Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 174 - 170: Rescuing Mother and Daughter

Chapter 174: Chapter 170: Rescuing Mother and Daughter

"What are you trying to do?" Luo’er was instantly panicked when she heard Tangmo wanted to go back, and grabbed her, demanding an explanation.

"I want to go save Yila and her daughter!" Tangmo said anxiously.

"Yila and her daughter..." Luo’er remembered the two people Tangmo had mentioned before. They were the ones who had given Luo’er the information about the High-peak people continuing the Magic Crystal Mines operation, so she remembered them clearly.

"Forget about them, we’re all in danger right now!" Luo’er tried to reason with her.

Although he was somewhat reluctant, the airboat could crash at any moment, and there were over ten Zhuyan People armed with weapons on it – going back to save the mother-daughter duo was incredibly dangerous.

"No, little Sara is only five or six years old. This is her first time traveling far from home. I can’t bear to see them lose their lives like this." Tangmo said, biting her lip.

"You’re crazy. Even if you can save them, how are you going to get them off the airboat? Use your parachute?" Before Luo’er could speak, Cheng Ziang interjected coldly.

"If necessary, they can use my parachute. I don’t mind." Tangmo raised her head, looking at him with resolute determination.

"You!" For the first time, Cheng Ziang was infuriated by Tangmo. He was seething that she was willing to risk her life for two people she barely knew.

Of course, he would never hit a woman. Cheng Ziang glared at Luo’er, signalling for her to make a statement. As long as Luo’er agreed, Cheng Ziang would be more than willing to throw Tangmo off the airboat.

Luo’er remained silent, quietly observing Tangmo. Seeing her determined expression, he sighed deeply, then spoke out, "I’ll help you save them. You stick with the group and jump with a parachute."

"Luo’er, have you fucking lost your mind too!" Cheng Ziang cursed in rare anger. He could hardly believe his ears as Tangmo’s ignorance was one thing, but the fact that Luo’er, the de-facto captain, was willing to indulge her was just baffling.

"I’m not crazy," Luo’er said calmly. Looking at Tangmo, he asked, "So, you’re determined to save them, right?"

"Yes, but," Tangmo hesitated before grabbing Luo’er’s hand and expressing her concerns, "I can go by myself, Luo’er; I don’t want anything to happen to you!"

"I don’t want anything to happen to you either. If you’re so determined, then allow me to help you rescue them," Luo’er gazed into her eyes, giving a gentle smile.

"No, Luo’er, no..." Before Tangmo could finish, Luo’er pushed her towards Hu Daoke.

"Little Ke, take care of your sister!" Luo’er instructed.

"Understood, boss, stay safe!" Hu Daoke nodded his head, reaching out to hold Tangmo and assuring him.

"Luo’er..." Baiyue, unable to hold back her worries, moved closer with her rifle, seemingly ready to fight alongside him.

"Yue’er, be good and go with the others. I can handle it alone!" Luo’er waved his hand, rejecting her kind intentions.

"Now you’re facing over a hundred people, several guns, how are you going to rescue the mother and daughter?" Cheng Ziang asked loudly as he watched Luo’er’s retreating figure.

"Luck!" Luo’er didn’t look back, merely responding coolly.

In the end, he slowed down his tone and said, "Go with them and use the parachutes. If I’m not back soon, you take my place for the time being."

With that, while checking his gun, Luo’er ran towards the cabin. Looking at Luo’er’s receding figure, Cheng Ziang gritted his teeth with anger, kicked the steel plate hard, and turned his gaze to the stunned Hu Daoke, harshly commanding, "What are you looking at, parachute!"

"Oh!" Although Cheng Ziang was boiling with rage, Hu Daoke didn’t take offense, meekly obeying and starting to check the parachute.

Luo’er didn’t know why he agreed to Tangmo’s seemingly naïve request and put himself in danger by venturing into the cabin to rescue the two. He still remembered during his time in the front-line corps, when he had directed the artillery fire that destroyed a village. As he surveyed the ruins before him, he had comforted himself, shifting the blame onto the artillery battalion of the front-line corps.

But if he was truly innocent, why was he so afraid of the night?

Luo’er was terrified of becoming a certain type of person, one with a heart of stone – indifferent to the lives of others. Since his arrival in Otherworld, they had killed many people, many inhabitants of Otherworld. Sometimes, Luo’er felt his heart becoming harder and harder; every time he killed someone, he told himself that those people were against them – they were the enemy.

But is that really a good enough reason to kill them?

Many people didn’t deserve to die, killing them was simply the most convenient option amongst the available plans. Melia’s situation had taught him as much; as long as interests aligned, even enemies could be transformed into allies.

Returning to the question at hand, why had he agreed to Tangmo’s naive request to rescue a worthless mother-daughter pair? Luo’er thought, he was merely trying to dismiss the guilt that lurked within his conscience. Although the reason that they had once provided valuable intelligence to their team was weak, it could still barely serve as justification for their rescue.

After taking just ten or so steps, another explosion rang out from the direction of the Engine Room. This explosion was even more violent, causing the ship to tilt increasingly dangerously.

Luo’er, while leaning against the railing, noticed that chaos had already broken out in the cabin. Those from the Zhuyan People tasked with guarding them had already fled, leaving the rest to scatter in panic.

The airboat was equipped with emergency parachutes, which were typically sufficient under regular circumstances. But for some unknown reason, these passengers were frantically fighting over the parachutes, some even resorting to violence.

In the crowd, Luo’er vaguely noticed a mother and daughter huddled together, helplessly sobbing on the ground. As Tangmo had described their appearances in great detail, Luo’er was certain they were the very mother and daughter Tangmo wished to rescue: Yila and her child.

Luo’er attempted to push through the frenzied crowd, but chaos reigned supreme. Out of anxiety, he raised his rifle, firing thrice, immediately scattering the nearby passengers.

He made his way straight to the mother and daughter, without hesitation grabbing Yila’s wrist. Feeling a hand grasp her, Yila let out a desperate scream. "Please, let me go, please!" she begged loudly.

"Shut up! Follow me if you don’t want to die!" With the situation dire, Luo’er’s temper flared.

As he just managed to get the women onto their feet, he heard another round of gunfire, followed by a group of Zhuyan People, guns in hand, appearing in the cabin. It was clear they had been drawn by his gunshot.

Ignoring the women, Luo’er took aim with his rifle, repeatedly pulling the trigger. The rapid-fire attack knocked to the ground the two leading Zhuyan People, prompting those behind to scurry for cover and initiating a counterattack.

Luo’er took cover himself, pulled a shock bomb out of his pocket, yanked the pin, and hurled it into the Zhuyan People’s cover. A deafening boom and flashing light later, several Zhuyan People tumbled out from behind cover, holding their ears and howling in pain.

"Go, go, go!" Seeing the pursuers taken care of, Luo’er got Yila back on her feet and started leading her out.

"Save my daughter!" Presumably realizing Luo’er wasn’t a bad guy, Yila started begging him to take her daughter as well.

"Carry her and follow behind!" Luo’er didn’t waste words with her and made his way out of the cabin.

Out on the deck, Luo’er realized he needed to find a parachute for them. However, he had run into the Zhuyan People in the cabin before he had a chance to find one. Many people on the deck hurriedly jumped off as soon as they strapped their parachutes on, quite a few of them not even knowing where the pull cord was and plummeting straight into the jungle below.

At this point, Luo’er really wanted to grab a parachute off someone for the mother and daughter, but nearly everyone on the deck had already jumped off, not giving him any opportunity to do so.

Luo’er was just about to try searching the cabin again when suddenly an intense tremoring shook him. Immediately after, the airboat started to tip dangerously. He knew they were out of time, their only option now was for him to grab the mother and daughter and jump off together.

Although the personnel in charge of equipment had promised before their deployment that the parachutes could safely carry a weight of roughly 500 kilograms, no one dared to gamble with their lives.

Luo’er took a backup strap from his gear and started tying the mother and daughter together. Noticing what he was doing, Yila asked in alarm, "What are you doing?"

"Less talk, stay still if you don’t want to die!" In no mood to explain, Luo’er finished securing the women, tying the other end of the strap to his own waist. That way, even if he couldn’t hold onto them when parachuting, they could still stay connected via the strap.

Luo’er wasn’t sure whether the parachute could safely carry a load of 500 kilograms, but he knew this strap was more than sturdy enough. No matter the weight of the mother and daughter, it wouldn’t break easily.

Just as Luo’er finished securing the strap and was about to inspect the parachute, a Zhuyan People gunman unexpectedly appeared around a nearby corner. Seeing an armed Luo’er, the gunman didn’t hesitate at all, raising his rifle and pulling the trigger.

"Da-da-da!!"

Caught in a wave of uncontrollable automatic gunfire, Luo’er managed to push the mother and daughter out of the way before feeling an impact in his chest, quickly followed by warm liquid seeping out. He staggered and fell to the ground, quickly drawing the pistol from his leg and returning fire.

"Pop-pop-pop!!"

Luo’er’s aim was much more accurate than the dwarf’s. Though he was hit just once in the exchange, all of Luo’er’s shots had found their target.

Watching the dwarf fall to the ground, Luo’er lowered his pistol, struggling to get back on his feet. Only then did he realize his strength was drifting away from him, making it tough even to sit back up.

Having barely managed to prop himself up using the deck railing, more Zhuyan People appeared nearby. One hand grabbing the mother and daughter, the other hoisted the AK rifle slung across his body, while he fired at the Zhuyan People, he leaned back forcefully. The three of them tumbled over the railing and fell off the airboat.