Chapter 89: Crisis (3000+)

Seeing the situation, Luo Le rushed over to assist.

Huo Lanjing glanced at Chen Chen and hesitated for a moment. Instead of joining the fray, he scooped up Chen Chen and pushed through the crowd towards the house.

Inside, Huo Lanjing found a spot near the window, from which he could observe the battle outside.

Luo Le was engaged in combat with a man dressed similarly to him. The two were evenly matched.

After a while, Luo Le appeared to be losing his stamina, gradually falling behind.

Huo Lanjing watched as the torn fabric of Luo Le's shirt, now stained with blood from a wound on his shoulder, fluttered in the wind.

Unable to remain seated any longer, he instructed Chen Chen to stay put before swiftly dashing out.

Ever since the incident with Huo Lanjing, Luo Le had been experiencing weakness after exerting himself.

In just a dozen minutes, he was already showing signs of great strain.

His evasive movements appeared somewhat sluggish.

The knife was about to descend, yet Luo Le was aware but unable to react physically.

Suddenly, a figure dashed in front of him, seizing the blade. Blood dripped down, some of it trailing along the arm that held it.

Luo Le felt his waist being embraced, and the distinct cold pine scent of Huo Lanjing reached his nostrils. His tense body gradually relaxed.

But in the next moment, Luo Le abruptly remembered something: "What about the child?"

The question stung, and Huo Lanjing bit his lip. "Inside."

"Are you treating me like a decoration? Chatting away?"

Frustrated, the man forcefully pushed the knife downward, causing pain to radiate from the palm of his hand.

Huo Lanjing frowned, kicking the man away and rushing forward.

"You go and keep an eye on Chen Chen."

Luo Le shifted the direction of his lifted foot.

Given the Xu family's wealth, who knew how many mercenaries they had hired.

A defenseless child was incredibly dangerous.

Luo Le's pace quickened, almost turning into a run as he approached the entrance.

The door stood wide open, and a man was forcing a child towards it.

Beside him was another armed man, who noticed Luo Le standing at the doorway. "You, move aside," he demanded.

Upon seeing the child's face, Luo Le froze for a moment before raising his hands and stepping to the side.

Chen Chen, of course, saw Luo Le too, but he didn't call out for help. He remained calm and composed, allowing the captor to hold onto him.

Luo Le secretly sighed in relief upon seeing that Chen Chen didn't cry out.

He planned to make his move once those two were within reach.

However, things didn't go as smoothly as Luo Le had anticipated.

As he swung his arm down, the man seemed to have eyes on his back and turned around, firing a shot at Luo Le's shoulder.

Chen Chen saw this and instinctively called out, "Daddy."

Luo Le took a step back, clutching his shoulder.

"Are you this kid's father?"

The gunman, dressed in a tuxedo, glared fiercely at Luo Le.

He must have been among the guests from the beginning.

Realizing his mistake, Chen Chen subconsciously reached out. However, the chilling blade deterred him from any further action.

"Speak."

Seeing that he remained silent, the burly man pressed the gun against his head.

Luo Le replied, "No."

"You're trying to fool me, huh? Even the kids call you that. Forget it, whether you are or not, you won't be able to... what?"

Midway through his sentence, the burly man's tone suddenly rose, becoming somewhat shrill.

"You're one of Qing's people."

It was a statement, not a question.

Luo Le glanced at his ear without a word, merely silently scanning their surroundings.

The man holding Chen Chen hostage and issuing threats said, "Kill him."

Upon hearing that word, Chen Chen's body trembled.

Luo Le didn't say anything. He just looked at Chen Chen and reached out to touch his face.

A wicked grin tugged at the corner of the gunman's mouth as he pulled the trigger.

A sudden commotion erupted from behind him, and he paused, turning around.

Chen Chen clamped down on the man's hand, yet it remained steadfast; the man even offered him a smile.

No matter how hard Chen Chen bit, the man appeared impervious to pain, his expression unperturbed.

Chen Chen couldn't comprehend and could only apply more force.

"Child, biting isn't a good behavior."

As the speaker uttered those words, the knife in their hand inched forward, and in that instant, blood trickled down their neck.

1. Drizzling onto the pristine white garment.

Upon catching sight of that vivid crimson, a frenzy contorted the person's face.

He firmly restrained Chen Chen, keeping the knife at a distance, veins bulging in his hand.

Anyone could see what he was aiming to do.

In the next instant, a searing pain shot across his face as a dagger suddenly appeared, deflecting his weapon and cutting his hand.

He roared in fury, "Damn it, you're asking for trouble!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his feet were swept out from under him by a powerful kick, sending him crashing to the ground.

- Bang!

The sound of gunfire echoed through the wind from behind him, and a black hole appeared on his right side.

Luo Le paused, then quickly dodged to the other side while still holding Chen Chen.

Just as he regained his balance, the man who had been holding Chen Chen now stood beside the gunman.

Their shadows stretched long, reaching Luo Le's feet.

"Daddy, be careful!"

A cluster of purple light sliced through them, burning everything it touched with its violet glow.

This was a hue of flame never seen before.

Chen Chen crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

Luo Le was already physically drained, and the continuous flow of blood from his shoulder only added to his struggle.

He pushed himself up on his knees, but as he straightened, his vision darkened, accompanied by a roaring in his ears.

It took about five seconds for his sight to return, still blurry. Amidst the haze, the white light transformed into a red glow.

Those were laser bullets.

They were headed straight for Chen Chen. Luo Le sprang into action, dashing over.

Suddenly, the man who had been holding Chen Chen earlier rushed out, grabbing Luo Le's wrist with one hand and the back of his shirt with the other.

Sitting there, Chen Chen's bleeding head obstructed his vision. He kept reaching out to wipe away the blood.

The bullets were mere meters away, yet Chen Chen remained in his previous position, frozen.

Luo Le felt a thread in his mind snap, and he shouted uncontrollably, "Run!"

As he spoke, he struggled fiercely to break free from the person behind him.

The man watched Luo Le break away and wondered how the latter had suddenly found the strength.

Luo Le was unable to catch up. Seeing Chen Chen still wiping blood from his head, his heart was gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

Suddenly, a figure darted forward, scooping up Chen Chen and narrowly avoiding a bullet.

It was Huo Lanjing.

What a close call.

Luo Le couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

But just as Huo Lanjing released Chen Chen, the burly man's gun transformed into a knife, and he charged at Huo Lanjing, engaging him in a fierce struggle.

Chen Chen looked up, his face a picture of confusion. Despite his bleeding head and tender age of less than five, he didn't cry or fuss.

It was unclear if the pain had numbed his senses.

Luo Le rushed over with a worried heart and scooped up Chen Chen. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Chen Chen, who had been calm, suddenly started weeping as he heard those words.

He sounded as if he had suffered the greatest injustice in the world. "Father, it hurts so much, it really does."

Luo Le gently patted the back of the person in his arms, a strange emotion surging within him.

"I know."

As he spoke, Luo Le took out a tourniquet from his spatial ring. "Don't move."

He carefully began wrapping the tourniquet around Chen Chen's leg.

In the end, he tied a neat bow knot.

"Be careful,"

The sudden sound made Luo Le snap his head around.

He saw Huo Lanjing rush over and grab the knife-wielding hands of the attacker with both of his own.

It was an ordinary knife, but it was adorned with an unusual purple hue.

Huo Lanjing was no longer the figure he had been moments ago. His face was slashed with bloody lines, and his clothes were tainted with dust and torn apart.

Luo Le couldn't help but start, "Huo..."

Before he could finish, the blade suddenly pierced into Huo Lanjing's left chest.

Right where the heart was.

Then, Huo Lanjing's body floated like a drifting lily, gently and slowly descending to the ground.

Determination flickered in Luo Le's eyes as the veil of his heart stirred.

*

"The patient has been stabbed in the left chest, suffering excessive blood loss, shock, and suspected cardiac rupture."

"The patient urgently needs blood transfusion."

"Defibrillator..."

...

Each phrase, exchanged almost in a second, brought them closer to the brink of death.

The car's insulation wasn't great, allowing Luo Le to hear every word clearly.

The mercenaries and Xu Bin were captured.

As for what happened next, Luo Le had no idea. The moment the situation took a turn, he rushed with Huo Lanjing to the hospital.

He also arranged for an ambulance to meet them.

There was only one road down the mountain.

During the journey, Huo Lanjing's breathing ceased. Luo Le couldn't recall his thoughts when he first realized it.

All he could recall was the single thought in his mind: to rush Huo Lanjing to the hospital as swiftly as possible.

After the two vehicles collided, upon learning of Huo Lanjing's condition, they transferred him onto an ambulance for immediate medical aid.

Luo Le could still hear the doctors' words ringing in his ears, but their words fell on deaf ears.

He gently touched his bandaged shoulder, his eyes flickering with indiscernible thoughts.

"Daddy, will Uncle be okay?"

Looking down at Chen Chen, whose head was wrapped in bandages, Luo Le couldn't bring himself to say, "I'm not your father."

He bent down to scoop up Chen Chen, patting his head softly. "Go to sleep."

Despite feeling dizzy from excessive blood loss, Chen Chen, upon catching the familiar scent of his father, soon drifted into a deep slumber after being rocked gently.

Luo Le gazed at Chen Chen's sleeping face and, almost instinctively, reached out to touch his forehead.

Realizing what he had done, he lowered his head to look at his own hand.

*

"Daddy, you're here to see Chen Chen again."

Luo Le set the fruit basket aside and walked over to examine Chen Chen's head.

With a puzzled frown, Chen Chen asked, "What's wrong? Daddy?"

Luo Le gave him a thorough once-over and said, "I'm not your father."

Chen Chen was fine. It was the other person who wasn't.

He turned his head to look at Huo Lanjing, who lay in the healing pod on the other side of the bed.

Gazing at the man whose body was hooked up to various wires and tubes, he pressed his lips together.

Suddenly, the person in the healing pod opened their eyes. Luo Le's body jolted.

Chen Chen, who had noticed, cheered, "Uncle's awake! Daddy, Uncle's awake!"

Luo Le acknowledged with a soft hum and turned to call for a doctor.

Two hours later, Luo Le entered with two thermal lunch boxes in hand.

Upon seeing him, Huo Lanjing, who had already tidied up and was lying on the bed, slowly gathered the documents on the small table into a neat stack.

Luo Le glanced around and noticed that Chen Chen was nowhere to be seen.

He placed the items on the coffee table.

"Where's the child?"

Huo Lanjing replied, "He has a name."

Luo Le: "…"

Huo Lanjing tapped the paper lightly with his ring-adorned pinky finger. "Let's talk."

Luo Le asked, "About what?"

After sensing something amiss, Huo Lanjing instructed Captain Lin to resume the interrogation of the previous group of mercenaries.