Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 76

The instant Joe di mocked and questioned him, Zanda, within a pause of one or two seconds, practically lifted up the henchman who was impersonating Joe di.

His other hand re-gripped the dagger, and then the sound of a shotgun echoed throughout the entire manor.

The scapegoat shielding Zanda was shredded by the shotgun blast, and Zanda successfully saved his own life. He immediately flung the dagger in his hand towards Jodhi.

Joe di was agile; he merely tilted his head slightly to dodge the flying knife. As he raised his gun barrel again, Zanda had already swiftly fled the main hall with astonishing speed.

Joe di was completely enraged that he could have eliminated the most troublesome character but was foiled by the quick-witted Zanda. He wildly fired the shotgun in the hall, furiously venting his temper.

The group of people hiding outside the door didn’t dare to go in and get shot. Joe di roared, “Useless! A bunch of garbage! What are you standing around for? Hurry up and chase him! He must die tonight!”

Ji Nancen, who had smoothly driven the car into the manor, heard continuous gunshots before she could even hear the location. She and Qu Ye exchanged glances and immediately guessed something was wrong.

The two easily blended into the noisy crowd. Qu Ye randomly grabbed someone and pretended to be very familiar: “Hey, brother, what happened with the boss?”

“The bodyguard Ms. Pol brought back escaped! The boss is losing his temper. Hurry up and find him, or you might get shot!”

“Okay, okay, finding him, finding him.”

Qu Ye gave Ji Nancen a look, and the two tacitly mingled with the crowd, searching around, but quickly separated from the main group.

There were many places to hide in the manor. Fortunately, both of them knew Zanda’s fighting style inside and out. While others were conducting a brainless, carpet-like search, their eyes were scanning the exterior walls of the castle-style building for a figure.

When they reached the bottom of a corridor, Qu Ye, making sure they were alone, whispered a phrase Zanda would understand: “Miss’s favorite ice cream is gone. Zanda, hurry and go buy it!”

Zanda, who had re-hidden himself in a high corner, heard the familiar voice, peeked down, but cautiously did not respond.

Qu Ye cupped his hands around his mouth and called out again: “Twilight, Ling Xi, ice cream, Cincinnia!”

“Shh! Shh!” Zanda finally made a sound. Qu Ye vigilantly looked up, excitedly giving him a thumbs-up: “Bro!”

Ji Nancen, acting as a lookout, saw a group of people rushing their way. She cleverly lowered her voice, trying hard to sound like a man, and shouted, “That way! I just saw a black shadow running that way!”

Joe di’s subordinates were truly foolish; they easily believed her nonsense, immediately changing direction in unison, leading their dogs.

Not daring to linger, Zanda watched the distant crowd, then jumped down next to Qu Ye, surprised, “Why are you here? This place is very dangerous!”

“First, let’s find a way to leave here. We’ll plan everything later,” Qu Ye said, striding quickly toward the parking spot.

Just when they thought they were safe, they were discovered by the manor’s patrol, who spotted their furtive movements.

Zanda had bloodstains on him, making him too easy to identify, especially to Jodhi’s bloodthirsty, meat-craving Dobermans.

The vicious dogs sniffed the blood, barking madly in their direction. The three went from walking quickly to sprinting, getting into the car silently and swiftly.

Ji Nancen was in the driver’s seat again. She quickly buckled her seatbelt, stomped on the accelerator with a huge roar: “Hold tight, it looks like we’ll have to crash our way out.”

At this moment, the sound of bullets scraping the trunk came from behind. Qu Ye and Zanda quickly ducked their heads and urged, “Go!”

Joe di, still smoking a cigar and looking arrogant and cold, stood on the steps. He had switched to a rifle and was shooting wildly at the car without restraint.

Fortunately, the distance was far enough, and the nighttime visibility was poor. Not a single bullet hit a tire.

Ji Nancen couldn’t care less. The entire car sped forward in a near-fishtail maneuver.

With pursuers behind and a gate blocking the front—luckily, the gate was hollowed out—she gritted her teeth, floored the accelerator, and yelled, “Go all out or go home!”

In the nick of time, the car’s front end was deformed, and the gate was shattered. A sense of escape and relief surged.

Ji Nancen looked in the rearview mirror. Joe di ‘s mad dogs were still relentlessly pursuing: “Tsk, Jodhi really raised a pack of reckless and stupid mad dogs.”

Zanda clenched his pants leg, only regretting that he didn’t have a gun, or he wouldn’t have left these people alive.

None of the three dared to relax. They could only drive at high speed on the straight road outside the manor that seemed to have no end.

Finally, they reached a desolate highway and merged onto the main road leading into the city. The car finally blended into the traffic flow.

Qu Ye looked back and confirmed multiple times that there were no pursuers. His tense nerves finally relaxed: “That was not easy…”

Ji Nancen slowed down, laughing, “My driving skills are not bad, right? I told you visiting the manor at night would be fruitful. Who knew it would turn into a fortunate accident…”

“Are you trying to get yourselves killed? Do you know how dangerous that operation was?” To their surprise, Zanda’s first words were an angry reprimand.

Qu Ye reached out and put an arm around his shoulder, happily patting him: “Danger is certainly there, but we save who we can. Right… how is Miss?”

When the topic turned to Qiao Pohl, Zanda’s already angry face was clouded with anxiety: “She was locked in the dungeon by Jodhi. She can’t go anywhere.”

“Dungeon?! That bastard! How dare that despicable thing lock Miss Pohl in the dungeon! He clearly knows Miss is most afraid of that environment!” Qu Ye instantly exploded in rage, punching the back of the seat, which instantly buckled and deformed.

“Calm down! Don’t get so agitated, young man. Are you okay?” Ji Nancen’s face wore a relaxed smile. She then looked at Zanda through the rearview mirror: “Although the living conditions are bad, Jodhi wouldn’t dare do anything to her. The most pressing problem before us now is—how to get her out.”

“Let’s find a place to stay first,” Qu Ye informed him. Zanda was slightly surprised: “Can’t we go back to the compound? What’s going on?”

Zanda didn’t understand. Qu Ye pointed forward: “Heh, ask your little junior sister.”

“Oh, we set fire to a whole nest of Jodhi’s people, so your fantasy paradise is gone.” Ji Nancen said with a laugh. Zanda slapped the back of her head: “Bad idea military advisor.”

“Ow!” Ji Nancen rubbed her head, indignant: “Tsk, is that how you treat your savior?”

After days of gloom, they finally welcomed a brief respite.

The night was slightly cool. Ling Xi sat on the balcony, lost in thought, experiencing a tranquility she hadn’t felt before.

She held Qiao Pohl’s perfume, spraying a fleeting mist into the air. The familiar, refreshing scent swept through her senses, pulling forth memories of their time together—

The daring public kiss, the bickering in the shaded corridor, the emotional confession on the balcony, the joy and anxiety of a kiss through the window, the worshipful gaze in the sushi restaurant…

Ling Xi sadly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was an addictive sensation, as if Pohl was right by her side.

Looking down at the bottle, she murmured, “Walk in Windsor…”

The simple words branched into countless painful and difficult details, like vibrant creeping vines, easily occupying her heart.

Qiao Pohl had even imprinted the scent on her body with the hope of having a future with Ling Xi.

Always finding the truth in hindsight, Ling Xi stared blankly upward, seemingly suppressing the eruption of her fragile and broken emotions.

She got up and walked into the kitchen, took out an ice cream cone. The endlessly long, dark night, her longing for Pohl rose and fell.

Slumping onto the sofa, Ling Xi stared at the television screen. The black screen reflected her exhaustion. Her mind involuntarily echoed Attorney An’s words.

Travel… sapphire ring… self-redemption… unknown destination…

These seemingly unrelated pieces of information flooded her mind. The sudden, violent headache made Ling Xi clutch her head. She dared not think any deeper.

The secret, where exactly was Pohl’s secret hidden?

Just as she stood up to go back to the bedroom, Ling Xi accidentally kicked the remote control. The television suddenly turned on, and as she bent down to pick it up, a flickering image caught her attention.

“Mont Blanc…” Ling Xi froze, her back rigid. The footage on the television looked familiar—

The identity of the person filming was questionable, the camera shaking clumsily, the snow on the Mont Blanc summit reflecting the golden light of the sunrise.

Qiao Pohl was wearing a white rabbit-fur hat and a thick scarf. The mountain wind ruffled her long hair, and her figure was blurry.

Walking to the edge of the cliff, Qiao Pohl had one hand tucked into her coat pocket and raised the other, comfortably dancing a circle. Her scarf and coat hem spun out a pleasing arc.

In the frame, a few meters away, there was another familiar figure.

That person was herself, five years ago.

Ling Xi in the footage was captivated by the golden-sunlit mountain scenery. Qiao Pohl playfully tilted her head, hands clasped behind her back, quietly appreciating the view that belonged only to her, without any intention of disturbance.

As Ling Xi’s figure gradually walked away, Qiao Pohl, with a satisfied smile, backed up to the front of the camera. She gently blessed her: “Ling Xi, the snow on the summit of the mountain won’t melt for a hundred years, but your frozen heart will. Perhaps the warm sun and spring light will be late, but they will never be absent.”

The scene switched to a night, late evening.

They encountered the rare spectacle of summer snow. On a small mountain path, Ling Xi accidentally fell, accompanied by Qiao Pohl’s small, distressed gasp: “You clumsy idiot, you fell again!”

The camera turned upward. Goose down snow drifted slowly and gently in the dark blue sky. It seemed as if every snowflake drifted into the heart of the deeply affectionate person.

“This snow is truly beautiful. Who does it make you think of?” Qiao Pohl, holding the camera, asked. She answered with a serious and certain expression: “I’m thinking of Ling Xi, the Ling Xi who is not far away…”

Ling Xi’s eyes were wide open. She couldn’t bear to miss a single frame, and tears of surprise involuntarily spilled out.

Shaking her lips, she rushed to the television to stroke the screen, her choked sobs trembling incoherently. Ling Xi repeatedly whispered: “So you were always by my side… always by my side… always…”

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