Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Question, Isn’t That a Criminal?

[Translation By Divinity]

Through the windshield, Dong Jianren clearly saw that the man in glasses’ eyes were now pitch black, without any white showing. A sinister smile, identical to the shadow’s, was plastered on his face.

Hearing the sharp screeching of brakes behind him, Dong Jianren’s soul almost left his body. He scrambled forward, running with all his might.

But how could two legs outrun four wheels?

In just a few seconds, the black pickup truck caught up to him.

‘This is it, I’m going to be flattened into a pancake!’

In his despair, Dong Jianren suddenly spotted a large tree nearby, wide enough for three people to embrace. A daring idea sparked in his mind.

Without hesitation, he ran towards the tree, stopping and turning around when he was just ten meters away, facing the oncoming pickup truck.

Dong Jianren took a deep breath, forcing his trembling legs to stay still.

‘Wait a bit longer, wait a bit longer, not close enough yet!’

When the pickup truck was less than three meters away, Dong Jianren shouted and jumped to the side.

The truck roared past, grazing his body.

Then, a sharp screeching sound came from behind, followed by a sharp pain in his back.

Dong Jianren, sprawled on the ground, looked back and saw the front of the pickup truck smashed into the tree, the hood caved in.

Reaching for his back, he found several shards of glass embedded in it.

Every slight movement sent waves of pain through his back.

Just when Dong Jianren thought it was all over, the collapsed truck door was kicked open from the inside.

To his horror, a blood-soaked figure with a twisted neck and contorted limbs emerged from the driver’s seat.

Looking at the pale eyes, Dong Jianren felt like bursting into tears.

‘What the hell! He’s not dead?’

Dong Jianren struggled to crawl away, leaving a long trail of blood behind him with each movement.

Watching the man in glasses slowly but surely closing the distance, Dong Jianren knew he couldn’t outrun him.

With a thought, a Qiankun Thunder Talisman crackling with electricity appeared in his hand.

His life depended on this.

He hurled the talisman at the twisted figure.

A ball of lightning enveloped the figure, and a piercing scream echoed across the open field.

A contorted black shadow fell from the man in glasses, flames licking at its form before it dissipated into thin air.

A notification sounded in his mind at that moment.

[Main Quest 2 completed: Escape from the Third Hospital! Quest completion reward: 1000 exchange points!]

Hearing the notification, Dong Jianren felt a wave of relief. The tension finally left him. But due to the severe blood loss from his back, his consciousness began to fade again.

In his hazy state, a familiar voice echoed in his ears.

“Someone come quickly! There’s an injured person here who needs immediate medical attention! Huh? Why is it this kid again?”

☆☆☆

The familiar ward, the familiar smell of disinfectant.

Dong Jianren opened his eyes to see a familiar face with a half-smile.

“Officer… Officer Shi?”

The figure before him was none other than Officer Shi, whom he had met last time.

Hearing Dong Jianren’s question, Officer Shi looked at him as if he were an endangered species.

Feeling uneasy under this strange gaze, Dong Jianren spoke again.

“Officer Shi, what’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Hearing Dong Jianren’s question, Officer Shi finally retracted his gaze, leaned back in his chair, and spoke calmly.

“You streamers live a more thrilling life than mercenaries. Tell me, why did you choose to explore that place this time?”

Hearing Officer Shi finally speak, Dong Jianren let out a long sigh of relief.

“Well, Officer, you know, my audience only likes to watch me broadcast this kind of stuff. I have no choice, it’s for a living. But I’m so unlucky, I just happened to run into something like this!”

Listening to Dong Jianren’s self-serving explanation, Officer Shi’s gaze grew colder. A loud shout interrupted Dong Jianren’s words.

“Dong Jianren! Do you know the consequences of giving false testimony? Do you still intend to continue lying?”

Officer Shi’s outburst made Dong Jianren tremble. Hearing his sharp questioning, Dong Jianren almost blurted out the truth.

An image of himself being strapped to a bed, about to be dissected, flashed through his mind. Dong Jianren’s heart sank again.

Helplessly, he repeated his previous statement.

Noticing the growing disappointment in Officer Shi’s eyes, Dong Jianren’s voice grew softer and softer.

The ward fell silent again.

After a long while, a sigh broke the silence.

“Dong Jianren, I hope you can trust us, the people’s police. No matter what kind of threat you’re facing, we can help you resolve it. We are the strongest shield protecting the people, and we will not let any criminal go unpunished.”

Hearing Officer Shi’s sincere words, Dong Jianren didn’t know what to say and could only remain silent.

He had investigated Dong Jianren before; his clean background didn’t match his experiences. That’s why Officer Shi suspected Dong Jianren was being coerced.

Seeing that Dong Jianren remained silent, Officer Shi slowly stood up.

Just as he was about to leave the ward, Officer Shi said softly, “The dean of the Third Mental Hospital, I saw him at the scene. His injuries were so severe that there’s no way he could have walked that far!”

Watching Officer Shi’s retreating figure, Dong Jianren sighed softly.

“You won’t let any criminal go unpunished? But the problem is, that wasn’t a criminal…”