Chapter 395: Rescue Operation

2022-05-20

Someone of Shi Huacheng’s rank is watched even more closely. I’d heard about him for a long time, but I’d never seen the man himself, not even a photo.

Now, Wu Zui planned to break him out.

We were out here in the mountains.

It was clear Wu Zui had picked the timing down to the second. As we stepped into the woods, the sky was just starting to lighten. It was bright enough to see where we were going, but not so bright the guards could spot us from far off.

Wu Zui glanced at his watch. It was 4:20, just half an hour before the planned time—five o’clock. From where we crouched, I could already make out the high wall just ahead. It wouldn’t take ten minutes to reach it if we kept going.

Everyone kept their heads low—I could see from the tense faces around me that even these desperados were nervous. In the quiet gloom, everyone barely dared to breathe.

Wu Zui still had his mask on, so I couldn’t read his expression or guess what he was thinking.

He asked quietly, “Final check-in. What’s our status?”

Jesse, an earpiece clipped to his ear, nodded and echoed, “One last check, everyone.”

“One last confirmation. Is everyone ready?” Jesse asked.

A moment later, Jesse flashed an OK gesture. “We’re all set. It’s 4:27. Lai San, make your move at exactly 4:30. Everyone else, stick to the original plan. Once we pull back, there’ll be backup waiting for us.”

With that, Jesse yanked off his earpiece and stuffed it in his pocket.

He glanced back. “Shouldn’t we get moving too? Only half an hour left.”

Wu Zui nodded. “Stick to the plan. You take your group to the main entrance. Move the moment you hear any commotion. Once we’re in, don’t get greedy—fall back immediately. Understood?”

Jesse nodded.

Wu Zui said, “Moriko, bring Wu Meng and come with me.”

Moriko nodded, then pulled out a length of plastic rope out of nowhere, tying my wrists together. She stuffed a piece of cloth in my mouth and sealed it with yellow tape. Then, with a push, we were moving forward. There was no way I could break free on my own.

It was early summer, the dawn breeze giving me a shiver. The sky was gradually getting lighter.

Wu Zui and Jesse split into two teams. Jesse led the main group toward the front, while Wu Zui took Moriko and me in the opposite direction.

Wu Zui looked back. “Let’s move. There’s a shift change at 11:30 at night, and again at 4:30 in the morning. Changing guards takes five to ten minutes, tops. We need to reach the wall during that window.”

Guess that’s why Wu Zui gagged me—he was worried I’d start screaming my head off mid-operation.

Wu Zui turned to Moriko again. “Stay close and avoid the surveillance.”

His warning sent a chill through me. Wu Zui never left anything to chance. He’d even worked out exactly where the cameras pointed. It felt like he knew this setup by heart.

The realization left me unsettled. If Wu Zui ever decided to go after something big… I couldn’t even finish the thought. The truth was, someone like him could snap at any moment, and I had to do whatever I could to stop it.

Watching him walk ahead, I felt a mix of emotions. Technically, he was my brother—same blood, but we’d never spent a single day together. Family isn’t decided by blood, but by the bonds you build.

You can share the same blood and still be complete strangers.

Lost in thought, I barely noticed Moriko pushing me up through the woods, sticking close to the base of the wall where the guards on the ridge couldn’t see us. Soon, a man appeared in front of us.

Scarface said, “Yinzi relayed that there are signal jammers inside, so we’ll have to use old-school wired detonators. It’s more trouble, but it works.”

“We agreed before—if you ever went this far, I wouldn’t follow you to the grave. This isn’t some ancient era. Even if you break him out, there’s no way you’ll get away. Just transfer the rest of my money, I’m done.”

Wu Zui nodded.

Scarface dug a few pairs of earphones from his bag. “You’re too close to the blast—better use these anti-interference earphones, or your eardrums are finished.”

“Great.” Wu Zui clapped Scarface on the shoulder. “You’ll get what you’re owed. Moriko.”

Moriko nodded and stepped over to stand beside Scarface. He glanced at her. “You know my account info.”

With swift precision, Moriko drew her knife and hugged Scarface, propping him against the base of the wall.

Scarface’s body sagged, slumped against the wall. He never saw it coming.

Moriko wiped a smear of blood from my face.

Wu Zui said flatly, “You’re done here. You can go on ahead.”

Hearing Wu Zui’s cold indifference, I couldn’t help feeling helpless and sad. He could turn on an ally in a heartbeat; truly cold-blooded. Scarface wasn’t like the other hired guns Wu Zui’d recently picked up—I’d met him back in the Liu Yinyan case.

He’d been with Wu Zui for over a year, but when it was time for Moriko to strike, Wu Zui didn’t hesitate. That’s what made him dangerous—a person with no ties or feelings is truly formidable.

Wu Zui glanced at the corpse, then at me. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you die so easily. That would be too boring.”

“We wait here for maybe ten minutes. Once it’s five, we move.” He looked up—the first morning light was cresting the horizon and the air was getting warmer.

“Forecast called for rain today, but it stopped just after we brought you back. Weather predictions, always unreliable. Still, rain or shine, we’re prepared either way.”

Rain or shine? Was there some deeper meaning behind his words? I couldn’t tell if he was slipping me a hint or just making small talk.

Wu Zui checked his watch again. “One minute left. Get ready.”

He put on his earphones, Moriko did the same, then she slipped a pair onto my ears too.

Moriko grabbed my arm to keep me from bolting, while Wu Zui kept his eyes on his watch, poised for action.

I’d never felt time crawl by so slowly before. Every second felt like an eternity.

Finally, I watched as Wu Zui pressed his finger down—nothing happened, not a sound. Relief bubbled up in me. But just as I started to hope, the ground rocked beneath me. Even wearing earphones, the explosion was deafening.

A rolling wave of dust and flying debris erupted where another section of the wall joined ours. For ten seconds, the air was thick with smoke and chaos.

Only when the dust finally settled did Wu Zui yank off my earphones—and his own.

He leaned against the wall, making no move to rush in.

“It’ll take about a minute for all the guards to rush to the main gate. A few will show up here, but not many—this spot’s too far out, nobody would expect us here. This is where we rescue Shi Huacheng.”

At that, Wu Zui couldn’t help but burst into laughter.