Footsteps sounded. Under the sympathetic gazes of the doctors and nurses, Zuo Xiaoduo walked through the door, reeking of alcohol and looking utterly dejected. "There was no one at your house," he said wearily, "so I had to bring the money to the hospital. Luckily, you're still here."
The old man's son snorted. "Put the money down, and you can leave."
At those words, everyone's expressions grew even stranger.
Were extortionists nowadays all this self-righteous?
Zuo Xiaoduo seemed infuriated by the man's attitude as well. His face suddenly flushed red, but he swallowed his anger, walked up to the man, and took out the money, holding it out to him. "Count it."
The old man's son involuntarily took a step back. "Just put it on the table."
Zuo Xiaoduo pressed a step closer. "You have to count how much I brought. I need a receipt for the amount. I don't trust your family!"
The doctors and nurses nodded inwardly. That was exactly what he should do. Given how shameless that family was, who knew what other tricks they might pull? They were perfectly capable of taking the money and then denying they had received it, or claiming the amount was wrong.
The man hesitated, then reached out to take it. "Fine."
He tugged, but the money did not budge. Looking up, he saw Zuo Xiaoduo staring fixedly at him, panting hard and breathing out alcohol fumes. His eyes were bloodshot as he asked in a strained voice, "Don't you feel guilty, extorting me like this?"
The man jumped. "What? What did you say?"
Alcohol on his breath, Zuo Xiaoduo was already roaring in grief and fury. "Don't you feel guilty? Not even a little?"
The old man's son froze for a moment, then flew into a rage. "You scum of society, you disgrace to humanity..."
Before he could finish his abuse, Zuo Xiaoduo suddenly erupted. With a smack, he slammed the stack of money into the man's face, then lunged at him, his face crumpled in a breakdown. He began raining blows down on the man's head and face, crying as he struck. "Don't you feel guilty? Don't you feel guilty?"
"I saved your father! I saved your father's life!"
"You extorted me! You stood there and flat-out called me the culprit, and you've been extorting me ever since! I wanted to be a good person. I was doing a good deed... why are you treating me like this?!"
"Why are you extorting me? You know perfectly well what really happened!"
"And you call me scum of society? A disgrace to humanity? Which of us really is?!"
"Who's the scum here? Who?!"
"Why? Answer me!"
"Why? Why?! Why is it so hard to be a good person in this world?!"
Zuo Xiaoduo's grief-stricken, furious roars rang out with perfect clarity, yet his movements were astonishingly fast. A few thudding punches knocked his opponent to the floor. After punching and kicking him for a while, he charged at the others, continuing to roar in grief and fury as he punched and kicked, laying into them!
The old woman tending to the old man on the hospital bed had only just charged over, cursing, when Zuo Xiaoduo sent her flying three meters with a resounding slap. She fainted beneath the bed.
Thud, thud, thud...
Listening to those roars of utmost grief and fury, cries that pierced the heart and wept blood, some of the more sensitive doctors and nurses felt their eyes redden.
Just how far did someone have to be pushed for a fine young man who had so eagerly saved a life to suffer such a breakdown that he lost his senses?
Yes, why was it so hard to be a good person in this world?!
Even watching that family being savagely beaten, no one could muster the slightest sympathy. Only one sentiment echoed in their hearts-
Served them right!
A few doctors and nurses even deliberately slowed their movements. Only once Zuo Xiaoduo had more or less finished beating them did they gather around to break up the fight. "Don't hit them! Don't... uh..."
Looking at the family on the floor, their faces beaten into pig heads, every one of them with bruised faces, swollen eyes, bruises all over their bodies, and swelling everywhere, the doctors and nurses all felt their brows twitch repeatedly.
That fast?
It was over already?
Although everyone felt that this beating was truly... immensely satisfying, still... he had hit them far too hard, and far too fast...
Judging by those cracking sounds, bones must have broken, and more than one at that...
"I... I hit people again..."
Zuo Xiaoduo stared blankly at his hands, muttering to himself with a desolate expression. "I only wanted to be a good person..."
He turned around in bewilderment and asked dazedly, "Why... can someone who extorts his lifesaver stand there and so brazenly, so self-righteously call his benefactor scum of society? A disgrace to humanity? What on earth has happened to this world...?"
The doctors and nurses comforted him softly, but they were also growing worried.
Now that there were disabling injuries, this would probably be difficult to handle. This young man had been too impulsive.
Some of the more sensitive young nurses had reddened eyes.
How pitiful. This boy was truly so pitiful.
He had been full of warmhearted enthusiasm, only to encounter something so disgusting and vile!
Zuo Xiaoduo cried out in a breakdown, "What on earth has happened to this world? Is there really nowhere to turn to for justice? The media, the newspapers, the television stations, the reporters, those... those legal authorities, those leaders-why won't they open their eyes and look?!"
"I'm a good person! I'm a good person!"
That succession of anguished roars also seemed like a succession of hints.
One nurse's eyes suddenly lit up. She took out her phone and dialed a string of numbers.
Yes, perhaps only the media could help this poor young man now...
Chapter 10: The Trial Ends! I'm a Hero!!
The inspection team soon arrived.
Seeing that it was Zuo Xiaoduo and that family again, several inspectors wore rather strange expressions.
The investigation began.
The situation was clear at a glance.
The doctors and nurses eagerly stepped forward to testify.
"That family went too far! They're absolute trash!"
"This young man came of his own accord to deliver the money, but that family called him scum of society, a disgrace to humanity. Hearing that, he lost his temper... ah, it's understandable. I would have lost my temper too. He saved someone, got extorted, and was even called a disgrace. Who's the real disgrace here?" one doctor said, filled with righteous indignation.