"You!" Matthew's eyes widened.
Chen Li gasped for air, glaring fiercely at Matthew.
"Sister Chen, you betrayed us?" Matthew's subordinates surrounded him, some tending to his wounds, others confronting Chen Li.
"It was you..." Chen Li pointed at them, clearly Matthew had intended to kill her first.
Others might not know, but Matthew knew her fear of that hidden weapon. How could he treat her like that?
She was aćèŁ (contributor)!
Matthew felt the blood draining away. Though the wound wasn't fatal, he could still sense the fear of death.
Chen Li! Chen Li!!
He had done everything he could!
Matthew threw the hidden weapon in his hand.
"Attack! Kill them all!" Matthew, gasping, issued the stern order before being whisked away by those beside him.
He had to go to the Old Gentleman; the Old Gentleman could surely save him!
Matthew fled in a hurry, while Chen Li's eyes widened, her entire being frozen as she stared at the incoming hidden weapon.
Chen Li was saved by Huo Rou.
She stared blankly at Huo Rou, unsure what to say.
Qin Ningyi and his team finished dealing with the people on the other side and arrived at the alley entrance with He Zhongwu.
"Have someone escort Chen Li and He Zhongwu away." Huo Rou handed Chen Li over to a soldier from 112.
Qin Ningyi surveyed the surroundings. The bloodstain on the ground was still fresh, and there were traces of the hidden weapon's impact. An'an wiped away tears, stubbornly clutching Huo Rou's pants...
"Matthew ran away?" Qin Ningyi asked.
"Yes."
Huo Rou looked in the direction Matthew had fled, but there was no trace of them. "Let's go!"
Since Matthew dared to harm An'an, he would pay the price. Moreover, whoever possessed the virus source agent must be connected to the Yizhou virus. Or perhaps, the Yizhou virus was their creation.
Huo Rou was unknowingly approaching the truth.
"An'an wants to go too!" An'an hugged Huo Rou's leg.
Having just survived a calamity, An'an was exceptionally clingy now. Huo Rou, her heart aching, held him and comforted him. Qin Ningyi took out a thin garment from his bag and dressed An'an.
"What is this?" Huo Rou asked.
Such a thin garment, yet Qin Ningyi was so serious about dressing An'an in it, it must be special.
"Made from the latest materials," Qin Ningyi said, his hand on An'an's clothes, feeling more at ease. "It can protect An'an from getting hurt."
As Huo Rou and Qin Ningyi were about to leave, Chen Li suddenly called out to her.
Her face was deathly pale. "I don't owe you."
Her words felt awkward. She turned to the side. "Matthew will probably look for the Old Gentleman."
Huo Rou paused, her hand on the car door she had just opened, and looked back.
The wind howled, whipping her bangs wildly. When she looked at Chen Li, her eyes were devoid of emotion. "What Old Gentleman?"
Was someone else behind Matthew?
For some reason, Huo Rou thought of Samael, who was similar to the Yizhou virus.
When Chen Li turned back, she saw Huo Rou's eyes, deep as a cold abyss, containing a resolute strength, as if she had never wavered.
Such determination made her envious.
During her endless days and nights in Country Y, she had countless times questioned if her sacrifices were worth it. She used her own scars and achievements to earn herself a reason to believe unswervingly.
But even so, her faith lay shattered.
"I truly envy you!" Chen Li looked at Huo Rou, then at Qin Ningyi. The light in their eyes was the same.
"What Old Gentleman?" Huo Rou didn't engage her on other topics.
Chen Li gave a self-mocking laugh, her black sweater matching the bitter and sorrowful expression.
"The Old Gentleman is the Old Gentleman." Chen Li didn't know how to introduce him. They were not qualified to meet the Old Gentleman. If she hadn't needed to go to the hospital to control her condition, she wouldn't have even known of his existence.
Yizhou was Matthew's stronghold. Only someone more powerful and of higher status than him could make Matthew actively seek refuge. In her understanding, it was probably that mysterious Old Gentleman.
"Looking at the direction they left, they might be at Yi Ge Villa. You can go and check." Chen Li's gaze drifted into the distance, unfocused. "If you're wrong, just assume I was talking nonsense to amuse you."
Matthew was no longer worth her protection.
Chen Li was taken away, and Huo Rou and Qin Ningyi, along with their team, set off for Yi Ge Villa.
Huo Rou's heart was pounding. A thought flashed in her mind, and she couldn't shake it off.