Chapter 459 - Bas.e.m.e.nt 3

Qing Chen was on his way to Bas.e.m.e.nt 3. It was one of those secret spots where they have stockpiles of armory. Wuming told him that he had a surprise for him. Qing Chen was honestly curious on what this would be that he decided that he would humor his brother and went there straight from the office.

While waiting to arrive, Qing Chen busied himself with more files that he had to take home. All this thing that he needed to approve just to get The King's Artificer moving was really causing him a headache. He was regretting it a little bit now by the amount of paperwork that he had to read through.

He liked Math, but there was a bunch of science listed on the papers, explaining to him how the plastics would melt and all that. He felt like he was reading a textbook. Besides, his brain did not work like that. He was fine with all the numbers if it was about money and percentages. But if one would put him on equations that would cover a whole page only real mathematicians could solve? He would be more welcome to be boiled alive.

As he signed his name on the bottom of the page along with names of chemists and engineers, he felt the car rolled to a stop.

"We're here, Mr. Qing," said the driver.

"Thank you. No need to go down. I'll get the door." He pushed the files off his l.a.p and his shoes crunched on the pavement. He shrugged his coat as he walked towards the front door.

"Evening, boss," greeted Clown who was on the porch, smoking with another one of them.

"Is it a nice surprise?"

Clown smiled. "You'd like it."

That was the only affirmation that he would need, but then he suddenly reminded the first time that Wuming actually gave him a surprise. Same scenario, but this time he had come from school. Wuming texted him saying that he had something nice to give to Qing Chen. Being the gullible kid that he was, he went straight to the bas.e.m.e.nt, no questions asked.

There he found a woman. Her body barely covered. Actually, the only parts that were covered were the top of her b.r.e.a.s.ts and what was between her legs. Wuming was there on the corner as the woman danced to a song to which her whole body swayed to.

Wuming was grinning at him, looking like an idiot. "You like it?"

"What on earth is this, Wuming?" Qing Chen had only been fifteen at that point. "You're nuts."

"Am not!" Wuming clapped on his shoulders. "Aren't you interested?"

He shrugged off his brother's arm. "Calculus is far more interesting than this. Goodbye, brother."

He left Wuming there with the almost n.a.k.e.d clearly a.d.u.l.t woman. His brother was shouting for his name but he was already halfway the stairs, already working out the solutions for the problems he glimpsed on before he shut his book at school.

Tonight, Qing Chen whispered under his breath, "Please let this be not one of those nights."

The door to the bas.e.m.e.nt was already open and he could hear Wuming and Qing Lok talking. Great. No sultry music, and no scent of a woman coming down from here.

Still, he had to stop at the landing when he had the full view of the surroundings. The bright lights were on, and while there were no drops of blood on the floor, Qing Chen knew that it would not be long before there would be. There was a man strapped to a chair. The ties were not that tight. It was not even that secured. It was only meant to keep him in place.

"Why do we have the manager of Circle here?" he recollected the face from the many folders that his brothers submitted to him every week. He finally took off the coat and hung it on a chair, carefully folded.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe this," said Wuming enthusiastically as Qing Lok was working on a heavy-duty looking laptop. It was one of those laptops that would never lose signal and the one encrypted that one would die first before they would be able to open it. It was also the laptop that Qing Lok mostly uses to get into various government databases.

Wuming told the story of how he pretended to be a stranger to this bartender, looking so proud that Qing Chen was tempted to throw him a bone to keep that grin off his face. It was getting creepy.

"It's here, Chen!" said Wuming. "La Hiena's here. Someone bent." He laughed. "Now, we just have to squeeze out who was it."

The man on the chair looked like all he wanted was to die. So far he looked unharmed. How Wuming got this man twice his weight out of the bar struggling and not cause him a single bruise was something that Qing Chen could not fathom.

The man's belly jutted out like a pregnant seahorse's.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"I already tried that, Chen," said Wuming. "It's not going to work. He's not going to talk."

"Maybe he changes his mind. I'm here after all," smiled Qing Chen just to irritate his brother.

Then there were footsteps and the smell of food entered his nose. "Who had the great idea of ordering food?" Qing Lok raised his hand. "I'm giving you a raise."

Wuming looked incredulous. "I found you're mole!"

"Ah, but that's your job," teased Qing Chen. "Why would I reward you for something that you should be really doing? That would create a bad work reinforcement." He already cracked one of the takeout boxes open and his stomach grumbled.

"Anyway," Wuming said, "will you let me beat the crap out of him so we can get the answers?"

"As you wish, Muscle Man."

"Aren't you going to join in?"

He shook his head and grinned. "There's a certain perk I like about Enigma. It's that: bosses don't get dirty."

"You're not fun, Chen," Wuming said, stretching his arms.

"Please, I've been working all day. I'm worn." He fished out a slice of meat from his carton box. "How's the girls?"

Wuming was doing lunges, trying to look intimidating for their captive but only managing to look like he was about to start a zumba class with the bright lights. "They are still in that other bar. They'll be fine."

"I have zero doubts. Will you stop that?" Qing Chen said, having enough of the ridiculousness.

"I'm just teasing," guffawed Wuming. "Alright, let's get started." He pressed a disguised tile on the wall and shelves of weaponry started going down from the floor above. They were normally hidden on the partitions and hollowed walls. Their architects and engineers were gods in that field.

"Do you like sharp objects, Mr. Ola?" Qing Chen asked from his seat. "Do you like getting cuts?"