The Edge of Katana and the Flying Kick with an Eye of the Tiger

Chapter 15

Present Time

8:00 PM
Hong Kong
05/23

Agent Xingxe moved through the casino floor, things are messy here as a result of the war.

His eyes looking through the things for any sign of suspicious activity and evidence—It is said that the bandits pursued it.

“What kind of person rushes here?” he said to his interlocutor, Agent Xiao.

“I’m getting there! just update me every time you see something.”

What started as a routine property damage investigation quickly took a turn for the worse.

Agent Xingxe followed his gut feeling to a quiet hallway hidden behind a door used for maintenance. The door was designed to look like part of the wall, making it hard to notice. As he walked closer, he gripped his badge tightly, ready for whatever awaited him beyond the door.

Pushing open the door, Agent Xingxe was greeted by darkness. Carefully, he flicked on his flashlight, rooms are equipped with medical beds and basic supplies. It is only small, he wondered.

“Xiao, I’ve found something interesting. The place is meticulously clean, smells heavily of antiseptic instead of the usual stench you’d expect in a detention area. It’s almost like they’re trying to hide something. I also caught a faint whiff of chlorine, suggesting they’re maintaining a facade of cleanliness. Seems like we’re dealing with a pretty covert setup here."

“I think, this wasn’t just a case of property damage; hidden in plain sight beneath the facade of a legal casino operation.”

Determined to act quickly before the traffickers could cover their tracks, Xingxe alerted his team.

“There’s even a secret room!” As Xingxe entered the room, his nerves were already on edge, but what greeted him intensified his unease. “What the— Xiao!”

Before him lay a collection of boxed glass containers, each one foggy and bearing the outline of heads within.

Xingxe instinctively covered his mouth in shock and horror at the sight of what appeared to be, “Rui’s head!!”

Xiao gripped the steering wheel tightly as she sped down the highway, her focus split between the road ahead and the Xingxe.

The message had come suddenly: “Explosives planted. Evacuate now.”

“Xingxe!”

There was no time to waste. She pressed harder on the accelerator.

Then, it happened.

A deafening explosion shattered the air behind her.

The sound was like a thunderclap amplified a hundred times, shaking the ground and rattling her car.

She glanced in the rearview mirror, catching sight of a plume of smoke and fire rising into the sky.

Xiao abruptly pulled over, her hands trembling on the steering wheel. The sight of the devastated casino ahead brought her to tears.

Overwhelmed with relief and sorrow, she couldn’t hold back the flood of emotions any longer.

She buried her face in her hands and cried, the sound of her anguish mixing with the distant sirens echoing through the night.

2:00 AM
Hong Kong
05/24

Mei gently placed the steaming bowl of soup on the table for Xiao.

Mei’s smiley face now change with sorrow. Her usual cheerful, wide smile, had faded.

The ambiance of her restaurant shifted, now infused with a melancholia.

Yin arrived unexpectedly, “Xiao!” Mei’s eyes silently conveyed understanding.

Xiao, upon seeing Yin, felt a wave of sadness engulf him, realizing that thinking that Xingxe was right. Yin was not the culprit they had imagined.

Overwhelmed and unsure of what to do, Xiao stood frozen until Yin gently touched her hair for comfort.

Tension filled the room as Yin fought back tears, his voice trembling with emotion as he said, “Xiao, eat.”

At last finding his voice, Xiao murmured brokenly, “That... I wish I had believed Xingxe. If only I had known sooner, we could have made the switch.” her words came out in a rush, choked with sorrow as tears streamed down her face.

“Yin, I’m sorry... I doubted you. Rui’s head was found there.”

Yin’s eyes widened anger flickering across his face.

Without another word, Yin swiftly retreated to his car, the faint glow of Mei’s restaurant visible even in the predawn hours of 2 am.