Chapter Forty-One: Arrival

Time ticked by, second after second. Chu Feng lay awake on Old Chen’s hospital bed, never closing his eyes, simply waiting for the assassins to arrive.

Meanwhile, in Old Chen’s new ward, besides Old Jin and Grandpa Wang, there was also a special operations team of six. If Chu Feng were here, he would have recognized them immediately—the Dragon Scale Special Operations Unit, led by Ma Han.

After Grandpa Wang learned about the situation, he immediately called Long Feihu, asking him to bring the Dragon Scale unit over. The members of the special unit hid in every corner of the room, each equipped with individual night vision gear, allowing them to clearly observe what was happening outside.

Around one o’clock in the morning, the Dragon Scale team noticed twelve people entering the hospital. Among them, one appeared to have an injured arm, wrapped in bandages. They headed straight for the emergency department, but the Dragon Scale operatives, with their keen eyes, quickly discerned that these men’s gait was not like ordinary people.

“I’ll go to the central control room to monitor their every move. If anything happens, I’ll inform you right away. You must remain vigilant; the enemy is no less skilled than we are.”

Grandpa Wang took the walkie-talkie and hurried to the control room, using surveillance cameras to track the strangers. The security guards at the monitors had also noticed the group entering the emergency ward, but assumed they were patients and paid little attention, not bothering to send anyone to investigate.

Armed soldiers entered the control room, ordering the security guards aside. One then asked for all emergency ward camera feeds, only to find several were dark—nothing could be seen. It was clear the twelve had deliberately covered the cameras with something, since the wires were intact but the screens showed only blackness.

Grandpa Wang promptly reported this to the Dragon Scale team, then stayed in the control room, using special surveillance equipment to try and pinpoint the assassins’ location.

The second floor of the emergency ward was Old Chen’s former room, now occupied by Chu Feng, while Old Chen’s bed had been moved to a special care ward in the same building as Li Qun. The assassins from Sakura Path were highly experienced; as they advanced, someone always went ahead to cover the hospital’s cameras with black cloth. Once all the first-floor cameras were blinded, the whole group pressed forward.

By now it was one in the morning. The nurse on duty at the front desk had long since fallen asleep, head resting on the table, and the doctors waited in the emergency room for any patients. On the second floor, security measures were strict; even nurses and doctors used only the elevator, never the emergency stairs. Normally, the stairwell door was guarded but unlocked; tonight, it was locked, but unguarded.

The Sakura Path assassins gathered at the emergency exit. Soon, one produced a wire from his pocket, and within seconds, had picked the lock. They slipped through the emergency exit onto the second floor, encountering no resistance, and quickly headed for Old Chen’s ward.

As they neared the elevator, one used a mirror to spot two soldiers standing guard outside the elevator doors. The man with the bandaged arm then took something from his pocket, opened its lid, and gently blew twice. An invisible gas drifted toward the soldiers, and within a minute, both collapsed limply.

After the soldiers fell, two assassins dragged their bodies outside the emergency exit and hid them. Curiously, the Sakura Path men did not kill the soldiers—only knocked them out. Perhaps they feared the possibility of security guards patrolling the floor; had they killed the guards, any blood discovered by patrolling security could ruin their plans.

They moved forward, rounding a corner to find no one guarding the entrance to the ward corridor. The bandaged man signaled, and two checked the situation, pressing themselves against either side of the corridor, peering inside—no guards.

The two Sakura Path assassins gestured for their companions to come quickly. Once the group confirmed the corridor was clear, each drew a short knife from behind their backs. Under the lights, the blades gleamed with a faint green glow, proof that they had been coated with deadly poison.

Chu Feng, waiting in his room, suddenly heard the door open. He slipped from the bed and hid beneath it. A figure entered, dressed in a nurse’s uniform, tiptoeing toward Old Chen’s bed. Upon reaching the bed, she found it empty and turned to leave.

At that instant, Chu Feng emerged from beneath the bed, locking his arm around her throat from behind, his other hand pressed against her chest. Surprised by the softness, he squeezed twice, unable to believe it. Immediately, a sharp pain shot through his left hand.

He quickly released her and turned her around to face him. Seeing her, his eyes filled with shock—it was Nurse Han Xuefang. When Chu Feng had grabbed her, his hand had been on her chest, and he’d squeezed it twice.

“My apologies, I didn’t realize it was you. What are you doing here in the ward at this hour?” Chu Feng said awkwardly, embarrassed by his unintended transgression.

“Never mind that now. You must hide—stay where you are, and don’t come out unless I tell you!” Remembering the dangerous situation, Chu Feng’s expression turned serious. He ushered Han Xuefang into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.