Chapter 270

"Xiao Wu, I... I like you." He said with endless bitterness in his heart, his eyes fixed on Ling Wu, as if he wanted to etch her face into his bones.

What came to mind was not the bitterness of his years-long search for Ling Wu, but the scene of a little girl in a white jacket standing in front of him on a snowy day that year, reaching out her hand and smiling sweetly.

He explained everything: "I made a will a long time ago and had it notarized by a lawyer. All my assets and funds will be inherited by you, Guan Lingwu."

"Xiao Wu, you can do whatever you want with it. Research, funding, or even better, enjoying it, it's just..."

His eyes reddened, "It's just that, could you... could you not... spend your time on those sweet-talking bad men outside?"

Xiao Wu is very smart, but he is emotionally inept, and he is afraid that Xiao Wu will be deceived by others.

As he thought about it, he couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.

If he could, he would like to follow Xiao Wu around for the rest of his life, just like when he was a child.

He didn't want to be some kind of CEO Du, or to be bowed to respectfully by others; he just wanted to follow Xiao Wu around like a tagalong.

Before he could finish speaking, gunshots rang out one after another.

The gunshot jolted him out of his reverie. He blinked, then blankly raised his hand, touched his forehead, and then his chest.

Hmm? Why doesn't it hurt?

Seeing that he was slow to realize, Lingwu's lips slowly curved into a smile, "Hmm, anything else?"

“And…” Du Yue stammered.

"And also, can Xiao Wu forget everything that just happened?!" What an idiot he did!

Xiao Wu said he wouldn't get hurt and had already set up a plan, so what kind of dying words is he saying?

Lingwu bent down and took out a square device from her bag.

It's a pity that the device is a disposable consumable and has been scrapped, but it's not too wasteful considering that it can detect and affect the trajectory of bullets immediately.

The device has a major drawback: if the enemy cannot be killed in one shot, a new device will be needed for the next bullet fired.

However, this research was only intended to prevent unforeseen circumstances, such as assassinations, otherwise those people hiding in the shadows would have to retire.

Seeing that Ling Wu lowered her head and remained silent, clearly deciding to forget everything that had just happened as he had said, Du Yue was in a dilemma.

Amidst the inexplicable sadness, I felt mostly fortunate.

Thankfully, Xiao Wu is alright, and I'm so glad...

"Now you can live a long time." Ling Wu looked up and smiled slightly at him.

Du Yue was lost in thought because Ling Wu's words echoed what he had been thinking at that moment—"Now, he can live a long time and stay with Xiao Wu for a long time."

He and his childhood friends from Wanyue Village were right; Xiao Wu was the smartest, and even as he grew up, he could still see through his thoughts at a glance.

"Yes, I escaped death, I'll live for a very, very long time." He thought to himself, "I'll be able to watch you for many, many years."

As the last shadow faded from his eyes, he felt he was the luckiest person in the world.

A figure suddenly appeared beside Ling Wu.

The girl exclaimed, "Run! They've planted explosives!"

She reached out to take Ling Wu's hand, but Qin Dong, who had been called in to provide support from behind, blocked her.

Ye Lan's eyes lit up, "Dongliang? You take Xiao Wu away quickly!"

Seeing that she was wearing the same clothes as the person opposite him, Qin Dong's eyes flashed. He was about to make a move when Ling Wu stopped him.

"We're on the same side, don't hurt her." After saying that, Ling Wu opened the communicator clipped to her shirt pocket. "Information is correct, finish this quickly."

"Is everything alright with Grandma?" Ling Wu asked Qin Dong.

Qin Dong shook his head, "A group of remnants is too small a force; they can't spare any extra manpower to go there." As soon as he finished speaking, he withdrew the hand that was holding Ye Lan, just as Ling Wu had ordered. He did this because he was absolutely certain that he could kill the enemy as soon as they made a move.

At the same moment, Ye Lan released his grip, took a step back to maintain distance, and indicated that he was harmless.

But his gaze fell on Ling Wu, his eyes seeming to hold a thousand words, which finally succinctly uttered: "Xiao Wu."

Xiao Wu hasn't forgotten her, and he's still willing to believe her.

Her life as an undercover agent was fraught with danger, making her particularly resistant to the word "trust," but the trust from someone she believed in as a child was different.

Her nose stung, and she felt a pang of grievance.

When Lingwu heard her call her name, she nodded softly and said "Mmm." Her tone didn't convey the joy of reunion, but it was very reassuring in this urgent situation.

As soon as she finished speaking, a series of synchronized footsteps came from behind her.

Jiang Qian nodded to Ling Wu, followed by two people being escorted: a middle-aged man who looked somewhat familiar and a blonde, blue-eyed foreign woman.

The man's face was ashen and his legs were trembling. The woman gritted her teeth but was still forced to kneel on the ground.

Jiang Qian turned on the megaphone: "Your leader has been captured alive. If you don't surrender, you'll be killed on the spot!"

As soon as she finished speaking, those who had been resisting stopped fighting when they saw their leaders captured, one after another dropping their weapons and surrendering without resistance.

But there are always those who are tough.

Ye Shanshan raised her gun with a cold face.

"Ye Shanshan!" Ye Lan's eyes were filled with terror.

But Ye Shanshan didn't hear it, or perhaps she did hear it but pretended not to, her fingertips twitching slightly as she pulled the trigger.

"Bang--"

"Bang--"

Two gunshots rang out; one was fired by Ye Shanshan, and the other by Qin Dong.

After confirming that Ye Shanshan's bullet had deviated from the path and that Ling Wu was also unharmed, Ye Lan looked at Ye Shanshan.

A crimson hue crept into Ye Shanshan's chest. She seemed slow to react before finally looking at her and opening her mouth.

Unfortunately, the voice was too soft, and Ye Lan didn't hear it clearly.

Ling Wu read Ye Shanshan's lips and said, "Take good care of yourself."

—Live well.

Everything happened too fast. A group of people quickly surrounded Ling Wu and protected her in the center, while Ye Shanshan, who had been shot, collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Ling Wu turned her head to look at Ye Lan, who was staring blankly at Ye Shanshan's corpse, seemingly lost in thought.

Ling Wu spoke up first: "It's all over now. You can do whatever you want. Out of humanitarian considerations, their bodies will be laid to rest."

Ye Lan knew that Ling Wu's words were directed at him.

But Ye Lan shook her head and followed Ling Wu away.

In the car, Ye Lan told Ling Wu about Ye Shanshan.

Parents who set up stalls had to pay protection money. Those who couldn't pay were made an example of and beaten to death in public. In that dark period, the underworld had protectors, and the matter was left unresolved.

Afterwards, Ye Shanshan, isolated and helpless, entered the Ye family and changed her name to become the daughter of the Ye family.

She felt both disgusted at herself for betraying her country and convinced that this corrupt and chaotic nation deserved to perish.

Ye Lan summed up Ye Shanshan's life in just a few words.

There was one more thing Ye Lan didn't mention, which was Ye Shanshan's inexplicable remark before they set off: "I saw it last night."

As an undercover agent, she was discovered by Ye Shanshan when she passed information to Jiang Qian yesterday.

But Ye Shanshan just looked at the sky covered by dark clouds and muttered, "If only the dark clouds could have disappeared sooner. Then, maybe I wouldn't have known you."

She knew that Ye Shanshan meant that if only the filth of this country could be swept away sooner, she wouldn't have come here and wouldn't be stuck in this quagmire.

As Lingwu listened, she recalled the white-skirted girl she had only seen from behind when she met Dayue that day.

Being unable to control one's own destiny is a true reflection of the reality for most people.