Chapter 197: The Death of Xi Nian
Buzz—!
"What is this…"
Xi Nian narrowed his eyes, a faint heaviness in his gaze. With his Spider-Sense, he could clearly feel the power Skye was unleashing behind him.
The surrounding air first trembled with a subtle but undeniable hum. The moment the vibration appeared, its strength multiplied outward, spreading rapidly.
Like tossing a pebble into a calm lake.
Agent Skye had thrown a strange power straight into this space!
Outside—
A mysterious man in a bulletproof suit and a black mask gripped the roof of the speeding car with one hand. He was just about to leap onto the damaged armored vehicle ahead.
But suddenly, as if realizing something, he let go instantly and flipped backward off the car roof.
Almost at the exact moment he did so—
Shhh!
A ripple of invisible but very real shockwaves blasted outward. The two cars chasing the modified vehicle head-on were instantly torn apart—front windows and side glass exploding into shards. The armed men inside the cabins were shattered from the inside out, bursting like overfilled balloons!
Boom!
The two cars lifted off the ground, rolled violently, and after a few gruesome flips, collapsed into wreckage with blood and glass scattering across the road.
The armored vehicle swerved dangerously, drifting with a strange spin, then straightened and kept speeding forward.
"Nice one! Skye, if you had this kind of insane power all along, why didn't you use it earlier? Would've saved us the trouble of running like headless chickens!"
Xi Nian, gripping the steering wheel, let out a sigh of admiration—only to notice Skye wasn't answering. Instead, her body suddenly slumped, falling forward against his back.
In this bent-over posture, with the car jolting on the road…
Xi Nian couldn't help but feel another kind of shockwave's "unusual power."
"Skye, are you okay?" Xi Nian asked quickly.
"I'm fine… just dizzy…"
Skye held her forehead, dark-golden hair falling across her face, her beautiful eyes dazed and unfocused, giving her a muddled, almost innocent look.
With one hand braced against Xi Nian, her pale face breathing heavily, she said, "My ability… I can't just use it whenever I want. Otherwise, I'd have done it earlier."
"I can tell," Xi Nian nodded, then added casually, "That guy isn't dead."
Skye forced her gaze upward toward the broken half of the rearview mirror. From the burning wreckage of the destroyed cars behind them, a tall figure slowly stood up.
Through his messy hair, his eyes glinted cold and merciless. The right side of his bulletproof suit was torn open, revealing a silver mechanical arm gleaming with metallic light, stamped with a large red star.
"The Soviet assassin… No, that's the Winter Soldier. I've heard of him. He's behind over twenty assassination cases in the past fifty years."
Skye's body slowly steadied again, and as she leaned back, her figure returned to its usual perfect shape.
Xi Nian shrugged. "Winter, summer, doesn't matter what kind of soldier he is. Either way, he won't be catching us now. Unless, of course, they've got more people waiting ahead… Hm, looks like they really do."
Their armored car was rushing onto a bridge. Up ahead, the road had been blocked.
Two police cars blocked the middle of the bridge, and several armed men stepped out carrying heavy tube-like launchers—RPGs.
"…"
For the first time in nineteen years, Quake Skye felt the urge to tape someone's mouth shut.
If Xi Nian knew what she was thinking, he'd insist he was innocent—
This wasn't bad luck. His Spider-Sense had simply warned him of what was coming.
Enemies ahead. Winter Soldier behind.
"Skye. If you can escape, then go. Leave me here," Xi Nian said calmly, as if unafraid of death.
"The mission isn't complete. How could I abandon you?"
Skye's face hardened with determination. She slammed down the gas pedal, pushing the armored vehicle to its limit. "We're breaking through!"
A strange glint flickered in Xi Nian's eyes.
And then—
Whoosh!
A rocket streaked toward them, its burning tail leaving a blazing trail. In the chaos, Xi Nian jerked the steering wheel hard and stomped the brakes. The armored car swerved in a bizarre drift, narrowly avoiding the direct hit!
But the rocket still grazed the car's nose—
Boom!!
The explosion erupted across the bridge. The windshield shattered, flames and smoke rushing into the cabin. Reeling from the blast, the armored vehicle crashed straight through the stone railing of the bridge, plunging into the river fifty meters below.
Splash!
On the bridge above—
The Winter Soldier stood silently on the railing, cold eyes watching the burning vehicle sink beneath the water. He lifted a special communicator and rasped, "Intel was wrong…"
…
Afternoon.
The sun dipped toward the city horizon, its glow glittering across the surface of the river.
At a quiet, deserted bank, a few seagulls suddenly scattered into the sky.
A sleek, black-clad figure emerged from the water. In her arms, she carried a young man, while behind her, a drenched orange cat paddled desperately with its little paws.
Both the woman and the boy were soaked through, smoke and ash still clinging faintly to their clothes.
"Xi Nian, we made it. We escaped."
Skye laid the boy down gently on the grassy shore, patting his face. But his eyes stayed shut, unresponsive.
Her gaze dropped to his burnt, tattered shirt, remembering how Xi Nian had been sitting in front of her when the rocket struck. He had taken the brunt of the blast.
"Wake up. The mission isn't over. You can't die on me…"
For the first time, panic stirred in Skye's chest. She brushed soot from his face, revealing his handsome, youthful features. Then she quickly tugged open the buttons of his shirt, exposing a surprisingly firm chest beneath.
Placing her palms together, she pressed down on his chest in CPR.
Then, without hesitation, she leaned down, parting his lips with her fingers. Her golden hair fell forward as her soft lips pressed against his, forcing a breath into him—
Not cold.
If anything, warmer than her own.
Though confused, Skye's eyes brightened with hope, and she continued repeating the motion.
But after half a minute, there was still no reaction.
"Meow."
The orange cat couldn't take it anymore. It leapt onto Xi Nian's chest with a sharp smack.
"Ugh…"
Xi Nian's eyelashes twitched, and finally he opened his eyes. Blinking groggily, he muttered, "I'm alive? My body isn't broken, right?"
"Let me check."
Skye's hand swept across his torso, carefully confirming. Relief softened her features, and she smiled faintly. "You're fine. Not a scratch."
"Really? Then this must be a miracle! I can brag about this to my classmates for a whole year!" Xi Nian sat up, sighing with exaggerated relief.
Almost died?
He was faking it!
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