Extra Chapter - Ji Lu Wushuang - The Guardian

Ji Wushuang observed Tarik, who was emitting a dangerous signal.

She subtly adjusted her stance.

Placing herself directly between Tarik and Lu Qianqian.

And only a single step away from Lu Qianqian.

The peacekeeping force's mediation lasted for three hours.

Under Li Feng's firm yet flexible diplomacy,

the tension between the two sides gradually eased.

The Kutu tribe acknowledged that the village massacre was the act of a faction of radicals within the tribe.

They were willing to hand over the perpetrators and offer compensation.

The Valu tribe also agreed, under the supervision of the peacekeeping force, to renegotiate the water rights issue.

A tribal war on the verge of spiraling out of control seemed to have been successfully defused.

A faint, weary smile touched Li Feng's lips.

At that very moment,

Tarik of the Kutu tribe suddenly stood up.

In a voice bordering on madness, he began shouting in the local language.

"No! We cannot trust them!"

"They are in league with these outsiders! They want to take everything from us!"

All eyes turned to him.

"For the glory of the tribe! For the true god!"

He roared, rising to his feet.

The peacekeeping soldiers immediately raised their rifles.

"Don't move! Or we will shoot!"

Li Feng shouted sternly.

But Tarik paid no heed.

The negotiation table was never his target.

His bloodshot eyes were fixed intently on Lu Qianqian not far away.

That Eastern girl, intentionally or unintentionally protected at the center by everyone.

If she died,

Country K would be plunged into a major diplomatic incident.

The peacekeeping force would also face serious trouble.

This mediation would be a complete failure.

The flames of hatred would once again rage across this land.

"Die!"

He violently ripped open his shirt.

Around his waist was a crudely made belt of explosives.

He pulled the detonator and charged toward Lu Qianqian like a mad bull.

Lu Qianqian's mind went blank.

She didn't even have time to react.

She could only watch helplessly as that twisted, frenzied face rapidly grew larger before her eyes.

The shadow of death enveloped her.

At that critical moment,

a gunshot rang out, and a bloom of blood appeared on Tarik's forehead.

Then, a figure stepped in front of Lu Qianqian.

It was Ji Wushuang.

She shoved Lu Qianqian hard to the ground.

Then, using her own body like a shield, she completely covered Lu Qianqian.

Tarik's dead body fell forward from its momentum.

Simultaneously, a deafening explosion shook the air.

"BOOM—!"

A wave of scorching heat, mixed with shrapnel and shattered rock, swept out in all directions.

Lu Qianqian felt as if she had been struck by a giant hammer.

The world shook violently.

She could hear nothing in her ears.

The world spun.

The thick, acrid smell of gunpowder choked her, making it hard to breathe.

She didn't know how much time had passed.

Perhaps just a second.

Perhaps a century.

She finally regained a sliver of consciousness.

She was still alive.

She was pinned beneath Ji Wushuang.

Protected, as if by a mountain.

"Sister Wushuang?"

Lu Qianqian called out tentatively.

Her voice was dry and hoarse.

But the person on top of her did not respond.

Lu Qianqian's heart sank like a stone.

An unprecedented fear, like an icy tide, washed over her.

"Sister Wushuang! Wake up!"

She mustered all her strength, trying to push Ji Wushuang off.

Ji Wushuang's body was heavy, like a lifeless stone.

Finally, with the help of several soldiers, they were separated.

Lu Qianqian saw Ji Wushuang's back.

The black combat uniform was soaked through with blood.

It was covered with vicious gashes torn open by shrapnel.

"Medic! Medic!"

Li Feng roared.

Lu Qianqian knelt on the ground.

She stared blankly at Ji Wushuang lying in the pool of blood.

At that face, pale from excruciating pain yet still remarkably calm.

Guilt, terror, gratitude, heartache...

All these emotions intertwined.

Like a knife churning violently in her heart.

It was her.

If not for saving her,

Ji Wushuang would never have been hurt.

She seemed to have become a burden again.

No.

This time was different.

She scrambled toward her tactical backpack.

Pulled open the zipper and rummaged inside for that first-aid kit she had never used before.

Her hands trembling, she took out gauze and a tourniquet.

Mimicking the medics she had seen before, she tried to apply pressure to Ji Wushuang's wounds to stop the bleeding.

Her hands shook, trembling uncontrollably.

But her eyes were filled with unwavering determination.

Her movements were rough.

She even caused pain to Ji Wushuang, who was slipping in and out of consciousness.

Ji Wushuang let out a suppressed groan.

She slowly opened her eyes.

She saw Lu Qianqian.

Saw her face, smudged with soot and tears, yet etched with stubborn resolve.

Saw her hands, trembling with fear, yet still pressing firmly against her wounds.

The corner of Ji Wushuang's mouth seemed to twitch, as if she wanted to say something.

But in the end, she simply closed her eyes again.

The medics finally arrived.

They quickly began emergency treatment for Ji Wushuang.

Cutting away the clothing, extracting shrapnel, disinfecting, stopping the bleeding, bandaging.

Every movement was professional and efficient.

Lu Qianqian knelt to the side.

Watching motionlessly.

She burned every step of the process into her memory.

For the first time, she hated her own helplessness so intensely.

When Ji Wushuang was lifted onto a stretcher and loaded onto the helicopter,

Lu Qianqian jumped on after her.

Back at the aid station.

Ji Wushuang was wheeled into the best operating room available.

Lu Qianqian waited outside the operating room.

Her mind replayed the moment of the explosion over and over.

Replayed that decisive moment when Ji Wushuang used her own back to shield her from everything.

She remembered their first meeting.

How she had disliked this cold woman.

How she had tried every trick to make things difficult for her, to make her quit.

She remembered again the training ground on the outskirts of the capital.

How she had collapsed, exhausted like a jelly pudding, and Ji Wushuang had handed her a bottle of water.

Saying, "You did well."

It was the most beautiful praise she had ever heard.

She remembered the night before, when Ji Wushuang told her about the deputy team leader who had sacrificed.

Told her to learn to coexist with fear.

Scene after scene flashed through her mind like a movie.

Only then did Lu Qianqian realize that, without her noticing, this quiet, reserved woman

had become her only anchor in this unfamiliar land.

Her bodyguard.

Her instructor.

Her comrade.

And her protector.

She didn't know how much time had passed before the light above the operating room finally went out.

Annie walked out, looking exhausted.