Chapter 694 - 425: Toyed With in the Palm of the Hand

Chapter 694: Chapter 425: Toyed With in the Palm of the Hand

The light from the newly lit streetlamp outside shone into the dim room, illuminating a small corner.

In the silent living room, a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air.

Having left the Mysterious Small Island, Lin Li returned home carrying a bag of freshly picked strawberries.

"CLICK."

He flipped on the lights, and the dim room immediately became bright.

He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall behind the television and saw that it was almost nine-thirty.

He had been poisoned earlier, forcing him to flee the Red Blood Gang’s pier and hide on the Mysterious Small Island. Afterward, he had fallen into a deep sleep for about an hour.

After checking the time, Lin Li muttered to himself, "So I was only unconscious for an hour? I thought I’d been asleep for ages!"

With that, he carried the bag of freshly picked strawberries toward the kitchen to wash them.

Outside the Ping’an Garden District, leaning against a tree across the street, Zhu Daqi puffed on a cigarette dangling from his lips, looking exhausted.

He’d been out since early this morning—more than ten hours had passed without a single break. He was feeling quite tired.

"HUUFF..."

He took a deep drag, exhaling two streams of white smoke through his nostrils. The cigarette was nearly finished, so he plucked it from his lips and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

"Damn it, these things burn way too fast. This pack’s gone already."

Zhu Daqi pulled the pack from his pocket and found only a single cigarette left. Cursing under his breath, he lit it, then crumpled the empty pack and tossed it aside.

"Huh?!!!"

Suddenly, just after lighting his cigarette, Zhu Daqi noticed it: the lights in his target’s home were on.

’He’s finally home. You really kept me waiting!’

When Zhu Daqi saw the lights in Lin Li’s home switch on, a look of delight spread across his face. He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and called Chen Xiaoyan.

"Hello?" The call went through almost immediately, and a mature woman’s voice answered.

"Yan, the guy, Lin Li—his lights are on. I think he’s home," Zhu Daqi reported.

Chen Xiaoyan, who had been watching TV on the sofa, turned to glance at Wang Hao’s room upon hearing Zhu Daqi’s report.

Wang Hao had been attacked by a Mutant Beast and was seriously injured. He’d lost all combat ability, and his movements were clumsy for the time being. So, even knowing Lin Li was home, there was nothing they could do right now.

"Okay, I got it. Keep an eye on him, and don’t spook him.

"Wang Hao will need a few more days to recover fully. While he’s resting up, I want you to get a handle on the target’s routine. After that, we’ll take him down in one fell swoop," Chen Xiaoyan instructed.

Zhu Daqi didn’t know about Chen Xiaoyan’s and Wang Hao’s special status. He was even more clueless that Wang Hao had already used his connections to get a friend to send him a special medicine that would allow for a rapid recovery.

So when he heard Chen Xiaoyan’s instructions, his brow furrowed.

From his perspective, with injuries as severe as Wang Hao’s, it would take at least half a month to heal by relying solely on over-the-counter medicine instead of going to a hospital.

The thought of having to keep up this surveillance, working from dawn to dusk, for another half a month was enough to drive him crazy.

"Yan, Wang’s injuries... without proper hospital treatment, it’s going to take a long time for him to heal!

"If I keep driving out here to watch him every day, I’m bound to slip up and get spotted eventually..." Zhu Daqi said, his weariness with the mission creeping into his tone.

Chen Xiaoyan could easily read between the lines. She replied in a soft, gentle voice.

"Zhu Daqi, Wang Hao’s injuries won’t take that long to heal. He’ll be back in top condition in five days, tops. So I just need you to hang in there for five more days.

"You mentioned wanting to get dinner with me, didn’t you? Once this is all over, how about we grab a bite and then catch a movie?"

Chen Xiaoyan’s promise made Zhu Daqi’s eyes light up. All the fatigue he’d accumulated from the long days and nights of surveillance vanished in an instant. Suppressing his excitement, he replied earnestly.

"Don’t you worry, Yan! Whether it’s another five days, ten days, or even a whole month of surveillance, I’ll stick with it to the very end."

Seeing how her empty promise had caused a complete one-eighty in Zhu Daqi’s attitude, Chen Xiaoyan couldn’t help but flash a disdainful smile.

’Twisting men around her little finger was child’s play for her.’

Having successfully fired up the demoralized Zhu Daqi, there was nothing left to say. Chen Xiaoyan hung up.

Just then, a figure slowly staggered out of the guest room.

Hearing the sound, Chen Xiaoyan turned and saw the incredibly frail Wang Hao emerging from the room. She quickly rose and went over to help him to the living room sofa.

"Wang Hao, what are you doing out here? You should be in your room, lying down and resting," Chen Xiaoyan said, picking up a pitcher from the coffee table and pouring him a glass of water.