Chapter 278 - 231: Better to Intercept than to Search (3)

Chapter 278: Chapter 231: Better to Intercept than to Search (3)

Infuriating as it sounded, the logic... was damnably solid.

"How much longer?" Lin Fan didn’t know the time, so he asked again.

"Almost..." Ye Qingniao buried her head in the crook of her arm, her voice muffled.

Time passed in awkward silence. Then, in an instant, Ye Qingniao’s body seemed to deflate like a punctured ball with a soft HISS—. Her shoulders narrowed, and her entire frame grew thinner.

"Ugh... Ah!"

The moment the drug wore off, excruciating pain surged back!

She immediately sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, unable to stop herself from crying out, "It hurts... mmmph..."

As if popping a piece of candy into her mouth, Lin Fan stuffed another crystal inside.

The crystal melted in her stomach, turning into a warm current. That familiar, tingling sensation instantly spread from her stomach throughout her entire body.

While it couldn’t stop the pain completely, this high-intensity energy was turning into nutrients, repairing her damaged tissues and significantly easing the tearing, excruciating pain.

That "piece of candy" had finished digesting, adding a total of 30 points. At this moment, Ye Qingniao’s Life Value was slowly climbing again from [137/730].

"Just bear with it."

Lin Fan wedged the flashlight into a strap on the seat back. He took alcohol from the first-aid kit to disinfect his hands, then pulled out a pair of scissors and, somewhat unskillfully, began cutting away the clothing that was matted to her back by blood.

"Alright, let’s get this off." Once the fabric was free, he reached out and peeled her combat suit up from her waist and over her head. "Lift your arms."

"Ah? Oh..."

After a confused "Ah?", Ye Qingniao quickly realized this was part of the treatment.

She cooperated fully, raising both arms and letting Lin Fan peel the damp, heavy, and bloody undershirt, along with the combat suit, up from her waist and over her head.

In the dim light of the flashlight, as her clothing was removed, a scene that should have been alluring was instead simply gruesome.

Two gruesome bullet holes were starkly visible on her fair, smooth back, surrounded by a large patch of purplish-blue bruising that created a jarring contrast with her otherwise flawless skin.

"Good thing it missed her spine." Lin Fan calmly assessed the wound. ’This is the upside of a through-and-through. No need to dig for a bullet.’

After carefully cleaning and disinfecting both the entry and exit wounds, Lin Fan gently applied gauze over the bloody holes.

At least the wounds were temporarily sealed.

As her Life Value increased, Lin Fan could clearly see the wounds healing as well. In his experience, once someone recovered two-thirds of their Life Value, their physical functions would be almost completely restored. The remaining recovery was likely a matter of consolidation and accumulation.

"Lift your arm."

In the cramped space, Lin Fan could barely maneuver his arm with the bandage. Ye Qingniao had to cooperate by leaning forward, their breaths mingling in the dim quiet amid the sound of the rain.

Lin Fan’s technique was professional. He didn’t wrap the bandage too tightly, instead using the tension of the elastic to hold the gauze firmly against the wounds, which both blocked out the external moisture and left room for the muscles to breathe.

Tying it off with a neat square knot, Lin Fan patted her uninjured shoulder.

"How do you feel?"

Ye Qingniao moved her shoulders. The thick gauze padded the wounds, and the empty, tearing sensation was gone, replaced by the secure, warm feeling of the dressing.

"Much better." She let out a breath. Looking at Lin Fan, who was right beside her, she leaned in and planted a firm kiss on his cheek, her eyes crinkling. "Nice handiwork... mmmph."

Lin Fan lifted his hand, and another crystal was stuffed into her mouth.

The third crystal brought Ye Qingniao’s Life Value up to [197/790].

Perhaps she was getting used to it, or perhaps her wounds finally didn’t hurt as much. In any case, once she was bandaged up, Ye Qingniao was able to move around inside the vehicle.

Lin Fan leaned against the wall of the vehicle. As the rain outside grew quieter, he sipped a Coke and recounted what had just happened to him.

He told them everything: the Awakened One with enhanced hearing outside, the two Awakened Ones haggling inside, the mutated pig with six thousand Life Value that devoured everything, his pursuit of the fleeing factory director, and the little girl who had never shown up, her fate uncertain...

The cabin fell deathly silent, the only sounds being the occasional crunch of Cheng Qi’s potato chips and his sharp intakes of breath. Even Ye Qingniao had propped herself up, listening with rapt attention, her eyes flashing with a light that was equal parts lingering fear and fury.

"Yiyi... she might still be in that factory..." Ye Qingniao clenched her fists. "As soon as I’m recovered, I’m going to go save them."

"Are you telling me what to do?" Lin Fan took a gulp of his soda and turned to her. "I have to go back whether you’re recovered or not..."

’The main thing is, I want to recover my mana and wait for my potions to come off cooldown before I face that giant mutated pig again.’

Speaking of which, Lin Fan suddenly remembered the black briefcase he had casually tossed aside.

’Almost forgot about you.’ Lin Fan picked up the case and placed it on his lap. With a light squeeze, he crushed the combination lock and casually flipped open the lid.

"Whoa." Cheng Qi couldn’t help but lean over. "That boss was seriously loaded!"

Nestled in the case’s shock-absorbent foam was a sealed glass jar. It was packed full with 12 crystals, each one glittering and translucent, glowing with a soft luster.

Next to the jar of crystals were two black hard drives, wrapped tightly in anti-static bags.

"Didn’t you say he gave you one jar? Here’s another one..." Ye Qingniao was practically drooling as she reached out to touch the jar of crystals, sighing. "I don’t eat these things, you don’t need to give me two..."

"I have a use for these."

Lin Fan lightly tapped her on the head, pried the jar of crystals out of the foam, and tucked it away in his clothes.

"And you still want to eat? You couldn’t even beat a single gunman. Just wait until you’re healed. We’ll see how I train you then..."