Kawashima Fukuichiro's fingers clenched tightly around the grenade's pin, his eyes burning with a desperate madness. A twisted smile tugged at his lips, as though mocking the helplessness of everyone before him. The air in the lab seemed to freeze, time itself slowing to a crawl.
"Tenno banzai!" Kawashima roared, his voice low and hoarse, tinged with a feverish devotion. His hand jerked sharply — click! The pin snapped free.
"Get down!" Fang Zhiguo shouted, his voice hoarse with urgency as he instinctively hurled himself back, searching for cover. But it all happened too fast.
BOOM!
The grenade exploded in Kawashima's hands. A searing shockwave ripped through the lab, flames erupting like a volcanic blast. The blistering heat hurled equipment, shattered glass, and twisted metal into the air in a storm of destruction. The black case was torn apart, its vials of virus and vaccine pulverized into shards that scattered, mingling with the fire and smoke.
Fang was thrown across the room, his back slamming into a wall. Pain ripped through him, stealing his breath. His ears rang, his vision blurred, but through the haze he could make out Kawashima's body, torn apart by the blast, fragments of flesh and bone scattered grotesquely across the floor.
Qin Xiao had reacted a fraction faster, diving to the ground just before the detonation. Still, the shockwave hurled him several meters, his arm slashed open by flying glass. Blood streaked down his sleeve, spattering the ruined floor. He staggered, dizzy and weak, his body refusing to obey.
The rest of the strike team fared no better. Those closest to the blast were hurled like ragdolls, hitting the ground hard, unconscious. Others were shredded by shards of glass, bleeding heavily from multiple wounds.
In moments the laboratory became a wasteland. Flames and thick smoke choked the air, the acrid stench of explosives burning the lungs. Cracks splintered the walls; the ceiling lights swayed violently, ready to collapse.
"Sakurako!" Fang forced himself upright, agony etched on his face. He stumbled through the wreckage, his voice hoarse and desperate.
Kawashima Sakurako lay near the heart of the explosion. The blast had flung her brutally to the ground. Glass shards had torn into her arms and legs, blood soaking her clothes. Worse, a jagged fragment carrying traces of the virus had pierced deep into her shoulder, crimson flowing down her arm, dripping onto the ruined floor.
Her consciousness wavered, ears ringing, the world spinning. She tried to lift her hand, but pain crushed her strength. Her breaths came ragged, each one like tearing fabric.
"Sakurako!" Fang reached her, kneeling quickly. He cradled her head with trembling hands, his heart sinking as he felt her feverish skin.
"Fang… Captain…" Her voice was weak, rasping. Her gaze was unfocused, but she fought to keep it fixed on him. "I… I was cut…"
Fang's eyes fell to the shard buried in her shoulder. A grim certainty tightened his chest. The fragment carried the EASV virus. Sakurako was already infected.
"Don't talk. Save your strength." His voice was steady, even as dread gripped him. He yanked his radio free. "Xiudao! Contact Dr. Zhang at the virus institute now! Sakurako is infected — we need emergency support!"
My voice crackled through, tense and urgent: "Understood! I'll contact him immediately!"
Lowering the radio, Fang looked back at Sakurako's pale face. Her sweat-damp brow, her faint, rapid breaths — time was running out.
"Hold on, Sakurako," he whispered fiercely. "We will save you."
Her lips curved faintly in a bitter smile. "Fang… Captain… I'm sorry… I couldn't stop him…"
"This isn't your fault," Fang cut her off firmly. "You did everything you could. Now, just survive."
Her gaze blurred, breaths growing shallower, each one a struggle. Her trembling fingers reached for something unseen, then fell limp.
"Fang…" her whisper barely audible, "if… if I don't make it… tell Guo Xiudao… I… I…"
The words dissolved as she lost consciousness. Fang's face hardened. He quickly checked her pulse — faint, but still there. Fragile hope.
"Qin Xiao!" Fang barked.
Qin staggered over, his face pale from blood loss. His eyes froze on Sakurako's wound, horror written across them. "She's… infected?"
Fang nodded grimly. "Yes. We need to get her to Dr. Zhang now."
No more words. Qin crouched, helping Fang lift her gently. Her body felt fragile, light as a broken doll.
"Go!" Fang commanded.
Together they carried her out, racing through smoke and falling debris. The warehouse groaned as if ready to collapse, fire clawing at their heels.
"Captain Fang! The helicopter is ready!" a team member shouted from outside.
Fang nodded sharply. "Move, fast!"
They rushed into the burning night. The sky glowed red, helicopters thrumming as one lowered onto the open ground. The roar of rotors drowned out thought. Fang and Qin laid Sakurako carefully inside before climbing aboard.
"Take off!" Fang roared.
The helicopter surged skyward, banking toward the virus institute. Fang sat rigid, eyes locked on Sakurako's bloodied, unconscious face. She still breathed. She still lived.
"Xiudao," Fang spoke into the radio, his voice hard. "Did you reach Dr. Zhang?"
"Yes!" I answered, breathless. "He's waiting at the institute. He says there's hope!"
The helicopter thundered across the sky. The burning ruins of the warehouse shrank into the distance, but Fang's heart remained heavy. The battle was far from over. Sakurako's fate balanced on a knife's edge.
The helicopter descended onto the institute's emergency pad. Dr. Zhang and his team, clad in full protective gear, rushed forward. Fang and Qin carried Sakurako down. Dr. Zhang's expression hardened at the sight.
"She's been infected with EASV," he said grimly. "We need to operate immediately."
Fang met his gaze, voice taut. "The whole strike team was exposed. We all need urgent screening."
Dr. Zhang snapped commands: "All operatives to the infectious disease hospital, quarantine and checks immediately! We'll handle Sakurako. Move!"
Fang didn't hesitate. He relayed the order through his radio. "All units, withdraw to the infectious hospital for quarantine. That's an order!"
Despite their injuries, the operatives obeyed, rallying with weary determination. Qin stood beside Fang, speaking quietly: "Captain, we should go. Leave Sakurako to Dr. Zhang."
Fang nodded slowly. His gaze lingered on her pale face one last time. She was alive. That was enough for now. He drew a deep breath, then turned to follow the team.
At the infectious hospital, the survivors were checked and treated in isolation. Fang sat silently in the corner of a ward, eyes fixed on the night sky beyond the window. His thoughts were heavy, torn between dread for Sakurako and the knowledge that the virus and vaccine were lost. The mission was far from victory.
"Captain Fang," Qin said quietly, standing at his side, "we'll make it through."
Fang's eyes hardened with resolve. "Yes. We will."
Above, the stars gleamed in the dark sky, faint lights guiding them forward.
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