Chapter 11: From Now On

Zhong Da understood better than anyone else just how difficult the journey had been to reach this point. Naturally, he was even more aware of how much Zhong Yuan cherished the hard-won peace they now enjoyed.

Yet it was precisely because of this clarity that he found it so difficult to speak.

Even though Zhong Yuan probably already guessed the whole story by now, Zhong Da still didn’t know how to bring it up.

In the heavy darkness of night, Zhong Da stood in a dilapidated courtyard, holding a half-smoked cigarette, his foot idly nudging scattered pebbles on the ground.

After a long while, he sighed softly, and when he looked up again, all the tangled sorrow on his face had vanished.

The deed was done; there was no use dwelling on it.

“Dongzi…” Zhong Da called to Dongcuo, “Go get things ready.”

Zhong Da didn’t specify what needed preparing, but Dongcuo understood immediately.

All the answers Zhong Da sought had been found; Tan Wei and his group were no longer of any use. Naturally, it was time to move on to the next step.

The night was deep and silent, the area remote—everything was perfectly aligned.

Soon, Tan Wei and the others were loaded back onto the vehicle. Two men brought by Dongcuo remained behind, not getting in.

The car left the rundown courtyard and headed southeast along the deserted highway. Half an hour later, it stopped atop a hill.

Thick woods lined the road.

Tan Wei and Xiao Ka, already unconscious, were dragged off the vehicle first. Then Zhong Da and Xiao Hua, each hoisting one person, turned without looking back and entered the forest.

The woods weren’t deep; just over a hundred meters away lay a cliff.

Beneath the several-decade-high cliff, the sea churned violently.

The sea breeze swept through the trees, waves crashing against the rocks. The midnight ocean, like the ink-blue sky above, was mysterious and fraught with danger.

Suddenly, two shadowy figures flashed through the treetops above the cliff. Almost simultaneously, two dark shapes tumbled down the cliffside, crashing into the raging sea with a splash and disappearing amid the frothy white waves.

Not long after, the vehicle started again, pursuing the night.

Twenty minutes later, it stopped once more.

Here, another cliff stood.

The same scene repeated.

An hour later, all seven of Tan Wei’s group had been dealt with.

By then, the horizon was beginning to pale with dawn.

“Head to the dock.”

Zhong Da spoke these three words, then closed his eyes.

Dongcuo glanced at him, his mouth opening then closing wordlessly.

He looked back at Xiao Hua, who was already slumped in his chair with eyes shut.

Seven lives lost—such a thing seemed inconsequential to them. Yet Dongcuo could understand Zhong Da’s calm; but why was Xiao Hua so composed?

He could not comprehend.

After some time, Dongcuo stifled the turmoil inside and started the vehicle toward the nearest dock.

At eight in the morning.

After breakfast, Zhong Yuan sat on the terrace. The morning sunlight spilled over the half wall to the east, casting a golden glow at his feet.

His phone trembled slightly in his hand.

Since last night, there had been no word from Er’gazi; he wondered how things were going with Zhong Da.

As he hesitated whether to call Er’gazi, footsteps suddenly approached swiftly outside the door.

Zhong Yuan straightened quickly, grabbing the ashtray from the nearby table, clutching it tightly; but the next moment, the stern expression softened, and he set the ashtray down again.

The door clicked open.

Zhong Da, looking exhausted, stepped inside.

Zhong Yuan saw him and quietly exhaled in relief, then turned away, no longer looking.

Zhong Da glanced toward the terrace, paused to steady himself, then closed the door behind him and headed straight to the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water echoed.

About ten minutes later, Zhong Da emerged in clean clothes, wet hair dripping. Carrying two bottles of beer, he hesitated briefly at the glass sliding door before stepping out.

Snap!

Zhong Yuan lit a cigarette.

Zhong Da sat beside him, handing over a bottle.

Zhong Yuan eyed the beer, raised an eyebrow, then accepted it.

“I’ve dealt with Tan Wei, but there’s one more person who knows about the kidnapping. He’s still on the island. I plan to take care of him this afternoon—no point dragging this out,” Zhong Da said softly, tilting his head back to gulp down his beer.

Zhong Yuan gave a faint chuckle.

“And then? After you’ve killed them all?” He turned to look at him, asking calmly.

Zhong Da’s raised chin froze in place. After a moment, he set down his bottle slowly and lowered his gaze toward Zhong Yuan.

A flicker of panic passed through his slightly narrow eyes.

“Brother, I…” he started, then faltered.

Zhong Yuan watched him silently for a moment, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

“I don’t blame you for keeping this from me…”

Zhong Da lowered his head, unwilling to meet his gaze.

But Zhong Yuan’s voice grew serious: “But before you do this, have you thought about what comes next?”

“…I have,” Zhong Da muttered.

“How?” Zhong Yuan pressed.

Pursing his lips, Zhong Da hesitated before speaking. “If this afternoon goes smoothly, no one will be able to trace this back to us anytime soon. I know you like it here, but just to be safe, I think we should move. We could go to the central region. Dongcuo has relatives doing business there. If we move, Dongcuo and the others would have a place to settle, which would save us a lot of trouble.”

Zhong Yuan listened quietly, disappointment quietly surfacing from deep within.

He sighed. “And after you get there? If you plan to live there long-term, Dongcuo and the others need legitimate livelihoods. Life isn’t smooth sailing. What if they run into trouble again? What will you do? Just kill them like this time?”

Zhong Da was stunned.

“This time, Tan Wei and his group deserved death, but next time? What if they aren’t so irredeemable? Will you still be able to strike with such certainty?”

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