After drinking some tea, the agitation on Ah Ming's face faded away. He then got up and headed to the door, "See you then."
"Be careful," Danny said as he smiled at Ah Ming who was reaching for the door. Yet before he was about to leave, he suddenly looked back towards Yang Yi and gave a long, meaningful stare. Then, without waiting for a reaction from Yang Yi, Ah Ming opened the door and headed out.
"Danny, sir," Yang Yi asked impatiently after Ah Ming left, "Do you think it's possible to resolve this peacefully?"
"I can't say for certain with three large organizations chasing you, but I can at the very least guarantee your safety." Danny handed a cup of tea to Yang Yi and smiled again. "I'll try to help out. I can't guarantee anything else, but no one will attack you if you stay in this place."
As if to show his thanks, Yang Yi raised his cup and lowered his head. As he gulped down the whole cup, a loud sound came from his stomach.
"You hungry?" Danny asked after the bellowing sound ceased.
"No, not really." Yang Yi looked at Danny awkwardly, "I mean, yes."
In truth, he hadn't eaten since lunch, but he couldn't bring himself to ask for food from someone who was already offering so much help. It wasn't polite.
"Our lobster noodles are pretty good. Wait here for a bit."
Danny immediately left after speaking and in a short while, came back with the same smile he had been putting on ever since Yang Yi told him about Yang Sheng. Not a salaryman's professional smile, though. Danny's smile was warm and authentic, at the same time, it emitted confidence.
"The noodles will come soon. After you finish, go get some rest."
"Sleep?" Yang Yi looked at Danny in apprehension, "With all due respect, I don't think this is the best time to go the bed."
"If you can't do anything for the moment, you might as well go replenish yourself first. Don't worry, nobody is going to attack you in your sleep."
"Mr. Danny…"
"Just call me Danny." Danny laughed. "Call me Captain if you want; that's what my brothers call me."
"Captain, is it alright for me to check on my former teammates? They were killed in their homes. I can't just leave their bodies the way I saw them."
Danny's smile suddenly disappeared, his tone became low and grim, "I suggest you get rid of that thought, young man. The police will deal with that. Trust me, the moment you leave the door, there's going to be somebody coming for your head."
As a waiter came in with a bowl of noodles, Danny switched back to his signature smile. He then slapped Yang Yi's shoulder, "Come on, dig in!"
Yang Yi took his first bite and realized how hungry he was and had been all night, "This is actually pretty good!"
It didn't take long before Yang Yi finished the whole bowl. He was swallowing the entire time without stopping. After Yang Yi finished, he wiped his mouth and resumed the conversation.
He asked, "Captain, will the people coming after me trouble you? I mean, it would be pretty dangerous if they manage to find this place."
"Rest assured, this is my territory. No one, absolutely nobody dares to mess around in the Dark Knights territory."
"The Dark Knights?"
Unbothered by the surprise in Yang Yi's voice, Danny continued, "You probably haven't heard of this name yet.
"No, I haven't," Yang Yi replied as he scratched his head, "It's a pretty solid name."
"We were all once young, I suppose. We all liked the name back then, And now," Danny laughed and choked on his tea for a bit. "...Yeah, I would say it's a pretty solid name to go by."
Yang Yi laughed with Danny for a few minutes before he switched to a more serious topic,"Captain, are you and your people spies?"
"No." As Danny shook his head, Yang Yi looked away in embarrassment. He regretted asking such a sensitive question. Danny didn't seem to mind though.
"We don't exactly have the, how do I say it, skill sets to function as a spy organization. We are more like mercenaries; you pay us, and we will provide you with hitmen, guards, anything that involves violence, really."
"Hitmen" Yang Yi froze, "You said, hitmen?"
"Not professional ones, but we don't mind taking those kinds of jobs. Another thing, this restaurant belongs to the Dark Knights. That means no one would dare come into this place to do anything to you."
Yang Yi lowered his head sincerely, "Thank you for telling me all this."
"This isn't a secret anyway. All of the underground organizations in London know. Why do you think they don't dare to come in? Because they know if they do, they will receive a full-scale counterattack from the Dark Knights."
Seeing that Yang Yi was not in as fearful as before, Danny continued, "Your father once worked as an information dealer. As for me, it was pretty tough back then for a Chinese man to work in London, even harder if you worked in the underground. I messed around with the wrong enemy, and four of the eighteen Dark Knights were killed. Your father didn't just save my life, he helped me find all kinds of jobs here."
Danny pointed his finger towards the exit, "Your father passed away early, but I can return the debt I owe him to his son. Ah Ming is the same. If it weren't for him, both of us would have died."
"You have my thanks anyway."
Danny shook his head, rejecting Yang Yi's gratitude. "I told you all this so I can make sure things are clear between us. That is to say, while I will help you out in whatever way I can, that girl must leave tomorrow morning after her wounds are treated."
"Why?" Yang Yi asked rather loudly.
"Because you are the son of Yang Sheng, and she's not. And to be honest, we cannot guarantee that your situation can be resolved, but what we can guarantee is that we can ensure your safety. It's not like we can't protect the two of you, but I'm not willing to go that far for a complete stranger."
Danny responded coolly and Yang Yi was left speechless. He couldn't think of anything to say in return. No, he couldn't even hate Danny for not wanting to help Kate. Danny didn't need to do anything at all. The favor was owed to his father, not him.
But what about Kate?
"I can't just leave her by herself…" Yang Yi finally said weakly after thinking for a bit.
Danny insisted, "Not everyone in my gang owes favors to your father. Sorry, I can't bring all of them into my personal issues. The bottom line is, I can guarantee your safety, but absolutely no one else."
"Is there no other alternative?"
"We have some reputation, but we are far from invincible. You need to understand that with so many organizations that want your lives…."
Realizing the conversation was going sour, Danny shook his head, "Cicero, Marthall and the hitmen, there's no telling what those three will do, but expect the worst to happen. The best outcome, which I highly doubt will happen, is that the Marthall Family will let you go as a sign of respect for me. If things go really well, the Cicero Family and the hitmen will stop too, but don't count on it."
Yang Yi said in a rushed breath: "I'm willing to return the evidence! I can provide an explanation, too. I'll make it clear that it wasn't the Cicero Family who sold out their client, but one of our teammates. Please, if they are willing to accept the truth, then we can actually resolve this situation."
Danny sighed, "A wise choice if this all could be resolved with honesty. I can provide some protection for your friend. Unfortunately, though, I don't think this is going to end easily. Let's just wait and see how these three organizations react."
"Why? Isn't the stolen intel their main objective?"
Danny smiled bitterly. "You killed two of them? The hitmen."
"We did…"
"I see. Hitmen usually don't care to avenge their partners, but I'm more worried about the Marthall Family. Let me explain it another way. Supposedly, the contract between Marthall and the hitmen was that the hitmen will receive payment after they bring the heads of everyone in The Singer's team..."