Deadly Trap

Chapter 111 Extra · The Desire of the Heart

Welsh pushed open the locker room door. Outside the window, the late autumn rain clouds resembled towering structures, with pale yellow clouds interspersed with a deep blue sky, and a layer of lightly damp rain stains on the ground. The setting sun shone on his short hair and light gray sweatshirt, giving him a maturity beyond his years.

An airplane is flying past the bright white cloud tips.

As soon as Welsh came out, the gym owner quickly brought along two well-dressed middle-aged men: "Welsh, these are Mr. Xu and Mr. Wu, our new VIPs. Would you like to add another class?"

Welsh withdrew his gaze from the cloud peaks and looked down at his watch: "Not today."

"So soon?" the boss asked in surprise. "I've never seen you leave work so punctually."

With a slight upturn of her lips, Welsh said shyly, "A family member came back today."

Welsh knew perfectly well that his current life was hard-won.

Ten years ago, he finally left behind his forced career as an assassin and paid off all his family's debts. He didn't know much, so he quietly opened a gym. However, the Tianxing Gang, competing with Butcher of the Dilong Society, refused to let him leave and relentlessly harassed him day and night.

His honest business practices were shattered, and his younger brother, who was only in high school, and his seriously ill father were threatened and intimidated.

Tang Quan's words conveyed the message: In Minzhou, no one can escape unscathed.

At this moment, Welsh and other people leaving get off work boarded the light rail, and the prosperity of Minzhou flickered and blurred against the backdrop of twilight clouds.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he inexplicably incurred debts, and his life and gym vanished in a "gas accident"... It was Gu Mufeng who pulled him out of the mire, generously paid off his debts, and placed him in a close, untouchable position.

But Welsh was completely unmoved at the time: he had switched between countless bosses and been bought by them, so how could Gu Mufei be the same?

He's just a good knife, used until it's worn out.

"Welsh".

One by one, "whistleblower letters" accusing him of betraying the underworld were thrown in front of him, and Welsh had no way to prove his innocence. Leaning against the table, Gu Mufeng calmly looked at him:
Whether you stay or leave, I will have no objection, no matter where you are in the world.

“But,” a sharp glint flashed in Danfeng’s cold eyes, “Welsh, do you intend to remain a knife forever, without ever wanting to change anything?”

The light rail slowly pulled into the station. Welsh looked down; two items were highlighted in red on his memo for the day. One was the arrival time of his girlfriend's flight to Los Angeles. The other was:
"Reply with whether you accept the Boss's offer for a North American assistant position. Five days remaining."

Welsh instinctively gripped his phone tighter, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes: The combined roles of driver, secretary, and bodyguard would only be more difficult in North America. The boss wouldn't speak up easily. But definitely, Gu Mufeng needed him.

During rush hour, the Minzhou supermarket was bustling with people. Welsh, standing at 1.92 meters tall, stood out from the crowd. He pushed the shopping cart with precision and expertise, heading straight for the seafood section, attracting frequent glances from several volunteer elderly men.

"Hey young man, you're so tall, do you play basketball?"

“Fitness coach,” Welsh replied politely.

"Those muscles are really well-developed! Their clients must be quite impressive!" The older men gossiped enthusiastically.

Welsh's mind flashed with Gu Mufeng's cold and dangerous profile, and he couldn't help but smile: "It's alright."

From the fish tank, he skillfully selected a plump, large sea bass. The young clerk hesitated upon seeing this: "Sir, it's so big, you can't finish it all by yourself, and it's difficult to kill. How about two smaller ones?"

Welsh replied seriously, "I'm making this for my girlfriend; she has a big appetite."

"Your girlfriend is so lucky," the young shop assistant sighed enviously. How can one find a girlfriend?

Welsh's serious face flushed slightly. He calmly examined the scales, tail, and gills of the bass in the net: "Actually, she had it harder. I only cooked a few meals."

The image of that first night flashed through his mind: he was urgently summoned back to Minzhou by his boss on a chartered plane overnight. The flight that day was exceptionally smooth and fast; in fact, without even noticing, he unusually managed to take a short nap on the plane.

He landed late at night, and the airport was deserted. He hurried through the empty terminal when he suddenly heard footsteps.

With the dual vigilance of a bodyguard and an assassin, he defensively turned back. The female captain, holding her suitcase in one hand and pressing down her hat brim with the other, smiled and asked as she walked:
"Sir, you seem to be in a hurry. Were you satisfied with your flight today?"

……

Welsh was still in a daze when his wandering shopping cart gently bumped into someone. He was about to apologize when a massive figure in a black suit appeared before him like a barrier. Given that height and size, Welsh couldn't possibly mistake him.

"Quenxus?"

The other person turned around, clearly taken aback: "Brother, long time no see!"

Welsh glanced at the shopping basket in Quenxus's hand: "Did your basketball girl make you eat carrots again?"

“Brother, you don’t understand the hardships athletes endure.” Quenxus said with a resentful look, glancing at Welsh’s shopping cart as well. The two professional bodyguards had absolutely no privacy as they scrutinized each other.

"Your sister-in-law is back today? You two really don't see each other much." Welsh replied calmly, "It's always been like this, I'm used to it."

"By the way, I heard you're going to North America?" Quenxus asked as he rearranged the carrots in the basket.

Welsh joked, "You've switched to intelligence?"

"Mr. Dai only mentioned it. Brother, if you really go, don't forget to treat us. We've been colleagues for years."

Quenxus couldn't help but sigh, "Minzhou is very peaceful now. Thanks to the Boss, I don't even need to be on guard. I wonder if the Boss can stay idle on the other side of the ocean?"

Welsh's gaze softened: "You should know that's impossible."

"True," Quenxus shrugged. "Even if Lee Enzo went to Johns Hopkins last year and found a bunch of girlfriends, he probably wouldn't dare to flaunt it in front of Sister Su—"

He was halfway through his sentence when he noticed Welsh's strange gaze fixed on the children's picture books in his shopping basket. Just as he was about to offer his congratulations, Quenxus quickly explained:

"Don't look at me! It's because Boss Dai has been dating a kindergarten teacher recently, so the whole team has been looking for picture books for him. We're trying to create common ground."

A kindergarten teacher? And Dai Ze?

For some reason, Welsh paused briefly. The day he and Dai Ze helped Gu Mufeng save the collapsing building, the life-or-death entrustment he made to Su Li with the ring still echoed in his ears.

Welsh's palms seemed to be stained again with the Boss's blood and gore, and he trembled slightly; then, as if he had made up his mind:
Isn't this the kind of world that everyone chooses right now?

If he had chosen to give up making knives back then, if he had changed his ways, if he could be where he is today; then going to New York...

Along the way, Welsh greeted a few neighbors, then hurriedly slipped into his one-bedroom apartment and immediately put on the pink lace apron his girlfriend had chosen for him.

He thrust the tip of his cleaver into the bag, and the large, lively sea bass instantly became still. Then, with two swift strokes, he severed the gills, and in one fluid motion, plucked the plump belly from under the jaw all the way down, his fingers firmly gripping the fish's slippery throat bone…

On my phone, my girlfriend's message lit up instantly: "I've passed through customs~ I'll be home soon!"

Welsh tossed the fish, its innards intact, into the trash can. While bleeding the fish, he washed his hands and replied, "Dinner's ready for you. Be careful on the road."

A large pot of Sichuan pepper fish was drizzled with steaming hot oil. Welsh neatly arranged the dish on the table, and the door lock clicked. Before he could even stand up straight, his 1.6-meter-tall girlfriend jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck with the force she used to lift the A330 off the ground.
"Little Wei, I'm back!"

During dinner, Welsh candidly admitted that he was considering moving to New York for a job. His girlfriend, enjoying her fish, relaxed and said, "Welsh, as long as you're happy with your life, that's all that matters. Whether I'm in Minzhou or Los Angeles, I'll take five days off each day. I prefer New York, as long as Welsh is happy."

Welsh felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. After dinner, he meticulously watered the plants on his small balcony as the pink sunset painted the sky through the gaps between the buildings, creating a uniquely romantic scene.

He dialed an international number: this time, the word "unknown" was no longer displayed on his phone screen.

“Boss, I accept the invitation,” Welsh said calmly.

It was morning in New York. Gu Mufeng's voice was clear and cool, yet it revealed the exhaustion of not having slept well all night, and it was gentle as if welcoming him home.

"Welsh, I appreciate your decision."

Welsh hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I have only one small request..."

"Don't worry." Gu Mufeng chuckled arrogantly. "Choose an address and tell me. Make sure the balcony is big. Manhattan is incredibly expensive; don't complain that your plants don't get enough sun."

“However,” Gu Mufeng’s voice turned cold and deep, “my work won’t be easy.”

Welsh immediately understood: "Boss, as you wish."

As soon as I hung up the phone, my girlfriend, who had been waiting at the balcony door, excitedly raised her game controller: "Xiao Wei, let's continue with the Golden Tree game from last time!"

Welsh smiled and tossed his girlfriend onto the beanbag chair. In their tiny one-bedroom apartment, the two of them only needed a mere square meter of space.

The world is complex and chaotic. But in the small yet real world of life, mission and responsibility, peace and freedom are not contradictory. Looking out at the lights of countless homes, Welsh knows he has never regretted his initial choice:

No matter what life throws your way, as long as you live it with sincerity, wherever you go, that is the best destination.

　[Author's Note | Where the Heart Leads]

　　The journey from ten years ago to today has been a series of choices. As the final choice reaches its destination, a magnificent new story will begin on the other side of the ocean.

　　The next chapter of "The Three Realms of the Imperial State" awaits you!

　　(End of this chapter)