Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 1879 - 1942: I Killed Her
But if he dies now, those officers will also face death, so he can’t die, which means he must kill Li Qiushui.
The last shred of Su Tianhai’s hope was extinguished. After being stabbed by this sword, Su Tianhai’s attacks became fierce, his fists whirling like a storm, increasingly formidable. Over the years, to match Li Qiushui, Su Tianhai diligently practiced martial arts every day, whether in cultivation or various techniques, and he had experienced so many battles, his skills had improved significantly, even far beyond Li Qiushui’s expectations. In her eyes, Su Tianhai was still the Su Tianhai from a few years ago, not the one who had suddenly grown to this level.
This unexpected turn of events caused a shift in the situation after the two had fought for five or six minutes. Su Tianhai, without any weapons, began to gain the upper hand, while Li Qiushui started to fall behind.
"Put down your weapon!" Su Tianhai shouted, but the response he received was Li Qiushui’s sword narrowly slicing past his cheek, no, it should be said cutting past, because if he had been even a tenth of a second slower, half of his head might have been cut off by Li Qiushui. She never showed mercy.
Su Tianhai stopped wasting his efforts. He focused on dealing with it, and the officers beside them were also watching nervously. People are not afraid to die, but staying alive is certainly better, allowing them to continue their unfinished business.
Su Tianhai struck Li Qiushui’s shoulder with a punch, causing a pause in her movements. Further down was where her gunshot wound was. This punch was extremely powerful, so Li Qiushui was affected. Su Tianhai seized this opportunity, used his other hand to deflect the hand with which Li Qiushui held her sword, swiftly moved in, intending to engage in close combat with Li Qiushui. Just at this moment, Su Tianhai discovered an even better opportunity, and he decisively abandoned his previous plan, directly reaching to seize Li Qiushui’s sword.
Li Qiushui hadn’t anticipated this, and though she wanted to dodge, it was too late. Her wrist was already grasped by Su Tianhai; as an expert in close combat, Su Tianhai’s strength was greater than hers, especially after having struck her just now. Li Qiushui’s other hand was temporarily unable to exert force.
The sword was about to be taken away. Su Tianhai intended to throw it far away, but at that moment, Li Qiushui suddenly exerted force, their bodies intertwined together.
Su Tianhai had secretly loved and admired Li Qiushui all these years, fantasizing countless times about embracing her, yet never having the chance. Now, at the most critical moment of their fight, this wish was fulfilled. Of course, this was not a simple embrace; the two were still locked in deadly combat.
After being drawn in close by Su Tianhai, Li Qiushui was somewhat flustered for the first time that night, her face showing a panic-stricken expression. Suddenly, she lifted her leg, attempting to hit Su Tianhai between the legs, but Su Tianhai was already on alert and clamped his legs, controlling hers.
This brought their bodies even closer, almost pressed together. Her supple chest, through the fabric, pressed against Su Tianhai’s chest. In a different setting, this surely would be a very suggestive scene, yet for these two locked in deadly combat, there was no suggestion of intimacy. Su Tianhai didn’t even notice, and at that moment, Li Qiushui’s body softened and fell backward, unguarded, Su Tianhai followed, pressing onto her.
The countless dreamed-of scenes became reality, yet not in the way Su Tianhai wanted. The two fell to the ground, followed by a squelching sound. Li Qiushui’s sword, somehow, ended up stabbing through her chest, entering from the back, piercing straight through to the front, and even grazed Su Tianhai’s rib, lodging between two ribs.
Su Tianhai was stunned. Although he had resolved to fight Li Qiushui to the death, he never imagined things would end up like this. Just moments before, he was about to seize the sword, but after a fall, how did it end up impaled in her body?
The sword pierced directly through Li Qiushui’s heart. No matter how formidable her skills, there was no way back. Su Tianhai was equally dumbfounded. Supporting himself, he stared blankly at Li Qiushui, the heroic woman he had admired for so many years.
I... killed her? Su Tianhai murmured unconsciously.
Blood welled from the corners of Li Qiushui’s mouth, and her chest wound began to ooze blood. Her expression finally changed, no longer icy, and even a slight smile appeared, like the thaw of spring after a frozen winter. She was still so beautiful, but... it was the beauty before death.
"Li... Qiushui, are you alright? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I didn’t want to kill you!" Su Tianhai exclaimed anxiously as he held Li Qiushui, uncertain where to place his hands, wanting to cover her wound, yet the sword remained inserted there, moreover at her chest. He reached out but stopped.
Li Qiushui, however, raised her hand and grasped his, saying, "It’s alright. Dying by your hand isn’t so bad."
"No! I don’t want you to die. I want to save you. I never intended to kill you, never thought of it!" Su Tianhai shook his head vigorously, crying out in agony, but Li Qiushui’s body was already slowly going limp. That last grip of his hand had exhausted all her strength.
Seconds later, Li Qiushui’s gaze became unfocused, yet her face still held a smile, as if she were finally liberated.
"Qiushui, Qiushui!" Su Tianhai knew it was beyond saving, and felt even more sorrowful. Everyone dies eventually, but Su Tianhai never thought Li Qiushui would die by his hand. Even in his earlier anger, he hadn’t meant to kill her. He even thought if he gained the upper hand, he would find an opportunity to knock her out and take Li Qiushui away. After all, those principal officers weren’t dead yet, and it wasn’t an irrevocable mistake. He could take Li Qiushui away and let her live under a different name.
But now it was all too late, Li Qiushui was dead, dead in his arms, and Su Tianhai was inconsolable. He, who never cried, now felt tears streaming down. The rescued officers sighed in relief; Su Tianhai had killed the traitor Li Qiushui, but they didn’t truly blame her. In those times, such things were rarely unusual—spies, insiders, traitors... those terms were frequently heard. But she had been their comrade, so the officers came over, removed their hats, and saluted Li Qiushui. The highest-ranked officer even patted Su Tianhai on the shoulder to comfort him: "Mourn your loss. When daylight comes, let’s find a place to bury these comrades right here. If we survive, we’ll come back for them."
Su Tianhai couldn’t help himself, giving no response to their words. His heart only repeated one phrase over and over: I killed Li Qiushui, I killed her.
At that moment, footsteps sounded outside; judging by the noise, there were far more than a hundred people. The officers’ hearts tightened, and they picked up their guns, standing guard at the entrance. Seconds later, a group of people rushed to the cave’s opening, led by the gatekeeper, who held a makeshift rifle, leading the way and shouting: "Chief, we’re saved! Reinforcements broke through to rescue us!"
These words made the officers relax, and soon they saw the people rushing in.
The crowd stopping at the entrance was puzzled by the situation inside: why were so many dead? And why was someone crying, holding a woman?
Suddenly, a person burst forth from the crowd—it was none other than Murong Yuanqing. He immediately saw Li Qiushui and Su Tianhai, as a ’rival,’ he could never mistake them. He rushed to Su Tianhai’s side, seeing Li Qiushui with closed eyes and a smiling face, and reached out to check her pulse, realizing it had long stopped.
"Su Tianhai!" Murong Yuanqing immediately went berserk. His feelings for Li Qiushui were not any less than Su Tianhai’s, and they had known each other longer, suddenly all those shared memories seemed to overwhelm him. Seeing Li Qiushui dead in Su Tianhai’s arms, Murong Yuanqing erupted, shoving Su Tianhai aside, eyes red with fury as he inquired what was going on and why Li Qiushui was dead.
Su Tianhai looked dazed, as if he hadn’t seen Murong Yuanqing. Hearing his shout, he only repeated: I killed her, I killed her.
Upon hearing Su Tianhai killed Li Qiushui, Murong Yuanqing punched him. The blow landed squarely on Su Tianhai’s chest, sending him flying into the cave wall, crashing down. But Su Tianhai seemed unaffected by the pain, seeing Li Qiushui a few meters away, he rolled and crawled to her side.
"Damn you, Su Tianhai, I’ll kill you!" Murong Yuanqing charged over to kick him. His beloved woman, the big sister who cared for him, was dead at the hands of his rival. Despite their usually amicable relationship, Murong Yuanqing now wished to see Su Tianhai dead.
Su Tianhai didn’t fight back, perhaps struck more awake by the beating. Lying on the ground, he looked at Murong Yuanqing, and let out a bitter laugh, saying: "Kill me then, I’ve lived long enough."
"Fine, I’ll kill you!" Murong Yuanqing said, ready to strike. At that moment, several officers ran over to hold him back, the highest-ranking officer said: "It’s not his fault. Without him, we would all be dead."
Murong Yuanqing’s companions also started restraining him, holding him tightly.
Several minutes later, Murong Yuanqing learned the whole story, yet remained unable to calm down or truly believe it. Li Qiushui, how could she be a traitor, how could she turn against her own people?
But the few corpses lying there were undeniable evidence. Regardless of disbelief, he could only accept it.
After knowing the truth, Murong Yuanqing fell silent; he knelt beside Li Qiushui’s body, motionless for a long time. Across from him was Su Tianhai, both their eyes fixed on Li Qiushui. She had departed, forever leaving this world, yet her face bore a serene expression, as if finally freed.
There were others watching from the sides as well, wondering how these three outstanding youths ended up like this.
