Past of the Tomboy (9)

Kabu's consciousness grew increasingly hazy from blood loss. He knew he had to stop the car, but the brakes were gone. How could he possibly stop it?

Besides, they weren't too far from the camp. Even though they'd dealt with the pursuing cars, if the camp sent out more pursuers, stopping now would surely mean getting caught, making things even more troublesome. So, Kabu gritted his teeth and kept driving.

The car traveled a few more kilometers. Kabu's consciousness was already unclear due to severe blood loss. His vision blurred, and he could barely see the road ahead. He knew he was done for; he'd tried his best to get this far.

With a wry smile, Kabu released his foot from the accelerator. The car continued forward under inertia, its speed gradually decreasing. Once all momentum was gone, the car finally stopped.

Zhong Lichun didn't know how long she had been unconscious. She was awakened by a jolt. Her first sensation upon waking was dizziness, but the pain in her thigh quickly cleared her groggy mind.

The moment she was fully conscious, Zhong Lichun sat up almost instinctively, looking around nervously. She found herself lying on the ground, with two women bandaging the wound on her thigh. The others were disembarking from the car one by one.

Seeing Zhong Lichun awake, the woman bandaging her wound smiled and asked, "You're awake?"

"...Where are we? Why did the car stop?" Zhong Lichun glanced at the truck not far away, then asked back.

"We don't know where we are, but one thing is certain: we're far from that extremist organization's camp," another woman replied.

As this woman answered, shouts came from the direction of the car: "Slow down! You guys lift the legs, we'll lift the head."

Hearing the shouts, Zhong Lichun turned her head and saw four men carrying Kabu out of the driver's seat. Kabu was covered in blood.

Seeing this, Zhong Lichun panicked. Disregarding the pain in her leg, she scrambled up and hobbled towards Kabu.

After carrying Kabu out of the driver's seat, the four men laid him flat on the ground. Kabu had already lost consciousness from severe blood loss. Zhong Lichun rushed to his side and collapsed onto him, calling out, "Kabu! Kabu! How are you?"

Perhaps Zhong Lichun's calls had an effect. Kabu, who was unconscious, slowly opened his eyes. However, his eyes were vacant, his pupils unfocused, clearly a result of insufficient blood supply to his eyeballs due to excessive bleeding.

Kabu was incredibly weak. Unable to see, he could only slightly move his head to locate Zhong Lichun. He slowly raised his hand and asked in a faint voice, "Did we escape?"

Zhong Lichun grabbed Kabu's hand, tears streaming uncontrollably. Ever since being adopted by Grede, Zhong Lichun had completely abandoned human emotions. She once thought she would never cry again. But looking at the dying Kabu before her, Zhong Lichun realized she was wrong. Her emotions hadn't disappeared; they were just buried too deep.

"Kabu! We escaped! We succeeded!" Zhong Lichun said with a trembling voice.

"You... you're crying? Are you crying for me?" Hearing Zhong Lichun's words, Kabu actually smiled. Although the smile seemed bleak, his voice was remarkably peaceful.

"Silly! Who would cry for you? Stop talking for now, I'll treat you right away!" Zhong Lichun said tearfully, preparing to tear a strip of cloth from her clothes to bandage Kabu's wounds.

"No need to bother. I'm almost gone. Don't mind me, take those people and leave quickly. General won't let us go that easily. He'll be here with pursuers soon. If they catch up, you won't be able to break through with so many people," Kabu said, gripping Zhong Lichun's hand tightly and stopping her from treating him.

"No! I won't let you die!" Zhong Lichun exclaimed loudly, agitated by his words.

"Cough, cough, cough~! Silly girl! Do you think I want to die? I even thought about marrying you after we escaped together. Otherwise, why would I risk my life to come out with you? Unfortunately, that's impossible for me now."

"I don't want you to die! As long as you're alive, I'll be your wife! You have to hold on!"

"...Alright! Hurry and take them away. Don't waste time on a dying man like me. Once General catches you, my death will be meaningless. Don't worry, I'll always protect you even in death. You know? I liked you the moment I saw you all those years ago. But then you became a young lady, and I knew it was impossible for us. Remember, live well, live for me too..."

Kabu's last words were never finished before he breathed his last. After all, he had lost too much blood; lasting this long was already a miracle. Zhong Lichun knelt beside Kabu, holding his increasingly cold hand, tears falling like pearls from a broken string down her cheeks. The people rescued around them also wore expressions of profound sadness. After all, the man who died before them was their savior!

Zhong Lichun cried for a while by Kabu's body, then suddenly raised her hand and wiped away her tears. She stood up unsteadily. Due to the injury on her leg, she almost fell, but someone nearby caught her.

Once steady, Zhong Lichun scanned the crowd around her and said in a deep voice, "Kabu was right. Grede won't let us go easily and will soon come after us with his men. We must leave immediately. Can the car still run?"

"It's no good anymore. The brakes are completely ruined," replied a man who had previously checked the car's condition.

"In that case, we'll walk! We absolutely cannot stay here," Zhong Lichun nodded after hearing the man's answer. She glanced at Kabu's body one last time before making her decision.

And so, the dozens of people began their journey on foot. Zhong Lichun had a leg injury, so she fashioned a branch to support herself and limped along with the group. Uncontrollably, scenes from the past flooded her mind: her loving parents, the small but warm diner, Kabu teaching her to shoot hand-in-hand. These were all beautiful memories she could never forget. Sadly, she had nothing left now. She was utterly alone in this world.