Chapter 144

Chapter 144

In the dense night, a silent battle of wits finally drew to a close.

With an authoritative wave of his hand, Huang Shaohang commanded those surrounding Captain Xiao to lower their guns and clear a path.

Pleased with himself, Captain Xiao flaunted a gun twirl before tucking the pistol into the back of his waistband, then slowly retreated, taking Yu He with him.

“Thank you for your generosity.”

Under Huang Shaohang’s menacing gaze, Captain Xiao left behind these two words, taking Yu He with him as he made a swift exit.

The two left Huang Shaohang’s private residence, and an off-road vehicle was parked at the entrance of the alley. Captain Xiao skillfully shifted gears and reversed the car. With a roar from the engine, they sped away like a shooting star.

Yu He took off his coat, revealing an unscathed shoulder.

In the darkness, Yu He couldn’t clearly see what the 'blood' on his coat was. He brought the coat to his nose for a light sniff. It had a sweet, honey-like scent – very sweet. This faint sweet fragrance filled the entire car, as if a jar of honey had been overturned.

Yu He found it intriguing, “What is this? Why does it smell sweet?”

“Coloring, syrup, starch, honey. If it makes you hungry, you can taste it. This is what they use for blood in movies; it’s edible.”

Captain Xiao joked with Yu He while stealing glances at the rear-view mirror from time to time.

On the spacious street, several cars were closely following behind them.

Huang Shaohang’s influence here was far beyond expectation. After Yu He was taken away, he had almost mobilized all his power to search for him.

In a modern city, tracking a car is really quite easy.

Captain Xiao remained expressionless, he floored the gas pedal and managed to shake off two cars with a drift-like turn!

One of the cars crashed into the guardrail, the hood emitting bursts of white smoke.

“Useless,” Captain Xiao commented indifferently, shifting his gaze away from the rear-view mirror.

Human joys and sorrows are not communicated. On one hand, Captain Xiao was an excited racer; on the other hand, Yu He was the unfortunate one, getting dizzy from being thrown around.

Too much had happened today. Yu He's mind was already a mess, and now it was completely scrambled.

Oblivious, Captain Xiao asked, “Hey, young master, were you scared when I pointed the gun at you?”

Yu He: “......”

This guy actually has the nerve to ask if I was scared?

Yu He was unaware that Captain Xiao had already prepared a fake blood pack. When the gunshot rang out, he was more shocked than scared, only realizing it was all an act when Captain Xiao firmly pinched the soft flesh inside his arm.

Captain Xiao’s decisive and resolute manner with the gun in hand was enough to deceive even a sly fox like Huang Shaohang, making fooling Yu He a piece of cake.

In the moment when the gun was aimed at him, Yu He truly believed this man intended to kill him.

The chilling murderous intent seemed too real to be an act, yet in the blink of an eye, Captain Xiao was chatting and laughing with Yu He, his earlier coldness completely gone.

Curious, Yu He asked, “What was that you pressed against my head? A replica gun?”

Captain Xiao tossed the gun into Yu He’s arms, “A lighter. Brand new, hasn't even been filled with lighter fluid yet. It’s yours now.”

Yu He was so angry that he cursed under his breath.

He had one of those at home; his moxibustion igniter was shaped just like it. Unfortunately, he hadn’t realized it at the time!

Captain Xiao exuded such a strong murderous aura that even if he held nothing in his hand, no one would doubt his ability to snap a neck in an instant, let alone when he was holding a replica gun.

Yu He was extremely frustrated. Everyone around him was a master strategist, while he kept getting fooled. Although Captain Xiao’s cunning was infuriating, Yu He was even more upset with himself for being so easily deceived.

It seemed like everyone became a sharp strategist upon arriving in Northern Myanmar, everyone except him. He was as easily fooled as ever, to the point where even a dog passing by on the street could trick him!

Everyone else was performing brilliantly, while Yu He was being played.

Was he really that easy to deceive?

Leaning back in his seat, Yu He expressed his dissatisfaction in a sarcastic tone, snorting coldly, “With acting skills like that, why don’t you go to the film academy?”

Captain Xiao turned his head nonchalantly, raising his eyebrows and smiling at Yu He, “The quality of a play doesn’t depend solely on the actors; the director plays a crucial role.”

Puzzled, Yu He asked, “Who’s the director?”

A magnetic voice came from the back seat.

“It’s me.”

Yu He was struck as if by lightning, frozen in place.

This was the voice he knew all too well, the one he heard day and night.

Fu Yunzheng!

Yu He turned around stiffly, his shock rendering his delicate peach blossom eyes wide and round.

The darkness before him was still a blur. Even though he couldn't see anything, Yu He stubbornly stared into the inky blackness and asked, "Mr. Fu, didn't you go back to the country?"

After a day full of surprises, Yu He was at a loss for what to ask first when faced with the sudden appearance of Fu Yunzheng.

So it was all arranged by Fu Yunzheng!

Knowing that Fu Yunzheng was by his side, the stone in Yu He's heart finally settled, and his soul found its peace.

Fu Yunzheng, aware of Yu He’s severe night blindness, leaned in and took his hand, "I didn't get on the plane. I sent someone back to the country with a power of attorney to mortgage some properties and cars, sorting out the financial issues."

Mortgage some properties and cars?

Fu Corporation is renowned for its integrity worldwide; its cash flow is always secure. There's no need for any collateral when the company faces problems; Fu Yunzheng's presence alone is the best guarantee.

As a top-tier family in the country, the Fu family has never had to use personal assets to balance the company's finances since Fu Yunzheng took over.

It seems the crisis at Fu Corporation is more severe than Yu He had imagined. Yet, Fu Yunzheng chose not to return to the country personally, but instead, infused more substantial funds to dispel the doubts of business partners.

Fu Yunzheng did not go back because Yu He was still in Northern Myanmar.

Warmth filled Yu He's heart, and he interlocked his fingers with Fu Yunzheng’s, “It’s fine. The Fu family mansion is so big; it’s kind of a waste just for the two of us. The two-bedroom apartment near Fengcheng University is really nice, just perfect for us.”

Fu Yunzheng paused for two seconds before saying, "Xiao He, I'm just having a bit of a cash flow problem, not going bankrupt."

Captain Xiao was the first to reply, "Mr. Fu, you’d better not go bankrupt. Three minutes ago, Huang Shaohang posted my information on the dark web, offering a reward of 10 million US dollars for my head. Several top assassins took the contract in seconds. You're going to have to pay me double for my mental anguish."

Yu He turned his head curiously, "Is there really such a thing as the dark web?"

Captain Xiao threw a phone at Yu He, “See for yourself. It has everything.”

Fu Yunzheng gave Captain Xiao a disapproving look, like he was chastising a bad influence for exposing a minor to harmful websites.

Captain Xiao was very sensitive to people's gazes. Even without looking, he knew Fu Yunzheng was opposing him and explained, "He was just angry that you lied to him. I’m just trying to placate him.”

Yu He swiped on the phone's screen, not looking up as he said, "I'm not angry."

Captain Xiao retorted, “You're not angry? Oh, weren't you just sarcastically telling me 'your acting is so good, why don’t you go to film school?' The mastermind is right behind you, why don't you have a few words for him now?”

Captain Xiao would have been better off not asking; his inquiry only brought humiliation upon himself.

He heard Yu He, this blatantly biased person, say: "Mr. Fu is always looking out for my best interest."

Captain Xiao: "..."

Damn it, he's looking out for your best interest, and I'm the one harming you, right? These lovey-dovey couples and their double standards are infuriating!!!

Yu He’s thumb glided across the screen, browsing through the dark web interface.

The dark web communication had its specific jargon, which Yu He found hard to understand.

"New tea available, two taels for verification, includes a school district room, transaction at 9:30." Yu He read one of the transaction messages aloud: "What does this mean? What does tea have to do with school district housing?"

For a moment, neither Fu Yunzheng nor Captain Xiao responded to Yu He.

Yu He turned to seek an answer from Fu Yunzheng: "Mr. Fu?"

Fu Yunzheng explained, "This is about human trafficking. It means they have both male and female, all kinds."

Captain Xiao glanced at Fu Yunzheng through the rearview mirror.

Broadly speaking, that was the gist of it, though Fu Yunzheng’s explanation was more euphemistic, not as brutally explicit.

Yu He flipped through two more pages when suddenly, his phone screen went black, followed by a pop-up ad.

And this pop-up couldn't be closed.

Yu He looked innocent as he said, "Captain Xiao, your phone is broken."

Captain Xiao glanced at it and said, "It’s not broken. This is the dark web’s latest site-wide announcement. Some rich guy is posting a job."

Information with hefty advertisement fees would be broadcasted site-wide on the dark web, creating a 15-second pop-up ad, equivalent to turning on a public mic and shouting through a loudspeaker. Anyone browsing the dark web at that time would see this 15-second transaction information immediately.

As he turned the steering wheel, Captain Xiao casually said, "These kinds of jobs are the most lucrative. Help me take a screenshot, I'll check it out later. After we finish your job, if there’s time, I might take it up."

Rows of Morse code appeared in the pop-up, a jumble of words that laypeople couldn’t make heads or tails of.

Yu He double-tapped the screen to record the screen and take a screenshot.

Seven seconds later, the text message disappeared.

The screen flickered, and a photo of Yu He appeared on the phone’s screen!

In the photo, Yu He was turned sideways to the camera, his face adorned with a gentle smile.

The warm and serene atmosphere almost overflowed from the screen; even though Yu He was the only one in the frame, it wasn’t hard to tell from his expression that he was conversing with someone.

He wore a black helmet, dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt, straddling a motorcycle, with a guitar strapped to his back.

A guitar that was very familiar to Yu He.

During this period, there was only one occasion when Yu He carried the guitar on his motorcycle, so the moment he saw this photo, he distinctly recalled which day it was.

It was the day he went to the violin store.

That day, Yu He skipped class to buy a birthday present for Fu Yunzheng. After purchasing it, he was riding his motorcycle home, pondering where to hide the guitar, when he ran into Fu Yunzheng.

Fu Yunzheng was inside the car, while Yu He stood outside.

Unbeknownst to Yu He, someone behind him had taken this photo.

In an instant, the words of Huang Shaohang echoed in Yu He’s ears.

"I went looking for you."

"I was too late."

Without understanding the Morse code, Yu He could already decipher this message.

He handed his phone to Captain Xiao, saying, "…It might be Huang Shaohang who’s looking for me."

Both Fu Yunzheng and Captain Xiao turned their attention to the screen.

Suddenly, the entire car fell into a silence as heavy as death.

There were three people in the car, and within ten minutes, two of them had appeared on the dark web’s homepage with high bounties. With great rewards come brave hunters; the road ahead would be even more treacherous than imagined.

In the midst of this silence, a SUV suddenly burst out from a street corner ahead, careening dangerously close!

Captain Xiao made a split-second decision; instead of hitting the brakes, he swiftly shifted gears, accelerating from 110 km/h to 150 km/h.

Amidst imminent danger, the two vehicles almost collided, their fronts narrowly grazing each other as they passed.

The ear-piercing screeching filled the air, accompanied by a spray of sparks!