Chapter 43: Shen Yunhe Returns

Six years later, on the border,

In a lush forest, a tall and strong bald man, holding a gun, was surrounded by a dozen bodyguards. There was also a woman with a high ponytail, dressed in leather, walking quickly beside him. The man occasionally looked back in a panic.

After walking for a while, the bald man sat down on the ground, panting heavily. The woman in leather sat next to him, and a man in black stood nearby:

“Brother, we’ve shaken off the police. Let’s rest here for a bit before we move on!”

“Okay! Once we cross the border, the police won’t be able to do anything to us. Aye, you just stick with me and work hard; I won’t treat you badly!”

“Yes, thank you, brother!”

The tall man in black with a crew cut was Shen Yunhe, who had left five years ago. Five years ago, he had come alone to the border, which was rife with drug trafficking. His mission was to infiltrate the drug trade and provide reliable information to the police.

He used the alias Aye and worked as a bodyguard for two years, never getting access to internal information, until he risked his life to save the drug lord once, finally earning the drug lord’s trust and gaining access to deeper information. He severely struck against crime, step by step dismantling this drug trafficking group that endangered the country.

Over the years, he had used various methods to relay information and disrupt their deals. Several times, he was in life-threatening situations, but fortunately, he survived again and again.

It’s almost over!

He would soon be going home to see her and the children. The children must have grown up by now; calculating the time, they should be seven years old and ready for school. After such a long time apart, they probably had forgotten about their father.

And then there was her, raising three children alone, it must be very hard. He wondered if she had gotten married or met someone she liked. When he returned, would she already be married, and would his children call another man “dad”?

Shen Yunhe let out a bitter smile. The thought of her possibly being married made his heart ache unbearably. An angry voice pulled him back to reality.

The drug lord spat, his face red with anger, and said viciously, “Damn it, nothing has gone right for me these past few years, and I’ve lost many subordinates. There must be an undercover cop among my men. If I find out who it is, I’ll kill him!”

Shen Yunhe sat on a low stone, lowering his head to ponder the ground. Along the way, he had secretly made several marks; they should be catching up soon. Now, he had to find a way to delay them. Once they crossed the border, capturing them would be much more difficult.

After resting for a moment, the drug lord stood up. “Alright, we need to go. If we don’t move now, the police will catch up!”

Shen Yunhe stood up and turned to look behind him. He had already delayed the drug lord for a moment, but if he prolonged it any further, it might raise suspicion. Reluctantly, he could only move forward.

The group walked a bit further into the forest, and they were close to the border. The drug lord laughed heartily.

“As long as we cross the border, I’ll be completely free! Hahaha…”

Shen Yunhe was anxious, frequently glancing back. He absolutely could not let the drug lord cross the border; if necessary, he would have to expose his identity and shoot the drug lord.

Shen Yunhe tightly gripped his gun, staring at the drug lord, ready to expose his identity at any moment. A righteous and furious shout came from behind, and Shen Yunhe finally relaxed.

“Stop! Raise your hands! Otherwise, you will be shot on the spot!”

Shen Yunhe put his gun in his pocket, raised his hands, and turned around. The drug lord and a few bodyguards raised their hands facing the police.

Behind them, a group of soldiers in camouflage uniforms aimed their guns at the group. The leader, Ji Yunfeng, gave the order for all soldiers to move in and capture the criminals. At that moment, the drug lord suddenly drew his gun and shouted,

“I’ll fight you! Being caught and taken back means death anyway, so I’d rather take a few of you down with me!”

The sudden turn of events left several soldiers injured. The drug lord commanded his bodyguards, “Fight back! Once we cross the border, I’ll make sure you all get your rewards!”

All the bodyguards pulled out their guns and started shooting at the soldiers. Shen Yunhe didn’t want to point his gun at his comrades. Standing behind the drug lord, he aimed his gun at the back of the drug lord’s head and fired. The drug lord fell to the ground with a thud.

Seeing the drug lord dead, the bodyguards panicked. The woman in leather turned around, raised her gun, and angrily shouted:

“So it you??? It has been you all along, Aye! You’ve hidden yourself well; I’m going to kill you to avenge my brother!”

Shen Yunhe and the woman fired simultaneously, and the soldiers behind also shot at the woman. In the instant she fell, her arm twisted and hit Shen Yunhe’s shoulder, causing blood to flow freely.

Shen Yunhe frowned and pressed his hand against the wound, kneeling on one knee. Ji Yunfeng ordered the soldiers to move in and capture all the bodyguards. He walked over to Shen Yunhe and helped him up.

“How are you?” Ji Yunfeng checked his wound; the bullet had penetrated deep and needed immediate treatment.

Shen Yunhe felt dizzy and fainted from blood loss. When he woke up again, he found himself in a hospital. It seemed he had been saved and had survived once more.

When the doctor saw him awake, he conducted a thorough examination. Shen Yunhe’s wounds were healing quickly, and his body was recovering well. The doctor thought it was just a matter of personal health and didn’t think much of it.

Only Shen Yunhe knew that it was the peaches given to him by his wife that made the difference. When he left, he had seen two plump peaches in his bag. After eating one, his body expelled a lot of toxins. After a shower, he felt his strength had increased significantly, and he recovered quickly after being injured.

At first, he hadn’t thought much of the peaches, but after eating the second one, the same thing happened. It was then he realized these peaches were special; his wife had a secret.

When Ji Yunfeng heard that Shen Yunhe had woken up, he came to see him.

“You’re awake! I’m Ji Yunfeng.”

“Hello, I’m Shen Yunhe.”

Ji Yunfeng smiled, “Your name has the character for ‘cloud,’ and so does mine. It sounds like we’re brothers!”

Shen Yunhe smiled but didn’t reply. He touched the stubble on his face and asked Ji Yunfeng:

“Do you have a razor?”

“Ah? Yes! Wait a moment, I’ll get it from the car.”

After a moment, Ji Yunfeng came back with the razor. Shen Yunhe took it and walked to the bathroom.

“Thank you!”

Shen Yunhe cleaned his face in front of the mirror, revealing a mature man’s face—crew cut, sharp eyebrows, high nose bridge, and deep black eyes staring at the familiar yet strange face in the mirror. For years, he had kept a thick beard to hide his appearance, and he had grown accustomed to it. Now, with it shaved off, he felt quite awkward.

After cleaning the razor, Shen Yunhe walked out of the bathroom and handed it back to Ji Yunfeng.

“Here you go!”

Ji Yunfeng took the razor and was stunned when he looked at Shen Yunhe. This face was too familiar; it seemed like he had seen it somewhere, but he couldn’t recall where.

After Shen Yunhe’s body had recovered, he couldn’t wait to head back. He wanted to see his beloved ones.

Ji Yunfeng kept thinking about Shen Yunhe’s face, distractedly driving the car, when suddenly he slammed on the brakes. He remembered; the resemblance was uncanny to his father—more so than to his own son. Damn! Could it be that his old man has an illegitimate child out there?