Chapter 958 Finale (Part 6)
X's crimes are too numerous to list, and he must die. But he knows too many secrets, so before his death he must be tortured to force out all the secrets he has.
Therefore, X cannot die now.
"Tie him up and take him out." Xi Jiu was holding Bai Yuchen and couldn't free his hands, so he turned around and told Bo Ye to tie X up.
X's arms and legs had already been removed by Xi Jiu, so he was no longer dangerous. Bo Ye took out a bundle of hemp rope from his backpack and was about to tie him up when something unexpected happened.
X, who was lying on the ground, didn't know where he got the strength from. He jumped up suddenly using the strength of his waist and hit Bo Ye's chest hard with his head.
Bo was caught off guard and was knocked back two steps. As his body swayed, a black object fell out of X's coat sleeve.
The thing fell from X's sleeve to the ground and slid half a meter on the smooth marble floor.
Before anyone could see what it was, X had already pounced on it, opened his mouth and bit the thing.
It was only then that everyone saw that what he had bitten was actually a——
Remote control!
The remote control is half the size of a palm, all black, with only one button on it, which is red.
Ruan Qi looked at the red button and suddenly felt a strong sense of unease in her heart.
"Quickly grab the remote!" She shouted subconsciously, "Quick! Brother Bo Ye, quickly grab the remote!"
Bo Ye also sensed something was wrong and pounced over to grab it.
But X's movements were faster than Bo Ye's. He bit the red button on the remote control and pushed hard.
drop--!
A shrill alarm sounded from the remote control.
Immediately following.
Rumble——
A deafening roar came from all directions.
The ground on the seventh floor underground began to tremble.
Boom——!!!
A huge explosion erupted from the ground, and the walls around the laboratory exploded in an instant.
Rocks flew, dust rose, and the strong smell of gunpowder spread everywhere.
"What happened? Why did it explode?"
Everyone panicked.
X spat out the remote control and lay on the ground, laughing crazily and twistedly.
"Hahahaha! You didn't expect that, did you? I've installed detonators on every floor of the underground headquarters! Now that the devices have been activated, it won't be long before this place becomes a ruin! None of you can escape, you're all going to die! All of you are going to die! Hahahahaha!!!"
X knew that he would die sooner or later even if he got out. In that case, he might as well drag Ruan Qi and the others down with him.
If we die, we die together. No one can escape, no one can hide.
X, who had already lost his mind, lay on the ground like a puddle of mud, with a twisted, hideous and smug smile on his face.
Ruan Qi's heart sank. She didn't bother to scold him. She rushed to Xu Qingya and picked her up.
"Is there any way to stop the explosion?"
Xu Qingya was stunned by the deafening explosion.
She had followed X for twenty years and never dreamed that this man would be so crazy as to plant a bomb in the underground headquarters!
Xu Qingya turned pale with fright when she thought about the bomb buried where she slept every day.
Her eyes were wide open and she was trembling and couldn't recover.
Ruan Qi was anxious and had lost her patience. She raised her hand and slapped Xu Qingya in the face.
Xu Qingya suddenly screamed in pain.
"Is there any way to stop the explosion? Tell us quickly! Otherwise, everyone will die here!" Ruan Qi said in a harsh voice.
Xu Qingya finally came to her senses in the pain.
She shook her head tremblingly, her face full of despair: "No... I didn't even know he had planted a bomb in the headquarters!"
Xu Qingya was unaware of this, and her only hope of stopping the explosion was shattered.
Ruan Qi's face turned extremely ugly.
The roar of explosions continued all around, the ground was shaking, and dust kept falling from the ceiling. It was believed that it would not be long before this underground building began to collapse.
They had to escape before this place collapsed.
Ruan Qi ignored X who was still laughing crazily. He bent down and reached out to pick up a semi-conscious member of the action team and carried him on his back.
"Everyone, help our injured companions, let's escape together!"
After Ruan Qi finished speaking, he secured the person on his back, helped up a seriously injured female team member, and rushed towards the safe passage.
Seeing this, the others also carried their injured companions on their backs and followed Ruan Qi out of the seventh underground floor.
Seeing this, Xu Qingya, who was lying on the ground, thought Ruan Qi was going to abandon her and immediately screamed.
"Ruan Qi! You promised to take me out! You can't go back on your word! I'm Cheng Jinyan's grandmother, you have to save me! You have to save me!"
The roar of explosions all around drowned out most of Xu Qingya's feeble screams.
Ruan Qi, who was concentrating on escaping with his companions, didn't hear her scream at all. However, Xi Jiu, who was walking at the back, heard everything Xu Qingya said clearly.
His cold eyes flashed, he stopped, turned around and walked over.
Xu Qingya thought Xi Jiu was here to save her, so she quickly crawled over and reached out to him, "Master Xi! Save me! Ruan Qi promised to take me out, I can't die!"
Xu Qingya screamed and reached out to grab Xi Jiu's combat boots.
However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the combat boots, Xi Jiu took a step back.
The smile on Xu Qingya's face froze.
"Xi, Xi Jiu... Master Xi, Ruan Qi promised to take me out! You can't go back on your word!"
The fear of death surpassed everything. At the critical moment of life and death, Xu Qingya forgot her fear of Xi Jiu and crawled towards him screaming.
Xi Jiu didn't want to take Xu Qingya out.
She hurt Ruan Fengmian and Yang Liu so badly that she almost prevented Ruan Qi from being born. Saving such a vicious person would really dirty one's hands.
Xi Jiu looked at Xu Qingya who was crawling towards him in a panic, and murderous intent gradually grew in his eyes.
He slowly raised his hand, and murderous energy surged out from his palm.
"Jiujiu!"
Ruan Qi's voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Xi Jiu paused, immediately gathered his internal energy, and turned to look at the little girl running towards him.
"Why are you back?"
As the explosion intensified, the ceiling of the seventh-floor underground laboratory began to collapse. Dust and fragments of the ceiling rained down. Worried that Ruan Qi might be injured, Xi Jiu rushed over and held her in his arms.
Ruan Qi dusted off her head and shouted amid the explosion, "I almost forgot about Xu Qingya. I came back just to get her out!"
Of course Ruan Qi didn't want to save Xu Qingya.
But she had already promised to take Xu Qingya out. Now that she had said it, she had to keep her word.
Moreover, Xu Qingya had done so many bad things, and it would be too easy for her to die here.
She had to live and spend her miserable old age alone and without anyone to rely on.
Ruan Qi picked up Xu Qingya as if she were picking up trash.
Seeing this, Xi Jiu reached out to take Xu Qingya, and with his other hand, he protected Ruan Qi's head: "The seventh floor underground can't hold on any longer, let's go!"
The explosion continued, and as the roar grew louder, the entire seventh underground floor began to collapse.
When Ruan Qi and Xi Jiu rushed into the emergency passage, the ceiling of the laboratory on the seventh underground floor collapsed with a loud bang.
The huge laboratory collapsed in an instant. Expensive instruments worth hundreds of millions of dollars, precious data related to the nightmare poison, and the experimental subjects were all buried in the ruins.
Through the open door of the safety passage, Ruan Qi took a deep look at the collapsed seventh underground floor.
Buried in those ruins were more than twenty years of crimes and the people who had caused them.
"With the lab in such ruins, that old bastard X probably won't survive, right?"
"Yeah." Ruan Qi retracted his gaze and spoke, "He's already at the end of his rope. He can't withstand such a heavy ceiling falling down. Let's ignore him for now. This underground building could collapse at any time. Everyone, hurry up and escape as soon as possible before it collapses."
Time was running out, and everyone had no time to be happy about X's death, so they started to escape for their lives.
The elevator was broken, so the only option was to take the stairs. However, half of the action team members had lost their ability to move, so climbing the stairs to escape became a very difficult task in this situation.
The team members who were less seriously injured took the initiative to take on the responsibility of carrying their companions.
Ruan Qi was carrying an unconscious wounded man on his back, and supporting another in each of his left and right hands, as he rushed towards the sixth floor underground at the speed of light.
Xi Jiu, Gu Feiyang and others carried their injured companions and followed her closely.
Six underground floors... Five underground floors... Four underground floors...
In order to prevent intrusion by outsiders, the X headquarters was deliberately designed with a twisted layout during construction. Even the escape routes were intricate, with staircases twisting and turning, and each flight of stairs was long and steep.
With Ruan Qi's speed, climbing a few floors would only take her a minute at most, but she spent nearly five minutes here before climbing to the fourth floor underground.
In just five minutes, the entire X headquarters became increasingly shaky due to the explosion.
"There are only three more floors left to reach the ground, everyone, hold on a little longer!"
Ruan Qi lifted his unconscious companion onto his back, then supported the two wounded men and quickly climbed the stairs leading to the third underground floor.
Suddenly, BOOM——!!!
A deafening explosion echoed throughout the underground headquarters.
The ground in the emergency passage was shaking violently, and countless dust and debris fell rapidly from the top of the stairs.
"What's going on?!"
"What exploded again?!"
The violently shaking ground made it impossible for everyone to tremble steadily, and climbing the stairs became difficult.
Ruan Qi supported a wounded man with one hand and carried another on her back. With no free hands, she could only use her feet to maintain balance. She struggled to steady herself amid the trembling ground and shouted, "Everyone, don't stop! Speed up! We're almost on the third floor!"
Just as he finished speaking, the ceiling of the emergency passage cracked with a "click", and a piece of ceiling gypsum board bigger than a human head fell straight down on Ruan Qi's head.
Ruan Qi's mind was completely focused on the three injured people and escaping, and she didn't notice the fallen drywall at all. She rushed up the stairs, and suddenly, Xi Jiu's panicked voice sounded behind her.
"Baby, get out of the way!"
Following the man's roar, a figure quickly pounced towards Ruan Qi.
Before Ruan Qi could react to what was happening, he was tackled to the ground and rolled down the stairs in a mess.
boom--!
The heavy plasterboard crashed down, shattering where Ruan Qi had just stood. The plasterboard was very hard, and the fragments flew across the floor and walls of the emergency passage, leaving deep scars.
You can imagine what a terrifying scene it would be if such a hard plasterboard hit your head.
Fortunately, Ruan Qi hid in time.
Everyone in the action team had a look of fear on their faces, and Xi Jiu, who pounced on Ruan Qi and pushed her away in time, was even more frightened.
He pushed aside the three wounded men who were pressing on Ruan Qi, helped the little girl up, and looked at her nervously: "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Ruan Qi was still a little confused.
From the moment the drywall fell to the moment Xi Jiu pounced on him, the entire process took less than a minute. Everything happened so quickly that Ruan Qi was still completely bewildered, not knowing what had happened.
But she soon saw the flying pieces of plasterboard and the smash marks on the steps of the floor where she had just stood.
Suddenly, everything became clear.
Ruan Qi's expression changed, and she grabbed Xi Jiu's hand: "I'm not hurt, Jiujiu, how about you? Were you hit?"
Xi Jiu is concerned about Ruan Qi, and Ruan Qi is even more worried about Xi Jiu.
It had happened so suddenly that Xi Jiu had rushed over without a second thought. If the drywall had fallen, he would have been the first to be hit.
Ruan Qi nervously reached out and touched the back of the man's head and back.
The back of Xi Jiu's head was not injured, but the warm and wet touch on his back made Ruan Qi's heart tighten. She looked over in panic and saw that the clothes on the man's back were scraped open by the plasterboard. A ten-centimeter-long wound was torn and the scarlet blood instantly stung Ruan Qi's eyes.
"Jiujiu, you're hurt!"
Ruan Qi's eyes suddenly turned red.
Upon hearing this, the other members of the action team also came over nervously.
"Brother Nine is injured?"
"Holy crap! That's a long gash!"
"Hurry! I have some hemostatic medicine, spray it on!"
As the leader of the team, Xi Jiu was not only the boss but also the backbone of everyone. When he was injured, everyone panicked and frantically dug out medicine from their bags.
Xi Jiu looked at their flustered expressions and immediately became displeased. He coldly scolded them, "What are you all arguing about? What's with all the panic? Is it really necessary to be so upset over such a minor injury?"
After scolding his men, he turned back, his tone changed, and he said to Ruan Qi gently: "Don't cry, baby, it's just a superficial wound. You can spray some medicine on me and it will stop hurting. But it's not safe here. Let's escape first and then treat the wound, okay?"
Although Ruan Qi was anxious, he knew that escaping was more important at this moment.
She nodded with red eyes and helped Xi Jiu stand up.
"Jiujiu, take some hemostatic medicine first. I'll help you heal your wounds after we escape." She took out a hemostatic medicine and stuffed it into Xijiu's mouth. Then she lifted the three wounded men from the ground and carried them on her back. "Everyone, watch your heads and don't get hit by falling rocks. Let's go."
The tremors from the explosion grew worse.
When Ruan Qi and his group reached the second underground floor, the surrounding walls and ceiling were already crumbling, and large chunks of cement and broken bricks were falling down madly.
In order to protect their seriously injured companions, Ruan Qi, Xi Jiu and others used their bodies to block the falling bricks, and they all suffered a lot of injuries on their bodies and heads.
But now the most important thing is to escape, no one cried out in pain, and everyone rushed to the ground floor with all their might.
"We're almost there! Hold on a little longer, speed up!"
Xi Jiu's shout rang out amid the roaring explosion.
As soon as he finished speaking, the emergency passage leading to the underground floor suddenly exploded with a loud "boom".
It was deafening and the earth was shaking.
The people who were climbing the stairs lost their balance and fell to the ground.
Ruan Qi quickly grabbed the handrail of the stairs and shouted, "Everyone, find a support point and hold on! This place is about to collapse. We can't stay here for long. Let's go! Everyone, let's go!"
That old bastard X buried countless explosives in the underground headquarters. Since the detonator was installed on the seventh floor underground, the order in which the explosives exploded was also from the seventh floor underground to the upper floors.
And now, the explosion has climbed to the second underground floor.
If they didn't speed up, the fuse of the explosives would burn to the underground level first. By then, the sky would collapse and the earth would collapse, leaving no one able to escape.
Ruan Qi supported his body and pulled up his companion who had fallen to the ground.
Everyone knew that this was a critical moment and did not dare to delay. They all got up in a panic and rushed to the basement using their hands and feet.
As the explosives on the second underground floor were detonated, the surroundings became increasingly shaky. The stairs beneath my feet were shaking, and since the lower floors had already collapsed, the second underground floor was in danger of collapsing at any time.
Everyone climbed up desperately.
Finally—the emergency exit to the underground floor is here!
"Everyone hurry up! We'll be out soon!"
The exit of X Headquarters was just above the underground floor. The distance from the emergency passage to the exit was quite long, and running at full speed would take at least two minutes. And now, everyone was dragging their families and carrying the wounded, so their running speed would definitely slow down.
However, the burning speed of the explosive fuse will not slow down even though their speed slows down.
boom--!
Another loud bang.
As the action team climbed out of the safety passage, the explosives around the underground floor exploded.
That old bastard, X, probably had a "if I don't live, no one else will" mentality, so when he installed the explosives, he deliberately doubled the amount of dynamite in the basement leading to the exit. Therefore, the explosion in the basement was more terrifying and more violent than the ones in the lower floors.
The explosions continued, deafening. The violent blasts caused a massive shockwave that rippled through the surrounding area, completely collapsing the second to seventh underground floors, already shaky from the explosions. The first underground floor, built above them, also began to show signs of collapse as they collapsed.
Feeling that the ground beneath their feet seemed to be sinking, everyone's face changed drastically.
Xi Jiu's heart sank along with the ground. He supported the wounded on his back and shouted as loudly as he could amid the deafening explosion: "There's no time! Everyone, speed up! Get our incapacitated companions out first!"
Everyone fled towards the exit desperately.
As the ground shook and collapsed violently, the path became increasingly difficult to follow. Ruan Qi practically lifted the two wounded men she was supporting, their feet dangling as they ran after her.
"Almost there! Push harder!"
The stairs leading to the ground-level exit were getting closer.
The task force had already destroyed the gate with firepower when they broke in. At this moment, a ray of sunlight streamed in through the broken gate, bringing infinite hope to everyone.
Ruan Qi increased his speed to the extreme, rushed up the stairs first and headed straight for the exit.
However, when she reached the exit, she did not go out, but instead swung the two wounded men in her hands out of the exit.
The two wounded men fell to the ground in a mess, somewhat dazed.
"Doctor Ruan?"
"Next." Ruan Qi took his seriously injured and unconscious companion off his back and threw him towards the exit.
The two wounded men hurriedly caught the man.
Ruan Qi: "You guys go out first. There's a signal outside. Call for medical help and support. I'll go back and help everyone."
After quickly explaining everything, before the two men could react, Ruan Qi had already turned back.
The rest of the action team was almost reaching the exit at this time.
But what followed was an even more violent collapse and explosion.
That old bastard X installed multiple times the amount of explosives at the exit. With deafening roars, the entire exit began to fall apart.
Large chunks of rocks fell from overhead, hitting people on their heads and bodies. The ground was still sinking. It seemed like the end of the world. Everyone had no way to escape and could only run desperately towards the only ray of sunlight.
"We're almost there! Hurry up! Quick!"
Xi Jiu's roar was almost drowned out by the roaring explosion.
Everyone in the action team followed closely behind him. Suddenly, a young man running at the back tripped over a stone and fell to the ground in a mess.
At the same time, the collapsed ground quickly spread to this side, and a huge crack split the ground into two, like a bloody mouth, biting the young man's body, and mercilessly trying to drag him into the abyss.
“Help—help me!!!”
The young man made a desperate cry for help in panic.
The large group running in front heard his shout, turned around and looked, their faces changed drastically.
"Xiao Xu!"
"Xiao Xu is going to fall!"
Subconsciously, everyone wanted to rush over to save people.
However, all the able-bodied members of the action group were carrying one or two seriously injured companions on their backs. If they rushed to save Xiao Xu, they would surely put their seriously injured companions in danger as well.
Faced with such a dilemma, Xi Jiu threw his companion on his back into Gu Feiyang's arms and rushed towards Xiao Xu decisively.
However, there was someone who was faster than him.
A familiar fragrant breeze blew by, and Ruan Qi's figure was like a flash of lightning, rushing in front of Xiao Xu in the blink of an eye.
"Catch me!"
She knelt down and grabbed Xiao Xu who was sinking, and dragged him out of the crack by his belt.
Fortunately, Xiao Xu was able to save his life. His face turned pale. "Thank you, thank you, Doctor Ruan..."
"Stop talking nonsense, we can't stay here for long, run!"
Ruan Qi picked him up, turned around and ran towards the exit.
Big rocks kept falling from the roof, hitting her body and head, but Ruan Qi didn't feel any pain and ran all the way to the exit.
She threw Xiao Xu in her hand out of the exit and was about to turn back, but she happened to meet Xi Jiu who was carrying the wounded out.
"Baby, you stay here, I'll go pick them up." The situation inside was too dangerous, and Xi Jiu didn't want Ruan Qi to go in again.
But Ruan Qi pushed his hand away.
"More people will provide more protection. Time is running out, so let's rescue everyone first."
After saying that, Ruan Qi rushed in without waiting for Xi Jiu to speak again.
Members of the task force fled to the exit one after another.
Everyone was supporting each other, and we all looked very embarrassed.
Ruan Qi and Xi Jiu were the least injured. They went back and forth again and again, carrying out all the injured who had lost the ability to move.
"Is everyone here? Is there anyone else who hasn't come out yet?"
Gu Feiyang scrambled to his feet and counted the number of people, his brows furrowed slightly. "Is there one missing? Or did I count wrong? Everyone, check with each other to see if everyone has come out yet?"
"...One more missing," a weak voice came.
The member of the action team lying on the ground, nearly in shock from excessive blood loss, spoke with difficulty: "Chen, Chen Feng... I didn't see him..."
Before he finished speaking, a loud 'boom' was heard from the underground stairs leading to the exit.
Along with it came a familiar scream.
"It's Chen Feng's voice!"
Everyone's expression changed slightly.
Xi Jiu immediately turned around and ran inside: "You guys stay outside, I'll go in and save him!"
"Jiujiu!"
Ruan Qi was about to follow, but Bai Yuchen raised his hand to stop her.
"Sister-in-law, Brother Nine is most assured if you stay outside. With his strength, he will definitely rescue Chen Feng safely."
Ruan Qi pursed her lips, struggling for a while, but finally took back her steps.
Time passes by every second.
Nearly two minutes have passed since Xi Jiu returned to rescue Chen Feng.
The underground headquarters was now like a man-eating devil's den, with the sky collapsing and the earth crumbling. Every second they stayed there was a new layer of danger. The longer Xi Jiu stayed inside, the more anxious everyone became.
"Why hasn't Brother Jiu come out yet? Could something have happened..." A member of the action team was muttering softly, and his companion next to him suddenly glared at him.
He was startled slightly, then looked in the direction his companion pointed. Directly in front of him, at the exit, stood a disheveled Ruan Qi, stiff and taut. Her gaze fixed on the staircase leading to the underground headquarters. Her hands, hanging at her sides, clutched tightly at her trouser line. Her fingertips, white with exertion, betrayed her inner uneasiness.
It's been two minutes and Xi Jiu hasn't come out yet.
Ruan Qi's face gradually turned pale. Gu Feiyang, who was standing not far behind her, hesitated for a moment, then walked over while covering his wound.
"Ninth Brother will come out safely, you...don't worry too much."
Ruan Qi's eyelashes trembled nervously twice.
Gu Feiyang felt dizzy from the excessive blood loss. He leaned against the large rock at the exit, took a breath with difficulty, and said in a hoarse voice, "Wait one more minute. If Brother Jiu doesn't come out, Bo Ye and I will go in to find him."
Although Ruan Qi was concerned about Xi Jiu, she wouldn't let a seriously injured person risk her life. She shook her head, turned to look at Gu Feiyang, and was about to speak when her Koi skill, which hadn't appeared in a long time, suddenly activated.
The world in front of Ruan Qi was turned upside down in an instant.
Gu Feiyang, who originally had nothing around him, was actually stained with a blood-red aura after the Koi skill was activated.
Not only him, but everyone in the action team had a layer of blood red all over their bodies.
how so?
The blood-red aura signifies great misfortune, implying that someone will die in the near future. But everyone has made it out safely, so how could someone die?
Ruan Qi felt inexplicably panicked. She stared at Gu Feiyang intently. Suddenly, everything in front of her became distorted. Some messy images flashed before her eyes like movie shots.
The underground headquarters collapsed, and a large rock blocked the exit.
All members of the action team knelt around the exit, looking sad and with red eyes. They kept digging at the big rocks blocking the exit with their hands and kept shouting something.
Ruan Qi couldn't hear the sounds in the picture, but she could see their lip movements.
They were shouting, Brother Jiu.
They were saying, Brother Jiu, hold on, the rescue team will be here soon.
Bai Li had said that the Koi skill allowed one to foresee future events. This meant that the exit to the underground headquarters would soon collapse, and Xi Jiu... would be crushed beneath countless rocks, narrowly escaping death.
Ruan Qi's head suddenly buzzed.
The scene before her eyes distorted again, vanished, and returned to reality. Ruan Qi felt as if the blood in her body was freezing. She asked Bai Li with a trembling voice, "Uncle Bai Li, the scenes you see in the Koi skill are bound to happen, right?"
Bai Li also saw the scenes just now. He was silent for a moment and nodded.
Ruan Qi's face turned pale.
Gu Feiyang noticed her sudden abnormality and stood up straight: "What's wrong with you?"
Ruan Qi's body was shaking. Gu Feiyang reached out to support her, but Ruan Qi suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Jiujiu is in danger, I want to go find him!"
The girl's eyes were red. Gu Feiyang sensed something was wrong with her and advised, "Ninth Brother is very powerful. Even in danger, he will turn it into safety. Let's wait another half a minute. If he doesn't come out, I'll go in and find him."
But this time, Ruan Qi didn't listen to him.
She clutched his arm tightly and spoke hoarsely, "Soon, the exit will collapse, and Jiujiu and Chen Feng will be buried underneath. We don't have time. I have to save him. Gu Feiyang, you must believe me. Contact the rescue team and excavator immediately and have them rush over as quickly as possible!"
This was too unbelievable. Would the exit collapse? Would Xi Jiu be buried underneath?
How is that possible?
Gu Feiyang didn't want to believe it, but Ruan Qi's expression was so sad that his heart couldn't help but panic.
"Is everything you said true?"
"I won't joke with Jiujiu's life! Contact the rescue team quickly, I'll go in and save him!"
After Ruan Qi finished speaking, without waiting for Gu Feiyang to react, she dodged and rushed into the underground entrance.
By this time, the underground headquarters had been ripped apart by the continuous explosions. Shattered boulders continuously fell from overhead, the ground was shaking so much that it was almost untenable, and the smell of gunpowder, dust, and blood filled every inch of the air.
Ruan Qi covered her mouth and nose and walked forward with difficulty.
"Uncle Bai Li, where is Jiujiu now?"
Bai Li, floating in the air, quickly wandered around. Soon, he exclaimed in surprise, "Found it! Northeast! Wait a minute... Is the Xi family kid injured?!"
Ruan Qi's heart tightened instantly.
Bai Li's voice gradually became panicked: "Seventh girl, come quickly! The Xi family boy is not in good condition!"
Ruan Qi's face was pale, and he moved forward as fast as possible.
She took one step deep and one step shallow as she passed through numerous obstacles. Finally, when she dodged the third falling rock, she saw Xi Jiu's figure.
Xi Jiu’s current condition is indeed not very good.
Team member Chen Feng fell behind because his right foot got stuck in a rock crevice. Unable to pull his foot out of the crevice, his body was unable to avoid the falling rocks. By the time Xi Jiu found him, Chen Feng was already seriously injured.
Seeing this, Xi Jiu immediately helped him pull his foot out of the crevice. He carried Chen Feng on his back for a while and when they were about to reach the cave entrance, another explosion suddenly occurred around them.
The violent explosion blew away the ceiling above, and heavy plasterboards and stones fell madly.
To protect Chen Feng's final breath, Xi Jiu took all the damage alone. He was already injured, and this time it was even more severe. To make matters worse, one of the falling rocks hit him on the head.
Although Xi Jiu was a master of ancient martial arts, he was also a mortal. The head is the most vulnerable part of the human body. The massive rock smashed down, instantly opening a gash in the back of Xi Jiu's head, temporarily rendering him unable to move.
When Ruan Qi arrived, he saw Xi Jiu with blood all over his head.
Her eyes suddenly turned red and she ran all the way to Xi Jiu.
"Jiujiu!"
Xi Jiu's ears rang violently from the impact of the large rock. Amidst the roar, he faintly heard the little girl's cries. At first, he thought it was an illusion, but the next second, he was in a warm embrace.
"Jiujiu, how are you? Why is there so much blood on your head? Where are you hurt?"
Although he had been practicing medicine for several years, Ruan Qi now looked like an inexperienced medical novice, panicking and at a loss.
She carefully held Xi Jiu's shoulders, and her fingers trembled as she pulled his hair apart, ignoring the dirt on his head.
The hideous wound was like a devil, lurking between the hairs, dripping with blood, shocking to the eye.
Ruan Qi's tears suddenly flowed out.
"Jiujiu, don't be afraid, I'll apply medicine on you. The bleeding will stop soon and you'll be fine in no time!"
Ruan Qi took out the medicine bottle with trembling hands and twisted it several times before unscrewing the cork.
She poured out all the powder in the bottle and sprinkled it on Xi Jiu's wound.
The hemostatic drug touched the wound, causing a sharp pain. The pain stimulated Xi Jiu's pupil distance, which had been somewhat dilated, to finally return to normal.
The darkness before his eyes dissipated, and he saw the little girl's tearful face.
"Don't cry, baby. I'm fine."
Xi Jiu raised his head with great effort and hugged Ruan Qi into his arms: "It's just a hit on the head, it's not a serious injury. We can't stay here for long, let's go out first."
Ruan Qi also knew that now was not the time to be sentimental, so she suppressed her worries and helped Xi Jiu stand up from the ground.
Xi Jiu was seriously injured in the head, so it was impossible for him to carry Chen Feng again. Fortunately, Ruan Qi was very strong and could move freely even with a 1.8-meter-tall man on his back.
She put Chen Feng on her back, then held Xi Jiu with one hand, and the three of them moved quickly towards the exit.
As the explosion intensified, many areas of the underground headquarters' first floor were blocked by fallen boulders. Ruan Qi and the other two painstakingly carved a path, walking slowly for several minutes before finally catching sight of sunlight streaming in from the exit.
"We're almost there, just hold on a little longer!"
Ruan Qi lifted Chen Feng onto his back, staring at the sunlight at the exit with his bright eyes, and even his steps became lighter.
We're leaving here soon.
All the enemies have been dealt with. As long as they can leave here safely, she and Jiujiu can go home.
Ruan Qi's eyes brightened when she thought of her family in the imperial capital.
But the next second——
Boom!!!
"Baby!!!"
A deafening roar like tearing the sky and splitting the earth exploded in Xi Jiu's ears along with his roar.
Ruan Qi had just pushed Chen Feng and Xi Jiu out of the numerous obstacles at the exit, and before he turned around, he suddenly saw darkness in front of him.
In an instant, the sky collapsed and the world spun wildly.
The underground headquarters collapsed.
After countless explosions, it finally couldn't bear it and collapsed completely.
Ruan Qi felt that the place where she was standing was sinking rapidly, and countless rocks fell on her, as if to press her into an endless abyss.
The wind beside his ears whistled as he fell, and Ruan Qi smiled bitterly in his heart.
It's over.
This time, it seems like I really can’t go home.
"I still couldn't escape death after all..."
A faint sigh disappeared in the darkness in an instant.
Ruan Qi closed her eyes. Her energy was exhausted and she was unable to use any means to protect herself. She could only accept her fate and let her body fall down until death came.
However, the next second...
A strong hand tightly held her waist.
A familiar scent drifted in the wind, Ruan Qi's heart skipped a beat and she quickly opened her eyes.
"Jiujiu?!"
In the darkness, Xi Jiu's bloodshot eyes were filled with endless panic and fear. But the moment he hugged Ruan Qi, the fear in his eyes instantly disappeared.
"Baby, don't be afraid." He held Ruan Qi in his arms, and their bodies fell rapidly in the air.
Ruan Qi, who had been calmly waiting for death, began to panic.
"Didn't I push you out of the exit? Why are you still here? Xi Jiu, are you crazy?"
The usually sweet and gentle girl angrily called a man's full name for the first time.
After hearing this, Xi Jiu did not get angry, but held her head tightly in his arms.
"How can I bear to let you face this alone?" He kissed her forehead gently. "Even if we have to be buried deep underground, we must be together."
"..." Ruan Qi's lips trembled and tears flowed out.
She began to desperately look for a way to escape.
"I still have a little bit of energy left. When we fall, I'll use it to protect your head. Jiujiu, please protect your body, okay?"
Xi Jiu laughed but didn't say whether it was good or bad.
Ruan Qi just assumed that he agreed and began to work hard to circulate the little energy left in his body.
As they fell deeper and deeper, their speed increased exponentially. After a few breaths, Ruan Qi sensed the impending death. She immediately reached out and hugged Xi Jiu's injured head, channeling all her remaining energy around him.
"Jiujiu, protect yourself!"
Ruan Qi held Xi Jiu's head tightly.
However, just as she was about to fall to the ground, Xi Jiu, whose head was held by her, suddenly exerted force and reversed the positions of the two people.
Bang--!
Gravel flew everywhere.
Xi Jiu, who was lying under Ruan Qi, fell into the ruins, and the blood all over his body spread out like a winding blood snake.
Ruan Qi raised her head from Xi Jiu's arms and stared blankly at the blood that kept gushing out of his body. She seemed unable to believe what she saw: "...Jiujiu?"
Xi Jiu, who was lying under her, opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, he vomited blood.
The scarlet blood stung Ruan Qi's eyes so much that they hurt, and countless tears flowed out like a fountain.
"Jiujiu...Jiujiu, where are you hurt? Who told you to take the blame for me on your own initiative? What should I do if something happens to you?" Ruan Qi, who was always confident, felt scared and panicked for the first time.
She was shaking violently, her hands constantly rummaging through her pockets: "Don't move, I have medicine and silver needles in my pocket, I can definitely cure you..."
Ruan Qi didn't dare to touch Xi Jiu's body. She just pinched his chin and fed the medicine into him.
Then she pulled out the silver needle from the wristband, but because her hands were shaking so badly, she couldn't find the right acupoint.
This was a mistake she had never made again since she learned blind piercing at the age of seven.
Ruan Qi's emotions were a little out of control.
She bit her lips hard, her fingertips turning white as she held the silver needle, trying hard to insert the needle into Xi Jiu's body.
"Jiujiu, don't be afraid... I'll stop the bleeding first, it will be healed soon... it will be healed soon..."
Ruan Qi didn't know who she was comforting. She kept muttering to herself and the acupuncture movements gradually became faster.
However, Xi Jiu's bleeding speed was beyond expectations.
Falling from such a great height, and amidst the rubble of sharp-edged rocks, Xi Jiu, carrying the weight of two people, fell upon it, his entire body likely shattered, even to the bones.
Such a serious injury could not be cured with just a few silver needles. Ruan Qi had almost used up all the medicine on her body before, and the little hemostatic medicine she had left was not enough to stop the numerous wounds on Xi Jiu's body.
When the last silver needle was used up, despair appeared in Ruan Qi's eyes.
"Why is there so much bleeding? Why can't it be stopped? There must be a way, there must be a way!"
She pressed hard on Xi Jiu's acupuncture points and even tore her coat into strips, trying to stop the bleeding physically.
But, it still can't be stopped.
The blood flowed more and more, forming scarlet puddles around Xi Jiu's body.
The despair on Ruan Qi's face became more and more intense.
"Jiujiu..." Her face was pale and dirty, covered with tears. "I can't seem to save you... I can't stop your bleeding..."
Xi Jiu's consciousness had begun to fade at this time.
In a trance, he seemed to hear Ruan Qi crying. The cry was full of despair, which reminded Xi Jiu of the day he was drowned in the river ten years ago.
That day, nine-year-old Ruan Qi also cried in despair.
"Brother Iceberg...Brother Iceberg..."
"Jiujiu...Jiujiu, wake up! Jiujiu!!!"
Two calls spanning ten years overlapped at this moment. The grief and despair in the girl's voice made Xi Jiu's soul tremble, and his scattered consciousness finally cleared.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw Ruan Qi, who looked terrified.
Xi Jiu moved his fingers and lifted them up with difficulty.
“Don’t… cry…”
He wanted to wipe away Ruan Qi's tears with his own hands, but the fall from a high place broke all his bones. Xi Jiu's hand only rose less than two centimeters before falling back weakly.
Ruan Qi quickly took his hand and held it tightly in her palm: "Jiujiu, hold on a little longer. I'll find a way out and take you out. We will all be saved!"
As Ruan Qi said this, he wanted to get up and look for an exit to escape.
But as soon as she moved, Xi Jiu hooked his fingers on her clothes.
"...Jiujiu?"
"Don't... look for it anymore..." Xi Jiu grabbed the corner of her clothes with all his strength, "Baby... come here... I have something to... tell you..."
The man's usually cold black eyes were now extremely gentle. He looked at Ruan Qi intently, his gaze greedily locking onto every inch of her face, like a dying man, wishing to remember the appearance of his lover firmly in his soul before he died.
Such a gaze made Ruan Qi's heart tremble.
She squatted down subconsciously: "Jiujiu..."
"In my backpack... there are two compressed biscuits and... a bottle of water. With your ancient martial arts skills... these foods can last for at least ten days..." Xi Jiu's voice was extremely weak. He instructed Ruan Qi about every detail as if he was leaving his last words.
"The depth here... should be six or seven floors underground... According to the building specifications of X Headquarters, it's about... ninety meters from the ground. It's too deep... It will be difficult for the rescue team to dig... But don't worry... Gu Feiyang and the others will definitely find a way..."
"These few days will be... a little difficult... baby, just hold on... you'll be able to get out soon..."
Xi Jiu's voice became weaker and weaker, and his words became increasingly confused.
Ruan Qi had already broken down in tears and kept shaking her head: "Jiujiu, wake up... I'm timid and can't stand it alone... Hurry up and get up to accompany me..."
Xi Jiu's consciousness was fading, and he could no longer hear the sounds from the outside world. His pupils gradually widened, and his usually cold eyes slowly closed.
The empty and dark underground became as silent as dead water.
Ruan Qi stared blankly at Xi Jiu's closed eyes, then suddenly raised her hand and touched his pulse with trembling fingertips.
...without a single beat.
Ruan Qi suddenly fell to the ground.
All the color on her face was gone at this moment, her eyes stared straight at Xi Jiu, her dark pupils were empty as if she had no soul.
"Jiujiu..."
A hoarse, rusty voice came out of her throat.
But the man who always responded to her did not open his eyes this time.
Ruan Qi's eyes turned red in an instant.
She got up from the ground in a panic, threw herself on Xi Jiu, and grabbed his clothes tightly.
"Jiujiu, wake up... I'm scared to be alone... Open your eyes and look at me!"
"Jiujiu... I beg you, please wake up!"
"Brother Bingshan... Xiaoqi is scared... Xiaoqi doesn't want to be alone... Hurry up and get up to accompany me!"
Ruan Qi's voice gradually grew from a whisper to a heartbreaking one. She clutched Xi Jiu tightly, each cry filled with endless despair, her red peach blossom eyes almost shedding tears of blood.
Bai Li, who had been floating in the air and unable to help, watched the scene with heartache.
"Seventh girl... calm down, the dead cannot be resurrected..."
Before he could finish his words, Ruan Qi suddenly looked up and gave him a murderous look: "Jiujiu is not dead!!!"
“…” Bai Li opened his mouth and swallowed back what he was about to say.
Ruan Qi's emotions had completely collapsed. She usually looked soft and sweet, but her obsession with certain things was deeper than that of ordinary people.
This can be seen from the fact that she has subconsciously remembered Brother Iceberg for a full ten years.
Xi Jiu was the iceberg brother, her salvation and obsession when she was a child. But now that obsession is gone, her mental state is once again facing collapse.
Bai Li looked at Ruan Qi, who was out of control, and felt anxious and worried.
"Seventh girl, the Xi family kid only did this to save you... You can't collapse. You have to cheer up, otherwise how can you be worthy of his efforts?"
Ruan Qi held Xi Jiu in his arms, like a lifeless statue, even his breathing was frighteningly weak.
Bai Li continued, "You also have to think about your family in the imperial capital. If something happens to you, what will happen to your parents, master, grandparents? And as for the Xi family, the Xi family kid is already... If something happens to you again, how will Old Master Xi survive?"
Ruan Qi remained silent and held Xi Jiu's body motionlessly.
Bai Li was so anxious that she wanted to rush over and tear her off Xi Jiu: "Seventh girl, you..."
"Jiujiu's fate is not like this."
Ruan Qi suddenly spoke, and Bai Li didn't react for a moment: "What?"
"Jiujiu's fate isn't like this." Ruan Qi let go of Xi Jiu, slowly sat up, and said in a hoarse voice, "I once asked Zhuge Lang about Jiujiu's fate. Zhuge Lang said that Jiujiu's fate is extremely precious, with a fortune that only comes once in a hundred years. With such a good fate, how could she have a short life?"
Bai Li: "Well... maybe fate can change..."
"No, it's not." Ruan Qi shook her head, her eyes empty. "Zhuge Lang said Jiujiu was a noble man throughout his life, but there's only one thing I'm not sure of... His life and death seem to be related to his feelings. Zhuge Lang once wrote eight words to Jiujiu..."
"Deep love doesn't last long, and life and death are unpredictable."
With a fortune that only comes once in a century, he should have lived a life without illness or disaster, surrounded by the stars. However, due to his deep love, he died young, and his fate was uncertain.
And now, this comment has come true.
In order to protect Ruan Qi, Xi Jiu really lost his life.
"If it weren't for me, Jiujiu wouldn't have died."
For the first time, Ruan Qi regretted being with Xi Jiu.
Bai Li looked at her pale face and opened his mouth: "Seventh, Seventh girl, don't blame yourself... The Xi family boy, he, he did it willingly..."
"Uncle Bai Li," Ruan Qi interrupted him, looking at him with lifeless dark eyes, "I should have been the one to die today, right?"
After Jiang Chunian's death, Zhuge Lang performed a divination for her. The divination indicated that she was already halfway to her death, but the remaining half would be even more dangerous and more difficult to resolve.
Today, Xi Jiu died trying to save her, which made Ruan Qi wonder... Could today be her death? Did Xi Jiu lose his life because he had protected her from the disaster?
Ruan Qi looked at Bai Li with empty eyes.
Bai Li's scalp tingled at her gaze, and he had no choice but to tell the truth: "From just now, your death calamity has indeed shown signs of dissipating, but it hasn't completely disappeared... This means that the death calamity is not over yet, so don't be too sad..."
Bai Li tried hard to avoid the question.
But Ruan Qi only heard one sentence - from the moment Xi Jiu lost her life, her death crisis did show signs of dissipating.
Xi Jiu died just to protect her from disaster.
Ruan Qi's pupils trembled, and a laugh that sounded like crying and sobbing came from her throat.
"It's all my fault... I shouldn't have let him come, and I shouldn't have met him again ten years later... Ten years ago, he became a vegetable to save me, and ten years later, he saved me again... Uncle Bai Li, it was me who harmed Jiujiu... I harmed him..."
Ruan Qi, who suffered an emotional breakdown, fell into a frenzy of self-blame.
Bai Li was so anxious that she was at a loss as to how to comfort him: "Seventh, Seventh girl..."
"I want to save him." Ruan Qi suddenly spoke.
Bai Li: "What?"
"I want to save Jiujiu." Ruan Qi raised her head, her red eyes staring straight at Bai Li, "Uncle Bai Li, I have accumulated so much faith points, I can definitely save her, right?"
Bai Li was frightened by her idea.
"You want to use your faith points to save people?! Seventh girl, that's what you spent two years painstakingly saving. If your faith points are gone, you won't be able to survive!"
"It doesn't matter! As long as I can save Jiujiu, nothing else matters!" Ruan Qi's voice trembled violently. "I should have died before I turned twenty anyway. Living this extra year is a pleasant surprise. But Jiujiu is different. He is a child of destiny. He should have lived a smooth life. I can't let him die like this... Uncle Bai Li, can you help me? Please help me!"
Ruan Qi's idea is too crazy.
For Xi Jiu, she didn't even want her life anymore.
Bai Li took a step back in fear, shaking her head. "People are all made of flesh and blood. I'm also very sad that the Xi family boy died. But Seventh Girl, compared to the Xi family boy, I hope you can live more. Think about your parents and family, they are still waiting for you to come back. And you are only twenty-one years old, you still have a lot of good time..."
"Jiujiu is only 27 years old!!!"
Ruan Qi interrupted him hoarsely, "He has a family too! He has parents and a grandfather! He shouldn't have to endure all this! I should bear all this death and fate alone! Why should I let him die in my place?"
Bai Li opened her mouth but had nothing to refute.
Ruan Qi knelt on the ground and crawled a few steps towards him weakly: "Uncle Bai Li, considering that we have been bound together for two years, please help me. I have accumulated so much faith points. Can you keep some for yourself and give the rest to Jiujiu?"
Bai Li is a divine weapon and will never die. Although his spiritual power is weak now, as long as his faith value remains, he can slowly recover.
Ruan Qi would not be so selfish as to disregard Bai Li's life or death in order to save Xi Jiu.
She just wanted to use her part of the faith value to exchange for Xi Jiu.
Bai Li was shocked by Ruan Qi's grief-stricken plea.
Since their bond two years ago, Bai Li had seen many sides of Ruan Qi's personality. She'd been sweet and gentle, ruthless and cruel, ruthless and tender. But regardless of her personality, Ruan Qi had never bent her back or her knees; her bones remained unwavering.
But now, in order to save Xi Jiu, she knelt on the ground willingly.
Bai Li couldn't help but be moved by Ruan Qi like this.
He has lived in the human world for tens of thousands of years and has witnessed countless loves, hates, and separations. Precisely because he has seen so much, Bai Li understands the value of true love better than most people.
Promise to be together through life and death, never leave each other... Such precious love, such earnest plea, made Bai Li unable to say no.
He looked at Ruan Qi in silence for a long time before speaking, "Seventh girl, have you really decided? Will you use the decades of life you've painstakingly accumulated to exchange for his resurrection?"
"Yes." Ruan Qi looked up at him, her red eyes filled with determination, "I want to save him."
"Even if you die?"
"Even if I die."
Bai Li opened her mouth and asked, "Is it worth it? Your family is still waiting for you. Are you really willing to give it up?"
Speaking of family, Ruan Qi was silent for a moment, then laughed hoarsely, "Of course I can't bear to leave them. As my parents' daughter, I've never been filial to them properly, and I always make them worry. Master is the same way. He taught me so much, but he still worries about my health every day. Of course I can't bear to leave them. But..."
She raised her head, her tear-red eyes bright. "Master once taught me that one shouldn't be afraid of death. No matter how difficult life may be, one must grit their teeth and bear it. This fate is mine, so I should bear it myself. Our little fairy has a strong character. How can I let my fiancé die in my place?"
Ruan Qi cried many times today, and her peach blossom eyes seemed to have been washed by tears, clean, clear and bright.
Bai Li was stared at by these bright eyes, and a sense of shame actually rose in his heart... Just now, when Ruan Qi said that she wanted to exchange her life for Xi Jiu's, he really had the idea of deceiving Ruan Qi.
Compared to Xi Jiu, Ruan Qi is the one Bai Li treats as his family. As long as he tells Ruan Qi that faith points cannot be used to buy lives, Ruan Qi will live smoothly, while Xi Jiu will never be resurrected.
Bai Li hadn't thought his idea was that bad before. After all, people are biased, and he was biased towards Ruan Qi.
However, after hearing Ruan Qi's words and looking into her bright and tenacious eyes, Bai Li finally realized how selfish and dirty her thoughts were.
He was silent for a while and then let out a long sigh.
"I never thought that an old man like me who has lived for tens of thousands of years could not understand it as well as a little girl like you. Never mind, never mind, it's you who accumulated the Faith Points anyway, so you have the final say on how to use them. I, an old man, will consider it as sacrificing my life for a gentleman."
Bai Li finally gave in, and Ruan Qi's eyes turned red again.
She looked at him, her heart filled with gratitude and guilt. "I'm sorry, Uncle Bai Li, I made you have to recover your spiritual power. After I transfer the faith value to Jiujiu, you can unbind me. There are so many stars in the entertainment industry, go find a more popular one to bind to."
Bai Li was delighted when she heard this: "Okay, next time I'll just bind myself to a little golden figure queen, follow her and enjoy the good life. Even lying down will earn me faith points."
"Okay." Ruan Qi rubbed the corners of her moist eyes and agreed with a smile, "Uncle Bai Li will definitely make your dream come true."
Bai Li grinned, trying to laugh, but ended up with an expression uglier than crying.
The air became quiet.
Ruan Qi was silent for a while, then her voice echoed in the empty underground: "Uncle Bai Li, I'll trouble you from now on."
"……good."
…
Above the surface of X headquarters, the originally flat wasteland collapsed into a terrifying pit.
Everyone in the action team rushed into the pit with red eyes and dug out large stones with their bare hands.
"Where is the rescue team? Why haven't they arrived yet!" Gu Feiyang's sanity was on the verge of collapse.
Bai Yuchen was covered in wounds and cried out "Ninth Brother" over and over again.
Bo Ye gritted his teeth, the phone rattling in his hand. He stared at Yang Liu's phone number on the screen, his fingers trying to press the dial button feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.
China, the imperial capital.
The news that Organization X was completely destroyed was sent back immediately, along with all the experimental data of the nightmare poison.
In an instant, everyone was excited.
The national medical team cheered, and all the major hospitals that received the news breathed a sigh of relief. The Ruan family, who had been quietly providing financial assistance to all the poisoned victims, finally smiled. Nie Beilou, who hadn't slept in the hospital for nearly 72 hours, finally felt relieved.
Nie Heng, who had been following Nie Beilou to rescue people, was so excited that his face flushed. "My senior sister is so amazing! Such a huge X organization, she and her brother-in-law actually destroyed it just like that! I was so worried that I couldn't eat, and they actually did such a big thing without saying a word! Master, the X organization is gone, are my senior sister and the others coming back soon?"
Nie Beilou took off his mask and nodded.
"Once the handover with Interpol is complete, they should be able to return home."
"Great!" Nie Heng slapped his thigh and stood up excitedly. "Senior Sister has been a great hero this time. When she comes back, we should give her a good welcome party! Didn't she say a few days ago that she wanted to eat roasted whole lamb? Master, should we hold a whole lamb banquet at our sect?"
Nie Beilou, who has always disliked the hustle and bustle, agreed for the first time this time.
"Sure. You can do whatever you want." As he said that, he stood up and took off his white coat.
"Master, where are you going?"
"Take a shower and take a nap. Have a good night's rest and then take your senior sister home."
As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Beilou's cell phone on the table suddenly rang.
His heart trembled inexplicably, and just as he was about to turn around, the Buddhist beads that Ruan Qi had personally requested for him, which he had worn on his left wrist for many years, suddenly appeared...
With a snap, it broke.
The missing person has returned, and their bodies have finally returned to normal. Updates will resume soon! The main story will be finished tomorrow!
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