Leng Nan did not respond to Mei Xinya. Her world consisted only of the increasingly faint breathing of the man in her arms and the cold tears on her face.
"Stop!" Li Mo roared, picking up the gun from the ground and aiming it at Mei Xinya again. "You witch, what did you do to him! What do you want to do!"
The two team members behind him also raised their guns, three guns from three directions, locking onto Mei Xinya who was crouching on the ground.
Mei Xinya didn't even glance at them. Her movements were subtle; she pressed her arm, dripping with pale golden blood, even harder against Qin Xiao's wound. The strange blood made a soft "sizzling" sound upon contact with Qin Xiao's wound, and a wisp of black energy was forced out, dissipating into the air.
Qin Xiao's violently heaving chest seemed to calm down a bit. Leng Nan noticed this change.
"Host! Your life force is recovering!" Yun Yiyi exclaimed excitedly in her mind. "This woman's blood is amazing! Data shows that the erosion by the curse power is slowing down!"
"It's so noisy..." Qin Xiao responded weakly from the depths of his consciousness.
“You,” Leng Nan raised his head, his face, stained with tears and blood, no longer showing any of the composure of a soldier, but only the madness of a beast, “put down your guns.”
"Captain!" Li Mo couldn't accept it. "She's 'Ghost'! She's the most wanted criminal! She fired the shot! We..."
"I told you to put it down!" Leng Nan's voice suddenly rose, sharp and piercing. "Li Mo, do you think he hasn't bled enough?!"
Li Mo's body collapsed. Those words, like another bullet, struck him. He looked at Qin Xiao lying in a pool of blood, at the devastated Leng Nan, the gun in his hand as heavy as a mountain, yet he could no longer lift it.
"Clang." All three guns fell to the ground.
“Very good.” Mei Xinya spoke, her arm still bleeding, her face even paler from blood loss, but her tone was as if stating a fact. “Now, let’s talk about a deal, Officer Leng… oh no, perhaps I should call you, Mrs. Qin?”
This address sent a shiver down Leng Nan's spine. When did this bastard become so important to her?
"I don't care what you call me." Leng Nan gently supported Qin Xiao's head, making him more comfortable. Her movements were so gentle, unlike those of a special forces soldier. "Tell me, how do you save him?"
“My blood can only suppress the curse power for three hours. If the bullet cannot be removed and all the curse power cleared within three hours, even a god cannot save him.” Mei Xinya’s every word was like ice. “And to clear the curse power, we need another secret medicine from the ‘Dragon King’s Palace,’ ‘Spirit Purification Powder.’ Or, we can find a master who can manipulate life energy and force the curse power out in the most brutal way.”
Her gaze shifted to Li Mo, who lay slumped on the ground. "So, finding the mole who gave you this bullet is the only way. Only he can lead us to the 'Purifying Powder,' or to other clues about the Dragon King's Palace."
"How can I trust you?" Leng Nan asked.
“You have no choice.” Mei Xinya withdrew her arm from Qin Xiao’s chest. The black blood from Qin Xiao’s wound had stopped flowing, but the bright red blood was still seeping out. “Or, you can call your backup now, have them carry him onto the operating table, and then watch him be cut into pieces by those quack doctors, and finally die from the burst of curse power.”
Mei Xinya stood up and looked down at her. "His life is now in my hands. And my patience, like my blood, is draining away."
Leng Nan fell silent. She looked at Qin Xiao's pale face, on which the helpless, bitter smile still lingered when he shielded her from the bullet.
Bodyguards are supposed to take bullets for their bosses. But you're the boss. You bastard.
She gently laid Qin Xiao's body flat on the ground, then stood up. She walked step by step to Li Mo.
"Slap!" A crisp, loud slap landed hard on Li Mo's face.
Li Mo didn't dodge; he didn't even react, letting his cheeks quickly swell up.
"Captain, I..." Li Mo tried to explain.
“You don’t need to say anything,” Leng Nan interrupted him. “What right does a piece of trash who can’t even figure out where bullets come from have to stay in the special forces?”
She didn't give Li Mo a chance to speak, and turned to the other two team members. "You two, listen to my orders."
"Yes, Captain!" The two men instinctively stood at attention.
"First, seal off the scene. Everything that happened on the rooftop today is classified as top secret. Anyone who approaches without authorization will be killed on sight."
"Second, immediately contact the technical department to find out the source, batch number, and people who handled this batch of 'Dragon Tooth Bullets.' I need to see the list of all relevant personnel within half an hour, from the warehouse manager to the issuing officer—not a single one can be missed!"
“Third,” she turned her gaze to Meixinya, “from this moment on, this young lady is our ally. Her safety is my safety. Her orders are my orders.”
"Captain! This..." one of the team members couldn't understand.
"This is an order!" Leng Nan's tone was devoid of any emotion. "If you can't carry it out, then get out of Snow Wolf with Li Mo."
The two team members were startled and dared not object any further, immediately taking action. While contacting support from the rear, they began to set up a perimeter.
After dealing with everything, Leng Nan walked back to Mei Xinya. She looked at the woman who had tried to kill her just minutes before, at this woman who was just as tall and proud as herself.
“I agree to your deal,” Leng Nan said. “As long as you can save him, from now on, the Dragon King Palace will be our common enemy. Whoever you want to take, I’ll take for you.”
Mei Xinya looked at her and suddenly smiled. In that smile, there was admiration, but also pity.
"You seem to have misunderstood something."
"What?"
“Your promises mean nothing to me.” Mei Xinya’s gaze returned to the man on the ground. “The only one who can make me nod is him. I saved him only because his words just now showed me another possibility. It has nothing to do with you or your military.”
She knelt down and began unbuttoning Qin Xiao's shirt, preparing to treat his wound. Her movements were professional and skillful, clearly indicating that this wasn't the first time she had treated this type of injury.
"And do you really understand him?" Mei Xinya's movements didn't stop, but her words sent a chill down Leng Nan's spine. "Do you know why he could accurately describe the details of my sister's life? Do you know why he dared to come see me alone?"
Leng Nan's expression changed. She truly didn't know. From the moment she met Qin Xiao, this man had been like a mystery. Every time she thought she understood him, she discovered that she had only seen the tip of the iceberg.
“More importantly,” Mei Xinya tore open Qin Xiao’s shirt, revealing the still-bleeding wound, “do you really think that an ordinary ‘helpful citizen’ would have such skills? Such knowledge?”
Her fingers gently pressed against Qin Xiao's chest, feeling his increasingly faint heartbeat. "This man is far more complex than you imagine. And far more dangerous."
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