Chapter 137: Save Me
Old Mo pressed the disposal button, his face devoid of expression.
SPLASH!
The disposal hatch opened, and the wooden crate sank into the water!
Seawater rapidly seeped in through the crate’s cracks, and in less than ten seconds, it was completely full!
Zhu Wenhu, caught completely off guard, swallowed several mouthfuls of seawater before he realized what was happening. He struggled to hold his breath, thrashing wildly!
But the more he struggled, the more intense the feeling of suffocation became.
He desperately craved a breath to ease the pressure.
But Zhu Wenhu knew that if he took a breath, his lungs would fill with water, and he would die in moments.
’Is this it? Is this the last moment of my life?’
At that moment, Zhu Wenhu thought of his wife and his children.
Finally, he thought of his boss, Bai Jiangbo, and the shadowy figures behind him.
He once had a happy family, but after getting mixed up with Bai Jiangbo, he had fallen deeper and deeper into an abyss from which he could not escape.
...
Cheng Yuan’s timing was perfect. He rushed to the bottom of the hold just as the disposal hatch opened, just in time to see the wooden crate being dumped into the sea.
"Hands on your head! Get down on the ground, now!"
The Warriors issued the command, and Old Mo complied obediently. After all, Zhu Wenhu was already dead.
Wu Mengyao demanded coldly, "Speak! What did you just dump overboard? Was it Zhu Wenhu?"
Old Mo denied it flatly. "No, I was just dumping some everyday trash. I admit it’s against the rules, and I’m willing to accept the punishment."
Cheng Yuan strode toward the disposal hatch and asked impassively, "You think Zhu Wenhu is a dead man, don’t you?"
Old Mo didn’t answer, only shot him a defiant glance. ’Trapped in a locked wooden crate? Even an old fisherman like me would be a goner, to say nothing of a landlubber like Zhu Wenhu.’
Cheng Yuan suddenly grinned. With a light flick of his finger, a bolt of True Qi shot out and hit the disposal button.
SPLASH!
Cheng Yuan was dumped into the sea!
The sight horrified the Warriors and Wu Mengyao. ’What is Mr. Cheng doing? He’s being too reckless!’
’Even if he had to go in the water, he should have at least worn an oxygen mask!’
Old Mo was dumbfounded too. ’Is this kid an idiot? Why would he dump himself overboard? Does he really think he’s some kind of sea king who can breathe underwater?’
Of course, Cheng Yuan wasn’t trying to get himself killed. When he was bored in prison, he had practiced holding his breath. He once held his face in a basin of water for a full half-hour.
The warden at the time had thought he’d drowned and came to check on him personally, only for Cheng Yuan to nearly scare him to death.
Cheng Yuan quickly found the steadily sinking wooden crate.
Normally, wood’s density should have made it float, but Old Mo had been vicious, placing several lead blocks inside to make it sink.
Like an agile fish, Cheng Yuan swam swiftly toward it.
Zhu Wenhu had reached his limit; he couldn’t hold his breath any longer.
"GLUG... GLUG..."
The air in his lungs escaped uncontrollably as streams of icy seawater rushed down his windpipe, setting his lungs on fire.
’Am I going to die?’
Just as Zhu Wenhu’s consciousness began to fade, a loud BANG echoed through the water. Cracks appeared in the thick wooden planks of the crate!
A sliver of hope ignited within Zhu Wenhu. He summoned all his remaining potential, managing to suppress the urge to breathe and cling to a thread of consciousness.
The next second, the crate was blasted open with a single punch!
Zhu Wenhu saw a familiar face, one that had haunted his nightmares for the past few days.
But right now, that face seemed incredibly dear to him.
Zhu Wenhu opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Still, Cheng Yuan understood what he meant.
"Save me. I’ll tell you everything."
Cheng Yuan grabbed Zhu Wenhu’s arm and swam forcefully toward the surface.
By the time he dragged Zhu Wenhu to the surface, the man had already lost consciousness.
The Warriors on deck quickly grabbed a rope and threw it into the sea.
Cheng Yuan wrapped the rope around himself and Zhu Wenhu, gasping for breath.
After all, the rescue had taken place dozens of meters underwater while dragging another person—a tremendous test of his physical stamina.
Soon, Cheng Yuan and Zhu Wenhu were pulled aboard.
Han Bing and Wu Mengyao, having heard the news, hurried onto the deck.
Wu Mengyao rushed to Cheng Yuan’s side, full of concern. "Cheng Yuan, are you all right?"
"I’m fine."
Beside them, Han Bing checked for Zhu Wenhu’s breath with her fingers, then shook her head at Cheng Yuan. "He’s not breathing."
Hearing this, Old Mo breathed a small sigh of relief. But in the next moment, his heart leaped back into his throat.
He watched as Cheng Yuan took out several Silver Needles and pricked them into Zhu Wenhu’s body a few times.
The breathless Zhu Wenhu suddenly began to cough violently. With a great retch, he spewed out a large mouthful of seawater!
Zhu Wenhu slowly came to, his consciousness gradually returning after several seconds.
Zhu Wenhu suddenly leaped up, his strength returning from nowhere, and threw a vicious punch at Old Mo. "I’ll kill you, you old bastard!"
THWACK! Old Mo’s face swelled up from the blow.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
Zhu Wenhu’s blows grew fiercer, and soon Old Mo was black and blue.
No one intervened. After all, the more hostile the situation between Zhu Wenhu and Old Mo became, the better it was for their case.
Having recovered his strength, Cheng Yuan asked calmly, "Zhu Wenhu, have you let off enough steam?"
Zhu Wenhu shuddered, only then remembering that Cheng Yuan was right there.
Zhu Wenhu turned to look at Cheng Yuan with a complicated expression, then voluntarily held out his hands. "Cuff me."
Cheng Yuan nodded in satisfaction. Zhu Wenhu knew what was good for him.
"We’ll cuff you once we’re up."
Zhu Wenhu nodded, readily grabbing the ladder and quickly climbing into the helicopter.
Cheng Yuan climbed into the helicopter after him and whispered in his ear, "The City Lord will be meeting with you. Give him what’s in your pocket. It might earn you some leniency. You might even get to see your wife and child again."
Zhu Wenhu nodded emphatically, showing he understood.
Once all the Warriors were aboard, the helicopter flew straight toward the Luocheng Patrol Office.
As for the Warriors and fishermen at the dock, they had been driven away in an army-green truck five minutes earlier.
Cheng Yuan didn’t need to be personally involved in what came next. He handed everything over to Wu Mengyao. He had done his part; now, all he had to do was watch the show unfold.
After composing herself, Wu Mengyao called Shen Jiangnan. "Sir, we’ve brought the suspect back! I’m worried Director Dai will just hand him over to Pan Guang again."
"Captain Wu, in the name of the City Lord, I’m appointing you head of the special task force for the trafficking case. I’m granting you the authority to handle this case exclusively! While investigating this trafficking case, you will not be subject to anyone’s authority! I’m on my way."
"Yes, sir!"
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
The military helicopter landed in the courtyard of the Luocheng Patrol Bureau.
Everyone came out to watch. ’Where did this helicopter come from? There weren’t any helicopter missions scheduled for today, were there?’
Surrounded by a crowd, Dai Zhen also came into the courtyard, staring at the helicopter in confusion.
CLANG!
The helicopter door slid open. Wu Mengyao leaped down, and Zhu Wenhu followed.
Dai Zhen’s expression changed drastically at the sight of Zhu Wenhu.
’Wu Mengyao actually managed to bring Zhu Wenhu back?’
’No, I have to get my hands on him!’
A glint appeared in Dai Zhen’s eyes. He laughed heartily and said, "Captain Wu, you’ve worked hard. I’ll take custody of the suspect. I will interrogate him personally. Afterward, I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you!"
Hearing this, the onlookers exchanged glances. ’It looks like the rumors were true,’ they thought. ’Director Dai really is suppressing Captain Wu. Her days here are numbered!’
Pan Guang stepped forward with a smirk. "Captain Wu, excuse me. If you’ll just step aside, I’ll be taking the suspect."
Wu Mengyao laughed in anger. They used to at least pretend, but now they couldn’t even be bothered to hide their intentions.
Since that was the case, she saw no reason to be polite.
Instead of stepping aside, Wu Mengyao took an aggressive step forward and shoved Pan Guang away.
"I caught this suspect, so I’ll be the one to interrogate him! There’s no need for the Director or Captain Pan to trouble themselves!"