Chapter Fifteen: A Deadly Bargaining Chip (3)
Amid the screams of several female passengers, the two women grappled with each other.
Ice water, mixed with scalding-hot camel milk.
It splashed everywhere.
As Nan Bei jumped onto the back of a seat, she stripped off her black robe and wrapped it around the woman, temporarily binding her arms. She had only just locked down her arms and wrested away the other gun when someone suddenly grabbed her from behind, wrapping both arms around her waist.
Close-quarters combat was her strong suit.
But in such a narrow space, it was all too easy to get trapped.
Someone shouted for help from the train police. Nan Bei took the opportunity to grab an emergency hammer, smashed the glass, gripped the window frame, and flipped herself onto the roof of the train.
In a confined space, fighting alone against attacks from both sides gave her little advantage.
But now, on the roof of the train amid the relentless sand and wind, she could finally stretch out.
Soon, the two women followed her onto the roof.
The train traveling through the desert was caught in a storm. The density of the blowing sand in the air was so high that it obscured the sky and sun, like night descending in an instant.
Nan Bei narrowed her eyes and looked at the figure five or six meters away.
“Afaf,” she said, calling the girl by name.
The girl from the anti-government forces' base in the Philippines had unexpectedly appeared in Saudi Arabia. She needed no explanation to know whom Afaf was working for. Sure enough, the agents of that country were everywhere, infiltrating every corner.
There was still camel milk on Nan Bei's arm.
The blowing sand clung to it, leaving a layer of residue. The same was true of Afaf, and the woman beside her.
“Where is the scientist?” Afaf stared at her.
The sandstorm tore apart every sound.
Nan Bei had no intention of answering her.
One against two. In the carriage, it was easy to be restrained, and she had no chance of winning. In an open space, however, it was easier to escape. But clearly, the disappearance of the scientist would obstruct all their plans, so what Nan Bei needed to do now was make it difficult for them to get word out.
That was Nan Bei's decision in an instant.
Afaf thought she would run. She rushed forward, only to be met by Nan Bei's fist.
It was a silent fight. Fists slammed into bone, and though Nan Bei knew something had broken, she could hear nothing, only the howling of the sandstorm. Nan Bei did her best to keep her eyes clear, but before long, sand blew into her right eye, leaving her unable to open it. Even so, she had to force herself to see her two opponents clearly.
Afaf was clearly the more skilled of the two.
The other woman, meanwhile, was soon kicked off the roof by Nan Bei, falling into the vast desert amid the blowing sand.
The train sounded its warning whistle.
Nan Bei guessed that it would stop soon.
She had to finish this quickly.
She had trained in boxing purely for self-defense. This was the first time she had fought someone with such aggression. After all, her foundation had been taught to her personally by Nan Huai. Though she could not compare to her brother's nearly artistic killing techniques, honed through more than a decade of uninterrupted training, her own skills were still exceptionally sharp, striking straight at the vital points.
Just as she slammed her fist into Afaf's chest, Afaf quickly spat out a mouthful of blood.
The coppery stench of blood mixed with sand hit Nan Bei in the face.
As Afaf's body began to sway unsteadily, Nan Bei finally moved forward and pinned her against the roof.
She tore off Afaf's top and bound her arms and legs.
Then, in the last moment that Afaf was conscious, Nan Bei leaned close to her ear and said softly, “I don't want you to die, so don't struggle.”
This was not a fight to the death. She did not need to finish her off. She only needed to stop her from revealing her whereabouts. A few hours would be enough to resolve everything.
When the train sounded another warning whistle, its speed had already slowed noticeably.
The people in the carriage were probably all going crazy.
The distinguished guest they had invited had suddenly gotten into a fight with someone and then jumped onto the roof of the train.
In their eyes, this was an incident in which a VIP had been attacked, and this “VIP” was also the scientist personally invited by the organizers. Unfortunately, by the time the train came to a complete stop, there was no sign of anyone on the roof. After the train police searched the surrounding area to no avail, they had no choice but to report to headquarters that a violent incident had occurred aboard the train.
But they were train police, after all. They could only continue on with the train to its final station, mark the location, and request additional resources to conduct a search.
Amid the sandstorm at sunset, the train started moving again, slowly following the tracks into the distance.
Nan Bei rose from behind a sand dune.
She had jumped down while the train was slowing, and had still injured her leg. The unconscious Afaf beside her was in even worse condition. Nan Bei did not know whether she would wake up tonight.
With someone like this in tow, it would be difficult to do anything.
She was a burden, but she was also a hostage.
Nan Bei believed that while Cheng Muyang was looking for her, the CIA would also be looking for this woman.
So should she leave her behind or take her with her? Nan Bei thought for a while, then simply sat down.
Since Cheng Muyang had said he would catch up with her soon, she might as well wait.
After all, in a desert this vast, even if she wanted to leave, there was nowhere to go.
The sandstorm slowly passed, and the sky gradually darkened.
This was the first time since entering the country that she had not been wearing her black robe. She sat in the desert in nothing but a shirt and trousers. After all, it was already winter, and once the sun set, the heat in the air gradually dissipated.
She had no warm clothing and no source of fire.
Sitting on the sand dune, she looked at the hazy moon and felt as though there were grains of sand lodged between every one of her teeth.
She even imagined that if she moved her teeth, she could hear the faint sound of them scraping against one another.
Soon, she saw the shadows of two or three camels in the distance, their long forms trailing across the sand dunes. At first, Nan Bei thought they were simply wild camels, but unexpectedly, several human figures soon appeared.
Cheng Muyang? The CIA? Or camel traders?
The group, along with several camels, soon came toward her. Nan Bei finally recognized one of the all-too-familiar figures among them. It was Cheng Muyang. She let out a sigh of relief as she watched him approach.
Under the cold moonlight, the pallor of his skin stood out. He wore a black bucket hat, its shadow falling across his face.
Only when he stopped in front of her did he reveal a pair of eyes, clear and bright.
“Cheng Muyang,” Nan Bei could not help laughing. “Did you really ride camels to chase after my train?”
Cheng Muyang patted her forehead with his palm. “I put a tracker on you a long time ago. When I saw you stop here, I abandoned the vehicle and switched to camels. There are plenty of camel traders around here, so it’s less likely to expose our whereabouts.”
“A tracker?” Nan Bei looked at him suspiciously.
Cheng Muyang went “shh” and lowered his voice as he told her, “In your underwear. As long as you don’t get close to a very strong magnetic field, I can find you.”
Sometimes, this man really made her grit her teeth in hatred.
She was both exasperated and amused. “What about the nuclear scientist?”
“She’s already on the plane,” Cheng Muyang answered. “He’ll arrive in Moscow tomorrow.”
“You handed her over to the security agency?”
He gave a quiet “Mm,” then took off his bucket hat and put it on her head, shielding her from the night wind and sand. “Moscow would never help me for free. This woman should have eight or nine months of medication and human interrogation ahead of her. Essentially, they’re no different from the Americans. They all want to obtain more secrets.”
Kyle stood in the distance with several others, holding the camels by their reins.
Cheng Muyang motioned for Nan Bei to follow him.
Only then did Nan Bei remind him that there was still a CIA hostage beside them. Cheng Muyang glanced at Afaf, then made an unmistakable gesture toward Kyle. Soon, two people came over and placed the unconscious Afaf onto a camel.
For them, having someone from the CIA in their hands would certainly make things much easier.
It was already deep into the night, and the sound of the wind had risen again. Another sandstorm would be coming soon.
Cheng Muyang and the others did not continue traveling. Instead, they went to a nearby camel farm. Recently, because the camel trade had been doing exceptionally well, there were many merchants coming to conduct business, making accommodations extremely scarce. They were arranged in a temporary tent with nothing but sleeping bags and camel milk given to them by the owner.
The wind was still howling loudly at night.
Once Nan Bei had settled down, the first thing she did was call Baobao.
It was half an hour later than the time they had agreed on every day. Baobao picked up and softly called out, “Mommy,” her voice already carrying a hint of tears.
“Be good, Baobao,” Nan Bei coaxed her softly. “Little Daddy is getting an injection. He’s very scared of shots, so Mommy is staying with him.”
Baobao said “Oh,” but still sounded aggrieved.
Nan Bei's heart melted into a complete mess. Holding the phone, she continued coaxing her, and in the end, Baobao finally became understanding and told her that she wanted to hear Mommy sing.
Nan Bei looked at Cheng Muyang, who had been listening the whole time, and could clearly see the amusement of someone watching a show in his eyes.
“Little Daddy says he can sing too. Do you want to hear him, baby?” Nan Bei narrowed her eyes and smiled at Cheng Muyang.
Baobao thought quietly for a moment. “Okay.”
She handed the phone to Cheng Muyang.
He was clearly a little nervous and gave a soft cough. “Baobao?”
Baobao, on the other hand, was much more open than he was. “Little Daddy.”
Her soft voice seemed to carry the sweet fragrance of milk.
Cheng Muyang gave a quiet “Mm,” and even his voice softened. The Cheng Muyang of the past had never imagined that, apart from Nan Bei, there could be another life in this world capable of making his heart melt like water.
Unfortunately, he did not give Nan Bei what she wanted.
They truly were a father and daughter by blood. They had not even met yet, and with nothing more than a few words over the phone, Baobao had already been won over by him. Blood ties really could make every distance disappear without a trace.
When Baobao forgot all about wanting to hear him sing and began quietly and earnestly telling Cheng Muyang about the fruit she had eaten after dinner that day, Nan Bei was completely convinced. This man was clearly the nemesis of both her and her daughter.
“Baobao, can you call me Daddy?” Cheng Muyang's voice carried a smile, clear as water.
Baobao's position was firm. “Baobao has a daddy.”
“Just a secret?” he continued coaxing her.
Baobao thought about it, then said softly, “Daddy will get angry.”
“Only the two of us will know. Okay?”
“Daddy will get angry.” Baobao wavered, sounding a little aggrieved.
“Daddy won’t know,” Cheng Muyang continued to coax her. “Daddy’s eyes are black, and yours and mine are the same color. So this is a secret between you and me.”
Nan Bei laughed aloud.
He really had figured it out without anyone teaching him, immediately learning how to coax a child.
Baobao continued wavering, making what seemed to be a terribly difficult decision.
Cheng Muyang waited patiently.
“Mommy's eyes are black too.”
Cheng Muyang gave a faint “Mm.” “So we won’t tell Mommy either. No one will know except you and me.”
Baobao said “Oh.”
After a while, a tiny voice finally came through the phone.
“Daddy.”
Nan Bei was quite surprised.
To a certain extent, Baobao was an extremely stubborn child, exactly like Cheng Muyang. She had not expected that with only these few words, Baobao would really give in. If there was any reason for it, then apart from their blood relationship, there was no other explanation.
Cheng Muyang's gaze became extraordinarily gentle.
Only after the call ended did he set the phone aside, pick up the camel milk, lean down, and kiss Nan Bei, feeding her the milk with his mouth. As the liquid passed through their mouths and throats, by the time she swallowed it, his tongue had already entwined with hers.
Only then did she finally feel that this day had truly passed safely.
“Baobao must be a lot like you when you were little,” Cheng Muyang said as he put out the temporary lamp, tucked her securely into the sleeping bag, then climbed inside himself and pulled her into his arms. “I can feel it. She’s very much like you.”
Nan Bei rested her head on his arm and gave a soft “Mm.” “My brother said the same thing.”
“Beibei?”
“Mm?”
“Don’t take such risks next time.”
She nuzzled closer into his arms and gave a soft “Mm.”
“Repeat what I said,” he suddenly said.
“Huh?”
“Repeat what I said.” He really was stubborn.
“Don’t take such risks next time.” With her cheek against his shirt, Nan Bei spoke softly.
Cheng Muyang gently stroked her back.
“Other than you, everything else in this world is an external thing to me.”
Nan Bei was somewhat dissatisfied and muttered, “What about Baobao?”
Cheng Muyang laughed softly. “She’s a part of you. Her blood and bones, her appearance, they’re all a part of you.”
She was utterly exhausted and soon fell asleep.
Cheng Muyang, however, held her in his arms, keeping his eyes closed as he rested while remaining fully alert.
Before they left Saudi Arabia tomorrow, danger could come at any moment. As long as Nan Bei was beside him, he would never truly fall asleep. His answer to Nan Bei's question just now had been deliberately ambiguous. Perhaps those who had once believed in Buddhism could possess great compassion and great mercy, yet find it difficult to have feelings in all their minute details.
In most matters, he could be utterly cold and ruthless.
But when he thought that somewhere in this world there was a life that was a part of Nan Bei, he knew he would surely love her very much. Regardless of what had given rise to that feeling, in the end, the result was that he loved everything connected to Nan Bei.
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