Saving the Heartthrob Frenemy-Chapter 108: "I am sorry. Bear with it,"

Luo Muchen took advantage of the distraction, slamming a fist into the gunman’s gut and sending him reeling backwards.

For a moment, it seemed like Luo Muchen had the advantage as he rushed to restrain him.

Qie Xieling rushed towards where the handgun had fallen but the both of them had underestimated the man’s strength. He had lived a pretty rough life and grew up fighting in the slums so yes, he was proving to be an opponent difficult to deal with.

The two of them wrestled to the ground and when Qie Xieling finally got the gun he turned around only for his heart to drop seeing Luo Muchen in a precarious position.

Having not fired a firearm before he was afraid he would hurt Luo Muchen so he hid the gun where he had found it and rushed over and pulled the man off Luo Muchen’s body. The two rolled on the ground before stopping inside the water.

The man lunged at Qie Xieling with a murderous gaze, throwing a punch at him. Qie Xieling dodged it easily and delivered a swift blow to the man’s stomach. The gunman grunted in pain, but he was quick to recover, and he swung his fist at Qie Xieling.

Qie Xieling sidestepped the attack and delivered a powerful kick to the man’s knee. The man stumbled, but he didn’t go down. He lunged at Qie Xieling again, grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the ground.

At this moment, Luo Muchen staggered to his feet ignoring the pain in his throat that had been strangled.

He rushed over and the man met him halfway. As the man turned his attention back to Luo Muchen, Qie Xieling sprang to his feet and tackled the man from behind. They crashed to the ground, rolling in the sand, and Luo Muchen managed to pin the man’s arms behind his back.

Qie Xieling took advantage of the opportunity and delivered a powerful blow to the man’s face. The man grunted in pain and struggled to break free, but Luo Muchen held him down, his muscles bulging with effort.

In a moment of desperation, the gunman pulled out a knife, flashing it in the moonlight. Luo Muchen froze, his heart sinking with fear. He had clearly underestimated the danger they were in, and now they were paying the price.

He wrapped his arm around the man’s throat and squeezed hard putting him in a chokehold. The man gnashed his blood-stained teeth from the nosebleed while swinging the knife. Qie Xieling tried to disarm him, but the gunman was too quick.

With a swift, brutal motion, he plunged the knife into the boy’s side, sending him crashing into the sea.

Luo Muchen’s vision blackened. How he disarmed the man and used the knife to stab him repeatedly was completely a mystery to him. He pushed the man’s limp body into the sea and stood up, panting and bleeding from the altercation.

He rushed over and picked up Qie Xieling from the salt water and brought him ashore. Qie Xieling was curled up and groaning in pain his entire body drenched.

The chaos from the other end of the walkie-talkie warned him that more men were coming so Luo Muchen carried Qie Xieling their two figures disappearing behind the shadows of the big boulders.

Luo Muchen stumbled over the rocks, the pain from his shoulder and lower back paralysing but he pressed on. With Qie Xieling’s body heavy on his back, he carefully jumped from rock to rock heading towards the littoral caves.

Blood stained his shirt and seawater drenched his pants as the waves came crashing down on the two of them.

"Lin Lin," he whispered his voice brittle. He was reluctant to call his name for fear that Qie Xieling would not answer. Qie Xieling was in so much pain but he tightened his grasp on Luo Muchen’s shoulder letting him know that he was okay.

Luo Muchen was relieved momentarily. He had to find a good hiding spot fast as the gunmen were still out there, searching for them. From where they were he could hear shouts and rapid gunfire. This entire island was slowly turning into a warzone.

When he saw the small crevice in the distance his eyes brightened. The entrance was small and discreet. If he hadn’t looked closely he might have missed it.

He made his way towards it, ignoring the burning pain in his arms and legs. As he entered the cave, he gently laid Qie Xieling down on the rocky ground and hastily checked his injuries.

Qie Xieling’s breaths were shallow, and he was barely conscious.

Luo Muchen’s chest tightened when he saw the injury. His eyes red he touched Qie Xieling’s cheek while saying, "I am sorry. Bear with it, okay?"

Qie Xieling who vaguely heard him speak was a little confused but when Luo Muchen applied pressure on the wound he almost cried out in agony.

With no first aid kit, there was no other way. The stab wound wasn’t too deep but it wasn’t too shallow either. He coaxed Qie Xieling in a calm and collect tone but he was putting up a front. He was more anxious than Qie Xieling.

Hearing sounds coming from the outside, Luo Muchen calmed Qie Xieling and Qie Xieling quieted down.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the distance as the gunmen were a few feet from the mouth of the cave. The two of them held their breaths and listened, waiting for the sound to fade away. Minutes passed, and the footsteps soon grew fainter.

Luo Muchen breathed a sigh of relief, but he knew they weren’t safe yet. They needed to stay hidden until help arrived.

This was indeed true. The heavy sound of gunfire hadn’t died down yet. That’s because three more boats loaded with gunmen had stepped on the island stretching the resources of the mercenaries hired to protect Luo Muchen. What made it worse was the fact that the coastguard was taking longer than usual to get there hence this conflict lasted longer than it should.

Frustrated with the fact that he had to use more men than he needed to snatch one teenage boy, the leader decided to take over the entire hotel and snatch all those rich kids and tourists. He was already calculating how much money he would get per head.

This seemed like a good idea considering that he hadn’t gotten his hands on his target. If he couldn’t complete the objective then he could take advantage and take the other rich kids hostage and get even more money after abducting at least ten of them.

Unfortunately for him, his plan was doomed to fail. These mercenaries would never let that happen.