C4 9 Seconds

Lu Tineyuv simply said, "Check," before stepping around the car, opening the door on the other side, and pulling Jiang Jingxi out.

"Don't touch me! I can get out myself!"

As soon as she hit the ground, Jiang Jingxi immediately pulled away, taking two steps back and eyeing him warily. "Where is this? Why did you bring me here?"

His response was to turn and walk away, leaving her staring at his retreating figure. That cold, aloof demeanor was infuriating.

Jiang Jingxi glared at his back, shaking her fist in frustration. "Who does he think he is? So full of himself!"

Lu Tineyuv's ears were sharper than a hawk's; he caught her words and allowed a barely noticeable smirk to play on his lips as he strode forward.

Wei Xiu watched the exchange with amusement. He walked over to Jiang Jingxi's side. "Your name is..."

Jiang Jingxi glanced at him, suspecting that anyone with that man couldn't be good, but since Wei Xiu hadn't done anything to her, she reluctantly replied, "Jiang Jingxi."

"Miss Jiang," Wei Xiu addressed her politely, turning his head to see that the cold boss had walked away. He felt the need to say a few words on his behalf. "Actually, our boss is pretty decent. He may seem cold, but he's warm on the inside. You'll see if you get to know him better."

"No, thanks!" Jiang Jingxi made an 'X' with her hands, her expression resolute. Getting to know that man better? She'd rather not!

"I never want to have anything to do with him again in my life!" she declared firmly.

Wei Xiu chuckled, observing Jiang Jingxi's animated expression. When he thought of the boss's perpetually icy demeanor, he suddenly felt these two might be a perfect match.

"Sir," Jiang Jingxi addressed him, not knowing his name. "I heard you call him 'boss' earlier. Is he in the military?"

Wei Xiu: "We're veterans."

"Veterans?" Lin Hao was a bit surprised, glancing around the place. A thought flashed through her mind. "Is this a military base?"

Wei Xiu shook his head. "No, it's not a military base. It's just built like one."

Built like a military base? Lin Hao raised an eyebrow. "So, what do you do here?"

"Well..." Wei Xiu caught Jiang Jingxi's curious gaze and thought for a moment before suddenly adopting a mysterious tone. "We're hired by a secret organization to train elites here."

"A secret organization... like an assassin group?" Lin Hao asked quietly.

"Huh?" Wei Xiu was momentarily taken aback. He had intended to tease Jiang Jingxi, but seeing her mischievous wink, he couldn't help but laugh.

Clearing his throat, he said, "This place was built by someone we call the 'Boss.' We train elites here for various societal needs, like private bodyguards."

Wei Xiu didn't elaborate further, as the details were confidential. The fewer people who knew, the better.

The next moment, Wei Xiu remembered what the Boss had mentioned about an 'investigation.' His expression turned serious. "I have some matters to attend to, so I can't accompany you. Just follow our leader."

Not wanting Jiang Jingxi to feel uneasy, Wei Xiu reassured her, "Don't worry! Our leader doesn't bite!"

"I..." Jiang Jingxi frowned, about to ask if she could avoid being with the Boss, but Wei Xiu seemed to anticipate her question. He shook his head and then turned to leave.

By the time Jiang Jingxi reluctantly made her way over, Lu Tineyuv had been waiting for a full three minutes.

Waiting for someone was a rare occurrence for the Boss!

So, it was no surprise that his expression was less than pleasant. "At your pace, if there were a hostage waiting for you to rescue them, they'd be long gone by the time you got there."

"You said 'if,' but the fact is, there isn't one," Jiang Jingxi shrugged, meeting his gaze fearlessly, then walked right past him into the building.

The warehouse was empty, with nothing in sight. But as Jiang Jingxi looked around, something caught her interest. She walked straight to a row of transparent display cases on the east side, her eyes lighting up. Inside were various guns, some of which were rare models.

Lu Tineyuv had been watching her expression and followed her to the display case. "Like what you see?"

Jiang Jingxi's attention was already captured. She nodded without hesitation. "Yeah."

Since childhood, she had been fascinated by weapons, but her mother always said it wasn't suitable for girls. So, she was never allowed to pursue it and instead learned some martial arts. Fortunately, her mother didn't object to that, saying it was good for self-defense.

Seeing her interest, Lu Tineyuv casually took a Type 64 pistol from the case, looked at her without expression, and asked, "Can you assemble it?"

Jiang Jingxi turned, her eyes landing on the gun in his hand, and replied proudly, "Of course!"

As soon as she spoke, she took the pistol and walked over to a nearby table. Lu Tineyuv quickly narrowed his eyes and followed her.

An older man, who was supposed to be watching over the warehouse, also came over to see.

Under the watchful eyes of the two men, Jiang Jingxi swiftly disassembled the Type 64 pistol and then reassembled it just as quickly. The entire process was seamless and efficient.

Just over nine seconds.

Lu Tineyuv's eyes lit up.

"Amazing!" the older man exclaimed, his booming voice making Jiang Jingxi's ears ring. She turned to see him smiling at her. "Young lady, were you in the military?"

The man looked to be in his fifties, with a kind and honest face. He was the one in charge of the warehouse.

Jiang Jingxi shook her head with a smile. "No."

"Then where did you learn that skill?" the older man asked, clearly curious.

Jingxi was about to speak when Lu cut in, asking, "Did your dad teach you?"

"No, my dad wouldn't let me play with guns. He thought it was too dangerous." Remembering how she learned to shoot, Jingxi couldn't help but smirk. "I had to pester my grandpa until he secretly taught me."

Lu immediately understood. Jingxi hadn't handled a gun in ages, but holding one now, she didn't feel rusty at all. In fact, she felt a thrill. According to her grandpa, she was born to handle guns. Unfortunately, her mom was a force to be reckoned with and strictly forbade it, which kept her from attending the police academy. Now, she was a photographer instead.

Jingxi sighed, thinking about how the country missed out on a justice-driven cop like her. Suddenly, her gaze landed on Lu.

"Drop that childish idea. If you try anything, I promise it won't end with just a bump on the head," Lu said, catching her eye and immediately guessing her thoughts.

Jingxi stared wide-eyed. Could he read minds? She had just considered taking him hostage to escape, and he already knew?

"You're just too easy to read!" Lu said bluntly, seeing right through her plan. He snatched the gun from her hand and returned it to the cabinet. His cool demeanor made Jingxi grit her teeth in frustration. "Don't think just because you beat me once, you'll always win. One day, I'll defeat you!"

"I'll be waiting," Lu replied, turning with the air of a king, his sharp gaze fixed on her. Jingxi met his mischievous eyes, a flicker of determination crossing her own.

Just then, she suddenly heard a commotion behind her. Turning around, she saw a crowd of eager faces, jostling each other and craning their necks to peer inside from the doorway.