Zhou Rong closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and swallowed his hot tears, reaching to remove a bullet hanging from his neck.
“This is…” he said hoarsely, “my last bullet, for suicide.”
Zhou Rong loaded the bullet into the gun, chambered it, and embraced the special forces soldier tightly.
Every team member came forward to say goodbye, crying. Chun Cao’s shoulders shook violently. The special forces soldier comforted her, finally pushing her away and looking at Zhou Rong through tears.
“Thanks for these years, Rong Ge,” he said, wiping his eyes. “Send me off, will you?”
Zhou Rong closed his eyes, his hand trembling as he pressed the gun barrel to the soldier’s head.
“…Goodbye,” he choked.
Silence fell around them. After a moment, a gunshot rang out.
The crowd’s restlessness subsided, and the survivors looked at each other in panic.
Soon, a woman hesitated, stepping forward with reddened eyes full of tears. “I… I’m scared.”
She paused, forcing a smile. “Any bullets left?”
Zhou Rong buried his face in his hands. For a fleeting moment, his previously rigid shoulder lines seemed to show a sense of collapse.
Chun Cao hesitantly reached towards her back, about to draw her gun when someone walked up from her side.
…Si Nan? She thought in surprise.
Si Nan stood before the girl, asking softly: “They’re out of bullets. May I help you? I promise it’ll be quick.”
The girl looked somewhat afraid and lost: “But I…”
“There won’t be any pain,” Si Nan said.
Under everyone’s gaze, he reached out to wipe the dust from her face, forcefully erasing her tear-smudged eye shadow. He meticulously and carefully combed her hair. He folded her collar neatly, brushing off the dirt from her dress, like a gentleman serving a noble princess.
The girl trembled, her suppressed sobs preventing her from speaking. Si Nan spread his arms and hugged her, asking: “What’s your name?”
“…Zhao… Zhao Miao Miao…”
“Miao Miao,” Si Nan whispered in her ear, “Don’t be afraid. You look beautiful.”
The girl swallowed her bitter tears, smiling and giving a strong “Mm!”
The next second, her cervical vertebra experienced a lightning-fast—crack! Without any hesitation, her body immediately went limp.
Si Nan gently supported her lifeless body, slowly laying her down as if she had merely fallen into an eternally warm slumber.
