Although the train had undergone significant changes and the entire instance space was in chaos, Jing Minghe believed that as long as they were still in the instance, there would always be a way to clear it.
Ban Sheng glanced at Ding Chang, suppressed the drilling pain, and silently followed Jing Minghe and Chi Hao out.
Ding Chang looked coldly at Ying Qiang, who had completely stopped breathing, shrugged helplessly, and then walked out.
When everyone returned upstairs, Yumi was treating Tong Zheng's facial wounds. With one hand holding a disinfectant cotton swab and the other wielding a scalpel, she was meticulously removing the necrotic tissue from Tong Zheng's face without anesthesia.
Ke Wuwen had not yet woken up. Tong Zheng was sneakily glancing at Ke Wuwen from the corner of his eye, as if Ke Wuwen were his painkiller. Just looking at his child made the excruciating pain of flesh being cut away disappear.
He caught sight of Jing Minghe approaching out of the corner of his eye and let out a faint hiss, saying jokingly, "Originally, Brother Tong, I wasn't handsome. Now, I'm even uglier. I wonder if it will scare the child."
"It won't," Jing Minghe tightened his hands slightly. "You are very handsome, and you will surely be the most handsome elder brother to Wuwen. He likes you very much, Brother Tong..."
Jing Minghe faltered, unsure of what else to say. Tong Zheng's condition seemed grim. Yumi was doing her best, but it was unlikely that the flesh that had been removed would grow back.
Perhaps, even if Tong Zheng survived, his body and mind would inevitably bear the pain of being incomplete, and this would become his most fatal weakness in future instances.
"No!"
With a startled cry, Ke Wuwen's eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly. As if sensing something, he immediately looked towards Tong Zheng.
Their eyes met.
In Tong Zheng's eyes was relief that Ke Wuwen had finally woken up. In Ke Wuwen's eyes, there was initial joy, then shock, and finally, an expression of utter disbelief.
Ke Wuwen stared at Tong Zheng with a complex gaze for a while before trembling and speaking, "Brother... Brother Tong? How... how did this happen to you?"
As Ke Wuwen spoke, he reached out to touch Tong Zheng, but his hands trembled so violently that he could not move them any further.
Whether it was influenced by Ke Wuwen or not, Yumi's tears finally fell, but she gritted her teeth and held the scalpel steady.
She couldn't stop; she had to stop the corrosion for Tong Zheng as quickly as possible.
Tong Zheng wanted to comfort Ke Wuwen, so he gently patted the back of Ke Wuwen's hand and forced a smile onto his lips. However, before he could speak, Ke Wuwen burst into tears.
"Brother Tong! It's all my fault. I saw it, it's real, it's all because of me! The one who should die is me!"
Ke Wuwen cried out, slumped to the ground, and slowly retreated, as if the further he got from Tong Zheng, the less he would drag him down or hurt him.
Ke Wuwen had been awakened from his coma by a nightmare, and his nightmare was precisely the scene of Tong Zheng dying tragically in the instance to save him.
Seeing Tong Zheng's severely injured state now, he naturally assumed that Tong Zheng must have been injured saving him.
Seeing Ke Wuwen constantly retreating, Tong Zheng's eyes darkened.
He would rather Ke Wuwen retreat out of fear than have him torment himself with guilt.
Jing Minghe strode forward, grabbed Ke Wuwen, and said sternly, "Ke Wuwen! Calm down! Do you think this will make Brother Tong feel any better?"
Hearing Jing Minghe's words, Ke Wuwen froze, his eyes blankly looking at Tong Zheng. Sudan Novel Network.
Tong Zheng looked at Ke Wuwen again, nodded slightly, and conveyed with his eyes that he hoped Ke Wuwen would not blame himself, nor be afraid.
"Brother Tong!"
Ke Wuwen came back to his senses, rushed to Tong Zheng's side, grabbed Tong Zheng's arm tightly, and choked back his words.
Yumi's treatment was nearing its end. The pain had become numb and was no longer unbearable. He slowly spoke, his voice weak and hoarse, to Ke Wuwen, "Don't be afraid, I'm fine."
Ke Wuwen gritted his teeth, trying to stop crying. If Tong Zheng, who was having his flesh gouged out, wasn't crying, what right did he have to cry?
But hearing Tong Zheng's words, he couldn't help but shed tears and retorted softly, "How... how are you fine? You're not fine at all. You're so seriously injured, how can you be fine?"
"Silly child."
Ke Wuwen held Tong Zheng's arm tightly, and Tong Zheng gently patted Ke Wuwen's hand with his other hand.
Some things no longer needed to be explained clearly.
Seeing that Ke Wuwen had calmed down, Jing Minghe exchanged a look with Chi Hao. They moved away to the left and right, keeping an eye on their surroundings to prevent any sudden situations from catching them off guard.
Ding Chang and Ban Sheng found places to rest and recuperate.
Ban Sheng sat a little closer to Yumi and the others. After hesitating for a while, he finally couldn't help but ask.
"Yumi, can you help me treat this corrosive wound too? Although... although it's slowed down, it's still constantly corroding."
Yumi paused at his words. When she saw that only Ding Chang and Ban Sheng had come up with Jing Minghe, she had already understood. Of course, she had no standing to blame anyone; after all, self-preservation and fear of death were the nature of most people.
"Alright," Yumi replied in a low voice. "Sit there for a moment."
Ban Sheng lowered his head with guilt and a hint of gratitude. "Thank you."
Ding Chang stayed a little further away. His gaze was constantly on Jing Minghe, and at the same time, he could feel another malicious gaze fixed on him.
But what did it matter? Nothing was more terrifying than dying here without understanding anything. And during their short time together, he had realized that Jing Minghe might be the key to leaving this place.
His goal had always been to survive. As for other things, they could only be realized if he lived.
Time ticked by, and although the lights in the factory were not very bright, they were sufficient for them to see everything they wanted to see.
There was silence in the factory for a long time. Just when everyone thought they could finally rest, the factory door, which had been impossible to open, suddenly slammed open with a bang. Not only was it opened, but it was completely shattered.
Bright light shone in from outside, seeming to symbolize some kind of hope.
But even so, no one looked hopeful, because they all understood that whether there was hope or despair outside that door was unknown until they truly saw it. Moreover, this was an instance in the City of Death, and hope was merely a fleeting thought.
"Hao Ge," Jing Minghe turned to Chi Hao and said, "You protect Brother Tong and the others. I'll go out and take a look."
"Ming..."
"I won't be in any danger."