“Damn it, what the hell are you doing?” Ye Jingsheng suddenly broke free, grabbing Fang Yang’s wandering hand.

“Shut up. You’ll enjoy it.” Fang Yang’s voice was hoarse, dripping with raw desire.

“You’re not telling me to be the… bottom, are you?” Ye Jingsheng froze for half a second before shouting in disbelief.

“Shit! If you’re not the bottom, am I supposed to be?!” Fang Yang glared at him as if he were ready to devour him.

“Fuck!” Ye Jingsheng groaned in frustration and pushed himself up. Fang Yang grabbed his sweat-slicked arm, gripping tightly. “Where the hell are you going?”

Ye Jingsheng shrugged off his grip, jumped out of bed, and began pulling his pants back on. “To find somewhere to get this over with.”

“What?!” Fang Yang watched in disbelief as Ye Jingsheng casually adjusted his still very much erect weapon. His eyes narrowed as anger flared up. “Don’t fucking tell me you’re planning to just leave like this!” He got off the bed furiously, pointing to his own throbbing arousal. “And what about this?!”

“Ah, I almost forgot.” Ye Jingsheng grabbed the phone nearby and spoke in English, “Miss Vivianne? Mr. Fang would like to see you again. The room number is…”

After hanging up, he patted the utterly stunned Fang Yang on the cheek and said with a mocking smile, “We are both men. I wouldn’t forget that you have needs too, right?”

“Ye Jingsheng!” Fang Yang roared, tackling him onto the bed like a predator claiming its prey. Pinning him down with firm force, he growled through clenched teeth, “You got me all worked up, and now you think you can just walk away with a few words?”

Breathing heavily, Ye Jingsheng’s hand reached for the increasingly tense part of Fang Yang. “I… I wanted to do it too… but you didn’t want to.”

“Bullshit!” Fang Yang snapped. “I’m not a woman!”

Ye Jingsheng’s expression turned icy. “Neither am I.”

“You—!” Fang Yang was trembling with rage, on the brink of losing control. “You’re fucking with me, aren’t you? You think I won’t kill you right here just because of where we are?!”

Ye Jingsheng lazily glanced at him. “Fang Yang, isn’t it a bit childish to shout about killing over something so trivial? Don’t forget, we still have a common goal.”

Fang Yang glared at him furiously for a long moment before spitting out a single word through gritted teeth: “Get out!”

What the hell was wrong with him for even bothering with this snake?

Humming an off-key tune, Ye Jingsheng sauntered out of the guesthouse. He hadn’t gone far when he saw Vivianne step out from the shadows of the trees. She really was a stunner. Fang Yang wouldn’t be losing out on anything. He whistled silently to himself and quickly stepped aside to avoid her. Watching as Vivianne headed upstairs, ten minutes later, the lights in Fang Yang’s room went out. Ye Jingsheng shrugged and turned away. Men, after all, were just animals. Every damn one of them.

The night breeze cleared his alcohol-soaked mind a little. The buzz was starting to fade, but there was still an inexplicable heat simmering within him. What now? Find some hulking, hairy gorilla in Zachis’s army to pass the night with? The thought made him shiver, and he couldn’t help but start missing Jie-Zai, far away in Hong Kong.

If he could make it back this time, settle the business, maybe it’d be time to take Xiao Jie and leave Hong Kong for good. He squinted as the thought crossed his mind.

If he could make it back…

His eyes lit up as he stood, realizing something. With Fang Yang not watching him for once, he had a rare moment of freedom.

Ye Jingsheng approached one of the guards on duty, deliberately putting on a halting, clumsy English accent. “I’m lost… Can you tell me… the way back?” The mercenary, seeing the identification badge slung over Ye Jingsheng’s shoulder, lowered his rifle and casually pointed toward the faintly lit area ahead. “It’s over there!”

Feigning confusion, Ye Jingsheng asked again, making the guard grow impatient. The soldier leaned his gun against the chain-link fence and stepped forward, jabbing his finger in the direction. “HERE!”

Before the words were fully out, Ye Jingsheng moved swiftly, covering the man’s mouth with one hand while pressing a Swiss Army knife into his back with the other. The guard let out a muffled grunt before collapsing limply to the ground.

“Sorry,” Ye Jingsheng said, without an ounce of sincerity, as he dragged the guard’s body into the nearby bushes. He then stripped the man of his uniform and put it on himself. This kind of thing was second nature to Ye Jingsheng by now. After adjusting his outfit, he smeared some dirt on his face and pulled the brim of the cap low. With his naturally tall build, in the darkness, it was unlikely anyone would recognize him.

A group of patrolling soldiers approached, speaking to him in the local dialect. Ye Jingsheng froze for a moment, caught off guard, but nodded hastily. The squad leader clapped him on the shoulder and pointed southwest, laughing as he spoke before walking off.

The further southwest he went, the louder the sound of rowdy laughter and jeering became. Ye Jingsheng frowned in confusion. When he arrived, he saw a tent surrounded by dozens of people, packed so tightly it was impossible to squeeze through easily. Judging by his observations from earlier that morning, this was Zachis’s most heavily guarded area. How could it be…

Keeping his composure, he edged his way into the crowd, but what he saw made him freeze.

A frail-looking Asian woman lay curled up on the ground, her hands bound, her face pale and full of panic as she sobbed quietly. The crude laughter of the soldiers around her was in stark contrast to her fear. A white cloth gagged her mouth, faintly stained with blood.

Ye Jingsheng immediately understood. These bastards had brought in a hostage from somewhere. He bit his lip, cursing himself. This has nothing to do with you. If you want to stay alive, don’t get involved.

At that moment, a shout rang out, seemingly signaling something. The soldiers, eyes gleaming red with lust, surged forward, instantly obscuring the woman from view. Ye Jingsheng frowned and turned away, unable to bear watching. But her fierce struggle could still be heard, and then, someone ripped the cloth from her mouth.

“NO!!” she screamed.

In Chinese.

Ye Jingsheng froze mid-step. Around him, the soldiers’ crude laughter grew louder, stabbing at his ears. His brows furrowed deeply, and something in his chest twisted violently. He turned back.

Not a single one of the frenzied soldiers noticed as he raised his gun.

With a loud BANG, the lightbulb above shattered, plunging the area into chaos. The soldiers shouted and stumbled over one another.

“What’s going on?!”
“What happened?!”
“Goddamn it!”

Taking advantage of the confusion, Ye Jingsheng crouched down and slipped into the tent. He quickly pulled the terrified woman into his arms and whispered, “Don’t say a word. Come with me.”

The woman nodded repeatedly, trembling with fear. Ye Jingsheng, taking advantage of the chaos, shielded her as they bolted out of the tent. They ran as fast as they could, but the woman, overwhelmed by terror, stumbled with unsteady steps. Before they could get far, a commotion erupted behind them. They were being chased!

The woman began sobbing uncontrollably, and Ye Jingsheng yelled, “For fuck’s sake, stop crying! I won’t let them catch you!”

But deep down, he knew. In this unfamiliar terrain, where could they possibly escape to? Gritting his teeth, he hoisted the woman onto his back and darted into the dense forest without a clear plan. Shadows and flashlights flickered chaotically as loud voices and the occasional gunfire echoed behind them. Ye Jingsheng knew these soldiers weren’t bluffing. Getting caught would lead to unthinkable consequences.

A sharp sting cut across his cheek, and he felt the warm trickle of liquid sliding down his skin. The acrid metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils, unmistakable and sharp.

This couldn’t continue.

He dove into a patch of tall grass, holding the woman close as he whispered urgently, “Stay here and don’t move. At dawn, head north. You’ll reach the Darién province. This is as far as I can take you.”

The woman grabbed his arm, sobbing, “What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me,” Ye Jingsheng snapped impatiently, shaking her hand off. If he didn’t lure the pursuers away, rescuing her would have been pointless! With a heavy sigh, he took off in the opposite direction, deliberately crashing through the underbrush to draw attention. The rustling sound of the grass instantly caught the soldiers’ notice.

“There he is!”
“Catch him!”

Ye Jingsheng had no idea where he was going. Relying solely on his sense of direction, he plunged deeper into the forest. Towering ancient trees loomed overhead, casting oppressive darkness. There was no way to tell one direction from another.

Lying low in the undergrowth, Ye Jingsheng held his breath, remaining completely still, hoping the soldiers would soon abandon their search. As his face pressed against the ground, he felt an unexpected dampness. He froze. There had been no rain recently because of the severe drought in Colombia. The ground should have been dry. That is, unless…

His eyes widened with sudden realization. This was freshly turned soil!

Excitement momentarily overshadowed his fear. Wasn’t this the very reason he’d come here? For the drugs? He pulled out his knife and began digging into the soft dirt. About a foot down, he hit a wooden crate.

Sliding the sharp blade of his military knife along the crate’s seams, he pried it open. Dipping the knife into the contents, he brought the blade to his lips and lightly licked it. His face immediately twisted into a frown.

Just as expected, it was high-purity heroin.