Chapter Forty-One: The Attack

After seeing off the last group of tourists, Qiu Fengyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. The past few days had exhausted him. Still, making money was the best reward—over these ten days, he’d earned more than twenty thousand dollars. Of course, Britt had made even more. After this latest business, Britt invited Qiu Fengyu to dinner.

Although he was the guest, one of the dishes that night was actually brought by Qiu Fengyu himself: sweet and sour pork ribs, a dish Nicole had been craving for days. Finally, it reappeared on their table, much to Nicole’s delight—she even kissed Qiu Fengyu’s cheeks several times in excitement.

“The children all like you!” Elizabeth called the kids to the table, smiling. “Danny really admires you. What happened with the cow had a big impact on him.”

“That’s what it means to be a real man, Mom—” Danny muttered a little shyly, clearly embarrassed by Elizabeth’s comment.

Overall, the atmosphere was warm and friendly, just Qiu Fengyu and the family. He loved this kind of family feeling, which was why he so enjoyed dining with them.

Later that evening, as he drove away from Britt’s home, Qiu Fengyu spotted Coffin on the road.

“Be a little more careful these days. There’ve been too many tourists around lately,” Coffin called out as they parked their cars side by side, leaning out her window. “I have a bad feeling, as if something’s about to happen.”

Qiu Fengyu nodded. “You’re right. I trust your instincts.”

“You trust my instincts? Sheriff Brick says I’m paranoid, that everything will be fine. Only you believe me,” Coffin said with a helpless smile. “Thank you. I just wanted to warn you.”

Qiu Fengyu nodded understandingly. “If I didn’t trust my instincts, I’d be dead several times over by now. So… I always trust them. It’s not just because it’s you.”

“You really don’t know how to talk, do you,” Coffin couldn’t help but laugh, her mood lightening. She said goodbye and drove off to continue her patrol.

Qiu Fengyu parked his car beside the road near the noodle shop, deciding to just stay there for the night. He was too lazy to drive to Silsa’s garage. Now that he had a car, this place wasn’t the best for overnight stays.

But at the door, he saw two people: April and Anthony.

“This is the important thing you wanted to show me?” Qiu Fengyu watched as Anthony moved the bedside cabinet aside, set up a tablet, and played some videos uploaded online.

“This one already caught April on camera.” Anthony pointed at a segment for Qiu Fengyu to watch.

The video showed April’s profile, filmed near the noodle shop. Someone had inadvertently caught his pretty neighbor in the frame. Fortunately, it was only her side profile, not clear enough to definitively identify her. It would be difficult for anyone to be certain it was April.

“So, what are you trying to say?” Qiu Fengyu looked from Anthony to April.

“Tomorrow… we’re leaving. Tonight, we just came to say goodbye,” Anthony said firmly. “During this time, I can’t allow a single mistake. I won’t permit it.”

“I’m sorry,” Qiu Fengyu acknowledged the truth in his words. There was no need for lengthy explanations between men like them—they understood one another’s intentions. “Is there anything I can do?”

“After we’re gone, find a girl to stay here for a couple of days, wearing April’s dress from the video.”

“You won’t fool them,” Qiu Fengyu shook his head.

“I don’t expect to. But anything that can buy us even a little time, I’ll do,” Anthony replied. “You’re welcome to stay here…”

“No, I’m fine right where I am. I’m not going to be your decoy!” Qiu Fengyu refused without hesitation, but Anthony wasn’t the least bit embarrassed.

“Fair enough. Then tonight, we’ll leave. After midnight, when it’s quiet, we’ll be gone. Thank you for your help. It’s honestly been a pleasure working with you.” With that, Anthony stood up and shook Qiu Fengyu’s hand. He had changed the departure time yet again.

“You really are a troublemaker,” Qiu Fengyu said with a resigned smile.

Anthony left first. April lingered, looking at Qiu Fengyu before stepping forward to give him a gentle hug. She smiled, “You really are an interesting man. Life must be fun with you around.”

“Parting words of comfort?” Qiu Fengyu laughed, watching her walk downstairs.

As he watched them leave, Qiu Fengyu found himself unable to sleep. He wanted to go to a bar for a drink, but restrained himself. From tonight on, he wouldn’t see that girl anymore. There was some regret, but no longing. He knew exactly how he should regard her.

Coffin’s patrol ended before midnight, replaced by the thin policeman. He bought himself a hot drink and sipped it in the car, bracing himself for the long night ahead.

Time seemed to crawl. At midnight, Qiu Fengyu’s eyes snapped open—he was wide awake. It was a habit: whenever he sensed something might happen at a certain hour, even if he’d fallen asleep, he would wake up suddenly. It had become his internal clock.

In Ukraine, this instinct had kept him alive.

The night outside was utterly still. He listened intently, but it seemed there was no movement. He remembered Anthony’s words—after midnight, Anthony and April would drive away. Where they were headed, Anthony hadn’t said.

But after midnight, there was still no sign of movement. Did that mean something had happened to them, or had they already left earlier? By the light of the bedside lamp, Qiu Fengyu dressed quietly, careful not to make a sound, so he could hear the slightest noise from outside.

Dressed, he crept downstairs.

He had barely reached the bottom when he heard a faint, muffled mechanical noise, as if coming from the sky. Then he saw two moving lights flashing in the night.

“Oh, damn!” he suddenly flung the door open and dashed toward April’s apartment, shouting as he ran, waving frantically.

“Armed helicopters! Get out of there, now—!”

Before he could finish, something streaked through the night toward April’s building, trailing a fiery tail. He couldn’t be sure if it was a helicopter-fired missile, but whatever it was, it would surely obliterate the house.

On instinct, Qiu Fengyu threw himself to the ground. A thunderous explosion ripped the air, and in an instant, the whole building was consumed in flames.

“My god…” Qiu Fengyu muttered under his breath.

If Anthony and April were still inside, there was no way they could have survived. No one could escape such devastation—not even him.

The helicopter quickly hovered above the house, and armed men in black tactical gear, helmets, and goggles fast-roped down, automatic weapons at the ready, encircling the area in perfect formation.

Their movements were precise, their assault tactics impeccable. Clearly, these were highly trained professionals—if not military, then mercenaries made up of ex-soldiers.

Qiu Fengyu lay perfectly still, waiting until the armed men moved toward the house before slowly crawling backward.

He knew better than to try his luck with a group of professionals—unlike dealing with ordinary thugs or gangsters, these men were on a different level entirely.

He wanted no part in this mess and quietly prepared to slip away.

The armed men began sweeping the area, spreading out carefully. The open terrain offered little cover—few trees, nowhere to hide.

Still, Qiu Fengyu was sure Anthony wouldn’t be killed so easily. He must be hiding somewhere nearby.

Who would have thought a single video would invite such disaster? When Anthony showed him the footage, Qiu Fengyu had considered the possibility of attracting dangerous people intent on silencing witnesses. But neither of them had expected such a swift and overwhelming response, leaving them completely unprepared.

Qiu Fengyu didn’t even need to call the police—by now the town’s police station was already in emergency mode. The thin officer on duty had alerted the sheriff, and soon almost every cop in town was racing to the scene. Their response was impressively fast.

Sheriff Brick and the thin officer led the charge, while Officer Coffin, coming from home and further away, sped out in the third patrol car.

Four police cruisers raced toward the site of the explosion.