Chapter 404: Armed Guards!

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

As one walked through the lively streets of Paris, he would notice Chinese people all around. Among them were young and attractive students, established business professionals who had made Paris their home, and even some tourists who were grappling with their limited English skills.

Zhou Chao, on the other hand, was the center of attention on those busy streets. With his tall stature and extraordinary looks, he drew the gaze of everyone in this fashion-forward city.

A few outgoing foreign girls even approached him, seeking his contact information, but Zhou Chao politely declined their advances. In the end, he had no choice but to buy a mask from a luxury store to blend in better, but he still remained quite conspicuous.

He soon arrived at the square where the Eiffel Tower stood—the Plaza of the God of War. Suddenly, a familiar melody reached his ears from the crowd not far ahead.

The incredibly familiar tune prompted Zhou Chao to quicken his pace. Utilizing his physical advantages, he squeezed his way into the crowd. There, he saw a Chinese woman draped in a red cloak, her fingers dancing across the strings of a guzheng, creating a captivating melody.

Standing not far from the woman, Zhou Chao began to hum along with the guzheng’s enchanting tune.

“The sky is a clear shade of blue, waiting for the drizzle, rising wisps of cooking smoke, as 1 wait for you…”

The woman in the red cloak was playing none other than Jay Chou’s “Blue and

White Porcelain.”

Hearing this familiar and touching melody in a foreign land excited Zhou Chao immensely. It reminded him of something Jay Chou had once said: “Chinese music is the top-notch.”

As the song came to an end, Zhou Chao enthusiastically applauded, and the onlookers around him followed suit.

The woman in the red cloak graciously stood up and gave a polite bow to the crowd.

Zhou Chao then noticed a smartphone holder in front of the woman. He quickly opened his phone and searched for a live stream. He soon found the live stream of his current location.

He located his personal customer service and immediately recharged one million yuan. He then entered the live stream hosted by Peng Peng and started spamming Carnival items. He didn’t stop until he had spent the entire one million yuan.

Meanwhile, the woman who had planned to play the next song was left in a daze. She stared at the continuously appearing Carnival items on her live stream, momentarily unable to react.

“Peng Peng, what’s going on? Why did you stop playing?” A young girl quickly approached her and asked.

“Quick, take a look at the live stream. Someone has sent hundreds of Carnival items!” Peng Peng pointed at the continuously appearing items in shock.

As for Zhou Chao, he watched the reactions of the two women with a smile. He supported performances that promoted Chinese culture, and a hundred thousand yuan was nothing to him.

As the two women regained their composure, Zhou Chao continued on his way towards the Eiffel Tower. At this moment, another melody reached his ears, and it was being played by the woman in the red cloak!

Continuing to wander around the square, Zhou Chao saw various performances, including a foreign guy skateboarding, people dancing, and someone playing the guitar. He even spotted a Chinese guy with a guitar singing “Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies.”

“I remember it should be here. Why can’t 1 find it? It’s supposed to be near the pool, right?” Zhou Chao murmured while looking at the ground.

“Ah, what a pity!” After searching for a while and not finding it, he sighed with a hint of regret.

What Zhou Chao was looking for was a piece of brick. It was brought all the way from China by a Chinese student studying in Paris, and it was engraved with “Huaxia.” He had hoped to take a photo with it as a memento, but perhaps the brick had already been taken away by the sanitation workers.

With a bit of disappointment, Zhou Chao sat down on the steps and gazed at the Eiffel Tower.

Buzz, buzz, buzz! Just as he had shaken off that bit of regret, his phone in his pocket began to ring.

’’Hello!”

“Mr. Zhou, I’ve been assigned by the company to protect you. May I ask for your current location?” A deep voice came through the phone, and surprisingly, it was still in Mandarin.

“I’m sitting on the steps right in front of the Eiffel Tower, next to the pool, wearing a black mask.”

“Please wait a moment.” The man on the other end hung up the phone, and Zhou Chao shrugged at the disconnected call.

“1 didn’t expect him to have quite a personality.”

Soon, Zhou Chao saw four or five tall and burly men heading towards him. The leader of the group scanned the surroundings and, upon spotting Zhou Chao, made a hand gesture, prompting the others to disperse.

The leading man looked around for a moment, confirmed his target, and then approached Zhou Chao.

“Mr. Zhou?” The leader sounded a bit unsure.

Zhou Chao removed his mask and smiled. “Surprised that 1 look too young for this?”

“Well, a little bit. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Todd Wood, the leader of Team X under the company. In the future, my team and 1 will be responsible for your safety during your time in Europe.”

Zhou Chao assessed Todd with a glance. Todd stood at around 6’3″ with a muscular build. He had a scar about 1.2 inches long on his face, adding a touch of fierceness to his appearance.

“Let’s find a different place to talk,” Zhou Chao suggested, standing up and patting his backside. He started walking toward the square’s exit.

Todd quickly recovered and gestured, following Zhou Chao. Soon, the other four team members gathered around, subtly surrounding Zhou Chao.

“Do you have vehicles?” Zhou Chao asked as they exited the square.

“We brought three vehicles in total, all of the highest standard, and they are bulletproof.”

“Good.” Zhou Chao nodded and stood by the roadside.

In no time, three large Mercedes-Benz vehicles pulled up in front of Zhou Chao. Todd opened the back door of the second car, and Zhou Chao got in. The other team members also opened their respective car doors and entered.

As soon as Zhou Chao got into the car, Todd began to brief him.

“Mr. Zhou—” Todd began, but Zhou Chao interrupted him.

“Don’t call me Mr. Zhou. Call me Young Master Zhou. Please introduce your team.”

Todd hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.

“Team X consists of nine members in total. One of them is a technical specialist who didn’t accompany us here. We are classified as the highest level of security detail within the company. Each of us is equipped with weapons, and we are authorized to carry them in most European countries.”

Zhou Chao immediately understood that this was a security team typically assigned to protect high-ranking officials from various countries. It seemed that Ban was giving him a lot of respect.

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Let me see,” Zhou Chao extended his hand in front of Todd.

Todd looked at Zhou Chao’s hand, momentarily not realizing what he wanted to see.

Seeing Todd’s confusion, Zhou Chao said with some exasperation, “Weapons!”

Todd quickly took out a handgun from under his armpit and removed all the bullets before handing it to Zhou Chao.

He thought Zhou Chao might not have seen a gun before and wanted to experience it, considering he knew that guns were banned in Huaxia. So, when he mentioned being equipped with weapons, Zhou Shao probably wanted to take a look.

Zhou Chao took the handgun, examined it briefly, and with a quick motion, disassembled the gun into a pile of parts scattered on his thigh. Before Todd could react, Zhou Chao had already reassembled the gun.

“This…” Watching Zhou Chao’s skilled handling of the gun, Todd was completely dumbfounded. Zhou Chao’s disassembly and reassembly of the firearm were more proficient than his own, and he used to be no ordinary person.

“Bodyguard, .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol, 13.3 cm in length, weighing approximately 336 grams, with a capacity of 6 rounds. This gun is not bad!” Zhou Chao weighed the gun a couple of times and casually threw it back to Todd.

By this point, Todd had also realized that the person they were guarding this time was no ordinary individual. From the highest level of security detail to the skills he casually displayed, it was clear that Zhou Chao’s identity was far from ordinary. Todd also put away his initial underestimation.

“Squeak!” Three large Mercedes-Benz vehicles came to a steady halt in front of Zhou Chao’s hotel.

In addition to the three drivers, there was one team member in each car. Todd and a man carrying a briefcase followed Zhou Chao into the hotel.

The presence of the group didn’t attract too much attention, at most a few glances as they entered the hotel. After all, this was one of the most luxurious hotels in Paris, and having personal bodyguards wasn’t that unusual.

As soon as Zhou Chao returned to his room and sat down, there was a knock on the door. Todd put his hand under his armpit and walked towards the door, which surprised Zhou Chao.

“Todd, no need to be nervous. This should be my people. Besides, 1 don’t have any enemies abroad, so you don’t need to be so vigilant. The main reason I called you guys here was to show off, you know?” Zhou Chao smiled at Todd, who seemed completely puzzled.

Opening the door revealed Lin Wu and Miles.

Lin Wu, seeing that the person who opened the door was a foreigner, narrowed his eyes and instantly determined that this person was not ordinary. Based on his keen observation, he also noticed that the man had a gun under his armpit.

Without much thought, just as they were about to make a move, they were halted by a voice.

“Ling Wu, come in, they are my people!”

Hearing Zhou Chao’s voice, Lin Wu released the tight grip on his fists. He exchanged a glance with Todd and then walked inside. Miles, who had been on edge, also relaxed. Miles had traveled extensively and, upon seeing Todd for the first time, knew what kind of person he was dealing with. It was fortunate that Todd was one of their own; otherwise, Miles wasn’t sure if he’d be able to leave the hotel today.

As Lin Wu entered, he noticed another person holding a briefcase. When his gaze landed on the briefcase, his eyes narrowed once again.

Approaching Zhou Chao respectfully, he said, “Boss!”

“Yeah, Lin Wu, let me introduce you to Todd and his team members. They will be providing security for my trip in Europe. You two should get acquainted.”

“Hello, Lin Wu!”

“Hello, Todd!”

Their large hands gripped tightly, almost as if they were arm wrestling. Before long, both of them were blushing slightly.

Zhou Chao chuckled, shaking his head, and stood up. He extended his hand to forcibly separate the two.

Lin Wu was fine, but Todd couldn’t believe that his full strength had been effortlessly controlled by Lin Wu. He looked at the hand that held his in disbelief.

“Now that you two have met, 1 hope you can cooperate well during this time.”

“Yes, Boss / Young Master Zhou!”