Xiao Xun suddenly panicked. The old saying went, "Alcohol is poison that flows through the intestines, and lust is a steel knife that scrapes the bone." Today, he had fallen victim to both. Was he going to perish here?
Then he thought, No, I have to find a way. I can't just wait for death.
He watched as the sports car began to bounce, realizing they were on a mountain road. Anything could happen in a place like this.
With this thought, he stealthily squinted to peek at Secretary Fan. She was still focused on driving, not looking his way.
An idea struck Xiao Xun. He quietly slipped his finger into his throat and pressed down hard.
"Gag~ Wow~"
The contents of his stomach surged out like a roiling tide, and the car was instantly filled with the smell of Xiao Xun's vomit.
Secretary Fan slammed on the brakes, "Disgusting! You should have said something if you were going to throw up! Don't vomit in the car!"
As she spoke, she opened the car window, letting the mountain night breeze blow into the vehicle.
She picked up a packet of tissues to clean the vomit off the gearshift and then handed it to Xiao Xun, "Are you alright?"
Xiao Xun fumbled with the car door handle and pushed it open, continuing to throw up.
Just then, he saw two sedans approaching from behind, their high beams blinding him. He couldn't see the occupants clearly.
He quickly got out of the sports car and waved to stop the sedans. The front passenger door opened, and the car seemed to lift slightly.
It was the bear-like man. "Mr. Xiao, are you alright?"
Xiao Xun grabbed his arm directly, "Hurry and take me away from here."
Secretary Fan also opened her door and walked over, crossing her arms with a cold expression, "So you weren't drunk after all!"
Xiao Xun hid behind the bear-like man, "What do you want?"
Secretary Fan shrugged, "I don't want anything. It's you who's been staring at me the whole way. It's you who wants something, isn't it?"
Xiao Xun blushed as he was caught, pointing at Secretary Fan, "You're talking nonsense."
Secretary Fan said to the bear-like man, "Brother Ma, thank you for seeing Mr. Xiao home! I need to find a place to wash the car."
With that, she blew Xiao Xun a kiss and turned to leave. From that day on, Xiao Xun never saw Secretary Fan in the Saint Roman building again.
Xiao Xun looked at Secretary Fan in surprise, "Are you guys working together?"
The bear-like man gestured to the passenger door, "Mr. Xiao, please get in! We'll escort you the rest of the way."
Xiao Xun looked at the desolate location, a deep sense of fear rising in his heart, "Where are you taking me?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Xiao, we'll be there soon."
Seeing Xiao Xun's worried expression, he added, "Relax. If we really wanted to do something to you, we wouldn't choose such a foolish method, nor would we go to such lengths to find you, much less help you clear your name of murder suspicion."
Xiao Xun felt that what he said made sense and was relieved.
After getting into the car, the bear-like man asked him, "Do you still feel like throwing up? We can wait if you want to get it all out first."
Xiao Xun waved his hand, "I'm fine, let's go!"
The sedan continued forward and honked as it passed the red sports car, as if signaling a farewell.
After traversing mountains and crossing ridges, they stopped at a garage attached to a three-story building in a village. The village was quiet, with no signs of activity, except for a faint light in the courtyard of the three-story house.
"We've arrived, you can get out now, Mr. Xiao."
Xiao Xun, adopting the principle of "accept what you cannot change," calmly got out of the car and surveyed the surroundings.
"This place feels much like my old home, just one story taller. My family's house is a two-story building."
The bear-like man didn't respond to the remark. Instead, he led Xiao Xun to the entrance of the basement and said, "Mr. Xiao, the person who wants to see you is inside. We won't be accompanying you."
Looking at the brightly lit basement within, Xiao Xun felt as though he was looking at the entrance to a tomb, deep and long, sending shivers down his spine.
But he had no other choice and had to walk down, steeling his resolve.
Xiao Xun took out his phone and checked it. Sure enough, there was not a trace of signal. No wonder they hadn't searched him.
After descending the last few steps, he entered a vast, empty space. A dim light bulb hung in the center, with visibility less than five meters. The surroundings were dark, and he couldn't see anything clearly.
Beneath the light was a large leather sofa, with a coffee table in front of it. On the table was an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.
"You're here, sit down!"
A cold voice echoed from the darkness. Xiao Xun couldn't tell where it was coming from, but he recognized the voice.
A person wearing a black leather jacket, a black mask, and black gloves appeared in the light.
"Sit down!"
Xiao Xun cleared his throat gently and walked over, "If I recall, it hasn't even been a month yet!"
The man in black patted the back of the sofa, "It hasn't been a month, but our boss is getting impatient. So, I've been sent to ask about your purpose in H country."
Xiao Xun didn't move closer. "Since you call yourselves friends, we are on equal footing. I have no obligation to tell you or your organization about my itinerary."
"You don't have to. I was being nosy. So, can we expect the goods on schedule?"
Xiao Xun rolled his eyes, "On schedule should be fine, but I'd like to know if I'll still be alive after giving them to you?"
The man in black crossed his arms, "Asking such a question shows a lack of trust in your friends. The intelligence you're trying to acquire isn't valuable. It's merely a 'token of loyalty' for us. Once you've obtained what our boss truly desires, you'll naturally be one of us, and all past debts will be cleared. Therefore, the value it represents cannot be compared to your life. Remember, your life is very valuable. Thus, our orders are that your life must not be harmed in any way."
Xiao Xun looked at the man in black before him, then slowly walked over and took a USB drive from his pocket, "I've saved that data in 'Fortress.' The decryption key and access method are inside. Your boss will know what to do."
The man in black reached out and took Xiao Xun's USB drive, "Very good. I believe the boss will be very pleased when he sees this. I hope it contains what he wishes to see, and nothing else."
With that, he clapped his hands, and two more people emerged from the darkness. One of them was carrying a silver briefcase.
Opening the briefcase, the man in black placed the USB drive inside and took the case in his hand, "You two can take Mr. Xiao home to rest. He's had quite a bit to drink today, so drive carefully on the way."
"Yes, Mr. Xiao, this way."
The two men did not lead Xiao Xun back the way they came but instead guided him into the darkness.
Xiao Xun couldn't see the path ahead and was hesitant to walk, but the two men took his arms and pulled him forward.
After about three minutes, they stopped. He faintly heard the sound of a chainsaw cutting wood. The closer they walked, the louder the sound became, making Xiao Xun's back break out in a cold sweat.
"When you said 'home,' you didn't mean my actual home, did you?"