Hao Ren had just taken off from his office, when Xiao Mei said, "Boss, I have detected a vehicle following Miss Han for the past ten minutes."
Hao Ren asked, "How are you so sure that this vehicle is following her? They could be headed in the same way, right?"
Xiao Mei replied, "They have been maintaining a certain distance and they have taken several turns but they end up on the same path as Miss Han after a few turns. I think this is circulating surveillance."
Hao Ren frowned and said, "You can use the traffic cams to find the details about them."
Xiao Mei replied five minutes later and said, "Boss, I think Miss Han is in trouble. These people are from a mercenary group."
Hao Ren was shocked, he asked, "What do you mean? What could a mercenary group want with Lingshi?"
Xiao Mei replied, "I cannot look that deep into the detail but they seem to have been contracted by someone on the dark web. Shall I alert the police?"
Hao Ren clicked his tongue and said, "The police going against highly trained mercenaries? They will only pile up into a mountain of dead if a fight broke out."
He began to think hard, and suddenly said, "Can you control the traffic lights? Make it so they loose Lingshi's trail."
Xiao Mei nodded and Hao Ren said a few more things, before speeding up through the traffic.
...
Han Lingshi was driving the car with a smile, and suddenly, she received a call. She accepted it with a simple touch on her steering console, "Yes, Ren, did you reach?"
Hao Ren replied, "After five hundred meters, there is a left turn. Turn your car, and get out. I will explain everything in a bit. Just do as I say."
He did not tell her anything because he did not want to scare her. Han Lingshi was surprised and wanted to ask Hao Ren what was going on but she still held her curiosity in. Hao Ren was not someone who would ask her to do something without any reason.
She took the turn and got down the car. Just when she was wondering what was going on here, a white flicker stopped ahead of her car. Hao Ren stuck his head out and said, "Get in, quick."
Han Lingshi picked up her feet and got in the car. She had yet to fasten her seatbelt when Hao Ren floored the pedal. Han Lingshi was surprised and asked, "Ren, what is going on?"
Hao Ren said, "You are being targeted."
Han Lingshi furrowed her brows when Xiao Mei said, "Miss Han, there is a group of people belonging from Red banner mercenaries. They have been following you for fifteen minutes."
The lady was shocked, she knew that Hao Ren had been tracking her for safety reasons to avoid situations like the accident last time, but she did not expect something like this to come up. She lamented, "I don't have enemies that would go to such lengths. What do these people want with me?"
Hao Ren said, "Xiao Mei, alert the Special forces anonymously. Let them deal with this bunch."
Xiao Mei replied, "Done, boss."
Then the couple drove away in the car.
...
By the time Red Banner people closed in on Han Lingshi's car, the lady was long gone. A man inspected Han Lingshi's car with a cold pair of eyes, "To think she had an expert guarding her from the shadows."
He placed his hand on his ear, and said, "Search for the target again. Tiny, Succubus, stakeout her office and her home. I want to know the moment she shows up there. Marco, check the traffic cams and where she went."
He raised his head to look at the traffic camera hanging on the traffic signal at the intersection. What he did not know was he was walking inside a trap.
...
Dragon Special Forces, in the intelligence department, this place was the one that ranked above all. The people here were responsible for stopping infiltrations and counter-terrorism. They worked mostly under the shadows and covers of official staff.
A few people were sitting inside the office, doing their own thing, when suddenly, one of the computers beeped. The operator raised his head and was surprised to see the information come in. He quickly picked up the intercom on the side and said, "Hello, connect me to the field team in Jade Capital. Authorization code: 8879MCT."
After a few seconds the call was transferred and he said, "We just got a red flag on the system. Team of five in the Jade Capital, the data confirms, they are from the Red Banner Mercenary. It is Falcon and his team. Primary investigation is authorized and the rest of the instructions will be passed on to you by the high command."
...
Hao Ren and Han Lingshi were sitting in a private restaurant. They had booked a private room, and just finished ordering food. Han Lingshi looked at Hao Ren and smiled, "Ren, I am sure it is not something big. Do not worry. I will get the a few armed guards from my family tomorrow, okay?"
Hao Ren's gaze was filled with worry, and she could not watch him like this. It pained her to see him like this. The young man sighed and said, "I hope that is the case, or you will have it from me."
The two frolicked around with each other for a while and forgot about the stress. They have become good friends in the past one week. Han Lingshi felt more comfortable with Hao Ren. She did not know what was it about him that attracted her but she was happy. The door opened, and the waiter served the dishes.
The couple had a good meal, and when they were done, Han Lingshi said, "Ren, drop me back to my car."
Hao Ren shook his head and said, "I will take you home directly, I am not letting you out of my sight alone. This is not up for negotiation at all."
He paid the bill and walked out with Han Lingshi. As they got in the car, Han Lingshi said, "Fine, drive me to my place."
Hao Ren nodded, and suddenly Xiao Mei said, "Boss, I found two people watching Miss Han's house and office, respectively. It is not safe for her to be there."
Han Lingshi's face turned pale, to think someone would go to such lengths to be on a look out for her. This scared her. Hao Ren patted her hand to comfort her, and assure her that she is safe, as he asked, "What are the special forces doing?"
Xiao Mei replied, "They have issued an investigation order. That is all."
Hao Ren clicked his tongue and said, "These officials and their warming the chair attitude. I wish to beat them up."
Suddenly, he thought of something and said, "Lingshi, you should stay at my place for a few days."
Han Lingshi nodded and Hao Ren drove her to his house. He had her change her shoes like always, and then told her to get a bath and change, while he entered the kitchen and brewed a cup of herbal tea. Xiao Mei spoke to him, "Boss, what do you intend to do?"
Hao Ren replied, "I wish for her to sleep comfortably."
Xiao Mei turned silent. Hao Ren was brewing a tea that had strong sleeping affect. He had a plan in his mind and for that, he needed to put Han Lingshi to sleep. After the tea was brewed, Han Lingshi, came out of the shower in a bathrobe. Hao Ren bought her the tea, and said, "Come, let me help you with your hair."
Han Lingshi nodded and sat in front of the dressing mirror. Hao Ren used a dryer to dry her hair and ran his hands through her silky hair to untangle them gently. He could sense that Han Lingshi had her mind running and trying to figure out who was targeting her. He said softly, "Lingshi, do not think too much, the special forces are on it. They will deal with it."
Han Lingshi nodded, and Hao Ren said, "Drink the tea while its warm."
The lady drank the tea slowly while Hao Ren gently dealt with her hair. He stopped when she finished drinking tea, and said, "Try to get some sleep, you will feel better."
Han Lingshi nodded and she got in the blanket. Hao Ren stayed with her for a few minutes, the tea he made worked like magic, and after a full day of exhaustion worked in tandem with them, the tea knocked out Lingshi within ten minutes.
Hao Ren tucked her hair away and then he left the room. He came to his room and said, "System, I would like to withdraw the reward for my daily workout task altogether."
In the past few days, Hao Ren had cracked the rhythm of the system, he would receive rewards that would aid him physically from the daily workout tasks. He had accumulated them for a week now. So, he should get something helpful in his physical attributes.
*Ding: Host, your are rewarded with a basic strengthening potion.*
Hao Ren asked, "What can this potion do?"
*Ding: It can increase all your attributes except charm by three points and also increase the effect of your workout and accelerate your progress.*
Hao Ren thought about it, and said, "Fine, give me the potion now."
The system worked and a small glass vial appeared in Hao Ren's hand. He asked the system if there would be any side-effects. The system denied, and Hao Ren consumed the liquid on the spot. He sensed a warm current flowing through his body, and he said, "System, reveal my attributes."
*Ding: Command Accepted.
Strength - 9
Speed - 9
Intelligence - 10
Charm - 7*
Hao Ren nodded and clenched his fist. He could feel that he was stronger, but was it enough? He did not know. He said, "System, withdraw my reward from Feeding Wife task."
*Ding: Withdrawing accumulated reward. Congratulations, you get knowledge and experience of a professional assassin.*
His mind was flooded with a tide of knowledge that synced with his being. The fundaments of stealth, tracking, infiltration, and killing were ingrained in his mind. Even the facts on how to use hidden weapons seemed like second nature for him.
He took a deep breath and picked up a pen from the side table. Then he began to play with it. He was testing the assassin knife juggling skills in his mind, and also getting used to his new strength attribute. He remarked, "System, your reward this time was too convenient."
*Ding: System is aimed to make the host an Omnipotent Husband, since you had the intention of tracking down the enemy and take them down, the system decided to reward you with something more helpful in the present situation. Do not think the system has done you any favors, you earned it by being patient for a week, and also by displaying your protective instinct towards your wife.*
Hao Ren smiled and said, "Thank you."
Then he came to the kitchen and began to brew the herbal sleeping tea on the stove. Then he rushed down stairs, and bought a set of sewing needles. The lady at the counter asked him, "What do you need this for, Sir?"
Hao Ren smiled and replied, "One of the buttons in my shirt came off, so my wife told me to get them."
The lady nodded, and Hao Ren asked, "Big sister, I saw that you also have medicinal needles at sale, how come?"
There was a difference between sewing needles and medicinal needles. The former was smaller but thicker and the latter was thin and sharper. The lady said, "A lot of owners here call massage artisans and they come to buy these silver Acupuncture needles."
Hao Ren nodded and remarked, "Hmmm, having a massage sounds relaxing. Eldest sister, give me a pack too."
He made a story about how his wife asked him to buy sewing needles so that it would look like he was coincidentally buying the Acupuncture needles. After he came out of the store, he moved back home, and prepared his gear. As he was about to leave the house, he came to check on Han Lingshi.
She was still sleeping and he watched her for a few moment before he mumbled, "Sleep well, in the morning, all of this will be over."