blockade
Zowin still had a smile on his face. He looked at Milo and couldn't help but wonder how many heads this guy had to dare to speak to him so openly.
Milo's voice was gentle and calm: "General Zowin, is there any reason why the second convoy cannot be inspected?"
Zowin raised an eyebrow: "Why don't you go down and see for yourself who's sitting inside and what they're carrying? I guarantee no one will dare stop you."
Jesse sensed the anger in her words and instinctively pulled Milo back, afraid that he would actually follow Zowin's advice and go downstairs alone.
At the foot of the building, Token waved to signal the convoy to get ready, grabbed the handrails on the vehicle, and stood on tiptoe for leverage, preparing to get on.
Just as they were about to board the vehicle, a scorching bullet tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound.
"Pfft!"
Blood splattered violently from Token's chest. Token looked down in disbelief at the direction the bullet had come from, only able to see General Zowin standing at the window with two young men beside him. Blood smeared in his mouth, and before he could utter a single word, Token collapsed heavily to the ground.
The sudden shooting immediately caused uproar.
"Protect the general!"
"There's a sniper!"
The first convoy was blocking the entrance, preventing the second convoy from both getting in and out.
The car door was opened from the inside out, and Sigon's eyes were filled with shock and gloom: "What's going on?" Pomrasong was also surprised: "Someone shot and killed Token, did you know about it?" Miles, who was being questioned, frowned: "It just happened, how would I know?"
The sunroof of the car opened, and Blaise, heavily armed, leaned out halfway. He moved swiftly, drew his gun diagonally, and instantly locked onto the direction of the gunshot. His hand was already on the handle, and several bullets were fired in quick succession, causing several men dressed in slovenly and dirty clothes to fall to the ground.
The people inside the car looked toward the high platform where Zowin was, as the first bullet had been fired from that direction.
General Zowin stood on the high platform, utterly shocked. He had witnessed the bullet originating from his own position. It was utterly impossible! Yet, it had happened right before his very eyes.
This brazen shooting happened right under his nose. Jesse was utterly shocked, but he didn't forget to grab Milo's wrist and shield him tightly behind him.
"Evacuate!" Zowin practically roared, but his voice was drowned out by the alarms and chaos. "Grab that sniper! Alive!"
The first bullet came from inside the building, meaning the building itself was no longer safe. A large number of security guards entered the building to cover Zowin's escape.
Two more gunshots rang out, almost overlapping, from several dilapidated civilian vehicles mixed in with the Tengbang military vehicles nearby. A large group of people dressed as refugees rolled out from under the vehicles of the first convoy, guns in hand, ready to attack.
"Bang!" In the midst of the melee, a bullet that seemed to have come from nowhere pierced through the glass, and a cloud of blood mist burst from Sigon's thigh.
Pomrasong was, in the end, just a businessman who wanted to become a politician. He had never experienced such a brutal scene. When he saw the bloody mess on the thigh of the man sitting next to him, he was speechless for a moment and could only shout Blaise's name.
Blaze glanced at the pale-faced Sigon, frowned, then kicked the spiderweb-like glass window, jumped into the driver's seat, and with one hand on the steering wheel, rammed through the car in front of him, driving the car to the foot of the building to avoid the bullets.
The escort team for Zowin's evacuation had arrived, and Pomlason hurriedly got out of the car, and together with Miles, he grabbed Sigon's arm and squeezed into the escort team.
Jesse reacted swiftly, pulling the still-shocked Milo towards him the instant the gunshot rang out. They dodged and fled, finally squeezing into the escort team, where Jesse yelled, "Don't get distracted! Milo, stick close to me!"
A piercing metallic scraping sound rang out as heavy physical roadblocks and barbed wire barriers were pulled out and lowered along the border. The heavy border gate slammed shut, instantly locking down the entire checkpoint area.
Jesse was terrified; everything was completely out of control. He could tell that everyone's surprise was genuine. No one would put on this act, and no one dared to.
“They are the remaining drug dealers,” Milo’s voice rang out. “The people who fired these shots are the remaining drug dealers from Mount Chira.”
Jesse took a deep breath, and said with a mixture of anxiety and helplessness, "What time is it? Why are you still thinking about these things?"
The gates closed, and the armored vehicles driven by the escorts became the only refuge. Before long, Milo and Jesse were squeezed together with Zowin, Sigon, and their group.
Jesse tried to shove Milo into the carriage first. In this life-or-death situation, Jesse didn't care that he was fighting with the officials in Tenbang for survival. He was only focused on getting Milo in first, which resulted in Milo being almost pressed against Zowin. The two of them were stuck in the boarding area and couldn't move.
Amidst the crowd and noise, a gunshot suddenly rang out, and blood instantly stained the sleeves.
"Milo!" Jesse exclaimed in surprise.
Milo stared blankly down, noticing a bullet piercing the inside of his arm. The suddenness of the impact made him momentarily forget the pain. He looked up, through the dust-covered, bullet-riddled car window, instinctively glancing in the direction the bullet had come from.
Blaze fired the shot.
For a moment, Milo forgot to breathe. Blaze, in the truck, put down his gun. His heavy black armor completely covered his body, leaving only his eyes visible behind protective goggles. Blaze's gaze lingered in his direction for less than two seconds, but in those two seconds, Milo saw a chilling indifference, like that of someone looking down on an ant, an absolute superior, as cold as a white python devouring a corpse.
If he weren't Theo Green, if he hadn't had so many entanglements with Blaise, then in Blaise's eyes, wouldn't he be no different from these corpses lying on the ground? No, there's no need for hypotheticals now; the facts are right before our eyes. The excruciating pain in his arm finally came crashing down. Why does it hurt so much?
Zowin froze, his mind mechanically turning back from the fallen drug dealer behind him. He could clearly feel the burning pain of the bullet grazing his skin and the warm liquid splattering behind him. Milo had just been standing in front of him, so the bullet could only pierce Milo's arm before whizzing past his ear and blowing the other man behind him, who had just been holding the gun, out of the head. He knew the weight of that shot; Blaze had fired to save him, risking piercing Milo's arm, otherwise, the bullet would have hit his head. Men's feelings change the fastest; if they truly break up, even killing is just a matter of a head falling to the ground. Thinking this, Zowin couldn't help but feel a chill.
"General!"
The scene was completely out of control, with bullets flying everywhere, dust filling the air, and screams echoing throughout.
There's no room left in the bulletproof car.
Too many people squeezed in, and the doors couldn't close. Milo, who had been shot, sat in front of the door, and he could hear the incessant urging and angry shouts from the people next to him.
"Get him out! If the car door doesn't close, we'll all die!"
"Damn it, get out of the way!"
Several impatient hands reached out and roughly shoved Milo's injured arm, trying to drag him out of that precious space. The excruciating pain made Milo's vision blur, and Jesse stood up and shouted to stop them, but to no avail.
Just then, a large hand suddenly clamped down on the wrist that had been pushing the hardest, with such force that you could almost hear the bones groan. It was Miles. The scars on his face looked like a writhing centipede in the flickering firelight, but his eyes were astonishingly sharp.
"Stop!" Miles' voice wasn't loud, but it was like a cold steel blade cleaving through the chaotic noise, and the hands that were pushing and shoving froze for a moment.
Miles quickly squeezed to the side next to Milo, squatted down, and ripped open the hem of his still relatively clean shirt.
"Bear with it." Miles' voice was low as his gaze quickly swept over the blood-soaked fabric on Milo's arm. Without hesitation, he used his teeth and hands to swiftly tear off strips of cloth, tightly tying them in a knot above Milo's wounded arm. The movements were clean and efficient.
The excruciating pain made Milo gasp for breath, but Miles' strong hand steadied him.
“Look at me, Milo, look at me.” Miles raised his hand and lightly patted Milo’s cheek twice, forcing those unfocused eyes to look at him. “You’ll be alright.”
Milo tried to push Miles away, but his mind seemed to short-circuit, unable to process the information in front of him.
Miles lowered his eyes, gazing at Milo's tightly clasped hands. He only made that gesture when he was most nervous and frightened. Miles stared, lost in thought, then subconsciously wiped the dust from the back of Milo's hand with his fingertips, before firmly grasping Milo's hand again: "Don't be afraid."
Jesse, who was standing to the side, watched this scene with a slight tremor in his pupils.
Miles stood up and used the strength of his shoulders and back to forcefully push aside the crowd that was trying to get closer again, clearing some space between Milo and the car door.
Sigon, who also had a leg injury, and Pomrasong, who was standing nearby, already sensed something was wrong when they saw Miles suddenly appear.
Blazken shot at Milo to save General Zowin, while Miles endangered General Zowin's safety by preventing Milo from getting out of the car.
“Miles, get him down.” Zowin, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. “You know, someone always has to go down.”
Miles's voice was firm and decisive, addressed to Jesse in the driver's seat: "Take care of him, take him back."
Then, before anyone could react, Miles grabbed the car door frame, jerked his body backward, and jumped into the thick, smoke-filled fog outside the car. He stumbled upon landing, but quickly regained his balance and slammed the heavy car door shut with all his might.
The metallic clang of the car doors closing still reverberated, instantly shutting out most of the smoke and plunging the carriage into an eerie, amplified silence.
Milo stared blankly out the car window at the tall figure that had suddenly become all alone, shrouded in smoke, his mind a complete blank.
*
The strong smell of disinfectant mixed with the stench of blood filled the warehouse that had been converted into a temporary first aid station. Several glaring incandescent lights buzzed overhead, illuminating the rudimentary environment in a stark white light. A few stained white curtains barely separated the "wards".
From the area behind the curtain came Xigong's suppressed groans of pain and the low command of the military doctor, who was clearly removing a bullet from his leg. Ponglasong's anxious voice occasionally broke the silence.
Milo lay half-reclined on the stretcher, his gunshot wound to his left arm having been initially treated to stop the bleeding, but the pain and blood loss left him extremely weak. Jesse stayed by his bedside without leaving his side, his eyes warily scanning the chaotic surroundings.
Under the influence of the anesthetic, Milo's consciousness was hazy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a silent, upright silhouette reflected on the curtain.
Blaise stood motionless beside Sigon's bed.
Milo felt that the shadow was like a cold magnet, strangely drawing all his attention. He was worried that the curtain would be lifted and the two of them might be skinned alive if they met again, but deep down, he secretly and frantically imagined Blaze coming in.
"How are you feeling?" Jesse asked in a low voice, hesitating countless times before finally grasping Milo's hands. "I'll stay here with you."
Milo shook his head, organizing his thoughts: "What's the situation outside?"
“Zowen has blocked the news and is doing everything he can to wipe out the remaining drug traffickers. We are safe for now, but we are stuck here.” Jesse frowned. “Don’t worry, I’ve contacted Lanman. The embassy is putting pressure on them, and they will resolve the issue of leaving the country soon. Don’t worry, get some rest.”
Milo nodded, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.
Jesse was quietly called away by a manager, seemingly to discuss his departure from the country.
The voices faded into the distance, and Milo's consciousness plunged into darkness, only to be seized by an absurd yet intense dream.
In his dream, someone lifted the curtain, and a strong smell of blood approached. What made his heart race even faster was the scent of incense that seeped into his skin, clinging to him in waves.
A burning kiss pressed against his skin, and a strong, powerful hand seemed to sense his struggle, pressing down on his ankle and moving upwards. Milo dazedly squeezed his legs together, struggling in his dream, but his body betrayed his will; those deep kisses and caresses forced open the door, strangely welcoming him.
A strong, exhilarating feeling of complete control washes over you.
Milo woke up with a start, his heart pounding and his body drenched in cold sweat.
As consciousness gradually returned, Milo emerged from the muddy dream, his peripheral vision falling on the curtain, which remained tightly drawn.
Milo couldn't tell whether he felt relieved or disappointed. He looked away, but his relaxed mood suddenly tightened, and his body trembled.
In the dimly lit room, Blaze sat on the edge of his bed, his dark eyes fixed on him. He could clearly see the rapid heaving of his chest, the lingering flush on his face, and the lingering fear and undisguised longing in his eyes.
Even more terrifying, Blaise had already slipped one of his hands under the covers.
Milo's brain exploded with a "boom," and only when he regained his senses did he realize that a hand was actually pinching his inner thigh.
Was everything that just happened not a dream?
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