“Narrow my ass!”
Lin Yi said, “That’s all bullshit meant to fool people. Stop thinking about useless things. You’ve killed so many people, God won’t take you. Stop wasting your time with pointless thoughts. I’ll personally perform the surgery on you—one bullet won’t kill you!”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Zhang Long coughed out another mouthful of blood, gasping heavily.
At this moment, saying a complete sentence was already a luxury for him.
“During my days in Yanjing… Elder Lu treated me well… Aside from the basic training, he’d give me two days off every week so I could go back home and visit…”
After managing to finish one sentence, Zhang Long gasped several more times.
“Every time I went home, the people in the village would say I’ve done well for myself… but I feel unworthy of their praise. I’m a murderer… I’ve destroyed so many families… I’m a sinner…”
“I got my revenge… but these days… I can’t get past this inside…”
Lin Yi’s body trembled, his expression frozen in an instant.
During this period, he had renounced the evil within him, but everything from the past left him unable to recollect or face it.
“I told you, those people deserved to die. You’ve already handled things very gently.”
“But…”
Zhang Long let out a bitter laugh. “I’m grateful I met you; otherwise, I might have stayed trapped in the shadows forever.”
Just then, chaotic footsteps echoed, as Song Jinmin led his people storming in from outside.
Seeing Lin Yi and Zhang Long, Poker’s people halted in place, refraining from stepping further, and waited silently.
Song Jinmin glanced at Monica, who was once the best surgeon in the world.
At this moment, she was the most qualified to speak.
Yet she merely shook her head, signaling regret.
Seeming to sense someone’s arrival, Zhang Long cast a glance in their direction, revealing a knowing smile at the corner of his lips.
“They’re here. I’m free now… Team Leader Lin, please take care of my parents… I’m heading off now…”
Zhang Long closed his eyes, and the warmth of his body slowly faded away.
“Zhang Long!”
Lin Yi roared hysterically, the veins on his forehead bulging.
His emotions, at this moment, broke free from rational control.
“Zhang Long!”
Lin Yi shook his body, but what responded to him was eternal silence.
Lin Yi slumped helplessly against the wall; all strength in his body drained away in that moment.
“Take him away for me…”
Song Jinmin gestured to the people behind him, and a western man stepped forward to lift Zhang Long’s body.
Step by step, Song Jinmin walked up to Lin Yi and patted him on the shoulder.
“Walking this path always means witnessing life and death; it’s fate, the same for everyone on this road.”
Song Jinmin gazed at him and found the complex emotions on his face suddenly reined in, as if nothing had ever happened.
As someone who had been through it himself, he knew clearly that Lin Yi had crossed yet another test.
This was a necessary part of his growth because this path was paved with the dead.
Taking out a cigarette, Song Jinmin placed it in Lin Yi’s mouth and lit it for him.
“Let’s go. It’s not safe here.”
Lin Yi nodded slightly. “Let’s go.”
Poker’s people began retreating one after another.
Lin Yi took Zhang Long’s body and got in the car with him, heading toward Capital City.
On the way, Lin Yi remained silent, sitting quietly with his eyes closed.
He seemed to understand Zhang Long a bit more now.
For thirty years, hatred had sustained him up until today.
Revenge had been his life’s pillar, but now, with his vengeance fulfilled, a peaceful life seemed meaningless to him.
His goodness had nowhere to settle, his wandering soul no place to find solace.
Now, dust returns to dust, soil to soil, and he could finally rest.
Poker’s accommodations were located in a suburban residential area, consisting of a dozen or so houses that served as temporary bases.
As for how they acquired the place, no one knew.
“What do you plan to do with your friend?” Song Jinmin asked.
“Send him to the embassy. They’ll handle it over there.”