Closer to Revealing My True Self-Chapter 814 - 522 The Downpour Comes

After finishing his conversation with Feng Yi, Feng Chi lay on the sofa feeling somewhat bored.

The sudden idleness after a busy work schedule took some getting used to.

He turned on the TV to watch the recent major and minor works by his peers in the circle, then picked up his phone to scroll through what netizens were saying about him.

He quickly glanced over the negative comments and read through the fun and memes one by one.

Then, Feng Chi prepared a simple dinner for himself. Since Feng Yi wouldn’t be coming over today, he planned to eat early and rest early.

While eating, something occurred to him, and he took out his phone again, switched accounts, and checked a few unread emails.

Today, there was a new one, which he clicked on.

The email didn’t contain any highly secretive information: just a menu listing a few dishes, along with a few brief descriptions related to the diet. That was all.

But Feng Chi looked it over carefully.

This was what appeared on the old man’s table at the old house today.

It was difficult to find out other things. Even though the old patriarch’s control over the family had weakened, not everything could be easily learned.

However, when it came to food, some news could still be gleaned.

The old patriarch’s meals were overseen by a dedicated nutritionist within his medical team, but from Feng Chi’s study of the old man’s habits over the years, he knew that when the old patriarch experienced certain emotional fluctuations, he would add or remove certain dishes.

For example, today’s menu at the old house listed a dish of steamed cured meat, which rarely appeared otherwise.

Apart from social entertaining or larger family banquets, the old patriarch’s table rarely featured cured meats when he dined alone.

It was only when certain things were happening that cured meats would ceremoniously appear on the table. Whether it was cured, marinated, or roasted flavors depended entirely on the old patriarch’s mood and dental health. The implications were more or less the same.

This sense of ceremony might be rooted in some experiences from the old patriarch’s younger days in business, serving as a memorial of sorts, and gradually became a habit.

Even if he didn’t eat it or ate very little, the old patriarch’s table would have an extra dish of cured meat when doing certain things.

Seeing the steamed cured meat added to today’s menu sparked Feng Chi’s curiosity.

"Tsk, is the old man up to no good again?"

Though already old, the old patriarch, with decades of deep local roots, still had some methods that people feared.

"This time, who is the unlucky one the old man has set his sights on..."

Feng Chi suddenly stopped.

Looking at the darkening sky outside and the weather forecast on his phone, Feng Chi put down his utensils and called Feng Yi.

The first attempt didn’t go through, the line was busy on the other end.

After waiting a while, he tried again, and this time the call connected.

Feng Chi breathed a sigh of relief, "Bro, where are you now? Still at the highway service station?"

Feng Yi said, "Just left not long ago."

Feng Chi, "Not a great time though, the downpour is about to start, be careful on the road... And there’s something off about the old patriarch, don’t know what mischief he’s up to."

He shared his suspicions and also warned Feng Yi to be cautious.

The old patriarch’s unusual behavior might not be directed at Feng Yi; it could be something else, but giving a heads up made Feng Chi feel more at ease.

Feng Yi chuckled, "Got it, don’t worry about me here. A rainstorm is coming, you better not go out either."

Feng Chi, "Okay, send me a message when you get home."

They ended the call.

On the highway to Yang City, inside the car, Feng Yi held his phone, switched screens, and sent several messages.

Jia focused on his work while also keeping an eye on the real-time traffic conditions of various routes on the navigation system.

The sky outside grew increasingly grim, and as they continued to approach Yang City, the navigation screen suddenly showed a traffic jam up ahead.

It wasn’t clear what had happened, but that section was particularly congested. If they continued on the previous route, there was no telling how long they might be stuck.

"Boss, there’s a sudden traffic jam up ahead," Jia reported.

Feng Yi’s seat had a concealed monitor that he could activate to check the navigation page.

"Change routes," Feng Yi instructed.

"Okay," Jia responded calmly.

Before they left the service station, Feng Yi had mentioned that the trip might not be smooth and had discussed several possibilities, including the current situation. They had already decided which alternative route to take, and now Jia just had to follow the boss’s choice.

So, they exited the highway early, and moments later, they entered a less crowded lane that few outsiders would choose.

In Yang City.

Feng Chi, unsettled by thoughts of what might happen, sat restlessly, unable to finish his meal or find peace of mind.

He sent another message to Feng Yi.

Feng Yi didn’t reply.

After waiting, he called directly.

No answer.

Feng Chi wiped the sweat from his brow.

Opening the map on his phone, he immediately saw the congested red line.

The sweat on his temples grew more abundant, not bothering to wipe it away, he scrutinized the map for the distance and realized... his brother shouldn’t have reached there yet, should he?

Did he change routes because of poor signal?

Attempting to call again, he still couldn’t connect.

Feng Chi took a deep breath and continued to study the map.

Compared to Feng Yi, who had left Yang City several years ago, Feng Chi was more familiar with the city’s various new and old routes in and out.

That included the country lanes.

He was now checking what route Feng Yi might have taken if he didn’t get stuck on the highway and had changed his route ahead of time.

His finger paused over one particular area.

There were several intricate paths there; calling them small was only in comparison to those spacious highways, but they could still accommodate two cars driving side by side. The roads were just a bit more complex and sometimes had minor changes, such as fallen trees, or items lost by villagers passing through, and so on, requiring careful navigation.

But if one was familiar with those routes, they could actually be a faster way into the territory of Yang City than the highways.

Feng Chi had taken that route a few times, but he generally wouldn’t choose it on rainy days.

Given the current situation, he wasn’t sure whether Feng Yi would choose it, but he still wanted someone to check it out.

As a social butterfly, Feng Chi had a wide network of friends and knew many people. There was someone he knew who lived quite close to that area.

He quickly opened his phone’s contact list and searched, tapping on a number.

"Hey, A’jin, what are you up to? Are you free right now to help me out with something..."

Feng Chi wanted A’jin to take someone to that area to take a look, or to help ask relatives and friends living there if there was anything out of the ordinary.

A’jin agreed to help.

It wasn’t a big deal, and A’jin wanted to maintain his relationship with Feng Chi, so he agreed readily.

After a while, A’jin called back hesitantly.

"Sorry, A’chi, something has come up, and everyone’s suddenly busy with their own things and can’t go there..."

It was only after he had made a few calls that A’jin realized that the place Feng Chi mentioned did actually have something going on. Someone had noticed the wind changing, and no one was allowed to go that way; even the elders at home had warned not to go there, regardless of what they might hear!

Upon hearing this, A’jin, who originally wanted to show some loyalty, immediately made a decision and apologized to Feng Chi.

With the current weather and at that location, even the more senior members of the family felt apprehensive, and there were people in charge of clearing the area. He didn’t have the guts to go there!

Nobody dared to even take a closer look!

Without the rain, one might steal a glance, but if a downpour came, what could they see from even a slight distance?

Being further away meant seeing nothing; getting closer meant putting their lives at risk.

It was better to just stay at home and watch.

Elsewhere.

The car carrying Feng Yi and his group was driving on a country lane far from the town.

Gazing through the car window, they could see the fields and fish ponds outside, but as the sky grew darker, everything became more blurred.

The car radio had already stopped, and the cell phone signal was also gone. Clearly, someone had made some arrangements.

As the car passed a certain stretch, not long after it had driven by, someone set up a roadblock to divert the following traffic.

Inside the car, A’que looked up.

Jia: "Boss, there’s trouble."

Feng Yi: "Keep going."

Jia, unflinching: "Alright."

The car didn’t stop right away, instead the hidden compartment by the driver’s seat was unlocked, so the tools could be easily accessed.

Up ahead, a car was stopped in the middle of the road, and people were emerging from behind trees and other obstructions at the side of the road.

There were also people from behind the car, coming around from not far off.

The driving car finally came to a halt.

Boom—

Thunder rumbled overhead.

It was like a heavy hammer striking, the vibrations from the sound waves passing from the ears to the heart.

An uneasy atmosphere surrounded them.

Crack—

The long-brewing torrential rain had begun.

The rain was fierce, and the moment it began, it fell densely and unceasingly.

The gloomy twilight weather made the space between heaven and earth even darker.

The visibility was greatly reduced, and the car lights could only illuminate the thick curtain of rain surrounding them. A little further away, and nothing was clear.

A’que, sitting in the back seat, put on a pair of black gloves.

These gloves were not as soft to the touch as leather ones; they even felt a bit hard, as if there was metal embedded inside.