SA 10.2

“Mr. Pei, headquarters has responded,” Wei An said as he entered the room. “They’ve reluctantly agreed to eliminate Zachis, but only after we secure evidence from this operation.”

“Immediately?” Pei Jun’s eyes narrowed. “How soon is immediately? I want it done within three days!” His voice was firm with impatience. “If those old fools hesitate, I’ll take the cargo to the United States myself. I refuse to believe the Pentagon has no interest in Zachis!”

“Mr. Pei, you’ve gone mad. Headquarters will never approve this!”

“If they were competent, the last operation wouldn’t have failed!” Pei Jun stood up, enunciating each word, “If they come to me for help, they need to follow my orders!”

Crouching outside the door, Ye Jingsheng listened intently. Pei Jun must have risen in rank over the years. Otherwise, he would never dare to speak to the WUP elders in that tone.

Then Wei An’s voice came. “Mr. Pei, you want to go back for Ye Jingsheng, don’t you? I just don’t get it. Even if he was once part of Interpol, he is no different from those gangsters now. You save him once, and he just comes back to die. So why bother?”

“GET OUT!” Pei Jun roared in English.

Realizing Pei Jun was truly furious, Wei An did not dare say another word and quickly left.

Ye Jingsheng scoffed from the shadows. If Pei Jun would return for him, he wouldn’t have climbed to his current position. That man only cared about himself.

—-

After finding some medicine and food, the two of them managed to regain some strength. As they rested, Ye Jingsheng told Fang Yang about the cargo hold’s location. Knowing time was running out, they agreed to blow up the ship immediately.

Just as they set off, Ye Jingsheng suddenly grabbed Fang Yang’s hand. “You go first. I’ll follow soon.”

Fang Yang frowned in confusion, but before he could ask, Ye Jingsheng added, “Our guns are with Pei Jun. I need to figure out a way to get them back. Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

—–

Pei Jun loaded his gun, nodding solemnly, “Meet in the cargo hold in fifteen minutes. I’ll try to take care of everyone by then, and we’ll leave immediately.”

—–

“Hank!”

The man turned around, startled to see Ye Jingsheng, “DANIEL? What are you doing here? Pei said you—”

“Oh, why am I here?” Ye Jingsheng smirked. “Want to know?” He stepped forward and suddenly swung a punch. Hank cried out in pain and stumbled back. Before he could recover, Ye Jingsheng kicked him hard in the ribs, knocking him to his knees. He then raised his leg and drove his shin into the base of Hank’s neck. The bulky man collapsed without a sound.

“Sorry,” Ye Jingsheng muttered. Choosing not to shoot him wasn’t weakness, but he couldn’t ignore the bond forged from fighting side by side in the past.

He slipped into Pei Jun’s room under the cover of darkness. In the faint starlight, he scanned the desk, but it was empty. Pei Jun wouldn’t be reckless enough to carry those heavy guns everywhere, would he? Opening the left drawer, he only saw Fang Yang’s “Desert Eagle” lying there alone.

“You really did escape.”

The sigh-like voice made Ye Jingsheng’s hair stand on end. He turned around, raised his gun, and aimed. The barrel was pointed directly at Pei Jun.

“Why can’t you just keep to yourself for once?” Pei Jun didn’t draw a weapon, just stood there watching him, “You really had to side with an outsider to come after me?”

Ye Jingsheng raised his gun a little higher: “Pei Jun, you’re the ‘outsider’ now.”

“You think Fang Yang is any good? You really believe he only wants to destroy the cargo and that’s why he pulled you in? He’s more devious than you think!”

For the first time, Pei Jun’s usually steady and emotionless voice showed a hint of agitation. “I gained Zhong Qinglin and the Zachis’ trust for WUP to truly dismantle this drug den. After all these years, do you still not understand me?”

Ye Jingsheng scoffed coldly, “What about WUP? Is it really about justice? They’re nothing but a bunch of thieves in official uniforms, ready to sacrifice anyone else’s life for their goals! Mr. Pei, isn’t that exactly what you did back then?”

“That incident with Xiao Ling was an accident I didn’t want either! If you really hate me that much, then shoot, go ahead, shoot!” Pei Jun suddenly opened his collar and advanced step by step towards Ye Jingsheng.

Ye Jingsheng bit his lip, involuntarily stepping back, but Pei Jun kept closing in until they were less than a meter apart. Suddenly, Pei Jun drew a gun, and in a flash, the barrel was pressed firmly against Ye Jingsheng’s forehead.

Ye Jingsheng sighed. That gun, the “King Cobra” that had been with him for eight years.

“I told you, you can’t kill me. Not before, not now, not ever.” Pei Jun squinted, a cold smirk appearing on his face, “You will never escape my grasp. I won’t let you go again, Jingsheng. You’ve roamed for so many years, it’s time to come back.”

In that moment, Ye Jingsheng felt an urge to laugh. Whom could he blame this time? Blame Pei Jun for his acting? Or blame his own damn hesitation at the last minute! Pei Jun, I can never be as ruthless as you. You’re always the winner.

“Tell me, where is Fang Yang?”

Ye Jingsheng snorted with laughter.

“Tell me!” Pei Jun roared.

“Looking for me, Mr. Pei?”

Not just Ye Jingsheng, but even Pei Jun was momentarily stunned. The man leaning casually against the railing on the deck, illuminated by starlight, was unmistakably Fang Yang. In one hand, he held a pistol aloft, while the other gripped a remote control.

“Fine, Fang Yang. If you’re so eager to die, don’t blame me,” Pei Jun hissed through clenched teeth, his voice low and venomous. The commotion had already drawn a growing crowd, their murmurs creating an undercurrent of tension.

“Release Ye Jingsheng,” Fang Yang demanded, his tone firm as he tilted his head and raised the remote control higher.

Pei Jun shoved the gun harder against Ye Jingsheng’s temple. “You’re not the one giving orders here!”

Fang Yang smirked, a glint of mockery in his eyes, before suddenly pulling the trigger. The bullet whizzed through the air, shattering the floor-to-ceiling window behind Pei Jun. The sound of breaking glass echoed sharply, sending a wave of chaos through the room.

Amid the commotion, Ye Jingsheng struck. He grabbed Pei Jun’s wrist and brutally twisted it, forcing a sharp gasp from his lips. The King Cobra slipped from Pei Jun’s grip, and before it could hit the ground, Ye Jingsheng caught it, his fingers curling tightly around the handle.

“Ah Sheng! You’re not allowed to leave!” Pei Jun roared, ignoring the searing pain in his arm as he lunged at Ye Jingsheng. The two collided in a violent grapple, their movements fueled by desperation and fury.

Fang Yang was already locked in combat with the approaching guards. More men swarmed onto the deck, surrounding him as the ship descended further into turmoil. Realizing there was no escape, Fang Yang’s expression hardened. He pressed the detonation button on the remote, making his final, fateful move.

A thunderous explosion erupted, shaking the ship violently as it started to tilt and sway.

“What’s going on?” Pei Jun shouted, his voice edged with panic as he turned toward the source of the explosion. Flames roared into the night sky, illuminating the chaos around them.

Wei An ran up, breathless and shaken. “Mr. Pei… the cargo hold has exploded!”

“Fang Yang!!” Pei Jun roared furiously, “You’ve ruined my carefully laid plans! You bastard!”

Taking advantage of Pei Jun’s rage, Ye Jingsheng feinted a punch and leapt out, joining Fang Yang side by side.

“Ah Sheng, come back!” Pei Jun shouted and stepped forward, “Fang Yang will get you killed! Come back!”

As the ship began to tilt, Ye Jingsheng raised an eyebrow at Fang Yang, “The ship’s sinking, and we can’t escape, what now?”

Fang Yang grinned, took his hand, interlocking their fingers: “Are you afraid of dying?”

“Afraid,” Ye Jingsheng admitted with a smile, “but with you as a cushion, it’s worth it.”

Pei Jun’s hair was disheveled, his expression slightly mad in the firelight. He stretched out his hand, his voice shaking as he shouted, “I won’t blame you for this, Ah Sheng, come back!”

Ye Jingsheng threw a kiss and burst out laughing. “No way,” he said with a smug grin.

“Ah Sheng!!!”

With Pei Jun’s frantic scream, the two figures leapt into the air, forming a perfect arc over the waves before plunging into the sea. The splash was sharp and sudden, followed by an unsettling silence.

The Caribbean Sea remained tumultuous and roaring.