Chapter 66
The glaring red light above the emergency room door was like a never-extinguished bead of blood hanging in everyone's heart. In the cold corridor, the air was so solid that it could be wrung out of water.
The initial chaos almost got out of control.
When the ambulance raced to the hospital and the medical staff tried to take the bloodied and weak Kiriyama Hakure from Keigo Atobe's arms, he was like a wounded lion protecting its cubs, his arms tightly clasped around him. His red eyes held only frantic resistance and the fear of losing everything. A deep, animal-like whimper erupted from his throat, his strength astonishing.
"Keigo! Let go! Let her in!" Tatsumi Atobe tried to pry his son's arms open, his voice anxious.
"Master! Let the doctor save him!" Butler Tsuchiya also came forward to help.
But Keigo Atobe seemed unable to hear. All his senses were closed, leaving only the faint warmth in his arms that was rapidly fading away.
"I'm sorry!" Chuyi and Shiwu exchanged a look of determination. They exerted their strength, one of them grabbing the joint of Atobe Keigo's arm and using their strength to force it away!
"Ah!" The sharp pain numbed Keigo Atobe's arm, and his strength instantly weakened. The medical staff seized the opportunity to quickly lift Kiriyama Gakuen onto a hospital bed and wheeled him towards the emergency room door, the dividing line between life and death.
The door slammed shut and a red light came on.
Atobe Keigo was released by Chuyiwu and staggered to chase after him, but his father Atobe Tatsumi held his shoulders tightly.
"Keigo! Calm down! You can't help here!"
Tatsumi Atobe's voice was undeniably harsh, but deep within his eyes was the same fear and pain. He looked at his son's face, which was as pale as paper and had become emaciated, and his eyes, which had lost all their spirit and were filled with endless emptiness and despair, and his heart ached.
"Doctor, give him a nutritional injection! Quick!"
As the medical staff approached, Keigo Atobe offered no resistance, like a soulless puppet, allowing the cold needle to pierce his skin. The nutrient solution slowly flowed in, slightly restoring his complexion, but his eyes remained fixed on the closed door, as if they wanted to burn through it.
Oshizuka Yuushi and Hiyoshi Raku looked at him like this and felt sorry for him. Oshizuka walked up to him with a glass of warm water and Hiyoshi walked up to him with a sandwich.
"Keigo, eat something." Inuzuka's voice was low and serious, with a force that could not be refused. "Your life was bought with her own life. You must hold on, you must live well. Otherwise, how can you be worthy of her blood?"
Atobe Keigo mechanically turned his head and looked at Oshitari with a blank look in his eyes. Oshitari directly put the water cup to his lips and forcefully fed him a few sips. Hiyoshi Wakaba tore off a small piece of the sandwich and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Swallow it!" Hijiruo's voice was also commanding, "Don't let her down!"
Atobe Keigo's Adam's apple rolled as he chewed and swallowed numbly. The food and water slid through his throat, but he couldn't taste anything, like chewing wax.
At this moment, his eyes accidentally swept over the thing that his mother Atobe Eiko was holding tightly in her hand - the exquisite golden butterfly bracelet he gave to Kiriyama Gakure.
boom--!
All the memories and pain came back in an instant.
The light yet scorching feeling of her kiss on him, the resolute back of her as she rushed to block him, and the warm, constantly flowing blood on her chest that was stained on his hands...
An extremely suppressed howl, like the dying howl of a wounded beast, burst out from the depths of his throat.
He suddenly hugged his head tightly, his body curled up and trembled violently. Those hands, hands stained with her blood, felt like they were burned by a branding iron, burning his soul.
Every limb and every inch of bone and blood seemed to have been crushed repeatedly by a huge millstone, leaving only endless despair that could devour everything.
Looking at her son's collapse in pain, and then looking at the red light that symbolized the unknown of life and death, Atobe Eiko finally couldn't hold it in any longer. She fell into the arms of her husband Atobe Tatsumi and burst into tears. Her suppressed crying sounded particularly desolate in the silent corridor.
Hiyoshi Tsuyoshi, standing next to him, frowned, trying to calm the atmosphere that was about to collapse with his reason. He spoke in a dry voice, "They're all wearing bulletproof vests... they should be... fine..."
But these words seem so pale and powerless at this moment.
Everyone knows what those two close-range shots mean.
What's more, before pushing him into the emergency room, the nurse had already taken off the blood-stained bulletproof vest and threw it casually on the bench in the corner of the corridor.
Two hideous bullet holes were clearly visible on the chest, with dark red bloodstains on the edges, like two mocking eyes, coldly piercing through all the comfort of luck.
The Long family's housekeeper stood a little further away, his face paler than the hospital walls, like a lifeless paper doll. His gaze was fixed on the emergency room door, his body tense like a fully drawn bow, ready to break at any moment.
Just then
bite--
The crisp sound of the elevator door opening was like thunder in the silent corridor.
A burst of rapid, heavy, and furious footsteps, like the beat of a drum, came from far away and hit everyone's heart hard.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
I saw a tall and straight young man wearing a black windbreaker, with a fierce and murderous look between his eyebrows, rushing towards me like a storm.
His face was handsome, but distorted by extreme anger.
The seventh son of the Long family, Long Yao.
The violent aura emanating from him made the air around him seem to drop to freezing point.
The moment Butler Long saw Long Qi, his whole body trembled, his face instantly turned pale, and he knelt down on the ground without hesitation, lowered his head deeply, and his body shook like a leaf in the wind.
The first and fifteenth day of the new year also immediately knelt on one knee, lowered their heads even lower, and dared not look directly at the enemy.
Long Yao's sharp eyes swept over the kneeling housekeeper, Chu Yi Shi Wu, and the crowd of people in the corridor, including the Atobe family, Obusuki, Hiyoshi father and son, British police, etc., and finally fixed on the door of the emergency room with a red light on.
He rushed to the butler in a few steps, grabbed the butler's collar, and lifted the kneeling butler up! The force was so great that the butler's toes almost left the ground!
The voice was like a poisoned ice blade, and every word was filled with thunderous rage, exploding in the corridor:
"Where's Xiaojiu?! I'm asking you! Where is Xiaojiu?!"
The butler's teeth were chattering and he was shaking like a sieve. He didn't dare to answer a single word.
A British police officer nearby stepped forward and quickly explained in English:
"Sir, please calm down! There was a hostage rescue operation at the castle, Miss Long was injured during the rescue... She's in surgery now...
(Sir, please calm down! A hostage rescue operation took place in the castle, and Miss Long was injured during the rescue... She is currently undergoing surgery...)
Long Yao’s English is excellent and he understood it instantly.
When he heard "injured during the rescue" and "in surgery", the last trace of rationality in his eyes was completely burned away by violent rage.
"Injured? Rescue?" He threw the butler to the ground, his finger almost poking the other's nose, and roared in Chinese, the sound making the corridor buzz.
"Xiaojiu came to England! Why did you hide it from me?! Huh?! Who gave your dog the guts to hide it from me?!!"
He turned his head abruptly, like a ferocious beast choosing its prey, his blood-red eyes instantly locked onto Tatsumi Atobe. Of course, he knew the head of the Atobe chaebol! But at this moment, he was filled with only overwhelming hatred!
"The Atobe family? Very good! Very good!"
"Xiaojiu is the only blood left by my fifth uncle. She was raised with great respect and honor! Why would she get involved with you guys?!"
"Why would you lie there, not knowing whether you were dead or alive, just for your son?! Huh?!!"
He took a step forward, and his violent momentum made Atobe Tatsumi couldn't help but take half a step back, and Atobe Eiko was so scared that she stopped crying.
"Mr. Long! Please calm down!" Oshitari Yuushi and Hiyoshi Waka stepped forward almost at the same time and stood in front of the Atobe couple.
Oshitari's voice was filled with urgency and pleading: "The most important thing now is to wait for news from Xiaoyin! This is not the time to pursue the matter!"
"Calm down? How can you ask me to calm down?!" Long Yao pointed at the door of the emergency room, his eyes bloodshot. "The one lying in there is my sister! My sister, the one I have held in my hands and watched grow up since she was a child!!"
"She got a little scrape and I wanted to tear the floor apart! Now she's lying there, and you want me to calm down?!"
At this critical moment when the situation is tense and ready to explode——
The glaring red light on the door of the emergency room went out with a "click".
The whole world seemed to have been muted in an instant.
All the quarrels, yelling, and crying came to an abrupt end.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the slowly opening door with extreme tension and fear.
The doctor in green surgical gown, smelling of disinfectant, walked out with a tired look on his face.
Almost at the same moment!
Keigo Atobe, who was originally supported by Oshitari and was so weak that he seemed like he would fall down at any time, seemed to be injected with an inexplicable power. He suddenly broke free from Oshitari's hand and "ejected" to his feet like an out-of-control spring.
But he was too weak. As soon as he stood up, he staggered violently, his vision went dark, and he was about to fall.
"Keigo!" Oshitari was quick-witted and quick-handed. He held onto his shaky body tightly, almost half-dragging and half-holding him, and rushed towards the doctor at the fastest speed.
Everyone's heart was in their throat and they held their breath.
Long Yao also froze in place, his violent rage instantly frozen by immense fear, leaving only his bloodshot eyes fixed on the doctor.
In the silent corridor, the only sounds left were Keigo Atobe's heavy and painful breathing and the messy footsteps of Oshitari as he carried him towards the doctor.
The doctor took something from the nurse.
It was not a cold instrument, but a silver vest that shone with a restrained metallic luster.
It looks extremely light, thin and soft, like the finest silk, yet has a subtle sense of toughness. The surface is a fine and delicate chain mail structure, and it gleams like water waves under the light of the corridor.
There were also two holes on the chest, with the edges slightly concave and deformed inward, but the holes were obviously much smaller than the bullet holes on the heavy bulletproof vest thrown on the bench before.
It's so small that it's frightening, but also so small that it gives rise to a glimmer of absurd hope.
When the butler saw the silver soft armor, he exclaimed, "Hundred-fold steel silver mail armor?! It's... it's the birthday gift from the Seventh Young Master to the Ninth Young Lady!"
Long Yao's gaze was fixed on the blood-stained silver armor, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
He took a sudden step forward and snatched the thin armor from the doctor's hand. His entire body trembled slightly as his fingertips touched the cold metal and the dark bloodstains on it.
He stared at the two holes, his voice hoarse: "This...this thing blocked the bullet?! What happened to her...my sister?!"
The doctor took a deep breath and explained quickly with a tone of relief, as if he had survived a disaster:
"Yes, sir! It's a miracle!"
"We discovered that beneath her standard bulletproof vest, she was wearing this very special metal soft armor! It significantly cushioned and dispersed the bullet's impact, changing its trajectory and absorbing some of the fatal kinetic energy! It saved her life!"
"Part of it?" Long Yao's voice rose, filled with incredible fear, his fingers almost crushing the silver armor, "Then she..."
The doctor didn't wait for him to finish and carefully picked up another thing from the tray handed to him by the nurse.
A broken, smooth, white Hetian jade plaque. The jade was of exceptional quality, its brilliance undimmed even in its shattered state. The center, however, had been cracked like a spiderweb by the immense force of the impact. There was even a noticeable dent in the center, where a small piece of deformed metal was embedded.
"And this!" The doctor's tone was filled with excitement as if he had witnessed a miracle.
"After penetrating her bulletproof vest and being significantly weakened by this miraculous soft armor, the bullet finally struck the jade token she wore close to her body! The token shattered, but it provided the final, most incredible barrier!"
"The bullet finally stopped in her chest muscle layer, just a few millimeters away from her heart and major organs!"
"God bless! The amount of bleeding is indeed very heavy and very dangerous, but there is no damage to vital organs! Vital signs have stabilized and she is out of danger! Now all she needs is rest and wait for her to wake up!"
He paused, as if trying to ease the overly heavy atmosphere. His eyes swept over Long Yao, who was almost unable to stand due to excitement, and then looked at Atobe Keigo, who was being held tightly by the Oshitari, almost exhausted but staring at the jade token intently. He added with a bit of British emotion and self-righteous humor:
"This is truly... all the power of love in the world is protecting this brave girl!"
"My brother's gift, my boyfriend's love... they all became her last resort! How romantic..."
However, his emotion seemed so out of place in the silent corridor, where the atmosphere was extremely complicated, filled with tears, anger and great fear, and it instantly dissipated into the air.
No one was willing to respond to his "romance".
"call……"
“Oh my god…”
Suppressed gasps and sighs of relief echoed one after another.
The overwhelming sense of relief at having survived the ordeal instantly overwhelmed her tense nerves. Atobe Eiko once again leaned on her husband's shoulder, this time weeping with joy. Atobe Tatsumi squeezed his eyes shut and held his wife's hand tightly.
As for Keigo Atobe, who was being supported by Oshitari, the moment he heard the words "out of danger", the string that was stretched to the limit suddenly broke, and the strength supporting him seemed to be drained away in an instant. He completely collapsed on Oshitari, gasping for breath, as if he had just been rescued from drowning.
His eyes were fixed on the broken jade token in the doctor's hand - it was his fifteenth birthday gift to her.
He always thought that she just kept it carefully, and never thought that she would wear it close to her body. He never thought that it would become the last barrier to protect her in this way at the most critical moment.
"Give it to me..." He stretched out his hand hoarsely and with difficulty, his voice weak but with an unquestionable plea.
The doctor was stunned for a moment, looked at Jibei's almost broken eyes, and gently placed the blood-stained, dented and cracked jade token into Jibei's trembling palm.
The cold, blood-stained jade fragments poked at his palm. With the last bit of his strength, he held it tightly, as if holding the whole world he had lost and regained.
The hot tears finally broke through the dam, gushed out, and dripped onto the blood-stained jade plate.
At this moment, the door of the emergency room was pushed open again, and a nurse came out pushing a mobile bed.
The person on the bed was as pale as snow, his eyes were closed, his long eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyelids, his chest was wrapped in thick gauze, his breathing was weak but steady, and he was connected to an instrument that monitored his vital signs.
"Xiaoyin!"
"Miss Nine!"
Several voices sounded at the same time.
Almost instinctively, Keigo Atobe struggled to throw himself over. Oshitari held him tightly, supporting him as he stumbled closer to the bed. He wanted to see her face, to touch her cold hands, to confirm that she was still alive...
However!
A faster and sharper figure intercepted the bed like lightning.
Long Yao grabbed the bed rail and exerted force, pulling the bed from the nurse's hands and pulling it behind him. His movements were rough and full of possessiveness.
Like a lion whose territory had been invaded, he used his body to block the hospital bed and Atobe Keigo. His eyes, burning with rage and extreme distrust, were like poisoned ice blades, fiercely piercing Atobe Keigo. He spoke in Japanese, each word clearly, his voice like shattering ice, full of violent warnings:
"Get away! Stay away from my sister!"
He pointed at Atobe, his fingers trembling with anger. "I'm telling you! From now on, don't even think about getting close to Xiaojiu! As long as I, Long Yao, am still breathing, I will never let you get close to her again! Never!!"
Before he finished speaking, he didn't even look at Jibe again. He pushed the hospital bed as if he was pushing some rare treasure, or as if he was carrying endless anger, without looking back, he walked quickly towards the high-end private ward area, so fast that the wheels of the bed made a rapid friction sound.
"Xiao Yin!!" Atobe Keigo's eyes were bloodshot and he roared like a beast, trying desperately to break free from Oshima and catch up.
"Keigo! Calm down!" Oshitari held him tightly, using all his strength to hold him down.
Chuyi and Shiwu also immediately stepped forward, like two silent iron towers, blocking the direction in which Atobe Keigo was chasing. Their eyes were complicated, but carried an unquestionable meaning of obstruction.
"Let him go! Jingwu! Let him go!" Tatsumi Atobe and Eiko also hurried forward to support their nearly collapsed son, their voices filled with fear and comfort, "What Xiaoyin needs now is rest! Mr. Long is her biological brother, he will definitely take good care of her! You are in this state now, what can you do if you go there? It will only irritate Mr. Long, and it won't be good for Xiaoyin's recovery!"
Atobe Eiko looked at her son's bloodshot eyes filled with despair and unwillingness, and caressed his cold cheek distressedly: "Listen to your mother, take care of yourself first and get well."
"You can only watch over her once you've regained your strength, right? She's safe now, she's alright, and that's what matters most!"
Atobe Keigo's body trembled violently under the control of his parents and Oshitari. His eyes were fixed on the corner of the corridor where the bed disappeared, and a suppressed whimper like a trapped beast came from his throat.
Finally, the body that was stretched to the limit, under the dual effects of huge mental shock and physical weakness, completely lost its strength and fell limply into Oshitari's arms. Only the hand holding the broken jade token was still clenched tightly, and the knuckles were pinched white.
In the corridor, this thrilling rescue that transcended the boundaries of life and death finally came to a temporary end in a way that was full of gratitude but also with a cold sense of alienation.
Tatsumi Atobe and Eiko looked at each other, suppressed the complicated emotions in their hearts, and began to communicate in a low voice with Butler Long and the head of the British police to deal with the subsequent complicated matters such as aftermath, accountability, and blocking of information.
Oshitari struggled to support Atobe's almost unconscious body, and with difficulty helped him to another ward that had been prepared. Hiyoshi Tsuyoshi patted his son's shoulder. The father and son nodded slightly to Atobe and his wife and Oshitari, and with full of emotion and worry, quietly left the corridor that was still filled with the smell of gunpowder and tears.
Under the cold light, all that was left was the blood-stained bulletproof vest on the bench in the corner, with two hideous bullet holes on the chest, silently telling what had just happened.
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