Chapter 344: Friends I Cannot Make

"Old Lu."

"Quick, someone come here..."

Huang Yunxian saw that the situation was wrong and shouted at the guards outside.

"No need."

"No need..."

Lu Qiao stood up, bracing himself as he walked to the telephone, dialed the rotary, and after the connection was made, he said in a deep voice:

"Do as I instructed before."

With just this one sentence, he quickly hung up the phone and sat on the sofa, his eyes filled with pain.

"Thump, thump."

Dense footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Chen Zhangjie personally led a squad of guards inside.

He walked up to Huang Yunxian with a stern expression and coldly announced:

"Staff Officer Huang, General Fu has sent an urgent telegram. The front line at Beining is in an emergency, and you are ordered to proceed immediately to the 94th Army Staff Headquarters to report for duty."

They hadn't moved before because they considered Huang Yunxian a nail planted by the Ministry of National Defense, and moving him would look bad for everyone.

Now that the American military had intervened, not only had the students not been suppressed, but they had also gained a notorious reputation.

Someone inevitably had to take the fall for this.

This move by Fu Zuoyi was a preemptive strike.

By using the emergency at the Beining front to pull out this nail, Huang Yunxian, he wouldn't make the Chairman lose too much face.

"Are there instructions from the Chairman and the Ministry of National Defense?" Huang Yunxian looked him in the eye and asked sternly.

"No need."

"Personnel matters in Pingjin and the mobilization of army groups are all under the command of Commander-in-Chief Fu."

"Staff Officer Huang, let's go."

Chen Zhangjie's gaze was majestic and brooked no questioning.

"Fine, let me pack up." After staring at him for a few seconds, Huang Yunxian's tone finally softened.

"There is no time."

"Military orders are like mountains, and the military situation is like fire. Now, immediately, depart at once."

"Someone, escort Staff Officer Huang on his way."

Chen Zhangjie waved his hand, and two guards stepped up on either side with murderous intent, saying expressionlessly:

"Staff Officer Huang, please."

"Hmph."

Huang Yunxian glared coldly at Chen Zhangjie, flicked his sleeves, and walked away with his head held high.

Seeing that Huang Yunxian had been transferred away, Lu Qiao realized the "rabbit is dead, the hound is cooked"—he hadn't been able to suppress the students in Jinhai and had even brought in the Americans.

If the students didn't make a scene and petition to kick Chen Zhangjie out, the Chairman would have no reason to let Huang Yunxian replace Chen Zhangjie; the plan had already been declared a failure.

And he himself had become a useless chess piece, inevitably having to take full responsibility for the entire suppression incident.

Lu Qiao would not forget the scene of Lu Yu being executed by firing squad at the Jingling execution ground.

Now... it was his turn.

"Inspector Lu, the Ministry of National Defense has ordered the dissolution of the inspection team and commands you to return to Jingling immediately to report." Chen Zhangjie looked coldly at the devastated Lu Qiao.

"Understood." Lu Qiao nodded.

Chen Zhangjie gave a disdainful smile, stopped looking at him, and turned to leave.

Lu Qiao slumped onto the sofa, the cold current of failure making his whole body tremble uncontrollably.

"Heaven is unjust."

"I cannot return to Jingling, I cannot."

"Even if I die, I will die in Jinhai."

"This matter is not over yet."

"Right, I haven't lost yet."

"The good show has only just begun."

"Even if I become a ghost, I must finish watching this play before I die."

"Haha, haha."

He coughed loudly and began to laugh dryly.

As he laughed and laughed, his vision went black, and he collapsed onto the sofa.

Marine Corps.

Inside the interrogation room.

Three "students" with mature faces had been beaten to within an inch of their lives.

Hong Zhiyou walked in carrying two small black leather cases and asked Anderson:

"Have they confessed?"

"No, they have very hard bones," Anderson said.

"Untie them, I want to have a private chat with them," Hong Zhiyou ordered.

"They are very dangerous, perhaps..." Anderson was somewhat worried.

Since standing with his old classmate at the critical moment last time, and now being heavily relied upon by Kirk and Welsh, Anderson was now completely convinced by Hong Zhiyou.

Including this "democracy" plan.

It could simply be called a stroke of genius.

"No need," Hong Zhiyou smiled.

"Alright, we will be right outside; call me if you need anything." Anderson waved his hand and led the interrogators out.

Bang!

As the iron door closed.

The inside was quiet and chillingly eerie.

Hong Zhiyou lit a cigarette, leaned back in his chair, smoked slowly, and raised his hand, saying casually:

"Don't be nervous, sit down, let's just chat."

He handed over his lighter and cigarettes.

The three killers looked at each other, all with faces full of disdainful coldness.

"You are not students."

"No student protest would involve carrying knives coated with deadly poison."

"And no student could get their hands on guns from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics."

"Furthermore, you have aged too quickly; you are far too old to play students."

"You are killers who returned from Southeast Asia."

"Targeting me and Station Chief Wu."

"Right?"

Hong Zhiyou smiled faintly, pointing out their identities.

"So what if we are?"

"Cut the crap, just kill us or slice us up, be quick about it," said the young man with the dark complexion who was leading them.

"I heard the rule on your side is that you listen to whoever pays the most money. Is that true?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"What, you want to bribe us?" the dark-skinned youth said.

"What is your name?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"I am called Yan Dong," the dark-skinned youth said.

"I assume you have also heard of my reputation."

"I have nothing else, but I have plenty of money."

"And, I especially love making friends."

"Now you only have two paths to take."

"The first: continue to hold out and be tortured to death by the foreigners."

"The second: become friends with me."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Become friends with you? Who do you think you are!" Yan Dong spat and said.

"Hehe."

Hong Zhiyou was not annoyed; he picked up a black leather case and slammed it onto the table.

He took out three stacks of silver dollars and placed them on the table.

"What do you take us for? You think you can bribe me with a few measly coins?" Yan Dong sneered.

Hong Zhiyou took a puff of his cigarette, exhaled slowly, and then took out three gold bars and tossed them onto the table very casually.

Yan Dong remained unmoved.

Hong Zhiyou was not in a hurry either.

Thump!

Another one was tossed onto the table.

Yan Dong frowned and glanced at him, still not speaking.

Hong Zhiyou tossed another.

One bar.

Two bars.

Three bars.

Following the clinking and clattering sound of gold bars colliding.

Soon, more than thirty gold bars were piled up on the table.

The sheer extravagance made the hearts of Yan Dong and the other two itch and tingle.

Yan Dong was doing a bit better.

The other two already had their Adam's apples bobbing, swallowing saliva incessantly.

This was gold, after all.

It wasn't coal or rocks; seeing it piled up on the table, glittering, who the hell wouldn't be tempted?

What was the point of living a life of licking blood off a blade?

Wasn't it just for wealth and status?

"Is it really that hard to make friends?

"I'll add more money!"

Hong Zhiyou couldn't be bothered to toss them anymore; he stood up, picked up the suitcase, and dumped it directly onto the table.

Clatter.

Amidst a crisp sound.

Fifty small gold bars were clustered together, and even Yan Dong couldn't sit still anymore; his gaze was no longer stern, and the muscles in his cheeks gradually relaxed.

"Do you know?

"I've been in Jinhai for so many years, and there's never been a friend I couldn't make.

"If there is.

"Then here comes another suitcase!"

Hong Zhiyou pulled out another suitcase.

Clatter and clink.

Another fifty gold bars were scattered in front of the three of them.

Yan Dong and the others had never seen someone so extravagant; they were stunned on the spot.

Hong Zhiyou tossed the suitcase aside, took out a cigarette case, pulled one out, and handed it to Yan Dong, asking with a smile as warm as a spring breeze: "Can we be friends now?"

Yan Dong stared at him as if he had seen a ghost.

This guy really didn't treat money as money.

He swallowed hard, and under the eager encouragement of his two brothers, he finally reached out and took the cigarette.

Click.

Hong Zhiyou lit his lighter, Yan Dong leaned in to light it, closed his eyes, and took a blissful puff:

"I'll be your friend."

"Who wants to kill me?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"Zhang Shaojie, he is the son of Zhang Si of the Boatmen's Gang.

"Before, when Zhang Si and Shaobai were killed by you, Zhang Shaojie went to Southeast Asia overnight to seek refuge with an uncle there, and later this guy killed his uncle.

"We were just hanging out with him in Southeast Asia.

"There are seven of us who came back this time.

"One is to eliminate Wu Jingzhong, and the second is to eliminate you.

"He originally wanted to take out Wu Jingzhong, but Wu's security was too tight, and he couldn't find an opportunity to strike, so he had to settle for cooperating with Lu Qiaoshan.

"Of course, he also wanted to revive the Boatmen's Gang and help Huang Yunxian sit in the position of Commander of the Garrison Headquarters, then everything would be perfect.

"And then strike at you.

"It's just a pity that the most important link failed at the hands of the American military."

Yan Dong said.

"Where are Zhang Jingui and Zhang Shaojie?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"I'm not sure about Zhang Shaojie.

"He only had a direct line of contact with Zhang Jingui; even in Southeast Asia, it was hard for us to see him. If there was anything, Zhang Jingui would pass the word," Yan Dong said.

"Then find Zhang Jingui.

"You only need to be responsible for luring him out; leave the rest to me."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"I'll try, but I've been caught by the American military now, and my identity is highly likely to be exposed. With Zhang Jingui's cunning, he might not trust me anymore," Yan Dong said.

"I will have Du Jianshi and Xu Zhao set up a trap.

"Give it a try."

Hong Zhiyou said.

In the afternoon.

Mayor Du Jianshi came to demand the prisoners.

Xu Zhao argued strongly on just grounds, treating Yan Dong and the other two as loyal revolutionary fighters, and after paying a small fine, he redeemed Yan Dong and the other students together.

Dog-Tail Alley.

Zhang Jingui was practicing his skills in the alley.

"Master, there is news about Yan Dong and the others," Zhang Jingui's disciple, who was also his most trusted follower, walked in and reported.

"Didn't they get caught by the American military?

"This place is not safe; we need to prepare to withdraw."

Zhang Jingui said while practicing his punches.

"Master, I heard that Du Jianshi personally went to bail them out, and Yan Dong is even regarded as one of their own by Xu Zhao, Guo Youliang, and others.

"Their identities shouldn't have been blown."

The disciple, Xiao Wu, replied.

"It's better to be cautious in everything. Right now, we can't count on those two losers, Lu Qiaoshan and Huang Yunxian; the plan to assassinate Hong Zhiyou might have to be moved up.

"Withdraw immediately, as fast as possible."

Zhang Jingui withdrew his punches and signaled for Xiao Wu to go inside and pack up.

Before Xiao Wu had finished packing, he heard light footsteps outside the courtyard; Yan Dong led in a woman wearing a floral cloth jacket and black cloth shoes.

Accompanying them was also an acquaintance.

"Yan Dong, what's going on? Why did you bring an outsider here?" Xiao Wu saw this and scolded him with dissatisfaction.

"Don't you understand this yet?

"They betrayed Shaojie."

Zhang Jingui sneered.

"No choice, Secretary Hong paid too much," Yan Dong said truthfully.

"How much did he pay?" Cuiping, who was on the side, couldn't help but ask.

"One hundred small gold bars," Yan Dong said.

"This guy is really burning money; just for leading the way, he gave one hundred gold bars. This business is really done in a mess," Cuiping curled her lips and muttered.

"It is indeed enough.

"However, you don't think that with just my little junior nephew and you, you can stop me, do you?"

Zhang Jingui glanced at Lin Tian and laughed with a snort.

"Junior Uncle, long time no see.

"As you said, with my meager skills, how could I stop you? This sister is a registered disciple of Master Sun Lutang; she wants to spar with you."

Lin Tian stepped forward to salute and said with a bow.

"Fine." Zhang Jingui couldn't help but size Cuiping up a few times.

Cuiping raised her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes, staring back at him.

"Whoosh!"

Zhang Jingui moved as soon as he spoke; the butterfly knife in his hand broke through the air, and in the blink of an eye, he had closed in on Cuiping.

Because the force was too fast and too fierce.

The floor tiles under his feet shattered in response.

Cuiping turned to one side and barely dodged it.

Her style was relatively open and broad, suitable for head-on clashes; encountering someone like Zhang Jingui, who was as agile as a cat and held a sharp weapon, she inevitably fell into a disadvantage.

One move behind.

Every move was a step behind.

The knife in Zhang Jingui's hand whistled as it cut through the air, the blade flashing and darting like a butterfly; Wang Cuiping dodged back several steps, retreating to the base of the wall.

"The successor of Sun Lutang is nothing more than this."

Zhang Jingui laughed triumphantly.

Wang Cuiping remained silent, her eyes narrowing slightly, the murderous intent within them intensifying.

"Hah!"

Zhang Jingui let out a smug, strange laugh and thrust his knife diagonally toward Wang Cuiping's chest.

Wang Cuiping was steady and composed.

When the blade was nearly upon her, she sidestepped, and at the same time, all her strength—mixed with the pent-up fury she had been harboring at home these past few days—erupted at once.

She did not dodge.

Instead, she moved to meet the blade.

Zhang Jingui's butterfly knife pierced in instantly.

However, as he went to withdraw the blade, he discovered that it had been clamped firmly by Wang Cuiping's arm.

This woman was like an ox; she possessed such divine strength.

Zhang Jingui felt as if his knife had been caught in iron pliers.

Before he could react.

An iron fist struck straight toward his face.

Crack!

Accompanied by the crisp sound of bone fracturing, blood sprayed wildly from Zhang Jingui's nose.

He could not care about the stinging pain.

He turned and ran.

He could not win.

Surely no one could stop him if he ran.

Just as he leaped to vault over the courtyard wall.

A whistling sound came through the air.

It was too fast.

A final flicker of consciousness flashed through Zhang Jingui's mind, and he tumbled headfirst off the wall with a thud.

When he landed, half his skull was gone; he was already dead.

Not far away.

Zhou Yan straightened his hunched body and said to Hong Zhiyou beside him:

"One shot, headshot."

"Didn't you say you hated using sniper rifles?" Hong Zhiyou asked with a smile.

"One must keep up with the times.

"No matter how fast an axe is, it's not as fast as this thing.

"No matter how high one's martial arts are, one still fears bullets.

"Although I don't like the Americans, their sniper rifles are truly excellent."

Zhou Yan began to disassemble the firearm, carefully placing it into the gun case.

"Sometimes I think.

"Isn't it just killing?

"Do it in the simplest way possible."

He smiled, shouldered the gun case, and walked out.

Arriving at the small courtyard.

To show his loyalty, Yan Dong slaughtered Xiao Wu on the spot.

"With Zhang Jingui gone, it will be even harder to find Zhang Shaojie.

"Brother Zhou, I say that shot of yours was unnecessary.

"He was already wounded by me; if I had chased him for half a street, I definitely could have caught him."

Wang Cuiping said with dissatisfaction.

"You're overthinking it; he is the junior martial brother of Yanzi Li San—even if he gave you a two-leg head start, you wouldn't catch him," Zhou Yan said.

"It's fine.

"Zhang Shaojie cannot escape.

"I roughly know where he is now.

"No rush, Senior Sister, come with me to the Army Hospital."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"What for? Are you injured?" Wang Cuiping asked.

"No.

"Lu Qiaoshan is dying, and the Station Chief wants me to go pay my respects," Hong Zhiyou said.

……

(End of chapter)