41 Nightmare

Zhang Ziwen flicked away his cigarette and walked home with a heavy heart. What tricks would Mu Qing play tomorrow? Should he apologize to her? Should he ask her to let him off the hook? Zhang Ziwen shook his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Zhang Ziwen, oh Zhang Ziwen, looks like coming back from the military has really worn away your edge. Bowing to a girl like this, you've truly lost face as a man. Disgraceful!"

Work, Zhang Ziwen couldn't bear to part with it. He didn't want to backtrack, didn't want to be seen as a thug by some people, especially that disdainful look from Wu Min. He couldn't stand it. Once a proud marine, decorated many times over, now mistaken for a scoundrel. That's why he hated Wu Min.

If he lost this job, with the stain he left in the military, what company would dare hire him? Besides fighting and killing, he didn't have any special skills. He stumbled upon this job through sheer luck. If he lost it, would he still have that luck? Without a job, would he sink back into his old ways? If not, what else could he do? Finding a job wasn't easy. Zhang Ziwen shook his head wryly, feeling troubled.

The streetlights of the dark night stretched Zhang Ziwen's figure, making him appear particularly lonely in this silent night. He pulled out another cigarette from his pocket. Whenever he felt troubled, he smoked heavily. As he lit the cigarette, Zhang Ziwen's heart skipped a beat. This feeling was only present during military missions.

Danger. Zhang Ziwen's heart raced. The familiar sensation unique to his military days returned. Zhang Ziwen remained alert, feeling a bit excited. It had been a long time since he had this tense, indescribable thrill.

Zhang Ziwen discreetly took a drag from his cigarette. Amidst the smoke, he swiftly scanned the area within a fifty-meter radius for any suspicious targets. He listened intently for any movements behind him. He walked slowly, seeming casual, but his muscles were tense, his body on high alert. Nothing within fifty meters escaped his keen senses.

There were six people in total, plus a black Audi car. Zhang Ziwen had noticed six suspicious individuals and a suspicious vehicle. These people were tailing him with extremely professional techniques. Without his sharp perception, it would have been difficult to detect them. They had been shadowing him since he got off the car, pretending to be casually walking, browsing at shops, and even one disguised as a cart vendor. It seemed they were pre-set here, and upon seeing Zhang Ziwen, their eyes subtly glanced at him, incredibly covert. Unfortunately for them, facing Zhang Ziwen, a skilled lurker himself, he quickly caught their lurking gazes.

Who were these people and why were they monitoring him? Zhang Ziwen found it puzzling, but he dared not let his guard down. He maintained the highest level of alertness, ready to strike or evade at a moment's notice. If any of them made a suspicious move, he would unleash a swift and decisive attack.

Approaching cautiously, Zhang Ziwen edged closer to two middle-aged men pretending to be strolling, intending to test their reactions. When hunted by enemies, the best approach was often to strike first. Zhang Ziwen identified these two as his potential breakthrough.

The middle-aged men seemed oblivious, chatting to themselves, but Zhang Ziwen had already noticed their subtle changes—defensive movements and hands inching towards their pockets.

These two were clearly skilled, able to maintain a defensive perimeter without revealing their intentions. Only professionals could achieve such a feat. Zhang Ziwen didn't engage them directly but kept a casual eye on them, testing their patience while waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

At that moment, the black Audi that had been tailing him from a distance slowly approached. There were only two people inside, including the driver. Zhang Ziwen prepared for an attack, wary of the Audi approaching him. The other side might attempt to seize him. Zhang Ziwen keenly sensed a hint of danger in the air. He had already chosen one of the middle-aged men as a human shield against potential bullets.

As the Audi passed by Zhang Ziwen without stopping, but rather continued forward, Zhang Ziwen breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't made a move. It seemed they were also testing him. Tonight, he had encountered skilled opponents; he could feel their prowess.

As the Audi overtook the two middle-aged men, its rear hazard lights flashed twice—a signal. Zhang Ziwen understood this method of communication well. Simultaneously, the two men, who had appeared to be strolling casually, quickened their pace, increasing the distance between themselves and Zhang Ziwen. Without revealing his concern, Zhang Ziwen glanced behind him. The cart vendor and the man shopping at the store were already heading in the opposite direction.

Zhang Ziwen slowed his pace. As the group of people moved beyond fifty meters from him, the pressure abruptly lessened. It seemed the crisis had passed; the other party had voluntarily withdrawn from his surveillance range. The two flashes of the Audi's hazard lights moments ago were indeed a signal to retreat.

To outsiders, those few moments might have seemed utterly ordinary, with Zhang Ziwen and the others resembling passersby. Who would have known that in those brief moments, both sides subtly undertook various offensive and defensive actions without alerting anyone, teetering on the edge of life and death? It was a nerve-wracking encounter. In the quiet streets they had traversed, it felt like a giant barrel of gunpowder ready to explode at any moment.

Having inexplicably experienced a mental struggle on the brink of life and death, Zhang Ziwen felt absurd. It didn't make sense. Why would these seemingly highly trained combatants target him? Judging from their skills and reactions, they had undergone formal training similar to his own. They were likely government personnel—military or police?

Zhang Ziwen pondered deeply. He hadn't done anything wrong, right? Surely this was another misunderstanding. Having had two run-ins with the police before, he had gained some experience and was certain this was another misunderstanding. He had been having a run of bad luck lately, and Zhang Ziwen sighed helplessly. He was starting to get used to these inexplicable misunderstandings.

Returning to his lair, Zhang Ziwen checked for safety before entering, performing the security protocols learned in the military. He found signs that unidentified individuals had entered and searched his room. Despite rearranging everything to its original state, Zhang Ziwen's trained eyes noticed the subtle differences. 

The unidentified visitors had searched meticulously, likely more than one person. Various traces indicated that three people had been inside, one of whom was a woman—the faint scent of her perfume lingered in the air, Chanel Coco, familiar to Zhang Ziwen's sensitive nose despite its subtlety.

Zhang Ziwen muttered to himself, wondering why women who wore this particular brand of perfume always seemed to bring trouble his way. He felt resigned whenever he caught a whiff of this pleasant fragrance, knowing it heralded trouble. Whether it was Wu Min, Mu Qing, or even his cousin He Li, they all fit this pattern. Now, who could it be this time?

After thoroughly inspecting his room, Zhang Ziwen was certain that anyone bold enough to sneak into his place would have left something behind. Despite believing this was a misunderstanding, he wasn't about to let them brazenly invade his privacy. His search revealed a bug in the landline phone—an MWG-VDS4-T, a device he was intimately familiar with from his training days, where installing such bugs was an entry-level skill.

Fortunately, they hadn't gone as far as installing cameras or other invasive devices. Zhang Ziwen disposed of the bug in the toilet, turned off the lights, and moved to the window. He located the balcony of the building across from his room, using his experience to quickly find the best vantage point for monitoring his own room. Indeed, someone was there observing his movements, likely using infrared night vision goggles. Zhang Ziwen positioned himself in a blind spot where he couldn't be detected, confident that his military training gave him the upper hand in this engagement. However, since he was convinced it was a misunderstanding, he resisted the urge to confront them—it wasn't worth the effort.

At the door and window, Zhang Ziwen rigged up some simple alarms using wind chimes and metal wire, setting up a rudimentary alert system. If anyone tried to sneak in again, he would know immediately.

With everything set up, Zhang Ziwen took a reassuring shower, smoked a cigarette in bed before turning off the lights, and soon drifted into a deep sleep.