21: Chapter 21 Delivery Horror: The Undercover Agent's Disguise

Jianghai City, "Extreme Zone" Internet Cafe Private Room.

The sound of keyboard clicking was like a torrential downpour.

On the screen, the gunfire from Counter-Strike illuminated Qin Feng's cold, stern face.

Wearing headphones, his fingers flew across the mechanical keyboard, moving so fast they were mere afterimages.

"A-Long! Smoke it!"

"Sniper, hold the angle! Don't peek!"

Qin Feng was immersed in the game world; that feeling of commanding thousands of troops allowed him to temporarily forget the thousands of police officers outside trying to catch him.

However, reality is often more thrilling than games.

Outside the private room door.

Xiao Zhang, a SWAT Team intern, felt his heart beating so hard it was about to jump out of his throat.

He was wearing a yellow Meituan delivery vest, carrying several boxes of fried chicken he'd specifically bought for his disguise.

Though only an intern, he was this year's grappling champion at the police academy, capable of taking down two grown men with one hand.

But now, his palms were drenched in sweat.

Because sitting inside was the "Bandit Godfather" who had been grinding the entire Jianghai City police force into the dirt.

"Whew..."

Xiao Zhang took a deep breath and pressed the high-definition miniature camera disguised as a button on his collar.

In the command center, Zhao Shanhe stared intently at the shaky footage transmitted back to the big screen.

"Xiao Zhang, stay safe," Zhao Shanhe's voice rang through the invisible earpiece, carrying a rare hint of tension. "Once the target is confirmed, do not act rashly. Immediately stick the tracker to the doorframe and wait for backup."

"Understood."

Xiao Zhang swallowed hard and raised his hand.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking seemed faint in the noisy internet cafe.

Inside the private room.

Alice was wiping her fruit knife, the blade reflecting a cold glint under the dim blue light.

Hearing the knock, her azure eyes snapped shut for a second before narrowing, her muscles tensing instantly like a fully drawn bow.

Pei Ji, who was munching on half a cold burger, flinched in fright, causing a lettuce leaf to fall onto his pants.

Only Qin Feng remained unmoved.

He didn't even lift an eyelid.

The moment Xiao Zhang knocked, the cold mechanical voice in Qin Feng's mind exploded without warning.

[Ding! Hostile target detected within a five-meter radius!]

[Danger Level: Grade A (Undercover SWAT).]

[Triggered Temporary Passive: Top-tier Bandit Aura (Effect Doubled).]

Qin Feng's finger on the mouse paused slightly.

On the screen, the character he controlled was holding an AK47, its black muzzle seemingly piercing through the screen and pointing directly at the door.

Police?

They found me this quickly?

Qin Feng was actually panicking inside.

If it came down to a real fight with knives and guns, his weakling physique probably wouldn't last a second against a SWAT officer's grip.

But who was he?

He was Qin Feng.

He was the "Joker" in the eyes of tens of millions of fans online, the man who drove a wuling hongguang like a fighter jet.

Even if he lost the man, he couldn't lose the momentum.

"Enter."

Qin Feng's voice wasn't loud; one could even say it was very soft.

But enhanced by the system, these two words fell upon Xiao Zhang's ears outside the door like a muffled thunderclap, carrying a chill that made his scalp tingle.

The door was pushed open.

Xiao Zhang walked in with his head lowered, trying his best not to look directly at the man's back.

"He... Hello, Meituan delivery."

Xiao Zhang's voice trembled, and the plastic bag in his hand rustled loudly.

He was looking for an opportunity.

As long as he could stick the tracker under that sofa...

However, before he could take a second step forward...

A terrifying, suffocating killing intent surged over him like a tidal wave.

This wasn't just the "Bandit Aura" emanating from Qin Feng.

It was also Alice, the Interpol agent codenamed "Black Widow," sitting in the corner.

Alice stared intently at this "delivery man."

Her gaze was one that only someone who had truly crawled out of a pile of corpses could possess.

Sharp, cold, and bloodthirsty.

The fruit knife in her hand spun once around her fingertips, its tip vaguely pointing toward Xiao Zhang's throat.

Xiao Zhang felt as if he were being locked onto by two fierce beasts at the same time.

Especially the man sitting at the computer, who only showed him his back.

That composure, as if the sky wouldn't fall even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.

That oppressive feeling, as if even while playing a game, he was plotting a heaven-shaking conspiracy.

Xiao Zhang's legs felt a bit weak.

He subconsciously reached into his pocket, wanting to confirm the position of the tracker.

"Leave it at the door."

An indifferent voice rang out.

Qin Feng still didn't turn around.

While cleanly blowing off an opponent's head in the game, he casually added in a tone as if speaking to a dead man:

"And."

"I don't eat onions."

In this instant, time seemed to freeze.

Xiao Zhang's hand froze in mid-air.

Doesn't eat onions?

What kind of code was this?

Was he warning me that he had already seen through my disguise (Onion = Green = Pure = Police)?

Was he implying that if I took one more step, he would make his move?

Xiao Zhang's imagination reached its peak at this moment.

Looking at that back, he felt as if he were seeing an Asura who had crawled out of hell.

Fear, like a tide, submerged all of his tactical training.

"O-Okay!"

Xiao Zhang almost reflexively bent over and placed the delivery at the door, his movements as standard as if he were saluting a superior officer.

"En-Enjoy your meal!"

With that, he turned and ran.

He really ran.

Even that "Meituan Yellow" vest left an afterimage as he bolted.

Clang.

The private room door was slammed shut.

It wasn't until he ran out of the internet cafe entrance and was hit by the cold wind that Xiao Zhang snapped back to his senses.

Wait.

I'm here to catch someone!

I'm a SWAT officer!

Why the hell am I afraid of a guy playing games?!

"Damn it!"

Xiao Zhang slapped himself hard and grabbed his walkie-talkie, shouting, "Target confirmed! He's in the Area A private room! He's warning me! Requesting immediate assault!"

"Copy that! Backup has arrived!"

Outside the internet cafe, ear-piercing sirens suddenly wailed.

Dozens of police cars, like a torrent of steel, instantly blocked all exits.

"Move in! Don't let even a single fly escape!"

Zhao Shanhe's roar was deafening.

Boom—

The internet cafe's front door was smashed open.

Fully armed SWAT officers, like a black tide, rushed into the cafe holding riot shields.

"Nobody move! Hands behind your heads, get down!"

The internet-addicted youths who were still gaming in the noisy environment were so scared they threw their mice and squatted on the floor with their heads in their hands.

Xiao Zhang led the charge, filled with shame and fury, and kicked open the door to the Area A private room.

"Qin Feng! You can't run anymore!"

However.

What greeted him was only an empty room.

And two windows rattling loudly in the wind.

The curtains danced wildly in the wind, as if mocking their incompetence.

The computer screen on the desk was still on.

The game screen was stuck on the results interface—[Terrorists Win].

Beside it sat a steaming bowl of instant noodles, a plastic fork stuck inside, with thin trails of white steam rising from it.

"Where... Where is he?"

Xiao Zhang was dumbfounded.

Where was the guy who was just acting cool and saying he doesn't eat onions?

"Report!"

A technical officer rushed in, drenched in sweat. "The surveillance has gone completely black! The footage from just now was replaced with... with..."

"Replaced with what? Speak!" Zhao Shanhe walked in with a dark face.

The officer handed over the tablet.

On the screen, the surveillance footage that should have captured Qin Feng's escape route had turned into a looping video of a clown's grimacing face.

That pixel-art clown was grinning with a bloody mouth, making faces at everyone.

Below it was a scrolling line of code-like text:

[Game Over, Try Again.]

Smash!

Zhao Shanhe slammed the tablet onto the ground, the screen shattering into pieces.

"Bastard! This trick again!"

"This is definitely that hacker's handiwork! An intrusion of this level is not something an ordinary person can do!"

At that moment, Xie Qingshang walked in.

He was still wearing that well-tailored gray suit, looking as if he weren't there to catch someone, but to attend a banquet.

He walked to the computer desk.

Extending his slender fingers, he lightly touched the side of the instant noodle bowl.

Then he placed his hand on the leather chair Qin Feng had sat in, feeling the residual warmth.

"Noodle temperature is 45 degrees; they haven't softened yet."

"Chair temperature is 37 degrees; he was sitting very steadily."

Xie Qingshang pushed up his glasses, a wise, cold light flashing across the lenses.

He turned his head and looked out at the deep, dark alleyway outside the window.

"He hasn't gone far."

"In fact..."

A playful arc curved at the corner of Xie Qingshang's mouth.

"He might have been watching us rush in just now."

"This bowl of noodles is a 'greeting gift' he left for us."

"He's telling us: I've eaten my fill, so I have the strength to play the next round with you."

The SWAT officers present looked at each other, feeling a chill run down their spines.

Is this a damn criminal?

This is a pervert!

...

Twenty minutes later.

Jianghai City Center, Binjiang No. 1 Courtyard.

This was the city's top luxury residential area, with prime river views and an average price of 180,000 per square meter.

Qin Feng stood before a floor-to-ceiling window, holding an ice-cold Coke he had just taken from a large double-door refrigerator.

Pshhh—

The tab was pulled, and the sound of bubbling carbonation was exceptionally clear in the quiet living room.

He looked down at the winding river and the brightly lit TV Tower in the distance.

His mood was complex.

When he jumped out of the internet cafe's back window earlier, he had almost twisted his ankle.

Fortunately, the [Perfect Escape Route] provided by the system actually marked a safe house here.

He just never expected...

"Bro, is this really a safe house?"

Pei Ji was standing barefoot on an expensive Persian rug, touching a crystal chandelier that looked incredibly pricey with a face like he'd never seen the world before.

"This is a hundred times better than my rental place!"

"If I get caught, can they sentence me to serve my time here?"

Pei Ji's tears of envy ungracefully flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"This is my home."

Su Tang walked out of the dressing room.

She had changed out of her dirty bank uniform and into a set of pink loungewear, her hair casually tied in a bun.

She looked both youthful and... oppressively wealthy.

"To be precise, it's the dowry apartment my dad bought for me."

As Su Tang spoke, she casually tossed an Hermès bag onto the sofa. "Usually, no one lives here; a cleaning lady just comes once a week to tidy up."

Pei Ji: "..."

He felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart.

Is this the legendary "Power of Money"?

"Um..." Pei Ji rubbed his hands together and approached with a fawning look, "Sister-in-law... wait, Sister Su, does your house need a doorman? If not, I can make do as a live-in son-in-law."

"Beat it." Qin Feng kicked Pei Ji in the butt.

This embarrassing fellow.

We're here as fugitives, not to marry into wealth!

Alice sat by the bar, making herself an espresso with an expensive coffee machine.

She looked at the luxurious surroundings, a strange glint flashing in her eyes.

"Joker, is utilizing the hostage's resources also part of your plan?"

Alice swirled her coffee cup, her tone carrying a hint of testing.

"The most dangerous place is the safest place."

Qin Feng didn't take the bait about "utilizing" her, but instead walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling window.

His gaze pierced through the expensive glass, locking onto the distant tower that pierced the night sky like a sharp sword.

Jianghai City Radio and TV Tower.

That was the end point of the system mission.

And the final stage of this absurd grand play of his.

"Rested enough?"

Qin Feng downed the Coke in one go and tossed the can casually.

The empty can traced a precise arc in the air and landed with a "clang" into a trash bin five meters away.

"Time to get to work."

Qin Feng turned around.

The laziness and fatigue in his eyes were swept away.

In its place was a heart-palpitating sharpness.

It was the urgency of the system mission countdown.

And the... greed (crossed out), persistence in the face of a ten-million-dollar prize.

"Work?" Pei Ji was still slumped on the leather sofa, not wanting to move. "Bro, in such a nice house, why not sleep a bit more?"

"Sleep?"

Qin Feng sneered, walked to the coffee table, and tapped on the large holographic map projection of Jianghai City.

A red cursor instantly lit up.

Right at the location of the TV Tower.

"If we don't leave now, the police will surround this building."

Qin Feng put on a black baseball cap, pulling the brim low to hide the wildly flickering flames in his eyes.

"Notify the whole city."

"The game is entering the second phase."

"We are going..."

Qin Feng reached out, his five fingers snapping shut as if to crush that high tower in his palm.

"To change the channel for this city."