"Hm? Who threw that banana?"
Just as the vagrants were starting to imagine their bright future, a banana suddenly came flying from who knew where and landed right in front of them.
One of the hungrier vagrants immediately crouched and snatched it up, grinning foolishly.
But just as he was about to peel it, a sudden flash of fire completely blocked his view.
Boom!
An ordinary-looking banana exploded just like that!
The deafening blast and the rising smoke terrified the people nearby. They fled in panic, but one figure was moving in the opposite direction.
"Why did you make me do this?"
"If you'd only wanted revenge, probably this many people wouldn't have died. Why did you have to notice something you shouldn't have seen? Why did you have to wipe us out completely?"
Abel stood at the mouth of the alley, looking at the gruesome aftermath of the explosion without the slightest change in his expression.
No one could have guessed that he'd doubled back.
Abel had originally planned to follow them to their hideout, then quietly kill the long-haired vagrant who wasn't willing to let things go.
But he'd unexpectedly overheard the bastards' conversation while hiding at the alley entrance, and his urge to kill had immediately grown!
If he really let them have their way, he and Luo would probably never make it out of this country alive.
So, to protect himself and avenge Luo, he had no other choice.
Of the eight vagrants, seven had been blown to pieces on the spot. Only the long-haired vagrant had been lucky enough to stand a little farther away, with two "meat shields" in front of him, and so he'd managed to hold on to his life.
But when he saw the face of the person who'd arrived, terror immediately filled his eyes.
"Please, don't kill me!"
"I swear, I really won't tell anyone. Boohoo..."
A grown man started crying just to stay alive.
Abel fell silent for a moment, then turned and walked away, seemingly prepared to let him go.
But just as the long-haired vagrant's face brightened with relief, a banana fell from the sky and landed right in his lap.
"No—"
Boom!!!
Now that things had already gotten this bad, what difference did it make whether he set off one explosion or two?
Abel's cold figure soon disappeared into the distance.
By the time the security team arrived, the scene had been left in ruins.
Scattered limbs and collapsed walls were jumbled together, and there wasn't a single body left intact enough to piece back together.
The smell of charred flesh was especially revolting. Many people had turned pale and felt like throwing up as soon as they approached.
Although their investigation confirmed that all the dead were vagrants nobody cared about, the authorities issued strict orders to find the culprit because of the heinous method used—bombs.
Otherwise, what if the culprit had a bad day and threw a bomb into a crowded place? Then they'd all be done for.
Captain Jess, who'd received the order, looked none too pleased.
Although the dead vagrants were insignificant, they paid him protection money every month and acted as his informants, sometimes taking care of dirty jobs that couldn't be done out in the open.
How could he not be furious when more than half of them had been killed at once?
"Investigate! Investigate this thoroughly!"
"Bring in everyone nearby who might have witnessed the scene!"
"Also, send someone to the black market and ask Old Jack who he's sold bombs to lately. Does he have a death wish?"
Amid the ensuing chaos, Abel and Luo's situation had become extremely dangerous once again.
Late at night.
Abel sneaked into the hospital and took some medicine and bandages. He nearly got caught, but in the end, he made it out safely.
By the time he returned to the woods where they were hiding, dawn was almost breaking.
"I don't know which of these medicines will work, so I took a little of each. Can you tell them apart?"
Luo was awake now. His injuries looked frightening, but most were external. Thankfully, he'd done everything he could to protect his vital spots. Otherwise, he might have been beaten to death back then and wouldn't have lasted long enough for Abel to find him.
"These two are for external use. This one's oral, and this one's for inflammation..."
"Fine. As long as they'll work, the trip wasn't a waste."
Since Luo couldn't move around right now, Abel had to apply the medicine for him.
At a time like this, there was no need to be particular, so Abel simply wrapped Luo up like a mummy, using every last bandage he'd brought. He didn't even think about what they'd do when it was time to change the dressing.
After all, he'd already done more than enough. If Luo still couldn't pull through after all that, then Abel had been blind to invest in the wrong person.
"Thank you."
Although Abel applied the medicine roughly and wrapped him up like a mummy, Luo still thanked him earnestly.
This was the second time Abel had saved him.
Abel didn't make a fuss about it. He lay in the grass, gazing at the stars overhead. "You can skip the thanks. Just remember, you owe me two lives now."
"Take them whenever you want. My life isn't worth much anyway. Doesn't your family run a business? Why do you keep making these unprofitable deals?"
"They're unprofitable now, but they might not be later. What I'm doing is called a long-term investment. What would a doctor's son know?"
Abel scoffed, then pulled out an apple and took a big bite.
Mm, it was damn sweet!
Gurgle, gurgle.
Luo's stomach immediately growled. He was obviously starving, too.
But he stubbornly kept his mouth shut, not because he was embarrassed, but because he didn't want to put Abel in a difficult position.
After all, he could barely move and couldn't help with anything. It made sense to give the limited food to the only person who could get around.
Simply put, feeding him would be a waste!
Luo said nothing, and Abel seemed to pretend he hadn't heard the sound. He polished off the big apple in a few bites, not wasting a bit.
Then he pulled out another apple.
Luo quietly swallowed a few times.
Abel acted as if he hadn't noticed and kept eating all by himself.
Soon, he finished the second apple, too.
And then...
As if by magic, he pulled out a third apple.
By then, Luo finally couldn't hold back.
"Is that apple... sweet?"
"Of course it's sweet!"
As if afraid Luo wouldn't believe him, Abel took another huge bite right in front of him. Juice splashed everywhere. It was so fresh!
"..."
Luo, lying on the ground dressed up like a mummy, felt a little crushed.
I asked if it was sweet. Did you really think I was asking whether it was sweet?!
How could you not get the hint?!
Seeing how dejected Luo looked, Abel finally couldn't help laughing out loud.
When Luo heard Abel laughing, he finally realized that the guy had been teasing him on purpose!
"You jerk... Boohoo—"
A big, round apple was shoved straight into Luo's mouth, silencing whatever he'd been about to say.
"Just eat your apple. And next time, don't push yourself so hard."
Abel had no idea who'd given those apples to the doctor. Nobody had touched them, so when he spotted them on his way past, he'd simply helped himself.
Before you continue