Chapter 428

Chapter 428 Magnificent

After finishing his words, Su Rui made no further moves to alarm the plainclothes officers and got straight into the vehicle.

The bearded man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, a flash of viciousness crossing his eyes, and quickly followed, sitting down beside Su Rui.

This man was truly frightening — just a single sentence had been enough to send a chill through him.

Su Rui cast a contemptuous glance at the plainclothes officers around him and said, “Who’s your master?”

No one answered him.

“You think that just because you won’t tell me, I won’t find out?” A mocking smile crept onto Su Rui’s lips. “Now that I’ve been caught, plenty of people will come crawling out of the woodwork. There’s a Chinese saying — kick a man when he’s down. I’m sure you’re both familiar with it.”

“Hopefully the stones that come down will crush you to death in a moment.” The bearded man’s face was expressionless.

“But there’s another Chinese saying — cut off the source.” Su Rui’s smile remained on his face.

The bearded man shot Su Rui a vicious glare and said, “I really want to see whether you can keep up that stubborn act of yours in a little while. Someone, cover his head for me!”

The moment his words fell, the person beside him grabbed a black cloth bag and moved to pull it over Su Rui’s head.

This time, Su Rui offered no resistance whatsoever, letting them pull the bag over him without a fight.

The vehicle started up and slowly pulled away from the dock. Zhang Ziwei’s figure emerged from behind a construction vehicle, her hand pressed over her mouth, doing her best to hold back her tears.

It was all because of her that he had ended up like this, so she had to carry out everything he had entrusted to her as perfectly as possible.

…………

In a pristine white hospital room, Wanyan Zhengyong struggled to open his eyes, feeling an indescribable pain throughout his entire body.

“Dad, you’re finally awake. You’ve been unconscious for two days since the surgery.” Stirred by the movement on the bed, Wanyan Huazhong, who had been dozing at the bedside, snapped to attention. He had stayed by his father’s side every moment over these two days without leaving once, and the two dark circles under his eyes were plainly visible.

Wanyan Zhengyong showed no concern for his own injuries, instead asking, “How have the arrangements been made for the brothers we lost?”

“They’ve all been cremated, and the urns have been packed and sorted.” The moment this topic came up, Wanyan Huazhong’s tone grew heavy. After everything that had happened, he felt he had matured considerably, and there were many burdens he needed to start shouldering.

“Make sure they’re sent home safely. Don’t disturb their rest. Give their families reasonable compensation, and if any family is facing hardship, Yuanwei Gang will provide unconditional support. All schooling costs for their children will be fully covered by Yuanwei Gang.”

It was no small sum, but Wanyan Zhengyong knew this money had to be paid — otherwise his conscience would never be at ease.

Wanyan Huazhong nodded. “I’ll make the arrangements right away.”

“How is Tian Bingyi?”

“Uncle Tian’s injuries are too severe. He has at least three more surgeries ahead of him and still hasn’t regained consciousness.”

Hearing this, Wanyan Zhengyong fell silent for a long time.

Had heading south to Ninghai truly been the greatest mistake of his life?

This time, not only had Tian Bingyi — who had followed him for so many years — been gravely wounded and left near death, but he had also lost the better half of Yuanwei Gang’s elite, completely shattering any hope of expanding beyond the three northern provinces.

The losses from this disaster would have far-reaching consequences. Who knew how many years it would take for Yuanwei Gang to recover.

Seeing his father remain silent for so long, Wanyan Huazhong seemed to remember something and quickly said, “Dad, there’s news about Su Rui.”

“What happened to him?” Wanyan Zhengyong had been so consumed by grief over the loss of his brothers that he had nearly forgotten about the crucial figure of Su Rui.

“He flew the plane himself and personally escorted Yamamoto Kyokusen and the hostages all the way back to Japan.”

At this point, a trace of admiration actually flickered in Wanyan Huazhong’s eyes. He never could have imagined that a man he had once despised with every fiber of his being could now stir a feeling of genuine respect within him.

“What happened after that?”

“Then he used that private plane to slam straight into the middle of the hundred-plus-story Yamamoto Group headquarters, splitting it in two. Right now, all of Japan has been thrown into chaos because of it!”

At this, Wanyan Huazhong pumped his fist hard in the air.

In truth, after hearing this news, countless people across Huaxia had felt a surge of exhilaration.

“Yamamoto Tower? Split in two?” Even Wanyan Zhengyong, who had weathered storms all his life, was so stunned by this news that he was left speechless.

Su Rui had once told him that within three years, he would level the Yamamoto Group’s headquarters. When Wanyan Zhengyong had heard those words, he had taken them as nothing more than bold talk to express grand ambitions — yet no matter how he tried, he never could have imagined that Su Rui would manage to destroy the Yamamoto Group’s headquarters in the blink of an eye.

After a full five minutes of silence, contemplating the chain of reactions this incident might set off, Wanyan Zhengyong said quietly, “Magnificent.”

By now, he had developed an immense admiration for that young man nearly thirty years his junior — many things Su Rui could accomplish were beyond what he himself could achieve even with a lifetime of effort.

“Indeed, truly magnificent.” Wanyan Huazhong nodded as well.

“Did Su Rui die?”

“No, he escaped safely and successfully rescued the hostages.”

The spectacular image of Yamamoto Tower being sliced in half had already taken shape in Wanyan Zhengyong’s mind. He simply could not fathom how Su Rui had managed to leave Japan without a hitch under those circumstances. After this battle, he would probably become Japan’s most wanted fugitive.

“News this good calls for a drink. Get me a bottle of liquor.”

Upon hearing this, Wanyan Zhengyong’s complexion improved somewhat.

“Dad, you just had surgery. You can’t even eat solid food yet — how can you drink?” Wanyan Huazhong smiled wryly.

“What are you going on about? You think a little injury like this can do me in?” Wanyan Zhengyong furrowed his brows. “What are you dawdling around for?”

“Oh right, Dad, I almost forgot something.”

Wanyan Huazhong slapped his forehead as if remembering something and said, “Even though Su Rui escaped back from Japan, he’s been arrested by the Huaxia government.”

The moment Wanyan Zhengyong heard this, his voice shot up several octaves. “The Huaxia government arrested him? Because he crashed into Yamamoto Tower? Outrageous! Is the person making these decisions a complete fool?”

“That’s not the reason.”

Wanyan Huazhong then explained in detail everything that had happened aboard the passenger ship to his father.

After listening to his son’s account, the mood that had just lifted for Wanyan Zhengyong instantly turned ice cold again.

It was obvious — with his experience, he could tell at a glance that someone had deliberately set a trap to frame Su Rui. This time, Su Rui had landed himself in serious trouble.

He had once killed several of Yuanwei Gang’s Beitang elites, but that fell within the realm of gang conflict and was nothing to speak of. This time, however, it was entirely different — the ones who had died were scions of several major clans.

With their own people thrown into the sea to feed the sharks, how could the heads of those families possibly let it go? They would surely mobilize every resource at their disposal to bring about Su Rui’s death.

“Huazhong, if it were you, what would you have done?” Wanyan Zhengyong looked at his son and asked with a meaningful tone.

“I would have stopped those people, but I wouldn’t have thrown them into the sea. That’s purely impulsive and leaves no room for yourself.” Wanyan Huazhong thought for a moment and said.

“Leaves no room for yourself?” A flicker of disappointment crossed Wanyan Zhengyong’s eyes. Clearly, his son’s answer was not one he found satisfying.

“All I can say is — well killed.”

Wanyan Zhengyong’s reply sent a jolt through his son’s entire body.

“Use every connection we have. Even if it means offending the five great clans, we must get Su Rui out.”

Wanyan Zhengyong’s tone was grave. “Because he is the benefactor of our Yuanwei Gang.”

…………

Sitting in the vehicle with the bag over his head, Su Rui smiled faintly and said, “All that twisting and turning, and you’ve still ended up on the highway heading to the capital.”

No one answered Su Rui, because everyone was in a state of profound shock.

The Buick MPV had wound its way around Ninghai in circles several times before finally turning onto the highway toward the capital. Even those with their eyes wide open had nearly been disoriented by all the detours — yet Su Rui had somehow been able to determine that they were on the highway heading toward the capital.

Just how familiar was he with the entire road network of Ninghai? It was as if he had a GPS navigation system built right into his head.

“After all that, are you still not going to take this hood off me?” Su Rui said mockingly.

The bearded man reached out and roughly pulled the black bag off Su Rui’s head. He had already realized that using petty tricks against this man was essentially useless — better to just face him head-on.

“Enjoy your swagger now. You’ll get what’s coming to you soon enough!” The bearded man threw out a threat.

“Not bad. I hope you won’t disappoint me.” Su Rui leaned back comfortably in his seat and closed his eyes to rest, seemingly not the least bit worried about the trouble that lay ahead.

His composure quietly unsettled the plainclothes officers around him.

At a time like this, how could he still maintain such a relaxed state of mind? Could it be that he had some hidden card up his sleeve?

The black Buick MPV sped off in the direction of the capital as the darkness of night gradually spread across the world.

…………

Bai Wangchuan lay in the hospital bed, wrapped head to toe in bandages. More than ten days had passed since the beating, yet he still hadn’t recovered.

Multiple fractured ribs, his handsome face beaten beyond recognition, and even a severe concussion — Bai Wangchuan couldn’t even get out of bed now, with not a trace left of his former elegant and refined bearing.

Every time the dizziness surged through his head, Bai Wangchuan was overcome with such shame and fury that he wanted to die.

He had made such a spectacle of himself at the gala of the financial summit, beaten like a dead dog — from that point on, Bai Wangchuan could never show his face again.

Two galas, two beatings. Looking across the entire capital, among all the scions of the great clans, not one had humiliated himself as thoroughly as he had.

What Bai Wangchuan didn’t know was that the outside world had already given him a nickname — the gala punching bag.

If he ever found out about that nickname, he would probably spit blood on the spot from sheer rage.

He hated Wei Dongyang, who had beaten him into this state, and he hated even more the one who had started it all — Su Rui.

In the days since he had woken up, Bai Wangchuan had been utterly consumed by hatred, his eyes constantly betraying a venomous malice that was the complete opposite of his former calm and refined demeanor — as though he had become an entirely different person.

“Su Rui, the humiliation you have heaped upon me — one day, I will repay it back to you a thousandfold, ten thousandfold!” Bai Wangchuan rasped in a low snarl.

Just at that moment, someone came rushing in through the door, face lit up with excitement, and said, “Second Young Master, great news — Su Rui has been arrested!”