After all, it came like a bolt of lightning.
At that moment, Winnie thought she could escape, but everything happened too quickly.
She felt the heat of the explosion and was soon caught in the massive wave of water that followed after the explosion. The scene of her turning around and making a run for it seemed so still that it resembled a picture.
Just as Winnie felt as if she was going to be swallowed whole, everything Xavier had said to her just a couple of minutes ago began running through her mind in that split second.
I believe in you, Winnie. I’m also willing to place my trust in the police. However, I can’t trust Zyon or take any chances. I’m terrified of anything and everything bad that might happen to you, so please promise me you won’t put yourself in such a dangerous position again.
Back then, Winnie had promised him she would not rush into dangerous situations anymore, but she did not mean it at all. As a matter of fact, she had only made the promise to placate Xavier.
Winnie believed in herself regardless if people thought of her as arrogant or proud. But alas, a single person’s capability was nowhere near adequate in the face of a massive disaster.
The well-trained SWAT officers were all thrown into the air by the force of the wave and couldn’t fight back at all.
Nonetheless, Winnie mustered all of her strength and ran forward.
As time ticked by, the rumbling above her head grew louder and louder.
The massive piece of steel was about to fall on her, but Winnie only felt one side of her body go numb. Just then, her body was propelled by a force, and she landed about two meters away, completely avoiding the piece of steel.
After that, the turbulent wave crashed onto the shore, a loud rumble resounding in its wake.
Winnie didn’t know what was pressing her onto the ground as the impact of the wave made her feel dizzy, and her mind was foggy.
Fortunately, the tide went away just as quickly as it came.
The water level returned to normal soon after, and Winnie was finally able to breathe in some fresh air.
As she tried to move her body, she felt the weight that was on her back roll off by itself, and the rolling motion was followed by a low grunt.
It was not until she heard the voice that Winnie realized the thing that was on her back was actually a person.
Needless to say, she was shell-shocked when she turned her face to the side to catch a glimpse of the person who had saved her. The person in question was none other than Josiah.
Winnie’s limbs were all intact, and she quickly stumbled to her knees. “Are you all right?” she asked.
Afraid that Josiah would lose consciousness, she kept talking to him while examining his body.
He had flung his body over hers, and it was his selfless gesture that had saved Winnie’s life. He sustained a long and nasty gash over his back. The wound was bleeding profusely, and his torn shirt had long been stained scarlet.
“Josiah! Josiah!” Winnie furrowed her brows. “Can you hear me? Wake up! You can’t die here. Do you hear me?”
“Ouch…” Josiah sucked in a breath and chastised the woman, “God! My arm hurts. Stop shaking me.”
Winnie didn’t realize Josiah had also grazed his arm until he said that. After getting a better look at the state of his arm, she realized the wound was huge.
“Come, I’ll help you up. Let’s go take care of your wounds.” She was prepared to lift Josiah up as she spoke.
However, the man did not cooperate with her. Instead, he pushed her away and broke into laughter.
Winnie frowned in confusion. “Did you hit your head, or did some seawater get into your brain? Are you tired of living already?”
“Of course not! But what about you? Do you not care about your husband?”
“What do you mean?”
Winnie found Josiah’s words to be strange. Despite that, she felt her gut instinct guiding her to turn her head to the side and look.
Winnie listened to her gut instinct and looked to her right, only to see Xavier lying next to her.
No wonder! I felt something break my fall after I got pushed down. It didn’t hurt as much as I had anticipated. It turns out that the pair of arms that grabbed my waist belonged to Xavier!
At that moment, a steel bar had pierced through Xavier’s arm.
The other end of the steel bar was lodged into the ground, and his blood flowed with the receding seawater, forming a pink-colored stream underneath his body.
This must be painful, but he never winced, not even once. If Josiah didn’t remind me, I wouldn’t have noticed that Xavier was right by my side all along.
“Xavier…”
Unknowingly, tears had welled up in Winnie’s eyes. She quickly knelt down beside Xavier and examined his wounds, but she couldn’t stop her hands from trembling.
Her voice was shaking, too. “Does it hurt? Why didn’t you say something?”
“It doesn’t hurt.” The seawater had drenched Xavier’s hair and face. He sustained a few grazes on his forehead, and the water that was caught in the pocket between his brow bone and eye was stained red.
He lifted up his good arm and gently wiped off the drop of blood on the corner of Winnie’s eye. “Do you blame me for not saving you in time?”
“How could I?” Seeing Xavier in this state, Winnie couldn’t hold back her tears. She held his hand tightly and placed it on her cheek. “Didn’t you save me in the end?”
Xavier sighed and chuckled lightly. “It wasn’t me. It was Josiah who saved you. My reaction is way slower now. He was much faster than me, and he was the one who saved you. By the time I came over, you were already safe.”
“What about it? You’re here now, and that’s what matter.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, Dumbo.”
“No, don’t be sorry. This is Zyon’s fault. He was the one who bombed the cargo ship. If it weren’t for him, this wouldn’t have happened at all! He’s the one who should be repenting. Where else are you hurt? Tell me.”
“Here.” The man slowly pulled his hand out of Winnie’s and gently patted himself on the chest.
When Winnie noticed where he was patting, her face instantly fell.
That’s where the heart is!
“Let me have a look!” She forced her hands from trembling and was about to pry Xavier’s shirt open, but Xavier promptly stopped her.
“I’m not wounded. It just hurts… I watched with my own two eyes as the love of my life fell in front of me, but I couldn’t even react in time to run to her.”
“It’s fine!” Winnie stopped what she was doing upon hearing Xavier’s words. She knew this was the aftereffect of the venom he was injected with, and not only did his reaction become slower, but his stamina also deteriorated.
“We’ve already found Yulissa. I believe we’ll be able to produce an antidote soon, and everything will go back to normal.”
Josiah, who was lying near the couple, also comforted them, “That’s right. All three of us are extremely lucky. We survived this ordeal, so what else can’t we survive? An antidote is just child’s play compared to this!”
Then he smiled and explained to Winnie, “Truth is, he was the one who forced me to save you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have sprinted that fast. Oh right, since we’re all in such a pathetic state, let’s grab an extra meal tonight.”
Winnie was still tearing up, but Josiah’s humorous words successfully made her feel less upset about the situation.
Lifting the corners of his lips into a smile, Xavier agreed, “Sure. Go ahead and pick whatever you like. It’s on me.”
“Nah”—Josiah struggled to prop himself up—“I’ll buy you guys a meal. I guarantee you it’ll be fresh!”
As he spoke, he reached into his shirt and chuckled mischievously.
It was then Winnie noticed he had pulled out an octopus that was as big as a human brain.
The couple was utterly taken aback by the sight of the sea creature.
“You’ve won, Josiah…” uttered Xavier after he regained his senses.
All of a sudden, Winnie didn’t feel as if she had just overcome a disaster. She felt as if she was watching a comedy show instead.
After composing herself, she wiped the tears from her eyes and said to Xavier, “Wait here. I’ll go get the first aid kit to treat your wounds.”
“What about me?” asked Josiah. “Am I not one of your saviors too?”
“Just sit here and accompany me, and take good care of your octopus. After all, you’re supposed to treat us to a meal. It won’t be fresh if it dies,” Xavier retorted.
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