It was three o’clock in the middle of the night when Eleven called Jason.
The short-tempered man was grumpy due to the lack of sleep, and he screamed loudly at the person who woke him up upon answering the call.
Eleven held the phone away from her ears until he had vented enough. “Jason, it’s me!” She whispered. Jason calmed down and softened up immediately, as though he had hit a ball of cotton.
Just a few minutes of calmness later, he roared. “Eleven, where have you been? Why have you not contacted us for so long? Do you know that we are worried about you? Damn it, where are you now?”
“Russia.” Eleven whispered. “I have something to ask you.”
“What is it?”
Eleven paused for a while. She was hesitant to speak. However, she wasn’t a person that would beat around the bush, so she asked, “Any recent updates of the Mafia?”
Jason kept quiet for a moment. He wasn’t a fool. Knowing what she wanted to ask, he couldn’t help sneering. “Eleven, I know you want to ask about Mo Ye.”
Eleven remained silent. Both of them were silent. Nobody talked. Eleven could even feel Jason’s heavy breath through the phone.
He was angry!
He seldom lost his temper with her, probably only a few times. Most of the time, he would only lose his temper with her when she disappeared without telling him for a long time.
She was a little upset, but she was too busy to care for him then. At last, she asked, “I’ve heard the news. Is it true that he died?”
“Did you wake me up in the middle of the night just to ask me that?”
“Yes!”
Jason tried his best to suppress his anger and refrained from saying harsh words. He calmed down and made his voice sound less angry. “Yes, he died. Mo Jue said it himself.”
Eleven bit her lip and tightened her grip on the phone as if she could crush the phone in an instant. She clearly heard something broken in her heart.
‘How could this happen?’
‘Why?’
Kahn might lie to her, but Jason wouldn’t. If he could say that Mo Ye was dead with such firmness, he must have received the news. Her head was spinning like hell and she felt like she was suspended in the air. Her throat hurt so much that it was hard to make a sound.
Jason realized that something wasn’t right just by listening to her voice. Knowing that she was upset, he was anxious and angry, and he couldn’t help blaming her. “Eleven, he had hurt you so much, but why do you still think about him? Whether he is alive or dead has nothing to do with you. Don’t worry about him anymore, do you hear me? Tell me where you are. I’ll go to you. What are you doing in the cold place with that weak body of yours? Aren’t you always scared of the cold? Come back. Stop making me worry about you.”
Eleven was stunned. She listened to him and didn’t say anything. Jason was anxious as he couldn’t hear or see her. He roared. “Say something!”
“Jason…” Eleven said slowly, “I killed him.”
“What did you say?”
“I killed him.” Eleven chuckled. “I was the one who shot him.”
It was Jason’s turn to be silent. He couldn’t believe what he had heard. ‘Why would Eleven do that?’ His heart felt tight. “What happened? What happened to you?”
“Is he really dead?”
“Can it be fake news if it had caused a sensation in the underworld?” Jason retorted. He understood how upset Eleven was and did not say anything too harsh. Instead, he went into deep thought. ‘If Eleven didn’t have the intention to kill him, Mo Ye would not die.’
Judging from Eleven’s tone, she didn’t plan to kill him. ‘Even if she shot him, she wouldn’t aim at his vitals. How did he die?’
Eleven took a deep breath. “Did Mo Jue do anything?”
“Yes, he attacked all the bases of the terrorist organization aggressively. No wonder. It’s because you killed Mo Ye and made him mad. Well, it’s a bit tricky now. This guy is crazier and harder to deal with than Louis.” Jason paused. “Wei Wei, this dumb lass, has also been supporting him. F***, I really want to fight her.”
Eleven chuckled. Wei Wei… That was what Wei Wei was like. If she hadn’t protected Mo Jue with all her heart, she wouldn’t be Wei Wei. She had always been a person who would help her closest ones rather than those who were right. At that time, the person closest to her was Mo Jue, not them.
Eleven felt bitter as if she had eaten Chinese goldthread[1]. Eleven had to look up at the sky in order to prevent her tears from dropping.
“Jason, I didn’t want to kill him.” She had so many things bottled up in her heart but nobody to talk to, so she could only tell Jason. “I wanted to save him. I didn’t expect to lose the bet, but I did. I really did not plan to kill him at all. Jason, what should I do? What am I supposed to do?”
Her voice sounded frightfully calm, but he could feel her desperation. Jason felt sorry and he said, “Eleven, don’t feel bad. It’s meant to happen. It’s not your fault.”
“Then, whose fault is it?” Eleven laughed. “I was too confident in my shooting. It was definitely my fault.”
She thought it was possible for him to survive with Birmingham and Meng Lianying nearby since they would be able to find a doctor to treat the wound in time. However, she forgot to take the terrain and weather there into consideration, which delayed the treatment.
“Is anyone picking on you? Who is it?” Jason suddenly realized that something was wrong.
“Kahn. He’s alive.”
“What did you say?” Jason was so surprised that he almost fell off the bed. His eyes widened in shock. “You’re kidding. Old Witch said he was dead. I even saw his body floating in the sea with my own eyes.”
“I’m not kidding. It’s really Kahn. He… He has become a cyborg like me,” Eleven said calmly as if she was speaking about something unimportant.
“What does he want? For you to be by his side?”
“Mm.” Eleven had mixed feelings when she looked at the snow outside the window while listening to Jason’s caring words. Although Jason was grumpy, he was extremely concerned about her. He didn’t want her to be hurt again. “Eleven, don’t stay there anymore. Let the men solve their own problems. You don’t have to be hard on yourself. If you are really feeling heartbroken over it, come back. I’ll be here for you no matter what.”
“I’m not heartbroken.” She had no heart to be broken anymore.
“Don’t act tough. Tell me if you have something in mind. It’s not good for you to bottle up.” Jason advised.
Eleven felt aggrieved and poured her heart out. She told him everything that had happened to her, and she was obviously in great pain. “Dantou had a special anesthetic which would seal all senses when injected and made it seem like he had died. I even shot it half an inch away from his vital organs on purpose. I thought Birmingham could make it in time to save him since they had an hour to save him…”
Facing the pressure from Kahn, she had no choice but to gamble. No matter what, she wanted Mo Ye to live.
“Did you use our specially made red anesthetic bullet?”
“Yes. How could he have died?” Eleven murmured in agony. “I don’t believe it.”
“I’ll send someone to check again,” Jason said in a deep voice. “Eleven, come back. You are not allowed to stay with Kahn anymore. He will kill you. Don’t think you can be fearless with those strange fighting skills of yours. Don’t try to get any information from him. Chu Li and I will try to find a way. Do you hear me?”
It was the first time Jason had demanded her to do something as her boss.
Eleven thought for a while. “Okay!”
After hanging up the phone, she covered her head wearily and curled herself up on the bed. The gaze of Mo Ye when he collapsed and those unforgettable words he said then filled her mind over and over again.
How awful!
The next day, she saw Meng Lianying in the castle. She was still wearing the clothes she had worn ten days ago, and she had lost a lot of weight. Her sharp chin became sharper and her face was so haggard that it was scary.
She was back. Eleven’s heart sank. ‘Meng Lianying came back, which means… Is Mo Ye really dead?’
She was by his side that day. Although Meng Lianying hated her, she loved Mo Ye. Eleven left just as she wanted and she would definitely try her best to save Mo Ye. Since she came back, it meant that Mo Ye did not make it.
Eleven clenched her fist tightly and looked at Meng Lianying in silence. Meng Lianying stared back at her. The light in the hall wasn’t bright. Under the gray light, the woman’s gaze was vicious as though her eyes had been poisoned. There was no doubt that she was considering killing her.
“Congratulations, you got what you wanted. He died. Are you happy now?” Meng Lianying smiled coldly and approached Eleven step by step. “Eleven, you are so cruel. I have never met a woman crueler than you.”
Eleven looked at her coldly, noble and proud. She straightened her back without panicking and said, “What does me killing him have to do with you? On what basis are you seeking revenge against me?”
She laughed and scoffed.
‘Meng Lianying, if it wasn’t due to your ignorance, how would it end up like this? Why would Mo Ye die?’ Everything happened because of her, that shrewd and cunning woman.
“If I had known then, why would I do it!” Once again, Eleven agitated Meng Lianying. She was furious. She pointed to Eleven and swore. “You were the one who shot and killed Mo Ye. It’s clear that you have killed him. How dare you blame me?”
“You are ignorant!” Eleven mocked her unkindly. The way Meng Lianying thought was easy to understand. She was self-centered and would never admit to her own mistakes. Emphasizing her pain and how superior she was made her a loser.
Eleven didn’t want to talk to her too much. She turned around and left when Meng Lianying yelled. “Eleven, I won’t let you off!”
Eleven stopped and looked at her coldly. “Anytime. Although my worth would drop by saying this, you are not qualified to be my opponent. But, I’ll keep you entertained if you have to be provocative!”
She left the castle and drove away.
Kahn didn’t restrict her freedom. She was able to come and go freely. The snow on the road was not thick and was swept away. Eleven rolled down the window for the cold wind to intrude bit by bit.
She began to believe that Mo Ye was really dead.
It had been snowing for two hours. The more remote the area was, the snowier it was. The mountain road was very slippery. Eleven parked her car in the abandoned scrapyard located at the foot of the mountain, where there was a pool of dark yellow blood.
It stung her eyes. More than ten days ago, there happened a scene that she would never forget in her whole life. She had also fired the hardest shot in her life there.
Violent and bloody…
The scene filled her mind over and over again. Eleven didn’t know why, but she was feeling tired. After so many years of living with challenges and enthusiasm, she just felt exhausted at that moment.
She really wanted to escape from life there.
The bloodstain belonged to Mo Ye.
She turned around coldly and stopped looking at it. She left the abandoned scrapyard and went up the mountain. She had long wanted to visit Mrs. Kurt. The old lady’s wound should be all healed after so many days. Moreover, she didn’t hurt her vitals.
She has been busy with Mo Ye these days. Although she missed Mrs. and Mr. Kurt very much and wanted to apologize to them for making them experience such a nightmare…
She was worried about Mo Ye and scared of how Mr. and Mrs. Kurt would see her.
After experiencing that, would they still accept her?
In their hearts, the happy-go-lucky Little Seven was dead.
The snow on the mountain was getting heavier than it was at the foot of the mountain, but it was less heavy than before. She barely managed to walk to the door of the Kurts and stood in the cold until she was almost frozen before she dared to ring the doorbell.
Mr. Kurt opened the door. He was shocked to see Eleven as he didn’t expect it. He had mixed feelings and didn’t know what to say. Upon seeing how much snow had accumulated on her shoulders, the old man quickly pulled her into the house.
“How’s Mrs. Kurt’s injury? Is it serious?” Eleven asked.
Mr. Kurt said, “It’s almost healed, but she’s in a bad mood these days. Little Seven… Sit down and have hot cocoa first. I’ll go upstairs and inform her.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Kurt!” Eleven apologized abruptly while holding onto the hot cocoa.
“Little Seven, I don’t know what happened between the two of you. You’d better not apologize. It might not be your fault,” Mr. Kurt said and went upstairs.
Eleven felt even more upset. She was willing to be scolded by him rather than receiving such understanding.
Moments later, the sound of footsteps came from the corridor. Mr. and Mrs. Kurt went downstairs together. Mrs. Kurt’s eyes reddened as soon as she saw her. With her red eyes, she quickly asked Eleven about Mo Ye, “Little Seven, where’s Anthony? Why are you the only one here? Where’s Anthony? Is he still alive? Is he?”
Eleven was speechless.
When Mrs. Kurt saw how quiet she was, her tears rolled down. She began to cry. “Poor Anthony… Little Seven, how can you be so cruel…”
[1] Chinese goldthread is a rhizome used in medicine which tastes extremely bitte