381: 7.71 Die With Me!

7.71 Die With Me!

Lu Yizhou stared out of the window, mind racing up a storm. Out of sight, he quietly took Moshe's hand and tapped twice on the inside of his wrist, wishing that Moshe could understand that Lu Yizhou needed a hint on what he should do. Moshe brought him out to 'collect a debt' so there was no way he was required to only sit still and look pretty, right? Moshe was definitely joking when he said that earlier. Right??0

When Moshe did not react, Lu Yizhou switched to tickling the soft flesh of his palm. This time, Moshe immediately flipped their hands and gripped Lu Yizhou's misbehaving paw in a tight grip. Then he asked out of nowhere, "How is the bonding event, pet? Do you have fun with others?"

Ha… Lu Yizhou couldn't resist a scoff. He had almost forgotten about that. What kind of bonding event was that if they were demanded to fight and kill each other? It was no different than creating another gladiator arena.

"Tell me honestly." Moshe gave a sweet smile. Underneath, he returned the same gesture by tapping twice on his wrist.

Lu Yizhou raised a brow. He looked at Moshe's saccharine smile and all of a sudden, something clicked in his mind. What had he just thought of? No different than creating another gladiator arena…?

"If I may be honest…" Lu Yizhou chose his words carefully. "Everyone is too weak. If they are the kind of men you're going to accept into your clan, then I fear for your future."

Kaede let out a loud snort at his audacity but because he had seen Lu Yizhou's performance for himself, he had nothing to say. On the other hand, Ezra looked quietly curious, glancing back at them through the rearview mirror once in a while. Lu Yizhou was not able to confirm whether he sincerely wanted to know or he was just taking the chance to spy on them. 

He forced himself to ignore Ezra and continued, "Not only that, but your whole idea of bonding is purely ridiculous. What I found on the stage is not teamwork, support and reliance… but desperation, dishonesty and cheap tricks. Even if you do produce an excellent fighter, he will be one who resorted to anything to achieve what he wants, even if it means to kill and betray his teammates."

Moshe's smile deepened and this time, it was genuine. Pride and satisfaction oozed through his gaze and he squeezed Lu Yizhou's hand in encouragement. 

"It doesn't line up with your principles of loyalty and quality above everything," Lu Yizhou finished in a quiet tone. He couldn't help but chuckle as the truth finally came into light. This time, he had really been caught off guard. 

His lover was really sly. The purpose of today's match, other than to pull out the traitor, was indeed for bonding — but it was directed toward Kaede only. Moshe, this little schemer, created this event for the sole purpose to let Kaede see what he was capable of. He wanted to force his right hand man to acknowledge Lu Yizhou and along the way… he might even seize the chance to gauge Lu Yizhou's true strength. 

This was killing three birds with one stone. 

"Brilliant," Lu Yizhou said in genuine awe. Moshe's beautifully complicated mind never failed to impress him. When he thought he had known everything to know about his lover, he would once again be shown a different side to him. "Did you really go this far only for this?"

Their car stopped in a red light. Kaede was adamant in looking out of the window with his arms crossed, pretending he was nothing but thin air. Ezra was openly staring at them now, taken aback and confused, still completely oblivious to what Moshe had in store for him.

"Only for this, you said?" Moshe sprawled on his seat almost indolently, legs parted so he could bump their knees together. The smile he directed toward Lu Yizhou should be catalogued as a weapon of mass destruction. It was unfair how Lu Yizhou's heart still skipped a beat after all they had been through. "Oh you have no idea. I have gone out of my way to search for some more civilized thugs to create this vulgar bonding event and trained them just for this day. For what, you must be asking."

"I have casted such a wide net…" he tilted his head to meet Ezra's eyes right on the rearview mirror, prompting a jolt of shock from the latter. "Of course, I would want to catch a big fish. Don't you think so, Ezra?"

Ezra pressed his lips tightly together. His complexion didn't even change as he said smoothly, "Whatever you say is right, Boss."

The light turned green. Ezra stepped on the gas pedal a little too roughly and the car gave a lurch. 

[666: Host, seven more minutes!]

Lu Yizhou inhaled deeply, lines forming between his brows. Why did he seem to be the one who fretted the most? And how the hell did these three people look so casual and unruffled even when sitting in such a close proximity with a ticking time bomb that could hack them into pieces?!

Heavy silence reigned as Ezra switched the lane and took them to the highway route. Then he suddenly asked, "How did you know it was me?" How could he not understand that he had been busted? Even though his expression did not change at all, he was secretly perspiring in nervousness. How long had Moshe known it? He had been hiding for so long. What could have given him away?!

It was Kaede who answered, his voice subdued to contain his emotions. "The ambush on our port cargo four days ago."

"But you sent four other people along with me—"

"We suspected that the traitor was among the five of you, but we didn't know for certain who it was. So, Boss sent you all to the same mission."

Realization dawned on Ezra and his knuckles tightened on the wheel. "You're assigning us to guard different entrances to see from which direction the ambush would come from." He shook his head and chuckled bitterly. "It is negligence on my part. I have been truly careless this time. Then… you have also known that the training center will be ambushed today by the Mad Dog? Is that why you suddenly left fifteen minutes earlier than planned, have it filled with random thugs and leave Thirteen alone to deal with the aftermath?"

There was no need for words for the answer was already crystal clear. Every single step Moshe took today had been a carefully crafted trap. 

Lu Yizhou sucked in cold air. He had no idea they were leaving earlier than planned. Fifteen minutes… If only they had left fifteen minutes later and not counting on the delay they had due to making out earlier, then the timing would be impeccable; the car would explode right after Moshe got in it. 

When Lu Yizhou thought of how he might have cost his lover's life just because he was too greedy for kisses, his back broke out in cold sweat.

Ezra's plan went on like this. The Mad Dog would bulldoze his way into the training center, catch everyone off guard and force Moshe to flee in order to save his life. He would have no time to check his car and then… BOOM! He would die with his body exploded into pieces, without even knowing how it happened. 

The more Lu Yizhou thought about it, the more risky he realized the plan was. Zion's people would surely be monitoring the place 24/7 and Moshe had to move so carefully as to not alert the enemy, both inside and outside. Fifteen minutes was the time Moshe had bought for everyone. Too early, he would make Ezra suspicious and if too late… more mishaps might happen and he would be caught amid the crossfire.

Ezra's overall scheme was quite brilliant, no doubt he had been concocted this for a long period of time. Too bad, his target was one hell of a paranoid man. Starting from the leak of Lu Yizhou's status as a pet, Moshe had started to tighten his supervision and monitor everyone under him. If it had been anyone other than Moshe, they would have succeeded.

Colors slowly drained from Ezra's face when he realized that his long awaited plan had gone haywire without him realizing. His knuckles trembled on the wheel and Lu Yizhou was honestly ready to pounce forward when Moshe tightened his hold and forcibly held him in place. 

Lu Yizhou let out a harsh exhale. He did not beat around the bush anymore. "We have to get out of here." He hissed in agitation. "Now."

Two pairs of eyes snapped to him. Kaede, in astonishment. Ezra, appalled. But they threw out the same question. "H–How did you know?!" 

Perhaps he had been too shocked, Ezra stepped on the gas stronger and the car engine roared even more fiercely. The sleek metal shot its way through the broad highway. Lu Yizhou had had no chance to explore this world before save from the time he went to the tailor and the charity auction. But now…

He looked up to see the bridge approaching, less than eight hundred meters away. And beneath it… was a vast expanse of river with a high current. 

Ezra chuckled as he grabbed the steering wheel in a death grip and accelerated past many cars straight toward the bridge. "It's too late. I have planned this for so long." The eyes that stared at Moshe through the rearview mirror were bleeding with hatred and grief. "I am going to make you pay for the heinous act you have done to my wife and son! Today, you will die with me, Moshe!"

[Countdown: 4 minutes 27 seconds.]

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