Chapter 119 Rescuing and Being Rescued (Revised)
The counterattack has begun.
With weapons at their disposal, the bodyguards were like tigers with wings. Following their training, they formed multiple tactical squads and attacked the invading enemy from different directions.
The situation inside the apartment changed in an instant.
One side consisted of well-trained veterans, many of whom had extensive combat experience. They cooperated seamlessly, able to divide and annihilate the enemy with a single glance or gesture. The other side was a hastily assembled group of desperate criminals, most of whom did not know each other the day before. In the chaotic battle, there were even several instances of accidental injury or killing of their own comrades.
With the balance of power shifting and the invaders suffering repeated defeats, the once arrogant intruders have lost all fighting spirit and are now preoccupied with how to escape this hellish apartment.
"Cover me! Cover me!"
"You son of a bitch, didn't you see me standing right next to you?!"
"I need fire support! No—! Help me!"
Get out of my way!
In their desperate attempt to escape, the invaders even turned their guns on their own comrades, adopting a "If I can't beat the enemy, I can at least beat you" mentality, successfully inflicting heavy losses on their allies and achieving considerable success.
Some of the intruders retreated into the suite and attempted to climb out of the window.
However, just as they leaned out of the window, a sudden bullet struck them precisely. The next second, the intruder's body stiffened, and he plummeted straight down the building.
The others panicked and cowered inside the wall in fear, only daring to raise their guns and fire wildly out the windows in all directions.
Not far away, Alexei retrieved the rifle that was resting on the windowsill, leaned against the wall, and deftly pulled back the bolt, the metal cartridge case falling to the ground with a crisp sound.
Another group of intruders tried to return the way they came and flee towards the gate, but ended up in an even more dangerous situation.
The interior at night is dark, illuminated only by moonlight reflected from the snow outside.
Ghostly spirits emerge from unexpected corners, swiftly reaping lives before retreating back into the darkness before anyone can react.
The surviving invaders, nearly overwhelmed by a nameless fear, huddled back to back, guns pointed at some unknown corner, shouting incoherently:
"Kill him!"
"Come out! We've seen you!"
"I'm going to die! We're all going to die!!!"
One of the men, unable to bear the immense pressure, broke down and ran into the darkness with his gun in hand; he never returned.
"This is mine."
Nikolai said unhappily, "We agreed that each of us would have one."
Xie Xuejun laughed heartily, "We're brothers, what's this about 'yours' and 'mine'? Whoever grabs it first gets it!"
Gunfire erupted outside, with enemy and friendly forces clashing, sweeping through the entire apartment building like a tornado; every corner was a front line.
All the wounded were gathered in the relatively safe armory.
Those in better condition could still groan and moan, while those in worse condition could only lie silently on the ground with pale faces, as if they were already dead.
"bandage!"
"Give me gauze!"
"Hold his legs down!"
Xie Xun, pale-faced and covered in bloodstains, remained silent, simply handing her the contents of the first-aid kit as instructed by He Changyi.
He Changyi forcefully stuffed a whole piece of gauze into the wounded man's bloody hole in his shoulder. The man screamed in pain, his body bounced, and then he fell straight down.
Zheng Xiaowei screamed even more pitifully than the wounded.
"He, he, he... he's dead!!!"
He Changyi snapped, "Shut up! Stop wailing! Either get out now!"
Zheng Xiaowei covered his mouth, occasionally letting out a sob that he couldn't hold back.
That kid was incredibly clever; the moment the attack happened, he crawled into the bedside table. Luckily, he was small enough to fold himself up and squeeze inside.
As the intruders searched each room, Zheng Xiaowei escaped unharmed. After all, no one would have imagined that an adult male could be hidden in a small cabinet that was only half a meter high.
Those who are straightforward are not so lucky.
Upon hearing the gunshot, the young man's first reaction was to rush out of the room to warn others, but he was shot in the arm by the intruder. Fortunately, Xie Xuejun and his bodyguards were in the next room, which narrowly saved Geng Zhi's life.
Zheng Xiaowei remained hidden in the room until the situation reversed. When he heard that his side had the upper hand outside, he sneaked out of the closet and, without caring about his awkward posture, crawled on all fours along the wall towards He Changyi.
During the crawl, Zheng Xiaowei encountered Geng Zhi, who was sitting against the wall and had fainted due to excessive blood loss.
He had already climbed some distance when, gritting his teeth, he turned back and dragged the simpleton out of the center of the firefight.
Amidst her busy schedule, He Changyi glanced at Zheng Xiaowei, who was crying horribly, and felt both disgusted and amused.
Admittedly, when He Changyi saw him carrying Geng Zhi over with tears streaming down his face, he thought he was hallucinating. After all, how could a half-baked Xie Xun do something that harmed himself for the benefit of others?
But the truth is, the smaller Xie Xun saved Geng Zhi, while the larger Xie Xun followed her to save people.
Perhaps, maybe, possibly... even fox spirits have human hearts?
He Changyi shook his head and reached out his hand to Xie Xun again.
"gauze."
However, this time Xie Xun said in a hoarse voice, "We're out of gauze."
His hands and face were covered in blood, and his usual smiling, fox-like face was nowhere to be seen. He looked almost unrecognizable.
"There's nothing left."
The emergency medicine kit was empty, containing only cold medicine, digestive medicine, and other medications that were completely unnecessary at the moment.
He Changyi was taken aback.
Meanwhile, the wounded continued to lose blood, and the cramped space of the armory was filled with the pungent smell of rust, as strong as a nightmare from which one could not wake up.
Separated by a heavy iron gate, the fierce battle outside seemed like a distant memory, while the armory was eerily quiet.
Zheng Xiaowei huddled in the corner, trembling, his eyes wide as he looked at He Changyi, then at the injured people waiting for emergency treatment on the ground, among whom was Geng Zhi.
"What should we do... Geng, Gengzhi will die..." he whispered, his voice sounding like he was about to cry.
"He really is going to die...he's going to die..."
Zheng Xiaowei, no longer displaying his usual quick wit, pleaded, "Miss He, you're a good person, a really good person... please save him! He was injured while saving you, you have to save him!"
Xie Xun suddenly snapped, "Shut up!"
He glared fiercely at Zheng Xiaowei and said rapidly, "Save? What can we use to save you? How can we save you? If you have a way, then you do it!"
"Why are you forcing her to do this?!"
After catching his breath, Xie Xun suddenly laughed again, pointed to the iron door of the armory, and said softly, "There are spare first-aid kits outside, and there's a hospital outside this house. You want to save them? Sure, come on, get out now, get out!"
Zheng Xiaowei was completely terrified.
He had seen Xie Xun scheme and plot, and he had seen Xie Xun's ruthless and vicious behavior with his colleagues, but this was the first time he had seen Xie Xun not get angry because his own interests were harmed, but because of someone else.
Xie Xun was still smiling, but there was no trace of a smile in his eyes.
"You want to save someone, right? Then go ahead and save them."
He yanked Zheng Xiaowei up from the ground, opened the iron gate, and was about to forcibly push him out.
Zheng Xiaowei was so frightened that he burst into tears and flailed his limbs like a spoiled child, his body sliding to the ground like mud.
"I was wrong, I was wrong! Boss Xie, please forgive me, please forgive me!"
But Xie Xun was serious; he really wanted to push Zheng Xiaowei from the safety of the armory into the battlefield where he could lose his life at any moment.
His face was stained with blood, yet he was still smiling. His eyes were dark, as if he were wearing a human skin mask, giving him a ghostly aura.
"Go save them, now you can be a good person too."
Just when Zheng Xiaowei was about to despair, he finally heard a heavenly sound.
That's enough.
He Changyi said wearily to Xie Xun, "Let him go."
Xie Xun didn't say anything, the smile on his face slowly faded, and then he let go of her hand.
Zheng Xiaowei fell to the ground and scrambled to a corner until he was inside the armory, where he felt safe against the solid wall.
Zheng Xiaowei hung his head, not daring to look at Xie Xun, cursing inwardly with a heart full of anguish.
—A rotten person! A complete and utter rotten person!
Why would he think that following Xie Xun was the only way out? This guy is clearly a heartless monster; he chose the wrong path, and he regrets it… Now Geng Zhi is dying, and he can't save him, he can't save him…
Standing before the half-closed iron gate, Xie Xun spoke to He Changyi in an extremely calm tone:
"Tell me the location of the spare medicine box."
—Weren't you going to save someone?
—Okay, then I'll grant your wish to save people.
—I don't care about their lives, but I care about you.
Xie Xun said calmly, "I will bring the first-aid kit back."
He Changyi's response was to close the iron gate again.
"No."
She sighed and said with a hint of reproach, "Everyone has barely escaped with their lives, how can there be anyone who would risk their life?"
Xie Xun stood there, stunned.
He Changyi raised her hand, her hand covered in blood. She paused, then stopped at Xie Xun's face, sketching his profile in the air.
“Don’t worry,” she said with a mix of certainty and helplessness. “I have a way.”
Xie Xun couldn't help but want to believe her, but then he thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile, how could someone be saved from an armory?
Everyone says political power grows out of the barrel of a gun, but I've never heard of a first-aid kit growing out of the barrel of a gun...
—But it really can.
Xie Xun stared in disbelief as He Changyi disassembled a bullet, poured the gunpowder inside onto the bleeding wound, and then lit the gunpowder with a lighter.
With a loud "boom," the explosion was followed by a blinding flash of white light, and the pungent smell of gunpowder and sulfur mixed with the aroma of roasted meat rushed into our nostrils.
The wounded soldier's screams nearly lifted the roof off; his already weakened body arched uncontrollably like a fully drawn bow. It looked less like a rescue and more like a scene of torture.
But at the same time, the wound stopped bleeding, and instead became a patch of charred, carbonized tissue.
The bleeding has stopped.
Xie Xun thought expressionlessly, "Fine, I never want to eat barbecue again in my life."
Just as everything was about to settle down, the belated sound of sirens finally rang out.
Several cars parked on the side of the road fled in panic, not even bothering to pick up their comrades who were still fighting.
But their car didn't get far before it was blocked by a police car lying in ambush on the other side. After a burst of gunfire, the car crashed into a street lamp, smoke billowed from the hood, and stalled completely.
Ignoring the police officers' advice, Andrei rushed into the apartment first, his steps extremely hurried.
Several beams of flashlight swept back and forth inside the house, accompanied by shouts of "Drop your weapons!" and "Crouch down and cover your head!" Everyone who was hit by the flashlights wisely gave up resistance to avoid being mistakenly killed by the police.
Andrei quickly scanned the apartment, his brows furrowed deeply.
Blood was everywhere, corpses were everywhere, the apartment's decorations were completely destroyed, and the crystal chandelier on the ceiling was about to fall.
He walked across the muddy, damp carpet, and felt as if he stepped on something. Looking down, he saw a broken Walkman.
Hey, watch your foot!
The sweater-clad man, who was crouching with his head in his hands, shouted unhappily, and the buzz-cut man next to him quickly pressed the man's head down.
The police rushed up with batons, yelling, "What the hell are you saying?! Who gave you permission to speak?!"
The man in the sweater struggled to raise his head, his face full of defiance, as if he might kill someone over a broken Walkman if the police said another word.
The man with the buzz cut was flustered, trying to stop the man in the sweater while also blocking the falling baton. His hands were itching to grab it and fight back if the baton actually came down.
Just then, Andrei shouted, "Stop!"
He stepped forward and looked at the familiar East Asian man with a buzz cut.
Where is He Changyi?
At the entrance to the armory, the iron gate was covered with dents from gunshots, and the wallpaper was shattered, exposing the bricks underneath.
Andrei raised his hand, eager to pull open the iron gate, but the gate opened from the inside.
The moment the door opened, a strong smell of rust and gunpowder rushed out, but wait, why is there also the smell of barbecue?
Amidst the wounded scattered on the ground, He Changyi calmly nodded to him.
Good evening, Andrei.
Only now did Andrei finally feel his own breath.
He forced a smile and said softly, "Good evening."
—This was indeed the best news he had received tonight.
Emergency medical personnel filed in and quickly carried the unconscious injured away on stretchers, while those who were still able to move walked to the ambulance on their own.
Zheng Xiaowei supported Geng Zhi, using all his strength to hold him up.
Geng Zhi had just woken up, not yet fully conscious. He felt like he was sleepwalking, his feet unsteady, his eyes half-closed, and he murmured:
"Zheng Xiaowei... someone surnamed Zheng... am I still dreaming...?"
Zheng Xiaowei said sadly, "I wasn't dreaming. You're alive. Come on, let's go to the hospital to see a doctor."
His straightforward voice sounded as if it were floating in mid-air.
"...Hospital? Why go to the hospital?"
With unprecedented patience, Zheng Xiaowei replied, "You're injured. We need to go to the hospital for treatment. Let the Russian doctor give you a blood transfusion and stitches, and then you'll be able to act like a fool again."
He muttered to himself, "If I gave you some Russian blood, you might become even more stupid."
"Hospital? Injured?"
Geng Zhi closed his eyes and sniffled.
"But aren't we eating barbecue?"
Zheng Xiaowei: ...
Zheng Xiaowei almost threw Geng Zhi out!
"Still grilling meat!" he yelled angrily. "I'm grilling your own meat!"
Geng Zhi thought about it seriously for a moment, then nodded even more earnestly.
"No wonder it smells so good, it's my meat... My meat is just so delicious..."
Zheng Xiaowei: "...Doctor, doctor! Help! He seems to have suffered brain damage!!!"
Inside the gun magazine.
He Changyi sat on the ammunition box and slowly rubbed off the congealed bloodstains from his hands.
Most of the apartment windows were smashed, letting in a cold wind that made it just as cold as outside; the heating was barely effective.
Andrei unbuttoned his coat and draped it over He Changyi's shoulders.
"Are you hurt?" he asked in a low voice.
He Changyi shook her head, too tired to speak.
A voice suddenly came from the side.
"She was not injured."
Andrei looked over and saw a handsome Chinese man who had somehow gotten a basin of hot water. Without any hesitation, he knelt on one knee in front of He Changyi and carefully wiped the bloodstains off her hands with a wet towel.
"Would you like something to eat or drink? Or perhaps we could find a place to rest?"
In front of Andrei, the Chinese man spoke to He Changyi in Chinese as if no one else was around, but even though they couldn't understand each other, the concern on his face was obvious to anyone with eyes.
He Changyi glanced at Andrei and replied in Ethnic language, "Let's deal with this mess first."
She called out to Andrei, "Where are my bodyguards?"
Andrei calmly said, "They are being held in custody for the time being, and will be released once the police confirm that they are not suspects."
He Changyi said, "There's no need. They saved my life. I can vouch for them; they are all trustworthy."
So Andrei readily agreed, saying, "Okay, I'll tell them to release him."
He Changyi washed her hands and stood up, while Xie Xun produced a fluffy white towel from somewhere and carefully wiped the water off her hands.
Andrei glanced again at the excessively handsome Jong-kook man.
He had seen this person before, at the hospital and at the cemetery.
It is utterly disgusting.
"I think there are some things I need to tell you."
Andrei looked away and said to He Changyi, "But this needs to be kept secret. It's best if we talk only between the two of us."
He Changyi nodded happily, but hesitated for a moment before leaving, glancing at Xie Xun.
Xie Xun smiled at just the right moment.
"Don't worry, I'll handle things here. Although I don't know what kind of shady business it is—"
He emphasized his words and said in Emei, "But I stand by your side, I believe in you."
Andrei glanced at Xie Xun again, this time for a longer time, as if he wanted to remember this fox-like man deeply.
He Changyi had already walked out first. Seeing that Andrei hadn't followed, she turned back in confusion and called out:
"Andrei?"
Andrei turned around, walked quickly to her side, and suddenly raised his hand to lift the coat hanging on He Changyi's shoulder, as if unintentionally, before finally placing his hand on her shoulder.
From behind, it looks like an intimate embrace.
Xie Xun's smile vanished quickly.
He had seen this blond, blue-eyed Russian man many times, but each time he became even more annoying.
The apartment was completely destroyed, leaving no place to talk, so He Changyi got into the Volga car parked downstairs.
The car was warm with the heater on, and He Changyi's body, which had been frozen for a long time, slowly warmed up. Her previously numb skin began to feel a stinging pain, like being pricked by needles.
Andrei pulled a bottle of vodka and a glass from the armrest box, poured half a glass of the liquor, and handed it to He Changyi.
"Drink it, it'll make you feel better."
He Changyi took the cup and drank it all in one gulp.
The fiery liquor spread from top to bottom throughout her body like a wildfire, and a blush immediately rose on her face.
Setting down her glass, He Changyi spoke first:
"It was done by those people from Vladimir, wasn't it?"
She used an affirmative sentence, not an interrogative one.
Andrei nodded, agreeing with her statement. "It was them."
He said with a stern face, "The investigation team sent by Moscow will arrive in Vladimir tomorrow. Regardless of the investigation process, the results are certain. But clearly, they are not willing to accept their fate."
He Changyi shrugged. "Who would want to become a prisoner? Even if we didn't have to go to Siberia to dig potatoes now, we wouldn't want to stay at the Gulag Hotel."
Andrei paused for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry."
He Changyi said, "This is none of your business."
Andrei stubbornly insisted, "No, it's my problem. I should have been more careful."
He Changyi, however, brought up another topic.
“I know you’re learning Chinese on your own, but do you know that there’s an old saying in China: ‘It’s better to be a thief for a thousand days than to guard against thieves for a thousand days.’”
Andrei looked at her in confusion, while He Changyi gave a sly smile.
"So I personally believe that instead of being overly cautious about preventing thieves, it's better to take the initiative. Who says they're the only ones who can be thieves?"
Andrei hesitated, "This doesn't quite sound like an ancient Chinese saying..."
He Changyi said, "Hey, that must be because you haven't learned it yet, you still need to learn it some more."
Andrei maintained a commendable silence and skepticism on this matter.
He Changyi suddenly brought up another topic.
“Andrei, you have been helping me all along, but I can’t just take your efforts for granted.”
Andrei said softly, "This is my own choice."
"No, that's not fair to you at all."
He Changyi asked him, "Do you still remember the ballet Giselle from last time?"
Andrei nodded, not understanding why she brought this up. He quickly went through Giselle's story in his mind, but couldn't think of any connection to the current situation.
He Changyi was the first to reveal the secret.
"I told you, I'd give you 10% of the shares, even if it's just for show."
Andrei's expression was complex, as if he couldn't help but laugh, yet also couldn't help but feel angry.
“You said that even if it were your marriage partner, you wouldn’t give him more shares than this. You also said that you would definitely sign a prenuptial agreement.”
He raised an eyebrow at He Changyi, his blue eyes sparkling, making him look almost unlike himself.
At this moment, the tense and oppressive atmosphere caused by the conspiracy and killing vanished.
He Changyi said awkwardly, "You have a pretty good memory..."
Andrei just stared at her, his golden eyebrows pressing heavily over his eyes. He should have looked imposing, but he looked more like a sulking little golden retriever.
He Changyi reached out and gently stroked his eyebrows.
"But I'm serious."
She said, "Please let me give you 30% of the shares. Then—"
Andrei looked at her, as if he already knew the answer, but still wanted to hear her say it herself.
"Become my political ally, and let's be in the same boat from now on."
He Changyi asked sincerely, "Do you think this idea is good?"
Andrei: ...
Andrei said expressionlessly, "No, I don't think this idea is good at all."
So why should he still have expectations?
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