49: Chapter 49: The Eagle's Black Gun Takes a Life, Su Gong's Soul Returns in the Snowy Night!

Bang!

A muffled gunshot was distorted by the howling wind and snow.

In the mech's crude cockpit, Su Che's body jolted violently.

A searing, sharp pain grazed past his scalp like lightning.

The bullet's powerful impact threw him right off that iron stool.

Like a kite with a broken string, he tumbled through the air and plunged headfirst into the deep snow.

The world spun around him.

Su Che lay prone in the snow, his ears ringing with a buzzing sound.

He instinctively touched his forehead.

It was sticky.

It was blood.

He rolled over, looking at the steel skeleton standing silently in the wind and snow, then at the blood on his hands. A wave of fear from surviving a brush with death made cold sweat break out on his back.

"Damn it!"

"I almost met the King of Hell."

On a ridge several hundred meters away.

A sniper in white camouflage looked through the scope at the black dot struggling to get up in the snow and cursed under his breath.

"Fuck!"

The wind and snow were too heavy, severely affecting the trajectory.

He quickly pulled the bolt, attempting a second shot.

But just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of several fast-moving shadows at the foot of the mountain.

It was the Dragon Kingdom's guards!

The sniper didn't hesitate anymore, swiftly packing up his sniper rifle. Like a lizard in the snow, he slid backward silently and soon vanished into the vast wind and snow.

Leaving not a trace.

"Engineer Su!"

"Engineer Su! Are you alright?"

The guards stationed at the foot of the mountain had rushed up the moment they heard the gunshot, surrounding Su Che.

"I'm fine, just a scratch."

Su Che waved his hand and, with the guards' help, stood up shakily.

"Let's return to the village first. We'll have Captain Li Jun and his team figure out how to get the mech back later."

The group trudged back toward the village, stepping heavily into the snow.

Before they even entered the courtyard.

With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open violently.

A red figure, like a ball of fire, rushed out recklessly.

"Su Che!"

Lin Waner rushed up to him. Without a word, she grabbed him and hugged him tightly, her body trembling violently from fear and relief.

She hugged him too hard, pressing right against the ribs Su Che had injured while tumbling.

"Hiss—"

Su Che gasped in pain, his face turning pale.

"Easy, easy, big sister, you're going to break them!"

Startled by his cry of pain, Lin Waner quickly let go, only then noticing the wound still oozing blood on his forehead and his pale face.

Tears welled up instantly.

"You're hurt?"

"It's nothing, just a minor scrape."

Su Che grinned, trying to act nonchalant, but ended up pulling the wound and wincing in pain.

Looking at him like this, Lin Waner felt both heartbroken and amused, but her tears fell even harder.

She sniffled, looked past him, and nervously glanced behind him.

"Where's Uncle? How is Uncle?"

"My dad is fine."

Su Che pointed behind him.

"Captain Li Jun and his team have already picked him up. They're probably on the way now and will be back in the village soon."

Inside the house, the scorching stove fire dispelled the chill from their bodies.

Lin Waner took a cotton swab and iodine, carefully tending to the wound on Su Che's forehead while murmuring incessantly.

"You really shouldn't have tried to be a hero."

"You are not allowed to do this again, you hear me?"

Su Che sat on a small stool, letting her tend to him, and mumbled a response.

"Got it, got it."

Not long after, Su Pingan was also escorted back by the guards.

As soon as he entered the house and saw Su Che with a band-aid on his forehead, Su Pingan's worry flared up immediately.

"Che-er! What happened to you?"

"It's nothing, Dad. I slipped on the way back."

Su Che stood up and helped him sit down.

The family was finally reunited, safe and sound.

After settling Su Pingan in, Su Che walked to the corner of the courtyard, took out his phone, and dialed that familiar number.

The call connected quickly.

"Jiang Yingxue."

His voice was calm, devoid of any warmth.

Jiang Yingxue's voice came from the other end, tinged with a hint of relief.

"You're still alive. That's great."

"Someone tried to kill me, just a moment ago."

Su Che got straight to the point.

"The International Investigation Team?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment.

Jiang Yingxue spoke, her voice weary.

"Yes, and no."

"Our Pan-Pacific Group is divided into two factions. The pragmatic faction I belong to advocates for continuing to negotiate cooperation with you."

"The other faction is the hardline faction supported by the US military."

"They think you are a huge threat and must... solve the problem physically."

"If soft tactics don't work, go hard? Just eliminate me, the source, directly?"

Su Che sneered.

"Yes."

Jiang Yingxue's answer was crisp.

Su Che remembered General Zhang's words: "Perhaps we can make use of this."

He had a plan in mind.

"Fine, I understand."

He paused and continued.

"When the snow stops and the roads are clear, come to Su Family Village."

"We will talk in person."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Su Che's expression was grim.

He didn't return to the house to rest.

He turned around and walked back into that cold workshop.

"I still have things to do."

He threw this sentence at Lin Waner and Su Pingan, who had followed him out, and closed the door.

A sleepless night.

The screech of the cutter, the arc light of the welder, and the sound of metal clanging echoed in the small Su family courtyard all night long.

The next day, the thirteenth day of the first lunar month.

Early morning.

The wind and snow had stopped last night. As the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds.

The villagers pushed open their doors, all stunned into speechlessness by the behemoth in the courtyard.

It was a complete, sci-fi-looking all-terrain transforming transport mech.

The enclosed cockpit, thick composite armor, and sleek, powerful lines were simply a product of a different era compared to yesterday's "beggar-version" skeleton.

"My goodness, did Che-wa... build a Transformer?"

Su Che walked out of the workshop, yawning, his eyes bloodshot.

He leaped into the cockpit and started the engine.

"Uncle Wang!"

He shouted to Village Chief Wang Fugui, who was standing at the courtyard gate, dumbfounded.

"Load up the medicinal herbs, mountain goods, and the list of supplies needed for procurement from the village!"

"Today, I'm taking everyone out of the mountains!"

After speaking, he fixed his phone to the cockpit mount and skillfully started the livestream.

The livestream title was simple and brutal.

[Snowstorm blocking the mountains? Not a chance. Let me show you all what village-level logistics looks like!]

The next day, the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.

At the entrance of Su Family Village.

A convoy of black business cars with license plates from different countries pulled up slowly.

John pushed open the door of the lead car and stepped out.

He looked at the quiet mountain village covered in white snow, standing still for several tens of seconds, not knowing what he was thinking.

The International Investigation Team had arrived.