Chapter 430
“That wolf cub from district k should have been shot dead back then, otherwise we wouldn’t be in this situation. And Ariel, that ungrateful wretch, I fed and clothed her, made her the young lady of the East District, and this is how she repays me! All I asked was for her to marry someone. If she didn’t like him, she could find someone else after I got rid of that little wolf cub, couldn’t she?” Arthur slammed his fist angrily on the hospital bed.
“It’s not just the West District now; the police have joined in too. Over the years, we’ve gone head-to-head with them often, and some of our men have even secretly executed police officers. They’ve been watching us all this time, so now that we’re in such a big mess, they’ve jumped in too. Even though they’re not as vicious as the people from the West District, they’ve still taken a considerable advantage,” Knight said grimly.
Arthur fell silent.
Everyone was smart enough to read between the lines of what Knight meant. Arthur didn’t need it spelled out for him, but understanding it made it even harder for him to believe and accept, and it made his heart ache even more.
“Things have come to this, but we still have half left. Once I get out of here, we can take it back. If I could win this territory back then, I can still do it now,” Arthur said, touching his chest with a hint of melancholy in his expression.
Knight looked at Arthur’s significantly aged face and said, “Don’t kid yourself. The situation is far worse than we imagined. The territory we hold won’t last much longer. This place won’t hold. We used to conquer this city because we were young, and we had the strength to charge through danger. But now we’re old; we can’t fight anymore, and this city can’t be protected or reclaimed.”
The sharp aura around Knight receded, and he seemed to be cloaked in winter’s chill, desolate and lonely.
And lying in the hospital bed, Arthur, who had been so keen on taking back what was lost, grew quiet. The silence between these two bosses enveloped the room, draping the ward in a wintry atmosphere, creating its own world in the midst of summer.
“I always thought I’d stay in this city till I grew old and died. But I never thought I’d find myself quietly slinking away like this,” Arthur said, his voice filled with endless bitterness.
“You can always come back if you miss it; it’s just a matter of time,” Knight said.
Arthur didn’t respond because both of them knew that day wouldn’t come.
Leaving at this moment was akin to voluntarily relinquishing the city, which was filled with too many memories and grudges connected to them. Coming back rashly would only cost one life in vain without changing anything else.
“Forget it, let it be. When have you arranged it for?” Arthur asked, glancing at the man who had been with him since his youth.
“The flight is set for the evening after tomorrow.” With Arthur agreeing to his proposal, Knight’s long-tightened brow relaxed quite a bit.
While in Lin City, spending time with Ariel and Sheng Wenhao, Xu Ke received another call from the undercover operative.
He signaled Sheng Wenhao, who stopped his play with Xu Ke and Ariel, and walked over with a curious expression. Xu Ke had no intention of hiding the call from them and directly turned on the speaker.
“We need your help.”
“I remember I already took a risk to help you last time. Why are you coming to me again now? You can’t keep shearing the same sheep, you know. And besides, I’m not even a citizen of your country. Why should I take this risk for you again?” Xu Ke’s lazy voice came through the speaker, causing the undercover operative’s face to flush with embarrassment because he knew it was true, making his face blush redder and redder.
“I know it’s a bit much to come to you again, but we’re severely short-handed right now, and no one has more experience than you do. So we had no choice but to come to you again. We don’t expect you to say yes immediately, but we hope you’ll consider it carefully, as this involves the fate of a city. We really need your help,” the undercover operative said, lighting a cigarette.
The smoke from his cigarette seemed to reach through the phone, and Xu Ke squinted, saying, “But what can I do to help? I’ve been in h city for less than a month; I hardly know anything happening here. How can I help you? I don’t even interact with them regularly. You know more about them than I do. What can I do for you?”
Hearing Xu Ke wasn’t outright refusing, the undercover operative gained some confidence and disclosed a bit more information, “To be honest, we suspect Arthur is about to run, but none of our agents have ever been close to Arthur, so we know very little about his activities.”
By now, Xu Ke understood that they were ostensibly reaching out to him but actually looking for Ariel. Xu Ke was amused by their lack of candor.
“I’m not going to let my woman get involved in something dangerous. Go find someone else to help you,” Xu Ke said coolly, about to hang up when Ariel swiftly snatched the phone.
“I’ll help, but you must agree to one condition,” Ariel said with a playful wink at Xu Ke.
The undercover operative was initially stunned by the voice change, then became serious and excited upon realizing who it was.
“Name it, as long as it’s reasonable, we’ll do our best to meet your request,” he said with a determined expression.
“It’s simple. I want a clean identity. Once I help you capture Arthur, from that moment on, Ariel will no longer exist in this world,” Ariel said.
“This isn’t something I can decide, so I’ll need to consult my superiors.”
“Alright.”
Only then did they finally hang up the call.
Xu Ke looked at Ariel disapprovingly, “The situation now is completely different; it’s too dangerous.”
“Don’t worry. I’m fine. I said I’d help them, but I didn’t say I’d personally take action. I’ll only share my speculations with them. It’s up to them whether to believe me or not, and whether they can capture anyone will depend on their luck. If they fail, it’s just bad luck on their part and has nothing to do with me. But if they succeed, that’s even better,” Ariel said with a shrug, handing the phone back to Xu Ke.