Chapter 76

Chapter 76

While Li Xiujin had Yang Yu gather intel on the International Prison, Lin Ze also had Su Wang identify the transport detail for Liu Cheng.

As Lin Ze went out, snow began to fall unexpectedly from the sky. He sat in the car, staring vacantly at the sky for a moment before setting off for the place Liu Cheng was being held.

Liu Cheng was being held not at military headquarters but at an investigation department answering directly to the Prime Minister, now under heavy guard.

He waited in the area for half an hour until a middle-aged man bringing in food arrived. The man, already bribed, tossed Lin Ze a thick coat and a mask, then led him to the entrance.

The soldiers guarding outside saw nothing amiss and let them in.

Once inside, Lin Ze split up with the man. He located the team tasked with transporting Liu Cheng to the International Prison. When one of the soldiers went to the restroom, Lin Ze knocked him unconscious, dragged him into an empty interrogation room, and changed into the soldier's uniform.

Fortunately, this transport of Liu Cheng was treated with the same seriousness as transporting terrorists. The soldiers were wearing bulletproof vests along with heavy helmets and masks, leaving only their eyes visible.

Once he was done, Lin Ze heard an alarm. All the soldiers rushed to assemble in an open area. Lin Ze kept his head down and followed them. Once assembled, a specialized prisoner transport van drove in. Soon, Lin Ze saw Liu Cheng being escorted onto the vehicle by two soldiers.

Four soldiers were to ride in the van with Liu Cheng. After two boarded, a lieutenant general looked over the assembled soldiers and finally pointed to the soldier in front of Lin Ze. "You. Get in."

As the selected soldier responded, Lin Ze took a small stone from his pocket and flicked it with his fingers, hitting the soldier's leg. The soldier buckled, dropping to one knee.

Seeing this, the lieutenant general frowned, then his gaze fell on Lin Ze.

"Fine. You go."

Lin Ze boarded the police van transporting Liu Cheng.

Probably knowing someone might try to rescue him, Liu Cheng, wearing prison clothes, showed no fear or remorse. He sat there with his eyes closed, looking perfectly at ease.

Lin Ze locked his eyes on Liu Cheng's face, his chest rising and falling rapidly for a moment. He sat down beside Liu Cheng and placed his gun upright between his legs.

At eight o'clock sharp, the vehicle started moving.

Outside, the snow was falling harder and harder. Through the dark window, the snow piling up on roadside trees was faintly visible.

They had driven for some time when the vehicle suddenly stopped, followed by intense gunfire. The soldier sitting opposite Lin Ze opened the door and jumped out, only to be shot immediately and collapse straight onto the snow-covered road.

These were also soldiers from the military. If they were Li Xiujin and Yang Yu's men, they wouldn't have opened fire so recklessly right away. It must be men sent by the Prime Minister to intercept them. Hearing the sound of chaotic footsteps approaching, Lin Ze quickly raised his gun and jammed it against Liu Cheng's neck.

Liu Cheng, who hadn't opened his eyes even at the sound of gunfire, finally did so when the cold barrel pressed against him. He squinted at Lin Ze for a moment, then smiled.

"Colonel Lin?"

Lin Ze's eyes were icy cold. Ignoring him, Lin Ze told the other soldier to hand over the keys.

The soldier hesitated but gave them to him. Just as Lin Ze unlocked the handcuffs connecting Liu Cheng to the vehicle, a group of black-clad, masked men surrounded their van.

Lin Ze kept the gun trained on Liu Cheng and barked at the men, "Step aside."

The leader stared at Lin Ze for a long moment before ordering his men to make way.

So it was the Prime Minister's men. Confirming this, Lin Ze pulled Liu Cheng out of the vehicle and got into the passenger seat, ordering the driver to drive.

The vehicle quickly started moving.

The pursuers soon followed, firing at Lin Ze's vehicle. They hit a tire, causing the van to lurch and swerve, crashing into the roadside guardrail. The firepower from behind intensified, and the van collided with several passing cars before screeching to a halt. Lin Ze pushed the driver out, handcuffed Liu Cheng's hands again, and restarted the vehicle.

Liu Cheng sat in the passenger seat, watching the usually gentle Lin Ze's cold expression, and teased him, "Colonel Lin, why hasn't your husband arrived yet after all this time? You didn't sneak out to break him out of prison behind your husband's back, did you?"

Lin Ze did not respond.

Liu Cheng looked back through the rearview mirror; several cars were in close pursuit. "If your husband doesn't come to rescue you soon, you might die."

Lin Ze still said nothing.

Earlier that morning, a bribed soldier had informed him that someone would rescue him during the transport. Although the soldier didn't say who, Liu Cheng guessed it was his father. So even though he was now being taken by Lin Ze, he wasn't worried.

But his expression soon changed.

Not far ahead was a sharp turn, but Lin Ze showed no intention of slowing down. Instead, he slammed on the accelerator. Realizing Lin Ze intended to drive the van off the highway—below which was a forest with a slope—Liu Cheng understood that going down with the vehicle would likely be fatal.

Liu Cheng hadn't expected Lin Ze to risk his own life as well. He used his handcuffed hands to grab the steering wheel. The two struggled in the vehicle until Lin Ze gained the upper hand and slammed the accelerator. The van flew off the road.

The vehicle rolled several times before landing on its side. Liu Cheng opened his eyes first. After a moment, he endured the pain and freed his trapped legs. Then he snatched the gun from Lin Ze's hand and searched for the handcuff keys.

At that moment, Lin Ze opened his eyes. Realizing what Liu Cheng was doing, Lin Ze quickly struggled free from the car seat, but a sharp pain suddenly shot through his abdomen. The inside of his pants was completely soaked with blood. He hadn't hit his abdomen, so why was there so much blood from his lower body?

Lin Ze had no time to wonder. He grabbed Liu Cheng, who was searching his pockets, and slammed him hard against the steering wheel, his eyes bloodshot...

Seeing the murderous intent in Lin Ze's eyes, Liu Cheng used his cuffed hands to pull the trigger. The bullet hit Lin Ze's right leg. Lin Ze didn't even flinch and tightened his grip on Liu Cheng's neck.

Liu Cheng's face quickly turned red. "Colonel Lin, even though I've committed crimes, if you kill me, not only might you never be a colonel again, but Li Xiujin might also never regain his position."

The veins on the back of Lin Ze's hands bulged as he choked Liu Cheng. It was precisely because he feared affecting Li Xiujin that he had risked his life to drive here. After killing him, he planned to set the vehicle on fire...

Thick smoke began to rise from the rear compartment. Realizing the fuel tank was burning, Liu Cheng, suffocating, bent his leg and kneed Lin Ze hard in the abdomen.

A piercing pain shot through him, and warm fluid flowed down his leg, causing Lin Ze's grip to loosen slightly.

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Cheng shoved him off and scrambled to escape. Lin Ze quickly pounced on him, raised a dagger, and stabbed fiercely into his chest—once, twice, three times...

Blood splattered onto Lin Ze's deathly pale face, but he remained unmoved, almost mechanically stabbing Liu Cheng's chest...

Until Liu Cheng's eyes widened, and he stopped breathing.

The dagger fell onto the car seat. Lin Ze's shoulders trembled as tears streamed down his face.

The person who had nearly destroyed most of his life was finally ended by his own hands at this moment...

With a loud boom, the entire rear seat was engulfed in flames. Lin Ze swallowed hard, desperately trying to break open the automatically locked door due to the crash. However, the flames quickly spread, consuming Liu Cheng's body. As the fire surged toward Lin Ze, the mixture of vaporized gasoline and oxygen instantly blew the door open, and Lin Ze was thrown out by the explosion...

Lin Ze fell into the thick snow, convulsing for a moment. He struggled to get up. Every part of his body ached, especially his abdomen, as if his internal organs had been ripped out. Lin Ze breathed rapidly, clutching his abdomen, dragging his gunshot leg, and trudging through the heavy snowfall toward home...

Finally, his strength gave out, and he collapsed to the ground...

He gasped in pain, watching the goose-feather snowflakes fluttering down from the sky. He remembered that the snow was this heavy when his teacher and teammates died, and when he first met Xiu Jin...

Lin Ze painfully reached out his hand, letting snowflakes fall onto his palm. As the snow melted, his consciousness began to blur, and tears slowly fell...

He wouldn't be able to see his teacher and teammates again, nor would he be able to see Xiu Jin and their child again...

*

"General, there's a burned-out vehicle here!" Yang Yu's voice called out.

Li Xiujin, his face ashen, walked over through the snow. Seeing the body inside, his breath caught. Only after checking that it wasn't Lin Ze did he dare to breathe again. He quickly examined the surroundings. The footprints weren't yet covered by snow. Li Xiujin followed them and soon saw a figure lying not far away, nearly buried in the snow...

His body swayed violently, and he rushed forward.

After wiping the snow from the person's face, revealing those gentle, handsome features, Li Xiujin's mind went blank, and he could hear nothing.

*

"The patient is severely injured. In addition to a gunshot wound to his leg, he has fractured ribs and a broken arm, and there are clear signs of a head injury."

The surgical lights remained on for eight hours before the doctor emerged from the operating room, looking exhausted.

Li Xiujin's face was as pale as the surgical lights. "When will he wake up?"

The doctor wiped the sweat from his brow and spoke again. "Actually, what I just mentioned aren't the most severe injuries he has... The patient is male and was pregnant. Did you know?"

Li Xiujin's heart felt as if it were being squeezed, sending a sharp pain through him. He seemed not to understand what the doctor was saying and asked hoarsely, "Pregnant?"

"He was already one month pregnant... But there were bruises on his abdomen, likely from being struck multiple times during a fight. We performed a procedure to clear the womb, but he lost too much blood. It's hard to say when he'll wake up..." The doctor sighed. "It could be a week, a month, a year, two years, or a lifetime..."

Li Xiujin staggered, his legs giving way. He leaned against the wall and slowly crouched down, the last trace of color draining from his face.

Seeing him like this, Yang Yu wiped his tears. "General, Colonel Lin is blessed with great fortune. He'll surely wake up before long. Please don't be too sad..."

Li Xiujin wanted to tell him to leave, but his throat was so dry and painful he couldn't speak. After a long moment, he raised his arm and slapped himself hard across the face.

"General!" Yang Yu exclaimed in shock.

Blood trickled from Li Xiujin's ear. Then he forced a smile. "I'm such a fool..."

Two weeks later, Lin Ze was transferred from the intensive care unit to a convalescent hospital.

During those two weeks, after learning that Liu Cheng had died in the burned-out car, the Prime Minister took responsibility for his negligence and resigned. The candidate with the highest votes to become the next Prime Minister was Su Wang.

Meanwhile, the complete truth of the events from seven years ago was thoroughly investigated. Overnight, Lin Ze transformed from a villain into a respected and beloved hero.

In the military, Li Xiujin was temporarily suspended. As for his corporation, he handed over its management to Fu Zhi.

He devoted every day to caring for Lin Ze.

On the day Li Chongyi turned six months old, Li Xiujin brought him from home to the convalescent hospital.

In the quiet, warm hospital room, Lin Ze's soft black hair covered his forehead, revealing only half of his face, which was no larger than a palm. His skin was snow-white and lustrous as he lay in bed, looking as if he were merely asleep.

As soon as Li Chongyi entered, he caught Lin Ze's scent. He squirmed in Li Xiujin's arms, straining toward Lin Ze on the bed. Li Xiujin carried him to the bathroom to wash his hands and face before placing him beside Lin Ze.

Li Chongyi had already learned to crawl. He crawled up to Lin Ze, sucked on his finger, and stared at him for a long while. Suddenly, his eyes reddened. Still unable to call for "Mama," he could only make some sounds. When he realized Lin Ze wasn't responding, he lay down miserably against Lin Ze's chest, tightly clutching his hospital gown, and closed his eyes.

After Li Chongyi fell asleep, Li Xiujin lifted him into the nearby crib. He filled a basin with warm water, wet a towel, and began the routine he had now fully mastered for caring for a completely dependent patient. He first wiped Lin Ze's face and hands, then unbuttoned his clothes to wash his back, and finally came to Lin Ze's now-flat abdomen.

"He was already one month pregnant..."

The doctor's words echoed in his ears. Li Xiujin suddenly felt as if someone were choking him, making it hard to breathe.

He took a deep breath, finished washing him, and dressed him again.

The day passed quickly. Li Xiujin planned to take Li Chongyi home, but the child threw a tantrum at the idea of going home. Seeing him so heartbroken, Li Xiujin paused and decided to let him stay.

At night, Li Xiujin lay beside Lin Ze, quietly gazing at his sleeping face for a moment before gently kissing his lips. In the past, Lin Ze would have shyly responded, but now there was no reaction at all...

Li Xiujin's eyes stung.

During these days of Lin Ze's unconsciousness, he sometimes hated him—hated him for lying, for saying he was important in his heart yet abandoning him to seek revenge on Liu Cheng...

But what he hated more was himself. Why hadn't he been more vigilant after noticing something was wrong with Lin Ze? Why hadn't he arrived sooner...

Late into the night, he lifted Li Chongyi from the crib and placed him between himself and Lin Ze. Watching the sleeping child instinctively nuzzle into Lin Ze's embrace, it felt like a return to one of those happy, peaceful days before the accident...

He, too, like Li Chongyi, burrowed into Lin Ze's arms, holding him tightly. A single tear silently fell from his cheek, landing on Lin Ze's fingertip.

As if burned, Lin Ze's fingertip curled slightly in the darkness...