Song Jie asked, "Where do we go after they come out?"
"I know someone who owes me a favor. We'll go to him first and settle Old Crab's family there, then meet up with the boss. He should find a way to save Brother Shui," Smoker replied.
Glasses shook his head. "Like you said before, saving Brother Shui from the Dark Pavilion will come at a steep price. If the boss puts the bigger picture first, he might give up on Brother Shui."
"We'll talk about that after we see the boss. Brother Shui probably won't die for the time being."
Smoker couldn't resist his craving any longer. He took out the cigarette he had put out earlier, lit it again, and went to the cave entrance to smoke.
It wasn't that his craving was so strong that he needed to smoke one cigarette after another without a moment's pause.
Rather, whenever something happened, he had to smoke constantly to calm himself down.
Otherwise, his mind would be a mess.
Qin Xun held Qin Ling by the shoulders and listened quietly without speaking.
He was perfectly calm, as though nothing had happened.
It wasn't that he didn't care whether Brother Shui lived or died.
But worrying now was useless, and so was anything he could say.
He couldn't very well stand up and shout at them, "You have to find a way to save Brother Shui," could he?
There was only one thought in his mind now.
He would find a way to save Brother Shui.
If he couldn't, if Brother Shui was killed...
Then he would avenge Brother Shui and find the traitor who had sold them out!
As long as he lived, he would make sure that traitor died!
Song Jie was silent for a moment before asking, "What about Dazhuang? We agreed to meet in Zone 96. If we just leave, how will he find us when he gets here?"
Outside the cave, Smoker took a drag on his cigarette and thought for a moment. "We'll talk about that after Old Crab, Chaozi, and the others come out."
The rain grew heavier and heavier, soybean-sized drops pattering on the ground.
Throughout Zone 96, there was no sound but the rain.
Unlike ordinary commoners, Old Crab was considered wealthy among them.
The weapons shop he ran did good business every day.
He also sold firearms on the side.
Hunting rifles, muskets, and the like were hot sellers among commoners who felt desperately unsafe!
So the place he lived was different from where ordinary commoners lived.
He lived in a luxury apartment building.
Though it couldn't compare to the luxury of the noble district,
it still offered one of the finest living environments in the commoner district!
"Wait for me downstairs. Five minutes. I'll be back down in five minutes."
Leaving Xu Chao to wait where he was, Old Crab rushed into the building and took the elevator to his home on the eighth floor.
Standing at the door, Old Crab wore a grave expression as rainwater ran from his hair down his face.
He already knew danger awaited him inside.
But thinking of his wife and child, he still knocked on the door.
Click!
The door opened.
The person who opened it was a fully armed Guard Team member, carrying an assault rifle, a pistol at his waist, and two grenades hanging from his chest.
The light in the living room was on.
A middle-aged man in a black combat suit sat on the couch, his hair wet with rain, peeling an apple with a dagger.
Six more fully armed Guard Team members stood around the couch!
"Get him a towel to wipe the water off his face," the man said calmly.
A Guard Team member brought a towel from the bathroom and handed it to Old Crab.
Old Crab didn't take it. He walked up to the man, step by step, and asked, "Where are my wife and child?"
"They're asleep in the bedroom." The man looked up at Old Crab, then lowered his head and continued peeling the apple.
"You haven't done anything to them, have you?"
"Old Crab, we've been friends for so many years. What do you take me for?" The man cut the apple in half and handed one half to Old Crab.
Holding the apple, Old Crab said in a deep voice, "Old Bai, let my wife and child go."
"Old Crab, if I could, I'd want to protect you as well as your wife and daughter. You should know what to do."
"I don't have the information you want."
"Hunter has killed many important people among the nobles over the years. The nobles hate them to the bone. Give me a lead. As the commander-in-chief, I swear I'll keep you safe. Otherwise, I won't be able to go back and report in."
"I don't know anything. All I know is where the camp for the first, second, and third squads is, but the Dark Pavilion has already found it."
"Old Crab, you need to understand something. A lot of Hunter's people have already been captured. It won't be long before the Dark Pavilion has all the information. By then, you won't matter one way or the other! Tell me before that happens, and I can keep you safe! Afterward, you and your wife can stay in Zone 96, and you can keep running your business!"
"Can I see my daughter?"
"Go ahead."
Old Crab walked to the bedroom door and gently pushed it open.
"To prevent any accidents, I knocked them out," Old Bai said as he ate his apple.
Looking at his wife and daughter lying on the bed, Old Crab closed the door again and walked up to Old Bai.
"Old Bai, we've been friends for over twenty years. Do me a favor!"
"Go on."
"Let my wife and daughter stay in Zone 96, and take care of them for me!"
Old Bai paused with the apple in his hand. "Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes!"
Old Bai's brow furrowed, his expression grave. Several seconds passed before he said in a deep voice, "Old Crab, I want to let you go too, but I have a family as well."
"I know. If you let me go, you won't be able to report back. Just take good care of my wife and child for me. It won't be for too long, just until Xiaohui grows up. If she can open her Qi Gate, teach her how to cultivate!"
Old Bai nodded solemnly. "All right, I promise. I'll take care of them for you. As long as I, Bai Ming, draw breath, no one will dare bully them. As long as I have a bite to eat, they'll have one too."
"Do it!"
Old Crab closed his eyes. He had no intention of being captured.
Once captured, he would meet a miserable end, and his wife and child would suffer too.
The best outcome for him was to die here!
As for fighting back!
There was no point even thinking about it.
The other seven Guard Team members would be easy enough to deal with.
But Old Bai, the commander-in-chief of Zone 96's Guard Team, was beyond him.
Even if Xu Chao came up from downstairs to help, the two of them together would be no match for Old Bai.
Bai Ming stood up, drew the gun at his waist, and slowly fitted it with a suppressor. He raised it and aimed at Old Crab's forehead.
Old Crab could clearly feel the cold muzzle pressed against his head.
It seemed he no longer had to worry about taking a few extra bullets!
"Old Bai, thanks!"
Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!
Seven shots rang out in succession, emptying the magazine.
The air filled with the smell of gunpowder!
Old Crab opened his eyes and stared in confusion at the seven fallen Guard Team members, visibly shaken.
"Old Bai... you..."
"That's all I can do for you. Don't let me see you again!" Bai Ming threw the pistol onto the table, drew the dagger at his waist, and plunged it viciously into his own stomach.
"Old Bai..." Old Crab stepped forward to hold Bai Ming up, but Bai Ming shoved him away.
Bai Ming clutched his abdomen, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as his face instantly turned white as snow. He had avoided anything vital with the stab, so it wasn't fatal, but it hurt just the same!
"Take your wife and Xiaohui and go. Once you leave, don't come back! The next time we meet, I'll arrest you according to the rules!"