Dallas glanced at Averi briefly before turning to walk toward Leon. He first held down Leon's foot to ensure that he wouldn't move around due to fatigue, then turned on his phone to illuminate the ground beneath Leon for inspection.
"Is that so?" Leon asked.
"Hmm."
The hope that had just ignited was once again extinguished by reality. Leon's heart turned cold, and he said calmly, "Dallas, take Averi and go. My leg is already starting to go numb." Their team didn't have a bomb disposal expert, and even if they could borrow someone from the peacekeeping forces, he wouldn't last that long.
Dallas simply replied, "Let me take another look."
He held his phone in his mouth and began to dig away the soil around the bomb bit by bit, then lay flat on the ground to examine it closely.
Leon said, "Stop analyzing, I know what I'm dealing with. This type of bomb goes off the second you lift your foot, maybe with a one-second delay. One second's not enough for me to even take a full step. There's no way out."
"Forget about it, we're not comrades-in-arms, just partners in business. There's no need to risk your life."
Without answering, Dallas continued to dig cautiously, beads of sweat forming on his forehead and trickling into his eyes.
Leon suddenly erupted in anger, "Dallas! Don't be foolish, get lost!"
"If you don't leave now, we'll all die here!"
Dallas remained silent until the entire bomb was exposed. He first pressed down on Leon's foot, steadying him, then raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his own lashes. "A one-second delay is enough. Just give me your hand—I'll pull you, and when I say go, push off in my direction with all you've got. The blast radius is only about three meters; as long as we time it right, at worst, you'll just catch a hit to the leg."
"One second is theoretical! In practice, it might be half a second or even less. This is a homemade bomb! There are no standards!"
Dallas responded, "It could also be two seconds."
Leon stared wide-eyed, "Are you going to bet on luck? Are you crazy?"
"Maybe, you'd better not argue with a madman."
Dallas looked up at Averi and fished out his locator, tossing it to her, "Averi, take this and step back, stay far away. David is on his way, he'll be here soon."
"Dallas?" Averi asked in shock, "What are you going to do?"
She had heard everything, but she couldn't believe he would really do it.
"Averi, listen to me and step back," his tone was unusually gentle, "Leon's leg is shaking, the longer we wait, the more dangerous it becomes."
He wouldn't dare let go until she retreated to a safe distance.
Averi clenched her teeth, turned, and ran a dozen steps away, looking back at them from afar.
The shadows of the trees, combined with the dim twilight, made it hard for her to see clearly. Everything seemed like a slow-motion scene from a movie. Dallas straightened up, walked a meter away, and extended his hand. Leon hesitated for a moment but still reached out to grab him.
She heard his voice counting down: Three, two, one, jump!
At that instant, Averi instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, her veins throbbed violently, and her heart felt as if it had frozen; she sensed nothing.
Much later, Averi realized that the expected explosion never came.
Leon's laughter broke through the dusk first. "A dud! It's a dud!" He let out a whistle, then lay back on the ground, shouting with relief, "This is my lucky day! All mine!"
Noticing Averi approaching them, he jumped up, dancing around, "Averi, did you see that, a dud, a harmless dud!" While doing so, he didn't forget to pull up Dallas, slapping him on the shoulder, "Dallas, thanks, although you saved me, I still have to say, you're a damn lunatic. Averi, right?" If it weren't a dud, at this distance, both of their feet would surely have been lost.
"Right," Averi replied coldly.
Leon was stunned, a half-smile frozen on his face.
Without sparing him a glance, Averi stared at Dallas's dust- and gravel-covered face, asking, "Is this really the life you chose? Selling yourself for money, risking death in a place where no one will even remember you?"
This time it was luck, but what about next time? Would good fortune always favor him? This time it was luck, but what about next time? Would good fortune always favor him?
A man like him, who became a mercenary yet couldn't let go of his damned sense of honor and discipline, wanting to save everyone, would sooner or later die here, sooner or later!
Dallas looked at her for a long while, his gaze not sharp but deep and straightforward, "Do you care?"
Leon didn't understand what they were saying; seeing Averi's face growing paler and colder, he softly asked, "Hey, Averi, what's wrong with you? We're all fine, aren't you happy?"
Happy? Of course she was happy. Seeing that they were safe, she laughed like a fool. But after the joy, an indescribable anger rose up, a fire burning from her heart straight to her forehead, erupting unexpectedly like a long-dormant volcano.
Even she hadn't realized how long she had been angry, harboring resentment since the first moment she saw him.
How could he be in such a place, how could he stay with someone like Jackson?
Wasn't he so proud, wasn't he ashamed to take her money? Why did he become a mercenary, risking his life for money?
Her emotions suddenly erupted, Averi pounced on Dallas, biting fiercely, not caring about the mouthful of blood.
Dallas was caught off guard, staggering back two steps from the impact.
She used brute force, her teeth sinking deeply into his skin as if she wanted to tear off a piece of his flesh.
Dallas only grunted at first, then remained silent, allowing her to bite him.
The shoulder stung, but his heart felt warm.
She wasn't completely indifferent, was she?
Averi bit so hard that her teeth ached, the pain spreading to her eyes, misting them with moisture. Her vision blurred, and finally, she released her grip, kissing him with lips smeared with blood.
Her tongue pushed open the seam of his lips, entering with a hateful intent, entwining with his tongue in a savage tangle.
Perhaps spurred by the scent of blood, or perhaps infected by her, Dallas also grew urgent, lifting her to kiss her passionately.
Lips mashed against lips, saliva mixed with saliva, until a bitter, salty taste was tasted, Dallas seemed to realize something, slowly releasing her.
Those eyes, which rarely showed true emotion, were now brimming with tears.
Had she cried?
His gaze was so intense that Averi felt a wave of discomfort and lowered her head, trying to evade it. But he cupped her face, his thumb gently brushing across her lashes.
Her chest ached terribly, Averi powerless to resist, closing her eyes in resignation, using her last ounce of strength to embrace him and whisper, "I really thought you would die just now, I thought I would never see you again..."
Dallas froze, after a while, trying to laugh but failing.
"Averi, don't play with me," his voice was deep and pained, "It was you who broke up with me."
