Chapter 57 "Rather than watching you die, I would rather..."
Deep within the dark bushes on the flank, a deadly blazing light appeared.
A 7.62mm rifle bullet tore through the stagnant air, spinning as it broke free of the barrel and hurtled toward Li Xinian's unprotected back.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment, as viscous as solidified amber.
It passed through the drifting wood chips, creating a fine swirling airflow.
The scorching bullet, under the thin moonlight, reflected no light, only a pure, metallic sheen.
Its trajectory was straight and merciless, like a javelin hurled by death, precisely locking onto the man who had just regained his footing and hadn't even had a chance to fully turn around.
At this moment, the world shrinks to just this spinning warhead and the unnoticed, broad yet incredibly fragile silhouette in front of it.
A faint, water-like light, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, instantly unfolded around Lin Suxing!
"Da da da!" The ambushing enemy kept pulling the trigger, and a burst of bullets whistled through the air!
However, at a very close distance to Li Xin's back, the bullet seemed to hit an invisible, extremely resilient wall, its trajectory deflecting slightly, but enough to save its life!
With a few hissing sounds, bullets grazed Li Xinian's tactical vest and embedded themselves in the soil in front of him!
This sudden turn of events startled the ambush attacker.
Despite his surprise, Li Xinian remained calm. His combat instincts allowed him to seize the opportunity and turn around to fire a precise shot!
"Whoosh!" The ambush attacker fell to the ground.
However, Lin Suxing's face turned pale and his body swayed due to the instantaneous consumption of a huge amount of points and mental energy, and even the flickering of the map became unstable.
"Su Xing!" Li Xinian immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him against his chest. "Are you alright?"
Wang Shunduo's handsome face was more solemn than ever before: "There are more and more people. They're really going all out to kill you."
Bullets rained down like a storm, trees groaned, and debris flew everywhere.
On the blue electronic map, the red dots representing the enemy surged like a tide, squeezing their meager living space from all sides.
Li Xinian's gaze swept across the map, then quickly passed over Wang Shunduo and Meng Huaiwen, who were struggling to hold on amidst the barrage of fire. Finally, he took a deep look at Lin Suxing, who was being held tightly in his arms, her face pale but her eyes stubborn.
The other side has invested such enormous resources, but their only target is themselves.
With Wang Shunduo, Meng Huaiwen, and Su Xing by his side, they would become obstacles that the assassins would not hesitate to eliminate without hesitation.
None of them should have been driven to despair because of him, much less die because of him.
We can't delay any longer.
The man with gray-blue eyes used swift, precise shots to temporarily suppress the enemy directly in front of him. Taking advantage of the brief gap, he grabbed Wang Shunduo's arm with astonishing force.
He was practically whispering in Wang Shunduo's ear, his voice still carrying an icy calm and resolute tone amidst the deafening gunfire: "Shunduo! Listen! Take Huaiwen and Suxing, head east immediately, through that drainage culvert! Hurry!"
"Damn it!" The usually calm and composed Wang Shunduo's eyes instantly turned red, and veins bulged on his forehead. He grabbed Li Xinian's arm tightly with his other hand, his voice distorted with extreme anger and fear, "Li Xinian! Don't even think about it! We'll die together! I will never abandon you!"
How could he? How could he just stand by and watch his friend and acquaintance of many years, Li Xinian, face this certain death alone?
With one more fighter, there is one more chance of survival. If they leave and only Li Xinian remains, then there is only one possible outcome for the other side!
"Wang Shunduo!" Li Xinian shouted, interrupting him sharply. His grey-blue eyes, illuminated by the firelight, resembled burning glaciers, filled with an unwavering and resolute determination. "Look at Su Xing! Look at Huai Wen! Do you want them all to be buried with me?! This is an order! Take them away!"
His gaze, almost tangible, pierced into Wang Shunduo's eyes, which were filled with the weight of entrusting everything to someone, as well as the calm acceptance of his fate.
"Li Xinian! I don't..." Meng Huaiwen heard it too and shouted anxiously, but was suppressed by more bullets and could not raise his head.
Lin Suxing felt ice-cold all over, clutching Li Xinian's clothes tightly. Her lips trembled, but due to extreme panic and the grief and indignation stuck in her throat, she couldn't utter a single word. Only tears flowed silently and wildly.
He didn't want this! He didn't want Li Xinian to protect him in this way!
Just then, the enemy seemed to have noticed their hiding place, and their firepower became more concentrated and fierce. The sound of grenades exploding rang out not far away, and a scorching wave of air rushed towards them!
"No time! Let's go!" Li Xinian abruptly shook off Wang Shunduo's hand, his eyes carrying a cryptic yet unusually bright meaning.
The next second, without hesitation, he picked up his gun, leaned out from behind cover, and pulled the trigger in the direction where the enemy was most concentrated!
"Li Xinian!" Wang Shunduo let out a low growl that sounded almost like a wild beast, his eyes bloodshot. He looked at Li Xinian's back, which was resolute and had completely exposed himself to the gun, and the struggle between reason and emotion almost drove him to the brink of collapse.
But he knew that Li Xinian was right; this was the only way to save as many people as possible. Any further hesitation would mean everyone dying here.
He himself didn't care, but what about Huaiwen? Huaiwen was only eighteen years old, and next week would be his nineteenth birthday... There were still so many places in this world waiting for Huaiwen to explore, how could Wang Shunduo bear to watch Meng Huaiwen die in this place that he shouldn't have been?
"Go!" Li Xinian's sharp shout echoed amidst the gunshots, carrying an undeniable determination.
"I understand." Wang Shunduo's eyes were bloodshot, his teeth clenched. He forced himself to give the order to Meng Huaiwen and Lin Suxing, who were unwilling to leave, almost with the last vestiges of his rationality and the sense of responsibility for the lives of the other two, "Follow me! Quickly, keep up!"
"No! I won't leave!" Lin Suxing suddenly burst out with amazing strength and broke free from Wang Shunduo's hand.
His face was still wet with tears, but his clear eyes were burning with an unprecedented flame—a flame of obsession, determination, and a resolve to live and die with Li Xinian.
He turned around, gripping the sleeve of Li Xinian's gun-wielding arm tightly. His voice wasn't loud, but it was resolute and clear, piercing through the gunshot: "Li Xinian, I said I wouldn't abandon you. What right do you have to make me leave!"
He met Li Xinian's shocked gaze head-on and spoke rapidly, "My system still works! I can help you with early warnings! I'm not a burden! Don't even think about leaving me alone again!"
"Su Xing! Don't do anything foolish!" Li Xinian was both anxious and angry, but his heart was deeply touched by Lin Su Xing's words.
He never imagined that someone would choose to stay by his side in such a desperate situation.
"Su Xing!" Meng Huaiwen shouted anxiously.
Looking at the unwavering determination in Lin Suxing's eyes and the momentary wavering in Li Xinian's gaze, Wang Shunduo knew that he couldn't take Lin Suxing away.
Time was running out for him to hesitate any longer!
"Take care!" Wang Shunduo squeezed out these two heavy words from his throat, took a deep look at Li Xinian and Lin Suxing, and suddenly pulled Meng Huaiwen up. "Huaiwen, let's go! Among us... someone has to survive and settle everything."
Meng Huaiwen let out a painful growl and was eventually forcibly dragged away by Wang Shunduo. The two figures quickly disappeared into the darkness and chaos on the east side.
Now, only Li Xinian and Lin Suxing remain, leaning against the only cover, facing the enemy surging in like a tide.
Li Xinian looked at Lin Suxing, who stubbornly stayed by his side and had even picked up the Glock 19 pistol he had given him, his movements clumsy but his eyes incredibly determined, and felt a mix of emotions.
He wanted to call him stupid, wanted to push him away, but the overwhelming emotions choked him.
"You..." He had barely opened his mouth when more bullets whistled in, hitting the tree trunk where they were hiding and sending up a shower of wood chips.
"Three on the left, thirty meters away! Two are flanking from the right front!" Lin Suxing closed his eyes briefly and quickly reported the system notification, his voice trembling with tension, yet exceptionally clear.
Li Xinian suppressed all his emotions, and his eyes became cold and sharp again.
He used the information provided by Lin Suxing to launch a precise counterattack, but the enemy was too numerous and their firepower completely suppressed them.
The grenade exploded not far away, the shockwave making their eardrums ring and dirt raining down on them.
The encirclement was getting tighter and tighter, and bullets were flying past their scalps.
Li Xinian pinned Lin Suxing firmly behind the cover, using his own body to shield him from potential stray bullets.
He could feel Lin Suxing's hand gripping his clothes tightly, the slight trembling conveying fear, yet it never let go.
At the end of the road.
Bullets rained down like a storm, riddling the tree trunk where they were hiding with holes, and splinters of wood mixed with the smell of gunpowder filled the air.
Lin Suxing was tightly protected behind Li Xinian, and could almost feel the cold breath of death.
Amidst this suffocating oppression, a strange sound pierced through the deafening nearby gunfire and faintly drifted over.
Immediately afterwards, several brief flashes of gun muzzle flashes, like hot steel needles piercing the night, suddenly appeared at the edge of the dim woods!
The light flashed and disappeared in an instant, but it clearly conveyed one message: a fight had broken out outside!
Almost simultaneously, on the blue electronic map in front of Lin Suxing, which was originally only marked with densely packed red enemies, dozens of clear [blue dots] instantly appeared on the outermost edge of the battlefield, like ripples spreading on a lake after a stone has been thrown in!
These blue dots are violently intertwining and colliding with the red markers representing the enemy from the west and north!
"It's our reinforcements! They've arrived!" Lin Suxing shouted excitedly, his voice trembling with relief after surviving the ordeal. He immediately shared the map with Li Xinian.
Li Xinian's sharp gaze swept across the map. He saw hope, but the seriousness in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
"Don't be impulsive!" He grabbed Lin Suxing, who was about to lean out, and said in a steady but rapid voice, "The reinforcements are blocked on the outskirts, and the enemy still outnumbers us. They are using a human wall to buy time, and the pressure on the core area will not ease for the time being!"
Li Xinian's judgment was clearly accurate and correct.
Although the fighting outside was intense, the enemy's firepower in the core encirclement area where they were located had not decreased significantly. They were clearly determined to eliminate the reinforcements at any cost before they could break through.
"What should we do?" Lin Suxing asked anxiously, looking at the blue dot on the map that was advancing but whose speed was clearly slowed down.
"Wait! Use this opportunity to change positions!" Li Xinian made a decisive move. "They know we're in this area, but they're unsure of our exact location. We can't let them pinpoint it!"
He pulled Lin Suxing along, taking advantage of the moment when the enemy's attention was drawn to the outer firefight, and using the real-time enemy and friendly position information provided on the map, and like a ghost, they carried out an extremely dangerous short-distance transfer between several dilapidated bunkers.
Each move was a narrow escape from the barrage of bullets.
A huge, oppressive roar came from afar, like the roar of a steel behemoth, and suddenly tore the sky above the battlefield!
Two "Little Bird" attack helicopters, like demon hunters suddenly appearing in the dark, swept over their heads at an extremely low altitude, carrying powerful air currents!
The wind whipped up by the propellers almost ripped the treetops off, and the powerful beams of searchlight, like the eyes of judgment, swept back and forth across the ground, instantly illuminating a large area as if it were daytime!
The helicopter's massive shadow and roar created a huge psychological shock for the enemy on the ground, causing a momentary disruption in their firepower.
However, the helicopters merely circled and threatened, but did not fire.
Due to the fear of inadvertently causing harm, these air superiorities are now proving difficult to play a decisive role.
Hope seems so close, yet it's separated by an insurmountable barrier.
At the same time, Wang Shunduo and Meng Huaiwen, who had broken through to the outer perimeter and were about to rendezvous with the security team that was engaged in firefight with the enemy, also saw the helicopters circling overhead.
"It's our helicopter!" Meng Huaiwen looked up, his tone urgent. "But they dare not fire!"
Wang Shunduo's eyes were sharp. He immediately grabbed a security team leader who had just killed an enemy and was reloading. He spoke very quickly but his instructions were very clear: "Listen! President Li and Lin Suxing are still inside! They are in the core encirclement, no more than 150 meters away from our evacuation point! There is a huge rock and a few broken trees as cover!"
"Repeat, 150 meters southwest, boulder and broken tree shelter!"
The person in charge nodded emphatically and immediately transmitted this crucial information via walkie-talkie!
The information spread rapidly through the rescue network like wildfire, and the outer security forces' offensive direction became clearer and more targeted, attempting to forcefully break through to the southwest.
"They were breaking out in this direction, and Shunduo joined them."
Li Xinian could tell the situation from the direction of the movement of the blue dots on the map with just one glance. He then looked at Lin Suxing, who was pale-faced but still staring intently at the system interface.
Lin Suxing's expression softened slightly: "We just need to hold on a little longer... right?"
“Hmm, don’t be afraid. We’re too close now, we can’t move any further to avoid revealing our position. Staying put and waiting for rescue is the best course of action.” Li Xinian could clearly feel Lin Suxing’s slightly trembling body pressed against his back, and could hear his rapid breathing due to fear and his efforts to maintain the system. He immediately gave a reassuring reply and reached out to touch Lin Suxing’s head.
Gunshots, explosions, the enemy's rude shouts, and the snapping of tree branches intertwined to create a deathly concerto, pressing in from all directions.
Bullets whizzed around the tree trunks where they were hiding, splashing dirt as they landed closer and closer, clearly outlining the rapidly closing encirclement.
Once he's in position, the area will instantly turn into a sea of fire, and they'll lose even their last bit of cover.
Do not move, and absolutely do not fire to reveal your exact location.
They were trapped on this small, precarious safety island, like prisoners awaiting their final judgment.
The surrounding area was filled with an extreme symphony of violence, yet behind this narrow bunker, the air seemed to freeze from the anxious wait.
In the brief lull after another volley of bullets, Li Xinian suddenly moved.
He suddenly turned around, no longer keeping his back to Lin Suxing on guard, but facing her directly. In the dim light and swirling dust, he looked deeply into Lin Suxing's eyes, which were filled with panic yet still trying to remain calm.
Time seemed to have been frozen at that moment.
Li Xinian said nothing. He simply lowered his head and, with a resolute tenderness, placed a very light kiss on Lin Suxing's lips, which were slightly cold from nervousness.
It was a brief but incredibly profound kiss.
The bitterness of gunpowder smoke and the stench of earth mingled on each other's lips, sending shivers of excitement through them.
Instantly separate.
Li Xinian stepped back slightly, but his forehead was still pressed against Lin Suxing's forehead. Their breaths mingled, and they were so close that they could see their own reflections in each other's pupils.
He murmured in a low, breathy voice, barely audible to the two of them, a hint of relief in his voice: "This is something I've always wanted to do. If I don't do it now, I'm afraid I'll never have the chance again."
These words were like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of emotions that Lin Suxing had been holding back.
Hot tears welled up unexpectedly, instantly blurring his vision.
A burst of extremely dense, precise, and death-whisper-like silenced weapon fire suddenly erupted from the high points and flanks on the periphery of the battlefield, like a symphony!
Almost simultaneously, those enemies who had been so aggressive and were about to complete their encirclement suddenly froze like stalks of wheat being harvested by an invisible scythe, then fell to the ground without a sound! A precise blood hole appeared between their eyebrows or in the center of their hearts!
The offensive crumbled instantly in the face of a well-trained and highly efficient counterattack!
Li Xinian and Lin Suxing were both stunned.
In the hazy night and flickering firelight, a dozen figures dressed in pure black special operations uniforms without any markings, their faces heavily painted, and equipped with the finest gear, emerged like ghosts from the shadows of the woods.
They moved with lightning speed, their tactical maneuvers clean and efficient, silently and effectively eliminating every remaining threat on the battlefield and confirming every fallen body.
The gunfire abruptly ceased, leaving only the crackling of flames and the faint echoes of distant gunfire. A heavy stench of blood mingled with the smell of gunpowder permeated the air.
Li Xinian remained highly vigilant, firmly protecting Lin Suxing behind him, while slightly moving the muzzle of his gun, searching for any possible remaining threats.
Lin Suxing also held his breath, nervously watching the system map to confirm whether all the red markers had really disappeared.
Just then, a clear, steady, and unhurried sound of footsteps came straight towards the rocks where they were hiding, treading over broken branches and fallen leaves.
The footsteps sounded particularly abrupt in the silence, carrying an inexplicable sense of oppression.
Li Xinian's eyes narrowed, his muscles tensed instantly, and he instinctively pointed the gun at the shadowy spot where the sound was coming from.
Friend or foe? The head of the rescue team? Or... the last killing move left behind by Li Tingzhu?
At a time like this, any unknown approach was enough to trigger his already taut nerves. He could feel Lin Suxing's breathing stop behind him, and the hand gripping his clothes tightened even more.
The footsteps grew closer.
A tall, graceful figure dressed in pure black combat uniform slowly emerged from the shadows beside the rock and entered their limited field of vision.
His face was covered in thick paint, obscuring his features. Only his eyes, visible through the flickering firelight, shone with a calm yet sharp light.
When she reached a distance where the firelight could clearly illuminate her face, Li Xinian's pupils suddenly contracted, and he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, his face filled with unprecedented and extreme shock and disbelief!
The man's arm holding the gun trembled almost imperceptibly.
That face... beautiful and charming, with a few traces of time around her eyes, which only added to her elegance.
What makes him impossible to mistake is his pair of gray-blue eyes, just like gemstones deep in a glacier!
However, her gaze was even deeper, carrying a sharpness born of experience and a hint of complex, indescribable emotion, which was now quietly fixed on Li Xinian's face.
"...Xi Nian, you are safe now."
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Author's Note: Mom has arrived! [Let me see][Starry eyes][Exaggerated praise]
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