EM Chapter 13. Night Road

The room was filled with the sparse, tense sounds of clothing being removed. Everyone’s nerves were stretched tight. Even the air felt heavier, as if it had congealed.

Xiao Mingxuan knew this wasn’t a moment to lose focus.

He shifted position, moving to stand at Song Feng’s left. With his eyes downcast, he took a quick look.

Fu Shanming’s wrists were bound with the whip. He seemed to be struggling, the skin under the binding turning pale from pressure. The wound on his right hand had reopened during the scuffle, blood soaking through the bandages and dripping onto the floor one drop at a time. Song Feng held his arms firmly, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

Xiao Mingxuan remembered, this was the hand Song Feng had used to catch the whip earlier. But now, with his palm facing downward and blood smeared over the coils of leather, it was impossible to tell how badly he was hurt.

Behind them was the large bed. Xiao Mingxuan hesitated for a moment, then took a few steps back, picked up a discarded shirt and draped it over his shoulders. He also grabbed a bath towel and returned to Song Feng’s side. Reaching out, he helped restrain Fu Shanming. As their hands met, he realized Song Feng’s were ice-cold, trembling ever so slightly.

Xiao Mingxuan tightened the whip bindings to make sure Fu Shanming couldn’t break free and held him down with force.

That gave Song Feng a chance to catch his breath. He used his freed hand to grip Fu Shanming by the neck and pull him closer, keeping him in control. He looked at the men still stripping and gave a lazy, cheerful smile.

“Darling, your men have pretty good bodies. Ever tried them out in bed?”

The group stiffened. Their faces shifted from shock to rage, a series of expressions so vivid it was almost entertaining.

Fu Shanming was still smiling. The light in his eyes was sharper now, burning with something between fury and lust. At the edge of his gaze, a trace of blood-red surfaced. He licked his lips, leaving behind a glossy sheen.

“No. But now I find myself more interested in you, baby.”

Song Feng didn’t look at him. His eyes stayed on the crowd, narrowed in amusement.

“What a shame. There are plenty of beautiful people who want me. I really don’t have time for you.”

“No worries. I’ll make sure every last one of them is dead,” Fu Shanming said. With the blade at his throat, he didn’t dare move, only glancing sideways toward the speaker. “What’s your name?”

“Me?” Xiao Mingxuan smiled. “I go by the same name whether I’m sitting or standing. Xiao Mingxuan. You’d better remember it.”

“Xiao Mingxuan…” Fu Shanming repeated it under his breath, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “I’ll remember you.”

Xiao Mingxuan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Up ahead, the others had already finished undressing. One by one, they stood there completely naked, faces twisted with shame and fury. Song Feng gave the order.

“Back up. All of you. Move it. Don’t waste our time. If my hand slips and he starts bleeding out, that’s your problem.”

They had no choice but to retreat, slowly backing out of the room. Song Feng and Xiao Mingxuan pushed Fu Shanming forward as they moved. As they passed the pile of discarded clothing, Xiao Mingxuan nudged it with his foot, picked up a knife, and used it to slice the bath towel into strips. He wrapped one of them tightly around Fu Shanming’s bindings for extra security, so he wouldn’t need to hold him down anymore.

“Rip off two more pieces,” Song Feng said quietly.

Fu Shanming’s pupils narrowed sharply. He immediately sensed danger and opened his mouth to speak, but Song Feng was faster. He clamped a hand over his mouth, and the strong stench of blood filled Fu Shanming’s nose.

Xiao Mingxuan quickly tore two more strips. One to blindfold Fu Shanming, the other to gag him. Outside, someone shouted.

“What are you doing in there?”

“What do you think? I didn’t kill him,” Song Feng said cheerfully as he secured Fu Shanming in place. “Just trying to make the next part of the deal a little smoother. Can’t have your boss suddenly going off the rails and dragging us all to hell, right? Then you’d be out of a job.”

No one responded. They couldn’t argue. That possibility was very real.

Once he finished tying everything down, Xiao Mingxuan bent down again and picked up two pistols.

Song Feng continued forward. Yu Bai’s voice came through the comms.

“We’ve pulled out. Some of them are chasing us. They still don’t know what happened inside. We’re leading them away as planned. How’s it going on your end?”

“All smooth. Any injuries?”

“The sniper’s covering us from the high point. Just a few minor ones.”

“Good. You go first. Leave a car for me at the rendezvous. The rest of you squeeze into one.”

“Be careful.”

Song Feng gave a quiet reply, then turned his attention back to the room.

“Start backing down, one step at a time. Get to the living room.”

The villa had three floors. They were on the second. Xiao Mingxuan moved behind Song Feng, using his body to shield him in case there was a sniper on the third floor. As they descended, he turned when needed to keep their backs covered, his body pressed to Song Feng’s as he scanned the area.

The villa was open-concept, with a high central hall and no ceiling between floors. From the landing, they could see the third floor clearly. Two men stood near the railing, each holding a submachine gun.

Song Feng narrowed his eyes. “You two. Strip. Come down.”

The two hesitated. But seeing they’d been spotted, and with a crowd of naked colleagues downstairs already setting the tone, they reluctantly obeyed and joined the shamed procession.

The gunfire outside had stopped. The men left behind came rushing back in. When they saw what was happening, they stopped short, then all raised their guns.

Song Feng and the others had nearly reached the living room. He narrowed his eyes and called out again.

“You too. Clothes off.”

His gaze settled on one of them.

“Not you. Go outside and get a car. Bring it to the front door.”

The men hesitated.

Song Feng pressed the blade down. Blood immediately welled up from Fu Shanming’s neck, slipping down his pale skin and soaking into the pristine white bathrobe.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “Stop! Do what he says. Strip.”

Fu Shanming burned with fury. He hadn’t expected Song Feng to go this far. Earlier, when there were fewer men around, it hadn’t mattered much if they stripped. But now? No way in hell. Not unless he’d completely lost his mind.

He would’ve rather taken everyone down with him. But he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even signal with his eyes. Worst of all, thanks to the orders he’d already given earlier, his men had no reason to question anything. Now they were just lambs to the slaughter.

Xiao Mingxuan saw him start to resist and immediately pinned him down.

They waited.

Soon, the sound of an engine grew louder. A car rolled to a stop outside the front door. The driver stepped out, stripped as instructed, and joined the rest.

Song Feng gave a satisfied nod. “Out to the courtyard. All of you.”

Someone in the group stiffened. “When are you letting the boss go?”

“As soon as we’re in the car, we’ll drop him off. If you don’t believe me, pick two men to wait here. The rest—get outside.”

After a brief huddle, they had no choice but to obey. Two men remained in the living room.

Xiao Mingxuan took the hint and grabbed Fu Shanming from Song Feng, pressing a pistol to his head. Song Feng opened both the front and back doors of the vehicle, got in, and started the engine.

Xiao Mingxuan slid into the passenger seat, dragging Fu Shanming with him. He and Song Feng locked eyes for a beat, then he shouted at the two guards, “I’ll count to three. We toss him. One, two, three!”

As the last word fell, Song Feng slammed the gas.

Xiao Mingxuan hauled Fu Shanming up, shoved him into the back, slammed the door shut, and they sped away.

The group finally snapped out of it. They cursed and scrambled back to grab their guns, but it was already too late. The car had shot forward into the middle of the courtyard. Two guards at the gate pulled their weapons and fired, but Song Feng floored the gas and barreled straight through. A few bullets struck the body of the car, ricocheting off the metal and sparking like fireworks in the dark.

He slammed through the gates, tires screeching as he rounded a sharp corner, leaving the villa in the dust.

Xiao Mingxuan glanced behind them. Even if those men chased after them naked, they’d waste time just searching for car keys. By then, he figured they would’ve already vanished into the night.

He let out a breath and finally asked, “What happened to your shoulder?”

“It’s not easy making money these days.”

Xiao Mingxuan froze for a second, then understood. So it happened when he’d gone to rescue Shao Xiujie. He still didn’t understand why this man had chosen such a dangerous job, but he didn’t press the issue. “Where are we going now?”

“Switching cars.” Song Feng made a left at the next junction.

Alor Setar, capital of Kedah, was historic and bustling. The city glowed under the night sky, lit up like a painting. Xiao Mingxuan pressed Fu Shanming down in the back seat and turned to look out the window, the reality of how close he’d come to dying finally settling in.

“What about the others?” he asked.

“They split off to draw the rest away,” Song Feng replied. “Don’t worry. They’ll be fine.”

Xiao Mingxuan didn’t ask again. But ten minutes later, he understood exactly why they’d be fine. He stared at the road sign up ahead.

“Is that… a police station?”

“Yeah. I had them leave the car nearby. No way those guys would dare keep chasing after us.” Song Feng turned into a narrow side road. Tall trees lined both sides, casting heavy shadows in the dark. It was a secluded area, and with midnight long passed, not a soul was around. He spotted the car they’d left, quickly got in, and drove off again.

“That was a Jaguar, you know. Shame to abandon it,” he muttered. “To a man, cars and women are both essential, damn it.”

“No,” Xiao Mingxuan cut in. “At least not for him.”

The “him” was clearly referring to Fu Shanming. Song Feng twitched at the corner of his mouth. “I meant normal men, alright?”

He adjusted the comm in his ear. Still no sound. They must’ve driven beyond the max signal range. With a click of annoyance, he yanked it off and tossed it aside.

Xiao Mingxuan looked like he wanted to say something but suddenly frowned. “Wait. Something’s wrong with him.”

Song Feng eased off the gas. “What?”

Xiao Mingxuan pulled off Fu Shanming’s blindfold and checked his face under the faint streetlight. “He’s pale. Breathing’s shallow. And he’s trembling… Shit. He’s going into withdrawal.”

Song Feng froze. Then his voice sharpened. “Hold him down.”

Xiao Mingxuan didn’t need the reminder. He already moved, but the moment the withdrawal hit, Fu Shanming’s strength surged. Xiao Mingxuan had gone nearly eight hours without food or rest, and he was injured. Trying to hold the man down was almost impossible. A few times, they nearly crashed into the front seats.

“Fuck,” Song Feng cursed under his breath and floored the accelerator.

They sped toward the nearest bar. Song Feng tossed Xiao Mingxuan the pistol, the suppressor still attached.

“If you can’t hold him down, shoot him. Just don’t kill him.”

Song Feng got out of the car.

Xiao Mingxuan didn’t have a hand free. All he could do was press down with all his strength, keeping the man restrained and preventing him from breaking free. In the struggle, the wound on his chest tore open further, and blood slowly seeped through his clothes.

It was over ten minutes before Song Feng returned, holding a syringe in one hand. He removed the cloth from Fu Shanming’s mouth.

“Where is that man now?”

Fu Shanming still had a shred of consciousness left. He even managed a smile. “I knew… you’d ask…”

“Cut the crap. Where is he?” Song Feng shook the syringe in front of him. “Look, say it and I’ll give you your fix.”

“The harbor… the boat leaves at dawn…”

Song Feng and Xiao Mingxuan exchanged a glance. They were close to the Strait of Malacca. Once the boat left port, it could disappear into the nearby islands, or even further out into international waters. If they missed this chance, tracking him down would become a nightmare. But since Fu Shanming was willing to talk, it meant he had people waiting there.

And the two of them? All they had were three guns and two knives.

Song Feng injected the drug into him and gave a lazy sigh. “Don’t look at me. I ditched my phone ages ago. If you’re hoping I can call for backup, forget it.”

Xiao Mingxuan turned back to look at him. “I figured.”

Fu Shanming exhaled in pleasure, his expression twisted as he glared at Xiao Mingxuan. “I’ll never let you go, Xiao Mingxuan.”

Song Feng grinned. “Great. I’ll be waiting. Next time, we can have a nice long fuck.”

Xiao Mingxuan: “…”

Song Feng slammed the door shut, climbed back into the driver’s seat, and turned the wheel toward the harbor.