Chapter 91

The sound of a diesel engine, accompanied by the barking of dogs, disrupted the village’s tranquility.

The military dogs barked incessantly at the boats.

In the night, the lights on the boat swayed.

Lu Weiguo made a quick decision, “Captain, please help us borrow a boat.”

Without a word, the captain went to the nearest house and knocked on the door.

The nearest house belonged to Zhu You, who also had a boat, though not as good as Liu Wang’s.

The engine noise and barking had already disturbed Zhu You’s sleep, so he got up as soon as the captain knocked.

Upon hearing that they needed to help the soldiers, he agreed without hesitation.

Most people were simple and honest back then. Even if they had their quirks, they knew what was important.

On Liu Wang’s boat, Wei Jian and Liu Wang had already seen the people and dogs on the shore.

Wei Jian looked anxious, and Liu Wang was also startled.

From the shore, shouts could be heard, “Listen up, people on the boat, return immediately, return immediately.”

Liu Wang, looking at the gentle Wei Jian, asked roughly, “Comrade, what’s going on? I just want to make some money, you can’t trick me.”

It was because Wei Jian had shown him his work ID that Liu Wang agreed to take him to the neighboring city.

Wei Jian’s previously gentle eyes suddenly turned fierce. He pulled out a knife from his clothes and pressed it against Liu Wang’s waist, “If you want to live, obediently sail the boat!”

Liu Wang was taken aback. He wanted to struggle, but the knife tip had already cut through his clothes, and the cold blade against his skin made him shiver.

Realizing his situation, Liu Wang’s face turned pale, “Okay, okay… I’ll sail…”

Trembling, Liu Wang walked back to the helm, his hands shaking. He only hoped that the people on the shore would catch up and save him quickly.

Since the fishing boat had just left the small pier, it wasn’t moving fast.

Liu Wang deliberately slowed down, while Wei Jian, preoccupied with the fear of Liu Wang fighting back and the situation on shore, didn’t notice at first.

However, he quickly realized the problem as the pursuing boat got closer and closer.

His knife pressed a bit deeper into Liu Wang’s body, causing pain and drawing blood.

“Don’t play tricks on me, or I’ll finish you off.”

Liu Wang was truly scared now, but he didn’t want to die either.

Seeing Wei Jian’s demeanor, he worried that he might be killed even if they reached their destination.

So he sped up, but not by much.

The boat got closer and closer.

Wei Jian, getting anxious, was about to stab Liu Wang.

He didn’t intend to kill him, at least not yet. With Liu Wang as a hostage, the soldiers wouldn’t disregard the lives of villagers. He just wanted to disable him first.

They say the military and civilians are like family; he wouldn’t underestimate the villagers’ respect for soldiers.

But Liu Wang, sensing Wei Jian’s intent, grabbed his knife-wielding hand at the critical moment.

Liu Wang, used to hard labor and fishing, had considerable strength. In this life-and-death moment, he exerted surprising power.

Even Wei Jian, who had martial arts training, couldn’t subdue him immediately.

They were locked in a stalemate.

Zhu’s fishing boat quickly approached.

Lu Weiguo picked up a plank from the boat, swiftly laid it across to Liu Wang’s boat, and ran over without hesitation.

Seeing that it was Lu Weiguo, Wei Jian didn’t have time to think. He kicked Liu Wang away and jumped into the lake.

In the almost October cold, the early morning lake water was chilly, but he didn’t have time to think, only to swim desperately.

Seeing this, Lu Weiguo also jumped in, followed by the captain and Zhu You.

They were all from Zhujia Village and skilled swimmers from a young age.

Their speed far surpassed Wei Jian’s.

Before long, the three had surrounded Wei Jian.

Wei Jian was treading water, waving his knife.

The captain and Zhu You dared not get too close.

It was difficult to maneuver in the water, and Lu Weiguo was worried about the captain and Zhu You getting hurt, so he was somewhat restrained.

Seeing the situation, the captain and Zhu You stopped advancing and instead dove underwater.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Weiguo saw their actions and his eyes brightened.

He also dove underwater.

Seeing Lu Weiguo dive, Wei Jian knew things were going wrong, but it was too late for him to react.

Underwater, someone grabbed his legs and started pulling him towards the lake bottom. Caught off guard, he choked on water and instinctively flailed his arms.

Lu Weiguo, seizing the moment, grabbed Wei Jian’s knife-wielding hand and punched him in the abdomen with his other hand.

The water’s resistance diminished the impact, but it caused enough pain for Wei Jian to release the knife.

Disarmed, Wei Jian struggled desperately in the water.

He could swim, but he was no match for the fishermen who had lived by the lake for generations.

Soon, his struggles weakened.

Afraid of drowning him, Lu Weiguo quickly signaled to the captain and Zhu You.

Understanding his gesture, they each grabbed one of Wei Jian’s arms and surfaced.

As soon as they were above water, Wei Jian coughed violently. In the next instant, Lu Weiguo delivered a swift chop to his neck, knocking him out.

The captain and Zhu You helped Lu Weiguo get Wei Jian onto the boat.

Liu Wang had only suffered minor injuries, but he was still shaken, his limbs weak. In the end, the captain had to steer his boat back.

When the two boats docked, villagers had already gathered to watch the commotion.

Flashlights flickered on the shore.

By the boat’s light, they could see Liu Wang’s bloodstained clothes.

Liu Wang’s wife ran over with a cry, “Old Liu! What’s wrong?!”

The captain disembarked and, hearing her, said irritably, “He’s fine, just some scratches. Take him to Doctor Zhu for bandaging. And tell him to be more careful when making money. Fortunately, he didn’t cause too much trouble this time. He knew to slow down when he realized the guy was trouble, or I’d have given him a good beating.”

Liu Wang’s wife quickly agreed.

Lu Weiguo glanced at the captain, understanding that he was subtly trying to absolve Liu Wang.

This could be considered aiding the enemy.

Helping an enemy agent escape was no small offense.

However, given Liu Wang’s later actions and the captain and Zhu You’s assistance, Lu Weiguo decided to let it slide.

He told the captain, “I’ll report Liu Wang’s situation to my superiors, but he might need to come back with us to explain things.”

The captain, relieved, replied, “Of course, comrade. Once he’s bandaged, I’ll have someone send him over first thing in the morning. If he goes missing, you can come to Zhujia Village and find me.”

The military camp had some knowledge of Zhujia Village’s captain and trusted his character.

So they didn’t insist on Liu Wang returning immediately.

After all, they had captured Wei Jian. Any further questions could be directed at him.