Power and Wealth

Seconds passed.

In the office, the time remaining on the countdown timer is getting lesser and lesser!

One second... two seconds... three seconds...

Beep, beep, beep...

The beeping from the timebomb is the only sound in the office, and less than six minutes is left!

At this moment, Xie Huilan felt anger, touched, anxious, scared, etc. as she stares into Dong Xuebing’s eyes. Dong Xuebing had also given up hope and felt slightly more relaxed. He held on to Sister Xie’s hand gently and sat beside her.

Death is not far away for them.

“Get out of here!” Xie Huilan said after a long pause.

Dong Xuebing replied. “Do you think we still have time to talk about this? I had broken the door lock.”

“Call someone to break the door! You still have time!” Xie Huilan took a deep breath. “Please... I am begging you!”

Dong Xuebing took out his phone from his pocket and switched it off.

Xie Huilan shouted at him. “Stop!”

“I always thought that I will live until seventy, or at least fifty to sixty. But... Haha... I only got a few minutes left.” Dong Xuebing looked at the timer on the bomb. “Sister Xie, there is slightly more than five minutes left. Stop asking me to leave. We must not waste our remaining time.” Dong Xuebing paused for a second. “I had not thought of leaving this office when I know the bomb cannot be removed. We... let’s have a good talk.”

Xie Huilan scolded. “Idiot!”

Dong Xuebing smiled. “We are going to die, and you are still scolding me?”

“No one is more foolish than you. You are just asking to be scolded!”

Dong Xuebing looked at Xie Huilan. “Sister Xie, it is at this moment, I realized how much you care for me. Last night, you had scolded me, and I thought you had given up on me. I did not mean what I said yesterday. My heart broke when I said all those things. I said that even without you, I can still carry on with my life. But I know that I can never leave you. Even not seeing you for months can make me lose my appetite, let alone leave you.”

After Dong Xuebing said these, the look in Xie Huilan’s eyes turns softer.

Dong Xuebing held Xie Huilan’s hand tightly. “I know I am foolish. Wei Nan had driven over, but he didn’t even dare to get close to the cordon. I saw him looking towards the building from the car and then leave. Even the bomb disposal experts leave after a few minutes. They are also scared of the bomb. Hahaha... I am the only one foolish enough to come in and even lock us inside. Sister Xie, you said that my character is not suitable to be in the government. I am too rash. I also knew my flaw and wanted to change. But I still can’t do it.”

“Even you can’t change, you also must change!”

“How can I change something impossible?”

“I don’t believe that you cannot kick down the door! It’s not that you can’t! You do not want to do it!”

“Sister Xie, let me be rash one last time. I cannot listen to you this time.”

“Since when did you listened to me?”

“In the future... I will listen to you in the future.”

Xie Huilan pulled back her hand. “We will die in five minutes! What future are you talking about?”

Dong Xuebing replied. “... then I will listen to you in our next lives.”

“Xiao Dong! What do you want me to say?” Xie Huilan wants to scold him, but couldn’t find the words. She sighed and grabbed Dong Xuebing’s hand. “You must listen to me this time. Call the people outside to break down the door. You are still young and still have a long way to go. What’s the point of dying with me?”

Dong Xuebing replied. “I will not leave.”

“Xiao Dong!”

“Let’s not talk about this.”

Beep, beep, beep... four minutes until the bomb explode!

Xie Huilan continued to ask Dong Xuebing to leave, but Dong Xuebing refused. He sat beside Xie Huilan without moving. Xie Huilan knew that no matter what she says, or even when the door is opened, Dong Xuebing will not leave.

“Sorry.” Dong Xuebing apologized.

Xie Huilan looked at him and sighed. “What’s the point of apologizing now?”

Dong Xuebing replied bitterly. “If I don’t say this, I will not have the chance in the future. Sister Xie, I am sorry. We are going to die, and I don’t want to lie to you. I like you, and it is the same for Aunt Xuan. I can do anything for you two, and I don’t know what I should do. I don’t want her to leave me, and I don’t want you to leave me. I... I...”

Xie Huilan looked at Dong Xuebing calmly. “Stop. I will forgive you.”

Dong Xuebing: “Sister Xie...”

Xie Huilan patted Dong Xuebing’s hand. “No matter what you did in the past, I will forgive you.”

“You are not angry with me anymore?”

Xie Huilan closed her eyes. “You are willing to give up your life to accompany my remaining few minutes. How can I still be angry with you?”

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you. I can have someone who loves me this much, and I can rest in peace.”

One second...

Five seconds...

Ten seconds...

Bang, bang, bang... someone is trying to open the door from outside. It should be officers from the Public Security Bureau, and they are shouting Dong Xuebing’s name.

“Chief Dong, are you inside?”

“Why is the door locked? Get the keys! We got no time!”

“Mayor Xie! Chief Dong! Open the door!”

Dong Xuebing saw Xie Huilan was about to ask the people outside to kick down the door, and quickly cover her mouth. He turned towards the door and asked them to leave. He will leave in a while. A few seconds later, Dong Xuebing removed his hand from Xie Huilan’s mouth. The people outside had left. He sat down beside Xie Huilan with a smile. “It’s rare for me to be a hero. Can you don’t stop me? Just let me accompany you. This is my final wish.”

Xie Huilan stroked Dong Xuebing’s face gently. “I also want to bring you away with me, but I can’t.”

“It is not you bring me away. It’s we are going away together.”

“Xiao Dong!”

Dong Xuebing stood up and walked behind Xie Huilan to hug her. “We got slightly more than two minutes left. Should we hold hands or hug?”

Xie Huilan closed her eyes. “I don’t want you to die!”

“I also don’t want you to die.”

Only two minutes and thirty seconds left!

Dong Xuebing said. “You know that my legs are not fully healed, and I can’t kick the door open. Even if I switch on my phone and call the people outside, there is not enough time. We are going to die anyway. Let’s talk about something else. You know I will not leave.”

Xie Huilan’s tears rolled down her cheeks.

Dong Xuebing wiped her tears with his sleeves. “You... you are crying?”

Xie Huilan did not reply.

Dong Xuebing continued. “This is the first time I see you crying. I thought you... will never shed a tear in your life with your character.”

“I am not a robot. Why can’t I cry?” Xie Huilan opened her eyes. “If we can get out alive, we will pick a date next year and get married. We will host a 100-tables banquet.”

Dong Xuebing nodded. “It must be my ancestors’ blessings to get a wife like you. My mum should be overjoyed.”

“Yes. We will cheer her up.”

But both of them knew this would not happen.

Beep...

Beep...

Beep...

The time on the timer is two minutes and fifteen seconds.

Xie Huilan turned. “Xiao Bing, come over to the front. Let me take a good look at you.”

Dong Xuebing nodded and squatted in front of her. “Here.”

Xie Huilan reached out and touched his face and hair. “If you did not save me when I fell into the river, I will not be alive. No matter what happens in the future, it will be indebted to you. If I can’t repay you in this life, I will repay you in my next life.”

Dong Xuebing’s eyes turned red. “Let’s get married in our next life.”

“Ok.”

“What about life after next?”

“Ok.”

“The life after that?”

“Yes. No matter how many times we are reincarnated, I will still marry you.”

Dong Xuebing wiped his tears and hugged Xie Huilan. She returned the hug with one hand and had a smile on her face.

One second...

Two seconds...

Three seconds...

Dong Xuebing and Xie Huilan were hugging, and they were prepared to die.

“There are two minutes left.” Xie Huilan suddenly said. “Xiao Bing, pass me the cutter.”

Dong Xuebing looked at Xie Huilan. “Why do you want the cutter for?”

“We have no time left, and I want to try one last time. I will cut a few wires... haha... my luck is quite good. Maybe the timer will stop after I cut the wire?”

Dong Xuebing shook his head. “Even the bomb disposal experts cannot do anything to the bomb, let alone us.”

Xie Huilan replied. “I know. But killing myself is better than waiting for the bomb to go off. Don’t you think so?”

Dong Xuebing thought for a while and nodded. “Let me do it. My luck has always been good.”

Dong Xuebing suddenly froze!

Wait!

Wait a minute!

Cut the wires?

Dong Xuebing immediately stood up. “Where is the cutter? Where did I throw it?”

Xie Huilan was surprised. “What’s the hurry?”

Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and replied excitedly. “I thought of an idea! We might not need to die!”

“What idea?”

“Defuse the bomb!” Dong Xuebing looked around and saw the small cutter left behind by the bomb disposal squad. He ran over and picked it up. “I had seen this in the movies! There is a sequence when cutting the wires in a bomb. If we cut the wires one by one, the timer will stop! That’s right! As long as we don’t cut the wrong wires, we will be fine!”

Xie Huilan was stunned. “Yes, but even the bomb disposal experts are not confident. It is very complicated.”

Dong Xuebing replied excitedly. “They cannot, but I can!”

“Xiao Bing, are you sure?”

“Yes. I am sure!” Dong Xuebing is already kneeling in front of the bomb. “Trust me! I will defuse the bomb!”

Xie Huilan smiled. “Just cut it, and don’t give yourself too much pressure.”

The time remaining is one minute, forty-four seconds!

The bomb disposal experts had removed the outer cover, and the wires, circuit boards, copper pieces were exposed. But Dong Xuebing found out that the bomb in front of him is very different from the bombs in the movies. In the movies, most of the wires have colors, like blue, red, yellow, etc. and only one wire is the correct wire to cut. Those bomb disposal experts differentiate the wires by the colors.

But the timebomb on Xie Huilan is very different.

More than a dozen wires in the bomb are blue, and there is only a red wire. Other than the wires, there are a lot of copper pieces, circuit boards, and a few thin copper strings. The probability is not 50%, and Dong Xuebing cannot take reference from the movies he watched. Dong Xuebing knew movies are fake, and the same color wires might also be the reason why bomb disposal experts are unable to defuse the bomb.

There are so many blue wires, which should I cut first?

What should I do?

Dong Xuebing focused on the wires in front of him. This is his only chance to save Xie Huilan and himself, and he must be calm.

One second...

Two seconds...

Dong Xuebing’s sweat is pouring, and he does not have time to consider. Cut!

Dong Xuebing tried his luck and cut the red wire!

Click! The red wire was cut!

The next moment, the bomb goes off, and heat engulfed the whole office! Before Dong Xuebing could react, everything becomes black. He cannot even see his fingers, and he knew Sister Xie and himself had died in the blast.

F**k!

BACK four seconds!

The scene in front of the flash!

Dong Xuebing had positioned the cutter on the only red wire and was about to cut it. He quickly stops and repositions the cutter on the first blue wire!

Click! Dong Xuebing cut the first wire!

“Boom!” The blast blew Xie Huilan and himself into pieces!

Dong Xuebing endured the pain and shouted: “BACK, three seconds!”

Time returned!

Dong Xuebing panted and had no time to think about the scary blast. He quickly picked the third wire and cut it! Click! His first reaction is to close his eyes, but the heatwave did not appear. He opened his eyes and looked at the bomb!

The wire was cut, but the bomb did not go off!

Success! Dong Xuebing had cut the first wire successfully!

Although the timer is still beeping, Dong Xuebing was happy! There is hope!

Dong Xuebing did not wait any longer and cut the fourth wire. Click! The wire is cut, and the bomb did not go off!

Success again!

The fifth wire...

The sixth wire...

The seventh wire...

Dong Xuebing continued cutting one wire after another and had lost count of how many times he died. He is almost numb from the pain. There is a total of 15 blue wires, and Dong Xuebing had tried cutting all of them. Other than the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth wires, the rest of the wires cannot be cut. The timer is still counting down. Dong Xuebing tried cutting the red wire again, but the bomb exploded.

At this time, Dong Xuebing had tried all the blue and red wires.

Dong Xuebing reached forward with his cutter and noticed there are no more wires for him to cut.

He took a deep breath and looked at the two copper strings by the side. He gritted his teeth and cut one of them. Boom! There was a blinding light, and the bomb detonates immediately. Dong Xuebing shouted BACK three seconds and quickly stop his hand, and reposition to the second copper string. He used a bit of strength and cut it... nothing happens.

One more wire is cut!

Dong Xuebing braced himself and returned to the first copper string, and failed again. This means this copper string cannot be cut temporarily, but he does not have time to think. He does not know anything about defusing bombs and can only do it through trial and error. He started cutting those blue wires one by one. This time, he managed to cut four blue wires again. The four wires are the first, second, ninth, and twelfth.

Dong Xuebing was overjoyed and tried cutting the red wire again.

The red wire still cannot be cut, and the bomb had gone off countless times, killing Xie Huilan and Dong Xuebing again.

I will cut the copper string next!

Clicked! The last copper string is cut, and nothing happened!

Dong Xuebing noticed a pattern. The timer on the bomb is still ticking, and he continued to cut the blue wires. This time, the seventh and eighth wires are cut, and only a few wires are left. Dong Xuebing knew he is one step closer to success, but he realized that other than the blue wires, he does not have any other wires to cut. The red wire cannot be cut, and there are no more copper strings.

What should I do?

To Dong Xuebing, a long time had passed, but he used BACK several times to cut the wires. Until now, only 50 seconds had passed in real-time. There is one minute and eight seconds left!

But even if Dong Xuebing had ample time, it is no use!

There is nothing left in the bomb to cut!

Dong Xuebing is not willing to be killed by the bomb. He gritted his teeth and positioned the cutter on one of the two metal pieces. He used his strength and twisted the metal piece, dislodging it from its connection to the circuit board. To Dong Xuebing’s surprised, the bomb did not explode!

Yes!

This metal piece is also critical!

Dong Xuebing quickly twists the other metal piece. Click! This piece is easier, and Dong Xuebing did not even use any strength.

There is only a red wire, and a few blue wires left on the bomb. Dong Xuebing tried cutting the blue wires again, and this time, he cut three blue wires. Now, only one red wire and two blue wires are left!

When Dong Xuebing cut the first wire, Xie Huilan had thought they were going to die. She smiled at Dong Xuebing and waited for the bomb to bring both of them away. Clicked! The wire was cut, but nothing happened! Those bomb disposal experts don’t even dare to touch the wires, and Dong Xuebing got the first one right. Xie Huilan felt he is fortunate and waited for the bomb to explode quietly.

After that, the second wire was cut.

The third... fourth... fifth...

Soon, Dong Xuebing had cut more than a dozen wires and even broke two metal connectors.

Xie Huilan was no longer calm. She looked at Dong Xuebing speechlessly and said. “Xiao Bing, I think heavens took a liking to you. I don’t know what to say about your luck.” She looked down at the bomb and said. “There are only three wires left?”

The time on the timer is less than 40 seconds.

Dong Xuebing quickly replied. “These three wires cannot be cut! Damn! Why is this happening?”

Xie Huilan looked at him and sighed. “You had tried your best. If it really cannot be cut... just forget it.”

“Forget it?! I still want to get married to you after we get out of here!” Dong Xuebing was getting frustrated. That red wire should be crucial and should be the last wire to cut. But the remaining two blue wires cannot be cut. Cutting either one of them will make the bomb explode. What should he do? He only has less than 20 seconds of BACK left!

There is no more time!

Beep... beep... beep...

Dong Xuebing’s back is covered in sweat. What the f**k is going on?! Why is cutting every wire will make the bomb go off?

There are fifteen seconds left on the timer!

Dong Xuebing ruffled his hair and hit his head!

Are we going to die? Is there no more hope?

Ten seconds left!

Eight seconds...

Six seconds...

Five seconds...

Xie Huilan reached out and hold on to Dong Xuebing’s hand. “In our next lives... you must listen to me and must not do anything foolish.”

Next life, my ass!

I don’t want us to die!

Three seconds...

Two seconds...

Dong Xuebing reached over with the cutter!

F**k it!

If I cannot cut the wires one by one, then I will cut both at the same time!

Click! The two blue wires are cut!

Beeeeep! The timebomb let out a long beep!

Are we dead? Did the bomb go off? Dong Xuebing smiled and closed his eyes.

One second... two seconds... the expected loud explosion did not sound.

Eh? Dong Xuebing opened his eyes and looked at the timebomb. The timer had stopped!

The time on the LCD stopped at one second!

Damn! The timer had stopped the countdown!

Dong Xuebing paused for a while and quickly cut the red wire!

Click! The power to the timer was cut, and there are no numbers on it!

Dong Xuebing was shaking with excitement. Click! He cut the strap of the bomb from Xie Huilan’s waist!

One second passed... two seconds passed... nothing happened!

Xie Huilan stood up from the chair and looked around her disbelievingly. “The bomb did not explode?!”

Dong Xuebing held back his tears and hugged Xie Huilan tightly!

Xie Huilan’s eyes were also teary as she hugged Dong Xuebing. “You are terrific! You can even defuse the bomb!!”