Death Progress Bar

Rest!

Although Shi Jin obediently shut up, he still couldn’t avoid the shot of anesthesia—the wound on his shoulder was too deep and had to be sutured.

“Actually, I really don’t need it, I can just grit my teeth and endure,” Shi Jin said, wanting to stay awake.

Uncle Long, however, was without compunction or mercy. After he stopped the bleeding, he asked someone to find him the nearest available ward and began to prepare tools and medicines.

Alarmed, Shi Jin begged, “At least let me call Jun-shao first, he won’t be relieved unless he confirms my safety with his own eyes…”

“It’s just local anesthesia, stop overreacting,” Uncle Long growled with dislike, asking an assistant to bring a tablet.

Oh, it’s just local anesthesia.

Shi Jin was relieved. Seeing Uncle Long fulfill his request, his eyes lit up and he flattered, “You’re so understanding, Uncle Long.”

Uncle Long eyed him and walked over to press him on the bed. He asked the assistant to attach the tablet to the instrument stand directly above the bed, so the camera could catch not only Shi Jin’s face but also his wound.

Shi Jin had a sense of foreboding. He reached out and tried to pull the tablet off, saying, “Uncle Long, let’s take care of the wound first, the tablet isn’t needed right now…”

Uncle Long skilfully grabbed his hand and pushed it down, at the same time initiating the video call.

It was answered only after one signal and Lian Jun appeared, sitting in a car talking on a phone.

Shi Jin: “……” It’s over.

At the moment, Lian Jun was asking Fei Yujing about Shi Jin’s injuries in detail; when he’d heard the teenager had been hurt, he was naturally anxious. Hearing the video call coming in, he picked up, his hand faster than his brain, and Shi Jin appeared on the screen, lying on the bed with a naked upper body and a bloody wound on his shoulder.

For a moment, he couldn’t speak. Eyes fixed on the wound, he hung up his call with Fei Yujing. For a while, he was just watching, lips pursed and expression strained, then asked in a tight voice, “How did you get hurt?”

“He was cut by a knife,” Uncle Long answered instead of Shi Jin. He began to clean the injury.

As soon as the medicine touched the wound, Shi Jin’s expression distorted and he almost cried out in pain.

But since Lian Jun was watching, Shi Jin clenched his teeth and swallowed the cry. Forcing the corners of his mouth to rise, he squeezed out an ugly smile and said, “I’m fine, it’s just a minor injury… Uncle Long, didn’t you mention local anesthesia…” Why did you just start directly?

“Generally, when we deal with ‘minor injuries,’ the procedure is to clean the wound first, then give anesthesia, then suture,” Uncle Long replied frostily.

Shi Jin’s heart shuddered—he knew that the doctor did that intentionally. Distressed by the terrible expression on his lover’s face, he stealthily poked Uncle Long with a hand not captured by the camera, signaling him to stop upsetting Lian Jun.

Uncle Long glared at him. “Now you beg for mercy? You were oh-so-brave a moment ago. If I don’t do at least this much, you won’t learn… Hold on, I’ll give you anesthesia now.”

Shi Jin madly pulled at Uncle Long’s clothes to make him stop speaking, then smiled at Lian Jun again, explaining blandly, “It was just a little situation, not really dangerous… Don’t worry, the wound isn’t deep. After local anesthesia, it won’t hurt at all.”

Lian Jun scowled at him, his hands clenched on the wheelchair armrest so tight that his knuckles were white. After a moment, he commanded, “Gentler.”

Uncle Long responded with a snort.

The effect of anesthesia appeared quickly, the pain subsiding, and Shi Jin was able to smile easily at last. Since Uncle Long no longer was stopping him, he took down the tablet and aimed it only at his face. “What about you, are you in danger? When are you coming back?”

“I’m not in danger. I’ll come back soon, We’re on our way to the airport now,” Lian Jun replied, stifling the impulse to ask him to put the tablet back up. Watching the teenager’s pale face, he pressed down the anxiety and worry in his heart, and asked, “What exactly happened? Fei Yujing’s explanation was a little confusing, I didn’t really understand it.”

Shi Jin was trying to find a topic that would draw Lian Jun’s attention away from the wound. Hearing his question, he promptly launched into a narrative describing the series of events. He also emphasized that ‘David’ was probably Meng La.

The longer Lian Jun listened, the uglier his expression became. He wanted to scold Shi Jin for taking David away after finding there was a problem with him instead of asking for help, but when he saw the teenager watch his expression cautiously, worried about his anger, his heart softened. “It was my fault, I was too careless,” he said. “I didn’t expect Gunfire to have connections with the official of L country. You did a great job protecting everyone.”

Shi Jin didn’t expect to be praised, and his heart filled with happiness. “Actually, I didn’t do very well… And it’s not your fault, no one… A-ah… Noticed that.” Shi Jin couldn’t stop a yawn and blinked hard. Suddenly, he felt sleepy.

Lian Jun guessed that he was affected by blood loss and anesthesia. He said, voice easing, “Go to sleep. I’ll be back when you wake up.”

A drowsiness came so abruptly and with such potency that Shi Jin suspected Uncle Long actually gave him general anesthesia, not local. Forcing his eyes to open, he asked, “Have you arrived at the airport yet? Pay attention to safety…”

“I’m almost there,” Lian Jun replied. His hand involuntarily moved, wanting to touch Shi Jin’s head, but unfortunately, he couldn’t do that through the screen, so he just said gently, “Sleep, I’ll watch over you.”

Shi Jin’s eyes were already half-closed. He mumbled something unintelligible, then his head lolled as he fell asleep.

“Shi Jin’s wound is deep, and it will definitely leave a scar,” Uncle Long said abruptly.

Lian Jun’s expression relaxed slightly when Shi Jin fell asleep, but now it tensed again, and his fist clenched. He thought of the bullet scar left on Shi Jin’s shoulder after his last injury, and his mood fell.

Shi Jin didn’t sleep the previous night, and after falling asleep, he slept through the afternoon and evening. When he finally woke up, he found that the room was dark, there was something warm next to him, and he had an arm draped across his waist.

His heart beating faster, he turned his head.

Lian Jun was lying next to him, facing him. His eyes were closed; he was probably asleep.

Shi Jin couldn’t help but smile. He wanted to turn to his side and have a good look at him. As soon as he moved, though, the arm on his waist pressed him down, then Lian Jun opened his eyes.

“Don’t move, be careful of your wound.”

Lian Jun’s voice was a little hoarse from sleep, but soon, his bleary eyes became clearer. Seeing that Shi Jin woke up, he supported himself on his elbow and leaned down to kiss the younger man’s eyelids.

Shi Jin immediately threw the hand that was not held down around Lian Jun’s neck and hugged him, stopping him from moving away, then raised his head and took a light bite on his lips.

Lian Jun paused, then surrendered and continued the kiss.

Rrrrrrumble.

A strange sound, all the louder in the silence of the night, reverberated through the ward.

Lian Jun ended the kiss and gently rubbed Shi Jin’s stomach. “Hungry?”

Shi Jin was mortified. He yanked Lian Jun down again—they were going to carry on!

The kisses continued, and both of them got a little worked up. Lian Jun recovered his reason first and moved away. Caressing Shi Jin’s cheek, he said, “Wait for a bit, I’ll get someone to bring some food. You should eat.”

Shi Jin’s body was hot and his wound ached. He nodded, forcing himself to resist his impulses. “Okay.”

The kitchen staff must’ve been prepared and only waiting for Lian Jun’s order, because barely two minutes later, all kinds of light, easily digestible dishes were sent over.

Lian Jun helped Shi Jin sit up, lowered the bed table, and prepared to feed him.

Shi Jin’s injury was on his left shoulder, and while he had difficulty moving it, eating was absolutely no problem. Somewhat reluctant but feeling that being fed would be too embarrassing, he stopped Lian Jun and picked up the chopsticks himself, moving them so nimbly he didn’t look like an injured person at all.

Lian Jun withdrew his hand, relieved to see Shi Jin’s good appetite. He sat by his side, from time to time handing him the water glass of paper towels, the image of a caring boyfriend.

After eating his fill, Shi Jin made a trip to the toilet, washed briefly, and returned to bed.

Lian Jun laid down beside him and took him in his arms, giving his stomach a rub. Suddenly, he lowered his head and kissed the wound on his left shoulder. “Uncle Long said it might leave a scar.”

“Scars are men’s medals—if it leaves one, so be it,” Shi Jin replied, not caring at all. Seeing that Lian Jun’s mood didn’t seem good, he continued, “I’m really fine. The wound isn’t serious, it will be good in a few days.”

Lian Jun’s hand holding his own tightened, but he didn’t speak.

Shi Jin knew he must be blaming himself again. Sighing silently, he moved his uninjured arm and hugged him, then changed the topic. “I forgot to ask—did you manage to rescue Old Ghost’s subordinates? And what about Zuo Yang and Long Shi?”

Lian Jun adjusted his emotions. “We’ve rescued all of them, but Meng La gave them the drug made by Long Shi and they need to stay in T country for the course of treatment. Zuo Yang took Long Shi and ran away, and their current whereabouts are unknown. Gua One will stay here to handle these matters. You don’t have to worry about any of that any longer—when you are better, we’ll go straight back to B city.”

Shi Jin was taken aback. “Why do you want to go back to B city all of a sudden? Did something happen over there?”

“No, I just want to go back and rest for a while,” Lian Jun replied, stroking his hair. “The climate here is not suitable for recuperating from an injury. Let’s go back to B city and have a good rest. Is there any place you’d like to go to play? I’ll take you wherever you want.”

Rest!

A memory flashed in Shi Jin’s mind and he grabbed Lian Jun’s hand in both of his. He said, voice rising, “You promised me that after we’re done here, you’ll take a good rest and have a detailed physical examination. I don’t want to go play, I want to go to a hospital!”

Lian Jun wanted to pamper Shi Jin yet got doused with cold water. He supported himself on his elbow and looked at him, but when he met those bright, spirited eyes, his heart softened again. He leaned down to give him a quick kiss and said, “All right, I’ll go check my body and try to get better as soon as possible. I want to take good care of you.”

“You already take good care of me. I want you to get better too, but something like that can’t be rushed—we have to listen to the doctor’s orders.” Shi Jin hugged him contentedly, his heart filled with hope and his brain filled with pictures of Lian Jun able to walk as easily as a normal person. Unable to hold back a smile, he said, “When you’re well, let’s go on a date.”

He didn’t forget his wish to make up for Lian Jun’s childhood. If they went on a date, he could take his boyfriend to play in the amusement park or such.

Lian Jun, however, misunderstood what he meant, thinking that ever since they established their relationship, things had been so busy that they didn’t even have a proper date. For a moment, his chest hurt as he was overwhelmed with a feeling that he was the most incompetent lover in the world.

Shi Jin was still a teenager, an age when he should play and have fun, but because of him, he always had to think twice and worry about many things. It wasn’t fair to Shi Jin.

“…Yes, let’s go on a date,” he whispered, touching Shi Jin’s cheek again. He turned off the table lamp so the darkness would hide his expression, and said, “Sleep. You’re injured, you need to have a good rest.”

Shi Jin slept the whole day and wasn’t sleepy now, but thought that Lian Jun had been busy since early morning and must be tired, so he nodded. After settling into a comfortable position and hugging Lian Jun’s arm, he closed his eyes and asked Xiao Si to play a movie in his brain.

Xiao Si, in a bout of nonviolent resistance, called up a textbook.

Shi Jin: “……”

The ancients didn’t lie, studying really made people sleepy.

After breakfast the next day, Lian Jun convened a meeting of his closest subordinates—specifically, Lian Jun, Gua One, and the others had a meeting while Shi Jin was reviewing his lessons.

Even recuperating from injury didn’t exempt him from studying. Shi Jin felt bitter.

He glanced at Gua One and others who sat in a circle on the sofa and chairs and sighed. Resigning himself to destiny, he picked up the digital pen and began doing problems while listening to the meeting.

After a while, he was more or less clear on the current situation.

Yesterday, after Uncle Long dragged him to the ward, Gua Nine took charge.

A short time later, all Gunfire reinforcements had been caught. David, who he identified as Meng La, fainted after Shi Jin shot several bullets into his arms. By the time the dust settled and Gua Nine called for the battlefield to be cleaned up, the man had already fallen in a coma due to excessive blood loss.

On Gua Nine’s orders, David was carried into an operating room where the doctors removed the bullets and dressed his wounds, then locked in a separate ward with three layers of guards posted outside.

After the signal was restored, the L country authorities quickly learned about the situation and expressed their shock at Gunfire attacking the hospital posing as official rescue workers. They hastily dispatched a high-ranking official with a sufficient amount of troops to guard the hospital from the outside and ordered the nearby roads to be temporarily blocked, creating a safe zone. Basically, they did everything to express their goodwill.

That official was still in the hospital, waiting to apologize to Lian Jun in person.

The cause of the fire at the villa had also been found out. As Shi Jin guessed, it was man-made.

Old Ghost’s subordinates were moved to a private hospital in T country; their situation had temporarily stabilized. After a phone call to Lian Jun, Old Ghost resumed his offensive on Nine Eagles, attacking even more fiercely than before. He extended the battlefield to China, his attitude screaming that he was going to take down Nine Eagles or die trying.

Nine Eagles started to frantically contact Annihilation, but Lian Jun naturally ignored them. He was focused on preparations to deal with Gunfire.

Hearing something unexpected, Shi Jin couldn’t stop himself from cutting in: “We’re going to continue fighting with Gunfire?”

“Just teaching them a lesson,” Lian Jun replied and asked in turn, “Have you finished with the problems? I’ll check your answers later.”

Shi Jin’s face fell at once and he turned his attention back to the tablet.

Gua One and the others looked at Shi Jin studying obediently, then exchanged tacit glances.

Teaching Gunfire a lesson? They had captured a man suspected of being Gunfire’s boss—Jun-shao was obviously planning something bigger. Only Shi Jin, who despite being smart was sometimes astonishingly stupid, would be fooled by such an answer.

Three days later, the L country authorities finally dig out the Gunfire’s ally buried deep inside them. At the same time, Annihilation received a message from Nine Eagles—Zuo Yang suddenly fell seriously ill and had to be admitted to the hospital.

After learning the news, Lian Jun finally picked up a call from Nine Eagles. From Zuo Yang’s deputy, he learned a truly unexpected thing: in fact, Zuo Yang wasn’t sick but had been poisoned. And—Long Shi was dead.

It happened on the day when Zuo Yang left C city with Long Shi. After learning that he had been fooled, he was furious. He wanted to force Long Shi to make the antidote to Lian Jun’s poison and with that, get back in the game. Naturally, Long Shi didn’t comply. Maddened, Zuo Yang took out the two last samples of the drug made by Long Shi and injected the man with one.

Pretending to compromise, Long Shi caused Zuo Yang to relax his vigilance. Then, out of a sudden, he retaliated and injected Zuo Yang with the last sample. Zuo Yang instinctively snapped up his gun and shot Long Shi, killing him on the spot.

In the end, what Zuo Yang’s deputy said boiled down to this: as long as Lian Jun saved Zuo Yang’s life, Nine Eagles would pay any price.

Lian Jun’s phone was set on speaker, so everyone in the room heard the deputy’s words.

Gua Two’s expression was complicated. “Long Shi is dead…” Although they had expected this would be the final result, to hear that he died was still a bit of a shock. Not to mention, his death was quite dramatic…

Everyone was silent. They were all pondering the same thing—whether they should tell the news to Uncle Long.

Lian Jun’s finger tapped the wheelchair armrest. He said, “My doctor is researching the poison and is close to developing the antidote, but Nine Eagles probably won’t be willing to pay the price I want.”

The deputy’s voice turned surprised and eager. {Whatever you want. Just say what you want, I’ll agree to anything,} he blurted.

“I want for there to be no Nine Eagles in this world,” Lian Jun replied. “Are you really able to pay this price?”

The deputy fell silent. A long time later, when Gua One and the others thought he would hand up or try to bargain, he gritted his teeth and said, {I can’t make this decision on my own, I have to discuss this with the boss. He’s in a coma right now—give me a few days.}

Everyone’s jaws dropped. They couldn’t believe that the man had actually shown a ‘let me think this over’ attitude—after all, what Lian Jun asked for was to let Nine Eagles disappear.

Lian Jun’s expression also changed a little. “All right, I will give you time.”

The deputy breathed a sigh of relief, thanked Lian Jun politely, and hung up.

Gua Two couldn’t help but say, “This guy is really loyal to Zuo Yang. Have you noticed that he didn’t seem to care about Nine Eagles at all, only about Zuo Yang’s life?”

“I’ve heard that Zuo Yang found him among the pile of corpses, left for dead, and saved him. Ever since then, he’s been protecting Zuo Yang,” Gua One interjected, sighing with some regret.

At this point, all the purposes of their trip to the Southeast had been achieved—they helped Old Ghost rescue his people, got to the bottom of Nine Eagles’ cooperation with Gunfire, greatly weakened Nine Eagles’ foundations, and found the authorities a good enough reason that they could openly target Nine Eagles.

It was almost over. According to Lian Jun’s arrangement, Gua One and Gua Three would stay in L country to tie up all the loose ends, while Gua Two and Gua Five and the others would pack up and go back to B city with Lian Jun and Shi Jin.

After Shi Jin finished doing an online test Mr. Feng sent him, he saw that everyone had an expression of ‘we’re finally done here’ on their faces. Confused, he asked, “Wait a minute, what about Meng La? He’s still in our hands.”

Gua Two snorted. “What about him? He says his name is David, so we’ll just treat him as David. After enough time passes for Gunfire to have a new leader, we will let him go—as ‘David,’ who is nobody and has nothing.”

Shi Jin was struck dumb. He finally understood what kind of “lesson” Lian Jun wanted to give to Gunfire—to lock up the old leader, wait for someone else to take over, and then release the old leader. Lian Jun wanted to make Gunfire fight among themselves.

He turned to look at Lian Jun, who was talking to Gua One. His expression changed several times, finally settling on pride. “Our Darling is so smart! He’s as smart as me!”

Xiao Si: <…These words really managed to pass through your lips? Do you have no sense of shame at all?>

Shi Jin’s expression went through another change. “What did you say, Xiao Si?” he asked threateningly.

Xiao Si shut up and pretended that it crashed.

A few days later, Shi Jin’s wound healed enough that he could travel by plane. And so, Lian Jun decided they would take the next day’s evening flight to B city.

Shi Jin had no problem with the departure time, since the earlier they went back, the earlier Lian Jun could have the physical exam, but he always felt that he had forgotten something. Despite racking his brains, it continued to elude him.

It was only after he followed Lian Jun out of the hospital on the day of the departure and saw Fei Yujing standing by the door that he finally remembered—since that incident, the lawyer had never been seen in the hospital again. It was as if he disappeared off the face of the earth.

Thinking of this, he ran to Fei Yujing and asked, frowning, “Where have you been for the last few days? Are you having insomnia again, and running around because you can’t sleep?”

At the moment, Fei Yujing had dark circles under his eyes, as if he indeed didn’t sleep well. Faced with Shi Jin’s questions, he just looked down and took a business card from his briefcase. Putting it in Shi Jin’s hand, he said, “I’ll be busy from now on—I’ll be staying in L country for a while. Take care of your wound, call me if you need anything.” Then he turned around, got in a car waiting nearby, and left.

Shi Jin looked at the business card in his hand. It was simple, with just Fei Yujing’s name and a string of numbers. Seeing that this number wasn’t the same as the one he had saved before, his eyebrows wandered up—was this… Fei Yujing’s private phone number?

Abruptly, Xiao Si said, <JinJin, your progress bar is down to 450.>

450—this was the lowest it had ever dropped. Shi Jin glanced at the card, his mood complicated.

So Fei Yujing letting him have this number meant that he recognized him as his brother, which in turn lowered his progress bar due to added survival factors?

This is really… not something I wanted.