; indeed, things aren’t looking good, but I haven’t said it’s hopeless yet. So I need your cooperation; I’m not here to deliver bad news but rather to ask for your advice. I hope you can respond positively.”
Jayce understood—the Godfather faced a very risky surgery. If he guessed correctly, there were likely two treatment options: conservative treatment could prolong life but wouldn’t offer much quality or time; aggressive treatment could lead to immediate death or improve both quality and duration.
Jayce comforted his daughter as she took her medication and drank his sweetened water before saying, “Doctor, go ahead.”
The doctor nodded and said, “Mr. Nice has a tumor on his heart. Heart tumors are quite rare; after diagnosis, it appears benign. However, due to Mr. Nice’s age, surgery is not recommended. But since Mr. Nice is physically weak now, this tumor has begun to threaten his life—his sudden illness this early morning is due to this condition. There are two treatment options: one is conservative treatment where Mr. Nice will never leave his bed again; I can’t say how long he’ll last with that approach. The second option is immediate surgery to remove the tumor. Given Mr. Nice’s poor health and current medication regimen, if we delay until tomorrow, we must wait until he regains some strength before proceeding with surgery. Therefore, immediate surgery is our best option; before Mr. Nice entered this nursing home, we doctors had already prepared another surgical plan that is very mature.”
Jayce's daughter asked, “What’s the success rate?”
“Fifty percent.”
Godfather's Daughter looked at Jayce. "Jayce, do you see?"
Jayce frowned, panting as he looked at the doctor, trying hard to channel Force, but to no avail. With a thud, his head hit the table. Godfather's Daughter had not yet reacted when a sharp pain shot through her neck, and she fainted.
At that moment, Cui Ming burst through the window. The doctor was startled to see a Yellow Card flying towards him; his body suddenly vanished, transforming into dozens of crows infused with Force. The illusion did not faze Cui Ming, who focused his vision as the Yellow Card flew toward one of the crows. Unexpectedly, another crow swooped in from the side and caught the Yellow Card.
That crow immediately reverted to the doctor's form, and in an instant, the room was filled with crows that began to crash into Cui Ming. He dodged and grabbed Jayce, throwing him out the window. In such a confined space, there was no way to evade; one crow caught hold of Cui Ming, exploding upon impact. The shockwave from Cui Ming's Force reverberated as he was bound by a beam of light from the doctor. It was too powerful; despite his sneak attack, he found himself trapped within seconds. Gathering his Force for protection, he braced himself for the doctor's assault.
Crows—indeed they were crows... but perhaps not entirely; no one had ever seen a crow before, so let’s assume they were crows.
The doctor ignored Cui Ming, transforming back into a crow and flying out through the shattered glass with a dozen others. Together, they seized the unconscious body of Jayce and soared into the sky.
Two beams of light shot in from the side, striking down two crows. The original crow looked down to see Little Lu brandishing dual pistols. Caught off guard, he remained unfazed. A beam of light struck him, causing excruciating pain throughout his body as if his bones were being crushed. Enduring the agony, he sidestepped just as that beam vanished. Little Lu shot down two more crows, but failed to notice another beam of light approaching him; it bound him just like it had bound Cui Ming. This time, there was no escaping another beam of light. Kneeling on one knee, he gritted his teeth to suppress any cries of pain as endless suffering rapidly drained his Force, making it impossible for him to fire back.
The doctor reverted to his original form, standing atop the bodies of several crows floating in mid-air as he gazed at both Little Lu and Cui Ming. A few crows were still attending to Cui Ming. The doctor asked, "Who are you?" while absorbing some of the light.
"Go die," Little Lu retorted as he shot down another crow.
The light intensified immediately, causing Little Lu to roll on the ground in agony as his Force began to falter; practitioners with enhanced abilities typically had weaker amounts of Force.
Suddenly, a blood flower erupted from the doctor's head as he was struck by a powerful force that sent him spiraling downward before crashing hard onto the ground. Inside the room, bound Cui Ming laughed heartily: "A friend from afar has come; how delightful! Since you’ve arrived in Dawn City, you should experience its traps." (To be continued.)
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