Chapter 411

Chapter 411 Yamamoto’s Conditions

So caught up in the fight with the Japanese, Su Rui had forgotten something extremely important — Zhang Ziwei was still waiting nearby!

And the direction Yamamoto Gokusen fled happened to be exactly where Zhang Ziwei was standing!

Seeing this, Su Rui naturally let out an anxious shout!

Grabbing Zhang Ziwei by the throat, Yamamoto Gokusen — a man already on the verge of death — clung to her like a lifeline!

To escape with his life, he had used a forbidden ninjutsu, forcibly burning through the vast majority of his own latent potential, all just to survive!

Even so, he hadn’t managed to run very far — only a few hundred meters from the battlefield!

His body was riddled with shrapnel, and every step brought searing pain. The flamethrower at the end had nearly dealt him a fatal blow. Ordinary flames would have been bad enough, but the critical thing was that whoever had fired the flamethrower had mixed in a small amount of white phosphorus, somehow keeping it sealed from the air before releasing it together with the flames!

Unless completely cut off from air, white phosphorus fire cannot be extinguished. Upon contact with the human body, it easily burns through flesh, all the way down to the bone!

The phosphorus mixed into the flames not only left Yamamoto Gokusen’s face disfigured, but burned through large portions of his body nearly to the bone!

White phosphorus munitions are explicitly banned worldwide as an illegal weapon, because they are utterly inhumane and the damage they cause is horrific to behold. Yet despite their low technical complexity, they often produce devastating results — and Yamamoto Gokusen standing before them was the best example of that.

No matter how formidable his martial arts, he could not withstand the power of a little white phosphorus powder!

Had Yamamoto Gokusen not triggered his forbidden ninjutsu at the last moment — forcibly burning through his life’s potential to extinguish the flames that had already scorched him to the bone — he might already be a thoroughly dead corpse by now!

Severely wounded, with pursuers at his heels, there was no way Yamamoto could run far!

And Zhang Ziwei, standing by the roadside gazing toward the battlefield, had unwittingly handed him a chance to escape!

“Don’t move. Move an inch, and you die!”

Yamamoto Gokusen’s hands — nearly charred black — tightened around Zhang Ziwei’s pale neck, his voice laced with desperation and viciousness.

Though Zhang Ziwei moved in the underworld, she had never personally experienced being taken hostage. Faced with this situation now, after her initial panic, she steadied herself.

The first deputy leader of the Azure Dragon Gang had already realized that she had caused trouble for Su Rui again.

If she hadn’t been taken as a hostage, Su Rui would probably have captured this man with ease. Thinking of this, Zhang Ziwei was overcome with guilt.

Quickly sizing up the situation, she gently bit her lip, let out a cold laugh, and tilted her head slightly. “You’d better just kill me. That way you’ll have nothing left to bargain with for your escape.”

At those words, Yamamoto Gokusen’s gaze faltered for a moment. He never expected that this seemingly delicate young woman would have the nerve to threaten him!

Not only had she threatened him — she’d done it with pinpoint precision!

Like catching a snake right at its pressure point, Zhang Ziwei had already determined that this Japanese ninja did not dare kill her!

If she died, he would immediately be torn to pieces by the group Su Rui led!

Faced with such a threat, fury crossed Yamamoto Gokusen’s nearly burnt face. “But you should know — if I die, I will make sure to take you with me before I go!”

Zhang Ziwei didn’t flinch at all. “Then go ahead and try.”

Su Rui stood a dozen or so meters away and called out, “Zhang Ziwei, stay calm. Don’t make any moves!”

Zhang Ziwei conveyed her apology with a look, not knowing whether Su Rui could see it.

“Yamamoto, I guarantee you — if Zhang Ziwei suffers so much as a scratch, I will tear you apart piece by piece!”

Su Rui’s voice was filled with cold menace, yet those words made Zhang Ziwei feel a wave of warmth inside!

If Su Rui were the kind of ruthless, calculating man who only cared about achieving his goals and gave no thought to others’ lives, then Yamamoto Gokusen’s hostage-taking would have been completely meaningless.

But Su Rui was precisely not that kind of person — and so Yamamoto Gokusen’s gambit might just work.

He was already a dying man. Even if he managed to escape by some stroke of luck, the foundation of his martial arts had been utterly destroyed, and no amount of time could ever restore him to his former level!

Still, as long as there is life, there is hope — and besides, he carried a vital secret on him, one that concerned the very survival of the Yamamoto organization.

As a ninja, failing a mission meant ritual self-disembowelment, but Yamamoto Gokusen lacked that kind of courage. He was Yamamoto Taichiro’s own son, a man of the highest standing and boundless prestige! How could he possibly choose to take his own life?

Watching Su Rui draw ever closer, Yamamoto Gokusen spread his fingers and clamped them hard around Zhang Ziwei’s throat, leaving five clear imprints on her pale skin!

Though he was already at the end of his rope, he still posed an extremely high level of danger! Zhang Ziwei’s neck could be snapped at any moment!

Cold sweat had already gathered in Su Rui’s palms. “Yamamoto, as long as you release her, I promise — I will not launch any attack against you before you leave Chinese territory!”

“Su Rui, don’t worry about me. I don’t want to become a burden to you because of this!” Zhang Ziwei spoke from the heart. Even now, she was still wracked with guilt.

“Shut up!” Yamamoto Gokusen tightened his grip on Zhang Ziwei’s throat, and she was nearly on the verge of suffocation from the lack of air!

Yamamoto asked in a low, heavy voice, “Is your promise worth anything?”

“Of course it is!” Su Rui stared at him coldly. The Twelve Divine Guards stood at his back, watching like tigers ready to pounce!

Yamamoto Gokusen coughed twice, his face twisted and grotesque. “Two things. First, everyone drops their weapons. Second, within ten minutes, get me a private plane — I’m taking her with me to Japan.”

“Everyone, drop your weapons!”

Su Rui waved his hand, and the Twelve Divine Guards dropped every weapon they were holding to the ground — without a moment’s hesitation or reluctance!

This was true, absolute obedience to command!

Watching Su Rui and the others disarm themselves, Zhang Ziwei instantly grew anxious!

In her eyes, her own life was far less important than capturing this Japanese ninja. She didn’t want to drag Su Rui down because of herself. And as for being taken hostage to Japan — that was something Zhang Ziwei could absolutely not accept!

She could easily imagine what awaited her once she reached that country — a fate worse than death!

“Zhang Ziwei, don’t worry. I will get you out of this — that’s my promise.”

Zhang Ziwei shook her head.

Looking at Zhang Ziwei, a trace of reassurance showed in Su Rui’s eyes.

“My promises carry weight, and I always follow through. In the dark world of the West, many people consider it an honor to have my word — so rest easy.” Su Rui gave Zhang Ziwei a calming look, then turned away and said, “Get in touch with Luo Feiliang right now. Have him coordinate a private flight as fast as possible. Our guest is heading home.”

When he said the word “guest,” Su Rui spoke through gritted teeth!

A deep warmth welled up in Zhang Ziwei’s heart. She suddenly felt that even if she died right now, she wouldn’t have too many regrets.

It was a strange feeling, but now that it had surfaced in Zhang Ziwei’s heart, she couldn’t stop it — it only grew stronger and stronger.

“You’d all better not try anything funny.” Yamamoto Gokusen forced down the urge to cough up blood and stood rigidly behind Zhang Ziwei. He absolutely could not let these people see that he was already at the end of his rope!

“I have no interest in playing games with you.” Su Rui said coldly. “I have one request.”

“You don’t get to make any requests!” The hand Yamamoto Gokusen had around Zhang Ziwei’s throat tightened another notch!

“Fine then.”

Su Rui’s brow furrowed slightly, and he seemed to give up his request with little resistance.

“Get me a car. I’m heading to Ninghai Airport right now!” Yamamoto Gokusen barked.

“Can you even drive?” Su Rui looked at Yamamoto, covered from head to toe in severe wounds, and gave a cold laugh.

The man had been burned to this state — the idea that he could still drive a car would be nothing short of a miracle.

Yamamoto Gokusen looked around and said, “Find someone who doesn’t know martial arts to drive for me.”

“I’ll drive,” Zhang Ziwei said suddenly.

“You’ll drive?” The decision seemed to catch Yamamoto Gokusen off guard, but he didn’t hesitate for long. “Use your car. Straight to Ninghai Airport! Waste even a second, and I’ll turn you into a corpse on the spot!”

Zhang Ziwei said nothing. She simply opened the car door and got into the driver’s seat.

Yamamoto Gokusen followed and got into the car. He shouted, “I’m warning all of you — if I catch anyone following this car, I will start slaughtering people in the streets immediately! Every passerby will become my target!”

Saying something like that at a moment like this was as vicious as it gets. No one wanted an accident to happen at a time like this — and it was clear that Yamamoto Gokusen had read Su Rui’s mind perfectly.

Su Rui said in a low voice, “No one will follow you.”

“Let’s hope not!”

With that, Yamamoto Gokusen rolled up the car window.

Once the window was shut, he slumped weakly against the seat, gasping for breath in great heaving gulps!

Carrying out those actions had taken nearly everything he had left!

Only after the car disappeared from sight did Su Rui gather the Twelve Divine Guards and say, “Now move at maximum speed, take the shortest route, and get to Ninghai Airport before Yamamoto does!”

“The shortest route? Won’t Yamamoto Gokusen notice?” Holman raised the question on his mind.

“He won’t. Zhang Ziwei will take him the long way around.”

Before all this, Su Rui had already hinted as much to Zhang Ziwei. He trusted that given her intelligence, she would be able to understand what his eyes had conveyed!

The twelve of them piled into two cars and vanished into the vast darkness of the night like lightning!

Twenty minutes later, a private plane at Ninghai Airport had already completed every preparation for takeoff.