Chapter 066: You Have Rendered Great Merit

The group stared at Song Kai.

Zhang Hongjun said helplessly, “What’s the point of calling now? We have five minutes left—no, not even four minutes to live. President Xu, hand over the item. No matter what, staying alive is better than dying.”

Ai Hao was sobbing as well. “Exactly, Xu Ling, our lives are what matter. Money is just worldly possession!”

Xu Ling hesitated. She looked at Zhang Hongjun and said, “If it were just about money, I wouldn’t be wavering. But, as you said, if this falls into the hands of foreign arms companies, it’ll be a disaster. I only have this one copy of the source code. Once it’s gone, it means foreign technology will always be ahead of ours.”

Zhang Hongjun broke down in tears. “President Xu, I respect you as a patriotic entrepreneur, I love my country too, but I love my life even more. Please, just hand it over. I’ll make it up to you somehow; at worst, my company will work with yours on other projects in the future, and you’ll get a bigger share. But today, we must save our lives!”

The other department heads behind Zhang Hongjun nodded and joined in persuading Xu Ling.

“Two hundred and thirteen... We mean what we say. You’re surrounded. There’s no escape.” A voice from outside spoke, unhurried and cold.

Then, a gunshot rang out. In the distance, a security guard trying to sneak over was shot dead, a bullet to the head.

Zhang Hongjun’s face turned ashen with terror. “President Xu, I brought five bodyguards—each one an elite ex-soldier. Even they couldn’t withstand this. We really have no hope of getting away. Whether it’s the armed police or the security on the estate, we can’t rely on them!”

Xu Ling remained silent.

Ai Hao, desperate, clawed at the dirt on the ground. “Worst case, we hand it over first, and then the government can lock down the airports and customs, and arrest those people. Isn’t that enough?”

“One hundred and thirteen...”

The assassin outside continued counting in the same leisurely manner.

Xu Ling frowned, then turned to Song Kai. “Song Kai, can you escape?”

Song Kai glanced outside and nodded. “I can get away on my own, but if I take you with me, there’s only a thirty percent chance we’ll make it out safely.”

“As long as you can escape, that’s enough.” Xu Ling looked at Song Kai. “Since this program concerns national security, we can’t afford to be selfish. You take the program and get out first; then, figure out a way to rescue us. That will buy us time. As long as they don’t have the program, they won’t kill us so easily.”

Song Kai was a little surprised—he hadn’t expected Xu Ling to make such a resolute decision in this situation.

Zhang Hongjun exploded with anger. “President Xu, what are you saying? They’ll really do it! If they said five minutes, it’ll be five minutes. When you make decisions, could you not just think of yourself? You may not be afraid to die, but we are. I have parents and children; I’ve struggled my whole life to get where I am. I don’t want to die here because of some small program!”

“All right, enough arguing!” Song Kai said. “None of us are going to die, because the people I called are already here.”

“What good will that do?” Ai Hao wailed. “Can they take on those guys outside with sniper rifles?”

As his words fell, there was a sudden, deafening bang—a powerful flashbang exploded.

Then, countless flashbangs and tear gas grenades rained down.

Boom!

Boom-boom-boom...

Outside, seven Land Rovers crashed through the walls and barreled in.

There was a barrage of gunfire from the vehicles.

Rat-tat-tat... Boom-boom...

In an instant, the sound of submachine guns and grenades filled the air, blending into a single cacophony.

But it lasted only a minute.

The seven Land Rovers roared away.

Silence fell.

All that remained in the air was the acrid stench of tear gas.

But since they were in an open area and a bit of a distance away, Song Kai and the others simply found the smell unpleasant; it wasn’t enough to knock them out.

The world was eerily quiet.

Xu Ling frowned and asked Song Kai, “What just happened?”

Song Kai listened for a moment, then replied, “It should be over. The assassins have been eliminated. Let’s get out of here and head to the hot springs. There’s water there that can help absorb the tear gas.”

Zhang Hongjun was stunned. “Are you sure? Aren’t you President Xu’s driver? Who did you call?”

“Oh, just some friends,” Song Kai replied, feigning nonchalance. “Let’s go.”

They followed Song Kai to the hot springs in the back garden.

Sure enough, there were no assassins, no more gunfire—nothing at all.

The backyard was peaceful, as if the preceding attack had never happened.

Ai Hao was utterly dumbfounded.

Zhang Hongjun, too, was now extremely respectful toward Song Kai and Xu Ling. He simply couldn’t understand how Song Kai could make a single call and summon such formidable reinforcements!

Song Kai checked his watch. “The police will probably take another ten minutes to get here. In the meantime, let’s discuss the contract. If President Zhang isn’t willing to accept President Xu’s offer, we’ll just contact another company. Honestly, from what you said just now, I think Xu Ling is selling her program far too cheaply.”

“No, no, don’t change companies. We’ll do it—let’s cooperate!” Zhang Hongjun responded at once. “One hundred million dollars, transferred immediately, plus a perpetual 0.1% share of all future profits. You won’t lose out on this deal, because even if another company gets the program, they can’t utilize it to the same extent. Penguin Group is the leader in both robotics and the future of virtual gaming. In ten years, your 0.1% could amount to a fortune.”

“Good. It’s a deal,” Xu Ling said to Zhang Hongjun.

Zhang Hongjun smiled humbly. “Excellent. I look forward to working with you. Oh, President Xu, after we sign and complete the paperwork, may I buy you a drink? And this young man as well, if he’s willing.”

“Of course, I’d be delighted.” Xu Ling smiled faintly.

Ai Hao, green with envy, couldn’t care about his pride any longer. He hurried over. “And me, I’ll treat you all! President Zhang, I’m a good friend of Xu Ling—and Song Kai is my cousin from the countryside. Don’t go by his clothes; we’re really related.”

Song Kai rolled his eyes and nudged Ai Hao aside. That guy had some nerve.

Soon, the police arrived.

Then came the armed police and the bomb squad.

Wu Hongying also arrived, her eyes bloodshot.

But Song Kai didn’t mention Danlina.

The call Song Kai had made earlier was, of course, to Danlina. Wu Hongying, after all, was a police officer, but with a special status—Song Kai didn’t want to mention the secret deployment of Interpol.

After the police left, the contract was signed and the funds transferred.

Everything was settled.

“So, drinks tonight—don’t forget,” Zhang Hongjun said to Xu Ling and Song Kai.

Xu Ling smiled. “Of course.”

Song Kai and Xu Ling walked out of the estate.

Now, the entire Shuiyun Estate was in ruins.

Just outside the gate, Song Kai saw a yellow Land Rover parked by the roadside.

Danlina was sitting inside, window down, taking pictures with her phone—capturing the beautiful scenery.

Song Kai said to Xu Ling, “Xu Ling, get in the car first and wait a moment. I need to meet a friend.”

“All right,” Xu Ling replied, not asking any further.

Song Kai walked over to the Land Rover and hopped into the passenger seat.

“Hey!” he greeted Danlina, already bracing himself for a scolding.

Danlina’s team had come to capture Ding Zhe’s dark web mercenaries.

Earlier, when Song Kai called Danlina for help, he’d lied, claiming the assassins were Ding Zhe’s men.

In truth, they weren’t.

Feeling embarrassed, Song Kai said, “Hey, Danlina, I’m sorry.”

“Why apologize?” Danlina turned, rolled up the window, and said, “Your place is beautiful—so beautiful I could eat it up!”

“You mean ‘a feast for the eyes,’” Song Kai corrected helplessly.

“Yes, that’s the phrase! It’s beautiful too,” Danlina laughed. Then she produced three photographs. “Song Kai, you’ve done a great service...”