Like Xiao Kai the night before, Tian Yang began spitting blood.
From his mouth, down below, every pore, his entire body quickly turned into a blood-soaked mess, then melted into a heap of bloody sludge.
Yes, melted—the process was like melting a living person away.
Although he was covered by a raincoat, it couldn't completely prevent the splattering of his blood and the melted internal organs. Ke Xun had already retreated to a distance, standing with everyone in a corner, using several pre-prepared tables to surround Tian Yang, providing as much protection as possible.
Because the entire room was covered with tables, with the tabletops a considerable distance from the ground, no one could be sure if blood had already seeped in from outside. The window cracks, sealed twice, didn't show any bloodstains yet.
He Tang, lying not far away, seemed unchanged, though her face was gradually turning bluish-black. Wu You, perhaps still reeling from Tian Yang's gruesome death, couldn't help but cry out, sobbing uncontrollably, "Why—why did we have to suffer this—why did this to us…"
Fang Fei put her arm around her shoulder, and Wu You suddenly realized that even someone as strong and composed as Fang Fei was beginning to tremble slightly under the double cruelty of the visual and psychological impact.
This kind of death was probably the most horrific thing a human being could be tormented to the point of death.
Anyone with flesh and blood would be moved by it.
He Tang, lying there, suddenly convulsed violently and woke up from her unconsciousness.
"It hurts—" she cried out.
"He Tang—" Wu You couldn't help but call out to her, crying.
Her companion, who had slept in the same hotel room with her just two days ago, a vibrant and lively companion, was about to… about to die in such a gruesome way right before her eyes. Wu You felt she couldn't take it anymore; she collapsed onto the table, covering her face and weeping bitterly.
"It hurts...it hurts..." He Tang struggled to sit up. When she saw all her friends standing far away, looking at her with pity, she suddenly understood everything. She screamed shrilly, desperately trying to get up, but collapsed back onto the table, utterly weak.
"No—please—please help me—help me—I don't want to die—" He Tang trembled, reaching out to her friends like a drowning person grasping at a straw, "What about my parents—who will take care of them—I can't die—what should I do—what should I do—"
"He Tang," Mu Yiran's voice was no longer cold, but calm and gentle, each word clearly reaching He Tang's ears, "If I am fortunate enough to leave this painting, I will take care of your parents. I will hire the most professional psychologists to provide them with psychological counseling, and I will also arrange for them to be cared for in their old age through the most professional institutions. You can rest assured."
He Tang trembled, and after a long while, she finally managed to twitch the corners of her mouth, as if thanking Mu Yiran, or as if she had given up in despair. Her voice was hoarse as she looked at Qin Ci: "Brother Qin… please… please find a way to give me euthanasia… I don't want to die like them… I'm afraid of pain… please… before I suffer so much… let me die early… I don't want to suffer that pain, please…"
He Tang knew that Qin Ci was a doctor, and she believed that Qin Ci would always find a way to make her die without suffering.
Qin Ci frowned.
Such a request was both helping and killing. After all, He Tang was still a living being; she could breathe, speak, and think. Yet, under his own hands, all of that would be stripped away, turning her into a cold corpse.
A doctor killing someone might carry a heavier psychological burden than an ordinary person killing someone.
Because the professional instinct and moral conviction to save lives are deeply ingrained in a doctor's very being.
Seeing Qin Ci remain motionless for a long time, Ke Xun understood the intense inner conflict he was experiencing, and said, "I'll go."
"No," Qin Ci stepped forward, walking towards He Tang, who was already convulsing, "I'll go. I'm a doctor."
Whether saving a life or sending it away, he would do his best to fulfill his duty as a doctor.
"The shorter the better," Shao Ling reminded Qin Ci in a low voice, "Finish it before she starts vomiting blood. This will both save you from danger and... lessen her suffering."
Qin Ci hummed in agreement and finally reached He Tang.
Kneeling down, he didn't hesitate to press on He Tang's carotid sinus, his eyelids slightly lowered with a hint of reluctance.
"He Tang, you're a brave girl," Qin Ci said softly. "Don't be afraid, it won't hurt at all, just like falling asleep… just pretend you're asleep, okay?"
He Tang convulsed, her eyes vacant as she looked at him.
Qin Ci's hands had already begun to tighten as he spoke.
He wanted to use the method of pressing on the carotid sinus to stop He Tang's heart from beating, to die as quickly and painlessly as possible. However, to his surprise, after he pressed hard for a full three minutes, He Tang was still sitting in front of him, her eyes open, continuing to convulse.
Qin Ci was extremely surprised. He released his hands and called out to He Tang. He Tang suddenly convulsed violently, her limbs flailing wildly.
Because everyone was standing directly behind Qin Ci, He Tang's face was mostly obscured by him. All they could see was her violently waving her arms, like a manic-depressive.
"Brother Qin, do you need help?" Ke Xun asked.
"Don't come any closer." Qin Ci didn't turn around, but slowly stood up, his voice somewhat strange.
"Brother Qin, you should come back first." Ke Xun's heart pounded, and he called out to him.
Before Qin Ci could respond, He Tang, who had been weak and exhausted, suddenly stood up and charged towards the door like a madwoman.
"—What's going on?!" Wei Dong exclaimed in shock, and everyone else was equally astonished by the scene.
He Tang pounded on the door frantically without saying a word, smashing it with her entire body while desperately tearing at the raincoat covering her body.
"—We have to stop her!" Ke Xun was about to rush over when Qin Ci, who rarely spoke loudly, suddenly roared, "Don't go! I'll handle this!"
Ke Xun stopped, and saw Qin Ci take a few steps forward, then tightly wrapped his arms around He Tang from behind and dragged her away from the doorway.
"Old Qin, what's going on?!" Shao Ling asked sharply.
"She—" Qin Ci only managed to utter one word before He Tang broke free of his grip with incredible strength and charged straight forward, crashing into the wall. She stumbled back four or five steps before regaining her footing, then suddenly stopped her frenzy, wandering and swaying against the wall like a lost soul.
No, rather than like a wandering ghost, it was more like... a zombie.
"She..." Shao Ling was about to ask Qin Ci again when he suddenly noticed that thick, foul blood was gushing out from under He Tang's raincoat.
"Brother Qin, get away from there!" Ke Xun said, grabbing a spare table and rushing over. He placed it on its side next to He Tang, using the four legs to encircle her, and the tabletop to block her.
Mu Yiran, Zhu Haowen, and Wei Dong also rushed over with a table each, surrounding He Tang from four directions. He Tang was completely unaware of this and was still swaying within the area enclosed by the tables.
"Brother Qin, step back quickly!"
"Get away from her first."
"Old Qin, you were too reckless just now. You rushed up and hugged her like that. What if she started spitting blood? How were you going to avoid it?!"
"Let's retreat to the corner first, Brother Qin... Brother Qin?"
Everyone talked at once, but Qin Ci stood there with his back turned, motionless.
"…Brother Qin?" Ke Xun frowned, looking at Qin Ci, unaware that his voice was trembling.
Qin Ci slowly turned around, a hint of sorrow and bitterness in his eyes. He forced a smile at Ke Xun, his voice hoarse and weak: "It's too late… Little Ke, it's…too late…"
A drop of blood, the size of a red bean, glaringly clung to his dry, pale lips.
Ke Xun's heart felt like it had been struck by a heavy fist, emitting a dull thud.
…No.
Ke Xun opened his mouth with difficulty, but no sound came out.
Qin Ci raised his hand and gently wiped away the drop of blood: "After my attempt to kill her by pressing on her carotid sinus failed, she convulsed... I think at that time, her salivary glands had already started bleeding, so... with the trembling of her body caused by the convulsion, a drop was ejected from her mouth..."
Those standing further away didn't know what was happening, but judging from Ke Xun and Qin Ci's unusual behavior, they seemed to have sensed something was wrong, so they all watched quietly and listened intently to Qin Ci's words.
Although Qin Ci's voice was low, everyone still heard it.
Wu You covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face in shock; Luo Yu held his head in his hands, staring at Qin Ci with incredulous, red-rimmed eyes.
Shock and sorrow, like tons of cotton stuffed with thousands of steel needles, pierced everyone's hearts, causing a suffocating, stinging, and painful sensation.
"—Brother Qin, there will be a way! Don't worry—wait for us, we'll go find it! There must be a way to stop this!" Wei Dong rushed over with red eyes, grabbing Ke Xun with one hand and Mu Yiran with the other. "Let's hurry—don't waste time, let's act quickly! Go—go to the forest—there must be something useful in the forest—find willow leaves—willow bark—isn't that good for reducing fever—find—"
Wei Dong didn't even know what he was saying anymore. He let go of Ke Xun and Mu Yiran, hugged his head with both hands, and pulled his hair hard.
"Brother Qin, it was just a drop, right?" Ke Xun tried to remain calm, but his voice still trembled uncontrollably. "It was just a drop, it'll be fine, right... Tian Yang got too much blood on him, Xiao Kai and He Tang got bitten by mosquitoes, and the virus from the mosquitoes entered their bloodstream, but you didn't, did you? You only got a tiny drop, and that tiny drop didn't enter your body, so it'll be fine, right!"
Qin Ci smiled weakly, about to speak, when they heard a "thump." Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw He Tang, who was surrounded by the table, finally "melted" away, just like Xiao Kai and Tian Yang, lying on the table at his feet, a pool of bloody mud.
"You all, stay away from me," Qin Ci moved a little further away from the group, preventing them from getting close. "I'm not sure if droplets can also transmit the virus besides blood, so it's best to be careful."
"Listen to me first… otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to clearly convey my thoughts for long…" His face was somewhat pale, but his expression was unusually calm, though a slight smile held a hint of melancholy and helplessness. "I've figured out the cause of death of Xiao Kai and the other two, and what happened in this world."
Author's Note:
Readers: We already figured it out.
Qin Ci: …Being a doctor is getting harder and harder…
Xingyue: …Being an author is getting harder and harder…