"Why is it so quiet?" Shanney, the black female bodyguard stationed at the fourth-floor corridor, tightened her grip on her gun, her tone filled with suspicion.
"They might be plotting something again. We should stay vigilant," Tie Wan replied cautiously.
"Agreed." Shanney nodded, her trust in the police officer standing before her evident. Tasked with protecting the Queen, Tie Wan had proven herself not only exceptionally skilled but also remarkably composed. Shanney couldn't help but shiver at the thought of that depraved man. If the Queen fell into his hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Officer Tie, I must thank you for all your efforts!" said the blonde beauty, surrounded by a group of female bodyguards.
"It's my duty," Tie Wan replied firmly. In truth, she held great admiration for this breathtakingly beautiful foreign woman. Despite her noble status, she carried no air of superiority and was always considerate of others. If not for her concern for her bodyguards' safety, they could have broken through the enemy lines at the start instead of being trapped here now.
"Still, we owe you our gratitude. Without you, I doubt we'd still be alive." The blonde sighed, her expression clouded with worry. "I wonder how Laura and the others are doing."
"Your Majesty, they'll be fine. My car has been modified to withstand some level of assault," Tie Wan reassured her.
Hearing this, the blonde's expression eased slightly. She suddenly added, "My name is Arthrutonai. Officer Tie, if you don't mind, please call me by my name."
"Very well." Tie Wan gladly accepted, finding the term "Your Majesty" a bit awkward. Though the name was long and difficult to pronounce, she appreciated the Queen's gesture.
Just as Xiang Ri stepped out of the room, intending to announce his presence to avoid friendly fire, a barrage of bullets rained down, forcing him to retreat.
"Don't shoot! It's me!" he shouted, but his response was another hail of gunfire.
"Damn it!" Xiang Ri cursed, kicking over the door panel in frustration before bellowing, "Are you kidding me? I'm here to save you!" His voice boomed, finally overpowering the gunfire.
A voice called out from above, "Who's there?"
Recognizing the female officer's voice, Xiang Ri's face lit up with joy. "It's me, darling!" he shouted back.
"What?" came a startled exclamation, quickly followed by excitement. "Hold your fire—it's one of ours!" Moments later, hurried footsteps echoed down the stairs. Knowing the danger had passed, Xiang Ri emerged from the room just as the somewhat disheveled officer appeared.
"What are you doing here?" Tie Wan's voice was filled with both emotion and confusion. Realizing they were still in a dangerous zone, she quickly beckoned him, "Come with me!"
Following her to the fourth floor, Xiang Ri wasn't surprised to find the group of women he had encountered near the restroom at the hotel. Now, they stared at him warily.
To be fair, his current appearance was hardly reassuring—several rifles slung around his neck, his chest smeared with blood. It was no wonder they were on edge.
Despite their hostile gazes, Xiang Ri offered a friendly greeting.
"It's you?" The blonde beauty gasped in recognition, her voice filled with surprise.
"It's me, Your Majesty. We meet again," Xiang Ri said, winking as he spoke flawless French.
"So soon..." The blonde paused mid-sentence, suddenly startled. "You speak French?"
Tie Wan's eyes widened in astonishment. She had initially thought Xiang Ri had merely sweet-talked her mother into his favor. Now, it seemed her mother's praise of his fluency in French wasn't exaggerated.
"Just a little," Xiang Ri replied modestly, though the glint of pride in his eyes and the faint smirk on his lips betrayed his true feelings. Tie Wan resisted the urge to strangle him.
The blonde, however, didn't believe his words. Someone speaking with such fluency couldn't possibly know "just a little."
Recalling the awkward encounter from their previous meeting, she felt a pang of embarrassment. Especially since, as they left last time, Shanney had insulted Xiang Ri as a "yellow monkey," assuming he wouldn't understand French. Judging by his performance now, he had likely overheard every word.
Her face flushed red with shame as she looked at Xiang Ri. "Sir, I must apologize for last time..."
"I completely forgot!" Xiang Ri said with a faint, knowing smile. In truth, he had already pieced together a bit of the backstory. While he initially held a grudge against the black woman who had pointed a gun at him, he had always been lenient when it came to beauties. Judging by the blonde's current expression, it seemed he had already won her favor. Feeling secretly smug, his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sharp pain in his ear.
Tie Wan, long annoyed at being ignored, couldn't stand the way Xiang Ri's eyes sparkled as he stared at the foreign woman. Jealousy rising in her chest, she yanked him aside and snapped:
"What are you doing here?"
"Ow! Can't you be gentler?" Xiang Ri rubbed his ear. "If I said I sensed you were in danger and came to save you, would you believe me?"
"Not a chance!" Tie Wan's tone was fierce, but her eyes betrayed a hint of sweetness. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, she froze and asked, "Did someone tell you we were here? That's it, isn't it? Tell me, what about the two people in the car?"
"They're fine," Xiang Ri replied. From the start, he had suspected those two women were sent to relay information, and Tie Wan's question only confirmed it.
"That's a relief." Tie Wan exhaled, but her expression quickly grew tense again. "But you came here alone? Where are the police?"
"They should be behind me... I think," Xiang Ri said, unsure if the officers could keep up.
"You came here by yourself?" Tie Wan's face darkened, her tone ominous as if a storm was about to break. "Idiot! Don't you know how dangerous this is?"
Unfazed, Xiang Ri replied, "If I hadn't come, you'd be in even greater danger."
"Ugh!" Tie Wan threw herself into his arms, her eyes welling up with unshed tears.
Xiang Ri held her tightly, gently stroking her back.
"Ahem." The third wheel nearby finally couldn't resist breaking the moment.
Startled, Tie Wan pushed Xiang Ri away reflexively, her cheeks flushing. "Sorry, I forgot we're still in danger."
"It's fine," the blonde woman said with a smile, glancing awkwardly at her black bodyguard, who had been the one to cough.
Xiang Ri knew now wasn't the time for intimacy. After all, there were still enemies lurking in the shadows, armed with dangerous weapons like rocket launchers. Calling out to everyone, he prepared to lead them downstairs.
"Wait a moment." The black bodyguard stepped in his path. "Won't we run straight into them if we go down?"
"How do you think I got up here?" Xiang Ri shot back. "The ones downstairs are already taken care of. If you don't want to die, follow me."
His tone was curt, fueled by his dissatisfaction with her earlier behavior—pointing a gun at him, interrupting his moment with Tie Wan, and now blocking his way.
"You—" The black bodyguard tightened her grip on her gun.
"Shanney!" the blonde woman scolded sharply. "We'll follow this gentleman's lead."
Xiang Ri shot Shanney a disdainful glance. Compared to her compact assault rifle, any weapon he carried was far more powerful. While her aim might be steadier, at such close range, he didn't even need to aim carefully.
Handing the M16 slung over his shoulder to Tie Wan, Xiang Ri hefted the AK-74 and led the way downstairs.