Lin Yingbin's Secret!

In the hospital, Ryuseki paced anxiously back and forth down the hallway, the tense atmosphere causing Meisha to sit on a chair and shake her leg. As the two of them awaited the outcome, Meisha couldn't help but bite her nails.

"It'll be fine, they'll be okay. I've already notified Big Brother Kouhi!" Meisha tried to reassure the anxious and uneasy Ryuseki not to worry, but her own worried expression carried zero persuasion.

"I... I really don't want to watch any more friends die." Ryuseki stopped, squatted down beside the bench, buried his face in his hands, and muttered to himself, "No, you guys can't be okay, we made a promise that nobody dies first! We made a promise!" As he spoke, Kikka You's smiling face flashed across his mind... along with the moments before and after Kikka You's car accident...

He grew increasingly panicked, his body beginning to tremble uncontrollably, at which point Meisha leaned over, drew close to his side, and comforting stroked his back.

"Ryuseki, don't be like this. They'll be fine!"

"I'd rather die myself than watch them die!" Ryuseki kept his head down, his eyes fixed tightly on the patterns on the floor. "Why? Why? They always come to trouble us. Just what are you after, Zhi? Exactly how many people have to die before you'll stop?"

Seeing Ryuseki in such a negative state, Meisha felt an indescribable ache in her heart! Yes, Meisha didn't seem to understand Ryuseki's inner world, and Ryuseki wouldn't deliberately communicate these things to her, but she felt the same empathy when friends met with misfortune. She felt terrible because of Ryuseki and Lin Yingbin, and seeing Ryuseki torture himself like this made her feel even worse.

Meanwhile inside the operating room, it had reached the final critical juncture of the surgery. The doctors were handling both of their operations in the same room, and the surgeons were somewhat surprised; after all, the severity of their injuries did not look promising, yet the doctors pressed forward with intense, clockwork operations.

"Tissue scissors!"

"Right away, Doctor!"

"Vascular clamp! Wipe my sweat!"

The lead surgeon didn't dare slacken for even a second, continuously issuing orders to the nurses beside him. Sweat kept popping up on his forehead, wiped away by a nurse only to pop right back up again, wiped away once more.

"Tweezers!"

"Understood!"

One could clearly see that on the metal tray of the surgical instrument rack next to them, there were numerous blood clots and non-meat foreign bodies that had been extracted from the two men's bodies. The doctor's technique was exceptionally adept, his movements precise and practiced. The nurse at the side also continuously handed surgical instruments to the doctor without daring to break her concentration.

"Start the sutures now!"

After an unknown amount of time, the doors of the operating room swung open. The doctors walked out one after another, and Ryuseki stood up, walking over to the doctor with Meisha to inquire, "Doctor, how is it? Are they alright?"

"Well... we did our best!" the doctor stammered. "We could only go this far." With that, he said to the several doctors behind him, "We will hold an emergency meeting in the conference room shortly."

Hearing this, Ryuseki felt as though a bolt from the blue had struck his heart. Panicking, he grabbed the doctor by the collar and demanded, "What did you just say?"

"Stop it, Ryuseki!" Meisha pulled on Ryuseki's arm, telling him to let go.

"I won't. If he doesn't make it clear, I'm not letting go."

"What I mean is, Patient Number One (Lin Yingbin) is basically in the clear. But Patient Number Two's (Ryuu Mufei) condition is hard to say." The doctor pushed Ryuseki's hand away and continued, "The situation is a bit complicated, and you might not believe it. When the nurse removed a red string from his ankle, his wounds actually began to self-heal. However, the monitors show that his physical state is extremely unstable, and he has plunged into a deep coma. We are at our wits' end, which is why we'll be holding an emergency meeting in a moment."

As he spoke, a nurse behind him holding a tray handed the red string from the tray, along with a small wooden plaque attached to it, over to the two of them.

"What is this plaque?" Ryuseki picked up the wooden plaque, yet found nothing unusual about it. "The two of them... this is all my fault."

"Don't blame yourself so much." Meisha consoled Ryuseki. "Go check on them first!"

Just as Ryuseki was about to open the door and go inside, Kouhi called out to him.

"I've already taken care of the hospitalization procedures!" Kouhi patted Ryuseki on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Big Bro!" Ryuseki nodded toward Kouhi.

"What's there to thank, we're all family. Besides, I also paid someone to deal with the place you guys wrecked. Rest easy, they're going to be fine!"

Ryuseki nodded gratefully, then turned his head and walked into the hospital room.

Inside the room, Lin Yingbin and Ryuu Mufei lay quietly across two hospital beds. Ryuseki stared dazedly at the two sleeping figures and smiled foolishly.

"Ryuseki! Can you tell me what happened?" Kouhi asked, leaning against the balcony outside the hospital room. "At this point, you really ought to tell us something!"

"That's right! At this point, there are some things you really should tell us." Ryuseki sat down beside Lin Yingbin's hospital bed, and Meisha edged over to sit close by as well.

"Big Bro! You must remember that person we found heavily injured and nearly dying while walking by the river half a year ago," Ryuseki said, staring at the ceiling.

"I remember! Didn't we even bring him home to treat him for a while? After that, didn't he just leave without a word?" Kouhi asked.

"Right, that's him!" A gust of wind blew past outside the window. "That day, when a bunch of weird people came to the school to attack us, they said that guy was a wanted criminal by their organization!" Ryuseki paused.

"A criminal?!" Meisha was extremely surprised upon hearing this.

"Listen to me first!" Ryuseki cut off Meisha's train of thought and continued, "And the boss of the organization that wants him is---Zhi!" Ryuseki quietly took a breath.

When Kouhi heard the name 'Zhi', a chill ran uncontrollably down his spine. He drew in a sharp breath and confirmed once more, "Are you saying 'Zhi'?"

"That's right! The boss of that organization is 'Zhi', and the person we saved is the one who killed Zhi's younger brother!" Ryuseki pressed on, "Because that person went missing afterward, they came after us, believing that we knew his whereabouts!"

"How could this be! When you mentioned 'Zhi' before, I just thought you were joking! I never expected it to be real. That guy, Zhi, is terrifying." Kouhi took a sip of water to steady his nerves. "That fellow has the power to destroy the world!"

Hearing these words, Meisha's expression transformed in sheer terror, while Ryuseki didn't hear them at all.

"I reckon Lin Yingbin was controlled by Zhi!" Ryuseki worked himself into agitation. "And what's more, I think Kikka You's death is very likely related to them!"

"What are you guys talking about?!" Lin Yingbin woke up.

"Lin Yingbin, do you still remember me?" Ryuseki rushed immediately to Lin Yingbin's side.

"How could I not remember?" Lin Yingbin said with a smile as he sat up.

"You're all better!" Ryuseki said excitedly.

At that moment, Meisha quietly slipped away, and Kouhi followed her outside.

"You know what...?" Ryuseki rattled on unceasingly about what had happened before.

"What on earth is wrong with you! Do you realize? You actually turned on me and Ryuu Mufei, and on top of that, you beat Ryuu Mufei nearly to death." Ryuseki thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that you were..."

"Well, actually, me turning out like that wasn't entirely because of Zhi, it's because..." Lin Yingbin paused. "Actually, I have a dual personality! Also known as dissociative identity disorder!"