Xia Qingtian reached out and grasped Xia Qingyu's wrist.
"Sister, we all know, you can't leave with me," Xia Qingyu finally turned her head, looking at Xia Qingtian with a bright and radiant smile, but the tearful light in her eyes carried no trace of amusement, only deep reluctance. "I will wait for you."
"You don't understand," Xia Qingtian shook her head at Xia Qingyu. "If I can't take you, I can't go back either."
"Sister..." Xia Qingyu was about to say something more when she saw Xia Qingtian's face visibly and rapidly paling. "Sister?"
The wound on her abdomen, which had been healing, was once again torn and burned with searing pain. Xia Qingtian trembled uncontrollably from the agony.
Time was up.
[System friendly reminder: The 50-hour special mission to bring Xia Qingyu onto the ship has one minute remaining.]
[You're showing up now! What is this now? Overtime?加班 is a bit much!] Xia Qingtian was too weak from the pain to even utter a few more complaints to the system. She only tightened her grip on Xia Qingyu's wrist. "Get on the boat... just a few more steps... Hurry."
"Sister, you..." Xia Qingyu looked at the expanding bloodstains on Xia Qingtian's clothes, her mind buzzing.
"Don't be afraid, listen to me, get on the boat." Xia Qingtian's head was filled with the system's annoying countdown, her body was overwhelmed by a surge of pain, and before her stood the stubborn Xia Qingyu. Below, a group of people waited, eager to take her life.
Xia Qingtian forced herself to calm down. With all her might, she yanked Xia Qingyu, dragging her backward.
Xia Qingyu lost her balance and stumbled. As the system countdown reached [3, 2, 1], she touched the ship's deck.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission~] The system's voice boomed with congratulations. [You are eligible to unlock an SSS-grade mysterious gift package!]
"You congratulate me... at such a timely moment..." After the forceful tug, Xia Qingtian convulsed in pain, as if all her strength had been drained in an instant. She began to fall headfirst.
Just then, a hand from behind grabbed her wrist, pulling her back and into an embrace.
"You never listen, do you?" Gu Yaoyang felt a searing pain in his very core, his soul scattered, seeing Xia Qingtian in this state.
"Alas... I gave you all a chance." Seeing this, Xiang Xueyuan's expression turned grim. He raised his hand. "Kill them all."
As Xiang Xueyuan gave the order, the people behind him collapsed one after another.
Hearing the sound of heavy bodies hitting the ground behind him, Xiang Xueyuan was taken aback. Just as he was wondering, he felt his own body go weak, his knees buckling.
Struggling to steady himself against the vehicle frame, Xiang Xueyuan heard a teasing, pleasant male voice.
"Phew~ To still be standing before my Miao family's蛊, you're the first one," Miao Tong walked out from the side, flashing a wide grin at Xiang Xueyuan. "If it weren't for the urgency, I'd definitely have a good chat with you."
"Miao Tong! Stop wasting your breath with him! Come up quickly!" Bai Yuqi's urgent voice called from the ship.
"Hey! I've been working hard too!" Miao Tong finally hurried onto the ship. For days, to distract those people, he hadn't eaten or slept properly, and couldn't even stay in the manor, forced to sleep in public areas.
What was supposed to be a vacation had turned him into a Finnish vagrant.
Most importantly, the person his mother had asked him to find, he hadn't found.
There was also no sign of Tang Jiaming Zhu.
He had no idea how his mother would mock him when they returned.
Besides, if he hadn't dealt with those followers today, confused their senses, and made them chase the wrong targets, would Bai Yuqi and the others have boarded the ship so smoothly?
Honestly~
Couldn't they show some respect to this hero who concealed his achievements and fame?!
Miao Tong's dissatisfaction only lasted until he boarded the ship. Upon seeing Xia Qingtian, covered in blood and completely unconscious, Miao Tong gasped, and the last bit of his petty grievance vanished. "My goodness! How did my grand-niece end up like this!"
If his brother knew he had protected the Xia sisters like this, he'd skin him alive.
As soon as Miao Tong boarded, Bai Yuqi immediately ordered the ship to set sail.
"Nie Qingkong!" Xia Qingyu looked back at the people on the ship and extended her hand.
Xia Qingyu knew that although Tarik was Xiang Xueyuan's adopted son, she had seen in the research institute that Xiang Xueyuan didn't care much for this adopted son.
Tarik was also the one who sent her and Xia Qingtian here. If he stayed, who knew what he might go through.
It would be better if he came with them.
Tarik looked at Xia Qingyu's outstretched hand and smiled, shaking his head.
Xia Qingyu could leave, but he could not.
Xia Qingyu was leaving with her family, returning to her home.
She had a home, roots.
He, however, did not have those things.
Tarik looked at Xia Qingyu, his words carried by the sea breeze, reaching Xia Qingyu's ears clearly: "The next time we meet, we will be enemies."
Turning around, Tarik walked towards Xiang Xueyuan and supported him. "Father, are you alright?"
Xiang Xueyuan watched the departing ship, then looked at Aunt Liu standing at the bow, his expression calm, but his eyes betrayed him. "I'm fine. Let's return to the laboratory first. Other matters... we'll make plans later."
"Yes."
Looking up, Tarik and Xiang Xueyuan cast one last glance at the ship, their gazes deepening.
When the two returned to the laboratory, they discovered an even greater disaster awaited them.
"What happened!" Xiang Xueyuan stared in disbelief at the approaching researchers. "These readings... how can they be like this?"
"We don't know either. It was right after that commotion earlier," the researchers also panicked. "It's as if the crystal's energy was suddenly siphoned away."
"Siphoned away?" Xiang Xueyuan's mind buzzed at the description. "What do you mean siphoned away! That's the energy! Such immense energy! How... how is that possible..."
Xiang Xueyuan hurried to the crystal observation window and saw that the crystal, which usually shone brilliantly, had already dimmed.
It indeed looked as if all its energy had been instantly drained.
His ears rang, and Xiang Xueyuan swayed.
"Father!" Tarik immediately stepped forward to support Xiang Xueyuan.
Xiang Xueyuan replayed the day's events in his mind and quickly pinpointed one person: "Xia Qingtian..."
"Father, you mean..." Tarik was also stunned.
"It's her, it must be her..." Xiang Xueyuan's hands hung at his sides, clenched into fists. "When the crystal's power fluctuated, it wasn't just Qingyu who came to Finland, but Xia Qingtian as well.
Today, today she was shot twice by Sif and her shoulder joint was shattered, yet she was still able to hold you hostage and escape in front of so many people..."
Xiang Xueyuan enumerated the events one by one. "And finally... it was her too! That's right! It was her!"