Futile Devices Scans

“Chuanqi Town, Shunyi Inn, Wei Hua.”

The screen went dark. The message from the unknown number vanished with the fading light, swallowed by darkness.

The temperature difference between indoors and outdoors had fogged the window with condensation. Xue Bao Tian wiped at it with his hand, pressed his eyes against the cold glass, and through the cleared oval patch saw the building across the street.

Shunyi Inn.

Green signboard, red lettering. Two stories tall. Twelve windows on one side—counting the back, there should be twenty-four rooms total.

He stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth while wiping away the newly formed fog again, squinting toward the windows opposite him.

“What’re you staring at, Brother?”

The owner of the small restaurant leaned across from him. Using his grease-shiny sleeve, he rubbed another clear patch into the glass and pressed his nose against it.

“You’ve been watching for two days now. What, your wife cheating on you?”

Xue Bao Tian sliced him a look sharp enough to peel skin.

The owner, clearly a fan of crime dramas, immediately got excited.

“Wait… are you a cop? Stakeout?”

Xue Bao Tian stuffed another bite of bun into his mouth, chewing slowly before curling a finger at him.

“Investigation.” He leaned close and whispered into the man’s ear, “Help out a little. Once the case is solved, the county’ll probably commend you.”

“You’re from the county…?” The owner glanced around cautiously, then mimed a gun with his fingers.

Xue Bao Tian neither confirmed nor denied it, merely raising a finger to his lips theatrically.

“Got it, got it.” The owner rubbed his hands on his pants excitedly, spun in place once, then rushed to the kitchen and returned carrying a plate of sauced beef.

Xue Bao Tian glanced at it righteously. “The organization forbids taking even a needle or thread from the people.”

“Understood, understood. This is complimentary food from the restaurant. Has nothing to do with the organization.” The owner snapped apart a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them over, whispering carefully, “Comrade, what kind of case is it?”

Xue Bao Tian picked up a slice of beef and shoved it into his mouth, eyes still fixed on the inn opposite as he chewed.

“Seen a tall skinny guy around lately? Wears glasses. Looks like the scholarly-scumbag type. Going in or out of that inn?”

The owner thought about it, then shook his head.

“Too cold lately. Business’s been dead. Haven’t paid attention.”

“What’d he do?” The owner dragged a finger across his throat. “This kinda thing?”

Xue Bao Tian snorted with laughter and finally glanced at him.

“Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t ask.”

The moment he turned away, a figure flashed through his peripheral vision. Someone pushed open the inn’s door and slipped inside quickly.

Xue Bao Tian immediately wiped the fog from the window again, but by the time his eyes pressed to the glass, all he saw was the still-vibrating door swinging shut.

“How is it him…?!”

“What happened?” The owner got nervous too.

Xue Bao Tian’s expression turned ugly. He sat frozen for a long moment before grabbing his backpack and silently leaving the restaurant.

The sky was overcast. Snowstorm coming. This wasn’t the main street either, so naturally there were few pedestrians.

Xue Bao Tian glanced toward Shunyi Inn, lit a cigarette, pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, and started walking toward the edge of town.

“No more stakeout?” The owner hurried after him in a padded coat, looking worried. “Situation changed?”

Hot breath and cigarette smoke gathered heavily before Xue Bao Tian’s lips.

“Mm.” He muttered lowly while trying to think of an excuse to dismiss the man.

Before he could—

Boom!

Both of them whipped around.

The front door of Shunyi Inn burst open violently from the inside. A man came tumbling out like a human cannonball, rolling down all three front steps before crashing heavily onto the ground.

Xue Bao Tian removed the cigarette from his mouth, staring blankly at the scene before him.

Sounds of fighting still echoed from inside the inn. The man who had rolled outside took a long moment before forcing himself upright, cursing viciously as he charged back in.

The sounds of fighting grew even fiercer.

Xue Bao Tian lowered his eyes and took another drag from his cigarette. His fingers pinched the cigarette so hard it nearly snapped, knuckles paling white.

Crash!

A first-floor window exploded outward under a massive impact. Shards of glass sprayed through the air carrying cold flashes of light, their sharp edges sinking instantly into the snow like bullets.

“Fuck!”

Throwing away the cigarette, Xue Bao Tian abruptly lifted his narrow eyes. Pulling an electric baton from his pocket, he gripped it tightly and stopped hesitating altogether, sprinting toward the inn.

The owner froze briefly before reacting too. He grabbed a snow shovel from the roadside and rushed after him.

The moment they burst through the inn doors, chaos greeted them.

Overturned tables and sofas. A crooked front desk. Smashed flowerpots. A mirror cracked like a spiderweb. The small lobby was completely destroyed.

The sounds of fighting came from deeper inside.

Kicking an overturned sofa aside, Xue Bao Tian hurried toward the noise. The hallway was dim, every room shut tight except for one at the very end, whose door hung half-open. Yellow light and shouting poured out from within.

The people fighting inside were all extremely familiar.

Scarface Slicked-Back Hair and his lackeys.

And another even more familiar figure—someone identifiable from just the amount of flesh hanging below his waist alone even without clothes on.

Yan Ye.

At that moment, Yan Ye had Scarface’s arm twisted backward while gripping his heavily waxed hair with the other hand, forcing him face-first toward the shattered glass coffee table.

The glass surface was dark and cracked, but the jagged edges glinted with cold light.

Scarface’s head was yanked back by the hair, throat exposed, inch by inch pressed closer toward that deadly edge.

The half-open door concealed Xue Bao Tian’s presence, but it couldn’t conceal the familiar voice that no longer sounded gentle.

Like glass scraping across rough stone, it carried terrifying coldness.

“Where’s Xue Bao Tian? Tell me where you took Xue Bao Tian.”

“How the fuck would I know where he is? If you’ve got the balls, kill me today! Ahhh!”

The scream coincided with the door being shoved fully open.

Everyone inside jolted.

Four or five gazes shot toward the entrance simultaneously.

Yan Ye’s was the most shocked.

“Two Hundred!”

The force in his hands loosened instinctively. Scarface seized the chance to break free, but in his desperation his left hand slammed into frosted glass, slicing his palm bloody.

Clutching the injured hand, humiliated, Scarface roared, “What the fuck are you staring at?! Get those two!”

The lackeys all had weapons. Earlier, with Scarface restrained, none dared move recklessly. Now they surged forward together, clubs and batons swinging.

They had already learned how dangerous Yan Ye was, so instead they all focused on Xue Bao Tian.

Xue Bao Tian was no fighter. Against normal people he’d already struggle fifty-fifty. Against trained thugs, he could only wildly swing the stun baton around.

By sheer luck he electrocuted one man, sending him convulsing to the ground.

Meanwhile Yan Ye dropped another thug on the outside edge of the fight. The large man crashed to his knees, grimacing in pain.

Another immediately lunged at Yan Ye. As they grappled fiercely, Yan Ye’s gaze accidentally swept across a wall mirror.

The reflected image of a raised wooden club instantly chilled his blood.

He spun around and shouted—

“Two Hundred, watch out!”

Scarface raised the club high with his one remaining usable hand and brought it down viciously.

The sound of wood striking flesh rippled through the air like expanding waves, carrying far into the distance.

Yet the muffled grunt of pain remained trapped within the mouth that made it, heard only beside Xue Bao Tian’s ear.

“Zhang Chi!”

Xue Bao Tian was pulled tighter into someone’s arms…

The room was still in chaos.

Scarface’s injured hand was now wrapped in bandages. Though smiling, coldness remained hidden in his eyes.

“President Yan, if you’d introduced yourself earlier, none of this misunderstanding would’ve happened.”

Xue Bao Tian sat in the room’s only chair with one leg crossed over the other. Standing beside him, Yan Ye replied slowly:

“Does Yanyue Security even deserve Brother Bai’s notice?”

Though the words carried faint mockery, his voice had returned to gentle calm, completely different from the terrifying fury earlier when he’d shielded Xue Bao Tian in his arms and exploded with violence after taking that heavy blow to the back.

Xue Bao Tian knew he hadn’t imagined it.

In that instant, inside Yan Ye’s constricted pupils, he had seen bloodthirsty savagery hidden for a very long time.

“What’re you saying, President Yan? Even Boss Wang respects Yanyue Security’s reputation. Who am I to embarrass myself in front of you?” Scarface glanced at the calmly seated Xue Bao Tian. “Young Master really has connections. To have President Yan protecting him like this.”

Xue Bao Tian flicked ash lazily and smiled.

“President Yan used to work as my bodyguard. He’s just sentimental. Unlike certain people who only know how to kick others while they’re down.”

He tilted his chin toward Scarface.

“So what’re you doing in this godforsaken place, Brother Bai? You sent that message too, didn’t you?”

“If we wanted to see Young Master, we could’ve done it in Yan City. No need to lure you out here. We were just passing through on business and happened to stay here.”

Xue Bao Tian exhaled smoke toward the ceiling.

“I never even mentioned what kind of message it was, yet Brother Bai already knows it lured me here? Pretty impressive.”

He rose and brushed dust from his clothes after the fight.

“I’m tired today. Whatever it is, we’ll talk back in Yan City.”

“Young Master.” Scarface called out darkly behind them. “If you can afford President Yan as a bodyguard, then Boss Wang’s money shouldn’t be much trouble either, right?”

Xue Bao Tian’s steps paused slightly.

Yan Ye, who had been silently following behind him, turned toward Scarface and said calmly:

“If there’s an issue, let Boss Wang speak directly to my boss. You’re not qualified.”

His broad palm rested lightly against Xue Bao Tian’s thin back, nudging him forward.

“Let’s go, Vice President Xue.”

Chuanqi Town lay more than four hundred li from Yan City, over an hour from the nearest county seat. The land was barren, resources scarce. Only two main streets crossed the town, with scattered homes beyond them.

An anonymous message. A message whose authenticity was impossible to verify.

Even knowing it might be a trap, Xue Bao Tian had still braved the storm to come here, unwilling to miss the only lead he had.

Now he knew.

It had indeed been fake.

The sky had already darkened. Snow fell steadily, appearing even lonelier against the deep black heavens.

Shoes crunched against snow.

The same footsteps continued behind him. Xue Bao Tian didn’t turn around, and the person behind him kept following.

“Officer—uh, no, Comrade Officer.”

The one who broke the silence was the restaurant owner from across the inn. Still dragging the snow shovel behind him, he emerged awkwardly from roadside shadows.

“You finished your mission?” He looked embarrassed. “I wasn’t chickening out. I just didn’t want to ruin your plan, so I stayed outside in case I needed to call your coworkers.”

Xue Bao Tian patted his shoulder casually.

“You did great.”

Only then did he finally turn to glance at Yan Ye, crooking a finger.

“Wallet.”

Yan Ye paused before immediately pulling out his wallet and handing it over.

Xue Bao Tian extracted several large bills and shoved them into the owner’s hands.

“Reward. Take it.”

The owner beamed with delight, declaring he’d frame the money and hang it on the wall, then pass it down to his son one day as proof of his father’s glory.

The scraping sound of the shovel gradually faded away.

Xue Bao Tian tossed the wallet back to Yan Ye and, for the first time that day, looked him directly in the eyes.

Coldly, he asked:

“You saved me again today. Do you need me to sleep with you to repay you?”

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