Chapter 64: The Meeting

“Although I don’t know exactly which Calamity killed your uncle and aunt, I’ll stand by your side and help you eradicate every Calamity in this world,” Chang Yu said. “I figure, if every Calamity in the world is destroyed, then the one that killed your uncle and aunt must be among them, right?”

Katerina was touched by Chang Yu’s bold declaration. Her heart felt warmer than it ever had before, as if bathed in sunlight. In her short life, no one had ever spoken to her with such emotion, and she was deeply moved.

But who was Katerina? She was a woman of the utmost independence, someone who had single-handedly raised her younger brother in a vast, cold city from a young age. Reason quickly overcame her emotion, and the flicker of vulnerability in her eyes was swiftly hidden away. “Calamities can never be wiped out,” she replied. “As long as humanity continues to harbor negative emotions, Calamities will keep coming into existence. Besides, the Calamity that killed my parents is powerful—far beyond what we can handle now. And this is a family matter. I must avenge my parents myself. I can’t let you take on this risk.”

Chang Yu was not discouraged by Katerina’s cold demeanor; setbacks only made him more resolute. “I know that to you and Yourcai, I’m an outsider. I probably shouldn’t meddle in your family’s affairs. But you need help—you can’t do this alone.” He felt an inexplicable agitation, as if thousands of beetles were crawling restlessly in his heart.

To be honest, Chang Yu disliked being pushed to the margins like this. What he wanted was to become truly integrated into Katerina’s life—to be part of her family, to share in her joys and sorrows, to be involved in every aspect of her world. That was what he truly desired.

“It’s too dangerous. I shouldn’t drag you into my private vendetta. It could cost you your life,” Katerina said, her mood complex, her expression shifting rapidly, yet her tone was resolute. Though she admitted, in that brief moment, she had been tempted by Chang Yu’s offer.

“I’m not afraid of danger, or of dying. I just want to help you.” Chang Yu’s heart pounded fiercely, as if it might leap out of his chest. He was a man who kept his promises, and saying these words required enormous courage. To him, it was as significant as confessing his love.

Katerina was too polite with him, and that wasn’t what he wanted. He wished she would rely on him freely, bother him, even command him—just as one would with family.

“One day, you’ll realize that life is the most precious thing in this world, and you must learn to cherish it,” Katerina said sadly. Even burdened with a deep vendetta, she couldn’t bear to let anyone else risk their life for her.

Chang Yu’s expression grew pale. He understood—he had been rejected. Though Katerina hadn’t said it directly, her every word was a refusal.

To be fair, if Katerina’s character were just a little less upright, perhaps her parents would have been avenged long ago. With her looks and figure, surely countless men would pursue her. If she were willing to cultivate a few admirers, she could easily assemble a squad of dozens, or even hundreds, of gifted individuals to hunt down the Calamity. With so many searching the world for her enemy, how could it hide? With so many willing to throw themselves into battle, how could vengeance escape her?

Once she’d used these gifted ones, she could simply cast them aside—wasn’t that what so many heartless women did? After all, this world is never short of desperate men willing to do anything for a woman.

“This woman truly has a good heart,” Chang Yu thought with some pride. “No wonder I set my sights on her.”

...

“The suspect, Hu, age forty, is a career con artist who has been committing fraud for twenty years now,” came a clear female voice from Katerina’s phone. “Your colleague is just one of his many victims—there are nearly a thousand others in similar circumstances. Our department issued a warrant and began pursuing him five years ago, but we’ve never managed to catch him. Yesterday was the first time he appeared in public. After receiving your report, we immediately dispatched a large team. Even though we searched the area where Hu appeared at top speed, we’ve turned up nothing so far. He’s always been elusive—appearing suddenly and vanishing just as quickly—which has made our job very difficult. We’ll continue to search the areas where he’s likely to appear. The moment we have him, I’ll contact you right away.”

“Thank you. I understand the situation now,” Katerina replied, speaking into her phone. “Sorry to trouble you with this. I’ll be waiting for your call.”

“It’s our duty,” the woman replied courteously.

When the call ended, Katerina’s expression was grim. She had thought it would be a simple matter for the police to catch a petty swindler, but it turned out the culprit was a seasoned con artist with more than two decades’ experience.

“Looks like Feng Sanpao is in for some hard times,” Chang Yu said sympathetically. Feng Sanpao was now truly penniless. Chang Yu himself knew what it was like to be without a cent; the feeling was... well, let’s just say it was unforgettable.

“At least he lives in the staff dormitory—he won’t go hungry even without money,” Katerina said, a little exasperated. “This incident should teach him not to trust people so easily next time.”

“Sanpao grew up in a psychiatric hospital—he’s not experienced in dealing with the world. It’s no wonder he was tricked,” Chang Yu said, for once speaking up for the boy.

Just then, the door to the ward was flung open and a thin figure rushed in. It was none other than Feng Sanpao himself.

“Sasi-ge, Sakura, thank goodness you’re both here—I was just looking for you!” he exclaimed, breathless.

“What is it?” Chang Yu asked, seeing Sanpao’s flustered and desperate state. He had a bad feeling in his gut.

“It’s Qin Shi Huang!” Sanpao blurted out, barely able to contain his excitement. “He’s come to me again! He said the army’s funds are running low, so he can’t conquer the city just yet. But if I can give him another ten thousand yuan, he’ll have enough provisions in three days to take H City! So I’m here to borrow some money—yesterday I gave all I had to the First Emperor, so now I don’t even have a cent.”

At the mention of money, Sanpao began to stamp his feet anxiously; he truly was desperate for some emergency cash.

“Damn it, that bastard just won’t quit!” Chang Yu exploded with anger. “Isn’t it enough to con you once? Why does he have to keep at it? Doesn’t he know even a swindler should have some conscience—preying on the mentally ill time and again, doesn’t he have any professional ethics left? And you, Feng Sanpao, this is just too much—being conned yourself isn’t enough, now you want to drag us down with you?”

Chang Yu prided himself on his strong sense of justice and could not stand to see such despicable antics. So when he realized Sanpao wanted to borrow money from him and Katerina to fund the enemy, his first instinct was to refuse. Not because he was unwilling, but because he refused to aid and abet the villain.

“Brother, I have money, but I can’t lend it to you.” Chang Yu thought of the fifty thousand yuan in his pocket and felt quite at ease with his decision.

“So you do have money!” Feng Sanpao’s eyes lit up like a wolf spotting prey, staring hungrily at Chang Yu for a moment, as if a green gleam flashed in his gaze.

“You need ten thousand, right? I can lend it to you,” Katerina said, stepping forward and cutting off the conversation.

“Hey, don’t give him the money! You know what he’s going to do with it—he’ll just hand it over to that con artist!” Chang Yu protested, bewildered by Katerina’s seemingly uncharacteristic naivety. Didn’t she realize this was money she’d never see again?

At his words, Katerina glanced at Chang Yu and gave him a look that told him to keep quiet. Seeing that look, Chang Yu immediately fell silent. He seemed to have caught on.

“If you want me to lend you the money, you must agree to one condition,” Katerina said, coaxing him as if he were a child.

“Name it,” Feng Sanpao agreed eagerly at the prospect of the loan.

“I’m very interested in this First Emperor you mentioned. Next time he contacts you, you must tell me where you’re meeting,” Katerina said.

“Sakura-chan wants to meet the First Emperor too?” Sanpao was surprised.

“When his army enters the city, I’d like to have a post myself,” Katerina replied, straight-faced and utterly convincing in her lie, like a mischievous little girl tricking a foolish adult.

“Deal! As soon as he appears again, I’ll take you to him,” Sanpao agreed at once.

“Remember, don’t tell the First Emperor about this—I want to give him a surprise,” Katerina cautioned him repeatedly.

This was surely the legendary “sting operation.” If Chang Yu hadn’t realized her plan by now, he would have wasted all his years on earth. Give the money to the con artist, then lie in wait nearby for him to take the bait...

He hadn’t expected Katerina to be so adept at this sort of operation. Poor Feng Sanpao, still completely unaware that he had unwittingly become bait.

Watching Sanpao skipping out of the ward, Chang Yu couldn’t help but turn to Katerina and ask, “Are you sure this is the right thing to do?”