At that moment, a lightning bolt streaked across the sky, illuminating Liang Qiuchi’s face. Vincent inwardly thought “this isn’t good,” but it was too late.

Liang Qiuchi suddenly turned his head and grabbed Vincent’s wrist, and in an instant, the black muzzle of the gun had turned towards Vincent’s forehead.

Vincent gave a bitter smile of regret and closed his eyes resignedly.

But Liang Qiuchi didn’t pull the trigger. Instead, he tied up Vincent’s hands and feet and threw him into the passenger seat of the car.

Liang Qiuchi then got into the car himself, wearing a black baseball cap he had found from somewhere.

Vincent looked at Liang Qiuchi in confusion as he started the car. “At this time, the urban area is under curfew. Your actions will attract the attention of the patrol officers.”

Liang Qiuchi smiled at him. “That’s why I’m taking you with me. We’re on the same side, it’ll be easier.”

Vincent was puzzled, his brow furrowing even more tightly. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

Liang Qiuchi smiled, lowered his cap, and remained silent.

The road was empty, with only their car driving with its headlights on, piercing through the silent night like two long swords. As the car entered the main road of the city center and drove a few kilometers, they saw the flashing lights of the checkpoint ahead.

Liang Qiuchi took a deep breath, took off his coat and draped it over Vincent, covering the restraints on his wrists.

“Believe me, you’ll know what to say and what not to say later, Colonel Vincent.”

The final address indeed confirmed Vincent’s suspicions, chilling him to the bone. “When did you find out? Have you regained all your memories? What about General Mo?”

“Are you sure you want to ask me these questions now?” Liang Qiuchi interrupted his series of questions. The car slowed to a stop, and the duty patrol officer in the booth across from them yawned and lazily walked towards them.

“What are you doing? It’s late, why are you still out?” The officer impatiently knocked on the car window. “Don’t you know there’s a curfew?”

Liang Qiuchi rolled down the window, leaned back, and glanced at Vincent in the passenger seat.

The patrol officer bent down to look inside the car, and Vincent suppressed his emotions, nodding at the officer. “I’m the secretary of the Director of the Security Bureau, and there’s an urgent matter I need to handle,” he gestured towards the windshield with his chin, “The permit is there, take a look for yourself.”

The officer walked around to the front of the car, opened his flashlight to take a look, and indeed saw a nighttime travel permit issued by the Military Bureau placed under the windshield.

He then bent down to look inside the car again, shining his flashlight on Liang Qiuchi’s face. “Be careful when driving, sir. You were going too fast just now. Even if the officer has an urgent matter, safety should still come first, right?”

Liang Qiuchi nodded in agreement.

Vincent spoke coldly, “Can we go now?”

“Of course, of course,” the officer hurriedly raised the barrier, saluting Vincent, “Take care, sir.”

Liang Qiuchi rolled up the window, and once the car smoothly passed the inspection booth, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Vincent relaxed a bit, leaning back in his seat and letting out a sigh of relief. “Mr. Liang, this is really too risky. Where exactly are you going? Not all checkpoints are as easy to fool as the one just now.”

“Not far,” Liang Qiuchi glanced at him teasingly. “Colonel, just sit tight. Safety first.”

Vincent didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so he could only silently watch the rapidly retreating street scene outside the window. The car zigzagged through the streets and alleys, but surprisingly, they didn’t encounter any more checkpoints, which made Vincent somewhat puzzled.

“Mr. Liang, are you very familiar with San Lorenzo?” In fact, it was no longer accurate to simply describe it as “familiar.” Liang Qiuchi had skillfully avoided all the checkpoints.

A hint of obscure emotion flashed in Liang Qiuchi’s eyes. “I was born and raised here, and I’ve experienced curfews before. After so many years, it seems that not much has changed, and the measures are all the same.”

Vincent remembered Liang Qiuchi’s poignant experience and lowered his eyelids. “I’m sorry to bring up your painful past.”

Liang Qiuchi smiled. “It’s okay, it’s all in the past.”

The car finally entered the famous red-light district of San Lorenzo. However, due to the recent curfew, the normally lively streets were eerily quiet and deserted. There were a few streetwalkers squatting on the roadside. When they saw a car coming, the bolder ones waved while the more timid ones quickly hid in the darkness.

Vincent said awkwardly, “If General Mo finds out, he will definitely be very angry.”

“That’s why I chose a time when he wasn’t around,” Liang Qiuchi turned off the headlights, slowly turned the car into a dim alley, and then turned off the engine, “and I hope you will keep this confidential for me.”

Vincent smiled bitterly, “You’re putting me in a difficult position.”

Liang Qiuchi glanced outside the car to make sure no one was around, then reached out to untie the ropes around Vincent’s feet. “Get out of the car and follow me quietly. Don’t speak out of turn.”

With his hands tied, Vincent couldn’t break free and could only follow Liang Qiuchi, slipping into a somewhat inconspicuous dance hall.

Although it looked like it was closed from the outside, when they lifted a heavy soundproof curtain and passed through a dark room, following Liang Qiuchi as he pushed open the door, deafening music and cheers rushed towards them.

The disco ball spun, emitting colorful lights that hurt Vincent’s eyes. He blinked and was then grabbed by Liang Qiuchi’s arm and pulled into the crowd. “Stay close to me.”

The two passed through the dance floor and arrived at a raised platform.

On the platform, a woman dressed in a tank top, shorts, and boots lazily spun around a steel pole to the music, while the onlookers below held their glasses and swayed to the beat. Suddenly, there was a burst of cheers as the woman on stage took a glass from a customer and downed it in one gulp.

Vincent’s face felt a bit hot, and he didn’t dare to look much, so he could only lean in to Liang Qiuchi’s ear and say, “What are you doing here? Let’s leave quickly. I promise not to tell General Mo.”

Liang Qiuchi smiled without saying a word, glanced up at the pole dancer on stage, and then jokingly pulled Vincent upstairs.

The waiter led them to a quiet private room, and Liang Qiuchi took out a large sum of money from Vincent’s pocket, handed it to the waiter, and whispered a few words in his ear.

The waiter nodded repeatedly, saying, “Please wait a moment,” before happily walking away with the tip.

Vincent’s face turned embarrassed as he reminded Liang Qiuchi, “I only have this much money. If you want to do something else…”

“Oh?” Liang Qiuchi tossed his hat aside onto the sofa, jokingly teasing Vincent, “If I want to do something else, I’ll have to ask your General Mo for money.”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Vincent tried to explain, but before he could, the door to the private room suddenly swung open, and a woman wearing a tank top, shorts, and long curly hair walked in flamboyantly.

He widened his eyes in surprise.

It was the pole dancer from downstairs.

What surprised Vincent even more was that after the woman entered, she immediately opened her arms and hugged Liang Qiuchi, who was standing at the door, with an affectionate smile, calling him “Qiuchi” intimately.