Chapter 287: Start the self-detonation procedure; sink into the quicksand
Chapter 287
"Moon Shadow!" Meihua Q was furious.
Moon Shadow's palm was cut open by the barbs of the sharp weapon, fresh blood dripping along the cracks between his fingers, but he clutched it tightly without letting go.
He tilted his head slightly and said to Qiao Ying: "Look for a chance to leave." Then he dragged his battered body and charged at Meihua Q.
Meihua Q: "Stubborn thing courting death!"
Qiao Ying kicked up with her knee, separating from Feng Ying.
Both were drenched in blood. Qiao Ying leaned against the wall, barely supporting her body. Feng Ying's kick just now had slammed her against the wall, breaking her bones and puncturing her internal organs with the fractured ends.
If this continued, they wouldn't even need to make a move - she would bleed out internally and die in this place.
The injured Moon Shadow was no match for Meihua Q at all. After just a few exchanges, he was knocked down by Meihua Q.
Meihua Q looked at the betraying Moon Shadow, killing intent swirling coldly in his eyes. He felt no shred of affection towards this student he had raised for over twenty years - to him, Moon Shadow was just a disobedient machine.
He said coldly, "Since you want to betray the dark side, I'll personally send you off. I'll go take care of her next."
Just then, Feng Ying struggled to his feet once more. His chest was drenched in blood that continued to flow outwards, but he seemed oblivious to the pain. His eyes were fixed on only one target - Qiao Ying.
Just as Meihua Q was about to finish off Moon Shadow and Feng Ying prepared to attack Qiao Ying again, a sudden explosion rang out.
The massive blast shook the interior of the castle as well.
One of the large doors was under attack - the intact door had been blown into a gaping hole, with rubble scattered all around.
As the dust settled, the robot Qin Hanyue appeared in the doorway. The little aerial recon robot that had been sent to get reinforcements flew to Qiao Ying's side.
Before anyone could react, Qin Hanyue's calm voice emitted from the robot's interior: "Commencing self-destruct sequence. 10 kg of TNT ready. Damage radius 500 meters. Countdown beginning: Ten, nine, eight..."
Meihua Q's pupils contracted sharply. He immediately turned and fled, sliding into the underground lab...
The cloned Feng Ying and Moon Shadow also quickly escaped.
Qin Hanyue's cold, merciless countdown echoed through the empty grand hall of the castle: "Five, four, three..."
"Two, one..."
The countdown ended, yet the castle remained peacefully quiet. No fearsome massive explosion occurred. The robot threw out two smoke bombs.
By the time Meihua Q realized he had been tricked and returned above ground, Qiao Ying's figure had vanished from the hall, which was now filled with smoke.
Outside the castle, a black SUV sped away, heading into the distance until it was just a black speck.
Fidel glanced at the rearview mirror. "Boss lady? How is it? Don't scare me, if you die then I'm done for too."
"Emergency assistance request sent to only emergency contact Qin Hanyue along with location. Wife, hang in there," the worried robot said.
"This robot already contacted the boss yesterday. Hold on a bit longer." Fidel floored the accelerator.
Qiao Ying's brows were tightly knitted as she gasped for breath. "...Steady on." Her internal bleeding meant she couldn't handle bumps.
Fidel wanted to drive steadily too, but "They're catching up." He glanced at the rearview mirror.
Fidel had no cell signal and couldn't contact Amna's subordinates - he didn't have any of their numbers memorized, so there was no way to call for backup. They could only wait for Qin Hanyue.
There was only one canister of gas left in the car, not nearly enough to reach Amna.
Even if there was enough, in Qiao Ying's condition, if they only arrived at Amna's two days later, her body would be cold by then.
What he could do now was try to shake off the pursuers first.
Qiao Ying struggled to sit up. "...Where are my needles?"
The robot immediately rummaged them out from his belly. "Wife."
Qiao Ying opened the needle pack and drew out two, beginning to administer acupuncture to stop her bleeding...
The robot offered her a bottle of water. "Wife, do you want water?"
"...Quiet."
In the night, the black SUV blended into the darkness, its two headlights seeming exceptionally dim.
To shake off the pursuers, Fidel had long abandoned all sense of direction - the black SUV soon became lost in the vast desert.
The car suddenly stopped and the engine cut out. No matter how much Fidel tried the ignition, there was no response. He cursed angrily and slapped the steering wheel twice. "I knew this would happen!"
"It always fails at critical moments! I've never had good luck. Taking me along, Boss lady, you too..." Dammit!
Fidel took his tool kit and glanced back at Qiao Ying in the car. He was truly shocked by her condition.
Yet the person in question remained extremely calm and composed, which also eased Fidel's panic somewhat. Fidel thought to himself: Just like the boss.
Then he hurried out to fix the car.
The robot followed him out to provide lighting and assess the situation.
Fidel worked on the car with his tools.
Inside the car, Qiao Ying's condition was very worrying. She had her eyes closed with over a dozen silver needles stuck into her body. Her breathing wavered between steady and ragged, her complexion deathly pale and frightening.
While fixing the car, Fidel suddenly heard some strange sounds. "What's that?"
The robot Qin Hanyue immediately shone his light over. A dozen figures emerged from beneath the sand - dressed all in black bodysuits like some island nation's ninjas.
Fidel drew the handgun at his waist and softly called out, "Boss lady."
Inside the car, Qiao Ying slowly opened her eyes and gripped the short blade that had belonged to Moon Shadow, her gaze filled with killing intent.
On the desert, a bloody skirmish unfolded beneath the vast night sky.
Fidel fired first, his marksmanship exceptional. But shot after shot was nimbly evaded by the opponents.
Such skill... Fidel thought to himself: We're done for.
A black shadow flashed right up to them in the blink of an eye. Before Fidel could react, Qiao Ying had already slipped out of the car, shooting forward like lightning. She leapt up from the ground, landing a beautiful knee strike squarely on the black shadow's chest and sending him flying several meters back.
Fidel was stunned for a moment before hurriedly turning to grab a submachine gun from the trunk.
But after a burst of bullets, the charging black shadow had already knocked the submachine gun from his grasp.
Fidel was no amateur, but still clearly outmatched against these professional assassins. Fending for himself wasn't too difficult, at least in a one-on-one situation.
Blood sprayed in large patches onto the sand, quickly vanishing into it and leaving only a deeper patch of shadow in the darkness.
That petite figure wove through the black shadows, engaging them in close quarters combat.
With her severely injured internal organs bleeding, Qiao Ying absolutely could not exert herself fully. After taking down seven or eight opponents in a row, the slight bit of strength she had recovered was once again depleted, now barely clinging at the precipice.
In the melee, Qiao Ying was kicked down a slope, tumbling over ten meters from the high sand dune and crashing onto the sand below.
Qiao Ying's vision blacked out briefly. Before she could catch her breath, she felt the sand sinking away under her feet as she struggled to stand up.
Sinking in large patches under her. Very quickly, her calves were submerged in the sand.
Qiao Ying immediately halted her attempt to lift her foot.
It was quicksand.
The more she struggled, the faster she would sink.