The crack of the gunshot was followed by a wet thud, the sound of lead meeting flesh. Bai Yue didn't feel the pain immediately. There was only a sudden, icy numbness that bloomed in her shoulder and chest, followed by a heat so intense it felt like she had been branded.
She slumped forward, her weight dragging the gunman down just enough for his grip on Zhēn to loosen.
"Zhēn..." Bai Yue gasped, but the word came out as a red spray.
"BA IYUE!"
The scream didn't come from one man, it was a collective howl of agony.
Zhāo Yàn was the first to reach them. With a snarl that was purely animal, he slammed into the lead gunman. There was a sickening crunch of bone as Zhāo Yàn's fist connected with the man's face, sending him flying backward.
