QTIMP -Chapter 280 Character Persona – Violent (Part 8)

She had deliberately chosen this restaurant because it wasn’t far from where she lived.

There weren’t too many people on the street, but it wasn’t deserted either. Unlike a few years ago, everyone no longer seemed to be in such a rush. Perhaps it was because patrol officers occasionally walked by.

The uniforms and guns were the same as always, yet they somehow made people feel safe.

As Si Qiu walked along, she suddenly heard the screech of brakes not far away, followed by gunshots—and even the explosion of a grenade.

Screams and running followed immediately after.

A car was flipped over by the grenade blast and slid forward, stopping diagonally in front of her.

Si Qiu turned and tried to slip into a shop, only to find the owner had already been quicker—he had locked the door long ago.

She knocked several times, but no one opened it. In the end, she could only crouch behind a stone stool by the shop entrance. At her feet was a broken basket about half her height.

Her eyes flickered. She dumped out the trash inside, then pulled the basket over herself, pressing herself against the wall and peering out through the gaps in the broken weave.

This was far more concealed than her eye-catching outfit.

She saw a person in a jacket climb out of the car, then drag out another man in a suit. The man in the suit seemed injured, clutching his left abdomen, a streak of blood across his face.

The man in the jacket half-supported him with one arm while holding a gun in the other, exchanging fire with someone who had also climbed out from the driver’s seat.

The attackers were clearly prepared in advance, gradually forming a surrounding formation. In the distance, there were still faint explosions—likely to keep the patrol units occupied.

The three of them used a stone stool and the overturned car as cover, but their ammunition was limited, and they were already injured to varying degrees.

Si Qiu was really afraid a stray bullet might hit her. Luckily, the spot she chose was the angle formed by the stone pillar at the entrance and the column of the doorway.

It looked like the man in the jacket was trying to stall for time.

He shouted toward the attackers, “Who are you people? You know there’s a garrison here. If you kill people in broad daylight, you won’t get away!”

The other side laughed arrogantly. “Hahaha… even sacrificing a so-called genius researcher is worth it. Don’t waste time anymore. With so many brothers accompanying you on your way, you should be honored.”

With that, he waved his hand—and the attackers rushed forward.

Si Qiu saw there were actually five of them, each holding a gun. She silently chanted in her head: You can’t see me, you can’t see me.

Another intense exchange of fire erupted. Two of their people were shot; three of the attackers fell, while two continued to move closer.

As for how she distinguished friend from foe—Si Qiu always firmly believed she was born in New China and raised under the red flag. That made it very easy to tell.

One of the men on the injured side shouted back, though his arm had also been shot and hung limp. With his other hand still holding his gun, he said through gritted teeth:

“You really are tough bones. Today I’ll send you all to hell. Didn’t you say you’d dedicate everything to the motherland? Perfect—now I’ll fulfill your wish.”

He and the man beside him were about to pull the trigger.

Blood from Ye Shubai’s forehead slid down his face, leaving a crimson streak. His right hand pressed against the area beneath his ribs, his gaze icy—without the slightest trace of fear or sorrow.

Instead, there was even a hint of interest, as if the gun wasn’t pointed at him at all.

At that moment, a whip suddenly lashed in from the side, knocking the pistols out of their hands.

The whip struck again, wrapping around the leader’s neck and dragging him more than a meter away. Another man only snapped back to awareness before being tackled to the ground by the jacketed man who had been shot.

The man caught in the whip grabbed onto it, trying to pull himself up.

Si Qiu kicked hard at his elbow, forcing his arm to go limp. With both arms disabled, he writhed on the ground like an insect.

She retracted the whip and walked toward the man lying on the ground. Passing the one still writhing, she kicked his knees twice.

A muffled groan sounded, and the man passed out.

Ye Shubai saw that under the glow of lanterns hanging from the stone pillar, the woman looked like a celestial being from the heavens. Yet her methods were those of a cold-blooded assassin.

That extreme contradiction between her appearance and temperament made his heart pound violently. His blood seemed to surge and boil.

Is it her?

The woman walked toward him, her heels striking the stone pavement step by step. Each step felt like it was pressing directly on his heart. Sometimes, the “magnetic field” between people is exactly that precise point—and Si Qiu had struck right at his weak spot.

He slowly lowered his gaze, concealing the madness in his eyes.

Then he lifted his eyes again, instantly turning into a weak and helpless figure. “Cough… cough… comrade, thank you.”

Hearing his voice, Si Qiu’s steps paused. His voice was clear and pleasant, but seemed to carry a hook within it—tugging at the heart.

She coiled her whip into loops and held it in her hand.

“How are you? Are you alright?”

Ye Shubai pressed his lips together weakly. “Not too good… I think my ribs might be broken.”

Si Qiu stepped forward and crouched down, grabbing his wrist. His skin was a few shades fairer than hers, which made Si Qiu feel a bit envious.

In her original life with the Chen family, although she wasn’t badly treated, she still worked in the fields. Her skin inevitably became dull and yellowish.

After half a month of recovery, it had improved somewhat, but compared to this man, she was still several shades darker.

“No internal organs were injured. It should be fine,” she concluded.

She then checked the man lying on the ground. He had been shot three times and was already dead.

It wasn’t that Si Qiu hadn’t acted earlier—if she had, she would have been injured too. She valued her life too much to do something like self-sacrifice.

Standing up, she saw that the man in the jacket had already tied up the other attacker.

“Comrade, what’s your name? Thank you for saving the three of us.”

Ye Shubai forced a weak smile at the corner of his lips, looking almost dazzling. But Si Qiu had seen too many beauties before, so his appearance didn’t hold her attention.

He looked toward the man in the jacket. Si Qiu remembered that he seemed to have been shot as well.

“Si Qiu.”

There was no need to hide it.

“My name is Ye Shubai.”

“Mm.”

Suddenly, another muffled groan sounded. Si Qiu quickly looked down again.

Ye Shubai was holding his ribs, frowning slightly. “Sorry… it just hurts a bit too much.”

“Don’t move around. What if a broken rib damages your internal organs?” Si Qiu felt that men were really troublesome—why act tough when they needed to recover?

Ye Shubai was extremely sensitive to others’ emotions and immediately sensed Si Qiu’s impatience.

He quickly adjusted his approach. “You’re right. I just wanted to check on my colleague. Sorry for causing you trouble.”

Hearing his apology, Si Qiu also felt she might have been a bit too harsh.

So she stepped forward to support him, explaining as she did so. “He looks fine, they’re tying him up now. But he probably was shot—just not sure how serious it is yet.”

Ye Shubai felt the warm touch and the faint fragrance drifting toward him. His hand gripping his ribs tightened into a fist, nails digging into his palm.

Yet his voice remained weak and gentle. “It should be fine. He was shot in the left arm.”