Chapter 12: Uncle Zhang

Ye Tianyi raised her gun and looked carefully; the worry in her eyes instantly turned to delight.

She jogged over to Han Feng, surveying him from head to toe. His jacket remained relatively clean, but his trousers were stained with grime and blood, prompting her concern to resurface. "Are you all right? Why is there so much blood on you?"

"I'm fine. It's all the enemy's blood," Han Feng replied with a slight smile. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out Barlow’s portable neural computer, handing it to Ye Tianyi. "Here, take a look. This belonged to the pirate leader. I've already cracked the password."

Ye Tianyi accepted the device with apprehension. She opened the communication log and quickly spotted a contact labeled "King."

Opening the message, she found a precise location—exactly where they were now—along with a terse line: "Target is here. Hurry!"

She took a deep breath, forcing out the knot in her chest. Ye Tianyi was baffled—how could the location signal, supposedly accessible only to her parents, appear on a pirate's neural computer?

"King" was most likely Uncle Wang Ye, but how had he obtained the information?

Could her parents have been kidnapped as well?

But her father was away on business in the Empire of Eternal Day, accompanied by a formidable security team. Her mother was at home, even safer, in the capital of the Rising Dragon Republic—the most secure city in the universe.

So how had her location been leaked?

No matter how hard she thought, Ye Tianyi was unable to make sense of it.

As she pondered, the rapid “thump-thump-thump” of helicopter blades came from outside.

Looking out from the secret room’s doorway, she saw a civilian helicopter settling down on a patch of relatively flat ground beside the villa.

A white-haired old gentleman stepped out of the helicopter. Though he appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, he was energetic and alert, his thinning hair meticulously combed. He wore a dark blue, old-fashioned suit with frayed cuffs from long use, yet his brown pointed leather shoes gleamed. His attire was not expensive, but it was dignified and fitting.

He surveyed his surroundings—the villa’s roof partially collapsed, traces of battle everywhere—yet his expression remained as calm as still water. Leaning on a black cane inlaid with silver patterns, he walked slowly toward the devastated villa.

"That's Uncle Zhang! Uncle Zhang has come for me!" Ye Tianyi, recognizing the newcomer, nearly leaped with excitement and turned to run to him.

"Wait, who is Uncle Zhang?" Han Feng caught her arm, glancing back at the old man.

"Uncle Zhang is the butler who raised me! He’s been with my father since our family was just a small company—my father’s most trusted confidant, practically a founding member! He’s doted on me since I was little—he spent more time with me than my own father!" Ye Tianyi explained patiently, knowing Han Feng was only concerned for her safety.

Satisfied, Han Feng released her arm. Ye Tianyi ran toward Uncle Zhang like a jubilant bird.

Han Feng slung his alloy greatsword over his back and followed her outside.

"Uncle Zhang! You’re finally here! I was so scared!" Ye Tianyi cried, flinging herself into the old man’s arms like a child returning home.

"Don’t be afraid, miss. I’m here now," Uncle Zhang soothed, patting her gently. "Tell me what happened. As soon as your mother sent the emergency signal, I came straight away."

"I went to the bar for a drink and got kidnapped by pirates! If it hadn’t been for Han Feng, who knows where I’d be now!" Ye Tianyi released Uncle Zhang, clung to his arm, and pointed to Han Feng. "That’s Han Feng—he saved my life!"

"Thank you, young man." Han Feng gave a cordial nod.

Uncle Zhang’s shrewd eyes assessed Han Feng. Placing one arm across his chest, he bowed slightly. "You have my deepest gratitude. I came in such a hurry; we are unprepared to offer our thanks, but you will be well rewarded."

"It was nothing," Han Feng replied simply.

"Come, miss, let’s go home. You mustn’t go running off alone again. This time you were lucky, but if something truly happened to you, how would your parents bear it? Madam is worried sick—she’s lost her appetite, can’t sleep at night, and asks me at least eight hundred times a day whether we’ve found you yet..." Uncle Zhang rambled on.

"I know, I’ll never do this again. It’s time to go home. Uncle Zhang, wait just a moment." Ye Tianyi let go of his arm and turned to Han Feng.

She lifted Han Feng’s arm, opened his neural computer, and entered her own number into his contacts. Her smile was radiant as a summer bloom. "Here’s my contact number. If you ever come to Dragon City, don’t forget to call me."

"All right. If I ever make it to Dragon City, I’ll come mooch a meal off you," Han Feng joked.

"No problem! Thanks again! I’m off—goodbye!" Ye Tianyi waved cheerfully, took Uncle Zhang’s arm, and walked toward the helicopter.

Han Feng watched her graceful figure depart, a twinge of regret in his heart. Alas, the hero and the rescued maiden weren’t fated for a storybook ending.

He was puzzled. He remembered his mission objective clearly: "Rescue the kidnapped girl in danger and ensure her safety until her family arrives."

By all rights, her family had come for her—that should mean the mission was complete. When Uncle Zhang first arrived, there was no completion notification. Han Feng had thought perhaps he needed to hand Ye Tianyi over to Uncle Zhang personally.

But now, with her family there and already taking her away, why was the mission still not marked as finished?

There could only be one explanation: Uncle Zhang was not the "family" referenced in the mission objective.

As they turned to leave, Han Feng recalled the odd look Uncle Zhang had given Ye Tianyi. He’d dismissed it at first—it was, after all, someone she trusted deeply.

But now, thinking back, he understood what was hidden in that glance—it was the gaze of a hunter who’d successfully cornered his prey.

Though the hint of menace had flashed through Uncle Zhang’s otherwise gentle and loving expression for just an instant, Han Feng had caught it with his keen perception.

Something was wrong!

Ye Tianyi was in danger!

By then, Ye Tianyi and Uncle Zhang had already boarded the helicopter. She noticed a man in a suit and round-topped hat sitting in the rear. His head was lowered, the brim pulled low, obscuring most of his face.

As she climbed aboard, the man lifted his head, revealing a face both familiar and terrifying to Ye Tianyi!