Next Morning, 4:00 a.m. ;Rong Xinghe left the house early, while Xi Yuan was still asleep, for she had some pressing matters to deal with before indulging in the oath-taking ceremony and her engagement party, later that day. After a steady three-hour drive, the girl finally reached an old villa. An isolated location. She inhaled a sharp breath before she jumped down the car, withdrawing her Armatix iP1 gun from the dashboard. Her gaze watchful and vigilant, footsteps discreet and soft. Rong Xinghe walked in into the lion"s den, her grip "round the gun tightening with each step she took.
"It"s alright Xinghe.", Ashfakh Ali appeared from the girl"s behind, smiling at her tomboy-ish posture, "This is a Hybrid Zone. Just for us."
Rong Xinghe turned around and relaxed her stiff shoulders, "Redecorate this place. It"s creepy!"
"I know, right?! We"ll take care of that later. Don"t worry.", Shawn Florence followed behind Ashfakh, "But for now, should we discuss the dangers, that have been lurking around here?"
"Come here!", the girl"s lips curled up in utter exuberance and elation as she widened her arms, striding towards her best friend. "G.o.d, I missed you so much!", she laughed, as the man hugged her tightly and lifted her off the ground.
"Me too.", Shawn laughed back, letting out an ebullient sigh, lowering her down to the ground carefully.
"Now, now.", David Florence joined in, crossing his arms against his chest, firmly, "That"s partial of you, s.e.xy. All the love for my little brother? What "bout me?"
The girl glanced at her friend, barely a year older than Shawn. Months had pa.s.sed since she"d seen him and he hadn"t still given up on addressing her by the s-word. Such a moron, she cursed internally.
Rong Xinghe spent the next few minutes hugging her Military friends. Jackson Marshal. Elijah Williams. Zheng Gen. Huang Ling. They were her second family. Her strengths. The ones who hadn"t just seen the Ripper, they"d accepted it as their own.
"Aren"t we lacking three more?", Zheng Gen counted the number of people present in the dusty old room, "Where are Abram, Wenyan, and Xiaoli?"
"They are on their way. The couldn"t leave their missions in the midst.", Rong Xinghe replied, checking the mini-fridge for something to drink, "We don"t have a beer?"
"Take mine.", Shawn stood up from the run-down dingy orange sofa, pa.s.sing his can to the girl, "I will grab something for myself later."
"You sure?"
"Uh-huh."
"So what are we supposed to do now? Whom do we have to kill?", Jackson looked at the girl curiously.
"No one. Not yet, at least.", the girl smiled, "Keep torturing Lucas Wilson until then. Try to get answers out of him. Try to locate Ahmed Ali Fadhil. And if possible, see if you guys can push him to spill the beans about the "Bleeding Avenues" and Rong Yufan.
"As long as you guys are here, your expenses will be taken care of by the Rong Business Empire. So don"t bother going on a job-hunt. Just do the usual interrogation work."
"Are you okay, Xinghe?", Elijah spoke up, his tone laced with worry, "I mean... Rong Yufan"s involvement with terrorist organizations-"
"He means nothing to me, Elijah.", Rong Xinghe"s gaze turned a few shades darker, "Long gone the days when a single statement from his mouth could shatter me. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d isn"t just worth it."
"That"s smart.", David chuckled, playing Wall ball, "And sensible. I could kiss you right now, s.e.xy, you know?"
"..."
_____________________
Xinguan"s Engagement :
8:00 p.m., Elite Banquet Hall ;
With the hundreds of VIP guests pouring into the huge hall, the Superfamily and the Xis greeted them, cheerfully. This was one of the most noteworthy events across the entire nation. The world, in fact.
After all, this wasn"t a cla.s.sic romance. Not the one with the Prince Charming, or the one with the Damsel in Distress. Not the regular rich CEO and his poor wife drama. This was an epic love story. This was Xinguan"s story.
She wasn"t weak. Neither was she powerless. To be precise, she was anything but. The woman with the sword was what she was. A warrior. A diplomat.
And still, he had fallen for her. At first sight. He became her friend, her advisor, her suitor. He was the only person she trusted, and respected, more than herself. He too, loved her as if his life depended upon it.
As pure as their love was, their influence was equally magnificent and resplendent. The might of both their families was something the world feared, and admired, at the same time.
Tonight, they were going to unite, and so would their families. Labeling their relations.h.i.+p was an authoritative and powerful message, on behalf of the couple. For their rivals, their nemeses.
The Ten Hybrids understood it better than anyone, of course. They had sensed the possibility of attacks, minutes after they"d stepped inside the palace-like building. Gradually, they blended into the dense and active crowd, observing every person, and each negligible movement. They were ones, the Military Chief-to-be, after all. Suspiciousness was the key element of their personalities. And since this was their Alpha"s event, they had no intention to let their guards down tonight. For her, they could resort to bloodshed within seconds. Without the blink of an eye. Without any contemplation.
"Xinghe.", Xi Yuan walked into the girl"s room, followed by Lu Wei and Xi Fang, b.u.t.toning up his Finite Black Velvet Tuxedo, "Are you ready?"
"See for yourself.", Ruo Cy laughed, turning the girl around.
Dressed into an Elegant Illusion Satin-neckline floor-length Maroon gown, Rong Xinghe looked like the combination of both, the angel and the devil. Her make-up was just enough. Lips painted into the same color, as that of her gown. Black glam smokey eyes. Platinum earrings, and a bare neck, enhancing the woman"s perfectly irresistible collarbone.
"Yuan?", the girl waved her hand in front of the man"s eyes, attempting to pull his mind away from his thoughts, but in vain. Lu Wei rolled his eyes and punched the man in the back, roughly yet lightly.
"W...What?!", Xi Yuan looked at the man, muddled.
"Compliment her, you idiot!", Lu Wei whispered into the man"s ear, patting his shoulder encouragingly. "Women can leave the love of her life, at the altar, if their beauty isn"t appreciated. Take it from the man who has been married for years now.", the man smirked, squinting his eyes at Ningtao, "Am I right, Mrs. Lu?"