Episode 4: Raid
The night light penetrated through the curtains, quietly flooding into the cold room. Tiny dust particles floated in the dim light. The light did not warm the room, it only outlined the dark corners, making them deeper and quieter, as if hiding something that was silently observing from the darkness.
The light from the camera screen fell on his cold face. His long, slender, strong fingers tapped lightly on the armrest as he rewinded two clips recorded in the corner of the backyard, where the wall separated the two houses.
File 1:
The screen showed the silhouette of a small, skinny but agile girl sitting on a jackfruit branch, her head peeking over the high wall, her eyes darting around.
Then… whoosh… her legs gave way, landing very lightly on the ground.
He tilted his head…
Her actions were clearly very confident, when she fell to the ground in his yard,
her whole body was soaked with white soap, her face was red with embarrassment and fear of being caught.
She bent down and crossed the bamboo row, straight to the faucet in the corner of the garden, her hand on the valve, her eyes looking alert.
He looked at the screen, he couldn’t see the girl’s face clearly, but her figure was extremely beautiful…his eyes narrowed with interest.
Second file:
Also from the jackfruit branch… that gaze, still probing and searching.
Also a body covered in soap bubbles, hair stuck to her cheeks, a voice of annoyed mumbling.
The girl ran to the corner of the garden, where the faucet was, as if it were… her own property.
But the scene that made him stop was not that scene.
But it’s the scene where she looks at the dog and the dog looks back at her…
Not a word
Not a bark
Just two eyes met… then… each did their own thing.
He looked, the corners of his lips curved slightly.
He leaned back in his chair. His face was calm, but his eyes had changed slightly, deeper, more interesting.
A tiny girl…
At night she sneaked out to “take a bath”, at night she sneaked out to the convenience store in a tight red pajama, a short jacket, looking like a kitten afraid of being discovered.
He looked at the screen one more time.
Then he said softly:
“Kitten huh.?”
The next morning…
…At the Crime Prevention Police Station, the atmosphere was strangely peaceful. The BMW that had caused “pressure” last night had been “revived” by the technical team like a miracle: It was polished to a shine, every crack in the door was polished, to the point that there was not a speck of dust left, looking like it had just been displayed in a showroom and not been in the melee last night.
Chief of Police Tang Yi personally inspected the car one last time. Before handing it over to the owner, his face relaxed as if the Himalayas had been lifted off his shoulders. He even let out a long sigh of relief and walked slowly up to his office, his mood as light as autumn clouds.
Just landed on the chair, not yet warmed the mattress when…
Knock knock knock…!
The door opened.
Captain My Na – also his beloved daughter – walked in, her arms holding a suspicious-looking bag. She timidly placed it on the table, her eyes looking at the sky, the wall, the potted plants, and in general, not looking at him.
Duong Nghi said nothing. He used just one finger to gently pull the bag closer as if pulling evidence of a murder.
He looked inside.
And… freeze.
Inside was a once-pure white evening gown, now transformed into… the color of life: gray, dirty, torn as if chased through 7 alleys by a dog, and a single high-heeled shoe with a strap wrapped around the ankle, the other shoe was also unknown where it had “sacrificed for the country”.
He turned to look at My Na.
She just… “Nodded” lightly…
Duong Nghi looked down at the bag again. His face relaxed, then fell, then wrinkled, then let out a long breath as if to exhale the unfortunate fate of the dress. He stood up, walked to the window, put his hands on the sill, looked outside as if wondering:
“Oh my god, this move is intense…”
But he couldn’t bear to scold his daughter.
Really couldn’t.
When he turned back to check his bag for his last hope…
Mei Na was gone.
No sound. No breath. No greeting.
Like a ninja.
Outside the office
My Na returned to her desk in the corner of the room. Around her: a tiny bonsai pot and a mountain of files like a wall surrounding her on all four sides. She sat down, leaning forward to review the case file from last night at the Hoang Kim Hotel.
One hand tapped the pen rhythmically on the table, the other hand unconsciously raised to her mouth and bit it lightly. When the tip of her finger touched her lips, her memory lit up like a 100W LED light.
The kiss last night.
The kiss in which… she, in a very “accidental” way, “forced a kiss” on him.
The feeling was still intact as attached in the data:
Clear, real, and… annoyingly unforgettable.
Then a lightbulb flashed in her mind:
“That’s right! That scent…the scent of Cedarwood.”
The scent was exactly the same, the scent of the man who, late last night, had silently followed her for several blocks, on her way home from the convenience store. When the strong wind blew, making her coat flutter slightly…and his deep, warm voice, though not loud, sent a chill down her spine:
“It’s not safe to go out alone at this hour.”
She hesitated and closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, he had disappeared as if he had never existed. A shadow. A mystery.
“Is the guy from last night and him… the same person?”
While I was thinking about it…
Tin tin!
Her phone screen lit up: a Gmail message.
Not just her.
Her entire squad 8 received it.
They opened it to see.
Sender: “Boss”
Content is just one short, easy to understand line:
“Deduct 10% of this month’s salary.”
The entire police station froze.
Murmurs spread from table to table.
Everyone remembered what the boss said yesterday in the meeting:
The dress rented for My Na to wear to the mission party was…”not cheap”, if it was torn and patched → the whole team would have to pay out of their own pocket to compensate.
They turned back to look at My Na’s table.
But… the table was there, but she was… nowhere to be found.
They haven’t even digested it yet…
News!
Second message:
“Extra 5% off this month.”
The whole room was in chaos.
They looked at each other in bewilderment as if it was the end of the world
. Some held their heads.
Some clenched their fists.
Some asked God how they could survive.
The group went together to find Boss Duong to demand justice.
Just arrived at his door…
Tin!
All stood still, eyes shining with hope:
“The boss must be apologizing…for sending it by mistake…”
They eagerly opened it to see.
Only one word:
“Shoe…”
The whole team collapsed.
Some people want to cry.
Some people want to quit their jobs.
Some people want to bang their heads against filing cabinets.
Then…at the end of the month, the salary came in, holding the full amount in hand, not lacking but a little more, everyone was happy with tears of joy, they looked towards the door, the police chief’s office, inside was a boss, who always put a lot of pressure on them but also cared about them very much, they all bowed their heads in unison, a very respectful greeting.
…More than 20 nautical miles offshore, in the middle of a pitch-black night, a massive luxury ship was rocking in a fierce storm.
Rain lashed the deck like thousands of needles. The wind howled, swirling around the hull, making the anchor ropes taut as if about to snap.
Lightning tore through the sky and reflected on the churning water like giant beasts.
But inside the main cabin of the ship, the atmosphere was completely opposite… cold, tense, and full of
murderous intent.
In the cabin there were…
Two groups, preparing to make a deal, the atmosphere was as suffocating as gunpowder.
The heavy steel doors closed behind the guards.
The deck shook with each wave, but no one noticed, all eyes were on the three suitcases.
This side:
Tall, thin man, silver earring that flashed in the lightning.
One hand he carried a small suitcase, the other hand placed on his belt where the gun was hidden under his vest.
Behind him: more than a dozen bodyguards, broad shoulders, bulging muscles, faces cold as stone, fully armed.
The other side:
The fat Spanish man, half-smiling, his eyes tired but filled with malice.
Beside him was a bald, black man, tall as a pillar, with a long scar across his right eye, giving him the appearance of a wild beast.
Both of them were holding two large suitcases, the rustling sound of paper money inside echoed every time the waves made the deck tilt.
And…
In a hidden corner above, where the steel floor was dark, a figure was hiding:
Tight black shirt.
Face veil.
Hat pulled low to eyebrows.
Eyes as cold as knives.
He stood silently, blending into the darkness as if he didn’t exist.
But the lightning from the window revealed half of his face. Just looking at him, one could tell that this was no ordinary person…
He observed every move and every breath of both sides, like a beast stalking its prey.
In the pouring rain, six tactical canoes rushed forward with difficulty as if riding on water dragons.
The anti-crime police officers were dressed in all black.
Their goggles covered most of their faces, leaving only their sharp eyes exposed.
But the sea was stormy, and the water was stinging their faces. The wind was blowing them off course.
“Can’t get close!”
“The waves are too strong!”
In the noisy walkie-talkie system, My Na’s voice rang out, urgent but determined:
“There is only one oxygen tank, for one person. I will take that tank and infiltrate the ship. Everyone retreat to the nearest island to avoid the storm!”
No one had time to object.
My Na had stripped off her military gear, keeping only her combat knife, pistol, breathing apparatus, oxygen tank… then jumped off the canoe.
Her body fell like a bullet into the water.
The cold water clung to her neck and shoulders, but she immediately swam deeper.
Huge waves crashed against the hull above, causing the light from the deck to flicker.
My Na tried to swim, swim, swim and swim, finally got close to the ship’s hull, holding on to the metal edge, the wind and water pouring into her face making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
A huge wave hit her straight on… she was thrown back several meters.
Just when she thought she would drift away, My Na released the cable hook and shot out “Crack!”
The hook hit the edge of the railing on the lower deck.
She pulled hard, her arm muscles clenching, and she lunged forward like a leopard breaking out of water.
Just a few seconds later…she climbed up to the lower deck.
The storm was howling so fiercely that
My Na was soaked from head to toe. Her shirt clung tightly to her body, making her feel cold.
She had just hidden behind the wooden crate when a cold feeling came down her spine.
Someone… is here too.
In the darkness, a few meters away from her
, the man in black also slightly tilted his head…he felt another person.
Two cold eyes met briefly in the darkness.
No words.
Not a sound.
Not an ally.
But not an enemy either…
At least not yet.
The small suitcase opened:
Inside were packages of white powder, each package was carefully wrapped, the light shining on it created a dim layer of light.
Total weight about 10kg.
The large suitcase was also open:
Full of cash. Stacks of USD as thick as bricks.
Both sides nodded.
The atmosphere was so heavy that a small spark would explode into war.
“!Hey! ?What is it?!”
The Spanish patrol suddenly shone his flashlight and saw her shadow.
He glared:
“Intruder! There’s an intruder!!”
Without waiting another second…he fired first.
“BANG! BANG! BANG!”
The red bullets pierced through the rain, grazed the wooden crate, and sent shrapnel flying.
My Na rolled to the side, jumped down and hid behind the iron barrel, rolling and pulling out her gun, her reflexes as quick as if she had practiced a thousand times.
The gunshots caused both sides inside to immediately draw their weapons and the bodyguards rushed out.
Two men rushed closer…
My Na slid down to the floor because the rain was slippery, but she used her hands to support herself, turned 180° and raised her gun, shooting one of them in the leg.
He screamed and fell to his knees.
The other threw a knife, the blade grazed her face, cutting a small line on her cheek, causing blood to mix with the rain.
The bald man with the scar led his troops to charge out.
He shouted: “Kill her!”
More than a dozen men with guns rushed out onto the deck.
All of them immediately opened fire like rain.
The bullets hit the steel barrel, sparks flying.
The metallic sound echoed loudly amid the storm, tearing at the eardrums.
A bullet flew off course…nearly hitting My Na.
At that moment, he appeared like a ghost, taking a long leap from above.
He kicked the nearest soldier’s arm hard, at the railing.
“CRACK…!” the sound of a wrist bone breaking rang out.
Before the guy could scream, he turned around, grabbed the gun, and used it to shoot down two other guys in a flash of lightning.
My Na glanced over, her eyes stunned.
“Who… is this person?!”
…The sound of gunfire was deafening.
“BANG!!!” “BANG!!!”
A bullet shot diagonally through the metal corner, deflected by the storm, but still accurate enough to pierce My Na’s left chest, near the ribs.
“…BAM…!”
Her body stiffened.
The force of the shot sent her flying backward, her back hitting the wet steel floor.
The rain hit her face, cold, but the pain was burning like fire.
Blood spread immediately, mixing with the rain to form a red stain on the wet floor.
She pulled her veil back, taking deep breaths with difficulty.
He turned his head…looked at her…
She was lying there…her beautiful face, gradually fading.
Memories intertwined in his mind, then stopped at a figure:
“Is…is it Kitten…?!?”
(Kitten is a kitten…continued)
The soldiers’ screams rang out:
“It’s hurt!! Finish it!!”
They raised their guns at the same time.
The moment they simultaneously pulled the trigger…
He clenched his fists… making a “crackling” sound.
Without waiting for a beat, without a word of warning.
Only a black shadow rushed through the rain like a live bullet, black coat fluttering in the wind.
He jumped from the steel railing, landing on one foot, a sharp “BANG!” sound rang out.
The soldiers had not yet turned around.
“…DIE.”
A single word, low and cold, emerged from behind the veil.
Then he swung his arm and fired back.
The gunfire continued, but this time it was from him.
Not standing still, he ran and shot, his body leaning, his strides long.
The bullets from his gun tore the rain curtain into dazzling white rays.
One was hit in the forehead and fell.
The second was shot in the shoulder and spun around, falling to the deck.
The other two were shot in the legs and fell as if their tendons had been severed.
The rest were a little panicked.
“Who is it?!”
“Kill it!!”
But he didn’t give them the chance.
He slid to the side, kicked the steel crate up, using it as a makeshift cover, then spun around and kicked one of the men who was pointing the gun hard in the side.
“BOOM…!!”
The name flew nearly three meters away, hitting the steel railing.
A bullet hit him near the leg, splashing water.
He didn’t bother dodging.
He just bent down and hugged My Na, pulling her into a hidden corner behind a pile of wooden crates that had been polished by the rain.
The rain poured down on their faces like a waterfall.
He placed his hand on her chest, right where the bullet had gone.
She was breathing heavily, her lips trembling, her eyes blurred from blood loss:
“You… who are you…”
Her voice was so small it was blown away by the wind.
He didn’t answer.
His eyes behind the towel were cold and creepy…but his hand on her chest was extremely gentle, almost afraid of hurting her more.
A second later, the gunshot rang out again.
He looked up…and his eyes changed…
…colder, sharper, full of murderous intent.
Three soldiers rushed in.
He turned and stood up, blocking My Na like a black wall.
A guy… threw a knife, he dodged it with a small movement.
The knife whizzed past his face, just a few millimeters away.
He grabbed the guy’s wrist, spun around, and bent it back.
“CRACK…!”
The man screamed, dropped the knife, and fell to his knees.
Another guy…rushed forward with an electric baton
. He reached out and grabbed the end of the baton, sparks flying.
Without hesitation, he yanked it hard, pulling the guy towards him, and used his elbow to jab him straight in the chin.
“BAM…!”
The guy fell backwards, unconscious on the spot.
There was one guy…who kept shooting.
He pulled the American into a steel box for cover.
The bullets hit the steel with a clanging sound.
He lunged out, spinning around and kicking the guy’s gun away.
Before the guy could react, he grabbed the guy’s shirt, lifted him up like a punching bag, and threw him straight into the railing.
“BOOM…!”
The guy rolled over and lay motionless.
He knelt down, one hand holding her wrist steady, the other quickly tore her shirt to check the wound.
The blood flowed more heavily because of the constant rain.
Her breathing was getting weaker.
He looked straight into her eyes.
That cold gaze…suddenly flashed with an indescribable glint.
Concerned?
Worried?
Or angry that she was hurt?
His voice was deep, sharp but very small:
“Don’t sleep.”
My Na tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were heavy as lead.
He quickly tore a piece of his shirt, pressed it tightly against her chest, and stopped the bleeding.
…The rain continued to pour down.
…The bullets continued to explode loudly.
But this moment…he just looked at her, as if if her breathing became even a little weaker, he would kill the entire ship.
The wind howled…
The rain beat against my face like whips.
Bullets flew in strings of fire.
And amidst all that chaos…
He picked her up.
Not pulling, not supporting.
Picking her up, one hand clasped behind her back, the other controlling the gun.
She was heavier because she was wet, but he seemed not to notice.
“Hold tight…!”
His voice was cold and deep, drowning out the storm.
My Na, despite her chest pain, still tried to put her arms around his shoulders. At that moment…
Bullets came flying – HE shot forward like a living arrow.!
“SHOT HIM!! KILL THEM BOTH!!”
Two groups of criminals from the main hold poured out onto the deck in increasing numbers.
More than two dozen gun muzzles flashed at the same time.
The gunshots were like thunder:
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
He didn’t wait for the second shot.
He leaped to the left, dodging the bullets like a blur in the rain.
My Na pressed her face against his chest, clearly hearing his heartbeat — not fast, not panicked, just strong and steady.
He raised his gun, holding her in one arm, an impossible position for a normal person.
But he shot extremely accurately:
One hit him right in the forehead, he collapsed to the floor.
Another was shot through the neck, blood spraying in the rain.
Two men standing near the door were also hit in the chest and bounced back inside.
…No one had time to dodge.
…No one could believe his speed.
The bald scar shouted:
“HEADY!!”
Five extremely strong men rushed in with sticks, knives and electric batons.
He turned around to cover My Na behind his back and then kicked the steel box next to him.
The hundred-kilogram box flipped over with a loud bang, rolling like a steel ball, sending two charging men flying.
The third man slashed down with his knife.
He dodged half a step to the right and used the butt of the gun to hit him straight on the bridge of his nose.
“CRACK…!”
The sound of the crack was terrifying.
The man fell down, his face covered in blood.
The other two tried to stab…
He spun on his heel, swept his foot across the floor, and kicked one of them hard in the knee.
The guy fell down.
The guy behind just raised the electric baton to shock him…
He turned around and used the butt of the gun to precisely poke his throat.
His eyes slipped and he collapsed on the spot.
Less than 10 seconds.
All five were down.
…My Na felt the wind whistling past her face.
He was running.
Not just running,
running as if my feet weren’t touching the ground, crossing the rain-slipped deck without slipping even a single step.
Bullets continued to come from all directions:
…The first bullet grazed his shoulder, splashing water.
…The second bullet hit the steel barrel behind him, sparking fire.
…The third bullet almost hit My Na in the head, but he tilted his head to shield her.
He growled:
“Sleep is death.”
She tried to open her eyes, breathing heavily:
“Thank…you..!”
He did not answer.
…Because his shadow passed by too fast, the two criminals shot each other.
A volley of bullets from the Spanish side hit three bodyguards from the skinny guy with the earring side.
The angry bodyguard turned his gun and shot back.
In seconds, the two sides clashed, bullets flew everywhere, people’s screams mixed with gunfire, lightning tore the sky reflecting on the falling bodies.
He passed through the melee like a ghost.
Just as he was about to enter the steel doors, the bald man with the scarred eye, the leader of the opposing faction, rushed out to block his way.
The guy was as big as a bear, holding a long iron rod in his hand, with rippling muscles, and his eyes were bloodshot from the killing of his comrades.
He roared:
“I KILL YOU!!”
…He didn’t stop.
…He didn’t slow down.
…He didn’t change direction.
He flew straight at the guy at terrifying speed.
The scarred man swung the iron rod down as if he wanted to smash the two people.
He jumped up:
Using just one foot to kick the steel wall beside him, bouncing higher than the scarred man’s head.
In mid-air, he spun around halfway, hugged My Na close to his chest, and used his other heel to kick straight into the guy’s face.
“BOOM…!!”
The scarred man was thrown back more than 2 meters, hitting the steel pillar.
The wind howled.
He fell to the floor, unconscious.
He pushed
open the heavy steel door with his shoulder. The
yellow light from the cabin shone on him…
…a man covered in rainwater, holding a bleeding policewoman in his arms.
Inside the cabin there were nearly ten people still alive, standing there in a daze.
Seeing him… everyone recoiled.
He entered like a living black storm.
The steel door slammed shut behind him.
Outside, gunfire and screams from both sides continued to overlap with the storm.
Inside the cabin, all eyes were on him in panic.
As soon as the steel door closed, nearly 10 guns were pointed straight at him.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, the sound of rain hitting the hull of the ship was like a death drum.
The dim yellow light in the cabin reflected the blood flowing from My Na’s chest.
She breathed heavily, trembling slightly.
He still carried her with one arm, as if her body weight had no effect on his speed.
“Shoot!! Shoot and kill him!!”
Gunfire…
He leaned half way, using his body to block the first volley of bullets, turning around just before the second volley arrived.
One hand held My Na, the other hand raised the gun, shooting back without aiming.
But every shot was absolutely on target.
One: hit in the forehead, fell headfirst.
One: shot through the shoulder, dropped gun, screamed.
One: shot through the stomach, knocked him out on the spot.
Three fell in two seconds.
The rest panicked.
But he still did not stop.
Suddenly:
Her grip on his shirt weakened.
Her breathing was ragged, occasionally stopping.
“Brother… I… I can’t breathe…”
Her voice was thin as a thread.
The blood from her chest mixed with the rainwater on his shirt, flowing in dark red streaks.
Her vision blurred, her vision shaking.
He bowed his head to look at her…his cold eyes suddenly flashed with an unimaginable light.
Not pity.
Not fear.
But a deep, cold anger that seemed to freeze the cabin.
Another volley of bullets fired…
He turned around, pressed My Na against the thick steel wall behind, using his back to block all the bullets.
The bullet hit the steel and sparked right next to her face.
He spoke in a low voice, close to her ear:
“No sleep.”
She trembled.
Her eyelids drooped.
Amidst the gunfire, he reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a black handkerchief, embroidered with a strange pattern on the edge – like an ancient symbol, each stitch so meticulously embroidered that even the yellow light could not dim it.
The scarf carried the gentle, deep, masculine scent of Cedar, the scent that My Na had once smelled briefly… and remembered forever.
He didn’t wait until he ran out of bullets.
He wasn’t afraid of being shot.
He tore open her shirt buttons with his bare hands, reached inside her chest and pressed the towel against the wound on her left breast.
Cup!
She was a little startled, but too tired to cover it up.
He slipped the towel under her bra and pressed hard on the wound that was bleeding profusely.
Blood immediately soaked the black towel, soaked one breast, and flowed down her waist and back, but he still held her tight, squeezing the blood back with just enough force…not to hurt her but strong enough to stop the flow.
She breathed softly, trembling:
“…this smell…is…is it you…?”
Her voice was faint, as if speaking unconsciously.
The gunshots outside, the screams, the rain…all faded away.
Only left:
The strong warmth from his chest,
the steely arms holding her
, and the familiar scent of Cedar, clean, cold, masculine, clinging to his collar.
She had smelled this scent twice before…
On the street late at night and…
In another place…
Of someone she thought she would never see again.
Her consciousness faded, but her hands still unconsciously clenched his shirt.
“Is that you…?”
He leaned closer to her face to hear better, his warm breath fanning over her cheek.
“Guess what…?”
His voice was low, hoarse, but warm.
Then a big guy rushed from behind, holding a knife.
He did not return.
He just turned half a step to the right, held My Na in his left hand, and used his right hand to swing the gun butt and hit the guy’s face hard.
POP!…
…CRACK!
The man fell.
Two others fired.
He used his knee to knock the metal table up, it flipped up to cover it just in time, bullets clattered into the table top.
He kicked the table towards them, the table flew like a shield weighing tens of kilos, hitting the two men causing them to roll back.
Another guy jumped down from above from the side railing.
He looked up, his gaze sharp as a knife.
“Bang”… he fired a single shot.
The man fell straight to the floor, motionless.
The fighting in the hold gradually died down.
More than half the group was dead or unconscious.
He supported My Na, pulled her face close to his chest, and looked at her pale face.
Blood was still oozing.
Her breathing slowed.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered:
“You can’t die here.”
Then he picked her up, rushed to the technical room, where he could hide temporarily and bandage her.
With each step he stepped on the pool of blood, on the scattered corpses, the yellow light shook violently with each wave of the ship’s hull rocking in the storm.
She could no longer hear the gunshots, the waves, or the storm.
There was only the scent of Cedar from his shirt…
The scent of safety.
Of memories.
Of someone she thought…she would never see again…
Her eyelids closed.
Before she completely passed out, she whispered, so weakly that only he could hear:
“Thanks for everything..!”
He looked at her…his eyes trembled for a rare moment.
Then the storm howled.
And he disappeared into the darkness of the ship, carrying her in his arms.
He held her tightly to his chest, his steel-like arms cutting a bloody path through the bullets. The continuous sound of gunfire seemed to tear the ship apart, pieces of wood and metal flew everywhere. Every step he took felt like he was treading on the line between life and death. The guards on both sides fired wildly, unable to distinguish who was who, only a giant black shadow rushed forward like a wild beast in a storm.
Inside the middle compartment, bodies were scattered, screams mixed with the sound of falling metal. The two groups of traders were now in chaos: the fat man was running unsteadily with his suitcase of money, the bald man with the long scar was roaring like a mad animal, carrying his AK47 and firing wildly in the direction he had just disappeared.
He held My Na tightly, feeling her breathing gradually weaken and become fragile. Blood from the wound under her left breast stained his shoulder. Her eyelids trembled, her whole body was limp, almost without any strength left.
He dropped to one knee behind a large crate, one hand clutching the gun, the other hand unrolling a strangely embroidered handkerchief. It was only a moment, but his movements were strangely slow and careful. He slid his hand into her tactical vest, pressing the cloth tightly to the wound.
A cool scent of Cedar, so familiar it made her heart clench, spread from his hand to her skin. A distant memory flared up… but then it all faded into a blur.
She whispered, her voice like mist, her speech unclear and intermittent.
He patted her back lightly as if to say “just a little more”, he pulled her closer to his chest and tightened his grip on the gun. The murderous aura around him flared up like another storm.
Then he jumped up, took her in his arms and shot like an arrow down the long corridor.
The emergency hatch at the end of the deck flew open.
A gust of wind blew in, and the rain stung my face.
The black sea roared below like a bottomless abyss.
Without a second’s hesitation, he picked her up and jumped straight down.
…BOOM!!!…
The two bodies fell into the black sea, swallowed up instantly. The force of the impact made My Na’s lungs feel like they were about to burst. She tried to take a breath, but all she could taste was the salty taste of the sea.
Her consciousness slipped.
The light dimmed.
The sound of the storm faded.
She sank… deeper… deeper.
In a flash of lightning across the water, he saw her silhouette sinking like a flower petal being swept away. Without hesitation, he dove back in. The current swirled around him as if to drag them both into darkness, but his eyes remained cold, steadfast as hot steel.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace.
Her body was limp as if lifeless.
He lifted her face up.
She was almost unconscious, her eyelids half open in the cold water, all colors blurred like frosted glass.
And then…
He pressed his lips to hers, breathing into her lungs in the cold salt water.
That Kiss…
Cold as the night sea.
But also sweet, warm, like a memory she had experienced… shivered and tasted… engraved deep in her heart.
Snow Cedar…
Warmth…
A familiar tenderness that hurts…
She could no longer see His face clearly.
But her heart… recognized Him…!!!