Chapter 111

Of course, Su Tianyu wasn't really going to teach Zhao Weihu how to do things; he just wanted to gauge the other man's intentions. He couldn't shake the feeling that if Jing Yan hadn't been skinned alive, or secretly promised Zhao Weihu something, the latter would never have let him off the hook.

From their past interactions, Zhao Weihu was a man of his word. Considering the situation at the time, Jing Yan was utterly helpless, with no ability to resist. It would have been incredibly easy for Zhao Weihu to kill him. The fact that he didn't suggested that Jing Yan and Tiger had reached some kind of agreement behind the scenes.

That was Gou Liuzi's theory, but since Zhao Weihu wasn't talking, he couldn't press the issue.

After about fifteen minutes of indoor conversation, they basically agreed on the prisoner exchange. Then the doctor came to give Zhao Weihu an injection, and Su Tianyu took the opportunity to say his goodbyes and leave.

…

That evening, led by Zhu Bajie (Pigsy), Su Tianyu went to the warehouse where the hostages were being held. As soon as he entered, he was hit by a pungent stench of urine and gasoline. One by one, soldiers of the Dragon City garrison were squatting along the walls, chained and manacled, their eyes vacant, their bodies covered in wounds.

During the second rescue operation outside the district, nearly three hundred of Chi Army's soldiers were involved in hijacking the Regulatory Commission's personnel. Adding to that the two hundred-plus reinforcements they had brought in from the Kasalo region, the total number exceeded five hundred.

Dragon City had mobilized more than a thousand armed personnel and a dozen helicopters to block the Chi Army's escape. Countless additional reinforcements were converging on the rescue site to encircle them.

Given this level of conflict, anyone claiming they could avoid capture would be talking nonsense. This wasn't a regional war; the participants on both sides lacked any strong convictions or beliefs.

Su Tianyu stood inside, pinching his nose, and said in a low voice to the Guard Battalion Commander, "Mang-ge, we're about to exchange hostages. Can't we make their conditions a little better?"

Zhu Bajie's real name was Liu Mang. He had been with Zhao Weihu for a long time and was considered a staunch veteran of the Chi Army. Recently, he had been in frequent contact with Gou Liuzi, so they were quite familiar with each other.

Hearing this, Liu Mang curled his lip and replied, "Fuck, they killed a lot of our people. You expect me to treat them like comrades?! It's good enough that we're letting them go back alive."

Su Tianyu lowered his voice and tugged at Liu Mang, saying, "They're just like us, small figures following orders. A word from above, and the guys in uniform have to risk their lives. There's no real need to make them suffer like this."

"You feel sorry for them, huh? Heh," Liu Mang asked, smiling.

"They're all struggling soldiers from the bottom ranks; it's not easy for them," Su Tianyu said, lowering his head. "And to be honest, it's not easy for me to negotiate this deal. If I bring these guys back looking like they've been abused, the mayor will get pissed off and scold me. Then all my work will be for nothing, right?"

"You think too much...!"

"I can't help it. I don't have a dad who's a commander, so I have to rely on myself in everything," Su Tianyu grinned. "If you treat them a little better, I'll call Dragon City and tell them to treat our guys with some respect too. We're going to exchange hostages anyway, so let's all be civilized, what do you say?"

"Sigh," Liu Mang sighed, looking at Su Tianyu. "If I had your silver tongue, I'd be at least in the top five of the Chi Army by now."

"Hehe, Liu-ge, you'll be the boss of the Chi Army sooner or later, that's for sure."

"Don't talk nonsense, the Commander's still alive. Can't say things like that!" Liu Mang cursed, then waved at the guard at the door. "Give them two rooms to stay in. Have the cooks provide regular meals, and allow them to collectively take a dump once a day and piss three times. Special cases get special treatment. Keep a close eye on them."

"Understood."

"Oh, and give them those worn-out military uniforms and tattered bedding that we replaced last time," Liu Mang added.

"Yes!"

After Liu Mang finished giving instructions, Su Tianyu immediately walked to the captured Dragon City soldiers and SWAT team members, waving his hand and saying to them, "Brothers, hang in there for a few more days. We're already negotiating with the Chi Army officers. In the meantime, I hope you can stay calm and cooperate with the Chi Army soldiers. I've also secured relatively better living conditions for you. Clothes and food will be arranged."

Hearing this, everyone in the room looked at Su Tianyu with gratitude, because they were currently living like animals. The Chi Army not only didn't feed them but also came in every few days to beat them up...

"My name is Su Tianyu, and I'm in charge of this incident. Don't worry, if anything happens, you can ask the Chi Army soldiers to find me, and we'll communicate face-to-face..." Su Tianyu said with a kind expression, like an angel.

Why bother? If you do something good, you have to make sure people know it!

Liu Mang looked at Su Tianyu and cursed silently, "Damn, he gets to play the good guy...!"

…

That night.

Su Tianyu had hotpot with Liu Mang and other core Chi Army officers to build rapport. He found that although these guys were full of *jianghu* spirit and a rebellious attitude, they were actually quite approachable. At least they didn't have as many tricks up their sleeves as the guys in Dragon City's political circles, or even the Dragon City troops. They didn't understand politics, and they didn't care about what was happening in the outside world. They just knew that as long as they picked up a gun, listened to Commander Zhao Weihu, they would have a good life and get hot meals.

Because Su Tianyu still had external injuries and burns, he didn't drink alcohol, only chatted with everyone until late at night before returning to his barracks to rest.

Su Tianyu was a clean freak. After returning to the barracks, he re-wrapped his wounds with plastic wrap and military medical waterproof tape, then took a shower.

Once everything was done, Su Tianyu felt extremely tired. He collapsed on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

…

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

After four or five rounds of coordination by Su Tianyu, the two sides exchanged hostages on the coast of Sinalo.

On the day of the hostage exchange, both sides gave the captured personnel relatively clean clothes and even allowed them to take a shower beforehand. This was also due to Su Tianyu's mediation. In short, the exchange was very harmonious, with everyone almost wearing small red flowers, shaking hands, and exchanging greetings.

In the evening, after the hostages were released, Li Mingsheng received a phone call. After hearing about the situation on the ground, he said with a smile, "Hahaha, they even changed clothes? I knew it, that kid's the best at putting on a show, and he's good at getting things done right under our noses!"

…

Late at night, Jing Yan was sitting in his office, looking at internal documents from the Stevedores Association, when several pale faces suddenly appeared outside the window behind him...