Kak!

Nan Yi exerted force to push down the lever controlling the rise and fall of the guillotine. Immediately, multiple gears started to rotate, driving the guillotine slowly descending, its blade aimed directly at Bai's neck.

"If you exceed the deadline, she will painfully depart to another world;

of course, if you don't care about this outcome, you can leave now."

What appeared in front of Wang Xiaole was clearly a death trap deliberately set.

And Bai, trapped in the midst of it, naturally hoped that her big brother would not come, even if it meant losing her life, she didn't want him to come.

But it was to disappoint her.

After all, if Wang Xiaole wanted to adopt an attitude of giving up, she should have started a new life on the day she returned to the "Disaster Relief Society."

At this point, there was no option of giving up. Moving forward towards the destination was the only way;

for Wang Xiaole, this was what taking action meant.

"By the way, on the way here, you cannot retaliate, cannot kill even one of my subordinates! Otherwise, I will accelerate her death at any time."

This request revealed Nan Yi’s true purpose.

Originally, Nan Yi was certain of killing Bai, but that was not enough.

Nan Yi’s real target was not Bai. That was why he used this young girl whom he held in his palm to coerce the real enemy he wanted to kill, making the other party act according to his demands.

Although in the current situation, ordering Wang Xiaole to commit suicide was the fastest way to succeed in revenge, this method was not likely to succeed.

After all, Wang Xiaole never stopped thinking and was very aware that once her own life was gone, Bai's safety would also not be guaranteed.

Based on this line of thinking, Nan Yi, as previously planned, gradually weakened his opponent's vitality through indirect means like this "passing the test."

When the test entered the final stage, at that time, there were only two possible results:

either Wang Xiaole would die in the middle of the test due to serious injuries;

or he would arrive at the high platform, full of wounds, and confront Nan Yi directly.

The first result was the most ideal, although the second result was more troublesome, Nan Yi did not believe that this severely injured enemy could still be his opponent.

In other words, regardless of which result occurred, he could accept it.

Naturally, as mentioned earlier, Nan Yi would not let the enemy die alone;

Nan Yi would definitely take Bai's life in front of Wang Xiaole, before he took his last breath, letting him taste ultimate pain before dying.

Perhaps Bai anticipated this dark thought, which is why she struggled so intensely, trying to briefly break free from the restraints and then ram her head against a hard surface.

Now, Bai would rather die herself than see her big brother in danger.

But unfortunately, the strength of the restraints would prevent this thought from ever becoming reality.

This little girl could only endure the torment until the moment when destiny was decided.

The carefully laid crossbows, the magic fireballs no longer chanting, the flying blades and hidden weapons soaring in the air were the "gifts" meticulously prepared by the mercenaries.

"Release!"

With Nan Yi's command, thousands upon thousands of dangerous projectiles all greeted Wang Xiaole from all directions.

At this point, there were still a hundred steps away from the high platform.

Without noticing the incoming threats, he did not waste a single moment or slow down his pace to help himself evade;

instead, he increased his speed to the maximum, desperately trying to reach her side faster.

This kind of emotion, which could make a person who cherished life put life and death aside without hesitation, remained unimaginable. And yet, Wang Xiaole laughed, spirit growing stronger as each moment passed.

The arrows dipped in poison merely grazed his limbs, creating wounds that oozed blood in a dark purple hue;

the intensely burning fire magic caused the skin outside of his cloth to peel off in large patches;

weapons used for throwing pierced through his body, leaving dozens of penetrating wounds that pooled blood on the ground.

Despite his lightning-fast reflexes, dodging most of the arrows and fireballs, the damage was severe in that brief moment.

According to common sense, he would be considered seriously injured at this point.

But so what?

Did Nan Yi dream that by causing such harm, he would see Wang Xiaole frown and hear screams echoing in the square?

"Hahaha!"

With seventy steps remaining, a hearty laughter resounded;

the majesty contained in the laughter was enough to dispel the clouds hovering in the sky;

even the thick layers of dark clouds, under this laughter, would likely dissipate.

"Bai, you don't need to be afraid. I'm here, and big brother is coming to you soon..."

With a scent of blood trailing behind him, his body torn apart with wounds, each part of his body dominated by pain, yet his mental state sharpening, body moving faster.

Watching him at this moment, Nan Yi couldn't help but think, "He's simply not human."

And he was right. A boy in love was never just a person;

because boys like him always went above and beyond, doing things that others could not.

Step by step, a terrifying sight of his footprints pressed on the ground, creating sinking marks with each step.

The horrifying image of his advancing steps, combined with the appearance of a blood-stained demon, even startled some of the mercenaries.

Had it not been for Nan Yi, their employer, being nearby, many would have stood there dumbfounded, watching until he reached the seemingly end point.

"If you dare to slack off now, I will ensure all of you perish, release!"

The once friendly Nan Yi, now driven by hatred, had turned as cold and ruthless as a devil.

What the mercenaries faced was no longer just about money; as Nan Yi put it, it had evolved into a matter of life and death.

To avoid their own deaths, they had to attack with all their might, aiming to kill the one target.

Just like before, Wang Xiaole remained indifferent to the killing intent and murderous aura surrounding him;

his tone was more relaxed than usual, engaging in casual conversations:

"After this is over, we'll find a good place to go fishing, you'll be responsible for fishing, and I'll handle the grilling..."

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

With fifty steps left.

"After we're tired of eating, we'll take a nap in a sunny bamboo forest, you can use any part of me as a pillow, sleep as long as you want..."

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

With thirty steps remaining.

Apart from the brief seconds earlier, the sounds of gunfire never ceased.

With more and more wounds, Wang Xiaole laughed louder, his spirit becoming more cheerful with each passing moment.

His face glistened with tears, something she had never thought she would cry like this one day.

With only twenty steps left, he had reduced the distance enough;

One could say that Wang Xiaole endured until now for the next moment, where many things could finally be let go.

As the twin daggers suddenly rose, a white light fell from either side of Wang Xiaole.

Clang, clang!

The two sounds of white light seemed like sword unsheathing;

the sound was heavy, not suddenly starting and ending, but after the initial strike, it gradually formed a prolonged echo.

Within the echo, there was a mix of brittle sounds of the ground breaking;

the over ten thousand mercenaries positioned on either side of Wang Xiaole immediately found themselves stepping on air and falling straight down.

The two white lights drawn by the daggers shattered the ground in two directions, not only causing fractures but also hollowing out the ground underneath, creating a deep and wide crater.

The subordinates arranged by Nan Yi in the square all dropped down at the same time, truly becoming a pit of thousands of people.

It was not Wang Xiaole's task to listen to the wails of the fallen; he was there to accomplish the next truly significant task.

According to Nan Yi's prediction, he believed that:

even with a closer distance, if he suddenly launched a counterattack, it would inevitably be towards himself or the high platform;

Nan Yi never anticipated that he would first kill the minions on both sides.

Actually, Nan Yi's judgment was not necessarily wrong; Wang Xiaole's target was indeed headed towards the high platform.

Even if he had acted against the minions earlier, it was only to prepare for the next step.

At this moment, Nan Yi had yet to fully react, and the guillotine was getting closer to Bai's neck, soon to fall.

So, there was only one opportunity.

Swish!

This piercing sound of breaking the air signified everything, ushered by Wang Xiaole's dagger held in one hand.

Snick!

Nan Yi instinctively tried to push the guillotine, but just as his left hand moved sideways, the thrown dagger pierced through it, lodging itself in the midst of blood and flesh.

At the moment his left hand was disabled, Nan Yi not only felt intense pain but also keenly realized:

the opponent shouldn't be this powerful, the previous strikes were the same, they shouldn’t have caused such devastating damage.

Little did Nan Yi know:

before formally making a move, Wang Xiaole had used a secret technique from the eastern continent to forcefully enhance his own strength.

In a short period, his power reached "almost world-toppling" level, giving him a significant advantage against the "Nation-Toppling" Nan Yi.

However, as a price, from this day on, he would permanently lose his strength and become an ordinary person.

Compared to the huge price paid, the return he was getting made him feel extremely satisfied.

It was only because of love that this boy had become so determined and self-sacrificing!

At this moment, he truly believed that he was living this life for her!