Seeing that Lixi remained silent after hearing his name, Chi Mu assumed his reputation had frightened her. After all, the outside world whispered that he was a cold-blooded, ruthless man who decided the fate of his enemies with a flick of his wrist—all to strike fear into his foes. But his ruthlessness was reserved solely for those who opposed him; toward his own, he was always a man of reason.
The more Chi Mu thought about it, the more sullen he felt. Just as he was about to say something to salvage his image in Lixi’s eyes, Lixi curved her lips into a smile and said softly, "My name is Lixi. I’ll be troubling you from now on."
At that moment, Lixi was smiling, though her complexion was so pale it was nearly translucent. In the hazy, foggy night, she looked like a delicate, fragile piece of porcelain, possessing a kind of broken beauty that made one want to protect her. The sight made Chi Mu’s heart feel as if it had been lightly brushed by a feather; a tingling, unfamiliar sensation he had never known before began to quietly spread through his chest.
Chi Mu looked away for a moment and gave a nod. Once Lu Meng signed the divorce papers and he finished settling his military affairs, perhaps he could…
Just then, the roar of a car engine echoed from the distance, growing louder and sounding particularly abrupt in the quiet, foggy night. The two of them went on high alert instantly, and Lixi reflexively stepped in front of Chi Mu. Seeing her action, Chi Mu froze, his eyes stinging slightly, though he forced himself to stand his ground and look outward.
Several off-road vehicles screeched to a halt not far away. A few figures in matching dark uniforms quickly jumped out, moving with practiced, efficient grace. One of them shouted, "The tracker shows the location is right here! Search carefully!"
Chi Mu listened intently for a moment and quickly identified the voice of his lieutenant, He Chuan. Summoning all his remaining strength, he called out, "I’m here!"
His voice was weak, but it was loud enough for those nearby to hear. Upon hearing him, the group hurried in their direction. When they arrived, they were surprised to find not only Chi Mu in the grass but also a woman.
He Chuan, who led the group, was stunned. The report they had received was that the Marshal’s cover had been blown and he required extraction, but the Marshal hadn't mentioned anyone else. Was this woman a hostage of the international criminal syndicate? Thinking this, He Chuan felt a surge of awe toward Chi Mu. To think that in such a life-or-death moment, their Marshal had still managed to save an innocent civilian. He was truly the pride of the Southern District of Kyoto!
Perhaps He Chuan’s gaze was too intense for the pair to ignore. Chi Mu, however, was long accustomed to He Chuan’s hero-worship; even when Chi Mu won a shooting competition, He Chuan would celebrate it as if it were a major victory. So, he simply assumed He Chuan was excited because he had survived unharmed.
Lixi, however, feared that He Chuan had misunderstood their relationship. She knew that at this point in time, Chi Mu was already married. It wouldn't do to have others misunderstand and spread gossip; soldiers ought to focus their energy on defending the country rather than getting caught in the whirlpool of tabloid scandals.
Lixi quickly clarified, "I was accidentally caught up in this tonight, and I have my own reasons for being here. If it isn't too much trouble, may I return with you all?"
Before He Chuan could respond, Chi Mu spoke up first, "It’s no trouble at all. I just told you, you can come with me."
Lixi nodded. This was perfect. Not only would she find a chance to save Chi Mu, but she could also take this opportunity to leave Shen Mo behind.
The others hadn't been thinking in that direction, but seeing their Marshal looking so eager, as if he were afraid the woman might run away, they exchanged meaningful glances. Their Marshal had something going on!
Lixi attempted to help Chi Mu stand, but she was exhausted and found it quite a struggle.Seeing beads of fine sweat dotting Lixi's forehead while his subordinates just stood there stupidly, Chi Mu was about to flare up.
Afraid of startling Lixi, however, he took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "Could you few do me a favor and come help me up?"
At these words, He Chuan and the others felt their knees go weak before meeting Chi Mu's murderous glare.
A chill ran down their spines, and they hurried over.
With Lixi on Chi Mu's right, He Chuan came up on his left, and together they helped Chi Mu to his feet.
Seeing that Lixi did not look too well either, Chi Mu's subordinate Qi Chong stepped forward and asked politely, "Miss, you don't look well either. Would you like me to help you?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qi Chong felt a gaze lock onto him.
Without looking, he knew whose it was, but since the words were already out, Qi Chong could only maintain a smile on his face and wait for Lixi's reply.
Lixi was indeed at her limit, and keeping some distance from Chi Mu was probably for the best.
So she handed Chi Mu over to the others and offered her hand to Qi Chong.
The moment Qi Chong supported Lixi, that murderous gaze felt practically tangible. He could only stiffen his body, keeping his eyes averted from Lixi, serving simply as a human crutch.
When they reached the vehicles, Chi Mu stopped Lixi before getting in. "Ride in the same car with me. We'll have the doctor check you out as well."
"Because I noticed you... don't look well either."
Lixi shook her head in refusal. "It's fine. I just haven't eaten in a long time, so my blood sugar is a bit low."
"I'll be fine as long as I get some proper rest and nourishment from now on."
With that, she turned and headed with Qi Chong toward the off-road vehicle behind them.
Though a hollow feeling settled in his chest, Chi Mu said nothing more and got into the car.
Once inside, Chi Mu reverted to his usual decisive and ruthless demeanor, speaking coldly, "I sent out the distress signal at ten o'clock tonight, and you're only arriving now? Were you planning to collect my corpse?"
"And didn't they say someone would meet us on the Eastern District side? Where are they?"
"Investigate everyone involved in this operation. For dereliction of duty, send the serious offenders wherever they belong, and demote the minor ones by one rank."
"Also, aside from those locked away, everyone else for the next month will carry an extra hundred pounds on top of their regular training routine and run ten laps around the training grounds!"
"Any objections?"
He Chuan and the others wailed inwardly. They had only received the news an hour ago and had moved as fast as they could—their tires were practically throwing sparks.
Yet it was indeed their mistake; if anything had truly happened to Chi Mu, a thousand deaths would not absolve them.
Therefore, they shouted back in unison, "No!"
Only after Chi Mu finished speaking did the accompanying doctor, Zhang Hao, step forward to carefully examine Chi Mu's wound.
Zhang Hao was somewhat surprised to find that the wound had already been given a simple treatment.
Though the bandaging technique was rather crude, it had effectively stopped the bleeding, and it was clear a lot of thought had gone into it.
He couldn't help praising, "While this technique isn't quite professional, under these conditions, managing to treat it like this is already very impressive."
Hearing this, a warmth spread through Chi Mu's chest. After a moment of thought, he instructed He Chuan, "Qi Chong did a good job this time. Tell him later that he only needs to run nine laps."
He Chuan and the others: ???
What did Qi Chong do? Didn't he just help Lixi?
Yet not daring to question it, He Chuan replied, "Understood, Marshal!"
Still, Chi Mu's wound needed to be treated at a hospital, so wasting no time, the group headed toward the Southern District.