Chapter 69

Chapter 69

"Ahem... I think we need to deal with these wounds first," Li Wei couldn't help but speak up.

Lin Ze hurriedly struggled out of Li Xiujin's embrace, a little flustered as he opened his backpack to find gauze, disinfectant, erythromycin ointment, aspirin, and other supplies.

Li Xiujin pulled up his shirt. Fortunately, the wound was on his ribs; any higher and it would've been his heart...

Lin Ze held his breath.

They'd roughly stopped the bleeding earlier, but without proper medical supplies, when Lin Ze cut away the fabric used for the makeshift bandage, the wound was still oozing blood.

"Xiu Jin, bear with it, I'll disinfect it for you..."

Hearing his 'mm-hmm', Lin Ze opened the disinfectant and carefully cleaned the wound. After cleaning, he bandaged it with sterile gauze.

Once he was sure it was done right, Lin Ze touched his forehead. As soon as his hand rested there, Li Xiujin nuzzled affectionately against his palm.

A pang of heartache shot through Lin Ze.

Lin Ze's hand was too cold to properly feel his temperature, so he pressed their foreheads together...

He wasn't as hot as Lin Ze had feared; there likely wasn't an infection or fever. But just in case, Lin Ze still gave him an anti-inflammatory pill and some water. Watching him gulp it down, Lin Ze's heart ached as he gently stroked his face.

"Xiu Jin, rest for a while. I'll go check on Yang Yu..."

Li Xiujin grabbed his arm.

"I'll be quick..."

Li Xiujin released him. Lin Ze went over to Yang Yu, who was hurt worse than Li Xiujin. He had a deep wound on his calf.

Lin Ze cut open Yang Yu's trouser leg. As before, he first cleaned the wound. The pain woke Yang Yu from his stupor. Seeing Lin Ze, he was utterly shocked. "C-Colonel Lin?"

"Bear with it for now."

"How did you find us here?" Yang Yu asked through gritted teeth.

Lin Ze didn't know how to answer, so he just offered a faint smile.

"Colonel Lin, you're a miracle worker," Yang Yu said with admiration.

Lin Ze didn't say anything else, focusing intently on cleaning the wound. He repeatedly wiped away the blood. After going through a bunch of cotton balls, he finally cleaned away the blood and pus around the wound and quickly bandaged it.

Seeing Yang Yu was in great pain, Lin Ze gave him a painkiller. After taking it, Yang Yu perked up a bit and started bantering with Colonel Lin.

"Let me tell you, Colonel Lin, you almost missed us for good. Who would have thought that bastard Liu Cheng would set the mountain on fire? If we hadn't escaped quickly, and if there hadn't been..."

"Wait," Lin Ze suddenly interrupted him. "Liu Cheng set the mountain on fire?"

"What's wrong?" Yang Yu asked.

"He said... he said the fire was an accident."

"That man is utterly shameless," Yang Yu said through clenched teeth. "He wanted to wipe us out completely. The General's and my injuries were caused by his subordinate strapping himself with explosives..."

"Yang Yu," Li Xiujin interrupted, seeing Lin Ze's face growing paler and paler.

Yang Yu quickly changed the subject. "What else did Liu Cheng accuse us of?"

"He said you were fleeing with a criminal and then took your ranks," Lin Ze answered truthfully.

"The Prime Minister believed it?" Li Xiujin frowned.

"Yes," Lin Ze replied with a bitter smile. "As soon as this happened, the Prime Minister fell ill. Now, Liu Cheng's calling the shots."

Li Xiujin let out a cold laugh.

"I didn't realize the situation was this serious, General. So, what do we do next?"

"We'll rest here for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll take the witness and start heading back."

"But with the power in Liu Cheng's hands now, wouldn't going back be like walking into a slaughter?"

"We'll take the gamble," Li Xiujin said, his eyes dark and serious.

Lin Ze took out food from his backpack and distributed it among them.

After eating, the four of them began to rest.

Seeing there were separate rooms in the temple, Lin Ze simply cleaned out two of them.

Yang Yu was very tactful. "Li Wei and I will share a room. I'll keep an eye on him."

Li Wei was displeased. "In this wilderness, where could I possibly run to? I don't want to share a room with him; he snores like crazy. Colonel Lin, can I share a room with you?"

Before Lin Ze could answer, Li Xiujin said coldly:

"No."

Yang Yu didn't know where Li Wei got the nerve to ask to share a room with Lin Ze and couldn't help but gloat. "Our General and Colonel Lin are married, that's why they share a room. What's your relationship with Colonel Lin?"

Li Wei was left speechless.

Although there was a bed in the room, there was only one, and it had nothing on it. It was Lin Ze who brought out two sleeping bags, providing something warm.

Exhausted and injured, Yang Yu fell fast asleep as soon as he climbed into his sleeping bag. Li Wei, lying beside him, covered his ears but still couldn't sleep because of the snoring.

In the other room, Li Xiujin noticed Lin Ze didn't intend to get into the sleeping bag but planned to sit beside him and keep watch all night. His brow furrowed deeply.

"Come here. Let me hold you."

"Xiu Jin, but you're injured. When you're better..."

"Then I won't sleep."

Lin Ze worriedly said, "That won't do..."

Li Xiujin stared at him.

Seeing his expression, Lin Ze finally relented. He carefully crawled into the sleeping bag. As soon as he was inside, Li Xiujin tightly embraced him, burying his head against Lin Ze's chest, inhaling his scent with a desperate hunger...

Listening to his heavy breathing and feeling his increasingly hot skin, Lin Ze's heart ached, but he didn't dare move, letting him sniff him like a small animal.

Soon, Li Xiujin lifted his head, his gaze falling on Lin Ze's lips, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Lin Ze's cheeks slowly flushed. "Xiu Jin, do you want to kiss me?"

Li Xiujin nodded.

Lin Ze gently cradled his face in both hands, then pressed his own lips against Li Xiujin's. As soon as they touched, Li Xiujin forcefully parted his lips, his tongue sliding in, eagerly sucking and exploring within his tender mouth...

While kissing him, Li Xiujin began unbuttoning Lin Ze's shirt.

Feeling something unexpected under his hands, Li Xiujin withdrew his tongue from Lin Ze's mouth, breathing heavily as he looked at him. Only then did he realize that after just a month apart, the fullness in his chest had worsened...

Lin Ze was mortified. Before he could even shield himself with his arms, he was taken into a warm mouth.

Not long after, Li Xiujin's mouth was awash with a milky sweetness, the sweet liquid streaming down his throat...

A shiver ran through Lin Ze from the gentle bites. Clutching Li Xiujin's head, he was too mortified to make a sound...

Li Xiujin was ravenous. After draining one, he moved to the other, and finally took them both into his mouth at once...

It wasn't until he felt the pressure against him that Lin Ze jolted back to awareness, his face flushed crimson as he shook his head: "Xiu Jin, not now... not now. You're still injured..."

Li Xiujin's gaze darkened.

"I missed you so much."

Lin Ze's eyes widened slightly, a shy look spreading over his face: "I missed you too..."

"But doing this could make your injuries worse. Can you wait a little longer? Once you're a bit better, you can do whatever you want to me..."

Li Xiujin was aching with desire, but seeing Lin Ze's gentle, worried face, he slumped against Lin Ze, burying his face in his chest and closing his eyes...

The next morning, the four of them set off.

The car Lin Ze had driven was still usable, so he took the wheel. Whether Liu Cheng hadn't received the message or was preoccupied with other matters, they faced no further pursuit on the road ahead. They traveled smoothly to the airport and landed safely in a neighboring city.

Lin Ze first paid for three rooms in cash, then asked the hotel staff to arrange for a doctor.

After the doctor arrived, he examined Li Xiujin's and Yang Yu's wounds.

Although Yang Yu's injuries were severe, they were already healing. Li Xiujin's wounds were about thirty percent healed.

Neither had any serious problems; they just needed to rest and recover.

After seeing off the doctor, the three of them continued discussing their next steps.

"General, what did you mean earlier when you said 'gamble'?"

"I know someone in the Security Department. He holds the same rank as me. If our old friendship still means something to him, he could help suppress Liu Cheng's military forces, escort us back, and have Li Wei testify for us."

"The Security Department? Someone of your rank?" Yang Yu thought for a moment: "General Hu?"

Li Xiujin nodded.

"But you two barely spoke whenever you met before. You actually know each other?" Yang Yu asked.

Li Xiujin offered no further explanation.

Yang Yu said, "Then I'll sneak back and find General Hu."

"Colonel Yang, you can't go. Liu Cheng has already taken control of all the electronic surveillance in our country. Once you're spotted, you'll be captured. Besides, you're still injured," Lin Ze said.

"In that case, none of the three of us can go," Yang Yu realized. Then he remembered something: "What about Su Wang?"

"Su Wang has been captured."

"How was he captured?" Yang Yu asked in surprise.

"I implicated him. Originally, I was under house arrest by Liu Cheng. He forged a release order from the Prime Minister, and Liu Cheng caught him on that. When he was helping me secure a helicopter, he was taken down."

"House arrest? So the General's guess was right," Yang Yu said.

Li Xiujin's expression darkened.

"After we return to the country, we must rescue Su Wang. He helped me a great deal," Lin Ze said.

After Li Xiujin nodded, Lin Ze spoke again: "As for who should go find General Hu, I have someone in mind."

"Who?"

"Ji Ran."

Liu Cheng knows Lu Mo, so Lu Mo can't be sent. But Liu Cheng has never met Ji Ran. To Liu Cheng, Ji Ran is just an ordinary civilian; he wouldn't trouble an ordinary civilian.

Li Xiujin quickly understood Lin Ze's reasoning: "Then tell him to go to the Security Department and find a General surnamed Hu."

*

Lin Ze contacted Lu Mo.

"Colonel, you finally contacted me."

"How are you and General Li?"

"We're both fine. How about you and Chong Yi?"

"We're fine too."

Lin Ze breathed a sigh of relief, then got down to business: "This time, I need you to help me with something."

"Colonel, go ahead."

*

After receiving Lin Ze's instructions, Lu Mo told the servants to stay in the villa and keep a close watch on Li Chongyi. Then he went out and found Ji Ran.

Ji Ran had saved enough money to open a restaurant, and business was booming. When Lu Mo found him, he was standing with his arms crossed, scolding a waiter.

Seeing Lu Mo, his eyes lit up: "What brings you here?"

Lu Mo had no time for pleasantries and directly explained the reason for his visit.

Ji Ran slapped his thigh: "I'll go right away."

"If it weren't for you and Colonel Lin back then, I probably wouldn't be alive. Now that Colonel Lin and his husband are facing such a big difficulty, I'll do whatever I can to help."

Lu Mo chuckled: "Glad to see you still have a conscience."

After his bold declaration, Ji Ran hesitated and asked: "This won't put my life in danger, will it?"

"Don't worry, you're just delivering a message."

"Alright, I'll go now."

Lu Mo, not daring to show his face, covered himself thoroughly and went with him. When they reached the Security Department, Lu Mo gave him a pass for an ordinary soldier.

Ji Ran took the pass and found the office of General Hu.

"You're saying General Li isn't dead and sent you to find me?" General Hu was a middle-aged man of advanced years, his face exuding authority.

Ji Ran gave a nod. "Yeah."

"What proof do you have?" General Hu fixed Ji Ran with a sharp stare.

"General Li wanted me to tell you that five years ago, during that campaign, if you hadn't been a drag on him, he would have completed the mission much faster."

Colonel Hu's eyes narrowed to slits. Five years ago, he was still a major, and he and Li Xiujin, also a major at the time, were sent on a mission to an extremely harsh environment. Unexpectedly, the helicopter transporting them was attacked, forcing a crash landing in the middle of nowhere. He'd injured his leg, and if Li Xiujin hadn't hauled him to safety, he might have died.

Then he slowly smiled.

"What does he want me to do?"

Ji Ran passed on Lin Ze's message.

Colonel Hu pondered briefly. "Tell him that tomorrow night, I'll have men pin down Liu Cheng's people so he can return without a hitch."

*

That evening, Lin Ze got a text from Lu Mo.

"Xiu Jin, Hu Zheng has agreed."

"The time is tomorrow night."

Li Xiujin nodded faintly.

Seeing he seemed to have known already, Lin Ze asked him why.

Li Xiujin didn't want to waste time explaining such unimportant details. Taking advantage of Lin Ze's momentary inattention, he pinned Lin Ze down on the single bed in the hotel room.

A faint blush colored Lin Ze's cheeks. "Xiu Jin..."

Li Xiujin cupped his chin and began to kiss him. Lin Ze was quickly left lightheaded by his kisses. He only jolted back to his senses when a sudden chill hit him...

"Xiu Jin, we agreed... only after your injuries are healed..." Lin Ze said shamefully, tightly closing his legs. He knew Li Xiujin was nearly bursting with pent-up desire, but he was very worried about Li Xiujin's injuries.

"They've mostly healed already."

"If you don't believe me, look."

Li Xiujin lifted his shirt. The bandage wrapped around his ribs was clean, with no fresh blood seeping through. It did look much better than a few days ago.

While Lin Ze was hesitating, he accidentally caught sight of something. Finally, torn between embarrassment and indulgence, he murmured, "Then... just once..."