DB Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – “He makes me sick.” 

Novel Title: 龙血 (Dragon Blood)

Author：水千丞 (Shui Qian Cheng)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 单鸣 (Shan Ming -MC), 沈长泽 (Shen Changze -ML)

*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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When the ship approached them, not only the members of the mercenary regiment, even the two Burmese pilots were about to cry.

Death is not the most terrible thing. The most terrible thing is to die with regrets. They would rather fight the enemy to the last drop of blood than die of starvation or illness at sea.

The first person to step down from the pedal was a 190cm tall Caucasian man. He was wearing sunglasses. He has thick brown hair and he looked to be about forty years old. He was wrapped in muscles, looking just like a typical Hollywood blockbuster movie star. He is a tough guy who looked like he had just come out of a war filled with gunpowder’s smoke and flames.

The moment Pell looked at him, the usual laziness and wildness on her face switched into girlish shyness and astonishment. She excitedly ran over to hug the man, “Tiger Shark, you are finally here.”

The person who came was Tiger Shark. He is the deputy head of the ‘Peregrine Falcon’ mercenary regiment. He was also one of the few veterans who survived the ‘Peregrine Falcon’ confrontation with the monster back then. He was the closest brother of Lin Qiang, Ayer and Shan Ming’s foster father.

After the death of their foster father, Tiger Shark, the deputy head, was originally the only person with prestige to take over as the head of the regiment. But he resolutely refused and instead, he supported Ayer, who was just a kid back then to be the leader. If there was no Tiger Shark, there would be no more active and organised  ‘Peregrine Falcon’ in the world.

Tiger Shark stroked her long, fluffy hair and shouted, “Where’s Al? Where’s Shan?”

The two walked out of the plane in a regular manner. They looked at each other with helplessness in their eyes. They both knew that they would be scolded.

Tiger Shark took off his sunglasses and gave them a cold look. He then strutted into the now dilapidated plane. All the members of the regiment looked at him eagerly.

Tang Tingzhi shrank in a corner. His amber eyes stared at Tiger Shark without blinking, trying to figure out what this man was going to do with him and how he should use the time he has left.

Job laughed and said, “Tiger Shark, we’re all hungry.”

It was uncertain whether Tiger Shark was looking at him or not under the sunglasses. But he said coldly, “I’m also hungry now.” He searched around in the cabin and finally stopped in front of a chair.

Shen Changze was holding on to Shan Ming’s knees. He curled up on the chair once he noticed him being watched condescendingly by a man who looked like a giant in his eyes. The child’s psychological pressure was doubled. He frowned and quietly stretched out his hand in the direction of Shan Ming. The voice trembled and called: “Baba…”

Tiger Shark picked him up and put him in front of his eyes for a look.

There is a ferocious scar on Tiger Shark’s face which is right in the middle of the brow, spreading to the side like a spider web. It looks a bit scary.

The child was overwhelmed by the terrifying aura of Tiger Shark. He opened his mouth but he couldn’t speak.

Tiger Shark asked, “How old are you?”

The child tremblingly stretched out his five fingers on his little hand.

Tiger Shark tilted his neck and frowned at him for a while. He then threw him like a ball to Job, “Pack up your things and get on the boat!”

Ayer was holding a cup of fragrant freshly ground coffee and his expression relaxed a lot. Tiger Shark folded his arms in front of his chest, as if he was thinking about something. Meanwhile Shan Ming was blowing his water-filled gun barrel with a blower.

There were three tall men in the narrow room. But none of them spoke first.

In the end, Tiger Shark spoke first, “How much did you lose this time?”

Ayer thought about his wording, “Part of the balance has not been paid but we have collected a large number of weapons and jewellery from him. Most of the weapons are top-quality modified ones and they can be sold for a lot of money on the black market. …” Although Ayer was suffering, he didn’t dare to tell the truth to Tiger Shark.

Tiger Shark squinted his eyes and looked at them, “Okay, let’s not talk about this. I want to hear an explanation about that child first.”

Ayer was about to speak.

But Tiger Shark said first: “I don’t know what bullshit you have told the others. But don’t try to fool me with the same thing. I will beat you up.”

Ayer and Shan Ming looked at each other. Ayer kicked Shan Ming, “You were the one who caused trouble. Tell him yourself.”

Shan Ming smiled sarcastically, “No longer a kind-hearted brother now?”

Ayer glared at him and continued drinking his coffee.

Shan Ming wiped his face and decided to tell the truth.

Tiger Shark was one of the people who brought them up and he had taught them a lot of things. Tiger Shark is really his own person. It is necessary to be smart and not hide things from him.

So Shan Ming said exactly the truth.

After hearing this, Tiger Shark pondered for a moment, “This is not an easy matter… but you can’t give them the child.”

Ayer said: “What about that coward who looks neither a male nor a female?”

“Drive to the next populated island and drop him off.”

Shan Ming frowned and said, “That’s it? We should bring him back to Colombia. There are ways to make him tell the truth. He knows a lot of things…”

Tiger Shark slammed down the table and shouted angrily: “Don’t you think you have caused enough trouble?! I have long disagreed with you guys coming to this mission. Don’t provoke a mysterious country like China. Did you forget how your father died?!”

Shan Ming closed his mouth and sat back in his chair silently. Deep down, he is not reconciled.

He really wanted to know why the government insisted on getting Shen Changze and what secrets were hidden inside this ordinary-looking and delicate child.

As Tiger Shark instructed, Tang Tingzhi was left alone on an isolated island the next few days. During the period before dropping him off, Shan Ming didn’t even have a chance to say a word to Tang Tingzhi.

But he couldn’t forget the way Tang Tingzhi’s eyes were looking at Shen Changze before getting off the boat. It was the kind of probing eyes with infinite desire.

~Three years later~

“Distance?”

“Three hundred and fifty metres.”

“Wind direction?”

“From the southwest.”

“Wind speed?”

“6.4 metres per second.”

“Lock on target.”

“The target has been locked.”

“Shoot.”

There was a sound of a gunshot. The armour-piercing projectile of the 12.7mm Barrett modified sniper rifle hit a fist-sized iron block 350 metres away.

Shen Changze threw off his scope. He jumped up from the ground and said excitedly, “Baba, how did I do?!”

Shan Ming snorted coldly, “This gun is really too easy for you to use. Let’s start with M14.”

Shen Changze pouted, “I hit it!”

“You smashed it into two pieces of iron. One big and one small. What I want is to smash it from the centre. This is bad. You are not even half as good as Pell.”

The child’s face was flushed with anger, “If it was a human head, wouldn’t it still be broken into two pieces?”

“You are so proud of only this 350 metres shot? The British army hit a record of 1,400 metres in Afghanistan. 350 metres is just the most basic quality of a sniper so you still dare try to make errors. Even one millimetre of error can sometimes decide the outcome yet you are so proud. Carry forty kilograms and run twenty kilometres.”

The child scowled and carried the ammunition box weighing forty kilograms on his back. He then turned his head to run.

Shan Ming looked at the child’s back with an imperceptible smile on the corner of his mouth.

Shen Changze came back when everyone was almost finished with dinner. The clothes on his body were completely soaked with sweat and the strands of hair on his forehead were sticking to his face.

After he entered the dining room, he put the ammunition box away and poured himself a glass of water. He downed it in one gulp.

Jushi walked past him while picking his teeth. He reached out and patted the child on the back, “That’s right. He has grown taller.”

This blow almost knocked the child to the ground. He took Jushi’s hand off of him and said confidently: “Sooner or later, I will be taller than you!”

Jushi looked at the eight-year-old whose height had only reached his waist. He laughed and left.

Shen Changze walked to Shan Ming’s side, “I can eat now?”

Shan Ming was drinking with Job and the others. He said without raising his eyes, “Eat.”

The child sat down and started to eat. After eating, he saw that Shan Ming and the others were still drinking and talking nonsense. So he went over to pressure him, “The pro-guards sent by the Congolese anti-government army will arrive at ten o’clock in the evening. Tiger Shark will lead the team. If he sees you drinking at this time, you will definitely be scolded. You still wanna drink?”

Since the battle three years ago, the number of missions that ‘Peregrine Falcon’ has gone out to take has dropped significantly. Instead, they had taken on a lot of jobs to help people train mercenaries. Firstly, it was done because the pay is high. Secondly, it can help prevent large troops from going out. Tiger Shark has always been worried that the Chinese government will take action against them. So he had tried his best to keep a low profile in the past three years.

When he said this to Shan Ming, everyone was extremely disappointed. After he finished speaking, everyone was in no mood to drink anymore. So they dispersed.

Shan Ming stood up unsteadily and walked to his room. Shen Changze took his coat for him and followed behind him.

When they walked out of the cafeteria, it was already dark. There was an open and modern military camp in front of them. The camp was brightly lit. Two helicopters had just taken off and armoured vehicles drove by from time to time. This place was headed by ‘Peregrine Falcon’ and three foreign armies have been stationed here for a long time. The price for them to stay here safely is to provide some ‘services’ for the Colombian government from time to time, such as assassination, security, suppressing riots, and even helping the government to train the army. They are always busy all year round.

After entering the room, Shan Ming slumped on the bed and closed his eyes. He enjoyed the drunken feeling of being in the clouds after drinking.

Shen Changze skillfully took off his shoes and clothes. He then brought water to wipe his face.

Shan Ming said: “Wake me up when the time comes.”

“I know.” The child smiled mischievously. You think I’ll wake you up? I’ll let you sleep until Tiger Shark comes back so that he can scold you, he thought.

Shan Ming suddenly opened his eyes, “If you dare not to wake me up on purpose, I’ll send you to sleep in a new barracks. There are forty people in a room and there is no air conditioner. You sleep with the smell of feet and dirty jokes all day long.”

The child pouted, “I’ll wake you up on time.”

Shan Ming closed his eyes and snorted comfortably, “That’s good. Remember how privileged your life is now. You can still sleep with me and I am so kind to you… Massage my legs.”

The child began to massage his legs until Shan Ming fell asleep in a daze.

When it was almost ten o’clock, Shen Changze woke Shan Ming up. Shan Ming got up, washed his face, and took him to welcome Tiger Shark back home.

At a little after ten o’clock, a military transport plane landed on the camp. Tiger Shark took the lead in disembarking from the plane. There were almost two rows of recruits who came down intermittently.

Tiger Shark briefly introduced the new recruits and handed them over to Dino to arrange. Then he gave Pell a pair of beautiful embroidery, which was probably a local handicraft in Congo.

Ayer spread his hands, “That’s it? Why did you let us wait for you to come back? Could it be because you wanted a line to welcome you?”

“Of course not. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you.”

“Okay, let’s go to the combat conference room.”

Ayer, Shan Ming, and the others followed Tiger Shark into the meeting room.

When he saw Shen Changze enter the meeting room, Tiger Shark frowned and said, “Shan, is he your tail? He follows you everywhere.”

“Just treat him as a tail. He can’t understand anyway.”

The child whispered, “I understand.”

Tiger Shark shouted: “Sit down. You don’t have the right to talk.”

The child sat down neatly, fiddling with Pell’s gift in his hand.

Job said, “Why is it so urgent?”

A hint of impatience flashed across Tiger Shark’s face, “It’s about Jim.”

“Jim? Isn’t he in Miami on an assassination mission?”

“That’s right.”

“Failed?”

“No. Not failure.”

“Then……”

“After his mission ended, during his stay in the United States, he raped a thirteen-year-old girl. The girl’s father was a member of the U.S. Congress, the first heir of the Kersingweis family and is in line for the next presidential candidates.”

“Fuck!” Ayer yelled, “This bastard brought more than enough trouble.”

Disgust was evident on everyone’s faces.

Although they themselves are not good people and they like to find whores or play with women, none of them are so crazily perverted enough to assault children. Only Jim is such a pervert…

Tiger Shark said: “Now there is a bounty on his head. He fled into Peru by detour and asked me for help. He will probably be able to return to the base in a few days.”

Shan Ming said: “We can’t let him go back to the base. He can just go do things by himself. Let him take care of himself. He will become a burden for our mercenary regiment. If he dares to come back, I will kill him first.”

Shan Ming has always been very disgusted with Jim and has long wanted to kill him. He finally has a chance.

Tiger Shark shook his head, “You can’t kill him. You have to let the congressman deal with him.”

Pell said with disgust: “If he returns to the camp, wouldn’t it affect our reputation?”

“The congressman spoke to me through the Colombian government. He said that as long as we don’t protect Jim, he is not willing to be our enemy.”

“So what do we do about it?”

“First, you can’t let him return to the base. Set up defences at the border and report his whereabouts as soon as you find out. Second, you can’t let more people know about this. The congressman asked me to preserve his daughter’s reputation.” Tiger Shark looked at his watch. “Send two scouts out now and confirm Jim’s whereabouts as soon as possible. Don’t kill him. Just drive him away.”

Shan Ming squinted his eyes and said: “Tiger Shark, have you forgotten that Jim is the best scout? Neither Falcon nor Five Dragon is his opponent. No one in ‘Peregrine Falcon’ is better at reconnaissance and anti-reconnaissance than him.”

Tiger Shark snorted, “You can do better than him.”

“But if I saw him, I’ll definitely kill him.”

“So I can’t let you go. Hand it over to Falcon or Five Dragon. Even if they don’t succeed and Jim manages to enter the base, we still have a way to catch him. But… he shouldn’t come back when he sees that no one welcomes him. He is not that sick.”

Shan Ming nodded, “Let’s leave it like this for now. But I still want to say that I will kill him when I see him.” He grinned, “I finally have a chance to kill him.”

When sleeping at night, Shen Changze asked Shan Ming, “Baba, do I never have to see Jim again?”

“Right.”

“Great. He makes me sick.” The child thought for a while, “Baba, what is rape?”

Shan Ming shrugged, “For example, Job wanted to sleep with Pell. But Pell refused. If he insisted on sleeping with her, then it’s rape.”

The child nodded half-understanding what he was talking about, “Pell is whose girlfriend?”

“Why are you asking so much nonsense today?”

“I can’t sleep. Baba, you slept just now. Are you still sleepy?”

Shan Ming turned over and opened his eyes, “She’s nobody’s girlfriend. The only person Pell loves is Tiger Shark.”

The child’s eyes widened, “Really? Tiger Shark is also very good to Pell so why don’t they get married?”

“Get married? Get married for what? To give birth to such a troublesome brat like you?”

The child pouted, “Baba, you can’t even wash your own socks. I’m taking care of you now. Why do you call me troublesome?”

“Because you are so useless. You are only worthy of washing my socks now. When you can make money, then I’ll say you are not troublesome.”

The child turned his back to Shan Ming, not wanting to talk to him anymore.

But neither of them could fall asleep. It took an unknown amount of time before the child turned over and grabbed Shan Ming’s vest, “Baba, when will you take me on a mission?”

“Wait until you are qualified.”

“How do you know when I am qualified?”

“If I give you a knife now and tell you to bring a random person’s head back to our base, can you do it?”

The child shuddered.

Although the things he comes into contact with every day are related to how to kill and fight, he has never touched real flesh and blood. So he can’t help but feel fear and pressure.

Shan Ming snorted coldly: “That’s why you are so lucky. If you were picked up by local mercenaries in Africa and survived for three years, you must have walked over the corpses of tens of thousands of people. “

The child stopped making a sound. He felt a sense of unhappiness in his heart.

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Next update: 2023.–.–

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