Chapter 62: Using the Heart as Bait (Part Two)

Gunfights in reality are far less glamorous than in the movies; the duration of a battle is directly proportional to the complexity of the terrain. If the field before one’s eyes is completely flat, the outcome is usually decided in the blink of an eye. No matter how fast a person runs, they cannot outpace the flight of a bullet.

The moment Tan Zhao stepped out ahead of the rest, Wen Mingwei instinctively tried to hold him back, but his outstretched hand clutched only empty air. Tan Zhao had already strode into the combat zone, unexpectedly dodging an attack with a swift twist of his body. He raised his weapon with practiced speed and a steady hand.

On the battlefield, amidst the press of crisis, there was no spare moment for hesitation. Wen Mingwei ordered his men to cover Tan Zhao, observing the enemy situation from the rear, personally clearing the blind spots in his line of sight, and paving the way forward with volley after volley of gunfire.

"Bang!"

"Bang, bang, bang—!!"

Amidst the fierce and chaotic melee, Wen Mingwei glanced at the point where the two vessels had collided—Wen Mingzheng was on the verge of withdrawing from the cargo ship's deck and returning to his own vessel. He issued a command to the wheelhouse, and the gargantuan ocean liner instantly cut through the towering waves of the deep sea, slowly retreating toward the rear left to widen the distance significantly from the passenger ship opposite them.

Yet the opposing side reacted with extreme swiftness. The passenger ship quickly gave chase, exploiting its lighter hull and faster speed to press close, maintaining a continuous connection.

It was difficult for Wen Mingzheng to emerge victorious in a direct fight, but preserving his life was infinitely easier than winning. From the very moment he realized he had been duped, the thought of escape had taken root in his mind.

Seeing this, his subordinate Wu An, who was stationed at his side, rubbed his nose, looking deeply resentful. " Boss, are we really unable to win?"

Wen Mingzheng cast a side-long glance at him and cursed vehemently, "Win your own father! I haven't even settled scores with you yet!" He grabbed Wu An by the collar. "What the hell is going on here? Was there a hand of yours in Tan Zhao's deception of me?!"

Wu An pleaded for mercy repeatedly, his eyes darting evasively. "I don't know! Everything I said was true! Over the phone, he—"

The second half of his sentence was swallowed by the sudden, deafening blast of the giant ship's foghorn. That lingering, mournful sound echoed like a death knell, shaking the souls of everyone on the sea.

Above, dark clouds churned overhead and howling winds swept across the water, making the seemingly endless, vast ocean exert an overwhelming pressure upon the insignificant mortals below. Faced with the choice between flight or a desperate struggle—or perhaps a desperate struggle followed by flight—Wen Mingzheng felt both rebellious and unwilling to forfeit his life just yet. Before he could make a decision, Tan Zhao had already led his men charging to a spot not far away.

"You really don't know the meaning of fear." Wen Mingzheng greeted him with a volley of bullets, sneering derisively, "You played cat-and-mouse with me for months, all for today? I thought you were some indomitable hero, but it turns out you're nothing more than a good hunting dog raised by that bastard Wen Mingwei! Despicable!"

Tan Zhao ignored his insults, pressing forward while returning fire without a single pause in the barrage.

By now, they were approaching the edge of the deck.

There was a distinct difference in height between the two vessels. If he wished to escape, Wen Mingzheng had to seize the moment to leap down while the passenger ship maneuvered to cut off the pursuers; otherwise, no matter how valiant and battle-hardened he might be, facing the dense swarm of enemies on Wen Mingwei's side, which numbered like countless ants, he would eventually run out of ammunition.

Wen Mingzheng felt an overwhelming sense of frustration, wishing he could tear Tan Zhao apart with his bare hands.

Yet, after nine years of lying low, he had learned that while the green hills remain, one need not worry about firewood. Nothing surpassed the value of staying alive. The prerequisite for taking risks was preserving a way out and being certain of one's escape.

Deciding to flee, Wen Mingzheng waved his hand to his subordinates as a signal for emergency retreat. At the same time, he dodged the incoming bullets, stumbling forward as he fought, evaded, and retreated simultaneously!

Tan Zhao pursued him relentlessly, arriving before him just in time. Wen Mingzheng's subordinates fell one by one, and those scattered in the distance fighting were too late to provide reinforcements. Before him lay the sole gateway to survival—

At this juncture, there was no room for the slightest hesitation. Wen Mingzheng sprinted with all his might toward the edge of the deck, preparing to leap down. At that very instant, he caught a sidelong glimpse of Tan Zhao in hot pursuit.

Tan Zhao might have been overeager to merit a reward and keen to prove himself, as he had actually broken away from the cover of his own men and chased him right under his nose without authorization!

Wen Mingzheng could have ignored him, but how could anyone turn down a hostage delivered right to their doorstep? Driven by years of ingrained predatory instinct, his limbs moved faster than his mind; he whirled around in a sudden counterattack and seized Tan Zhao in a tight grip—

In an instant, all gunfire in front ceased. Even the sea breeze seemed to halt for a fraction of a second, the entire world pausing slightly before the ocean waves resumed their surging two seconds later.

Wen Mingzheng laughed. "Young Master Tan, why are you still so stupid?"

His voice was lowered, carrying the grim pleasure of grinding his teeth hard enough to draw blood. Looking past Tan Zhao at the gloomy-faced Wen Mingwei standing just out of range across the gap, he called out from afar, "Little brother, take it from me—even if you're raising a dog, you have to pick carefully. How can you stomach such a useless, pretty-boy flower-vase whose only talent is causing trouble?"

"..." Wen Mingzheng had not anticipated this turn of events. His bloodied fingers tightened around his grip beneath his leather jacket, and a stifling tightness gripped his chest.

From where he and Gu Jing stood, the conversation ahead was inaudible, and they could not even clearly make out what had happened. They only saw that Tan Zhao had suddenly been taken hostage—something that should never have happened, yet had.

Wen Mingwei fell silent, while Gu Jing watched his expression with trepidation. "Mingwei, this is somewhat..."

Too sudden, and far too strange.

"Although Mr. Tan lacks experience, he shouldn't be so..." Gu Jing weighed his words carefully, "...imprudent as to repeat his mistakes."

His words carried a deeper meaning; he still harbored suspicions regarding Tan Zhao, and knowing that Wen Mingwei might not be entirely free of doubt either, some things were best pointed out by him directly. "Everything today was arranged by Mr. Tan. For him to run into this kind of trouble right at the crucial moment, I'm afraid there might be a problem."

Regardless of everything else, Wen Mingwei's safety was paramount. Half-persuading himself with his own conjectures, Gu Jing said cautiously, "I'm worried he's deliberately protecting Wen Mingzheng, and that the other side still has a trump card up their sleeve..."

With the play not yet concluded, it was hard to say who was truly allied with whom.

The reason Wen Mingwei had agreed to Tan Zhao's arrangement today was not because he trusted him completely or harbored no doubts.

He merely believed that no matter what clandestine plans Tan Zhao might harbor, the man would never harbor the intent to kill him.

They were not that kind of relationship.

Moreover, Tan Zhao lacked the capacity to move against him.

Yet, inexplicably, Wen Mingwei suddenly had a premonition that the situation was beginning to slip subtly out of control.

Clutching his weapon, he took a few steps forward. The scene before him felt eerily familiar: Wen Mingzheng holding Tan Zhao hostage, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Back up! All of you, back away!"

"..."

"Wen Mingwei, I know you're soft-hearted. Whether it's the second time or the third time, you simply can't bear to let him die."

Wen Mingzheng laughed. "In that case, unload the cargo. I want this shipment—give me every single crate that's genuine!"

Wen Mingwei remained silent. The kidnapper on the other side repeated his old trick, pressing the muzzle of his gun against Tan Zhao's shoulder and curling his finger around the trigger. Yet, the very instant the gunshot rang out, the one who cried out in agony was Wen Mingzheng himself!

—Without dodging or flinching, Tan Zhao took the bullet head-on, pulled a dagger from goodness knows where, and drove it with decisive precision straight into Wen Mingzheng's chest!

The party caught unprepared reacted far more slowly. Tan Zhao's second strike targeted the wrist, instantly disarming him of his weapon.

Everything happened too fast, in the span of a mere two or three seconds. With wide eyes, Wen Mingzheng clutched his violently aching chest. The roles of kidnapper and hostage were reversed in a flash; Tan Zhao hooked his arm around Wen Mingzheng's neck from the side, tightening his grip with a force strong enough to crush cervical vertebrae, and sneered, "Who looks more like a fool now?"

"..."

Tan Zhao lowered his voice, his lips moving within a minimal range as he spoke in a tone meant only for the two of them: "Even now, you still don't know how you met your end? It doesn't matter; there are plenty of things you don't know. Don't worry, I'll see to it that your final arrangements are properly handled."

Catching the underlying meaning in his words, Wen Mingzheng looked up in shock. In his field of vision, Tan Zhao's close-up expression possessed not a shred of warmth—it was like ancient, unmelting glacier ice that even the scorching sun could not pierce.

Just as Wen Mingzheng was about to scream, Tan Zhao ruthlessly drove the blade into him once more, the sharp steel sinking deep into his abdomen: "—Three strikes. The debt owed to Pubang is settled."

Tan Zhao shoved Wen Mingzheng forward.

His sudden attack had caught not only Wen Mingzheng completely off guard, but left everyone on the opposite side utterly dumbfounded.

The heavy dark clouds that had been brewing overhead for so long finally saturated with rain, and a deafening peal of thunder tore across the firmament as a torrential downpour lashed down.

Wen Mingwei's hair was somewhat disheveled by the wind, and his face wore an expression Tan Zhao had never seen before.

What was that look? It was a commendation forged in silence.

Gripping his "spoils of war," Tan Zhao strode quickly toward him, murmuring, "I didn't mean to cause trouble, Mingwei."

Even though Tan Zhao had taken a bullet and the blood soaking through his clothes was startling to behold, he felt no pain at all. "If I hadn't done that just now, Wen Mingzheng would have gotten away."

As Tan Zhao finished his explanation, Wen Mingzheng seemed to want to curse, but the moment his mouth opened, Tan Zhao's blood-stained dagger was abruptly thrust straight between his teeth. Severed tongue and lacerated gums unleashed a torrent of fresh blood that dripped down his chin and all over his body.

Wen Mingzheng could no longer utter a sound, emitting only a futile, rattling rasp from his throat as he struggled in his dying moments with his remaining strength, before being firmly pinned down by Gu Jing.

"..." The corner of Wen Mingwei's eye twitched slightly. Brushing aside the strands of long hair plastered to his cheeks by the rainwater, he looked toward Tan Zhao.

The storm battered the giant liner as the distant sky and boundless ocean melted together into a deep, profound shade of blue at the edge of the world.

"I didn't lie to you." Tan Zhao grasped Wen Mingwei's hand tightly, a love deeper than the sea and wider than the sky shining within his eyes. "Mingwei, I will always stand on your side."