SCOM - Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Zuo Luohuan had been watching that thumb ring for a long time.

She had seen all the existing videos of Ren Pingbo, and he never used to have the habit of wearing a thumb ring. When he sat on the living room sofa, the way he unconsciously turned the thumb ring was not practiced. It was clear he wasn't used to it, meaning he must have only recently started wearing it.

A thumb ring he was unaccustomed to wearing was enough to make Zuo Luohuan spare a sliver of her attention for it.

When Ren Pingbo’s fingers moved strangely and pressed down on the thumb ring, she had already noticed.

It was a compression ring, hiding a light gun.

Had it been anyone else, say Zuo Dihong or Ji Xixiu facing Ren Pingbo today, even if they had noticed the thumb ring, they might not have been able to dodge that shot. In their minds, Ren Pingbo was not someone who went back on his word. Since he hadn't used a weapon from the start, he wouldn't resort to a sneak attack later.

Unfortunately, the person standing opposite Ren Pingbo today was Zuo Luohuan. She had no preconceived notions about him. Besides, Zuo Luohuan herself didn't believe in any gentleman's code. She had to win, no matter the method.

It was just that Zuo Luohuan hadn't reached her wit's end yet, while Ren Pingbo was the first to break the rules.

Zuo Luohuan's shoulder was hit by that shot. The Skeletal Mech blocked half the force, but the bullet was lodged in her body.

She ignored it, instead pushing herself up from the ground with her hands and shakily getting to her feet.

Across from her, Ren Pingbo had already fallen backward. Zuo Luohuan had originally aimed for his forehead, but her hand had slipped, and the bullet grazed his neck. It made no difference, though.

Zuo Luohuan gritted her teeth and walked over. The blood vessel in the neck of Ren Pingbo, who lay face-up on the ground, had been pierced. He didn't even raise a hand to cover it, and there was still a smile on his face. He couldn't make a sound; opening his mouth only produced a gurgle of blood from his throat.

Though he was on the verge of death, this man who had cast a shadow over the Federation's upper echelons for nearly twenty years now lay motionless on the ground, yet he still looked like a victor.

Ren Pingbo struggled to open his eyes and gaze at the clear, blue sky, so similar to the day he had left the Federation. A trace of bewilderment was in his eyes.

【I gave you a chance.】

Ren Pingbo suddenly opened his mouth and silently spoke his last words to Zuo Luohuan, his face still bearing that strange smile.

Zuo Luohuan watched him take his last breath. This madman, simply out of boredom, had cost the Federation countless lives.

She stood there for a long time before finally crouching down to check Ren Pingbo's pulse. After confirming he was truly dead, and even making sure his face hadn't been altered and that it was the real Ren Pingbo, she finally collapsed onto the ground.

Zuo Luohuan deactivated her Skeletal Mech. She had several broken bones and was in no better shape than Ren Pingbo, only that she was still alive. She expressionlessly turned on her comm's camera, pointed it at her face, and tried her best to wipe away the bloodstains, maintaining a barely presentable state. At least in front of her Yuezhi, she wouldn't look too wretched.

A moment later, Zuo Luohuan propped herself up. She poured gasoline over Ren Pingbo's body and burned it on the spot to completely eliminate any potential risks, giving him no chance of survival, even though she had already confirmed his death.

Gazing at the rapidly burning flames, the words Ren Pingbo had said earlier suddenly flashed through Zuo Luohuan's mind: ‘I gave you a chance’.

What did that mean?

What chance had he given her?

Zuo Luohuan looked at the incinerated remains of Ren Pingbo. His face, which still wore that strange smile even in death, appeared in her mind again and again, as if mocking her.

It was well known that Ren Pingbo was a madman, a madman of astonishing talent.

Perhaps this sentence was just a thorn he deliberately left in her heart before dying, a psychological attack.

Zuo Luohuan stood on the roof of the central tower and turned to look into the distance. People finally seemed to be emerging onto the streets, and there were aircraft in the air. They looked like her team. Just then, a sudden explosion occurred in the direction of the Military Committee.

Even from so far away that she couldn't even see the Military Committee buildings, the aftershock from the explosion caused the central city to shake.

Zuo Luohuan's heart sank. She couldn't contact Ji Yuezhi and didn't know if they had gotten out. She quickly turned, preparing to go downstairs and rush over, but her gaze fell on Ren Pingbo's burnt remains, and those words clung to her like a curse.

Zuo Luohuan frowned and limped downstairs. Every railing she touched was left with a deep red handprint, but she herself didn't notice that the bone in her forearm had broken and was poking through the skin.

Zuo Luohuan finally reached Ren Pingbo's room. She dragged her body and started searching, beginning with the study. There were many things inside, even secrets of the Gashiro Empire, information on the Robot Dog chips, and every research institute of the Gashiro Empire.

It was then that Zuo Luohuan noticed her hands were covered in blood that she couldn't wipe clean. She expressionlessly lifted her arm to look, took off her jacket, tied it tightly around her arm, and continued searching for information she didn't even know she was looking for.

‘I gave you a chance.’ It was a declarative sentence, all in the past tense, but they had only met today.

Her hands kept searching as her mind raced. What had Ren Pingbo given her? They had met for the first time today. Other than returning the ring to her, there was nothing…

Zuo Luohuan suddenly paused. She quickly found the ring box and opened it. The ring inside was still the one she had ordered. She paused, carefully took out the ring, and removed the black velvet-covered sponge that held it.

She tore open the black velvet covering the sponge, revealing the sponge inside. Her body stiffened. Something was wrapped inside.

Zuo Luohuan took out the object from within. It was a square countdown timer, less than 5cm in size, with a green button at the bottom.

An almost miniature plaque, looking almost cute, yet it sent a cold sweat breaking out across Zuo Luohuan's back. Ren Pingbo had indeed left a final move.

The countdown inevitably made Zuo Luohuan think of the explosives buried beneath the Military Committee. Given Ren Pingbo's madness, it wasn't impossible that he wanted to blow up the entire capital.

At this moment, the countdown had already gone from thirty seconds to ten, and it was still ticking down.

Nine, eight, seven…

【I already gave you a chance.】

Zuo Luohuan stared at the countdown timer in her hand, her gaze unconsciously falling on the green button. Ren Pingbo had returned the timer hidden in the ring box to her, so was he giving her a chance to stop it?

Five, four, three…

Zuo Luohuan's thumb pressed on the green button. In that instant, she could no longer feel her own breath, only the ticking numbers before her. Pressing it might save them.

Two… one…

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Zuo Luohuan's temples. She suddenly moved her thumb away. She gambled that the green button was not an opportunity for salvation.

The countdown reached zero. Nothing happened within ten seconds.

Zuo Luohuan dragged her body to the balcony and looked outside. There was no unusual activity. She stood by the balcony's edge for a few minutes, and still nothing happened. But the number of aircraft in the sky increased; they were from the various army groups in the capital.

Zuo Luohuan looked down at the countdown timer in her hand. She had almost pressed the green button just now, but Ren Pingbo was too insane. She didn't believe he would give her such a chance.

In comparison… Zuo Luohuan bet that pressing the button would be what truly caused a disaster.

Ren Pingbo and Zuo Luohuan. One was the Federation's strongest Alpha from over twenty years ago, the other was the Federation's current highest-ranking Alpha.

It was impossible for Zuo Luohuan not to overthink his words.

Ren Pingbo wanted her to overthink, wanted her to find this countdown, and even wanted her to press this button.

Only thirty seconds, a fleeting opportunity. No one would have time to think too much and would subconsciously press the green button.

Zuo Luohuan chose to give up. She was more inclined to believe that Ren Pingbo wanted her to cause the capital's disaster with her own hands.

In other words, if the capital exploded, the person who chose to press this button would be Zuo Luohuan herself. Even if she didn't die, she would forever become a criminal of the Federation.

Zuo Luohuan finished reading all the useful information in Ren Pingbo's study, burned it clean, and then walked out of the central city. She needed to find her team members and have them confirm once more if any other explosives were buried beneath the capital.

However, she had just gotten into a car on the street and hadn't driven far before she was stopped. It was the Seventeenth Army, and the person leading them was Ji Xixiu.

The surrounding Seventeenth Army soldiers aimed their guns at her car. Ji Xixiu vaguely saw the person inside through the front windshield, raised his hand to signal the Seventeenth Army to lower their weapons, and walked over himself. He knocked on the car window.

Zuo Luohuan rolled down the window. "Uncle Ji, is Yuezhi out?"

Ji Xixiu glanced at her miserable state and asked flatly, "You're going to see him like this?"

Zuo Luohuan had tried her best to wipe the blood from her face, but the rest of her was not a pretty sight. Anyone with eyes could see she had just been through a vicious battle.

"Your mother took people to repair the signals," Ji Xixiu said. "When we came out, little Yue and his team were still inside, but their aircraft came out. They said they're fine."

Now they were going to rescue the residents from the other infiltrated residential areas. For the past few days, the Twenty-sixth Army had been broadcasting videos of civilian massacres every day to disrupt the morale of the army groups.

Knowing that Ji Yuezhi and her mother were fine, Zuo Luohuan visibly relaxed. She turned to Ji Xixiu and said, "Ren Pingbo is dead."

Ji Xixiu's face showed no surprise. Zuo Luohuan's condition in the car was simply too wretched; he was more surprised she was still conscious. The person who could injure Zuo Luohuan to this extent… from the moment he saw her, he had already guessed that Zuo Luohuan had fought Ren Pingbo.

"I suspect there are more explosives elsewhere in the capital," Zuo Luohuan said. "I hope Uncle Ji can send people to investigate."

Since the Seventeenth Army was out, there was no need for her to go find the Exoskeleton Legion.

"I can do that." Ji Xixiu gestured to the person behind him, summoning a medic. He said coolly, "Get your wounds treated first, then go find my son."

Zuo Luohuan didn't refuse, but her brow was constantly furrowed with impatience. Every few minutes, she would ask the medic if he was done yet.

"We have to set your bone first. It's going to hurt a bit." The medic wanted to find some anesthetic, but Zuo Luohuan pulled him back and told him to just set it.

"I'm in a hurry to see someone. Please be quick," Zuo Luohuan said.

"You still need anesthetic for that," the medic said disapprovingly.

Zuo Luohuan directly grabbed his hand and pushed it forcefully. "Can we continue now?"

The medic: "..." Fine, young people are just fierce.

After the medic finished bandaging all the large and small wounds on Zuo Luohuan's body, she borrowed a jacket from the Seventeenth Army and sped off in the car towards the Military Committee.

Ji Yuezhi and his team were heading towards the port, clearing and searching the surrounding areas along the way. They didn't know that Zuo Luohuan had arrived at the now-leveled Military Committee and was following their tire tracks in pursuit.

---

Previous Table of Contents Next