She was really messing with his heart!
Even the skin on her forehead was soft and silky.
When his lips pressed against her, he felt them grow so hot they were nearly feverish.
As soon as contact was made, the heat coursed through his entire body and made Reinitz suddenly feel very warm.
Gu Nianzhi wasn’t able to move away before Reinitz kissed her on the forehead.
The spot on her forehead where Reinitz kissed suddenly felt burning hot. Her heart thumped wildly as she quickly darted away and said with a frown, “How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t be so physical with me. Why won’t you listen? I won’t be able to cooperate with you any further if you keep acting like this.”
Reinitz closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. “I am sorry, Cereus. That wasn’t on purpose. I was really too excited!”
How could Reinitz not be excited about seeing some progress on finding the item that had eluded him for so long?
When The Pink Piggy breached the Federal Intelligence Service the last time, she nearly robbed them of everything.
As the Director, Reinitz was supposed to be the one to take full responsibility.
However, the veteran of their bureau, Li Dexi, stepped forward to protect him, and Reinitz was able to survive unscathed. He didn’t get demoted or punished for the incident.
He felt very guilty about making his country suffer such a huge loss, yet he still didn’t reveal the true identity of The Pink Piggy. This already betrayed the religion and beliefs he had upheld for so many years.
Yet this was his instinctive choice since he didn’t regret hiding the real truth about The Pink Piggy at all. Nevertheless, he still felt guilty.
If he were able to successfully retrieve important data that had been lost for half a century this time around, he would be able to redeem himself with the merit he gained.
Gu Nianzhi glared at him, speechless. She pointed to the small tin box in his hands and asked, “Do you think this is what you’re looking for? You think over a hundred letter-size pages are sitting in that small tin box?”
Reinitz scanned the rusty tin box and murmured, “…Perhaps your father took photos of the pages and compressed it all on microfilm? Or maybe… a flash drive?”
That was the only possible method of compression that he could think of.
Microfilms and flash drives hadn’t yet existed on the Blue Planet when Gu Haoze stole the data all those years ago.
But when the data fell into Gu Xiangwen’s hands, perhaps microfilm and flash drives were already in existence.
However, the small tin box was too flat, so Reinitz was wondering what kind of microfilm or flash drive could be physically small enough to fit inside it.
His fingers rubbed the small tin box, and with a press of his thumb, he opened it with a click.
Gu Nianzhi also peered over with widened eyes.
There was no microfilm or flash drive inside the tin box, as Reinitz had anticipated. He was slightly disappointed.
Gu Nianzhi never thought it would be microfilm or a flash drive because she didn’t even believe that this would be the data they were searching for.
There was only a neatly folded note inside the small tin box.
The notepaper was already yellowed and looked quite old. It looked as old as the photo that Reinitz had shown Gu Nianzhi on his phone.
“…How could there only be a note in there?” Gu Nianzhi asked, shocked. “Is this a new clue?”
Reinitz glanced at Gu Nianzhi before taking out the note with irritation. He opened it to read.
As expected, it was a message written by Gu Xiangwen.
“…Congratulations on passing the first level. I don’t know why you’re looking for the whereabouts of this item. Before I tell you where it is, you can go check the following places.”
The note then listed the names of several clinics.
“…Batti’s Fertility Aid Center, the Parents’ Clinic in the Labado Project, Dass Fertility and Medical Clinic, Lajiawan Infertility Treatment Center…”
Without exception, the locations listed were all specialized clinics related to fertility.
Gu Nianzhi was perplexed. “…Just what kind of data are you looking for?”
Why was all this related to having children?
The corner of Reinitz’s eye twitched imperceptibly. Just as when he was about to make up a reason to fool Gu Nianzhi, he suddenly heard the crack of a gunshot right by his ear.
The sound was all too familiar to him. Without a second thought, he immediately pulled Gu Nianzhi over to him and embraced her as they rolled to the ground. He used his body to shield her.
A bullet scraped past them and smashed bits of rock in the corridor beside them.
“Let her go! I’ll count to three! If you don’t let her go, I’ll let you people meet your God!” He Zhichu’s extremely icy tone sounded. He spoke in fluent Hannover German, his harsh tone perfectly expressing his deep rage and resentment.
Reinitz sneered. With one hand holding Gu Nianzhi against his arm, he raised his other and fired a shot in He Zhichu’s direction.
“…Watch out!” Gu Nianzhi panicked and struggled desperately. She attempted to disrupt Reinitz’s balance so he wouldn’t be able to aim his shot correctly.
However, Reinitz’s arms were like iron shackles that rendered Gu Nianzhi immobile with just the grip of one hand.
He Zhichu saw red when he witnessed this.
He pointed a suppressed submachine gun at Reinitz and Gu Nianzhi, yet he didn’t dare shoot again.
Bullets could misfire.
Reinitz was holding Gu Nianzhi hostage against his body and, although he didn’t make her a human shield, who knew if he would suddenly change his mind?
In a struggle for life and death, how many people would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others?
He Zhichu didn’t dare to take this gamble. He slung the suppressed submachine gun behind his back and took out a pistol with his other hand. He aimed at Reinitz’s leg and shot three times!
Reinitz hugged Gu Nianzhi and rolled across the ground once again.
The bullets hit where they had just been lying, kicking up a storm of dust and shards of rock to leave tiny pits.
He Zhichu’s men were standing guard beside him. They were all armed with suppressed submachine guns that covered every single angle.
Reinitz quickly gave orders over his Bluetooth headset.
Soon afterward, many masked gunmen emerged from the holly trees around the corridor of the Taj Mahal. They fired at He Zhichu and his subordinates.
He Zhichu’s subordinates all wore bulletproof vests and helmets, so they immediately adjusted their aim and began shooting at the gunmen.
Bang, bang, bang!
The fierce gunfire resounded in the air above the Taj Mahal to indicate the gun battle breaking out.
Gu Nianzhi’s eardrums were about to burst from the noise, yet Reinitz kept his arms so tightly around her that she could scarcely raise her hands to cover her ears.
Reinitz’s subordinates had ambushed them from behind while staying in their own bunkers.
Although He Zhichu’s subordinates all wore bulletproof vests and helmets, such gear only protected the vital parts of the torso. Non-vital body parts, like the arms and legs, had no protection.
Soon afterward, Reinitz’s masked gunmen brought down He Zhichu’s subordinates one by one.
They were shot in the arms or legs, then wailed as they fell to the ground.
He Zhichu also laid down on the ground and rolled, approaching Reinitz’s direction.
“Stop right there!” Reinitz bellowed angrily. “My bullets can penetrate bulletproof vests! Don’t think I won’t shoot you!”
Reinitz was still somewhat wary of He Zhichu since Li Dexi had reminded him to avoid directly engaging with him…
But there could only be one survivor at that point, so Reinitz thought he had no choice but to heed Li Dexi’s instructions.
He Zhichu stiffened. He watched Gu Nianzhi’s tiny face flush red as she desperately shook her head at him while being held hostage by Reinitz.
In the brief moment of hesitation, Reinitz’s masked gunmen jumped up from their bunkers and carried suppressed submachine guns as they lunged towards He Zhichu.
Gu Nianzhi finally broke down and screamed, “…No! Professor He, run now! Run now!”
While being immobilized by Reinitz, Gu Nianzhi used all the strength she could muster to kick, bite, and scratch Reinitz. She wanted nothing more but to tear his flesh off.
The masked gunmen pointed their guns at He Zhichu’s head, quickly approaching.
The fierce gunfire inside the Taj Mahal was suddenly silenced, and the tension grew even more unbearable.
The setting sun emitted its final afterglow before disappearing under the horizon in the west.
That moment was when dark approached but had not yet arrived. It was the witching hour where darkness and light interchanged.
Gu Nianzhi stared wide-eyed at the masked gunmen gradually approaching He Zhichu, their footsteps heavy and powerful.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
They were like iron hooves trampling over her chest. Her eyes felt like they would burst. Her heart screamed Huo Shaoheng’s name, yet she couldn’t bring herself to say a single word.
Huo Shaoheng, are you going to let me down this time too?
As though the sentiments in her heart were being answered, the sky gradually grew dark, and everyone’s vision turned to black.
It was dark now.
At that moment, a dozen bullets suddenly sailed through the darkness and sent off glowing sparks that pierced through the night. They were sent out silently in the blink of an eye. They hit all of Reinitz’s masked gunmen at nearly the same moment.
They were all shot in the back of their heads, and a look of disbelief crossed their eyes for the split second it took them to tumble to the ground. Like everything happened in slow motion, they fell facedown, one by one.
Gu Nianzhi’s eyes sparkled while her face was covered in dust like a little calico kitten.
In the darkness of the night, she saw ten strapping figures silently approach from all directions. She didn’t sense any ill intentions, but it was more frightening than any feeling of unease!
Although she couldn’t make out their faces, Gu Nianzhi recognized them right away.
The tall man approaching them at the front must be Huo Shaoheng!
He finally came.
He didn’t disappoint her this time.
Gu Nianzhi’s tears surged once again, but she didn’t notice at all. She smiled, happier than ever.
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