CHAPTER ELEVEN
The beeping quickened.
Li Xuefang's gaze locked onto the bracelet — her mind already calculating the interval, the charge type, the possible blast radius.
> Tick… tick… tick—
Jiang Ren: What—
She didn't let him finish. In a blur, she grabbed his wrist — cold metal under her glove — and wrenched the bracelet free with a violent twist.
Jiang Ren: Hey—!
He started, but the world narrowed to that single sound.
Tick—tick—
Without hesitation, she spun and hurled it toward the koi pond.
It hit the surface with a dull plop—
and then the world erupted.
A burst of blinding white light tore through the garden, shattering glass panels and sending a shockwave across the courtyard. The koi pond exploded upward, water and flame scattering like liquid diamonds.
Li's instincts overrode thought. She moved before the blast reached them — grabbing Jiang and driving him to the ground, shielding his body with her own.
The force hit like thunder. Heat seared across her back, and fragments of stone and glass rained down around them.
Then — silence.
Only the hiss of smoke and the fading echo of the explosion.
For a long moment, nothing moved.
Then, faintly — the sound of boots pounding against gravel. Her two elite aides stormed in, weapons drawn.
Colonel Mei: General! Are you—
Li slowly pushed herself up, smoke rising from her scorched uniform. Her hair was loose, streaked with ash, but her eyes — sharp, unwavering — cut through the chaos like steel.
Jiang lay beneath her, dazed, clutching his ringing ears. The world around him was a blur of gray and noise.
Jiang Ren: She… (he muttered, trying to focus). She… jumped…
Li ignored the pain in her shoulder and rose to her feet.
General Li: Secure the perimeter. No one in or out. Trace the frequency from that device.
Her Aides: Yes, General!
Her aides split instantly, one scanning the pond with a sensor, the other checking the mansion's surveillance feeds.
Jiang sat up slowly, still disoriented. His gaze met hers — confusion and something else flickering behind his eyes.
Jiang Ren: You could've been killed.
He said, voice hoarse.
She turned slightly, brushing debris off her uniform.
General Li: As long as it wasn't you.
And for the briefest moment — under the veil of smoke and shattered serenity — their eyes met, something unspoken passing between them.
General Li: (Firm) Lock him in his room.
Jiang Ren: What?
Guards: Yes Sir!
Jiang Ren: No. Let go of me!
They took him away. Then her earpiece buzzed.
Commander Shen: General Li.
Her aide's voice crackled.
Commander Shen: The device… it wasn't just a bomb. It transmitted before detonation.
Her expression hardened.
General Li: To where?
Commander Shen: We're tracking it now.. But the source tag— it's Bureau-level encryption.
Li's jaw clenched. She didn't need to hear more.
General Li: Wen Qian.
She whispered, almost to herself.
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