Chapter Sixty-Nine: Beware of the Bomb

The man's gaze suddenly turned icy as he stared at Chen Yuxin, a twisted grin spreading across his face.

An intense sense of dread crept over Chen Yuxin, as if a terrible danger was closing in. A chill swept down her spine. She spun around abruptly and saw a man holding a handkerchief dusted with some yellowish powder, reaching toward her face.

So he really is an imposter… Chen Yuxin was struck with terror, her body seized by utter despair, though a faint hope still lingered in her heart.

Bang—a sharp gunshot rang out at that critical moment, echoing across the empty fields.

"Ah!" The man behind Chen Yuxin howled in pain. The bullet pierced his wrist, the handkerchief dropping as the round grazed the suited man's shoulder.

Standing atop a pile of stones not far away was Liu Jingye, gripping a black Desert Eagle that looked as imposing as Thor’s hammer, its smoking barrel a harbinger of death.

He finally made it… In that instant, Chen Yuxin felt the joy of being snatched back from the jaws of death. They say beauties adore heroes; in such a moment, saved by a hero, any woman would feel the impulse to give herself over entirely.

"Run!" Liu Jingye suddenly shouted, seizing the confusion to urge her away—he couldn't let Chen Yuxin become a hostage.

All the while, his gun remained trained on the man in the suit.

Chen Yuxin, remarkably composed at this crucial moment, turned and fled without a trace of hesitation.

The man in the suit had no intention of taking her hostage. Instead, he swiftly pulled a grenade from inside his jacket and hurled it toward the space between Liu Jingye and Chen Yuxin, determined to eliminate them both in one blow.

Liu Jingye’s pupils contracted sharply. He hadn’t expected the enemy to be so ruthless as to use such weapons right from the start.

"Down!" he roared. Chen Yuxin, still processing what was happening, was startled by his shout and tripped over the rubble, hitting the ground hard.

The grenade sailed just over her head. Liu Jingye’s predator-sharp eyes tracked it, and suddenly he raised his gun.

Bang—the muzzle flashed. The bullet, as if guided, struck the "neck" of the grenade, just below the pin where the metal casing joined the round body—a spot that held only the safety, not the explosives.

Liu Jingye’s shot altered the grenade’s trajectory, sending it spinning up toward the sky.

Bang—he fired again, hitting the same spot. The spinning grenade, struck by the bullet, reversed course and flew back the way it came, not fast but on the verge of detonating.

Liu Jingye dropped to the ground. The man in the suit, panic-stricken, dove behind the crumbling wall.

Boom—a deafening explosion shook heaven and earth. A ball of fire erupted midair, shrapnel raining down.

The grenade’s charge, positioned at the bottom, sent fragments flying horizontally, but exploding in the air meant the falling debris had lost most of its force—like the fading sparks of a firework.

Dodging the blast, Liu Jingye rushed over, knocking the wounded man into unconsciousness with a swift kick. He pulled the dazed Chen Yuxin behind him and shielded her. Then, he fired three shots at the collapsing wall, the bullets passing through without hitting anyone.

"There he is!" Despite being scared out of her wits, Chen Yuxin’s sharp eyes spotted the suited man making his escape around the back.

"Get out of here!" Liu Jingye called, immediately giving chase—this man was the key to turning the tide.

Chen Yuxin barely had time to call out "Be careful" before Liu Jingye, swift as a leopard, was gone.

As he vaulted over the wall where the suited man had hidden, he suddenly felt something catch his foot. Steadying himself, he looked down: a thin wire was looped around his ankle, its other end attached to a loose grenade pin.

"Damn it!" Liu Jingye cursed, launching himself forward and rolling away.

Boom—the stubborn wall finally collapsed, bricks and shards flying everywhere.

Though not struck by shrapnel, Liu Jingye was buried under debris, the impact leaving his ribs aching.

"This guy’s something else—he rigged traps in such a short time." Liu Jingye dared not underestimate him now.

He got up and fired at the fleeing man. The shot missed but struck the ground near his feet, sending stones flying into the man’s face and halting his escape.

Liu Jingye surged forward but suddenly stumbled—his foot had sunk into a small pit.

"Damn!" he growled, ducking just as another explosion erupted nearby, raising a cloud of dust.

Blood stained the rubble. Liu Jingye pulled his leg from the pit, dirt covering him, his left sleeve shredded and arm bleeding profusely.

"Just a flesh wound, thank goodness. Seems this guy was prepared for me all along—he’d already set traps." Spitting out dust, Liu Jingye muttered, "No wonder he risked gunfire to flee in a straight line—he wanted me to follow his path."

He flexed his injured arm; though the wound wasn’t deep, the pain was searing.

Calming himself, he pressed on, albeit more slowly. Ahead, he spotted an intact red brick with a hollowed-out center, hiding a small landmine.

The ground was covered with debris, nowhere safe to step. If he hadn’t already been wounded, he’d have stepped on that brick to keep his footing.

"This bastard is cunning, using the terrain for different tactics—he’s clearly got combat experience." Liu Jingye sneered, raised his gun, and fired at the mine, detonating it.

Boom, boom, boom… A series of explosions left Liu Jingye stunned.

He hadn’t expected that tiny mine to be rigged to several more, which detonated in all directions, forming a ring of explosions. Had he not spotted it in time, even a god couldn’t have escaped.

"This bastard—first trap grenades, now chained mines. He’s pulling out all the stops."

Liu Jingye lay low, nearly buried in rubble and dust, his arm still bleeding.

"This is a peaceful city, not a bloody battlefield," he muttered, spitting grit. "Is it really necessary to use both grenades and mines?"

Dust billowed, blotting out the sun. Liu Jingye crawled forward, searching for a way out. Suddenly, through the haze, his sharp gaze caught the suited man stopping in his tracks.

It was clear he hadn’t intended to escape, but to lure Liu Jingye into the minefield.

He’d seen Liu Jingye wounded by the trap earlier. Now, seeing Liu Jingye still in pursuit, he expected that pain and rage would push Liu Jingye to be reckless and careless.

He assumed Liu Jingye, blinded by fury, would step on the mine, be caught in the chain explosions, and be dead or gravely injured.

But with the smoke so thick, he couldn't be certain. Ever cautious, he doubled back, stopped, pulled out another grenade, and prepared to throw it at the blast site—a classic attempt to finish off the wounded.

Liu Jingye smirked coldly. His eagle-like eyes, trained on battlefields thick with smoke, still picked out the man's movement.

Liu Jingye crouched, holding his gun one-handed. As soon as the grenade left the man’s hand, he fired.

A bullet whistled through the air, striking the grenade and detonating it. The explosion blew the suited man five meters away, shrapnel embedding in his body.

Seizing the moment, Liu Jingye rushed up and pressed his gun to the man's forehead, finally breathing a sigh of relief. On closer inspection, the man was in far worse shape.

His hair was singed, his face blackened, his suit in tatters, blood streaming from multiple wounds—especially his ears, which bled profusely from burst eardrums.

"Serves you right," Liu Jingye sneered. "Of all things to play with, you chose grenades? Haven’t you ever been told not to play with fire?"

The suited man, gravely wounded and barely conscious, looked at Liu Jingye with a trace of resentment.

"I had hoped you’d see the light, help us fight corruption, but looking at you now, you’re almost rotten yourself."

Liu Jingye shook his head with a sigh. "Fend for yourself, then."

He turned to leave, dragging his injured arm, when a faint sound behind him caught his ear. He frowned, gritted his teeth, spun around, and fired—a bullet struck the suited man squarely between the eyes.

The man collapsed, a grenade still clutched in his hand.

"Incorrigible," Liu Jingye muttered. "Let me help you die for your cause."

By the time he returned, Chen Yuxin had disappeared.

Liu Jingye gave a wry smile. "That girl can really run."

Though the suited man was dead, his accomplice remained nearby, his wrist blown through by Liu Jingye’s bullet and too weak from pain and blood loss to escape.

Liu Jingye, battered and bloodied, his arm still dripping, looked more terrifying than ever—a battle-hardened war god returned from the smoke and flames.

The wounded man seemed to forget his pain, begging, "Please, brother, don’t kill me! I don’t know anything—I was just paid to drug and kidnap that woman. Please, I beg you, don’t kill me!"