The next morning, Su Hongli arranged for someone to send A Gui back to Hua Country. Then, in the afternoon, her private plane took off for Africa.

Inside the luxurious and comfortable cabin, Su Hongli was trying to seduce Luo Xiu again. But Luo Xiu really wasn't in the mood. Not only because he was worried about Su Shenyun's safety, but also because he felt his illness was about to flare up again.

"Baby, are you in a bad mood?"

Luo Xiu shook his head gently, enduring the indescribable pain in his body. "How long until we get to Africa?" he asked.

"Probably tomorrow morning. After we arrive, it'll take another two or three days to get to my ex-boyfriend's place."

Luo Xiu slowly stood up. "Then I'm going to the private room to sleep for a while."

Su Hongli was about to speak when she noticed Luo Xiu swaying, seemingly unstable on his feet. "Baby, are you drunk? You didn't drink anything…"

PUH!

Luo Xiu suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed.

Su Hongli's face lost all color as she rushed over to support him. "Luo Xiu, what's wrong with you?!"

Lying on the floor, Luo Xiu struggled to sit up, covering his mouth as he coughed violently. Dark blood slowly seeped through the gaps between his fingers. Su Hongli watched him, her heart burning with anxiety. Helpless, she could only gently pat his back. "What's really wrong with you?"

"It's nothing… just an old ailment acting up. I'll go sleep for a while. Wake me up when we get to Africa."

Afterward, Su Hongli helped Luo Xiu lie down in the private room. As she gently cleaned the blood from him, she asked, "Aren't your medical techniques excellent? Can't you cure your own illness?"

With his eyes closed, Luo Xiu said weakly, "This is the sorrow of a healer. Able to cure others, but not oneself."

Su Hongli's lips tightened, her heart aching as she watched him. "Go to sleep. Sister will stay with you."

...

An unknown amount of time passed.

When Luo Xiu woke up, he found himself not in the comfortable suite of the private jet, but lying on a crude, hard wooden bed. The room was simple, even dilapidated. Despite the window being open for ventilation, it was still unbearably hot and stuffy.

Su Hongli sat by the bed, using a newspaper to fan him.

Luo Xiu let out a long breath and sat up. "When did we arrive?"

Looking at him with pity, Su Hongli handed him a cup of water. "How are you feeling?"

Luo Xiu managed a smile. "I feel much better after sleeping. Don't worry."

Su Hongli wiped the sweat from his forehead. "We arrived this morning. It's already afternoon."

"How long will it take to get to your ex-boyfriend's place?" Luo Xiu asked.

"Probably two or three days. We'll drive ourselves. You should get some good rest. We'll set off tomorrow morning."

Luo Xiu looked around. "By the way, where are we?"

"It's an empty house belonging to a local. I borrowed it."

...

「The following day.」

The two left early in the morning. After finding a small Hua Country restaurant on the street for a bite to eat, Su Hongli led Luo Xiu to a green jeep—a second-hand vehicle she had bought the previous afternoon.

After a bumpy ride through town, the jeep turned onto a dirt road in the mountains, where the ride became even more jolting. Sitting in the passenger seat, Luo Xiu asked, "What does your ex-boyfriend do?"

Gripping the steering wheel tightly to keep the vehicle as steady as possible, Su Hongli replied, "He's a mercenary leader. He has a lot of influence around here. On the streets, everyone calls him Ratel."

"Ratel?"

Su Hongli laughed. "There's a saying: 'Whether Africa is in chaos is up to Ratel to decide.' They're talking about him."

Luo Xiu smiled. "And here I thought they were talking about the honey badger."

"The mountain roads are rough. Are you sure your body can handle it?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

...

...

They traveled on, stopping and starting. They enjoyed the mountain scenery when they had free time, found restaurants when hungry, and looked for motels when sleepy. When the car broke down, they fixed it on the roadside. When they ran out of gas, they searched for a station, and if they couldn't find one, they would steal from the large trucks…

「In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.」

In just that short time, Su Hongli and Luo Xiu had experienced a great deal. They were like two disheveled wanderers, discussing poetry and distant lands one moment and resorting to petty theft the next. Su Hongli had lost her former elegance and nobility. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a tattered, grimy tank top that made her look both fiery and wild.

「That afternoon.」

After crossing countless mountains and rivers, the two finally reached their destination.

After getting out of the jeep, Luo Xiu saw that the base before them was huge. It looked simple on the surface, but it was fully equipped with tanks, cannons, and armored combat vehicles—it had everything. There were even a few old fighter jets, which maxed out the base's prestige. For a mercenary group, such an arsenal was definitely top-tier.

Suddenly, the iron gate in front of them opened, and a dozen fully-armed mercenaries burst out, rifles in hand, moving in a standard tactical formation to surround Luo Xiu and Su Hongli.

Su Hongli raised her hands with a friendly smile and said a few sentences in a foreign language that Luo Xiu couldn't understand at all. The mercenaries all lowered their weapons. One of them unclipped a walkie-talkie from his belt and chattered into it, presumably reporting their arrival.

After a wait of nearly five minutes, a tall figure hurried out of the main gate. Loud laughter carried to them from a distance.

"Hahaha… Hong Li, what brings you all the way out here to see me?"

Smiling, Su Hongli walked forward and embraced the tall figure. He was a man in his forties, about 1.9 meters tall, dressed in combat gear. He had a full beard and handsome, well-defined features. The years had etched some hardships onto his face, but it only added to his masculine charm.

After they hugged for a moment, Su Hongli turned and waved Luo Xiu over. "Luo Xiu, this is my ex-boyfriend, Xu Wei. You can just call him Ratel."

Xu Wei extended a hand toward Luo Xiu with a hearty air. "Young brother, welcome!"

Luo Xiu shook his hand. "Thank you."

Then, Xu Wei put his arm around Su Hongli's shoulders and started walking into the base. The two chatted and laughed, reminiscing about their reckless youth. Luo Xiu followed quietly behind them, unable to get a word in.

"Hong Li, will you stay with me tonight? I've missed you so much," Luo Xiu suddenly heard Xu Wei whisper.

Though Xu Wei's voice was quiet, Luo Xiu's hearing was exceptionally sharp.

Su Hongli kicked him on the shin with annoyance and rolled her eyes. "Keep dreaming! I'm already married!" she shot back. "And your kid is already in school, isn't he? Still thinking about this stuff all day. Be careful, or I'll tell your wife!"

"Hehe, just kidding. I'm completely devoted to my wife," Xu Wei said.

"By the way, I came to find you this time… because I actually need your help with something."

"Hah, what's with all the formality between us? If you need something, just say it!"

...

After entering the base, Luo Xiu and Su Hongli were shown to a comfortable and tidy guest room. Luo Xiu had thought about wandering around, but he was too tired to move and just lay down. Though several days had passed since his last flare-up, his body was still very weak. He could feel that this flare-up was more severe than the last. Perhaps his time was truly running out.

After freshening up, Su Hongli said to him, "Baby, I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back soon. You get some rest."

Sometime later, Su Hongli returned to the room. "I told Xu Wei about Shenyun," she said. "He's well-acquainted with the local church of the Holy Boi Religion since he has business dealings with them. We should have news soon."

Luo Xiu nodded slightly.

Su Hongli sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked his face. "What, are you jealous?"

Luo Xiu looked at her, confused. "Jealous of what?"

"Just teasing," Su Hongli chuckled. "Sister only likes you now."

Luo Xiu sighed, in no mood for her jokes. "What's the earliest Ratel can find Su Shenyun?" he asked.

"I really don't know. It's great that he's willing to help at all. Besides, your body is in this state. You should just focus on recovering and leave the rest to me."

...

「In the blink of an eye, two more days passed.」

Luo Xiu lay in bed for two full days.

「That night.」

Just as Luo Xiu was about to sleep, Su Hongli and Ratel suddenly came to find him. Su Hongli was dressed in a black bodysuit with a bulletproof vest over it, armed with a pistol and grenades. Xu Wei was also fully armed. Dressed like that, they were clearly headed out to cause trouble.

"We've found Shenyun," Su Hongli said. "She's being held in the church in Yerite."

Luo Xiu flipped over and sat up. "When do we leave?"

"We're leaving now," Su Hongli said, her eyes fixed on him. "But you can't go. Not in your condition. Besides, tonight we're just going to scout the situation and then formulate a battle plan."

Xu Wei smiled. "That's right, Brother Luo. You just rest up. Hong Li and I will go take a look. We'll be back by morning."

...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.