Take Me Away, My Love - Chapter 21 - Attack

Xian Cheng watched the scene unfold with worry, while Madam Li smiled broadly. “Truly, she’s the elite I’ve trained. Remarkable!”

As she spoke, Madam Li pressed another button beside her. Despite most of the crocodiles having been defeated by Li Minchun, more toxic creatures now descended from above, directly toward her.

These toxic creatures were highly venomous. Even the slightest contact could lead to certain death.

At this moment, Li Minchun faced such a multitude.

Even someone as mighty as her felt a chill of fear at this sight.

This fear wasn’t just because of the power of the toxic creatures, but also a natural female instinct.

No matter how strong or weak a woman is, the sight of toxic ants and serpents would instinctively evoke fear. It has nothing to do with one’s strength; it’s purely an instinctive reaction.

“Hiss!”

Venomous snakes, flicking their tongues, slithered toward Li Minchun, their cold-blooded bodies glistening, eager to feast on the only warm-blooded creature before them.

Having gone without a good meal for long, they were desperate for sustenance.

Facing this onslaught, Li Minchun found herself in a predicament.

These toxic creatures were numerous and much smaller than the crocodiles from before, making them exceedingly difficult to combat.

Was she truly going to perish here, consumed completely by these disgusting creatures?

She refused to resign to such a fate.

Especially when she thought of Jian Yiqing and Jian Qingtian waiting for her at home, her almost depleted energy surged back to life.

Li Minchun grabbed a large crocodile nearby, prying open its massive jaws. One hand gripped its sharp, tough teeth, while the other clenched into a fist and punched hard at the base of its gums.

“Bang!”

With that punch, flesh and blood splattered.

The crocodile, which had previously been knocked out, was jolted awake, struggling mightily to escape Li Minchun’s grasp. Unfortunately for it, her grip remained firm, and she even lifted one foot to brace its upper jaw to prevent it from snapping shut and severing her wrist.

Her other foot was planted on the ground as if rooted, stable despite the crocodile’s fierce thrashing.

Taking advantage of this moment, her right fist hammered repeatedly against its gums. The crocodile howled in pain, letting out continuous groans.

Li Minchun remained unaffected by the nauseating stench of the blood and flesh covering her, nor by the myriad toxic creatures climbing onto her.

Some even reached her lower legs, beginning to siphon her blood.

Waves of toxin started to numb her nerves. Yet none of this mattered; with each punch, the crocodile’s teeth loosened just a bit more.

Eventually, she wrenched free one of its sharp, pointed teeth.

She discarded the agonized crocodile aside.

With a shake of her body, she shed the toxic creatures clinging to her.

Armed now with a weapon, Li Minchun launched a frenzied counterattack.

The sharp tooth in her hand moved like a sewing machine needle, piercing holes of various sizes into the toxic creatures.

In no time, she had slaughtered most of them.

The survivors, seeing Li Minchun, lost all will to attack and hid far away, not daring to approach.

By now, Li Minchun’s body was laden with toxins. The bites from various toxic creatures had left one of her legs paralyzed and gave it a faint black sheen.

Li Minchun, barely holding herself up, took out the medicinal herbs she carried with her and swallowed a handful.

Only then did a hint of color return to her face.

Xian Cheng, watching from above, silently gave her a thumbs-up. As expected of Li Minchun, she could handle even this situation.

However, Madam Li was fixated on the medicinal herbs in Li Minchun’s hand and asked, “Did you get those from the seabed of Zhenmu Island?”

At the mention of Zhenmu Island, Li Minchun’s guard immediately went back up.

“It’s just a small island, home to about two hundred households and around four hundred villagers. Each of them is pure-hearted, living a simple life away from the troubles of the world. If my unexpected intrusion brings them any threat, then as long as I draw breath, I will do my utmost to protect them!”

As she spoke, a unique light sparked in Li Minchun’s eyes.

It was akin to the fierce, protective glare of a mother hen watching over her chicks, intently focused on Madam Li before her.

“It seems you’ve become more compassionate during this time away. Such a nature makes you unfit to be a mercenary anymore.”

Madam Li’s words instantly lit up the eyes of both Li Minchun and Xian Cheng.

Could it be that Madam Li was agreeing to let Li Minchun go?

Though Xian Cheng didn’t want Li Minchun to leave, he much preferred seeing her survive rather than die here.

A slight smile appeared on Madam Li’s face as she reopened her mouth, “Now, I’m going to take you out and retrain you in the qualities a mercenary ought to have!”

Li Minchun wasn’t quite sure what Madam Li intended, but suddenly, she was transported outside onto the balcony by the iron cage that had held her.

At first glance, she witnessed the intense firefight unfolding outside.

What was happening?

Clearly, beneath her, two factions had formed-one defending, the other attacking.

Wait, wasn’t that Chen Zhen leading the charge?

Chen Zhen!

Seeing the woman in white with tied-up hair leading the attack, who else could it be but Chen Zhen?

After so long apart, Chen Zhen had gained a bit of fullness compared to before-not overweight and bulky, but more alluring.

Judging from her skills, she had not in the least lost the fierce swiftness she had back in the day.

But why was Chen Zhen leading an attack on the organization? Could it be!

In an instant, Li Minchun connected the dots to Cheng Duo and then Cheng Mo’s plots.

Could it be they had truly launched an attack, with Chen Zhen as the vanguard?

“Look closely. Now I’m giving you a task: kill Chen Zhen.”

Madam Li’s cold voice appeared behind Li Minchun.

Hearing this, a shiver ran through Li Minchun. Even facing the crocodile and the venomous creatures earlier, she hadn’t felt this kind of fear. Being assigned to eliminate Chen Zhen, who was her closest friend in the Mercenary Group, was unthinkable.

Li Minchun shook her head vehemently and said, “No way, I could never harm Chen Zhen.”

Noting her stubborn expression, Madam Li sneered and said, “Indeed, you’re no longer fit to be a mercenary. But what if I told you that the ambush you and Jian Yiqing faced back then was due to Chen Zhen’s betrayal and collusion?”

“What did you say?” Li Minchun’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the familiar white silhouette in the distance.

So familiar, yet so vividly clear.

Over the years, they had grown up together, with a bond forged from many brushes with death. Such a friendship couldn’t be easily swayed. For most of her life, Li Minchun had trusted Chen Zhen more than anyone else, besides herself.

That’s why she had shared all her secrets with Chen Zhen without a hint of doubt back then.

“You opened your heart, but she didn’t feel the same. With a husband and a son now, why would she recall old friends?” Xian Cheng added coldly.

“No, you’re all lying to me. This is impossible.” As soon as Chen Zhen’s husband and child were mentioned, Li Minchun fell to her knees in front of Madam Li.

This was something she hadn’t done since their confrontation earlier.

“I beg you, no matter what, don’t harm Chen Zhen and her child, please!”

“For her, you’re pleading with me?” Countless times Madam Li believed Li Minchun wouldn’t appeal to her anymore, but she was wrong. Even more astonishing was that Li Minchun would beg her on behalf of Chen Zhen. What a twist of irony indeed.

One could only wonder what expression Chen Zhen would have if she witnessed this scene.

“I knew they would lose, so I beg you, please spare Chen Zhen this time.”

Li Minchun continued to plead.

But Madam Li, with a glint of cunning in her eye, let a faint smile play on her lips and said, “Thank you for thinking so highly of me. I can agree to spare Chen Zhen and her child.”

“Really?” Li Minchun’s eyes sparkled with hope as she excitedly gazed at Madam Li.

However, Madam Li had not finished speaking: “You’re right; the chip is very important to me. Exchanging it for your life isn’t quite enough, but exchanging it for Chen Zhen’s life is possible.”

“You’re saying…” Li Minchun felt her heart sinking bit by bit.

“In gratitude for your years of service, you can choose for yourself-exchange the chip for your freedom or for Chen Zhen’s freedom!”

The choice was agonizing, and Li Minchun’s heart seemed to plummet to the depths. All she ever wanted was to grow old peacefully with Jian Yiqing and Jian Qingtian. Yet now she faced the dilemma of choosing between her own happiness and that of her close friend’s.

Looking down, she saw Chen Zhen surrounded by many men in black in a tense situation. Even with her skills, when facing attacks from all around, she was struggling and overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, a sudden shift occurred on the broader battlefield. Some individuals within Cheng Mo’s ranks unexpectedly turned traitor, attacking their own allies, leaving Cheng Mo’s team caught between two enemy forces.

If you can undermine Madam Li, then naturally, she can do the same to you.

In Li Minchun’s line of sight, suddenly, a man in black threw darts at Chen Zhen, and with the help of others, Chen Zhen was unable to dodge them.

“Thunk, thunk!”

Two darts quickly embedded themselves into Chen Zhen, halving her combat strength, making the situation even more perilous.

Seizing an opening, another man in black swung a long steel blade viciously towards Chen Zhen’s back, poised to deliver a fatal blow.

In that moment, Chen Zhen didn’t think about her husband and son but of Li Minchun. In truth, Li Minchun seemed to be the person who cared most about her in this world, but sad to say, she had caused Li Minchun’s death.

Whenever Chen Zhen thought of Li Minchun being harmed because of her, she was tormented with guilt and unease.

From childhood through all their troubles, Li Minchun had always been there to support her. But now, this might be her last trouble, as Li Minchun could no longer come to her aid.

Closing her eyes, Chen Zhen, wounded and having given up resistance, awaited the steel blade.

In a whisper, she murmured, “Li Minchun, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”