Evacuation

The air reeked of gunpowder and dust. Ruins left by shelling lined the road: collapsed houses, broken pavement and wrecked vehicles. Crumbling walls and devastation lay everywhere.

People were buried beneath the debris, their cries and screams shaking heaven and earth. In an instant, the once peaceful bay had become hell on earth.

Garrison troops were conducting search and rescue operations, trying to find survivors in the rubble.

Wilk held Song Zhi's hand tightly as they hurried through the chaotic crowds and between ruined buildings.

"We're almost there. Stay focused." Wilk's voice was low, with a hint of reassurance. He deliberately slowed his pace. His eyes were calm; he had long been accustomed to scenes of devastation like this.

"Mm."

Song Zhi choked back a sob as tears slipped from her eyes without her noticing. The next second, she wiped them away, her eyes cold and still. Her tears were not a sign of weakness, but the last compassion she had left. Her coldness was not hardness of heart, but the helplessness of an ordinary person.

The base hospital was relatively intact, untouched by the shelling, and many wounded people and medical staff had already gathered there. Garrison troops were setting up a defensive line around the perimeter to keep the medical area safe.

Wilk stopped after escorting Song Zhi to the entrance and looked at her with a complicated expression. "Honey, take care of yourself. Switch your radio to Group A's channel and stay in touch..."

His lips moved as though he had more to say, but in the end, he simply pressed a light kiss to her forehead. He turned and left, soon disappearing into the chaotic crowd.

A wounded person came over to Song Zhi for help, but she had no skills and couldn't offer any practical assistance. All she could do was awkwardly point toward the medical staff wearing red crosses on their arms.

A succession of rapid gunshots rang out from the beach, accompanied by explosions of varying sizes. Flames soared into the sky.

Song Zhi's heart clenched. That familiar sense of danger surged through her again. She instinctively ducked her head and quickly looked around for cover. But the crowd around her had already begun to stir. Screams and cries rose one after another, and chaos spread like a tide.

"Get down!" A low, urgent voice came from nearby. Before Song Zhi could react, a garrison soldier beside her shoved her to the ground. Her cheek pressed against the cold pavement, her nose filled with the smell of dust and gunpowder, and the piercing whistle of bullets rushing past rang in her ears.

A few seconds later, the gunfire lessened somewhat, though black smoke could still be seen billowing in the distance. Song Zhi raised her head and saw that the wounded person who had just stood before her asking for help was lying in a pool of blood, eyes unfocused, unable to make another sound.

The sight made her stomach churn, and she nearly threw up.

People ran out of the hospital, first one or two, then a great crowd: medical staff, wounded patients, and mercenaries in camouflage training uniforms.

Everyone was running in panic toward the airfield.

Just then, a figure came running toward her against the flow of people, moving swiftly and steadily.

"Come with me! Hurry!" The person grabbed Song Zhi's wrist and pulled her up.

It was Miller, his face full of anxiety and exhaustion. He pulled Song Zhi by the arm toward an off-road vehicle.

"Where are we going?" Song Zhi stumbled along after him.

"Mascot, we have to evacuate. The base has fallen, and the higher-ups have already abandoned it. There's a transport plane waiting at the airfield."

Miller opened the passenger door and pushed Song Zhi into the seat. Then he hurried around the front of the vehicle, opened the driver's door and climbed in. The engine roared, and the vehicle sped away from the hospital.

"Evacuate? Where to?" Song Zhi fastened her seat belt and looked at Miller.

"We're sending you to Australia. Didn't you want to go to a farm?" Miller sounded impatient. The characteristic French wit and elegance he usually had were gone, leaving only exhaustion.

"The lieutenant told me to wait at the hospital. Do they know about this?" Song Zhi asked hurriedly.

Miller said nothing. Instead, he pulled a crumpled document from his pocket and tossed it to Song Zhi.

It was a confirmation form for claiming Group A's death benefits.

If Group A died in action, all assets in their names would be transferred to Song Zhi, and Organization K would no longer be allowed to assign her a position. Lai'en and the others had signed it.

Song Zhi frowned in disbelief. She looked at Miller's tense jaw and his ice-cold eyes, and in an instant, she understood the key to it all—the higher-ups had used her to threaten Group A! And they had succeeded. (The female lead imagined this herself.)

"Miller, the lieutenant and the others led Group A to provide support with everything they had as soon as the enemy attacked, and you're going to abandon them! That's disgusting!" A fire burned in Song Zhi's heart, as though it would burn through her chest.

"Evacuation takes time. Someone has to hold the enemy off at the front, and only Group A can do it. As their friend, I don't want them to die out there either, but I'm their commanding officer now... This was all I could secure for them, and they were the ones who proposed it! I'm sorry! This is all I can do..." Miller slammed a fist against the steering wheel, his voice full of guilt.

"These documents weren't signed today. They were already filed and registered earlier. Song, don't let their wishes go to waste! I'll take care of everything in Australia..." Miller's tone softened, and his words were frank.

Song Zhi understood perfectly what Miller meant. This was the last safeguard Group A had provided for her! Just as Lai'en had said, when it came down to life and death, they wanted her to survive! And that was exactly what they had done!

Damn it! Those bastards! They used all their scheming on me!

Did they think I'd be touched?! What a joke! I'm too weak to hold on to wealth! A woman like me with that much money would only bring a fatal disaster upon myself!

"I don't want any of it. I'm not leaving. I told the lieutenant I wouldn't leave on my own. If we die, we die together. Stop the car! Stop the car!" She frantically tried to wrest the steering wheel from Miller's hands.

"Calm down!" Miller jerked the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes.

Momentum hurled Song Zhi toward the windshield, but her seat belt pulled her back, and she fell hard against the back of her seat.

The vehicle fell quiet. Neither of them spoke; only their heavy breathing could be heard.

"Song, you could live a carefree life with their gold and assets, and they'd be happy for you to do so. Don't be willful..." Miller began earnestly trying to persuade her. After all, the death benefits for those five men were an astronomical sum. No one could fail to be tempted.

Click.

It was the sound of a pistol being chambered. A cold muzzle pressed against Miller's temple.

Startled, Miller could only raise both hands and suck in a sharp breath. "Tss... That's not a wise move..."

"Leave the keys and get out!" Song Zhi took Truth off safety and gave the order firmly.

"Okay! Okay! You need to calm down..."

Calm down?

Ha! There was no way she could calm down!

Song Zhi pressed harder, the cold barrel pushing Miller's head to one side.

Miller gave up trying to persuade her. He unfastened his seat belt with one hand, opened the door and got out.

Song Zhi kept her gun aimed at Miller and watched him closely in case he suddenly attacked. Then she slowly climbed across from the passenger seat into the driver's seat.

The vehicle started again. Song Zhi skillfully turned the steering wheel and swung it around, and she heard Miller shout behind her, "They're on the east coast! This place will be blown flat in an hour! I left a helicopter in hangar five at the airfield. Whether you make it out alive depends on your luck!"

Song Zhi rolled down the window and gave Miller a thumbs-up. The next second, she turned her wrist and pointed her thumb down. That was the highest praise she could give Miller!