Chapter 28: Grandpa Fires a Gun

In the blink of an eye, Bai Yalan had already made a rapid assessment. The more seriously injured soldiers were the first to receive her treatment and bandaging, temporarily spared from infection and danger.

The commander, too busy to even take a sip of water, took time out to check on the injured. Seeing Bai Yalan in action, he couldn’t help but let out a surprised “Hmm?”

Noticing the “Trainee Military Doctor” badge on her chest, he found it rather odd—how could a mere trainee doctor possess such skilled and professional medical ability?

Her speed and technique in diagnosis and bandaging were on par with experienced junior military doctors.

The commander’s eyes lit up with appreciation. He hadn’t expected that Old Bai Miaoshou would bring along such a capable right-hand woman.

With these two present, he no longer needed to worry about treating the wounded.

He didn’t waste time saying more. After checking the situation, he confidently turned his attention back to other operational arrangements.

The injured had all received proper emergency treatment. After initial diagnosis and bandaging, uninjured soldiers carried them on stretchers.

The rest followed the medical evacuation team. The pursuit operation had temporarily paused but was far from over.

The female suspect was still at large. The commander had interrogated the three captured members of the Tian family for a long time, but none of them revealed the whereabouts of their daughter.

Clearly, they were tight-lipped. Seeing that the interrogation led nowhere, the commander decisively left a team behind to continue a carpet-style search.

Bai Yalan knew well—this was when it was most dangerous.

Only two possibilities remained: either the suspect had already fled, or she was lying in wait, preparing to launch a sneak attack.

No one could break off from the group. They had to stay tightly together, not straying even half a step.

It had taken them under fifteen minutes to get here, but on the way back, while carrying wounded soldiers, it took more than half an hour to return to where the vehicles had been parked.

Up ahead, their vehicles were still parked in place.

But at that moment, the leading armed soldiers suddenly froze in their steps.

Having just witnessed a gunfight and explosion, Bai Yalan’s nerves were stretched taut. She instantly sensed something was wrong from the soldiers’ reactions.

She followed their gaze—and immediately noticed cracks on the windshield of the vehicle.

Of the two soldiers who were supposed to stay behind to guard the vehicle, one was slumped over the front hood, while the other lay on the ground nearby, with clear signs of having been dragged.

All signs pointed to trouble. Even Bai Yalan could tell at a glance—those two soldiers had clearly been knocked out.

The soldiers at the front, concerned for their comrades, rushed forward without hesitation to check on them.

Bai Yalan was struck by a jolt of fear. Perhaps because of the earlier explosion, she was still on edge. Without thinking, she shouted a warning:

“Wait a second—”

But before she could finish, something triggered the vehicle—its massive body began to tremble, and the air was suddenly thick with the scent of gunpowder.

Everyone realized something was wrong. Someone shouted:

“Not good! Get down!”

Before the words even finished, a thunderous explosion rocked the ground. Instinctively, everyone dropped to the ground—but the explosion had already happened, flipping the entire vehicle.

At that critical moment, Bai Yalan grabbed her bracelet and her grandfather, and with lightning speed, gave the verbal command to enter the spatial dimension within the bracelet, narrowly avoiding the blast.

Whether due to the explosion or the sudden activation of the space, the environment inside the bracelet trembled violently, making it hard to stay upright.

Bai Yalan quickly steadied her grandfather, asking anxiously, “Grandpa, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine, Lanlan. But the situation’s not looking good. We need to be extra cautious. Based on what they just said, this must be the work of the Tian family’s last escapee. I remember hearing that three out of the four family members were caught, and their eldest daughter is still missing. It must be her.”

Bai Yalan frowned, her heart tightening.

Grandpa Bai’s expression was grim as he gave a serious warning:
“Lanlan, the battlefield changes in an instant. I might not be able to protect you. You must be careful. The enemy might still have guns or bombs. You have to protect yourself.”

Bai Yalan nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, Grandpa. I know what’s at stake. I’ll be extremely careful. But you too—please watch out for yourself.”

Grandpa Bai patted her hand. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve seen worse in my life. I’m just worried about you. When we leave this space, be alert. If anything feels off, retreat into the space immediately. Stay close to me and follow my commands. We’ll use a sigh as a signal—if I sigh, it means danger. The moment you hear it, disappear—no hesitation. Can you do that?”

“I got it, Grandpa. I promise.”

Only then did the old man nod, still frowning, clearly not at ease.
“I wonder how the others are doing outside. What a pity—we can’t see what’s going on from in here.”

No sooner had he spoken than the space trembled again. Bai Yalan quickly grabbed her grandfather, trying to steady herself. Whether it was a reaction from the explosion or a trigger from their conversation, they didn’t know.

Then, like ripples on water, a section of the space above them shimmered and began to show a clear view of the outside world.

Both grandfather and granddaughter widened their eyes.

Outside, chaos reigned. Soldiers ahead of them had dropped quickly enough to avoid death—but still suffered blast injuries to their backs.

Once the explosion’s shockwave passed, and the immediate danger was gone, the two of them wasted no time. Bai Yalan brought her grandfather out of the bracelet space, reappearing in the real world.

The smoke from the explosion had just started to clear, conveniently concealing their sudden reappearance.

Without missing a beat, both rushed toward the wounded soldiers.

“Are you okay? Besides your back, are you hurt anywhere else?” Bai Yalan asked anxiously while checking their injuries. A blast like that wouldn’t just cause external wounds—there could be internal damage too.

On the other side, Grandpa Bai was already shouting:
“Lanlan, get the medical kit—quick!”

The nearest soldier was severely injured, bleeding profusely and unconscious. If they didn’t stop the bleeding soon, he might die.

“Got it!” Bai Yalan replied, frantically searching for the medical kit that had fallen during the explosion. She found it quickly and handed it to her grandfather.

Old Bai’s hands moved so fast they blurred. He didn’t bother with scissors—just tore the soldier’s uniform apart, revealing a deep, bleeding wound.

Without pause, he poured medicinal powder onto the wound and began bandaging at lightning speed.

His expression was tense, forehead veins bulging. The whole process—less than twenty seconds.

When he finally saw the bleeding stop, he let out a sigh of relief. “How are the others? I’ll check on them.”

Just as he was about to move with Bai Yalan, a sharp female voice rang out:
“Stop! Nobody move! If you don’t want to die, do as I say! Hands up!”

Bai Yalan felt a chill rush over her. Her limbs went cold, and Grandpa Bai’s face also tensed. Neither of them moved.

A young woman stepped out from the shadows, both hands holding pistols—one aimed at Grandpa Bai, the other at Bai Yalan’s forehead.

She appeared not yet thirty, with a cold and fierce expression. Her facial features bore a resemblance to the Tian couple—clearly, this was their missing daughter.

With the cold barrel aimed at her head, Bai Yalan could barely breathe. One thought flashed through her mind:

I thought the explosion was the end. But she still has guns—two guns. This is bad. Really bad.

Knowing this was serious, she obediently raised her hands. But just as she did, she heard Grandpa Bai sigh.

That was the agreed signal.

Instantly, her training kicked in. She mumbled a command, and a flash of light engulfed her. The scene distorted—and she was back in the bracelet space.

From the space’s view screen, she watched it all unfold:

The moment she vanished, her grandfather rolled to the side, out of the line of fire, and in the same motion pulled a gun hidden in his boot—bang! He shot the woman in the thigh.

It all happened in a blur. The woman screamed, dropping to one knee as blood poured out.

But she wasn’t finished. Even while injured, she raised one of her pistols toward Grandpa Bai.

Watching from inside the space, Bai Yalan’s heart felt like it was being crushed. She cried out in panic:

“Grandpa!”