บท 62: The Red Hunt
The three friends sat down in front of the table with hardened expression. Li Nuxie and Li Chanying had already cut ties with the Li Family. The Ying Design Limited will bear the consequences.
"I'll take care of it, Ying," Hong Chi's lips curved upwards. "Just do your best with Xiexie's plan."
Li Chanying nodded. If there was one thing about Hong Chi that she admired, it was her ability to turn anything into something big.
That was also Li Nuxie's reassurance. NU C was successful because of Hong Chi's action plan. Li Nuxie was the one who planned everything but it was Hong Chi who put it into action with Li Chanying tying the loose ends.
Technically, the three women was the secret Triad of City S.
"So," Hong Chi rubbed her hands slowly. "What's the plan?"
Li Nuxie glanced at Li Chanying. "Pack your things up. We're going to Country M."
Hong Chi's eyes widened. "Country M?" Her eyes darted back and forth between the two cousins.
Country M was already wiped out from the map. Twenty-five years ago, a nuclear plant leaked and released radioactive waste, killing the surrounding communities in a matter of days.
The surviving population migrated to nearby countries. Today, it was practically a ghost town. The access to the country was only thru underground dealings.
"What are we going to do there, Xiexie?" Li Chanying asked. Her cousin would not go to that abandoned country just to avoid that man, right?
Li Nuxie shrugged, aware of what Li Chanying was thinking. "You're putting too much importance to that man. We're going to look for money, of course."
Hong Chi put her arm on the table, leaning on her elbow. "It must be a lot of money, huh?"
"One billion dollars," Li Nuxie answered.
Li Chanying whistled while Hong Chi clasped her hands together in front of her chest.
"So much money. I gather it's not easy to get it?" Li Chanying commented.
Li Nuxie shrugged. "Who said earning money is easy? We need to work hard for it."
That's true. Earning money in City S was not easy. Either someone was born in a privileged family or someone engaged in illegal activities.
"When are we going to go?" Hong Chi asked after a while.
Li Nuxie shook her head. "You're not going with us, Chi. Someone needs to look after the business."
"Besides, you don't even want to stretch your bones. How can you go?" Li Chanying added.
Hong Chi pouted. "You're mean, Ying. Well, I don't want to go either. But that's Country M, Xiexie," she said, turning her head to the woman at her left side.
Going to Country M meant that her friend will have to do it illegally.
"And that's one billion dollars. I expect no less, " Li Nuxie retorted.
Li Chanying rubbed her chin. Country M's size was smaller than Country C and yet, it was still big enough to explore for the two of them.
"Are we just a two-woman team, Xiexie? I mean, we're strong, independent women but Country M is reality. We cannot explore it on our own," she said, her voice was filled with worry.
Li Nuxie leaned back on the seat, an eyebrow was raised. "It is a rarity to see you this worried, Ying. Don't worry about it. I have my ways. Besides, we still do not know what the job is."
"You still don't know?" Hong Chi exclaimed. "Isn't that suicide?"
Li Chanying also stared at Li Nuxie. They needed money but was it necessary to put their lives on the line?
"It was posted in the dark web. I already signified that our team will go. We can't back out now," Li Nuxie informed them. She watched how the expressions of her cousin and friend changed from uncertainty to worry.
Li Chanying pressed her lips. It would be futile to convince her cousin to do so otherwise. "What is it called? The job?"
"The Red Hunt," Li Nuxie answered shortly. "We're going to look for something. But the proponent will tell us on the D-day."
Hong Chi wrung her hands on her lap. "There would be a lot of people to compete?"
"That's expected. The stakes are high, as you can see. We need to get ready and prepare for the worst," Li Nuxie inclined her head.
Hong Chi stood up. She paced back and forth inside the study room. After two minutes, she stopped and went to Li Nuxie's side.
"Xiexie, can you not go? I can help you secure a loan with the largest bank in the country," she said, crouching in front of her friend as she grasped Li Nuxie's hand.
Li Chanying also wanted to convince her cousin. But she knew her. Li Nuxie wouldn't back out.
"They cannot grant me the amount I need, Chi," Li Nuxie freed her hand from Hong Chi's grasp. After, she patted her shoulder.
"You're worrying too much. My cousin will also go with me," she said, reassuring the mother hen.
Hong Chi took a deep breath. "Okay," she stood up. "How many groups will compete for it?"
"Last time I check, there were seven groups including us."
Hong Chi nodded. "Is there a possibility that the groups will increase?"
"That still depends on the proponent. But one thing is for sure. This will be a do-or-die situation," she said, her expression was grim.
Li Chanying raised her hand. "Xiexie, when do we go?"
"Tomorrow night."
"So soon?" Hong Chi put her hands on her cheeks. "I thought you still have a week to get ready."
Li Chanying nodded in agreement. "Xiexie, we also need to get teammates for this. We can't go like this."
"Of course. I don't go to war without my ballistic missiles," she arched her eyebrow.
Hong Chi crossed her arms while observing her friends. "You already have a team for this? Why am I not informed?"
Li Nuxie raised her shoulders in half-shrug. "You didn't ask."
Li Chanying laughed while Hong Chi groaned. "You're unfair, Xiexie."
"Who are our teammates?" Li Chanying asked after a while.
Li Nuxie stood up. "You're going to meet them tomorrow," she said before reaching for her handbag. She took something and gave it to Hong Chi. "Call the numbers and tell them to go to our place."
Hong Chi took the address book, nodding. "Okay."
"Let's meet tomorrow. Ying, do the necessary preparations. Chi, you're in charge of all the precautions," Li Nuxie told them.
The two women nodded, eyes were burning with resolve.
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