When A Snail Loves - Chapter 46

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The forest was so dark that it seemed like it was endless. Xu Xu leaned against a boulder while gasping desperately for air. At the same time, she observed the man and woman opposite her out of the corner of her eyes.

Brother Lu’s leg had been injured by one of the many traps laid around the area. She had accidentally stepped onto a trap due to the fact that her attention was on Xu Xu, and her leg instantly became a bloody mess.

With just one of them injured, their traveling speed was greatly reduced. Moreover, Xu Xu wanted to escape, but she knew she would not be able to.

Brother Lu was sat on a tree stump with a tense look on her face from the pain while Po squatted in front of her and lifted her foot to bind it up with a bandage that he carried with him.

“Po, take her and leave. I’ll stay here.” Brother Lu suddenly said.

Xu Xu was slightly stunned, but she heard Po reply, “No.”

Brother Lu kept quiet for a moment and answered, “My blood will lead the police to us sooner or later.”

Po suddenly stood up, grabbed her chin and looked at her closely. After a while, he let go of her and shook his head. “We’ll go together.”

My brother did not say anything, but she had a determined look on her face.

However, the two of them were indeed a very powerful couple. After a long night of running, they actually managed to escape from all the traps that had been laid out for them, and before long, they neared the border of Laos.

By now, the sun was rising to reveal a mist-covered valley ahead of them. At the end of the valley, there was a powerful river, which was right before the border to Laos.

Po turned around and looked at Xu Xu. “I’ll let you go after we reach the border.”

Xu Xu was surprised, and Brother Lu frowned. “You want to keep this troublemaker alive?”

Po shot a glance at her and tacitly agreed to with her statement.

“She will definitely give information to the police officers if you let her live, so how far will we be able to go then?”

“I’ll knock her out and throw her by the riverside.”

Brother Lu wanted to continue the argument, but Po looked at Xu Xu coldly with his eagle-like gaze and said in a determined tone, “She’s more qualified to live in this world than many other people.”

Xu Xu and Brother Lu did not say anything.

The stream of the river was flowing rapidly as the sun rose from behind the distant mountains. The bright sunlight illuminated the valley, whilst the river shimmered beautifully as it reflected the light.

Po stood in front with his gaze was fixed on currents, trying to find the best spot to cross the river.

Xu Xu’s hands were tied behind her back with ropes and she was beyond exhausted at this point. She looked at the flowing water and tried to suppress the faint restlessness in her heart because she knew that Ji Bai must be somewhere nearby. She needed to wait for him – surviving would be her greatest victory.

She was gasping slightly and was just about to forcibly take a piece of paper from her pocket when she felt a strange pressure in her heart, so she turned her head.

Brother Lu looked at her silently and slowly raised her gun. Since Po’s back was facing the two of them, he did not notice that Brother Lu was now aiming a gun at Xu Xu.

Xu Xu looked down the black muzzle of the gun and her mind instantly went blank. Then, she felt her body stiffening up involuntarily as her palms started to sweat.

‘Ji Bai, I can no longer wait for you.’ She thought internally.

Ji Bai had split up with the special police officers and was continuing his search along the valley. The closer they got to the border, the more danger Xu Xu was in. Thus, everyone separated to expand their search radius. They moved with even more urgency and used the walkie-talkie to communicate with one another.

Ji Bai tried to maintain a calm and alert state of mind by not thinking about any possibilities. Even so, a part of him was worrying as he dreaded what could be.

Through a small clearing in the woods, Ji Bai spotted a rapidly flowing river. He quickly ducked through the woods and ran his gaze along the riverbank. Suddenly, his entire body stiffened up.

He saw someone wading ankle-deep through the water and another person standing behind him whilst pointing a gun at a third, petite and familiar figure.

The surrounding was spacious and quiet, such that only the sound of the river flowing nearby could be heard. Ji Bai looked at this scene and felt his heart crumbling rapidly as the person pulled the hammer of the gun to prepare to take the shot.

His beloved woman was being forced into a corner and was about to die right in front of his eyes.

A painful anger filled his chest and he quickly pulled out his gun and fired a single bullet with a loud, “Bang!”

Just as Brother Lu was about to pull the trigger, she suddenly heard a sharp noise and her shoulder went numb. Then, she felt a piercing pain and dropped the pistol in her hand right into the shallow water below.

Xu Xu’s entire body stiffened up, then she turned around and ran. Nonetheless, Po’s reactions were faster, and in a split second, he grabbed her and restrained her tightly under his arm with a gun pointed at her head.

Ji Bai quickly approached them with a gun in his hand.

As he neared them, Xu Xu’s appearance gradually got clearer. Her short hair was in a mess and her clothes had been all cut up by thorns. Her face was slightly pale, but there was still a stubborn and tenacious look in her dark eyes, and the moment she saw him, those same eyes were filled with uncontrollable emotions.

The look on Ji Bai’s face gradually became sullener as he aimed his gun at Po who was dozens of meters away from him with no emotion on his face.

Both parties faced off against each other.

Xu Xu felt as though a lifetime had passed since she had last seen Ji Bai.

She was on the verge of death, and for the first time, she had felt chills all over her body from being so helpless. Her brain went blank and all she could hear was the sound of wind whistling in her ears as well as the sound of her heart thumping rapidly in her chest.

But now, when she looked into his eyes again, she felt a gush of warmth washing over her body and wrapping around her uneasy heart…

Her breath gradually steadied as she lifted her gaze to look at the three people in front of her.

What was she panicking? Ji Bai had arrived with the army soon to follow; Po and Brother Lu were the ones who should be panicking.

At this moment, Po ferociously snarled, “Put down the gun, or I will kill her.” He slyly propped Xu Xu up to block his vital parts.

Brother Lu threatened him from the side too. “Ji Bai, you’re a sharpshooter, but Po’s skills are no worse than yours.”

Ji Bai did not move his gun.

The sun started to get blinding as the current tickled their ankles. The four of them stood there in absolute silence while observing each other.

Xu Xu knew that this situation was difficult, but the other police officers who had heard the gunshot earlier should arrive shortly. Right now the situation was critical, if Po was driven into a corner, then even the slightest bit of pressure might cause him to snap and pull the trigger.

At this moment, all of them were feeling the intensity of the situation. Thus, they needed to avoid fighting head on and choose a safer option by attacking Po psychologically.

She thought about it and had an idea.

Ji Bai looked into her eyes and just as he was about to open his mouth, he heard her soft and calm voice speak.

“Po, both of you have a gun and are on equal ground. If you kill me, Ji Bai will kill Brother Lu.” Xu Xu said, “If I’m killed, Ji Bai would just think of me as a subordinate who was sacrificed, but are you willing to sacrifice the only woman that you love?”

As she was speaking, Ji Bai quickly pointed the gun at Brother Lu. The look on Po’s face became even darker and scar seemed to bulge angrily. The look on Brother Lu’s face also shifted slightly.

Xu Xu continued, “You don’t want her to die and I don’t want to die either, so the situation is in a stalemate. Ji Bai cares about my life, but the situation will become very chaotic when the rest of the troops arrive. Not everyone from both Myanmar and China would care about the life of a mere police officer like me. There are also people in your country who want you dead, so how could they let this opportunity go?

“If they start a bullet storm, all three of us will die. Therefore, I propose exchanging one life for the other – you let me go and leave with Brother Lu. You and Ji Bai are both sharpshooters, so neither of you will be willing to take the risk of testing each other’s aim. This is your only way out. ”

Xu Xu’s words just happened to peak Po’s concern and he raised his head to look Ji Bai in the eyes.

Suddenly, they heard Brother Lu coldly say, “No.”

The three of them looked at her as a haunting smile appeared on her face. She looked at the woods behind Ji Bai and could vaguely see the trees rustling as well as hear the sound of scattered footsteps. A large number of people were surrounding them quickly.

She looked deep into Po’s eyes and continued, “Don’t believe her. I didn’t think about it at first, but she must be the reason why they had managed to follow us after all this time. In this case, they must have an ambush waiting for you at the border to Laos. Even if we manage to get there, we’ll still end up captured or dead. She’s lying to you.”

Ji Bai and Xu Xu did not say anything.

Brother Lu laughed coldly, “Don’t let her go, take her to Laos and use her as your bargaining chip. My hand and feet are injured, and I can’t walk anymore so I’ll just be a burden. Go quickly, I will cover you.” After saying this, she pulled out a knife and waved it in front of Ji Bai.

Po remained silent for a moment, then he glanced at her with an extremely firm look, nodded and dragged Xu Xu into the water slowly. “Lu, you must survive.”

The situation had changed and Xu Xu did not know what to do, so she raised her head to look at Ji Bai. However, Ji Bai was not looking at her at all. He quietly aimed his gun at Po and wrapped his finger around the trigger with a determined look in his dark eyes…

Brother Lu’s was sharp and noticed this, so she lunged towards Ji Bai with the knife.

“Stop…” Her voice was abruptly short as the snipers who were hidden in the shadows put a small bullet hole through her back. The snipers had been watching the whole situation closely and only pulled the trigger when they felt the situation escalating beyond Ji Bai and Xu Xu’s control.

This sudden change caused Po, who was in the midst of retreating, to raise his head to look at Brother Lu. The look on his defined face immediately changed as he stared at his partner staring down at her own chest. “Lu…”

Xu Xu was shocked but Ji Bai naturally saw this as a fleeting opportunity to pull the trigger and accurately hit Po’s right wrist.

Po’s entire body stiffened as the pistol fell out of his hand. Xu Xu quickly rushed forward and Ji Bai also strode forward to carry her out of the water.

The sound of messy footsteps approached and in seconds, numerous special police officers who were previously hiding in the woods showed themselves. When they saw the opportunity, they rushed forward and subdued Po by holding him firmly against the ground. His arms were being restrained behind his back and both of his eyes were scarlet-red. Brother Lu looked at him while on the brink of death and tried to move her lips, but no one knew what she said.

Ji Bai finally relaxed his grip on the gun and lowered his head to look at Xu Xu who was now in his arms. Xu Xu looked at him nervously as she still had not recovered from the shock. She could hear his steady yet racing heartbeat as well as see his handsome and calm face under the tropical sunlight.

“Third Brother…” Xu Xu subconsciously murmured, as if she was comforting herself by calling out for him.

Ji Bai stared at her and a smile slowly appeared in his dark eyes.

Xu Xu smiled and buried her head in his chest as Ji Bai tightened his arms around her and pulled her even closer to him.

On the flight back to Lin City.

Brother Lu and Po were escorted separately to the China-Myanmar prison where severe punishment from both countries awaited them.

After many days of hard work, everyone was safe and the mission was declared a success. The members of the task force were exhausted yet happy as they sat back in their seats and chatted with each other merrily. There was even a gratifying joyful tone in their voices.

Meanwhile, Xu Xu and Ji Bai together in the last row of the plane. Suddenly, Ji Bai turned sideways to look at Xu Xu’s fair and clear face.

She was his treasure that he had lost but found again.

Ever since the incident, both of their hearts had been riding an emotional high. However, after both Brother Lu and Po were captured, they had been busy with the follow-up work, so they did not get to spend any time together. Also, since they were surrounded by police officers from both countries, it was very inappropriate for them to do anything romantic. Thus, they could only secretly hold hands under the seats and look at each other without saying a word.

After a while, Ji Bai looked at her and said softly, “You got some nerve threatening Brother Lu’s life while yours is at stake, huh?”

By now, Xu Xu had completely calmed down and she took her time to answer him. “Its fine, since he cares a lot about Brother Lu’s life.”

After a while, she turned around and looked back at him.

“What were you going to do at the time? Were you thinking the same thing as me?” She recalled that he was about to speak at the time too.

Ji Bai looked at her and grinned. “You’re really good at analyzing Po, but you totally forgot to analyze me.”

If Po was not willing to sacrifice his beloved woman, then why would he?

Both Po and Brother Lu were extremely vicious gangsters such that even the slightest mistake on Ji Bai’s part might cost him his beloved life. Therefore, how could he risk provoking them when her life was on the line? She was the only one in the world who dared to do such a thing.

In fact, the first thought that he had when he rushed forward was to…

Exchange himself for her.

He wanted to try to convince them that since Brother Lu was injured and since Xu Xu was very weak, it would be difficult for Po to escape with the two of them. If they were to take him hostage instead, he could help carry Brother Lu. Additionally, the captain of a criminal police unit and also the grandson of the Ji Family was far more valuable than an ordinary police officer…

Xu Xu was stupefied when she heard him say that she had forgotten to analyze him. Ji Bai did not say anymore and simply squeezed her hand, leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.

Xu Xu watched his handsome and peaceful sleeping face and after a while, a thought suddenly crossed her mind. Was he planning to…

She remained silent for a moment, then moved closer and kissed him.

Who would have expected that the moment her lips touch his face for him to fling his eyes wide open. He then pulled her into his arms and lowered his head to kiss her deeply, completely ignoring the people around them in the process.

The flowing clouds outside the window were painted pastel shades by the sun as the warm gold sunlight shone over the evening sky. Distant mountains and lush green fields could be vaguely seen off in the distance as well, signifying that Lin City was just ahead.