Three seconds ago.
“You girls go ahead, I’ll be right with you,” Long Bing said.
Tang Yuyan turned around and strode into the gates of the Peace Mansion.
Cameras flashed and clicked around her.
Lights galore.
Tang Yuyan instinctively lifted her head and shifted her gaze to its usual position. Every other single-lens reflex camera was flashing in succession, but one ominously stood out from the rest.
The reporter on the other end of the camera was completely still.
“Get down!” Tang Yuyan reactively grabbed Long Bing by the shoulder and hurled the woman that had just crossed the threshold onto the ground.
Click!
A modest click was heard amongst the herd of shutters, the camera lens promptly retracted and shrapnel resembling a bullet came shooting out!
The reporters were still in a daze from Tang Yuyan’s warning out of the blue and none went down on their knees. The four pregnant women naturally would have done less so. Any brash action that might put their unborn children to risk was not acceptable.
In less than a second, Tang Yuyan then cut in front of the lens and interrupted the travelling bullet with her body, while simultaneously reaching to her waist to draw her pistol. She was ultimately a step too late.
As she came into contact with her weapon on its holster, the customized bullet exploded right before her chest.
It was not a regular bullet.
Pop! An ever-growing fog-shrouded her.
Tang Yuyan did not back down, as she ultimately managed to retrieve her gun, and BANG!
The Viper exhibited its magic, amongst the ash and dust a spark was seen. A sole bullet ensued, soullessly penetrating through the thick smog.
The assassin naturally was not expecting any retaliation and naturally was caught off-guard by the sheer precision and agility of Tang Yuyan’s reflexes!
Bang!
Almost within the same second, the bullet had landed right where it was intended. Smack dab in the middle of the assassin’s forehead.
His eyes were wide open as his life was promptly cut short. Fear streaked through his entire nervous system but was most noticeably seen at his pupils. Blood and innards subsequently gushed out of the bullet induced pit. He was dead before he could truly grasp its cause.
Thud!
The killer collapsed on the ground.
From identifying the hidden reporter to shooting him down at his spot took three seconds at most.
Long Bing rushed ahead to assist her.
“Scram…” Tang Yuyan gathered all that was left in her to make a warning plea.
Long Bing seemed to have understood the situation as she stumbled backwards while yelling. “Get to shelter!”
Liang Siyao did not wait for Jiang Ruyi and Fan Fan to react as she intuitively wrapped her arms around them both and began dragging them to safety.
The press scrambled for shelter, stepping over anyone in their way.
The assassin used a customised poison capsule as the bullet tip!
Long Bing, Liang Siyao and the two women in her arms halted their steps. The breeze came down from the mountains, conveniently excluding the poison gas beyond the radius of the Peace mansion. It was also the same reason the women stopped after all.
In the field of vision of the four women, was Tang Yuyan lying unconscious by the wooden gate. Not too far away from the wooden steps by the entrance was the assassin in a similar position, along with several reporters affected by the poison smog.
“Do you think...she’ll die?” Liang Siyao was riddled with guilt.
Long Bing shook her head. “Can’t tell. What we should do now is to contact Bureau 101. Tell them to get some professionals to investigate the scene.”
“There just isn’t enough time left,” Fanfan deeply sighed, “Even if Bureau 101 comes by helicopter, it’ll still take ten full minutes, I wonder if she’ll...make it till then.”
Liang Siyao felt worse. If she hadn’t been toying with Tang Yuyan, the killer might have missed his opportunity. The more she wallowed in her thoughts the more she felt disgusted by her actions. She then decisively proclaimed, “I’ll go check on her, she needs help.”
Long Bing held onto her hand as she emphasized, “Calm down! I don’t want to see her die either, but we don’t know what we’re dealing with! If we brashly approach you might end up just like her! Think about your baby!”
The sole mention of her unborn child struck her like lightning to the rod, and with it quickly ended the knee jerk reaction to check on the unconscious Tang Yuyan. Protecting one’s child is a mother’s instinct, and she was no different.
Outside, the huge majority of the press had cleared the radius and settled down at the distance as they began collecting footage of the fainted Tang Yuyan along with the other reporters. In the face of breaking news for the week, they had no intention of leaving for their safety.
“Who’s the assassin?”
“Who’s this woman? Why does she have a gun?”
“Who dares pick a fight with Xia Lei?”
“Well, it sure looks like it did not work. Their target this time around was his harem and their children!”
“Who would do such a thing? What a lowlife!”
“Call the police, somebody call the police!”
The crime scene was in chaos.
Amidst the disarray came a rental car steering in from Bailu town. The vehicle came close to the gates of the Peace Mansion, stopped, and the door promptly flung open. A native American person sprinted to the gate and scooped Tang Yuyan into the mansion interior. Whilst running he shouted. “Move aside! Get outta here!”
That voice!
That’s Xia Lei’s voice!
The reporters were finding it odd that a native American person could speak such fluent Mandarin. But to the four pregnant women in the Peace Mansion, it was crystal clear. Their man has returned.
Xia Lei’s voice effectively snapped the four pregnant women back to reality as they cleared the path. Watching as Xia Lei with Tang Yuyan in his arms headed towards the study, they instinctively tailed his path.
Nevertheless, a few steps on Xia Lei’s voice was once again heard through the corridor.
“Get back into your houses and wait it out! It’s dangerous outside!” Xia Lei ordered, his tone filled with anxiety and concern.
Long Bing shared his unease. “You take care of yourself too!”
Liang Siyao added, “Let’s leave it to Bureau 101 to deal with this!’
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” Xia Lei didn’t bother to turn his head.
It was actually a false promise on his side, he actually was not completely sure his super immunity could withstand the residual toxins in Tang Yuyan’s body.
However, he did manage to identify the custom-made bullet head just before he was about to carry Tang Yuyan to safety. It was the same toxic gas Hattori Mei handed to Li Youdun during his own assassination.
It was the same exact reason he carried Tang Yuyan to the study. He had some of the vaccine from Hattori Mei left in his inventory.
Tang Yuyan’s livelihood depended on that one bottle.
Upon arrival, he yanked the door open and darted into the study. Gently lowering Tang Yuyan on the couch, he cranked open the safe and retrieved a single bottle of the vaccine. He carefully held her lower chin to gape open her mouth, then promptly fed her the entire vaccine.
The vaccine contents he had previously verified did not contain any ingredients resembling the poison. For what Li Youdun was worth, the CIA would never risk letting him die before securing the Alloy X recipe.
However, after ingesting the entire bottle, Tang Yuyan still lay motionless.
Xia Lei was on the edge as he frantically reached for her pulse. It was still feeble. She was so frail her heart could stop at any moment.
All of a sudden, it clicked. Hattori Mei said the toxin can spread through the air, so from ingestion to death would take a full five minutes.
He watched as Tang Yuyan collapsed on the ground right at the edge of Bailu town, and the time it took for me to get to her was two minutes. A little below a minute to crack open the safe and feed her the medicine which means she still has thirty seconds more! How is she still so weak?
His heart was about to explode.
The heart-throbbing pain felt like it lasted forever. He felt like he could die!
Just as his body was about to collapse from deprivation, however, a mysterious power was awoken and surged through his veins! His blood, now infused with an immense power channelled to his heart and exported to every corner of his body, instantly invigorating himself with a newfound vigour!
I had just a single drop and it nearly paralysed me, and to think that Tang Yuyan took so much of it.
Xia Lei halted his thoughts right then.
Just like cancer, full recovery was possible in its early stages. But anything after that would mean almost certain death! Seeing her in this state, even if I know there is a cure just from the sheer volume of toxins she inhaled alone, I’m afraid we might have missed the golden hour.
I’m afraid...she’d leave just like that.
Xia Lei was instantly reminded of the flashbacks he had with her on the snowcaps of Dawang mountain and the scene from which she shielded Long Bing and his three other women with her own body. He was overwhelmed with guilt and pain as tears streamed down his cheeks.
“Hold on...there’s antibodies in my blood, I wonder if…” Without a second thought, he hastily went ahead and sunk his teeth on his wrist, ripping up an open wound.
Blood began oozing out as he once again cracked open Tang Yuyan’s mouth, allowing his own blood to drizzle down her throat.
Meanwhile, he had another hand on her chest, anxiously pushing in synchrony, hoping that it would help her heart pump better.
Two minutes later...
Bleurgh!
Tang Yuyan threw up a mouthful of blood, some even splattered over Xia Lei’s face. It could be from the blood she ingested, or something else but it doesn’t matter now. All he cared about was that she was awake again.
“Ugh…” Her voice trembled as she struggled to speak. Catching a glimpse of Xia Lei, and his wrist by her lips, dripping from blood, his blood that she was sucking on.
Watching as Tang Yuyan regained her senses was a huge relief to him, his tears trickling down his cheeks once again. They were tears of joy.
“Cough cough...bleurgh!” Tang Yuyan once again spewed blood from her mouth. “Stop...feeding me...blood…”
Xia Lei eventually understood her condition as he reactively lifted his wrist and applied pressure on the wound.
“Take off the mask. I..want to see your face,” Tang Yuyan requested.
Xia Lei abided as he removed the skin mask from his own face, revealing his own appearance. He was just as bright, bold and attractive. Just as she remembered.
Tang Yuyan couldn’t help but crack a smile. “I...am dying...can you kiss me?”
Xia Lei nearly agreed from impulse but had quickly given it a second thought. That doesn’t sound right, she’s awake! And she looks ten times better than she was just moments ago. There’s no way she’s dying.
“Quick, I don’t have much time left,” Tang Yuyan added as she spewed more blood.
Xia Lei chuckled, “You’re not dying, not today. Close your eyes and get yourself some rest. Everything is going to be fine when you wake up.”
Teardrops like crystal beads silently trickled down her face.
“Yuyan...you...we can’t be like that.” Xia Lei was out of options.
Right at that moment, a deafening chuff was heard above their heads.
Xia Lei instantly clicked as he proclaimed, “You wait here, I’ll go take a look.” And off he went.
Tang Yuyan cracked a faint smile.