Chapter 35: The Story Begins
Two hours later, Ling Xiao resurfaced from the sea. After shaking off his oxygen tank onto the speedboat less than five meters away, Ling Xiao's tall and robust figure emerged from the ocean. He then climbed onto the speedboat.
With cliffs dozens of meters high on one side and the vast, boundless You Lan sea on the other, Ling Xiao's superhuman vision didn't spot anyone in the vicinity.
He took out the tempered glass bottle from his body, placed it in the small refrigerator inside the boat, and then lay down. He slowly started the speedboat towards Santa Monica Beach while enjoying a sunbath.
After leaving Beverly Hills today, Ling Xiao noticed someone following him. Although he didn't know who they were, Ling Xiao didn't want his speedboat to be discovered. So, he blended into the most crowded part of Santa Monica Beach, easily shaking off his pursuers.
This time, Ling Xiao also didn't want to be discovered. So, he headed towards the deep sea at a speed of fifty nautical miles per hour. After making a large circle, he returned to the northern dock of Santa Monica Beach and then leaped into the sea again.
Half an hour later, Ling Xiao reappeared in the most crowded part of the beach and walked towards the parking lot without any hesitation.
To Ling Xiao's surprise, the two white men who had been following him earlier were nowhere to be seen, which made Ling Xiao even more vigilant.
Upon arriving at the parking lot, Ling Xiao immediately checked his pickup truck. He didn't want someone to plant a bomb in his car, or cut his fuel lines, or tamper with the brakes, or secretly place drugs where he wouldn't notice, leading to a police search. He wanted to avoid all these troubles.
Perhaps some might say Ling Xiao was being overly cautious, but he had no desire to explain. Because the last person who wasn't so cautious either met with an "accident" and died, or was arrested by the police for drug trafficking and thrown into prison.
Not every U.S. Military officer has the detective skills of Sherlock Holmes. For most police officers, being a police officer is just like any other job. It's just a job, unrelated to honor, faith, or even justice. It's merely a job with a decent salary.
After a careful check and confirming that no one had tampered with anything, Ling Xiao drove his pickup truck directly back to his Pharmacy.
Ling Xiao also had some guesses about the identity of those two people. The most likely culprits were the Nisshin-kai, who were still unwilling to give up. Ling Xiao was certain that Yashida Ichiro hadn't done these things, which only left Yashida Jiro, who was likely being overly clever.
Although he had an underground job as a gang doctor, only two people knew about this job: Gan Jing and his contact person for this work.
When there was a need, others would actively contact his contact person, who would then provide a neutral time and place, and only then would Ling Xiao rush over.
Completing such a surgery didn't just require Ling Xiao alone; it also needed the cooperation of several other professionals.
Throughout the entire process, everyone wore masks, never revealing their identities or inquiring about others' identities. This was the rule of this job. Once this rule was broken, you either left the profession directly or awaited being hunted down.
Recently, Ling Xiao had intentionally reduced his workload for this job. Although this work brought in a substantial income, Ling Xiao didn't want to take risks now that he was in the eye of the storm.
It was precisely because of his sufficient caution that Ling Xiao didn't believe anyone would trace him through this aspect.
It should indeed be Yashida Jiro's people; only he would seek out people outside of the Nisshin-kai, and unprofessional ones at that. As soon as Ling Xiao returned to his Pharmacy, he sensed a prying gaze from the second floor of a small building across the street. A slight reflection indicated it was either a sniper rifle or binoculars.
Ling Xiao ignored these things. As soon as dusk fell, he had Gan Jing close the shop completely and drew all the curtains in the house to prevent some people from seeing things they shouldn't.
Late at night, a figure darted out the back door of the Pharmacy and quickly disappeared into the darkness.
In the early hours of the morning, before the sun had risen, Ling Xiao gently pushed Gan Jing off him. Looking at her innocent and pure face, he couldn't help but peck her lips softly before getting up to do his morning exercises.
Cultivation is never a matter of a single day or night, but it also never lacks daily and nightly effort. Unless absolutely necessary, Ling Xiao rarely missed his morning or evening cultivation sessions, which was one of the reasons his cultivation continuously progressed.
After finishing his morning cultivation, Ling Xiao took a shower. By this time, Gan Jing had already woken up and prepared breakfast, and was sitting there watching TV.
"What are you watching, my dear?" Ling Xiao sat down next to Gan Jing, looking at her with some curiosity as she stared at the television.
"Tony Stark is missing!" Gan Jing pointed at the news on the TV and introduced to Ling Xiao without turning her head, "That unlucky playboy was attacked by terrorists on a tour after demonstrating his weapons to the U.S. Military in Afghanistan, and his whereabouts are unknown."
"Oh." Ling Xiao's gaze fell on the television. The news was broadcasting the tragic scene after the U.S. Military was attacked in Afghanistan.
"Stark Industries is going to be in big trouble!" Ling Xiao shook his head slightly and said, "Tony Stark is the greatest source of creation for Stark Industries. With him out of commission like this, I'm afraid Stark Industries' stock will plummet."
"Does that concern us?" Gan Jing looked up, frowned, and said to Ling Xiao, "Don't tell me you own any Stark Industries stock."
"How could I own Stark Industries stock?" Ling Xiao chuckled softly and said, "You know my bank account, don't you? Can that little money buy a few shares?"
"I'm clear about the money in your bank account, but I also know you prefer cash transactions. So, I don't know if you've hidden any private savings?" Gan Jing looked Ling Xiao up and down, completely unconvinced.
Ling Xiao gave an awkward smile and said, "What private savings could I hide, Gan Jing? Alright, let's not talk about this. How about we go out for a walk today, instead of staying in the Pharmacy all day?"
Gan Jing didn't mind Ling Xiao changing the subject. She pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said, "If we're going, let's go tonight. The Pharmacy's business is barely maintaining itself; if we close for another day, it's really inexcusable."
"Alright then, I'll listen to you. I happen to be going out this morning. Xiao Si called; there are some clues about the matter I asked Qin Ming to investigate. I'll meet him and retrieve the items." Ling Xiao was referring to the matter of Kate Beckett, which Gan Jing was also aware of.
"Then be careful." A hint of worry appeared on Gan Jing's face as she looked at Ling Xiao. There had been many things happening recently. Although Ling Xiao deliberately kept much of it from her, Gan Jing always managed to find some clues.
"It's nothing." Ling Xiao gently patted Gan Jing's hand and whispered. In fact, for Ling Xiao himself, he wasn't worried about any danger. Before all the major players surfaced, the Nisshin-kai couldn't do anything to him.
Ling Xiao's only concern was Gan Jing's safety. Inside the Pharmacy, even if Ling Xiao wasn't there, he wasn't worried that others could harm Gan Jing. However, once Gan Jing left the Pharmacy alone, it would be very easy for others to find an opportunity to strike.
Recently, Ling Xiao had started preparing some small items for Gan Jing to carry with her, which could save her life at critical moments, or even cause trouble for certain people.