Chapter 120

Shan Ming felt like he had just woken up from an exceptionally long and exhausting dream. Upon waking, he couldn’t remember anything, but his whole body ached. The dizziness, throbbing headache, and nausea were all particularly intense.

He slowly opened his eyes, and the sound of static from the communicator filled his ears. The air around him was highly humid, making the heat almost unbearable. Without needing to guess, Shan Ming could confirm that he was still in the tropical rainforest.

A strange face appeared before him, but it was upside down, looking quite comical. Shan Ming squinted his eyes, and his eyelashes fluttered incessantly.

A bucket of cold water was poured over him, and Shan Ming gasped for air, instantly becoming much more awakened.

He was lifted from the ground by someone and forced to sit with his back against the wall. It was then that he realized his hands and feet were bound, his movement restricted. No wonder his muscles felt sore, it’ll be weird if it wasn’t sore after sleeping in such a position.

His eyes scanned the surroundings, and soon he spotted the person who was sitting on a dilapidated chair, conversing with the communicator. It was the man who had delivered a heavy blow to his head, leaving him dizzy and nauseous. That man, with a face resembling Shen Changze, was none other than Shen Yao.

Shen Yao turned his head, giving him a cold glance before resuming his conversation with the communicator. For the moment, he decided to ignore him.

Shan Ming was extremely anxious, not because of his own situation, but because he hadn’t seen any members of the Peregrine Falcon. Could they all be dead? Shan Ming forced himself to remain calm, despite the pounding in his fists. He maintained an outward appearance of composure as he surveyed the surroundings.

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Fbld Zys pyke lmralppksdzlppzu, “R shlazssjle uswa lmkpvldnl clqsal, cwv yqvla scplahkdt qsa y obkzl, R alyzkgle vbyv bl alzklp sd usw blyhkzu yde vawpvp usw. Zsw qswde bkx, aykple bkx, lewnyvle yde vaykdle bkx, rashkekdt bkx okvb vbl qyvblazu zshl vbyv R nswzed’v tkhl. Wsa vbyv, R pbswze vbydj usw.”

Shan Ming gritted his teeth and seethed, “Where are they? Did you kill them?” His mind was consumed with thoughts of the others, and he had no interest in listening to Shen Yao’s empty words.

Shen Yao frowned, “No, as far as I know, they aren’t all dead. Those who were injured have received treatment. If I wanted to kill you all, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble. I could have ended you when you first set foot on this island.”

As the grip on his heart finally loosened, Shan Ming felt a warmth welling up in his eyes. They were still alive, Ayer, Tiger Shark, Pelle and them, they were all alive! For the first time, Shan Ming truly believed that God indeed loved mankind.

Shan Ming finally relaxed, and his chaotic mind gradually regained clarity. He looked coldly at Shen Yao and said, “I raised him because I wanted to, not for your gratitude.”

“That’s true, but it is indeed thanks to you that my son is alive.”

Shan Ming chuckled and replied, “Even without me, he would have survived. When he was five years old, he could bite three wolves to death and was immune to any poison. In the primitive forest, he can thrive better than anyone else.”

Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued. “How did you encounter him? What was the situation like back then?”

Shan Ming shook away the sweat-soaked hair that hung in front of his forehead. “Give me a cig.”

Shen Yao glanced at him, then extended his hand to the person next to him. An Asian man immediately passed him a cigarette and a lighter. Shen Yao took the cigarette, placed it in his own mouth, lit it, took a drag, and then stuffed it in Shan Ming’s mouth.

The cigarette was difficult to smoke, but it wasn’t the cigarette’s fault. The environment here was too humid, causing everything to taste off. However, Shan Ming greedily took a big drag, feeling the pungent flavor swirl in his lungs and exhale through his nose. His entire body felt invigorated, and his mind became much clearer.

He spat out the cigarette. “The first time I encountered him, he was lying next to a pile of wolf corpses. Looking back now, he must have been so full from eating that he fell asleep.”

Shen Yao asked again, “Why did you bring him back to the Peregrine Falcon?”

“He clung to my leg, begging me to take him. He cried and threw a tantrum, so I ended up bringing him along. Come to think of it, if he had stayed in Myanmar, he would probably have turned into some sort of Tarzan or something.”

Shen Yao smirked sarcastically. “That’s impossible. Tang Tingzhi would have found him for sure. So I should thank you. At least he wasn’t brainwashed from the beginning. But now, it’s time for you to return him to me.”

Shan Ming squinted his eyes at him. “After raising him for over ten years, you think I’ll just return him to you just because you said so?”

“You can ask for whatever you want, and not only will I fulfill your request, but I’ll also ensure that you and the Peregrine Falcons can safely leave. However, as a condition, you need to convince him to come back to my side.”

Shan Ming chuckled twice. “If he can betray his principles just because of a few words from me, then he wouldn’t be Shen Changze. Do you really think things are that simple?”

Shen Yao responded, “Of course, things aren’t that simple. Honestly, I also hoped for a peaceful resolution to this matter. But clearly, it isn’t possible. This is why I kept all of you here. I believe that he won’t ignore you.”

Shan Ming sneered, “How foolish. Do you think he will willingly serve you if you use me as a threat? Are you truly willing to keep someone with dissenting thoughts by your side?”

Shen Yao responded, “You don’t need to worry about that. The only thing you need to do is ensure that he reaches the designated location alone.”

“What if I don’t agree?”

“I will dismantle every member of the Peregrine Falcon right in front of you.”

A chilling, murderous intent flickered in Shan Ming’s eyes as he stared intensely at Shen Yao. He had already imagined killing this man multiple times in his mind.

Shen Yao picked up a tablet and handed it to Shan Ming. “I have prepared the lines for you. When you make the call, follow the words exactly as written. Don’t say anything unnecessary, not even a single extra word.”

Shan Ming said with a cold voice, “I want to see them first.”

Shen Yao switched the computer to another mode, and a video appeared showing the members of Peregrine Falcon piled up in a corner of a cabin. They all looked terrible, their hands and feet bound, and their heads hanging weakly.

“How can I be sure this is live?”

Shen Yao signaled to someone beside him, and that person left the room. Shortly after, he appeared in the video, purposely raising his head to look directly at the camera.

Shan Ming calculated the time it took for him to step out of the room until he appeared in the footage. It was approximately not more than three minutes. Fortunately, they weren’t far from him.

Shan Ming glanced at the footage again and suddenly realized that one person was missing from the frame.

The quality of the footage wasn’t high, but based on the general outline and clothing, Shan Ming could discern who was missing. However, he did not see Ayer. If it were someone else, he might not have noticed so quickly, but Ayer’s hair was a pure golden color that never lost its luster. It stood out conspicuously in any crowd, and Shan Ming was certain he wouldn’t mistake it. Ayer wasn’t among them!

There are two possibilities: either Ayer was dead or he had escaped. Shan Ming leaned towards the latter. With Ayer’s abilities, he wouldn’t easily perish in such a remote place, nor would he fall into the hands of these damned Dragon Blood fuckers.

Perhaps Ayer was their only hope at the moment.

Shan Ming struggled to restrain his facial expression, but Shen Yao keenly sensed it. “What’s wrong? Any issues?”

Shan Ming glanced at him. “There are a few who look as if they’re dead, they’re not moving at all.”

Shen Yao snorted coldly. “At least you still see a few who are alive. Don’t expect too much,” he said as he lifted Shan Ming from the ground. “It seems you people have been trained well in Beijing, with plenty of experience dealing with the Dragon Blood Kins. But experience alone isn’t enough. Humans are just humans. The advantages of our race cannot be surpassed.”

Shan Ming retorted sarcastically, “You were once human too. You were once the so-called inferior creature you speak of.”

Shen Yao roughly threw him onto a chair and pressed his shoulder, his hawk-like eyes piercing into Shan Ming’s gaze. “True, but I have evolved, while you will forever remain an inferior creature,” he picked up the handset and placed it by Shan Ming’s ear, while the communicator put on headphones and started typing rapidly on the keyboard. After a while, the busy tone on the other end disappeared, and a clear and familiar voice entered Shan Ming’s ears, leaving him with a complex mix of emotions.

“Hello?”

Shan Ming glanced at Shen Yao, then looked at the text on the computer screen that indicated what he needed to say. He spoke heavily, “It’s me.”

A surprised voice came from the other end, “Dad? Weren’t you supposed to be in Madagascar?”

The communicator quickly typed a few words on the screen, ‘The mission’s over.’

Shan Ming could only say, “The mission’s over.”

“Then are you on vacation now? Are you coming back?” Shen Changze exclaimed excitedly. “When will you arrive? I’ll come pick you up.”

“No, I can’t come back right now. We’ve encountered some trouble. Although the mission’s over, we can’t leave the country.”

“Why?”

“The Kenyan government withheld our payment, and we’re stranded on the island without any means to leave. We don’t have anything with us except our weapons, and there are no other options of transportation available. The nearest city is over two hundred kilometers away, and even if we manage to reach there, we would still be arrested as illegal immigrants. In short, I need you to come here right now and find a way to help us escape from this place.”

Shen Changze fell silent for a moment. “Is no one stationed at the base in Colombia? Actually, why aren’t you guys contacting Neo?”

Confronted with this unexpected question, Shan Ming glanced at Shen Yao, who returned a look that told him to handle it himself.

Even Shan Ming himself could tell that the previous statement was full of loopholes. If the Peregrine Falcons could be trapped by a small island, it would be a huge joke. However, since Shen Yao had given him the freedom to improvise, he finally had a chance to convey some information to Shen Changze. “We suspect that Neo has colluded with the Kenyan government. Otherwise, how else could we end up in such a situation? Anyways, just come quickly.”

Shen Changze immediately became suspicious. Neo was only interested in cozying up to European and American politicians, so why would he collude with a poor African country to harm the Peregrine Falcons? He was well aware of the Peregrine Falcon’s capabilities and he had more than enough money. If it was a business deal he had facilitated, and the other party couldn’t pay well, Neo would rather dip into his own pockets than damage his reputation with the Peregrine Falcons.

Shen Changze simply answered, “Alright, send me the coordinates.”

“It’s enough for you to come alone. Otherwise, the target will be too conspicuous. We illegally entered the country and killed a lot of their people, it will be pretty troublesome if we get caught.”

“Okay, I got it.”

After the call ended, Shan Ming looked at Shen Yao.

Shen Yao nodded and said, “Very good.”

Shan Ming was filled with doubts and couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. Shen Yao’s fabricated story had too many loopholes. Did Shen Yao take Shen Changze for a fool?

However, he didn’t ask. Regardless of Shen Yao’s possible ulterior motives, they were currently at a disadvantage and had no choice but to cooperate.

He asked, “When will you release us?”

Shen Yao looked up and asked, “You? Or them?”

“Is there a difference?”

“Of course there is. I can release them, but not you.”

“So, when will you release them? And when will you release me?”

Shen Yao revealed a sinister smile and replied, “This, I’ll have to think about.”