Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 654 - 646: Zhang Tianlong’s Ruthlessness, Becoming the Scapegoat?

Chapter 654: Chapter 646: Zhang Tianlong’s Ruthlessness, Becoming the Scapegoat?

(The previous Chapter, released... Stuck for a whole morning, which was really annoying... emmm...)

...

Major crisis!

This moment was a true major crisis!

For Zhang Wei, today’s situation was even more dangerous than being stifled by his opponent in court and gasping for air.

Because at this moment, someone was pointing a gun at his head.

"Lawyer Zhang, I must say, you’re really calm, having a gun pointed at your head and not showing a hint of fear!"

"Nonsense, I’m scared to death right now."

Seeing Zhang Wei’s response, Zhang Tianlong smiled slightly.

"However, I still want to say that today I almost lost to you, which really annoyed me, so shooting you dead just feels too cheap for you!"

"Then what do you want, to let me leave alive?"

This matter, not to mention Zhang Wei, even Hu Yaode and Li Meijia would not believe it.

You, Zhang Tianlong, personally killed Duanmu Heizu, and I, Zhang Wei, am an eyewitness. Would you let me leave alive?

Impossible even if you think with your butt.

"Lawyer Zhang, you really think too much!"

Zhang Tianlong said, snickering, then an idea came to him.

"Li Meijia, give me the gun in your hand!"

Although Li Meijia didn’t understand, she still did as Zhang Tianlong instructed.

She handed over the gun, which originally belonged to Duanmu Heizu, to Zhang Wei.

Zhang Tianlong held the pistol, looked it over carefully, then walked over to the bodies of those who had died first.

Bang bang bang!

After several consecutive gunfire, a few more bullet holes appeared in the bodies.

After the bullets were spent, Zhang Tianlong took out a handkerchief and wiped the gun several times.

"Someone, grab this little guy!"

At Zhang Tianlong’s command, two of Bashalo’s men immediately restrained Zhang Wei.

Meanwhile, Zhang Tianlong, holding the wiped gun, approached step by step.

"Zhang Tianlong, you aren’t thinking of..."

"Exactly, that’s the idea!"

Putting the unloaded pistol in Zhang Wei’s hand, Zhang Tianlong also grabbed his hand, squeezing hard.

"Now, the person who killed these people is you, Lawyer Zhang!"

"Not only that, you’re the murderer who collaborated with Duanmu Heizu and pirates, plotting against us Dongfang Capital nobility!"

"And after killing the people, you turned around and killed your partner Duanmu Heizu too, trying to monopolize the huge fortune all by yourself!"

As he spoke, Zhang Tianlong looked at Hu Yaode and Li Meijia, then at Lin Xiangtian and Lin Yufeng.

"This way, you all should be satisfied, our Lawyer Zhang is going to be stigmatized for eternity now, huh!"

Hearing this, Lin Xiangtian subconsciously nodded his head.

Truly Zhang Tianlong, ruthless enough!

Lin Yufeng, on the other hand, was visibly excited, thrilled, extremely thrilled!

Whereas Hu Yaode and Li Meijia both secretly clicked their tongues in awe.

They considered themselves ruthless people, but they hadn’t expected Zhang Tianlong to be more ruthless, pinning all the crimes squarely on Zhang Wei.

"Oh, right, Lawyer Zhang, don’t harbor any illusions of luck, because today you still have to die. Although I know, letting you live with so many curses would definitely be more satisfying than killing you directly. But you are a lawyer after all, and you might be able to find evidence to clear yourself, I can’t let you leave. In case something unexpected happens, it would upset everyone, wouldn’t it?"

Zhang Tianlong said, and gave a signal to Bashalo’s two men, who then let go of Zhang Wei.

"Captain Bashalo, would you please take Lawyer Zhang outside? If he’s killed inside, it’ll leave DNA evidence, and that way we can’t frame him as a despicable fugitive who fled in fear of his crimes!"

It must be said, Zhang Tianlong had considered everything quite thoroughly.

He wanted to kill Zhang Wei but also to pin the whole blame on him, which meant investigative personnel couldn’t find any evidence of Zhang Wei’s death afterwards.

Therefore, dumping Zhang Wei’s body into the sea to feed the fish was the most secure option.

Of course, he had to make sure Zhang Wei was indeed dead, and it would be perfect to shoot him just as he hit the water.

Zhang Wei had obviously guessed Zhang Tianlong’s intentions, but he was alone and powerless against dozens of dangerous armed thugs.

He could only be escorted, walking onto the cruise ship’s deck.

"Lawyer Zhang, do you have any last words?"

"Zhang Tianlong, today I’m the charitable gambling king, because I won against you and nearly swept all your chips!"

At these words, Zhang Tianlong’s brows furrowed.

Similarly, Lin Xiangtian and Lin Yufeng beside him also fell silent.

"You’re on the brink of death, kid, and you’re still worried about this."

"And Fatty Lin, why wouldn’t you lend me another 50 million? Otherwise, in the last round, Zhang Tianlong and I would have already determined the winner."

"You little brat, still blabbering on!"

Lin Xiangtian also became speechless. You’ve had enough, haven’t you? Still clinging to your title of the philanthropic gambling king?

"Captain Bashalo, do it!"

No sooner had Zhang Tianlong finished speaking than Bashalo next to him raised his hand and fired his gun.

Bang!

Zhang Wei’s figure fell from the deck and then disappeared into the darkness.

Watching Zhang Wei fall, everyone at the scene laughed.

Finally!

This brat is finally dead!

Only the shooter, Bashalo himself, had a trace of confusion on his face.

He looked at the muzzle of his gun, then at the deck where Zhang Wei had fallen, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Just now, that kid seemed to have jumped before I fired. I don’t think my bullet hit him..."

But Zhang Tianlong didn’t notice that; instead, he handed a list to Bashalo.

"I had your men take control of everyone. They shouldn’t have seen what happened in the casino. Now go according to the list and kill each person for me."

As Zhang Tianlong spoke these words, his eyes flashed with cruelty and venom.

At that moment, he returned to his true role as the decision-maker of the Five Great Families, pronouncing death sentences for many with just a few words.

"Mr. Zhang, you really are ruthless. All these people don’t support the Five Great Families much, do they?"

"Indeed, they’re ambivalent towards us, not choosing to side with us. This is a rare opportunity not to be wasted."

As Zhang Tianlong said this, a vicious smile appeared on his lips."Besides, what does the death of these people have to do with me, Zhang Tianlong? It was all Zhang Wei’s doing. He even ran away in fear of his crimes, and now he’s truly without a defense!"

Bashalo took the list, glanced at it, and gestured to one of his men.

The subordinate picked up a firework and shot it into the sky.

Whoosh—

At the same time, several sparks rose in the dark sea around them, followed by a bang.

Seeing this, Bashalo laughed.

"Mr. Zhang, my men are all here. A few hundred brothers, ready to take over this ship at any time!"

"Excellent, let all your men come aboard. It’s easier to handle things with more people."

Bashalo took his orders and left with his men.

He had a mission to kill each person listed by Zhang Tianlong, ensuring no one would cause trouble for Zhang Tianlong.

"Fatty Lin, call the captain and have him take the ship far away so the special forces don’t find us too quickly. Otherwise, it might not be easy for Captain Bashalo and his men to get away!"

"Understood!"

Immediately, Lin Xiangtian took out his mobile phone and dialed a number.

Once connected, the Dongfang Star started to move again, heading into deeper waters.

And the pirates surrounding it also escorted it, ensuring no one could leave the Dongfang Star.

Zhang Tianlong stood on the deck, facing the dark night, but his mouth couldn’t stop laughing.

"Hehehe, hehehehehe..."

...

At the same time.

On the underside of the Dongfang Star.

Zhang Wei clung to the ship’s railings, his suit already torn in several places, while the dark waves churned below.

He knew that if he fell, death awaited him.

Even if he could swim, it would be too difficult for one person to survive in this vast ocean.

"Silly, can you hear me? I’m here!"

So Zhang Wei had to ask for help, praying that Xia Qianyue had already reached a safe place with Zhao Xiaoxiao and the others.

Zzzzt!

Zzzzt!

But because he was shouting and moving about, his suit seemed like it couldn’t support his weight any longer.

"This is an Orion suit, isn’t it supposed to be top quality?"

Zhang Wei couldn’t help but complain, but then he felt his body lighten, and he fell towards the water below.

"Damn it!"

He could only helplessly curl up his body to ensure he’d minimize the impact upon hitting the water.

But after waiting for an eternity, the free-fall suddenly slowed, and his body was not submerged by the sea.

Zhang Wei immediately opened his eyes and saw a pair of slender arms grasping his collar.

"Silly person, you’ve finally come!"

The person who lent a hand was Xia Qianyue.

"Hold on tight!"

Xia Hanhan instructed, holding onto Zhang Wei with one hand and grasping the deck of the Dongfang Star with the other, leaping upwards with all her might.

"Damn, this is a steel ship hull, to actually be able to..."

Watching Xia Qianyue use both her hands and feet, leaving holes in the surface of the ship and climbing up by leveraging them, Zhang Wei felt a sense of fear arise for no reason.

If those hands and feet struck a person, wouldn’t that be disastrous?

Anyway, Xia Qianyue arrived just in time to save Zhang Wei, who was about to fall into the sea.

"Zhang Wei, what’s going on up there, I thought I heard a lot of gunfire?"

Bang bang bang!

Before Xia Qianyue’s words fell silent, more gunshots indeed erupted from the upper decks.

"That’s not right, Duanmu Heizu was taken out. Theoretically, in their eyes, I should have been taken out as well, right?"

Zhang Wei thought for a moment and quickly had an idea.

"I get it now, Zhang Tianlong is planning to eliminate his opposition!"

"Eliminate his opposition?"

"Yes!"

Zhang Wei nodded and explained to Xia Qianyue, "Right now on this Dongfang Star, there are almost all the power-brokers and company leaders from Dongfang Capital. Among these people, some are on Zhang Tianlong’s side, and surely others are not!"

"Just think about it, in this ocean where no calls for help will be answered, if the ship is attacked by pirates, wouldn’t the death of a few people be seen as a normal occurrence?"

"In my opinion, there is no better opportunity than now to get rid of some obstructive individuals and then pin the blame for these crimes onto..."

Zhang Wei pointed at himself, "Pin these crimes onto me, Zhang Wei, and the dead Duanmu Heizu. Won’t we then become the perfect scapegoats?"

"But, pinning the blame just like that?"

"Of course, this is also part of Zhang Tianlong’s plan. In fact, he had planned from the very beginning that this trip on the Dongfang Star was his means to clear out these people—such a vicious heart. Is this really the tactic of the Dongfang Capital City Council Head?"

Zhang Wei never would have expected that Zhang Tianlong, as the Council Head of Dongfang Capital City, who always talked about the future and goodness, would be so malicious in his actions.

Duanmu Heizu conspired with pirates, but Zhang Tianlong turned his plans against him, outright buying off the pirate leader Bashalo with bribes.

At the very last moment, he turned on Duanmu Heizu, then let Zhang Wei and Duanmu Heizu take the fall as scapegoats, carrying the blame for all the murders.

Similarly, for the success of his plan, Zhang Tianlong had Bashalo’s men evacuate the casino spectators in advance.

Only after everyone had left did Zhang Tianlong finally reveal his true colors, and the only witness to all of this was him, Zhang Wei.

Apart from him, the rest were all Zhang Tianlong’s people.

As long as these people kept their stories straight, insisting the killers were Duanmu Heizu and Zhang Wei, and with evidence such as fingerprints on the handgun, one could say the proof against them was overwhelming.

Even Zhang Wei felt this was a difficult situation to deal with.

If he even managed to return alive to Dongfang Capital, Zhang Tianlong would surely smear him as the murderer. Besides being falsely blamed for hundreds of lives, he would also face public condemnation, completely unable to defend himself—truly a situation with no way out!

Zhang Tianlong, what a deadly move indeed!

So, how should he break out of this situation?

"Simple-minded person, where are Xiao Xiao and the others?"

"I have put them in a safe room in the lower deck of the ship."

"Is that safe room secure?"

"It should be secure, I guess..."

As Xia Qianyue said this, she led Zhang Wei towards the safe room in the lower deck.

Soon, they arrived at the so-called safe room.

When Xia Qianyue managed to twist open the iron wheel, knotted like a pretzel, the sealed door finally opened, revealing Zhao Xiaoxiao, Mo Yuzhu, and Jessica, who were all inside.

"Zhang Wei!"

Seeing Zhang Wei appear, all three women were very happy.

"By the way, did you call the police?"

"We’ve been trying to get in touch, but the signal here is terrible. We can’t get through on the phone, and even mobiles don’t have a network."

After hearing this, Zhang Wei quickly reached into his pocket, only to find his phone was gone.

"Damn it, the phone must have fallen into the sea when I was hanging on earlier!"

Zhang Wei muttered to himself in frustration, but the loss of his phone was already an irretrievable situation.

"Since we can’t make contact, we can only look for a chance to escape. The Eastern Star has completely turned into a killing field. What we need to do is leave as soon as we can, without lingering. The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it becomes!"

Zhang Wei said, glancing at their location.

"We are at the bottom of the ship, right?"

"Yes."

"So, based on the general design of cruise ships, there should be lifeboats at the bottom. Let’s find the lifeboats and leave this place!"

Zhang Wei thought for a moment, then remembered the pirate leader, Captain Bashalo.

He had said that he seemed to have hundreds of brothers under his command, so wouldn’t there be many boats guarding around the Eastern Star by then?

If they tried to escape by lifeboat, they would obviously be discovered by the pirates as soon as they hit the water.

"Maybe, the pirates will go ashore. If enough pirates land, the number of pirates at sea will decrease. In that case..."

A group of five started moving towards the location of the lifeboat deck.

But when they followed the bottom deck’s layout and groped their way to the destination, they discovered that all the lifeboats there had been destroyed.

"Right, if Zhang Tianlong could come up with such a malicious plan, then he must have prepared a backup. Preventing anyone out of control from escaping alive is indeed necessary!"

Looking at the deflated lifeboats scattered on the ground, Zhang Wei understood.

They must have been sabotaged by Zhang Tianlong’s order, to prevent others from leaving by lifeboat.

To ensure that everyone on the ship was under his control, he could decide who would live and who would die.

And if he had someone killed, Zhang Wei, Duanmu Heizu, and some unknown pirate group would take the blame, completely absolving himself of responsibility.

"He’s utterly inhuman!"

Hearing Zhang Wei’s analysis, Zhao Xiaoxiao couldn’t hold back any longer.

"No, I must contact that guy, so he can send someone to rescue us!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao said, taking out a sleek, paper-thin black chip-shaped phone.

"This was given to me by that guy, who said no matter where I was, I could always get through to his phone."

Zhao Xiaoxiao said, pressing a button.

Beep—

Soon, the calling tone came through.

"Damn, it actually goes through?"

Seeing the call connect, Zhang Wei exclaimed in surprise.

Mo Yuzhu, Jessica, and others had no signal on their phones, but Zhao Xiaoxiao could contact the outside world, which was indeed incredible.

"Hmph, I dislike his personality, but his technology is unquestionable!"

"Uncle Zhao is awesome— (voice breaks)"

Zhang Wei cried out just as the call finally connected.

"Hello, hello, hello, is that Xiaoxiao? You finally called me!"

On the other end, Zhao Qingyan’s voice rang out.

"Oh, I’m fine, and Zhang Wei is with us!"

After speaking, Zhao Xiaoxiao handed the WeChat call to Zhang Wei.

"Uncle Zhao, it’s hard to explain the situation right now, but I can briefly tell you a few things. I hope you won’t be too surprised!"

Zhang Wei said, going on to tell about the grudge between Zhang Tianlong and Duanmu Heizu, along with the general situation aboard the ship.

On the other end, Zhao Qingyan fell into a long silence.

Zhang Wei knew that this news was quite shocking and Zhao Qingyan needed time to process it.

"Uncle Zhao, I know you need time, but we don’t have any left. If I’m not wrong, Zhang Tianlong will definitely direct the pirates to sweep every corner of the ship and ensure there are no survivors!"

"Right now, I want to know if Dongfang Capital has any information on the situation with the Eastern Star?"

There was still silence on the other end, and after a long while, Zhao Qingyan finally spoke:

"Zhang Wei, it seems the investigation department is already aware of the situation on the Eastern Star, and through my own channels, I found out that a special combat rescue team has been formed and is already on their way."

"How long will it take them to get here?"

"Given the special combat team’s equipment and your travel route, it will probably take at least 2 hours!"

"Two hours, huh? That’s a bit long."

Zhang Wei’s gaze shifted, then he inquired, "By the way, Uncle Zhao, can you get in touch with the people from the special combat team?"

"I could, but the person in charge of the rescue operation is Zhang Youlin. If this is all Zhang Tianlong’s plan, do you think his son will listen to your explanation?"

"This..."

Hearing that the rescue operation was being led by Zhang Youlin, Zhang Wei was completely speechless.

The killers were theirs, and so were the rescuers. This was... impeccably watertight!