Canteen

As noon approached, the orderlies began opening ward doors one after another, herding the patients towards the cafeteria as if they were driving livestock.

The cafeteria was equally perfunctory. A large, empty space furnished with densely packed wooden tables and chairs, clearly showing signs of disrepair and insect damage.

Wang Yong and the other person slowly entered the cafeteria with the stream of patients. Behind them, orderlies swung iron rods menacingly. Anyone unaware would think they were in a prison.

But it was no different from a prison, even more terrifying. Here, basic safety wasn't even guaranteed.

At the front were only five serving stations, and the food was excessively simple. The congee was so watery you couldn't see the rice grains, just pale water with a few leftover vegetable leaves floating on top, some already spoiled and emitting a foul odor.

Forget about losing your appetite; eating this wouldn't even give you the strength to hang yourself.

After following the crowd and receiving his lunch, Wang Yong placed his tray on a table but didn't eat. The food in the instance wasn't safe, and the exam time wasn't long. Going without food for a day would at most make him slightly hungry, not affecting his actions.

Thirty minutes for dining, time was tight.

Wang Yong tried to communicate with the patient next to him, who was eating mechanically. However, the patient's expression was numb. No matter how many topics Wang Yong brought up, the patient didn't respond, as if Wang Yong didn't exist.

Wang Yong wasn't giving up and tried to continue the conversation. The 'orderly' who noticed the commotion nearby took two steps towards them, raising the iron rod in his hand as a warning.

Forced to comply, Wang Yong had to stop.

Huang Yousheng's bleeding had stopped, but his condition wasn't good. He had barely recovered from his fear when his gaze fixed intently on the entrance.

"They actually returned completely unharmed," he muttered in disbelief.

Wang Yong wasn't far from him, and any slight movement didn't escape his ears. Following Huang Yousheng's gaze, he saw a few familiar figures walking in through another corridor.

The surrounding medical staff lined up neatly in two rows, clearing a path for passage.

The young man who emerged from the Dean's office walked unhurriedly at the very front. The moment he appeared, everything around him became mere background.

It was Bo Shuo.

Wang Yong clenched his fist fiercely, a sour ache of powerlessness and unwillingness seeping into his heart like poison. If it weren't forbidden, he would have rushed to Bo Shuo and demanded in the sharpest tone—Why, by what right?

Why did they go through life and death with the Dean, while Bo Shuo returned perfectly fine, intact, not even a corner of his clothes mussed?

This disparity stimulated Wang Yong's heart, causing blood to pool.

He naturally hated Bo Shuo.

Before being selected for the "exam venue," Wang Yong was a nobody at the bottom of society. He hated people like Bo Shuo the most.

Lofty, powerful.

What trickled through their fingers was something he could never obtain in a lifetime.

While others lived in bright sunshine, he had to crawl like a rat in the darkness, exchanging his strength for meager wages, even facing his boss's justifiable delays in payment.

This suppressed, twisted emotion continuously accumulated in his heart, festering into pus, ready to spray venomous fluid at the slightest touch.

And the "exam venue" was that needle.

Only when the old order collapsed did Wang Yong realize that those glamorous so-called 'white-collar' and 'gold-collar' workers were also like lambs to the slaughter in the "exam venue," crying and begging, their screams continuous.

As long as he brought the cleaver down on their necks and pressed gently, that annoying face would turn ashen and gray, never to make a noisy sound again.

Having gained power through his strong physique, Wang Yong naturally reveled in this. He hated everyone better or stronger than him.

Especially those who looked down on him, repeatedly stole his spotlight, and opposed him.

Bo Shuo embodied all of these.

Perfectly and precisely drawing Wang Yong's hatred.

But unlike everyone before, Bo Shuo was too outstanding, his intelligence and combat prowess so powerful they were impeccable.

To the point where Wang Yong couldn't find any opportunity to strike.

Even this time, the "Dean's" conversation didn't cause Bo Shuo the slightest harm.

How could he not hate him?

Lost in thought, Wang Yong crushed the metal plate, its sharp edges tearing his calloused palm.

Huang Yousheng, having recovered from his initial shock, saw Wang Yong's grim expression and quickly retreated further. His sleeve shifted with the movement, and a phantom pain flickered in his eyes, revealing a hint of malice.

He no longer dared to follow Wang Yong, fearing that Wang Yong might sell him out on the next occasion.

This time it was just an arm; next time it might be his life.

Huang Yousheng knew that losing his arm wasn't a coincidence but that Wang Yong had used him as a meat detector.

Wang Yong was selfish and self-serving, only appearing kind and righteous on the surface. But if his interests were touched, he would kill without hesitation.