The battle over at the cannery was gradually drawing to a close.
Under the heavy suppressive fire of the police, the Snakehead Gang's resistance quickly collapsed. Most of them chose to surrender, while a few members who put up a stubborn fight were shot dead on the spot.
All eighteen hostages were rescued. Although they were frightened, there were no casualties.
The media reporters captured the shocking moments of the police breaking down the doors and heroically rescuing the hostages, and also recorded the pathetic sight of the Snakehead Gang members raising their hands in surrender.
Detective Davis, who led the team, became an instant hero—at least, that's what tonight's news headlines would say.
After the battle ended, Chu Yang withdrew from the battlefield and returned to Liu Yutong's side.
"Miss, the cannery has been taken care of. The Snakehead Gang's boss, Wang Hai, was killed. The rest either surrendered or were captured, and all the hostages are safe and sound."
Liu Yutong gave a slight nod. "What about Zhao Weixiang?"
"Brother Yun caught Zhao Weixiang's trusted lieutenant and got their gathering point out of him. Brother Yun has taken some men over there."
"Tell Yun Cheng that if he doesn't find anything there, he should pull back," Liu Yutong said.
Chu Yang was taken aback. "Do you mean the intel might be fake, Miss?"
"I don't know if it's fake or not, but I feel that if Zhao Weixiang knows things went south here, he definitely wouldn't go to that gathering point. He might not have even planned to go there from the very beginning."
Her guess was quickly proven right; Yun Cheng arrived there only to find it empty.
There were only two delirious junkies in the basement, with no trace of Zhao Weixiang at all.
..........
Los Angeles Port, Pier Seven.
An inconspicuous white speedboat was quietly moored on the water. Standing on the deck was a woman with a graceful figure, wearing a red dress.
The woman was none other than Hong Jiao.
Hearing footsteps from the shore, she turned her head and saw Zhao Weixiang walking toward her. A hint of a smile appeared on her face.
"What took you so long? I thought you were caught by them."
Zhao Weixiang boarded the speedboat, casually threw his backpack onto the deck, and loosened his tie. "They won't catch me that easily. Razor and those useless fools were just perfect for buying me some time."
Hong Jiao raised an eyebrow, turned, and walked into the cabin. She picked up a bottle of red wine and poured two glasses. "You just abandoned them like that? They were your most loyal subordinates here in the States."
"What use is loyalty? When they are no longer useful, they should be decisively discarded."
Zhao Weixiang took the wine glass and downed it in one gulp. "Let me tell you, in this place, being soft-hearted is a dead end."
Hong Jiao didn't reply. She just took small sips of her wine, looking out at the pitch-black sea. The dim lighting in the cabin cast shadows on her face, leaving half of it in light and half in darkness, making her emotions unreadable.
The speedboat slowly pulled away from the pier, heading in the direction of other coastal cities.
Zhao Weixiang leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, seemingly a bit tired.
Hong Jiao looked at him quietly and suddenly spoke up, "You promised me that once we escaped to a safe place, we would find a small town where no one knows us and spend the rest of our lives there. Does that still count?"
Zhao Weixiang opened his eyes and looked at the woman in front of him.
This woman had followed him for many years. She had taken knives for him, taken the blame for him, and had no less blood on her hands than he did.
He had indeed promised that when all this was over, he would take her far away, live incognito, but he had just never followed through.
After a few seconds of silence, he slowly spoke, "In a few days. In a few days, we'll transfer to a larger ship and go to South America. No one knows us there. When the time comes, I'll buy a small estate facing the sea."
Hearing this, Hong Jiao nodded, the last glimmer of light in her eyes completely extinguishing.
She had heard this kind of excuse too many times.
She could no longer bring herself to believe him.
Little did she know, Zhao Weixiang was actually telling the truth this time. As long as that Mr. Jiang helped him secure a new identity and gave him enough money to squander for the rest of his life, he truly intended to live incognito and become an ordinary person.
After hustling for so many years, he was genuinely tired.
Zhao Weixiang stood up, walked behind Hong Jiao, reached out to wrap his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "You've worked hard all these years. Once we settle down, we'll get married, have a child, and live a good life."
Hong Jiao's body stiffened slightly for a moment, but quickly relaxed.
Then she turned her head and planted a gentle kiss on Zhao Weixiang's cheek.
"Okay."
Zhao Weixiang smiled, let go of her, walked over to the simple cot in the cabin, and lay down. "I'm going to sleep for a bit. Wake me when we get there."
"Mhm."
Hong Jiao nodded, downed the rest of the red wine in her glass, and carefully steered the wheel, gradually slowing down the boat's speed.
Once Zhao Weixiang was truly fast asleep, she pulled a phone from her pocket and quickly typed a line of text on the keypad with her fingers.
[Pier Seven, heading south — Hong Jiao.]
After typing it out, she hesitated for a moment before pressing the send button.
Immediately after, she threw the phone straight into the sea.
Having done all this, Hong Jiao stared out at the pitch-black sea. A single tear slipped silently from the corner of her eye, carried away by the wind...
..........
Outside the cannery.
Liu Yutong was chatting with Detective Davis about the battle at the cannery.
"The Snakehead Gang's boss, Wang Hai, resisted arrest and was killed. Three were shot dead, twelve were arrested, and nineteen captives were rescued. Three of them are injured but their lives are not in danger. Our police force sustained two minor injuries, and no one was killed."
Detective Davis breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. "This might be our police force's most successful anti-gang operation in recent years. I must also thank you and your people for your support, Miss Liu!"
"It was the least we could do," Liu Yutong said.
When the topic reached this point, Chu Yang suddenly chimed in, "Officer Davis, when are you going to give our Ten Thousand Dragons Association a pennant for our courageous deeds?"
Davis was taken aback. "A pennant? What's that?"
Chu Yang explained, "In our country, a pennant is a symbol of friendly cooperation between the police and the public. It reflects a spirit of harmonious co-governance and fearless bravery..."
Detective Davis: "..."
"That sounds quite nice. I can submit an application to my superiors."
"Oh, well, thank you so much!"
"........"
Liu Yutong was just about to speak when her phone suddenly vibrated.
She took a glance at the text message, put her phone away, and looked at Davis without a change in expression. "Officer Davis, we have some other business to attend to, so we'll be taking our leave now. When we're in San Francisco, I'll treat you and your colleagues to a meal."
Davis nodded. "Alright, thank you for your generosity, Miss Liu!"
The moment Liu Yutong turned around, she said to Yun Cheng and Chu Yang, "Immediately find a few speedboats and a helicopter. Zhao Weixiang is on a boat, leaving from Pier Seven and heading south. We can't let him get away."
Yun Cheng paused for a moment. "Who provided this information? Is it reliable?"
"The information should be reliable. Hurry and find the boats," Liu Yutong said.
"Understood!"
The convoy roared toward the port.
On the way, Chu Yang couldn't help but ask, "Miss, who sent that text message?"
Liu Yutong thought for a moment and said, "Probably someone who has given up all hope."
That was the only reason she could think of.
Otherwise, how could a woman like Hong Jiao betray Zhao Weixiang?
Chu Yang seemed to only half-understand, but he did not press the matter.
They chose not to notify the police for this operation, as they absolutely had to bring Zhao Weixiang back to their home country. If the local police caught him, they might not be able to take him away.
For one thing, there was no extradition treaty. For another, Zhao Weixiang had also broken the law locally in the US, so the authorities there would definitely prioritize trying him first, only deporting him after he had served his prison sentence.
That was why she decided to take action herself: to capture the man and bring him back home to stand trial.
Soon, fueled by the superpower of money, five speedboats and two helicopters were quickly deployed, launching a search across the waters south of Pier Seven.
By the time the helicopters spotted their target, the speedboat was already approaching the edge of international waters.
"Vessel ahead, this is the Coast Guard! Stop your boat immediately for inspection! I repeat, stop your boat immediately for inspection!"
The loudspeaker from the helicopter echoed across the surface of the sea. Their equipment did look a bit like SWAT gear, so they simply borrowed the title to force the other party to stop.
Of course, they shouted this in hopes that the target would not resist, because they needed to capture him alive.
Inside the cabin, Zhao Weixiang was jolted awake by the sirens.
When he looked up and saw the helicopters circling in the sky and the speedboats rapidly approaching his position, his face instantly turned incredibly dark.
"What is going on? Why are the police after us?"
Just then, Hong Jiao said calmly, "I was the one who told them our location."
Zhao Weixiang: "???"
