Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Qi Tongwei tore the first aid kit off his tactical vest and forcefully tied the tourniquet above Chen Hai's wound.

"Save your energy."

Qi Tongwei's fingers flew as he quickly treated the bloody, mangled back.

Chen Hai raised his right hand and gripped Qi Tongwei's wrist tightly with surprising strength.

"Let me tell you."

Chen Hai was panting heavily.

"Six years."

"I got together with Liang Lu the year after my wife passed away."

Chen Hai's face was pressed against the sewage on the ground, and his whole body was trembling.

"The day I was released from prison, it was in room 318 of the Handong Hotel."

"We went to sleep again."

Fresh blood gushed out of Chen Hai's wound, turning the puddles on the ground a dark red color.

"I'll give you my life."

"Let Liang Lu go."

Chen Hai closed his eyes, awaiting the verdict.

The air froze for a full ten seconds.

The sea breeze whistled through the rusty containers on the abandoned dock.

Qi Tongwei's facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.

The hand used to press on the wound hung in mid-air, its knuckles white.

There was no expected outburst of rage, nor any attempt to draw a gun.

Qi Tongwei let out a low laugh from his chest.

The laughter carried a sense of desolation, yet also a feeling of complete relief.

"Liang Lu".

Qi Tongwei tore open his training uniform, ripped off a long strip of cloth, and wrapped it around Chen Hai's horrifying wound on his back.

"From the day I knelt down on the playground of Han University, she had already lost all meaning to me."

Qi Tongwei tightened the knotted strip of cloth.

"Over the years, I've only felt hatred for her."

Qi Tongwei stood up and put the scalding Glock pistol back into the holster on his lower back.

"You took this bullet for me today."

"Consider it payment for your medical expenses."

Qi Tongwei lowered his head and looked at the man on the ground who was almost unconscious.

"When I get back, I'll go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to complete the formalities."

From this day forward, we owe each other nothing.

Qi Tongwei bent down, put his hands under Chen Hai's armpits, and forcefully hoisted the man onto his shoulder.

The pressure from the wound made Chen Hai groan, but he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.

Inside the huge black canvas bag next to it, it was still tumbling and struggling.

Qi Tongwei walked over and unzipped the canvas bag with one hand.

A girl with disheveled hair and tear-streaked face appeared.

"Shut up if you want to live."

Qi Tongwei grabbed Li Jiajia's arm and pulled her out of the bag.

Li Jiajia nodded repeatedly in fright, covering her mouth and not daring to make a sound.

The mournful sirens of the Los Angeles Police Department could already be heard in the distance.

Red and blue police lights flashed incessantly at the edge of the coastline.

Qi Tongwei shoved Chen Hai into the back seat of the SUV that had been abandoned next to the container.

He pushed Li Jiajia into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut.

Qi Tongwei opened the driver's side door and got in.

He pressed the clutch, shifted into drive, and floored the accelerator.

The off-road vehicle's engine roared furiously as it smashed through the rusty barbed wire fence and sped toward the rendezvous point.

The police cars formed a huge fan-shaped encirclement behind them.

The high-displacement police interceptor was accelerating wildly on the straight road.

Qi Tongwei gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, weaving left and right on the auxiliary road along the coastline.

The tires rubbed violently against the ground, emitting a pungent, burnt smell.

A hidden private industrial berth appeared ahead.

A massive ocean-going cargo ship is docked in the port.

A bright red Chinese national flag was hanging at the stern.

The tall boarding gangway has been lowered.

Several crew members wearing black waterproof suits stood at the gangway to receive them.

Qi Tongwei jerked the steering wheel, and the SUV swerved and stopped next to the gangway.

The car door opened, and Qi Tongwei pulled Chen Hai out of the back seat.

The crew immediately rushed forward with a stretcher and gently placed the seriously injured Chen Hai on it.

Li Jiajia stumbled and fell onto the deck, losing one of her shoes in the process.

Qi Tongwei finally stepped onto the gangway.

The cargo ship sounded its deep horn, stirring up large white waves.

Before Los Angeles police cars completely surrounded the harbor, this steel behemoth had already sailed into the vast Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, the message was transmitted back to Handong via fiber optic cable at the bottom of the ocean.

Hong Kong, Victoria Harbour.

Inside suite 3812 of the Four Seasons Hotel.

The communicator on the waist of the leading black-clad agent vibrated twice.

He pressed the answer button and listened to a brief report.

The man raised his hand, making a tactical retreat gesture.

The four agents put away their weapons, quickly left the room, and closed the broken door behind them.

Only when the corridor was completely silent did Ouyang Jing collapse onto the carpet covered with shards of glass.

She was panting heavily, her pajamas completely soaked with cold sweat.

The half-shattered glass of red wine next to her, mixed with the blood from her chin, had completely dried on the floor.

The Provincial Party Committee compound in Handong.

Sha Ruijin sat at his large desk.

The cup of premium pre-rain Longjing tea in front of me had completely cooled down.

The black secure phone on the table emitted a rapid busy tone.

This decisive move against Li Dakang was abruptly thwarted by someone overseas.

The Zhong family's well-trained cleaners were all wiped out.

Sha Ruijin slammed the telephone receiver heavily onto the landline.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the deep night of Handong City.

All the planning and scheming that had been going on for so long had come to nothing.

The immense power he felt far exceeded any political maneuvering he had ever encountered before.

The ocean-going cargo ship braved the raging winds and towering waves.

Inside the dimly lit, swaying medical pod.

Only one shadowless lamp overhead emitted a pale light.

Chen Hai lay on the operating table as the ship's medic cleaned the lead bullet wound on his back with hydrogen peroxide.

Qi Tongwei sat on a tin bench in the corner.

His training uniform was covered in mud and dark red blood clots.

A half-burnt cigarette was held between his fingers.

White smoke swirled and rose in the narrow cabin.

He exhaled a smoke ring, appearing extremely calm.

The mountain that had weighed on my heart for over a decade collapsed tonight.

He no longer needs to fawn over that older woman who is ten years his senior.

He no longer needs to pretend to be that obsequious director.

Shen Zhong gave him a new life, while Chen Hai helped him break free of the last shackles.

Qi Tongwei took out the specially made satellite phone from his pocket and pressed the call button.

"Secretary Shen."

"Mission accomplished."

Qi Tongwei flicked his cigarette ash.

"Furthermore, after returning to China, I will apply for a divorce."