Zhou Zheng hesitated, and Saito in the passenger seat said impatiently, “You go down and tell the boss—if she goes down, a cripple like her is just dead weight.”
They’d come this far—why still make things hard for the little teacher?
Zhou Zheng shot him a glance, like he was looking at an idiot, but didn’t say anything more. He pushed open the door and got out.
Zhao Jingwan watched him walk to the car ahead, knock on the rear window, and the tall figure of the man step out of the car.
Zhou Zheng said something to him,
Then the man looked over in her direction. Zhao Jingwan sat in the back, and through the windshield, she happened to meet his gaze again.
Just one second—then he withdrew his gaze, turned around, and walked straight into the villa.
Good… She breathed a sigh of relief inside.
She watched Zhou Zheng follow the man into the villa.
Saito didn’t go. He stayed in the car.
Zhao Jingwan knew it was to keep an eye on her.
Watching the boss go inside, Saito felt curious too. If that batch of arms was really here, they’d stumbled onto a huge bargain.
This batch of weapons could be exchanged for a lot of things.
Somewhat excited, he got out of the car, leaned against it, and lit a cigarette.
Zhao Jingwan sat alone in the car, nervously gazing outside, as if searching for something.
Her eyes swept back and forth across the surroundings, her heart pounding, her nerves wound to the breaking point.
Until the man came out of the villa—she saw his expression wasn’t good, and her heart lurched. Finally, out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement outside.
Saito outside the car immediately went on alert, drew his gun, and aimed around the villa.
A cacophony of police sirens rose and fell, several police cars surrounded the area, and countless officers got out, along with SWAT teams, guns raised, closing in and surging forward.
Now!
Zhao Jingwan flipped from the back seat into the driver’s seat, turned the key, and relying on the memory of watching others drive, slammed down on the gas pedal and spun the steering wheel—all in one fluid motion.
The suddenly lurching car startled Saito. By the time he reacted, the car had already turned around and sped off.
Damn it—what the hell was going on?
Shit. Looking at the swarm of narcotics officers closing in around him, then glancing at the car already far in the distance, Saito vaguely figured it out.
They’d been played. Played by a harmless-looking little girl.
The man who had just stepped out of the villa swept a cold gaze over the mass of police outside, then turned his head to look at the car that had long since driven away.
His eyes were icy, a chill radiating from his entire body, a murderous aura rising.
Fine. The little thing had actually played him.
Fuck. Second time.
He’d fallen twice for the same person—and been fooled by a coward at that.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the violence surging in his chest.
His own fault. He’d been fooled by that little bitch’s appearance.
All that weakness, those tears, that pitiful act—all of it was fucking fake.
Luo Jin gave a cold smile, his tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek.
Run. Better run far, hide somewhere he couldn’t find her.
Because if he caught her again, he would definitely tear off her arms and legs, skin her alive, and mount her as a specimen for display in a glass case.
Zhou Zheng glanced at the man beside him. Those pitch-black eyes held thoughts no one could fathom,
But the murderous aura radiating from him was unmistakable.
Having been by the boss’s side for over a decade, he knew his methods well.
Ruthless and merciless, leaving no room for escape.
Whether partners or rivals, everyone tried to avoid him, giving him a wide berth.
From arms smuggling in the Middle East to building an empire this large, Luo Jin had never failed.
Yet today, he’d been played by a seemingly fragile Chinese girl.
He couldn’t imagine what uncontrollable rage was brewing inside the man right now.
All he knew was that the boss would never let that girl go.
Even if he had to dig three feet into the earth, he’d find her, then torment her bit by bit until his anger was satisfied.
The girl who had escaped with her life was now weaving through the traffic-filled streets, miraculously shaking off the police cars behind her with her chaotic, reckless driving.
Her tension hadn’t eased. Her heart was beating faster than it ever had before.
She was gambling too. Last time, Lawyer Zhuang had told her that the area around that villa was likely already under surveillance.
Whoever showed up would be the prime suspect.
So she’d gambled—gambled that the man didn’t know what was in the villa, gambled that the retaliation at the airport last time was just a coincidence.
And she’d gambled right. Luo Jin really didn’t know about the drugs.
The tip-off at the airport that forced her to turn herself in had been pure coincidence—just a malicious act of revenge for her escape.
Everything had fallen into place so perfectly. Zhao Jingwan almost cried. She’d really escaped.
Was her mother watching over her from heaven? Letting her get away from that man by such a stroke of luck.
The car raced all the way to the meeting point—a small helipad with a helicopter waiting. When Zhuang Ze saw her appear, he immediately pulled her into the cabin.
He knew the police couldn’t hold that man for long. At most, they’d take him in for questioning and release him soon after. So they had to leave as quickly as possible.
The helicopter lifted off fast. As the ground fell farther and farther away, Zhao Jingwan’s emotions were a tangled mess. The surge of adrenaline left her dazed, and it took her a moment before she thought to ask,
“Where are we going?”
“Riyadh.”
The capital of Saudi Arabia, the city at the heart of power.
“Is the Sheikh there?”
Zhuang Ze glanced at her, paused for a few seconds, and answered off-topic.
“I’m sorry, I can’t send you back to your country for now.”
The Sheikh’s orders—the woman beside him couldn’t leave the Middle East for the time being.
“As for your friend’s whereabouts, I managed to find out some information. The last time she appeared was at a banquet in the Saudi royal palace.”
Prince Haile’s new favorite, a Chinese woman—someone at the banquet had seen her, and the description matched the friend she was looking for to a high degree.
“At a banquet? So she’s still doing well?”
If she could attend a banquet, at least that proved she was alive and living with some dignity, right?
Zhuang Ze’s eyes held something hard to express. He didn’t know how to describe that kind of banquet to the girl beside him.
A debauched gathering? A feast of wine and women? A filthy palace of carnal pleasure?
After thinking it over, he chose to keep his mouth shut, only telling her that the woman was still alive.
Upon arriving in Riyadh, they checked into a hotel that wasn’t open to the public—highly private and secure.
After getting her settled, Zhuang Ze went out alone again.
Luo Jin had indeed only sat in the police station for a while before being released. Even if those things weren’t his—and even if they were, so what?
After getting out, he learned that the little girl had already fled Dubai, and she’d even used the Sheikh’s private helicopter.
Judging by that, she must have a very close relationship with the Sheikh. The Sheikh’s exclusive helicopter—who could use it without his authorization?
At least it proved that he was still alive and probably hadn’t left the Middle East.
So what the little thing said about her relationship with Barrola wasn’t a lie after all.
Tsk, she even knew to mix truth with lies when spinning stories for him.
He guessed that aside from the villa incident, everything else she’d said was true.
So she really was Rodell’s illegitimate daughter.
By blood, one of only two surviving members of Barrola’s line. No wonder the Sheikh was willing to risk pulling her out at a time like this.
Does the little thing think she’s already escaped scot-free right now?
Heh…
Zhao Jingwan, you’d better hide well. Don’t let me catch you again.