It was like that since ten minutes prior. It was the same ten minutes after.

That middle-aged female gunman had lost her patience. She looked over to Lin Qinghua and asked, “Will that guy come?”

Lin Qinghua's voice was cold. “I understand him. He will never leave his friends behind. That's his virtue, but also his weakness.”

The middle-aged female gunman said, “But…”

Lin Qinghua chided, “Enough. Are you doubting my strategy?”

The middle-aged female gunman seemed to be very afraid of Lin Qinghua, and shut up immediately.

The atmosphere in the room had become tense again.

“I've already said it, I'm not his friend. He won't risk his life for someone he barely interacted with for a day,” Shalim Talman broke the silence in the room. She said warily, “But we can find another way to solve the problem. I can pay a sum of money in exchange for my freedom.”

Lin Qinghua raised the shotgun in his hand, the two black barrels were aimed at Shalim Talman.

Shalim Talman closed her mouth.

Di di, di di…

The communicator on the coffee table suddenly gave a notification, requesting to establish communication.

Lin Qinghua picked up that communicator and pressed the receive b.u.t.ton.

A voice came from the communicator, “Lin Qinghua, it's not too late to stop now.”

It was Ning Tao's voice. It was calm, like the tone used to advise a friend.

“Ning Tao, I'll give you five minutes. You better give the thing to me within five minutes, or else, I'll kill her,” Lin Qinghua said. Even when he was facing Ning Tao, his voice was still cold and completely emotionless.

“Then you'll kill me, right?” Ning Tao spoke.

“You only have five minutes!”

Through the communicator was Ning Tao's sigh. “You're no longer the Lin Qinghua I knew. How about we meet up one-to-one? Let's have a good talk.”

“You have four minutes and 50 seconds.”

Ning Tao stayed silent before saying, “Alright, you only have two minutes left.”

“You better not think I'm joking. Do you want me to kill her now?” Lin Qinghua stood up and walked over to Shalim Talman, pressing the revolver against her head.

Shalim Talman grew anxious immediately, and begged, “No… no…”

Lin Qinghua brought the communicator to Shalim Talman's mouth, and yelled furiously, “Ning Tao! Did you hear her? I don't believe that a pract.i.tioner like you would leave someone in the lurch! I'm warning you for one last time. Come at once! Or else I'll kill her!” Right after, he pushed the shotgun onto Shalim Talman's head, and said angrily, “Ask him to come here!”

Shalim Talman had lost control of her emotions, crying at the communicator, “Save me, save me, I beg you, save me…!”

Ning Tao's voice came from the communicator, “Believe me, you'll be okay. I will send you back to Ruitian safely.”

Lin Qinghua brutally pushed Shalim Talman away, then yelled at the communicator, “Ning Tao! Do you really think that I don't dare to kill her? Believe me when I say that I'll kill her right now!”

“You're still too young. Do you think you know my weaknesses? Using a foreign princess to threaten me? Is this your first time pulling a prank? You don't have any experience. In fact you don't even know who you are. You're only one of Nicholas Conway's p.a.w.ns. Will he allow you to kill the princess of Ruitian? I'm sure he wouldn't even acknowledge your ident.i.ty given that things have reached this state. Let Shalim Talman go. Here's a friendly note, I've already made a police report,” Ning Tao said.

Lin Qinghua suddenly froze on the spot.

The four gunmen guarding the room were also slightly stunned.

Who would have thought Ning Tao would call the police?

Even if it were a movie, the plot wouldn't have presented such a development!

Weewoo weewoo weewoo…

Deafening sounds of police sirens were heard from the street leading up to the Iris Hotel. Sounds of the helicopter's spinning propellers also filtered in from above.

Lin Qinghua approached the French window to take a look. Tens of police cars had arrived at the hotel, along with a few military off-road vehicles driven by commandos. In the sky, two police helicopters were hovering above the hotel. The machine gunners could be seen clearly in the helicopters.

“What should we do now?” The middle-aged female gunman panicked, and started cursing, “f.u.c.k! That guy really called the police!”

Lin Qinghua walked towards Shalim Talman suddenly. His gaze was more ferocious than a wild beast's.

All of a sudden, Lin Qinghua's phone started ringing. He paused in his tracks and picked up the call.

A deep and rough voice came from the phone, “Let Shalim Talman go. Kill every person involved in the operation.”

“Ning Tao already has that piece of the bone.” Lin Qinghua was still unwilling to give up.

“He will keep looking for the bones. Let him be. He'll come back to me at the end of the day. Carry out my orders.”

“Yes,” Lin Qinghua responded.

The opposite party ended the call.

Lin Qinghua kept his phone and said, “You four guard the way. I'll accompany the hostage. The plans have changed. We have to leave this place.”

The gunmen guarding both sides of the French window walked over.

The middle-aged female gunman who was standing in front of the door, reached out to open it.

Lin Qinghua suddenly lifted the shotgun and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A loud noise of explosion. Amid gunfire and gun smoke, all four gunmen who were standing by the entrance collapsed on the ground. Bits of flesh were splattered across the wall!

The room door had also disappeared. A large hole, big enough for a pickup truck to drive through, appeared in the wall of the room.

The intense exploding sound left Shalim Talman's eardrums hissing. After the black gun smoke dissipated, she saw a leg on the ground and the flesh-covered wall opposite her. A grey eye was staring right at her.

“Ah—!” Shalim Talman screamed and pa.s.sed out.

Lin Qinghua placed the magical shotgun back into the metallic case, then carried it and walked out through the hole.

His face and eyes were not those of Lin Qinghua's.

The Florence police and commandos had charged into the Iris Hotel.

Half an hour later.

University Hospital Florence.

A few members of the medical staff walked out of the operation room. A doctor removed his mask and said solemnly, “I'm sorry. We've done our best. A few bullets were shot into his lungs, and another one damaged his pulmonary artery, which we are unable to extract. Go and meet him one last time. If you need the pastor, you may come to the doctor's office to look for me. I'll contact him for you.”

Shalim Talman fell into the chair stunned.

Half an hour ago, the police had charged into that room and saved her; they had also realized that Harley Poche was still breathing. Harley Poche was then rushed to the hospital for resuscitation. She was still harboring a shred of hope, but then, such hope had been dashed.

She knew that Harley Poche had a crush on her, and had always been wooing her. Even though she had not accepted his feelings, the two of them had grown up together and shared a deep friends.h.i.+p after all. Harley Poche was in fact even more like her brother than Joseph Talman was. How could she not be sad since Harley Poche was dying?

“Princess Shalim, do you want to go in and see Major General Harley for one last time?” The Ruitian amba.s.sador of Florence asked.

There were also a few other representatives from the emba.s.sy waiting in front of the operation room. Everyone looked dejected.

Shalim Talman stood up and wiped her tears away. She took a deep breath and said, “Let me go in and see him. You may stay outside.”

A voice came out of nowhere, “I'll go in and take a look. I think he could still be saved.”

Shalim Talman turned around hurriedly. She saw a Hua Country youth walk over with a small medicine chest in his hand.

Ning Tao had arrived.

Shalim Talman suddenly lost control when she saw Ning Tao. She charged at Ning Tao, angrily yelling, “You actually called the police! “Weren't you afraid that they would kill me?”

“Weren't you saved already? Process and methods are not important. What's important is the end result.” Ning Tao paused in his tracks and headed directly to the operation room.

Shalim Talman suddenly grabbed Ning Tao's arm. “Who are you really? Tell me!”

Ning Tao stopped. “Are you sure you want to ask me this now? Is it more important than Harley Poche's life?”

Shalim Talman was alerted by those words, and realized that she was making a silly mistake. She released Ning Tao's arm immediately. “Quick… save Harley.”

“You know my rules. Guard the door and don't let anyone in,” Ning Tao ordered before entering the operation room; he closed the door behind and locked it.

Harley Poche was unconscious on the operation table. His lifeline waves on the ECG monitor had almost become straight, only jumping occasionally.

Ning Tao approached the operation table and reached out, pressing Harley Poche's chest, infusing a shred of spiritual power into it.

The ECG monitor readings jumped instantly. The heart rate increased from a single digit to a double digit, and continued to rise.

When Harley Poche's pulse reached 50, Ning Tao moved his hand away from Harley Poche, then opened the small medicine chest. He took an authentic plucking talisman from the small medicine chest, and stuck it on Harley Poche's chest, which was covered with a few bullet wounds.

With the spiritual power recharge and the plucking talisman activated, a few bullets left Harley Poche's body along with the talisman as Ning Tao pulled it.

Blood surged from the wounds.

With a few p.r.i.c.ks of the Sacred Needles, the hemorrhage stopped. He then fed him a Fine Primary Elixir.

A few seconds later, Harley Poche opened his eyes. He didn't see any doctors, but rather, he saw Ning Tao. He seemed to have understood immediately, and said, “You… saved me?”

Ning Tao said coolly, “Those few quacks said you could no longer be saved and even offered to contact the pastor. I said I could give it a try. Don't need to thank me, but remember, you owe me one.”

Harley Poche's lips moved, only making a faint noise, “Thank you.”

Ning Tao pulled out the Sacred Needle which had pierced Harley Poche's chest, and placed it back in the small medicine chest. Then headed out of the room.

Harley Poche smiled wryly.

It was buzzing outside the operation room.

“Princess Shalim, who was that?”

“The doctors have already done all they could, could he still possibly save General Major Harley?”

“I really don't think he can do it. The hospital arranged for the best doctors to treat General Major Harley. He can't possibly be even better than the doctors, right?”

“Let's go in and take a look. He has hindered us from seeing General Major Harley for the last time.”

“Princess Shalim…”

The commotion was frustrating Shalim Talman, but she didn't know how to explain. Ning Tao and his medical skills were a mystery to her.

During the ruckus, the door to the operation room opened and Ning Tao walked out from it.

Shalim Talman approached him and asked anxiously, “Doctor Ning, how is Harley?”

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Ning Tao said, “You may go in and take a look.”

Harley Poche's voice came from the operation room all of a sudden, “Shalim…”

“Ah!” Shalim Talman turned around and ran into the operation room.

A group of emba.s.sy members followed suit in a hurry.

Ning Tao headed down the corridor with a wry smile on his face. “Am I becoming more and more like a core member of the Young Pioneers? That guy is so detestable, yet I still felt obliged to save him, even for free.”

When Ning Tao pa.s.sed by a garbage can, he dug out the condom which he had received out of strange circ.u.mstances, and was about to throw it away. Yet, for some reason, he glanced around furtively like a thief, then placed that condom back in his pocket.