Volume One, Chapter 45: Chong Li’s Decision

A body fell, and Su Yike caught him; the others nearby also helped to support Jiang Chen. If not for Jiang Chen today, guilt would have eaten away at their hearts.

Li Shengyuan immediately spoke, “Old Liu, prepare a room for Brother Jiang. You know what I mean.” The man called Old Liu was the chief surgeon; he nodded hurriedly. Such an honor falling to him was his good fortune. After all, the skills Jiang Chen had demonstrated were worth learning from. If he could manage to learn even a fraction, his own medical expertise would reach new heights.

Su Yike held Jiang Chen with worry. From the moment she met him, she’d believed there was nothing Jiang Chen couldn’t do, not even the smallest or most impossible-seeming task; in his hands, everything became simple. So, in her eyes, Jiang Chen needed no one, relied on no one—he was always silently fighting, solving every problem on his own.

But Jiang Chen had no family in Qing City, and his only senior sister had yet to be found. While his life seemed spirited and ambitious, the loneliness in his heart was something only he knew.

When Jiang Chen was taken to the hospital room, Su Yike stayed by his side, their hands tightly clasped together.

As Jiang Chen slept, he mumbled, “I will avenge you all, I promise I will.” His words were slurred, but Su Yike listened with utmost care.

She sat quietly at his side, her gaze gentle, her eyes tinged with a faint sorrow. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I know you need help. You need someone to fight by your side.”

As a police officer, Su Yike was both strong and tender. She couldn’t bear to see Jiang Chen face all his inner burdens alone; she didn’t want him to have no one behind him.

Li Jingshou and Chong Li waited anxiously at the door.

“Big Brother sure is popular with women,” Li Jingshou sighed. “So many girls like him openly. When will I ever become a man like him?” His intention, naturally, was to become a man as upright and heroic as Jiang Chen, but to Chong Li, his words sounded quite different.

Chong Li laughed dryly. “Well, Li Jingshou, I didn’t expect you to think like this. Fine, then. Go find another girl. As for me, I won’t be tagging along anymore.”

Caught off guard by Chong Li’s sudden outburst, Li Jingshou hurriedly stopped her. “Move aside! Don’t block me!” Chong Li’s face was full of anger, her fists clenching unconsciously. If they weren’t in a hospital, she might have punched Li Jingshou right in the face.

Li Jingshou remained calm. “It’s not impossible for you to leave, but I have something for you. Take it, and I’ll let you go.”

Still fuming, Chong Li reached out her hand, her expression both angry and endearing. Li Jingshou took a rose from his jacket and placed it in her palm.

“For you. It’s fresh.”

The vibrant red rose lay quietly in her hand, still beaded with dew. Chong Li held it, admiring it briefly, and her anger faded away.

“You… you’ve picked up some bad habits!” After much hesitation, that was all she could manage.

But Li Jingshou’s sincerity shone through. “No, I haven’t. Big Brother told me to keep my feet on the ground and not mess around. But I thought, girls like flowers, and you probably do too, so I bought one.”

Chong Li, usually so fiery, softened in front of Li Jingshou. Faced with such honesty, she didn’t know what to say. At last, she murmured, “I… I’m hungry, let’s go eat.”

Li Jingshou was surprised, feeling as though he’d just discovered how to get along with Chong Li.

Leaving the hospital, the two sat down in a noodle shop. Before long, most of the customers had left, even though it was peak mealtime. Chong Li’s expression darkened.

Li Jingshou didn’t sense anything wrong. He ate as he watched Chong Li, seeing how she liked her food.

Chong Li set her chopsticks down and looked at the few people left around them. “Did you come here just to find me?”

Li Jingshou looked around, still confused. Four people dressed in military-style uniforms sat not far away.

“Chong Li, what are you talking about?” he asked, his mind full of questions.

Their leader, Fang Longcheng, realized they’d been discovered. With a friendly smile, he said, “Would you both mind coming upstairs for a moment? We have something we need your help with.”

Chong Li glanced at their uniforms and immediately understood. She simply nodded.

Once upstairs, Chong Li got straight to the point. “Comrades, aren’t you worried about being seen by others, acting so openly?”

Her meaning was clear—their actions were anything but discreet.

Xu Congcong grinned. “Of course not! Our camouflage techniques are pretty good. For ordinary people, even if they see us, they’ll forget us the next moment.”

Seeing Li Jingshou’s bewildered face, Chong Li explained, “Institute 509, the department in charge of investigating special events in Daxia. They answer only to Number One, with branches throughout the country. These are the members stationed in Qing City.”

Li Jingshou had read about this department in novels, but seeing it in real life was still hard to believe.

“So… all those historical incidents, were they you?” Like a child in school, Li Jingshou began asking questions.

Xu Congcong, a chatterbox herself, replied, “The fallen dragon in Ying County, the drought demon’s arrival, the mirrored jade pendant, the alien landing in ‘99—you’ve probably only read vague accounts of these online, but we were the ones handling them.”

Ever since meeting Jiang Chen, Li Jingshou’s worldview had begun to change. Now, he felt he’d entered an entirely new realm—his understanding of the world had reached another level.

“So… what do you want with Chong Li now?” he asked on her behalf, but Chong Li showed no resistance, only gently patted his hand.

Xue Qi answered, “It’s nothing else. We’ve detected the emergence of a zombie. We need your help to hunt it down and collect data. If possible, we hope you’ll cooperate.”

“A zombie? Is it that powerful? You need so many people?” Li Jingshou’s only impression of zombies came from the cinematic world crafted by Master Ying.

Xu Congcong pulled a face. “Of course it’s powerful! Otherwise, why would we ask for backup? This zombie is at the Vajra level—fierce by nature and its bite is painful.”

Li Jingshou felt afraid, but looking at Chong Li, he was conflicted. He feared for her safety, but knew her sense of duty was to the world. Even if he didn’t want her to go, he couldn’t stop her.

After a long silence, Chong Li said, “I’ll go with you, but you have to take him home.”

She pointed at Li Jingshou.

Li Jingshou quickly protested, “No, it’s too dangerous. I want to go with you—”

Before he could finish, dizziness overwhelmed him; the room spun. Chong Li knocked him out with a swift chop to the neck.

Cradling him, she pinched his cheek. “Take him home. I’ll go with you.”