Chapter 2

Chu Huan did not give a clear answer, merely smiling slightly. His lips were somewhat pointed, and when he smiled, his eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of mischief. Coupled with a pair of rimless glasses, he resembled a legendary beast in human clothing.

"Quite particular," Old Wang remarked sarcastically, exhaling a long puff of smoke. "This time, the little devils are clearly targeting you. You know those two ghosts; they are both timid and rarely show themselves. If you miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come around, perhaps not until the Year of the Monkey or the Month of the Horse. I certainly do not wish to see the two of them meet their end."

On Chuan's bedside, a dim bedside lamp was lit, serving as the only source of light in the entire room; however, neither of the two had any objections regarding the lighting.

The guest scoffed, "No response, negative review"

This made his throat involuntarily roll— that thing could completely sever his head even before he was aware of it.

Chu Huan wore his signature mischievous smile on his face: "I might still be lacking a daughter-in-law"

Old Wang : `` ... ... ''

He has a premonition that, regardless of whether he is dead or alive, he will not return.

From beginning to end, Chu Huan did not even blink; he stood there straight, his eyes half-open, remaining indifferent.

Upon hearing these words, Chu Huan immediately tilted his head back in a show of respect, and moved his cervical spine back and forth, side to side, before announcing in a tone reminiscent of chanting: "Ah, I am dead"

These two demons are thoroughly wicked, involved in all sorts of businesses, but that is not the main concern—what is more alarming is that they are secretly funding several terrorist organizations, which are groups ready to blow up buildings and buses at any moment

Chu Huan wore a carefree and nonchalant smile, as if unaffected by the world around him

The notorious international criminal gang mentioned by Old Wang is referred to by different names in various countries, while it is generally known domestically as "Two Ghosts".

The box, upon opening, revealed many layers, containing a variety of items, including various old document bags and stacks of identification documents

Old Wang set aside his official demeanor, and his expression softened a bit: "How have you been lately?"

This normal hospitality gave Lao Wang a sense of "he has returned to normal," which brought him some comfort. He squinted as he looked at the cat climbing frame in Chu Huan's home and casually asked, "What is it?"

For this passerby, merely cutting the grass will not eradicate the roots, and it will inevitably poison future generations

Old Wang walked into the room. Although his expression was very relaxed, the muscles in his shoulders were tense. His gaze involuntarily swept across the entire space, finally landing on a prime feng shui spot. Without waiting for an invitation, he sat down by himself—this was a single small sofa placed alone in the corner against the wall. Sitting on it, his profile was pressed against the wall, allowing him to see everything outside through the gap in the curtains.

The absurdity of hospitality etiquette

Old Wang: "Retirement can still lead to re-employment, and with the arrival of the young, how far can the old be behind?"

Empty gun

At that time, Chu Aiguo was still so young

Chu Huan: "... ... Brother Wang, my cat is a male."

Old Wang had said all he could, and seeing that he still could not take it in, he was at a loss for what to do. He sighed, left him a gun and a few boxes of bullets, and patted Chu Huan on the shoulder: "You... sigh, take care."

Chu Huan leaned forward to take the cigarette case from Old Wang's pocket, lighting one for himself as well. The two men sat across from each other, separated by a fruit plate, enveloped in silence, competing in their refusal to speak.

Chu Huan pulled out a large fruit tray from under the coffee table and handed it to him, pushing the few lonely small apples together to make some space: "Here."

As long as the great demon does not perish for a day, everyone will remain in a state of unease for that day

The door emitted a soft sound, and Old Wang's ears involuntarily twitched. He noticed a faint beam of light swiftly flashing between the two doors at the height of his throat.

He was not serious at all, making normal communication nearly impossible. Old Wang, like an older brother, sincerely said: "I am not joking with you. You are still young, so don’t just stay cooped up at home all day. Once this matter is settled, I will help you with a job transfer to find a more relaxed position. How about working in an office? If you continue to isolate yourself like this, it will be easy for you to become depressed mentally"

Old Wang was taken aback for a moment, and then it seemed as if he understood something. He took half a step back and sighed: "You, as a person..."

Um... it seems to be "Dad and I"

Old Wang had taken over the magpie's nest, occupying his seat. Chu Huan paused for a moment, and out of politeness, did not speak up, but politely asked: "Would you like something to drink?"

Chu Huan took out a plastic beetle the size of a fingernail from the pocket of his pajamas, resembling a toy phone charm hanging from a mobile phone. He flipped open the wings of the beetle and was surprised to find that it contained a password device, with each numeric key being only the size of a grain of rice. Using the fingers of an adult man, Chu Huan was able to skillfully and swiftly input a sixteen-digit password on this incredibly tiny password device.

He skillfully entered the sixteen-digit password, and a flash of fluorescence appeared on the edge of the bed. The bed board, which was fifty centimeters thick, slowly cracked open, revealing a neatly arranged toolbox inside. Next to the box hung a military dagger, with a triangular blade, grayish-white in color, its edge devoid of any shine, silently and hoarsely standing there

Chu Huan spent quite a while organizing everything inside, and finally, he pulled out a photograph from the bottom of the box

Chu Huan silently smoked an entire cigarette down to the butt, staring blankly at the ash for a while, and then slowly said: "Oh, fine, then I will go meet my old acquaintances."

The well-dressed beast said slowly: "Old Wang, tilt your head back a little."

Chu Huan paused for a moment while holding the kettle, and after a long while, he let out a soft "hm". Lowering his gaze, he poured a cup of boiled water for his guest with the same seriousness as if he were brewing tea. After finishing, he flicked his wrist, and the water surface was perfectly level with the rim of the glass, neither a drop more nor a drop less.

"Quite good." Chu Huan deflected him with these two words. The man slightly stretched his long limbs, resembling a lazy lion basking in the sun, exuding the demeanor of a contented big cat. As he spoke, he slightly turned his head, directing his gaze towards the curtains, as if he could see the night scene of the entire city through the thick blackout fabric, yet he was unwilling to meet Old Wang's eyes.

Old Wang cleared his throat and candidly expressed his intention: "No more nonsense, I didn't come here to disturb you at this hour on purpose. There is an urgent matter that I must tell you immediately—'the little devil' is not dead, and it is said that he has already entered the country."

The only living creature in the room besides him, the big cat on top of the wardrobe, did not respond. Chu Huan then lowered his head, drew out his military dagger, and subsequently set everything else ablaze

Old Wang sensed his insincerity, and felt a slight heaviness in his heart. He advised, "If you have any requests in life, feel free to bring them up; the organization will do its utmost to accommodate you."

However, Chu Huan remembered that it was originally not a stain, but a line written in childish handwriting with a pencil. Over time, it had become smudged, but what was it that was written?

Old Wang leaned heavily against the back of the sofa, took out a cigarette case, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it: "Hey, where's the ashtray?"

Chu Huan gently placed the kettle on the soft mat at the corner of the table

Boiled water and tap water

After seeing the guests off, Chu Huan closed the door while whistling an untuned melody. He then walked back to the bedside, half-squatted down, and reached under the bed's edge, feeling around until he found a small switch. With a soft click, a small lid flipped out from the bed's edge, revealing a password dial underneath.

Even if this is the eighteenth floor

The incident of "Exorcising the Demons" successfully made the notorious "Two Demons" disappear from the international scene, though there were some shortcomings—one minor demon nearly perished but ultimately survived, while the major demon escaped

He held that photograph, lost in some unknown thoughts, kneeling for a long time on the cold floor

Old Wang raised his head and carefully scrutinized Chu Huan's home again—though it was called a home, it was merely a house. What kind of life does a bachelor, who dumps ash into a fruit bowl, lead? Even his toes could figure that out

Since I have already retired, I suppose I no longer need to be in charge of the reception

The photograph features a middle-aged man holding the hand of a small boy with a blank expression, whose back is smeared with an indistinguishable stain.

The guest lifted the brim of his hat, revealing a rugged face belonging to a middle-aged man. His gaze swept over Chu Huan, slicing through Chu Huan's flesh and bones like a knife, and he said sternly: "I know it is quite late now, but you should not be so unguarded."

Old Wang glared at him and said, "No one is going to matchmake for you; if you want a wife, you need to go out and look for one yourself. If you keep cooping yourself up in the house all day, I reckon you'll end up marrying a cat."

He agreed readily, and Old Wang was not surprised. The ghost-hunting operation back then was extremely brutal, resulting in countless sacrifices. Three years have passed, and no one desires to eliminate those two ghosts more than Chu Huan.

After a long while, a faint sound came from the top of the wardrobe, as if something had bumped into the metal frame above. Only then did Chu Huan come to his senses and turn his head to call out: "Dami?"

Three years ago, several countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia, after a long period of preparation and planning, finally launched the "Operation Ghost" in unison, simultaneously carrying out both counter-terrorism and capture efforts. Chu Huan, as the most crucial element of the entire operation, had infiltrated the "two ghosts" for as long as two and a half years, personally eliminating the "little ghost" and uncovering the lair of the "big ghost".

"Snap." Chu Huan winked at his guest, who was drenched in cold sweat, and then seemingly unguarded, turned around, leaving the unexpected visitor in the dead of night with a slender and haggard silhouette