During this period of time, his mind had been tense. He was finally about to leave and his mood was rarely relaxed.
He leaned his head on the back of the car and fantasized about the future. As if talking to himself, he said, âWhen we get back to New York, Iâm going to go to the bar for a few drinks and a late-night party. Iâm going to find a beautiful girl and have a passionate night together.â He narrowed his eyes and teased, âThat lucky girl must be called Bing.â Ji Yinbing glanced at him and replied expressionlessly, âThen the next day, the hospitalâs emergency room will accept a young pervert with his genitals cut off.â Craven shivered at the words. He shifted in his seat and muttered softly, âDonât be so ruthless.â
Ji Yinbing did not answer.
The car drove forward slowly. Perhaps it was because the flames of war were about to spread, but the atmosphere in the car was very silent.
Craven was worried that Ji Yinbing would be afraid, so he found something to say. Craven opened his eyes and looked at Ji Yinbingâs side profile. He asked, âWhat plans do you have for leaving this place?â
After thinking about it, Ji Yinbing said, âIâll rest for a while. Itâs fine if I go on a trip.â After a pause, she said, âI want to go to China to take a look and see the land her mother lived in.â She still had one more wish that she had not fulfilled. She wanted to find her family for her mother.
Craven nodded and said, âNot bad. What a coincidence. I plan to take a trip too.â
Ji Yinbing said, âI hope we wonât meet on the way.â She could totally imagine meeting Craven accidentally in a scenic area. Craven pretended to be surprised and greeted her, saying, âWeâre really fated.â
Craven touched his nose and smiled awkwardly.
âOh right.â Ji Yinbing opened her bag and took out a gift. She handed it to Craven and said, âThis is my wedding gift for your sister.â
Craven hesitated before accepting it. When he reached for the gift, he said annoyingly, âIâll accept her gift for her future sister-in-law first.â Opening the box, he saw that it was a ladyâs watch with diamonds. Craven was stunned for a moment before saying, âItâs very expensive, but youâre not an outsider.â
He closed the box and smiled at Ji Yinbing with narrowed eyes. His entire body exuded the smell of warm sunlight.
He said, âThank you.â
Craven said this thank you more solemnly.
Ji Yinbing thought about how Craven had taken care of her over the past year. Her heart warmed, and the coldness on her face faded a little. âYouâre welcome. I wish her happiness.â
âOf course!â
Craven took out his phone and chatted with his sister, not forgetting to praise Ji Yinbing.
Olivia wished him well.
At this moment, a cannonball suddenly landed on a house a hundred meters away.
Realizing the commotion, everyone in the car shouted in panic.
âAh!â
The scream was almost deafening.
More shells fell one after another. Wherever they went, the houses tilted and collapsed. Everything beautiful was mercilessly destroyed by the gunfire.
Although Ji Yinbing did not scream, she was still a little flustered. She unbuckled her seatbelt and hesitated to get out of the car or stay where she was.
Everyone in the car started to find a place to hide.
There were also people who were desperate and wanted to jump out of the car.
Suddenly, someone realized that a cannon was shooting at the motorcade they were in. âDanger!â Accompanied by panicked shouts, the fleeing people squatted on the spot. Ji Yinbing was a little flustered when suddenly, a force pushed her out of her seat. Ji Yinbing was pressed behind the iron plate by that person.
She looked up in surprise and saw Craven.
Craven shouted at her, âDonât be afraid!â
Ji Yinbing did as she was told.
With a bang, the bus in front was hit by the cannonball.
The bus instantly shattered into pieces.
Their car was the closest to the bus, and it became the most affected area. The car Ji Yinbing and the rest were in trembled and flipped to the ground. As it rolled, countless fragments of the bus slashed at their car with fierce impact. The few people in the front row were instantly cut off.
Craven didnât think too much about it. Almost the moment the car in front of him exploded, he quickly turned to the left and protected the pregnant woman in his arms. In her panic, Ji Yinbing heard Cravenâs scream. Among all the tragic screams, Cravenâs voice sounded the most painful and heart-wrenching.
He was injured?
After a bump, the car finally stopped rolling.
Ji Yinbing fell into a short coma.
When she slowly woke up, it happened to be when her surviving colleagues came to save them. Ji Yinbing heard many cries and painful cries. A man from their research group sitting in a car at the back pulled Ji Yinbing out.
He said to Ji Yinbing, âYour back is injured.â
Ji Yinbing slowly stood up.
She touched her back and felt something moist.
This injury should have been caused by the fragment brushing past her back. However, she did not care at all and only asked him, âTia, have you seen Craven?â Tia fell silent.
Ji Yinbing could sense uneasiness from his silence.
âW-Where is he?â
Tia slowly raised her right hand and pointed to the road to her right.
Ji Yinbing looked in the direction of his finger. There were rows of people lying there covered in blood and lifeless. There were both men and women. Their skin color was different, and their appearance was different. They had only one thing in common. They were all dead.
The pregnant French woman stood beside the corpses and cried sorrowfully.
Ji Yinbing did not know how she got to Cravenâs side. When she arrived, the people were settling his body. He was facing up. Ji Yinbing saw that Cravenâs handsome face no longer had the familiar elegance and handsomeness. His face twisted from the pain.
A piece of skin fell from Cravenâs left forehead, turning flesh blurry. His eyes were still open.
Ji Yinbing could not believe that the person who was clearly alive half an hour ago had died just like that.
Ji Yinbing took a deep breath before finding the voice to speak. âCraven, you, get upâ¦â She opened her mouth but did not realize that her voice was hoarse.
Craven didnât react.
Instead, the pregnant woman kneeling beside Craven looked up and told Ji Yinbing with tears streaming down her face, âHe⦠heâs dead.â
âHe died to save me.â
Ji Yinbing could not believe that this was true.
She rationalized that Craven was really dead, but she couldnât accept it emotionally.
Cravenâs body was finally placed face down because there was a fragment embedded in his back.