Chapter 283: Are You Jealous?
Shi Zijin had met him before.
But that was when he had just come of age. Due to his special ability, someone had wanted to recruit him into Changjing’s special forces. After declining the offer, he had met Xu Chang once.
Shi Zijin didn’t want to bring up the past, so he casually deflected:
“I’ve been to Changjing a few times. Maybe I was lucky enough to meet Minister Xu.”
Xu Chang felt that it wasn’t just a simple passing encounter, but he was getting older, and the hot weather was making it hard for him to remember.
Su Tao ran over to Lin Fangzhi to grab a bottle of cold water and handed it to Minister Xu.
“No need to be polite. Here you go.”
Xu Chang took the bottle with a slight look of surprise. Ice-cold water—either they had a refrigerator in their vehicle, or someone among them had the ability to control ice.
But regardless of which, it meant this Taoyang place wasn’t short on water and had decent supplies.
This little settlement was getting interesting.
The south seemed to be full of hidden talents these days.
Seeing that Xu Chang was older, sweating profusely, and looking exhausted, Su Tao was worried that if he stayed outside any longer, he’d suffer heatstroke. So, she invited him:
“If you don’t mind, Minister Xu, you can rest in our vehicle. There’s air conditioning inside, and an empty bed to lie down on.”
Lei Xing, having just washed his hair, walked over with his short blond hair still damp. He heard this and agreed:
“We’re all rough guys, we don’t mind the heat. There’s not much space in our vehicle, so you might as well take hers straight to Xindu. We’ll follow behind.”
Xu Chang twitched the corner of his mouth.
He had dealt with plenty of mercenary teams before, but this was the first time he had encountered one that neither tried to curry favor nor seemed to care much about him at all.
But he had to admit, these people were quite capable. Along the way, they had encountered plenty of dangers, yet they had managed to pass through them all safely.
So, Xu Chang followed Su Tao into the vehicle.
Su Tao pulled out the sofa in the RV’s lounge. The seats could be expanded, doubling the width into a 1.5-meter bed. There was even a curtain—once pulled, it became a private sleeping space.
The air conditioning was blasting as if it was free, and after a while, the cabin even felt a little chilly.
Su Tao handed him a light blanket.
Even with all his experience, Minister Xu couldn’t help but think that this girl really knew how to enjoy life.
He thanked her, lay down, and immediately felt his eyelids grow heavy. He was simply too exhausted. He had been tense the entire trip, unable to sleep properly, and now, sleep came over him like an unstoppable tide.
Su Tao turned off the lights and closed the door, leaving Xuedao, who was also fast asleep, inside the vehicle.
She got out and looked at Shi Zijin.
“Big Mouth already told me. What were you competing with Lei Xing for?”
Shi Zijin looked at her seriously.
“I don’t want him talking to you.”
Su Tao was stunned for a second before bursting into laughter.
“Major Shi, you’ve changed. Are you jealous?”
Shi Zijin asked, “Can you eat that?”
“You already ate it before asking me.” Su Tao’s smile reached her eyes.
Seeing her so happy, Shi Zijin couldn’t help but smile as well.
But Lei Xing, watching them joke around, couldn’t smile at all.
He rubbed his head dry and asked Big Mouth:
“How am I worse than that guy?”
Big Mouth decisively shook his head. “You’re not worse than him in any way.”
Lei Xing pressed on. “Then why won’t Su Tao smile at me like that?”
Big Mouth replied, “That’s because Boss Su doesn’t know your worth yet. She’s been deceived by that guy’s sweet talk.”
Lei Xing didn’t believe him and pulled Fire Snake over to ask.
Fire Snake, being a blunt and reckless guy, said, “Boss, this isn’t about who’s better. That’s not very manly. If you like her, just go and fight for her!”
Lei Xing had an epiphany.
As for how to fight? Well, obviously, by proving he was better than Shi Zijin!
The two teams stopped at a transit station for an hour before hitting the road again.
In just four more hours, they would reach Xindu.
Minister Xu slept so deeply that he didn’t even wake up when the car started moving.
Su Tao didn’t disturb him either. She quietly went to feed her two furry companions.
Oh, wait. Now there were three.
Lingyu still refused to eat, only drinking a little water before going back to sulking in the corner.
Su Tao reached out a finger and gently stroked its little head.
Lingyu shuddered, let out a pitiful “coo,” and buried its head even deeper.
Sigh, one step at a time.
Just then, her communicator rang. It was Song Yuebin.
Despite rushing as much as he could, he had somehow arrived in Xindu before her. Right now, the two human traffickers were still tied up in his vehicle, and from the looks of it, they were suffering from heatstroke.
Su Tao immediately said, “We’ll be there in at most four hours. Keep them in a shady place for now—just make sure they stay alive. They cannot die.”
These two were the only clue to Jiang Yu’s missing sister. If they died, it would be a devastating blow.
After hanging up, Su Tao told Shi Zijin to speed up.
Shi Zijin notified the drivers, and the convoy accelerated toward Xindu.
Lei Xing saw them speeding up and immediately took it as a challenge, stepping on the gas to keep up.
The two teams started another unofficial race on the road.
Minister Xu had no idea how long he had been asleep. He only knew that when someone woke him up, they told him they had arrived in Xindu.
He rubbed his temples, unable to believe he had slept so soundly and comfortably.
Outside the gates of Xindu Base, a long line had formed—everyone was there for the conference.
The wait was going to be long. Some people were already getting impatient and had gotten out of their vehicles to stretch.
Su Tao called Song Yuebin to ask where he was.
Song Yuebin’s voice suddenly came from behind her.
“Boss Su! Over here, over here!”
Jiang Yu appeared, his gaze locking onto him.
“Where are they?”
Song Yuebin, drenched in sweat, looked like he had just climbed out of a pool.
“They’re in my trunk.”
Shi Zijin instructed Cen Tianjiao to follow.
Lei Xing also tagged along.
The two traffickers were still bound hand and foot, unconscious in the trunk.
When they opened it, a strong stench of urine and sweat hit them.
Su Tao immediately took a step back.
Song Yuebin scratched his head awkwardly.
“I was afraid they’d escape, so I never untied them. And I didn’t dare let them out to relieve themselves…”
Su Tao: “…You did well. But we need to clean them up first. It’ll help cool them down too.”
Jiang Yu was the first to step up. He grabbed one in each hand, dragged them out, and tossed them onto the ground. Then, he hosed them down with water.
The two men coughed, instinctively opening their mouths to drink.
After a while, they groggily regained consciousness.
Jiang Yu’s eyes turned red as he grabbed one of the men by the throat.
“The little girl you bought three years ago—where is she?! If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll kill you!”
His hand clenched tightly, veins bulging.
The man’s eyes widened in terror, his mouth opening and closing, unable to make a sound. He was suffocating.
Su Tao shouted from the side, “Jiang Yu! Calm down!”
Jiang Yu loosened his grip slightly, but his hands were still trembling.
The man gasped for air and weakly muttered:
“You mean Jiang Tong? She… she’s dead.”
