SDT 64

Chapter 64: Are You Yu Xiaowen?

“Of course I am. Who else could I be?” Yu Xiaowen looked at him and smiled. Then he stood up. “I’m quite experienced…”

“You’re not,” Lu Kongyun cut him off. “You’re just a fugitive.”

Yu Xiaowen fell silent. After a long pause, he said, “That’s exactly what I meant, an experienced fugitive. Why did you have to jump in?”

He softly sighed and spread his hands. “So you set this trap for the fugitive, deliberately saying you’d go buy medicine at the agreed time to let me escape? I was just playing along, okay?”

Lu Kongyun nodded in tacit agreement. Then he glanced around. “You saw through it all along. You lured me here to divert attention and buy time for Ye Yisan.”

“If I hadn’t played along, you’d have probably had Lu Qifeng and the others ambush the mountain search long ago.” Yu Xiaowen watched the rapidly sinking sunset. “You gave the Intelligence Bureau my location, they’re probably coming for me. How much longer until they arrive?”

Lu Kongyun seemed incapable of anger now, his expression blank. “You don’t trust me, but you trust Dai Jingxi and Dai Lanshan.”

Yu Xiaowen sighed.

“It’s not that I trust them. It’s just that if it were Dai Lanshan, he’d never drag his brother into this, letting Dai Jingxi send a fugitive from the Intelligence Bureau to you alone. And Dai Jingxi, if he were already working with you, he’d definitely have you keep his unlucky brother occupied so he wouldn’t come out and cause trouble. Besides, if he knew you’d planted a bug, why would he still tell me about you and the Lu family in the car… That’s highly unusual too. The truth is exactly as I suspected. You used the excuse of ‘helping’ me to get intimate with me in the car, then installed a listening device and tracker on me while my senses were clouded…”

He chuckled softly, pulled out a small object, and threw it at Lu Kongyun’s feet. His voice dropped as he said, “Found in your raincoat pocket. You must’ve taken it when you were putting the collar on me.”

Lu Kongyun stared at the fleeting object.

Yu Xiaowen: “Because Dai Jingxi’s instructions only mentioned Banana Mountain without specific coordinates, you deliberately revealed our conversation in the car and intentionally led me to believe someone had already betrayed us. This way, I’d worry that Ye Yisan wasn’t aware and wouldn’t feel at ease, forcing him to come to the designated location to check the situation. Then you and Lu Qifeng could round up the spy and the fugitive in one fell swoop. Dr. Lu, do you really think I’m mistaken?”

Lu Kongyun didn’t argue with him.

“When did you start doubting me? Was it because I showed some flaw, or simply because you refused to believe in me?”

What a strange question.

Yu Xiaowen rubbed his hands together, scrubbing away the remnants of the frayed hemp rope and the dirt it had left behind.

“When you got to the cabin, your raincoat was soaked through, dripping water all over the bench. If you had an inside man, you could’ve parked behind the house first thing in the morning. Your raincoat wouldn’t have been that wet.”

Yu Xiaowen continued, “You followed us all the way here. After we reached our destination, to avoid alerting us by having your car appear in front of us, you had to park it far away and walk through the woods to get here. That’s why you got so drenched. When we got near the cabin, Dai Jingxi and I were talking in the car. You were eavesdropping while plotting how to exploit this time gap to frame us and sow discord, right? This was an impromptu plan, otherwise, it would’ve been more meticulously executed, and I might not have uncovered it.”

“Mm.” Lu Kongyun admitted. “So even though you suspected I was setting a trap, you still slept with me. Was that part of your plan too?”

Yu Xiaowen：“……”

The two stared at each other in silence for a long time. It felt as though the air had grown heavy and cold. The sunset had completely faded, leaving only a lifeless golden glow lingering on Yu Xiaowen’s pale eyes.

…Why did it have to turn out this way?

After a moment, he twisted his lips into a crooked smile and tilted his head. “Oh, I wasn’t talking about you. You’ve been flirting with me since we got in the car, trying to trap me. Now you’re playing the victim? If I slept with you for nothing, you deserve it.”

Sex. Sex steeped in mutual scheming and calculation. He and his first love, the only boy he’d ever loved in all his life.

How did it come to this, huh?

So, it really was just as Yu Xiaowen had said. If only he hadn’t gone to disturb Lu Kongyun two years ago. At least in his memories, he had never existed, a kind of purity.

“…” Hearing his words, Lu Kongyun stared at Yu Xiaowen with a sinister glint in his eyes. “I should make sure you can’t get out of bed.”

Yu Xiaowen：“.”

He shifted his weight onto his toes, crouching down to continue tying the rope: “…What kind of talk is that? Then your plan wouldn’t work, would it? You wouldn’t do that.”

Yu Xiaowen planned to wait until the Intelligence Department’s men closed in and spotted him before yanking the rope and sliding down the hillside.

Lu Kongyun exhaled a weary breath.

He said, “How much longer do you plan to keep running?”

Yu Xiaowen: “That’s not really up to me, is it?”

Yu Xiaowen didn’t want to run anymore; he was already exhausted. But now, because Lu Kongyun was plotting a “strategy” to catch them all in one net, he found himself bound once more to his savior. He had no choice but to keep running.

“…Lu Kongyun. I lied to you and ran away, so many times. I’m really sorry. You’re handsome and kind-hearted. Back in the cabin, you said we were even. I believe you didn’t say that just to set me up. But while our personal matters can be settled, our official business cannot. Arresting me isn’t enough, you need me to catch my accomplices. Because of my treason. I understand all of it.”

Faced with his confession of guilt, Lu Kongyun offered no response.

After securing the escape rope, Yu Xiaowen casually quipped, “Hey. Just pretend you never saw me on the cruise ship. Can’t you just act like I’m really dead? Oh, right, Yu Xiaowen did die two years ago. I’m actually a foreign security guard.”

Lu Kongyun’s voice grew strained, trembling and wavering: “If you’re just Hao Dali, I’ll keep searching for Yu Xiaowen.”

“…Heh.” Yu Xiaowen, lost in the night wind, barely registered the shift in tone. He tossed the other end of the rope down the cliff, glancing up at the sheer drop. The rope would barely reach halfway down, a gamble on fate.

Ha.

He vented g his frustration: “Then I’ll tell you this, every trace of Yu Xiaowen has vanished from this world. That person no longer exists. You’ll never find him.”

A sudden silence fell.

Yu Xiaowen used the rusty scraper to thin the rotten rope further, reducing its tensile strength to barely half. With such a rope and the height of the suspension, the soldiers from the Intelligence Department probably wouldn’t risk their lives to catch him.

Yu Xiaowen added, “You know, escape is perilous. Before they found me this time, there were several moments when I nearly met my end. If I hadn’t swum ashore after falling into the sea, where would you have looked for me? What if something happened again during my escape, and I died in some cave deep in the wilderness? Wouldn’t searching for me then just be a waste of resources?”

As he spoke these final words, his tone grew unusually heavy and gloomy, mirroring his current state of mind: “I can’t give you even a single thing you want… Yu Xiaowen is already dead.”

As daylight faded, winds swept over the mountain ridge. Lu Qifeng’s men, alerted by the messenger, would soon arrive.

He tugged the rope once more and looked at the other man. “Colonel Lu, you did everything you were supposed to do. You completed the mission. That I slipped away from the eyes of the Intelligence Department is not on you. You did well enough.”

But there was still no movement around them, which was odd.

As the light gradually dimmed, Lu Kongyun, who had been silent for a long time, took a step forward, then another. Yu Xiaowen couldn’t help but grow wary, retreating as he asked, “…When exactly are Lu Qifeng’s men coming?”

“There are no men from Lu Qifeng,” Lu Kongyun said.

“…What?”

Lu Kongyun stepped forward again. Yu Xiaowen had nowhere left to retreat and could only grip the rope in his hand tighter.

Yet the other person seemed unconcerned, even stepping past him to stand with both feet right at the edge of the cliff.

Yu Xiaowen froze, his voice rising: “…Lu Kongyun, what the hell are you doing? Stand back!”

The other man showed no sign of awareness, his emotional state a stark contrast to Yu Xiaowen’s. He had already regained his composure, his eyes as calm as ashes. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs, fastening one to his own wrist before offering the other to Yu Xiaowen.

Yu Xiaowen：“……”

Yu Xiaowen didn’t move, so Lu Kongyun reached out to grab his hand himself. Yu Xiaowen felt a bit dazed, but he dared not struggle. He still held the rope in his own hands, if he moved recklessly and disrupted Lu Kongyun’s balance, he would fall.

Yu Xiaowen watched as Lu Kongyun fastened the other end of the handcuffs to his wrist, binding the two of them together.

“You wanted to die, to vanish from this world,” Lu Kongyun asked. “Now? I can jump.”

His voice sounded like a messenger from the underworld, sending a chill down Yu Xiaowen’s spine.

The hairs on Yu Xiaowen’s back stood on end, cold sweat pouring down his back. Yet he could only cautiously pull the handcuffs away from the cliff’s edge, his voice trembling: “…Don’t. Move back!”

Lu Kongyun stared at him.

“Is Yu Xiaowen still alive?”

“…Yes.”

“Are you Yu Xiaowen?”

A whirlwind suddenly swept up from the valley floor, blowing Lu Kongyun’s hair. Yu Xiaowen watched the scene unfold and nearly scared himself out of his wits. He shouted loudly:

“…Yes. Yes! It’s me! It’s Yu Xiaowen! Alive! Dammit!”

After the echo in the valley, only the wind remained.

“You’ve squandered the last chance I gave you. I won’t trust a single word you say.” After a moment, Lu Kongyun added, “From now on, don’t even think about leaving my side.”

Lu Kongyun dragged the stumbling Yu Xiaowen back along the mountain path, then climbed into Lu Kongyun’s car parked in the banana grove.

He drove back to the Orange Garden, parked in the underground garage, and cuffed Yu Xiaowen’s hands to the safety bar on the passenger seat.

Lu Kongyun got out of the car himself, closed the door, and locked it.

Yu Xiaowen: “…Hello? You’re just going home? I’m still in the car.”

After about ten minutes, Lu Kongyun returned.

He had taken off his uniform and changed into civilian clothes. Then he opened the rear door again and tossed something inside. Yu Xiaowen saw it was a sniper rifle and a black military-style backpack.

Yu Xiaowen gasped, “What are you doing, Lu Kongyun? What do you need these things for?”

Lu Kongyun didn’t answer. He started the car again and drove away from the Orange Garden.

Dai Lanshan pulled over to the side of the road, hands holding the steering wheel as his mind was in turmoil.

Just now, Lu Kongyun had suddenly sent him a voice message, a recording of Dai Jingxi, Ye Yisan, and Hao Dali talking in a car. It came with a single line: Hurry to the north entrance of Funan Avenue and wait for me.

So Hao Dali escaping the Intelligence Department was a decoy after all! Dai Lanshan felt sweat forming in his palms.

Tonight’s rain was unusually erratic, bursts of downpour punctuated by distant, rumbling thunder, showing no sign of letting up. He instinctively flipped on the windshield wipers, sweeping the glass while trying to clear the fog from his own mind.

…Lu Kongyun sent me this. What exactly is his position? Could it be that Lu Qifeng, that spy chief, already knows it was Dai Jingxi who helped Ye Yisan and Hao Dali escape?!

Upon seeing Lu Kongyun’s message, Dai Lanshan, who had been preparing to scroll through his brother’s photos before sleeping, jumped out of bed. He managed to pull one leg of his pants on before getting out, and by the time he got the other leg in, he was already in the car.

He ran like the wind all the way.

He craned his neck anxiously, scanning the distance until he spotted another car parked across the street, its hazard lights flashing. Then a message from Lu Kongyun popped up on his phone: I’m here.

He immediately jumped out of the car, shielding his eyes with his hand, and sprinted across the street. Seeing someone in the passenger seat, he opened the back door and climbed in.

…A rifle and a military backpack lay nearby. His nerves suddenly tightened.

He turned to the passenger seat: “…Hao Dali?”

Now that the escape assistance had been exposed, Lu Kongyun bringing Hao Dali back from the safe house made perfect sense. Was he brought here to confront him?

“His name is Yu Xiaowen,” Lu Kongyun replied. “An officer from S Country.”

Dai Lanshan immediately recalled Lu Kongyun’s earlier mention of a “martyr police officer friend.” Was this fallen officer friend the traitor Hao Dali that Lu Qifeng and his team had apprehended?

Seeing Dai Lanshan’s confused expression, Lu Kongyun said, “Let’s get down to business first. I have no intention of handing your brother over to the Intelligence Department. But I must find Ye Yisan. I hope you can help me.”

“…” Yu Xiaowen suddenly sat up straight, glancing at the weapons in the backseat. “What are you planning to do?”

Lu Kongyun looked at Yu Xiaowen. “So nervous.”

Yu Xiaowen: “I’m back now, aren’t I? He has nothing to do with our country’s case.”

Lu Kongyun: “He has nothing to do with your case? Don’t lie.”

Yu Xiaowen’s expression shifted slightly. “What he did has nothing to do with my case?”

Lu Kongyun moved closer, inches away, locking eyes with him.

“Yu Xiaowen. You’re playing word games. That proves there’s a connection.”

“…He saved my life. He’s my benefactor.” At this point, Yu Xiaowen had no choice but to concede and reveal the truth. “Even if I’m the one with issues, you don’t need to arrest him. I’m back now. He’s just a foreigner. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“Benefactor.” Lu Kongyun repeated the two words.

“I’ll judge for myself whether there’s a problem,” Lu Kongyun said.

“Hold on,” Dai Lanshan interrupted their idle chatter. He couldn’t care less about Ye Yisan. His immediate concern was urgent: “Lu Kongyun, if I don’t help you, my brother will be in danger?”

Lu Kongyun looked at him again. “If it weren’t for me, your brother might already be in the interrogation room at the Intelligence Department.”

Dai Lanshan’s expression darkened further. “But how can you guarantee my brother’s safety? Even though Lu Qifeng is after Ye Yisan, it was still my brother who helped him escape.”

Lu Kongyun replied, “I can guarantee it. My only concern is finding Ye Yisan. If you delay any longer, I can’t make that promise.”

“…” Dai Lanshan frowned, his mind racing.

He didn’t think for long before immediately getting out of the car to make a call.

After slamming the door shut, Yu Xiaowen was about to speak again when Lu Kongyun’s voice turned icy cold: “Don’t mention your brother Ye to me again. Or I’ll shoot him dead the moment I see him.”

“…” The words left Yu Xiaowen stunned, staring at Lu Kongyun with surprise and unfamiliarity.

Lu Kongyun’s gaze remained impassive as he stared straight ahead. His face flickered between light and shadow in the flashing headlights.

He pulled out a foil packet and handed it to Yu Xiaowen. “Take the birth control pill.”

Dai Lanshan got into the car and said to Lu Kongyun, “Alright. Come with me to the air force base. I’ll fly you to find Ye Yisan.”

A secret base unmarked on any map. Dai Lanshan went to arrange for a private helicopter, while Lu Kongyun and Yu Xiaowen waited beside the helipad on the rooftop of a high-rise building.

Each held a black umbrella, their wrists adorned with identical white wristbands. Their hands were bound together by gleaming handcuffs, though they stood at a deliberate distance from one another.

A small aircraft landed on the nearby runway and gradually taxied away.

Yu Xiaowen first glanced down at the jacket Lu Kongyun had brought him from the Orange Garden. It was quite large on him, but warm. During these days on the run, he rarely felt such a comfortable body temperature.

Then he looked up at Lu Kongyun.

Lu Kongyun carried a military backpack and slung his weapon over his shoulder. In the haze of the night’s misty rain, his eyes were dark, his nose high and straight, his lips pressed together, a stark contrast from his usual self that sent a chill through the air. He faced the distant horizon, lost in thought.