Xia Lei’s kill count was certainly around three digits at this point. In the human world, he was definitely considered a slaughterman caked with gut-wrenching amounts of sins. However, when compared to Zhu Xuanyue, he was nothing but a mere boy scout. Xia Lei braced himself mentally and drove his motorcycle over slowly.
The internal kill-fest among the National Guards had come to an end. The machine gunner that took out his own brothers had placed his guns down and drew out a pistol. Without an ounce of hesitation, he jammed the barrel in his jaw and fired.
Bang!
He swayed and dropped to the ground from the roof.
The only one that survived the violent episode was Zhu Xuanyue. Yet, she had not once spared the ongoing fight behind her a single glance all while maintaining her control over the situation!
The Harley Breakout stopped before her. Xia Lei made no move to take off his helmet because there was no need to. Zhu Xuanyue was the same as him. They were both able to use X-ray visions and she was way more powerful than him. It was not surprising that Zhu Xuanyue had already recognized him while he was still two kilometres away.
Closer proximity, a familiar scent and locked gazes. In that very moment, Xia Lei felt as if she was never once away from him. The sentiments he bore over her were still as tender. Tender to a point where no words were needed to be able to understand what she was feeling inside.
They spent one full minute in silence. Not even the summer mosquitoes dared to disrupt their peace.
In the end, Xia Lei was the first to break. “Xuanyue, you…”
Initiating a conversation was easy but to continue was another problem. Xia Lei did not know what else to say.
“You lied to me!” Zhu Xuanyue pouted in all of a sudden as if she was a wronged child. She looked close to tears too.
Needless to say, Xia Lei was beyond shocked. From what he got from the video provided by the Relief Society and what he saw personally, Zhu Xuanyue had gone through massive change. The woman did not seem like the childish being that he once knew long ago. If there was a demon residing inside her body, then it was safe to say that the demon had awakened. But as soon as he came closer, the demon seemed to have gone back to its dormant state.
What the hell was going on?
Inexplicably, Xia Lei was reminded of two other women. Ning Jing and Gu Kewen. Judging this from a physical perspective, the Zhu Xuanyue before him was a combination of Ning Jing, Gu Kewen and Zhu Xuanyue. How was it possible for her to override the existence of Ning Jing and Gu Kewen that shared the same body? Unless… She had decided to abandon this physical vessel!
But if he were to look at it through a spiritual perspective, Ning Jing and Gu Kewen were women that bore deep feelings for him. Gu Kewen’s love was a literal obsession that eventually brought her to absolute destruction. Ning Jing’s love was as gentle as calm water. While it wasn’t as strong as Gu Kewen, her tranquil love had nourished their shared body like a pure stream.
Perhaps this was the answer to her unexpectedly wild shift.
When in his proximity, parts of Ning Jing and Gu Kewen dwelling within her body were activated. Gu Kewen’s fiery obsession and Ning Jing’s calm affection seemed to be the factors controlling her. Perhaps this was exactly why she spoke like Gu Kewen and also why she clung to him like Ning Jing.
“Say something!” Zhu Xuanyue was about to lose her temper.
Xia Lei offered her a wry smile. “Are you sure you want to continue this conversation here? If we don’t leave this place soon, the American soldiers might catch us here.”
“I insist!” Zhu Xuanyue’s cheeks were puffed.
What she said earlier was delivered via Ning Jing mode and the next was delivered in Gu Kewen fashion. Her personas were switching before his eyes.
“I wasn’t working with the black-robed man to hurt you. He’s my biggest enemy. I swear.” Xia Lei offered a simple explanation. “I don’t care if you believe me or not but this is the truth.”
“I believe you,” said Zhu Xuanyue as she began to step towards him.
Xia Lei sighed in relief. “Come on, we’ll talk about this after leaving this place.”
But just as he was done, Zhu Xuanyue delivered a hard punch into his lower abdomen.
Thud!
With a muted noise that was accompanied by an uncharacteristically large force, Xia Lei was sent flying away from his motorcycle. He flew a few metres before landing harshly on the tar road. Excruciating pain tormented his impacted lower abdomen to a point where he was on the verge of puking. He swallowed his agony and clambered up. He stared at Zhu Xuanyue cautiously.
Without a single doubt, the one who assaulted him was Zhu Xuanyue herself!
Why did she decide to attack him now?
Worse, this could not qualify as a question because Zhu Xuanyue required no reason to kill!
The woman began walking towards him, anger spilling out of her being. There was something about her glare that felt particularly icy.
Xia Lei took a step back but did not draw his pistol. If his enemy was Zhu Xuanyue, there was no way of telling how useful a pistol would be against her. Most importantly, Xia Lei couldn’t tell if she was still an ally or foe. If these punches were just to vent her resentment, it was still acceptable. In that case, by brandishing his pistol, it would be a total solidification of their stand as mortal enemies. He already had the black-robed man to worry about. If Zhu Xuanyue was added to the mix, Xia Lei knew he wouldn’t have to wait two years to die!
“Calm down.” Xia Lei continued to back away carefully. His movements were slower than Zhu Xuanyue as he waited for her to come closer while preparing to face any of her lethal attacks.
As soon as Zhu Xuanyue was near, her expressions fluctuated wildly. In an instant, her anger and piercing glare had vanished and was replaced by a uniquely feminine gentleness. Her voice was riddled with concern and kindness. “Uncle Xia? Are you… Are you alright? Did someone hit you?”
Zhu Xuanyue finally stepped into his personal space. She began to rub at his belly with light careful motions. “Are you in pain? How about I blow your tummy for you?” Letting her sentence fall, she bent slightly and lifted the corner of his shirt to blow on his tummy.
Xia Lei did not disrupt her. Better put, he did not dare to disturb her. He feared that any offending gesture would awaken the demon within her again.
As she blew at his lower abdomen, Zhu Xuanyue noticed something weird. She reached over and gripped on a stray curly hair that escaped the confines of his pants. With slight force, she plucked it out and held it up with a smile. “Uncle Xia, what is this?”
Xia Lei felt like he was about to lose his mind. He couldn't care less now. He yelled, “Quit playing around! We need to leave this place!”
Zhu Xuanyue quickly hid the curly pube behind her. She lowered her head, looking like a kicked puppy. “Fine, fine… There’s no need to be so mean…”
Xia Lei approached his fallen motorcycle. The man climbed onto it and turned around to look at Zhu Xuanyue, unamused. “Are you coming or not? If not, I’m leaving without you!”
Zhu Xuanyue quickly sprinted over and leapt onto the back with a light hop. She enthusiastically wrapped her arms around his waist and plastered her cheek against Xia Lei’s broad back.
She was absolutely pliant and gentle, but Xia Lei had no idea if this was Ning Jing or Gu Kewen at work.
Xia Lei ignited his motorcycle and zoomed past the checkpoint. The whole area reeked of death, scattered limbs and the thick scent of blood wafting through the air. Zhu Xuanyue had brought death upon all of them but did not even spare them a single look of remorse. She had no empathy, no feelings, nothing.
After travelling a certain distance ahead, Xia Lei left the main road into a village street. The man had not bothered to turn on his headlights, depending solely on his unmatched vision to drive in the dark. He was doing this to escape the American soldier’s aerial detection. Zhu Xuanyue had destroyed an entire checkpoint and even if no one had managed to report it, the National Guard\ would naturally find out about it. Therefore, continuing his journey to Area 51 tonight was not a wise choice. Xia Lei, on the other hand, wished to have a full-length conversation with Zhu Xuanyue.
Zhu Xuanyue could not keep her hands to herself throughout the ride. She hugged Xia Lei’s waist tightly, occasionally utilizing the proximity to tease his belly button. While Xia Lei was not amused at all, the woman was giggling her head off. That was not all. While doing that, she was busy rubbing her cheek against his back like a cheeky kitten.
Xia Lei sat through the harassment in controlled silence as the Harley Breakout zoomed in the dark. One hour later, they were at least one hundred and fifty kilometres away from the scene. At last, they came to a halt beside a cornfield. Xia Lei hopped off the motorcycle and began to push it into the plantation.
Settling down the vehicle, Xia Lei turned around and stared at Zhu Xuanyue, who was still standing on the fringes of the cornfield. The gaze she held on him was once again chilly and filled with wrath. The man’s heart sunk, a strong feeling surging in his heart. The demon within Zhu Xuanyue’s body had awakened.
“Why did you bring me here?” Zhu Xuanyue began to pace over.
Xia Lei answered, “With that many deaths at the checkpoint, the Americans will definitely conduct a thorough investigation. We need to…”
Before he could even finish his own sentence, Zhu Xuanyue aimed a punch at his lower abdomen without warning. Thankfully, he was prepared for this. The man quickly cushioned her fists by lowering his palms. Despite the success, the force exerted off Zhu Xuanyue had sent him flying backwards for at least two metres. Xia Lei felt like his knuckles were close to being fractured. The moment of collision with her fist was as vehement as getting smashed by a car. This was not a woman’s punch!
“Answer me!” Zhu Xuanyue roared at him.
She wasn’t making any sense!
Zhu Xuanyue lunged forward. Within a blink of an eye, she was right in front of Xia Lei. She held up her right fist and sent it forward.
“Ning Jing!” Xia Lei urgently screeched.
Zhu Xuanyue was momentarily disoriented as her gaze softened. She placed her fist down.
“Ning Jing!” Xia Lei quickly continued, “Do you still remember me? I’m Xia Lei. Xia Lei…”
Zhu Xuanyue was silent. She continued to stare at him gently.
“Do you remember the time when we were at the White Hun tribe in Afghanistan? You were trapped there with a few experts and I came to rescue you. Do you remember that?” Xia Lei attempted to jog her memories desperately.
“What are you talking about?” She looked absolutely lost.
Xia Lei pressed on, “And Haizhu… We first met each other there when you came to repair your compass…”
Both Ning Jing and Gu Kewen had existed in the same body that was Zhu Xuanyue. Ning Jing’s consciousness would be particularly strong because she was the one that had offered herself as a physical vessel in the Reincarnation Project held in India. If he could awaken her, the woman before him would not do any harm. This was why he refused to awaken Gu Kewen. Gu Kewen’s obsession with him was strong but her hatred towards him was strong as well. Controlling her would be a challenge.
As the night breeze caressed the cornfield, Xia Lei began to tell her stories of the past. Stories of who Ning Jing was, her past and everything they shared in memory…