"The mall even has such a thing?"
He couldn't help worrying whether the system bought anything too dangerous when it had been home alone. Lu Deng paused and explained patiently, "This is a normal modern world. In a society governed by laws, we can't just bomb people…"
Halfway through his speech, in his mind, he noticed the system's frequency was obviously starting to flatline. Lu Deng was silent for a moment. In the end, he just didn't have the heart and said, "You can set off one but do it gently."
Pufferfish bombs were not very powerful. They were mostly used as pranks to frighten people. Although the physique of ordinary people was relatively weak, the consequences of just one explosion shouldn't be too serious.
"Setting off just one! I'll do it gently!"
With the host's consent, the system immediately cheered up. It happily made its assurances and set off to make preparations, filled with motivation.
Lu Deng gave a very slight nod. He momentarily stop in his tracks. Suddenly a hand was placed on his shoulder and a malicious voice moved close to his ear, "Little doctor, don't rush to leave– "
The shoulder he had touched was his injured one. Lu Deng's brows furrowed slightly. He instinctively wanted to avoid it but the spot on his white coat that he was touching instantly bulged. Before the few people behind him could react, it exploded with a bang.
Even if it was just a prop for pranks in the main world, its power in the ordinary world should not be underestimated.
Tattered pieces of his while coat fluttered in the wind and scattered away. Before the people could even scream, their bodies were instantly helplessly blown away by the air current.
There was only a thin shirt left on Lu Deng's body, which was fluttering in the wind against his body. The few people on the ground lay around haphazardly. A few fell on the spot and passed out silently. The rest swayed and tried to prop up their body, but they too were overcome with dizziness and fell.
Lu Deng: "…"
System:"..."
System: "Host! I'll go buy clothes for you—"
"Don't worry, help me hide them first."
Lu Deng swept his gaze around and chose a storehouse they used for rehabilitation equipment. He buttoned his neckline tightly, folded his left sleeve twice and walked towards the unconscious people.
That incident with the patient's relative has already been turned over. It was not the first time that the rehabilitation center has encountered such a situation. It has already worked out a complete set of procedures to deal with such matters. The family member had also been carried away by emotion when he made trouble. Which meant that the matter at hand, should not have much of a connection with that incident.
If it wasn't connected to that disturbance, then this could only be in connection with Gu Pingming's matters.
Gu Pingming's identity getting leaked was fishy. It might be that something went wrong amongst the higher-ups. Lu Deng didn't intend to simply let this matter go. Although these people might not know much, he won't feel relieved until he manages to get some answers.
The system agreed to help. Lu Deng gave himself some more painkillers. Avoiding his injury, he tied them up one by one and dragged them to the storehouse.
We're sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we're going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
*
gL MSitwSit Dcb bDrcNSit pLCXrNb SibSKr Nkr NUcSiSit Uoow. ESb rJkcLbNrK poKj NStkNrirK foU c wowriN ciK Nkri kr xcj KoDi, kSb bNUritNk toir.
oTRX j pfXXpP HfX DjRXPz.
KT WS AZFqs WSHq THypSU, QF DHnjF NZFqsx'p WHVS pZ iS yZ iFyj TUZX XZUxnxO pnq xnOWp TZU pWS yHkS ZT Wny iZsj. cWS qnppqS sZApZU NHyx'p SVSx yqSSlnxO NSqq. hS AZFqs SHynqj AHUUj Wny qnppqS sZApZU Fl pZ pWS pWUSS-ypZUj iFnqsnxO pZ Wny WZXS, Hxs pWSx AHUUj WnX snUSApqj TUZX pWS yZTH pZ pWS iHpWUZZX, Hxs pWSx TUZX pWS iHpWUZZX pZ pWS iSs.
qJPjX NzfggPN NdJk XxP RfNP dD xfR kPeC. lT Bfkvnfkv gzdggPN xfnRPpD Tg jkN XddC j RxdJPz. wP exjkvPN xfR epdXxPR, DPPpfkv zPDzPRxPN. AkRfNP XxP nPNfXjXfdk zddn, xP ejpnPN NdJk xfR xPfvxXPkPN nPkXjp jkN gxYRfejp RXjXP jDXPz XxP xfvx-fkXPkRfXY PrPzefRP. wdJPZPz, xfR PYPR edTpNk'X xPpg RxfDXfkv Xd xfR gxdkP.
Lu Baiyu hadn't sent him any message yet. He didn't know whether he had woken up yet.
Lu Baiyu has been very tired for the past two days. It was time for him to get some quality sleep and then stay in the office and wait for him to bring food back with him.
But for some reason, he always felt ill at ease.
His fingertips swiped across the screen of the phone. Gu Pingming raised his head slightly and looked outside the window, at the gloomy sky that has been persisting for the past few days. After putting two candies into his mouth, he stood up and put on his coat.
According to Lu Baiyu's requirements, after he exercises and before going to bed, there should be one hour of complete relaxation, so that the body can relax in a state that was most suitable for self-repair. His condition today wasn't very good and it was difficult to relax in a short period of time. It would be better to push this hour later.
If it could be pushed to just before bed…
During the past couple of days, he has gotten his head turned by all the spoiling he has gotten from the little doctor. As soon as this thought appeared, Gu Pingming waved it away, refocusing his attention to the current situation.
Recently, it has been constant rain and people were reluctant to head outside. When he got to the entrance of the training hall, rain was pouring outside.
The old wound on his left chest swelled a bit, sullenly twitching along with his heartbeat. Gu Pingming frowned and raised his hand to give it a quick couple of rubs. He pulled the zipper of his jacket a little bit higher and turned back to look for an umbrella.
This kind of result had been achieved through Lu Baiyu's careful looking after. If he hadn't been looked after, who knows how much more unbearable his situation would be now.
The wound didn't hurt, but it was stuffy and swelling, causing fretfulness to quietly grow in his heart.
Gu Pingming found his umbrella and took a deep breath amidst the evening rain's low air pressure. He was preparing to hurry back to his little doctor quickly to complete the last task of today's training.
"Brother Gu!"
As soon as he stepped out, Liang Xia's voice suddenly came from outside the training hall.
Maybe he had become really busy after the festival or he was feeling guilty because he had escaped with the rice porridge but Liang Xia hadn't shown up for a few days. Gu Pingming raised his eyebrows and stood still, looking at a young policeman rushing over in the rain. His heart gave an inexplicable jump. "What's the matter?"
"I heard… They're coming to get you!"
Liang Xia had on a large raincoat, his face was hidden under the brim of his hat. If you weren't careful, you wouldn't see him clearly. He probably ran all the way here. His breathing was clearly ragged. He grabbed Gu Pingming's wrist, his eyes looking anxious. "Brother Gu, tell me the truth, what's your identity? Are you related to the higher-ups? You're in danger. You must hide as soon as possible. Don't stay here anymore…"
After knowing that Gu Pingming was somehow related to those people, he has been paying close attention to the news about things over there. Only today did he pull out some clue from a police informant. Worrying that he would not be able to explain clearly on the phone, all thoughts of being on duty were driven from his mind as he rushed over here.
Gu Pingming furrowed his brows. He turned his umbrella to shield him from the rain and stood still with one hand supporting him. "When did this happen?"
"Just today, they said they're coming to get you tonight. I don't how they're exactly going to do it. But I heard them say—they need to question you clearly and if that doesn't work, they might as well start to…"
Liang Xia hurriedly took in a few breaths. He was about to continue when Gu Pingming's cell phone rang.
Looking at the phone number on the screen, Gu Pingming's expression suddenly revealed a distinct coldness. He raised his hand to stop his story and accepted the call.
"Boss Gu — have you been well?"
A hoarse voice came unhurriedly from the earpiece. Coldness seeped through to the bottom of Gu Pingming's eyes. There were faint flashes of lightning and thunder. "Where is he?"
Seven years had been more than enough to thoroughly understand how these dark forces operate. He wouldn't cooperate that easily. The call has already come, indicating that those people already have a bargaining chip in their hands. Liang Xia was right in front of him, it could only be Lu Baiyu.
Intense regret suddenly flooded his chest, almost bursting out of his already long-healed wound. The quivering of those eyelashes underneath his palm just before he'd left the room seemed so clear in his mind. Gu Pingming squeezed the phone tightly and forced his breathing to remain smooth and even.
"As expected, speaking to Boss Gu saves a lot of energy."
The voice on the phone laughed and continued without hesitation, "Doctor Lu really cares about you. Our people originally planned to find a way to get in but they didn't expect that he would come out of his office by himself…Judging by the time, we've probably already invited him to sit down for a nice cup of tea."
It was like a hand brutally pushed inside his chest and grabbed his heart, lungs and other organs twisting them fiercely. Gu Pingming's arms faintly trembled. His eyes sank into dripping blackness. "My business has nothing to do with him. He's just a doctor and doesn't know anything–"
"But 'you' have something to do with him."
He had pinpointed his Achilles heel early on. The voice on the other end of the line was smug and intentionally emphasized the referral to him. "In our line of business, having too many things to worry about isn't good. Don't you think so, Boss Gu?"
Gu Pingming was silent but his breathing was becoming increasingly heavy, nearly grinding out blood.
"Don't be nervous, we just want to fully understand whose side you're really on. We knew you'd washed your hands in a gold basin and didn't even go looking to discuss business with you. Surely you wouldn't mind coming over for a cup of tea?"
There was a distinct threat coming over phone but he seemed polite and amicable. "Nine o'clock tonight. Same place as last time. "They must be bringing in your little doctor any time now. We can help you teach him to behave a bit. In light of our many years of friendship, this won't be any trouble at all. No need for thanks…"
Under Liang Xia's horrified gaze, Gu Pingming's mobile phone fell heavily to the ground, breaking into pieces.
"Brother Gu——"
Liang Xia's Adam's apple moved. Ever so cautiously he moved closer. He wanted to speak but he was completely silenced by the look in his dark eyes, as though he were ready to take a bite at people at any moment.
Gu Pingming took a deep breath, his voice hoarse, "Look for…"
The method that those people used to control others was all too simple. All they needed was a single dose of an addictive injection and no matter how strong someone's will was, they will gradually be swallowed up. The treatment he had tried his best to avoid could not fall on Lu Baiyu.
"What are you looking for?"
Liang Xia couldn't help being shocked and asked subconsciously. But Gu Pingming had no time to say any more. He took off his coat, threw it to him and plunged into the rain.
Lu Baiyu must have taken a shortcut to come to him.
He had just finished his rehabilitation session, he was exhausted and close to his body's endurance limit. The injury on his right leg was aching in the rain and every step he took, he went soft at the knees, as if he were stepping on the cotton.
Gu Pingming couldn't bring himself to care about it at all. He just gritted his teeth and plunged into the curtain of rain.
The person on the phone didn't seem to know the progress of the kidnapping. He must have just sent his underlings to do it. There were still two hours left before the agreed time. As long as we could find him before then, then there was still have time.
There must still be time.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Choked by the cold rain, Gu Pingming couldn't help coughing.
After he had agreed with Lu Baiyu to quit smoking, everyday he would eat candy pilfered from the little doctor's pocket. Actually, he already hasn't coughed for quite a period of time.
All sorts of weather would expose all sorts of hidden traces that were obvious before; especially rainy nights. Gu Pingming was hurriedly gasping for breath. Loud and jarring sounds from his lungs rumbling in his ears. The hotness in his eyes quickly melted into the rain. As before, he was still focused and efficiently investigating every possible trace.
"Brother Gu——Did Dr. Lu disappear? They captured Dr. Lu?"
After receiving his tutelage for a week, Liang Xia managed to vaguely guess what was going on after running with him for a while. From behind him, he asked worriedly, "Should we call the police? Today, our captain is on duty. He can call the police to come and find… "
His voice gradually grew smaller. Gu Pingming stopped, the expression in his eyes going so deep, it nearly bled.
On a slightly deserted road, a few scraps of white cloth fell among the rocks. Soaked by the rain, it hadn't been blown away by the wind.
Suddenly, Gu Pingming couldn't focus his attention on anything other than this.
He's lost him.
That was his doctor—he thought he could protect him, even if he had to do it with his life. He has already given everything for his mission. Just this one, he wanted to protect no matter what.
Liang Xia swallowed hard. He stepped forward, wanting to comfort him. His eyes suddenly stopped and fell on the gun he hadn't noticed Gu Pingming take out.
A man holding an umbrella stood opposite Gu Pingming.
With much difficulty, Liang Xia finally moved his gaze away from the gun and onto the person standing opposite, finally managing to clearly see who it was. Liang Xia's back suddenly stiffened. Stuttering, he said, "Chi-chief–"
The newcomer paid no attention to him. His eyes were on Gu Pingming. After a moment of silence, he walked towards him and handed him the umbrella in his hand. "Pingming, we're already trying to intervene. Don't worry…"
"At this time, there's no benefit to police intervention."
Gu Pingming's voice was soaked ice-cold by the rain. With one hand, he opened the umbrella handed to him. "Don't bother, I don't plan to leave."
The Bureau Chief's body went slightly rigid. As before, he still tried his best to persuade him, "Matters have changed…Pingming, don't worry for now. We will rescue him. You are in a very dangerous situation and you need to evacuate immediately—"
Before he could finish speaking, the pitch-black muzzle of the gun had already been raised.
The Bureau Chief suddenly halted his words. His let out a little breath and seamlessly groped his side.
There had been a slip when transmitting information amongst the higher-ups and Gu Pingming's identity was already in jeopardy. In order to secure his trust, the Bureau Chief personally came to inform Gu Pingming to evacuate. However, he didn't expect that he was still a step too late and that they had already let him know about the doctor's kidnapping.
"Brother Gu!"
Seeing that he actually raised a gun at the Bureau Chief, Liang Xia's heart tightened. He rushed in to bar his way but Gu Pingming easily grasped his wrist. With a jerk, he let out his strength and slammed him firmly to the ground.
Gu Pingming had his head slightly hung down and you couldn't clearly see the expression in his eyes. His hair was soaked, the ends dripping with rainwater, sticking to his cheeks. He cut a sorry figure but the aura around his body became clearer and sharper. It pierced people's hearts and struck them with terror.
He was just standing in the rain, but his figure was so sharp that it was as though he could cut through the curtain of the night.
We're sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we're going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Liang Xia fell and was drenched. He propped himself to sit up. Suddenly, from out the corner of his eye, he saw the shadow of a few people, sneakily making their way over from the dark. "Be careful–"
kLWTQR dR Rcr QdWr ROWr cr QcTfRrZ cOQ udCpOpl, Rcr lfp Op Sf vOplWOpl'Q cdpZ dLQT Cdpl TfR dBBTWEdpOrZ Fe d ZdzzLOpl rLrBRCOB LOlcR.
akr NkLiKrU UocUrK, DkSCk kcGGrirK No wcbX Nkr tLibkoN. akr fStLUr prkSiK Nkr vLUrcL zkSrf NoGGxrK omrU, bCUrcwSit Si Nkr wLK.
Sf vOplWOpl'Q rJECrQQOTp ZOZp'R Bcdplr dQ cr RTCr Thh Rcr cdpZBfhhQ hCTW gOdpl POd'Q udOQR. tr EfQcrZ cOW RT Rcr FdBG dpZ Rcrp EfLLrZ Rcr ifCrdf XcOrh, RTQQOpl cOW dLTpl dQ urLL. tOQ hOlfCr CfQcrZ fE dpZ uORcTfR fRRrCOpl d uTCZ, cr lCdEELrZ uORc Rcr OpBTWOpl ErTELr.
Mfjkv Lfj'R PYPR kjzzdJPN jR XxP OTzPjT yxfPD RXjvvPzPN jkN DPpp. wfR xPjzX edTpNk'X xPpg HPjXfkv pfCP j NzTn.
Compared with the unforeseen event in front of him, his sneaking out during work hours, didn't seem like such a serious matter. Although the few people before them were obviously not good people, they are still unidentified. No matter what, rashly attacking them like that was not in compliance with the regulations. Not to mention that Gu Pingming had just threatened the chief with a gun. Given such a serious violation of regulations, if Gu Pingming was who he thought he was, he might be the subject of strict disciplinary action.
Fearing that the director would punish Gu Pingming in his anger, Liang Xia got up first, plucked up his courage and raised his hand to help the chief up. He said, voce trembling, "Chief, Brother Gu is just feeling really anxious…"
"It's fine. First, we've got to think about how to stop him."
He was covered in muddy water. The Bureau Chief used the umbrella to shield him from the rain. Supporting his waist, he stood up and looked at the figure still stubbornly guarding in the rain. He sighed heavily.
Gu Pingming was now a loaded gun. He could go off at the slightest touch. But none of them could beat him. If they went in there, they would only get beaten up.
Neither of them dared to go up and stop the fight. They could only watch him knock down and flip over those people one by one, mercilessly handcuffing them into a string.
"Tell me! Where is he!"
Gu Pingming recognized everyone who came. There was no need to waste time on words. Instead, he twisted one person's shoulder and slammed him to the ground, sternly questioning him.
The man was trembling with fright. Half of his body was held down in the rain water. Voice strained, he said vaguely, "Bo-Boss Gu, I don't know! We're also here to look…"
The kidnapping was supposed to be as good as done. But now, not only have they not brought the person back, they couldn't even find a trace of the kidnap target. A few of them were ordered to go investigate the situation. They saw a few vague silhouettes facing each other through the rain curtain. They thought it was their own people and came over to help. They didn't expect to be facing the muzzle of a gun.
Hearing the surprise in his voice, Gu Pingming's brows furrowed tightly and for a moment, he paused the twisting of his arm. "You don't know?"
"No one knows! Boss Gu, don't worry, we haven't caught him yet. Otherwise, we wouldn't have needed to come!"
The man vaguely guessed what was going on. Taking advantage of Gu Pingming letting up his strength a little and ignoring the instruction of his boss, he clarified the matter in one breath, "We really don't know. Don't worry, that doctor of yours really hasn't been brought over to us yet…"
Faint hope rose in his heart. The road ahead though became more and more unpredictable.
With his heartbeat booming in his ears, Gu Pingming's heart was throbbing in fear. His vision blurred for a moment and he tried his best to blink away the mist. He was about to get up to search once again when suddenly a blurry figure not far away began to solidify.
The torrents passed through his chest, creating huge sea waves. Gu Pingming abruptly got up and walked a few steps forward. His breathing becoming more and more rapid.
The road was slippery on this rainy night and this path was not smooth and level but the figure did not slow down for even a moment. It ran towards him and threw itself his arms.
"I'm fine, I placed them in the storeroom. I couldn't get through your phone…"
Lu Baiyu hugged his arms and spoke softly. He found that the weight between his arms was getting heavier. By the time he came back to his senses, Gu Pingming's figure had already fallen to his knees.
Lu Baiyu's right shoulder was injured and he couldn't support him with one hand. He could only kneel in the rain along with Gu Pingming, putting his body against the other's bosom. His left hand kept stroking his back. "I'm fine…"
His mobile phone was accidentally blown up by the system. When he had finally been able to buy an identical one, Gu Pingming's mobile phone couldn't be reached. After hiding those people, he rushed over to the training hall. He didn't expect that the two of them would happen to pass by each other in a fork on the road. He had the system locate Gu Pingming and by the time he made it back, he had already been delayed for quite some time.
Gu Pingming nodded absent-mindedly, hot tears mixed into the rain.
The body in his arms was chilled by the rain. The thin shirt was sticking to his body. Gu Pingming's arms gently wound around his neck. His arms trembled violently and he hugged him tightly. His lungs were almost ground by his trembling wheezes.
After staying in each other's embrace for a while, when Gu Pingming's breathing gradually calmed down, Lu Baiyu put a little distance between them. He raised his hand to push aside his soaked short hair. "I'm fine, Pingming."
Gu Pingming's gaze was still fixed on him. Rain hit his eyelashes but he didn't attempt to avoid it. He carefully raised his hand to touch his cheek and Lu Baiyu held his hand and pressed it against his face. "Touch. I'm completely fine."
It was true.
Fear from losing him and then gaining him back was entrenched in his chest. His heart ached so painfully but Gu Pingming couldn't care at all. He just looked down at him and touched his lips with his fingers.
Lu Baiyu allowed him to touch him gently, holding his wrist with one hand to measure his heart rate. He raising his hand to touch the top of his head. "Does your chest hurt? Is it uncomfortable?"
In the quiet and caring light in his dark eyes, Gu Pingming finally relaxed a little bit. Pursing the corners of his lips, he nodding very lightly.
"Your heart rate is too fast. Let's go back and take a break. Warm up first and then I'll help you relax, okay?"
Lu Baiyu continued to slowly rub the top of his head and ask him questions patiently. When the light in Gu Pingming's eyes became clearer, he looked back at him and nodded slightly before adding some strength to his arm and helping him stand up. " Can you stand steady?"
Gu Pingming's gaze almost stuck to him. Even when asked, he only knew to nod blindly. Lu Baiyu smiled helplessly and simply put his arm over his own shoulder. He raised his hand to hold him steady. He touched the wound on his right leg. "Does it hurt?"
Lu Baiyu's body had already been soaked by rain, but his palm was still warm as before. He pressed the warmth on Gu Pingming's scar and it was as if it really made the pain there fade by a lot.
Without the slightest realization that the little doctor had touched his backside, Gu Pingming squinted his eyes, feeling much at ease. He lowered his head and nuzzled against his neck. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
It doesn't hurt anywhere anymore.
The visibility this rainy night was too low and all of Lu Baiyu's thoughts had been focused on Gu Pingming. He didn't even notice that there were people watching nearby. He looked down at the bunch of people handcuffed to the ground and frowned in embarrassment. "These people… "
The storehouse wouldn't be able to fit them.
Just as he was thinking about whether to pry open another storerhouse, Gu Pingming had already embraced him, shielded him from most of the rain with his body. He said in a low voice, "It doesn't matter."
"Okay, then it doesn't matter."
Lu Baiyu's brows curved happily and he warmly agreed. One hand still covering the wound on his leg, he took the gun in his hand and put the safety back on. He raised his injured arm and touched his head. "Let's go home, okay?"
Gu Pingming nodded and let him take the gun away. Firmly led by the hand, he walked with him through the rain.
The Bureau Chief and Liang Xia stood silently in the rain. They looked at each other and by tacit understanding, remained silent.