“The plane is mine. It’s not a big plane, it can only carry six people, and there will be some bumps along the way, but don’t worry, it’s still very fast.” Yang smiled and said, “I arranged for you to use the airport a long time ago. I have a few very wealthy family business partners in Canada. This airport is a private airport, and I’ve already reserved a flight route for you in Vancouver. If everything goes smoothly, you’ll be home in three hours at most.”
Seeing Yang Wei's confident demeanor, I couldn't help but think:
Is there anything this woman can't foresee?
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Twenty-Three: Vancouver, I'm Back!
Standing next to the airplane.
Seeing my silent expression, Yang smiled and said, "Are you thinking, 'This woman is terrifying. Is there anything she can't foresee?'"
I looked slightly embarrassed, but Yang Wei turned her head and pondered, "Hmm, you must have thought about it too. This woman is so terrifying. It's fine if we're friends with her, but if we're enemies, we'll have a real headache."
I'm truly speechless this time.
Is she a tapeworm in a person's stomach? How could she have such eyes that she can see through people's thoughts?
Yang Wei's expression darkened, and he shook his head: "I'm used to it. Being guessed at, feared, and considered scheming and treacherous... Hmph, who am I, Yang Wei? Why would I fear what people say!"
She looked at me with a proud expression and said loudly, "Xiao Wu, if you find me scary and avoid me from now on, I won't blame you." Although she was proud, a hint of expectation appeared between her brows: "Anyway, I've never had a close friend since I was a child. The men in my family are all as stupid as pigs, as greedy as dogs, and as arrogant as oxen! The women are all good-for-nothings! The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind! I, Yang Wei, understood this principle when I was ten years old!"
Her words were spoken with deep resentment and grievance. The woman before him was exceptionally intelligent, yet also incredibly arrogant!
I sighed and said seriously, "Don't worry, I would never do that."
Yang Wei seemed relieved, but then a sense of unease crept in: "You...you really don't blame me? I knew all this would happen, but I didn't tell you. Don't you feel like I'm controlling you? Maybe if I had told you sooner, you would have had a chance to save Eighth Master. Maybe..."
This time, I didn't hesitate. Instead, I firmly interrupted her.
Overwhelmed with emotion, I couldn't help but hold her soft little hand.
“Although I, Chen Yang, am not a good person, I can at least distinguish between those who are good to me and those who are bad to me!” I said in a deep voice, looking into Yang Wei’s eyes. “You’ve done so much, all for me. I feel grateful, but also… a little sorry for you. I’m a bit inflexible by nature, and I can get stuck on things. I understand that. Whether you were right or wrong in this matter, I don’t know now, and I don’t want to think about it too much… To be honest, I was a little angry with you at first, but now, I don’t want to think about anything else. I only understand one very simple truth: you did all this for me. For my own good! That’s enough!”
By then, the pilot had started the engine, and the propeller at the front of the plane began to spin rapidly. The engine was roaring. I glanced at it, then released Yang Wei's hand: "I'm leaving."
After a pause, I couldn't help but laugh and said, "Strategist Yang, is there anything else you want to tell me? Or do you want to give me some brilliant ideas?"
Yang smiled, thought for a moment, and said, "I have some things to tell you. They may not be pleasant to hear, but I have no choice but to ask you to listen now."
She said sternly, "Xiao Wu, you must remember, never be soft-hearted! Whether facing the enemy or our own people, the current situation is chaotic. The only way to clear the way is through four words... 'swift and decisive action'!"
"If I were you, the first person I'd kill when I get back would be Eighth Master... I know you wouldn't do that, but it would be best to keep Eighth Master under control. You won't kill him, but surely you can keep him under house arrest?"
I remained silent and hugged Yang Wei goodbye.
"By the way, be sure to give me a call after you land safely." Yang Wei blinked. "You'll enjoy this flight."
"……What's the meaning?"
Yang Wei didn't answer, but directly saw me onto the plane. Then the plane turned around, taxied a distance on the runway, and took off. I watched Yang Wei wave to me from afar.
There was only me and the pilot on the plane. The pilot was white and didn't say a word to me the whole way. It was my first time flying on such a small plane, and sure enough, it was quite bumpy when we encountered turbulence, but the speed was really fast.
I sat on the plane for three hours, and thought for three hours. As I got closer to home, I breathed a long sigh of relief and let go of all the distracting thoughts in my mind.
Now that we're here, we might as well make a big splash!
Yang Wei is right. I am indeed a bit too soft-hearted, or perhaps a bit indecisive. As for Eighth Master… Yang Wei predicted he would be assassinated, but she didn't tell me, probably because she was afraid I would go to save him?
Indeed, given my personality, although my relationship with Eighth Master is currently strained, if I knew he was in danger, I would most likely still go to save him after careful consideration.
That's just my personality.
I won the support of many brothers because of this personality. But, in Yang Wei's words, this is also my weakness.
Actually, Yang Wei is smart, decisive, and resourceful... but if I had her personality and her methods... I, Xiao Wu, wouldn't have the genuine love and respect of so many brothers!
This illustrates the principle that every inch has its advantages and every foot has its shortcomings!
Humans are sometimes contradictory.
Putting these distracting thoughts aside, I calmed my mind.
Forget about all that, the present matter is more important!
The Vietnamese have come with ill intentions this time; it seems a major conflict is inevitable! And… I must make the Vietnamese pay for Hong Da's death, make them give an explanation, and make them pay the price!!
On this path, blood can only be repaid with blood! Life can only be repaid with life!!
Moreover, a little blood isn't enough; you need a lot, a lot of blood! A lot, a lot of lives!!
Looking at the clusters of flashing lights in the distance, I knew Vancouver was almost here!
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Then I opened them again: "Vancouver, here I come!!"
As the plane circled, and I was filled with excitement, the pilot finally spoke to me for the first time during the entire journey.
"Sir, we've arrived. I'll find a suitable spot in a bit, and you can parachute in."
"Yes, parachuting," the pilot answered me matter-of-factly, and the way he looked at me seemed to think I was asking a pointless question.
"But..." I said, "Can't you land at the airport?"
“Our private plane isn’t allowed to land at Vancouver’s airport. And most of the private airports here are far from the city center, and we couldn’t find a suitable one. Because the routes are so busy, there aren’t any suitable runways for us to land at the commercial airports. The airlines are already very crowded.” The pilot still spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"But..." I started sweating... Damn, skydiving? I've never done that before! "Well, could you find a road nearby to land on? This plane isn't big; it can land on a highway, as long as there aren't many cars..."
“Sir…” the pilot sighed regretfully, looking at me with pity. “You must have watched too many Hollywood movies. Landing a plane isn’t that simple. My plane may be small, but landing on a road is still very dangerous! It requires superb manual control skills, and there’s no airport guidance on the ground for a road landing. It’s all about visual estimation and luck, plus it’s nighttime and visibility is very low… so it’s really too dangerous.”
"But why not give it a try?" I insisted.
This time, the pilot refused me even more bluntly: "I'm sorry, I'm just an employee. My salary is only enough to ensure that I do my best to fly the plane, but I have no obligation to risk my life for you. Even if the salary is higher, it's not worth risking my life."
After saying that, he didn't want to talk to me anymore. He pointed behind my seat: "That bag is the parachute. There's a pull cord at the bottom. When you land, just pull the cord. Don't worry, it's a very safe product. If the main parachute malfunctions and can't open, there's a reserve parachute inside, which will also ensure your safe landing." Looking into my eyes, he added: "Of course, if you insist on not parachuting, you can choose to fly back to Toronto with me."
"But..." I couldn't help but ask, "Does Yang Wei know that we can't land here?"
"I know," the pilot replied. "Didn't Miss Yang tell you?"
I recalled Yang Wei's words before I boarded the plane: "You'll enjoy this flight." And the strange expression on her face when she said that...
Depend on!
Let's give it our all!
I made up my mind.
At this point, I couldn't help but ask again, "But what if... neither the main parachute nor the reserve parachute can open?"
The pilot's expression was serious: "Then there's only one last option left!"
"What method?"
"Pray, pray to God."
The plane circled for a while, then flew to an open area southeast of downtown Vancouver and descended. I forcefully pulled open the cabin door, and the strong wind made me swallow back the curse I was about to utter.
Looking out at the sky, I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes, and jumped with the parachute on my back!
Vancouver, I'm back!!
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Twenty-Four: The Adorable Bastard
A long time ago, I watched a movie about paratroopers, and one of the paratroopers said, "It's safest to land on your butt first."
Now, I finally understand the meaning of that sentence.
To be honest, even though I consider myself incredibly daring, capable of committing heinous acts like murder and arson, I still admire myself for leaping from a height of a thousand feet.
I don't believe in God, but I was very lucky. My parachute opened smoothly. Although the strong winds at high altitudes made it hard for me to open my eyes or mouth, things got much better as the altitude gradually decreased.
This is an area southeast of downtown Vancouver. I landed not too far from a highway.
My body jolted, and I instinctively curled up. Then, naturally, without putting any weight on my legs, I lay down on the ground, landing on my butt first. But the damn ground was bare, with lots of gravel and pebbles. One of them landed right on my butt. Ignoring the pain, I quickly pulled a dagger from my shoe as soon as I landed and swiftly cut the parachute cord on my shoulder.
This is something I learned from movies. Especially in windy, open areas, after landing, because the parachute is open, the wind will drag the parachute along. If you don't cut the ropes immediately—and if you're unlucky, the ropes might even strangle you to death.
I rolled on the ground like a mud-covered monkey before finally managing to stand up; my once-high-end clothes were now completely ruined. I checked my surroundings and remembered seeing the highway not far away before I landed. So I ran there as fast as I could.
I must say, the pilot Yang Wei assigned me was quite skilled; he chose an excellent landing spot and his orientation was very accurate. I ran about 500 meters in one go and reached the highway. From here, heading north, you'll reach Vancouver. Although it was nighttime and there were very few cars on the highway, and this was the suburbs, I wasn't worried at all. After living in Vancouver for several months, I already knew that there were usually many trucks traveling between the city and the coast in the southeast. After all, Vancouver is a coastal city with a well-developed ocean shipping industry.
My judgment was correct.
But as an old saying goes: I guessed the beginning, but not the ending.
I waited by the roadside for about half an hour. During that time, three cars passed by, but no matter how much I waved, no one was willing to stop.
After much painful reflection, I understood the problem.
First, it's nighttime. Second, the area around here is quite remote. Third, my clothes are strange, and I'm filthy. My head and face are covered in dust. I look three parts like a fugitive, three parts like a vagrant, and three parts like a stowaway who just escaped by sea. As for the last part, I'd guess I might even be showing signs of mental illness.
Imagine this: at night, in such an ideal geographical setting for highway robbery, any normal person seeing a fugitive, homeless man, illegal immigrant, and mentally ill person trying to flag down a car on the roadside. Probably 99 out of 100 people wouldn't stop; instead, they'd accelerate and drive over…
I'm at my wit's end. *Sigh*... Actually, I'd like to be a good person, but reality... it's fucking forcing good people into prostitution!
Seeing a small truck approaching from afar, I steeled myself, pulled out my dagger, and quickly grabbed the largest possible rock from the roadside, throwing it into the middle of the road.
Sure enough, the car first turned on its headlights, and then slowed down when it saw the obstacle in the middle of the road.
I held a dagger in one hand and a stone I'd picked up in the other. If they didn't stop, I might have no choice but to resort to violence.
After the car slowed down, it seemed to have no intention of stopping. Instead, it slightly adjusted its direction and prepared to go around the rocks on the ground. Without thinking twice, I threw the rock in my hand.
Bang! Crash!
The sound of shattering glass followed by a sudden stop from which the car screeched to a halt, its left window broken by my smash.
I strode forward, knife in hand, and shouted, "Robbery! Get out of the car!!"
As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized something was wrong. Reflexively, I spoke in Chinese. So I immediately changed my mind and said it in English.
As soon as the car door opened, three or four burly men jumped out. They were all wearing somewhat dirty sailor uniforms, and a strong fishy smell wafted out.
Right after I shouted, the guys who jumped out of the car paused for a moment, then burst into laughter when they saw that I was the only one holding a dagger.
"You? Robbery?" The white man standing at the front, a head taller than me, was wearing a denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his muscular arms. He had a stubble beard, licked his lips, and walked towards me: "Kid, are you looking for death?"
As he spoke, he clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and reached out a hand as big as a fan to grab my collar.
"Sigh." I dodged him in a flash, sighed, and looked at him with pity. This guy was big, but he was no match for me; he only had brute strength. I said slowly, "I just want your car. Give me your car, and I won't hurt you. Um... by the way, I'm just borrowing it. You can leave me your phone number, and I'll return it to you when I get to Vancouver. I'll also pay you a reward."