My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 288 Opportunity Kept

"Huh?" Hu Yi jolted awake from his dream, his eyes snapping open to see Yabalov tapping lightly on the car window: "They're here."

"Who?" Hu Yi was confused for a moment, then immediately realized: "Bandits?"

"Yes." Yabalov was extremely anxious: "Your goods! They're still inside, what do we do?"

"What time is it?"

"Four o'clock in a quarter to go!"

"Then...our truck..."

"It must be the warehouse they just arrived at!"

"I understand." Hu Yi opened the door and got out of the car, walking steadily towards the corner of the building that served as a hiding place. He had spent these days in anxiety and unease, constantly racing against time, his emotions fluctuating wildly. Now that the outcome was certain and he was powerless to change it, he felt a sense of calm—perhaps a calm born of despair.

The rain hadn't stopped. At this time of year, Moscow should already be dawning, but it was still pitch black all around, except for the warehouse area in the distance, which was brightly lit by various lights.

Four people hid behind the house and peered out. A long row of trucks was parked along the road opposite the warehouse gate, and a car and three minibuses were parked in the middle of the road.

Several men were looking around and shouting around the warehouse. Someone went into the manager's hut and came out a moment later. He hurriedly walked to the car, leaned down and talked to the people inside for a few words. Then he shouted at the minibus, and a burly young man jumped off the bus with a hammer in his hand. He went to the warehouse door and began to smash the lock.

"What do we do, Anton! Your goods!" Yabalov clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly.

"Let me think, let me think..." Hu Yi stared at the group of bandits, his mind blank. He could only instruct Yabalov first: "Call our tall friend and tell him not to come back."

Natasha also called Dagana to inform her of the situation. Dagana and her husband had just finished unloading the goods and were resting in the warehouse. The tall, black-haired man had already started his return journey and slowed down upon hearing the news.

The lock on the gate was quickly broken, and dozens of people jumped out of three minibuses, rushed forward, opened the gate, and stormed into the warehouse, immediately causing an uproar.

As soon as the car door opened, a bald man got out, walked to the warehouse, glanced around, and without saying a word, pulled out his phone and started shouting. Because of the distance and the rain, Hu Yi only vaguely heard him shout "Yuri" a few times, and couldn't make out the rest.

The bald man angrily hung up the phone, directed the lead truck to back up to the warehouse entrance, leaving seven or eight men to load it, while the rest of the trucks and bandits gathered at the entrance of another large house in the distance, smashed the lock in a few moves, and rushed inside.

"So that was a warehouse too," Hu Yi murmured. "Looks like there's a lot of stuff inside. How pitiful."

"Don't worry about anyone else." Natasha gripped Hu Yi's hand, her voice trembling with tears. "Anton, your goods are about to be stolen. They're all... all the money you've worked so hard to earn over the years..."

"It's our goods, something we worked so hard to earn together." Hu Yi gently squeezed Natasha's hand, took off his coat, and draped it over her head to shield her from the rain. It seemed that this was all he could do; the current situation left him helpless, with no possibility of reclaiming his goods from the bandits.

Just as the four were at their wits' end, the bandits shoved and pushed a man out of the warehouse and brought him to the bald man's side. It looked like the warehouse manager who had just been tied up and thrown into the corner by the tall man.

The manager bowed and scraped repeatedly to the bald man, but the bald man seemed unwilling to acknowledge him. A moment later, another car drove up from a distance and stopped in front of the warehouse. The door opened, and a tall, thin man stepped out.

Could it be Yuri? Hu Yi's heart tightened suddenly, his mind racing as he tried to recall the face of Yuri he had seen at the casino years ago. Unfortunately, they were too far apart, and it was raining, so he couldn't see him clearly.

The tall, thin man glanced quickly into the warehouse, then turned to the bald man, gesturing wildly before opening the car door, taking out a satchel, and handing some items to the bandit beside the bald man. He then tossed the bag back onto the passenger seat, turned, grabbed the warehouse manager by the collar, roared viciously, and punched him to the ground.

The bald man and the other bandits watched coldly as the tall, thin man vented his anger, but unexpectedly he pulled out a pistol from his pocket and fired two shots at the administrator's thigh.

The administrator screamed in agony, startling Hu Yi and his three companions. The other bandits were also greatly surprised and turned to look. The bald man shouted a few words and ordered his men to carry the injured administrator to the roadside. He then put his arm around the shoulder of the tall, thin man, seemingly trying to calm him down.

The remaining bandits continued working, and Hu Yi's seventy-odd packages were quickly loaded onto the first truck. The driver lifted the truck forward slightly, squatted beside the cab, smoked, and waited for the others.

"Anton, this is an opportunity." Natasha's voice trembled slightly, but was very firm: "I can sneak away with that car!"

Hu Yi's heart skipped a beat; a golden opportunity had indeed presented itself. The bandits who had been loading the goods had all gone to help at another warehouse ahead, leaving only this large truck and its driver as the closest people to them.

Moreover, with the rear of the car facing the warehouse gate and the front protruding into the road, it blocked the view of the bald man and his men standing in the middle of the road not far away, giving Natasha a good chance to drive the car away smoothly.

However, this matter was still too risky. Thinking of the sweet dream he had just had in the car, Hu Yi hesitated greatly: "Natasha, this... is really too dangerous."

"There's no time to think about it, Anton!" Natasha looked at him gently but urgently. "Listen to me, before dawn, I have to try. We can't let those people take your... no, our things away like that."

In critical moments, decisive action is essential. Hu Yi pondered for a moment, devised a simple preliminary plan in his mind, and then instructed Natasha to go around to the warehouse from behind a row of large houses and act accordingly. He took out a kitchen knife from his backpack and handed the bag to Yabalov: "Yaba, there are still 200,000 rubles in here. Please keep them for me for now."

"I can help too!" Yabalov handed the bag to Tanya. "I'll go with you!"

"No, you two stay here and hide well, and stay in touch." Hu Yi patted him heavily on the shoulder: "If we successfully escape, we will definitely come back for you; if our plan fails... you two can also notify others to find a way to help."

Yabalov nodded blankly. Hu Yi gently embraced him and Tanya, and whispered, "Thank you... for everything you've done for me." Without looking back, he opened the door, got into the car, and drove the old Opel slowly towards the warehouse at idle speed.

The bandits in the distance were still shouting and loading goods onto the truck. Hu Yi didn't turn on his headlights, and it wasn't until he drove into the area illuminated by the warehouse lights that the driver, who was squatting next to the truck, noticed him.

The driver abruptly stood up, threw away his cigarette butt, stared at the Opel's license plate for a few moments, his expression a mixture of confusion and wariness: "Who is it?"

"It's me, brother, come over here." Hu Yi stopped five meters away from the truck, rolled down the window by a hand's width, and waved to the driver.

Having spent years immersed in the market, he had mastered the accent characteristics of Caucasians perfectly. During his graduation defense, he had left the department head and others speechless. Now, as he muttered a few words in the car on a rainy night, it was even more difficult to tell if they were true or not.

The driver took two steps forward blankly, and through the glass, he vaguely saw Hu Yi's full beard. Without thinking, he assumed Hu Yi was one of them and leaned into the car as he walked forward, asking, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I'm from Grozny. I have...something special to discuss with you." Hu Yi slowed his speech, making up a story as he glanced sideways at the back of the warehouse—it was pitch black, and he couldn't see Natasha anywhere.

"Grozny? No—" East Asians and Caucasians look very different, after all. The driver had already walked to the Opel and seen his face clearly. His expression returned to one of confusion and wariness: "Who are you? Chinese? Korean?"

"Haha, you're very smart, that's right." Hu Yi caught a glimpse of a red-haired figure quietly approaching the truck out of the corner of his eye, and knew that the crucial moment had arrived, and he had to keep the driver's attention firmly in sight.

He first gave a cryptic smile, then his mind raced, and he said in a deep voice with a serious expression, "The 'Japanese' sent me."

"Japanese?" The driver was taken aback. "Which Japanese?"

Hu Yi narrowed his eyes and looked at him coldly: "Do you know any other Japanese people?"

"I don't know him." The driver hesitated. "You mean... Mr. Ivankov?"

The driver was referring to Ivankov, a former godfather-level figure in the Russian mafia. He had been a powerful and infamous figure for many years, enjoying a prominent reputation in the global underworld. However, due to his similar physical features to Asians, he was nicknamed "the Japanese."

Caucasians in the container market often mention this legendary figure when chatting and bragging, and occasionally use him to tease other Asians. Hu Yi had heard of him before, and although he only knew this nickname, it was enough to impress people in a pinch.

Seeing that the driver indeed knew the name "Japanese," Hu Yi nodded emphatically: "Yes, my brother, that's him."

However, perhaps due to the vast difference in status between a lackey and a boss, the driver wasn't easily intimidated by Hu Yi. He merely frowned slightly and asked with some skepticism, "Then... what exactly is it?"

"The Japanese asked me to pass on a message to you." Hu Yi glanced at Natasha, who had already quietly opened the car door and climbed into the driver's seat. He smiled slightly and said, "He heard from the Koreans, and according to the Vietnamese, it seems the Mongols leaked the information, that some Chinese people are coming tonight to collect something from you."

"What? Who said that? What are you taking?" The driver was completely bewildered and was staring at Hu Yi with suspicion when he heard the car door behind him slam shut with a "bang." Then the sound of the accelerator was heard, and Natasha swerved the steering wheel to the left, driving the truck onto the highway.

"Hey! Who is it!" The driver hurriedly turned around to chase the truck. Hu Yi took the opportunity to roll up the window, back up a few meters, fasten his seat belt, and planned to turn around and follow Natasha as soon as she finished turning.

Unexpectedly, the driver only ran a few steps before turning towards the bald man and his group in the middle of the road: "Someone's stealing the car! Chase them!"

The bandits had been alerted the moment they saw the truck start moving, and immediately sprang into action upon hearing the shouts. The bald man sternly urged his men to give chase, and a group of them sprinted alongside the truck for dozens of meters. Seeing that Natasha had already accelerated, they hurriedly turned back and hailed a minibus to take more people in pursuit. Several bandits drew their pistols and fired, but all their shots hit the truck bed.

The scene instantly descended into extreme chaos. Although no one noticed Hu Yi's car for the time being, a group of bandits stood behind him on the road, making it very difficult for him to turn around in the confusion. By the time the truck driver realized what was happening, he was likely in grave danger.

The road ahead was relatively clear, so Hu Yi didn't hesitate and immediately shifted gears, intending to speed forward. However, he had barely started moving when he saw bandits from another warehouse ahead surging onto the road. At the same time, the bald man and his men not far away also noticed the unusual movement of the vehicle.

Both roads were blocked, and Hu Yi couldn't help but gasp. But as his gaze swept over the group of people ahead, he recognized the tall, thin man next to the bald man.

His poverty was mixed with arrogance; he was none other than Yuri, whom I had met at the casino years ago—the same Yuri who had robbed Li Baoqing and his companions of their goods two years prior, leaving Li Baoqing so badly injured he couldn't straighten his back.

It was him! It's that bastard again! He actually got me into trouble today!

In an instant, Hu Yi's pupils turned bloodshot. Unable to contain his anger, he shifted gears, accelerated, and slammed on the gas pedal, roaring, "Yuri! I'll fuck your grandma!" as he charged diagonally toward Yuri.

At this moment, he was only about ten meters away from the other group, but Hu Yi had just started driving and his speed was not fast. Yuri hurriedly took a few steps back, then suddenly lurched to the right, and Hu Yi also swerved the steering wheel sharply.

Unexpectedly, Yuri was just feinting. He only took two steps, and as soon as he saw the car turn, he immediately twisted his waist and leaped in the opposite direction, climbing down to the minibus parked next to him.

Hu Yi tried to turn around, but it was too late. As he hurriedly stepped on the brakes, he heard two loud thuds. The left side of the car first knocked down the bald man who couldn't avoid it and rolled him seven or eight meters away. Then, the right side of the car slammed into the front of the minibus.

The car was turned off, and Hu Yi was jolted forward in his seat. Even though the car wasn't going very fast, the seatbelt was still quite tight.

Ignoring the churning blood in his chest, he unbuckled his seatbelt, bent down to pick up the kitchen knife that had slipped under the passenger seat, opened the door, got out of the car, roared, and swung the knife at a panicked bandit next to him.

Although the bandit was startled by the sudden scene, he reacted quickly, yelling and ducking as he fled.

Hu Yi's sword strike missed its mark, and he staggered a few steps forward. Looking up, he saw the bandits who had been chasing Natasha running back.

Turning his head to look behind him, Yuri was peering out from under the minibus, looking anxious and wary. The other bandits around him had just recovered from the sudden situation. Some ran over to help the bald man, while others ran towards him angrily. A dozen or so bandits from another warehouse in the distance were also rushing over.

In the nick of time, he saw two cars parked on the left and right sides not far away. The one parked at the warehouse entrance was still running; it must be Yuri's.

This was the only way to escape. Hu Yi rushed over, opened the door, got into the car, threw the kitchen knife on the passenger seat, released the handbrake, and tried to press the clutch to shift gears, but unexpectedly stepped on empty air.

Before he could react, several bandits had closed in. Yuri, cursing angrily, crawled out from under the minibus and ran towards his car without a care in the world.

(End of this chapter)