Foster father

15

After meeting with Elle and Job, Carter Vaughn realized that the situation was worse than he had imagined.

The two of them looked extremely disheveled, with varying degrees of scratches and bruises. Elle’s wounds had already been treated and seemed to be no big deal, while Job had a large tear in his military pants and bandages wrapped around his arms and thighs.

Carter Vaughn frowned and asked, "What happened?"

Elle was smoking, his eyes dark and fierce, as if deep in thought. He glanced up at Carter Vaughn and muttered, "Let Job explain."

Job seemed embarrassed and gritted his teeth as he spoke, "We followed the method Tiger Shark gave us and found Mother Tai's apartment. The door wasn't locked, so we went in. The place was a mess, and no one was there. There were signs of a struggle. Then, Elle found a timed bomb in the bedroom, triggered by the door. We jumped out of the window, and this is what happened. Damn."

Carter Vaughn spoke grimly, "Does this mean someone was waiting for us?"

Elle replied, "It's hard to say right now. Mother Tai's been involved in a lot of shady business and has many enemies. It might just be bad luck, but the C9 bomb in the bedroom was definitely meant for someone specific."

Per was treating Job's wounds while wiping his hands and said, "I think it was just a coincidence, not aimed at us. But now that Mother Tai is missing, where are we going to find a boat?"

"I've already reported the situation here to Tiger Shark, and he's working on it. But we may have to stay a few more days."

"A few more days?" Per said anxiously, "With so many of us hiding here, even though it's the outskirts, we could be discovered at any time. If the cops get involved, it'll be a huge mess."

Elle extinguished his cigarette, stood up, and said, "Per's right. We can't keep waiting for Tiger Shark. Tan, you're the only Asian here, so you're less likely to attract attention. Tomorrow, go to the port and see if you can find a boat that can meet our needs, no matter the cost."

Carter Vaughn nodded. "No need to wait until tomorrow. I'll go tonight. If I don't find anything tonight and Tiger Shark hasn't made any progress by tomorrow, then tomorrow night, we’ll find a suitable boat and just head out to sea."

He deliberately emphasized the word "suitable," and everyone understood that meant they'd need a "unlucky" boat to act as both their hostage and transportation. While risky, it was better than staying put and waiting for disaster to strike.

That night, Carter Vaughn went alone to the port. Many boats were docked along the shore, their lights shining as the crew played cards and drank in groups. This time, Carter didn’t have much hope of finding a boat with someone willing to take them out to sea for money. Communication was a problem, as they couldn’t understand each other, so instead of wasting time on words, it seemed safer to simply pick a boat and hold the crew hostage to force them to take them out.

He stayed at the port until 4 a.m., memorizing the layout of the area, the docking and departure times of the boats, and the security situation. He marked three boats and took note of where they were docked. Then, he scouted the routes for his car, walking back and forth three times before he decided on two possible paths.

As he was heading back to the temporary hideout, he felt something was wrong. Without even needing to see it, his experience told him he was being watched. His gut told him someone was following him.

The pursuer was cautious, maintaining a safe distance, but no matter how many twists and turns Carter made, he couldn’t shake them off.

By the time dawn was breaking, Carter Vaughn had planned to just lose the tail. Though he was curious about who was following him and whether they had anything to do with Mother Tai’s disappearance or the bomb at the apartment, he decided that it was better to prioritize safety and get away without incident. But the persistent bastard wouldn’t give up, which seemed like a death wish.

Carter Vaughn decided to confront him.

He turned into a narrow alley, kicked off the rough stone walls, and climbed up onto a rooftop, pulling out his triangular military knife.

After waiting for about half a minute, a suspicious figure appeared at the alley’s entrance. The man pulled out a radio and spoke in a low voice, as if waiting for orders.

Carter Vaughn carefully observed him. In the dim light, he could barely make out that the man was of medium build and appeared to be Asian.

Carter waited for him to approach, but the man took his time. Only when the man put the radio to his ear did he seem to get an order. He pulled out a gun and cautiously started walking into the alley.

Carter held his breath, watching the man pass under him. The man’s gun was in his hand. If Carter jumped now, he would have no place to dodge, and his safety would depend on the man’s reflexes. This method was not only risky but also dangerous, as a gunshot would surely alert the residents.

The best course of action would be to stab his hand with the military knife. However, this weapon was too heavy and not suited for throwing. If he missed, he’d be in a dangerous position and would have to draw his own gun to eliminate the threat.

Let’s take a gamble.

Carter’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He silently raised his arm, aiming for the man’s shoulder where he held the gun. He hurled the military knife with all his might and leaped down.

The man turned in shock, and the knife missed, embedding itself in his shoulder blade. He let out a muffled cry, but he didn’t drop his gun. Instead, he tried to aim it at Carter.

By the time Carter hit the ground, he was already on top of the man, wrapping his legs around him to hold him in place, pulling out the military knife, and stabbing him through the forearm with a quick thrust. The man was knocked to the ground, and Carter pushed his back hard against the ground to flip him over.

As soon as the man hit the ground, Carter was already up and on him, pressing his knee against the man’s neck, speaking coldly, "Don’t move."

The triangular military knife was known as a "bloodletting knife," designed to create a Y-shaped wound. Once stabbed in, it would tear a massive hole, and the blood flow would be uncontrollable, often leaving the surrounding skin pale like ivory. It was a vicious and lethal weapon.

Carter twisted the knife slightly. The ground beneath the man was already soaked with his blood. Carter glanced at the man for half a second and then spoke with certainty in Vietnamese, "You’re Vietnamese."

The man was pinned and unable to move, sweat pouring down his forehead. He could only watch as blood poured from the wound. The pain and psychological pressure were breaking his will, but fortunately, he had only been stabbed in the arm. Had it been a more vital spot, he would have likely passed out from blood loss.

"Why are you following me? Is Mother Tai's disappearance related to you? Did you set up the bomb in the apartment?"

The man gritted his teeth, "There’s a Vietnamese boy who went missing at the Vietnam-Myanmar border. Is he in your hands?"

Carter twisted the knife with a cold glare. "You haven’t answered my question and now you’re asking me one?"

The man let out a low cry from the pain. "You won’t get anything from me."

After meeting with Elle and Job, Carter Vaughn realized that the situation was worse than he had imagined.

The two of them looked extremely disheveled, with varying degrees of scratches and bruises. Elle’s wounds had already been treated and seemed to be no big deal, while Job had a large tear in his military pants and bandages wrapped around his arms and thighs.

Carter Vaughn frowned and asked, "What happened?"

Elle was smoking, his eyes dark and fierce, as if deep in thought. He glanced up at Carter Vaughn and muttered, "Let Job explain."

Job seemed embarrassed and gritted his teeth as he spoke, "We followed the method Tiger Shark gave us and found Mother Tai's apartment. The door wasn't locked, so we went in. The place was a mess, and no one was there. There were signs of a struggle. Then, Elle found a timed bomb in the bedroom, triggered by the door. We jumped out of the window, and this is what happened. Damn."

Carter Vaughn spoke grimly, "Does this mean someone was waiting for us?"

Elle replied, "It's hard to say right now. Mother Tai's been involved in a lot of shady business and has many enemies. It might just be bad luck, but the C9 bomb in the bedroom was definitely meant for someone specific."

Per was treating Job's wounds while wiping his hands and said, "I think it was just a coincidence, not aimed at us. But now that Mother Tai is missing, where are we going to find a boat?"

"I've already reported the situation here to Tiger Shark, and he's working on it. But we may have to stay a few more days."

"A few more days?" Per said anxiously, "With so many of us hiding here, even though it's the outskirts, we could be discovered at any time. If the cops get involved, it'll be a huge mess."

Elle extinguished his cigarette, stood up, and said, "Per's right. We can't keep waiting for Tiger Shark. Tan, you're the only Asian here, so you're less likely to attract attention. Tomorrow, go to the port and see if you can find a boat that can meet our needs, no matter the cost."

Carter Vaughn nodded. "No need to wait until tomorrow. I'll go tonight. If I don't find anything tonight and Tiger Shark hasn't made any progress by tomorrow, then tomorrow night, we’ll find a suitable boat and just head out to sea."

He deliberately emphasized the word "suitable," and everyone understood that meant they'd need a "unlucky" boat to act as both their hostage and transportation. While risky, it was better than staying put and waiting for disaster to strike.

That night, Carter Vaughn went alone to the port. Many boats were docked along the shore, their lights shining as the crew played cards and drank in groups. This time, Carter didn’t have much hope of finding a boat with someone willing to take them out to sea for money. Communication was a problem, as they couldn’t understand each other, so instead of wasting time on words, it seemed safer to simply pick a boat and hold the crew hostage to force them to take them out.

He stayed at the port until 4 a.m., memorizing the layout of the area, the docking and departure times of the boats, and the security situation. He marked three boats and took note of where they were docked. Then, he scouted the routes for his car, walking back and forth three times before he decided on two possible paths.

As he was heading back to the temporary hideout, he felt something was wrong. Without even needing to see it, his experience told him he was being watched. His gut told him someone was following him.

The pursuer was cautious, maintaining a safe distance, but no matter how many twists and turns Carter made, he couldn’t shake them off.

By the time dawn was breaking, Carter Vaughn had planned to just lose the tail. Though he was curious about who was following him and whether they had anything to do with Mother Tai’s disappearance or the bomb at the apartment, he decided that it was better to prioritize safety and get away without incident. But the persistent bastard wouldn’t give up, which seemed like a death wish.

Carter Vaughn decided to confront him.

He turned into a narrow alley, kicked off the rough stone walls, and climbed up onto a rooftop, pulling out his triangular military knife.

After waiting for about half a minute, a suspicious figure appeared at the alley’s entrance. The man pulled out a radio and spoke in a low voice, as if waiting for orders.

Carter Vaughn carefully observed him. In the dim light, he could barely make out that the man was of medium build and appeared to be Asian.

Carter waited for him to approach, but the man took his time. Only when the man put the radio to his ear did he seem to get an order. He pulled out a gun and cautiously started walking into the alley.

Carter held his breath, watching the man pass under him. The man’s gun was in his hand. If Carter jumped now, he would have no place to dodge, and his safety would depend on the man’s reflexes. This method was not only risky but also dangerous, as a gunshot would surely alert the residents.

The best course of action would be to stab his hand with the military knife. However, this weapon was too heavy and not suited for throwing. If he missed, he’d be in a dangerous position and would have to draw his own gun to eliminate the threat.

Let’s take a gamble.

Carter’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He silently raised his arm, aiming for the man’s shoulder where he held the gun. He hurled the military knife with all his might and leaped down.

The man turned in shock, and the knife missed, embedding itself in his shoulder blade. He let out a muffled cry, but he didn’t drop his gun. Instead, he tried to aim it at Carter.

By the time Carter hit the ground, he was already on top of the man, wrapping his legs around him to hold him in place, pulling out the military knife, and stabbing him through the forearm with a quick thrust. The man was knocked to the ground, and Carter pushed his back hard against the ground to flip him over.

As soon as the man hit the ground, Carter was already up and on him, pressing his knee against the man’s neck, speaking coldly, "Don’t move."

The triangular military knife was known as a "bloodletting knife," designed to create a Y-shaped wound. Once stabbed in, it would tear a massive hole, and the blood flow would be uncontrollable, often leaving the surrounding skin pale like ivory. It was a vicious and lethal weapon.

Carter twisted the knife slightly. The ground beneath the man was already soaked with his blood. Carter glanced at the man for half a second and then spoke with certainty in Vietnamese, "You’re Vietnamese."

The man was pinned and unable to move, sweat pouring down his forehead. He could only watch as blood poured from the wound. The pain and psychological pressure were breaking his will, but fortunately, he had only been stabbed in the arm. Had it been a more vital spot, he would have likely passed out from blood loss.

"Why are you following me? Is Mother Tai's disappearance related to you? Did you set up the bomb in the apartment?"

The man gritted his teeth, "There’s a Vietnamese boy who went missing at the Vietnam-Myanmar border. Is he in your hands?"

Carter twisted the knife with a cold glare. "You haven’t answered my question and now you’re asking me one?"

The man let out a low cry from the pain. "You won’t get anything from me."

Carter reached into the man’s jacket and pulled out a radio. He spoke into it, "I’m about to kill him. Do you want to leave a message for him?"

The static noise from the radio was deafening in the silent alley. After a while, a robotic, cold voice came through, "I think we can talk."

"Talk?" Carter sneered, "Are you planning to send more people to talk to me?"

"Answer three questions I can answer, and then you can let him go."

Carter scoffed, "You’re talking nonsense. Looks like his life is worth only three insignificant questions."

"For the national interest, his sacrifice is an honor."

Carter Vaughn was tired of the exchange. "Fine, three questions. First, what do you want from us? Second, why do you want the boy? Third, who is the boy?"

"I can answer the first two. The boy is very important to us. If you return him to us, we can arrange a boat to take you out to sea."

Carter sneered, "Bullshit, you’ll kill us, just like you did to our employer."

"So you admit the boy is in your hands?" The cold voice asked.

Carter realized he had made a mistake and cursed himself for giving away too much. He decided to stop hiding and said, "You’ve been following us for so long, you should already know. The boy won’t be returned to you. If you keep chasing us, I’ll send you parts of him, piece by piece."

The man fell silent for a moment. "Hurting him won’t help you, and you’ll regret it."

"If you don’t want me to hurt him, then keep your distance," Carter replied. He knew that returning the child to these people was out of the question. Otherwise, they would face a national power with no leverage, and these people would try to silence them forever.

The man said, "First, let my soldier go, and I’ll let you go out to sea."

Carter realized they wouldn’t leave smoothly that night, but he didn’t want to provoke them. He pulled the military knife out and growled into the radio, "Remember, don’t cause trouble for us. Otherwise, I’ll send you the boy in pieces."

He tossed the radio onto the soldier who had been tailing him and quickly disappeared into the night.