12. …The End - Part one

On an uncontrolled impulse, Xiao Zhan grabbed the first object within his reach and, with all his accumulated rage, threw it across the room towards the computer, where the message still beamed tauntingly at him. The heavy folder slammed into the screen, shattering the glass surface into tiny shards. It clinked and crashed. The splinters shot away in all directions. But that wasn't enough. Xiao Zhan saw red. He stormed up to the desk and pushed, threw, or pulled everything down until the office was completely trashed. In his unbridled frenzy, he didn't even notice that he was hurting himself and that tiny fragments of the glass were piercing deep into his skin.

At some point, Xiao Zhan stopped. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling violently with each labored breath. His hands were shaking, spraying tiny drops of blood on the ground, but he didn't care.

He knew it. It was his fault. He shouldn't have left him alone. It was his fault. How could he be so careless? It was his fault. The false sense of security this place gave them had clouded his judgment! It was his fault!

Xiao Zhan's mind was racing, causing him to break out in cold sweat. An unconscious panic that lay deep within him threatened to overtake him. Images from the past resurfaced in a cascade of memories he hoped he would never have to see again. Everything was back in one fell swoop. A tremor went through his body. His legs began to shake violently, and suddenly gave up supporting his weight. He fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut.

He choked, but he couldn't breathe properly. His throat felt like it was constricted. He choked again, and the first tears gathered in his eyes. Another choke, and they ran down his pale cheeks. As far as he remembered, he never had cried except for one moment in his life.

He would never forgive himself if something were to happen to Wang Yi Bo. His love. His life. The one who made his life worth living. Who loved him unconditionally despite him being a damaged good, a killer.

He still couldn't breathe, and the tears just wouldn't stop flowing. It was like a dam that had broken and was now letting everything out with full force.

‘He needs you! What are you doing?’ A dull voice at the back of his mind tried desperately to get through to him, but he was too preoccupied with his impending collapse to pay attention to it.

‘What are you waiting for? Get up and save him!’

Right. Wang Yi Bo needed him. Xiao Zhan cried out desperately, trying to stay sane. He had to do it. He had to save his beloved at all costs. ‘Now is not the time to let your fears get the better of you!’

A slap echoed through the devastated room, the reverberating sound ringing loudly in his ears. His cheek was red from the blow he gave himself. ‘Stay sane!’

It was hard, but after calming his inner turmoil with all his sheer will and the thought of his beloved, Xiao Zhan managed to pull himself up from the floor. When he finally stood on both feet, his facial expression had changed back to its normal, neutral form. The tremors had disappeared, as well as the difficulty in breathing. His posture was upright, and apart from his bleeding hands, Xiao Zhan's appearance would not have revealed any of his previous outbursts.

Knowing exactly what he had to do, he grabbed his jacket and pulled out the car keys before rushing towards the door. However, a sudden thought made him pause. He reached back and took his cell phone out of his pocket. His hand clenched around the device before throwing it onto his desk. He couldn't risk someone following him. This was something he had to do alone.

The car sped ruthlessly through the congested city streets, past endless canyons of apartment buildings, skyscrapers, and people scurrying back and forth in the alleys. The evening sun, already low, gave everything a golden-orange glow that still reflected the heat of summer. On any other day, it would have been a beautiful, vibrant sight, but Xiao Zhan was oblivious to the bustling, colourful life around him.

His thoughts were all about Wang Yi Bo. Every fibre of his body was focused on a single task. Nothing else mattered. Next to him on the empty passenger seat lay the crumpled piece of paper, a painful reminder of his failure. The mere thought of what they might have done to his love to take him away almost made him sick. He vigorously gritted his teeth as he fought to suppress another onslaught of anger.

The sun had already almost entirely disappeared below the horizon. The humid air was noticeably cooling now that the scorching rays had been removed from it when the rows of houses finally became thinner, and Xiao Zhan left the oppressively dense city. The syndicate's henchmen hadn't given him an address or anything, but that wasn't even necessary. He knew where to go. And they knew he would remember.

As he drove through the outskirts of Beijing, he couldn't help but reminisce about Wang Yi Bo and their short but loving life together. When he met his unique Baby for the first time, their perfect teamwork, their extraordinary wedding, and all the little silly things that made their days the most beautiful and happiest time of his life. He wished they were granted more, but he wasn't kidding himself. The chances of him surviving the next twenty-four hours were slim to none. But if he could exchange Wang Yi Bo for himself, it wouldn't matter. All he needed was to save him and know that he would live.

In the distance, in an abandoned industrial area, he saw several black limousines waiting for him.

"Forgive me." Xiao Zhan whispered as he turned off the engine at a reasonable range away. He exhaled, preparing himself for what might happen next. As he got out of the car, his body suddenly felt like it weighed a ton. But nothing about his appearance or body language suggested he was on the verge of a breakdown.

Confident and determined, he strode towards the group of vehicles. The doors opened, and seven bulky, shady-looking men came into view. It took Xiao Zhan all he got to not just launch at them, but their gloating expressions definitely made his blood boil.

“Look who finally came home again.” One of the men with half of his face tattooed and bald-headed, sneered, casually snapping a pocket knife between his fingers.

“Where is he?” Xiao Zhan didn't even bother to engage himself in a pointless conversation. He focused on getting his beloved out of there as fast as possible.

“Tsk, is that how you greet your brothers after so long?" Another gang member strolled up to him, his expression betraying his joking words. Pure hatred burned in his eyes, one of which was covered with a vertical scar.

“I'm sure we've come a long way from the point where we were brothers. By the way, you should consider changing your makeup artist because they seem to highlight your eyes in a rather unflattering way. I'm just saying." Xiao Zhan deliberately mocked his opponent to mask his increasing nervousness while trying to find out Wang Yi Bo's whereabouts. The mood instantly shifted, just as he predicted. The men's posture slightly changed as if to prepare for an attack. Inwardly, Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes at their short-sightedness and temper.

“You little piece of shit! Since it was you who adorned my face with this beautiful gift, maybe I should return the favour!” The first addressed man growled angrily and pulled out a knife, his face contorted with rage. He was about to rush towards the Agent but was stopped by his shouting comrades.

“Stop this nonsense! All of you! The boss has other plans. If you pick it up now, he will bust your asses! Literally!" An elderly man suddenly intervened and exited one of the cars. Someone Xiao Zhan didn't know but was obviously higher in the hierarchy than the rest of the thugs. He pulled the fuming man away, his commanding voice leaving no doubt about his authority. "Go get the policeman! There's no time to waste!" He shouted angrily before he turned to Xiao Zhan. "Stop playing games. Let's get this bullshit over with as quickly as possible." He added calmly and looked him sternly in the eyes.

Xiao Zhan acknowledged the admonition, although he wasn't really listening. His eyes were glued to the car from which the love of his life, bound and blindfolded, was roughly pulled out and thrown to the ground. A painful groan echoed through the evening air, causing all the hairs on Xiao Zhan's skin to stand. It was a terrible testament to the violence and what his Baby had to go through.

Everything in him wanted to just run over and pull him into the security of his arms.

The Scarface noticed his distress. He grinned evilly and pulled his captive up, grabbing his arms that were tied behind his back at a very painful angle. Xiao Zhan gritted his teeth tightly and closed his eyes briefly. Wang Yi Bo's loud wail of agony was deeply imprinted in his mind. His hands balled into fists, frustrated at his own helplessness. Yet, he couldn't do anything. One wrong move could result in the death of his beloved. To calm himself, Xiao Zhan took a few deep breaths. “Stop the crap and free him! I’m here like you wanted, so I advise you to let him go!”

“Or what? You are in no position to give us ‘advice’, you fucking bastard!” Scarface scoffed and walked towards him, dragging Wang Yi Bo recklessly along. Xiao Zhan gritted his teeth, a snappy reply already on his lips. He growled and opened his mouth.

“Xiao Zhan? Is that you?” Wang Yi Bo suddenly moaned, his weak voice trembling with fear and pain, making Xiao Zhan swallow anxiously.

“I'm here, Baby. Everything will be alright.” Xiao Zhan tried his best to sound calm and reassuring, but Wang Yi Bo knew better. Nothing in situations like this will simply be alright. Then realisation hit him.

“You're not doing what I think you're going to do, are you?!" He gasped in panic and struggled against the grip that held him in place. But the hold only tightened. The warm, humid air was suddenly breathed against his ear and caused him to shudder in disgust.

“Oh, he's doing exactly what he's told to do. Your superhero came straight to the rescue. Say goodbye for one last time.” Scarface whispered spitefully, his eyes fixed on the dark, infuriated ones of Xiao Zhan.

“Stop stalling time! Do I have to remind you the boss is waiting?” The senior member's imperious voice rang across the square, interrupting their exchange. The obvious impatience made Xiao Zhan frown in surprise. But since it was in his interest to get Wang Yi Bo out of there as quickly as possible, he just let it slide.

His opponent growled angrily and was seemingly offended but still immediately opened Wang Yi Bo's shackles and blindfold roughly.

"Go!" He roared and gave him a hard shove on the back, making him sway dangerously. After being trapped in this position for so long and entirely deprived of all forms of light, Wang Yi Bo could only stumble blindly in Xiao Zhan's direction. The Agent reacted quickly, wrapping his arms tightly around his shaking body and burying his nose deep in the crook of his neck. With a sigh, he breathed in the familiar, beloved scent one last time. A tremor ran through Wang Yi Bo's body as he sank exhausted into the familiar arms.

“I love you. You are the most precious and lovely gift in my life. But I need you to live. Please go to the car. Go home.” Xiao Zhan whispered wistfully into his Baby's ear, his voice on the verge of breaking.

“No, I can’t leave you here!” Wang Yi Bo clutched his hands in Xiao Zhan’s arms and shook his head violently. He wouldn't let go. Never! “Don't make me do this! Can't you just do your Agent thing?" He cried out, but then they were abruptly separated with a violent jerk.

"That's enough. Leave before we change our minds and put another hole in your head." One of the gang members shouted and pushed him in the opposite direction towards Xiao Zhan's car.

“No…” Wang Yi Bo widened his eyes in panic and tried to approach them again. But a single click made him freeze. The sound echoed eerily through the air. However, what really made his blood run cold was the three men who had surrounded Xiao Zhan. One of them held a gun to his temple, ready to fire. The rest was checking him for hidden weapons. He had no doubt they would shoot if he took another step forward.

“Just go, my Baby. It's a shame we didn't have more time together. I will definitely miss our sex in the backseat of the car.” Xiao Zhan smiled sadly and apologetically, trying to sound jokingly and causing Wang Yi Bo to shake his head in disbelief.

“You are a vile disgrace of a man. Get in the car, you asshole!” Scarface said with disgust and dragged Xiao Zhan to one of the limousines.

The senior gang member stood quietly by and watched everything. He looked over at the still-unmoving Officer and sighed. "You should go. Some things are beyond our control. This had to happen. Accept it. He did it to save you. Don't waste it.” With that, he left, leaving a distraught Wang Yi Bo behind.

He remained standing in his place, his body frozen. He still couldn't believe or accept what had just happened. His mind went numb, and he could only watch in horror as his love disappeared into the car and then drove off in the limousine. In the distance, the three shadows became smaller and smaller until they were no longer visible.

As if a switch had been flipped in his head, Wang Yi Bo collapsed and screamed his anger into the lonely quietness of this summer evening.

As soon as the cars started moving and the distance between him and Wang Yi Bo increased, Xiao Zhan suddenly felt strangely light. He leaned his head against the headrest and closed his eyes. Even though his chest tightened more and more painfully with every meter they drove, and he had to fight with all his might against the urge to just grab the driver's steering wheel, he was relieved. He had done the right thing. Yes, the right thing. Wang Yi Bo was safe and would survive. He took a deep breath and waited for what would happen next.

The senior in the front passenger seat quietly observed him through the rear mirror, a thoughtful expression playing in his eyes.