Saturday 26 August 2017

Chapter 30 Surrounded



The moment the elevator opened, Xin Yu rushed into the garage.
Se Cai’s attention was instantly drawn to the multiple gleaming sport cars parked there.
“Goodness, you have so many treasures here, why did you choose to take the Lexus to get to work?”
Se Cai asked with a jealous glint in his eyes. The impressive arrays of cars had drawn out his inner boy.
“Then which model do you think I should drive to work? The Aston Martin One77 or the Maserati?”
Xin Yu replied sarcastically.
County S was after all a small township. Driving an overly flashy car to work was practically asking for the townspeople to gossip about her. She knew she had to keep a low profile.
“In any case, we’re on the run here. Pick any car you like and I’ll give it to you after we’ve successfully escape!”
Xin Yu halted before the white Aston Martin. She changed her mind because the car was maintained by Sister Xu. She turned to head towards the yellow sports car beside it.
“All these cars are maintained by Sister Xu, I’m not sure whether they have been tampered but to be safe, let’s take this one. It just arrived several days ago!”
“Tesla P85D? This beauty shouldn’t even have reached the country yet!”
An impressed Se Cai said. The Tesla was a newly marketed fully electronic car. That coupled with the Lexus that Xin Yu took every day to work showed her preference for the more environmentally-friendly means of transport.
The Tesla was much lower than the price range of the Aston Martin or even the Maserati, it was basically the cheapest car in that garage but it was fashionable and contemporary, which made it a hit among the younger demographic.
The fact it had all the properties of a sports car while being an electronic car only added to its allure.
Electronic cars usually had a smaller local market so there weren’t much of them going around in the first place. Se Cai guessed this Tesla was the only one of its model to be in the country.
“I’ll drive!”
Xin Yu announced as she jumped into the driver seat. She put on her seatbelt as she waited for the garage door to open and Se Cai to get in.
“Fine, I’m used to driving my old Santana anyway…”
Se Cai groused under his breath.
The moment he put on the seatbelt, the car came to life and he was pulled back against the seat.
As an electronic sports car, the Tesla greatest strength was its silence. There was no loud groaning of engine that normally accompanied ignition. The sudden lurch to life tended to take its passengers by surprise.
Se Cai felt he was on a low flying plane as the car shot out of the garage.
“Sit tight!”
Xin Yu said excitedly as the car merged into the residential area’s main road. Then, she gunned the throttle!
The Tesla ran on electricity so it had a better acceleration.
“This woman is one hell of a crazy driver!”
A blanched Se Cai thought inwardly as he held onto the seat for his dear life.
Thankfully, it was late night so there were no other cars on the road to pose any danger.
If he had known he would be treated to such a roller-coaster ride, he would have taken the keys from Xin Yu!
Luckily, Xin Yu was a good driver. She handled the famously difficult to drive Tesla quite well, Se Cai unwillingly admitted.
Finally, the car skidded around a corner with the sound of grinding tires and the residential area’s iron gate appeared before them.
“Careful!”
Se Cai yelled as a warning.
“Don’t be scared. The gate is sensor-activated.”
Xin Yu said calmly as she slowed the car down for a bit.
“No, stop the car, something’s not right!”
Se Cai roared as he leaned over to grab at the steering wheel.
With his enhanced vision, he saw the trap that was lying in wait for them. It was not the gate that had raised his alarm but the thing that lied beyond it.
The gate swung open and a chorus of car honks sounded in front of them.
Suddenly, a spotlight lit up the night, shining down on the Tesla.
“My eyes… I can’t see!”
Xin Yu screamed as she instinctually pulled up her hands to shield her eyes.
“Hit the brakes!”
Se Cai commanded as he took over the steering wheel.
Xin Yu hit the brakes with all the might in her body and the car screeched to a halt.
Thankfully, it didn’t slam into anything. Se Cai unlatched his seatbelt and pulled out a dagger that he took from Jin Feng. He held it tightly in his hands.
His sight wasn’t affected by the glare and he saw a series of headlights arranged in a neat row blocking the gate.
“Are these people your father’s men or not?”
Se Cai asked cautiously after a deep breath.
As he got a clearer view, he realized these cars weren’t normal civilian cars but military vehicles.
A rudimentary headcounts put them at about 10 in total and among them were armored cars.
He heard a whistle then another ray of light shot down from the sky. It was a military helicopter!
Se Cai’s heart sunk. They were screwed if this army platoon meant them harm.
“They should be friendly. Dad has some military connections and he did mention pulling some strings over there to get help for us.”
Xin Yu said as she tried to peer out from between her fingers.
She quickly took off her seatbelt. She nodded affirmatively at Se Cai, adding, “That should be right. There’s an army garrison near County S and I doubt as powerful as Sister Xu is, she could deploy a military platoon to kidnap me.”
The garrison was nearby because XY Residence was home to some of the most rich and famous in the county. They value their safety as much as their privacy. A small army garrison could help deter parties that might want to mean them harm.
Se Cai was dumbfounded because he didn’t expect Zhang Chang Seng to be influential enough to mobilize an army unit. It showed how deeply ingrained Chang Seng was in the political world.
“I’m here, and I’m safe!”
Xin Yu pulled down her side of the window and waved.
After spotting Xin Yu, the platoon relaxed in their stance and a jeep with military plates disengaged from the platoon to enter the residential area.
After all, XY Residence was home to many influential people, they didn’t want to create such a big commotion in the middle of the night.
With a deft movement, Xin Yu pulled out a make-up kit from her Dior bag and started fixing her face using the rearview mirror.
After a long night of running, she was looking rather disheveled.
However, with a quick brush here and there, she recovered some of her usual elegance and confidence.
“What are you looking at?”
Xin Yu felt Se Cai’s stare so she asked offhandedly.
“No, I’m just impressed at how fast you can do your make-up.”
“Well, the faster I can finish my make-up, the quicker I can start and finish taping for the Tv Station. I too wish to leave work as earliest as possible, you know. So, in a way, I’ve been practicing daily.”
Xin Yu said with a smile, her previous addled state falling away.
Her good family upbringing started to shine through.
She descended the car gracefully, and said, “Come, let us go meet the person that come to save our lives. Even though their timing is not perfect but it’s still common courtesy for us to say thanks.”
“I’m sure you can represent the both of us. I’m ashamed meeting your father’s contact looking like this…”
Se Cai fidgeted in his seat, feeling once more like how he did when he stood in Xin Yu’s living room, like he didn’t belong there.
“What do you have to be ashamed for?”
Xin Yu walked over to his side and forcefully pulled him out, adding, “You’re my life savior! You should be holding your head high, so why are you feeling ashamed?”
Then, the door of the jeep opened. A man in military fatigue jumped down hurriedly.
Xin Yu gasped when the light revealed the soldier’s profile.
“Xin Yu, are you okay?”
The man was tall and heavily built. His muscular physique filling up the uniform he was sporting nicely. He exuded an imposing presence.
Concern was written all over his face.
“What are you doing here?”
Xin Yu frowned, adding, “Wu Bin, you’re the commander-in-chief’s son. What are you doing in a small garrison at County S?”
From Xin Yu tone, it could be perceived that the two of them had had a history.
“I just got promoted to deputy battalion commander. It’s only been half a month since I was assigned to this post so I didn’t have time to inform you… By the way, who is this?”
The officer by the name of Wu Bin straightened his cap. He was going to continue the conversation with Xin Yu when he noticed Se Cai standing beside her and his face dropped.

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