Xiao Xun's heart sank, but looking at Qin Yongmei, who was barely breathing, he decided to tell her, "Alright, I'll tell you. I'm in another world, in a country called Saint Roman Empire. I'm a prince there, and my wife, Mu Jiahe, is the empress of that country. It's a completely different world from this one."
"No wonder, no wonder..."
After uttering these two words, Qin Yongmei closed her eyes.
Xiao Xun pressed the call button, and Qin Shuangxue and a nurse rushed in.
Qin Shuangxue quickly understood what had happened and cried out, "Mom!!!"
Xiao Xun held Qin Shuangxue tightly, letting her kick and hit him as she pleased.
After arranging Qin Yongmei's funeral, Xiao Xun asked Qin Shuangxue, "What are your plans now?"
"I plan to finish my studies first, then I'll see," she replied.
Xiao Xun took out a card. "There's some money in this card, not much. Take it for now. If you need anything, call me."
Qin Shuangxue didn't take the card. "Thank you, Mr. Xiao. Even though my mother said that, I believe people should be self-reliant and not accept charity from others."
Xiao Xun pushed the card into Qin Shuangxue's pocket. "I want you to remember, this isn't charity. You are my sister, and I am your brother."
Qin Shuangxue yelled at Xiao Xun, "I don't want to be your sister, I... I want to be your girlfriend."
After saying that, Qin Shuangxue covered her face and squatted on the ground.
Xiao Xun also squatted down. "You're still young, you don't understand what love is."
"I do. I'm twenty. You must dislike me because I don't have parents, so you look down on me, right?"
Xiao Xun sighed. "Why do you always think of people and things in such extremes? You like me, but I don't like you!"
"Feelings can be cultivated."
"Isn't it good for us to be siblings?"
Qin Shuangxue said stubbornly, "No. It's either husband and wife, or strangers."
Xiao Xun took a deep breath. "But I'm already married, I have a family. It's not good to break up someone else's marriage, is it?"
Qin Shuangxue stood up and grabbed Xiao Xun. "But Madam Mu is already dead."
Xiao Xun retorted, "Who told you that?"
"She survived such a big fire?"
"The fire only burned the house, not the person."
"Then the internet..."
"The internet is just for hype."
Qin Shuangxue lowered her head, then suddenly raised it again. "How about this! Let's set a seven-year limit. If within seven years, your marriage is happy, then we won't say anything. But if you have marital problems, can you consider me?"
Xiao Xun stroked Qin Shuangxue's head. "What is this little head of yours always thinking about?"
"Is it a yes or a no?"
Xiao Xun had important matters to attend to and didn't have time to waste on a young girl. "Alright, I promise you, okay?"
Qin Shuangxue jumped up happily. "Great! I'm going to school then."
Xiao Xun waved goodbye to her and watched her board the bus.
Back in the car, he subconsciously glanced at the back seat. Seeing no one, he felt at ease and closed the car door.
It had become a habit. He didn't want to be unexpectedly throat-slashed.
On the way to the base, his mood was not good. Perhaps it was due to Qin Yongmei's passing, or perhaps it was due to his worries about the future. The burden of two worlds now fell on his shoulders alone.
They say that when the sky falls, the tall ones will bear it, but he was gradually becoming that tall one, with no one above him anymore.
As he was driving and contemplating these matters, a large truck violently collided with him from the side, forcing him off the main road and into a field.
Fortunately, the car was specially modified by the base and was extremely sturdy, with four airbags instantly enveloping him.
Moreover, with the protection of the nano-body suit, his internal organs and limbs were not injured. He was just startled by the sudden impact, his heart pounding violently.
The truck didn't stop after hitting Xiao Xun's car; it accelerated again and ran over it.
Xiao Xun pushed aside the airbag and stepped on the accelerator. Fortunately, the car was fine. It sped through the field with the large truck chasing behind.
He sharply turned the steering wheel, made a U-turn, and returned to a distance where he could see the pursuing truck clearly.
He rolled down the window, took out the Schermuly, aimed at the tires, and pulled the trigger.
The tires instantly exploded, and the entire truck flipped into a ditch beside the road.
Xiao Xun slammed on the brakes and walked over with his gun.
At this moment, the truck's cabin opened, and more than a dozen people stumbled out. They were all wearing head coverings and carrying submachine guns.
Xiao Xun cursed under his breath, turned, and ran. The attackers stabilized themselves, formed a line, and opened fire.
With no time to get into the car, he took cover behind it. Bullets pinged off the car with crisp 'ding' sounds.
Two tires were shot out, and the large SUV tilted.
Suppressed by the gunfire, Xiao Xun couldn't get out. He patted himself down; the plasma grenade was in the office.
Just then, two more SUVs drove down the road. Xiao Xun was overjoyed; it was the captain of the guards with his men.
Since Xiao Xun became the overall supervisor of Area 8, security had been handed over from A to the base's guard captain.
The guard captain's driver swerved the two vehicles alongside Xiao Xun's car. The guard captain pulled open the door, "Boss, how should we handle these people?"
"Leave them alive."
"Understood!"
After the guard captain gave the order through the intercom, the guards immediately counterattacked. The opponents were merely desperate outlaws, lacking rigorous professional training. Soon, all their knees were shattered by the base's sharpshooters.
The guard captain shouted through the car's loudspeaker, "Throw down your weapons, and we'll spare your lives. Resist, and you'll be killed without mercy."
The outlaws seemed to have no intention of living. Even when lying on the ground, they continued to shoot.
"Disable their hands."
"Yes!"
Soon, their shoulder blades were also heavily injured, rendering them unable to hold their guns. To ensure safety, four guards in bulletproof vests searched them for weapons, then stripped off their shirts, restrained their hands, and brought them before Xiao Xun.
The remaining guards began searching the truck for any escapees or stragglers.
Xiao Xun sat in the back seat, gun in hand, looking at the eight attackers who were still alive.
"Who sent you?"
The eight men gritted their teeth, refusing to speak.
"Pry their mouths open. I want to see if they cut out their tongues before coming!?"
At the guard captain's words, his subordinates began to pry open the attackers' mouths.
Some resisted stubbornly, but the guards' strength was immense, and they dislocated their jaws, causing permanent damage. Blood instantly sprayed out.
"We are not the police, and you are not civilians. You have no legal protection. Cooperate, and we'll spare your lives. If you don't cooperate, none of you will survive."
Xiao Xun jumped out of the car and fired at the one whose mouth was bleeding, "Those who can't speak are useless."