CHAPTER 1515: CHAPTER 1567: THE REASON FOR THE SMILE

Wu Shuwei and the Arabian uncle hiding in the house endured a long wait, hearing the sound of several car engines in succession. They even thought they had been killed or captured and taken away by those terrorists. When the Knight Fifteen roared to a halt in front of the door, they assumed it was terrorists coming to search.

Both of them aimed their guns at the Knight Fifteen, ready to fire as soon as anyone got out of the vehicle.

A few seconds later, the car door opened, and Li Yifei stepped out. Wu Shuwei pressed her lips; the prolonged tension had left her mouth dry. The Arabian uncle’s forehead sweat dripped onto his beard as he crouched, ready to fight.

After another few seconds, Li Yifei stepped down from the car with an AK47 in one hand, closed the door, and casually told the two approaching dogs to sit, causing them to instantly freeze and obediently lie on the ground.

Inside the house, Wu Shuwei’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. She cheered, opened the door, and rushed out, dropping the gun in her hand. Covering about twenty meters in seconds, she reached Li Yifei, jumped up, and hugged him, shouting, "Great, you’re back alive!"

The Arabian uncle followed, also rushing out, but cautiously holding his gun and surveying the surroundings.

"It’s all taken care of. We’re safe," Li Yifei did not take advantage of Wu Shuwei; he kept his hands open.

A few seconds later, Wu Shuwei released Li Yifei, lowered her head to tidy up her hair, her face flushed, and awkwardly explained, "I... I was just too happy. Don’t overthink it."

"You’re the one overthinking." Li Yifei chuckled and joked. "I seized a car, so we can leave."

"You’re... not hurt, are you?" Wu Shuwei felt embarrassed but quickly raised her head to inspect Li Yifei from head to toe.

Li Yifei’s clothes were almost undamaged, clean and tidy, as if he had not just survived a fierce firefight but merely run a few hundred meters.

"I’m fine."

"What about... those people? What happened to them?"

Li Yifei grinned and said, "A few got away, the rest are dead, so we need to leave here quickly before it gets too eerie."

All... dead? Wu Shuwei’s mouth gaped in shock at Li Yifei’s claim, utterly astonished.

The two conversed in Chinese, leaving the Arabian uncle unable to understand, so Li Yifei told him, "Uncle, you should leave too; there are barely any living souls left in the village."

There were still living people, a few in distant small houses, but those were the village’s original residents, and Li Yifei naturally wouldn’t harm them.

After hearing this, the Arabian uncle realized Li Yifei was not joking. He dropped to his knees, in a prayer pose, tears streaming down.

After a while, Li Yifei and Wu Shuwei learned from the Arabian uncle that this village used to be a quiet little place where people lived peacefully. However, years of war had led to the uncle’s wife being killed by passing terrorists, one son joining the military and dying, and another joining a group, killed a few years back.

Other families in the village faced similar fates; women fled if they could, and men capable of escape also left, leaving only elderly survivors. When the Anchor Organization arrived, defiant elders were killed, and those like the uncle who survived had to serve the Anchor people, or else face death.

Watching the lonely Arabian uncle, Wu Shuwei’s eyes reddened, her heart heavy. She suggested taking him along to live in the city, promising to find him a job.

The Arabian uncle shook his head, refusing, "I won’t leave; I’ve lived here all my life. This is my home, I’m not going anywhere. Besides, if the dead aren’t buried, this place will have a plague. Once you leave, I’ll call others to bury the dead. If they come again, us old ones will fight back."

Li Yifei’s bravery showed the Arabian uncle that those seemingly fierce and terrifying terrorists were not so formidable; they could be defeated.

Regarding the uncle’s decision, Li Yifei did not intervene. He nodded, "They left plenty of guns, food, and money; you can take them back. Plus, the Anchor people won’t return here. If other groups come, you’ll have to deal with them yourselves."

"Thank you, young man. Allah will bless you; you and your wife are good people, and Allah will protect the righteous," said the Arabian uncle.

Upon hearing the word "wife," Wu Shuwei considered explaining to the unnamed Arabian uncle that she and Li Yifei were not married, but decided against it.

Li Yifei decided to leave; he wasn’t fond of staying in places with too many dead, despite having been in countless such scenarios.

Wu Shuwei sat in the passenger seat as Li Yifei drove, both leaving the nameless village, one they would likely never return to in this lifetime.

It was already deep into the night, with clouds dispersing and not bringing any rain, the desert’s night sky very bright and clear, a grand moon hung in the distant sky. A Knight Fifteen drove across the sandy road, continuously breaking the silence.

Li Yifei focused on driving, while next to him, Wu Shuwei turned her head to look at him.

When Li Yifei occasionally glanced over and made eye contact with her, Wu Shuwei didn’t look away.

After several exchanges, Li Yifei asked, "Do I look good?"

"No, I was just wondering what you’re thinking."

"Did you study psychology?"

"I got a degree, but I’m not proficient."

"Then do you know what I’m thinking?"

Wu Shuwei blinked, thought seriously for a moment, and said, "You’re not thinking about the killing earlier."

"This answer is quite deceptive. If I say I really wasn’t, you could be sure of a range. If I say I was thinking about it, would you continue asking?"

"No, you’re definitely not thinking about it. You drive so steadily, your facial expression is relaxed, and your body doesn’t make any unnecessary movements. I learned some microexpressions, and from what you’ve shown just now, you don’t seem to be afraid or have post-event panic."

"After watching for so long, you came to that conclusion?"

"That’s why I watched because I couldn’t see through." After Wu Shuwei finished speaking, she puckered her lips, twisted her body twice, changed her posture, and continued to look at Li Yifei, directly and boldly.

Li Yifei chuckled, a curved smile appeared on his lips, then drove some more distance, stopped the car, opened the door, and got out to relieve himself. Wu Shuwei moved her mouth; she wanted to do the same thing. She secretly glanced at Li Yifei and saw him standing there nonchalantly beside the car, with the sound of water trickling in her ears. Wu Shuwei spat.

Li Yifei returned to the car, raised his chin slightly, and said, "Go ahead!"

"Go where?"

"Oh, then you don’t want to. I’ll keep driving then."

"Hey...wait, I’m going." Wu Shuwei said as she pushed open the car door. This time she was smart; she ran to the back of the car, instead of squatting beside it like she did during the daytime.

Li Yifei looked at a button on the mid-air platform, wondering whether to turn on the rearview camera. He thought about it maliciously but then dismissed the idea.

The car contained some jerkies, food, and water, which Li Yifei had gotten from the Anchor Organization. Having been busy until midnight, the two were hungry. Li Yifei asked Wu Shuwei to retrieve some from the back seat and share it with him.

The car fell into a brief silence, only the sound of them chewing. Li Yifei ate quickly, gulping down large bites, while Wu Shuwei was much more graceful—not slow, though. After finishing, Wu Shuwei suddenly thought of something and looked at Li Yifei.

"Still figuring out what I’m thinking?"

"No, I thought you had a phone. I want to call and tell my family I’ve arrived in Dubai."

"Here you go." Li Yifei said, pulling out a phone from his pocket and handing it to Wu Shuwei.

Wu Shuwei took it, and seconds later rolled her eyes at Li Yifei, saying, "Your phone is dead."

"I meant to ask, where’s your phone?"

"It was taken away. You forgot to get it out of the car when you rescued me."

"Oh..." Li Yifei acted surprised, then said, "It’s okay if someone else finds it, right? It won’t make headlines."

This was a purely cheeky remark. Wu Shuwei took a few seconds to realize Li Yifei’s meaning, then angrily hit him and said, "What do you mean? I certainly don’t have those sleazy habits; the photos on my phone are very normal."

"Haha, good, very good."

What kind of person is he really? Wu Shuwei furrowed her brows. When he’s cold, he kills without blinking an eye, and doesn’t care after killing. This is very rare indeed in the modern age. Especially since he’s a Huaxia person, her fellow countryman. What has he gone through to be so calm?

Yet sometimes, he’s a bit cheeky, but he respects her, without any unwanted gestures or remarks. The jokes are all within an acceptable scope.

Wu Shuwei stuck out her tongue, licked her lips, and suddenly laughed.

Li Yifei noticed her action from the corner of his eye and glanced at her, causing Wu Shuwei’s smile to turn into outright laughter.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking how lucky I am to survive several times, and these things all happened in one day—rescued several times by someone I just met, experiencing a Lamborghini-like life."

"You laughed just because of that?"

"Of course."