Song Ran was dumbfounded, her mind went blank in fear. She didn't think about anything, but in a second, she rushed to the middle of the road, hugged Li Zan's shoulders and dragged him to the side of the road.
People in the alley were running and escaping in panic; the attackers at the alley entrance were approaching step by step, and gunshots were heard frequently; the child ran towards the attackers, shouting and yelling in the Eastern language: "Cook!"
Song Ran was terrified and frightened. She didn't know where she got the strength from at that moment, but she dragged Li Zan to the side of the road in a few seconds. The sudden physical exhaustion made her cheeks flushed red, but she didn't stop for a moment. She put her shoulder on Li Zan's armpit to help him up, put one hand around his waist, and the other hand grabbed his arm, and carried him to escape into the alley.
Li Zan covered his side with his hands, blood gushing out from his fingers like a fountain. He couldn't say a word, leaning on Song Ran's shoulder and breathing rapidly.
Song Ran didn't say anything either. He didn't have the energy to speak, and he didn't dare to look at his chest. He just stared at the entrance of the alley with red eyes, trying his best to support him and pull him forward.
Alley after alley, his blood soon soaked through his camouflage uniform, dripping onto the ground. His breathing became heavier, his steps became slower and heavier, and he suddenly knelt down.
"A-Zan!" Song Ran hugged him and held up his body, which was about to fall. He was too heavy, and her waist was about to break. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. "Hold on a little longer, we'll reach the motorcycle soon!"
Li Zan's face turned pale. He was about to say something when he heard the child's screams from the alley next door, followed by the terrorists' gunshots.
His face was distorted, his forehead was covered with sweat, he clenched his teeth, pressed on her, and dragged his feet.
Song Ran's back suddenly sank, and she realized that he had been holding on and had not given all his strength to her. Her eyes were wet, but she quickly blinked them away, hugged him and supported him, trying to move forward.
After finally going around an alley, Li Zan faltered and suddenly fell to the ground. Song Ran hurriedly hugged him: "A Zan—"
His hand fell from his chest, blood gushing out. Song Ran immediately put his shoulders on his legs and pulled out a bandage from his bag to wrap around him.
"you go… "
Not far away, the shouts of the pursuers could be heard again. She just shook her head with tears in her eyes. She had no strength left to hold onto his shoulders and drag him out.
"Be obedient, Ranran..." He said softly, his eyes fixed on her face, "I'm sorry."
"Don't you dare say that!" she screamed.
"Go—" He grabbed her hand with his bloody hand and tried to push her away, but he lost consciousness the next second and fell into her arms.
Song Ran's tears fell, she raised her head, clenched her teeth and let out a cry like a little animal, and dragged him with all her strength, dragging him half a meter away. She took advantage of the momentum and used all her strength to drag him back step by step.
She gritted her teeth, her breathing trembling like a sieve; her cheeks, neck, and even her palms were red from congestion. Her legs, feet, waist and back were no longer her own, she could no longer feel the pain, and there was only one thought in her mind: to take him away!
The child's cry rang out again. It was horrifying and creepy.
They chased into the next alley, and the sound of gunfire and footsteps were getting closer and closer.
Song Ran's eyes were bloodshot, sweat was pouring down her face, and she gritted her teeth as she dragged Li Zan to the motorcycle. She took out a rope, used all her strength to prop Li Zan up, and pushed him onto the motorcycle. Finally, she got him on the back seat. He couldn't sit steadily, so she pressed her back against him and tied him and herself together with a rope. His head leaned on her shoulder, his eyes were tightly closed, and his face was bloodless.
The child was the first to follow into the alley, calling out to his companions behind him. Seeing that his companions could not catch up, he raised his gun and aimed on his own.
Song Ran had tears in his eyes and was filled with hatred. He grabbed the rope that had not been tied yet with one hand, pulled out Li Zan's gun with the other hand, and shot at him wildly.
The bullet missed, but the child dodged immediately.
Song Ran quickly tied the rope, held the handlebars of the motorcycle with cramps in his hands and feet, and without waiting to kick the foot brake, he pushed the ground with all his strength and sped away.
The kid rushed out and shot again.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" Amid the gunshots, the motorcycle had already raised a cloud of dust and disappeared around the corner.
Song Ran accelerated madly, shaking off the gunfire and shouting behind him, and rushed towards the field hospital.
Soon, those heart-pounding calls could no longer be heard. But her back began to get wet. Li Zan's blood, warm and sticky, soaked her clothes. His head was leaning on her shoulder, his cheek was cold against her neck, as if he had no breath left.
Her heart dropped again and again, empty. She didn't even know she was crying, she just ran down the street like crazy.
There were bursts of gunfire ahead, with government forces and rebels fighting.
She didn't care anymore and honked her horn, shouting "Chinese!" as she rushed through the frontal combat zone which had just stopped fighting.
The motorcycle braked to a stop in front of the field hospital, its engine so hot it almost exploded.
Song Ran yelled, "Help!"
Several soldiers who were chatting at the door immediately came over to help and untie the rope.
Li Zan's eyes were tightly closed, his lips were pale, and his bandage was stained blood red. Song Ran didn't have time to look at him any more, as everyone had already quickly carried him into the hospital.
Song Ran fell off the motorcycle and followed him, but her legs suddenly weakened and she fell on the steps. She supported herself on the steps and tried to get up, but then she realized that she was so scared that she had no strength left.
…
…
Li Zan was rescued.
He was in shock due to blood loss, but fortunately he was rescued in time and his internal organs were not injured. The doctor said it was a blessing in disguise, as the child was weak and if the wound had penetrated his lungs a few centimeters deeper, it would have been dangerous.
The injury is not serious now, just need to rest.
When Benjamin and the others arrived and heard the news, they were slightly relieved.
Song Ran told them that the person who stabbed Li Zan was a child: "He looked less than nine years old. Li Zan saw him sitting on the street and was afraid that he would be hit by the bullet, so he went to save him. Unexpectedly..."
Benjamin frowned: “We have only heard about it before, but have never seen it.”
"It is said that?"
Kevin: "It is said that the terrorist organization captured many war orphans along with civilians. But some of the children were not killed. They were trained from childhood."
George: "In that kind of environment, children's worldview will be distorted, and they will only see killing in the future."
Song Ran didn't expect that the child was a war orphan. But at that time he stabbed Li Zan with a knife, chased them in the alley like a demon, pressed them step by step, and even shot at them.
She felt a chill in her heart.
Morgan said viciously: "Fuck!"
Li Zan did not wake up until the night. The first person to enter the ward was the psychiatrist from the field hospital. After he came out, his teammates rushed into the ward to visit him.
Song Ran followed in the team and was the last one to enter the ward. Considering that her comrades were all gathered around the bed, she stood far away and watched.
His face was still pale, but his eyes were clear, and his words were not very powerful but clear. He could even joke with his comrades.
Her heart finally settled down.
His injury is not serious, he just needs rest.
Li Zan apologized to Benjamin.
Benjamin shrugged and said, "Why? It's not your fault."
Li Zan: "Will my absence cause trouble to the team's mission execution?"
"It's definitely more efficient, but it's not a big problem. Many other squads don't have professional demolition soldiers. There is a real shortage of demolition experts among the Cook soldiers." At this point, Benjamin sighed, "You will have a bright future when you return to China."
Li Zan smiled faintly: "That's great. After I rest, I can go back soon."
He glanced at Song Ran who was standing in the corner. She pursed her lips slightly and looked at him quietly. When she saw him looking at her, she smiled at him softly.
The light shone on her face, making it almost white.
He couldn't imagine that she, who was so thin and light, could drag him hundreds of meters and put him on the motorcycle.
He stared at her deeply, as if no one else was around.
Benjamin saw his look, smiled, and said, "Let Song Song take care of you these days. We have eliminated the stronghold of Cangdi Temple, and our service in the Cook Armed Forces has almost been completed." He looked at the people surrounding the bed, "Then, brothers, go back to your homes."
Morgan said: "I want to go to China to play."
Kevin also said: "I heard that there is something called hot pot, which is very delicious."
Li Zan smiled and said, "Ran Ran's cooking is delicious. You can see it when you go to China."
As she said this, she looked at Song Ran again, and she smiled with her lips pursed.
Everyone was very excited and agreed to visit China after their service, and then go to the United States, the United Kingdom... and visit everyone's hometown.
There was laughter and joy in front of the bed, full of hope for the future journey of the comrades.
Li Zan smiled and chatted for a few words, glancing at Song Ran from time to time. After a while, Benjamin couldn't stand it anymore and asked everyone to leave.
Seeing that they were having a good chat, Song Ran asked them to stay, "Why don't you stay a little longer?"
Benjamin said, "In your boyfriend's eyes, we are nothing."
Song Ran blushed, and the group of people walked out laughing.
Benjamin turned around and looked at Li Zan: "Think about the breakthrough plan for Cangdi Temple."
Li Zan: “I know.”
As soon as everyone left, the room became quiet.
Song Ran returned to the bedside, held Li Zan's hand, and asked softly, "Does the wound still hurt?"
Li Zan closed his eyes slightly and whispered, "It hurts."
Song Ran felt distressed and silently pressed her cheek against the back of his hand.
Li Zan lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed quietly on her face.
When she was riding the motorcycle, he was vaguely conscious, vaguely hearing the whistling wind and her rapid and nervous breathing. At that time, he leaned on her shoulder and had a trance hallucination - they returned to China, he seemed to be drunk, struggling but unable to sober up, so she drove him all the way home.
The feeling of going home behind her is still clear to this day.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Thank you for your hard work," he said.
She shook her head: "It's not hard, I'm just scared. I was afraid you would die." When she said this, her eyes turned red again.
"slowly."
"Um?"
"There is something I didn't tell you. But I think you should have guessed it."
Song Ran asked: "Is it about the mercenaries?"
"Well," he said, "I didn't defect privately, nor was I expelled from the army."
She already knew it, but when she heard him say it himself, her eyes welled up: "I guessed you were on a special mission."
He suddenly smiled, and his smile was a little silly: "The political commissar said that I will be transferred to the Imperial City after the mission is completed. No need to wait another two or three years."
Song Ran was stunned. She didn't know about this. "So soon?"
"Yeah." He wanted to study further after returning to learn his major more thoroughly. He probably wouldn't do basic tasks like serving as a Cook soldier in the future.
He suddenly called her again: "Ranran."
"Um?"
"When we return home, let's get married, okay?"
Song Ran stared at him for a moment, then nodded naturally and said, "Okay."
After that, he thought seriously, "My mother might think it's a bit early to get married. I'm not even 24 yet, and you're just 24. But she actually likes you very much. If I insist, she won't say anything. It doesn't matter with my dad. My sister got married earlier than me..."
She finished her rambling and saw that he was just looking at her with a smile. She realized it later and asked shyly, "What are you laughing at?"
He didn't answer, but touched her cheek with his fingertips and said, "My father has no objection either."
"Oh, by the way, do you need to report your marriage to the organization and get their approval?"
“There is a procedure to follow, but it’s not that strict.”
"Oh." She pursed her lips and nodded, a hint of satisfaction curling up at the corners of her lips. She lay on the bed, reached into the quilt, and gently stroked his wound through the hospital gown, "A-Zan, I did something today."
"What?"
"I shot the kid, but I missed," she said. "I was scared and hated him at the time, but now I feel sad."
Li Zan said: "These children have no life left. We have rescued such children before in Su Rui City. But there are more who have no one to save and cannot avoid such a fate."
She asked, "You've seen so much, aren't you confused?"
Li Zan paused for a moment and said, "Yes. Sometimes I wonder when this will end. But after a few days, I think that I can do as much as I can."
She asked, "It shouldn't have any psychological impact on the children, right?"
Li Zan paused and looked at her: "What do you mean?"
"A-Zan, do you want to have your own children in the future?"
He looked at her quietly for a moment, then smiled gently, somewhat shyly: "Yes, I do." He said, "If I have a child, I will love him and teach him well."
"I think so too."
"Ran Ran," he said suddenly, "I have fulfilled my responsibilities here, and from now on it will be my responsibility to you."
Song Ran smiled: "A-Zan, I am not a child either. I don't need your shoulders to carry me. I just want to walk side by side with you like this forever, and that's good enough."
He was stunned, then smiled suddenly: "Okay."
That night, Song Ran stayed with Li Zan.
When the nurse came to check on her in the middle of the night, she ignored him and squeezed into the bed with Li Zan to sleep.
Seeing that Li Zan was not seriously injured, the nurse turned a blind eye.
At one or two in the morning, Song Ran woke up hazily and climbed up with squinting eyes. Li Zan noticed it, held her wrist, and said in a hoarse voice: "Where are you going?"
"I need to pee." she whispered.
He breathed slowly, let go of her hand and closed his eyes.
It was very cold at night. Song Ran put on his clothes and shivered as he left the ward.
She walked through the corridor and saw through the bushes that the outpatient building across the garden was still brightly lit. The field hospital did not rest at night. Recently, due to the war, many people died and the epidemic was serious. In the middle of the night, there were always civilians with sudden infectious diseases rushing to the hospital for treatment.
After using the toilet, Song Ran felt the night wind was getting colder. She hugged herself into a ball and ran back to the ward.
Sudden,
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" The sound of gunfire pierced the night sky.
The next second, a horrifying scream erupted from the outpatient building opposite.
Song Ran was stunned and ran quickly towards the ward.