Chapter 318
The three of them had just stopped and exchanged a couple of words when Mario, who had been following them, appeared, clutching a dagger in his hand.
A large red figure concealed his face, making it impossible to discern his features or gender, adding an air of mystery about him.
“Who sent you?” Lin Mengyao asked, her voice slightly tight as she watched Mario intending to move closer. She wanted to know who was behind targeting them. However, Xu Ke and Sheng Wenhao had no doubts. They had already guessed who hired him to commit murder, but they could only say that the person wasn’t professional enough. Instead of taking down Sheng Wenhao at the moment he let down his guard, they circled around, ultimately sacrificing their own life to pay for the scheme.
“Dead men don’t need to know much. You just need to shut up and die quietly.” Mario held the dagger and cast a cold stare at Sheng Wenhao through the puppet, his eyes carrying a sense of relentless determination, making him seem more formidable than before.
“I don’t need you to take him down. I’ll deal with the trouble I caused.” Sheng Wenhao stopped Xu Ke from intervening. “Just protect my sister-in-law. Let me show you what I’ve become in Africa.” Sheng Wenhao skillfully pulled a surgical knife from the inner pocket of Xu Ke’s clothes.
The thin and sharp blade was gently brushed by Sheng Wenhao’s fingers in his hand. “Not bad, the knife is quite sharp and handy. Order one for me when we return,” Sheng Wenhao nudged Xu Ke with his elbow. After Xu Ke nodded, he happily turned his gaze back to Mario, but this time with an impatient look.
“Are you insulting me?” A muffled voice emanated from inside the puppet.
“I’m insulting you, you bastard. If you think you can kill me, you should first check if I’m someone you can touch.” Sheng Wenhao, rid of his earlier arrogance, now exuded the air of a street punk. He aggressively rubbed his nose with one hand and charged towards Mario like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, embodying a formidable presence.
Because the assassin was wearing a costume, the length of the surgical knife wasn’t sufficient to pierce through the costume and also strike the assassin’s vital points for a lethal blow. Hence, the range within which Sheng Wenhao could effectively attack was pitifully narrow, whereas the assassin had no such concerns. His dagger was already more advantageous compared to the surgical knife in Sheng Wenhao’s hand, and he was accustomed to killing while wearing the costume, so he moved without any restriction. Very soon, Sheng Wenhao accumulated several wounds and was at a disadvantage.
Xu Ke watched from afar with Lin Mengyao, his brows furrowing deeper. He realized that if he stood by and did nothing, Sheng Wenhao might fall here, and the longer they delayed, the worse it would be for them.
“I’m going to help. Hold on to this in case any suspicious person appears, then use it against them.” Xu Ke handed the gun confiscated in the garden to Lin Mengyao, startling her so much that she nearly tossed the gun away.
“I don’t have time to explain now. I’ll tell you when we get back.” Xu Ke could see all of Lin Mengyao’s reactions, but now was not the time for explanations, so he temporarily shelved the matter.
Xu Ke hurriedly instructed Lin Mengyao and then joined the fray. His arrival caused the battlefield to reverse instantly.
Unlike Sheng Wenhao, who hadn’t systematically learned combat and fighting techniques, Xu Ke didn’t rely only on beastly instincts and reckless approaches to intimidate opponents. He used mental pressure to achieve victory.
Xu Ke was raised to be the successor of the Xu Family, receiving orthodox yet bloody elite education. During his twenty years with the Xu Family, he enjoyed experiences others couldn’t have in a lifetime, and he exerted efforts most couldn’t imagine. He had seen much and been through a lot, so the assassin treating Sheng Wenhao like a plaything finally lost his footing when facing Xu Ke’s fierce and sharp moves.
“Who exactly are you?” The assassin, humiliated and angry as his costume was once again torn, glared at Xu Ke and asked harshly.
“Dead men don’t need to know so much.” Xu Ke repeated his earlier words to Lin Mengyao, nearly causing the assassin to faint out of anger. Though he didn’t anger him to death directly, Xu Ke managed to disrupt his movements.
Once his mind was thrown into chaos, his moves became erratic, revealing his flaws. Xu Ke seized the opponent’s weakness without hesitation and plunged the surgical knife into his throat.
As the silver-white blade was withdrawn, it spouted a fountain of blood.
“Someone’s coming this way, let’s go quickly.” Sheng Wenhao, hearing distant sounds, grabbed Lin Mengyao and Xu Ke without delay and fled, not bothering about any gender decorum. Despite carrying wounds with red blood continuing to trickle down his body due to the movement, since he wore black clothes, it wasn’t very conspicuous. But anyone close could smell the blood.
Without looking back, Sheng Wenhao led the pair to the exit before letting go. “Sorry, things were too urgent just now. I didn’t pay attention. You won’t mind, right?” Sheng Wenhao knew his brother’s level of jealousy very well, so he directed his words at Xu Ke without asking Lin Mengyao.
The three of them caught their breath to steady themselves before walking out as unobstructed as they had come.
“We can’t stay here in America. With two dead in the amusement park, the American government will definitely investigate. We weren’t clean with our work; they’ll likely trace it back to us. Now, we can only take the fastest flight home immediately,” said Xu Ke as he booked the quickest return flight tickets for the three of them.
“Today, I dragged you into this. I, Sheng Wenhao, swear that as long as I live, if you ever need me, I’ll go through any hardship for you.” Sheng Wenhao said, patting his chest.
“We’re brothers; there’s no need to be so clear about things. Let’s just get a cab to the airport,” Xu Ke said, patting Sheng Wenhao’s shoulder.
Pressed for time, they barely made the boarding call when they arrived at the airport. Once seated in the plane, all three exchanged glances and smiled in relief.
Xu Ke and Sheng Wenhao fared alright, but Lin Mengyao, exhausted from the continuous tension, fell asleep shortly after boarding.