In the cabin, Yu He was fighting four against one, locked in a battle with Qin Beiting and his men!
The cabin was in disarray, the commotion so great that the helicopter wobbled precariously.
Two of the subordinates felt utterly wronged. They had followed their boss's orders not to fight, yet they were attacked. Afraid to retaliate, they could only endure the blows, thankful for their thick skin.
"Brother Ting, this can't go on. We need to find a way to knock her out," Lu Yiming said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
Despite Yu He being a girl, tall and slender, she possessed considerable strength, and her attacks were aimed at vital points. Only Qin Beiting could parry every blow.
However, Qin Beiting was not faring well either. He had taken a stab wound to the abdomen, and each block against Yu He's attacks aggravated the injury, causing blood to flow more profusely.
Most terrifying was Yu He's astonishing learning ability. Even in her semi-conscious, reactive state, she quickly mimicked the moves he used.
The techniques that had worked on her before were now useless!
Furthermore, the limited space in the cabin was unsuitable for a prolonged fight.
"Let's get serious," Qin Beiting's thin lips moved. He added, "Just don't hurt her."
Lu Yiming, who was already cracking his knuckles and stretching his neck, was speechless.
The two subordinates were equally dumbfounded.
That was an unusually difficult request!
The four attacked from all directions, but Yu He grew more ferocious with each passing moment. Her left arm, not yet fully healed, was now broken, yet she seemed oblivious to the pain, charging forward and deflecting all their attacks.
The helicopter lurched violently. The pilot quickly returned to his post, stabilizing the aircraft as he flew towards the cliff.
On the cliff, Qiao Wei saw the helicopter approaching and his face lit up with joy. He moved aside, anticipating its landing.
However, he soon noticed something amiss. The helicopter was swaying and flying erratically.
With a sudden "bang," the girl's body smashed through the cracked cabin window, and she fell out along with shards of glass.
"Baby—"
Qin Beiting lunged towards the window, trying to grab her, but he missed. He watched helplessly as she plunged into the abyss of the dark, bottomless cliff.
Without a second thought, he leaped after her, but Lu Yiming managed to grab him just in time.
"Brother Ting, don't be rash! We need to get out of here!" Lu Yiming dragged him away and they jumped out of the open cabin door.
The two subordinates and the pilot followed closely. The moment they landed,
"Boom—" The helicopter exploded in mid-air, its body disintegrating into pieces that rained down. Everyone instinctively dove to the ground.
"Let go of me!" Qin Beiting wrenched himself free from Lu Yiming's grip and ran to the edge of the cliff, his eyes red as he stared down into the abyss. Yu He was nowhere to be seen.
His breathing became rapid. In that moment, it felt as if his entire world had collapsed!
She'll be fine!
She'll be fine!
"Search! No matter what, find her!" he roared, his entire body trembling.
"Yes!"
Everyone responded, immediately commencing the search.
Qin Beiting stood at the cliff's edge, his gaze fixed on the unfathomable depths, his expression chillingly cold.
Lu Yiming, fearing that Qin Beiting might do something rash and jump after her, stayed by his side, watching him.
Lu Yiming's mind was in a fog, completely unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events.
Brother Ting cared so much for Sister-in-law; if anything were to happen to her, he truly feared Brother Ting would jump down with her.
Sister-in-law was lucky and strong; she would surely be alright.
"Brother Ting, your wound is quite serious. Please sit down and let us dress it," he urged, noticing the blood covering Qin Beiting's neck and abdomen.
Qin Beiting ignored him, standing motionless.
"Yu He she..." Qiao Wei, navigating around the wreckage of the helicopter, approached the cliff's edge, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared into the bottomless chasm, his fists clenched.
If only he had!
If he had noticed Qiao Qiao's abnormality earlier and not shown mercy, Yu He wouldn't be in this situation!
"You go back and stay with Grandma," Qin Beiting said, glancing at him with icy disdain. "Don't let her worry about Yu He."
The little girl cared so much for her grandmother; she wouldn't want her to worry.
Qiao Wei shook his head, unwilling to leave. He wanted to stay and witness them finding Yu He.
Lu Yiming called over a subordinate. "Take him back."
Half an hour later.
Qi Nan arrived and provided Qin Beiting with basic wound treatment, but the situation was not optimistic. "Brother Ting, you have a blood clot in your brain. It needs to be cleared promptly, otherwise, it will press on your brain nerves and could lead to paralysis."
"Mm," Qin Beiting responded, then glanced at his watch and asked Lu Yiming, "Thirty-six minutes have passed. Any results?"
Lu Yiming was speechless.
The rescue team had not even reached the bottom of the cliff yet.
"Not yet," he shook his head.
Qin Beiting took a deep breath and leaned back against a tree trunk, his thumb repeatedly rubbing the golden canary cufflinks on his shirt.
As he closed his eyes, all he saw was the image of Yu He crashing through the window and falling. And the culprit was himself!
After a long pause, he asked, "Do you think, if I had used less force back then, she wouldn't have fallen..."
Lu Yiming recalled the scene. A spare grenade had fallen into Yu He's hand on the helicopter. If Qin Beiting hadn't snatched it away, Yu He would likely have been blown up along with it.
Lu Yiming: "Brother Ting, you're overthinking it. It wasn't your fault."
...
Dawn broke.
The search and rescue team had scoured the area all night. At the rocky bottom of the cliff, they found only the mangled corpse of Qiao Qiao and some wreckage from the helicopter. Yu He was nowhere to be found.
"Keep searching! Until you find her!" Qin Beiting commanded, his voice hoarse.
Lu Yiming looked at the photos of Qiao Qiao's body and took a deep breath.
Falling from such a height, Qiao Qiao's body was shattered. Even if Yu He had miraculously landed in the sea, the impact from such a fall meant her chances were slim.
But he dared not say it.
As long as her body hadn't been found, there was still a sliver of hope.
Even if it was a very slim hope.
"Divide into two teams. Start searching in a ten-kilometer radius from the base of the cliff, until you find... the person!" he instructed those below.
"Yes!" they responded.
Seventy-two hours of critical search time had passed. The search teams had scoured a ten-kilometer radius without any success.
In a tent pitched at the edge of the cliff, Lu Yiming watched Qin Beiting's deteriorating mental state with great concern.
"Brother Ting, let's go back with Qi Nan to treat your wounds. Sister-in-law wouldn't want you to ruin your health waiting for her," he persuaded.
Qin Beiting clutched his head, unsure if it was the wound that pained him or his heartache. He felt as though he could barely breathe.
He had finally found the young woman again, and after only a year, how could heaven take her from him once more?
Why?
He had cherished her so dearly; why was she being snatched away from him again?!
Qi Nan saw the veins bulging on Qin Beiting's clenched hands and sensed something was wrong. "Brother Ting? Brother Ting!"
Qin Beiting's pupils dilated, his expression filled with agony. It was a look they were not unfamiliar with.
"Damn it! Brother Ting's condition has relapsed!"
Qi Nan said, frantically rummaging through his medical kit for a sedative. Lu Yiming quickly restrained Qin Beiting.
With one injection, Qin Beiting, who had been fighting his injuries for three days and nights without sleep, finally passed out.