The two could no longer run. As if by a sudden unspoken agreement, Wen Bai stopped running and turned back to snatch the syringe.
The man, upon noticing that neither Wen Bai nor Yu Yang were running anymore, seemed even more intrigued by Wen Bai.
Like playing with a cat, he held the syringe high, then, to everyone’s surprise, pinned Wen Bai down. The needle was about to pierce his flesh.
Yu Yang lunged forward.
***
When Su Ying arrived, he saw two men who appeared extremely weak and one man covered in blood engaged in a chaotic fight.
Wen Bai lay on the ground. The bloody man, with one hand pinning Wen Bai and the other holding the syringe, had accidentally jabbed it into the ground. Yu Yang had the man’s neck in his grasp.
Despite the man’s overwhelming advantage, a clear winner couldn't be determined in this situation.
Su Ying, being a doctor, dealt with various parts of the human body on the operating table daily. He knew what reactions different injuries would cause and which ones were fatal.
He had always been controlled, even in his unconventional and secret desires, he had always stayed within his limits.
But this time, he lost his usual composure. For the first time, his rationality was ignited by a surge of anger, and then slowly consumed.
He didn’t even have time to think; his body instinctively made the choice for him.
By the time he came to his senses, only the man on the ground was convulsing, Yu Yang, who had just released his grip on the man and was still holding his neck, fell down together, gasping for air, and Wen Bai, lying on his back on the ground with his eyes half-closed.
System 001, which had been silent for a while, said: “Host, is this why your missions always fail?”
“He doesn’t owe me,” Wen Bai repeated.
Though only four short words, System 001 detected Wen Bai’s stubbornness.
Wen Bai disliked, even detested, people saving him by sacrificing their lives, even though it wasn’t the male lead’s original intention.
System 001 watched Wen Bai’s life value plummet and asked: “Was it worth it?”
Wen Bai remained silent.
Su Ying steadied himself and looked at Wen Bai.
He bent down and reached out, intending to pull the man up or help him to his feet.
But in this state, covered in a mixture of dirt and blood, it was impossible to tell.
Even as a doctor, he didn’t know where the person was injured and where he wasn’t, which made him hesitate.
Wen Bai could only see a blurry figure in front of him. Seeing that the person wasn't moving, he reached out, estimated the direction, and propped himself up on Su Ying’s hand.
Halfway through getting up, he suddenly lost strength and fell back down like a kite with a broken string.
Su Ying no longer hesitated and quickly caught him.
As Wen Bai relaxed, the intense tension in his spirit, which had been forcibly summoned by System 001 and felt like it was about to snap, now showed its side effects. It was like a stretched rubber band snapping back uncontrollably after being pulled to its limit. He felt utterly drained, as if he were just an empty shell.
“Are you okay?”
Wen Bai heard Su Ying ask.
The voice felt like it had traveled across mountains and vast seas to reach his ears.
Wen Bai was always honest about this. More unbearable than the direct pain from his body or physiological sensations was the feeling of being utterly filthy.
If possible, he truly wanted to shed his skin.
Wen Bai wanted to shake his head, but he lacked the strength. He whispered in a breathy voice, “Not good.”
Sensing that Wen Bai wasn’t in good shape, Su Ying touched his forehead. As expected, he could already feel the burning heat of the man with his hand.
After a brief examination, he found no obvious external injuries. Without time to wipe the blood and dirt from Wen Bai’s face, Su Ying carefully picked him up.
At this moment, without medication or the conditions for physical cooling, if the fever reached 39.5 degrees Celsius and persisted for more than half an hour, it could be dangerous, potentially even causing damage to the brain's nerves.
At this point, Yu Yang also seemed to have recovered. He kicked away the person whose legs were trapped by him and who was still convulsing, rendering him immobile, and rolled over.
Seeing Su Ying pick up Wen Bai and leave, Yu Yang panted heavily. He glanced at the convulsing person on the ground, then at the backs of the two, and quickly followed them, his legs feeling weak.
Su Ying intended to place Wen Bai in the passenger seat and was opening the car door while holding him.
He heard Yu Yang calling out from behind, still gasping for breath: “I… I’ll drive. He’s not in good condition, and you’re a doctor, right? You can look after him.”
Su Ying didn’t refuse: “Thank you.”
Yu Yang opened the rear passenger door for them and then sat in the driver’s seat and started the car.
Seeing the phone on the passenger seat, he asked Su Ying, who was still placing Wen Bai in the back seat: “Can I use your phone?”
Su Ying, flustered, replied, “Mm.”
While Su Ying was placing Wen Bai into the car, Yu Yang immediately dialed the emergency number and explained the situation. He glanced at the car’s ignition, the map on the car’s display showing their current location, and provided the exact address.
“My friend is injured, and we’re going to the hospital now. Please, police, hurry over and apprehend the person.”
After hanging up, Su Ying happened to close the car door behind him.
This area was a bit remote, and the car headed towards the nearest hospital on the map.
System 001: “Host, how are you feeling?”
Wen Bai was too weak and didn’t want to speak.
Su Ying held Wen Bai’s hand, carefully cradling him: “It’s okay, I’m taking you to the hospital.”
It was as if he was speaking to Wen Bai, but also as if he were talking to himself.
System 001 reminded him: “Host, your current body cannot withstand this. Your life value is extremely low, below the normal range, and has entered the red line.”
“Didn’t you say you could protect me?”
It was a somewhat weak voice, diluting his usual cold demeanor.
System 001 faltered: “Host, I can protect *you*, but I cannot protect your body in this world. Prepare… only 5% remains.”
Wen Bai: “……”
Wen Bai immediately looked up and, with all his might, whispered, “Su Ying…”
“Hm?” The other person leaned down affectionately, close to Wen Bai.
“Let’s go back,” Wen Bai said with effort, looking at the blurry figure that was so close yet indistinct.
Su Ying paused, then said, “Okay.”
Then, he asked Yu Yang to change their route.
“He has to go to the hospital now,” Yu Yang disagreed.
Su Ying didn’t look up. He looked at Wen Bai and said, “I am a doctor.”
Yu Yang thought they were crazy, but then, as if recalling something, he glanced into the rearview mirror.
Unable to persuade them, he could only comply.
The car, which had been driving smoothly, braked midway, made a U-turn, and changed direction, merging with the traffic.
Wen Bai, filled with genuine regret: “That… that platter of pastries I spent so long choosing, I haven’t eaten it yet.”
“I’ve already had it packed to take home. If you want to eat it, I’ll get it for you when we get back.”
“I also want to eat your cooking…”
“Okay, you can have whatever you want to eat.”