Chapter 373: The Pledge of Allegiance

Bullets kept flying over from the patrol boat; the distance was far, so they couldn't hit, but the sharp, piercing sound of them breaking the air was still heart-stopping.

He Yuzhu pushed the fishing boat's throttle to the limit, and the small vessel, like a leaf caught in a gale, bucked and sped wildly on the crests of the waves.

Behind them, the patrol boat's searchlight followed like a shadow, biting onto them relentlessly.

"Martin, hurry up and load the Bazooka!" He Yuzhu shouted, "As soon as we reach the shore, we'll blow them to the bottom!"

Ten-odd minutes later, He Yuzhu's boat had already rushed to the shore.

The four patrol boats also began to slow down, their searchlight beams swinging everywhere in search of a target.

However, at the very moment they were about to stop—

Four tails of flame suddenly lit up from the fishing boat, tearing through the darkness and lunging straight at the targets!

Boom—! Boom, boom!

Deafening explosions rang out one after another; flames shot into the sky, and the four patrol boats were instantly blown apart and began to burn.

"Clear the battlefield! Finish them off! Don't leave a single living soul!" He Yuzhu jumped off the boat and shouted loudly.

The group quickly rushed into the seawater, closing in on the piles of crackling, burning wreckage.

Oil slicks and debris floated on the sea surface; there were not many survivors.

He Yuzhu shone his flashlight, searching the nearby water, when suddenly, he illuminated a head bobbing up and down with the waves not far away; he thought to himself, this fellow is truly impressive, to have actually jumped ship ahead of time.

He Yuzhu swam over quickly and whispered, "Don't move!"

The man turned his head abruptly, his pale face full of terror: "Spare me, hero! I am the newly appointed Chief Inspector Li Yong... If you spare my life, I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse for the rest of my days! If I break this oath, may I be struck by five thunderbolts!"

He Yuzhu put his gun into his space and hauled Li Yong onto the shore.

He looked over this disheveled yet quick-witted Inspector and laughed: "How did you manage to jump ship early?"

"I didn't, I was thrown off the boat!" Li Yong said, crying.

"It seems Heaven doesn't want you to die; are you really willing to be an inside man for us?" He Yuzhu asked.

"I am willing. To tell you the truth, I don't like those Britishers; they look down on us from the bottom of their bones!" Li Yong said sincerely.

He Yuzhu actually admired this man a little; he spoke with great tact.

He pulled out a piece of black cloth and covered Li Yong's eyes: "Whether I can let you go? That's not for me to decide; you have to ask our Boss."

"Hero! I, Li Yong, keep my word and will never go back on it!" Li Yong knelt in the knee-deep seawater and kowtowed repeatedly.

He Yuzhu told Liu Rusi the truth about Li Yong's situation.

She frowned and pondered for a while, then found a middle-aged man in his forties to discuss it for a moment, before returning to tell He Yuzhu: "Keep him as an inside line. I'll have Lao Qian handle the details."

He Yuzhu returned and forced Li Yong to write a letter of guarantee on the spot.

"Li Yong," He Yuzhu pinched a brass bullet shell between two fingers, and with a squeeze, the shell was crushed into a piece of copper, "if one day you betray us, this will be your fate!"

Li Yong took the copper piece and promised with a trembling voice: "I will absolutely keep my promise!"

Unlike He Yuzhu, Lao Qian was very gentle; he reached out his hand and said with a smile: "Chief Inspector Li, happy cooperation."

Everyone separated when they entered the city; no matter how Liu Rusi refused, He Yuzhu insisted on going to Liu Rusi's place to learn the way.

He Yuzhu was driving, but his eyes couldn't leave Liu Rusi; she shook her head helplessly: "How much longer are you going to stay here?"

"As long as you want me to stay, I'll stay!" He Yuzhu said.

"Suit yourself! You should head back soon; the waters of Hong Kong are going to be muddy for a while," Liu Rusi sighed and said.

"I actually think this is an opportunity; the Fuyixing, 14K, and Yi'an Gang have all suffered heavy losses. Jin Hai's side should be rising soon, and I still have some friendship with him," He Yuzhu said.

Pingping interjected: "If you ask me, you and the Miss should go get your marriage certificate tomorrow."

"What certificate?" Liu Rusi asked.

"Marriage certificate, of course!"

He Yuzhu leaned in and chuckled: "What, you want to find another father for your son?"

Liu Rusi punched him: "Get lost! I'm annoyed just looking at you!"

Returning to Aiyuan Villa, Liu Rusi slumped on the sofa and kicked He Yuzhu: "Wash off that black grime of yours, it's disgusting to look at!"

"Will you help me wash it?"

"Go find your little mistress!"

"Are you ever going to stop? If it weren't for me, you..."

Liu Rusi glared at him immediately.

He Yuzhu carried her to the bed and said: "You've been exhausted for a day and a night; if you don't sleep now, I'm afraid our daughter won't be safe."

"Nonsense, this is a son," Liu Rusi said.

"I don't like sons, I only like daughters!" He Yuzhu said.

The next morning, inside the Governor's House, the atmosphere was heavy.

After receiving the news that the warship had been bombed and sunk, Governor Ge Lianghong immediately summoned the military and police officials in charge of the scene to come and be questioned.

Richard, the Captain of the gunboat Amethyst, hung his head and reported first: "Your Excellency the Governor, we have... suffered heavy losses this time. The Amethyst was bombed and sunk; of the 170 officers and men on board, 132 were killed in action and 20 were wounded. In addition, 93 of the two hundred Royal Marines borrowed from the Amethyst were also killed in action."

Upon hearing this, Ge Lianghong stood up abruptly and slammed his palm heavily on the table: "Trash! How could you pay such a high price to deal with a bunch of rabble?!"

Richard shook his head, his voice strained: "Your Excellency the Governor, we were misled by a false appearance... and completely underestimated the 14K. They have very excellent snipers among them. During the trench warfare, we were initially progressing smoothly and were about to take the enemy's position, but suddenly a person appeared and, within a few minutes, precisely took out our gunners and machine gunners."

"Don't you have snipers too? Why did you let him succeed?" the Governor asked sharply.

"Our snipers tried to outflank them from the side, but unexpectedly... they became the first batch to be eliminated," Richard replied.

"Even if a sniper is powerful, how many people can he kill? Yet you lost over two hundred men!" Ge Lianghong continued to press.

"They are also extremely skilled at laying landmines," Richard added. "Some soldiers reported that they had planted a large number of landmines on the high ground of Waglan Island long ago, causing over fifty casualties. Although there is no direct evidence yet, I suspect it was also this group that blew up the Amethyst—they are few in number, but their combat effectiveness is extremely fierce."

Ge Lianghong lit a cigarette, took a few deep puffs, and asked: "Has that sniper been caught?"

Richard looked at Police Commissioner Mai Jingtao: "Chasing fugitives is the responsibility of the police; they have been patrolling the perimeter."

Mai Jingtao turned his gaze to Li Yong beside him: "Your Excellency the Governor, Chief Inspector Li knows the specific situation at the scene better!"

"Your name is Li Yong?" the Governor scrutinized him, "Tell me about that sniper and the subsequent pursuit."

"They... should have escaped," Li Yong replied respectfully, with a hint of guilt, "Our four patrol boats were ordered to search for and capture the scattered gang members when we discovered a modified Fishing Boat that was extremely fast... We kept up the pursuit, never expecting the other side to be equipped with a Rocket Launcher... All four patrol boats were sunk. I was lucky enough to survive because I was thrown into the sea when the boat turned, which is how I escaped disaster..."

Ge Lianghong was already listening impatiently and interrupted directly: "What about the casualties on your Police side?"

Li Yong's expression darkened, and he reported with a sobbing tone: "Your Excellency Governor, we... lost a total of 112 men, with 157 injured."

"How could there be so many casualties?" Ge Lianghong's voice rose sharply.

"Many of the bandits are fishermen by trade; we are no match for them in the sea!" Li Yong said in a low voice.

Mai Jingtao added at the right moment: "Your Excellency Governor, we completely underestimated the strength of these gangs this time. In fact, many members of 14K have military backgrounds, and their combat experience is likely even richer than our Police force. Although we killed over five hundred of them in this encirclement, a large number of personnel still escaped. After this battle, our side has suffered heavy losses and urgently needs to expand the scale of the Police force; otherwise, it will be difficult to maintain even basic public order in the future..."

"If you don't have enough men, expand; if you don't have enough weapons, submit a report to apply for them. Within one month, you must catch this sniper!" the Governor said coldly.