Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  A dark little thing rolled down onto the deck from Ye Lun’s palm.

  Quan Shaoteng shouted, “Everyone don’t move!”


  He immediately went to grab that thing and was shocked. “This is…… a flash drive?”


  Why was he holding a flash drive?

  Quan Shaoteng was stunned for an instant. In the quiet atmosphere, Bai Muchuan’s voice was then heard.

  “Cheng Zheng, hurry up and save him!”


  Of course, he had meant to save Ye Lun.

  He was the key figure in this series of cases. If he died, the case would become more complicated as they wouldn’t be able to get answers from him. This was why Bai Muchuan chose to negotiate with Ye Lun instead of finding a chance to snipe him to death.

  Bai Muchuan quickly got on the deck. His flurried footsteps were loud and clear.

  Finally, the sound stopped before Xiang Wan.

  “Xiang Wan?” Bai Muchuan called her.

  Xiang Wan didn’t respond. She stood frozen at her spot, still in the same position and stance earlier. Under the dim lights, her originally pale face was now filled with terror……

  “Xiang Wan.”


  Bai Muchuan took away the gun in her hand.

  “It’s okay now, everything’s okay now.”


  Xiang Wan glanced at him, she finally put her hands down and felt weak.

  “I killed him.”


  Bai Muchuan didn’t say a word. His lips pressed together and he looked at her.

  “I killed him, Bai Muchuan. I killed Ye Lun……”


  Xiang Wan didn’t look at Ye Lun who was lying in a pool of blood but lowered her head to look at her own hands. She had not yet recovered from what she had done earlier. That shot had gotten Ye Lun in the chest. She did not know if it was fatal. She only knew that there was an instant burst of blood, as well as Ye Lun’s eyes……

  He was looking at her.

  Looking at her.

  Without a blink, he directly collapsed onto the deck.

  Blood flowed out of him like a stream……

  She had never experienced something like this.

  There was shock.

  And helplessness.

  Her head was blank.

  But the earlier scene was clear yet blurred.

  She could remember every detail clearly.

  The blurred feeling came about…… because she felt that this matter was just a nightmare and that she couldn’t accept it.

  “Bai Muchuan, did I really shoot him?”


  “Xiang Wan, it’s alright. Everything is okay!” Bai Muchuan wanted to embrace her with both arms but stopped when he saw the bomb which was strapped onto her waist. “Go inside the cabin!” He furrowed his eyebrows in concern.

  “Bai Muchuan, I……”


  “Talk after we get the bomb dismantled!”


  Nothing was more important than this……

  While on the journey back, the atmosphere was dead silent.

  Both boats went back together, one following the other at top speed.

  Quan Shaoteng and his team were responsible for escorting Ye Lun’s henchmen and mercenaries. Cheng Zheng was attending to and taking care of Ye Lun responsibly, giving him emergency treatment. Bai Muchuan and Salimu were responsible for dismantling the bomb on Xiang Wan.

  It was not an easy thing to dismantle bombs. If they were not careful, a lot of people could lose their lives. It was especially so, as Ye Lun had claimed that the bomb was made with great precision in this modern era.

  Bai Muchuan was the one who did the dismantling of the bomb. As Salimu had prior experience in dismantling a bomb, he provided assistance as well.

  The nerves of these three people were taut.

  Bai Muchuan’s expression was cold and solemn, Salimu was perspiring all over and Xiang Wan chose to close her eyes shut.

  It was very quiet.

  Only their hearts were pounding away in tension.

  Fortunately, it was not a time bomb. They didn’t find any detonator on Ye Lun. They did a thorough search on both boats but found nothing like that.

  This was really bizarre.

  Ye Lun actually held a flash drive in his palm and pretended it was a detonator to scare them?

  “Why didn’t he use the real detonator?”


  Salimu raised this question. Ye Lun was now unable to answer that and Xiang Wan opened her eyes, seemingly confused over this as well.

  “This is because there is no detonator.” Bai Muchuan looked at the exquisite bomb and heaved a sigh when he cut the last wire. He removed the bomb from Xiang Wan carefully. “He’s too conceited and too careful.”


  “What do you mean?” Xiang Wan couldn’t understand.

  “When he put the bomb on you, he had never wanted to let you off the boat at all. This is why this is not a time bomb and there is no detonator.” Bai Muchuan furrowed his eyebrows slightly as he saw that Xiang Wan was still confused. “This type of bomb is very powerful! Ye Lun didn’t want to die at all. Don’t think that by strapping the bomb on you, he wouldn’t be afraid.”


  After all, they were on the same boat. Xiang Wan was just right next to him—


  “He’s more worried than anyone else that the bomb might detonate!”


  Salimu asked, “Then why did he still do this?”


  “The first reason is to intimidate us!” Bai Muchuan analyzed, “The second is…… if things got really bad, he could detonate it manually and die together with everyone else so as not to fall into the hands of the police.”


  There was no detonator and a timer device. But the bomb was still a bomb. He only needed a lighter to ignite a furious explosion.

  “However, that would be his last resort which he wouldn’t use unless it was really necessary!”


  Prior to doing this, Ye Lun should have thought of an infinite number of possibilities.

  He was a perfectionist. He must have calculated every step……

  The only thing that he had never thought of, was that Xiang Wan would shoot at him……

  Xiang Wan lowered her gaze. “Will he die?”


  Bai Muchuan looked at her with concern. “That depends on his luck!”


  Xiang Wan met his gaze. “If he’s luckier,” Bai Muchuan smiled. “He would have died right then.”


  “.……”


  From Ye Lun’s angle, the best would be that he died on the spot.

  Xiang Wan huffed a sigh. Her heart felt heavy. “I couldn’t get it earlier as well. Since he was not holding a detonator, why did he move his fingers? If he hadn’t done that, I…… certainly wouldn’t shoot him in order to save my own life.” After a brief pause, Xiang Wan’s eyes brightened. “I suddenly had a thought, maybe he wanted to throw the flash drive into the sea?”


  “Mm?”


  Bai Muchuan stared at her as he mulled over it.

  “Something important could be inside the flash drive and Ye Lun didn’t want anyone else to get hold of it? Maybe he simply wanted to destroy the evidence by doing so?”


  Well……

  Bai Muchuan didn’t have time to think about the flash drive.

  His mind had been focused on Xiang Wan.

  He sat down slowly beside Xiang Wan when he heard that. “I’ve given the flash drive to Salimu. He’ll take care of it!”


  “Mm.” Xiang Wan lowered her head slightly and kept quiet.

  Bai Muchuan motioned for Salimu to take the dismantled bomb away. When there were only the two of them inside the cabin, he hugged Xiang Wan dearly and let her head lean on his shoulder. “Little Xiang Wan, don’t think about it anymore, alright?”


  Xiang Wan nodded her head without a sound.

  Bai Muchuan puffed a sigh. “There’s always a first time.”


  He understood what she was troubled about.