Upon hearing this, Di Zhen paused slightly, his finger resting on the trigger, but he didn't pull it for a long time.
He wasn't afraid of death; after all, he was a soldier who had been on the battlefield and killed people. Back when he fought the Japan, he had already risked his life. Now, every extra day he lived was a bonus for him.
But he had to consider the brothers behind him. Back then, Han Chongshan led them to escape to Hanging Neck Ridge. Over the years, many had died, fled, or been wounded. In addition, just two days ago, even Han Chongshan and Drunkard Liang who had taken them with him, were shot dead. Of the brothers who belonged to the 47th Army 26th Division, only these few remained.
Seeing Di Zhen hesitate, his men behind him immediately spoke up, "Brother Zhen, kill him to avenge Brother Shan, don't worry about us!"
Di Zhen's hand holding the gun trembled slightly, and his eyes wavered.
Sheng Zhaozhong glanced at Di Zhen's men and chuckled, "You still have some soldierly spirit. But even if you're not afraid to die, what about your families? What will happen to the widows of Han Chongshan and the Drunkard Liang?"
A hush fell over the surroundings. The group of brothers behind Di Zhen looked at each other in dismay. Even if they could still stand tall and make boastful statements, the fact that their families and the widows of their former comrades were involved meant that the enemy had truly seized their lifeline.
Di Zhen's face was grim. He pressed the muzzle of his gun against Sheng Zhaozhong's forehead. "You bastard! Are you trying to scare me? This is Hong Kong, not Taiwan! You think the Britain come just because you say so?"
"Do you think my rank of major is fake? Mr. Tam is still waiting for my news. If I don't go back tonight, he'll call Taiwan before dawn." Sheng Zhaozhong said slowly and calmly, "A Taiwan official was shot dead by rioters in Hong Kong. Do you think the Britain will withstand the pressure and protect you?"
Di Zhen was indeed intimidated by these words, and it was indeed true. Although the Taiwan Government was now in decline, Sheng Zhaozhong and Tan Jingwei were still official officials, essentially the face of Taiwan. Moreover, Di Zhen and his ilk were all illegal immigrants who had fled to Hong Kong. The Britain would never turn against Taiwan for the sake of these people.
Di Zhen struggled for a moment, then turned his head to look at the faces of the brothers behind him.
The few remaining brothers were clearly at a loss, their faces showing difficulty, and some even lowered their heads in shame, avoiding Di Zhen's gaze.
Di Zhen gritted his teeth in anger, turned around and glared fiercely at Sheng Zhaozhong. He moved the gun away from Sheng Zhaozhong's forehead and fired several shots close to Sheng Zhaozhong's ear. The bullets whistled past Sheng Zhaozhong.
Sheng Zhaozhong's expression remained unchanged throughout.
After emptying all six bullets from his gun Di Zhen slammed it to the ground and pointed down the mountain. "Go! I don't want to see you again!"
Sheng Zhaozhong looked at the exasperated Di Zhen and flashed a confident smile, "We can't leave. Mr. Tam sent me to Hanging Neck Ridge to find you, to ask you to do things for the Party-State. My mission is not yet complete."
Di Zhen's eyes were fierce. He grabbed Sheng Zhaozhong by the collar, pulled the pistol he had confiscated from Sheng Zhaozhong from his waist, and pressed it against Sheng's temple. His voice was hoarse. "Are you forcing me to kill you?"
"I really dislike having a gun pointed at my head. You pointed it at me three times, three different places." Sheng Zhaozhong looked up and grinned at Di Zhen: "If you're really capable, shoot now. Otherwise, put the gun away and we can talk slowly."
Di Zhen's breath hitched.
Sheng Zhaozhong reached out and pried open Di Zhen's fingers, one by one, from his collar, saying, "Actually, Han Chongshan's death has nothing to do with me or Mr. Tam. Have you ever considered that it might be because there's a culprit among your own people?"
Di Zhen was clearly stunned by these words and looked at Sheng Zhaozhong in disbelief.
Sheng Zhaozhong smiled slightly and gently took the pistol from the stunned Di Zhen's hand.
Behind Di Zhen, several Kuomintang soldiers, as if facing a formidable enemy, drew their guns and pointed them at Sheng Zhaozhong: "Don't move!"
Di Zhen stared intently at Sheng Zhaozhong, raised his right hand to gesture for his companions behind him to calm down, and then asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Sheng Zhaozhong calmly put his sidearm back into its holster, then slowly straightened his clothes, which Di Zhen had disheveled, before looking up again and raising his voice slightly. "Gui Xiu Wen is one of your men, isn't he? Originally, Han Chongshan and the others didn't have to die, but unfortunately Gui Xiu Wen leaked their operation plan, so..."
Sheng Zhaozhong shook his head regretfully at this point. "... The problem lies with your people, not with Mr. Tam and me."
"Brother Wen? How could it be him?"
"Impossible, Brother Wen wouldn't do that!"
"Are you trying to sow discord between us brothers?" Di Zhen glared at Sheng Zhaozhong. "Brother Shan Brother Wen can't speak right now, so you can say whatever you want!"
Sheng Zhaozhong scoffed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Stupid! Gui Xiu Wen took 200,000 yuan from Song Tianyao as a settlement fee, and Song Tianyao promised to help him send his wife and children to Malaya to enjoy a better life. If I were Gui Xiu Wen, I wouldn't want my family to starve in a place like Hanging Neck Ridge like you, would I? Of course I took the money and left. Did you think I'd stay and pretend to be your brother?"
Di Zhen was skeptical. He glanced back and asked his men, "Where are Sister Fen and Liuzi now?"
The Sister Fen he mentioned was Gui Xiu Wen's wife, and Liuzi was their only child.
One of the subordinates looked somewhat panicked and stammered, "Sister Fen said yesterday that Liuzi had a high fever, so she took him down the mountain to see a doctor overnight. It seems he hasn't returned yet."
Upon hearing this, Di Zhen's expression changed several times, and he looked at Sheng Zhaozhong in disbelief.
Sheng Zhaozhong said leisurely, "Judging by the time, they should already be on the ship to Malaya."
Di Zhen had always believed that Tan Jingwei and his group's exposure led to the deaths of Han Chongshan and the others. Now that he learned it was because Gui Xiu Wen, whom he treated like a brother, betrayed him, he found it hard to accept and stood there stunned.
After a long while, Di Zhen finally came to his senses, clenching his fists little by little, gritting his teeth. "Gui Xiu Wen! You bastard!"