Han YunXi’s hands and feet were bound tightly—she couldn’t move at all.

All she could do was watch, wide-eyed and helpless, as Han ShuYi and Ruo Dan fought.

Just as Ruo Dan was about to strike, a sudden burst of blinding light flared from the distant shoreline. Reflexively, he shut his eyes against it.

That tiny moment of distraction was all it took.

Han ShuYi shoved him away with what little strength he had left.

Ruo Dan staggered backward and fell hard to the floor.

Han ShuYi’s body gave out as well, and he collapsed onto one knee. The sharp glare made it hard to see, but he didn’t need to. He could feel who it was—no one else could arrive now except HuMing.

From above, the sound of a helicopter’s blades thundered across the waves. Ruo Dan lifted his head, biting his lip so hard it split. The coppery taste filled his mouth.

He couldn’t believe he’d been tricked again—by Han ShuYi, of all people.

He was the one who was supposed to be holding the strings, the one who controlled whether Han ShuYi lived or died. But now? Now everything was spiraling out of his grasp.

Snatching up his fallen dagger, Ruo Dan lunged for Han YunXi, dragging her upright and pressing the blade to her throat. His voice cracked with fury.

“Han ShuYi! You just had to keep playing smart, didn’t you?! I hate people like you the most—always trying to outwit everyone else!”

Han ShuYi glared at him, his breath ragged, face pale as ash.

“You have no choice now, open that box and toss me the gun, or I slit her throat!”

“Killing her doesn’t mean anything to me,” Han ShuYi replied hoarsely.

“Don’t give me that bullshit!” The blade bit into Han YunXi’s skin, drawing blood that trickled down her neck.

She winced at the pain, brows knitting—but she didn’t cry out.

She stayed silent. Resolute.

Han ShuYi looked back. The other speedboat was closing in fast. The helicopter hovered above, its spotlight sweeping the deck.

Ruo Dan was out of options. But maybe… maybe he was too.

Han ShuYi picked up the fallen key and slowly opened the metal case.

“Faster!” Ruo Dan shouted. The other boat was nearly here. He could sense it—Han ShuYi was stalling.

He couldn’t afford any more delays.

“Ruo Dan, if you throw her overboard now, you might still have a chance. But if HuMing gets here, you won’t even have that.”

He tossed the gun onto the deck—close enough, but not quite within reach.

Sweat poured from Ruo Dan’s forehead. Dragging Han YunXi with him, he edged toward it.

But just as he bent down—

Han ShuYi lunged.

They crashed to the floor.

Ruo Dan thrashed violently, his fists slamming into Han ShuYi’s wounded arm over and over again.

Han ShuYi’s eyes burned red, body shaking, but he refused to let go.

His strength finally gave out, and Ruo Dan threw him off with a roar.

Scrambling up, Ruo Dan grabbed the gun and flipped off the safety.

He aimed.

But before he could fire—Han YunXi hurled herself at him from behind.

The gun went off with a thunderous crack. The bullet buried itself in the deck beside Han ShuYi.

He stared, stunned, at what had just happened.

Then Ruo Dan seized Han YunXi by the collar and yanked her up with a snarl.

“Bitch! Go to hell!”

Han YunXi squeezed her eyes shut, unable to face what was coming—but a moment later, a strangled sound tore through the air.

Han ShuYi had his arm wrapped around Ruo Dan’s throat.

Ruo Dan’s face turned crimson, veins bulging from his temples. He was suffocating.

But even so, he still had the strength to lift the gun and point it at Han YunXi again.

“Get down!” Han ShuYi roared.

The gunshot rang out before he could finish.

For a heartbeat, Han ShuYi couldn’t feel anything.

Just the ringing in his ears.

Then came the pain—sharp and cold and all-consuming. It spread from his gut like fire.

He’d been shot.

Not Han YunXi.

Him.

[Can I really survive this? Doesn’t seem like it… I’ve been freezing for a while now. This was probably as far as I could go anyway. If YunXi’s still alive, I guess I did my job, didn’t I?]

Han ShuYi chuckled inwardly.

All that effort, all that struggle—and in the end, he fell right at the finish line.

Turns out he’d been right all along.

Getting too attached really would get him killed.

His breathing grew shallow. Seconds felt like hours.

His life flashed before his eyes, and when the images faded, the sea returned to view.

He blinked.

Just in time to see Ruo Dan kick Han YunXi overboard.

From the distant speedboat, HuMing had already seen it happen.

Ruo Dan no longer needed a hostage.

Throwing her into the sea meant HuMing would have to waste time looking for her—giving Ruo Dan a chance to escape.

A bargaining chip turned dead weight.

He shook Han ShuYi off and tried to run.

But Han ShuYi’s arms locked around him like iron chains.

“Let go!”

Ruo Dan tried to break free, but Han ShuYi just… laughed.

“This ending, huh? Bet you and Gu ZhaoChuan never saw it coming. Shame we’re both going to hell together. Maybe down there, we’ll still have each other for company.”

“Fuck you, Han ShuYi! I’m not dying with you!”

Ruo Dan shrieked in rage, firing again and again. Bullets tore through flesh, but Han ShuYi’s grip never loosened.

“LET GO! LET GO!!”

Ruo Dan’s voice cracked in sheer terror. Panic consumed him.

Han ShuYi lifted his head.

Through the glare, he could see a figure standing at the bow of the incoming boat.

That man… he was aiming.

He knew.

He understood.

Han ShuYi smiled faintly.

He was going to die here—but no one would mourn for him.

Somehow… that felt kind of nice.

He closed his eyes, and his strength finally faded.

On the other boat, HuMing adjusted his aim one last time.

Through the scope, he could already see Han ShuYi had gone still.

There was no hesitation.

His heart ached—but his finger didn’t flinch.

The gunshot split the sky.

Ruo Dan’s forehead burst open, a perfect red hole blooming at the center.

His arms dropped.

His knees buckled.

His body collapsed, lifeless.

The last thing he saw—

Was HuMing diving headfirst into the sea.

[He’s trying to save Han YunXi? HuMing… I curse you—]

Before he could finish the thought, the light in his eyes vanished forever.

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