CHAPTER 310: CHAPTER 310 CHENG YAOJIN

The topic shifted to Zhou Jie’s late husband, and Xu Ke was momentarily at a loss for words. The conversation suddenly fell into silence until Zhou Jie broke it first.

After waiting half the day without hearing Xu Ke speak, Zhou Jie awkwardly glanced up at Xu Ke and, forcing herself to sound spirited, said, "Look at me talking about this with you, just pretend you didn’t hear what I said earlier. I got a bit carried away."

"It’s alright, don’t worry about it. Let Yaoyao stay with you for a while. I’ll take a stroll outside." Surprised by the unexpected topic, Xu Ke didn’t know how to console her, so he left Zhou Jie with Lin Mengyao, thinking to himself that since they were both women, they would likely have more in common to talk about.

Xu Ke whispered a few words to Lin Mengyao, nodded slightly at Zhou Jie, and then walked out, heading to the small garden downstairs in the hospital, leaving space for the two women.

The hospital Xu Ke found for Xiao Jie was quite reputable, both in terms of the strength of its medical team and its healthcare environment. The small garden downstairs was planted with many trees and brightly colored flowers, making it lively. A gust of wind carried a pleasant scent of flowers, making convalescing in such a place quite enjoyable.

Just as Xu Ke was wandering around, there was a tense confrontation at one corner of the garden, contrasting starkly with the vibrant surroundings. The besieged man clutched his abdomen, with bright red blood continuously seeping through his fingers, leaving crimson patches either on the ground or on his clothes, like blossoming flowers.

"Who sent you?" The man looked at the four surrounding him, his lips pale, and asked calmly.

If not for the blood still flowing from his wound, the four people opposite might have completely forgotten he was injured.

The four of them exchanged glances but said nothing; neither side made a move, both observing each other intently.

"What’s the matter? Afraid to speak? I’m already so badly injured, and the four of you are ganging up on me. Tell me what’s going on, at least let me have an answer for King Yama when I reach the underworld." The man pressed hard against his wound with his fingers, causing a surge of pain that made his eyelids twitch, but it cleared his mind somewhat. Though the weakness persisted, at least he wouldn’t faint in front of these four and become helpless.

The middle-aged man’s calm demeanor was truly unlike that of an injured person, and his words made everyone take them with a grain of salt.

"Sir, don’t blame us for not telling you. Your reputation is too formidable. Before confirming you’ve breathed your last, none of us can say anything. But if you really want to know, once we are sure you’ve passed, we’ll definitely tell you all you want to know. Does that sound fair?" One of the four, with a smile on his face, spoke up.

His attitude was good, even using polite language, though the content wasn’t so friendly to the middle-aged man. But the man’s expression didn’t change at all.

"Since you know my reputation and character, you should also know what awaits you if I escape. I’ve been making waves in M Country for so long, and pushing me this far is an achievement for you four. I’ll offer you a chance: tell me who’s behind you, and I will let you go. I always keep my word; if I say I’ll let you go, I won’t lay a hand on you again, unless you run afoul of me again." The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly, speaking sternly and seriously.

"We trust your integrity, sir, but beyond us, our family’s lives are at stake too. Letting you go would mean our certain death, so we have no choice but to decline your kindness." The leader wore a bitter smile, then raised his gun, aiming it at the middle-aged man’s head.

The three other people beside the middle-aged man seemed to have received some signal, as they, too, raised their guns toward him.

Yet the middle-aged man merely squinted at his assailants, seemingly oblivious to the guns, showing no reaction except for a growing fierceness in his eyes.

"Gentlemen, be careful not to accidentally discharge your guns, or I might just inadvertently set off the surrounding bombs. Thirty kilograms of explosives will leave none of us here in one piece." Just as the situation reached a crisis point, Xu Ke strolled in, raising one hand as if he were a sharp blade severing the tension among the five men.

Xu Ke’s arrival instantly muddied the waters of the situation.

"Who are you!" The leader glared at Xu Ke’s raised hand, which held something resembling a detonator, and sharply questioned.

"Who I am isn’t important. What’s important is that I don’t like killing, so leave now. Otherwise, with so many of you armed, all I can do is detonate the detonator and take us all to Heaven." Xu Ke said with a roguish expression.

Initially, Xu Ke just intended to look around, not expecting to stumble upon such a scene. Though it had nothing to do with him, the besieged man evoked an inexplicable sense of familiarity in Xu Ke, prompting him to step in and help.

"What is it? Not retreating? Do you really plan to die here with me?" Xu Ke tilted his head slightly, appearing innocent and harmless as he looked at the group, but his hand remained unswerving.

"Retreat or not?" They had taken this mission to survive, so what’s the point if they ended up dead here? With these thoughts, two of them already began reconsidering their stance.

"Retreat." The leader looked into Xu Ke’s calm eyes, gritted his teeth, and said.

"Leaving isn’t that easy, though. What if you shoot me the moment I let my guard down? So throw your guns to the ground, and I’ll kick them into the bushes. Make sure they’re far enough away, or I won’t be happy." Xu Ke said, half-smiling, as he touched his chin with a freed hand, speaking gently.

"Fine, stay calm and don’t press the wrong button." One of them glanced at the device in Xu Ke’s hand, then reluctantly tossed his pistol into a distant bush where it vanished. Seeing someone paving the way, the others followed suit, throwing their guns, leaving the leader looking displeased with a realization: only two people had thrown something down, and one was their assassination target.