Finally, he was about to meet Master Liu.
Hu Jia felt no excitement in his heart, only intense hatred. After all, his pursuit of the killer had lasted for more than ten years, and now, a glimmer of victory was finally in sight.
"I'll go with you tomorrow."
"I'll go with you too."
"And me."
Both Lü Qingqing and Ouyang Wen offered to accompany him to meet Master Liu.
The reason was that Shan Hu Ba, as a meeting place, was truly not ideal.
It was vast and exposed to all eyes. If someone were hidden in the shadows and fired a shot, there would be no escape. Even if, by some miracle, you weren't hit, you wouldn't be able to leave Shan Hu Ba.
Go by boat? Traveling by boat would make you a sitting duck.
Hu Jia understood this perfectly. He sensed great danger in tomorrow's meeting.
So, he refused everyone's offer to accompany him.
"You're going alone? Do you want to die?" Lü Qingqing was as furious as a roaring lioness. "You know perfectly well it's dangerous there. Even if they don't set an ambush, just one shot from each person would be unavoidable."
"Would I be able to avoid it if you went with me?" Hu Jia said to Lü Qingqing. "If I go alone, they won't kill me. If I bring someone, they won't kill me either, but they will kill the person I bring."
Hu Jia explained that the contents of the box had been swapped. As long as they were uncertain about the authenticity of the items in the box, the other party would not take his life.
However, this possibility only applied to Hu Jia. "If they shoot and hit you, what will happen to me? I'll fight back, and that's when I'll truly die."
Although they knew Hu Jia was telling the truth, they also understood that this was an excuse.
"Boss, I'm not afraid, I'll go. I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about Wenwu. That kid must have suffered a lot of injuries. Someone has to be there to help him," said Li Yang.
Hu Jia glanced at him. "You stay home and take care of Yu Yue. Wenwu has me."
Li Yang's clumsy excuse had no persuasive power.
After speaking, Hu Jia looked at Ouyang Wen, and before he could speak, he said, "If you truly care about me, then find a good position in the city, aim your guns at them, and shoot them the moment they make a move."
"I'll shoot you full of holes!" Ouyang Wen cursed. "What kind of place is that? Shan Hu Ba, in the middle of the river. It's about fifty meters from the shore. What kind of bullet can reach that far?"
Just now, he had called Li Yang's excuse clumsy, and it seemed Hu Jia wasn't much smarter.
Hu Jia smiled. "So, at least I don't have to worry about guns aimed at me from the city."
Hu Jia feigned a lighthearted jest. Since he had seen the bonfire last time, the scene of Mu Jixuan's death had flashed through his mind. This scene would occasionally resurface, even during his amnesiac periods, it would sometimes flash through.
He could feel how desperate he had been then. He didn't want to see his brother die before his eyes again.
Sometimes he wondered how Mu Jixuan had died back then.
Perhaps it was the same as today. He had found what the other party wanted, and then he took Mu Jixuan to see Master Liu. But Master Liu killed Mu Jixuan, leaving him alone.
If that were the case, he would never allow a repeat of such a situation.
"Alright, don't worry, I told you, they won't kill me," Hu Jia smiled. "You just need to set up surveillance on both banks of the two rivers. Once they leave Shan Hu Ba, take action."
...
Hu Jia's refusal was the outcome everyone had expected. Despite being mentally prepared, everyone was still extremely worried.
Hu Jia was right; the other party might not resort to lethal force, but who could say for sure?
"I know what you're worried about. If you have any ideas, go ahead and do it," Yu Yue said, seeing Li Yang distracted. She knew what he was concerned about.
"Aren't you worried about me not coming back?" Li Yang was grateful for Yu Yue's support, but he couldn't help but tease the beautiful woman.
"If you dare not come back, I'll marry someone else. Hmph, there are so many men in this office, I can pick anyone. One today, another tomorrow, so even in death you'll be wearing a green sweater."
Li Yang's face was full of shock. "I say, you're a woman, can't you be a little more reserved? You can say such things."
Yu Yue giggled. "Don't you just like this about me?"
Hahaha.
Li Yang knew Yu Yue was trying to cheer him up and didn't want him to have any psychological burden.
"Don't worry, I will definitely come back. Once this is over, I'll marry you and bring you home. You want to get married, right? You said one today and another tomorrow, I'll let you face only me every day, until you're sick of me."
"Mmm, that's what you said, you said you want to marry me. I'll wait for you."
Yu Yue buried her head in Li Yang's chest. Although a smile played on his lips, the worry in his eyes had not yet dissipated.
At the same time, Ouyang Wen was also busy arranging various tasks.
Shan Hu Ba was in the Yangtze River. To the north was Chongqing's main city, and to the south was a residential area. About one to two kilometers upstream was Chaotianmen, where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers converged.
This meant that the Dao Ren organization might approach from three directions tomorrow:
From the city banks or upstream.
However, since this meeting involved danger, their likely escape route would be downstream, to quickly break free from the police cordon.
With such a vast area, how could they contain this group within a controllable range?
What if Hu Jia was kidnapped, and they still couldn't catch the perpetrators?
To set up the surveillance, Ouyang Wen had also privately contacted some colleagues to borrow police resources.
"You must make sure everything is clearly explained. This operation must be kept secret; even your family cannot be told," Ouyang Wen solemnly instructed a colleague.
"Brother Wen, don't worry. But there's one thing I don't understand. Why don't you go through the city bureau to issue official documents? That way, you can mobilize more widespread police force," the person asked.
"Don't ask about this. Rest assured, I'll remember this favor, and you won't be at a disadvantage," Ouyang Wen did not answer directly. He also wanted to use the city bureau's power to mobilize the sub-bureaus for assistance, but he dared not.
After all, this involved the lives of the Hu family. Any leaked information would ruin everything.
Everyone was busy with their own tasks, planning their strategies. Only Lü Qingqing quietly stayed with Hu Jia. They looked at the sunlight streaming through the window, feeling the warmth brought by the slanting rays.
The sunlight was not as scorching as it was in August or September. Through the curtains, it cast fine lines on Lü Qingqing's face.
This scene felt familiar.
"Qing..."
Lü Qingqing paused. It had been a long time since Hu Jia had called her that.
Due to his amnesia, Hu Jia's address for her had never been consistent.
She vaguely remembered that when they first met, Hu Jia had called her that. Because of it, Lü Qingqing had been particularly upset and had insisted that Hu Jia change 'Qing' to 'Qingqing'.
"What did you call me?" Lü Qingqing suddenly felt that just calling her 'Qing' was also quite nice, as if it were an endearment.
Hu Jia's face flushed. He didn't know why he had suddenly called Lü Qingqing this way; it seemed to be from his subconscious, as if it were the correct way to address her.
"Qing..." Hu Jia called again.
Suddenly, Lü Qingqing leaned closer, and her soft lips lightly brushed Hu Jia's cheek.
She kissed him!