Chapter 158: Goodbye, Little Slav
“I’m not used to it.”
Lian Cheng clutched her lower abdomen, “What kind of rat is this? Is the situation so urgent that I can’t even wait a few minutes?”
Wells’s face sank. He glanced at the servant, then at the men in black beside him, and bowed his head slightly in apology, “Lian, pardon me.”
Lian Cheng’s expression vanished. The servant forcibly held her arm, and the man in black opened the door, drawing a pistol from his waist.
Just as they reached the stairwell, a group of people suddenly entered from downstairs, followed by several muffled sounds, like the magnified sound of a stapler, or the rustling of something piercing flesh.
Before Lian Cheng could react, the men in black surrounding her suddenly formed a human wall, pressing against each other to shield her and Wells, and quickly retreated into the room.
The door closed, and the men in black guarded the entrance. Wells’s gaze was sharp and fierce. He strode to the window, hiding behind the wall, observing the east and west directions from behind the curtain.
Lian Cheng was pushed to the corner by the servant, her limbs tensed to the extreme, and she was also silent to the extreme.
The sounds from just now were common in movies and television, and the reaction of the men in black confirmed they were silenced gunshots.
Lian Cheng suddenly thought of another possibility: if Shen Lichuan could find this place, then Father Liang certainly could too.
Whether the people outside were friend or foe, and whether “the rat” was Old Ghost, became unknown.
Wells by the window suddenly relaxed. Just as Lian Cheng was wondering, footsteps approached the stairs from downstairs.
Simultaneously, a roaring engine sound erupted on the street outside the window, approaching rapidly, and within moments, it was at the door.
Wells waved for the men in black to open the door, a sneer curling his lips, “The reinforcements have arrived. Ignore what’s outside; we’ll clear the house first.”
Lian Cheng’s heart trembled, and she felt an uncontrollable chill. She wasn’t sure if the person entering was Old Ghost, but what if it was?
She then saw her subordinates’ demeanor change from extreme vigilance to high spirits, as if venting the fright they had just experienced.
Lian Cheng no longer waited. “Wells,” she said directly, “the people who just entered, is it Old Ghost?”
Wells looked at her, knowing she was suspicious. He had also been warned that she was smart, but each time they interacted, she was easily appeased by a few genuine or false pieces of information about Huaxia, becoming too quiet and forbearing.
At this moment, she could think of Old Ghost and ask so directly; this quick-wittedness and decisiveness confirmed her intelligence once again.
He answered directly and frankly, “Lian, Mr. Liang is coming.”
Lian Cheng froze, her fingernails digging into her skin, drawing blood, but under the tension in her entire body, she felt nothing.
Mr. Liang, Liang Chaosu, was coming.
He should come. After such a long detour, everyone had become puppets under his control, chess pieces in his hands, all on this land of Iceland, being led by the strings to perform a spectacular play.
He had accused her multiple times, always interpreting her every word and action with the greatest malice, but had she always misinterpreted him?
Just like this time, he must have already been in contact with the gang and known she intended to fake her death.
It was likely that in the restaurant before the whale watching trip, when she met Old Ghost and revealed herself, he already knew. That’s why when she returned from the restroom, he couldn’t maintain his gentle pretense and said, “Sit down,” with a commanding, intimidating tone, but she was so caught up in her bold and brilliant plan that she didn’t think much of it then.
And his subsequent stay in Húsavík, first marrying her directly in the snowy night, then taking her to the restaurant, letting her continue to meet Old Ghost, and finding her resolute attitude, even after Shen Lichuan had made it clear he intended to marry her, she still wouldn’t change her mind.
Looking back now, when they returned to the hotel villa, he repeatedly asked if she wanted to go out, wasn’t he giving her an opportunity? But she had rested and refused repeatedly, only waiting to leave.
He must have seen through it, which is why he made that final test the next day, using “I love you” to tie down this stubborn, untamable donkey.
Lian Cheng’s whole body was trembling. Every bone, even the strands of her hair, felt so cold that it filled her with despair.
The questions that had tormented her for so long now seemed simple, just a step away from being laid bare.
Father Liang’s pressure was present, and he was already irritated by her attempt to fake her death. Her repeated escapes had completely worn him out.
He simply went along with her plan, letting her run to her heart’s content, setting up a thrilling experience to make her remember it forever, and then appearing after her perilous escape, bringing her to heaven or hell, a fine line between them.
In ancient times, Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo seven times. Even with seventy-two transformations, he could not escape another person’s palm, personally experiencing powerlessness and the impossibility of failure, and could only submit honestly, not daring to harbor any further intentions.
Psychological torment, what a brilliant psychological tactic.
She remained silent, and the bodyguards filed out, running into the footsteps ascending the stairs.
Lian Cheng suddenly snapped back to reality and pushed the servant with all her might to stop them.
There was no chaotic struggle outside the door. The footsteps converged, paused for two seconds, then calmly separated. The larger group continued downstairs, while the single set of footsteps stopped at the doorway.
It was a familiar Slavic face, holding a silenced gun, who greeted her, “Miss Lian Cheng, it’s a pleasure to meet you again.”
Before he finished speaking, a loud bang came from downstairs, the sound of wood breaking, hurried footsteps, and excited, chaotic shouts in Icelandic.
Wells smiled, “This time it’s Old Ghost.”
Lian Cheng had already anticipated this. After being misled by Little Slav, she thought she had misunderstood. Her stiff body relaxed, and before she could recover from the shock, she tensed up again instantly, her mind stretched to the extreme, her whole being like a broken string, collapsing limp in an instant.
She could only shout hoarsely, “Let Old Ghost go.”
Little Slav took a step forward. The servant, having received Wells’s signal, grabbed Lian Cheng from behind to restrain her.
“Lian, please rest assured, we will not lay a hand on Old Ghost—”
The muffled sound of flesh hitting flesh came from downstairs, and a cry of pain was quickly silenced.
Wells’s expression froze on his face, then he covered it up, “There might be a little lesson, but no serious harm. This friend can attest to that.”
Little Slav nodded, “Mr. Liang instructed that his life be spared.” He pressed his lips together and added, “I saw him downstairs earlier, but I didn’t make a move.”
Wells was greatly surprised and looked at him incredulously.
They had previously received a warning call from Xiao Da. As soon as the old man’s men from home appeared, they were intercepted by their people on the outskirts of the street. However, during the confrontation, a third group suddenly appeared and, without a word, joined the fray, helping them deal with the old man’s men.
Although Wells recognized that the third group was not from the gang, he considered they might be other personnel arranged by Liang Chaosu. Just as he was about to confirm, the other party suddenly turned against them, catching them completely off guard.
Wells sensed something was wrong and hurried back, preparing to take Lian Cheng away as Xiao Da had instructed, but he discovered traces of an intruder on the courtyard wall.
At that time, this Little Slav had been guarding downstairs. Seeing that he didn’t even glance their way, Wells thought he hadn’t noticed.
