Night came, prompting citizens of New Delhi to brighten up their streets with neon lights. The largest city in South Asia was a melting pot of the past and present.
In New Delhi Grand Hotel, a hijab-clad female pulled her luggage along the corridor before stopping in front of a presidential suite. She used the room card to unlock the door.
Inside was a man waiting on a sofa. He was tall but his expression was distant.
If Xia Lei was present, he would’ve recognized him in a glance. This Asian man was none other than the lucky Japanese assassin who got away during the Dawang war. He was Hattori Masao’s illegitimate son, Hattori Geppa.
The female lowered the handle on her luggage then took off her headscarf to reveal her face. She was none other than Hattori Mei, whom Xia Lei had encountered multiple times yet gained nothing from.
“I don’t understand why father sent you here,” said Hattori Geppa. His tone was devoid of any familial love.
Hattori Mei seemed to be very accustomed to his behaviour. She calmly replied, “Our spies in China had lost sight of Xia Lei. All my calls made to Xia Lei via our company number were received by his secretary. His secretary mentioned that he was out taking care of some matters and I asked when we’d be able to contact him, but she couldn’t give me an exact answer. Also, Xia Lei’s phone has been off, no one is able to reach him for now.”
Hattori Geppa frowned. “Why are you bothering me with this?”
“It’s always the details that make a difference.” Hattori Mei continued, “He suddenly went missing and went unreachable. His whereabouts are unknown even to his secretary, which could only mean one thing. He doesn’t want anyone to know where he was off to.”
“Ha.” Hattori Geppa scoffed. “He’s a perverted man who owns many side chicks. He’s probably off on a rendezvous with some other lady far away from the prying eyes. Funnily, you’re taking this as if it’s intel and even flew all the way from America to India. Can’t you and father just let me do my job in peace? If you used this excuse to supervise me in India, I have to say, there’s absolutely no need for it. You sound loony to me.”
“Why does everyone think he’s a pervert?”
“Isn’t that the truth? You slept with him before, you should know.”
“Enough!” Hattori Mei’s expression changed drastically along with her tone. “What I hate most about you is that shitty attitude of yours! Yes, I’ve slept with him but it was in the name of the Hattori clan’s benefit! I’m female and you’re male. You’re the one who will contribute to the Hattori bloodline and yet you always see me as a threat! You’re the loony one!”
A faint smirk appeared at the edge of Hattori Geppa’s lip. He remained unfazed by her words.
“Alright, I’ll just make it clear. I’ve slept with Xia Lei and therefore I know him better than you do. That man is a real pervert but that’s not his weakness. It's a facade he puts out to fool everyone.”
“I have absolutely no interest in your private life. I’ll consider this as a meeting and a fulfilment of my father's instructions. You’re free to do whatever you want. But I must tell you this, don’t stand in my way.” Hattori Geppa then stood up and left.
“Hold it!” exclaimed Hattori Mei.
Hattori Geppa stared coldly at Hattori Mei, his gaze as sharp as a knife.
Hattori Mei was unaffected by it. “If you don’t listen to me, you’ll die here. I think Xia Lei might be in New Delhi.”
Hattori Geppa was stunned. “What do you mean?”
“Might Biotechnology recently purchased our best medical automation equipment. The woman in his laboratory, do you know who she is? She’s Ning Jing, a rather influential archaeologist from China. But that’s not the most shocking thing. The most surprising thing is her association with Xia Lei. She’s also from Haizhu. She helped Xia Lei through hard times from when he started his business. The woman had disappeared for a long time but the next time she appeared. She showed up in Nahar’s laboratory.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Gu Kewen’s body is also in Nahar’s lab. Now that Ning Jing has appeared, I suspect Xia Lei may be involved in this.”
“Xia Lei was the one who killed Gu Kewen and that Indian is trying to revive her. This is just an entire circus. How does Xia Lei play a part in this?”
“The whole situation is complex. Allow me to meet Nahar. I’d like to ask him for the source of his money. I ran a slight background check on him before coming here, the guy may look impressive but he’s just an unlucky guy who’s on the verge of bankruptcy. He doesn’t have that much money to afford our equipment,” explained Hattori Mei.
Hattori Geppa was surprised. “So you’re trying to say that this money was from Xia Lei. Is he crazy?”
Hattori Mei calmly retorted, “That’s why I’m here. If Xia Lei is here, it’ll be our best chance to capture him. Bring me to Nahar, I need to ask him some questions.”
Hattori Geppa nodded.
At the same time, in a dark, humid lane beside Might Biotechnology Corporation Headquarters, Xia Lei was busy setting his plans into action.
“Kyoko, are you sure we’re climbing in via the walls?” Xia Lei lifted his head to gaze at the cloud-veiled top of the building. He did not have a fear of heights but it was his first time scaling the outside of a building. It was making his head spin.
Tsukino Kyoko instructed, “Wait for me here, I’ll go ahead.”
“I’m not letting you do that.”
Tsukino Kyoko took a leap and grabbed onto the bricks above her head. With a pull of her arms, she started to climb. Her body was akin to a sticky lizard, adhering herself against the outer walls of the building.
Xia Lei finally snapped out of it. She was a ninja, what did he have to worry about?
Twenty minutes later, a rope came falling from the top floor. Using the rope and Tsukino’s pull, Xia Lei easily made his way up the side of the building.
The breeze at the top was strong, but both of them could see a mile away. The flat top of the building had a helipad that was unoccupied. There wasn’t any guard in sight, just a tightly shut metal door that separated the top floor from the balcony.
The metal door was an extremely thick security door that required a password and key to open. But that wasn’t an issue for Xia Lei. He swiftly picked the lock using a piece of wire and used his left eye to observe the marks on the keypad to retrieve the password. There wasn’t even a need to exercise his hacking skills.
“What’s with the security here? Isn’t this too easy? I thought I’d have some action here but there’s not even a single guard,” commented Tsukino Kyoko.
Xia Lei replied, “Nahar is on the verge of bankruptcy. All the guards he hired from the security company are focused only on the thirtieth floor to protect his laboratory. It’s only natural that there’ll be none here. Let’s travel down now. Remember, try not to kill anyone.”
The two began to descend the stairs. Before they even took a turn, they heard someone conversing in Hindi below them.
“If we don’t get paid tomorrow, I’m quitting my job.”
“Didn't the boss mention that he already received some money? That amount should be enough to pay us all.”
“That dude’s an idiot! He founded this company yet he gained nothing from it. He owes me my pay but I can’t help but pity him.”
“My friend, nothing is fair in the real world. Boss is a great scientist but obviously not a great businessman. I had already seen this coming.”
“Really? A great scientist? I don’t think so. He’s like a chronic daydreamer. Reviving the dead is something only God can do. He’s nothing but an idiot.”
“Perhaps he’ll succeed this time. During the shift change this evening, I saw the woman in the glass container twitch. It really scared the shit out of me.”
“Really? Are you sure you saw that?”
“Of course it’s real, why would I lie to you?”
The two Indians continued to talk without noticing a presence slowly creeping up behind them.
Two chops were delivered to the back of their necks, rendering them unconscious.
Xia Lei and Tsukino Kyoko dragged the two guards to the stairs leading to the balcony. They then entered the building’s thirtieth floor. Xia Lei’s mind couldn’t help but recall what one of the guards mentioned, he felt a chill travel down his spine.
He had killed Gu Kewen once. Their resentment, hatred and everything else came to a stop on that snowy mountain in Dawang. None of it remained in his heart. If Gu Kewen was to appear in front of him again, regardless of the soul inside her, Xia Lei would still be creeped out by it.
Wouldn’t you feel the same if someone you killed with your own hands suddenly appeared in front of you again?
Approaching the laboratory door, Tsukino Kyoko instinctively lifted her head to glance at the security camera on the door ledge. Her worries were evident.
Xia Lei whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ve already hacked into their security system before coming here. The guards in the footage room will only see the replacement feedback I made. They can’t see us.”
A small smile appeared on Tsukino Kyoko’s face, but she didn’t know what it was for.
The door to the lab required a password and access card.
Xia Lei removed his bag to retrieve a decoder from it. He connected the device to the keypad. He would’ve used his left eye to obtain the password but this door required an extra access card.
One minute later, the tightly shut door unlocked with a clack.
Xia Lei quickly stowed away his decoder and entered the lab with Tsukino Kyoko.
The laboratory was pin-drop silent, a few researchers were busy with their own tasks. Some were using the computer, some were working the equipment and some were changing the fluids for the two female corpses. Standing beside Ning Jing was a female employee, documenting Nin Jing’s condition.
No one had noticed Xia Lei and Tsukino Kyoko’s presence.