Chapter 283: Surveillance

Lin Xiao remained unaware of the developments in Jiangbei City, but he hadn’t forgotten the malicious gaze he had sensed the last time he picked up Yuan Yu. It kept him on edge.

He checked the precautions he had put in place to see if anything had been flagged. There were no irregularities near Yuan Yu’s mother. However, something around Yuan Yu’s school felt off—someone had been lurking there for two days. It wasn’t enough to trigger an alert yet; he only caught it because he went looking.

The next morning.

“Big Brother Lin, I’m heading out now.”

Yuan Yu, dressed in her school uniform and carrying a handbag, stood at the doorway. She waved at Lin Xiao before stepping out with light, graceful steps.

Watching her slender figure, so elegant even in the loose school uniform, Lin Xiao suddenly said, “Little Yu, I’ll drive you to school today.”

Yuan Yu stopped abruptly, a look of surprise flashing across her face. She was about to agree, but then hesitated.

“Big Brother Lin, don’t you have work today?”

“No problem. I have a car, it won’t take long.” Lin Xiao grabbed his jacket from the rack and walked out the door alongside Yuan Yu. “It’s been days since I last took you to school, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, it has.” Yuan Yu looped her arm through his, her delicate face lighting up with a genuine smile.

Their neighborhood was not far from Guanglai High School. Even on foot, it only took about thirty minutes to get there. By car, it was just a ten-minute drive.

When they arrived at the school gate, Lin Xiao stopped the car and looked to Yuan Yu, who was seated in the front passenger seat.

“You can go in now. I’ll pick you up after school this afternoon.”

“Big Brother Lin, why are you suddenly doing this?” Yuan Yu’s voice carried both delight and unease. “Are you hiding something from me?”

Her joyful expression faded, replaced by a trace of anxiety, as though some unsettling thought had crossed her mind.

“Don’t overthink it. What could I possibly be hiding from you?” Lin Xiao flicked her forehead lightly. “Hurry to class, or you’ll be late.”

Rubbing the spot he flicked, Yuan Yu’s face bloomed into a radiant smile.

“Got it, Big Brother Lin. Bye-bye!”

She opened the car door and walked briskly toward the school entrance.

Lin Xiao remained in the car, watching Yuan Yu until her figure disappeared from sight. The smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by an expressionless calm. Beneath his composed exterior, however, a cold, steely determination brewed.

The moment Yuan Yu had stepped out of the car, Lin Xiao had sensed the same malicious gaze sweeping over her as before. Though the gaze lingered only briefly before vanishing, Lin Xiao’s sharp instincts had caught it.

“Last time, I let you go to avoid worrying Little Yu. Let’s see where you can run this time,” Lin Xiao muttered, his eyes narrowing as a murderous glint flickered within them.

***

Across the street from Guanglai High School, an old, narrow alley stretched out.

The alley was lined with dilapidated buildings, their walls stained black with age. The uneven ground bore the marks of time’s erosion.

In the corner of the alley stood a small drink shop, its business bustling due to the summer heat. To attract more customers, the shop owner had set up a sunshade at the entrance, along with a few tables and chairs for patrons to rest.

A middle-aged man, around thirty, sat leisurely at one of the tables, sipping a drink. He wore nondescript clothing, blending seamlessly into the surroundings.

To the untrained eye, he looked like an ordinary passerby. But to someone trained in counter-surveillance, his actions betrayed him. His eyes roamed constantly, frequently focusing on the entrance to Guanglai High School.

The man’s casual drinking was merely a cover. His true purpose was to monitor the school’s entrance.

Unnoticed by the people around him, he was operating under the codename “Sparrow,” one of Fang Haoyan’s elite operatives from the Hundred Seats Society, assigned to surveil and abduct Yuan Yu.

Wearing a sun hat to conceal his distinctive hairstyle and the cold, emotionless eyes honed by countless killings, Sparrow had been lying in wait since 5 a.m. Alongside a few companions, he remained alert, ensuring nothing would go wrong.

Moments ago, he had spotted the target.

The girl was indeed as beautiful as her photograph, if not more so. Her delicate and pitiable demeanor stirred a certain excitement in Sparrow, prompting him to down his iced drink in one gulp.

Having confirmed the target’s movements, it was time to act.

Sparrow placed his glass of iced coffee on the table and was about to rise when a hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

Caught off guard, Sparrow was forced back into his chair with a heavy thud.

The hand on his shoulder was steady and powerful, its fingers long and well-proportioned, the nails neatly trimmed.

It was undeniably a well-kept hand.

But the moment he saw it, Sparrow’s pupils constricted sharply, and a chill ran down his spine. His seasoned combat instincts kicked in instantly. Without hesitation, he ducked down and lunged forward, attempting to escape both the hand and any potential attack.

Sparrow’s reaction was impeccable. His movements were precise and logical—except for one miscalculation.

The owner of the hand was far stronger than he could have anticipated.

As Sparrow moved, the hand closed around his neck like an iron vise. Immense, indescribable strength lifted him effortlessly off the ground.

Despite his towering height of over 1.85 meters, Sparrow was as helpless as a child in the grip of this overwhelming force.

Bang!

Sparrow’s face slammed into the wall, blood streaming from his nose as stars danced before his eyes.

The entire sequence—from the hand’s appearance to Sparrow being pinned against the wall—took less than three seconds. Throughout it all, Sparrow hadn’t even glimpsed his assailant, nor could he discern their gender.

Even under such a sudden attack, Sparrow, as an elite of the Hundred Seats Society, maintained his composure. Years of combat experience had given him steely nerves. He reached for the knife at his waist, twisted his wrist, and stabbed backward with lightning speed.

“Hmph.”

A cold snort sounded near his ear. Sparrow’s wrist exploded with pain as the knife was snatched away. His wrist snapped with a crisp crack.

Panic surged through Sparrow’s heart. At that moment, death felt closer than ever. The hand gripping his neck exuded an oppressive, deathly aura.

He thrashed violently, kicking and struggling, his mouth opening wide in an attempt to scream for help. But all that emerged were hoarse, rasping breaths, audible only to himself.

Sparrow’s movements slowed, growing weaker with each passing moment until his body finally went limp. His consciousness slipped away, and he fell into unconsciousness.