Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Can’t Die Like This
The cabin door opened a slight crack. Bobby reflexively shielded his eyes from the blinding light before slowly stepping outside.
The ice and snow on deck, and all the people there, piqued his curiosity.
After a tentative attempt at flight, Little Chun tumbled onto the snowy ground. But it soon began flapping its wings again, managing a stuttering flight back onto the deck.
Jiang Si looked at Qin Shen. "Looks like Little Chun is about to figure out how to take off."
Bobby’s gaze also fell on Little Chun, who was preparing to take off again. He crept closer in a predatory stance, his skin color fading and his presence weakening in an instant. But he’d forgotten he was wearing warm clothes and a bright red hat.
Little Chun spotted him instantly and let out a long cry. It spread its massive wings once more and, catching a sudden updraft, soared into the sky.
Little Chun rode the currents, constantly adjusting its form. Finally, after nearly plummeting several times, it gave a mighty flap of its wings and—SWOOSH—soared high into the clouds, letting out a joyous cry.
Jiang Si was so proud of Little Chun. Its successful flight also inspired Xiao Xia, Xiaoqiu, and Xiaodong to redouble their own flying lessons.
But the most inspired of all, surprisingly, was Bobby. Ignoring the fact that he had no wings, he unhesitatingly mimicked Little Chun, spread his arms, and jumped.
Jiang Si yelped, reaching out to grab his clothes, but the much faster Qin Shen had already snatched Bobby back.
"You can’t fly," Qin Shen told the struggling Bobby, who still wanted to jump. "You don’t have wings."
Bobby understood, and his head slumped.
Jiang Si suddenly said, "Maybe I can help you fly."
As if by magic, Jiang Si materialized a helicopter right in front of Bobby.
The sudden appearance frightened Bobby a little.
Qin Shen soothed him. "Don’t be afraid. We’ll take you flying. Isn’t that what you wanted?"
Jiang Si smiled. "Come on."
For now, Bobby was only willing to follow Qin Shen. He only dared to climb into the square box after Qin Shen and Jiang Si had boarded.
Seeing Jiang Si’s group boarding the aircraft, Niu Niu came over curiously. Jiang Si called out, "Niu Niu, want to go for a spin in the sky?"
Niu Niu said excitedly, "Yes! Sis, I want to go!"
Then she waved to Lu Zhifeng. "Dad, I’m going for a ride with Sis!"
"Alright!" Lu Zhifeng called back.
Niu Niu took the co-pilot’s seat, which would normally have been Qin Shen’s, but he currently had to watch over Bobby.
Bobby and Niu Niu were around the same age, and kids have a natural magnetism for one another. Though buckled in, Bobby wanted to turn invisible and sneak over to get a closer look at her.
But Qin Shen stopped him.
The helicopter shot into the air with a WHOOSH. The feeling of weightlessness terrified Bobby, but the view outside the cabin—and the Vulture circling alongside them—instantly captivated his attention.
Niu Niu exclaimed happily, "Sis, you’re amazing! We’re so high up! Whoa, Little Chun is flying even higher than us!"
Little Chun deliberately matched the helicopter’s altitude, like a grown-up fledgling showing off for its mother.
Jiang Si was pleased. ’Next time, I’ll have to see if I can ride on Little Chun’s back,’ she thought.
Seeing the helicopter in the sky, Zhang Yiwen was filled with envy.
’If only we had a helicopter to take us wherever we wanted.’
Suddenly, Zhang Aihua said nervously, "I thought Jiang Si’s group wasn’t leaving. Are they taking off all of a sudden?"
Song Yufang instantly panicked. "They wouldn’t, right? They wouldn’t!"
Zhang Aihua’s expression grew grim. "I’ll go check on the situation. If they’ve left, then we should get going, too."
’Every day you stay alive is another day of hope. If you can live, who would want to just wait to die?’
Song Yufang wasn’t afraid of dying, but her son was still so young.
’All I want is for my family to live in peace. Why is that so hard?’
"I’m going."
Without waiting for Song Yufang to respond, Zhang Aihua grabbed a gun and departed with grim determination.
Zhang Yiwen tried to follow, but Song Yufang held him back firmly. "Listen to your father! Just stay here and don’t cause any trouble!"
It was the first time Song Yufang had ever spoken so harshly. Zhang Yiwen bit his lip, stared at her, and finally relented.
As Zhang Aihua walked, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg.
It felt as if he’d been slashed by a razor blade.
He dismissed it and kept walking.
"AHHH—"
A monstrous, tentacle-like thing coiled around his arms, legs, and neck, instantly dragging him into a deep snowdrift.
The deep snow was suffocating; he couldn’t even open his eyes. But the relentless, stabbing pain in his wrists and ankles kept him conscious.
More and more barbed tentacles wrapped around his body, cocooning him tightly as they tried to drain every last drop of his blood.
The more he struggled, the faster they coiled around him. He could only watch helplessly as his life drained away.
Suddenly, he thought of Song Yufang and Zhang Yiwen.
’The two of them are still waiting for me to come back.’
’I can’t let myself die like this.’
’I refuse to die like this.’
But his entire body was constricted. His flesh felt like it was being flayed, and he didn’t have the strength to reach for the dagger at his waist.
But as the feeding tendrils continued to drag him, he suddenly sensed a strange glow from within the snowdrift.
The glimmer of light made him fight to open his eyes.
Instantly, his eyes were seared by the light, and an excruciating pain shot through his entire body.
He was probably blind. ’It’s over,’ he thought. ’There’s no way out.’
But the image of that unusual light he’d seen just before being blinded flashed through his mind. Subconsciously, as if grasping at his last lifeline, he used his remaining strength to reach out with his bloody right hand, his fingers touching something slightly warm.
The warmth instantly eased the pain wracking his body. He clung to it for dear life, refusing to let go.
At the same moment, the tendrils grew even more frenzied, as if they had a mind of their own, and wrapped him up like a living mummy.
Song Yufang waited for a long time. She saw the helicopter return, but there was still no sign of Zhang Aihua.
Zhang Yiwen immediately sensed that something was wrong. "I have to find Dad!" he shouted. "I have to find Dad! He must be in danger!"
A terrible premonition seized Song Yufang, her eyelid twitching violently. She held him back. "Mom will go. You stay here."
Zhang Yiwen was adamant. "No, I’m going! I have to go!"
The situation was urgent. "Listen to me!" Song Yufang pleaded desperately.
"I won’t!" Zhang Yiwen cried.
The mother and son’s argument drew the attention of the others. When they heard Zhang Aihua was missing, Brother Qiu and Lao Er immediately said, "We’ll help search."
They went to the boundary of the area Jiang Si had forbidden them to enter and shouted, "Jiang Si! Miss Jiang! Have you seen our President Zhang?"
Qin Shen heard their calls and said to Jiang Si, "They’re looking for President Zhang."
Jiang Si’s brows knitted together. "President Zhang is in trouble?"
Qin Shen sniffed the air, catching the heavy stench of blood. His expression turned grim. "Looks like it."
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