Actually, I raised this issue with Yang Lianting during our negotiation yesterday.
I asked him, "Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"
He just laughed and said that if I ran away alone, even if I could make it back to China, he would kill Chen Weiqiang, Bayi, Yan Zi, and all the others...
Hah, if I could think of it, why wouldn't he?
He's betting that I won't run away, which is why he dared to bring me out like this.
As for Screwdriver coming out with me, that was purely an accident.
Screwdriver looked into my eyes and said firmly, "Yes, I want to go back to China!"
...I didn't know how to respond, so I turned to Abu.
Abu stared at me, "Do you want to run too?"
"Brother Bu, let me go, and we can still be friends! If you try to stop me, I'll kill you!"
Screwdriver pointed his gun at Abu, shouting firmly.
If Abu said "no," Screwdriver would definitely shoot!
The atmosphere became tense. We hadn't been chased yet, but now we were turning on each other.
Abu frowned, stayed silent, and kept staring at me.
His gun was slung over his back. Screwdriver, a former soldier with formal training, was more skilled with a gun. Abu, being a civilian, might not stand a chance.
"Brother Dao, what are you doing? Put the gun down!"
Honestly, I was a bit scared too. What if Screwdriver went crazy and killed me too...
So, I had to stop him from hurting Abu.
Screwdriver motioned for Abu to give me his gun, "We'll leave together!"
"I can't go. If I leave, Bayi and the others will surely die!"
I shook my head helplessly, trying to move his gun away from Abu's chest.
Screwdriver got angry, "Are you stupid? Yang Lianting is just scaring you. Does he really dare to kill Bayi and the others? He's now under Liu Shiyi's control, just a paper tiger!"
"Even if we ran, we wouldn't make it through the night. Besides, I can't leave. If I did, Liu Shiyi would definitely torture them to death!"
I wanted to run, but I knew I couldn't. Now wasn't the best time to escape either.
We just killed Boss Cai, causing a big commotion. There would definitely be a search party and forces deployed around.
If we got caught, we would surely die.
Plus, the only way out was to smuggle across the Mekong River. I'm not a crocodile; how could I swim across?
Taking a boat was even more ridiculous. We would probably be shot by the Karen Border Patrol as soon as we got on the water.
Screwdriver asked again, "You're really not leaving?"
"I really can't leave them behind. I can't take that risk! Why don't you go? Take Abu's gun. I still have some money on me...
Then I'll tell Yang Lianting you died, find a body in town, and disfigure the face to impersonate you!"
I handed Abu's gun to him and gave him the few hundred yuan I had prepared in my pocket.
I brought this money for a late-night snack, thinking we could get some food at a local shop and gather information when we got to town.
"If you make it back to China, tell my dad it's not Strong's fault. Ask him to look into my college classmate Lulu...
My biggest wish is for Lulu to die! Everything else doesn't matter anymore. Finally, tell him not to worry about me, just consider me dead!"
With that, I pulled the dazed Abu and started walking towards the town.
If Screwdriver shot us in the back, so be it.
But I bet he wouldn't shoot.
"Brother, why aren't you running?" Abu asked in shock.
He's a local, so whether we run or not doesn't affect him.
Besides, only Wrench knew he was here to help us.
I sighed and said, "I can't run, and I can't escape. I have a tracker on me.
Yang Lianting said if I even thought about running or deviated from the route, or if the tracker was destroyed, the people in the park would immediately kill Chen Weiqiang.
The surrounding forest and border areas are likely patrolled by the Karen Border Patrol, waiting for me to die."
I didn't tell Screwdriver because he didn't have a tracker. If he ran, it wouldn't matter much.
Yang Lianting mainly wanted to recruit me. Losing one Screwdriver would be like losing an ant.
It wouldn't matter at all.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to let Screwdriver come with me. He really went all out to get me on his side.
Abu sighed emotionally, "Chinese brother, I respect your loyalty and righteousness!
If it were anyone else, they would have run away by now. You could have used the tracker to mislead them and escaped to another area, then found your way back to China."
"You thought of my escape plan better than I did."
I punched Abu's right arm, joking.
"He's betting on your loyalty."
Listening to Abu, I felt a pang of sorrow.
Even so, I couldn't risk their lives. I would feel guilty forever.
"Wait for me!"
About 200 meters ahead, Screwdriver suddenly ran after us with his gun.
"What are you doing? You should go through the forest to escape..."
Abu and I were stunned, pointing to the other side of the woods.
"I'm not leaving! If you're not leaving, neither am I! I'm not an ungrateful bastard. You trust me, consider me a brother, how can I let you go back and get punished? I know Yang Lianting better than you!"
Screwdriver returned Abu's AK, stuffed my money back in my hand, and grinned.
His words seemed light, but they weighed heavily on me.
Holding the still-warm money, I hesitated, "You're... really not leaving? If we go back, there might be no chance to escape again!"
"Then we'll accept our fate! From now on, we live and die together! If you make me run alone, what kind of brothers are we? I can't run away by betraying a brother's life..."
"Good brother, I didn't misjudge you!"
I interrupted him and hugged Screwdriver, feeling a surge of emotions.
Just now, I genuinely let him go. Returning to China was every captive's ultimate dream!
I couldn't escape, so why not let Screwdriver go?
Even if he faced great danger, how would he know if he could return to China without trying?
But Screwdriver gave up and chose to stay with us.
Abu wiped his tears and choked, "Chinese brothers, you moved me deeply."
I put my arm around Abu's shoulder and said emotionally, "Brother Bu, you're also our good brother. Without you, many things wouldn't be possible."
"Brother Bu, I'm sorry for pointing a gun at you earlier."
Screwdriver sincerely hugged him, tears welling up.
I felt this situation wasn't so simple; Yang Lianting might be testing us.
There could be a trap ahead, waiting for us to walk into.
The breeze brushed our faces, and the desolate moonlight stretched our shadows long, long...