Chapter 321: Solution
Without a moment to think, Zhao Dong threw himself in front of Lin Qingyun!
In an instant, several thugs aimed their guns at him.
Zhao Dong narrowed his eyes. He could dodge a single gun, and he was even confident he could dodge several. But with Lin Qingyun right behind him, he couldn't move carelessly.
The thug in front glared at Zhao Dong and suddenly smashed the butt of his rifle hard against his head.
"Playing the hero to save the damsel, are you? I'll fucking kill you!"
Zhao Dong narrowed his eyes and said nothing, but a murderous intent began to form in his heart. He took a deep breath, suppressing the impulse. "Gentlemen," he said, "you're just here for the money, right? Why not just take it and leave? There's no need to kill anyone. If no one dies, you can take the money and run, and it won't be that big of a deal. But if you kill someone, trust me, China will never let you get away."
The thugs' expressions changed. They stared coldly at Zhao Dong before breaking into a chilling smile. "You've got a point, but… why the fuck should we listen to you? We feel like killing someone today. You got a problem with that?"
Zhao Dong took a deep breath. "No objections."
"Then wise up and get the hell back!" the thug ordered, jabbing Zhao Dong back a few steps with the barrel of his gun.
However, the thug didn't bother Lin Qingyun any further, his eyes scanning the other passengers instead. Zhao Dong and Lin Qingyun quietly sighed in relief.
Meanwhile, Ding Lan was deathly pale and trembling uncontrollably in her seat, her head bowed in terror. Please, don't let them notice me. Please, don't let them notice me.
But her worst fears came true. A thug walked up to her and said coldly, "Lift your head."
Ding Lan shuddered, her body shaking.
"I said lift your head!"
Startled, she finally forced herself to look up.
A wicked smile spread across the thug's face. "Motherfucker, you're a real beauty! Shit, I don't think I can let you go today!"
Realizing his intent, Ding Lan cried out in terror, "What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to fuck you to death! Take off your clothes and give me head!"
Ding Lan's face turned white as a sheet, tears welling in her horrified eyes. She glanced at Zhang Shaowen, only to see him with his head bowed, his body shaking just as much as hers. Ding Lan was stunned. Her heart sank, never having expected him to be so terrified.
"Tsk tsk, little lady, you've got terrible luck. To think you'd end up with such a wimp," the thug mocked as he shoved her to the floor.
Ding Lan stopped crying out. In that moment, her heart died. She looked over at Zhao Dong, but he was holding Lin Qingyun, comforting her without a single glance in her direction. A sharp pain lanced through her heart.
CLICK! CLICK!
The thug racked the slide of his gun and aimed it at Ding Lan's head. With the cold, dark muzzle pressed against the back of her skull, her mind went blank. Her face was ashen as paper.
The thug smiled coldly. "I was going to have some fun with you, but forget it. I'll let you die with some dignity. Just get ready." As he spoke, he glanced at his watch and roared toward the front of the plane, "It's been four minutes! Tell those bastards to open the goddamn door!"
"No good, boss, they still won't open it!" another thug shouted from the cockpit area.
"Shit!" The thug stomped on Ding Lan's neck. "You really think I don't have the guts to kill someone? I came here today with no intention of leaving alive!"
As he spoke, he started to squeeze the trigger.
"Wait!" Zhao Dong's voice suddenly rang out.
"Now what do you want?" the thug snarled, spinning around and aiming his gun at Zhao Dong.
"Zhao Dong, you... don't do anything reckless! Come back!" Lin Qingyun cried, grabbing his arm to pull him back.
Zhao Dong gave her a reassuring look before turning back to the thugs with a smile. "Fellas, I have an audacious request," he said. "I'm not gonna lie, I used to chase this woman. She dumped me because I was poor, and I've hated her guts ever since. So, how about it? Why don't you let me be the one to kill her?"
BOOM!
His words landed like a clap of thunder, stunning everyone in the cabin.
"Hmph! Men! Not a single one of them is any good! Just because she didn't like him, he wants to kill her?"
"And I thought he was a decent guy! Turns out he's just a black-hearted piece of trash!"
A group of women began to seethe with righteous indignation.
Lin Qingyun's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Zhao Dong, are you insane?"
Ignoring her, Zhao Dong kept his cheerful smile fixed on the thug.
"Hahahahahaha..." The thug suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Kid, you're a real piece of work, aren't you? That's how a man should be! Dare to love, dare to hate! Since this bitch hurt you, I'll give you a chance for revenge today!"
With that, the man stepped back, leaving Ding Lan at Zhao Dong's mercy.
On the ground, Ding Lan's mind reeled from Zhao Dong's words. Seeing his vicious expression, tears slid down her cheeks and the blood in her veins ran cold. She truly never imagined Zhao Dong would do something like this.
Zhao Dong smacked his lips, his smile widening. "Sirs, could you spare a knife? I want to cut this bitch's tongue out."
"Hahahaha... Good lad! You're vicious enough! I like it!" The thug pulled a dagger from his belt and tossed it to Zhao Dong. "Catch!"
Zhao Dong reached out and caught the dagger. Instantly, the thug trained his gun on him. Obviously, this thug was no fool. He was on his guard after giving up a weapon.
Zhao Dong gripped the knife, yanked Ding Lan up by her hair, and said coldly, "Ding Lan! Bet you never saw this day coming, did you?! When you humiliated me back then, you should have known you'd die by my blade!"
As he spoke, he slowly slid the dagger across her neck. He leaned in and whispered, "See this knife? In a moment, it's going to slice your throat, pierce your arteries, and saw your head off, little by little!"
The thug watched, completely captivated by the scene.
But in that very second, Zhao Dong's wrist flicked, and a streak of cold light shot through the air!
THUNK!
Blood splattered. The sharp dagger was buried directly in the thug's forehead.
The thug's eyes widened. His body collapsed heavily to the floor, dying with his eyes wide open! Even in death, he couldn't believe Zhao Dong had ended his life with a single, thrown dagger!
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Dong lunged forward, scooped up the fallen gun, and vanished down the aisle leading from economy to business class.
RAT-TAT-TAT...
A moment later, a burst of gunfire echoed through the plane. Soon after, Zhao Dong strode back, quickly checking every corner. Once he confirmed there were no more thugs, he tossed the gun to the floor.
From the moment Zhao Dong had made his move, the passengers at the back of the plane had been too shocked to speak. When they saw him discard the weapon, they finally understood what had just happened.
"Hero! He's a hero!"
"HERO!!!"
A wave of cheers erupted from the crowd.
The dread in Lin Qingyun's heart vanished. She threw herself into Zhao Dong's arms, her fists pounding his chest like rain. "You scared me to death! I really thought you were going to kill her."
"Silly girl, how could I?" Zhao Dong said with a smile. "It's okay. We're safe now."
Calm returned to the cabin, though everyone was still shaken from the ordeal. But now, the way they looked at Zhao Dong had completely changed. At the same time, they all cast cold glances at Ding Lan, who was lying on the floor like a dead dog.
"Heh, that woman must be blind. A man that amazing, and she looked down on him?"
"If it wasn't for him, she'd be dead right now!"
"Tsk tsk, some people can't even hold on to happiness when it's handed to them. They'd rather choose a useless coward. It's ridiculous!"
The crowd's comments made Zhang Shaowen want to crawl into a hole. He hurried over to Ding Lan to help her up. "Lan, I..."
Ding Lan shoved his hand away without a word.
Embarrassed, Zhang Shaowen scratched his head. "Look, Lan, please try to understand. There was nothing I could do."
Ding Lan shook her head and said coldly, "Stop talking. I want some quiet."
"I... sigh!" Zhang Shaowen sighed and said no more.
Ding Lan's gaze drifted involuntarily toward Zhao Dong, a swirl of indescribable emotions rising in her heart.
As calm settled over the cabin, a group of flight attendants walked past Zhao Dong, their eyes burning with fervent admiration. Zhao Dong noticed, of course, and could only offer a wry smile to himself.
But what he failed to notice was the woman sitting behind him. Dressed in a camel-colored trench coat, with a cascade of wavy black hair and features hidden behind dark sunglasses, she stared intently at him.
When she saw Zhao Dong get up and head for the restroom, a smile curved her lips. She stood up and followed him.