Three hours later, Song Heping drove into the seaside town of Ussava.
It wasn't far from Eritrea.
Ussava was very quiet at night, with few people on the streets.
The SUV left the town's streets and headed towards the seaside, eventually stopping on a desolate beach outside the town.
Song Heping got out of the car, checked the surrounding environnt to ensure no one was around, and then opened the rear car door to drag Jimmy out onto the sand, followed by a killer nad Mario.
Both were bound like zongzi with cloth stuffed in their mouths and bound around their lips, able to emit only muffled sounds.
Song Heping ignored them and turned away to rummage in the back of the off-road vehicle, retrieving two ropes from the trunk.
For an assassination team, having ropes in the vehicle was nothing unusual.
Smiling, Song Heping approached the two n, helped Jimmy up, and then, with a gun to his head, said, "Walk forward."
At this mont, Jimmy was filled with panic, but he still followed Song Heping's instructions, hopping forward like a zombie.
Along the way, he thought Song Heping was finding a secluded place to kill them and then dump their bodies into the sea.
But then again, that didn't seem right.
If he wanted to kill them, he could have done it in the Jade Hotel parking lot.
Why wait until now?
He faintly sensed that Song Heping's purpose might be even more profound, even...
He dared not think further.
Because torture ca to mind.
Reaching a rocky area by the sea, Song Heping kicked him to the ground, pinned him under his weight, quickly tied one rope around his hands, another end around a large rock, then lifted him up and tore off the cloth in his mouth.
"It's too hot tonight; go cool off in the water first."
Without saying another word, he pushed Jimmy into the sea.
The rocks were about a ter above the sea level.
Jimmy scread as he fell.
His hands and feet were tied, and after hitting the water, he swallowed a couple of mouthfuls of the salty sea.
Luckily, he was trained and soon cald down, relaxing his body to float to the surface.
Just as he surfaced, a wave hit him, pushing him violently against the rocks, causing stars to appear before his eyes as he sank again.
Jimmy steadied himself again, slowly surfacing.
But the waves never ceased, and as soon as he ca up, he was pushed against the rocks again, battered and bruised.
The sensation was extrely unpleasant.
After hitting the rocks just twice, Jimmy's composure was gone, and he began to swallow water helplessly.
Once he started to choke, a second mouthful followed the first.
Jimmy felt he was going to die.
He opened his mouth to plead, his instinctive will to survive causing the agent's ntal defenses to collapse.
"I... glug... save ... glug..."
Suddenly, the rope tightened, and Jimmy felt sothing lifting him upwards.
Quickly, he was pulled above the water's surface.
Looking up, he saw Song Heping crouching by the rock, holding the lifesaving rope in his hand.
"Cool enough for you?"
"Cool... cool..."
Jimmy nodded repeatedly.
Anyway, if Song Heping said it was cool, it was cool—better not to offend him.
Jimmy now understood.
Song Heping didn't want him dead.
He wanted to extract so intelligence from him.
Since neither he nor Brooke had any identification on them, it was certain that they would be interrogated for their identities.
Jimmy quickly thought about how to respond.
Counter-interrogation, this subject was a must for spies and agents.
Although Jimmy had never been captured and tortured before, he had gone through both the theory and practical exercises.
Continuously, he recalled the training he had received, considering how he should react.
In the face of extre torture, it was impossible not to divulge any information at all.
Typically, counter-interrogation training required giving very little true information mixed with a lot of false information, convincing the interrogators that one had succumbed, with the ultimate goal of buying ti or preserving life.
Provoking the other party is a very unwise thing to do, unless you no longer wish to live.
Initially, Jimmy wanted to live.
Although he had not started a family, he had a girlfriend in Paris, and his parents were still alive.
To survive is a normal thought for a normal person.
"You…"
He wanted to take the initiative to speak first, to ask Song Heping what information he wanted to know.
That would make him appear very afraid of dying, willing to cooperate proactively, creating such an impression on Song Heping, and setting the stage for later providing false information to save his own life.
However, what he didn't expect was that Song Heping didn't play by the rules at all. Suddenly, he let go, and Jimmy plopped back into the seawater.
While Jimmy was still desperately struggling to survive in the water, Song Heping did the sa as he had done before, tying up the assassin, Mario, and throwing him into the sea as well.
Mario scread even more miserably than Jimmy.
"Brother… Boss… we're on the sa side, didn't you say that following you ant we could survive? Don't do this to …"
While Song Heping was tying him up, he was there, begging desperately.
But Song Heping was unmoved, kicking him into the water with a foot.
Hearing the sound of soone falling into the water beside him, and seeing Mario being kicked into the water as well, Jimmy, already hanging by a thread, actually felt a touch of schadenfreude deep inside him at this mont.
He suddenly felt a slight sense of relief.
Ah…
This sin, at least, was not being borne by him alone.
After kicking Mario into the sea, Song Heping pulled up Jimmy's rope.
He had already begun vomiting.
What he vomited mixed seawater with the remnants of his dinner.
Then ca violent coughing.
Mario was indeed an assassin, but he had never undergone counter-interrogation training, let alone professional underwater training. His swimming skills were poor, and once he fell into the sea with his hands and feet bound, he panicked, flopping around like a fish that couldn't swim.
The more he thrashed, the faster he sank.
Soon, Mario sank into the water and disappeared.
Jimmy watched this scene in horror, cautiously stealing glances at Song Heping's expression.
Song Heping's expression was very calm, showing no change, as if he were fishing with two rods, completely unflustered.
Only after Mario had filled his belly with water did Song Heping pull him up like catching fish.
Mario was there, spitting out water, coughing.
It took a while before he got his breath back.
Song Heping said, "Alright, now I will start asking questions. Whoever answers well, if I believe you, then I won't let go. Whoever plays tricks or pretends to be a hero, I will let go. Understood?"
While speaking, he glanced over both n.
Mario and Jimmy nodded vigorously.
"Mario, who sent you to kill ?"
Mario shook his head, "I don't know…"
The words had hardly left his mouth when Song Heping let go.
Mario plopped back into the water.
While Mario struggled in the sea, Song Heping asked Jimmy, "Who are you? Which organization do you belong to?"
Jimmy didn't speak.
Song Heping let go.
Jimmy fell into the sea.
When the two had had their fill of seawater, Song Heping, one hand on each, pulled them back to the rocks.
This ti he started with Mario again, "Who sent you to kill ?"
Mario, looking deathly, shook his head and said, "I… I don't know… I really…"
Splash—
Song Heping let go again.
Then he turned to ask Jimmy, "How about you? Have you thought it through?"
Jimmy still hesitated.
Song Heping let go.
Splash—
He too fell into the water.
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