Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1281: A Busy Night

The yellow Ford Focus sped down the road, panic still filling Will’s eyes. His lips were dry, and in the rearview mirror he could clearly see two black Audi A3s close behind.

Those men in black were still in hot pursuit… but after the next intersection, the police station would be in sight. Once there, it should be safe, right?

He wanted to ask the child who those people really were—but both the boy and the girl who had appeared later, clearly very close to him, were still impossible to communicate with.

The girl and the boy were sitting in the back seat.

“He can’t understand what we’re saying, right, Oga?” Lale frowned. “What’s going on with this man?”

“Yeah, he can’t understand. Don’t worry, Sis.” The boy—Oga—nodded and then recounted what had happened from the afternoon into the evening. “Sis, this big brother saved us. If he hadn’t caused that chaos…”

Lale hugged Oga and softly comforted him. “I know. There are good people among humans too… like the town where we lived when we were little—the uncles and aunts there were all good people. But… don’t you remember how scared they looked when they found out who we were?”

“Sis…”

Lale gently stroked Oga’s back. “They’re all good people… it’s just that our identity only brings them trouble. Look—even the man driving up front has been dragged into danger because of us.”

Oga fell silent.Lale looked back at the cars behind them—Simpson’s group still clinging tightly—and grew anxious. When she turned forward again, she realized they were getting farther and farther away from that hotel. Only then did she understand that the man driving had his own destination in mind from the very beginning.

“Don’t go this way—go there! There!!” Lale leaned over the seatback, pointing toward a distant high-rise.

“That’s… the Song Imperial Dynasty Hotel?” Will froze. “You want to go there? No, we should go to the police station! The police! Police! Cops! O-K?!”

Lale shook her head, growing increasingly anxious as she spoke rapidly.

Bang!

While they were talking past each other, the Ford Focus suddenly jolted violently—the Audi A3s had caught up and rammed the rear of the car.

“Don’t hit my car!! I still have two years of payments left!!” Will stuck his head out the window and shouted angrily.

Lale kept chattering beside him.

Will felt like his head was an overinflated balloon—but then he slammed on the brakes. The sudden stop sent Lale lurching forward from the back seat.

The two Audi A3s behind them couldn’t stop in time.

Bang—bang!

At the intersection, the Ford Focus was shoved straight past the crosswalk.

Lale twisted around and scrambled up, glaring at Will furiously. “What are you doing?!”

Even without understanding her language, Will got the point. “Red light…”

Lale shuddered, suddenly grabbed Will by the collar from behind, and flung him into the back seat in a heap.

Without hesitation, she seized the driver’s seat, floored the accelerator, and charged straight into the traffic ahead!

“!!!!”

Will’s eyes went wide—everything felt like it was spinning. He could already picture traffic police knocking on his door.

But the two Audi A3s behind them didn’t follow… Had they really shaken them off?

He climbed up and looked out the rear window, only to see the Audi A3s making a U-turn at the intersection and driving off in the opposite direction.

…

“An emergency assembly at a time like this?”

Inside one of the Audi A3s, Simpson frowned. Just as he was about to capture the two young beastfolk, a highest-level assembly order from the Foggy City Knight Bureau had come straight to his phone.

He had no choice but to abandon the pursuit and turn back. In his entire career, Simpson had received such a top-priority order only twice—including this time.

The last time had been ten years ago… to purge that great sinner.

…

The yellow Ford Focus finally rolled to a stop. Hearing the clattering sounds from his new car, Will’s legs went weak as he pushed open the door and stepped out.

It was over… insurance definitely wouldn’t cover something this serious…

Will let out a heavy sigh.

Lale took Oga by the hand and walked up to Will. “Even though you can’t understand us, thank you for taking care of my brother… We don’t want to drag you into this. Let’s part here.”

She bowed deeply, then grit her teeth, pulled a necklace from her neck, stuffed it into Will’s hand, and left with Oga.

Will stared at the necklace in his palm. It was just a cord with a smoothly polished pendant—something that looked like bone, or perhaps stone.

Was this meant as compensation?

He seemed to grasp Lale’s meaning. Watching the two children walk away uncertainly, he opened his mouth… then chose to hurry after them, stepping in front of the siblings.

“?” Lale frowned.

Will gestured helplessly. “It’s so late—where are you going? You don’t want to go to the police, right? That hotel—do you know someone there? Those people might come back. How about I take you there?”

Lale and Oga exchanged a look. In the end, Lale ignored Will’s gestures, grabbed Oga’s hand, and ran off.

Will hurried after them, but in the blink of an eye the two children were gone. He stood there, stunned, then after a long moment let out a bitter smile and returned to his battered car, his face twisted in misery.

…

…

Simpson strode down the corridor, his boots striking the floor with sharp clarity, and pushed open the door.

The Knight Bureau’s war room.

He swept his gaze around and saw that before him, all the Grand Knights of the Foggy City headquarters—along with even the stationed Twelve Knights—were already present.

All eyes turned to Simpson.

He stepped forward, facing Mr. Perkins. “Sorry I’m late. I was in the middle of pursuing beastfolk—”

Perkins waved his hand, cutting him off. “It’s fine. Take a seat, Simpson. You’ve already recovered most of the escaped beastfolk. The rest can wait.”

Simpson nodded and took his seat. A file had already been placed before him—one lay in front of everyone. He opened it quickly.

Perkins cleared his throat. “Simpson, read while you listen. We’ve already extracted information from Red, a senior operative of ‘Doomsday Myth,’ about most of their members currently in the country, as well as their next target. Gentlemen, if we fail to stop Doomsday Myth, our nation will face a catastrophic disaster. Therefore, this operation will involve every Knight Bureau in the country. We must wipe out these terrorists before their next attack.”

“Now, I will assign your tasks.”

The operational planning meeting continued for another hour. After receiving their orders, the members of the Foggy City headquarters’ Knight Bureau filed out one after another to prepare their equipment and supplies.

Outside the war room, Gareth walked out with the meeting records tucked under his arm, his expression heavy with concern. At that moment, a figure hurried up to him.

“Klein?” Gareth paused. “Didn’t I already approve leave for you to go back and rest?”

“I also received the assembly order…” Klein said quickly. “Mr. Gareth, what exactly happened? Is it related to the attacks tonight? Is there anything I can help with?”

“Knight-in-training Klein!” Gareth said sternly.

“Yes, sir!” Klein snapped to attention, standing straight.

“My order to you,” Gareth said calmly, “is to go back to your shoe shop immediately and continue your leave.”

“Sir, my injury doesn’t affect my ability to act!”

Gareth simply patted Klein on the shoulder, said nothing more, and turned to leave. Klein stood there blankly, his mood sinking.

“Kid, you’re blocking my way.”

Suddenly, someone appeared in front of Klein. He looked up to see the indifferent face of Simpson. Klein hurriedly snapped to attention again and stepped aside. “Sorry, Mr. Simpson!”

“Mmh.” Simpson responded casually and walked past him, then suddenly stopped and turned back. “Oh, right… a piece of advice for you, kid.”

Klein maintained his posture, eyes forward. “I’m listening.”

“Anyone who can’t guarantee they’re in peak condition is nothing but dead weight on the battlefield—someone unworthy of having their comrades guard their back.”

Klein opened his mouth, but Simpson was already walking away. Taking a deep breath, Klein bowed deeply toward Simpson’s back. “Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Simpson. I will remember it!”

“Scram.” Simpson waved a hand dismissively in reply.

…

…

Tap tap tap, tap tap tap.

The yellow Ford Focus finally returned to the front of the social services center, smoke already rising from the hood.

Will got out of the car, looked at the smoking hood, and gave a wry smile. “Okay, I know you did your best.”

“Will!”

A man hurried out of the center and jogged up to him, worry written all over his face.

“Cheng?” Will froze, recognizing him. “You… why are you here?”

The man—Cheng Yiran—said irritably, “Didn’t you call me, say a bunch of weird stuff, and then suddenly hang up? I got worried and came to check on you. What happened here… did you get robbed? I already called the police—they’re inside.”

“So I really called you,” Will exhaled. “I thought no one picked up. Let’s go talk to the police first… what I went through tonight feels like enough to make a movie. Hey, man—ever gone street racing in Foggy City like in a film?”

…

Inside the presidential suite on the seventeenth floor of the hotel.

Boss Luo sat obediently, a whiteboard standing in front of him.

Miss Maid, wearing round glasses, had changed into a black business dress. Her stockings neatly wrapped her legs, and because the floor was carpeted, she had skipped the high heels. In her hands were a marker and a pointer, which she tapped against the whiteboard.

“…In short, that’s how the Celtic pantheon fell. Master, is there anything you don’t understand?”

Boss Luo smiled faintly, tapping his temple with a finger. “Got it, teacher.”

At that moment, a news broadcast cut in on the television nearby. The prime minister appeared on screen, addressing the terrorist attacks that had occurred across Britain several hours earlier.

“We will severely punish these terrorists…”

Luo Qiu turned the volume down slightly and said casually, “Looks like it’s not over yet.”

“With the casualty numbers being so shocking, it’s bound to hurt both the government and the public,” Miss Maid said softly. “By tomorrow, people around the world will probably be discussing it. Hmm… the security at this hotel really isn’t thorough enough—seems all their effort went into some strange arrangements.”

She glanced toward the balcony.

Beyond the glass doors, two small figures were hanging in the air—clearly the beastfolk girl and her brother, Oga.

The girl pushed the glass door open directly and walked inside. Oga followed close behind, clutching the hem of her clothes, looking very uneasy.

“This guest certainly likes unconventional entrances,” Miss Maid said as she returned to stand quietly behind her master.

“If I came in normally, it wouldn’t have been easy either, would it?” the beastfolk girl replied calmly, meeting Miss Maid’s gaze. Why had she changed outfits again?

This magician really did seem to have some strange preferences.

“Congratulations, Miss Lale, on finding your brother,” Luo Qiu said with a slight smile, studying the boy behind her. His delicate features, almost girlish, made Luo Qiu look twice.

Both Lale and the boy… so this was what beastfolk looked like.

Weren’t beastfolk supposed to be like the ones in Blizzard games?

As he encountered more non-humans, Luo Qiu found himself increasingly interested in their forms. “Such a beautiful boy.”

Lale suddenly stepped in front of Oga, her eyes full of wariness.

Luo Qiu didn’t mind and said lightly, “Miss Lale, now that you’ve found your brother, is there anything else?”

Lale frowned. “Aren’t you taking your payment? I did find my brother because of your help, and he avoided danger because of it. Overall, I’m very grateful. But since I agreed to pay you, I won’t go back on my word. So—what do I need to do?”

“Well…” Luo Qiu smiled. “Actually, the moment you found your brother, the payment had already been made. There’s no need for you to do anything extra, Miss Lale.”

“You already took it? When…”

Lale froze. She hadn’t felt anything, but she believed there was no such thing as a free lunch. After hesitating, she asked tentatively, “You… you really don’t need me to… stay with you for a month?”

“What a straightforward personality…” Boss Luo couldn’t help but laugh.

It seemed his earlier explanation had been completely in vain.

(End of Chapter)