But Wang Yadong truly didn't want to live the life of a mercenary anymore—nomadic and dangerous. Now, as a small proprietor of military supplies, he felt very happy, especially since he had recently met Lin Xiaoxiao.
Although their relationship hadn't developed further, he was willing to stay by this young girl's side. In her, Wang Yadong saw a naivete and innocence that he himself lacked.
Wang Yadong's demeanor suddenly sagged. He sat down and spoke in a tone devoid of emotion, "If that day truly comes, I am willing to accept legal punishment."
Hearing Wang Yadong's words, Scorpion sighed, rubbed his forehead, and his tone turned disdainful. "The law? You're talking about the law to me? I am a man without a country or faith; I kill only for money. Yet you speak to me of the law? Speak of the law to your former teachers, your superiors. If we're talking about the law, you shouldn't be sitting here talking to me; you should be in prison, not thinking about getting married."
By the end, Scorpion, pointing an angry finger at Wang Yadong, spoke as if disappointed in his potential.
"You don't need to say anymore; I won't go with you," Wang Yadong said, throwing caution to the wind.
"Did I say I wanted you to go with me?" Scorpion heard this and lay back down, saying, "Mountain Cat, I came to see you this time because I've been demoted."
"Demoted?"
"It's normal. You know, I don't get along with those people on the board. They stripped me of my command and sent me to the mainland to be a bodyguard for some boss."
"You're a bodyguard?" Wang Yadong was speechless and confused upon hearing this.
"Yes!" Scorpion affirmed. "But after arriving on the mainland, the first person I decided to see was you. We went through gunfire and storms together, fought so many battles. I often think of my old friends, but now very few are still alive. Just for that, whether you follow me in the future or not, I will always remember you."
As he spoke, Scorpion raised his hand and made their agreed-upon gesture.
After three seconds of contemplation, Wang Yadong extended his hand and clasped it.
Suddenly, a beeping alarm sounded from the shop.
Hearing the alarm, both men became alert.
"It's the alarm I installed!" Wang Yadong explained while running to the computer at the front desk.
After Wang Yadong pressed a few keys on the computer, the screen immediately displayed the surveillance feed. A large number of SWAT officers appeared outside the shop, fully armored, each performing their duties.
Seeing this, Wang Yadong looked at Scorpion and said directly, "Come with me!"
Saying this, Wang Yadong led Scorpion to a pile of sandbags, moved some aside, and revealed a passage.
Upon seeing this, Scorpion immediately looked at Wang Yadong and said, "Mountain Cat, come with me. They won't let you go!"
"I have no blood debt on me; harboring a criminal won't be a death sentence. Hurry and go!" Wang Yadong looked at Scorpion with no particular expression in his eyes.
Hearing Wang Yadong say this, Scorpion knew Wang Yadong wouldn't go with him. He wanted to recruit Wang Yadong again, but since he was unwilling, he couldn't do anything.
Finally, Scorpion said solemnly, "Mountain Cat, I owe you!"
"Hurry and go!"
Scorpion said nothing more and immediately went down the passage, escaping.
After Wang Yadong covered the entrance to the tunnel above, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Although Scorpion was a cunning and treacherous person, he fundamentally possessed a certain belief. It was this belief that made Scorpion both righteous and wicked; he was well aware of this.
Outside, the SWAT team's operation was also very swift. They approached the shop from all directions in an orderly fashion, all carrying real firearms, fully prepared.
The reason the SWAT team could deploy so quickly was that Wang Yadong's location was under constant surveillance twenty-four hours a day. Now that there was special intelligence, it was immediately reported, and photos were sent along.
When Wen Changlin saw the intelligence, he immediately recognized the person as Scorpion, which led to this massive deployment.
"White Shark, we are preparing to enter!" a leader reported.
Wen Changlin, sitting in his car, instructed, "Be careful. The person inside is a dangerous character."
"Don't worry, we are also dangerous characters. Over."
With that, the leader gave the signal, and all units immediately moved.
As soon as the door was pulled open, all the SWAT officers rushed in and secured the scene immediately.
However, upon seeing the situation inside, the leader reported, "White Shark, no target found. Over!"
At this point, Wang Yadong said nothing, simply put his hands on his head. The SWAT officers beside him immediately subdued him and handcuffed him.
Meanwhile, Scorpion had already escaped through the secret passage.
...
The next day, Scorpion arrived at the southwestern border, in the Jinhai region.
Two horses approached from a distance. Scorpion sat on one of them and looked at the person guiding him, saying, "Brother, is this Jinhai?"
"Yes!" the guide replied lazily. "This place wasn't called this originally. Later, quite a few small gold mines were discovered in the mountains, so the name was changed."
"No wonder. This must be where Boss Liu operates!" Scorpion said.
"Heh heh, this place... by day it's under government control, but at night, it's Boss Liu's territory." As he spoke, he pointed to the surrounding mountains and dense forests and continued, "See? The mountains are high and the forests are dense. We're not afraid of the police catching us. If they push us too hard, this is the border line; we just step over and we're gone."
"Indeed!" Scorpion agreed. "It's a good place for guerrilla warfare."
"Alright, enough talk. Boss Liu is getting impatient."
With that, the two spurred their horses and galloped away.
...
On this day, Wen Changlin took Scorpion's photo to the military headquarters.
He Zhijun, Fan Tianlei, and Wen Changlin gathered in the office.
Wen Changlin spoke first, "To deal with Scorpion, the police will need your assistance."
He Zhijun remained silent but nodded in agreement.
Fan Tianlei, on the other hand, looked at Scorpion's photo with great anger. Fortunately, it was just a photo; if it were Scorpion himself, Fan Tianlei would have likely pounced on him and killed him on the spot.
Restraining his emotions, Fan Tianlei finally spoke:
"It will be very difficult to capture Scorpion alive."
For a moment, the office fell silent again.
Because everyone present knew that what Fan Tianlei said was true.
The reason Scorpion could still act so recklessly in the country was twofold. First, he possessed exceptionally strong physical fitness and considerable personal skill.
Second, they wanted to capture Scorpion alive to extract useful information from him, such as the company behind him.
Therefore...