Chapter 26 The Lone City (26)

Chapter 26: The Lonely City (Part Twenty-Six)

Xie Zhihang was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend why Xue Xiaofeng had attacked him. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, wiped it away, and gaped at him in confusion.

Meanwhile, Xia Li turned and ran, taking the chance and fled.

Just as Xie Zhihang was about to give chase, Xue Xiaofeng lashed out with another punch at him.

Xie Zhihang, now on guard, sidestepped and roared, "Have you lost your mind?!"

Xue Xiaofeng hung his head, his breathing heavy and ragged. His bones emitted a sickening series of cracks. He clawed at his neck in agony as beads of blood welled from his pores. After a long moment, he lifted his head. Blood streamed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, staining his mist-blue eyes crimson.

Xue Xiaofeng had completely lost his mind. Like a frenzied beast, he indiscriminately attacked everything around him. His spine was undergoing a second growth; his shoulder blades jutted out high, and his limbs grew thick and burly.

Lunatic. That was the only word that surfaced in Xie Zhihang's mind.

He had no time to figure out how this was happening. He was worried about whether he, too, might undergo a secondary evolution like Xue Xiaofeng, turning into a mindless monster.

Xie Zhihang parried Xue Xiaofeng's attacks, trying to flee the battlefield. Meanwhile, Xia Li was already long gone.

Across the wide plaza, Xia Li turned his head back and gave Xie Zhihang a weird, cunning smile on his swollen face.

Just then, the broadcast crackled to life.

Lin Yanqing's voice boomed over the loudspeakers. He requested any doctors within the complex to go to Building 7 to treat a patient, and promised a big reward afterward.

Xia Li stopped in his tracks. The familiar voice echoed around him; he was certain it was Lin Yanqing's voice.

Lin Yanqing was awake.

Xia Li choked up, tears instantly streaming down his face. He had thought Lin Yanqing had abandoned him again, gone to some distant place alone, never to wake up. Yet, every time he found himself in a desperate situation, Lin Yanqing always appeared.

Xia Li wheeled around and ran towards the broadcast station. To his surprise, as he rounded a corner, he saw Lin Yanqing racing toward him.

He wore simple sweats, his silver-white long hair streaming behind him in the sunlight. His usually handsome face seemed to glow with a golden light.

Xia Li froze. He didn't dare move a step, afraid this was just an illusion.

Lin Yanqing swept him into a hug, exclaiming in shock, "What happened to your face? Lili, are you okay? Why is there so much blood on you?"

Xia Li stammered, unable to speak. His lips trembled, tears pouring down his face. Finally, he broke down, sobbing bitterly, "Brother..."

"It's okay now. I'm awake, Lili. Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Tears washed over the wounds on his face. Xia Li's face was a horrible mess, the pain making his teeth chatter. He clutched Lin Yanqing's arm and gasped, "Brother, we need to leave quickly. Xue Xiaofeng has turned into a monster. He'll kill people."

Lin Yanqing heard the sounds of fighting not far away. He furrowed his brows, his expression heavy as he looked towards the source of the noise.

"Brother, there's a car blocking the alley entrance at the east gate. There are no lunatics there. We can escape from there," Xia Li said anxiously.

"Lili, we can't leave. Yun Chuan has a badly injured leg. He can't walk and might even need surgery," Lin Yanqing said hurriedly. "Listen to me. You go to Building 7 first. Uncle He and the others are all there. I'll figure out a way to stop Xue Xiaofeng."

Xia Li clutched Lin Yanqing's hand, panicking. "Don't go! You can't beat him. You'll die. We can carry Yun Chuan to the car, then go to the hospital. Maybe there will be doctors there."

"Be good. Go to Building 7 and wait for me. We can't just let Xue Xiaofeng kill people. Even if we escape, the other residents will be in danger. Go now!" Lin Yanqing wrenched his hand free and ran towards the plaza.

Xia Li suddenly frowned, huffed in frustration, and then walked unhurriedly towards Building 7.

Suddenly, he heard a rumbling sound overhead. Looking up, he saw a helicopter circling above, making a few loops in the sky before returning to hover over the complex.

Xia Li narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then ran towards the direction of the surveillance room.

*

By the time Lin Yanqing reached the plaza, the battle was in full swing. Xue Xiaofeng had transformed into a complete monster. His body had mutated, growing to over two meters tall. His clothes were torn apart, hanging on him like rags. He attacked wildly in all directions, throwing heavy punches with no technique whatsoever.

Xie Zhihang, with nowhere to dodge, was forced into the fray. He had taken several punches, his mind already muddled. He was tossed around by Xue Xiaofeng like a sandbag. However, his body was surprisingly resilient; even after dozens of hits, he could stand up seemingly unfazed. He couldn't escape, couldn't win, and was locked in an endless struggle.

Lin Yanqing hesitated. He wasn't confident he could defeat Xue Xiaofeng. The situation was more complicated than he had imagined. Although Xue Xiaofeng was berserk, he wasn't biting people, which meant he couldn't be classified as a 'lunatic.' Yet, he had undoubtedly lost his mind. And Xie Zhihang wasn't as useless as imagined; he could even stand up and counterattack Xue Xiaofeng, though it was as futile as a mayfly trying to shake a tree.

Xie Zhihang caught sight of Lin Yanqing out of the corner of his eye. Not bothering with surprise, he rolled forward on the ground and sprinted towards Lin Yanqing, trying to lure Xue Xiaofeng towards someone else.

Xue Xiaofeng followed as intended, chasing closely behind him. Both moved with astonishing speed, reaching Lin Yanqing in an instant.

Lin Yanqing took a step back, intending to run, but Xie Zhihang grabbed his shoulder. Xie Zhihang spat out blood, then with a backhand throw, hurled Lin Yanqing towards Xue Xiaofeng.

Lin Yanqing reacted swiftly, seizing Xie Zhihang's arm in return. His body traced a half-arc in the air before landing steadily on the ground. By then, Xue Xiaofeng had already charged between them. His burly arm reached out for Xie Zhihang, capturing him once again.

Lin Yanqing seized the chance to break free, retreating several steps.

Both Lin Yanqing and Xie Zhihang realized that Xue Xiaofeng wasn't attacking Lin Yanqing. It seemed he couldn't see Lin Yanqing, or perhaps couldn't smell him. In any case, his target was clear: locked onto Xie Zhihang.

Gritting his teeth, Xie Zhihang ran towards the area of the complex with the highest concentration of people, intending to lure Xue Xiaofeng into the crowd.

Lin Yanqing discerned his motive and shouted, "Lure him to the main gate!"

Xie Zhihang paid no heed. His only thought was his own escape; the fate of other residents was irrelevant to him.

Furious, Lin Yanqing sprinted after the two, trying to persuade him. "After he kills all the residents, he'll still come after you! Where can you possibly run to!"

No sooner had he spoken than they encountered members of the patrol team. Xue Xiaofeng punched one man flying, then stomped several times on his stomach.

Lin Yanqing leaped onto Xue Xiaofeng's back from behind, trying to choke him and halt his assault. However, Xue Xiaofeng's strength was immense, easily neutralizing all of Lin Yanqing's efforts.

The man lay on the ground, vomiting blood. Xue Xiaofeng roared, stopped his attack, and began moving towards another member of the patrol team.

"D-don't come over..." the man stammered, his legs trembling uncontrollably, rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Xie Zhihang escaped as he wished, his figure disappearing from sight.

Lin Yanqing could only pin his hopes on the young man before him. Struggling to maintain his grip on Xue Xiaofeng's throat, he shouted to the youth, "Go to the main gate! Open it! Lure Xue Xiaofeng outside!"

"O-open the gate?" The young man shook his head frantically. "There are lunatics outside. We can't open it." Having said that, he gritted his teeth and slipped away alone.

Just as Lin Yanqing was at a loss, a young man walked out from around the corner and said calmly, "I'll lure him to the main gate."

In the chaos, Lin Yanqing caught a glimpse of the man's face. It was a young man who lived in the same building as him; they occasionally met in the elevator. His name was Wu Ke, an unemployed drifter who often participated in volunteer activities. He and Lin Yanqing were mere acquaintances.

Wu Ke clapped his hands at Xue Xiaofeng, calling out as if to a dog, "Over here! Here!"

Xue Xiaofeng showed a slight reaction. His mind was a gray haze as he took heavy steps towards Wu Ke.

Lin Yanqing stood up and ran ahead towards the main gate. There were two gates: one was a later-added sheet metal door, and the other was the original iron railing gate. The distance between them was less than five meters. If Wu Ke lured Xue Xiaofeng inside, he would be trapping himself in a dead end.

Wu Ke was agile, his footsteps light and almost inaudible.

Lin Yanqing found the sound of those footsteps familiar. He felt he had heard them somewhere before, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that. He was trying to figure out how to unlock the gate. Forcibly breaking it open would create the problem of having to lock it again later.

Wu Ke had already lured Xue Xiaofeng to the circular flower bed in front of the main gate. Just then, a middle-aged man appeared furtively on the other side of the road.

Xue Xiaofeng suddenly stopped. He turned his thick neck, staring at the bespectacled middle-aged man.

"Oh no!" Lin Yanqing shouted. "Run!"

But it was already too late. Xue Xiaofeng turned and charged toward the doctor.

Lin Yanqing and Wu Ke chased from behind, attacking Xue Xiaofeng from the rear, but he was unfazed, smashing street lamps and flower beds along the way, ripping and smashing everything in his path.

Even working together, Wu Ke and Lin Yanqing were helpless. Lin Yanqing was knocked down several times, but he kept getting up, blocking Xue Xiaofeng's attacks on the doctor while shouting urgently, "Run! Building Seven! Hurry!"

The doctor scrambled away in panic.

Just then, a series of gunshots rang out at the main gate. The gate was opened, and several military off-road vehicles drove through the two iron doors into the complex, bringing with them the crazed people roaming outside.

Following the off-road vehicles were several other cars—Chen Xian and the others who had left early in the morning.

Xue Xiaofeng detected a strong scent. He paused, glancing around frantically, then savagely pounded the ground before turning and rushing toward the crowd.

Lin Yanqing heard the whirring of helicopter blades. He looked up to see a helicopter descending. A man leaning out with a submachine gun aimed at Xue Xiaofeng's throat and fired a burst of bullets.

The bullets pierced Xue Xiaofeng's throat, blood spraying out. He fell weakly to his knees and finally collapsed with a heavy thud, his massive body hitting the ground with a deafening crash.

Lin Yanqing, heart still pounding, clutched his chest and breathed heavily.

The helicopter hovered lower, and when it was about five or six meters above the ground, the man jumped straight down, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Lin Yanqing choked on the dust and coughed violently. Through the haze, he made out the man's face—wearing a teasing, roguish grin.

Jiang Songnian walked toward him, cupping his face with one hand while brushing aside the disheveled hair on his forehead with the other. The smile gradually faded, replaced by a gentle tone. "How did you get yourself into such a mess?"

Lin Yanqing felt a wave of bitterness, wrinkling his nose as he mumbled, "I wanted to lure him out, but I made a mess of everything. I slept for too long, and I didn’t take good care of Lili."

"You did your best. I was the one who came too late," Jiang Songnian said, pulling him into a tight embrace with regret. "I shouldn’t have left you alone."

Lin Yanqing wished he could be a mature, steady adult, never showing weakness. He tried hard to keep his eyes wide open, holding back the tears that welled up. But in the end, he closed his eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks. He wrapped his arms around Jiang Songnian, choking out, "I didn’t do anything right."