Chapter 257: You’ve Worked Hard, Welcome Home!
Chapter 257: You’ve Worked Hard, Welcome Home!
The inside of the cargo ship was very simple, with only a few chairs and such. The lighting was also dim. According to William, this was to avoid being checked by customs for stowaways.
In fact, Tang Chen thought they were just closing their eyes to the truth. Every time they passed through, they bribed customs officials. Who wouldn’t guess there were stowaways inside? It was just for show.
At that moment, Tang Chen and Yuanyang were sitting together, while Ape and the others sat opposite. As for Wang Jianfeng and his family of three, they were surrounded in the middle. Wang Jianfeng’s face showed neither joy nor sorrow; he had already anticipated what would happen to him upon returning home, and for a moment, he felt at peace.
Tang Chen took out the data USB drive from his pocket and said to Wang Jianfeng, “Dr. Wang, this is the nuclear missile data you worked so hard to steal from our country and give to the Big Nose. Now it’s back in our country’s hands. Do you have anything to say?”
Wang Jianfeng gave a bitter smile and said, “I have nothing to say. I am a traitor to the country. I don’t even mind being executed. I just hope the country will treat my wife and daughter well and not let them suffer because of me.”
“Old Wang, don’t say that,” Wang Jianfeng’s wife said as tears instantly streamed down her face. She tightly hugged Wang Jianfeng, fearing her husband might actually be executed.
Tang Chen was slightly moved. He said seriously, “Rest assured, this crime is your own doing. Even if you’re executed, it will only be you. I don’t think the higher-ups will do anything to your wife and daughter.”
“Thank you,” Wang Jianfeng moved his lips and said once more before breaking down in tears.
Wang Jianfeng regretted it so much—why had he been so foolish as to betray his country? If he hadn’t stolen the data, he would still be a respected doctor valued by the nation. Now, he was about to become a death row inmate and face execution. Life was always so absurd.
Yuanyang glanced at the sobbing family of three and couldn’t bear to watch, turning her face away. In doing so, she happened to meet Tang Chen’s gaze. For some reason, her face instantly flushed red.
“Do you think it’s cruel?” Tang Chen moved closer and whispered in her ear.
The warmth of his breath made Yuanyang’s heart race. She pretended to be calm and said, “It’s not about whether it’s cruel or not. When he did such a thing, he should have foreseen this outcome.”
Tang Chen said with deep eyes, “Yes, in my view, betraying one’s country is just like a wife cheating—both deserve to be executed.”
Yuanyang gave him a flirtatious glare and said annoyed, “Your thinking is so tyrannical. It seems your wife would never dare to cheat, or else you might just kill her.”
“My wife?” Tang Chen thought of Yang Mi’s tender words and chuckled, “The moment I fell in love with her, I never imagined she would cheat, because she loves me just as much as I love her.”
“Disgusting, nauseating,” Yuanyang spat, looking at Tang Chen’s smile. For some reason, she felt a little repulsed and even a bit jealous. What was going on?
Whoosh!
At that moment, the cabin door was pulled open. William walked in and said with a smile, “Dear Su, we’re about to reach international waters. You’ll soon be back in your homeland.”
“Thank you, William,” Yuanyang said politely, watching as William closed the door.
“Finally going home, huff,” Tang Chen sighed contentedly. This mission was the biggest and most dangerous one he had undertaken since gaining the System. Looking back, if he hadn’t had the System, he probably would have lost his life in the United States.
William returned to the cockpit and continued steering steadily. After an hour at sea, they finally passed international waters and entered the waters of Huaxia Country. In the distance, they saw a large blue ship resembling a warship anchored ahead. All the lights on the ship were on, and through the glow, they could see many stern-looking Chinese soldiers in military uniforms.
“What’s going on? Why are there Chinese soldiers here? Where are the Chinese coast guards?” William said, puzzled. In the past, only coast guards patrolled here, and a bribe would let them pass. What was happening now?
“Boss, it looks like a motorboat is coming from the warship,” his yellow-haired subordinate shouted. William looked and indeed saw a motorboat emerging from beneath the warship.
On the motorboat were two members of the Marine Corps. One of them held a loudspeaker and shouted in English, “Cargo ship ahead, this is the Marine Corps of the People’s Republic of China. Please stop and prepare for inspection. Please stop and prepare for inspection!”
The loudspeaker was very loud, and even Yuanyang and the others inside the cabin heard it. She quickly said excitedly, “Tang Chen, it’s the Marine Corps. Our people are here to pick us up!”
Tang Chen stood up abruptly and ordered, “Everyone, get up. Let’s go to the cockpit. William doesn’t know our identities. If he acts impulsively and clashes with our Marine Corps, it’ll be bad.”
“Okay!” Yuanyang and the others quickly stood up and brought Wang Jianfeng along to the cockpit.
In the cockpit, after hearing the Marines’ announcement, William frowned and said uneasily, “Damn it, why are they Marine Corps members? What are the Chinese soldiers up to?”
“Boss, what should we do? We’ve never faced this before. Should we try to break through?” the yellow-haired subordinate asked nervously. Though his words sounded tough, his legs were shaking—after all, it was a warship. How could they break through?
William didn’t even have the heart to scold his subordinate. Just as he was trying to come up with a plan, the cabin door was forcefully slammed open, and Tang Chen and the others strode in.
“Oh, Su, why are you here? We’ve run into some trouble, but I’ll handle it soon.”
“Open the cabin door and let them in,” Tang Chen stepped forward and said coldly.
William looked at Yuanyang in confusion and said, “Su, what is your Boss saying?”
Tang Chen didn’t want to waste words with this idiot. He punched William, sending him crashing to the ground, then stepped forward and pressed the button to open the cabin door.
“Boss, you’re looking for death!”
“You’re the one looking for death!” The yellow-haired subordinate moved to attack Tang Chen, but Ape pressed his gun tightly against his back.
Yuanyang also drew her gun and pointed it at William, saying coldly, “You’d better stay down and don’t move!”
William panicked. What was happening? In the blink of an eye, the situation had turned like this. His lips trembling, he said to Yuanyang, “Su, what are you doing? We’re all friends. If you let the Chinese Marines in with that gun, you’ll be caught too. Put the gun down, and we can talk this out, ah—”
Before William could finish, Yuanyang kicked him in the groin, nearly castrating him. She said coldly, “Don’t worry about whether we’ll get caught, but you certainly will!”
Shortly after, the two Marine Corps members rushed in. Yuanyang revealed her identity and had the Marines take control of the ship, steering it toward the warship. The Marines restrained William and his subordinate. Only then did this fool realize that he had actually helped the country let a bunch of important fugitives escape…
Tang Chen and Yuanyang met with the Marine Corps Commander. The imposing middle-aged man smiled and shook hands with them, saying seriously, “You two have worked hard. Welcome home!”
After a brief meeting, the warship headed toward the harbor. Upon arrival, Yuanyang and the others were to take Wang Jianfeng and his family to Jingdu to report to their superiors, while Tang Chen was also about to leave.
“Take this data USB drive and hand it to your superiors. They’ll pass it up the chain,” Tang Chen said, handing the USB drive to Yuanyang. Looking at her face, he suddenly felt reluctant to part.
Yuanyang felt the same way. After taking the USB drive, she gave a bitter smile and said, “We probably won’t see each other for a long time after this parting. Let’s hug—after all, we’ve faced life and death together.”
Tang Chen didn’t reply but held her tightly, breathing in her scent. After a long silence, he said, “You work in the Special Operations Bureau and face a lot of danger. Take care of yourself. I hope the next time I see you, you’re still lively and well.”
Yuanyang suddenly burst out laughing, her worries vanishing into thin air. She pulled away from Tang Chen, resolutely flicking her hair, and said, “Same to you. It’s getting late, so you should hurry home. Your wife must be missing you terribly after all this time. I’ll be going now. Goodbye.” With that, Yuanyang turned and left, though her silhouette looked somewhat lonely and desolate.
But there was no helping it—he was a married man, so why bother?
Tang Chen watched Yuanyang leave, then took out his Mobile Phone. Seeing it was already 3 a.m., he muttered to himself, “Yang Mi probably isn’t awake yet. I’ll go back and give her a big surprise, hehe.”