I was about to help them when I noticed they’d already scoured all eight hospital beds—and even under them.

Ugh. No choice but to check the corner by the door.

I kicked aside piles of crumpled documents. *Clack*. Something was hidden beneath. I crouched, brushing the top papers away.

A pair of scissors. *(Legendary weapon acquired.)*

I picked them up—brand new, clearly left on purpose. This must be the weapon the bomber mentioned.

By now, Li Xiaobai and Moxiaoi had finished combing every inch of the ward.

“Find anything?” I asked.

“A flashlight…” Moxiaoi actually found one. A thick, black beast of a thing—you could club someone with it.

“I found scissors.” I held them up.

“Damn it! Why do you two get all the good stuff?” Xiaobai gaped, stunned.

“Huh? What’d *you* find, Xiaobai?”

“A steel pipe.” He pulled a metal rod from behind his back.

Well… that wasn’t really a pipe. Wrong material, for starters. Barely thumb-thick. And it looked oddly familiar…

“Heh. Isn’t that just the bed leg you ripped off earlier?” Moxiaoi teased.

“Shut up. Hand me the flashlight. Donghui, keep the scissors for defense.” Xiaobai snatched the flashlight from Moxiaoi and tossed her the rod.

“This thick…” He admired the flashlight while Moxiaoi scowled at her new “weapon.”

“Donghui, check how thick this is.” He shoved it toward me.

“Uh…” How do you even respond to that?

I took it, flicked the switch. Light flooded the ward.

“Bright enough!” Xiaobai grinned.

“Yeah.”

“You two clowns,” Moxiaoi muttered coldly.

Suddenly, Xiaobai grabbed my wrist.

“What’s wrong?” Was he getting handsy again?

He just silently switched off the flashlight, pocketed it, and whispered: “Someone’s coming.”

“What?!” Moxiaoi stiffened.

“Huh?” My breath hitched.

“Three people. Twenty meters past the hallway bend. Heading this way—but not sure if they’ll turn.” His voice stayed low.

“How did you—”

“What do we do?” Moxiaoi cut me off.

“We could talk to them first,” I suggested.

“…” She shot me a *are-you-an-idiot* look, then turned to Xiaobai. “Ambush them. Take the advantage. Easy kills.”

“But we should—”

“Shut it, pretty boy!” Moxiaoi snapped.

“You—”

“Quiet! Both of you!” Xiaobai hissed. “We hide first. Assess the situation.”

“Fine.”

“…” Moxiaoi just nodded.

“Hide in this room.”

Without a word, Moxiaoi ducked behind a rear bed, crossbow aimed at the door. She looked dead serious about killing.

“They’re at the bend. Hide,” Xiaobai urged.

I followed him behind the bed beside Moxiaoi. He pushed me against the wall while he and Moxiaoi crouched at the foot of the bed, peering out.

“You stay put. Just protect yourself,” he whispered.

I opened my mouth—but froze. Footsteps echoed outside. Voices.

“Damn it! Where the hell are we?” A gruff, middle-aged man barked.

“Boss, looks like a hospital,” another rough voice answered—younger.

“Idiot! Think I can’t see that? Hey, office drone—move faster! Or I’ll chop you up!”

“Wait! What’s happening?!” A weak, trembling voice pleaded.

“Shut your yap, salaryman!” the younger thug yelled. “Boss—is this that bomber’s doing?”

“Scared?” The older man cackled. “Damn it! Found a drunk woman thought we’d have fun… ended up in this mess!”

“Heh. Hope we find a woman. Boss’ll handle the killing—ain’t nobody stronger than him. Easy mode.”

“Do we… have to kill?” the office worker whispered.

“Lucky you’re on my team. Else I’d have slit your throat already,” the boss growled.

*Clang!* Metal scraped against walls. They had blades.

“Room up ahead, Boss! Let’s search it!” the younger thug shouted.

Footsteps turned toward us.

My heart lurched. I tugged Xiaobai’s sleeve. He pressed a finger to his lips—*calm down*.

“We’ve got this,” he murmured, eyes fixed on the door. I peeked out too.

Three figures entered. Two burly men in biker gear, muscles straining under leather. One skinny guy in a torn suit—the “office drone.”

“Search properly! And you, salaryman—move!” the boss roared.

“Didn’t we hear noise from here?” the office worker asked nervously.

They began rummaging.

Darkness and our hiding spot shielded us—for now. But discovery was inevitable. I tugged Xiaobai’s sleeve again. He nodded. His expression had shifted: *this* was the real Xiaobai.

He locked eyes with Moxiaoi. She raised one finger in the gloom.

I didn’t get it. Xiaobai did. He nodded back, then held out his hand.

Moxiaoi frowned, confused.

Xiaobai jerked his hand, miming a strike. *Ah—the rod.*

Moxiaoi rolled her eyes but tossed it over. Xiaobai caught it soundlessly. He signaled me to stay quiet. I nodded.

He flashed three fingers at Moxiaoi.

Two.

One.

*They’re attacking!*

Fist closed—*go!*

Moxiaoi sprang up, crossbow firing into the dark. Xiaobai vaulted over the bed, vanishing.

*What?!* My mind reeled. Those thugs were huge! Armed! And Xiaobai charged with just a rod?

Fear clawed my throat—

*CRACK!* A scream ripped through the ward. Bone snapping.

I flinched. *Not Xiaobai.* That was the office worker’s voice.

White light flooded the room—Xiaobai’s flashlight.

“All clear. Come out.” His voice was calm.

Moxiaoi squinted in the glare, stepping out. I followed shakily.

One step forward—and I froze.

Two bodies lay silent on the floor. The bikers.

The younger one had a black bolt buried in his forehead. A faint smile lingered—he hadn’t even felt it. The older thug lay nearby, throat impaled by Xiaobai’s rod. His face twisted in agony and confusion, blood pooling beneath him, choking on his own life.

The office worker writhed nearby, left leg bent at a sickening angle.

Xiaobai and Moxiaoi stood untouched. Unfazed. Like they’d swatted flies.

Moxiaoi yanked her bolt from the corpse, wiped the blood on his jacket, and reloaded her crossbow. Xiaobai picked up a fallen machete, testing its weight with a satisfied nod.

“You…?!” My voice cracked. Knees buckled. I collapsed to the floor, finger trembling toward them, words dying in my throat.