"How long have you been here?"
"I’ve been scraping by here since I was a child. I started mixing drinks at one, rolling dice at two, hosting at three, and running the bar by four. No one knows this place better than I do."
"What is your name?"
"Wumingzi."
"Wait... Hahaha..."
"Why are you here, Big Brother? Is something the matter?"
"If Big Brother tells you, will you help him?"
"I will."
"Good. Then help me find someone..."
Lin Fan produced the portrait he was holding. Wumingzi’s mind raced.
"A dancer?"
"Zhaozhao, we have a guest!"
A manager at Blue Sky Bar shouted at the little boy.
The boy turned, handed the golden dog over to a nearby pet hospital, and waved at Lin Fan. He then turned and handed Lin Fan a black card.
"Big Brother, I have to work now, but I’ll find you when I’m free. Here’s a little token of my appreciation. It’s a private black card for Blue Sky Bar. My father secretly sent it to me, and it’s no use to me. You take it."
"Uh..."
Lin Fan looked at the glittering, six-star black card in his hand and bit it.
"...Platinum!"
Who was the person trying to kill him? How did they know that his childhood trauma involved a yellow dog? And how could they so precisely target his psychological weaknesses? He felt as though he were very familiar with the killer, yet he had no idea who it was!
"Hmph, hmph, hmph..."
The baby piglet in his arms seemed to sense something. It burrowed into Lin Fan’s pocket in terror.
In the distance, the sound of anxious footsteps approached.
"We’ve received notice from above: order to investigate every man wearing a delivery uniform! Anyone around twenty years old—kill them all!"
Several vans were opened, and a group of young men in delivery uniforms, clutching their heads in fear, were dragged into a small door behind the bar.
Lin Fan seemed to recall something. Just as he was about to follow, he was blocked.
"Off with you! Where did this country bumpkin come from? Can't you see this area is off-limits?"
A middle-aged woman in a red dress—her figure squeezed into the dress like a caterpillar—sat to the side, cracking sunflower seeds. She had short hair and a mole at the corner of her mouth.
"Big Sister, I wanted to ask, is this place newly opened? I’ve never seen it before. What happened here? You’re so smart and beautiful, you must know."
Having been complimented for the first time, the woman rolled her eyes at Lin Fan, then smiled bashfully.
"At my age, I’m hardly beautiful. Want a seed?"
Lin Fan looked at the seeds she held out, grabbed two handfuls, stuffed them into his pocket, and started snacking while he chatted. "You, you should ask less about these things. Our boss ordered it, and we don't really know much ourselves. It seems like a killer infiltrated the place and injured the boss's 'family jewels' a few days ago! That was truly ruthless! I don't know what kind of divine figure that delivery man is to have gotten so close to the boss. The boss’s personal bodyguards are on duty 24/7, and I heard he even snatched Bai Aoxue right out of the boss's arms. The ten bodyguards outside didn't even notice."
"That’s no reason to arrest so many delivery drivers!"
"It’s a case of better to kill the innocent than let one slip through the net. Today, our boss is hosting the master of the Nether Pavilion to jointly capture the killer. It seems they've already caught him."
Lin Fan frowned.
"Alright, that's enough out of me. In any case, don't ask, and you aren't getting in there."
Lin Fan looked at the slightly ajar door behind the woman. He reached out to grab the black card, but was stopped by a child's milky voice.
"Auntie Red! This brother is my friend!"
Hearing Zhaozhao’s order, Auntie Red looked annoyed, but opened the door to let him pass.
"Zhaozhao, the boss said no one is allowed in without his order."
"It's fine, Auntie Red. He's my friend."
Lin Fan nodded at Wumingzi in the distance and snuck into the back door. Through a crack in the door, he saw his good friends, Liu Tao and Zhang Wei—buddies he’d made while delivering food. They used to eat and sleep together; Liu Tao was the kind of friend who would split a single bun in half to share with him.
Seeing his friends injured, Lin Fan felt sick to his stomach. He scanned his surroundings. People were arriving one after another at the entrance of Blue Sky Bar. The Dragon-Tiger Gang and the Nether Pavilion had sent men—there were at least a thousand people gathered here. If he acted now, he would inevitably alert the enemy, and it would be impossible to find his sister later.
The entrance was heavily guarded. Lin Fan peeked into the room through a window. He had to save them!
A dishwasher nearby mistook Lin Fan for a new hire.
"Hey! What are you doing standing there instead of working!"
He stripped off his uniform and gloves, shoved them at Lin Fan, and headed into a private room to take a nap.
"Wash all these wine glasses and bowls! I’ll check them when I get back."
Lin Fan, inexplicably dressed in the work uniform, had no choice but to sit on a small stool and pretend to wash glasses, though his eyes remained fixed on that small door.
Inside the room, thirty delivery drivers were tied up in cages, their bodies covered in shocking wounds. Standing before them was a bald, black-clad man sitting in meditation, and a tall, nineteen-year-old subordinate with a small earring, copper teeth, and a girly laugh. He held a blood-stained whip!
Standing to the side was the curly-haired woman—Wumingzi's mother. She had a cigarette in her mouth and was recording something in a notebook.
"We’ve scoured every delivery driver within a ten-mile radius! Speak! Is there a man named Lin Fan in his early twenties among you?"
The delivery drivers wept and shook their heads in ignorance.
"Fine. Since you won't talk, take them all out and kill them!"
"No! Please don't! We have old parents and young children at home!"
"Then provide a clue. Whoever gives a useful lead won't be killed—they'll be rewarded with one hundred thousand yuan."
"You..."
The driver who had been pointed at stared, trembling with fear. "I don't know... I don't know..."
The woman gave a signal, and the bald man in meditation pulled out a machete and slashed the man's throat! Fresh blood flowed across the floor to his feet.
Zhang Wei couldn't take it anymore. Liu Tao squeezed his thigh hard, signaling him to keep quiet.
"Who are you! What are you doing here!"
"Boss, caught one sneaking around!"
A voice sounded in his ear. Lin Fan sensed something was wrong and tried to leave, but he was grabbed by two men and dragged into the room.
Under everyone’s gaze, Lin Fan was brought forward. Unlike the others, he was wearing two dishwashing gloves covered in suds, his hair was messy with foam, and his apron was stained with grease. It even had the words "Blue Sky Club" written across it!
"Another one here to die! Tell me, have you seen anyone named Lin Fan!"
Lin Fan shook his head nervously!
"Then what were you standing there for!"
"I... I was washing dishes nearby, and I got curious... so I came over to take a look. I’m sorry, I’ll leave right now!"
Lin Fan turned to leave, but the bald man blocked the door with his foot. The man leaned in, his expression cold.
"You really don't know a person named Lin Fan? He's about your age!"
Lin Fan looked earnestly into the killer's eyes.
"Sir, I really don't know. I've been working here for years! I've never heard of this person! I have to go, or Zhaozhao will scold me if I don't finish my work!"
The bald man looked at Lin Fan’s sincere expression. Since he was wearing their uniform and was supposedly one of Zhaozhao’s subordinates, he shook his head and let him go.
"If I catch you snooping again, I’ll gouge your eyes out!"
Lin Fan turned and snuck toward the exit. Just as he was about to step out the door, a voice called out from behind him.
"Master Protector, he is Lin Fan!"