Chapter 40: Chapter 33: Morse Code

Yan Fei’s vest was soaked in a cold sweat, realizing that despite all his careful planning, he still slipped up on a minor detail, leading to his identity being exposed. However, there was no helping it, with Shanghai being not that large, yet packed with a population of over twenty million, how could one possibly find a place in the city area completely devoid of people?

For the sake of security, China had casted a tight net of surveillance, cameras everywhere. It was impossible for Yan Fei to avoid all the surveillance cameras; inadvertently leaving video evidence was an unavoidable dilemma. He looked at Huang Mao, the man in black, and asked further: “What else did you hear? Tell me everything, honestly.”

Having already betrayed, Huang Mao, the man in black, had no more psychological barriers to his defection. He replied, “The Marquis said that they’ve contacted an expert, who’s about to come and capture you; you’re as good as dead. I was monitoring you earlier and knew that you just received a billion in cash, so I thought I’d capture you first, get the cash from you, then leave the Marquis and go live an easy life on my own. Little did I know you were so formidable, catching me just like that.”

Out of curiosity, Yan Fei asked, “Didn’t you see the online video of my fierce battle with the South Korean? Didn’t you know I was capable? And you still dared to come at me alone?”

Huang Mao, the man in black, replied with a wry smile, “I saw it, but I thought it was doctored, and as a martial artist, I never took Taekwondo seriously, so I didn’t find defeating it a big deal. I’ve trained in Kung Fu myself, and I’m fairly skilled. With ether on hand, I thought I could capture you by just being cautious. I didn’t expect to end up captured by you instead.”

Only then did Yan Fei understand the cause and effect of why Huang Mao, the man in black, had come to launch a sneak attack. His expression had shifted from initial surprise to calm. He inquired, “Does anyone else know about this?”

Huang Mao said, “The Marquis and his men don’t trust their own people, fearing a leak if someone spills the beans. You’d get the message and run away, so they haven’t told the rest yet. Even the little brother who tipped me off doesn’t know the reason. Though I knew, I wanted to monopolize that billion, so I came alone without telling anyone else.”

Yan Fei peered out the window and indeed spotted a car outside, but it was empty inside. Besides that, he saw no sign of anyone else around.

Being decisive in his actions, upon realizing his identity was exposed, Yan Fei immediately had thoughts of nipping the danger in the bud. With a single thought, a drone resting 1500 kilometers away on the ocean floor promptly surfaced, then left the water’s embrace and hovered into the sky. As soon as the drone departed the sea surface, it began to transform, reverting to the form of the “Predator Drone” it had been before. Under the control of the Auxiliary Brain, the drone turned direction and sped toward Shanghai.

The drone wasn’t a stealth aircraft. When flying in the air, it was easily detectable by other radars. Accordingly, the drone maintained a distance of no more than five meters above the sea surface during its flight, a height low enough to avoid detection by the radars of other forces.

A normal airplane simply couldn’t undertake ultra-long distance flights at such a low altitude; it was too dangerous, and one slight mishap could send the aircraft plummeting into the ocean. But this predicament was not at all challenging for Yan Fei. With help from the Auxiliary Brain and the precision detection of the Quantum Radar, Yan Fei could easily control the drone at this altitude, flying swiftly without the slightest concern about diving headfirst into the sea.

Yan Fei had previously wanted to eliminate Zhang Baocheng and the Marquis, but due to a twist of fate, they slipped away, and Yan Fei could not trace them. Now that they had uncovered Yan Fei’s true identity and were conspiring against him, Yan Fei was left with no way out. He had to fight with everything he had to completely eradicate these two malignant tumors, ensuring they would no longer disturb his life.

Yan Fei asked, “Where are your Marquis and Zhang Baocheng now?”

Huang Mao replied, “They’re both at the last stronghold outside Marquis’s City. With Brother Cheng’s villa having been burned and currently under renovation, and you having taken down Marquis’s Warehouse, the Marquis and Brother Cheng have been staying in that last hideout recently, inseparable like shadows.”

Yan Fei inquired further, “Are you certain they are at the hideout you mentioned?”

Huang Mao confirmed, “I’m sure they will be there all night, because they’re expecting a guest this evening, said to be some important person.”

Yan Fei stated, “Lead me to your Marquis and Zhang Baocheng, and don’t try anything cunning, or you’ll experience my methods firsthand.”

Yan Fei was a man of action. Having decided to take out Zhang Baocheng and the Marquis, he immediately set about carrying out his plan. He escorted Huang Mao downstairs; demolition had already begun in this area, and nearly all of its former residents had left. Thus, at night, it was generally deserted, and no one saw Yan Fei and Huang Mao descend.

Reaching the ground floor, Yan Fei had intended to drive his own minivan, but considering he was on a mission to kill, he decided against using his own vehicle to minimize the risk of exposure. Instead, he got into the car driven by Huang Mao.

Huang Mao took the driver’s seat, and Yan Fei sat in the back, his face obscured behind Huang Mao. Huang Mao then drove towards the Marquis’s stronghold. The car headed east and soon arrived in the suburbs on the eastern edge of the city, where there was a large, standalone courtyard.

Yan Fei instructed Huang Mao to park the car on a vacant lot near the courtyard. The lot was part of a real estate development yet to be officially started, so locals used it as a makeshift parking lot. Under the bright lights, a few vehicles were parked sporadically, and there was no sign of an attendant collecting fees.

The lot offered an unobstructed view of the Marquis’s exclusive courtyard. The property covered a substantial area, its buildings topped at two stories, surrounded by tall walls affixed with broken glass shards and concertina wire that was likely electrified. Surveillance cameras were installed in several corners of the wall, rotating now and then, suggesting someone inside was monitoring the exterior through them.

At first glance, the security of the Marquis’s private courtyard appeared less formidable than that of Zhang Baocheng’s villa. However, Yan Fei dared not let his guard down—how could he be sure that it wasn’t more tightly secured on the inside? Seated in the back of the car, he put on a Sun Wukong mask from his Universal Space and hid in the darkness, silently waiting for the right moment to act.

The sight of Yan Fei donning a mask sent a chill through Huang Mao. The Marquis and Zhang Baocheng were now aware of Yan Fei’s identity, so Yan Fei’s presence surely meant he was there to prevent any leak of information. To ensure no secrets were spilled, Yan Fei would certainly kill both the Marquis and Zhang Baocheng. And since Huang Mao knew Yan Fei’s secret, would Yan Fei kill him too? The more Huang Mao thought about it, the more afraid he became, and his terror slowly pushed him to the brink of collapse. His body started to shake, making the car tremble as well, which from the outside looked as though someone inside was rocking the vehicle with sexual activity.

Yan Fei did not know what was going through Huang Mao’s mind. His targets were the Marquis and Zhang Baocheng. Seeing Huang Mao shaking uncontrollably, he decided not to interfere as long as Huang Mao did not interfere with his operation. If Huang Mao dared to play any tricks, Yan Fei would not hesitate to eliminate him.

The drone was 1500 kilometers away from Shanghai, with a maximum flight speed of 1000 kilometers/hour. Thus, the drone could return to Shanghai in no less than one and a half hours at top speed. It took Yan Fei and Huang Mao half an hour to arrive at the Marquis’s courtyard, meaning the drone would arrive in an hour. Once the drone returned, Yan Fei would take control of it to launch an attack on the courtyard and completely eradicate the Marquis and Zhang Baocheng, eliminating all future threats.

Hunkered down in the car, Yan Fei kept constant vigilance over the distant, independent courtyard. Observing the tightly shut gates and the absence of people coming and going, his unease grew, prompting him to question Huang Mao. Swearing on his life, Huang Mao assured him that both the Marquis and Zhang Baocheng were indeed inside. They were just being discreet, refraining from venturing out to avoid drawing the neighbors’ suspicion and risking a report.

Seeing Huang Mao on the verge of collapsing, Yan Fei believed his words and continued to surveil the Marquis’s independent courtyard from the vacant lot turned parking space. Soon, over twenty minutes passed, with more cars gradually entering the parking lot and parking near Huang Mao’s vehicle.

Yan Fei turned his attention to the distant courtyard, but something felt off. The parking lot was vast, with few cars parked far apart—so why had these newly arrived cars all parked next to his? What’s more, Yan Fei grew suspicious when he noticed no one exiting the vehicles after they parked.

Suddenly on high alert, Yan Fei watched as another car entered the lot and began looking for a spot. Coincidentally, this car parked right in front of Huang Mao’s, completely blocking its possible exit route. Glancing around, Yan Fei realized his car had somehow been surrounded by four vehicles, with his means of escape blocked on all sides.

Yan Fei knew something was terribly wrong and quickly ran through his mind what could have gone awry. He noticed Huang Mao was still shaking uncontrollably in the car, causing the vehicle to vibrate. Suddenly, it dawned on him—the shaking had a rhythm. Recognizing this pattern, everything clicked: it was Morse Code.

Huang Mao was more than meets the eye; he had staged an act in Yan Fei’s presence, feigning fear and shaking to make the car quiver while using the vehicle’s vibrations to send out a Morse Code message. Undoubtedly, the surveillance cameras in the distant courtyard had picked up this message, and the cars were called in response.

Yan Fei caught on to the deception but refrained from rash actions. Knowledgeable about Morse Code himself, he studied Huang Mao’s trembling frequency and quickly deciphered the message Huang Mao had sent: “I am being held hostage, a formidable enemy seeks to kill the Marquis, send backup immediately.” Once the message was delivered, Huang Mao repeated it in a loop.