Special Forces Medic

Chapter 1138 I’m Qin Lin, from the Military Commission

Just as Xiao Lin swept off to the right, at the end of the small island, waves slapped against the rock face with sharp crackling sounds. Here, on an open patch at the cliff’s edge, Lao Jiu was pressing his right hand to his abdomen. A gash thirty centimeters long ran from his left waist muscle all the way to the right, as if his whole body had been chopped in half at the midsection. The bleeding seemed to have been staunched, but blood still seeped out from within. His pallid face looked especially cold and grim beneath the night sky, blood staining the corner of his mouth. His hollow eyes were fixed on the two people before him. They had been standing facing each other for so long it felt like he himself had almost been forgotten. He really didn’t know why this guy had bothered rescuing him. Lao Jiu curled his lip...

The shadow from the freighter where he’d been wounded still lingered in Lao Jiu’s mind. He hadn’t even lasted a single move before that shadow sliced him in half at the waist. It was the first time he’d ever encountered such a terrifying opponent. When he woke up, the knife wound had already received some simple treatment. He was in a damp cave, with the sound of sea and wind outside. He could tell he was on a small island, and the other side clearly had no intention of finishing him off. They just had heavy guards at the cave entrance. With his current condition, let alone escape, he didn’t even have the strength to take two extra steps. Still, three meals a day were brought to him on time along with antibiotics. The dosage was barely enough to stop him from dying of infection too quickly, but nowhere near enough to be truly effective.

But giving a prisoner this kind of treatment didn’t mean he was lucky; it meant the other side had another purpose. They wouldn’t let him die before that purpose was achieved. With these thoughts circling, Lao Jiu finally saw a stranger’s face on the morning of the fourth day. He didn’t know who the man was, but could guess from his demeanor that his upbringing was decent. His clothes were different from the others too; at least he wasn’t wearing that green uniform—his outfit was much more casual and expensive.

"I’m Qin Lin, from the Military Commission." That was how the man had introduced himself, if Lao Jiu remembered right. But did "Military Commission" mean the central leadership? Or the military region? Lao Jiu didn’t understand and didn’t care to. His head felt like it was about to explode, the sense of weakness growing heavier and heavier. His body was burning up; the low fever had already lasted two days. So at this point, whoever stood in front of him all looked about the same. "You look pretty weak, City Lord of the underground city."

"Oh? Why don’t you try getting your belly split open at the waist and see how you feel." Lao Jiu really wanted to roll his eyes. This guy only looked smart on the outside—inside his gut was just a bag of grass. "Since you can see through my disguise, then you know which side you’re on. If you’re going to kill or carve me up, do it quickly."

"Hehe, Mr. Lao really is a tough man. Seems the outside world still doesn’t really understand the underground city. But is Mr. Lao really willing to submit to ’Black Crow’ like that? From what I know, your twin brother Lao Qing died at Xiao Lin’s hands. The reason given was that he colluded with foreign parties and tried to defect, right? You’re really willing to endure that kind of humiliation?"

"I’m just a rough man, can’t really understand your pile of nonsense. I don’t see you having any good intentions either, so why don’t you just spell it out clearly—what exactly do you want to do!"

"I like heroes like Mr. Lao—straightforward and to the point." Qin Lin burst into loud laughter. Hero? Was this guy’s brain defective? Lao Jiu thought to himself. "I know there are plenty of capable people in the underground city, managing the elite Assassins across all of China. If Mr. Lao is willing to cooperate with us, then I think your dear brother’s last wish will be realized very soon."

"That does sound rather appetizing. But since it’s called an underground city, that means we Assassins have to live like old rats underground, never seeing the light of day. Now you want people like us, who are used to the dark, to crawl out and bask in the sun? For all we know we’ll go up in smoke like a Vampire the moment we see daylight. Hehehe." Lao Jiu laughed and then broke into a cough. "You’re Qin Lin, right? Your brain’s not cooked, is it? My head doesn’t work that well either, but I still understand one thing: a business delivered to your door for free is either a trap or... a trap."

"If that’s how you insist on seeing it, Mr. Lao, then there’s nothing I can do. The person I’ve been waiting for is already on the board, which means your value has about run its course. Thank you for your cooperation these past few days. Even though your attitude disgusts me, I’m still a very humane person—good wine and good meat, consider it a farewell banquet." With that, a soldier really did bring in a lavish spread and a jug of wine, setting them in front of Lao Jiu before quietly leaving. "Mr. Lao, I still hope you can change your mind. After all, I’m quite interested in you. If you just die like this, your underground city might very well vanish with you. Wouldn’t that be a pity?"

"Care to have a drink together?" Lao Jiu poured himself a cup, sniffed it, and found the aroma decent.

Qin Lin gave Lao Jiu a long, deep look, snorted coldly, and turned to walk out of the cave. Lao Jiu silently set the cup down. He didn’t need to guess to know the wine was poisoned. But who was the person that man was waiting for? The thought made him curious. He tried to push himself up from the ground, but the weakness in his legs sent him slumping back against the wall, gasping for breath. After cursing a few times under his breath, he braced himself against the rock wall and headed for the cave entrance.

"Stop!" The light grew gradually brighter as he approached. The two men at the entrance pointed their guns at Lao Jiu, barking the order in low voices.

"Come on, brothers, look at the state I’m in—how am I supposed to run? Your officer already sent me poisoned wine. I just want to take one last look at the sun before I die. I’m a dying man; you can at least grant me that, right? People say if you turn down a dying man’s last request, it’ll shave years off your life." Lao Jiu chuckled. He’d already reached the entrance, and the fresh air suddenly cleared his head quite a bit.

The two men at the entrance glanced at each other, then tacitly agreed to his request, stepping aside just enough to leave a narrow gap, though most of the entrance was still blocked.

Sounds of fighting carried on the air—whether fists or palms, there was also the clash of weapons—all slowly drifting into Lao Jiu’s ears. He stood there, face full of enjoyment, took a deep breath, then turned and walked back into the cave. Seeing this inexplicable move, the two men only shrugged, unconcerned.

He enjoyed the fine dishes but had no interest in the wine, and soon realized his appetite was actually pretty good. The food was so tasty that the noises from outside couldn’t draw his attention. As he chewed what was his first proper meal in days, he couldn’t help thinking: isn’t the commotion at the entrance getting a bit much? (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)