Chapter 12: So Be It

Perhaps it was due to age. Zhong Yuan looked at Zhong Da, whose eyes were slightly reddened from panic and urgency, and felt a sudden softening in his heart. He thought to himself, fine, fine! After all, this brat owes him one.

Indeed, if it weren’t for this brat having forged a kind bond with those two young men from Kashia Village back then, perhaps they would all be sleeping forever in that ancient primeval forest, and none of today’s turmoil would have arisen.

So, let it be.

Children, after all, must be taught patiently over time.

Having comforted himself inwardly, Zhong Yuan extended the bottle of wine and gently tapped it against the one in Zhong Da’s hand.

“Know you were wrong; just remember it well!” he said, smiling slightly.

Zhong Da was stunned for a moment. Then joy welled up in his eyes and quickly spread across his face.

“Brother, I…” He wanted to say something, but when the words reached his lips, he didn’t know how to express himself properly. After fumbling for a while, he couldn’t get the words out and instead tilted his head back to gulp down a large mouthful of wine.

Zhong Yuan took a sip as well, then asked, “What about Dongzi and Xiaohua?”

“They went to find Erga,” Zhong Da replied.

Hearing this, Zhong Yuan thought for a moment and said, “Have Xiaohua come here, and on the way, buy some first aid supplies to bring along. Dongzi and Erga should head to the dock first. Be careful on the way and try to avoid people.”

Zhong Da didn’t ask what Zhong Yuan was planning and immediately took out his phone to contact Xiaohua.

While he was making the call, Zhong Yuan went downstairs to check out of the room. When he came back up, Zhong Da was already packing.

Although they had stayed here for over three months, they didn’t have much—apart from some important documents and cash, only a few sets of clothes and daily necessities. The daily necessities didn’t need to be packed; Zhong Da wrapped the documents and cash in clothes and stuffed them into his bag. That was all.

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Just as he finished packing, he turned to see Zhong Yuan wiping down the room with a cloth, focusing on places where fingerprints might remain. As for skin flakes or hair, there was no need to worry; after they left, the hotel would immediately send someone to clean. Once the linens were changed, it would be difficult to find any traces left behind. Moreover, with the influx of tourists, the room would likely be occupied by new guests within a couple of days, making it even less likely for any useful clues to be found here.

Zhong Yuan’s actions were not to prevent the Buddhist Hand Gang from tracking them, but to avoid detection by the Southern Thailand police.

Zhong Da had acted late last night. The Buddhist Hand Gang had likely realized Tan Wei was missing, but they wouldn’t immediately suspect Zhong Da of killing everyone outright. As long as Tan Wei and his men’s bodies remained undiscovered, the gang would probably not involve the police right away. Yet sooner or later, the bodies would surface.

When that happened, the police would most likely intervene. Since the Buddhist Hand Gang could not catch Zhong Da and his companions themselves, they would not oppose police involvement.

After Zhong Da was kidnapped earlier, there must have been clues left behind—fingerprints, Xiaohua’s blood, for example. To buy time, they now had to be vigilant and ensure Zhong Da didn’t leave any fingerprints anywhere that could be traced back to him.

If the police failed to find any evidence directly linking Zhong Da, then as Chinese nationals, it was unlikely that Southern Thailand authorities would detain them without solid proof.

Of course, this was all precautionary.

If they could hide Tan Wei’s body long enough to escape the Buddhist Hand Gang’s sphere of influence, they could change identities and have no further worries.

Zhong Yuan briefly explained all this to Zhong Da, telling him to be careful and to get a pair of gloves as soon as possible.

Zhong Da was momentarily stunned. He had never considered the Southern Thailand police before. To him, the Buddhist Hand Gang’s status meant that even if they knew who the culprits were, they wouldn’t allow police interference. And the police here had a notoriously poor reputation. Even if Tan Wei’s body was discovered, the police might not investigate seriously.

But Zhong Yuan’s words left no room for doubt.

Just as Zhong Da agreed, Xiaohua arrived.

Before Zhong Yuan and Zhong Da could go downstairs to meet Xiaohua, she was surrounded near the hotel.

Old Pu’s men had recognized Xiaohua.

News of Tan Wei’s disappearance had reached Old Pu over half an hour earlier. Someone had already checked at Dingyang Temple; the basement was empty except for some debris and a few traces of blood. It was basically certain that Tan Wei’s men and the two hostages had left the temple alive.

But Tan Wei was unreachable, and neither Xiaoka nor his men could be contacted.

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That was strange.

Tan Wei was greedy, but he wouldn’t dare act alone. Besides, if he had intended to go solo, he wouldn’t have reported this matter in the first place. It wouldn’t have been necessary to play this game later on.

So something must have gone wrong, causing trouble for Tan Wei and his men.

Old Pu couldn’t figure out what had happened. From his perspective, the only difference between Zhong Da and the tourists they usually targeted was that Zhong Da probably had some trouble back home and was hiding out here. But Old Pu hadn’t seen any capabilities in him that stood out. Zhong Yuan, however, seemed deep and inscrutable.

If Zhong Da had truly escaped, he would surely sneak back to the island to reunite with Zhong Yuan.

Therefore, if Old Pu could capture Zhong Yuan, he would have no trouble finding Zhong Da.

But Old Pu didn’t expect Zhong Yuan to be out of reach and instead encountered an unexpected person first.

After Xiaohua arrived, she stood in a narrow alley on the west side of the hotel, calling Zhong Da. As soon as she hung up, she turned and saw a young man at the alley’s entrance unzipping his pants and urinating.

The man glanced at her.

Xiaohua’s heart skipped a beat. But after looking closely, the young man seemed unfamiliar, so she relaxed slightly and didn’t pay it much mind.

But she forgot that although few of Tan Wei’s men had seen Zhong Da and Xiaohua in person, many had seen photos of them—especially given the bruises all over their faces, which were unforgettable.

When the young man finished urinating and stepped out of the alley, he called others to block her inside.

Xiaohua’s heart sank.

She never expected Tan Wei’s men to arrive so quickly.

Momentarily stunned, she immediately took out her phone, but before she could dial, the men charged at her with sticks.