Chapter 97 The Calm Before the Storm
Bangkok was bathed in mist at dawn, and the lilies of the valley in the manor quietly unfolded their petals. Their cool fragrance, wrapped in vapor, drifted into the bedroom, mingling with the warmth of the bed.
Ruan Xingchen curled up in Mo Xiaohan's arms like a lazy cat. Her sleepiness during pregnancy made her wake up lately.
"The baby is very good." She took Mo Xiaohan's hand, placed it on her belly, and murmured, "You don't even want to bother me."
The child in her belly was surprisingly sensible, as if it knew innately what kind of dark throne it was born from. It refused to disturb its mother, growing quietly and silently alongside her heartbeat. Aside from the morning sickness when it was first discovered, Ruan Xingchen had never suffered the slightest bit since then.
Mo Xiaohan's palm rested on her slightly warm skin, his fingertips gently rubbing against the softness. The woman in his arms and the new blood in her belly were the only light in his endless abyss that he wanted to protect with all his might.
He bent down and kissed the corner of her lips. The crisp scent of absinthe mixed with the morning laziness: "Born in darkness, one must naturally be calm and know when to lie dormant." The pride in his tone was not concealed at all.
However, the bloody secret reports from Europe cast a shadow over this warmth. Beneath the tranquility, there are always undercurrents.
Victor Berg's purges across Europe were brutal beyond imagination. Following the "accidental" deaths of several heirs to the Berg family, the remaining twelve core members and dissenting offshoots also perished within a short period of two weeks. Despite numerous police investigations, the cases were hastily closed as "accidents."
All the bodies of these dead people were "recovered" by Victor, and after injecting neurotoxins and undergoing special antiseptic treatment, they were made into "dolls" and openly displayed in the garden of the Berg family castle for passers-by to see, as if they were displaying strange works of art.
This is not just a seizure of power, but also a cruel sacrifice——
He used the most brutal means to declare to all his enemies that he had completely controlled the behemoth that was the Berg family, free from internal constraints. His sights had clearly crossed the Eurasian continent and returned to Southeast Asia.
Mo Xiaohan spent longer and longer time in the strategy room every day. The manor strengthened its defenses. Snipers hidden in dark corners silently locked onto every suspicious movement. Guards patrolled among the green plants non-stop. The medical team took turns on duty day and night. All prenatal examination records were transmitted using encrypted codes. Daily food ingredients underwent three tests, and food was tested for poison by a dedicated person. Only after confirmation that there was no risk would they be handed to Ruan Xingchen.
Northern Myanmar was now mired in an eerie, unprecedented silence. The Nagas had recently ceased even the occasional, insignificant skirmishes. This wasn't a result of Savika's ironclad suppression, but rather a deliberate attempt to conceal their presence, plotting a larger conspiracy.
Inside the barracks, Su Lixia was changing Savika's dressing. The gunshot wound on her shoulder blade had healed well, the new flesh tinged with a pale pink. She was wiping with an iodine-soaked cotton swab, carefully avoiding the scab, when Savika suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Why don't you ask to go home today?" The coolness of the jade ring on her fingertips made her skin tighten.
Su Lixia turned her face away and curled her lips: "Will it be useful to say it?"
"It's useless." His voice was filled with laughter. "But I love to hear you make a fuss. Like a cat with its fur standing on end, it's much more interesting than stray bullets and gunpowder."
She bit her lip in anger, but he fed her a palm candy. As the sweetness melted away, her eyes accidentally swept over the soldiers patrolling outside the window.
Su Lixia's fingertips, pinching the bandage, trembled, and she whispered, "If...if I want to learn surgery, can I practice here?"
Savika raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I give you that injured soldier from yesterday as a training exercise?" Seeing her hands start to tremble again, he leaned in viciously and bit her earlobe with his fangs. "When we get back to Yangon, I'll propose to Mr. Mo that we build you the best operating room in Myanmar. If you still want to go to school, you can go to Yangon Medical College."
Su Lixia didn't respond and silently tied the bandage for him. She found that her heartbeat was abnormally fast.
At dusk, Savika took her to the Dragon Boat Flower Field.
When the wind blows, the whole sea of flowers surges in the sunset, as bright and colorful as if soaked in blood.
"Don't even think about going back to China." Savika played with a strand of her hair. "In the future, our child will have to learn to walk in this sea of flowers."
Su Lixia looked at the strangely warm scenery and suddenly felt that the beauty of this land was like a knife hidden in the dark, which could cut her skin at any time.
The calm before the storm is often the most suffocating.
As night fell in Bangkok, Mo Xiaohan stood on the terrace of the manor, looking at the crescent moon rising in the direction of the Mekong River.
Ruan Xingchen hugged him gently from behind, and her pregnant belly, which had not yet shown, gently pressed against his back.
"Victor is holding back his ultimate move." His deep voice was filled with repression. "The next time he strikes, it will definitely be a dead end."
Ruan Xingchen's fingertips stroked his tense back: "Then let him come."
Mo Xiaohan turned around, his eyes brimming with a fierce fighting spirit. "I'm waiting for him to reveal all his cards. It's just right to use his blood to celebrate the birth of our child."
He knelt on one knee, put his ear to her belly, and spoke with an unprecedented gentleness and conviction: "He will be the most noble child in this land. There will be no hidden dangers under the throne."
The wind brought the cool fragrance of lily of the valley over, and the two stood quietly hugging each other. In the shadow of the terrace, it seemed that even the air was silently gathering energy.
——The storm is coming, and the wind is already blowing in the building.
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