EM Chapter 12. Night Raid

After just two days of dealing with Fu Shanming, Xiao Mingxuan’s cover was blown. He nearly got wiped out, and the situation looked grim. When Song Feng heard the news, he was completely stunned. He seriously thought there was something wrong with his hearing.

Did he piss off Fu Shanming just because he refused to have sex with him?”

On the other end, Wang Yizhong nearly coughed up blood.

“For god’s sake, he’s been a drug lord for almost two years. What kind of scene hasn’t he handled? If he can’t even fake it for a mission, he might as well be dead.”

Song Feng asked calmly, “If he’s been undercover that long, how did he not last even two days this time?”

“It’s not his fault. In the last op, we had a Thai undercover cop involved,” Wang Yizhong explained quickly. “Somehow that guy ended up in Fu Shanming’s hands, and his cover got blown. Fu Shanming never trusted Xiao Mingxuan to begin with.”

“So he basically walked into a trap,” Song Feng muttered. His temples throbbed. When it came down to it, this was still because of that damn report. If not for him, Xiao Mingxuan wouldn’t have been sent here in the first place.

He let out a quiet breath.

“How long has he been out of contact?”

“Almost six hours.”

“I understand. I’ll figure out a way to get him out. Send me the info.”

“I’ll give you an address. Go meet with the local team. They’ll explain everything.” Wang Yizhong paused for a moment. “Be careful. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Song Feng gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgment and hung up the phone. He walked into a nearby store and bought a set of clothing and shoes suited for movement.

A moment later, Wang Yizhong’s message came through. Song Feng glanced down at the screen, then got into a cab. After circling the area to check for anything suspicious, he got off in a quieter corner and proceeded on foot.

The address led to a run-down apartment. The wooden staircase creaked under his steps as he climbed to the third floor. He knocked on the door.

After a brief pause, a voice called out in English from inside.

“Who is it?”

Song Feng replied in Chinese,

“Wang sent me to help.”

There was a short pause on the other side. Then the door opened.

Everyone inside immediately tensed up. In that instant, Song Feng caught sight of at least three black gun barrels aimed his way.

The man who opened the door was young. When he saw Song Feng, he looked surprised.

“It’s you?”

Song Feng walked in and looked at him in confusion. “We’ve met?”

The man closed the door and shook his head slightly. “No. I’ve seen you. After the shootout that day, you were carried into the hospital on a stretcher.”

Song Feng gave a dry cough. “Oh.”

He took a moment to observe the people in the room. The one who had spoken was probably the agent Wang Yizhong had mentioned. Two others looked like soldiers, all three with varying degrees of visible injury. The last two, both unhurt, seemed to be Thai.

“I’m Yu Bai,” the young man introduced himself.

He quickly explained the situation. During the chaos, they had managed to rescue the captured Thai police officer. Reinforcements from Thailand happened to arrive around the same time, and the two sides joined forces. The officer had since been escorted home, and the two Thai agents had stayed behind to assist them.

Song Feng studied the map of Fu Shanming’s villa carefully, then looked at the marked locations.

“Is he still inside?”

“Yeah. We’ve had someone watching. No movement so far.”

“Who’s on watch?”

One of the soldiers responded at once. “Our captain.”

“Fu Shanming is inside too?”

“Yes.”

Song Feng nodded and thought for a moment. Then he began checking their weapons and asking about their specialties.

“Do you have any comms?”

Yu Bai turned to check. “Yeah, we’ve got four left.”

“That’s enough. Give me one.” Song Feng took a unit, strapped it on, and glanced at the time. “We head out now. We’ll reach the villa a little after eleven.”

Yu Bai couldn’t help asking, “What’s your plan?”

Song Feng picked out a handgun, fitted a suppressor onto it, and tucked it into the back of his waistband. Then he grabbed a combat knife and slid it into the high-top boot on his leg. “I’ll sneak in. You all stay outside and cover me.”

“Are you crazy?”

“I’m not. Too many people will just get in the way.” Song Feng stood up. “Just follow my orders when the time comes. Don’t screw it up.”

Yu Bai still looked unsure. “Can you pull it off?”

“Probably. I’ll explain the details in the car. Let’s go.”

They drove to the area near Fu Shanming’s villa and linked up with the captain of the special forces unit. Song Feng distributed the comms units to Yu Bai, the captain, and the sniper positioned at the high point.

Yu Bai connected to the system and adjusted it a couple of times. “We’re good. Comms are live.”

Song Feng nodded and turned to the sniper. “Take out the surveillance camera I marked on the map.”

A few seconds later, the sniper reported, “Done.”

Song Feng responded calmly. “Keep an eye on that spot. Let me know when everyone moves away from it.”

They waited for several minutes. Then the sniper’s voice came through again. “Got movement. Seven targets.”

Song Feng moved in with one soldier, keeping low as they approached the outer wall. He spoke into the comm, “Captain, you’re up. Make it last.”

The captain gave a brief reply. Moments later, gunfire broke out at the far end. First came a few sharp bursts, then a storm of bullets

The sniper quickly updated, “Five of them are moving toward the fight. Two are still standing guard.”

Song Feng didn’t hesitate. “Take them out.”

“Done.”

Song Feng made a split-second decision. He vaulted over the wall with the soldier beside him and ran toward the corner. The soldier pressed himself against the wall and cupped his hands together. Song Feng took two running steps, stepped onto the soldier’s hands for leverage, and launched upward.

As he rose, he grabbed the cover of the central air duct and yanked it open with one hand. On the way down, his fingers caught the edge, and he hauled himself up, slowly crawling inside.

“Do your best to draw their attention. Stay safe. If it doesn’t work, fall back.”

“Understood.”

Song Feng left him behind and began inching forward through the duct. It was a tight fit, but he was slim enough that it didn’t pose too much of a problem. He crawled slowly toward the light ahead. It opened out over the second-floor hallway. Two men were standing outside a door, knocking.

Song Feng waited. A moment later, the door opened.

Fu Shanming stood in the doorway, his white bathrobe stained with a bit of blood. His face was expressionless as he listened to what the two men had to say. Then he gave a few brief instructions. The men nodded and left. Fu Shanming closed the door behind them and went back inside.

Silently counting in his head, Song Feng waited until he was sure they were gone. Then he carefully lifted the vent cover and dropped down. His landing made no sound at all.

“I just saw Fu Shanming. If nothing’s gone wrong, the boss should be in that room too. Looks like it’s just the two of them,” he said in a low voice.

“That’s great,” Yu Bai replied, unable to hide his excitement. Then he added, “But be careful.”

“It’s not really about being careful…” Song Feng strolled leisurely toward the door. “I mean, what if I open the door and they’re in the middle of fucking? What do I do then?”

The other end of the line fell into an almost eerie silence. Only scattered gunfire could be heard in the background.

“That—” After a long pause, Yu Bai finally spoke. His voice sounded like he’d just swallowed a fly. He let out a dry laugh. “That can’t happen… right?”

“Who knows,” Song Feng replied cheerfully. He pulled the combat knife from his boot, stepped up to the door, and knocked.

A few seconds later, Fu Shanming appeared in the doorway, holding a whip in his hand. He froze for a second, then suddenly snapped out of it.

“You—!”

Song Feng struck the moment the door opened. Before Fu Shanming could finish his words, Song Feng was already past him.

Fu Shanming’s reflexes were decent, but he was still a level below Song Feng. Seeing him close in, he cursed inwardly and swung the whip hard with full force.

Song Feng didn’t flinch. He raised a hand and caught it bare.

The whip cracked against his palm, sending a sharp sting through his nerves, but he didn’t so much as blink. His knee came up fast, driving hard into Fu Shanming’s stomach. The blow landed solid, knocking the breath from him. Fu Shanming let out a grunt and doubled over.

Song Feng immediately locked his arms behind him and used the whip to bind them tight. He let out a breath and spoke into the comms.

“Captain, pull back.”

“Copy.”

Song Feng listened to the sounds downstairs. Then he kicked the door shut and dragged Fu Shanming into the room.

He turned his head and saw Xiao Mingxuan hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room, shirtless, his chest covered in bloodied whip marks.

“You…” Xiao Mingxuan’s face was pale, but his eyes were calm as he stared at the man in front of him. He had imagined many outcomes, but never this one. He never thought this man would come to rescue him.

At a time he couldn’t have predicted, in a way he couldn’t have imagined, Song Feng had returned, forceful and unstoppable, right in front of him.

Song Feng didn’t have time to admire the scene. He freed one hand, sliced through the rope, and was about to speak when the door suddenly burst open behind him.

He pressed the combat knife to Fu Shanming’s throat and looked calmly at the men rushing in. Then he leaned in close to Fu Shanming’s ear.

“Hi, sweetheart. We meet again. For old times’ sake, how about you tell your men to back off?”

Fu Shanming’s eyes were gleaming, a twisted grin spreading across his face.
“So that was you… in Myanmar too?”

“I’m touched you still remember me,” Song Feng said with a cheerful smile. He pressed the blade a little deeper, and blood immediately began to trickle out. “Now, call them off. Unless you really want this to end with all of us dying. Sound good?”

Fu Shanming’s smile deepened. “Sounds fun.”

“Mm, sure,” Song Feng nodded. “Then we’ll both be dead, and you can forget about getting revenge for those two times I fucked you over.”

Fu Shanming’s expression changed. Song Feng didn’t wait. He pressed the knife even harder.

“Wait!” someone at the door shouted in a panic. “What do you want?”

“You’ll all put your weapons down. We’re all bodyguards here. You should understand how this goes,” Song Feng said pleasantly as he looked at them. “I’m here to save my boss, you’re here to save yours. Seems fair, doesn’t it?”

As he spoke, his right hand shifted slightly. A fresh cut appeared on Fu Shanming’s neck.

Fu Shanming sucked in a breath, his face twisting further. Through clenched teeth, he growled, “Drop them.”

The men obeyed. One after another, their guns hit the floor.

“No, we’re not done yet,” Song Feng said, narrowing his eyes, his tone still almost gentle. “Now, take off your clothes. Everything. Underwear and socks included. Did I make myself clear?”

The men’s expressions darkened to the point where it looked like they could wring water from the air.

Song Feng didn’t care. His hand tightened.

Fu Shanming spoke again, voice low and guttural. “Do as he says.”

He bit each word out slowly, eyes filled with venom.

“You better pray I never get my hands on you. I’ll make you wish you were dead.”

Song Feng gave a light laugh. “Naturally. Once tonight’s over, we’ll call it even. And I’ll stay far, far away from you.”

Xiao Mingxuan was flexing his wrists. They had been tied up so long that they had gone numb. As he stepped behind Song Feng, his eyes caught on something.

The man was wearing a tight black T-shirt. On his left shoulder, a dark patch was spreading.

That wasn’t sweat.

His stomach sank. He’s hurt?