Perfect Coordination (1)

"Mr. Liu, why are you back so late? Hehe, you didn't go out messing around, did you?"

Liu Tang rolled up the car window, grinning cheekily as he responded to the gatekeeper, "That's right, jealous much? If you're not afraid of that tigress at home pinching your ears, you can go too... now open the gate."

Returning to the dormitory allocated by the school, Liu Tang casually turned on the TV and was about to take a shower when the phone suddenly rang. Frowning, he wondered who it could be so late at night.

"Hello, who is this? … Gu Deping? What's the matter?"

"Your boss is in danger. You've got 10 minutes to get to Shangqiao immediately!"

Liu Tang froze. Earlier, when he'd parted ways with Yaoyao, she'd cryptically said something about the boss being in danger. At the time, he'd dismissed it as her overthinking. But now, she'd been proven right!

"10 minutes? Do you think I can fly? I'm at school right now—" Before he could finish, Liu Tang suddenly snapped to attention. Wait a minute, Yaoyao had said the exact same thing earlier, and he hadn't taken her seriously. But now, hearing the same warning from this Gu Deping, whom he'd only just met tonight, he believed it without question. Why?

"Then I'll take you flying." Gu Deping's eerie tone sent a chill down Liu Tang's spine, or at least that's how it felt to him.

After hanging up, Liu Tang muttered to himself as he pulled his clothes back on, "Damn it, is it just because his voice sounds cool? Why did I believe him so easily? If I get there and find the boss is fine, kid, I swear I'll skin you alive." But this thought was quickly buried in his mind.

Suddenly, a noise caught his attention—something like the whirring of helicopter blades.

Curious, he opened the window and stuck his head out to look at the roof. What the—? A helicopter!?

I'm just a guy who races cars for fun—do we really need this level of extravagance? Wait... could this be what Gu Deping meant by "taking me fly"?

Before Liu Tang could make sense of the situation, several masked men rappelled down from the helicopter on ropes. Before he could utter a word, he found himself being hauled into the air. He screamed so loudly that even the helicopter's noise couldn't drown him out:

"AHHH! I'm afraid of heights!"

The gatekeeper, hearing the unholy wailing, dashed out of the security room. Startled by the scene, he mumbled to himself, "Are they filming a movie or something?"

***

"Has the target been secured? Good. Proceed with the plan as discussed. Remember, no matter the cost, we must ensure the Young Master's safety. Otherwise, hmph..." Jin Shirong's icy tone was punctuated by the click of a phone hanging up.

He turned to Song Jinfeng, who stood beside him with his head lowered, and said with satisfaction, "Earlier, I thought we only had a 70% chance of success. Now, this plan feels much more refined—should be at least a 90%, right? But, Jinfeng, why are you sharing this outside instead of joining them inside?"

Song Jinfeng fiddled with the brim of his cap, hesitating before replying, "Deputy Director, what if I told you that even now, the Young Master's chances don't reach 70%?"

"What? But didn't you just say we had a 70% chance?"

With a bitter smile, Song Jinfeng remained silent.

Jin Shirong angrily threw down his cigarette butt, grinding it underfoot. "Song Jinfeng, are you out of your mind? Do you think this is something you can joke about? Even though you've only been with the National Security Bureau for a short time, you should know how much the Director values the Young Master. Do you think this behavior is fair to Director Xiao? No way, I need to go in and talk to them!"

Startled, Song Jinfeng quickly stopped him. "Deputy Director, if they had a better plan, do you think they would have agreed to mine? At this point, there's no turning back. If we want to save the Young Master, we must do what cannot be done!"

Releasing his grip, Song Jinfeng sighed. "Honestly, this plan isn't as bad as it sounds. If the Lightning Queen and Liu Tang coordinate well and the Young Master seizes the right moment, I'd even agree it has a 100% success rate. The key lies in their coordination!"

***

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Liu Tang eyed the burly men around him. A thought suddenly popped into his head: If these guys got into street racing, they'd be crazier than the boss! After all, anyone daring to pilot a helicopter through a tunnel can't possibly fear anything.

"You're here on Gu Deping's orders, right?" Liu Tang asked cautiously.

"Yeah."

"Then why aren't we flying over the mountain? Why are we going through the tunnel?" Thankfully, these guys weren't mute.

"The fog up there is too thick—visibility is practically zero. Don't tell me Liu-laoshi wants to experience navigating through fog instead?"

Liu Tang suddenly felt like the world had gone mad. The voice responding to him was way too familiar. Having been with Zhuifeng at school for so long, he'd heard this jokester and those two lunatics speak thousands, if not millions, of sentences.

"Zheng He, is that you?" What is this, a kidnapping? A student kidnapping a teacher? Ridiculous!

Zheng He looked just as exasperated. Liu Tang continued, "Oh, good. Since it's you, let's make a deal. If you promise not to talk about what just happened, I'll make sure you pass English Level 6. How about it?"

"Do I even need to pass English Level 6?"

"Oh, right, with a face like yours... Fine, then let's make a different deal—"

"Liu Tang, you're not here to bargain!" Zheng He's face darkened as he flipped open the laptop next to him. "Take a look at this. This is the mess your boss is in right now. Do you really think you're in a position to negotiate?"

Liu Tang was left speechless. On the screen, his boss's Audi A4 was a wreck, utterly unrecognizable as the once-dominant racing car it had been. The roof still gleamed silver under the lights, but the sparks flying from the sides made Liu Tang's heart skip a beat.

"This... this... What... what the hell?"

"This is the result of your so-called 'arrangements' for the boss! Do you still think you can negotiate?"

Liu Tang's hands trembled uncontrollably as he stared at the screen. Suddenly, he let out a mournful wail:

"What the hell happened? I didn't know! I really didn't know! I—"

Zheng He sighed. It seemed Liu Tang really did care about the Young Master. Patting Liu Tang's shoulder lightly, he said, "Honestly, this whole thing isn't entirely your fault."

"No, it is my fault! If I hadn't spread those rumors, Zhuifeng wouldn't have been forced onto the track. This wouldn't have happened. Damn Japanese pricks, I'll kill your whole family!"

Zheng He chuckled coldly. "If killing were the solution, we wouldn't need you."

Liu Tang shuddered, glancing at Zheng He and the camouflage-clad men. Taking several deep breaths, he forced himself to calm down. "What can I do now? Just tell me. As long as Zhuifeng comes out of this safe, I'll do anything, even if it costs me my life!"

Impressive. Zheng He nodded silently in approval. "No need for such extremes. We just need your cooperation for the operation."

"Tell me the plan."

***

"... That's the plan. Personally, I think it's highly flexible, so you'll need to adapt on the fly. Any issues?"

Staring at the helicopter skimming just above the ground, Liu Tang spoke without a trace of emotion, "Don't forget, I was once a dominant force in Chongqing's racing scene." He then turned back and added, "Can we pick up the speed? I'm afraid Zhuifeng won't last much longer! We can take to the skies too—I couldn't care less about the height anymore!"