Chapter 00014: Battle on a Rainy Night
# Battle on a Rainy Night
Chapter 14
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 14: Battle on a Rainy Night
Kunhu Hospital.
At this moment, Vice Dean Gu Xiren stood before Ji Zheng. It was Vice Dean Gu Xiren who had initially relegated him to the Emergency Department. Now, Vice Dean Gu Xiren was eagerly seeking out Ji Zheng because the Dao of Medicine had published Ji Zheng's signed paper, "The Fatal Risks of Lancomycin."
This was precisely the viewpoint Ji Zheng had proposed back then, and he had been openly criticized for it at the conference. Now, the truth had come to light, and even someone as formidable as Gu Xiren dared not oppose a paper published in the Dao of Medicine.
"Director Ji, congratulations, truly congratulations. Your paper is like a wake-up call, reminding us medical practitioners that even things everyone trusts must be scrutinized and repeatedly verified. This is the spirit of a healer striving for precision and thorough understanding. Excellent.
The hospital is planning to organize a study conference, and we hope you can share the insights from your paper with everyone. By the way, the Cardiovascular Department is setting up a new project, collaborating with the world's top cardiovascular experts. The hospital hopes you can take the lead on this project," Gu Xiren said with a smile, as if the person standing before him was not a chief physician but a peer-level hospital leader.
Ji Zheng felt quite speechless inside. He had no desire to confront Gu Xiren and merely replied indifferently, "The Emergency Department has been very busy these days, and I'm afraid I can't spare the time. Besides, I'm not the main author of this paper; it's Doctor Lan Xiaobu."
"No problem, no problem. I'll figure something out for the Emergency Department. The new project and study conference are significant matters. By the way, I haven't met this Doctor Lan yet. Is he an intern doctor? Impressive, the younger generation is indeed formidable," Gu Xiren said warmly.
He was most worried that Ji Zheng would reveal everything to the reporters during an interview. If Ji Zheng told the reporters that he was sent to the Emergency Department because of his suspicions about Lancomycin, Gu Xiren would be in deep trouble. That's why he came to the Emergency Department in the middle of the night to find Ji Zheng. Fortunately, Ji Zheng was on duty there, usually staying overnight.
...
"Boom!" A thunderclap resounded just as Lan Xiaobu returned to his rented room, and the sky rumbled with the sound of thunder.
It seemed like it was going to rain. Lan Xiaobu glanced at the darkening sky outside. Even if it was going to rain today, he had to leave tonight. He quickly packed his things, though he didn't have much to begin with.
Just as Lan Xiaobu finished packing, another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and a shadow flitted past the corner of his eye outside the window. Despite the late hour, under the lightning, Lan Xiaobu felt that the silhouette seemed somewhat familiar.
"Crack!" A thunderbolt crashed down, and Lan Xiaobu suddenly remembered who that person was. There were no other residents around where he lived, and since he arrived, he had been focused solely on cultivation, rarely going out, and thus unfamiliar with the people nearby.
The familiar figure was likely the middle-aged man who had given him a wooden box on the train. Lan Xiaobu shivered. He had already acted quickly upon receiving the news, yet this persistent fellow had still tracked him down.
There was no escape. Lan Xiaobu clenched his fists. Although he had reached the Bone Tempering Stage after his rebirth, in his previous life, he had always been a healer. In terms of combat experience, he was undoubtedly inferior to this person who had come looking for him. In fact, even if he could fight, Lan Xiaobu didn't want to engage in a battle with the opponent at this time.
If he managed to hide, it would be fine, but if he did something to the opponent, he would truly have to retreat into the deep mountains and forests.
Now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. From his experience, he could tell that this middle-aged man was a ruthless character, likely having killed many. Should he just hand over the item to this guy?
Lan Xiaobu immediately discarded this naive idea. He was hiding in a remote village in Hu Prefecture and was found so quickly. Even if it was because of the Lancomycin paper, the speed was too fast. This showed how capable this guy was, and it also indicated how important the item he took was to this person.
Once he handed over the item, there was a ninety percent chance the person would silence him. No matter what method of silencing it was, Lan Xiaobu could not accept it.
So what if he had killed people? He, Lan Xiaobu, had also seen many die under his surgical knife.
After forcibly giving himself some confidence, Lan Xiaobu tried to calm down. He opened the quilt, stuffed a pillow and a small stool inside, picked up a kitchen knife, and hid by the door.
Whether it was fortune or disaster, since it had come, Lan Xiaobu would perform surgery on him with a kitchen knife.
The rain started pouring down heavily, the sound of raindrops instantly drowning out all the insect chirps around, making the night even more eerie.
Despite the heavy rain, Lan Xiaobu still heard footsteps outside the door, the steps light and cautious.
Lan Xiaobu suppressed his inner unease and calmed himself. At this moment, he was only grateful that he hadn't turned on the light while packing. That was because, after reaching the Bone Tempering Stage, his eyesight had surpassed that of ordinary people. As long as there was a little moonlight at night, he didn't need to turn on the light. At this time of night, the opponent might think he was asleep. If he had turned on the light, the opponent would have been more cautious, possibly making it harder for him to detect.
The footsteps stopped at the door, and after several minutes, he heard the faint sound of the lock being picked.
Watching as the door was effortlessly opened, Lan Xiaobu felt a chill in his heart. This guy was a seasoned criminal. The lock might be old, but it was still a lock. Even he couldn't open it so quickly with a key, yet the opponent had easily unlocked it, clearly a veteran. After unlocking the door, the opponent waited for a full minute before gently pushing it open.
The cold air of the rainy night rushed in with the wind, causing Lan Xiaobu's muscles to tense instinctively, and then the door was closed again by the opponent.
A faint light flickered on, and to Lan Xiaobu's surprise, the intruder used a flashlight to illuminate the room. Previously cautious, why had he become so bold after entering?
The next moment, Lan Xiaobu heard two gunshots, "Bang! Bang!"
Two bullets shot directly into the quilt, but the trajectory was clearly not aimed at killing him, as the bullets were directed at where his legs would usually be when he slept. The middle-aged man had likely guessed his sleeping position based on the position of the bedside table. Unfortunately, there was only a pillow and a small stool inside the quilt now.
This bastard is ruthless, Lan Xiaobu thought with a chill. To deal with a student like him, he had started by shooting. Without any hesitation, Lan Xiaobu stepped forward, slashing down with the kitchen knife in his hand.
Indeed, he was a doctor, but in his previous life, many had died at his hands. In the environment of nuclear pollution, no matter how skilled a doctor was, it was impossible to save everyone. Lan Xiaobu was no exception. What harm was there in killing one more? It was just like sending another patient on their way.
Cheng Jianjie had deeply realized how difficult it was to deal with Lan Xiaobu. Despite their brief encounter on the train, and even with his meticulous planning and the support of a powerful official platform, he had failed to capture Lan Xiaobu. If it weren't for Lan Xiaobu's paper on Lancomycin, finding him would not have been so simple.
As for why Lan Xiaobu had written that paper, it was not within Cheng Jianjie's scope of concern. He had fired first, fearing Lan Xiaobu would escape again. Once he had the item in hand, he intended to make Lan Xiaobu disappear from this world entirely.
After the two shots, Cheng Jianjie sensed something was amiss. He had killed many people, and the bullets just now didn't seem to have hit a human body, nor was there any scream. Even if Lan Xiaobu were asleep, his bullets should have made him cry out.
Just as Cheng Jianjie thought of this, he sensed a chill coming from behind, a feeling he recognized as killing intent.
Not good, Cheng Jianjie hurriedly sidestepped to evade, but it was already a bit late.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the room, and Cheng Jianjie's eyes contracted as he saw a faint blade light.
"Slash!" After the blade light, Cheng Jianjie's shoulder felt cold, followed by a sensation of lightness in his right shoulder.
Cheng Jianjie staggered back several steps, leaning against the corner, his arm falling to the ground.
Had he not sidestepped in time, he might have lost his head instead of an arm.
Cheng Jianjie immediately stepped on the fallen gun, quickly tapping a few points on his right shoulder with his left hand, then grabbed something from his pocket and stuffed it into his mouth.
Lan Xiaobu stared at Cheng Jianjie, shocked, "Is there really acupoint blood-stopping?"
But something wasn't right. Although the opponent had tapped a few points, blood was still flowing from his right shoulder.
"Lan Xiaobu, if I, Cheng Jianjie, do not tear you to pieces, then I am raised by you," Cheng Jianjie's voice was icy.
He wasn't afraid that Lan Xiaobu could kill him. He was an Inner Strength Martial Artist who had cultivated Inner Qi. Lan Xiaobu had only managed to sever his arm through a sneak attack. If he wanted to leave, Lan Xiaobu couldn't kill him. Now, he wasn't thinking of leaving but of retrieving his item and counter-killing Lan Xiaobu.
For this reason, he taunted Lan Xiaobu, hoping he wouldn't flee, ideally thinking of killing him to silence him. On such a rainy night, if Lan Xiaobu escaped, Cheng Jianjie, now injured, would find it difficult to catch him.
Lan Xiaobu chuckled, "So your name is Cheng Jianjie? I'm afraid you won't have the chance. To dodge my pig-slaughtering surgery knife, you must have some skills."
Cheng Jianjie paused, suddenly realizing that if Lan Xiaobu were an ordinary person, even if he hadn't evaded the sneak attack, it would only have injured him, not severed the arm of an Inner Strength Martial Artist.
He had assumed from the start that Lan Xiaobu was just a student, overlooking such a crucial point.
(End of Chapter)
