"Rat-a-tat… rat-a-tat…" The dense gunfire rang out again.
Just as one of them raised his gun butt to strike Cao Yang, a shadow flickered—and the gun vanished from his hands.
Before he could react, over a dozen bullet holes appeared across his body. He was dead instantly.
The other three were stunned and raised their guns.
But their reflexes couldn't match Cao Yang. He had already mentally rehearsed every move before the first shot, leaving them no chance to fire.
"Rat-a-tat…"
The AKs roared. Each shot hit with deadly precision. Three men didn't even have time to grunt before their heads exploded, blood and brains splattering everywhere.
Cao Yang bent down, grabbed three AK rifles, tossed two into the tractor, and aimed the third at the first corpse.
"Rat-a-tat…"
A full clip shredded the body from head to toe, reducing it to a bloody pulp.
Ah—what a rush!
After emptying the clip, he felt completely refreshed.
The past few days had left him suffocating with frustration. This idiot had just walked into the line of fire, becoming the perfect outlet for his anger.
"Holy shit! Holy shit! Who the hell are you?"
The farmer clutched his head, face drenched in blood, trembling in terror. This young man was too powerful. He hadn't even sensed what was coming before all four of them were slaughtered.
Skill alone wasn't the shocking part—it was the sheer cruelty. Even after death, the bodies were shredded beyond recognition.
"It doesn't matter what I do. If we don't leave now, we'll both be dead!"
Only then did the farmer snap out of his shock. He started the tractor, which sputtered and rattled as it sped away as fast as it could.
Not long after, a group appeared at the scene. One, short and dark-skinned, with a menacing aura, carefully inspected the four corpses—especially the one that had been pulverized.
"Feng-ge, was this Sangkun's doing?"
Liang Feng shook his head. "I don't know… probably."
"This guy's insane! Do you have to turn a corpse into pulp after killing him? Does he have unlimited ammo or what?"
"Enough. Bury them. If their families want compensation, handle it."
…
The farmer finished delivering the goods and, as instructed, brought Cao Yang to his destination.
Before leaving, Cao Yang handed him a note:
"Here's my number. Keep an eye out for a man named Liang Feng. If his name comes up in the Golden Triangle, contact me. I'll pay you $100,000 as thanks."
The farmer nodded repeatedly.
From Chiang Rai, Cao Yang headed straight for Bangkok. This detour into the Golden Triangle was just a minor episode. Asking the farmer to watch for Liang Feng was a long-shot.
He didn't know where Liang Feng was. Knowing him, he was probably living a quiet life with Liang Jing—unlikely to linger in the Golden Triangle.
But he had taken a ton of gold. The fastest way to liquidate it was here; carrying so much gold elsewhere would be risky. Hence, he asked the farmer to keep an eye out.
…
The plane touched down in New York. Exhausted, Cao Yang returned to his villa.
Hu Qing could tell from his demeanor that things hadn't gone as planned. Just as she expected.
"Don't think too much. Rest for a couple of days," she said, sitting on the sofa to comfort him.
Cao Yang forced a wry smile, lying down with his head on her lap, face against her stomach, hands around her slender waist.
"Big sis, do you think I'm useless? I couldn't even save a few people."
"Don't say that. You're already amazing, really incredible."
Cao Yang thought she was just comforting him, but her expression was serious.
"I'm not comforting you. I truly believe that."
"I've always considered you family, never with romantic feelings… but now, I'm actually starting to fall for you."
"Why?"
"Because of your sense of responsibility and courage. Anyone else in your position would have given up long ago.
"Even if the people you saved weren't me, I believe if it were me in their place, you'd still be fighting like this.
"You have wealth, beautiful women around you, yet you don't indulge in either. Instead, you think about saving others, even risking your life, facing powerful families alone. How many people in this world could do that?"
"I used to think you weren't as good as Tang Shaojie—just strong, honest. Now I realize I was wrong. You're far superior. He can't compare to you."
"Big sis, I don't want to compare myself with anyone."
Hu Qing smiled. "My fault, shouldn't have brought him up. Here's a reward—muah."
She pecked him on the lips.
Cao Yang licked his lips, sighing. "What do you think Xia Baiwei and Lei Dian mean to the Han family? Why can't they just let them go? Why cling to them so tightly?"
"Why? You want to know why?"
Hu Qing punched him lightly. "They're nothing. You're a wild dog. They expected to kill you easily, but this wild dog not only survived, he bit back. They can't tolerate it.
"And, honestly… it's your gluttony. Always trying to bite off more than you should. Learn from it, control 'Er Yang,' don't let him cause trouble again!"
"You say I'm a wild dog?"
"Isn't that what you are? Even dogs can't lick like you. You're bare-skinned!"
"Let me see…" Cao Yang reached out to lift her skirt.
"Get lost! Yinuo's still outside playing!"
The two tussled playfully. Cao Yang's mood improved considerably. He looked gratefully at Hu Qing—she loved joking with him but never crossed into vulgarity. Today, she made an exception just to cheer him up.
A phone rang. He pressed to answer.
"Cao Yang, are you okay?"
Chu Baiwei had hesitated but decided to call and comfort him.
"I'm fine," he said lightly.
"That's good. I just feared you were upset.
"Cheer up, the five years will pass quickly."
"Ha ha…" Cao Yang laughed.
"Thanks for your comfort. I've come to terms with it. But you should comfort your dad instead; he probably won't be well for long."
Chu Baiwei froze. "What do you mean?"
"Hmph! He broke his promise, played with me… you think I'd just let it slide? Do you think I'm a pushover?!"
"What are you going to do?"
"You'll know soon enough. Hope your dad can still smile when the time comes!"
Cao Yang hung up. Hu Qing held him tightly.
"Are you really going to do that? If you do, you might never be able to return home."
"They forced me!"
"What if they don't play fair again, using your family to pressure you? What then?"
"Then I'll return home, kill enough to satisfy my debt, and wipe them out. Blood for blood!"