Yama Reborn
Chapter 47 - 45 [This is Too Difficult]

Chapter 47: Chapter 45 [This is Too Difficult]

Chapter Forty-Five [This is Too Difficult]

Late at night.

Jiang Yingzi sat on the sofa with a vacant gaze and a bewildered expression, her mental state utterly drained.

In the room, there was also a woman clad in a leather jacket, who at the moment was frowning at Anderson.

Anderson’s expression was stern.

"This matter is getting more and more complicated," Anderson said with a cold laugh. "Two cases that were originally independent are now somehow connected..."

"According to Jiang Yingzi’s statement, that teenager..." the woman in the leather jacket spoke in a grave tone.

Anderson’s eyes were cold and daunting.

A teenager, single-handedly, had rescued them from He Zhengzai and a group of thugs from a black society...

He Zhengzai aside, Anderson had carefully reviewed the information on the Jin family brothers, particularly the younger brother, a retired elite from the military. His men were also capable fighters among ordinary people.

A teenager...

"I recall you just left Hua Country, haven’t you?" the woman in the leather jacket raised an eyebrow, then drew a dagger from her waist and glanced at Jiang Yingzi. "This woman, should we deal with her?"

Anderson didn’t speak.

He only felt a thrill in his heart, vaguely sensing that he had discovered an important clue!

Number 4 Gold Digger (Li Donghe) was killed! The killer has already been eradicated! Key figure: A mysterious teenager with impressive strength!

Number 11 Gold Digger (Yao Weishan) died unexpectedly. It seemed like an ordinary accident, but in fact, in Yao Weishan’s social relations, there was a lead that had caught Anderson’s attention: Old Sun and his wife. They were also the last people Yao Weishan had seen the night before his death.

That Sun Shengli worked at that middle school.

And now, after the death of Li Donghe, his daughter has also made her way to Jinling City in Hua Country, enrolling in that middle school!

Connecting the clues, a strange relationship suddenly emerged between the two sides.

"This is definitely not a coincidence," Anderson shook his head. "I feel hostility! It’s hostility aimed at ’The Abyss’!"

As he spoke, he picked up the satellite phone and quickly connected.

"... I’ve discovered an important lead, and I need to return to Hua Country as soon as possible! I believe this is a malicious act targeted at us! ... Yes, I need some manpower!"

It was unclear what was said on the other end of the phone, but Anderson suddenly became agitated. "... Stop being so conservative! We’ve already lost two Gold Diggers in East Asia! Do you think this is a coincidence? How could this possibly be a coincidence?! This is a declaration of war! It’s a declaration of war against The Abyss! I need cooperation from field agents..."

"Alright! I’ll transfer people from Neon Country."

"If we find the mastermind in Hua Country, I need authorization to take action!"

After hanging up the phone, Anderson glanced at the woman in the leather jacket and then looked over at the now unconscious Jiang Yingzi. "You take care of her."

"Really, we’re not killing her?" the woman in the leather jacket asked coldly.

"Before we find a new Gold Digger to replace her, keep her alive; she might still be useful. Make sure you handle it cleanly, without leaving any doubts."

The woman in the leather jacket sighed, sheathed her dagger, walked over to Jiang Yingzi, bent down, and placed her hands on each of Jiang Yingzi’s temples.

Meanwhile, Anderson had already picked up the phone. "Prepare the plane, we’re leaving tonight!"

「 」

In the morning, Jiang Yingzi woke up with a splitting headache. The groggy sensation, like a hangover, prevented her from standing up despite several attempts.

She found herself in the living room, which was silent and desolate.

Jiang Yingzi looked around in a daze.

Then her consciousness gradually returned.

Last night... I left the company very late, and then the driver took me home...

And then... Yes, that’s right, I entered the house, poured myself a glass of water... and then... I just fell asleep on the sofa?

As her memories reached this point, a dull headache began to throb again.

Jiang Yingzi zoned out for a moment.

"Could I be catching a cold?"

Struggling to her feet, she stumbled toward the medicine cabinet.

「 」

Chen Nuo was shopping with Xiao Yezi in his arms.

It was already March. More and more young women were starting to dress lightly, eager to show off their youthful and exuberant curves, despite the early spring chill that had not yet dissipated.

Chen Nuo took Xiao Yezi for a stroll on the pedestrian street. He bought his sister a fuzzy cotton hoodie that resembled a little bear; when she put it on, the hood had two furry bear ears.

This made Xiao Yezi, who was already an embodiment of cuteness, look even more adorably silly.

With her bright eyes and white teeth, and an adorable countenance, the little girl looked as if she had received a power-up to her cuteness.

As Chen Nuo walked along with his sister, many young women who saw the adorable Chen Xiaoye couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. Some even ran over to get closer to Xiao Yezi, wanting to give her a hug or a pinch.

Before long, Xiao Yezi’s pockets were stuffed with small treats like candy and chocolate.

Some young women squatted down, taking Xiao Yezi’s hand, trying to coax the little girl to talk.

"Little girl, is this person next to you your brother?"

"...Mhm."

"Little girl, how old are you?"

Xiao Yezi naively counted on her fingers and replied in a sweet, childish voice, "...Five years old."

The surrounding young women immediately felt their hearts melt!

"Little girl, where is your mother?"

Xiao Yezi looked up at her brother standing among the group, remembered what her brother had taught her, and answered with innocent sincerity, "Brother said... Mom has gone to a place far, far away..."

"Awww..." The young women sighed, a wave of maternal feeling washing over them. Their gazes toward the adorable creature filled with even deeper pity.

So Xiao Yezi’s pockets quickly filled up with more snacks!

Chen Nuo jostled through the crowd of young women, feeling their soft touches and inhaling their sweet fragrance. Waves of perfume washed over him. Looking around... Well... Big where they should be big, fair where they should be fair, long where they should be long, and perky where they should be perky...

He had only planned to walk around for a short while before going back, but ended up spending the whole morning on the pedestrian street.

They even got a free lunch! He didn’t know which young woman had done it, but someone had stuffed a bag from KFC, with freshly bought chicken wings and a hamburger, into Chen Xiaoye’s arms.

Finally, he left with Chen Xiaoye, and they walked down a street.

"Bro, are we going home?"

"No," Chen Nuo said with a smile, lifting Xiao Yezi up. "How about we go to another shopping street this afternoon?"

"Okay!"

「 」

Before dinner, as Chen Nuo was taking Chen Xiaoye home, he saw a long-legged young woman from afar when they reached the entrance of their apartment building.

Chen Nuo sighed, took Chen Xiaoye by the hand, and walked over.

Li Yingwan was originally pacing on the spot, muttering to herself. Suddenly, she raised her head, saw Chen Nuo approaching, and her face immediately broke into a joyful smile as she ran up to him.

"Oppa!"

Then Li Yingwan crouched down and reached for Chen Xiaoye’s hand. "Oppa, is this your little sister? I heard from a classmate that you have a sister! She’s so cute!!!"

Chen Xiaoye seemed a bit frightened and shrank back—the little girl didn’t understand what this older girl was saying.

Li Yingwan immediately realized something, her face lit up with a sweet smile, and she switched to Mandarin. Although her accent was a bit stiff, her tone was as tender as could be. "Hello, my name is Li Yingwan."

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, rubbed Ye Zi’s head, and said gently, "Don’t be afraid, she’s brother’s friend."

Chen Xiaoye peeked out from behind Chen Nuo, finally gaining a bit more courage.

"My name is... is... Chen Xiaoye."

"I am sixteen this year."

"I... am... virtually five."

"I was born in the year of the Ox."

"I was born in the year of the Rat."

"I believe in Brother Guan."

"I believe in Goddess Guanyin."

Li Yingwan pointed happily at Chen Nuo. "I call him Oppa."

Chen Xiaoye looked cautiously at her brother. "He is... our family head."

Chen Nuo covered his face...

I shouldn’t have let her watch those Spring Festival Gala comedy sketch compilations these past two days.

He took the two girls, one older and one younger, upstairs to their apartment. While Chen Nuo prepared dinner in the kitchen, he left Li Yingwan in the living room to practice Mandarin with Xiao Yezi.

He boiled some dried noodles and chopped some green vegetables. When the water in the pot boiled, he tossed in the noodles and vegetables, blanched them briefly, then scooped them into bowls. He finished by adding a few drops of sesame oil and a sprinkle of fine salt.

He also steamed two sausages in the steamer.

And that was dinner.

At the dinner table, Chen Xiaoye sat politely, one hand holding chopsticks and the other holding her bowl, obedient and sensible.

Li Yingwan, on the other hand, chattered nonstop. She talked about the boys at school who were sweet on her, about her mother Jiang Yingzi’s nagging phone calls, about her own brother preparing to take the Seoul University entrance exams...

Finally...

"Oppa, the thing you mentioned, I’ve practiced it well!" Li Yingwan suddenly sat up straight and bowed solemnly. "Please review it now! Please!"

Chen Nuo, holding his chopsticks and just about to pick up a slice of sausage, said, "Eh? So quickly?"

"I practiced very diligently!" Li Yingwan’s pretty face tensed, and she said seriously, "Since it’s something Oppa thinks is important, I’d practice it well even if it meant not eating or sleeping!"

"..." Chen Nuo sighed. "Alright, let’s hear it."

Li Yingwan was overjoyed. She coughed lightly, then took a few deep breaths.

"Bah-bye-biao-bing-ben-bay-poh... pow-bing-bing-pai-bay-byen-pao..."

Hmm, her intonation has some flaws, but overall it’s smooth. She said it all in one breath without stuttering.

After listening for a moment, Chen Xiaoye put down her chopsticks and tugged at Chen Nuo’s sleeve. "Brother... I don’t think she’s reciting it right."

Li Yingwan’s eyes widened. "Mo?? How could it be wrong? I practiced very seriously."

Chen Nuo chuckled and patted Ye Zi’s head. "Ye Zi, show her the correct way."

Chen Xiaoye obediently put down her chopsticks, wiped her little mouth with a napkin, then took a deep breath.

"Eight-uh hundred-uh pacesetters-uh rush-uh to-uh the-uh north-uh slope-uh, artillerymen-uh side-uh by-uh side-uh run-uh on-uh the-uh north-uh edge-uh..."

"Wait! Hold on! Wait a second!!" Li Yingwan was stunned. "You... all of you... you all recite it like this?"

Chen Xiaoye looked at Li Yingwan curiously. "Brother taught us all to say it this way."

Li Yingwan looked at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo spread his hands. "I’m not kidding. All the kids here recite it like that. Come on, Ye Zi, recite another part for your big sister here."

"Little-uh white-uh rabbit-uh, white-uh and-uh white-uh, two-uh little-uh ears-uh stand-uh up-uh straight-uh..."

...Li Yingwan was utterly floored.

This! Is it really that hard?!

A five-year-old? Five-year-old kids recite like this? Mandarin is terrifying! If this is the case... the standard Oppa mentioned for mastering Mandarin... when will I ever reach it?

That evening, until she left Chen Nuo’s house, Li Yingwan was completely despondent.

Chen Nuo smilingly escorted the long-legged girl downstairs, watched as the driver brought the car around, and saw her get into the car and leave.

Now... I should... be able to have some peace for a while, right?

Chen Nuo turned to go back upstairs.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted ever so slightly.

「 」

About twenty meters across, on the rooftop terrace of another residential building.

A figure in a Black Windbreaker, wearing a headset, stood holding binoculars.

Through the binoculars’ view: Chen Nuo entered the doorway of the apartment building...

The spying figure shifted a bit, glanced once more in the direction of Chen Nuo’s home: in the living room, Chen Xiaoye was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

"Alpha reporting. Li Yingwan has left. Target has gone upstairs. Nothing unusual."

"Alpha, continue surveillance. Ignore Li Yingwan for now. Our target is this young man."

Anderson sat in a van, quietly watching the woman in the leather jacket beside him put down her headset.

"Are you sure that this Chen Nuo is the same young man who appeared in South Korea?" the woman in the leather jacket frowned from behind. "Could we be targeting the wrong person?"

"No, Jiang Yingzi was very clear, and Li Yingwan’s behavioral patterns also point to this. My judgment is that this Chen Nuo is the young man who avenged our Number 4 Gold Digger in South Korea." Anderson’s tone was complex. "I’m even more suspicious that he’s involved in Yao Weishan’s death! Sun Shengli and his wife were the last people Yao Weishan saw before he died, and this young man named Chen Nuo has close ties to the Sun family... I don’t believe such coincidences exist in this world."

Taking a deep breath, Anderson said slowly, "Get ready. Our investigation escalates to a capture operation tonight! Regardless of why he avenged our Number 4 Gold Digger, and regardless of what connection the death of Number 11 Gold Digger has to him... capture him first! We can always get the answers out of him!"

"Alright, ’Doctor’ is at the back door, ’Cheetah’ is on the street at the six o’clock position. Do we move now?" The woman in the leather jacket glanced at a tablet-like device in her hands.

"Alpha will snipe, we will engage head-on... Have Doctor and Cheetah on standby in case the target attempts to flee. Five minutes. Move out!"

The woman in the leather jacket nodded and picked up the headset. "Alpha, we move in five minutes. Get your gun ready."

BZZT...

There was a burst of static from the headset, and then, an unfamiliar voice emerged.

A young voice, mild and steady in tone.

"Sorry, the Alpha you just mentioned might not be able to talk to you right now."

Both the woman in the leather jacket and Anderson heard the voice in the headset, and their expressions changed drastically in an instant!