Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Lin Qi couldn’t figure out her underlying meaning and asked, “What are you trying to say?”
“Go on ahead, both of you. I’ll bring up the rear.” Xiao Jing announced heroically and decisively as she took the gun from his hand.
“In your current messed-up state?” Lin Qi questioned dubiously.
“I’m already doomed to fail, but the two of you still stand a chance.”
“We won’t abandon our comrade.”
Xiao Jing motioned towards her wounded arm and said, “I think I require urgent first aid care. If I continue and delay treatment, I might die from the loss of blood. So, stop arguing with me! Just hurry and go!”
Lin Qi was still concerned. Given the state that Xiao Jing was in, he knew it wouldn’t take much for the trainers to handicap him permanently.
But his wounds were too severe, and if they delayed treatment any longer, Xiao Jing would risk losing his arm.
“Be careful and watch out for yourself,” Lin Qi said as he slung his field pack over his shoulders and walked ahead carefully.
Xiao Jing watched as the two figures disappeared inside the jungle, and she sat her bum down on the floor. She lay back with her hands spread out at her sides. With the choice of dignity or life before her, she would choose life without any hesitation.
Shen Chengfeng did not do anything for a while. He glanced at the night sky and saw that it was already completely dark. There was no movement from the other side. He knew that two soldiers had snuck off, but as Jiang Xin was waiting ahead for them, he just had to focus on catching this particular person who was still lying in wait for an opportunity to act.
Seconds ticked by and slowly turned to minutes. Nightingales cooed, and wolves howled.
Shen Chengfeng jumped down from the tree and leisurely made his way over to the boulder that was as tall as a person.
When Xiao Jing heard footsteps, she opened her eyes but remained unmoving. She wished for a knight in shining armor to scoop her up gently and carry her away!
“You’ve given up?” a voice as icy as the raging night breeze reverberated through the mountains.
Xiao Jing sat up reflexively and stared in disbelief at the man that was standing less than a foot away from her. It didn’t take much to guess his identity, especially given how he was dressed like a dumpling in his full military uniform.
Shen Chengfeng circled Xiao Jing twice, and his gaze fell on her arm. His gloved hand gently slid down the gun as he remarked, “I guess you’ve given up.”
“I haven’t,” Xiao Jing replied as she stood up. She was holding a rifle with one hand, fully intending to engage in a shoot-out with the enemy at the drop of a hat.
“You would never have been able to defeat me even with the use of both hands, much less now, with the use of only one.” Shen Chengfeng cocked his gun. His voice remained impassive as he said, “I’ll give you a choice. Surrender or die.”
Xiao Jing was faced with a dilemma. In principle, she knew that she was supposed to fight to the death, but in the face of reality, nothing was more important than staying alive. The eventual goal could always be achieved later.
“Do you think I will surrender?” Xiao Jing asked in response.
Shen Chengfeng did not reply. He had asked—and would continue to ask—the question to numerous people. Almost all of them had chosen—and would choose—the latter.
He was suddenly very eager to hear what Xiao Jing’s choice would be.
“That’s right. I will choose to surrender.” Xiao Jing placed her gun down and raised both arms in the air.
Shen Chengfeng lowered his eyes and glanced at the sniper rifle lying on the ground. This outcome was indeed beyond his expectations.
“Surrender? Only in your dreams!”
A bolt of energy surged through Xiao Jing, and she pounced, throwing herself, and the commander along, over the cliff.
She was more than happy to have the commander fall through the air with her!
The sudden attack had Shen Chengfeng stumbling back. By the time he could react, the ten-meter-high cliff was right behind him.
As he instinctively reached out to grab at the cleft of the rock to stop his descent, he caught a clear sight of the sly smile on Xiao Jing’s face.
Xiao Jing grinned at him smugly and bit the only inch of skin he had left exposed.
Shen Chengfeng felt his neck getting bitten, and his arm froze. He knew of his body’s peculiarity and wanted to push the reckless and audacious little soldier off him immediately. However, when he moved, his body fell through the foliage of a tree, and he landed heavily on the ground with a loud thud.
Xiao Jing was sprawled atop his body, and she felt the pain from the violent impact of the landing.
Shen Chengfeng’s gaze narrowed on Xiao Jing’s body. His eyes were like shards of ice, and the look in them was cold enough to freeze her over in that instant.
Xiao Jing clambered off him belatedly and cradled her arm that was in excruciating pain. She coughed awkwardly and asked, “Sir, are you alright?”
Shen Chengfeng tried to move his hands, and then his feet. He wasn’t able to move anymore.
Xiao Jing crouched down, “What’s wrong?”
Shen Chengfeng touched his neck. There was a trace of pain, apparently from a wound that had been caused by Xiao Jing’s bite.
Xiao Jing chuckled nervously and said, “I was caught up in the moment. Shall I help you bandage it?”
Shen Chengfeng stared at her eyebrows intently, as if he were scrutinizing a bizarre exhibit.
Xiao Jing felt discomfited by his gaze and retrieved a small gauze from her pocket. She wiped the blood off his neck and said, “I think we’re both dead now.”
“Should I be giving you credit for that?”
“Ha ha ha,” Xiao Jing forced out a bitter laugh. “That won’t be necessary. But, of course, if you think that I deserve it, I won’t mind having that credit recorded either.”
“I think if we don’t leave now, we’re going to die here soon.”
Xiao Jing looked around in distress. She could subconsciously sense something approaching them. In the dark, the blood-red eyes of the creature were especially terrifying.
Shen Chengfeng held a rock for support as he got to his feet. His backbone had been severely hit, impeding his movements. He removed his gloves and clenched his fists. “Hide behind me,” he said.
Xiao Jing looked at him and noticed that he couldn’t stand steadily. She shielded him with her own body, and said, “Don’t worry, Sir. I’ll make sure you get back.”
Shen Chengfeng said nothing as he stared at the petite body without blinking.
Xiao Jing noticed the searing look her commander was giving her, and her brows knitted together. “Sir,” she said, “I know my actions just now were reckless. But we were enemies then. For the sake of my comrades, the decision I made was entirely excusable.”
“So, from what I gather, you’re saying that I should give you credit for it.”
“Sir.”
“Speak.”
“If the wolves eat me, will you please help me convey a message to my mother?”
“And what message is that?”
“Tell her I’ve never had any regrets. I’ve always felt glad and fortunate that she gave birth to me.”
Having said her piece, Xiao Jing grabbed the only dagger she had and charged ahead wildly.
There were more than a dozen hungry wolves in the pack, and all of them were out for blood. A pair of scarlet eyes flashed in the moonlight as the clutches of Death tightened around Xiao Jing’s neck.
Boiling-hot blood splattered on Xiao Jing’s face. She felt her body go numb, and she staggered a few steps back, panting. She had expected to land on the ground. Instead, a pair of hands caught her around the waist and threw her behind a body.
Xiao Jing was pushed to a safe area, and she looked up abruptly. She was stunned and stared dumbfounded at the bloody scene unfolding before her eyes.
The moment the man’s hand came in contact with the wolf’s body, he squeezed hard. The wolf struggled for a while as its body gradually eroded, and only a pool of blood was left behind as evidence that the wolf had once existed. The carcass no longer existed!