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Cui Ming introduced the situation of the Green Serenity Sanatorium to Jayce and Feng, saying, "The occupancy rate of the sanatorium is at 70%, which means there are still 30% of the rooms available. The central area where doctors, nurses, and caregivers work and live is quite large, with many blind spots. The target may not necessarily be on the sanatorium's list. Looking at this environment, Azure Mountain is still surrounded by hills; there are four small hills near Azure Mountain, with the closest one just across a road and about one hundred twenty meters away from the central area, while the farthest is no more than four hundred meters away. As long as that person hides in the mountains with a telescope, once we show our faces, we will be discovered. This is the main reason why the other party uses the sanatorium."
Beiyue asked, "What if we infiltrate secretly?"
"Of course, we can infiltrate secretly, but we need to find someone. If we move around, not only will we be discovered by the target, but also by the security personnel," Cui Ming replied. "The first method is to have an ordinary person enter the sanatorium for investigation. The advantage is that they won't be discovered; we have enough disguises. The downside is that they may not find anyone. The second method is to lay in wait; we can also hide in one of the four hills to look for the target. The downside is that I believe this person's strength surpasses any of ours, so our chances of spotting him first are lower than his chances of spotting us first. The advantage is that if the target isn't in the hills but inside the sanatorium, we might discover him first. The third method involves food poisoning."
Cui Ming explained, "We could secretly tamper with something to make several residents feel unwell, suspecting food poisoning. The police would then have to send personnel into the sanatorium for investigation. Regular police officers would suffice; they could provide us with data and investigation reports for analysis. If we cannot pinpoint a suspect, then we have enough reason to suspect that he is hiding in the mountains. The downside of this plan is that it relies too much on coincidence; if the target is a clever person—clever people are often suspicious—they will definitely have doubts, which would be like startling a snake by beating the grass."
Beiyue asked, "Are there any other methods?"
Cui Ming said, "There’s another method: luring the snake out of its hole, but it carries high risks."
"Go on."
"Jayce." Cui Ming looked at Jayce and continued, "First, I need to understand the residents' information to see if there are any patients Jayce can visit so that his visit seems natural. I believe there will be someone; Twilight City is a large nation. If there is someone suitable, we can use Jayce as bait to draw out the target."
Beiyue asked, "Are you saying that there's a high possibility he might attack Jayce?"
"Yes, if he doesn't realize it's a trap or if he conducts his own investigation and doesn't sense anything wrong. As a clever person, he would calculate his gains and losses and seize opportunities. Jayce's identity is quite different; he is from Twilight City's royal family and a practitioner—the defender of royalty—and Jayce himself is well-known in Twilight City with a very high reputation. Eliminating Jayce in Dawn City would be like handing him over for free. As for testing him out, we could easily change locations." Cui Ming added, "I am quite confident in this plan; however, its downsides are obvious: we must avoid being detected by the target and provide him with a safe environment, which means we must maintain some distance from Jayce. In the worst-case scenario, if he realizes it's a trap, he might turn it against us. The downside is that Jayce would be in great danger—extremely dangerous—because we don't know who our opponent is and cannot guarantee immediate support."
There was some confidence as well; Cui Ming could arrive instantly and buy time. If their opponent was weaker, they could take him down together; if stronger, they would wait for Feng and Beiyue to encircle him. But even tigers take naps; Cui Ming was human—he needed rest and sustenance and sometimes lost focus. Even without those needs, maintaining constant vigilance twenty-four hours a day was an impossible task. Even if they managed that point, they wouldn't know who their opponent was; if it were Dina—a dagger could fly straight through them into minced meat. Even if Cui Ming teleported in place, he would have to retreat.
Jayce was completely different from what was scripted; instead of being righteous and heroic, he wore a frown: "I don't want to jump into a fire pit."
Cui Ming lacked any heroic demeanor from scripts as well and led him on: "Who has lived without dying since ancient times?"
"Come on! Cui Ming, are you still my friend?"
Cui Ming laughed heartily and said, "There are definitely risks; you could get hit by a falling star while walking. The current rules seem like this, but I assure you I have arrangements in place. Let's first see if there’s someone suitable for you to visit while you can also stay overnight..."
"There is." Jayce forced a smile: "The former Minister of Defense—my father's close friend—is currently in mid-stage cancer treatment at the sanatorium; he’s also my godfather."
Cui Ming clapped his hands: "Very good."
"Beiyue said, 'Cui Ming, it seems you are not the kind of person who would push friends into dangerous situations.'
'Of course not. There are risks, but they are lower than you think,' Cui Ming replied. 'After learning about the nursing home, I have already placed a piece in there. Jayce, as long as you don't stray too far from your godfather's residence, help will be available. You need to apply as much pressure on the target as possible. For instance, you should only stay for one day, or rather, one night and two days would be ideal.'
Jayce hurriedly asked, 'Wait a minute, a piece? What piece? How come I didn't know about this?'
Beiyue chimed in, 'Yeah, Cui Ming only knows practitioners on the surface. Their existence is no secret; if the target is vigilant, they will be discovered as soon as they appear.'
'This person is different,' Cui Ming insisted.
Feng questioned, 'Could it be Burrowing Beasts?'
Your imagination is running wild; Burrowing Beasts are Sadin's pets. Ah, but yes, Sadin has been around for a while and could potentially help me. But what would Burrowing Beasts be used for? No one can defeat them openly. Cui Ming looked at Jayce and said, 'Jayce, I can't guarantee 100% safety. I think there's an 85% chance of safety. So I can't seduce you into being bait; you have to choose for yourself.'
Jayce smiled and said, 'Actually, as part of the royal family, Twilight City is currently facing a huge crisis. Not to mention 85%, even if there's a 30% chance of taking out a big shot, I have no choice. To put it bluntly, if I can replace him, it's worth it. Hey, Cui Ming, if—I'm saying if—I die, you must avenge me. One for one; don't let him escape. Otherwise, even as a ghost, I won't let you off the hook.'
'If he can escape, then I would surely be a ghost too,' Cui Ming replied.
'Alright then, I'm in.'
Cui Ming said, 'You should contact your godfather and head over tomorrow morning. My piece should already know that your godfather is at the nursing home; he is hiding near your godfather's villa.'
Jayce looked at Cui Ming and asked, 'Did you think of this before the meeting?'
'Before our group meeting, I made a few calls,' Cui Ming knew Jayce wouldn't refuse. Being royal is not just about honor; it's also about responsibility. Jayce understood that once Cui Ming proposed this plan, he would inevitably become bait because he was royal. When it came time to fight to the death, he had to do so—even if he feared death deep down.
...
Beiyue understood Cui Ming well and knew his bottom line: he wouldn't let friends take on dangerous tasks. The level of danger largely depended on Cui Ming himself; whether his long-distance teleportation could be used immediately would be key to determining how dangerous the situation was.
While Jayce was on the phone with his godfather, the trio held another meeting. Cui Ming stated, 'Tomorrow morning when Jayce appears at the nursing home, nothing will happen. In fact, I'm not entirely sure whether the target will attack Jayce. Under normal circumstances, the target wouldn't be an assassin; however, I believe everyone has their greed. When you're hungry and there's a roasted pig walking back and forth in front of you, it's very likely you'll take a bite or two.'
Feng glanced at Jayce who was still on the phone and realized that Cui Ming actually had an even more ruthless tactic: annihilation. Practitioners rarely use annihilation in daily life—almost never—except perhaps when swimming; people submerged in water dissipate Force to feel its nourishment. However, dissipating Force is different from annihilation; dissipating Force lasts only a few seconds. Therefore, very few choose to annihilate their Force."
Feng thought that Cui Ming's metaphor was inappropriate; the undying Jayce was merely a pig, while the Jayce who defeated Force was a roasted pig. However, Feng knew that Cui Ming could never let Jayce defeat Force, as he had no capacity for resistance. Feng also understood that Cui Ming speculated the opponent was a Crow, which represented Strategy—strong, but certainly not an assassin. It would be difficult for any master-level practitioner to end a battle quickly against such an opponent. Theoretically, Jayce was not in danger. This was one reason Feng liked Cui Ming; he would never betray his friends. Feng pondered a question: if it was indeed the Crow, could four of them take him down?
The Crow had previously participated in an Assessment Match, where four members of the alliance entered to launch a joint attack but were defeated by the Crow. Because of this, the professor commented that the Crow was the top master—a title also mentioned by Wandering at the time, albeit with a hint of humility. Nevertheless, the Crow's strength was evident.
Feng asked, "Can four people take him down?"
Before Cui Ming could respond, there was a knock at the door. Cui Ming opened it to find a small delivery truck outside. A person in logistics work attire asked, "Is Cui Ming here?"
"That's me."
"Your goods have arrived."
With a wave of his hand, two people got out of the truck and opened the back compartment, delivering box after box into the villa's living room. Cui Ming signed for them gratefully and closed the door. He opened one of the boxes and, as expected, it contained Poker—special Poker had arrived. The Special Flying Cards were divided into four portions, sent to contact points named Dawn Empire, Twilight City (Jayce's home), Hero City hotel, and Dawn City villa. The Poker delivered to the small villa weighed about half a ton.
Feng also took a deck of flying cards and liked them very much; they were beautifully made, completely transparent with Poker designs printed on them and very lightweight. He slipped two boxes into his pocket. After finishing a phone call, Jayce came over and also tucked two boxes into his pocket. Cui Ming remarked, "Hey, these are weapons—my weapons."
Feng Dao said, "If you want Katana, I can have the factory make a ton."
Beiyue stood nearby, puzzled by the men's interests and asked, "Cui Ming, are you confident you can catch him?" This echoed Feng's earlier question.
Jayce replied, "Five against one should be no problem." He included the pieces that Cui Ming mentioned in his calculation. (To be continued.)
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