The gunfire, cannon fire, and explosions turned Maggie's little face pale as she hid in the underground storeroom. She instinctively moved closer to Colin, eventually clutching Colin's arm tightly in search of comfort.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine!"
Colin comforted Maggie.
Although Colin still had reservations about whether Maggie was truly so innocent and pure-hearted,
that did not stop Colin from comforting her.
Or rather... she was comforting herself.
After all, aside from the first two weeks after the rebels occupied the city, Colin had not heard such dense gunfire and artillery fire for a full three and a half months.
And now, it had appeared again...
Something major had definitely happened!
Colin's heart tightened instinctively.
She thought of Qin Ran!
In an environment like this, Qin Ran's chances of encountering danger had undoubtedly skyrocketed.
"That worrying bastard!"
Colin muttered to herself.
Knock, knock, knock!
The sudden knocking instantly put the previously worried Colin on edge. She gripped her pistol and asked vigilantly, "Who is it?!"
"It's me, Colin!"
The somewhat familiar voice filled Colin with surprise.
"Qin Ran!"
Colin cried out softly as she opened the door to the underground storeroom.
The instant Colin opened the door, Qin Ran, carrying an enormous pack, toppled inside.
Colin instinctively tried to catch Qin Ran, but he dragged her down with him.
"What happened, Qin Ran?"
With Maggie's help, Colin moved Qin Ran aside. Only then did she see a bloody gash on his waist. Even after rudimentary bandaging, the wound was still a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
"You're hurt!"
Colin cried out, then shouted, "Maggie! Maggie! Qin Ran needs your help!"
Colin still vividly remembered that Maggie was a nurse.
Even if she was only a trainee.
"I'm fine, Colin! Bring me some canned food and water, okay?"
Seeing Colin's panic, Qin Ran immediately gave her a smile of reassurance.
However, no matter how one looked at it, that smile was weak.
In truth, it was.
At that moment, less than 30 of Qin Ran's original 150 Health remained.
The blood constantly flowing from his wound was causing that number to slowly drop.
"I'll get it right away!"
Colin was frantic and a little flustered, but upon hearing Qin Ran's request, she immediately turned and ran toward where the supplies were stored.
Qin Ran glanced at Colin once more before speaking to the helpless Maggie beside him.
"Now I need your bandaging skills. Of course, it would be even better if you could teach me while bandaging me!"
"O-Okay!"
If Colin was merely flustered, Maggie was completely panicked.
Whether it was the repeated mistakes she made while bandaging Qin Ran or the muddled explanations she gave while teaching him about bandaging, both made that perfectly clear.
However, the result was good.
Qin Ran's continuously bleeding wound was stopped. Once he received the food Colin brought over, his Health began steadily recovering.
Naturally, the system also recognized the bandaging Maggie had taught him, bringing an unexpected gain.
[Name: Medical: Bandaging (Basic)] [Attribute Related: None] [Skill Category: Support] [Effect: Better use of bandages, increasing healing effects by 10%] [Cost: Stamina] [Learning Requirement: None] [Remark: Bandages, the best companions when bleeding!] ... [Name: Medical: Drug Knowledge (Basic)] [Attribute Related: None] [Skill Category: Support] [Effect: You can reasonably allocate and use the medicines in your possession, increasing drug effects by 10%] [Cost: None] [Learning Requirement: None] [Remark: Whether healing medicine or poison that kills!] ...
Qin Ran had not expected Maggie to possess two skills he could learn.
Naturally, when faced with the system's question, he chose yes without hesitation.
Although neither skill had related attributes, meaning he could not gain additional attribute benefits by raising their levels,
the skills themselves had decent effects.
Especially the latter!
"Whether healing medicine or poison that kills?"
If Qin Ran still could not understand such an obvious hint, then he would truly be an idiot.
In fact, some ideas had already formed in Qin Ran's mind.
However, seeing the obvious anger on Colin's face, Qin Ran temporarily suppressed those thoughts.
"I can explain!"
Facing Colin, who genuinely cared about him, Qin Ran raised both hands with a bitter smile.
"I'm listening!"
With her arms folded, Colin sat quietly in front of Qin Ran.
Seeing Colin like this, Qin Ran chose to be honest.
He began with his deal with Saruka, then moved on to sniping the rebel general Janning, returning to Saruka's camp, and finally being injured when a half-dead rebel soldier ambushed him as he was leaving.
When he spoke of this accidental injury, Qin Ran frowned deeply.
Because it could have been avoided.
However, after obtaining Saruka's arsenal, he had become a little carried away.
He had not believed anyone could survive such bombardment.
So, he received the lesson he deserved.
If his Constitution had not reached F+, if he had not possessed 150 Health, and if he had not used the pistol at his waist to block the attack, he would have died long ago.
Qin Ran spoke slowly.
Although the accidental injury at the end made Qin Ran feel somewhat embarrassed,
he did not conceal it.
"You..."
After Qin Ran finished recounting everything, Colin stared at him with wide eyes. She could not imagine that tonight's war had actually been caused by the man before her.
Maggie, meanwhile, was completely stunned. She had lost both her ability to speak and think, merely staring blankly at Qin Ran.
"At dawn, the government forces will enter this city—peace has arrived! Even if it came late!"
As Qin Ran spoke, he struggled to his feet and began packing his belongings.
This included, but was not limited to, the weapons and equipment he had obtained from Saruka's arsenal.
Qin Ran had no choice but to pack.
Because he had less than five minutes left in the instance.
[The player will leave the Beginner Instance in five minutes...] [Please carry any items you are personally able to carry as items to take out!] (Note: Items exceeding your personal carrying limit will automatically be deemed items that cannot be taken out of the instance!) ...
"Only items I can personally carry? Anything beyond my carrying limit will automatically be deemed impossible to take out of the instance?!"
Seeing this notification, even Qin Ran could not help wanting to curse.
However, reason told him to hurry!
And that forced Qin Ran to start preparing despite his unhealed body.
The condition that he could only carry what he was personally able to carry meant Qin Ran had no choice but to abandon some items.
Once again, Qin Ran felt as though he were cutting off his own flesh.
The painful kind!
Every one of those items had been hard-won. Each one had been obtained at the risk of his life!
"Fuck!"
After deciding that the sniper rifle [Viper-M1] and two [Iron Fist-II] rocket launchers were the most valuable essential equipment and absolutely had to be taken,
Qin Ran looked at the majority of the items he had to abandon, including the light machine gun [H-20]. Thinking of how he had been injured and burdened earlier, he finally cursed—in his heart.
Qin Ran's actions caught the attention of Colin, who had been watching him the entire time.
"You're leaving?"
Colin stepped forward and grabbed Qin Ran's sleeve, staring straight into his eyes.
Qin Ran, caught by Colin, had no choice but to stop.
Faced with her gaze, Qin Ran instinctively wanted to say something.
But when the words reached his lips, he did not know what to say.
He was grateful for Colin's help.
Without her help, Qin Ran knew he would have had an extremely difficult time, let alone gained what he had now.
But beyond that, Qin Ran could not say more.
Especially when Colin showed feelings that were different.
No matter how dull Qin Ran was, the instant Colin grabbed his sleeve, he understood her feelings for him.
Yet Qin Ran could not give her a response.
Their identities had long determined their ending.
Qin Ran could not tell Colin that this was merely a relatively realistic game, and that she was only an NPC, perhaps even playing a role such as a "beginner guide."
He could not say it aloud.
You could be unkind, but you must be kind enough not to hurt another person's happiness!
Qin Ran knew what Colin's happiness was.
And when facing that happiness, he was not merely willing to remain kind—he was willing to be more merciful.
But... Qin Ran did not know what to do.
So, he fell silent.
Qin Ran could only look into Colin's eyes, returning her gaze.
In the end, Colin released Qin Ran's sleeve.
"I'll help you pack whatever you need!"
The girl said this.
"Thank you!"
Qin Ran replied.
Before you continue