Based on the direction and trajectory of the shots, a team of police officers immediately rushed to another building nearby and located the enemy sniper's hiding place. However, the building was already deserted.
This situation prompted the police officers in charge at the scene to issue an order for a full-scale assault!
...
"Latest report: The hostage situation and standoff between a group of armed men at the XXX building and the police ended 20 minutes ago. After negotiations failed, the police decided to launch a full-scale assault. Approximately six police officers were killed in the process. Police used explosives, and nine hostages died in the ensuing gunfight. All approximately sixteen armed men were killed… The police spokesperson has not yet made any further statement regarding the incident… However, it is suspected that some armed men are still at large, and the police are currently tracking them…"
Snap! I turned off the TV, then picked up the teacup in front of me and took a sip.
The cobra was dealt with... Now it's the Vietnamese left.
Da Ruan, I want his life!
“Doug. No, no, no, Doug, you misunderstood me.” My tone was innocent on the phone: “I have no intention of breaking the contract… but you have to do me a favor. Really… of course I will hand Xiao Ruan over to you, that’s for sure! But first I need you to do me a favor… um, I need you to exert some influence to reduce the intensity of the Coast Guard patrols a little more… oh, I know, of course I know… I know you already helped me reduce the patrol intensity a bit last time… but now I need to reduce the Coast Guard patrols to a level I need…”
Doug is really riding high right now.
The information I sold him led to the police raiding Cobra, and through intelligence, they confirmed that the group was a group of mercenaries from Africa, that they were hired by the Vietnamese, and that the police station bombing was related to them...
Although hostages died during the operation, putting the police under considerable public pressure, the fact that a group of terrorists were eliminated still garnered much praise.
Doug did a very smart thing in this matter!
To put it simply: I leaked the information to him... He used this source of information to order the police to be deployed... However, he didn't touch the command authority on the scene at all!
An admirable approach!
It's important to understand that in Western countries, the weight of the word "human rights" is unimaginable to us Easterners! Even in such a violent operation, the death of a hostage is considered normal to us, but in Western countries... causing the death of a hostage would absolutely be met with fierce attacks from the media!
In this incident, the brilliant and resourceful Mr. Doug painstakingly investigated and obtained intelligence on the terrorists... However, the foolish and reckless Mr. Norton blindly directed operations on the scene, resulting in the deaths of the hostages...
Regardless of how Ge (the author) fueled the flames, the current public opinion is roughly as described.
After hanging up the phone, Doug finally agreed that he would put pressure on the Gulf Guard to reduce the intensity of their patrols.
In fact, after eliminating this group of armed terrorists, Doug's authority was already very high, and Norton was said to be in the countdown to his resignation.
"Why should the Coast Guard reduce its patrol intensity?" Ciro asked, puzzled.
“Surround three sides and leave one gap.” I shrugged. “That’s the simplest military strategy. In ancient siege warfare, when the attacking side besieged a city, they would usually deliberately leave a weakness or gap in the deployment of troops in one direction. This is a deliberate show of weakness… First, it leaves a psychological weakness for the enemy inside the city: there’s still a way out, they’re not at their wits’ end, so they don’t have to fight to the death. If you really besiege the city, the enemy inside will feel that there’s no way out, and they will simply fight you to the death! When people fight to the death, the power they unleash is enormous! Leaving an exit, giving the enemy some hope, will prevent them from fighting desperately out of envy. That’s the first advantage.”
"And the second one?" Ciro asked.
"The second one is even simpler... an ambush. The gap you left is deliberately shown to the enemy, but behind that gap, you can naturally set up a killing trap! This is a strategy to lure the enemy out. If they fall for it and really think it's a weakness, trying to break through in this direction... then they've fallen right into your trap!"
I said slowly, "Right now, Da Nguyen is definitely still in Vancouver... The police have been conducting such a massive crackdown on the Vietnamese gangs, arresting countless people, but they still haven't caught Da Nguyen... That guy really knows how to hide! But no matter how well he hides, he'll eventually have to leave Vancouver! His arrest warrants are already piled up at the airport and train stations. If he wants to leave Vancouver, and he wants to take his brother with him, then the only way is through illegal channels... like smuggling and illegal immigration routes!"
Xiluo, being a clever man, immediately understood my meaning: "So, you deliberately left the sea route open, allowing Da Ruan and the others to choose to leave by sea... And here by sea, we have Captain Wick secretly helping to relay messages, so if he takes the sea route..."
I smiled, my eyes flashing: "If he dares to take the sea route... then our Mr. Ruan might be able to go to sea alive... but he probably won't be able to come ashore alive in his lifetime!"
"But...he hasn't contacted us yet...could Da Ruan have already run away? Even if he and Xiao Ruan are brothers, in a situation where he can't even protect himself, would he still insist on staying to save his brother?" Xi Luo frowned, somewhat doubtful.
I remained silent for a moment, then glanced at Xiluo...
We were in the office right now, just the two of us in the room. I looked at him and said seriously, "Xiro, putting aside Da Ruan and Xiao Ruan... if it were you and me in this situation, and I was in danger, would you abandon me and run away alone?"
"Of course not!" Xiluo answered with unwavering resolve: "We're brothers for life! If anything happens to you, I'll risk my life to save you! Even if I can't save you in the end, we can die together!"
I smiled and gently patted the young man's shoulder. I whispered, "That's it! This Da Ruan, although he's our enemy, seems to be a man of loyalty. Look, we've used Xiao Ruan to frame them twice, but Da Ruan hasn't uttered a sound… Do you know why? It's because Da Ruan understands that if they speak up, firstly, it's useless, because the police will investigate… and secondly, if they do speak up and Xiao Ruan becomes useless to us, then we'll kill him immediately! So, Da Ruan hasn't spoken publicly, preferring to be framed, just to save his brother's life! Da Ruan isn't stupid; he probably knows that even if he does this, it's hard to say whether he can save his brother's life. But in this situation, brotherly love is paramount; it's a case of knowingly doing the impossible."
At this point, I sighed softly and glanced at Xiluo: "You and I are brothers, and it's the same for us. If it were you or me in this situation, we would probably make the same choice as Da Ruan! Even knowing that it would be extremely difficult, we would still try to protect our brothers."
It seems my guess was right again!
Although Da Ruan is my mortal enemy, at least his loyalty to his brothers is exceptionally deep!
The day after Cobra was wiped out, I received a call from Da Ruan.
"Excellent tactic!"
This was the first thing Da Ruan said when the call connected. His voice was hoarse, and he seemed very depressed.
"You flatter me." I said calmly, "Mr. Ruan, do you know? If you don't call me today, your brother's life is unlikely to last until tomorrow."
"One of the three conditions you set was Cobra... But now that you've killed Cobra yourself, I'm not going to waste any more words. Do you have any other conditions? Just say them!" Da Ruan gritted his teeth.
“Da Nguyen, Da Nguyen… it seems you really will do anything for your brother.” I sighed. “What I find strange is that you Vietnamese people are quite united… you’re so determined to protect your brother, are your men really willing to die with you? Actually, if you were willing to speak up, even if the police don’t believe you, at least your lives would be a little better now.”
Da Ruan remained silent on the other end of the phone.
A thought flashed through my mind: this guy must be under a lot of pressure... His brother betrayed the Vietnamese gang, so as the leader, his position within the organization must be somewhat unstable. Plus, they're being chased like rats in the street right now...
They might have already had several internal power struggles.
“I sent you a gift, which was also one of the conditions you requested.” Da Ruan’s voice was hoarse on the phone: “In addition, there’s the list you wanted…”
"Wait a minute." I sighed, deliberately speaking slowly, "Da Ruan, let's not beat around the bush! I really want to catch that traitor and tear him to pieces! And I know that I definitely have more traitors you've bribed! But remember this... I'm not stupid! I will investigate this list you gave me one by one. If you're trying to deliberately create a few fake lists to cause trouble for my internal network... Hmph, remember this: if I find that this list is fake, even just a little bit fake, your brother will suffer! If one name is fake, I'll cut off Xiao Ruan's hand! If two are fake... he'll have to be fed for the rest of his life! Think it through before you give me the names!"
My blatant threat made Da Ruan's breathing suddenly become heavy with anger.
Of course I can't be careless!
Although I'm eager to uncover the traitor within my ranks as soon as possible... what if Da Ruan deliberately gives me a few false names? Wouldn't it be troublesome if I wrongly accused an innocent person? Or, what if he gives me fewer names? Wouldn't that also cause me trouble?
It took Da Ruan quite a while to calm down. He gritted his teeth and said coldly, "Two hours from now, at No. XX, XX Street, send someone there. There's a sack there, and the person you want is in it! Also, the list you asked for... there are two more people in your circle who are..."
"Okay!" I said, suppressing my anger. "Call me a day later, and I'll give Xiao Ruan back to you! It's a deal!"
Two hours later, a dark-colored minivan pulled up in front of the repair shop. A man jumped out—it was Hammer.
He followed my orders and went to the address Da Ruan had given him on the phone. The place was an old-fashioned factory, and sure enough, he found a burlap sack left behind, with a person clearly inside.
I strictly ordered him to bring the sack back, but he was absolutely forbidden to open it.
This is something I can only do with someone like Hammer who absolutely obeys my orders. Hammer was very obedient; he carried the sack back and into my secret room, then glanced at me, pushed open the door, and went out.
I was the only one in the room, and Xiluo... Of course, I specifically sent Xiluo out to bring someone back.
"Xiao Huang, I promised you I would let you take revenge on your enemies." I looked at the young man sitting next to me.
Xiao Huang was pale, nervous, and his fingers were trembling. I patted him on the shoulder, then pulled out my dagger and put it in his hand.
I actually feel sorry for this kid. I understand his inner pain.
For him, the pain was not only the loss of his loved ones... but more importantly, the feeling of betrayal!
Li Datou and he had a very good relationship, but it turned out that this best friend betrayed his uncle!
Other things, I may not understand... but...
Being betrayed by someone you trust... I know that feeling all too well!
I shoved the dagger into Xiao Huang's hand; the young man's hand was trembling. I think that at that moment, besides anger, he was mostly hesitant...
“If you want, you can kill him yourself… If you can’t, I won’t blame you.” I sighed, gently nudged the young man, then knelt down beside him and untied the knot in the sack…
When the sack was removed, a person was revealed inside. His mouth was stuffed with something and covered with black tape. His hands and feet were bound tightly.
This man was born with a head as big as a bucket. Generally speaking, people with big foreheads should be very smart. But at this moment, his face was full of despair, his eyes were filled with a gray, deathly aura, and his big forehead was covered with cold sweat!
My face was cold as I ripped the tape off his mouth and said slowly in a calm, almost frightening tone, "Li Datou, long time no see."
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Italians' Visit
"In this world, there will always be traitors, no matter the time." I sighed, wiped the blood off the dagger, and winked at Xiluo, signaling him to take Xiao Huang away.
This young man is good; he's very loyal and righteous, and just now, at that crucial moment, he was able to be ruthless.
He killed his enemy, which at least means he's overcome a knot in his heart! If he had hesitated just now and couldn't bring himself to do it... then I wouldn't blame him, but in the future, such a person would be unusable.
I'm fairly satisfied with the current situation.
As for Li Datou's corpse on the ground...
"Find a burlap sack, stuff it with stones, and take it out tomorrow to throw it into the sea."
Having said all that, I stopped looking at the corpse.
It's the same as what I prepared.
The "Li Datou" in the mourning hall is still receiving offerings of incense. But the real Li Datou's body was thrown into the sea.
In this world, some things are better left unsaid. Right?
Things are now going exactly as I planned. Although the storm is not over yet, I have basically brought the situation under control.
This is the last time I'll see Xiao Ruan.
His mind had already collapsed. When I saw him, he lay on the ground like a dead dog, his eyes empty and blank, his face wooden and expressionless.
He had given up hope; he had long since given up hope.
I only glanced at him, and I knew he was finished, completely broken. Even if I released him now, he wouldn't amount to anything.
I walked up to him and gently kicked him with the tip of my leather shoe: "Xiao Ruan."
I called out three times. Only then did he seem to hear me, raise his head, and silently glance at me.
“Your brother, Da Ruan, is really good to you.” I laughed. “Do you know? He offered twenty million US dollars to save your life.”
I was disappointed. Xiao Ruan's eyes only brightened slightly for a moment, but quickly dimmed again. It seemed that this guy had already given up hope.
"What's wrong? Don't you have anything to say?" I asked, still smiling.
He looked up and silently glanced at me. He slowly uttered a sentence:
"Kill me."
“Sigh.” I shrugged. “I would love to kill you, really. But not now, you’re still very useful to me.”
"Kill me..." He seemed not to hear me, continuing to silently repeat the phrase, over and over again: "Kill me...kill me..."
With a mocking smile, I leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Think about your woman, think about your unborn child... Xiao Ruan, do you really want to die right now...? If you do... bite your tongue hard. You'll have a 50% chance of committing suicide. Do you dare to try?"
Xiao Ruan's body stiffened, and she looked up at me.
Yes, he has indeed lost the will to live.
However, he did not have the courage to die.
Not having the courage to live doesn't mean that a person actually has the courage to commit suicide.
It's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death... The words of the ancients still make a lot of sense.