Chapter 3433: Combustion (22)

Honestly, with Little Nine’s hand speed and reflexes, he was practically on par with professional gamers.

However, given how he was constantly on call for missions, there was no way he could ever become one.

Ning Shu continued wiping her gun without saying a word.

“Aahhh—!”

Suddenly, a woman’s scream pierced the air. It was raw, blood-curdling. Ning Shu instantly recognized the voice. Most likely, it was Wu Xianrou.

Little Nine snapped his laptop shut. “What the hell now?”

Old Two chimed in, “Miss Wu’s ankle’s all swollen. The squad commander is probably doing some joint realignment.”

Did joint realignment usually involve screaming like that?

Ever since this delicate little beauty showed up, things in the squad had been awkward all around.

Everyone felt self-conscious, unable to act as freely as before.

Before long, Song Yi returned, supporting Wu Xianrou as they entered the tent. Thankfully, he was still mindful of appearances and hadn’t carried her outright.

Wu Xianrou was hopping on one leg. She was drenched in sweat, and her face was flushed.

However, she didn’t look happy. Clearly, she was annoyed with Song Yi.

Wu Xianrou was seriously displeased. Her foot was like this, and yet her boyfriend couldn’t even carry her? Wasn’t this the moment to show some ‘boyfriend power’?

But Song Yi was acting all limp and uninvolved. It was utterly infuriating.

Wu Xianrou was a perfectionist, especially when it came to relationships. She believed romance should play out in reality exactly as she imagined it.

Her partner could only love her, only look at her, and only be good to her. He must love her, spoil her, and never, ever change.

However, the one constant in life was change—especially when it came to the human heart, which was complicated beyond reason.

Joy, anger, sorrow, and delight… How could those ever stay the same?

Song Yi settled Wu Xianrou into the tent, then stepped out and spoke to Ning Shu and the others. “We might be heading out again. This operation to hit the terrorists—those higher up want to make a real show of force. Scare them into submission.”

Ning Shu merely responded with an “Mm.”

If the shock was strong enough, then maybe no one would dare try kidnapping or shooting their citizens abroad again.

“We’ll see how things unfold, but there’s likely to be a full-on assault,” Song Yi added. He looked at Ning Shu. “There’s something else I’d like to ask of you.”

Ning Shu nodded. “Go on.”

“Most of the squad here are men. I’d appreciate it if you could help look after Wu Xianrou,” Song Yi said. Then, he added, “But if it’s too much trouble, forget I said anything.”

“It’s not that it’s troublesome,” Ning Shu replied. “But she could just return home with the oil company staff. Why stay here?”

“She refuses to leave.” Song Yi ran a hand through his hair. He was visibly frustrated. “I still have to retrieve Old Four’s body later.”

Recovering Zhu Yi’s remains wouldn’t be easy. He’d been blown to pieces, and must now be in a barely recognizable state. Moreover, with so many casualties, identifying him would be a challenge.

Ning Shu frowned. “Can’t you at least say something to Wu Xianrou? She’s clearly in the wrong here.”

Seeing his squad members—his own men—all staring at him, Song Yi said, “I’ve already made my decision on this.”

Everyone: …

Was it really so hard to say, ‘You are wrong’?

It was disheartening. The squad visibly deflated.

Ning Shu said, “I’d like to help recover Zhu Yi’s body. I probably won’t be able to look after Wu Xianrou.”

The others all shook their heads. “We’re all blokes. How are we supposed to take care of a girl?”

Song Yi looked utterly conflicted and let out a weary sigh.

Ning Shu had just three words for him, which was, ‘Serves you right.’

Trying to please both sides would only leave him stuck in the middle.

Whatever Song Yi had said to Wu Xianrou later, it clearly didn’t go down well. She boarded the helicopter in a fury, looking like she’d finally decided to return home.

Ning Shu raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Love should be between equals. Both people must first act as whole individuals instead of halves looking for missing parts.

Looking down on women and treating them as appendages wasn’t equality.

Looking up at women, as if putting them on a pedestal—pampering them, coddling them—wasn’t equality either.

Equality meant the right to speak on equal footing. Equal social responsibilities and obligations. Equal access to welfare and a fair competitive environment.

Being a freeloader yet expecting to be adored like royalty—thinking, ‘I may have my flaws, she thought, but at least I’ve got a good man who loves me’—was the same as waiting for a pie to fall from the sky.

Ning Shu and Song Yi set off to retrieve Zhu Yi’s body.

When they returned to the site, they were met with nothing but rubble. The building was in ruins. There was nothing left but debris.

Finding Zhu Yi’s body in such conditions was no easy task.

Fortunately, the local government had sent over an excavator, which was now digging through broken walls and collapsed remains.

Ning Shu sat a little distance away, munching on a compressed biscuit while drinking water, watching as dust swirled over the ruins of the house.

In this world, she couldn’t even use the water ordinance.

If only she could just point and have water appear.

Song Yi sat beside her, gnawing on a bland biscuit. He appeared wholly dazed and disoriented.

Ning Shu couldn’t be bothered with him. She stuffed the remaining biscuits into her large backpack and brushed the crumbs from her hands.

Seeing that Ning Shu had stopped eating, Song Yi also packed his biscuit away. After taking a swig from his small water bottle, he turned to her and said, “I’m thinking of breaking up with Wu Xianrou.”

Ning Shu was momentarily surprised. “Why?”

“I just feel like I can’t give her what she wants,” Song Yi said.

Ning Shu gave a faint smile. “You haven’t really made up your mind. If I were to say something nice about Wu Xianrou now, you’d change your mind instantly.

“If I were to bless your relationship—or if the entire squad did—you’d be pulling her by the hand and running into the sunrise together,” she said bluntly.

Song Yi: …

“You really don’t want to have any friends, do you?”

Ning Shu just rolled her eyes. “So why ask me in the first place? When it comes to you and Wu Xianrou, I’m not getting involved, I don’t approve, and I’ve got no opinion.”

Song Yi stayed silent for a moment. She kind of just said she didn’t approve. Wasn’t that having an opinion?

“Over here—we’ve found a body!”

Ning Shu and Song Yi rushed over to check.

From the tattered clothing, it was clear the corpse was Zhu Yi. His leg had been crushed beneath a collapsed wall, and he’d died clutching his head. The heat from the blast had seared his skin beyond recognition.

It was horrifying.

While there were still remains, it was too gruesome to bear. He looked as if a layer of skin had been flayed off while he was still alive.

His body was stiff as they lifted him out.

Ning Shu pulled out a needle and thread from her pack—fishing line and a heavy-duty needle. She began stitching Zhu Yi’s leg, which had been torn apart by debris.

The sight of him in this state would be utterly gut-wrenching for his family.

Song Yi wiped a hand over his face, took off his camo jacket, and laid it over Zhu Yi’s body.

“Old Four… I’ll never forget you,” he said, removing his military cap.

As Ning Shu stitched the mangled limb, her heart ached.

She hoped that in the next life, Zhu Yi would get to be the one being protected instead of the one doing the protecting.

He hadn’t even turned thirty yet.

Once Zhu Yi’s limbs were stitched up, Ning Shu took off her own coat and wrapped it around Zhu Yi’s body. They lifted him onto the helicopter and returned to the temporary base camp.

Besides Zhu Yi, there were other special forces squad members and snipers who had also died. Their bodies were laid out in neat rows.

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