Chapter 84

"Why doesn't Wenqing hide? If someone points you out, won't that just add to the trouble?" Qi Huishen thought Chen Ke's insistence on staying at the school was rather rash. As he spoke, he glanced at He Ying, who was by Chen Ke's side.

The constables from the police station were all in a frenzy, wandering around the school like mad dogs. To prevent his wife from being harassed, Chen Ke had He Ying stay by his side. Hearing Qi Huishen's words, He Ying remained calm, gently holding Chen Ke's arm.

"Yesterday, we both went to visit the prison, and the person was taken away at night. Today, we both go missing. What does that look like? Isn't it like admitting guilt without being questioned?" Chen Ke patted He Ying's hand lightly and laughed softly.

In fact, Qi Huishen had the same thought, which was why he stayed here. Seeing Chen Ke chat with him so calmly, she couldn't help but sigh, "Wenqing, you really have a lot of courage. Even with your face covered, your build..."

Chen Ke's build might not be too noticeable in the north, but in the south, he stood out like a crane among chickens. Among those searching the school, there were a few constables who had been knocked out by Chen Ke the day before. Whether it was a psychological effect or not, Qi Huishen felt that their gazes on Chen Ke were filled with a dangerous aura.

"Even if they recognize me, what can they do? Do they dare to arrest people here? This isn't a concession. This is our school. According to British tradition, the government can't come to the school to arrest people without major evidence or special circumstances. They can't even enter Fudan University, let alone come here to arrest people. Besides, this isn't a big case. No one has died. There's no need to worry," Chen Ke laughed.

"Doing such a big case, thinking about it now, it really feels great," Cai Qingguo suddenly laughed, over a hundred kilometers away from Chen Ke. This Shandong hero didn't usually laugh, but he was quite happy at this moment.

Wu Xingchen, who was on the same boat as Cai Qingguo, was also quite pleased, though his face remained calm. Cai Qingguo, who had a life-and-death friendship with him, could tell, "Brother Wu, why didn't you let me kill those constables who were knocked down outside?"

Although he said this, Cai Qingguo wasn't too bothered by not killing them.

Last night, when Wu Xingchen and Cai Qingguo suddenly saw Hua Xiongmeng rush out of the police station, they were really startled. The four of them had two guns, one for Chen Ke and one for Wu Xingchen. Cai Qingguo thought something big had happened at the police station and had already drawn his hatchet.

Wu Xingchen held back Cai Qingguo, who was about to rush in. In that moment, Hua Xiongmeng was already nearby. "Wenqing has started. He wants us to prepare to receive the person."

"Can he handle it alone?" Wu Xingchen asked in a low voice.

"I've seen Wenqing's skills. He should be fine," Hua Xiongmeng remembered the lightning-fast movements he saw when he first met Chen Ke half a year ago.

Time seemed to pass very slowly. There were some sounds coming from the police station, but they couldn't hear clearly from outside. The only thing they could confirm was that there were no gunshots, so Chen Ke probably didn't use a gun. However, the three people hiding in the dark didn't see Chen Ke come out.

Wu Xingchen's hands were on Hua Xiongmeng's and Cai Qingguo's shoulders. Whenever they moved slightly, Wu Xingchen's strong hands would press down on their shoulders. During the training, they had always been taught not to use sound to communicate, and the simplest gestures were for stopping and attacking. Wu Xingchen's gesture was the signal to stop all movements. At that moment, two figures appeared on the street, dressed as patrolling constables. Clearly, these two constables didn't notice the three people in the shadows and had no idea that a fierce fight was happening inside the police station. It was very cold at midnight, and they rubbed their hands while quickly walking towards the gate.

Just as the two constables turned their backs to the street and were about to step into the police station, Wu Xingchen pushed Cai Qingguo and Hua Xiongmeng. This was a signal they had practiced hundreds of times. Although their minds might not be in sync with Wu Xingchen, their bodies moved before their thoughts. More accurately, Hua Xiongmeng had a stronger offensive mindset. If the two constables entered the police station, it would be too dangerous for Chen Ke.

Cai Qingguo didn't have such a strong fighting spirit. He was really waiting for Chen Ke to come out. Both of them rushed forward involuntarily, but the difference in their sincerity was significant. Just a moment's hesitation, and Cai Qingguo was already more than a meter behind Hua Xiongmeng.

Hearing the footsteps behind them, the two constables stopped almost simultaneously. Hua Xiongmeng was on the left. The constable he targeted didn't have time to turn around before Hua Xiongmeng struck the carotid artery on his neck. This powerful blow instantly cut off the blood flow to the brain. Hua Xiongmeng didn't even look at the constable, who was starting to sway. His other hand already grabbed the throat of the other constable. With a slight force, the constable's throat made a faint, strange sound and he couldn't make any more noise. Hua Xiongmeng moved behind this constable, and his other arm, like an iron hoop, wrapped around the constable's neck. At this moment, Cai Qingguo arrived. Seeing Hua Xiongmeng had already subdued the two enemies, a feeling of uselessness crept over him. Cai Qingguo subconsciously drew his hatchet and raised it high, aiming for the chest of the constable who was struggling desperately.

Hua Xiongmeng never thought Cai Qingguo would really kill. He was trying to choke the constable and press his other hand on the carotid artery. The brain would lose consciousness in three seconds without blood flow. He used both hands to make the constable lose consciousness and couldn't stop Cai Qingguo from killing. He could only pull back slightly, trying to keep the constable as far from the hatchet as possible.

The constable, already terrified by the ambush, was even more scared when he saw the hatchet about to cut into his chest. Whether it was from fear or lack of blood flow, Hua Xiongmeng felt the constable's body, which was tense, suddenly go limp like a deflated balloon. Fortunately, Cai Qingguo's hatchet only cut through the constable's shirt and didn't penetrate his chest as expected.

Cai Qingguo, missing the first strike, was only more enraged. He took a step forward and raised the hatchet again. Wu Xingchen, though tall and muscular, followed quickly after Cai Qingguo. He finally caught up and, with quick reflexes, grabbed Cai Qingguo's wrist. "This time, we're rescuing people. Don't kill recklessly," Wu Xingchen said calmly.

The three left the unconscious constables and heard Chen Ke's voice, "Xingchen, guard the door. The rest, follow me inside." Chen Ke was already in the shadows by the door. He led the way to the prison. Hua Xiongmeng followed without hesitation. A little later, Cai Qingguo also followed.

The training paid off. In the unfamiliar police station, Cai Qingguo ran swiftly. In the darkness, he followed the habits he had developed during training, making it quite easy. The prison door was locked, and Chen Ke swung his hatchet, cutting the iron chain in one swift strike. He kicked open the door and rushed in. When Cai Qingguo arrived, the door of the room next to the prison was wide open, with several people lying inside, motionless. In the light, they saw the iron chain, as thick as a finger, cut cleanly in two. Then they heard Chen Ke shout something inside the prison. When Cai Qingguo entered, he saw Chen Ke holding two guards at gunpoint. Hua Xiongmeng moved behind them, striking each guard's neck, and they immediately fell to the ground.

Chen Ke put his gun back in his waistband and rushed to the innermost cell. This time, Cai Qingguo kept up with Chen Ke. At the door, Chen Ke didn't prepare; he just raised his hatchet. The speed of his swing was so fast it was invisible to the naked eye. The cut iron chain, like two mad snakes, suddenly sprang up, making a sharp sound in the air before hitting the prison door. The cut ends of the chain pierced the wood. The door opened, and the two outside rushed in, pulling the person out without hesitation. The comrades inside were half-asleep and startled by the sudden change. They screamed a few times but, seeing the people outside clearly weren't constables, they calmed down. Chen Ke and the others, following their training, each picked up a comrade who looked more seriously injured and carried them out. The remaining comrade was also quick and ran fast behind the three. He had been interrogated and tortured multiple times and knew the way well.

When the three reached the door, they saw Wu Xingchen covering his nose. Cai Qingguo smelled a fresh smell of feces and urine. Confused, Wu Xingchen let go of his hand, "A constable seems to have soiled his pants." After rushing in, Cai Qingguo had been very tense, and he couldn't help but laugh at this. The group followed the plan, with three people carrying three comrades and Wu Xingchen leading the other, disappearing into the night.

While talking to Wu Xingchen, Cai Qingguo suddenly remembered the constable on the ground with feces and urine in his pants and couldn't help but laugh again. He had laughed a lot today. Although Cai Qingguo and the rescued comrades from the People's Party were strangers, thinking back to a few years ago, when he was chased by the Beiyang Army and foreigners, he had no time to rescue captured brothers. The success of this operation gave Cai Qingguo some comfort.

He suddenly remembered Chen Ke's decision to return to the dock. For the first time in his life, he was worried about Chen Ke's safety. "Brother Wu, will Wenqing be okay?"

"If Wenqing says he'll be fine, he should be fine," Wu Xingchen said calmly.

"Even so, I'm still a bit worried. Those foreigners are very domineering. This time, we rescued people, and I bet Shanghai is in an uproar."

"Qingguo, I know you and Wenqing have some issues. After this incident, the party organization will definitely move to Anhui. I want to hear your plans," Wu Xingchen asked in a low voice, seeing no one around.

Everyone was on the same boat, and the boat owner was the same one who had provided the boat for the social investigation. When Hua Xiongmeng woke the boat owner, who was half-asleep, he still remembered him. The boat was not small, and everyone could sit down. Hua Xiongmeng was taking care of the four comrades in the cabin, while Wu Xingchen and Cai Qingguo stood at the bow, undisturbed.

The water towns of southern Jiangsu were very different from Shandong and Hebei. Cai Qingguo had taken off his black jacket and put on a borrowed one from the boat owner. Although it was sunny today, the wind on the bow, filled with moisture, was quite cold.

"I'll follow you, Brother Wu," Cai Qingguo said, pulling his jacket, feeling a bit cold.

"Depending on the situation, I'm about to return to Hebei," Wu Xingchen stood like an iron tower, unmoved by the cold wind. The borrowed jacket didn't fit him at all, and his chest was completely exposed. He just wore it over his black clothes.

"Then I'll go back to Hebei too," Cai Qingguo said quickly.

Wu Xingchen didn't directly agree or disagree, "Qingguo, you're a probationary party member now, right?"

"I know."

"Being a probationary party member doesn't mean you can attend all meetings, but the results of each meeting will be reported to everyone. This isn't very important. For you, whether you can attend party meetings is just a matter of face. But as a party member, you must listen to the party. You can't do whatever you want."

Cai Qingguo understood Wu Xingchen's meaning and lowered his head, wrapping his jacket, "Brother Wu, I still want to follow you."

"Then what do you think is wrong with Wenqing?" Wu Xingchen continued, "In terms of martial arts, intelligence, and efficiency, in which way is he not better than you?"

"I don't understand the things intellectuals do."

"The things I've learned are from Wenqing. Why don't you say you don't understand? Don't pretend. I'm asking you straight. If the party organization asks you to stay, will you stay?"

Cai Qingguo knew Wu Xingchen wouldn't take him back to Hebei this time. The so-called question was just to persuade him. He spoke his true thoughts, "I'm afraid of being bullied here."

"You've memorized the party's organizational discipline many times. If you're bullied, you can report it to the party organization. Who dares to bully you?"

"Didn't I get bullied in Beijing?" Cai Qingguo resisted.

Wu Xingchen didn't fall for this, "Don't make excuses. Beijing was different from now. In Beijing, you ran away, and I could take you to Wenqing to complain. If you run away this time, no matter how wronged you are, I'll bring you back and beat you first."

Seeing Wu Xingchen's firm attitude, Cai Qingguo finally asked, "Brother Wu, why do you follow Chen Ke? If you haven't learned everything, with your intelligence, you should have learned everything by now. You should be able to do everything. With the principles you've talked about, what do we fear in Shandong? We can deal with the government and foreigners. If we can't fight, we run. If we can fight, we hold them off until they weaken, and then we strike. Why do we need to follow the party organization's command here? You've said before that the party organization is expanding quickly. Isn't it better to do things on our own rather than get entangled with people we don't know?"

Hearing this, Wu Xingchen laughed coldly, "Didn't Uncle Zhao and Uncle Jing treat us well?"

"Of course, they did," Cai Qingguo answered firmly.

"Then, could Uncle Zhao and Uncle Jing have done yesterday's operation as smoothly as we did?"

"This..." Cai Qingguo was speechless. Back then, he had fought in a church under Zhao San duo, which took a lot of effort and many lives to capture. The preparation and training before the battle were far inferior to what Chen Ke had done.

"I'm not saying anything bad about the two uncles. We might be good at fighting in the countryside, but if you really had to fight the foreigners, would you dare say you're better than the two uncles? I don't think so."

"Chen Ke's group is only a few people. How can they compare to the two uncles with tens of thousands of people?"

"True, they are only a few dozen people, but they can achieve this much. Imagine what they could do with tens of thousands of people. What have you learned? What exactly have you learned? Tell me." Wu Xingchen asked, seeing Cai Qingguo's silence, he continued, "Qingguo, you're a good brother. Sometimes, we have to accept our fate. If someone is better than us, we should follow them. I've been with Wenqing for half a year. They might not be as good as the two uncles now, but their methods are far superior. We don't like intellectuals, but Wenqing and his group are different. Have you ever seen intellectuals lead a rescue operation? Have you ever seen them train everyone before a rescue? Why? Isn't it to minimize casualties? In the past, we relied on numbers in battles, but they are different. Qingguo, can someone with such thoughts really be a bad person?"

Cai Qingguo still didn't speak. Last night's prison break left a deep impression on him, especially Chen Ke's action of cutting the iron chain. He had once rescued a prisoner and used an axe to cut the chain. It took several people a long time to cut it. Just one swing, if not done with firm belief and full concentration, wouldn't work. Just being strong isn't enough. Cai Qingguo was a skilled person, so he understood that achieving this level wasn't just about hard training. It was a matter of character. Those who could do this were people with strong and decisive personalities.

Cai Qingguo had seen such people before—they were all very scary. In critical moments, they never felt fear, and life and death were already out of their minds. Just like when he led his cavalry to break through the Beiyang Army's encirclement, it wasn't just about leaving behind the comrades without horses; even among those with horses, one in two didn't make it. The determination required was immense, and Cai Qingguo himself was such a resolute person.

Thinking about this, Cai Qingguo finally spoke, "Brother Wu, you know my character. I don't care about life and death anymore. But I've already risked my life for Uncle Zhao once. After Uncle Zhao died, I don't want to risk it again easily. Since you put it this way, I'll make a deal with you. I'll follow Chen Ke for another year. If I'm still alive after this year, if I still want to leave, you can't stop me."

"Deal. One year," Wu Xingchen agreed.

Cai Qingguo nodded but didn't speak further. It was already noon, and the wind on the river had a slight warmth, making it more comfortable.

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