CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: STALKING

You Le followed the person from a distance, gradually leaving the street food alley and entering a quiet back alley.

This back alley was somewhat secluded, with the surrounding lights flickering on and off. The person ahead walked sporadically, occasionally glancing back with high vigilance.

Fortunately, You Le was wearing all black today, which allowed her to evade detection several times successfully.

After the last backward glance, the person finally stopped in front of a courtyard door and raised a hand to knock.

Soon, a man in a floral shirt, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, opened the door for him.

You Le scanned the surroundings, saw no one, and was just about to leave her cover to move forward when someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Who?"

Her body reacted faster than her mind, sending a punch backward, but it was easily deflected by two wooden chopsticks.

It was only then that You Le realized who was behind her, and she breathed a sigh of relief, "Sister Ning, you nearly scared me to death..."

"What are you doing?"

You Le quickly shushed her, pointing to the small courtyard ahead, and said, "I saw Wang Qiming."

Ever since Wang Qiming and his men injured her, it was as if he had vanished into thin air. You Le had tried to corner him several times, but to no avail. She never expected to see him here.

Ji Ning, holding a skewer of takoyaki, glanced at the small courtyard, "Where is this?"

"It should be the nightclub’s backyard. If we go around from here, the front is the main entrance of the nightclub."

"What’s the nightclub for?" Ji Ning asked while chewing on a takoyaki.

The aroma made You Le a bit hungry as well, so she averted her gaze and tried to refocus.

"It’s a place for drinking and dancing. Let’s go take a look first."

"Wait a moment."

Ji Ning stopped her again.

You Le looked at her in confusion, only to see Ji Ning flick her hand, sending a long shadow darting like lightning towards a certain spot. A "bang" followed, accompanied by the sound of glass shattering.

"Let’s go."

Eyes sparkling with admiration, You Le followed Ji Ning onward.

Among the shattered glass, a wooden chopstick was impaled into a small illuminated device.

There was actually a hidden surveillance camera here.

The two made their way from a small alley beside the nightclub to the front entrance, disguising themselves as patrons as they entered.

Pushing open the heavy soundproof door, they were instantly greeted by the powerful rhythm of dance music. Multicolored beams projected from above, illuminating excited, intoxicated faces.

The place was semi-underground, with a few steps leading down to a small circular second floor, which overlooked the dance floor swarming with people, like a scene of wild chaos brimming with excitement.

Around the dance floor were booths for drinking, and the second floor also had some half-enclosed booths, but those were fully occupied too, making it difficult to find someone.

You Le led Ji Ning to the railing on the second floor and shouted, "I’ll go down to find someone, you look up here."

Ji Ning stopped her again, pointing to a certain door on the second floor, replying, "Over there."

"What did you say? Speak louder."

Ji Ning patted her arm, signaling her to follow.

The door wasn’t noticeable, and when they got close, a server came up to inquire. You Le immediately said, "Where’s the restroom?"

The server pointed to the door opposite them.

You Le and Ji Ning had no choice but to abandon entering and first go to the restroom.

After coming out of the restroom, they nonchalantly approached a booth nearest to that door and ordered two bottles of beer from the bartender.

As You Le opened the bottle and was about to drink, Ji Ning stopped her.

"What’s wrong?"

Ji Ning pointed to the small words on the beer bottle: No drinking under 18.

You Le, who had lost count of how many times she’d drunk before, meekly put down the beer.

Ji Ning opened her bottle without drinking, held it up, and walked towards several booths, causing a series of screams with her quick and stealthy actions.

By the time she returned, the second-floor booths were already in chaos.

"Damn, who the hell splashed beer on me?"

"Damn it, who, which jerk did this?"

"Was it you?"

...

As the conflict erupted, the server on the side quickly stepped in to mediate, but still couldn’t stop the young men’s heated conflict.

Seeing the server guarding the small door also leave to mediate, Ji Ning and You Le quickly slipped through the inconspicuous door.

Inside the door, it was noticeably quieter, a passageway with white tiles and wallpapered walls on both sides. At the end was a door similar to the one outside, with an electronic surveillance camera above it. The two acted as if they were drunkenly stumbling in.

Just halfway there, a burly man in a security uniform emerged from the door at the end.

"Guests, this is a work area and entry is not allowed."

You Le pretended to be drunk and slurred, "Why can’t we go in, I need to use the toilet."

"The restrooms aren’t here. Let me take you both there." The security guard amiably walked over to help them out, but suddenly felt a pain at the back of his head and lost consciousness.

You Le looked on in shock as the petite Ji Ning knocked out a man a full head taller than her with a single karate chop, even supporting his body with one hand to gently lay him down.

Are the security guards here really so fragile?

Ji Ning took the walkie-talkie and access card from him, swiping the card to open the door at the end.

"Follow me."

Inside the door was still a passageway, walls on both sides, another door at the end, but right at the entrance was a small room full of surveillance screens, about a dozen, with one screen blacked out.

"Drag that guy from outside in here."

As You Le dragged the man in, Ji Ning was already sitting by the monitors, watching the situation in a certain room.

"This is..."

You Le’s expression instantly turned serious.

Inside the room, Wang Qiming and a group were discussing something, with several boxes on the table beside them, clearly engaged in some transaction.

You Le quickly pulled out her phone to record the screen, but unexpectedly, after only a few seconds of recording, the people on the monitor quickly closed the boxes and got up to leave.

Ji Ning squinted slightly, immediately standing up, "We’ve been discovered."

"How?" Unaware of the situation, You Le was pushed out of the monitoring room by Ji Ning.

Ji Ning somehow produced two scarves, one to cover her face, the other handed to You Le.

Just as they opened the access door, a group of men with hostile expressions rushed through the door leading outside at the opposite end of the passageway.

Each one was burly and not lacking in aura.

"Over here, catch them quickly!"

But as the words fell, a shadow flashed past this group, followed by a sharp pain in their abdomen, bringing them to their knees.

You Le was in shock, following Ji Ning as they charged out through the nightclub’s main entrance.

The nightclub had many thugs, not only inside but outside as well, each one fierce, even armed with knives and baseball bats.

Ji Ning pressed her lips tightly, glanced at a corner behind them, and took down a pursuing thug with an effortless motion.

"You go first! I’ll come right after." Ji Ning gave You Le a hard shove, pushing her out of a certain metallic enclosure.

But You Le didn’t want to leave Ji Ning alone, so she picked up a stick from the ground and turned back.

Ji Ning’s expression darkened, her black pupils becoming even more profound, swinging a stick towards the air by You Le’s ear, accompanied by a crisp metallic collision.

You Le was instantly at a loss, and Ji Ning gave her another push, "Go quickly!"

Just then, a female voice called from the front, "You two, get on!"

A heavy motorcycle suddenly roared forward, taking down several thugs with a tail spin. Upon recognizing the newcomer, You Le quickly grabbed Ji Ning and rushed toward the motorcycle.

"Let’s go together!"