The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

No one expected that this man, covered in wounds and with his hands bound, would still be able to launch an attack!

Liang Zhe was the furthest away, and it was too late to stop him!

Song Dazhuang drew his gun hastily, but he was still a beat too slow!

Sweetie turned around when she heard the noise, but in that split second, she had no chance to dodge!

A hair's breadth away—

Shen Ruowen, who was lying on Liang Zhe's back, suddenly turned around and, with all her might, pushed Tian Tian away.

However, she lost her balance due to excessive force and watched helplessly as the sharp needle pierced her heart inch by inch.

It's so cold!

sharp!

Pain instantly swept through my entire body!

Bang!"

Song Dazhuang's gunshot finally rang out, the bullet piercing Wu Hao's back. Wu Hao swayed, a triumphant grin frozen on his face, before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

His final look at Shen Ruowen was filled with cruel pleasure.

"Bastard!" Song Dazhuang roared in fury, lunging forward and firing two more shots into Wu Hao's back. Wu Hao convulsed a few times in vain, then his body stiffened and he fell silent.

"Aunt Shen!" Sweetie cried out as she rushed forward after being pushed away, but she couldn't catch Shen Ruowen's falling body. Liang Zhe rushed over in time and caught her with his arm.

Wherever you touch, there is a hot, wet patch—it's her blood.

"Reporter Shen!"

Liang Zhe felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly, causing him so much pain that he could barely breathe.

Shen Ruowen's face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and her lips had lost all color. She struggled to open her eyes, her vision already blurring, but she still tried her best to find Tian Tian's figure.

When he saw Tian Tian standing safely beside him, a weak yet relieved smile appeared on his lips.

"Sweet...sweet..." Her voice was weak, each word requiring immense effort. "No...don't be afraid..."

Sweetie cried as she tried to cover the wound on her chest, but blood kept gushing from between her fingers, staining her little hands red. "Aunt Shen! Please don't be hurt! Waaah... I'll get Grandpa Sun to save you! Let's go home, let's go home together..."

The child's heart-wrenching cries repeatedly tore at the hearts of everyone present.

Looking at Tian Tian's red face from crying, Shen Ruowen felt a pang of heartache. She wanted to raise her hand to touch Tian Tian's head, but her arm felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. She could only move it slightly before it fell limply to the ground.

"It's... no use..." She shook her head gently, her breathing growing weaker and weaker. Life was rapidly slipping away from her body, and a chill was gradually enveloping her, yet her eyes remained unusually clear.

She thought of her younger sister who was far away in Taiwan, her original intention for joining the "Grey Sparrow" organization, and the struggles and choices she had made along the way.

Perhaps, her fate was sealed from the very beginning. But she had no regrets about being able to save this innocent child in the end, and to do one last thing for her beliefs.

"It's all my fault!" Song Dazhuang slapped himself hard across the face, his face full of remorse. "I didn't keep an eye on that beast! Reporter Shen, I'm so sorry!"

If he had been more careful, if he had discovered the needle Wu Hao had hidden earlier, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Shen Ruowen's gaze finally settled on Liang Zhe. She looked at the man who had twice turned his back on her, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

There was gratitude, apology, and a hint of inexplicable relief. "Commander Liang... Commander Liang..."

"I'm here!" Liang Zhe scooped her up by the knees, trying to lift her into the car. "Reporter Shen, don't say anything, we're going back to base right away! Dr. Sun will definitely have a way!"

He could feel the person in his arms getting colder and colder, and this feeling of helplessness brought him to the brink of collapse.

Shufen has already left Tiantian, and he absolutely cannot let another person sacrifice for Tiantian.

"I don't blame... anyone..." Shen Ruowen said with difficulty, her breathing becoming shallower and shallower, "Tian... Tian Tian... must... must grow up well... and build... missiles..."

This was her last wish, and her final expectation for the world.

Sweetie is right. Only by becoming stronger can one avoid being bullied and protect those they want to protect. She didn't live to see that day, but there's still Sweetie, and countless other children like Sweetie...

They are the future, they are hope.

In a daze, she seemed to see her younger sister, far away on Taiwan Island, smiling at her across the strait.

A hint of relief crossed Shen Ruowen's lips as she slowly closed her eyes.

The yellow sand was silent, swallowing up the last remaining warmth.

"Aunt Shen... Aunt Shen?" Sweetie cried desperately, shaking her cold hand, her sobs growing hoarseer. "Wake up! Don't sleep!"

Liang Zhe held Shen Ruowen's body, his whole body stiff.

He looked down at the pale face of the woman in his arms, his mind replaying the scene of her pushing away Tian Tian without hesitation or fear.

This woman, who had once gone astray, used her own life to achieve the most magnificent redemption.

"Commander Liang..." Song Dazhuang stood to the side, his eyes red and his voice choked with emotion. He knew that Liang Zhe was feeling even worse than he was.

Liang Zhe took a deep breath, carefully laid Shen Ruowen flat on the sand, took off his coat, and gently covered her with it, concealing the shocking wound.

He stood up, walked to Tian Tian's side, and hugged his sobbing daughter tightly, trying to calmly comfort her.

"Sweetie, Aunt Shen... is asleep. She's a hero; she fell asleep to save you."

Sweetie seemed to understand but not quite. She nestled her little head in Liang Zhe's arms, tears wetting his clothes. "Daddy's lying. Aunt Shen is asleep just like Mommy. She can't come home with Sweetie anymore."

Liang Zhe felt as if his heart had been cut by a knife. He gently patted his daughter's back without saying a word.

Some partings are too heavy for him to explain in the language a three-year-old could understand.

"First, load Reporter Shen's body into the car." Liang Zhe wiped away the tears in his eyes. "Take Wu Hao's body with you too. We'll hand it over to our superiors when we get back to the base."

Song Dazhuang nodded, suppressing his grief, and together with Liang Zhe placed Shen Ruowen's body in the back seat of the jeep and secured it with a seatbelt.

Then they wrapped Wu Hao's body in a canvas and stuffed it into the trunk.

After doing all this, the two remained silent, with only sweet sobs and the noise of the car rolling over the sand filling the carriage.

Just then, the vehicle-mounted radio suddenly emitted a crackling sound. Liang Zhe reached out and grabbed it; the communications soldier's voice came urgently: "Reporting, Commander, target detected! Requesting instructions!"

"Where?!"

Liang Zhe's previous dejected expression vanished, replaced by the steely resolve and determination of a soldier.

Gao Yanzhou, I've finally found you!

The communications soldier reported the location, and Song Dazhuang twisted the steering wheel hard. The car swerved on the sand and roared away into the distance.