97: Chapter 97 continues the story

Crimson Name—[Jason Wu, Freelance Photographer]

Lin Ning sat where he was, not daring to make a move, doing his best to keep his body and expression calm.

Even though the other party's gaze had moved away and the feeling of being watched and guarded against had dissipated.

Damn it!

In those few seconds of eye contact just now, every cell in Lin Ning's body was screaming an alarm, and his Psychic Power felt a stinging sensation.

In a fraction of a second, the other party had radiated killing intent.

This was the first time he had faced "killing intent" directed specifically at him.

At that moment, he had used all his strength to suppress an indescribable excitement and eagerness in his body; fortunately, his brain stayed sharp this time, maintaining his "performance."

Do I freaking have some kind of violent gene?

Lin Ning also had a trace of doubt; just now, he had a feeling that he had "seen" this person before.

Who was it? Where?

He tried hard to remember.

It wasn't Jason Wu's appearance that was familiar, but a feeling, or rather...

A certain unique mark that had once fallen upon his Psychic Power!

Lin Ning suddenly sat up straight.

He remembered—a certain lookout point when he discovered Brian An!!

Lin Ning hadn't expected Psychic Power to have such a function; the more he explored, the more he found.

Before joy could rise, shock and anger surfaced in his heart.

That bastard Chen Zhi!

Perhaps out of a guilty conscience, his first thought was that his report on Brian An had been leaked, and Jason Wu had come for revenge.

He grabbed the phone, held it for a while, then gently placed it back on the desk.

No, even if I was leaked.

How did Jason Wu find this place so accurately? Ten minutes ago, even he didn't know he'd be in this cafe.

Hopefully, it really was just a damn coincidence.

Lin Ning took a deep breath, created a new document on his computer, wrote down Jason Wu's name and the license plate of that ride-hailing car, briefly explained the strange encounter just now, and finally added a question: [Is there any progress on Brian An's side?]

He sent the email to Chen Zhi.

He unconsciously rubbed his phone, his thoughts churning.

The camera hadn't captured Jason Wu, but he believed Chen Zhi had the ability to access the Skynet system. He had no actual contact with Jason Wu throughout, but in the email, he still wrote the name "Jason Wu" and his judgment of "suspected peripheral lookout for Brian An."

Back with Sofiani, when he said there was a lookout at Collamela International Co., Ltd., Chen Zhi hadn't raised any questions.

Being able to feel a targeted gaze might be explainable, but accurately identifying a non-targeted, well-hidden lookout point was beyond common sense.

The nonsense excuses he had prepared back then hadn't been needed.

This time, he had left a similar flaw again.

Would Chen Zhi ask?

Lin Ning felt like he was jumping back and forth on the edge of death, yet he wasn't very afraid. Or rather, was he anticipating something?

Buzz— The phone vibrated—Chen Zhi.

Lin Ning took a deep breath and answered.

"..." There was a moment of silence on the other end before Chen Zhi's emotionless voice came through. "Brian An was in a car accident at noon. He's dead."

"Huh?" Lin Ning was truly stunned. "Dead? Then... then did you find anyone related to him?"

Chen Zhi said helplessly, "It's only been two days, what do you think? I just started surveillance and investigating his social circle."

Lin Ning: "...What rotten luck."

What Chen Zhi didn't say was that although Brian An's accident appeared to be a simple traffic incident caused by brake failure based on current information...

...his instinct was suspicious—

When a target under maximum-level surveillance suddenly dies in an "accident" right after the monitoring begins, anyone in this line of work would suspect it was a silencing.

What Chen Zhi was most worried about now wasn't that the trail had gone cold, but whether the surveillance operation itself had been exposed. This was the suspicion that made his blood run cold.

Unaware of Chen Zhi's concerns, Lin Ning was still lamenting, "I guess we can't string them together like 'candied haws' this time."

"Wait, that's not right!" Lin Ning suddenly realized something.

Chen Zhi's breath hitched. "What's not right?"

"Does that mean my bonus is gone?!"

Chen Zhi rubbed his temples. What could he expect?

He said helplessly, "Isn't this Jason Wu a new lead?"

Chen Zhi's tone shifted, becoming serious. "Lin Ning, listen to me clearly! This Jason Wu is an extremely dangerous individual. If Brian An really was problematic as you said, then Jason Wu was the 'hidden lookout' responsible for protecting and monitoring him, and might even double as a 'Cleaner.' You have now encountered him twice."

"The first time was outside the Cantonese restaurant; you appeared within the scene while he was on duty. The second time was just now, face-to-face. For someone like Jason Wu, your face has appeared in his sight twice in a short period."

"He doesn't know who you are, let alone what you've done. But in his highly trained perception, you have upgraded from a mere 'bystander' to a suspicious background element that needs to be flagged and evaluated for its 'coincidence.' Do you understand what I mean?"

Lin Ning: "I understand. I'm on his radar now."

"So, from now on," Chen Zhi said word by word, brooking no argument, "forget him. Do not try to investigate him, do not be curious about his movements, and absolutely do not have any form of contact or counter-observation. Any extra attention from you could be seen by him as confirmation of 'suspicion.' His profession is finding 'anomalies'; you can't beat his intuition and training."

"I know!" Lin Ning was also helpless. "I was just sitting in the cafe, not moving; he was the one who bumped into me. Don't worry, I've watched plenty of spy documentaries."

Chen Zhi: "..."

Seeing Chen Zhi remain silent, Lin Ning continued to guarantee, "I'll go home in a bit and cancel all my plans for the afternoon, alright?"

"Mm." Chen Zhi seemed slightly relieved and added, "Stay sharp. If anything feels off, call me directly."

Hanging up the phone, Lin Ning leaned back in his chair and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Having his face remembered by a venomous snake hiding in the shadows felt like a thorn in his back.

He didn't delay any longer, quickly packed his things, and took a taxi straight back to Linfeng Garden.

He went straight to the three-bedroom apartment where Jin Er and the others stayed.

Pushing the door open, he was met with swirling smoke. The three were huddled around a small table playing Fight the Landlord, shouting and yelling, quite a lively scene.

Seeing them like this, having tossed yesterday's perils to the back of their minds and being so heartlessly happy, the tension and gloom in Lin Ning's heart were inexplicably diluted quite a bit.

Instead, a sense of imbalance arose: "Why am I the only one living in fear?"

He irritably slapped two pieces of paper onto the card table, interrupting the game.

"Stop playing! Here are two targets from the 'Boss.' Go scout them out, usual rules."

Jin Er's eyes lit up. He threw his cards down and grabbed the papers, his movements swifter than if he had won money.

Zhang Shitou and Xu San also instantly entered their work mode, their faces full of eagerness.

In an instant, he was the only one left in the room.

Lin Ning was a bit disoriented and speechless. Like a lonely elderly person left behind, he muttered to himself, "Busy! Everyone's busy! It's good to be busy!"