Because of the excessive blood loss, Kabu's consciousness was growing increasingly hazy. He knew he had to stop the vehicle, but the brakes had already failed. How was he supposed to stop it?
Besides, they were still not too far from the camp. Although they had dealt with the vehicles pursuing them, if the camp sent out more pursuers, stopping would certainly let them catch up. That would only make things more troublesome, so Kabu gritted his teeth and continued driving.
The vehicle traveled for several more kilometers. Kabu's consciousness had become unclear from the blood loss, and his vision was beginning to blur. He could barely make out the road ahead. He knew he could not go on, and that he had already pushed himself as far as he could.
After forcing out a bitter smile, Kabu took his foot off the accelerator. The vehicle continued forward under its own momentum, gradually slowing down. When all its momentum finally disappeared, the vehicle came to a stop.
Zhong Lichun did not know how long she had been unconscious. In any case, she was awakened by a bout of shaking. Her first sensation upon waking was dizziness, but the pain coming from her thigh quickly cleared her groggy mind.
The moment she fully regained consciousness, Zhong Lichun almost instinctively sat up and nervously looked around. She found herself lying on the ground, with two women bandaging the wound on her thigh. The others were gradually climbing down from the vehicle.
Seeing that Zhong Lichun had awakened, the woman bandaging her wound smiled and asked, "You're awake?"
"...Where are we? Why did the vehicle stop?" Zhong Lichun glanced doubtfully at the truck in the distance before asking in return.
"We don't know where this is either, but one thing is certain: we're already very far from that extremist organization's camp," another woman answered.
Just as the woman finished speaking, several men shouted from the direction of the vehicle, "Slowly! Lift your feet! The two of us will carry his head."
Hearing the shouts, Zhong Lichun turned her head and saw four men carrying Kabu out of the cab. His body was covered in blood.
The moment Zhong Lichun saw this, she panicked. Ignoring the pain in her leg, she hurriedly crawled to her feet and limped toward Kabu.
After carrying Kabu out of the cab, the four men laid him flat on the ground. He had fallen unconscious from the excessive blood loss. Zhong Lichun rushed to his side and threw herself onto him, calling out, "Kabu! Kabu! How are you?"
Perhaps Zhong Lichun's cries had reached him, because Kabu slowly opened his eyes. Yet those eyes were utterly lifeless, and even his pupils failed to focus. Clearly, the blood loss had deprived his eyeballs of sufficient blood, leaving him blind.
Kabu was extraordinarily weak. Since he could no longer see, he could only move his head slightly to determine Zhong Lichun's position. He slowly raised a hand and asked in a faint voice, "Did we escape?"
Zhong Lichun grabbed Kabu's hand, and tears burst uncontrollably from her eyes. Ever since Grede had adopted her, Zhong Lichun had completely abandoned her feelings as a human being. She had once believed she would never cry again in this lifetime. But as she looked at Kabu, who was hovering on the brink of death, she realized she had been wrong. Her feelings had not disappeared; she had merely hidden them too deeply.
"Kabu! We escaped! We made it!" Zhong Lichun said in a trembling voice.
"Did you... cry? Are you crying for me?" Hearing Zhong Lichun's words, Kabu actually smiled. Though the smile looked somewhat desolate, his voice was exceptionally calm.
"Idiot! Who would cry for you? Don't talk for now. I'll treat you right away!" Zhong Lichun sobbed, then began tearing strips from her clothes to bandage Kabu's wounds.
"Don't bother. I'm almost finished. Don't worry about me. Take those people and leave quickly. The general won't let us off so easily. He'll soon bring pursuers here. If they catch up, you won't be able to break through with so many people." Kabu gripped Zhong Lichun's hand tightly, stopping her from treating him.
"No! I won't let you die!" Zhong Lichun shouted agitatedly when she heard Kabu's words.
"Cough, cough, cough! Silly girl! Do you think I want to die? I once even thought that after escaping with you, I would marry you. Otherwise, why do you think I risked my life to come out with you? Unfortunately, that's no longer possible for me."
"I don't want you to die! As long as you live, I'll marry you! You have to hold on!"
"...All right! Take them and leave quickly. Don't waste time on a dying man like me. Once the general catches up to you, my death will have been meaningless. Don't worry. Even if I die, I'll continue protecting you. Do you know? I fell in love with you the moment I saw you back then. Unfortunately, you later became the young lady, and that was when I knew we could never be together. Remember, live well. Live on for me too..."
Kabu never finished his final sentence before he breathed his last. After all, he had lost far too much blood, and the fact that he had held on this long was already a miracle. Zhong Lichun knelt beside Kabu, clutching his gradually cooling hand as tears streamed down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string. The people he had rescued stood around her with expressions of immense sorrow. After all, the man who had died before them was their savior!
Zhong Lichun cried beside Kabu's body for a while, then suddenly raised a hand and wiped away her tears before unsteadily rising to her feet. Because of the injury to her leg, she nearly fell, but someone beside her caught her.
Once she had steadied herself, Zhong Lichun swept her eyes over the people surrounding her and said solemnly, "Kabu was right. Grede won't let us off so easily. He'll soon bring people after us. We have to leave immediately. Can the vehicle still move?"
"It can't. The vehicle's brakes are completely ruined," answered a man who had inspected its condition earlier.
"In that case, we'll go on foot! Whatever happens, we absolutely cannot stay here." After hearing the man's answer, Zhong Lichun nodded. Then, after glancing at Kabu's body, she made her decision.
And so, the several dozen people began their journey on foot. Zhong Lichun's leg was injured, so she found a branch to support herself and limped along with the group. Unbidden, scene after scene from the past surfaced in her mind: her parents' love, the small but cozy restaurant, and Kabu teaching her how to shoot by guiding her hands. These were all beautiful memories she could never forget. Unfortunately, she had nothing left now. In this world, only she remained, utterly alone.
Before you continue