Chapter 264: Chapter 251 Gold Trading_3
"This matter is no longer within your jurisdiction to handle. Just make sure the gold is secure."
"Sister Yue, be careful too."
"Let’s go."
Sister Yue said goodbye to her colleagues and then jumped into the passenger seat of Yan Xing’s cargo truck.
"Buckle up," Yan Xing reminded Feng Tingyue. Then he stepped on the gas, turned the steering wheel, and drove the truck out of the cargo area.
Feng Tingyue buckled her seatbelt and silently observed Yan Xing.
Initially, she thought that taking on a smuggling deal involving two tons of gold was already shocking enough. Yet, she had become involved in an even more mysterious and astonishing affair.
Watching the truck enter the road and head toward the mountainous area away from the city, she wondered where her path was leading.
The man beside her, who seemed ordinary but whose demeanor was anything but—who was he really?
Or was he even human?
Yan Xing drove the truck onto a narrow mountain road. There were no streetlights here, only the beams from the truck’s headlights illuminating the gray pavement ahead.
The ride began to get bumpy.
Yan Xing glanced at Feng Tingyue, who had been silent all along, and chuckled. "You don’t need to be so nervous. I’m not going to sell you. If we can close this deal, I guarantee you’ll look good in front of your boss. Want something to drink?"
Yan Xing grabbed a beverage from the storage compartment and tossed it to Feng Tingyue.
Feng Tingyue opened the drink, took a sip, then turned to Yan Xing and said, "I have a few questions, if I may ask."
"Our partnership is company to company, so you can ask about business matters. Other than that... please respect my privacy. Keeping a bit of distance, a bit of mystery, is beneficial for all of us. In this world, not everything needs to be completely figured out, right?"
Feng Tingyue took another sip, saying, "Right... some distance is good for cooperation. Prying too much does no one any favors."
"Any other questions?"
Feng Tingyue shook her head, shedding the burdens in her mind. "None," she said. "Just looking forward to the project you’re taking me to see, Mr. Yan."
Yan Xing smiled and said no more.
He felt quite relieved all of a sudden.It seemed that the so-called authorities weren’t heartless after all.
Yan Xing continued to drive the truck along the mountain roads. After passing through an open gate, he stopped in the front courtyard of a villa perched on a mountaintop.
The villa was lit up, and various luxury cars were parked outside.
Hopping down from the truck, Feng Tingyue merely glanced at the license plates and realized that they all belonged to high-profile figures from Zhehai City.
This was indeed a big business deal!
Yan Xing parked the truck amidst a group of luxury cars, where it stuck out like a sore thumb.
He had just shut the door when the villa’s security staff approached. They were burly men, their suits stretched tight over their frames.
A bald man, who appeared to be their leader, glanced at Feng Tingyue in her office attire, then at Yan Xing, the truck driver. He bellowed at Feng Tingyue, "This is a private villa! Who are you, and how did you get in? What’s in the truck?"
Seeing the security guards ready for action, Feng Tingyue spread her hands and said, "I’m here with Mr. Yan. As for what we’re here to do... you can ask him."
The security guards turned their gaze to Yan Xing. He was on the phone, saying, "I’ve arrived. Tell them to come out. Once they’ve had a look, we can talk business. I want to get home early and sleep."
After hanging up, Yan Xing ignored the security guards. He put his fingers to his lips and emitted a loud whistle.
The sound of the whistle broke the tranquility of the wilderness.
The guards grew even more tense. They knew the caliber of people gathered in the villa. These two men who had arrived were so suspicious, driving a sealed cargo truck. A sense of foreboding instantly prickled their most sensitive nerves.
The guards brandished their batons and warned Yan Xing and Feng Tingyue, "Step back! Keep your hands where we can see them..."
They hadn’t finished speaking when a high-pitched eagle cry resounded from the black sky. The cry was loud, echoing around the mountaintop where the villa stood.
Then the wind picked up, and more eagle cries came from overhead as huge shadows flickered in and out of the darkness.
Now, everyone could sense a flock of very large eagles nearby.
Sensing danger, the guards abandoned Yan Xing and Feng Tingyue. They ran towards the villa, shouting warnings at the bosses who had just come out, urging them to hide inside quickly.
But the bosses just stood dumbfounded at the villa’s entrance, looking up at the sky.
That’s when the enormous shapes descended. They landed in the well-lit courtyard of the villa, the air they displaced creating a whirlwind that scattered leaves and twigs. And there, in the light, stood six fierce beasts, each with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle.
Upon landing, they folded their wings, their sharp eyes scanning their surroundings warily. The unfamiliar environment and people made some of the bolder griffons emit a warning CLICK-CLACK. If the creatures before them weren’t human, they might have already attacked.
Griffons, creatures of myth and legend that blended the features of raptors and fierce beasts, now stood before them all, alive and tangible.
The aura they emitted commanded the motionless crowd, its sheer presence stunning them into silence. Each person wore an expression of fear, mixed with a multitude of other emotions.
Griffons—they truly existed!
"Okay, you’ve seen the griffons now. There will be plenty more opportunities in the future." Yan Xing said this as he walked through the Griffon Troop. The griffons automatically stepped back, bowing their heads in a submissive posture. When Yan Xing reached Chen Shi’s side, he patted the dazed man. Then, he turned and shouted to Feng Tingyue, who stood dazed by the truck, "Manager Feng, come over! Walk slowly; they won’t hurt people..."