Chapter 7: You Saved Me Too

Grenade?

Qin Hu stared at her, eyes wide.

Wait, wasn't this woman supposed to be the heiress of the W Group? He could understand her boldness—anyone accustomed to gunfights would be braver than most. But grenades? That she could handle such a thing was astonishing.

Before he could say a word, Chen Yu had already fished a grenade from her backpack and, palm slightly open, placed it right in front of Shen Zhaoxi.

Qin Hu’s brow twitched. He immediately stepped forward and patted the young man’s head. “Are you out of your mind?”

They were special forces, equipped with the most advanced weaponry—grenades included. The destructive power of this new model was enough to bring down the entire building and bury them with it. If this woman made even the slightest mistake, wouldn’t they all be doomed?

Qin Hu grew vigilant. “She definitely hasn’t got good intentions!”

“Is it usable?” Chen Yu looked at her earnestly, his tone almost naive.

Shen Zhaoxi smiled at that.

“A new P95 military portable grenade from Country Y?” Her eyes lifted at the corners. “Impressive equipment.”

At her words, Lu Yunzhou, standing to the side, watched her in silence. His thin lips pressed together, an eyebrow arched in surprise.

The P95 portable military grenade, the latest development from Country Y, had never been deployed on any battlefield. How did she know about it?

But Shen Zhaoxi, oblivious to the man’s probing gaze, withdrew her smile and continued calmly, “You’re all underestimating this place.”

She pressed a hand to her wounded arm, seeming exhausted, and turned to lean against a nearby wall.

“This isn’t like any other ordinary experimental base in Sand City,” she said.

The girl, blood staining her lips crimson, looked strangely bewitching in the dim light, her face pale as paper. Her eyes, dark and dangerously alluring, lifted to meet theirs.

“If it were an ordinary grenade, it probably wouldn’t even open up a passage.”

As her words fell, Lu Yunzhou followed her gaze, moving slowly to the right. A glint flickered in his dark eyes as he stared at a particular section of the wall ahead.

Just as he suspected.

His expression darkened.

Even if Shen Zhaoxi had said nothing, he would have made this decision—to lead his men down into this underground base.

And she was right. Had this place been like any other, the entire underground facility would have collapsed when the laboratory self-destructed earlier.

After the blast, the underground base was shrouded in darkness, its walls thick and airtight.

Lu Yunzhou found a concealed spot and knocked on the wall with his long, slender fingers.

His eyes turned icy; sure enough, this wall was different from the others. It was as if the entire steel-reinforced laboratory had been designed with this gap in mind.

“What’s behind it?” Chen Yu frowned.

He’d thought something was off about the wall from the sound alone. There could well be dangers lurking behind it.

“An underground river,” Lu Yunzhou replied, his voice cold as steel. He signaled his men forward.

His jet-black eyes fixed ahead. “Take down this wall.”

“Yes, Captain!”

The demolition expert was brought forward and set to work, while the others took cover. They watched as the grenade exploded with a thunderous roar.

In an instant, the wall shattered, collapsing inwards. The ground sank another notch, revealing only darkness beyond.

With flashlights, they could just make out a surging underground river, the sound of rushing water echoing endlessly. The atmosphere was eerie, and the current looked fierce.

“You go first,” Lu Yunzhou said, his voice steady as ever. He glanced at the rescued girl from the laboratory and assigned men to escort her out through the river.

So, under the cover of over a dozen special forces soldiers, Chen Yu and Qin Hu led the girl out into the darkness.

The underground river raged on. Even for these strong, vigorous soldiers, swimming out was exhausting and dangerous.

“Do you know how to swim?” Lu Yunzhou suddenly turned, his deep gaze falling on Shen Zhaoxi.

“Even if I did, do you think I’d make it out?” she replied, her voice hoarse, eyes lowered.

Leaning against the wall, blood seeped from her shoulder, staining her clothes with crimson spots. Her arm throbbed with pain.

Just as she closed her eyes to rest, a tall, upright figure stepped in front of her, blocking her view.

Without warning, the man reached out, his arm entering her line of sight.

Before she could react, his hand seized her arm.

A jolt of searing pain shot through her right arm.

“You—!” Shen Zhaoxi’s brows knitted, her face paling from the agony. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, trailing down her cheeks to her delicate neck.

She raised her eyes in disbelief at the man before her.

Was this how you reset an arm? Not even a word of warning?

Shen Zhaoxi almost laughed from exasperation.

The pain in her right arm just now had nearly sent her over the edge.

She couldn’t help but think—men like him were impossible to deal with!

Despite her protest, the man remained silent, lips pressed tight, his refined, cold face shrouded in shadow.

Lu Yunzhou’s eyes were glacial.

His movements were ruthless, utterly without mercy.

He had no concept of gentleness toward women like Shen Zhaoxi—there was only indifference in his gaze.

Austere, like a stone-faced deity.

From their perspective, that was only natural. Right now, she was the villain.

She’d fallen into their hands; the fact that they hadn’t killed her was mercy enough.

“Stay close,” the man said coldly, not seeing her as vulnerable in the slightest.

In Lu Yunzhou’s eyes, she was the W Group’s heiress—a captive.

He couldn’t let her die here.

Shen Zhaoxi pressed her pale lips together. Blood seeped from her chest, dropping steadily to the ground. Her arm, her entire body, felt void of strength.

But she had to get out. If she stayed, only death awaited.

Gritting her teeth, Shen Zhaoxi plunged into the dark water.

The sound of water engulfed her.

Her chest wound, like a rose petal, slowly dyed the river red as she drifted.

Staring into the pitch black ahead, she felt her energy ebbing away…

“Zhaoxi!”

“Zhaoxi…”

“Can you still hear me?”

Out of the darkness, a white mist of light suddenly flashed, blinding her.

“Sister Zhaoxi, I’ll complete the mission!”

“I won’t let down the country.”

“Nor the First Military District.”

“Zhou Xu—”

“Zhou Xu!”

“Zhou Xu, I won’t allow anything to happen to you.”

“Sister Zhaoxi, forgive me…”

After three seconds of eye contact, the youth’s brows softened into a gentle smile beneath the sunlight.

Her vision was awash in blood.

No!

“You’re awake?”

A gentle voice sounded by her side. Shen Zhaoxi’s brows flickered as she sat up and looked around.

She saw the boy crouched beside her, his movements warm and careful.

“You lost too much blood and passed out while swimming out of the underground river,” he explained. “It was our captain who pulled you out.”

Chen Yu wrapped her wounded arm in fresh gauze as he spoke, packing up the medical kit on a nearby rock.

“You’ve got some signs of infection,” he said.

That was why he had to treat her wounds and change the dressing promptly.

It would have been odd if she hadn’t gotten an infection, given how serious her injuries were. If left untreated, the consequences could be dire.

The bloodied bullet lay discarded in the mud, along with the blood-soaked gauze.

Where was this place?

If Shen Zhaoxi guessed right, she must have been unconscious for several hours.

She glanced around quickly, taking in her surroundings.

In the dim night, they seemed to be on a patch of damp grass beside a river, the air heavy with mist.

Lu Yunzhou had stationed guards around their resting place, alert for any sign of the enemy, while others comforted the girl rescued from the experimental base.

“Don’t be afraid—we’ve already left the Sand City facility,” someone reassured the girl.

Since she was a citizen of Country Y, it was their duty to see her safely home.

But Shen Zhaoxi couldn’t help but think—this girl from the lab was too suspicious. Why weren’t they investigating her?

The dark night pressed down like thick ink, not a star in sight.

Recalling the images that had flashed through her mind, Shen Zhaoxi touched the bloodied gauze on her chest, her thoughts becoming muddled.

She had dreamed again.

“Are you still feeling unwell?” Chen Yu noticed her expression, packed up the medical kit, and slung it over his shoulder, asking with concern.

“Why did you help me?” Shen Zhaoxi lifted her eyes, her voice cold.

She meant his treatment of her gunshot wound—the bullet he’d removed.

She was their hostage. So long as she didn’t die, what did it matter if her wound became infected? Why bother taking out the bullet?

Seeing the indifference in her gaze, the boy frowned slightly, then replied earnestly, “You saved me once.”

“I saved you?”

His eyes were so clear, so sincere.

“Yes.” Chen Yu met her gaze.

Even if she was the enemy, Chen Yu couldn’t ignore a life in need.

His words jogged her memory—was it that time they entered the underground laboratory? She had pulled him aside, out of the bullet’s path.

Chen Yu was still so young—a fresh-faced soldier, understanding gratitude, treating others with kindness even when they stood on opposite sides.

He was admirable, already serving in the military and daring to come to such a dangerous place as Sand City.

“You’re injured. Rest well,” he said.

It wasn’t far now—just head southwest and they could cross the oasis and reach Country Y’s defense line.

Lu Yunzhou had assigned others to keep watch over her, wary she might escape.

But since she was wounded and still unconscious, the men only patrolled nearby, occasionally glancing her way to make sure she wasn’t up to anything.

They treated her not only as a hostage, but also as a prisoner.

Chen Yu handed her a compressed biscuit.

“What’s this?” Shen Zhaoxi asked, puzzled.

“You probably haven’t eaten all day, have you?” he said, breaking his own ration in half and giving her a share.

She accepted the food, her eyes lowering, long lashes trembling in the dim firelight, which illuminated her frosted gaze.

A fire burned by the riverside—the night was deep. Chen Yu sat beside her, leaning against a square stone.

They had just survived a battle, and swimming out of the underground river had sapped them all. Now, they needed rest.

“Die—!” Suddenly, a venomous female voice hissed from the darkness.

A gleaming military knife flashed, lunging straight for Shen Zhaoxi.