Chapter 105: Twisted Loyalties

Chapter 105: Why Do I Find It Hard to Believe?

Yu Hongmei was brutally murdered!

Her teeth were all pulled out, her tongue sliced off, and her body left with grievous wounds…

This wasn’t torture for extraction—it was pure hatred taken to the extreme!

Was it because of Ma Hexuan’s girlfriend, Shen Qi?

Surely there were other factors too, but the main one… was the Software!

It must be self-destruction—or perhaps a purge?

That Software was Ma Hexuan’s labor of love—five years’ worth of heart and soul, and a twenty-million investment.

Like a child he raised, could he really stand by as his own creation perished?

Learning that the Software might self-destruct or be wiped clean, Ma Hexuan must have wanted to escape as well, right?

Was it all because of Yu Hongmei?

His hatred for her ran so deep—it was boundless.

Yu Hongmei was Yang Zhichao’s woman, so why would she push Ma Hexuan to this extreme?

No, Yu Hongmei was merely a tool—a tool that had lost its value.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been used to seduce Ma Hexuan.

And that’s why she was taken away to be killed by him.

Was it all according to the agreed terms?

Everything suddenly made sense!

Xiao Yu let out a heavy sigh.

So now, how are we going to track you down?

No—that’s the wrong mindset.

We have to be one step ahead of them.

Trailing right behind will never catch anyone.

The best tactic… even before you’ve left the fountain, I’ve already pushed up the high ground!

It’s not about how to find them now.

It’s about figuring out what they want most right now.

To escape this city!

Xiao Yu smiled.

The skies? That’s impossible!

On land, the city’s on lockdown!

The only route for you to escape is by water?!

Why only water?

Air travel requires a plane—and without proper identification, you can’t leave.

The city is sealed off on land; there’s no way out.

The only option is the water route—hiding aboard a boat where pre-departure checks are lenient.

Especially on some fishing boats, where inspections are nearly non-existent as long as you report the voyage.

If you want to get out of this city, the water route is your only hope.

But…

Surely you had your boats ready for departure long ago?

Even our police fell into your trap, delayed by two days.

That means you’re likely near the coast now.

Or… you may already be at sea?

Don’t worry—in this season, there aren’t many ships setting sail.

Passenger liners are out of the question—the only choices are fishing boats or cargo ships.

So, fishing boats are ruled out.

Since your goal is probably to leave the country, right?

There’s no safe haven left for you here!

Cargo ships?

They’d have to be ocean-going freighters, then.

That would narrow down the list of suspects, making them easier to pin down.

Timing-wise, you wouldn’t even be able to leave national waters at this point.

Xiao Yu slowly got to his feet, inhaling deeply before exhaling forcefully.

“Bastards, I’m coming for you!”

……

A cargo ship.

Three men were sitting in the hold, eating and drinking.

“Bro, stop dreaming. Once you’re overseas, everything’s at your fingertips.”

A man with a constant smile eyed a somber, drinking man with glasses across from him. “It’s just a woman. What’s there to lose? How many men aiming for greatness get held back by a woman?”

“Oh, really?”

The glasses man slowly looked up. His eyes, bloodshot and red behind his specs, flashed with a sinister grin. “Then why was it that when I killed your woman, you couldn’t even steal a glance?”

The smiling man’s expression froze, his face hardening. “You really think I wouldn’t dare kill you?”

“Do you dare?”

The glasses man’s demeanor grew even more vicious. “After everything you’ve done, it’s all just to snatch my Software? If I die, all your efforts will be in vain. Yang Zhichao… would you dare kill me?”

……

Yang Zhichao remained silent, his cold gaze fixed on the glasses man… and Ma Hexuan.

A man standing nearby rose, his eyes fixed on Ma Hexuan as if ready to act.

That man was Joey.

They had managed to use a plan—a white man and a corpse—to escape from Bincheng.

I’m sure the police were completely stalled by it.

They’d have enough time to leave the country if given half a day…

Those police trying to catch them? Ha!

They probably couldn’t even locate the secret room beneath an elevator shaft.

Just hide for ten days or so until the police slacken, and the white partner will have fled too.

Every detail of the plan was perfect.

It was all set up by Yang Zhichao in advance!

But then…

Yang Zhichao looked coldly at Ma Hexuan: “Yes, I won’t kill you now, but you’ve killed people too, haven’t you?”

0… Crave for accolades…

“You forced my hand,” Ma Hexuan roared, as if ready to devour someone.

“Force you? Ridiculous!”

Yang Zhichao mocked, “The jailbreak plan was your idea, and I even got Lu Jia to cooperate with you. You personally killed two prison guards. Even Yu Hongmei was sacrificed by you… three lives gone. Do you really think we forced you into this?”

Ma Hexuan’s face darkened as he glared fiercely at Yang Zhichao.

In the end, he slumped into a chair, defeated.

“Now, you have no way out but to come with us.”

Yang Zhichao sneered, “Once you’re out of this country, I can toy with you all I want…”

“That statement carries a huge amount of information, but why do I find it hard to believe?”

……0

A mocking, cold voice suddenly echoed through the hold.

Instantly, the hold fell deathly silent.

The three men felt as though they had stumbled into a sinister rural inn at midnight—a gateway straight to the underworld.

The waiter was a grotesque ghoul with eyes that seemed permanently lodged on his face and decaying, maggot-ridden flesh.

The dishes served to them were plates of maggots, rotting meat, and human heads.

Their skin prickled as they tried to pretend nothing was amiss.

Before the ghoul could fully react, they needed to leave…

But could they really?

Casually strolling in, Xiao Yu entered the hold, his expression calm as he eyed the three men.

Suddenly, Joey made a move.

Trained as a spy since childhood, he knew perfectly well how to seize the moment.

He had anticipated that the area outside was already surrounded by police or coastguards.

The only option now… was to take hostages!

Joey smiled, confident in his combat skills, his grin turning fierce as he lunged his hand toward Xiao Yu.

In the next instant, his smile froze.

Thunk!

A massive, axe-like thigh smashed into his cheek.

With one kick, Joey was sent flying sideways.

Before he could even hit the ground,

Smack!

Joey’s neck was grabbed, hoisted up like a small chicken, right in front of Xiao Yu.

“Wanna hurt me as much as I hurt you?”

Xiao Yu glared coldly at Joey, who was mere inches away. “Are you even worthy?”