Obliteration

"Jiang Chu, your child's condition is worse than we imagined... Where exactly did you get the bone marrow?"

His colleague frowned, his expression grim as he looked at Doctor Jiang Chu.

Jiang Chu hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

His colleague sighed. "Jiang Chu, this kind of rejection usually only occurs when there's an incompatibility, and it's almost always fatal... I don't know where your child had the surgery before, but could something have gone wrong somewhere? Under normal circumstances, this kind of mistake shouldn't happen at all! This is practically murder!"

"How could this happen..."

Jiang Chu froze, then rushed out of his colleague's office in a panic. He kept his head lowered and ignored everyone, practically charging forward blindly.

"Jiang Chu? What are you doing?"

He had actually run into someone... It was the Dean! He was also Jiang Chu's mentor.

"Teacher... I..." Jiang Chu was so flustered that he couldn't get a single sentence out.

The Dean sighed. "I know about your child's condition, and I'm very sorry this happened. How about this? You're not in a good state right now, so I'll arrange for another doctor to replace you in today's surgery. Spend the next few days taking care of your family. I'm also contacting some overseas hospitals to see whether there's any way to..."

Jiang Chu shook his head. "Dean, I want to be alone for a while."

The Dean nodded and left with a sigh. He truly felt regretful. This had originally been an opportunity to help Jiang Chu rise through the ranks, but now that something like this had happened and the patient's family knew about it, they naturally wouldn't feel comfortable letting Jiang Chu perform the surgery. If he became distracted on the operating table, it could be fatal in an instant.

Jiang Chu walked alone down the corridor like a walking corpse. Were those girls hurrying past discussing what had happened to him?

Were his colleagues looking at him with pity? Or ridicule?

Jiang Chu reached the hospital room of the child whose surgery he had originally been supposed to perform. He found another doctor there, checking the situation and calming the patient. He didn't blame the Dean for replacing him at a time like this. Leaving aside whether he could still pick up a scalpel, given his current condition, he truly couldn't settle his mind.

Rather, giving up this surgery felt more like a release for him... He couldn't face the little girl's pleading gaze.

Jiang Chu went alone to the hospital rooftop. Trembling, he took a phone from his clothes and hesitated for a long time before dialing a number.

"Mr. Sun?"

A hoarse, synthesized voice came through from the other end. It was Mr. Sun's voice. "Doctor Jiang, as it happens, I was looking for you too."

Jiang Chu said in a low voice, "Forget everything else for now! Mr. Sun, there's something I need you to answer clearly! Was the bone marrow you provided for my son actually a match?"

Mr. Sun continued speaking as though he hadn't heard him. "Black Cat has been arrested. The local police should find their way to you very soon. I've made arrangements for you. Leave immediately."

"What?!" Jiang Chu's expression changed drastically. Then he suddenly shuddered and said, "No! I can't leave... I can't abandon my son!"

Mr. Sun said indifferently, "You're still young. Having another child won't be difficult. But if you don't leave, that's bad news for us. Black Cat was merely the middleman and didn't know much... But you know exactly how much you know. We won't just let the police arrest you. You understand what I mean, right?"

Jiang Chu roared like a madman, "Tell me! Was the bone marrow you provided for my son actually a match?!"

"Someone will come for you in an hour. You have only two choices: leave, or stay here permanently. Remember, we're not short of doctors."

Beep—!!

Half an hour...

Jiang Chu's hand slipped, and the phone fell to the ground. He collapsed limply onto the floor. Mr. Sun had vast connections. When he said one hour, it meant one hour—not a minute more, and not a minute less.

He gritted his teeth and suddenly charged down from the rooftop.

The rooftop's iron door slammed shut. At the same time, the crisp clacking of high heels against the concrete slabs rang out.

"Master, Jiang Chu is nearly at the end of his rope, isn't he? Do you think he'll choose to leave or stay?"

Luo Qiu thought for a moment before saying, "That depends on how deep his love for his son really is."

You Ye nodded, then said, "But I'm beginning to understand why Master came to the hospital."

Luo Qiu asked curiously, "Why?"

You Ye smiled. "The hospital is a place where hope and despair coexist, and where life and death converge. Everyone here, whether patient or family member, will encounter things that leave them feeling desperate and helpless. It really is an excellent place to cultivate patrons. From now on, You Ye will have the Black Soul Envoy pay more attention to hospitals."

Wait... Was there some kind of misunderstanding?

There had to be a misunderstanding, right?

I really just came out for a walk and happened to check on Jiang Chu's situation...

However, he had no intention of correcting You Ye's misunderstanding. Instead, he muttered, "An hour... It should almost be time for him to make a decision."

"One hour... One hour..."

He knew all too well how terrifying Mr. Sun was. He had only one hour left... No, perhaps fifty-nine minutes, or even fifty-eight!

Jiang Chu hurried down the stairs.

A group of medical staff happened to be pushing a hospital bed past him.

It was the girl whose surgery he had originally been supposed to perform... The little girl didn't understand much about the world. When she saw the doctor she had met before, she gave him a faint smile.

In the midst of his frantic rush, that smile stirred ripples in Jiang Chu's heart. He suddenly slowed his steps and braced himself against the wall, feeling as though all the strength had drained from his body.

Before he knew it, Jiang Chu had arrived at another hospital room.

His exhausted ex-wife was leaning against their son's hospital bed, holding his hand as she slept. Jiang Chu didn't dare make the slightest sound. He walked to the bedside and looked at his son with a complicated expression.

He should have had a happy life.

Yes... He should have, if only the bone marrow had been a match!

Jiang Chu trembled as he reached out to touch the child's face, but suddenly withdrew his hand.

He gritted his teeth, abruptly left the hospital room, and went down to the small park below the hospital. He sat on a stone bench and began staring blankly into space.

One hour later.

Jiang Chu was still sitting in the same place when a plainly dressed man in a black suit suddenly approached him.

"Doctor Jiang, Mr. Sun sent me to pick you up. Please come with me."

Jiang Chu slowly raised his head and looked at the man. Then he patted the bench beside him. "Don't rush. Sit down. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

The man frowned and said coldly, "Doctor Jiang, I hope you won't make things difficult for me. Come with me immediately."

Seeing the other man reach into his jacket, Jiang Chu sneered. "What? I've done so many things for Mr. Sun, and in the end, you aren't even willing to spare me a few minutes?"

The man calmly pulled a folding military knife from his jacket.

"Mr. Sun said that if Doctor Jiang refuses to cooperate, there's no need for him to remain alive."

The man was about to attack without another word, but at that moment, a thunderous shout suddenly rang out.

Six or seven figures rushed out from all around them. Leading them was Officer Ma. "Don't move! You're surrounded! Drop your weapon and surrender!"

The man's gaze turned cold as he stared directly at Jiang Chu.

Jiang Chu's lips trembled. He shouted excitedly, "You tricked me with fake bone marrow... You showed me no mercy, so don't blame me for doing the same! I called the police! I'll expose everything you've done! Hahaha, now that they've traced it back to me, I can't escape either... We'll all die together!"

The man snorted coldly. Without changing expression, he thrust the knife toward Jiang Chu's neck!

Bang—!!!

A gunshot rang out at the same time. A bullet struck the man's wrist, and the military knife fell to the ground.

"Damn it! I told you I'm the number-one Gunslinger in the whole bureau! Damn it, why wouldn't you listen?! Get him!! Damn it!! Useless idiots!! Block him! Don't let him get away!! Move your asses! Chase him down!! If he gets away, every one of you can go to ****!!"

Furious, Officer Ma flew into a rage.

"Officer Ma! The brothers are watching all around us. He's injured and can't get far! What about this guy?"

Two plainclothes officers escorted Jiang Chu before Officer Ma.

Officer Ma said, "What else can we do? This guy's an important witness. Get him back immediately! Keep a close eye on him... Hmm, stuff something in this guy's mouth and tie him up while you're at it! Damn it!"

"Officer... Before we leave, can I see my son one more time? Please..." Jiang Chu suddenly begged.

Officer Ma sneered. "What, you've found your conscience now? You remember your son? When you helped these scumbags operate, harvest organs from living people, and sell them, did the dogs eat your conscience?"

Jiang Chu's face went pale. He fell painfully to his knees and begged, "Please... Let me see my son one last time. He... He doesn't have much time left either!"