Chapter Sixty-Three: The Contact Emerges

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Contact Appears

When they arrived, Liu Peiru and his companions had each acted independently, doing their utmost to conceal their movements. Now, with nothing gained, there was no longer any need for secrecy as they departed. Even Liu Peiru himself removed his hat and glasses, emerging surrounded by his entourage. By now, it was already half past two.

The moment Liu Peiru and his group stepped out of the Dayi Teahouse, their movements were immediately noticed by Bai Zeshao, who was lying prone atop a building across the street, a sniper rifle in hand.

Through his scope, Bai Zeshao caught sight of Liu Peiru and was inwardly startled; he had not expected Liu Peiru to appear here. Clearly, the news of today’s rendezvous had already been compromised.

But Bai Zeshao also understood that it was likely too late to warn anyone—Mr. Li had already arrived. All he could do was create as much chaos as possible to help Mr. Li escape.

What Bai Zeshao did not know, however, was that as he spotted Liu Peiru, someone else in a nearby shop had also noticed Liu Peiru’s presence.

At that moment, Liu Peiru was heading toward his car, surrounded by his men. Midway there, he suddenly stopped.

“Chief, what’s the matter?” the driver asked, curiosity in his voice.

“Did you see the man who just walked past us?” Liu Peiru said thoughtfully.

“What about him?” The driver turned to glance back at the crowd.

Just then, Liu Peiru’s voice sounded quietly at his ear, “Do you see that middle-aged man in the gray long coat, wearing a scarf and a felt hat?”

“Yes, I see him.” The driver nodded, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Chief… could that be… is that Mr. Li?”

“You’re not mistaken. It’s him.” A faint smile played at the corner of Liu Peiru’s lips as he spoke.

He truly hadn’t expected such a dramatic turn. He had been ready to give up and call off the operation, but Mr. Li had appeared at the Dayi Teahouse at the last moment—fortune was truly favoring them.

“Chief, let me take some men and arrest him right now.” After waiting so long for nothing, the driver’s patience had worn thin. Now, seeing their target, he was eager not to let him go; after all, that man was as good as a walking fortune.

“No need. Have you forgotten our purpose today?” Liu Peiru shook his head, refusing his subordinate’s suggestion. “Let Mr. Li go in. I want to see whom he meets. Tell everyone to stay sharp and watch closely for anyone who makes contact with him.”

“Yes, sir.” The men quickly dispersed, while Liu Peiru donned his sunglasses and hat once more and leisurely returned to the Dayi Teahouse.

But as Liu Peiru noticed Mr. Li, Mr. Li had long since spotted Liu Peiru as well. He truly hadn’t expected Liu Peiru to wait at the Dayi Teahouse for so long.

He had told Lu Tiankang that the rendezvous would be at one in the afternoon, but it was nearly three and Liu Peiru was still here. His luck couldn’t be any worse.

Even so, Mr. Li did not retreat; he had to ensure the safety of the special agent. He had already resigned himself to abandoning the meeting if necessary, prioritizing the agent’s safety above all.

Mr. Li worried that the special agent might not realize the danger and would walk right into the trap. That would be disastrous.

At this moment, Mr. Li felt a pang of regret—for the sake of exposing Lu Tiankang as the traitor, he had revealed the actual meeting place. But if he hadn’t disclosed the real location, the traitor would never have exposed himself.

There was no use dwelling on it. Mr. Li steadied himself and stepped into the Dayi Teahouse. For this rendezvous, he was not entirely unprepared; Guo Xiaofei and his action team were stationed nearby on alert. If a gunshot rang out, Guo Xiaofei would arrive immediately.

Inside the teahouse, the server led Mr. Li upstairs straight into a private room. He closed the door, and silence settled over the chamber.

“Well? Any news?” Liu Peiru glanced at his watch. It was nearly three and he asked casually.

“Nothing, Chief. Mr. Li went straight into the private room without contacting anyone,” the driver reported quickly.

“No rush,” Liu Peiru replied with a cold smile. “Since Mr. Li has come today, he won’t be leaving again.”

Time ticked by.

With three minutes left until three o’clock—the appointed time—Mr. Li gazed at the potted evergreen by the open window, silently praying. He hoped the special agent would notice the plant. According to the encrypted instructions, if anything went wrong, the meeting was to be canceled at once. The signal for cancellation was to open the window and place an evergreen beside it.

On the rooftop across the street, Bai Zeshao, who had been tracking Mr. Li’s movements, noticed the evergreen in the window of Mr. Li’s private room.

He hesitated, then quickly grasped its meaning.

Checking his watch, Bai Zeshao saw that it was almost three o’clock. If all went as planned, the contact would soon appear.

Suddenly, a rickshaw entered his field of vision, stopping at the entrance of the Dayi Teahouse. A middle-aged man in glasses stepped out.

The moment the man set foot on the ground, all eyes—Bai Zeshao’s, the Intelligence Division’s, and those of the mysterious person in the shop opposite—were fixed on him.

Though he could not be certain, Bai Zeshao had a strong intuition that this was the special agent.

The man with glasses, unaware that he had drawn the attention of so many factions, straightened his clothes and casually surveyed his surroundings.

But as his gaze swept past Mr. Li’s window, his eyes narrowed.

He knew very well what the evergreen signified. What surprised him was why the contact had suddenly canceled the meeting.

Could it be that something had been discovered? But the matter had been kept absolutely confidential—how could the contact possibly know?

A sense of unease flickered through him. He quickly scanned the area around the teahouse.

At last, he walked calmly into the Dayi Teahouse.

Across the street, Bai Zeshao was certain the man with glasses had seen the evergreen. But why was he still going inside?

Had he guessed wrong? Was this man not the special agent after all?