The Last Mr. Dongguo

"You don't need to come see me tomorrow. Didn't we agree that I would go back on Saturday?"

Li Feng logged onto QQ and started chatting. Soon, the penguin icon started flashing, and a message appeared on the screen.

"It's not that your family is worried, but they're afraid your health won't be able to handle it."

"It's okay, it's okay. I take my medicine every day. Besides, the company is very strict now, you wouldn't be able to see me even if you came."

"Is work not going well?"

"Everything's going well. How's everything at home? Has my orchard produced any fruit this year?"

"The harvest is in, but it wasn't good. It's probably because it's the first year. Maybe it will be better next year."

"Hmm, bring me some when the harvest is next year, I'll let my colleagues try it too. How's your nephew's job going?"

"That's great. Old Huang introduced me to a construction job. It's tough, but it pays well. He even tells us that he'll ask you for help with his studies when you get back. This kid has finally figured things out and is willing to learn. The whole family is very happy."

"That's good. The policies are good now, it's always a good thing to learn more. Is your family experiencing drought or flooding this year?"

"With your research achievements, our family's harvest is guaranteed regardless of drought or flood, and we no longer have to rely on the weather for our livelihood. Now we are all living a good life, and as life gets better day by day, everyone wants to do more and hopes that you will come back and give us some advice."

"Well, I'll go back and discuss it with the village chief before making a decision."

"There's something else I need to tell you. Our pigs gave birth yesterday, but one died, and the other's condition is unstable. I don't know if there's something wrong with it."

"We'll talk about that when I get back on Saturday. Also, I've prepared some gifts for you, which I'll bring back to you on Saturday. Just wait for me at the station in our van."

"Okay, then don't work too hard. We all miss you."

"I miss you as well."

Li Feng logged out of QQ, turned off his computer, and quickly left the internet cafe.

"Is there any information?" Fei Li asked, looking at Li Mengying who had put down her phone. "I don't understand what you two are talking about."

Li Mengying was momentarily stunned and didn't hear Fei Li's question. This was the first time in his memory that he had such a long conversation with his father. Although it was a virtual conversation, it was still very precious to Li Mengying.

"Mengying?"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"What did you all say?"

"Li Feng was afraid of being eavesdropped on, so he deliberately had an encrypted conversation with me. Even seemingly ordinary greetings could be interpreted as codes."

What does the translation mean?

"I told him why we came, and he wasn't surprised. On the contrary, he seemed very familiar with our situation. He said that in the past few days, he had clearly felt a lot more people around him. At work, while eating, and even while sleeping, he felt like a pair of eyes were watching him closely. He didn't want to cause us any trouble, so it was best to be careful. I asked him if he knew anything about the Vigenère cipher, and he said to start with Björn's diary. I raised my doubts, and he told me not to look at the surface, as one page was different from the others."

"Paper?" Fei Li took out her diary from her pocket and looked at it carefully page by page. Sure enough, one of the pages was thinner than the others, as if the original page had been torn out and rebound.

Fei Li carefully examined the contents of this page, and found it to be no different from the others. He then unfolded the paper and held it up to the sunlight, but still found nothing unusual, except that it was indeed thinner than the other pages.

"What else did they say?" Fei Li asked, still unable to make heads or tails of it.

"At 11 p.m., he was waiting for me at the station in his car."

"Mengying, after we get out of here, shall I go with you to see your father?"

"What?"

Li Mengying never expected Fei Li to say such a thing. This meant that all her efforts over the years had not been in vain. There was finally no more hatred between her family and her lover. She no longer had to struggle and suffer over this. At this moment, she felt relieved.

"Be careful!"

Li Mengying was still immersed in excitement when Fei Li suddenly pulled her aside. Almost simultaneously, a throwing knife grazed her cheek. Immediately afterward, several men in black appeared before her, as if descending from the sky.

"Leave a diary."

The leader of the men in black stretched out his right hand and said fiercely to Fei Li.

Fei Li pulled Li Mengying behind him, saying, "Stay behind me and don't go anywhere. Leave the rest to me."

"Overestimating your abilities." The leader took a step back, waved his hand, and then the remaining people took to the air and launched an attack on Fei Li from four directions at the same time.

Fei Li had anticipated the attack, grabbed a broken piece of wood from the side, and spun it towards the face of the nearest man in black. Fei Li's speed was astonishing; by the time the man saw it, it was too late. Fei Li's broken wood struck the man squarely in the face, and with a scream, the man collapsed to the ground, his face covered in blood. Fei Li quickly withdrew from his stance and immediately launched a second attack.

Fei Li flicked the log back, spreading his arms wide and grabbing both ends of the broken piece with his hands. His opponents, no longer underestimating him, joined forces, launching a simultaneous attack on Fei Li's face, waist, and lower limbs. Fei Li steadied himself, taking a half-step back, using his right leg as a pivot, slightly lowering his body, and then using his left leg to kick the attacker in the lower limbs. He used the attacker's momentum against them, rendering their lower leg immobile. Simultaneously, his left hand moved down, his right hand gripping the end of the broken log, and with a sweeping motion, he struck the arm of the attacker in the face, the powerful spin causing the attacker's hands to ache.

The two had already lost their fighting ability, and the third person happened to be close to Fei Li. Fei Li shouted "Perfect!" and his free left hand punched the other person in the abdomen. The other person fell to the ground clutching his stomach and was unable to get up for a while.

The broken log, wielded like a long spear, moved with incredible speed and power in Fei Li's hands. The entire movement was fluid and seamless, taking less than three seconds. In a single, decisive move, Fei Li had dispatched all four men. Li Mengying, meanwhile, stared in astonishment, speechless.

"waste."

The leader, with his hands behind his back, slowly approached Fei Li. Fei Li remained highly vigilant, ready to attack again at any moment. The approaching black-clad men sent a chill down Fei Li's spine. He knew in his heart that those four were just small fry; the real masters were still unaware of their moves.

His opponent's composure made Fei Li extremely alert. He followed his opponent's movements, slightly shifting his body to completely shield Li Mengying behind him.

"Impressive skills. I never expected Professor Fei, who seems so refined, to possess such martial arts prowess. It seems I underestimated him. But that makes things more interesting. I've already prepared a trap for you, just waiting for you to jump in."

"Enough talk, make your move."

"My tactic is to talk. Aren't you good at psychological warfare? Let's play psychological warfare. I'm confident you'll fall into my trap on your own."