"Sister-in-law, why are you here? What's happening outside? Is Ying Yang making a move?" Jun Hui asked, seeing Ming Yue leading a dozen old men in a hurry. He had heard the explosion, but Ji Shiyou had instructed them to guard the communication equipment and not leave. So, despite his curiosity, he and Zhen Lu, along with over a dozen brothers from Jiu You, hadn't budged from the room.
"Where is Ji Shiyou? And how did you know it was Ying Yang?" Ming Yue's gaze swept across the room, not finding Ji Shiyou. Her bad premonition intensified, and she asked anxiously.
"The boss came back and contacted Zhe Cheng. He asked Zhe Cheng to investigate what Ying Yang had done at Wushang Headquarters on the island. Zhe Cheng just called back, saying he had surrounded the Xing Tang and learned of Ying Yang's plan. This island is managed by Xing Tang, and it's a live volcano. It's been very active in recent years and should erupt soon. Moreover, Ying Yang transported a large amount of explosives to the island a while ago. When the boss heard this, he instructed us to contact our brothers outside and arrange for planes to pick us up. However, this island can't be found on any map, and this equipment is the only way to locate it. The boss told us to guard this equipment and stay in contact with the outside world, then he ran out," Zhen Lu said quickly, seeing Ming Yue's face turn pale with worry.
"Volcano, explosives! Uncle Fei Long, Jun Hui, Zhen Lu, gather everyone on the island immediately. Use whatever floating materials you can find – doors, planks, wood, anything. Get off this island quickly, as far as possible. Go!" Ming Yue hurriedly instructed them, then turned and rushed out, sprinting towards the island's volcano.
Connecting all the information, she had understood Ying Yang's plan. Ying Yang had painstakingly lured them to this island to use the explosives to trigger a volcanic eruption during its active period. The volcano's power could sink the island. All transportation on the island had been destroyed, so even if Ming Yue and the others realized it, they would have no escape. Ying Yang could then claim they all died in an accident. Ji Shiyou must have realized this too, which was why he went to the volcano to try and disarm the explosives. This was Ming Yue's biggest worry. She had overheard Ying Yang instructing his subordinates to evacuate at midnight. It was already past midnight, meaning the explosives could detonate at any moment. The planes from outside would take at least three hours to arrive. It would be too late, which was why Ming Yue had told everyone to escape immediately, without waiting for the planes, and to find anything that could float in the sea to escape. Although risky, it offered a better chance of survival than waiting to die on the island. Her greatest concern was Ji Shiyou; he didn't know the explosives were about to detonate, and she herself wasn't sure how much time she had left or if she could notify Ji Shiyou. Yet, she ran towards the volcano without hesitation, thinking that if they had to die, they would die together.
Ming Yue pushed her speed to the limit, reaching the two-hundred-meter-high crater in a few minutes, but found no one. Looking around, she saw Ji Shiyou, carrying a huge iron box on his back, staggering down the other side of the crater.
"Ji Shiyou, what are you doing?" Ming Yue shouted, rushing towards him. As she got closer, she saw the box clearly – it was a timed bomb. Lights were flashing on it, and the countdown showed only five minutes remaining. Judging by its size, the bomb weighed two to three hundred pounds. If it exploded, it could blow up half the island and definitely trigger the volcano. The island would cease to exist and sink into the sea. The whirlpools caused by the incoming seawater would swallow everything. No one would even find their bodies. Ying Yang's plan was truly insidious.
"Ming Yue? What are you doing here? Hurry, go. Don't come over, run in the opposite direction. Go to the sea, leave this island." Ji Shiyou shouted excitedly upon seeing Ming Yue, but his footsteps didn't stop; they even quickened. Like Ming Yue, he had understood Ying Yang's intentions from Zhe Cheng's information. So he went to the crater, intending to disarm the explosives and thwart Ying Yang's plan. But when he arrived, he was stunned. The countdown on the massive timed bomb showed less than ten minutes. He was in a dilemma: it was too late to go back and warn everyone to leave. Moreover, standing on the mountain, he had already heard explosions from the helipad and the port. The transportation must have been completely destroyed. Even if they left the island, they wouldn't get far, and they would still be affected by the volcanic eruption. Thinking that Ming Yue would also be caught in the eruption and buried at sea, Ji Shiyou made a decision. He bent down and laboriously lifted the timed bomb onto his back, struggling towards the other side of the island. He silently encouraged himself, determined to descend the mountain from the other side within ten minutes and throw the bomb into the sea to detonate there. This way, the volcano wouldn't be triggered, and Ming Yue would be safe. Even if it exploded before reaching the sea, by leaving in the opposite direction, he could minimize the impact. However, as the person closest to the bomb, he had no chance of survival. But he had no regrets, as long as Ming Yue was unharmed, his life meant nothing. He hadn't expected Ming Yue to come to the crater and chase after him. That's why he shouted at Ming Yue in anger for the first time, telling her to leave quickly.
"I'm not leaving. I know what you're thinking. You want to sacrifice yourself to keep me safe, don't you? You've always protected me. Today, it's my turn to protect you. Meeting you in this life, Ming Yue, I have no regrets, alive or dead!" Seeing Ji Shiyou shouting hysterically, Ming Yue not only didn't leave but rushed forward and grabbed the timed bomb. She had considered abandoning the bomb and escaping with him, but the time was too short. Even with their speed, they couldn't guarantee escaping the volcanic eruption. Moreover, the hundreds of lives on the island – Fei Long, the Jiu You people, and the wedding preparation staff – would all perish. If they were all going to die anyway, Ming Yue's choice was to die herself so that everyone else, including Ji Shiyou, could live. Ji Shiyou's hands suddenly felt lighter as the heavy iron box was now in Ming Yue's possession. What surprised him most were Ming Yue's words, which made him pause. He stopped abruptly, not understanding what she meant. At that moment, Ming Yue's free hand struck the back of Ji Shiyou's neck. The countdown on the bomb showed only one minute left; there was no more time. Ming Yue gritted her teeth, pushed off with her feet, and leaped into the sea outside the island. Mid-air, Ming Yue looked back at the unconscious Ji Shiyou, a smile on her lips. "Ji Shiyou, live well!" Ming Yue whispered her farewell to the man she loved most, her eyes filled with reluctance. With a thunderous roar, the bomb exploded in the air. The immense shockwave caused the entire island to shake.