Life is Like a Journey – Chapter 131.2

Volume 5: Extra

Peace Dove (7)

Life must have cracks for light to shine through.

“What did you do to her?! Get lost! Beasts! Animals! F*ck!”

            

In her distress, she cursed everything, making those people laugh instead. Someone opened the cell door for her, and Lu Qingshi rushed in, falling to her knees beside her.

“Gu Yanzhi…” she gently cradled her head, kissing her dirt-covered face.

She could still detect faint breathing – she was still alive.

            

This made Lu Qingshi both laugh and cry.

She held the person in her embrace, stroking her emaciated back through the iron chains, then patted her head as scalding tears fell into the hollow of her neck.

She whispered in Chinese by her ear: “Yanzhi, wait for me, wait for me to take you home.”

            

During the torture, she had countless thoughts of ending her life, but each time the thought merely flickered through her mind, she would remember her face, her smile, her warmth, and think of the two pets waiting in the motherland.

She remembered the beautiful future she had promised her.

One cat and one dog, trading up for a big house, and having a mixed-race baby.

            

It was these thoughts that supported her through round after round of severe torture and mental anguish, sustaining her will to live.

At the moment of capture, Gu Yanzhi the soldier had already died.

Now living was just ordinary person Gu Yanzhi, the Gu Yanzhi who wanted a beautiful future with her.

            

As long as she had even one breath left, as long as those people didn’t actually kill her, she would grit her teeth and persist, willing to risk her broken shell of a body just to see her one last time before dying.

From long ago, Lu Qingshi had become her will to live.

This time was no exception.

            

When she awoke again, it was no longer the dark, damp cell – she lay on a hospital bed, covered with a blanket, limbs still bound by chains, but surprisingly there was even a glass of water beside the bed.

She stared for a long while, then suddenly jolted upright on the bed, chains clattering, struggling futilely like a—trapped beast—.

Her wrists were rubbed raw, feet covered in blood blisters, her hoarse throat letting out a desperate roar.

            

She knew she had been here.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t receive this kind of treatment.

Several lackeys entered with guns, stuffing a wad of tattered cotton in her mouth. They unfastened the chains from the bed, holding them as several burly men dragged her step by step.

            

This was one of Kala’s favorite shows.

Appreciating human fragility and helplessness.

Lu Qingshi was performing surgery below, while he watched from above, cigar between his fingers as a lackey lit it for him.

            

He took a deep drag, filling his glass with vodka.

“Your woman is quite an exceptional surgeon, isn’t she?”

Gu Yanzhi was forced to kneel on the ground at his feet, watching helplessly through the display window as she violated professional ethics, the healer’s benevolence, and moral principles to perform surgery for Bal, surgery for the scum of humanity.

            

How much pain must be in her heart, how much internal struggle must she have gone through to come here?

Looking at her reddened eyes and meticulous movements, her own heart was bleeding.

Gu Yanzhi knew, it was all for her.

            

She wailed in despair, wanting to beg her to stop, wanting to tell her to get out, but couldn’t make a sound.

A metallic taste gradually filled her mouth as Gu Yanzhi’s fingertips dug deep into the dirt floor, nails peeling back and bleeding profusely.

Kala sensed something was wrong and kicked her. She fell to the ground gasping for breath, the cotton in her mouth now soaked with blood.

            

A lackey struck her with a rifle butt, blood streaming from her head, and she was dragged by chains back to the previous room.

Seven hours later, the surgery concluded successfully.

The observing assistant was Kala’s man, who ran to report to him. The man entered the operating room applauding.

            

“Madam, you’re amazing. Besides that special forces soldier, I might fall in love with you.”

Lu Qingshi put down the scalpel, her expression unchanged: “Can we leave now?”

“When will Bal wake up?”

            

“Once the anesthesia wears off.”

The man gave a signal, and several lackeys surrounded her: “Then I’m sorry, but you’ll have to stay until then.”

Lu Qingshi’s fingertips gripped—a thin blade, pointing it at Bal’s carotid artery: “Nobody move. How do I know you’ll keep your word?”

            

“Until then you can stay here, but if anything happens to Bal—”

He waved his hand, and several lackeys brought in the unconscious Gu Yanzhi, pressing a gun to her throat.

“She’ll die too, madam. I hope you’ll be smart about this.”

            

Lu Qingshi stood by the bed, sliding the gleaming blade into her sleeve.

“Fine. Once he wakes up, Bal is yours, and I take her with me.”

These would be long twelve hours, as Lu Qingshi curled up alone in the operating room, watching over the terrorist named Bal.

            

She had tried contacting her through the miniature communicator in her cochlea, but there was no response – she didn’t know if it had been confiscated or if she was still unconscious.

Had she been tortured again, had she been further tormented?

She knew Kala wasn’t the type to keep his word, but she needed time to conserve energy, and she had prepared her final trump card.

            

If all else failed, she would choose mutual destruction.

In this atmosphere of anxiety, dawn arrived.

Bal’s vital signs were all rising, showing signs of awakening, and Lu Qingshi stood up.

            

Someone went to report to Kala, who appeared at the door with his group in a rush.

Lu Qingshi held the knife to Bal’s throat: “Release my person first.”

Kala saw his brother on the hospital bed struggling to open his eyes and became excited, then seeing the gleaming blade in her hand, his expression turned somewhat maniacal.

            

“Madam, put down the knife, and I’ll let you see her.”

Gu Yanzhi was dragged over, limbs bound in shackles, her entire body as limp as mud, covered in wounds without an inch of unharmed skin.

Her heart ached terribly, eyes instantly reddening: “Gu Yanzhi!”

            

She called her name, but there was no response. Kala’s lackey propped her up: “She’s been on a hunger strike, fainted on her own, we didn’t do anything to her.”

“You bastards!” Hatred made her whole body tremble, wanting nothing more than to pounce and flay them alive, but looking at the unconscious Gu Yanzhi, she knew she had more important things to accomplish.

Kala saw her wrist shaking, fearing the blade might pierce his brother’s neck, and kicked the speaking lackey.

            

“Hurry up and return her, do you want Bal to die?!”

The man dragged Gu Yanzhi over step by step. Lu Qingshi swallowed, the sharp blade cutting into her palm, unable to tell if it was blood or sweat making it slick.

The lackey threw Gu Yanzhi down like a dead dog. She rushed over without hesitation to check her condition, and when she looked up again, dark gun barrels were uniformly aimed at her.

            

She knew Kala wouldn’t let her leave so easily.

The doctor’s downturned lips curved slightly.

The next moment, she suddenly ripped open her white coat, revealing a bulletproof vest covered in explosive packs, red lights flashing, numbers counting down like death tokens.

            

She abruptly stood up and took several steps forward, causing several terrorists to retreat in terror.

Her body was covered in explosive packs – if they detonated, not just her, but everything here would be reduced to ashes.

Lu Qingshi smiled, her beautiful face and white coat somehow sending chills down spines.

            

Kala saw black wings spread behind her, like a fallen angel.

Her expression was manic, eyes blood-red: “Come on, shoot! Isn’t this just a suicide attack?! Isn’t this what you always do?! Shoot! Kill me!”

Her venomous gaze clung to Kala through the crowd like a parasitic worm, as if she might burst through the crowd at any moment to drag him to hell with her.

            

Cold sweat dripped down the extremist leader’s temple.

He waved his hand, retreating first as others cleared a path.

Lu Qingshi lifted Gu Yanzhi from the ground, propping her on her neck, using bandages to bind them tightly together. Her head drooped on her shoulder, and with a slight turn, she could detect her faint breathing.

            

Lu Qingshi’s eyes brimmed with hot tears as she walked while crying.

Her long legs dragged on the ground.

She was taller and heavier than her.

            

She wasn’t strong enough to carry her.

With each step, her legs trembled, cold sweat dripping from her temples.

She had no weapon – she herself was the weapon.

            

She wrapped her arms around her waist, moving step by step, dragging her towards the exit.

She couldn’t stop.

She passed those black gun barrels, passed Kala’s face.

            

Through the long, dark corridor, she carried her towards the light.

With each step, sweat mixed with tears fell.

Through sheer willpower, she forcibly carried the female soldier who far exceeded her in height and weight, making her way out of the enemy’s lair.

            

She just said: “Gu Yanzhi, we’re going home, we’re home.”

The morning sun rose, distant sand dunes rolling endlessly.

Lu Qingshi squinted, feeling her breathing growing weaker. She pulled her up slightly, the heavy weight bending her back.

            

The doctor turned her head to kiss her face, tears streaming: “Yanzhi, hold on, we’ll be home soon. I’ll never leave you again, and don’t you leave me. Hamburger… Hamburger and French Fries are waiting for us to return… Didn’t you want to buy a big house? We’ll buy it, buy it, whatever the cost. Didn’t you want to have mixed-race babies? I’ll have them, have them, we’ll have them as soon as we get back. Hold on, Gu Yanzhi!”

The woman’s sharp cry seemed to pull back a thread of her consciousness – she could never bear to see her cry.

Even with one foot in Yama’s Palace [阎王殿 | Yán wáng diàn | King of Hell’s court], she could be pulled back by her.

            

She was helpless whenever she cried.

The weakened female officer coughed twice, her voice threadlike: “How… did you come here?”

“I came… came to take you home.”

            

She seemed to remember many nights from before, the nights waiting for her after work.

The nights driving to wait at the fire station entrance.

The nights passing warm milk tea into her hands.

            

The nights taking her hand.

“Let’s… go home.”

She said thus, mind still unclear, yet consciously trying to get down from her back.

            

She feared crushing her.

Lu Qingshi held her tight, feeling her chest both sour and bitter, not knowing where the strength came from as she slowly stood up again, legs trembling, determinedly dragging her forward.

She wasn’t afraid anymore.

            

She had never felt so brave.

Even if mountains of knives and seas of fire lay ahead, she would take her home.

Just as they were about to exit the clearing, Kala pressed the communicator, ordering the lookout tower lackeys to shoot.

            

A gunshot rang out, and Lu Qingshi instinctively pushed her away, but unexpectedly someone rushed in front of her, like a soldier descending from heaven, firmly protecting her.

Blood mist sprayed before her eyes as Mike protected them, dragging them along, using his body as a shield against bullets coming from all directions.

The lovable white boy’s lips continuously leaked blood as he desperately clutched Lu Qingshi’s clothes, preventing bullets from reaching her.

            

His legs were bent at an impossible angle, and he used his last strength to cut the detonator wires of her explosive packs – this thing was his creation, he knew how to disarm it.

Lu Qingshi stared at him tearfully as they fell beneath the lookout tower, with the main gate just steps away.

If they could rush through that door, they would be safe.

            

The big boy’s golden hair was covered in blood. He disarmed her explosive packs and handed her his bulletproof vest.

Mike looked at Gu Yanzhi, unconscious on the doctor’s shoulder, a relieved smile appearing at his lips.

He raised his hand to his temple, giving his final military salute: “Sir, White Eagle mission complete, ready to meet the other brothers…”

            

She saw blood mixed with organ fragments leak from his lips, saw him shakily stand up, pull the pin of his grenade, and throw himself into the crowd, firmly holding down a terrorist in his embrace.

Like a demolitions expert, he ended his brief but brilliant life.

Lu Qingshi put Mike’s bulletproof vest on Gu Yanzhi, dragging her in a desperate run, falling again and again in the desert.

            

Getting up again and again.

Blood stained her white coat red.

She had been shot.

            

But she felt no pain.

In her eyes, there was only her smile.

“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

            

“This world won’t be dark forever. If you feel darkness for a moment, it’s only because you haven’t found your own fireworks.”

She finally understood what she meant to say.

Life must have cracks for light to shine through.

            

Gu Yanzhi was the one who lit up her entire sky of stars.

She was the one who pulled her from the quagmire of her past.

She was the one who helped her understand what true love was like.

            

She was redemption, hope, light.

From bone-deep devotion to unwavering until death.

In the distance, a Humvee roared towards them at full speed, bullets pinging off its body.

            

Sand Hawk saw her white coat covered in blood.

Lu Qingshi pulled open the car door, pushing her inside.

A rocket landed near the vehicle, shattering the glass. Lu Qingshi was thrown by the blast wave as Sand Hawk opened the door for her.

            

“Quick, get in!”

With pursuers’ footsteps approaching, Lu Qingshi climbed onto the door, reaching for the gun in the back seat, then staggeringly slammed the door shut.

She gritted her teeth, blood seeping from her lips: “Go!”

            

Another mortar shell landed nearby as she fired her gun, managing only a quick glance back in the rush.

Sand Hawk exchanged looks with her, nodding slightly, then bit down and pressed the accelerator, leaving in a cloud of dust.

A group of terrorists swarmed in, machine guns spewing flames, as Lu Qingshi fell like a kite with cut strings into the desert.

            

The vast yellow sand blew over, covering everything.

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The author has something to say:

The background music for this chapter should be “Victory”, which enhances the experience

            

Women can be both strong and resilient, yet gentle as water.

Women can also protect their homeland and have ideals and aspirations.

Women can take off their red clothes and don military uniforms to protect their loved ones.

            

Hands that never killed can also take up arms.

Men can be cute too.

Men can be gentle too.

            

Men can wear dresses and makeup too.

……

Hope such an era arrives soon.

            

Also, making a wish – hoping for world peace.

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