Chapter Ninety-One: Assassination

On the day it happened, Jin Ming, as usual, did not go to work. He went swimming instead.

In truth, ever since the founding of Jinling City, Jin Ming had remained quite diligent and had taken his duties very seriously. He would not easily skip work. But before that, when he had been the lord of the Future City of Jinjiling, he had grown used to an idle life, and it was somewhat difficult for him to adjust to his present job, one that required him not only to work on schedule but sometimes to stay late as well.

That day, finding the office not too busy, he finally seized the chance, made up some excuse at random, and said there was a matter at home. Then Jin Ming packed up and went swimming.

The place where he swam was not a proper pool, but a natural hot spring. The clear spring water was rich in minerals, and under geothermal heat the temperature felt wonderfully pleasant.

After swimming a few laps to loosen his limbs, Jin Ming instantly felt relaxed all over, so he leaned against the edge and rested with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the shore, unhurried and measured, drawing nearer and nearer.

At first, Jin Ming did not pay it any mind. He did not even lift his eyelids, because he assumed the newcomer was simply there to soak and enjoy themselves, just like him. After all, since Jinling City had been established, this place had become public property under the municipal government and was open to all citizens. By the time, someone coming here was only natural.

Jin Ming had a lucky life indeed, for a faint voice, as if from the dark, seemed to warn him that the person approaching was no ordinary visitor. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the reflection in the water, and just then caught sight of the newcomer.

Sure enough, there was something amiss. Even an idiot could tell from the reflection that this person was not here to swim. People came to swim or soak in hot springs usually wearing swimwear, at most with a short-sleeved shirt and shorts over it. No one dressed as conservatively as this.

A closer look revealed the trick at once: there was a knife hidden in the sleeve.

Sensing danger, Jin Ming did not panic. Instead, he calmly thought through his countermeasure. In his present situation, calling for help was impossible; he had not brought any communication device at all. Even if he had, distant water could not quench a nearby thirst. As for resistance, that seemed equally unrealistic. Apart from his swim trunks, there was not a single tool on him.

At this point, there was only one gamble left.

Having made up his mind, Jin Ming no longer hesitated.

"You have arrived!" Jin Ming said, his eyes still closed.

Hearing those words, the assassin was startled. He thought to himself: What does this old man mean? You have arrived? Could the information be wrong? Did he actually arrange to meet someone else here today? No, if that were true, it would be very hard for me to get away cleanly.

Quietly, the assassin put away his weapon, believing no one had noticed a thing. Then, pretending to be there for a soak in the hot spring, he replied in a teasing tone, "Mayor Jin, perhaps you have mistaken me for someone else. Am I disturbing you?"

While speaking, the young assassin had already reached the poolside, still hesitating over whether to get in.

Jin Ming turned his head. Seeing that he truly did not recognize the man, he remained as composed as ever and said, "Oh! I really did have the wrong person. The Falcon Investigation Team said they would be here at ten thirty. I figured it was about time, but I never expected..." Jin Ming even shook his head as though he were speaking of some true matter, lamenting that young people nowadays had no sense of time at all.

The assassin was startled. Jin Ming had made an appointment with the Joint Investigation Team, and the time was ten thirty. Before coming in, he had checked his watch; it was already quarter past ten. It seemed he would not be able to make a move today.

Since he had already come to the poolside, it would be awkward not to get in. So he had no choice but to take off his coat, still wearing his swimwear, and jump into the pool.

Seeing the assassin put down the dagger, the stone hanging in Jin Ming's heart finally fell away. This act of playing the empty city, it seemed, had succeeded more than halfway. Such suspicious people were always like this: even when they knew it might be false, they would still fall for it.

Ten thirty came, and still no one arrived.

The assassin, soaking in the pool as well, was deeply frustrated. Damn it, he really had been deceived by that old bastard.

Jin Ming noticed the slight shift in the young man's expression and knew he was vexed, perhaps already thinking about how to continue the plan and make a move against him. But now Jin Ming was no longer afraid. Neither of them had a weapon, so they were on equal footing. Though Jin Ming had passed forty and was not as nimble as this hotheaded youth in his twenties, he was not to be trifled with either.

Besides, if he could just endure another half hour until more people gradually arrived, then he would truly be safe.

Half an hour passed. Today the hot spring was not crowded as usual, but instead a group of honored guests arrived: the Joint Investigation Team.

Seeing that the Joint Investigation Team really had come, the assassin assumed what Jin Ming had said earlier was true, and hastily found an excuse to slip away. What a joke. Even if these were not the Falcon people, these foreigners were not easy to deal with. His own safety came first.

Jin Ming was also extremely surprised by the arrival of the Joint Investigation Team. He had not expected that he had actually guessed right. These people had arrived at just the right time.

As soon as Julia and the others drew near, they noticed the situation here. Seeing a young man leaving in obvious haste and panic, they asked Jin Ming, "What was the matter with that person just now? Why did he leave in such a hurry?"

Jin Ming shook his head, signaling that it need not concern them, and said nothing else.

Julia had only asked out of politeness. Seeing Jin Ming’s expression, she understood she had not disturbed anything by coming to speak with him, and so she was relieved.

Today they had actually come to take their leave. Their business was nearly finished, and it was time for them to set out and return to Europe. Because Jin Ming had given them tremendous help in investigating the people and the experiments, they wanted to thank him in person. First they went to his office, only to find that he had not gone to work today. Then they went to his home, where his family said he might have gone to soak in the hot spring. And indeed, they found him here.

Jin Ming was especially delighted that the few of them had come specifically to thank him. What surprised him even more was that, by some strange coincidence, they had helped frighten away a few petty thieves.

After seeing off the guests from Europe, Jin Ming did not dare linger any longer. He hurried back, determined to find out the background of this man. He had already suspected that someone might come to assassinate him, but he had not expected those people to be so impatient as to strike so early.

Just as the matter of Jin Ming's assassination had still not been resolved, another major incident occurred in Jinling City.

That day, the emergency center received a critical case. The patient's condition was extremely grave. He had been working properly a moment before when, all of a sudden, he convulsed and collapsed. By the time he was brought to the emergency room, he was already nearly unconscious, with a high fever that would not subside and shortness of breath, looking as though he might die at any moment.

After emergency treatment, the patient was finally pulled back from the brink of death, though he was still being observed in the intensive care unit.

Before the first patient had even fully passed the danger point, one after another more patients were brought in. Their symptoms differed, yet no specific cause could be found.