Ross and Christmas went to scout the island, while Zhang Jie also decided to return to New York to check things out.
By his calculations, it had been about 20 days since he last returned.
And so, he drove Ross's car back to New York.
Upon arriving in New York, he didn't go back to his apartment immediately. Instead, he went to John's house, only to find that John wasn't there either.
"Seriously? He's retired, so why is he always not home?"
Zhang Jie grumbled as he opened the door, and Hades immediately pounced on him.
"Oh, it hasn't been that long, and you've gotten fat again?" Zhang Jie stroked and rubbed Hades's forehead.
Then he walked into the living room, took a bottle of soda from the fridge, and started drinking it.
He didn't know what was happening here, but John constantly disappearing wasn't good.
After staying at John's house for a while, Zhang Jie drove Ross's Ford Pickup back to his apartment.
Upon returning to the apartment, everything remained unchanged.
There was just some dust on the furniture, so Zhang Jie immediately began his cleaning work. Thanks to the old lady's devilish training before, he was now a pro at housework.
After tidying everything up, Zhang Jie sat on the sofa in the living room.
Sitting here again, his state of mind was completely different.
Before being hunted, he still had a bit of a rookie mentality, but after completing the special training in the rainforest and executing two missions with the Sacrifice Squad, he felt his mindset had thoroughly changed.
Recalling the scene of fighting Max here before, Zhang Jie couldn't help but laugh. If he were to fight Max now, Max probably wouldn't have such an easy time, and he wouldn't lose to her so easily.
After tidying up his home, Zhang Jie went out to find food.
It was still Chinatown in New York, but this time he chose a different Sichuan restaurant.
He wouldn't eat hotpot or anything, to avoid running into anyone he knew. After ordering a few dishes, Zhang Jie sat in a corner and started eating, but as he ate, he suddenly sighed.
Because a girl wearing a white sports vest, loose casual pants, and a pair of sneakers walked in from outside the door.
This girl must be a local, he thought. He had only been here for a few minutes and hadn't even had two bites of his food when she appeared.
"Zhang Jie!!!"
Bang!
Two hands slammed heavily on the table in front of Zhang Jie, making the bowls on the table tremble.
"Haha, as expected of a martial artist, your grip is strong!" Zhang Jie said with a smile, completely unfazed.
Then, Ye Xiaoxiao sat down and stared at Zhang Jie for a while before finally saying, "That day, I saw you being hunted on a phone live stream. I almost thought you were going to die."
Ye Xiaoxiao's tone was a little heavy. Just as Zhang Jie was guessing what comforting words she would say next, he suddenly heard her change the subject.
"But not bad, I didn't expect you to be so good at fighting, and your marksmanship is pretty good. Tell me, are you a professional killer?"
Huh?
Aren't young people's thought processes supposed to be this fast now?
I thought you were going to comfort me, but I didn't expect your focus to be here?
Zhang Jie almost didn't react. "You know I'm a professional, and you still dare to come find me?"
"Why wouldn't I dare? You saved my life, and I saved yours too."
Zhang Jie knew about this; Jackal had already told him.
With Jackal's capabilities, investigating such a matter wasn't difficult. What surprised Zhang Jie was that this girl's family seemed quite powerful.
To be able to find an expert to support him and help him escape quickly in such a short time was not something ordinary people or forces could achieve.
Of course, Zhang Jie was not someone who forgot his roots. If others treated him with respect, he would return it tenfold. Ye Xiaoxiao had helped him, and Zhang Jie naturally kept it in mind. Moreover, Zhang Jie also wanted to learn Wing Chun from Ye Xiaoxiao.
Of course, it wasn't strictly necessary to learn Wing Chun, as long as he could learn close-quarters combat.
To make up for his shortcomings, although such situations were rare, they would eventually occur.
In some extreme situations, when a Pistol couldn't offer much help, close-quarters combat became very important.
Although Zhang Jie knew some martial arts, he was still a bit lacking compared to these professional-level fighters. If he encountered an expert of John's caliber... hehe, that would be like bullying a novice.
"Teach me your boxing."
"I'll teach you my boxing."
The two spoke almost in unison, and then Zhang Jie smiled.
You see, as long as you're willing to speak up, nothing is too difficult, right?
"By the way, have you eaten? Do you want to join me for a bite?" Zhang Jie glanced at Ye Xiaoxiao and added.
Ye Xiaoxiao wasn't shy at all; she immediately picked up a bowl, filled it with rice, and began to eat heartily.
Both parties were very satisfied with the meal. Zhang Jie then paid the bill, which was less than 200 US dollars, a good deal.
Afterward, Ye Xiaoxiao got into Zhang Jie's car.
"Oh, a new car again. I find you seem to really like classic cars." Ye Xiaoxiao exclaimed as soon as she got in, but it had to be said that Ross's Ford Pickup was indeed quite stylish after its modifications.
Zhang Jie didn't answer.
"Do you still remember where I live?" Ye Xiaoxiao asked with a smile.
Zhang Jie pouted. "Isn't it next to the Metropolitan Museum?"
It had only been a few days, so what was there to remember or not remember?
He then started the car, and amidst the roar of the V8 engine, drove in the direction of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Half an hour later, the vehicle stopped.
Looking at the somewhat large sign in front of him, Zhang Jie fell silent for a moment.
Well, I underestimated you. Your martial arts school is quite large.
Just this huge plaque was enough to illustrate Ye Xiaoxiao's influence. He got out of the car and followed Ye Xiaoxiao into the martial arts school. Inside, it was predominantly Caucasians, with some African Americans and a small number of East Asians.
"Why is your place mostly Caucasians?" Zhang Jie asked, a little surprised.
Ye Xiaoxiao pouted. "Our ancestors' traditions, our own people don't like them, but these outsiders learn them with great enthusiasm."
"That's true, isn't that how it always is? Foreign things are always the best." Zhang Jie added, delivering a timely jab.
Ye Xiaoxiao didn't say anything, leading Zhang Jie further inside.
The students practicing their punches and kicks inside looked at Ye Xiaoxiao bringing someone in, and they were all a bit curious, discussing amongst themselves.
It wasn't often that their curator personally brought someone in, and Zhang Jie was one of them.
Soon, Ye Xiaoxiao led Zhang Jie to the back of the boxing gym, where there was another world entirely, even specially decorated with an antique charm.
Ye Xiaoxiao pointed to the old man sitting inside drinking tea. "That's my granduncle, Ye Haihan. He's the one who contacted people to save you."
Hearing this, Zhang Jie quickly stepped forward, cupped his fist, and said to the old man, "Youngster, I thank you, Elder Ye."
Ye Haihan opened his eyes, glanced at him, then waved his hand. "You saved Xiaoxiao's life, and I saved yours. There's no need for thanks."
The old man was quite perceptive.
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