Chapter 60: Beyond Saving
Wei Langxing and Tang Yu’an were surrounded. The mercenaries parted, and Tang Yu’an saw a tall, bald man emerge from a hovercar, likely a high-ranking mercenary.
Just as he thought the man was about to apprehend them, a thud echoed, and the bald man collapsed, as if his strength had been drained instantly, landing heavily on his knees.
Then he fell face-first, raising a cloud of dust, a bloody hole in the back of his head.
The other mercenaries, caught off guard, raised their weapons and fired in the direction the shot came from.
Wei Langxing knew it couldn’t be the government reinforcements; they weren’t due yet. A third party had intervened.
And their timing was impeccable. He was incredibly lucky.
The chaos provided cover. Wei Langxing used the opportunity to smash a glass bottle against a mercenary guarding the back door, knocking him out, then pulled Tang Yu’an along, rushing outside.
The mercenaries were distracted, under attack from an unknown assailant.
Bullets flew. Jinshan, unable to escape, was forced back inside, hiding behind a cabinet, observing.
The newcomer was formidable, their weapons even more advanced than the corporation’s.
Who was this, and what were they planning? Declaring war on the corporation?
That was incredibly audacious.
Watching the mercenaries fall one by one, a bead of sweat trickled down Jinshan’s forehead.
Was it a local gang?
No, who would dare attack the corporation, especially at this moment…?
Just as he was racking his brains, a familiar figure emerged from the shadows.
Iron Hand, his new mechanical arms gleaming, his expression impassive amidst the flickering lights.
Jinshan, seeing his old acquaintance, emerged with a cheerful smile, calling out warmly: “Brother, it’s you! What a coincidence! If you need anything, just ask…”
Iron Hand glanced at him, then shot him in the stomach.
The modified bullet exploded inside him. Jinshan clutched his abdomen, his face contorted in pain.
Blood gushed out between his fingers as he collapsed.
Feeling his life ebbing away, he asked weakly: “Bro… why…?”
He had assumed they were even after the previous incident; he couldn’t understand why Iron Hand would kill him.
Iron Hand looked down at him, kicking him: “Vermin like you should be exterminated.”
He left Jinshan, stepping over the bodies of the mercenaries, severing the bald man’s head, then, ignoring the hovercar, mounted his motorcycle and sped away.
Tang Yu’an, breathless from running with Wei Langxing, suddenly saw a motorcycle stop before them, a round object rolling to his feet.
Wei Langxing, thinking it was a bomb, pulled him back.
Seeing it was a head, Tang Yu’an looked up, meeting Iron Hand’s gaze.
In the dim light, Iron Hand smiled: “Consider us even.”
Then, with a meow, the black cat jumped from the motorcycle and ran towards Tang Yu’an.
Tang Yu’an, overjoyed, picked it up: “Mimi? What are you doing here?!”
Iron Hand then explained what had happened—
He had a cooperative relationship with the corporation, mutually beneficial, until they disagreed on one point: Iron Hand refused to sell faulty goods, but the corporation wanted to create a tiered system, selling high-quality products to wealthy customers and refurbished, second-hand goods to those who could only afford the basics.
Would they complain?
Ha, poor people had no voice, their complaints easily dismissed.
Iron Hand’s refusal had given One-Eye an opportunity to betray him, collaborating with the corporation.
But he had also made many friends over the years, quickly rebuilding his forces, killing One-Eye, reclaiming his fortress, and severing ties with the corporation.
Oh, and he had found the stray cat, bringing it along for Tang Yu’an’s sake.
He had been waiting for an opportunity to retaliate against the corporation, and Tang Yu’an’s wanted poster had provided the perfect excuse.
He could weaken the corporation and repay Tang Yu’an’s favor at the same time.
As for that sycophant Jinshan…
He had seen him leading the mercenaries to the safehouse. As expected, a two-faced traitor.
Tang Yu’an, hearing he had shot Jinshan, didn’t feel any satisfaction, only a strange sense of melancholy.
“Jinshan… is dead?”
Iron Hand estimated: “Not yet, but he’ll be dead in ten minutes.”
With the matter resolved, he invited Tang Yu’an and his friend to join him, but Tang Yu’an declined.
Wang Wen and the others would be arriving soon; they had to leave.
Iron Hand, rarely expressing such sentiment, said sincerely: “Good, this place isn’t for you.”
He mounted his motorcycle, leaving with a final warning: “Tang Yu’an, I hope this is the last time we meet. Try to avoid being hunted in the future!”
Since they had given Wang Wen the safehouse’s address, they returned there.
The stench of blood filled the air. Tang Yu’an approached Jinshan, who was slumped against the wall.
The trail of blood on the floor indicated he had crawled there, using his last bit of strength.
As Iron Hand had said, he wasn’t dead yet.
Hearing them, he opened his eyes with difficulty, then smiled faintly: “You win again. This time… I truly lost.”
Tang Yu’an asked the question burning in his mind: “How much did they offer you to betray me?”
Jinshan suddenly became agitated, his eyes wild: “They promised me eight hundred thousand star coins! Eight hundred thousand! With that much money, I wouldn’t have to worry about anything for the rest of my life! Do you understand what that means here? You can walk all over people!”
Tang Yu’an repeated softly: “Eight hundred thousand…”
A large sum, but was it worth two lives?
Jinshan, seeing his thoughts, spat out blood, sneering: “What are you pretending to be? Trying to appear noble by appealing to my conscience? I hate your holier-than-thou attitude! You think you’re so kind, so virtuous? You…”
He was interrupted by a punch to the face, his vision darkening.
Wei Langxing retracted his hand, saying casually: “Sorry, just stretching, accidentally hit your face.”
Jinshan, unfazed, looked at Tang Yu’an: “Let me tell you something else. That story about me helping a disabled man and being betrayed? Also fake. I did help him, but I took his organs as collateral, the interest increasing daily, hahaha… I’m not from here, I came here to make a fortune! And being exiled from Future City? Just a careless mistake, I wasn’t thorough enough back then…”
Like a broken man, he spilled all his secrets, his darkness laid bare.
Tang Yu’an didn’t flinch, neither scared nor angry, his expression calm, asking: “Why are you telling me this now?”
To provoke him, to make him end his suffering? He was dying anyway, there was no need for that.
Jinshan spat out a tooth Wei Langxing had knocked loose: “Why? I want you to know that I’m a scumbag, a hopeless scumbag, you don’t have to waste your kindness on me!”
Tang Yu’an said that truly hopeless people didn’t say such things about themselves.
Jinshan seemed to deflate, his head lolling back as if exhausted.
The color drained from his face; he knew he was truly dying.
But he didn’t want to die silently; he wanted to leave something behind.
So, for the first time, he seemed at peace, ignoring his injuries, like a gentle young man.
He looked at Tang Yu’an’s eyes, still holding a hint of pity, and said: “People like you… will be bullied out there… Don’t let them bully you. Since you’re not a fighter, use some… technique.”
His voice weakened, his eyelids heavy.
“If someone annoys you, just punch them in the nose. Break their nose, and they’ll be too scared to fight back.”
His eyes glazed over as he breathed his last.
But Tang Yu’an started to tremble.
Those words… so familiar.
Although he knew it was unlikely, he couldn’t accept this.
He frantically shook Jinshan’s body, calling his name, but he was unresponsive, his pulse gone.
Wei Langxing, seeing his sudden distress, stood anxiously beside him.
Tang Yu’an’s mind raced, he couldn’t let him die. An idea occurred to him. He grabbed the black cat.
“Mimi, electrocute him!”
The cat, as if understanding, scratched Jinshan with its claws.
Wei Langxing stared in disbelief.
Seeing it had no effect, Tang Yu’an started CPR, even finding an unlabeled syringe in Jinshan’s pocket.
Whatever it was, he had to try!
He injected it, and after a few agonizing seconds, Jinshan coughed.
He frowned, his face contorted: “Why does it still hurt… even in heaven…?”
Tang Yu’an’s words brought him back to reality: “You’re not dead yet.”
Jinshan opened his eyes, his despair deepening, assuming he had been saved for further torture.
“You’re a good person, I know I betrayed you, just let me die with dignity…”
Tang Yu’an interrupted him, calling out a name he hadn’t spoken in years.
The two simple words made Jinshan flinch, like a snake struck in its weak spot.
His heart pounded. He looked at Tang Yu’an, asking mechanically: “What did you call me?”
Tang Yu’an repeated the name.
“Chen Fei, is that you?”
