Squelch.
The scalpel sliced cleanly through Chen Mo's ring finger and little finger.
The two fingers rolled down off Chen Mo's shoulder.
This was the moment!
That block with his right hand.
It became Chen Mo's only chance to escape.
Summoning his last scrap of strength.
Chen Mo lunged forward.
His body slammed heavily onto the concrete outside the clinic.
Sunlight fell across Chen Mo.
He felt warmth he had not known in far too long.
But before Chen Mo could celebrate.
He realized his legs were still in the clinic's shadow.
The sunlight cut across Chen Mo's legs.
Forming a stark dividing line.
His upper body, bathed in warm light, meant life.
His lower body, still imprisoned in the cold shadows, meant death.
Chen Mo struggled desperately.
He dragged his head against the ground, trying to crawl out of the shadows.
But the anesthetic had completely taken over his nerves.
His whole body felt filled with lead.
He had lost every ounce of strength.
Inside the clinic, Doctor Wen stood a short distance back in the shadows.
He did not pursue him, merely stood there in silence.
A black aura seeped from his body.
Distorting his gentle, handsome face.
He slowly took a step.
One step.
Then another, toward Chen Mo.
His target.
Was the pair of legs Chen Mo had failed to drag out!
Chen Mo clawed desperately at the ground.
His face scraped against it until blood streamed down.
He raised his head and scanned his surroundings.
Finally, in a corner not far away.
He spotted a flash of gaudy pink!
It was that donkey!
"Save me!"
Chen Mo had practically used every ounce of strength he had.
Wearing pink shorts, Red Hare furtively poked half its head out and peered over at him.
It was his only hope!
Red Hare had clearly seen the desperate situation Chen Mo was in.
An extraordinarily human look of conflict and calculation appeared on its comical donkey face.
It was weighing its options.
Despair engulfed Chen Mo.
He watched the donkey retreat, step by step.
Its face was filled with regret.
Finally, it turned around.
And slowly left...
Chen Mo simply watched the donkey.
Watched its retreating back.
"I figured it out!"
Just as Red Hare was about to round the corner.
Chen Mo mustered his last scrap of strength and shouted at the donkey!
"I figured out all the rules! And the source of his resentment!"
Red Hare abruptly froze midstep.
It whipped its head around, its gaze locking onto Chen Mo.
Conflict and greed appeared on its face once more.
By then, Doctor Wen had reached Chen Mo.
He raised the scalpel high.
The silver blade reflected a cold gleam.
Its target.
Chen Mo's femoral artery.
"Save me!"
Chen Mo erupted once more, driven by the madness of impending death.
He began squirming outward, using both hands and feet.
"You promised! You'd protect me once!"
"The corpse! It's yours!"
Those words seemed to be the last straw for Red Hare!
At last, a pained look flashed across its face.
It became a blur and charged toward Chen Mo.
An instant before Doctor Wen's scalpel fell.
The black-and-white blur rushed into the shadow-shrouded clinic, too fast for the naked eye to follow.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal striking metal rang out from the shadows behind him.
Red Hare's black hind hoof collided squarely with Doctor Wen's scalpel!
A violent surge of energy exploded outward from the point of impact!
It whipped up great clouds of dust.
Doctor Wen clearly had not expected such a powerful being to charge into the clinic.
The tremendous force transmitted through his hand sent him staggering backward.
Using the recoil from its hoof.
Red Hare seized Chen Mo's collar in its teeth.
And flew backward as though struck by a cannonball.
It rolled across the ground several times with Chen Mo in tow.
"Knowing you is the worst fucking luck I've had in eight lifetimes!"
The donkey spat out a mouthful of bloody foam.
Then turned to look at Chen Mo, who lay motionless on the ground.
"Stop fucking playing dead."
Chen Mo was lying in the sunlight now.
He was... alive again.
"ROAR-!!"
From the clinic behind them.
Came Doctor Wen's howl of frustration and fury.
"If you've got the balls, come out here! Grandpa Hare will break your ribs and make soup out of them!"
The donkey glanced at Chen Mo.
Then planted its hooves on its hips and hurled abuse at Doctor Wen in the shadows.
Chen Mo lay sprawled on the ground.
His chest heaved violently.
He gulped down air greedily.
Overwhelming pain from his right hand flooded every nerve in his body.
Once he had recovered a little strength.
Chen Mo slowly sat up.
He rummaged in his trouser pocket with his left hand.
And pulled out a strip of red cloth.
He gripped one end between his teeth.
Then wound it tightly around the bases of his severed fingers.
And clumsily tied a tight knot.
"You've got some nerve, kid."
Red Hare seemed to have finished cursing.
It limped over.
And glanced at Chen Mo's severed fingers.
"I even burned through my last-resort treasure for you!"
As it spoke, it braced itself against the nearby wall and lifted a hind hoof.
Beneath the hoof was a black clay token that had shattered into pieces.
So it could use the token itself, too.
Chen Mo exhaled. He said nothing.
The donkey impatiently dropped onto all fours.
And nudged his arm with its head.
"All right. Quit pretending."
"Want revenge for those fingers?"
"Tell me what you've got. Daddy will help you settle the score in a minute."
Chen Mo steadied his emotions and slowly raised his head.
His voice was hoarse.
"There are three rules."
"First, once you enter the clinic, you have to play the role of a patient."
"Second, you can't lie to the doctor."
Chen Mo paused. Every word seemed to drain his strength.
"Third... and most importantly."
"You have to accept every treatment he prescribes. You can't question him, let alone resist."
"You can only leave once he declares you 'recovered and discharged.'"
"That forms a perfect medical closed loop."
"Any attempt to break that loop is treated as a challenge to his absolute authority."
"Seriously? What a fucking tyrant."
"Even worse than the old vet who treated me before."
Red Hare flicked its ears, signaling for Chen Mo to continue.
"As for the source of his resentment..."
"The bulletin board said he used to be a key doctor at a provincial top-tier hospital."
"He was transferred here after a 'medical dispute,' and his future was ruined."
"A medical... dispute?"
Red Hare mulled over the term, sinking into thought.
"Right." Chen Mo tugged at the corner of his mouth and continued.
"That's why he hates dishonest patients."
"And hates anyone who questions his authority even more."
"His twisted obsession is to establish an absolutely perfect medical order that allows no questioning."
After listening to Chen Mo, the donkey lowered its head in thought.
It slowly turned around and squatted on the curb.
Its hind legs splayed apart, its front hooves hugging its knees.
It looked every bit the aging thug.
Then.
A creepy burst of "heh heh heh" laughter rose from its throat.
Its donkey mouth stretched into a grin, revealing a row of sleazy-looking buck teeth.
"Let's go!"
Red Hare sprang to his feet and waved a hoof.
"Come in with Daddy! Daddy'll help you settle the score!"
"I'll show him what! A goddamn hospital rampage looks like!"
Before you continue