The air smelled of disinfectant, and his hand felt like a needle was inserted into it, icy cold, which means I'm in the hospital?
Li Changan opened his eyes, and all he could see was white, except for a spot of pink next to the bed.
Seems her name is Lin Yubai? As he recalled the girl's name, Li Changan smiled slightly. So the final scene in his memory wasn't an illusion after all.
That's right, for a stranger like her, the final illusion shouldn't have been her anyway.
Propping himself up on the bed, Li Changan leaned over, trying to reach for the glass of water on the table.
"You're awake." Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Lin Yubai handed the glass of water from the table over.
"Thank you." Li Changan stretched out his hand to receive it, then hesitated, changing to grasping it with both hands instead. He felt somewhat awkward.
As Li Changan drank, Lin Yubai stood silently at the side watching him intently. The atmosphere was strangely quiet and uncomfortable.
After psyching himself up several times mentally, Li Changan finally broke the awkward silence. "You were the one who sent me to the hospital, right? Thank you, if not for you, I probably would have died."
Lin Yubai lowered her head and said softly, "You injected yourself with banned substances, and your original injuries were also severe. By the time you arrived at the hospital, you were already in heart failure. It is a miracle you survived."
"I see..." Li Changan smiled bitterly, then fell silent again.
In the end, it was still Li Changan who spoke first, "I have a question I've always been rather curious about. It's regarding your superpowers, is it something like erasing your opponent's intent to kill or along those lines?" This was a question that had lingered in Li Changan's mind for a long time. He had always wanted to know, was it because of Lin Yubai's superpowers that he did not make a move at the Trials Facility, or was it due to other reasons.
"No." Lin Yubai shook her head, "My superpowers are a Combat-type [Exemption]. It exempts attacks below a certain level, but has no effect against toxins or other chronic damage."
Not below a certain level, but below fatal level. Both the upper and lower limits depend on the superhuman's own level of power! Li Changan knew of these superpowers, and at the same time roughly guessed Lin Yubai’s identity.
"I'm going to get your medication for today, and let the doctor know you’re awake at the same time." Lin Yubai got up to leave.
Li Changan looked at the call button by the bed, then at the medication pack on the table with today's date written on it.
Outside, Lin Yubai leaned against the wall, her expression bleak and conflicted. In the time when Li Changan was unconscious, she had asked herself more than once as she looked at his face - Is this the person I like?
The horrific scene in the small building surfaced in her mind again. It was literally a hellish sight, with severed limbs and flesh scattered on the ground, as well as fragments of internal organs stuck to the walls and ceiling.
Is this the person I like? After witnessing such a scene from hell, can I still like him?
The answer was negative. Regardless of Li Changan's motives, whether for good or evil reasons, Lin Yubai could no longer convince herself to keep liking him.
Her vague infatuations were no match for the harshness of reality.
With a bitter smile, Lin Yubai shook her head. My first love ended even before it had a chance to start. No matter what, I can't bring myself to like someone so brutal in his methods.
Li Changan did not get to see Lin Yubai again. What came instead was the doctor.
"You have recovered very well. The wounds have begun to scar over." The doctor in the white coat was rather astonished. "You seem to have [Physical Enhancement] superpowers right? I didn't expect your recovery ability to be so good too."
Li Changan gave a faint smile. "Thank you. Where's the girl who sent me here?"
The doctor was still examining Li Changan's injuries, not even lifting his head as he said, "She left just now. Don't worry, she has settled all your medical fees. You were unconscious for three days and she watched over you steadfastly without budging one bit."
Raising his head to look at Li Changan, the doctor had the air of someone much experienced as he said gravely, "Young man, a good girl like this is hard to come by. You will definitely regret it if you miss this chance."
Is he telling me to pursue Lin Yubai? Li Changan furrowed his brows slightly but soon relaxed them. He did not sense any malice in those words.
But what exactly constitutes pursuit? Do I even have the qualification to pursue her as someone without superpowers?
"Alright then." The doctor had finally completed his examination, covering Li Changan properly with his blanket as he said with a smile, "Just rest a while more and you'll be good to be discharged. If you're in a rush, you can be discharged today too. After all, your physical constitution is simply astounding."
"But there will be no refund of hospitalisation fees for early discharge."
Li Changan chose to be discharged today. After changing into his clothes in front of the doctor, he went to collect his bill, folding the bill neatly before putting it away. He would have to repay the medical fees eventually to the person who paid it.
He had killed an entire building of people, yet there was no trouble from the Imperial Army coming after him. The only plausible explanation was that Lin Yubai had helped tie up all the loose ends. That would be the only answer until proven otherwise.
He would have to remember the favour too, to repay it in full eventually.
The clothes were not his original set. They were probably bought by Lin Yubai later on. Faint traces of delicate fragrance lingered on them, and none of the items were lacking.
In his phone, there was only a single text message from Jiang Shuibu asking when he would return. In the phone which could remain on standby for a week, this solitary text message was all there was, without even a single missed call.
He texted Jiang Shuibu back a reply. Li Changan then headed towards the train station. Luck was on his side this time, boarding a train headed North City after just 20 minutes of waiting.
With his body swathed in bandages, still exuding a strong medicinal smell, the passengers by his side all revealed looks of displeasure, showing a hint of disgust as well.
Of course Li Changan would not care about the looks cast his way. If anything, such looks made him feel strangely at home instead. This was the kind of looks he grew up under after all.
Night fell by the time the train arrived at North City. Li Changan did not ask Jiang Shuibu to come fetch him, flagging a cab by the roadside himself instead. However, the robotic cabs had some inflexibility in their programming, unable to differentiate order of passengers hailing them. They would simply prioritise the passenger who was closest.
And so the cab Li Changan flagged was snatched away.
"Hey, wait up." Before the other person could step into the cab, Li Changan grabbed him by the collar. "You cursed at me in the cab just now didn't you?"
The man was furious as he cursed again, "So what if I cursed at you? Piss off..." He did not get to finish his sentence, met squarely in the face by a punch which immediately smashed his nose. He toppled backwards cleanly in a faint.
Perhaps subconsciously, the bar seemed like a safe haven to return to. When Li Changan caught sight of the bar, he instantly felt the weariness from the past few days vanish into thin air.
"Changan!" Wu Liuyan, who had been wiping the tables, was overjoyed to see him as she came hurtling towards Li Changan at full speed.
Why does little Wu seem so close to me? Could it be that little Jiang has been tormenting her? Although rather puzzled, Li Changan still stroked Wu Liuyan's head indulgently.
"Hey you wench, let go of Changan first. Can't you see he's still injured!" Jiang Shuibu walked over unhappily, grabbing Wu Liuyan by her collar and tossing her aside.
His expression changed again when he turned to face Li Changan, gentle tones asking, "You're back, that's good right?"
"Maybe not so good." Li Changan shook his head.
What? Jiang Shuibu was taken aback. Changan, are you looking down on me?
Li Changan took out the bronze sparrow from his clothes and handed it over, smiling faintly. "I came back this time to say goodbye. I'm enlisting into the army."