Chapter 48 The necklace spun around and plummeted in a state of weightlessness...

In the afternoon, Mickey came over to bring Yu Tang fruit. Mickey remembered that the doctor had told him to eat fruit. Yu Tang held the not-so-thin banana and frowned more and more as she looked at it.

Just then, Yu Chaoxian returned, and his gaze fell on Yu Tang, who was still relatively obedient.

Yu Tang also stared at Yu Chaoxian, which was rare for her. At least she was the one who took the initiative to look at him. When their eyes met, she punched the rather thick banana and smashed it.

Yu Chaoxian narrowed his eyes; he was still throwing a tantrum.

Oh well, he was in a good mood, so he didn't mind. Anyway, Yu Tang ate her meal properly.

However, Yu Tang has an old habit of clinging to whoever she's with. These past few days, she's been following Mickey around and asking him for everything.

Yu Tang always asks Mickey first before doing anything. “Mickey, this is delicious. Let’s each have half.”

Yu Chaoxian frowned unhappily and didn't give it to him. This reminded him that this heartless brat couldn't be left to roam freely; she had to be kept by his side, no matter how much she cried or made a fuss.

To avoid seeing Yu Chaoxian, Yu Tang immediately hid in her second-floor room as soon as she heard him return.

Fortunately, Yu Chaoxian didn't have time to deal with her; he was too busy with a lot of things.

The phone suddenly vibrated, and a message from Mo Fei lit up the screen. In the photo, Han Chu gently kissed Mo Fei's forehead, and both of them radiated pure happiness. Mo Fei smiled brightly.

Mo Fei said she was dating Han Chu.

"Congratulations!" Yu Tang tried to make her voice sound cheerful, but suddenly choked up. This is what first love should be like: pure, beautiful, and full of anticipation.

She has been deprived of the right to have such pure feelings.

"Tangtang?" Mo Fei noticed something was wrong with her voice. "Why does your voice sound strange? Is something wrong? I'll come find you right now."

"I'm fine, I just have a bit of a cold. Don't worry, you and Han Chu enjoy your vacation." Yu Tang's voice was a little choked up, afraid that Mo Fei would notice, so she hurriedly hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, the room was eerily quiet. Yu Tang stared at the ceiling, tears silently streaming down her face. Pure affection, close family—these had long since become unattainable luxuries for her. She buried her face in the pillow, suppressing her sobs, as if that could shut her out all the unbearable reality.

"Not covering yourself with a blanket and drinking cold water, where are you going to vent your anger?"

Yu Tang was jolted awake from her daze when Yu Chaoxian's eyes fell on her.

She abruptly turned her face away, leaving him with her back turned, saying, "What's it to you?"

The mattress behind her suddenly dipped, and the man's burning body temperature pressed against her. Yu Tang sat bolt upright as if electrocuted: "This is my room!" Her voice trembled. "Do I need to remind you again? We are aunt and niece."

“Auntie, we’ve already kissed and done it,” Yu Chaoxian said, not feeling anything was wrong. He pulled her into his arms, covered her with the blanket, and traced the bite mark on her lip with his fingertips. “What, can you still treat me like your nephew now?”

How could Yu Tang let him hug her? She immediately tried to roll towards the bed. Yu Chao first grabbed her waist and pinched it, but he didn't dare to use too much force, lest he pinch her and leave bruises. He wasn't a beast.

"Take a nap." His deep voice was tinged with weariness. "I'll take you back to the base later. If you don't want to sleep, then we can do something else."

"Sleep, sleep, sleep!" Yu Tang naturally chose to sleep, but with the man's breath right next to her ear, she couldn't bear to be hugging her nephew. She nudged Yu Chaoxian with her elbow, "Could you...?"

"Nothing is allowed." Yu Chaoxian interrupted Yu Tang directly, and then instantly grabbed her chin and kissed her.

Yu Tang was kissed out of the blue, and immediately frowned and remained silent, turning her face away from Yu Chaoxian, and secretly wiping her mouth with the back of her hand in disgust.

To prevent Yu Chao from holding her hand first, Yu Tang clung to the blanket and wouldn't let go.

Yu Chaoxian chuckled softly and ruffled her hair. Yu Tang expressed her dissatisfaction, her anger sounding like a playful tantrum. He comfortably pulled her into his arms, the faint fragrance of Yu Tang lingering around his nose. He hadn't slept much these past few days, and he was boarding the ship tomorrow morning. He had nothing to do tonight, so he could hold Yu Tang and sleep for a while.

Moonlight filtered through the gauze curtains, casting long shadows of the two. Yu Chaoxian rarely enjoyed such a peaceful night. He tightened his arms around her, buried his face in the crook of her neck, and finally closed his eyes, sinking into a short but deep sleep with her by his side.

Yu Tang was held by him for a long time before she finally fell asleep.

There was a refreshing minty scent in the air, and I was so dazed that I didn't even realize I was being treated with medicine.

Yu Chaoxian withdrew his fingertips and rubbed them together. Besides the smoothness of the ointment, it was also a little damp. This dampness belonged to Yu Tang.

The man glanced coldly at his own fingers; they were eating better than him.

In the black market, signing death waivers for underground boxing matches is commonplace, and deaths are no big deal. No one cares, let alone investigates. Taicheng police turn a blind eye to it all.

In the Americas, Intelligence Director Carson stared at the blurry photo on the screen—the last piece of intelligence Michael had obtained at the cost of his life.

Carson stared at the man's blurry profile in the photo, his injured left eye throbbing as if a blade had been twisted inside it again.

Carson's fury was understandable after the death of the bureau's most talented mercenary. He immediately dispatched men to capture Yu Chaoxian, ordering them to kill him on sight without seeking permission, determined to give Michael's death an explanation!

When Michael's partner Howard tracked him down to the underground boxing ring, the vicious dogs had already torn Michael to pieces.

Howard would never forget that torrential rainy night. During the final stages of the intelligence agency's selection training, his hands were raw and bleeding from the ropes, and it was Michael who, through the mud, clung tightly to his nearly exhausted body, constantly encouraging him. Without Michael, he might not have even passed the selection test. For three years, they had been partners through thick and thin, covering each other in the hail of bullets and taking turns keeping watch behind enemy lines. They were people you could entrust your back to; now, he would complete the mission Michael had left unfinished. His former comrade had suffered such inhuman torture, and Howard vowed revenge!

Howard opened the photo Michael had sent. It was blurry, showing the profile of a man and the back of a girl. He immediately remembered asking Michael if Yu Chaoxian had any weaknesses. Michael had been unusually silent for a long time before replying, "Perhaps... it's the girl beside him."

How could such terrorists have weaknesses, let alone care about a girl's life? Howard didn't quite believe this intelligence. This time, headquarters, in conjunction with local police in Taicheng and Malzhou, would surely capture and kill Yu Chaoxian!

In order to get back to the base as soon as possible, Yu Chaoxian directly arranged for a helicopter. Yu Tang, who had previously refused to sleep, was now fast asleep, letting the man dress her, fasten her seatbelt, and even when he kissed her forehead, she was completely unaware.

When Yu Chao first picked her up horizontally, the girl unconsciously rubbed against his shoulder and spontaneously found a comfortable position.

The propellers roared loudly, causing the flowers and plants to sway violently. She opened her eyes groggily, only to be caught off guard by Yu Chaoxian's deep gaze. The man casually pinched the back of her neck and expertly put a communication headset on her.

Because they were so close, Yu Tang could smell a faint minty scent on him, which was quite unusual as it wasn't the smell of smoke.

However, Yu Tang wouldn't ask. Even if Yu Chaoxian smelled of blood, let alone mint, she wouldn't ask a single question.

The person in the driver's seat was the familiar Ivan.

The same helicopter, the same location, yet Yu Tang's mood was worlds apart from last time. Last time, Yu Chaoxian took her to an underwater restaurant, and she relied entirely on her nephew. But now… recalling that stormy night, painful and shameful memories flooded back.

Yu Tang lowered her head in silence, hugging the doll without saying a word.

Yu Chaoxian noticed that she was still half asleep and probably wanted to throw a tantrum because she was grumpy in the morning.

"Yu Tang".

A deep voice suddenly came through the communication headset, startling her. She wanted to remove the annoying communicator, but in the end, she just stiffly looked up at him.

The next second, the man's cool fingertips poked her cheek. Yu Chaoxian seemed to have gotten into the fun, pinching and kneading even more vigorously, making her little face wrinkle: "It's not like we won't let you sleep when we get back. You can sleep as much as you want on the ship."

Just as Yu Tang was about to ask what was going on on the ship, the cabin suddenly shook, her pupils contracted sharply, and she instinctively looked at the man beside her.

"Bang bang bang—!" Bullets suddenly swept up from below, barely grazing the propeller.

The man who had been teasing his aunt with great interest just moments before suddenly turned grim, and Yu Tang could clearly sense a gloomy anger permeating the cabin.

"Boss, we're under attack from light weapons!" Ivan's report came through the communication headset immediately. "Modified Humvees spotted below!"

Military Humvees relentlessly pursued the enemy along the rugged mountain roads. Their wheels kicked up clouds of dust as they churned over gravel, and the vehicles continued firing despite the violent jolting.

A fierce wind howled as Ivan circled in the air, piloting the helicopter. Inside the cabin, alarms blared, red lights flashed uneasily, and a hissing sound of electricity crackled through Yu Tang's communication headset.

"Increase altitude, make an emergency landing on the rooftop ahead." Yu Chaoxian's voice was calm as he quickly switched channels. "Chen Diao, prepare for the rescue."

"Received!" Chen Diao replied quickly.

The helicopter suddenly climbed, the entire fuselage shaking violently. Yu Chaoxian held Yu Tang in his arms with one hand, and deftly put a bulletproof vest on her with the other.

Just as Ivan bent down to look, the sunroof of the Hummer opened, and soldiers in combat uniforms were loading RPGs.

The cannon barrel was pointed directly at the helicopter he was piloting.

Ivan roared, "RPG!"

In the back seat of the Hummer, the enemy, carrying a rocket launcher on his shoulder, shouts, "Bang!"

While ordinary rifle bullets pose little threat to helicopters, RPG rocket-propelled grenades are portable anti-tank weapons, well-suited for attacking helicopters or armored vehicles, capable of directly blasting an entire helicopter into wreckage.

The helicopter rolled violently to the side, its fuselage grazing the tail fin before exploding into a fireball in the distance. The heatwave caused the fuselage to shake violently.

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

A piercing siren blared inside the cabin, and red lights flashed wildly. Yu Tang's eardrums buzzed from the aftershocks of the explosion; this time seemed even more dangerous than the last.

At that moment, Mickey's voice came through Yu Chaoxian's communication headset: "Boss, according to intelligence from Marzhou, it's a joint operation between the CIA America, Taicheng, and Marzhou to pursue us!"

At this moment, when the attack came, Yu Chaoxian glanced down at the girl whose face had turned pale.

With their lives hanging in the balance, Yu Tang didn't throw a tantrum this time. She simply looked away when he glanced at her. The situation was extremely urgent; their survival depended on Yu Chaoxian, and Yu Tang didn't want to distract him. She gripped the bulkhead's securing ropes tightly to maintain her balance.

"Don't worry, I guarantee you'll be fine." The man ruffled her hair and took out a sniper rifle—a TAC-50—from the seat behind her.

At the helicopter cabin door, Yu Chaoxian lowered his body, sniper rifle against his shoulder, the wind making his clothes flutter loudly.

The mercenaries below were loading the second grenade. Yu Chaoxian squinted, his scope fixed on the Humvee amidst the violently shaking vision. "Maintain."

Ivan controlled the joystick, adjusting the helicopter's position: "Roger!"

Yu Chaoxian's pupils suddenly contracted, he held his breath, and his finger gripped the trigger. Yu Tang heard the sound of the trigger being pulled beside her ear.

"Bang--!"

The bullet pierced the air, the Hummer's windshield shattered with a deafening roar, and the driver's head exploded instantly, splattering blood across the glass.

The out-of-control Hummer swerved sideways, rolled, and crashed into a nearby abandoned warehouse, sending a fireball soaring into the sky.

The helicopter hovered above the thick smoke. Yu Chaoxian quickly fired another shot, and a cloud of blood mist exploded from the chest of the grenade launcher in the skylight.

"Target cleared."

Yu Tang's eyes were fixed on the burning wreckage of the Hummer below. Before she could even catch her breath, Ivan exclaimed, "Boss, behind us, at nine o'clock!"

Yu Chaoxian frowned. The vehicle below was preparing to launch a Stinger missile!

Howard, who was in charge of directing the operation, was determined to succeed. Indeed, Yu Chaoxian was not to be underestimated; he had dealt with the Hummer so quickly. However, this time Yu Chaoxian wasn't so lucky.

Howard forcefully gave the order over the communicator: "Launch!"

The Stinger missile streaked straight at the helicopter in mid-air.

Once the missile locks onto the helicopter, there's no way to dodge it; there's no time left.

Yu Chaoxian made a decisive decision: "Loosen the rope, now!"

Even with a parachute, this altitude is far from sufficient.

The order was given and executed almost simultaneously. Yu Chaoxian glanced at the girl clinging to the anchor rope, and without much hesitation, he pulled the bullet necklace off his neck with one hand and put it around her neck.

The helicopter lurched violently at an altitude of 100 meters. The moment the cabin door burst open, the man grabbed the safety rope and pulled the girl into his arms with one hand: "Hold on tight!"

Ivan successfully jumped out of the helicopter, which then lost its direction and tumbled downwards.

At that moment, Howard received a report from the pilot over the communicator: "Target hit successfully!"

Yu Tang suddenly felt weightless—the man had lifted her equipment bag and leaped into the air with her. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

The wind whistled in her ears, and she could hear the steady heartbeat in his chest. She could clearly feel the man's arms tightening around her waist.

Nestled in Yu Chaoxian's strong arms, Yu Tang's gaze traveled over his broad shoulders to witness a breathtaking scene: the helicopter in the air behind them exploded like fireworks, the crimson flames staining the night, and a wave of scorching heat swept over them.

The boundary between heaven and earth was brutally erased at this moment, and all that remained in Yu Tang's vision were the flying sparks and the shadowy figure of the man in front of her.

In the dizzying, rapidly plummeting sensation of weightlessness, Yu Chaoxian had completely drawn her into his world...

Yu Tang was rolled to the ground in his arms, the back of her head was protected by Yu Chaoxian's palm, and her waist was also held by strong arms, separating her from the ground.

He shielded her in his arms, and they rolled down the grass. This spot was deliberately chosen by Ivan before he launched them, avoiding the hard sand and rocks to minimize the harm to both of them.

When she finally stopped rolling around, Yu Chaoxian immediately ran his fingers over her body. Yu Tang stared at him with wet, still-shaken eyes, her eyelashes still covered in bits of grass and night dew.

Thankfully, she was alright. Yu Chaoxian suddenly tightened his arms, pressing her hard against his chest. He could hear her rapid breathing in his ears, and felt the strong throbbing of her carotid artery beneath his palms.

In fact, he wasn't entirely confident about jumping out of the helicopter just now. If he had been even half a second later, he would have been blown to pieces along with the helicopter.

The man's fingertips touched the bullet necklace hanging between Yu Tang's collarbones; the cold metal had been warmed by her body heat. This lucky charm, which had protected him through countless hail of bullets, would tonight also protect his girl and help her escape to safety.

The lingering shock of survival still pounded in her chest, and Yu Tang gasped for breath, her body miraculously unharmed, yet Yu Chaoxian stood before her…

Yu Chaoxian's hair and back were covered in sand and gravel, and her exposed neck and arms were covered with abrasions that were bleeding. There might be more in places she couldn't see.

As he helped her to her feet, Yu Tang saw sand and pebbles rolling off him. She, on the other hand, was unharmed except for some grass clippings. "Wear it carefully from now on."

Yu Tang was still in a daze when she suddenly felt a warm touch on her collarbone. Yu Chaoxian's fingertips were pressing on the bullet necklace. Wasn't he always wearing that necklace? He hadn't even taken it off when he took a shower.

"No." Yu Tang instinctively refused his things, pushing against his chest. "This isn't mine."

Her stubbornness flared up again. Yu Chaoxian grabbed her hand that was pressed against his chest. "Yu Tang, have you forgotten to teach her a lesson again?"

Yu Tang froze, unsure which lesson Yu Chaoxian was referring to—cutting out her tongue or removing her brother's oxygen mask? Neither was something she could bear. She didn't bring up the matter of removing it again.

"Your eye is injured!" Yu Tang then noticed the wound above Yu Chaoxian's right eye. Blood was trickling down his brow bone, staining his eyelashes dark red. "We need to clean the wound first, otherwise it will get infected."

It was when Yu Chaoxian jumped down with her in his arms that he was grazed by debris from the helicopter, but at that moment, the injury was not important.

"No rush," Yu Chaoxian said with a low laugh as he looked at her. Just moments ago she was avoiding him like the plague, but now she was focused on his wounds.

Regardless, Yu Tang's caring gaze pleased him greatly.

The voice of Ivan reporting his successful ejection and coordinates came through the communication headset. Chen Diao and Mickey's voices followed: "Estimated arrival in ten minutes."

When Yu Tang looked up, she could only see his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he spoke, seemingly unconcerned about the urgent situation.

“Are we safe now?” she asked.

Yu Chaoxian glanced around. Mickey and Chen Diao still needed time. Nearby was an abandoned warehouse, and a little further away was a field of tall reeds.

He glanced at Yu Tang, who was still shaken by the near-death experience, in a situation without cover...

Howard's search team meticulously searched the helicopter wreckage. Thick smoke billowed from the broken fuselage, and even nearby ants suffered, with many tiny, charred corpses remaining. Several living ants were carelessly trampled to death under Howard's feet.

The surroundings were clearly visible, but there was no trace of Yu Chaoxian's body. The absence of a body could only prove that he was not dead.

“He can’t have gone far.” In the flat grassland, Howard’s gaze fell on an unfinished building.

Capturing Yu Chaoxian alive is far more valuable than a corpse—it could yield much more intelligence, especially since the enemy is already at his wit's end. He had already contacted the armed forces of Malzhou, and support helicopters were en route from the border.

Suddenly, he lowered his eyes and narrowed them, noticing a fallen doll on the ground, stained black with oil. He suddenly remembered Michael's words… Yu Chaoxian's weakness, the girl…

Howard's lips curled into a triumphant smile. He stared at the unfinished building in front of him, deliberately raising his voice to alert the enemy. Standing in front of the building, he instructed the four-man team: "Remember, prioritize attacking the girl next to him. Kill her as soon as you see her. No need to ask for permission!"

Winning hearts and minds is the best strategy.

Since Yu Chaoxian was taking the little girl with him when he tried to escape, there was no better way to throw him off balance than attacking her.

He refused to believe that Yu Chaoxian could escape alone. Howard, who had calculated everything, smiled disdainfully and crushed a passing ant with his foot.

In the warehouse of the unfinished building, Yu Tang was carefully cleaning the blood from the corner of Yu Chaoxian's eye with gauze. She had wanted to study medicine for her brother before, but now, thinking back, none of what she learned was useful to him; it was all used on Yu Chaoxian.

In the silence, Howard's threatening voice was exceptionally clear in the still night.

Yu Tang, who was bending down to clean Yu Chaoxian's wound, suddenly stopped. She looked up and abruptly met Yu Chaoxian's unfathomable black eyes.