Stored

Officer Ma took off Jiang Chu's white coat and rolled it up, binding his handcuffed hands. Blocking everything, he warned, "I'll give you five minutes."

"Thank you," Jiang Chu choked out.

Officer Ma, however, called over two officers and instructed them, "Keep a close eye on him. When the time's up, bring him straight back to the station!"

"Understood!"

Officer Ma nodded, watching the two officers lead Jiang Chu away. He himself walked off in another direction, muttering curses.

He hadn't taken two steps when his phone rang. Officer Ma answered, listened for a moment, and then nodded in surprise. "Huh, you brats have really outdone yourselves this time! Caught him so quickly?"

The voice on the other end replied, "The guy ran into the hospital's back alley. When we caught up, he was lying unconscious on the ground, apparently hit by a flower pot that fell from upstairs!"

Officer Ma froze.

First, a suspect bites his tongue to commit suicide, and now some scumbag gets hit by a flowerpot… Is this really karma, retribution at its finest?

Stepping out of the elevator, the second room at the end of the corridor, around the corner, was his son's hospital room. Jiang Chu kept his head down, the two plainclothes officers flanking him at a steady pace.

People occasionally walking by in the hallway cast curious glances—the white coat draped over his hands was likely just for his own peace of mind. With two escorts following him, it was easy to draw conclusions.

Jiang Chu even spotted some familiar nurses, who seemed to want to approach and speak with him, but he stopped them with a shake of his head.

He gave a wry smile. This hallway, usually bustling with activity, had never felt so long.

"Officers, could you let me go in alone in a moment? I promise I won't run... Besides, I can't run anyway," Jiang Chu turned and pleaded with them.

One of the officers thought for a moment before nodding. This was the seventh floor, and Jiang Chu was still handcuffed; escaping was highly unlikely.

Just then, a cleaner pushing a cart approached from ahead. The two plainclothes officers moved Jiang Chu to the side to let them pass.

Unexpectedly, at that very instant, the cleaner suddenly rammed the cart towards the three of them. With a sweep of his sleeve, a dagger instantly slid out.

The cleaner caught the dagger and was about to lunge at Jiang Chu.

But at that moment, a bottle of mineral water, thrown from a distance, struck the cleaner squarely on the head. The water-filled bottle hit with an impact no less powerful than a heavy punch.

The cleaner staggered, dazed. By the time he recovered, he was already pinned to the ground by the two plainclothes officers, unable to move!

Officer Ma walked over with a cold sneer. "You damn idiot! I knew you had a trick up your sleeve! Did you really think I'd let this guy up here so easily?"

The restrained cleaner remained silent, staring intently at Officer Ma.

Officer Ma snorted coldly, handcuffed the man behind his back, and called for another plainclothes officer. The two of them guarded the cleaner.

"You, take this guy... let him go in by himself," Officer Ma instructed.

Jiang Chu gave the foul-mouthed officer a grateful look, lowered his head, and silently walked to the end of the corridor.

Officer Ma watched the cleaner, lighting a cigarette.

"Officer Ma, this is a hospital..."

Officer Ma flinched, angrily stubbed out his cigarette, and then said, "You're finished, scum! You'd better cooperate with us!"

The cleaner suddenly let out a strange laugh. "Officer, you're very clever to realize we had a backup plan."

Officer Ma sneered, "I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice!"

The cleaner replied, "But what if we had two backup plans?"

Officer Ma froze, a sense of foreboding suddenly washing over him. At the same moment, the surroundings suddenly darkened as all the lights flickered out!

Officer Ma reacted instantly, lunging for the cleaner, but was sharply kneed in the stomach. Then, his companion slammed into him, and they both fell to the ground.

The power outage was brief, lasting only a few seconds before the lights flickered back on. However, the cleaner had vanished from the corridor, and no one knew where he had gone!

"There's a third one! ****!!!" Officer Ma roared, scrambling to his feet and chasing after where Jiang Chu had gone.

At the corner at the end of the corridor, he found only the fallen plainclothes officer. He clutched his abdomen, bleeding profusely. Jiang Chu, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Officer Ma looked around, bewildered and enraged.

Where on earth had Jiang Chu gone?

Jiang Chu had no idea where he had gone. An unprecedented fear enveloped him—he was clearly on the hospital's rooftop!

But he distinctly remembered being in the corridor on the seventh floor!

Just as he was about to enter his son's room, the surroundings suddenly went black, and he heard a muffled groan from the plainclothes officer behind him.

In that instant, Jiang Chu had a sudden realization: Mr. Sun would indeed not let him off so easily.

Perhaps he would die the next second.

Yet, his son was right there, just one door away, but he couldn't see him. A surge of intense grief and despair brought Jiang Chu's emotions to their peak.

Suddenly, the scene brightened, and he found himself on the hospital rooftop.

The strangest thing was yet to come. Before him stood a peculiar figure—a person wearing a clown mask and holding a black cane, as if they had been waiting for him there for a very long time... a peculiar figure.

"Who... who are you? Did Mr. Sun send you too?" Jiang Chu asked, terrified.

Luo Qiu, hidden behind the mask, appeared remarkably calm. "Doctor Jiang, shouldn't you have known who I was long ago?"

Jiang Chu froze.

Luo Qiu waved his cane and pointed. From within the doctor's robe wrapped around Jiang Chu's hands, a black card slid out and flew directly into Luo Qiu's palm.

Jiang Chu's eyes went vacant. "The Club... buying and selling... are you here for me?"

Luo Qiu shook his head. "I'm not looking for you. It's you who wished to see me. This Black Card sensed your most urgent desire and brought you before me."

"You... you can help me?" Jiang Chu trembled.

In just a few seconds, he had appeared on the rooftop. This sudden change, the strange man in the clown mask, and the black card that flew out on its own...

Incredible things were happening to him.

"Really... can anything be bought?" Jiang Chu swallowed.

Luo Qiu said calmly, "Yes, provided you can afford the value of what you desire."

Jiang Chu hesitated. "If I say I want my son to be safe, can you do it?"

Luo Qiu replied, "Yes."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Chu asked, "What... what do I need to pay?"

Luo Qiu said, "Doctor Jiang, what do you think you still have to offer... Hmm, perhaps I should give you a hint. Firstly, if the Black Card hadn't brought you here, you would theoretically already be dead. Of course, you are an important guest, and protecting our guests is something we do, so there will be no charge for that."

Seeing Jiang Chu's uneasy expression, Luo Qiu spoke directly, "But you must understand, Doctor Jiang, you were already going to die. After your death, you would have nothing."

"No need to say more," Jiang Chu suddenly took a deep breath. "You are devils... When that voice appeared, I knew you were devils. My soul is the most valuable thing, isn't it?"

"For most people, the soul is indeed the most valuable," Luo Qiu did not evade the topic.

Jiang Chu gave a wry smile. "Only guys like you, like devils, would be interested in my utterly filthy soul... Hahaha!"

He knelt on the ground in agony, his eyes vacant. Looking at his shackled, trembling hands, he rasped, "I know... I knew from the very beginning... The moment I cut open the first person's body with a scalpel, I knew I wouldn't have a good end... Old man? Man? Woman? Homeless? Even orphans... One by one, I can't forget the look in their eyes."

He covered his face and wept bitterly. "I had no choice!"

"They said they could find a matching bone marrow for me!"

"I can't let my son die, he's not even eleven years old! His life hasn't even begun!"

"Even if these hands become stained with blood, I will use them to carve out a new life for him! I'd even dare to go to hell for it!"

"Mr. Sun lied to me... They, they lied to me!!!"

"Retribution! Retribution!! This is my retribution, hahahahaha!!!!"

"Take my soul if you want it! I don't know how many people I've harmed, and I know I can't repay it even in death! But in the very end, I still hope to let those who should live, live."

Luo Qiu said, "State the item you wish to purchase."

Jiang Chu slumped. "I want my son... No, I want my son and his mother to be safe. I don't want them to be persecuted. In fact, I hope you can bring Mr. Sun and his group to justice."

Luo Qiu was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, your soul isn't worth that much. The former, or the latter?"

Jiang Chu gave a bitter smile. "Is that so? This filthy soul really isn't worth much... Oh well, then the former. As long as they are safe, that will be enough for me."

Even without the transaction, he was already doomed to ruin. Even if he were caught, with the ruthlessness of Mr. Sun's group, they wouldn't let him go. These people were powerful, and they likely had ways to reach him even in prison. And his son was also nearing his end.

His ex-wife would be consumed by grief over their son's death.

The worst possible outcome.

Then... if he could still exchange for something, he had nothing left to hesitate about.

He looked at the clown. "Finally, can I see my child one last time?"

Luo Qiu nodded.

With a wave of the Black Cane, the two of them were instantly transported from the rooftop to a hospital room. Luo Qiu lightly tapped the shoulder of Jiang Chu's ex-wife with his cane. Seeing Jiang Chu become tense, he said, "Doctor Jiang, you wouldn't want your final farewell to be disturbed, would you?"

Jiang Chu nodded, saying nothing. He walked to the bedside, took his son's hand, and pressed it silently to his cheek.

He just stared, lost in the moment.

Luo Qiu did not rush him, waiting with extreme patience.

Until Jiang Chu suddenly stood up, his eyes red. He gently kissed his son's forehead and murmured, "You will have a good life, understand? Dad is useless, I've done so many wrong things, I'm sorry."

He took a deep breath, looked at Luo Qiu, and his expression became serene. "Can I... take one last walk around this hospital?"

"Yes."

Luo Qiu nodded.

Jiang Chu walked through the hospital corridors. Strangely, no matter who passed by, they seemed unable to see him.

They walked right in front of him.

He knew this was a power from the "devil" and no longer paid it any mind.

He walked past the emergency room. "I wasn't even graduated then, and I was assigned here for an internship. The old Dean took a liking to me and brought me here directly after graduation. That calligraphy on the wall is mine... After all these years, they still haven't taken it down."

Jiang Chu smiled, looking at things, looking at those things, talking about this, talking about that, as if to keep Luo Qiu, who was accompanying him on the final journey of his life, from getting too bored.

Luo Qiu suddenly asked, "Doctor Jiang, if you could live your life again, would you still choose to help Mr. Sun?"

Jiang Chu stopped and thought for a moment before saying, "I will! But this time, I'll thoroughly check if the bone marrow matches, instead of blindly believing."

Luo Qiu simply nodded and suddenly said, "Time's up."

Jiang Chu also nodded, took a deep breath, and felt he had nothing left to worry about.

Suddenly.

A nurse rushed in, saying urgently, "Is Doctor Chen here? Doctor Chen?"

"What is it?"

"Due to the power outage, Doctor Huang was in surgery and, seemingly startled, made a mistake! The power was restored immediately, but Doctor Huang saw his error and, perhaps due to excessive stress, fainted temporarily... The Dean said the surgery cannot stop, Doctor Chen?"

"Me? I, I'm just an intern... I..."

"There's no time! The patient's family has already agreed!"

"But... what about Doctor Jiang?"

"Can't find him! Hurry! Hurry! It's an emergency!"

The nurse hurriedly pulled a young doctor into the room and left in a fluster.

Watching all this unfold before him, Jiang Chu gave a bitter smile, "Because of me... have I caused another one?"

"That was supposed to be your surgery."

Jiang Chu stared blankly at Luo Qiu, an unprecedented urge making him blurt out, "Can you give me five more hours... no, four hours?"

"Dean... I really can't do it."

The young Doctor Chen was flustered beside the old Dean, who could only offer words of comfort, "Just do your best. Otherwise, the patient has no hope. The situation is very dangerous, and I have no other choice..."

So, they're going to let this half-baked doctor take over? The young doctor's heart was filled with anger—this hospital had at least one or two other doctors who could have stepped in, not to mention the missing Jiang Chu!

"Let me do it."

Suddenly, a steady voice emerged. Jiang Chu walked in, wearing a pristine white coat. His face was pale, but his eyes held a brilliance the old Dean hadn't seen in years.

"Jiang Chu, you, you aren't..." The old Dean seemed to know something and looked at Jiang Chu's arrival in surprise.

Jiang Chu walked up to the Dean and said softly, "Teacher... I am just a doctor now. Can I?"

The patient's family was initially unwilling to let such a young doctor take over. However, the hospital system left them with no choice. The patient's grandfather, seeing his old friend bring in a young doctor, was about to protest vehemently.

Now, seeing Jiang Chu, who was supposed to be the lead surgeon, he had nothing more to say and immediately stated, "Doctor Jiang, I'm very sorry about your child's situation! But if you can save my granddaughter..."

Jiang Chu waved his hand, "I'm just saving a life, I don't want to say too much. If it's alright, please let me go in."

Although he said "please let me go in," Jiang Chu had already walked straight towards the operating room. The nurse in surgical attire quickly made way and hurried to say, "Doctor Jiang, I'll disinfect you first!"

Inside the operating room.

Everything felt so familiar.

Jiang Chu held the scalpel without a tremor; his fingers even felt strong. He had never felt so mentally sharp and focused.

He couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd felt this focused, performing surgery on the operating table.

He thought of nothing else, only hoping each cut would be precise.

The scalpel seemed to transform into a sharp sword, severing the threads that were pulling the young life towards death.

One by one, he lost track of time.

The operating room was silent.

Until a 'clink' suddenly sounded – the noise of metal instruments colliding as Jiang Chu placed them on the tray.

Jiang Chu let out a long sigh, "Stop the bleeding... and stitch the wound."

"Doctor Jiang! You are truly... amazing! Truly amazing!! Doctor Jiang? Doctor Jiang?"

As Jiang Chu removed his mask, he slowly collapsed to the floor. A faint smile graced his face, looking peaceful and content.

"Is this Jiang Chu's Soul? It's so beautiful. I thought it wouldn't reach this level of purity."

In the Club, You Ye held up a crystal box.

Inside was a ball of pink light, pure and without any impurities.

Luo Qiu, however, looked at the mobile phone retrieved from Jiang Chu, gazing at the photos within, and said softly, "Perhaps it's because he finally found redemption."

"I suppose we profited from this, and profited greatly," You Ye said with a smile.

Luo Qiu suddenly remarked, "Yes... it wasn't enough originally, but now it is. It's just a shame the transaction didn't specify this beforehand."

Luo Qiu shook his head, "This is probably the unpredictability of fate."

Saying that, he dialed a number on the phone, and immediately heard a voice say.

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service."

Luo Qi could only mutter, "They're really fast."

Shaking his head, Luo Qi stood up and held the Crystal Box in his hands.

You Ye asked, "Master, are you planning to make a Sacrifice?"

"Stored."

PS1: This chapter is five thousand characters... consider it two chapters for today.

PS2: Theoretically, there will be an update after midnight tonight. The new book period seems to be ending soon, but I haven't even made a splash on the new book charts yet. Who can give me a boost?

PS3: So, what I really want are recommendations and favorites.