Chapter 139 Endless
The sharp sound of the explosion filled our ears, leaving only a deafening roar.
"Xie Xingchen, speak up, answer me." Lin Yao held the communicator, his voice so soft it was almost a murmur, "I forgot what you said this morning, repeat it again."
No one answered.
After tuning to other frequencies, all you can hear are various kinds of urgent sounds.
"Military aircraft 0137 has exploded. Please send personnel from nearby military regions as soon as possible for search and rescue."
"The Z9 detachment of the military region has arrived near the explosion and has begun search and rescue operations."
"The explosion occurred at sea, making search and rescue difficult. We request assistance."
"The driver, Xie Xingchen, has not been found. The search and rescue operation continues. Heavy rain is expected, please be careful."
......
Lin Yao suddenly realized that this unexpected turn of events could no longer be called an accident.
Xie Hengzhi wanted him dead.
Xie Xingchen unintentionally took his place.
But he was so afraid of heights that even years of training hadn't completely overcome it. What was he thinking when he fell from such a height?
Is he filled with hatred for his father's cruelty, or is he relieved that he has escaped a calamity?
"I should have gone myself. I had perfect attendance for four years, but I missed this one time..."
When Lin Yao came to his senses, he realized that tears were already falling one by one. His phone was ringing. It was a message from He Li with just two words: "Go downstairs."
He hurriedly changed his clothes and rushed out. Cheng Boyan and He Li's aircraft were waiting outside the hotel. He quickly went up, and the moment he saw his friend, his emotions finally broke down completely.
"Xie Xingchen... I can't find him, I can't find him, He Li, what should I do?"
After knowing each other for ten years, this was the first time He Li had seen Lin Yao with such an expression, like a child who had been abandoned and was in a panic.
"Brother Yao, don't worry, he'll be fine." He Li looked at his red eyes, her heart breaking. "The chances of getting there are much better at sea than in the land or forest. Isn't he a great swimmer? He'll definitely be alright."
Lin Yao felt incredibly guilty: "It should have been mine, I should have been on top. Today was my mission, not his."
“If I had known this flight was going to have problems, Xingchen would have preferred to take your place,” Cheng Boyan said in a low voice. “It’ll be alright, we’ll find it.”
But they all knew how slim the hope was.
Lin Yao raised his hand to cover his face, and after a long while, he muttered to himself, "We prayed to the gods together, so why is this happening?"
Was it because they weren't devout enough that they were punished like this?
The rain poured down, and the sky darkened as if it were the dead of night with the lights off.
When they arrived at the seaside, the search and rescue boats and helicopters had already passed by several times. He saw that his aircraft had been blown to pieces and was floating in the churning sea.
Many people, some familiar officers, colleagues, Xie Yunhuai and Jiang Qiran whom I just met yesterday.
Xie Hengzhi stood motionless under the black umbrella, like a silent statue.
Lin Yao stared at him for two seconds, then rushed over and kicked him to the ground. Just as the bodyguard rushed over, he grabbed the man by the collar and dragged him several meters away.
"Why did you do this?" His eyes were bloodshot. "Couldn't you just kill me? Why did you do this?"
Xie Hengzhi raised his hand to signal the bodyguards to step back, panting heavily: "I don't understand what you're talking about."
Lin Yao wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces, but he could only lower himself and choked out, "I'll give Yun Qing back to you, and you give Xie Xingchen back to me. I won't go anymore, I won't pay you back, okay?"
"Lin Yao, Xie Xingchen is my son, and I don't want anything to happen to him either." Xie Hengzhi's cheeks twitched as he spoke slowly and deliberately, "The person who should have been on that aircraft was you."
"I know, you should have told me sooner. You should have threatened me like before, put the options in front of me. Aren't you very good at doing this kind of thing?"
Lin Yao grabbed his collar, his voice hoarse, "You used your superior attitude to trample on me, threaten me, and suppress me. That's how you should be. Why have you changed your ways now? You don't even want to talk to me anymore, you just resort to violence?"
The torrential rain soaked them completely, drawing countless curious glances from the sidelines.
Xie Hengzhi pushed him away, his face grim as he stood up to tidy himself, avoiding the question: "Arguing with me is useless. Right now, there's no other way but to search and rescue."
What a perfect example of having no other choice!
The torrential rain obscured their faces, and Lin Yao simply stared at him, his voice soft: "Do you regret sending your son down this path?"
Xie Hengzhi did not answer.
He couldn't answer either.
He hated the emotional entanglements and the birth of Xie Yunhuai and Xie Xingchen. If it weren't for Yun Qing's liking, he would never have planned to raise any children.
Even though she hates him so much, why does hearing Xie Xingchen's questioning over the communicator hurt her so much?
“Xie Hengzhi, you don’t love me, so why are you in such a hurry?” he said.
Xie Hengzhi thought that he was afraid that something would happen to Xie Xingchen and make Yun Qing sad, and that must be it.
"Alliance Leader, the weather is bad right now. Expanding the search and rescue further out will endanger our personnel. At present, there are still no signs of survival."
Lin Yao lowered his head, silently grabbed his collar and pulled himself out, striding towards the search and rescue boat returning to the beach.
Cheng Boyan reached out and grabbed him: "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"
“They’re all useless. They can’t even find it here. I’ll go into the sea and look for it myself.” Lin Yao’s tone was cold. “What do you mean there are no signs of life? You’ve only been a few hours and you’re already making that judgment.”
“Brother Yao, how can you search alone?” He Li was almost crying with anxiety. “With such heavy rain and such strong waves, if Xie Xingchen were here, he would never allow you to take such a risk.”
"But he's not here, He Li, tell me what we can do?"
Lin Yao grabbed his arm as if it were the last straw, "Am I just going to stand here and watch time tick by? No, I want to go find him myself."
He has always been very stubborn, Xie Xingchen knows that.
Once a decision is made, not even nine oxen can pull it back.
Cheng Boyan looked at the rolling sea and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Okay, I'll go with you."
“Then I’ll go too.” He Li raised his hand to wipe the rain off his face. “I’m not a good swimmer, but I’ll share the burden with my brothers.”
“You guys are really…” Jiang Qiran was speechless, and pushed Xie Yunhuai out, “You go too, more people means more possibilities.”
Xie Hengzhi looked at them with a strange expression.
Turning to his assistant, he said, "Borrow all available on-duty personnel to expand the search area and try to find the person within 24 hours. We need to find him alive or dead."
Standing on the rescue boat, Lin Yao felt the sea breeze mixed with rain on his face as he imagined Xie Xingchen falling.
What if they parachute out prematurely and drift away to another place?
He's so smart, he wouldn't knowingly sit and wait to die after the landing is about to explode.
"Boyan, after we finish this sea voyage, we'll switch to a helicopter." Before Lin Yao could finish speaking, he saw a small piece of fabric floating in the distance—the same piece of clothing Xie Xingchen had worn last night.
He didn't have time to say the rest of his words; he held his breath and jumped into the sea.
There was nothing in sight.
He clutched the pitiful piece of cloth, but it felt like he was grasping only empty air; a bone-chilling cold permeated his entire body.
Eighteen hours, from dawn to dusk, and then to daybreak.
"Brother Yao, let's go back first." He Li's lips turned pale.
“We’ll switch to the helicopter when the weather gets a bit better.” Cheng Boyan grabbed a jacket and draped it over him. “No news is good news. Maybe they were blown far away by the explosion. We’ll find them, we definitely will.”
The search and rescue team has begun a new round of work during the day.
Lin Yao just sat blankly at the bow of the boat, watching the sunrise in the distance, not knowing whether his face was wet with rain or tears.
He swiped his phone and dialed Xie Xingchen's number, but no one answered.
Again and again, relentlessly, without end.
So all I could do was watch the hazy sunrise on the horizon amidst the busy signals, and speak very softly.
"Xie Xingchen, wake up. Lin Yao likes you even more today than he did yesterday."
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