Chapter 3428: Combustion (17)

Ning Shu’s body trembled uncontrollably.

She took a deep breath, but her ears were still ringing terribly. The discomfort was almost unbearable.

She could see Song Yi’s mouth opening and closing, but she couldn’t make out a single word he was saying.

She rubbed at her ear, only for a sharp pain to shoot through her other hand—

A child had sunk their teeth into her.

The child was around five or six years old. The child’s eyes were full of malice as he bit down with all their strength. Blood oozed from between his clenched teeth.

Ning Shu reacted swiftly. She jabbed her fingers into the child’s ribs with a sudden, forceful press. The child was caught off guard by the pain. He let out a yelp and loosened his bite.

Ning Shu looked at her hand. Deep teeth marks were embedded in her skin.

The child was lying on the ground, still glaring at her with feral hostility.

And not just that. Several of the other children were staring at her too.

It felt like being surrounded by a pack of fierce and merciless wolf cubs.

These children were so young, yet able to kill without a shred of psychological burden. There was no limit to what terrorists would do, even to children.

“You alright?” Old Two rushed over and sprayed antiseptic onto her wound.

Ning Shu drew on what little spiritual energy she had left to begin healing her injured ears.

At the same time, she sent out her spiritual consciousness, checking whether any of the children were carrying explosives.

Human bombs were all too common. Using one’s own body as cover was nothing new.

She scanned over the five children repeatedly. In the end, she discovered that four of them had micro-explosives on their bodies. Only one child didn’t.

The very child who had bitten her.

Which meant—this child was likely the key figure.

Ning Shu fiddled with her ears again. The buzzing had eased slightly. She could make out some sound now.

She leaned in and whispered into Song Yi’s ear, “Some of these kids might be carrying bombs.”

Song Yi’s eyebrows furrowed tightly. He grabbed one of the children and began inspecting them from head to toe.

The child giggled in response. It was a disturbingly cheerful sound.

Acting on pure instinct and a strong sense of danger, Song Yi didn’t hesitate. He hurled the child out of the helicopter.

Before the child even hit the ground, there was a bang mid-air. The bomb detonated.

The child’s body was torn apart. Blood sprayed through the air.

Everyone aboard the military helicopter looked grim. They began inspecting each child meticulously for explosives.

Ning Shu suddenly snatched a micro remote control from one of the children’s hands.

She’d seen him press it. He thought she hadn’t noticed.

“Give that back, you filthy bastard!” The child shrieked as his face contorted with fury.

Ning Shu wrapped several layers of tape around his mouth without a word.

Then, she taped the mouths of the remaining three children as well.

The remote control was about the size of a car key, with only one red button on it.

If that button were pressed, any one of the children in the helicopter could blow up.

Everyone on the helicopter would die.

Song Yi took the remote and tucked it away. “Might be a useful tool.”

“When it comes time to exchange hostages… pressing this could make quite a statement.”

Ning Shu sat down in one of the seats. She tilted her head as she stared down at the dusty terrain below.

A comrade who had shared the dangers and hardships of the battlefield was now dead—gone in an instant, alongside blood and sacrifice.

She turned to Song Yi and asked, “Sir, how much compensation can we get for Old Four’s family?”

White-haired parents burying a black-haired child…

“I’ll try to get the highest possible compensation,” Song Yi said while wiping his face. His eyes were slightly red.

Zhu Yi had been one of his own men.

He was more devastated than anyone else.

Ning Shu twisted open a bottle of water and took a sip. Her head continued to ring.

Song Yi opened the aircraft cabinet and pulled out his phone, ready to report what had happened.

But the moment his phone powered on, it was bombarded with messages and calls in quick succession.

Among them was a call from Political Commissar Wu, saying that Wu Xianrou had come to this area.When Song Yi heard this, he froze on the spot. What on earth was Wu Xianrou doing in a place this dangerous?

And it wasn’t just him—everyone in the helicopter turned stiff and silent, the atmosphere instantly frozen.

Song Yi all but roared, “I’m in the middle of a mission! What the hell is Wu Xianrou doing here?”

Political Commissar Wu didn’t take offence at his tone. Anxiously, he explained, “I told her you were on assignment, a dangerous one at that. But she said—it was because it was dangerous, she had to come see you.”

Everyone in the helicopter: …

Song Yi’s eyes were bloodshot. He dragged a hand through his hair in frustration as his voice rose and he said, “Why didn’t you stop her? What good does it do for her to be here? She’s only going to get others caught up in this!”

He had just lost a squad member. And now, Wu Xianrou had come charging into this powder keg utterly heedlessly. She was a delicate woman, with no training, and she’d chosen to walk straight into danger.

Song Yi felt like his heart was being deep-fried in oil.

His words were harsh enough to make even Political Commissar Wu feel a little stung.

“She was wrong to do it, yes, but she did it out of concern for you.

“I tried to stop her. She snuck off with her passport.”

Song Yi’s face flushed red with fury. Veins bulged at his neck. He looked ready to explode.

He dragged his hand down his face hard, then said in a more restrained voice, “Got it.”

“Song Yi, please… bring my daughter back safely. She’s reckless, but I’ll make sure to discipline her after this.”

Song Yi ended the call and very nearly smashed the phone, but in the end, held back. He immediately dialled Wu Xianrou’s number.

It went straight to voicemail. The phone had been switched off.

Great. Switched off. Now he had no way of knowing whether she was still on a plane or already in someone’s hands.

She was a soft, pampered girl. How could she not get into trouble?

Song Yi was beside himself with worry.

Ning Shu let out a noise of disbelief. She truly didn’t know what Wu Xianrou was thinking.

This was a military op, not a trip to the theme park. How could she think she could just show up like it was a picnic?

One wrong step, and the whole game could be lost. Their mission could fall apart entirely.

Not to mention the lives of the oil company employees at stake.

Did she really think love would grant her infinite power? That she’d turn into some kind of Super Saiyan, invulnerable to blades and bullets?

Was this really something to mess around with?

What the hell was Wu Xianrou doing?

Ning Shu gave a dry cough and shouted, “Sir, aren’t you touched?”

Song Yi looked at her with reddened eyes, clearly not understanding what she was on about.

Ning Shu said, deadpan, “Miss Wu risked life and limb just to see you. Such a romantic tale of love amidst the flames of war.”

As soon as she said it, the cabin filled with a strange chorus of dry, ambiguous chuckles.

Song Yi glared at her. “Is this really the time for that kind of talk?”

Fair enough. Ning Shu muttered softly, “Let’s just hope Old Four’s death wasn’t in vain. That it brings us success in this mission.”

“I told you to shut up—shut the hell up, all of you!” Song Yi suddenly exploded at Ning Shu.

“I know what you’re trying to say. You think I’m not heartbroken? That I don’t feel the pain?”

After snapping, Song Yi clutched his head in his hands. His body trembled ever so slightly.

Ning Shu pressed her lips together and fell silent.

Old Two stepped in to ease the tension. He said, “Sir, don’t get worked up. Once we’ve handed over the hostages, we’ll go with you to find Miss Wu.”

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