The Plough

The window was only half open, and it was unclear whether it was due to years of disrepair or water damage to the frame. 

The back half simply wouldn't budge, so Ling Shu had to grab onto the handle above the window frame with both hands, lift his feet up first, and then his body, struggling to squeeze out. 

As he did so, he couldn't help but think that he had gained some weight recently. 

Going to Yue Dingtang's house for dinner every day was not a wise choice after all. 

Indulging in food had led to the current situation where he could barely jump over a car window.

The station was bustling with people, and Ling Shu's hands were still handcuffed, making him look like a criminal. 

As soon as he jumped out of the window, many eyes were on him. He didn't have time to worry about them, though. 

As soon as he landed, he started running towards the station exit. 

As long as he left the station, he would be temporarily safe. In the crowd coming towards him, many were waiting for a ride, and there were not many people like Ling Shu who got off midway.

Going against the flow was difficult step by step.

Ling Shu was looking around, trying to find a gap in the crowd to slip through, when he saw a little girl in a cotton coat running towards him, holding a stick of sugar-coated haws.

The little girl was dressed warmly, but she stumbled as she walked, as if she had lost her parents. She looked around with tears in her eyes.

She fell accidentally right in front of Ling Shu, and although she was not hurt, the sugar-coated haws flew out of her hand.

Ling Shu couldn't help but bend down to help the crying child, but at that moment, he suddenly felt a sense of alertness in his heart.

It was hard to describe this feeling. It's like being in a constant state of danger for a long time, where one easily reacts to any potential threat, even the slightest breeze can make one jumpy like a startled bird.

But these instincts and awareness have saved his life countless times.

When his internal alarm bells rang, Ling Shu didn't even have time to look up before grabbing the child and rolling to the side!

Bang!

Gunshots rang out, and the bullet hit the spot where he had just been standing!

The child was not the target of the shooter, so Ling Shu put the child down and charged straight into the densest part of the crowd. 

He had originally held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking that Mr. Cheng's men would focus their pursuit on Chen Wendong. 

As for himself, he was just an additional trouble and burden. 

But now it seemed that Mr. Cheng was determined to eliminate all potential future problems.

If Ling Shu were to die, even if Yue Dingtang were to question him afterwards, Mr. Cheng could easily shift all the blame onto Chen Wendong, citing his numerous enemies and claiming that Ling Shu was caught in the crossfire. 

Furthermore, Yue Dingtang might not even confront Mr. Cheng directly for the sake of an old classmate and subordinate.

The police at the station rushed out upon hearing the gunshots, but the two assassins had long disappeared into the crowd.

Ling Shu risked his life and ran wildly! 

He leaped over several fences without hesitation, pulling out a steel wire he had just picked up in the train restroom. 

As he ran for his life, he also worked to free himself from the handcuffs. 

This little life may not be very valuable, but Ling Shu doesn't want to die just yet, especially not in such a miserable way.

He takes a quick glance behind him and sure enough, two men in coats and hats are chasing after him.

Up ahead is a three-way intersection. To the left is the exit of the train station, to the right is the entrance, and in the middle is a work passage.

Without hesitation, Ling Shu turns left and disappears from the sight of the two men.

The two assassins exchange a glance and immediately give chase.

A few minutes later, Ling Shu appears at the entrance on the right, now wearing a hat on his head. He chuckles to himself, holding the train ticket he had just bought at a high price from someone else's hand, and boards the train once again. 

The train started from Hangzhou and passed through Jiaxing before arriving in Shanghai. 

This is Jiaxing Station, where the train made a brief stop before continuing on to Shanghai. 

It was exactly what Ling Shu wanted. 

Chen Wendong had originally planned to play a trick and go to Hangzhou first before heading to Nanjing, but now things had changed and it seemed unlikely they would make it to Hangzhou at all.

Just now, the two men thought Ling Shu wanted to leave the train station, but little did they know that after Ling Shu left the station, he actually circled back and found a passenger to buy his ticket at triple the price, along with the hat on the passenger's head. Then he returned to the train.

Even if the two assassins realized what had happened and tried to catch up to the train, it was already too late. Unless... there were more than just those two people sent by Mr. Cheng to kill them.

Ling Shu felt like he was a master strategist today. 

Sometimes things that seemed good didn't work out, while things that seemed bad turned out to be good. 

The ticket he bought was a third-class ticket. These days, the closer you are to the front of the train, the worse the environment and the more dangerous it becomes. 

The smell of coal smoke permeates the carriage, and when you get off at the next stop, your hair and clothes are sure to be covered in a layer of coal dust.

But such places are also better for hiding.

Obviously, someone else had the same idea as him.

Ling Shu looked around and found an empty seat to sit down. He pulled his hat down to cover half of his face.

Someone next to him handed him a bag of hot roasted chestnuts.

"Want some?" The voice was deep and somewhat familiar.

Ling Shu turned his head.

Chen Wendong, wearing a women's cotton coat and a woman's headscarf, was also looking at him.

Ling Shu: ...

Seeing his horrified expression, Chen Wendong rarely pulled the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile-like expression.

"What a coincidence."

Indeed, it was a coincidence.

Ling Shu calmed down his frightened heart.

"How did you know?" Chen Wendong said, "It seems like we have the same plan."

Ling Shu replied, "Going back to Shanghai is a dead end for you."

"That's why I said it's a coincidence," Chen Wendong said as he pulled out a gun from his coat and aimed it at Ling Shu's waist once again.

Ling Shu's mouth twitched as he tried to reason with him. "Brother Chen, you saw it yourself, Mr. Cheng sent so many people after us. We might not be able to escape safely even if we stick together on this boat. Is it appropriate for us to fight amongst ourselves?"

"You're half right," Chen Wendong replied. "Because you want to get off this boat so badly, I can only keep you tied up on it." 

"You don't know how to use a gun. If you do, it won't do you any good and will only attract assassins. You've seen Mr. Cheng's abilities for yourself. Those are not ordinary gangsters. Judging from their skills and movements, they may have even served in the military. Since they won't let me go, I have no choice but to stick with you." His words seemed to convince the other person.

Chen Wendong pondered for a moment before finally putting away the gun.

Ling Shu breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's right, we need to work together sincerely. Maybe we can still escape. Don't worry, I won't betray you. Mr. Cheng has made it clear that he won't let me go, so if I sell you out, I won't benefit either."

Chen Wendong said coldly, "I hope your words match your actions."

Ling Shu asked, "What's your plan now? Are you still going to Nanjing?"

Chen Wendong did not answer. In that moment, a hint of confusion appeared on his face.

Ling Shu realized that maybe he didn't want to answer, but truly didn't know what to do.

Having lost Mr. Cheng's trust, he was now like a stray dog, with nowhere to go.

"Let's go back to Shanghai first," he heard the other person say.

Chen Wendong tilted his head slightly, leaning against Ling Shu's shoulder.

Their mismatched appearances drew more than a few curious glances from passersby.

Ling Shu pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but feeling that communication with Chen Wendong was difficult. They had finally reached a consensus, and he didn't want any more complications.

After wandering around, they had barely left Shanghai before having to return.

Ling Shu felt that Chen Wendong's escape route was destined to be anything but smooth. 

Little did he know, trouble was brewing just as he had settled down. 

The train, which was supposed to depart on time, was delayed. Confused and curious passengers began to speculate and discuss the situation. 

The train attendant became impatient and started arguing with the passengers, almost resorting to violence, causing chaos to ensue.

Amidst the commotion, Ling Shu noticed that some of the onlookers were not paying attention to the quarrel, but were instead looking around, particularly in his direction. Finally, the train started moving, gradually picking up speed with the sound of the whistle.

As the anger of the passengers and train attendant subsided and the crowd dispersed, Ling Shu remained vigilant. He had noticed a passenger who had been looking around earlier, now walking towards them. 

Chen Wendong reached for his gun, but Ling Shu stopped him. 

He lowered his voice and growled, "Do you want to alert the enemy? What if he's not the one we're looking for?"

Chen Wendong's face turned cold, his murderous intent barely concealed.

The man quickly approached them.

"Excuse me, sir. Are you Mr. Ling?" he asked.

Ling Shu replied, "Who are you?"

The man exclaimed with delight, "Oh, great! Do you remember Boss Teng? I work under him as the theater manager. Last time at Miss He's movie premiere, you saved her. I even sent someone to buy you some medicine for your injuries!"

It seemed like it did happen. Ling Shu asked, "What are you doing here?" 

The theater manager sighed, "It's a long story. Miss He is planning to retire from acting, and our theater's income is already limited. Mr. Teng is considering closing down a few theaters, which means I'll be out of a job. I went back to my hometown for a few days and now I'm planning to return to Shanghai to look for new opportunities. But what about you? What brings you here?"

Suddenly, a passerby interrupted with a lively conversation, as if he had met an old friend. He talked endlessly, but Ling Shu had something on his mind and couldn't spare the time to listen.

"I'm sorry, I have something to attend to right now. How about we continue our chat in Shanghai?" Ling Shu interrupted him.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry to have bothered you. Let's talk when we get back!" The other person quickly apologized, as if waking up from a dream.

Just as the theater manager turned around, he immediately turned back with a gun in his hand, pointing it directly at Chen Wendong behind Ling Shu! 

Without warning, someone forcefully pulled Ling Shu back just as he was about to react! 

It was Chen Wendong, who was using him as a human shield! 

Quick as lightning, Ling Shu dodged backwards and kicked the theater manager, causing him to stumble back two steps and the gun to misfire, hitting the roof of the car instead.

Bang! The bullet exploded like boiling water in oil, startling the fish in the entire car and causing everyone to scream and scramble for their lives, just like on the train before. The difference was that this time, the train was still moving forward and there was no way to stop it, let alone jump out of the window.

Everyone could only run towards the front and back of the car, but Ling Shu couldn't run because he was still grappling with the theater manager in the aisle. They had already exchanged several blows in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, Chen Wendong, who had used Ling Shu as a shield, didn't even pause for a moment and ran towards the front of the car.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of consecutive gunshots rang out, making one's heart race up and down.

Whether the other party was a theater manager with multiple identities or a temporary assassin trying to strike up a conversation, Ling Shu no longer wanted to delve into it. 

He just wanted to get away as soon as possible. 

He clamped down on the other party's hand, lifted his knee, and knocked the gun out of the way with a bang. Then, with his other hand, he swung a punch!

The other party groaned and turned his head.

Ling Shu realized that his right hand had lost some strength. 

If it were before, this punch would have knocked out a few teeth. 

The gun fell into the gap between the seats and could not be found for a while, so the other party had to continue to fight Ling Shu barehanded. 

At some point, the crowded train car had dwindled down to just the two of them. 

Fighting while maintaining balance on a moving train was no easy feat, but the other person clearly wasn't as skilled as Ling Shu. 

Within moments, Ling Shu had landed several blows, breaking several of the other person's ribs and causing them to spit up blood as they stumbled backwards.

Ling Shu showed no mercy, relentlessly pursuing his opponent. In a situation like this, showing mercy was equivalent to signing your own death warrant. 

He had made up his mind to finish the other person off right then and there. 

Seeing his opponent retreat, Ling Shu immediately closed in, kicking the person down and pinning them to the ground, his hands around their neck.

Suddenly, a flash of light from the other person's hand caught Ling Shu off guard. He tried to retreat, but was too slow. The dagger was inches away from piercing his vital organs.

Bang!

Bang!

Two gunshots rang out, one from in front and one from behind. The sound of gunfire had a clear order, with the first shot being faster and the second a few seconds slower.

Two bullets were fired, one hitting the back of the head of the theater manager and the other hitting his leg.

The theater manager died on the spot.

However, Ling Shu was unharmed.

He suddenly looked up and turned around!

Jiang He was standing in the front car, and it was obvious that he was the one who fired the shot that hit the back of the killer's head.

Meanwhile, Yue Dingtang was standing in the connecting car behind Ling Shu. His marksmanship was also good, but Jiang He's shot was naturally more effective.

Ling Shu breathed a sigh of relief and realized that he was sweating profusely.

"I thought no one was coming to save me, but then two people showed up. I'm really flattered!" Ling Shu's nonchalant nature emerged as soon as the crisis was over. 

He casually gestured to the front and back and sat down without bothering to get up. 

"Oh, by the way, Chen Wendong seems to have run to the front carriage," he said.

"He's dead," Jiang He said.

Ling Shu was taken aback. "Was it done by Mr. Cheng's people?"

"I did it," Jiang He said.

Ling Shu laughed in surprise. "Are you here to kill me too?"

"Originally, yes. But I owe you a life, so I won't kill you. And now, I don't need to kill you," Jiang He replied.

Ling Shu understood the first part of what was said in front, but not the second.

Jiang He didn't explain much and went ahead to confirm if the assassin was really dead.

The train conductor soon arrived and shouted at the three of them not to move and to raise their hands. 

As Jiang He and Yue Dingtang, they naturally wouldn't encounter any trouble. 

They didn't need to use excessive force to accomplish their goal. 

Yue Dingtang didn't even need to reveal his identity as a member of the Yue family. 

Jiang He had connections with the Shanghai gang, although he wasn't a member of the Qing gang, he had deep ties with them. As long as they mentioned the Qing gang's name and the identity of the killer, the police wouldn't dare to do anything. They even had to politely invite the three of them to the lounge and confirm their identities before getting off the car.

Until now, Ling Shu was still a bit confused.

"Why do I feel like this all ended anticlimatically?"

It wasn't that he wanted to stay in danger, but this crisis seemed to have ended abruptly, leaving behind a huge question mark.

Did Mr. Cheng's men really just crumble so easily?

Yue Dingtang answered his doubts. "Mr. Cheng's plane crashed on the way to Hong Kong with He You'an, and everyone on board died."