The first floor of jiu lou is full of normal customers, citizens that are in good turns with the Qins, they might not be the richest or the most influential people in piao jie, but they all have their own capabilities and reasons to be able to have a seat here. Since this is a very private establishment and only selective customers can enter.

When I walk inside with nan a few eaters give me a curious look but turn back to dine after they saw nan walking beside me.

This floor is currently half full. I survey the surroundings to get a better understanding of this place. There are at least 80 to 100 diners, and about 10 of them are goons of the Qin family, they have finished all the meals on the table and are surveying the place like me, Same as the others as soon as they saw nan walking next to me, they avert their eyes.

I see guards with neckband headphones standing next to the stairs at north corner, end of the hallway, and entrance. So there are about 20 possibly armed guards on this floor.... plus, the one walking next to me. Fat chances of me escaping or fighting a way out of this place.

I take a closer look at the diners. They're all families, sitting around round wooden tables with a rotating tray on them. Mullet roe, prawns, sweet pork ribs, steamed fish. Typical delicacies in a Bando. Some families brought their kids too. One of them is playing knife fingies with a chopstick before his parents stop him.

***

Nan leads me to the end of the hallway where two guards quickly step aside. He pushes the door open and enters the kitchen area.

"Sorry, but we have to take the freight elevator. The guests above the first-floor value their privacies greatly."

"Makes no difference to me. But I can't help but felt unwelcome at the front gate."

"My apologies, those men were not informed that you're coming because my employer would like to keep this whole thing on a low profile, as for June....... It's her first day at work, surely you can understand."

"June is the receptionists name?"

"A nickname...... invented by me." He looks.... proud of it?

At the back of the kitchen area, nan opens another set of doors that leads to a small break room. An old man is smoking next to the freight elevator with a bored expression. After Nan gives him a small tip the old man opens the life with a key and leaves the room. Didn't even look at me.

Again, Nan gives me the 'please' sign.

The freight elevator is clearly a bit old and probably hasn't been used for a long time. Nan follows me inside and pushes the '6' button. The door slowly closes and with a concussion, it starts moving up.

He really doesn't want people to find out I'm here.

"Care to explain why we're sneaking around in your own house ?" Might as well see what I can fish out of him.

"Like I said, Mr.lee. My employer wants to keep this a low profile." The numbers on the display screen slowly go up.

"To the point, you got to bride your colleague to pretend he didn't see you?" He grins again.

"People gossip. My employer, and soon to be yours, don't like gossip."

Get the package, deliverer it, and get paid. That's it. The rest can go fuck itself for all I care.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"And who would that be ?"

"You'll see. Mr. Lee. You'll see." Still grinning. The display screen flickers as we reach the sixth floor. Exiting the lift, I found myself in some kind of storage room. Nan leads us to the western corner of the room where he opens an emergency exit that leads to stairways.

Greenlight barely illuminated the place.

Nan silently leads me upstairs to the top floor of jiu lou. He pushes the emergency door of the eighth floor open with a bit of effort. Warm yellow light poked into the emergency stairways.

***

The eighth floor looks like a palace. That's the only way to put it. The emergency door behind me closes and became a part of the wall. Camouflaged by the same red and gold paint as the rest of the hallway. Old Chinese paintings with 'gewu shenping' theme hangs on the wall. Blue and white porcelains are placed along the hallway, and the ceiling is painted with a giant golden dragon coiling in the sky.

I'm in the lair of dragons.

Three wooden doors on the left side of the hallway. Nan pays them no mind and leads me to a double black door with copper handles on the left side, near the end of the hallway. I'm a little disjointed but if memory serves me right that room is facing the street.

Nan stops before opening the door. And turn his head to look at me.

"I'll inform my employer that you're here. Please. Take a seat." He gestures at the wooden bench by the wall that looks more like a decoration than an actual bench.

"And please, don't go wandering around." His grin disappears. Now I see why he's always smiling. He looks like a demon when he's serious.

I nod. I already have enough on my plate. Got zero interest in more trouble.

Nan takes a deep breath before opening the doors and quickly closing them.

I seat down on the wooden bench.

Yep.

It's so damn uncomfortable.

I take another drag from my half-burned cig. Now that I got nothing to do I start reflecting on this whole thing. Vera was blackmailed by the fact that she spared me five years ago, people that was aware I was at the plaza that night was the two Chinese that I was concealing and possibly Vera's employer too.

Vix and Vel took care of the two Chinese (which includes my employer), which leaves only the possibility that their employer somehow finds out the fact that I was there, and I survived, or my employer told someone about me.

I shake my head. And take another smoke. How the Qins knew doesn't really matter. What matters is why don't they use their own people instead of finding a freelancer if it's just a delivery job?

And furthermore. Why me? Sure having dirt on my friend can make it easier to force me into working for them. Most of the mercs that are willing to take jobs from the Qins are piao jie oriented, which means they only take jobs from them (the so-called personal mercenaries).

Everyone else knows the Qins are fucking sharks and they hate working with outsiders. So why would they want a total stranger for the job?

As I was deep in thought a crackle came from the room behind me. Then a woman storms out and stops in front of me. She's in a red cheongsam which emphasizes her well-pronounced figure. Some parts of the dress are clearly converted, with a shorter hemline and sleeveless design. She's wearing a set of black fingerless long leather gloves which somehow don't look out of place.

I estimated she's about 170 cm. Her skin is extremely pale, maybe paler than Vera, She could be considered pretty if it weren't for her eyes and facial expression. Her brown eyes are sharper than the dagger hidden in my sleeve, they look angry at everything in this world. The way she walks, the frowning, and the tense expression all tells me she's a violent person.

A well-trained killer and she's having a bad day.

She stares at me with the full intention to kill.

"Is this a nonsmoking area ?" I raise my burned-out cigarette and ask in Chinese.

She snatches my cigarette with the speed of lightning and then finished it in one deep drag before flicking the end into one of the porcelains. I watch her disappear into one of the rooms on the right side of the hallway.

Seconds later, nan walks out.

"Mr. Lee." He nods at me. His grin is back.

"Sorry for my colleague's behaviors." He motions his head towards the doors to the right.

"It's fine. We all have bad days. So, may I meet my employer now?"

"Yes, of course." He opens the double door completely as I stand up from that uncomfortable bench. Just before entering. Nan grabs my arm. Grinning ear to ear as he speaks.

"Good luck. Mr. lee."