“Beep… Connecting to communications satellite… Connection successful… Location confirmed… Three mobile phone signal sources all show to be located at Robasa KTV, 169 Huangxing Road… Combined with analysis of the Robasa KTV floor plan, the probability of being in Room 1028 is seventy-five percent…”
Xu Ze was generally satisfied with Number One’s functionality and efficiency. His only complaint was that it was far too long-winded—unlike Xiao Dao, who was crisp and direct, simply reporting the address and room number. Instead, Number One went on and on with prompts, actions, probabilities, and all that extra fuss!
As for Robasa, Xu Ze really had no idea where it was. Looking at the map displayed in his glasses’ field of view, he stepped on the gas and sped toward Huangxing Road…
The traffic congestion in Star City was a bit better than in Yanjing, but not by much. In any case, it took Xu Ze nearly half an hour to cover just a few kilometers.
The more anxious you are, the worse things go—Xu Ze deeply understood that today. After spending half an hour getting to Robasa, he discovered there were no parking spots left out front. He drove around the area twice but still couldn’t find one…
Finally, Major Xu Ze lost his temper. He pulled the car over to the side right next to Robasa’s entrance, turned off the engine, and got out…
Xu Qing’er got out of the car, looked around, and called out, “Brother… this isn’t a parking spot. We’ll get a ticket…”
Without turning back, Xu Ze waved at Xu Qing’er, signaling for the two of them to follow.
Seeing that Xu Ze wasn’t paying attention, Xu Qing’er had no choice but to grab Lin Wei and hurry after him…
The two security guards at Robasa’s entrance were stunned for a moment when they saw a man in military uniform approaching. They had been working at Robasa for two years, and this was the first time they’d ever seen someone walk in wearing a full, proper military uniform with all insignia and cap badge intact—and clearly here for some fun.
“Doesn’t this kid have any fear of the military police? Or maybe he’s a fake…” But these two guards had been posted at the entrance precisely because they had some sharpness about them. They could tell just from the way the man strode in with his chest out and back straight that he was the real deal—someone actually daring enough to come into a place like this in full uniform.
After the initial shock, they stared closely at the shoulder insignia—two bars and four stars. That startled them even more. They clicked their tongues, quickly averted their gazes, and looked elsewhere…
By the time Xu Qing’er and Lin Wei followed Xu Ze inside, the two guards clicked their tongues again and huddled together to whisper: “This guy is seriously bold… But Robasa has never seen someone this high-ranking before…”
Just then, they noticed the black Mercedes parked right by the entrance. They exchanged glances. Who would dare park at the front door? Then they remembered—they hadn’t paid attention earlier, but it was most likely the officer who just walked in.
They hurried over, took a look, and sure enough, there was a white military district license plate hanging on it. Then they peeked inside—several parking permits were placed on the windshield, and every single one was from the most heavyweight institutions in Star City.
The two exchanged another glance and quickly retreated back to the entrance. This was beyond their pay grade. Even if the manager came out… well, the manager wouldn’t have the nerve to tell that car to move either, would he?
Xu Qing’er tugged Lin Wei along, jogging to catch up with Xu Ze, and asked in bewilderment from behind, “Brother… what exactly are we doing here?”
“Looking for Xiao Hao,” Xu Ze replied without turning back, following the three tiny red dots on the map displayed in his glasses’ field of view, heading deeper into the KTV.
Lin Wei finally couldn’t hold back. Was Xu Hao really here? She asked with confusion, “Is Xiao Hao here?”
“Yeah… he’s here,” Xu Ze nodded.
“Brother… how do you know Xiao Hao is here?” Xu Qing’er was now full of questions too. Her brother had just flown back from Yanjing, and Xiao Hao’s phone couldn’t be reached—how could he possibly know Xiao Hao was here?
“A friend helped me track him down,” Xu Ze casually made up an excuse. Since Tang Zhi had just sent someone to deliver the car, it was a pretty convenient cover story.
And sure enough, as clever as Xu Qing’er and Lin Wei were, hearing this excuse—and remembering that someone had just handed Xu Ze the car keys at the snack street entrance—they could only marvel at how well-connected their brother was and accept the explanation.
A KTV on Huangxing Road was naturally going to be upscale. You could tell from the lavish decor and the two rows of beautiful hostesses in ultra-short cheongsams, their sexy long legs on full display at the entrance.
“Welcome! Sir, do you have a reservation?” A hostess in a short cheongsam smiled, bowed, and asked in a sugary-sweet voice.
Though she found it quite peculiar to see a military officer here, she didn’t show it on her face. But since he was wearing his cap, the brim cast a faint shadow over his eyes and nose bridge—still, from the sharp, defined lines of his lower face, she could tell he was an exceptionally young and handsome officer. So her smile only grew sweeter.
“1028? Very well, please follow me…” The hostess led the way, swaying gracefully ahead, her long, fair, slender legs flashing hypnotically—enough to make Xu Qing’er, walking behind Xu Ze, pout adorably.
The hostess turned around gracefully, and the slit of her cheongsam parted slightly at the hip, revealing a hint of pale, full flesh at the top of her thighs. But when she noticed that the young officer’s eyes beneath the brim of his cap showed absolutely no reaction, she felt a faint pang of disappointment.
She could only smile and gesture, saying, “Sir, here we are. Enjoy your time…” And with that, she reluctantly took her leave.
Only after the hostess departed did Xu Ze step forward and gently push the door open.
As the door swung open, the blaring, ear-splitting music burst out—truly making one appreciate just how good Robasa’s soundproofing really was.
Xu Ze pushed the door open and looked inside. He saw four or five young men, each with an arm around a sexy, attractive bar girl, laughing and drinking, singing karaoke. Another young man was holding a girl up front, swaying wildly to the music…
“Who’s there? What do you want?” One of the young men nearby noticed the door to their private room had been opened and shouted over.
At his shout, the rest of the young men and the bar girls all turned to look this way.
Through the dim lighting and the flashing strobe lights overhead, everyone could make out that the person walking in was a military officer.
Everyone froze for a second. One of the young men stood up, tilted his head, and slurred loudly at Xu Ze: “Who the hell are you… what are you doing in here?”
Xu Ze gave the crowd a light glance, then reached over and turned on the main overhead light. In an instant, the room flooded with brightness, making everyone squint and blink.
Xu Qing’er and Lin Wei stood behind him, craning their necks to peer inside. Suddenly, both their eyes lit up at the same time. The short-haired young man sitting in the middle with his arm around a girl—wasn’t that Xu Hao?
Meanwhile, the four young men inside finally regained their composure under the sudden harsh light. Two of them stood up and shouted angrily at Xu Ze: “What the hell are you doing? Get the hell out!”
Xu Ze showed no reaction to their shouting. Instead, he lowered his head to look at the young man sitting in the middle, then glanced at the pile of bottles on the table—and beside them, several sheets of tin foil still bearing traces of a white powder…
Seeing Xu Ze completely unresponsive, the three young men who had stood up grew even angrier. They were having a great time, and now this guy had ruined it. Completely ignoring the uniform he wore, they crowded forward, intending to throw him out.
Seeing the three closing in, Xu Ze didn’t budge an inch. With a casual shove, he sent the three—who were already a bit drunk and clearly way too high—tumbling to the floor. The four bar girls shrieked in terror.
Meanwhile, Xu Hao—the only one who hadn’t moved from his seat—was staring at Xu Qing’er and Lin Wei behind Xu Ze, both of whom wore grim expressions. A flash of shame, embarrassment, and panic flickered through his hazy eyes. Then he looked uncertainly at the officer in front of him, who seemed oddly familiar.
The three young men Xu Ze had shoved staggered, wobbled, and groaned as they struggled to their feet. Two of them lunged toward the table, reaching for the bottles…
Watching their movements, Xu Ze couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. This scene felt very familiar… last time, a few people had raised bottles at him too. As he recalled, none of them ended up well.
But this time, he couldn’t be bothered dealing with them. He walked over and, with two casual flicks of his hands, tossed the two bottle-wielding guys into the corner. The bar girls screamed again and fled out of the room.
Xu Ze stepped forward, gently picked up a sheet of tin foil, and examined it. On his command, the system’s toxin analysis feature kicked in. A faint glimmer of light swept across the residual powder on the foil…
“Methylenedioxymethamphetamine… an amphetamine derivative, a hallucinogen with stimulant and psychedelic effects. Long-term…” Xu Ze didn’t bother listening to Number One droning on in his ear. He let his fingers relax, letting the tin foil drift softly back down, then fixed his gaze on Xu Hao, whose hands were already trembling slightly beside the table.
“Brother…” Xu Hao looked up, suppressing the restlessness in his chest from the powder he’d taken earlier, and forced a dry laugh: “Brother… how… how did you get here?”
Xu Ze tilted his head slightly, quietly staring at Xu Hao in front of him—but said nothing.
Xu Hao, though a bit groggy, could tell something was off. Feeling the icy-cold, piercing gaze from his brother’s eyes, his heart began to pound nervously.
Looking at that stare, he couldn’t help but recall that time at the school gate, when his brother had flown into a rage for his sake. Though this looked very different, the cold, piercing chill in his brother’s eyes was even more terrifying than that day.
Finally, Xu Hao couldn’t withstand the pressure from his brother’s gaze any longer. With a low growl, his face flushed red, he shot up and bolted for the door. Though the drugs and beer had left him agitated, he knew one thing for certain—if he didn’t run now, he was in for some serious trouble today.
