For a while, the man remained silent. He just squinted at her, but she couldn't see what was in his eyes.
Ling Ruo was certain he wouldn't answer, but she eventually heard him say in a low voice, "I also have a woman, her name is Nuan Nuan."
Nuannuan? Ling Ruoke immediately thought of Feng Nuan. After that incident, Feng Nuan became a long-term employee of Pei Huo. She had always believed that Feng Nuan would find her own happiness, but she actually married a mercenary? Her feelings were complicated; she didn't know whether to be happy that Feng Nuan had found a man who loved her, or to feel sorry for her because her man was a mercenary.
However, the kindness he showed back then has earned him this little bit of help today, so it can be considered a good deed rewarded.
The man didn't linger and turned to leave.
Ling Ruoke was indeed so hungry that her body felt weak. She forced herself to eat, enduring the pain. Her hands, holding the bowl and chopsticks, trembled. The food wasn't very tasty, but she was so hungry that she finished it.
After finishing her meal, she pulled out the bottle of medicine from behind her back. She glanced at it; one was an anti-inflammatory, and the other was a painkiller. Without thinking, she swallowed the medicine in the amounts she remembered, then choked and began coughing violently.
After taking the medicine, Ling Ruoke leaned back against the wall to rest for a while. Whether it was a placebo effect or the medicine taking effect, after a while she actually felt that her injuries weren't hurting as much. Exhausted and aching, she closed her eyes, and slowly, her thoughts drifted away.
In a daze, she seemed to hear two men arguing. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy. She could hear the sounds, but she couldn't wake up. When she finally struggled to wake up, Gu Tianze's hateful face appeared before her again.
Ling Ruoke instinctively shrank back, but this time, he no longer intended to lay a hand on her. He simply looked at her coldly and said with a sneer, "Huo Qingfeng is indeed quite capable, managing to find us so quickly. But it's good that he's here; I've been waiting for him for a long time. Today, he's here, and he won't be leaving!"
He raised his hand, pinched Ling Ruoke's chin, and forced her to look into his eyes.
Ling Ruoke pursed her lips tightly, looking at his disgusting face, without saying a word.
Gu Tianze released her, stood up, and ordered, "Tie her up!"
Then, Ling Ruoke was pulled to her feet. One person held her still, while two others placed something on her. After a while, she realized it was a bomb!
Ling Ruoke's heart sank, and she instinctively tried to struggle, but she couldn't move an inch. Thinking of Gu Tianze's words, her heart pounded with panic. Gu Tianze had been plotting this for a long time; he certainly wouldn't let Qingfeng rescue her so easily! Gu Tianze was so ruthless; who knew what methods he would devise to deal with Qingfeng…
Thinking of this, Ling Ruoke's body trembled involuntarily. The night before leaving home, she had told him that unless he was absolutely certain he could rescue her and ensure his own safety, he must patiently wait for the right opportunity. But she knew her husband too well; in ordinary missions, he was absolutely calm and patient. But now that she was the one being held hostage, could he still remain calm?
I instinctively closed my eyes, praying in my heart that heaven would treat them kindly. They weren't evil people; heaven shouldn't be so unkind, should it?
After the bomb was planted, Ling Ruoke was dragged out and tied to a large tree. They didn't let her feet touch the ground; instead, they bound her hands and suspended her in the air. Although her feet were only about ten centimeters off the ground, she suffered terribly.
The moment she was hoisted up, Ling Ruoke felt as if her arms were about to be torn off, the pain excruciating. She couldn't help but wonder if her arms would eventually detach from her body. To make matters worse, her clothes were torn by Gu Tiance's whip, and hanging there in the wind revealed some areas that shouldn't be exposed. She wanted to curl up and cover herself, but there was nothing she could do; she could only endure the pain with tears in her eyes.
Her arms were numb from being pulled, and her already dizzy head was now a complete mess. Unfortunately, the wind was quite strong today, and a sudden gust made her shiver, which helped her regain some clarity.
Gu Tianze walked slowly over, his hands behind his back. A slight smile played on his lips, a smile that perfectly matched his cunning and unpredictable nature. "Aren't you excited? You know what, I really am. I've been looking forward to it for a long time."
Ling Ruoke slowly opened her eyes. Gu Tianze was very tall; even hanging from the tree like this, he was still a head taller than her. He coldly looked down at her. Her face was badly swollen and distorted. She wanted to force a cold smile, but she couldn't even manage that expression.
Gu Tianze fiddled with the remote control in his hand, which was connected to the bomb on Ling Ruoke's body. "I'll tell him that if he obediently takes three bullets from me, I'll let you go. Otherwise, I'll press this button. Do you think he'll obediently walk right into my line of fire? What about you? Do you hope he comes to me on his own, or do you hope he runs far away?"
"You pervert, you'll die a horrible death!" Ling Ruoke's dizzy mind couldn't think of a better word, only this old-fashioned phrase.
Gu Tianze smiled nonchalantly. "It's alright, I never expected to die a good death. But even if I do die a horrible death, I'll make sure Huo Qingfeng takes the fall for me! Would that make you feel better?"
Ling Ruoke stopped wasting her energy cursing him and just glared at him coldly.
However, Gu Tianze loved that look in her eyes. The angrier she was, the more satisfied he felt. His gaze moved and landed on her tattered clothes. Through the tears, he could see her mangled flesh. He reached out and pinched her, satisfied to hear a suppressed groan. "Tsk tsk tsk, poor delicate skin, turned into this. What do you think Huo Qingfeng's reaction will be when he sees this? If I tear these tattered pieces of cloth off in public, won't he be even happier?"
Ling Ruoke stared at him, no longer knowing whether her feelings were fear or something else; they were incredibly complex. Besides staring at him and trembling slightly in the wind, there was nothing she could do.
Gu Tianze suddenly tilted his head to the side, and then his smile widened. He reached out and patted Ling Ruoke's swollen and deformed face. "Shh, he's here. The show is about to begin, so keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully. You only have one chance in your life to see such a good show, so cherish it."
After speaking, he took two steps back. Someone brought a chair and placed it behind him. He sat down, leaning back in the chair, his legs crossed in an unusually relaxed posture. A dark gun rested on his lap; he reached out and gently touched it, occasionally blowing on it, as if cleaning the gun.
Ling Ruoke stared wide-eyed at the direction the road had come from. Then she gave a bitter smile. She had been so foolish. How could Qingfeng possibly show up so openly? Wouldn't that be handing his life over to Gu Tiance for nothing? At that moment, she desperately hoped he wouldn't be so stupid as to come right up to her, but it was clearly too late!
After a while, someone handed Gu Tianze a megaphone. He smiled coldly, raised his gun with one hand, and pointed it at Ling Ruoke. "Huo Qingfeng, come out. I know you're here. Your woman is right here. Don't you want to see how I'll treat her properly?"
All around was quiet, with only the rustling of the wind through the trees.
Ling Ruoke held her breath, listening intently to the sounds around her. Worried about her husband's safety, her mind suddenly became clear, and even her hearing became more acute.
"I'll count to three. If you don't come out by then, I'm going to pull the trigger. One, two..."
Ling Ruoke abruptly closed her eyes and shouted with all her might, "Qingfeng, don't come out! He wouldn't dare kill me. If he kills me, he'll have no leverage! Don't listen to him!" Tears streamed down her face without her realizing it. Because she knew that her foolish colonel would definitely come out for her sake!
"Did I say I'd shoot you dead? I just said to fire. But this bullet really hurts. Have you tried it? Want to give it a shot?" Before he finished speaking, the trigger was pulled, and a bullet lodged in Ling Ruoke's shoulder.
Ling Ruoke let out a muffled groan, biting her lip tightly to stop herself from crying out. Ignoring the pain, she closed her eyes and shouted with all her might, "Huo Qingfeng, listen to me! Don't come out! You absolutely cannot come out! If you dare to come out, I will never forgive you for the rest of my life!"
"Hahaha..." Gu Tianze laughed heartily. "What a touching display of marital love! Huo Qingfeng, you're really lucky to have married such a wonderful woman!"
As he spoke, he tightened his index finger, and it looked like he was about to pull the trigger again.
"Enough!" A cold and authoritative voice rang out in the air, loud even without a megaphone.
Ling Ruoke cried in anger, cursing in her heart: Huo Qingfeng, you idiot! How could you be so stupid!
Slowly, that tall, imposing figure came into view. A camouflage uniform concealed his imposing physique, and the color of his clothing obscured his handsome features. Even with her vision blurred, she could still see him clearly.
Huo Qingfeng almost gritted his teeth to stop himself from impulsively rushing over and killing that bastard Gu Tianze. Several dark gun barrels were pointed at his woman, and there was a bomb behind her; he couldn't take that risk. He didn't even dare to look at her, afraid that seeing her miserable state would make him lose control of his impulse.
"Gu Tianze, I'm here." Like an emperor, his gaze was cold as he looked at Gu Tianze, his tall figure slowly approaching, his steps firm. Even with death right before him, he felt no fear. His only fear was not being able to protect his woman, this silly little woman.
He had a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, which swayed as he chewed, making him appear unusually calm and relaxed. From this outward appearance, no one could see into his heart, and no one could fathom his thoughts.
What Gu Tianze hated most was his extraordinary composure. When facing someone of equal strength, the person most wants to peel away the calm exterior and see the panicked inside. His gaze slowly moved and landed on the gun in Huo Qingfeng's hand.
Huo Qingfeng casually tossed the gun in his hand, sending it flying quite a distance. Then he stood firmly on his feet, straddling the ground, standing there like an unyielding mountain. "Now that I'm here, I'll play along however you want."
Gu Tianze laughed heartily, his laughter a mixture of resentment and satisfaction. "Soldiers are just that straightforward! Since you're so straightforward, I won't refuse you. It's simple: just stand there and take three bullets from me, and I'll release this woman. Otherwise, I'll press this button, and without this obstacle, you might be able to perform even better."
He shook the remote control in his hand, his smile unusually wicked.
Huo Qingfeng didn't even blink, and only uttered one word—"Good!"
"Huo Qingfeng, are you crazy! Have you forgotten what you promised me? If it weren't for you, I would never—" Another bullet embedded itself in Ling Ruoke's shoulder, and her words were cut short by the pain.
Huo Qingfeng's eyes didn't look this way, and his face remained expressionless. But the veins on his hands, which were behind his back, were already bulging. He had to use all his self-control to stop himself from acting like this.
Gu Tianze blew the smoke off the muzzle of his gun and said with a smile, "Sorry, I was too fast."
"Gu Tianze, come on. Do you need me to take off my clothes so you can see me more clearly?" His tone remained indifferent.
Gu Tianze chuckled. "No need. I still believe in that. So, the game begins now." As he said this, he looked at Ling Ruoke. He thought the expression on her face was truly fascinating, far more fascinating than a movie, so fascinating that it gave him immense pleasure!
Ling Ruoke was already seriously injured, and now she had been shot twice more. Although they weren't fatal, they still made her break out in a cold sweat and her mind became somewhat hazy. Hearing their conversation, she could only shake her head vigorously, tears streaming down her face far faster than the blood flowing from where the bullets had lodged.
Gu Tianze laughed even louder. He slowly raised the gun in his hand, his index finger on the trigger. He slowly narrowed his eyes, aiming at Huo Qingfeng's chest. Gu Tianze had never felt such pleasure in his entire life, to the point that his face was somewhat distorted. "You caused my sister's tragic death, you caused my father's body to be destroyed, you caused my wife and children to be torn apart. Today, let's settle these scores properly."
With a loud bang, Huo Qingfeng's body jolted, and he took a step back, swaying slightly but not falling down.
Ling Ruoke screamed, her tears flowing even more profusely. "Huo Qingfeng, you idiot! Go away, go away now! I don't want you to save me like this, I don't want to!"
"Two more, please." Huo Qingfeng seemed not to hear Ling Ruoke's shouts, and spoke to Gu Tianze, word by word. If it weren't for the blood spurting from his chest, if it weren't for the gunshot just now, everyone would have thought he was perfectly fine.
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