Chapter 10: Caught in the Act

Just as Li Huan was about to lose his virginity, a sudden commotion erupted outside the door. Shouts and footsteps filled the air, the cacophony clearly reaching Li Huan's ears. The unexpected noise startled him, and he instinctively halted his movements. At that very moment, the door to the outer room burst open with a loud crash. It was the sound of a door being broken down. Something was terribly wrong.

Li Huan reacted quickly, rolling off the bed and reaching for something to cover his naked body. But before he could, another loud bang resounded, and the bedroom door was smashed open. Several men in suits rushed in.

They moved with incredible speed, their target clear: the naked Li Huan on the bed. Li Huan was no slouch either, deftly rolling away from their lunging bodies. A cry of "Ouch!" echoed as one of the suited men inadvertently collided with the madam instead.

There were too many people to discern what was happening. Li Huan didn't want to fight and was about to rush out the door to sort things out later, but more men burst in.

All in police uniforms. They were cops. Li Huan groaned inwardly. Could it be? Caught in a prostitution sting on his first time?

Li Huan retreated to a corner of the room. With police present, resistance seemed pointless. It was just a minor prostitution charge; conflict would only hurt him. Resigned to his bad luck, Li Huan decided to surrender.

The first group of suited men surrounded Li Huan, their initial attack thwarted. They didn't seem eager to advance further, maintaining an aggressive stance, their sharp eyes fixed on the naked Li Huan.

Their gazes were piercing, making Li Huan feel uneasy, a chill running between his legs. He felt a bit embarrassed; there was still a lingering trace of arousal, quite pronounced.

Something was off. These men were professionals, Li Huan realized from their composed demeanor. Their positioning was strategic, capable of both attack and defense. Two of them had their hands on their lower backs, undoubtedly concealing deadly weapons.

Was all this really necessary? Li Huan eyed the suited men poised to strike. He might have a chance if he fought back, but risking it all for such a trivial matter didn't seem worth it.

Better to accept his misfortune. Escalating the situation would only harm him. Li Huan decided to surrender to the police, slowly raising his hands, careful not to provoke the highly alert men.

His gesture signaled surrender. Two of the men exchanged a quick glance and cautiously approached Li Huan. With swift, practiced movements, they grabbed his wrists. A flash of cold metal, and a click鈥擫i Huan felt the chill of handcuffs securing his wrists.

A hood was thrown over his head, plunging him into darkness. He felt something wrap around his lower body, followed by another click. It was the familiar sensation of shackles, the treatment reserved for serious criminals. Then, Li Huan felt his body lighten as he was lifted and carried out by the men.

In the outer room, the women from the brothel were huddled on the floor, trembling. When they saw Li Huan being led out in heavy restraints, they wondered if the handsome young man was a murderer and these were the police specifically after him.

Sure enough, after the police and plainclothes officers escorted Li Huan out, no one came back to deal with the women. The brothel was now devoid of police. Realizing it wasn't a prostitution raid, the women breathed a sigh of relief, standing up and resuming their flirtatious poses. The fate of the handsome young man was no longer their concern.

Inside the car, the hooded Li Huan was puzzled. Had he been out of the game for over two years? Had the world changed so much that they now treated johns with such high security?

After some jostling, Li Huan was brought into a room. Someone pressed down on his shoulders, and he sat down involuntarily. The seat was soft鈥攁 couch. Then the hood was removed, and Li Huan blinked. This wasn't an interrogation room; it was a lounge with sofas all around. He glanced at the two expressionless suited men standing before him, feeling disoriented.

Footsteps sounded at the door, and a man in a suit with graying hair and a female officer in military uniform entered. When Li Huan saw them, he instantly understood what was happening. The man was an old acquaintance, Wang Xiuliang, the head of the National Security Department, and the female officer was Chen Meng, whom he had ditched.

The National Security Department was impressive, locating him so quickly. Li Huan sighed inwardly, avoiding Chen Meng's icy stare and giving Wang Xiuliang a sheepish smile. Meeting his boss under such circumstances was awkward.

Wang Xiuliang signaled for the two guards to leave and glared at Li Huan. "009, just out of prison and already causing trouble? You're something else."

Li Huan gave an awkward smile, unsure how to respond.

"Look at yourself! You're an embarrassment." Wang Xiuliang glared at Li Huan, who was haphazardly wrapped in a towel.

"Heh... Boss." Li Huan raised his handcuffed hands, the metal clinking. "I don't look too good, I admit."

"Stop fooling around. This is for your own good. Without restraints, you'd be causing chaos. Keep them on." Wang Xiuliang shot him another glare.

"Really not going to take them off?"

"No."

"Heh... I'll handle it myself then." Li Huan smiled, and without any visible effort, the handcuffs on his wrists magically opened. He fiddled with the shackles on his feet, and they fell to the ground with a clatter.

The magic trick left Chen Meng wide-eyed. How did he do that without any tools?

Li Huan caught the puzzled look in Chen Meng's eyes and raised his eyebrows smugly, as if to say, "Surprised, huh?"

Chen Meng rolled her eyes and huffed through her nose. Showing off, was he?

Their expressions didn't escape Wang Xiuliang's notice. He glared at Li Huan. "Enough with the tricks. Do you want to spend the next few days on a space bed?"

"Boss, I used to eat from your bowl. You wouldn't make me sleep on a space bed again, would you?" Li Huan teased. He had experienced those space beds enough in the past two years.

Chen Meng's eyes flickered with curiosity. Space bed? What did that mean?

"Stop calling me boss. I'm not your boss anymore, and I don't have a subordinate like you. Your new superior is Major Chen Meng. You better understand that. If you don't follow her orders, don't think I can't deal with you." Wang Xiuliang's voice had been loud since entering the room.

Li Huan put on a look of obedience. "Yes, yes, whatever you say. From now on, I'll follow Major Chen's orders."

"Hmph, just don't say one thing and do another. Listen, I brought you back not for you to mess around. Look at yourself! Is that a place you should be? Embarrassing! Let me make this clear: before the mission, you stay put at the Intelligence Agency. After the mission, get as far away as possible. Got it?" Wang Xiuliang's voice boomed, veins bulging on his neck. Dealing with a former subordinate like Li Huan, especially after tonight's fiasco, made it impossible to keep his voice down.

"Heh... Got it, got it. I'll do as you say. Before the job, I won't go anywhere. After the job, I'll disappear from your sight forever." Li Huan chuckled. Two years ago, when Wang Xiuliang was still a deputy, he had gotten used to his boss's roaring style of communication.

"Hmph, I hope you keep your word. Make this mission a success. Work with the Intelligence Agency, and don't embarrass the National Security Department." Wang Xiuliang sighed inwardly. Tonight's incident had already embarrassed the department. Staying with this kid a moment longer made him feel even more ashamed.

With the instructions given, Wang Xiuliang couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and turned to Chen Meng. "I've brought him back to you. It's late, so let's leave it at that. I trust he won't cause you any more trouble." His tone softened considerably when addressing Chen Meng.

"Thank you, Minister Wang." Chen Meng stood up and shook his hand politely.

"No need to thank me." Wang Xiuliang smiled. "This kid has many bad habits, but he's good at his job. I sincerely hope you two work well together."

He then turned to glare at Li Huan, his smile turning stern. "009? You hear me? No more trouble."

"I hear you..." Li Huan drawled.

Seeing Li Huan's lackadaisical attitude, Wang Xiuliang sighed inwardly. Hopefully, this kid would do the job right this time and earn some respect back for the National Security Department...

After seeing Wang Xiuliang off with Chen Meng, Li Huan returned to the lounge and yawned. "Where are my clothes?" He was only wearing a towel around his waist, and his posture was always careless, risking exposure.

"They're in your room." Chen Meng looked at the half-naked Li Huan. He had ditched her for such a sordid place. A hint of disdain flashed in her eyes.

"Oh... I'll go to my room and sleep then. Which way?" Li Huan yawned again, ignoring her disdain.

"Not so fast. I have a question for you."

"What is it?" Li Huan wondered why she was being so talkative.

"What did Minister Wang mean by 'space bed'?" Chen Meng's eyes were full of curiosity. The term had been nagging at her.

"Why do you want to know?" Li Huan's eyes showed a hint of caution. Was she planning to use it on him?

"No reason, just curious. What is it?" Chen Meng's curiosity grew seeing Li Huan's wariness.

"Oh... just curious, huh?" Li Huan glanced at her, sensing she genuinely didn't know about the space bed. He smiled and said, "Heh... It's just a bed. When you sleep on it, you become an astronaut."

"Become an astronaut?" Chen Meng paused, then noticed the teasing glint in Li Huan's eyes. Her face flushed, and she spat, "What nonsense are you talking?" This guy was never serious. She regretted asking about it out of curiosity.

A woman's blush was always pretty, pink and tender. Seeing the flush on Chen Meng's cheeks, Li Huan's eyes lingered, a lewd thought crossing his mind. This beautiful female officer would surely look better than the madam if she were undressed.

His thoughts showed in his eyes, a bit lecherous. Chen Meng caught the lascivious look and inwardly spat. She already had a low opinion of Li Huan, and now it worsened. She no longer cared about what a space bed was...