"You?" Song Yan never expected that after a lifeti of scheming, he would be outmaneuvered by a minor soldier. Rage overca him, and he felt a sudden darkness before fainting. People nearby rushed over, pinched his philtrum to revive him. As Song Yan's strength faded, he opened his eyes and gazed at Song Yan with such a grim expression it seed water might drip from his face. He said coldly, "Lock him up first."
"Yes," soone responded imdiately and pounced on Luo Zheng, beating him until he passed out once again. Luo Zheng faintly heard a clang as if sothing was struck, and then he knew no more.
Song Yan returned to his room in the cabin, drank so water, and forced himself to calm down. His face shifted between shades of grimness. He prided himself on his intelligence, and never imagined he would be outsmarted by soone he looked down upon. This was unbearable for the proud Song Yan; he shook with anger and took a while to settle down.
After so ti, when Song Yan felt his emotions had mostly stabilized, he took a phone from the safe and dialed a secret number. Once connected, he said with sorrow, "Dad, I finally understand why I failed. I am indeed not as capable as my elder brother."
"The operation failed?" The person on the other end of the call was the Song family's Family Head, Song Haitian. Hearing Song Yan's apologetic words, Song Haitian felt no joy but instead a growing sense of unease, an emotion he hadn't experienced in many years and found sowhat foreign. Struggling to suppress his anxiety, Song Haitian demanded coldly, "What exactly happened?"
Concerning the life and death of the family, Song Yan dared not conceal a thing and took more than ten minutes to explain everything from start to finish. During this ti, Song Haitian didn't interrupt once. After Song Yan finished, there was silence. Had there been no sound of breathing, Song Yan might have suspected Song Haitian had hung up.
"Dad, I know you are angry, and it was my incompetence that botched things. I am willing to accept any punishnt and will not bla you at all. Please expel from the family before this matter becos exposed. I may never be able to set foot in the country again in this life, unable to serve you in your old age. Please forgive my unfilial behavior," Song Yan said, his face flush with sha and anger.
After a long while, Song Haitian still didn't speak. Song Yan felt as if he could see Song Haitian struggling to contain his emotions and was filled with even greater guilt. Just as he was about to apologize again, Song Haitian finally spoke coldly, "You really are not as good as your elder brother. He has dealt with similar situations countless tis without ever leaving a trace or clue for others. It's astonishing that you exposed yourself the first ti you handled sothing like this. You have no one to bla but yourself. Fortunately, you recognize your shortcomings, which may be considered a lesson learned. From now on, think things through and stay safe out there. Don't worry about the family; I will take care of things." His words conveyed helplessness and world-weariness, but above all, frustration over what might have been.
"Yes, thank you, Dad," Song Yan said gratefully, seeming to age much in that mont.
"You are my son. No matter how severe the mistake, you are still my son. If I don't help you, who will?" Song Haitian said with a hint of resignation. After this incident, he feared he might never see Song Yan again. After a mont of silence, Song Haitian said, "Do as you said, take care of yourself."
Cutting the tail to survive is a common strategy among large families, as well as an unspoken rule agreed upon by them. Song Yan caused a significant problem, so the Song family had no choice but to cast him out and protect the family's direct interests. Of course, the indirect losses would depend on the family's power and operations.
Song Yan was very clear about one thing, as long as he was no longer a mber of the family, the cris he had committed would have no direct connection to the family. Of course, the family would be implicated in this incident to so degree, but the family itself would never fall. Thinking of this, Song Yan's hatred for Luo Zheng intensified.
After calmly thinking for a while, Song Yan realized that Luo Zheng indeed could not be killed, and he also had to release information from ti to ti, letting Lan Xue and the others know that Luo Zheng was still alive. By avoiding the dilemma of hurting the mouse and breaking the vase, he would be safe. If Lan Xue and the others lost news of Luo Zheng, or thought that Luo Zheng was dead, they would surely launch a crazy retaliation. This retaliation would not only target himself, but it could also be against the family. Having already made one mistake, Song Yan did not want to make a second one, bringing adverse effects to the family. However, if killing was not an option, and neither was releasing, what was he to do?
At that mont, Song Yan suddenly recalled sothing Luo Zheng had said before, indeed a hot potato to handle. Thinking of this, Song Yan's face turned an iron blue, and his anger surged again. Being outsmarted at every turn by a pawn infuriated him. It seed that he must find a way to handle the situation properly; the best would be to lock that son of a bitch up, in a place where no one could find him, and absolutely no one would think of. That way, Lan Xue and the others would have no way to carry out a secret rescue, and as long as Luo Zheng was in his hands, he would be safe for one more day, and Lan Xue and the others would not dare to act rashly for one more day.
With this thought, Song Yan's mind conjured up a location and he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
This life-and-death gamble was beyond Luo Zheng, who was unconscious and unable to ponder, but for Lan Xue, who had just woken up, it felt as if the sky had collapsed. After seriously listening to Ghost Hand's description, Lan Xue vaguely guessed that Luo Zheng had a way to protect himself but could not guess the specifics. She was anxiously burning inside, her face icily cold.
Ghost Hand and the others didn't dare to speak. Everyone silently sat there, the atmosphere oppressively heavy, as if the air around them had frozen. So tourists wanted to co over to express their thanks, but seeing everyone's expressions, they didn't dare to approach. Yet the news that Luo Zheng had been captured while saving everyone spread, and everyone, rembering Luo Zheng's various actions, realized they had misunderstood the sunny young man who claid to be a policeman. They etched Luo Zheng's image deep into their minds, filled with gratitude.
After a long while, the rescue team arrived, both cruise ships and helicopters. People rushed to the beach, many of them weeping with joy, sobbing with their heads in their hands. Lan Xue and the others watched the approaching rescue teams with a bitter look on their faces. If only they had arrived half a day earlier, Luo Zheng wouldn't have been captured, and the situation would have been a different story.
"Once we're back, everyone be careful with what you say, and don't tell anyone about what happened here. I'll negotiate everything with the superiors," Lan Xue said coldly. Her voice was very soft, filled with endless humiliation and anger.
Everyone looked at Lan Xue with so confusion, not understanding why she had made such a decision. Luo Zheng being captured should have led to a high-profile rescue operation. If not for everyone knowing Lan Xue's character and her relationship with Luo Zheng, they could have assud she had so unspeakable motive.
As if she knew what everyone was thinking, Lan Xue said in a pained whisper, "We must first ensure his safety."
"Uh?" Everyone looked surprised and confused, but they quickly understood, their angry faces turning more pained. They had been humiliated but couldn't retaliate imdiately, and outsiders couldn't comprehend this pain. Annoyed, Ghost Hand said, "Yes, captain. We, brothers, will not provoke the Song family for now. We'll keep restrained, to avoid both sides suffering from a fallout, and quietly rescue our brother Ghost first."
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