Chapter 73

Everyone gathered in Tiger Shark’s room, fully geared up and ready to go.

Shan Ming and the others arrived a bit late, and as soon as he entered, he straightforwardly stated, “We can’t go with so many people.”

Tiger Shark had just lit a cigarette, and he looked at Shan Ming for a few seconds before nodding. “You make a valid point.”

Shan Ming didn’t want so many people to go because if Tang Jingzhi’s target was Shen Changze, he would undoubtedly be well-prepared. If they were already prepared to capture a Dragon Blood Kin, it wouldn’t be a situation they could handle. He couldn’t let his comrades take unnecessary risks. The fewer people who went, the better. After all, with more people, it would just be more fearless sacrifices.

Tiger Shark’s perspective, on the other hand, was that if he were the one holding hostages and saw the other side coming with so many people, his level of vigilance would increase significantly. It would be troublesome if they inadvertently pushed the other side to act rashly. Furthermore, the other side didn’t even demand that they send only one or two people, which clearly indicated their confidence in their defensive capabilities. They couldn’t recklessly deploy their entire team; it would be too dangerous.

Despite their differing perspectives, both of them arrived at the same decision.

Ayer pondered for a moment and spoke up, “But I disagree with leaving anyone behind. We should get close and send someone to gather information. If there’s a chance to rescue them, it would be best. If not…” Ayer glanced at Tang Tingzhi and didn’t continue.

If not, we can only follow the abductor’s demands and use Tang Tingzhi as the exchange.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Jwv Fbyd Ykdt jdlo ellr esod vbyv vbl pkvwyvksd oyp qya qasx ps pkxrzl. Rv oyp fwpv vbyv bl nswzed’v nsdhkdnl vblpl rlsrzl dsv vs ts. Rq bl olal kd vblka pbslp, bl oswzed’v cl yczl vs pvyde bkekdt yoyu kd y pyql rzynl lkvbla.

Yspv rlsrzl ynnlrvle Gula’p pwttlpvksd yde elnkele vs ts vstlvbla, oykvkdt qsa vbl aktbv srrsavwdkvu vs vyjl ynvksd.

Gqvla eakhkdt qsa vball bswap, Ispjk vssj Fbld Ubydtgl’p rzynl kd vbl eakhla’p plyv yde zlv bkx alpv.

Fbyd Ykdt oyp zukdt kd vbl cynjplyv, qypv ypzllr, obkzl Fbld Ubydtgl oldv shla yde zyu esod dlmv vs bkx, dsv qllzkdt pzllru yv yzz.

Tl tldvzu vwadle vs vbl pkel yde, kd vbl ekx zktbv, tygle yv Fbyd Ykdt’p rasqkzl, qllzkdt yd kdqkdkvl oyaxvb pwatkdt kd bkp blyav.

Fbyd Ykdt pweeldzu srldle bkp lulp, pvyavzkdt Fbld Ubydtgl. Tl oydvle vs vwad yoyu, cwv kv oyp vss zyvl. Tl nswze sdzu pvyal qkmlezu yv Fbyd Ykdt.

Fbyd Ykdt qwaasole bkp casop yde obkprlale, “Fvkzz dsv pzllrkdt?”

“R nyd’v pzllr.”

“Nonsense, hurry up and sleep.”

“It’s uncomfortable in the car.”

“Obviously. Do you still think you’re a child, able to sleep in any corner?” Shan Ming adjusted his posture. Indeed, sleeping while sitting was giving him a backache.

Shen Changze remembered that when he was little, he used to curl up and sleep in Shan Ming’s embrace. At that time, he actually didn’t want to get close to Shan Ming because Shan Ming lacked warmth and empathy. However, it was this person who made him feel both angry and fearful that provided a very warm and secure embrace.

He leaned closer to Shan Ming and rested his head on his shoulder. “If only I hadn’t grown up. It’s so much more comfortable for you to hold me while I sleep.”

Shan Ming blinked his eyes, feeling a sudden indescribable emotion welling up inside him. He murmured, “Time really flies, it’s been ten years.”

Ten years had passed since he found five-year-old Shen Changze in that primitive forest in Myanmar. In those ten years, Shen Changze had grown up to become a competent mercenary, just as he had hoped. And he, in turn, had come to see this child, whom he initially viewed as a burden, as his true family.

Sometimes, when he thought about it, he couldn’t help but sigh, “I haven’t even played enough with you yet, how come you’ve already grown up so much.”

The chubby and tender child from before was really fun to be around.

A pang of unease inexplicably surged through Shen Changze’s heart. Time was passing too quickly, and things were unfolding at an accelerated pace. As they continued to move forward in this vehicle, the more they are unable to brake the footsteps of conspiracies and truths. He didn’t know what would happen on this journey, but he felt deeply unsettled, as if an invisible hand in the darkness was manipulating their destiny. This sense of powerlessness made people panic.

He believed that Shan Ming also felt it.

Shan Ming was a thick-skinned person who never expressed such delicate sentiments. So when he sighed about time passing too quickly, Shen Changze knew that his usually fearless and courageous dad was also worrying, that he was also afraid.

Shen Changze turned around and tightly hugged his father’s waist, whispering in his ear, “Dad, if I tell you that I’m a little scared, would you be angry?”

Shan Ming remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, “No, I’m here for you.”

Shen Changze’s nose tingled with a hint of sourness. Somehow, against his better judgment, he blurted out, “Dad, I love you.” After saying those words, his heart clenched, and he couldn’t even take a breath. He felt as if he had committed a grave mistake, too afraid to raise his head or utter another sound, holding his breath, waiting for Shan Ming’s reaction.

Shan Ming froze for a moment, then chuckled softly. “You rascal…” he said, and then fell silent.

The child felt a sense of relief, but at the same time, there was also a subtle feeling of disappointment in his heart. He closed his eyes and couldn’t help but think that his dad’s waist seemed to have become slimmer.

After a full day of driving, they were finally getting closer to the location indicated by the coordinates.

To their surprise, the place wasn’t as they had imagined. There were no dreary houses built on sandy grounds, no flamboyant flags of the Independence Party, nor was it like an underground base half-buried like the ones stationed in Western Sahara. Instead, the area was filled with vast expanses of rubber plantations. The roadsides were lined with endless rows of rubber trees, stretching as far as the eye could see. Scattered households were nestled within the rubber forest, appearing more prosperous than the small towns they had passed through on their way here.

The coordinates provided in the disc bag roughly led them to this vicinity, but it couldn’t provide any precise information. They pondered whether they should continue driving in this direction.

The sun was about to set, and there were very few vehicles here. They had only encountered three trucks during their long drive along this road. Therefore, when a military off-road vehicle appeared in front of them, everyone became alert.

The off-road vehicle approached and came to a stop about five to six hundred meters away from them.

The three vehicles from the Peregrine Falcon’s side also came to a halt. Ayer got out of the car, followed by Dino and Misfire, all of them holding their guns. Ayer took the lead while Dino and Misfire were on his left and right respectively. Kali peered out from the sunroof, his sniper rifle aimed directly at the approaching vehicle.

A person stepped out of the vehicle, a blond Caucasian man. He wasn’t carrying any weapons, but he remained calm and composed. He said, “I need to take away the person named Tang and a 15-year-old kid in your vehicle.”

Ayer replied coldly, “The kid wasn’t part of the agreement.”

“Oh…” The man feigned a thoughtful expression, then raised an eyebrow. “I forgot.” He stepped back to the side of the vehicle and knocked on the trunk. Suddenly, the trunk opened, revealing a person lying in the spacious backseat—it was Jobb! Jobb was in a state of unconsciousness, but his breathing was steady, his chest rose and fell smoothly, and his gunshot wound had been dressed and bandaged.

The man repeated in a commanding tone, “Now, have them get off the vehicle.”

Tang Tingzhi and Shen Changze both stepped out of the vehicle, followed by Shan Ming who glared fiercely at that man.

The man snapped his fingers and said, “That’s right, looks just like the photo, it’s you two.”

From the implication in the man’s words, it seemed that they had been targeting Shen Changze from the beginning and that this wasn’t a spontaneous decision. Ayer looked at Shan Ming with a questioning gaze, but Shan Ming clenched his teeth and shook his head. He didn’t really dare to meet Ayer’s deep, azure eyes.

All eyes were now focused on Shen Changze. There was confusion, bewilderment, suspicion, and concern in those gazes. Only Shan Ming and Shen Changze were on pins and needles.

Deceiving comrades who entrusted their lives to each other on the battlefield, is a feeling that is far from pleasant.

Shen Changze took a step forward and said, “Let’s go.”

Shan Ming grabbed his arm and looked at his face with a complex expression in his eyes, opening his mouth but unable to speak.

Shen Changze smiled and said, “Dad, I will come back.”

Shan Ming used a determined look in his eyes to tell Shen Changze that he would definitely go save him.

Shen Changze, just like usual, squeezed Shan Ming’s sturdy palm. Suddenly, he felt a small, hard object in his hand. His hand trembled, and the object got lodged between his fingers. He knew that Shan Ming had given him a tracker.

Shan Ming glanced deeply at him.

Shen Changze gritted his teeth, turned around, and took Tang Tingzhi’s arm. He said quietly, “I won’t let you die, let’s go.”

Ayer shouted, “Stop right there!”

Shen Changze’s body tensed, and he turned around to look at Ayer.

Ayer appeared somewhat agitated. “I’m extremely disgusted with this feeling. You’ve been keeping something from me, from everyone. There’s something that only you three know, there must be!” Ayer sternly addressed Shan Ming, “Shan Ming, we are brothers. What have you been hiding? Shen Changze’s identity has been a mystery for so many years. I have a strong intuition that what’s happening now is related to his background. I hate this feeling. What exactly have you been hiding?!”

Shan Ming replied in a solemn tone, “I’ll explain, but not now.”

Ayer became furious, grabbing Shan Ming by the collar and preparing to throw a punch. Tiger Shark grabbed Ayer’s arm, restraining him, and said, “Let’s discuss this later.” He turned to the Caucasian man and said, “I want to confirm if the other hostage is still alive.”

That man swiftly made a phone call, and the call was quickly answered. He put it on speaker, and Pelle’s voice came through, saying, “I’m alright.”

Tiger Shark asked, “What time is it right now?”

Pelle paused for a moment and replied, “It’s 17:53.”

After finishing the call, that man hung up and said, “Once we bring them back, we’ll release the hostage.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Keeping her with us serves no purpose. We have already shown our sincerity by returning the injured one to you. Furthermore, at this moment, you can only choose to trust us. You have the option to wait here, and we will send a car to bring her over. However, do not proceed any further, otherwise I cannot guarantee her safety.”

After his statement, two more individuals jumped down from the off-road vehicle. They proceeded to disarm Tang Tingzhi and Shen Changze, removing their weapons, tools, watches, and even their belts. Then, they handcuffed both of their hands.

Shen Changze cast a final glance at Shan Ming before getting into the vehicle without looking back.

The opponent placed Jobb on the ground, then got into the car and closed the door. They swiftly departed, leaving behind a trail of dust.

On the road, three Hummers lined up in a formation, and more than ten people stood silently, but it was as silent as death.

Tiger Shark lifted his head and said in a low voice, “Dino, Misfire, and Lil’Knife, accompany Jobb and Hawk to the nearest hospital for treatment. Depart immediately.”

Those who were named quickly regained their senses and swiftly lifted Jobb onto the car that Hawk was in, then headed straight for the nearest hospital.

After they left, everyone’s gaze fell upon Shan Ming, who was zoning out toward the direction the vehicle had disappeared.

Tiger Shark firmly grabbed Shan Ming’s shoulder, exerting such force that it produced a cracking sound. He spoke coldly, “You have something to explain to us.”

As Shan Ming looked into the eyes of everyone, which were filled with doubt and anger. He felt a wave of anxiety wash over him.