Urban Soldier Young Master

Chapter 841 - 840: Double Showdown

The rain pounded the earth, the river slapped against the embankment, and the air was filled with the sounds of "drip drip" and "splash splash".Chu Ge glanced in Mu Xiaoting's direction once before shifting his gaze away. It wasn't that he didn't care about Mu Xiaoting's fate, but rather he wanted to stay as calm as possible.

As the saying goes, the human heart is made of flesh, and people have emotional fluctuations. Anyone in this situation would have already been mentally and physically shattered. Chu Ge is human too, and under the torment of pain and exhaustion, how could his body not be affected? How could his heart remain unperturbed?

However, while Chu Ge tried to keep his cool, how could Uncle Jin possibly miss any chance to provoke Chu Ge?

He hoisted Mu Xiaoting up and shouted loudly, "Chu Ge, look! Why aren't you looking over here? Take a good look at how your woman is doing now, look over here!"

Chu Ge remained silent, slightly furrowing his brows, when suddenly, an unexpected voice reached his ears.

"Chu Ge, your joke just now was so funny! Ha, hahaha, tell me another one!"

This... was Mu Xiaoting's voice. At this life-and-death moment, this pampered young lady, whom Chu Ge often saw as spoiled, was laughing joyfully and said such a thing.

Hearing this voice, Chu Ge's slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he subtly raised the corners of his mouth. Just because she could shout such words, he suddenly felt that Mu Xiaoting wasn't so unpleasant after all.

The same voice reached Uncle Jin's ears, making him look ferocious and enraged. He squeezed Mu Xiaoting's ankle hard with a massive hand.

"You damn woman! You still dare to laugh! Are you tired of living? Cry for me! Scream for me!"

Uncle Jin, in his fury, squeezed with great force; his fingers deeply embedded into Mu Xiaoting's slender ankle, producing a cracking sound of bones under immense pressure. Even though Chu Ge was some distance away, the sound still reached his ears.

"Ugh..."

Mu Xiaoting's laughter abruptly stopped, and the intense pain made her grunt. Chu Ge's heart skipped a beat, while Uncle Jin's face showed a vicious and cruel smile.

"Ha, hahaha, it doesn't hurt, not at all. Old bastard, didn't you eat dinner? Is that all the strength you have? Chu, Chu Ge, continue telling me jokes, will you?"

Uncle Jin's smile hadn't fully bloomed when Mu Xiaoting laughed again.

Despite enduring enormous pain, causing her laughter to be somewhat broken, she continued to laugh, her voice filled with determination and an unfamiliar boldness.

"You damn woman, I told you to laugh!"

Uncle Jin's expression became even more ferocious. He raised his foot and kicked Mu Xiaoting in the face. Blood immediately spilled from the corner of her mouth, yet she only groaned and continued to laugh.

"Old bastard, if you have the guts, throw me down. What's with the kicking? Don't think I don't know; you're now feeling guilty. Even though you have the numbers, even though Chu Ge is exhausted and scarred, you're still afraid of Chu Ge!"

Uncle Jin's pupils shrank fiercely, "You!"

"Less talk! Throw me down already! Do it!"

At this moment, Mu Xiaoting seemed like a completely different person, as if she had resolved to risk it all. After a cold laugh, she shouted at Chu Ge loudly.

"Chu Ge, if, according to what you just said, the number of lives determines what's right, then don't worry about me. Kill the guy in your hand, and then kill as many as you can!"

"Chu Ge, I know saying this now might be a bit late, but I still want to sincerely say to you, I'm sorry! You truly are a man worthy of Shanshan's love and admiration! If there's a next life, perhaps I would also want to be your woman! Do it! While you still have the strength, do it!"

They say a dying man's words are kind. Listening to Mu Xiaoting's voice, Chu Ge couldn't quite describe what he was feeling. If, a second ago, he still felt some resentment towards Mu Xiaoting, then with her shout of "I'm sorry", that emotion dissipated in an instant.

Chu Ge looked up, letting the rain continuously hit his face, took a long, deep breath, and fell silent as if in meditation, staring forward.

"Chu Ge, do it already!"

"Chu Ge, it's not worth it to sacrifice your life for me! Didn't you hate me? Are you stupid?"

"Even if you don't kill him, hold him hostage and escape! You can avenge me later!"

Mu Xiaoting's voice continued, but Chu Ge paid no heed and just sat quietly. His body began to feel cold. He knew this was a reaction to excessive blood loss. Grabbing Li Zheming's arm became increasingly heavy, as he knew he was also reaching his limit.

Just like Mu Xiaoting said, if he let go now, embracing the thought of killing one to break even, and two to profit, and fought a fierce battle with the surrounding enemies, it would definitely be exhilarating.

If he were smarter, he would take Li Zheming hostage, get on a motorcycle, and quickly escape from this place.

After all, he's only twenty-five years old. He has a family, a wife with whom he's supposed to have a wedding next month, and unfulfilled wishes...

Even if Mu Xiaoting dies here, no one might ever find out about it, and even if they do, he wouldn't be blamed. Even if someone does blame him, at least he can ensure his own survival.

However, even though Chu Ge knows what would be the right decision, he still grits his teeth and grabs Li Zheming's ankle, standing still.

He may be foolish, but whether it's for Mu Lingshan, his conscience, or something else, he ultimately can't ignore Mu Xiaoting's life or death.

Through recent events, Chu Ge can deduce many things: Li Zheming's sudden rise, the strong South Koreans gathered around him, and experts like Uncle Jin must be supported by some force or individual.

The fact that someone is willing to lavishly support Li Zheming financially and with manpower indicates how important Li Zheming is to them.

Regarding this, the people around, led by Uncle Jin, surely know this, or rather, they certainly understand it more thoroughly than Chu Ge.

This means that just as he cannot leave Mu Xiaoting to her fate, these enemies around him can't ignore Li Zheming's life either. If Li Zheming dies here, they too can't explain it to the person behind Li Zheming.

So, Chu Ge is betting, betting that Uncle Jin, who is holding Mu Xiaoting hostage, will compromise first and release her, then he can use Li Zheming as a hostage to leave the critical situation with Mu Xiaoting.

This is both a physical and psychological duel, a high-stakes gamble, with the wager being life – his, Mu Xiaoting's, and Li Zheming's.

Compared to Chu Ge's calmness, Uncle Jin's expression is much more agitated. What Chu Ge thought of was spot-on, and Uncle Jin's heart was also in intense turmoil.

Time passed, second by second. Each passing second was a huge test of strength and mental suffering for both Chu Ge and Uncle Jin.

After a few more minutes, Chu Ge lifted Li Zheming and slowly stood up from the ground, turning to look at Uncle Jin with a mocking cold smile.

"Seems like you really don't care about this kid's life or death."

Even though Uncle Jin's defenses were on the brink of collapse, he still forced himself to stay calm, responding with a cold smile, "Aren't you the same in not caring about that woman?"

Chu Ge suddenly burst into laughter, causing Uncle Jin's heart to tighten as he looked at Chu Ge with a deeply serious expression.

Chu Ge laughed for a while, then shook his head playfully, "You're actually right; I don't care much about that woman, in fact, I'm not very familiar with her at all."

Uncle Jin's brow furrowed even tighter, Mu Xiaoting smiled slightly and then sighed deeply, her expression more complex than ever.

So... has Chu Ge finally figured it out, is he finally going to give up on her?

To be honest, Mu Xiaoting doesn't blame Chu Ge. From her standpoint, the fact that Chu Ge has held out for her until now is already kind-hearted and even... unbelievable.

But of course, she still hasn't had enough of life, and if she's to just die here, she wouldn't be content.

However, even with her dissatisfaction, what could she do? What could Chu Ge do?

Right now, this is simply an unsolvable deadlock.

As Uncle Jin and Mu Xiaoting mulled over their thoughts, Chu Ge's laughter gradually ceased, and he suddenly raised his right arm.

Uncle Jin's pupils contracted, his heart almost reaching his throat, while Mu Xiaoting widened her eyes watching this scene intently because she knew that these were likely the last few seconds of her life, and even if the scene was far from beautiful, it was still worth cherishing.

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Chu Ge's right arm suddenly swung backward.

Just when Uncle Jin watched with wide eyes as Li Zheming's body dangled over the river, assuming Chu Ge was about to let go and a "no" was nearly on the tip of his tongue, Chu Ge's arm suddenly swung forward.

Time seemed to slow down at that moment; Chu Ge's fingers released Li Zheming's ankle, and Li Zheming's body traced a parabola in the rainy night, flying a few meters before hitting the ground with a thud, landing less than a meter from Uncle Jin.

Looking at Li Zheming lying on the ground, Uncle Jin was stunned, and so was Mu Xiaoting.

Immediately afterward, as their gazes shifted from Li Zheming to Chu Ge's face, their reactions were entirely different.

Uncle Jin burst into crazed laughter, while Mu Xiaoting broke into sobs.