Chapter 175

Chapter 175

The intimate atmosphere disappeared in an instant.

Shen Que wanted to know the truth. He looked down at the head resting against his chest, wondering what secrets were hidden in that mind, wanting to meet and understand the real Chen Zui.

Not this version, not so good-natured—even if he were a little worse, a little fiercer, it would be fine.

He just wanted to know the real Chen Zui.

He also wanted Chen Zui to be himself.

Chen Zui simply followed his words and sighed, "Yeah, how could such a coincidence happen?"

He looked up, smiling at Shen Que: "Are you lying to me?"

"Brother Shen, you're so bad."

Chen Zui humphed and lay back down, naturally resting against Shen Que's chest.

His chest was so comfortable to lie on.

A thousand times better than any pillow.

Seeing that Chen Zui still refused to admit it, Shen Que felt slightly irritated. He wanted to pin him down and make him tell the truth, but after a moment's thought, he dropped it.

He would say it when he wanted to.

Why force him?

You should be understanding toward the person you like.

His hand continued to stroke Chen Zui's hair: "I'm not lying. I just saw another Chen Zui and wanted to tell you that whatever your personality is, you’re great. As long as you don’t hurt anyone or betray the town, Brother Shen will always have your back."

"Brother Shen, don’t worry. I will never hurt anyone or betray the town."

Chen Zui looked up again, his gaze sincere as he met Shen Que's eyes: "Or betray you."

Shen Que's heart skipped a beat.

Even though he knew Chen Zui was lying to him, he was still completely captivated. His hand, which had been stroking Chen Zui's hair, unconsciously cupped Chen Zui's cheek, and he leaned in mesmerized, his lips already puckered ready for a kiss.

But Chen Zui lay back down: "It's late, Brother Shen. Let's sleep."

The light turned off.

The room plunged into darkness. Unable to kiss him, Shen Que frustratedly licked his lips.

He slowly shifted downward, moving away from the bedside table and lying flat. Chen Zui was still lying on his chest, his warm breath brushing over the nipple. It didn’t take long for the medicine-moistened nipple to become excited.

In comparison, the other side, untouched by his breath, felt neglected, making Shen Que anxious.

Shen Que endured it.

Chen Zui looked at the little snack in front of him. After a while, he controlled his breathing, slowing it down until it sounded like he was asleep.

As if in sleep, Chen Zui nuzzled closer and took the little snack into his mouth.

His lips closed.

In the darkness, Shen Que's breathing noticeably quickened. This was killing him. He lifted his head to look and saw Chen Zui's furry head, making him feel like he was breastfeeding.

Embarrassed, he lowered his head again. One side felt incredibly comfortable in the warm mouth, while the other...

He glanced sideways at the lonely little guy. Since Chen Zui was asleep anyway, Shen Que surreptitiously lifted his hand and placed it there.

He didn’t know that Chen Zui was watching, wide-eyed.

How that hand squeezed and twisted...

Straight men...

Chen Zui chuckled to himself.

—

In the middle of the night, Chen Zui was awakened. He quietly got out of bed, parted the curtains slightly, and looked outside.

He saw flames.

It was West Town.

Was it on fire?

The thought had just crossed his mind when he heard gunshots—faint, but he was sensitive to the sound of gunfire.

If it were just a fire, there would be no need to shoot. Had someone broken into West Town?

Chen Zui watched the growing flames as the gunfire grew more intense.

Just then, their town’s alarm sounded.

Chen Zui's expression instantly turned sharp. He might ignore West Town, but East Town...

Shen Que woke up the moment the alarm sounded. He sat up abruptly and was stunned for a second when he saw Chen Zui by the window, unsure whether he'd gone there because of insomnia or if he had woken up earlier sensing something.

But none of that mattered now.

"Stay in the room and don’t go out. If anyone brings injured people here, you’re in charge of treatment."

After instructing him, he threw on a pair of pants and ran downstairs.

Chen Zui also got dressed. Just as he reached downstairs, Lao Xu came in from outside, holding a gun.

"Doctor Chen, the boss sent me to protect you."

Chen Zui nodded: "What happened?"

The two stood at the door, looking toward the town entrance. Lao Xu frowned: "A group of people broke in. They didn’t say anything—just started fighting."

He glanced toward West Town, where things were clearly more chaotic.

Chen Zui remembered what Ao Tian had said about the storyline of this book: the two towns united against an external force, and it was this incident that sparked the romantic relationship between Shen Que and Liang Yingzhang.

He asked Ao Tian if it was that group.

Ao Tian: "As expected of you. You guessed right."

Ao Tian: "They’re a powerful group that survives by burning, killing, and looting. Autumn is over, and winter is coming. These two towns are so prosperous—they probably want to capture them, stay here, and use the resources to get through the winter."

Chen Zui: "Any idea how many they've got?"

Ao Tian: "The book doesn't give an exact number, but their group is quite large, and every one of them is a skilled fighter. After all, they survive by looting and living by the sword—they're way better fighters than anyone in our town."

Ao Tian: "In the book, this was also a very difficult battle."

Many residents came running from up ahead, as the town entrance had become a battlefield. It wasn’t safe for them to stay there. Xiao Xu, who usually seemed so unreliable, was now directing everyone to take cover in the government building next to the clinic.

Everyone looked tense—they'd never had a fight with West Town on this scale before.

Chen Zui watched the men, women, and children, and the shouts and sounds of battle suddenly felt terrifyingly real.

Xiao Xu: "You handle this, Dad."

Before his dad could even get a look at his face, he snatched up his gun and quickly ran toward the town entrance.

Lao Xu’s gaze followed him, full of concern.

Gunshots, shouts, curses, and cocky laughter echoed through the once peaceful and warm town.

The night wind carried the smell of gunpowder.

Soon enough, a wounded man was brought to Chen Zui. He had been shot in the shoulder, and the bullet was still in there.

Chen Zui immediately began treating him, with Song Luo assisting.

"Doctor Chen, don’t use anesthesia on me," the wounded man said through gritted teeth. "Once the bullet is out, I need to go back and fight. I can’t be passing out here. I have to protect the town and everyone."

Chen Zui picked up a roll of gauze. "Bite down on this."

The man said nothing more and obediently bit down. The bullet was dug out raw, and blood flowed incessantly. The man, enduring the pain, his face was beet red, veins bulging at his temples.

Before his wound was fully treated, another injured person was brought in.

Qiu Tong and two other students of Chen Zui’s began cleaning the new patient’s wound.

Everyone looked grim. A child, frightened, started crying—a heart-wrenching sound.

After shooting an enemy dead, Shen Que hid behind a car. Four trucks pulled up, packed with men. As he observed, he saw someone setting up a machine gun.

Shen Que's eyes went wide—"They've got a machine gun?!"

"Get down, everyone!" he shouted.

The machine gun began to sweep the area, its operator cackling like a madman, evil and insane.

Shen Que and his men only had a few guns, with limited ammunition, and many of the firearms were pretty beat up. Ever since their parents' generation settled here to build the town, they had never ventured far, so naturally, they hadn’t gathered many weapons. Moreover, ammo was hard to come by, and everyone had focused more on farming and raising livestock to live a stable, well-fed life.

They were completely different from these people, who thought only of robbing others and committing evil deeds.

Shen Que looked at the invaders—their eyes filled only with reckless violence and the thrill of destruction.

The machine gun fire blasted through windows, streetlights, and the homes they had worked so hard to build.

Just then, one of the trucks suddenly gunned it forward.

Seeing this, Shen Que turned, aimed at the tires, and fired rapidly, his eyes filled with determination.

The truck swerved, its tire blown, almost flipping over before wobbling to a stop. The people inside began climbing out through the windows. Shen Que gestured behind him, and the person hiding there immediately lit a Molotov cocktail and threw it toward the vehicle.

Shen Que followed its trajectory with his eyes, aiming at the bottle filled with nails. He fired.

The burning alcohol exploded, sending nails flying in all directions. Instantly, screams erupted—the people climbing out of the vehicle were injured to varying degrees. One unlucky bastard took a nail right through the temple and died on the spot.

At the same time, the machine gun clicked empty.

The barrage ended.

At Shen Que’s command, his hidden subordinates rushed out, charging back into the fight.

Shen Que bellowed with imposing authority, "Wipe them out! For our families! For our town!"

His cry steeled everyone’s resolve—they had families to protect, a home to defend!

They would never allow outsiders to destroy it!

Chen Zui’s white coat was stained with blood. Aside from the seriously injured, most people came to him just to get patched up before heading back out.

Lao Xu's eyes kept darting outside, then back at Chen Zui. No doubt about it, having him here was a relief—no matter how the wounded arrived, he'd patch them up quick and efficient.

In the darkness, three enemies took advantage of the chaos and slipped into another street, trying to sneak up from behind.

Man: "I noticed their wounded are being brought this way. They must have a doctor set up here."

Woman: "Let’s take out the doctor first."

One-Eye: "I smell livestock. It seems this town also raises a lot of animals."

They were already picturing the good life they would have after capturing this town and the neighboring one.

Dressed in black, they crept closer to the clinic and hid.

Lao Xu was posted at the door, scanning the area warily. Chen Zui, in a brief lull, joined him, concerned about the situation outside. As he glanced toward the town entrance, his eyes locked on something. He suddenly shoved Lao Xu aside.

As Lao Xu stumbled backward, he looked at Chen Zui in shock and saw blood splatter from Chen Zui’s arm. Lao Xu’s pupils dilated, and the sound of shattering glass followed—the clinic’s door window had been broken.

Once he steadied himself, he heard screams from Qiu Tong and the others inside the clinic.

They were under attack!

Lao Xu looked around, but the gun in his hand was suddenly snatched by Chen Zui.

"Doctor Chen…"

"Take cover."

As he spoke, Chen Zui fired toward the left. The man hiding there would have been hit if not for the trash can in front of him.

"Damn it!" the man exclaimed, shocked that Chen Zui had pinpointed his location.

Lao Xu was still somewhat dazed. How could the delicate and frail Doctor Chen be so quick? He was pulled into the clinic by Chen Zui.

A hail of bullets ripped through the door.

When things quieted down, Lao Xu whispered, "Doctor Chen, give me the gun, I'll go—"

Chen Zui: "Stay hidden."

As he spoke, he forced the door open but immediately dove and rolled to the side, taking cover behind a nearby tree.

Sure enough, another round of gunfire followed—the attackers had intentionally paused earlier.

In the darkness, Chen Zui, who had stripped off his white coat, scrambled up the tree in a few moves. Blood still flowed from the wound on his arm, his dark eyes scanning, devoid of emotion.

Aim, lock onto the prey.

Then fire calmly.

After firing the shot, he jumped down from the tree without pausing. He didn’t need to check if his target was hit—since he only fired after seeing his target, he was certain to hit.

The moment he landed, the one-eyed man fell to the ground, shot between the eyes, dead, eyes wide open. At the same time, the woman spotted the firing point and fired several shots at the tree.

The man looked at the one-eyed man beside him, swore, and found his own gun out of bullets. He picked up the one-eyed man’s gun and pulled the trigger, but no shot was fired.

"Damn it."

He pulled the knife strapped to his leg.

"Lisa, cover me," he said, swinging the knife and glaring viciously at the infirmary. "I’m going to kill everyone inside."

By then, Chen Zui had already made his way from inside the infirmary to the rooftop. His gaze swept over the man before settling on the woman holding the gun.

Without any mercy, he squeezed the trigger again, then immediately shifted the gun toward the man. The trigger jammed—it was an antique, after all.

The woman was also shot between the eyes, collapsed, her face already covered in blood.

The man at the door of the infirmary sensed something wrong and glanced back, his expression growing even more ferocious.

Inside, Lao Xu and Song Luo gripped their knives, ready to hack him to pieces the moment he entered. They didn’t yet know that the armed attackers outside had all been eliminated by Chen Zui.

The man turned back and kicked at the infirmary’s battered door.

A dark figure dropped from above.

The man’s pupils dilated silently as he swung his knife forward.

Chen Zui, who had jumped from the second-floor rooftop, landed squarely on the leg the man had kicked forward, simultaneously raising his gun.

A sickening "crack" echoed.

It was the sound of the man’s leg bone breaking. The swung knife struck the gun in Chen Zui’s hand. Amid the man’s screams of pain, Chen Zui snatched the knife from him, twirled it in his hand, and plunged it into the man’s stomach.

From the moment he landed to the end, it took only mere seconds.

Chen Zui calmly watched as the man’s eyes gradually lost their vitality in agony. He pulled out the knife, blood streaming down his arm, staining the veins on the back of his hand red, and dripping from his fingertips in beads of blood.

Inside the infirmary, Lao Xu and the others were stunned.

Wasn’t Doctor Chen supposed to be frail?