Red Light

Test Run

Yu Bin shifted. He was more focused. Muscles coiled ready to spring.

Wen Chao had stopped dead in front of Huang Feng.

The man was hard to miss in his loud red shirt and pants. He appeared to be screaming into his phone. Huang Feng was the only customer looking at Wen Chao's tirade.

He whispered softly, "Just go back to eating. Relax your shoulders."

Huang Feng lifted the wonton and put it in his mouth. He chewed slowly, deliberately, so he wouldn't choke and draw attention.

Wen Chao was yelling at someone. "I DON'T CARE IF HE'S SLEEPING! Drag his ass out of bed and GET IT!!!" He hung up. Clearly still fuming.

"Dumb shit!" he growled.

He looked at Huang Feng who was eating the last of his wontons. Then he slapped the table. Huang Feng jumped.

"Hey! Do I know you?"

A squint upwards from Huang Feng. "You ever in the army?"

Wen Chao laughed. "Fuck no! That's for losers!"

"That's where I been for ten years." He pulled out his bottle. Looking around to see if anyone else was watching, he took a long swallow before tucking it back in his military jacket.  "I don't know you. Why would you know me?"

Wen Chao grabbed Huang feng's chin for a closer look.

Yu Bin stood in his doorway. Chen Li was gone. He was a cop worried about his partner.

Huang Feng ripped his face out of Wen Chao's grip.

"Don't touch me!" he hissed. "I don't like men. I don't care what those fuckers said*!"

He stood and brushed past  Wen Chao, stomping angrily out of Blue Delights.

Wen Chao, startled by the man's reaction, suddenly laughed. "Another fag tossed out. Drunk and crazy as shit."

He laughed all the way back to his car.

Lan Wangji leaned against the alley wall slowing his heartbeat. Had Wen Chao realized he was a cop?

"Clear" he whispered. "Any sign he made me?"

"Can't tell. He's leaving and he's laughing." was the whispered reply.

Chen Li adjusted his clothing and sat back down as if preparing to sleep.

Huang Feng took a deep breath and shakily let it out. The adrenaline was coursing through him.

Nie Huaisang's voice sounded in their ears. "Very quick thinking, Huang Feng. Bring it in, boys. See you at the extraction points. I'll have dinner for you, Chen Li."

The voice disappeared. There were two affirmative grunts.
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The Spider leaned back in his chair as he watched the traffic cams. If he was correct, Wen Chao was going home to his gaudy apartment. Even if he wasn't,  it had been too close a call for two noobies.

He made two quick phone calls, his eyes never leaving his monitors. Wen Chao was home. He knew it would take some time for the two men to reach their destinations. Wafting his fan, he ran over the events of the night. If properly played, the incident with Wen Chao could be to their advantage. He stored the idea for later consideration.

He saved the night's video stream and audio communications and then backed it up on a new thumb drive. A quick label with the date and he slipped it into his pocket.