Blind Jack shouted, “Don’t hurt her, please…” Blind Jack only had this one relative. Five years ago, he had carried his paralyzed grandmother on his back, fleeing all the way to Huangpu. He never expected that Simon Moore would have even this background checked out so thoroughly.

Simon Moore burst out laughing, completely ignoring Blind Jack’s cries, pulled open the church doors, and strode out.

Only after Simon Moore left did Logan Reed walk over and set Blind Jack down. As soon as Blind Jack’s numb limbs regained feeling, he charged at Grace Young like an enraged hippopotamus, opened his mouth wide, and roared, “You can do whatever you want to us, but you absolutely cannot harm my grandmother!”

A cold flash gleamed—Grace Young now held a thin, sharp dagger, pressing it against Blind Jack’s jaw, forcing him to balance his weight on tiptoe. Grace Young said coldly, “Remember two things. First, stop yelling at me. Do you know you have bad breath? Second, stop staring at me! I hate it when people look at me with that lecherous expression.”

Logan Reed said, “Only women who lack confidence are afraid of being stared at, aren’t they?”

Grace Young suddenly turned her pretty face, her beautiful eyes flashing coldly, fixing a deadly stare on Logan Reed.

Logan Reed said, “If you want others to risk their lives for you, it’s best to show some courtesy. Cooperation and mutual benefit are ideal, but if things really fall apart and it comes to a fight to the death, Miss Young, how confident are you that you’ll walk out of here alive?”

Grace Young moved the dagger away from Blind Jack’s jaw and turned fully to Logan Reed: “Are you threatening me?”

Logan Reed smiled, “You can take it as advice or a warning. From today on, those children at Gospel Primary School had better all stay safe and sound. If even one of them gets a fever or catches a cold, or if even one skips class or plays truant, I’ll hold you all responsible. Granny Chen is in her seventies; I hope she lives a long life. If anything happens to the old lady during our cooperation, we’ll almost certainly hold you accountable too. Honestly, we’re all under a lot of pressure here.”

Everything is relative. You may think you’ve seized someone’s weakness or leverage, but if you want to control others, you must protect that leverage well, hoping it will be useful at a critical moment. But everything carries risk. Logan Reed was reminding Grace Young of this: if anything happened to the people he and Blind Jack cared about, they would retaliate at any cost.

Grace Young nodded, “The way you put it, I really am a little scared now!”

Logan Reed smiled, “All I want is a little respect. In the eyes of the Lord, everyone is equal!”

Blind Jack’s emotions gradually calmed, just like the flush fading from his face, and his reason fully returned. Accepting reality, he could only face their terms head-on. Weakly, he asked, “What exactly do you want us to do?”

Grace Young said, “There are two more identical keys.”

Blind Jack said, “You want us to find those two keys?” His heart sank. If that was the case, searching for two inconspicuous keys in this vast world would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Grace Young said, “It’s not as complicated as you think. We already know where the two keys are. You just need to retrieve them, and the task will be complete.”

Blind Jack asked skeptically, “That simple?”

Grace Young scoffed, “If it were too complicated, I doubt you’d be capable of handling it!”

Logan Reed didn’t believe Grace Young at all. If things were really as simple as she claimed, why would they go to such lengths to find them? Why not do it themselves?

Blind Jack said, “Give us the clues!”

Grace Young said, “Get ready. In three days, you’ll set out for Manchuria!”

“Manchuria?”

After passing Shanhaiguan, the temperature dropped sharply. Looking out the train window, the world was already blanketed in silver. Logan Reed had changed into a sable coat, leaning by the window reading a book, enjoying the midday sunlight streaming in. He hadn’t slept all night, yet didn’t feel tired at all. Logan Reed realized that his chronic insomnia was getting worse again.

Blind Jack still hadn’t woken from last night’s drunken stupor, his mouth open, snoring thunderously.

It was the first time either of them had traveled in such a luxurious compartment. In the past, they’d rarely even ridden second-class, let alone had a private compartment for just the two of them. Although this mission was forced upon them, there was no denying Simon Moore’s generosity—he’d given them a three-hundred silver dollar advance, not to mention the new outfits prepared for them before departure.

Logan Reed had wanted to leave some money for Gospel Primary School, but when he arrived, he found that all the children were already wearing new cotton coats, and every classroom and dormitory had a heating stove. It turned out Simon Moore had sent these over, and had also donated a thousand silver dollars for the school to repair dangerous buildings and improve the children’s meals. This made Logan Reed feel a bit more favorable toward this underworld overlord of the French Concession.