Chapter 127 Set Sail

"Bang, bang, bang!"

After a burst of intense explosions, the entrance of the club gradually returned to calm.

The club's security guards emerged from their hiding places, spotting a launcher loaded with a shell still standing at the entrance of the alley.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines, wondering who the next target would be.

But after waiting for a while, the shell wasn't fired.

The security captain sensed something was wrong and whispered into the walkie-talkie, "Team Three, go around and see what's going on."

"Yes!"

As soon as he finished speaking, four security personnel, guns in hand, cautiously bypassed the direction the RPG was aimed at, and crept into the alley.

Just as everyone's nerves were stretched tight, they heard a security guard shout, "It's a fake! The person has already run away!"

The security captain hurried over and saw that the entrance of the alley was empty. Only a launcher was propped up on a bicycle frame, pointing outwards.

Dai Quan had long since disappeared.

"Captain, what do we do?" a team member asked, turning his head.

The captain thought for a moment and waved his hand, "Take the rocket launcher. We might need it when we chase them later."

"Yes!"

A security guard stepped forward, reached out, and picked up the rocket launcher.

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, a nylon zip tie attached to the rocket launcher was pulled loose. The other end of the zip tie was connected to a grenade wedged into a crack in the corner of the wall.

The safety pin flew high into the air, passing before the astonished faces of the guards.

"Boom!"

Another deafening explosion tore the nearby security personnel to pieces.

...

Six hours later, Dai Quan, who had successfully slipped away from the scene, arrived at a dock on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., to meet up with Zheng Guang and the others as agreed.

Soon, Dai Quan jumped onto the fishing boat that had come to pick him up and saw the others who had already boarded.

The young man who had been driving looked pale and said, "Quan-ge… Xiao Yu is gone…"

Dai Quan was stunned.

The others moved aside, revealing several bodies lying on the deck. Xiao Yu was among them.

"He… didn't make it…" the young man sighed softly.

Everyone else lowered their heads, and a moment of silence fell.

Dai Quan didn't say a word, but walked over to the bodies and looked down at them. There were three bodies in total. Two had died on the way back, and two more had died in the underground parking garage and couldn't be retrieved.

Lastly, there was Xiao Yu, who had died during the mission to capture Lu Han.

Dai Quan gritted his teeth, said nothing, and nodded slightly to the boatman.

"Buzz…"

The engine roared to life again, and the small fishing boat slowly left the harbor, the bustling First District dock gradually receding into the distance.

...

Half an hour later, the dock was no longer visible. The boat had reached more open waters.

After a long silence, Dai Quan finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "There are patrols in these waters. It's not convenient to carry the bodies."

The others nodded, including Zheng Guang. Together, they helped lift the three bodies and placed them into large swimming rings.

Dai Quan took a can of gasoline and poured it on their faces. The others stood by, heads bowed, silently bidding farewell to their fallen comrades.

"Whoosh!"

The faces of the three men were set ablaze, and the flames quickly consumed their features. Dai Quan and the others pushed them into the cold sea with a few soft splashes.

"Brothers, the sea winds are strong, take care on your journey."

Dai Quan stood on the deck, watching the corpses drift away, muttering softly.

Nine men had come, but only four were leaving. One mission, and more than half of them were gone. This was the fate of men like them.

The sea wind was cold, like knives scraping against their skin, but everyone stood on the deck, watching their comrades until they were completely swallowed by the sea.

Ten minutes later, the men returned to the cabin. Some lay down on the bunks to rest, while others used medical supplies to tend to their comrades' wounds.

Everyone's spirits were low, and they all remained silent.

Dai Quan glanced at everyone but didn't offer any words of comfort. He walked to the front of the fishing boat, looked at the boatman steering the rudder, and asked in a low voice, "Do you have any wine?"

"Yes," the boatman nodded, took a bottle of liquor from a shelf, and tossed it to Dai Quan. "The sea winds are strong. Drinking this will warm you up."

"Thanks." Dai Quan glanced at the amber-colored liquor, unscrewed the cap, and took a swig straight from the bottle.

A strong, spicy sensation burned down his throat.

Dai Quan shook his head, took the wine, and strode back into the cabin, stopping in front of a separate room.

"Creak!"

He pushed open the door. Zheng Guang and Jiang Jianjun were inside.

Jiang Jianjun was lying on the bed, stripped to the waist, still unconscious. His face was flushed due to a fever.

Zheng Guang, his hands covered in blood, was cleaning the wound on his shoulder with medical supplies.

The bullet had shattered Jiang Jianjun's scapula. Even if it healed, his arm would be essentially useless.

Perhaps because he was cold, Zheng Guang's hands were shaking slightly. Dai Quan walked over, gave him a gentle kick, and handed him the bottle of wine.

Zheng Guang wiped the blood off on his pants, picked up the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took a large gulp.

The strong liquor burned in his throat, sending goosebumps down his skin.

Dai Quan sat down next to him and asked, "You had a chance just now. Why didn't you run?"

Zheng Guang put down the bottle, his eyes glazed over. After thinking for a long time, he said, "I didn't know where to run. Where could I go… My brothers are still in Dragon City."

Dai Quan couldn't help but ask, "Judging by your skills, you must have been in a special unit, right?"

Zheng Guang bandaged Jiang Jianjun and said, "Navy."

Dai Quan nodded, "Why didn't you stay in the military?"

Zheng Guang laughed self-deprecatingly, "Heh, I was a fool, I thought society was simple. I thought a lot of people could make it in this era, but as soon as they showed their faces, they were gone. And most of my brothers are dead."

As he spoke, Zheng Guang picked up the bottle, took another swig, and sighed, "The more this era is like this, the more it proves that most people are ordinary. I'm the same, still acting like I'm special… In the end, I screwed over my brothers."

Dai Quan patted him on the shoulder and said nothing.

Zheng Guang sat on the chair, staring blankly at the unconscious Jiang Jianjun in front of him, and fell silent, only occasionally taking a swig of liquor.

...

At dawn, the small fishing boat quietly docked near a rainforest.

The men secretly landed, crossed the rainforest, and headed towards Dragon City.

In the rainforest, Dai Quan led his exhausted group out. Su Tianyu, along with Gu Baisun, Hou Guoyu, and a dozen guards, had been waiting for a long time. They immediately walked over and tightly grasped his hand, the two men wordlessly acknowledging each other.

Behind them, the remaining team members were all wounded. Jiang Jianjun was carried on a stretcher, while Zheng Guang, like Lu Han, was handcuffed and led into a police car.

Lu Han looked at Su Tianyu, his eyes darting away. In contrast, Zheng Guang was very calm, walking among the crowd with a deathly pallor.

Su Tianyu turned to look at Dai Quan and said sincerely, "Thank you for your hard work."

Dai Quan waved his hand, "It's nothing. This is the kind of work I do. I'm used to it."

Su Tianyu thought for a moment and said, "Stay. Work for me."

Dai Quan smiled and gently patted his arm. "Don't you understand? He sent me here to help you."

Su Tianyu understood and said, "Okay, go back and get some rest."

But Dai Quan stood there for a moment and said, "I want to vouch for someone."

Su Tianyu was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Who?"

"Zheng Guang." Dai Quan looked towards the police car, at the burly young man in handcuffs, sitting listlessly in the car. "If it wasn't for him this time, we would have been finished. And he had a chance to run on the way, but he didn't."

Su Tianyu frowned but said nothing.

Dai Quan glanced at his expression, guessed what he was thinking, and continued, "He wasn't the one who threw the grenade in the bar. He only killed drug dealers and unscrupulous merchants, never harming civilians. I sincerely believe that with a good leader, he could be an asset."

Hearing this, Su Tianyu thought for a while, didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly and led the others to the cars to leave.

...

Three days later, at the Qingyi Bureau in the First District.

In the office, Lu Zhen slammed his fist on the table, veins popping out on his forehead, and roared at Kang Dinghuang, his voice agitated, "I've told you many times! If the problem in Dragon City isn't resolved, they'll keep bringing endless trouble! Especially for those of us in leadership positions, we can't even guarantee our personal safety!"

Kang Dinghuang's expression was calm, and he advised, "Don't get excited. Let's talk slowly."

Lu Zhen's eyes were bloodshot, and he yelled, "How can I not be excited?! My brother is definitely not coming back! God damn it!"