Reply to Keats - Chap 54
54. You Have Zero Credibility
Even if Zhao Shengge had truly managed to tie him up, Chen Wan would have found a way to escape. Not even the demons of that hellish Xiaolan Mountain could subdue him, let alone someone as gentlemanly and noble as Zhao Shengge.
When dealing with a gentleman, it’s always the scoundrel who wins.
Now, it was his turn to bind Zhao Shengge.
Learning from Zhao Shengge’s earlier example, Chen Wan tied his wrists tightly, the knotwork so intricate it made Zhao Shengge dizzy just looking at it.
But Zhao Shengge was tall and strongly built; he was in an entirely different class than Chen Wan. With such a difference in strength, technique became nothing more than a fancy flourish without substance.
Even while bound, Zhao Shengge could lift both hands and seize Chen Wan’s throat.
Chen Wan had a long, slender neck, and Zhao Shengge’s large hand easily encircled it. His thumb pressed firmly against Chen Wan’s Adam’s apple as he said in a calm, composed voice, “Chen Wan, untie it. Now.”
Chen Wan’s breathing grew heavier. His throat bobbed repeatedly beneath the pressure of that threatening grip. Zhao Shengge seemed genuinely angry. His hand applied force, bringing a faint sense of suffocation. Yet Chen Wan only shook his head, allowing the other man to clutch his most vulnerable lifeline while continuing to tighten the bindings with his own hands.
Something seemed to happen outside the compartment. The ship suddenly lurched, and the two of them tumbled sideways together.
Zhao Shengge seized the moment to pin Chen Wan with a leg, his tall figure looming over him like a slab of jade crashing down.
But Chen Wan reacted swiftly. Without hesitation, he flipped over and straddled Zhao Shengge’s waist and abdomen, his long legs pinning him on either side. Turning danger into opportunity, he shifted from defense to offense, pressing down with all his strength. Their breaths tangled, the tension between them like a spark ready to ignite.
“Get off.” Zhao Shengge’s face darkened, his presence commanding even without raising his voice.
Chen Wan turned a deaf ear and spoke to himself. “No matter what you hear later, don’t come out. I’ll lock the secure cabin.”
“They’re not after me, so they won’t do anything to me.”
“The moment I get out, I’ll find a place to hide.”
“You don’t need to worry.”
Zhao Shengge’s gaze was sharp as a blade. His voice dropped. “Chen Wan, don’t make me say it a second time!”
There was an innate authority in him that made hearts skip a beat.
But Chen Wan didn’t care what he said. His expression turned grim, his eyes obsessive. Unlike his usual gentle obedience, he had become someone else entirely: decisive, aggressive, and unyieldingly forceful. He issued commands one after another.
“When the alarm sounds, you immediately trigger detachment from the main ship.”
“I’ll be outside, assisting the detachment sequence.”
“If I find out you haven’t started the separation protocol in time, I’ll activate the emergency brake on the main ship until it detaches.”
Zhao Shengge’s pupils contracted. His entire body stilled, as if a shot had been fired into his chest.
Chen Wan was threatening him, using the entire vessel, and even his own life, to ensure Zhao Shengge’s escape.
The core zone’s warning lights lit up… Chen Wan swiftly grabbed a magazine of bullets and shoved it into Zhao Shengge’s suit pocket.
“What are you doing!?” Zhao Shengge shouted angrily.
“I’ve got more.” Chen Wan had come prepared, worried that something might go wrong. Before departure, he had stuffed several extra magazines on himself. “I won’t need that many. You take them, just in case.”
Chen Wan refused to accept even the slightest risk of Zhao Shengge getting hurt. With his own marksmanship, what he carried was more than enough. And if it wasn’t, then it would already be a situation no gun could solve.
“Chen Wan!”
Zhao Shengge was furious. Below the surface of the sea, the dim lighting cast shadows across his sharply defined features, making his angered face appear all the more fierce and intimidating.
Chen Wan froze for a moment. He had never seen Zhao Shengge this angry before.
Zhao Shengge had always been as steady as a mountain, composed and unshakable. Now, Chen Wan could hardly bring himself to meet those eyes, which seemed to see straight through him.
He knew very well that what he was doing might completely expose the secret he had hidden for so many years. But still, he didn’t hesitate.
Protecting Zhao Shengge was instinct. A person cannot go against their nature or instincts.
Chen Wan actually smiled and said, “There’s no time. Let’s try to meet on land in an hour, alright?”
As he spoke, he turned and began setting the shutdown password on the cabin door system. After that, the secure compartment would enter emergency protection mode.
From behind, he heard Zhao Shengge’s now-calm voice. “Chen Wan, if you dare take a single step outside, we’ll never contact each other again.”
Chen Wan paused, just slightly.
“You have zero credibility.”
“You break promises, disobey orders, ignore commands. Minglong doesn’t need a partner like that.”
Zhao Shengge had grown up at the negotiation table, always able to keenly perceive and exploit even the slightest advantage, analyzing leverage even in utter disadvantage.
And in this moment of crisis, he suddenly realized something he had never fully grasped before—Chen Wan cared about him far more than he had ever imagined.
There was no doubt: Chen Wan cared about him.
What he didn’t know was just how much. It was overflowing.
Chen Wan had always hidden it well. Zhao Shengge used to wonder—was it just cultivated manners? Innate gentleness? The worldly caution born from years of hardship? Or the restraint that came from knowing the gap between their status?
Now he knew.
It was none of those.
It was Chen Wan’s heart.
Chen Wan’s partiality.
As long as Chen Wan cared about Zhao Shengge, Zhao Shengge would always have the upper hand.
Sure enough, Chen Wan’s fingertip hesitated slightly on the keypad.
“You know I always keep my word.” Zhao Shengge was once again in control, certain of his victory. “Always.”
Chen Wan replied, “Alright.”
He finished entering the password methodically, then turned around, his entire demeanor calm to the point of seeming cold. “I can stop contacting you. But I have to make sure you’re safe.”
Zhao Shengge’s safety was his top priority. It wasn’t something he would risk or let anyone threaten.
It was a principle. One that no one could break. Not even Zhao Shengge himself.
Zhao Shengge’s eyes flickered with emotion. He took a deep breath and tried to reason with him patiently. “Chen Wan, think carefully.”
His tone was calm but also cruel. “Since when have my affairs ever been yours to decide?”
“Who are you? What right do you have?”
“Aren’t you overestimating yourself?”
Chen Wan remained unfazed, head down, focused on entering the password.
“Chen Wan,” Zhao Shengge said more bluntly now, to the point of being hurtful, “stop causing trouble for others.”
“I won’t be grateful for what you’re doing. I’ll just think you’re making things worse for me.”
“Don’t make me hate you.”
Chen Wan listened in silence, offering no rebuttal. His entire demeanor remained calm and composed, unmoved.
But perhaps even he didn’t realize that a trace of confusion and disappointment had quietly crept into his eyes, something Zhao Shengge found both painful and jarring to look at. Still, he didn’t soften and continued, “There’s no need for it to come to this, right?”
Another burst of gunfire rang out. Chen Wan no longer paid attention to what Zhao Shengge was saying and simply spoke on his own. “The password was something I keyed in at random. Don’t bother trying to crack it after I leave. I don’t even know what it is myself.”
“Once it reaches a secure environment, it’ll unlock automatically.”
“I’ll be monitoring its status from outside. If you try to force your way out, I’ll follow through on my word.”
Zhao Shengge had never encountered an opponent at the negotiating table who played so completely outside the bounds of basic rules. His usual rationality and composure were starting to falter. “Chen Wan, are you not hearing me?”
Chen Wan ignored him completely and interrupted with cool detachment. “Goodbye, Zhao Shengge.”
“CHEN WAN!!”
Chen Wan didn’t so much as turn his head. He didn’t look at Zhao Shengge again, showed no hint of reluctance, and decisively shut the compartment.
Zhao Shengge watched his figure disappear behind the slowly closing door. The sealed chamber fell into complete silence.
The door cut off Zhao Shengge’s line of sight. Chen Wan had no time to deal with the dull ache in his chest. He flipped all the switches on the circuit board surrounding the hatch, disabling the system to prevent the assassins from locating the compartment. Once everything was secure, he hunched low and moved toward the edge of the ship.
The lowest deck of the vessel housed the massive machinery that kept it operational. It wouldn’t be easy for them to find him down here.
The ship sailed along an uncertain path. A few sharp bangs pierced the air, gunshots erupting from who-knew-which deck above.
Urgent. Chaotic. Relentless.
Lin Lian was up top, trying to stop more of them from breaching the core section. Li Shenghui’s rescue craft was still at least forty minutes away. No one knew how long their people could hold out.
Chen Wan curled up, crouched between two panels, blending into the machinery like part of it. The grinding of gears roared with deafening intensity, assaulting his eardrums, but it was perfect for masking his breathing and any accidental sounds.
The gunshots were getting closer.
Chen Wan calmly filtered the sounds through the mechanical noise, trying to pinpoint their direction. His fingers tightened around the grip of his gun.
The enemy was moving fast, sweeping the area for the secure compartment and any possible hiding places.
Chen Wan pressed himself flatter against the operating machinery, but he couldn’t get any closer. The high-speed rotation generated suction, and if he went any nearer, he’d be pulled into the machine entirely.
“Mr. Chen, we see you. Come out.”
Chen Wan’s heart gave a jolt, but he quickly regained his composure. They were bluffing.
The voice wasn’t from a typical assassin. It was probably Hu Ming, one of Li Jiaming’s most trusted men.
Chen Wan knew the backgrounds of these people inside and out. Hu Ming had, in fact, once worked for Li Shenghui before defecting to Li Jiaming’s side.
“You know we’re not here for you. If you cooperate, our Mr. Li will treat you with courtesy.”
A cold smirk tugged at Chen Wan’s lips. There were still people in this world who believed they could persuade him to betray Zhao Shengge. Once Li Shenghui’s people arrived, the first thing he’d do was shoot this man dead.
Unable to pinpoint Chen Wan’s location due to the machinery noise, Hu Ming cut the power.
The engine room fell abruptly silent.
Chen Wan’s first reaction was relief. The circuitry for the sealed compartment was isolated and self-contained, so Zhao Shengge wouldn’t be affected.
But now, without the cover of the noise, being discovered was only a matter of time. There probably weren’t many infiltrators; slipping past such tight security wasn’t easy. But anyone who did had to be top-tier.
Hu Ming began a systematic search.
Suddenly, a bullet struck the steel panel just inches from Chen Wan’s position. The smell of gunpowder stung his nose.
Still, Chen Wan didn’t move. It was likely a probing shot meant to flush him out.
But luck was not on his side. The footsteps drew closer and closer. Just as the enemy was about to reach his hiding place, Chen Wan squeezed the trigger of his Beretta with flawless precision.
“There!”
In one fluid motion, he vaulted over the engine and slipped into the emergency ladder shaft, drawing their attention away from the core zone.
“After him!”
The escape hatch had already shut. The assassins rushed up the stairs. But when they reached the upper deck, the elevator was completely empty.
A perfect diversion! That slippery Chen Wan had already vanished to who knew what level below.
The deputy clenched his pistol and cursed. Overhead, the distant roar of helicopter blades could now be heard. Li Shenghui’s men were arriving faster than expected.
Hu Ming gritted his teeth. “Search deck by deck. We must catch him!”
Of course, Li Jiaming’s real target was Zhao Shengge. But they all knew Zhao Shengge wasn’t someone who could be taken easily.
Failing that, Fang Jian was a suitable second option. However, after several days of observation, it seemed Chen Wan might actually be the more valuable asset.
This time, Hu Ming didn’t bother with careful searching. He simply emptied the rest of his magazine, sweeping every corner to force Chen Wan into the open.
Chen Wan dodged left and right, using long-range shots to eliminate the deputy’s closest allies. Only the main shooter remained, wielding a long-range sniper rifle. In terms of firepower, Chen Wan didn’t stand a chance. His only option was to keep moving and buy time.
Above, the deafening sound of helicopters drew closer. Li Shenghui’s forces were landing.
Gun barrels from above were now aimed at Li Jiaming’s men. But even on the brink of collapse, they held their positions and continued their siege.
Chen Wan was barely hanging on, already exhausted. A series of gunshots exploded near his ears, bullets grazing past his cheek by mere centimeters.
Chest heaving, he panted as he fled toward the pressure-sealed window.
The assassins pursued relentlessly, closing in fast. While returning fire, Chen Wan reached for the emergency hammer and smashed the glass. Diving into the water might be his only chance of survival.
The gunmen weren’t just fast but also accurate. Just as a bullet was about to strike Chen Wan’s vital spot, a powerful force yanked him out of harm’s way.
Author’s Note:
Zhao Shengge: blabalabla…
Chen Wan (expressionless): Can’t hear you.
Basically, you say what you want, I do what I want.
