Chapter 22 Evil Peach
"Who are you?" Zhou Zhuohua's face was pale and weak. Her haggard face looked like that of someone who had been seriously ill, and there was a strong smell of blood on her.
A soft call came from the room, "Tao Tao..."
"Mom!" Bai Tao was startled and quickly pushed Zhou Zhuohua aside at the door. The frail Zhou Zhuohua swayed, but Jiang Ye steadied her.
The door was kicked open, and Bai Chenzhu stepped forward. He saw Aunt Liang lying on the bed, barely alive, with a bloody gash running from her shoulder to her abdomen, almost violently splitting her in two.
She was wrapped in many bandages, and it was clear that Zhou Zhuohua had done her best to save her. However, without emergency medical care, the red stains still seeped through the bandages and stained the sheets.
"Mom! You've lost so much blood, does it hurt?" Bai Tao's eyes were red-rimmed, looking like she wanted to touch her but dared not. Then, she clenched her fists tightly, like a whimpering wolf cub, each cry louder than the last, "Who did this? Who did this!"
She turned her grief into anger, her eyes red, and she got up to confront someone.
"Tao Tao..." A barely audible call stopped her.
Bai Tao's back trembled, and a warm touch reached her wrist; it was Aunt Liang gently holding her hand.
The woman on the bed was breathing lightly, and the rise and fall of her chest was becoming increasingly smaller.
Bai Tao lay on the edge of the bed, covering her head and burying her face in the blankets, crying uncontrollably.
"I thought... I'd never see you again." Aunt Liang patted her head, her words broken as she tried to convey her concern. "You have to be alright, Tao Tao. I'm going to find you, find your father..."
The mother and daughter were talking, and Bai Chenzhu, not wanting to overhear their private conversation, turned his head to the side. As he turned, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the unconscious security guard's finger twitching slightly before stopping again.
Beside her, Jiang Ye was helping Zhou Zhuohua sit down, touching her forehead, "The fever has gone down, is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Zhou Zhuohua shook her head, a look of worry flashing across her face, "I feel much better after my fever broke, I'm fine, it's just Aunt Liang..."
The security chief's fingers twitched, as if he were about to wake up. Bai Chenzhu became alert, took two steps back to Jiang Ye, and whispered, "Jiang Ye."
Jiang Ye responded with a puzzled look upon hearing this.
At this moment, Bai Tao suddenly shouted "Mom!" and frantically shook Aunt Liang's body.
What's wrong with this? How can you treat a patient like this?
"Calm down." Bai Chenzhu stepped forward, raising his hand to stop her from being rough with the patient. However, when he saw Aunt Liang's chest, which remained flat, he stopped in his tracks.
Aunt Liang's pale face still held a faint smile, as if she had finally settled her heart and could now fall into eternal sleep.
The person who had just been speaking breathed their last in the blink of an eye. Looking at this middle-aged woman, Bai Chenzhu felt as if he were seeing his own mother.
Bai Chenzhu stood there, completely forgetting what he wanted to say.
Before he came into this world, he had just finished his mother's funeral and was planning to take her back to his hometown to be buried with his father. Bai Chenzhu paused slightly, his expression indescribably complex. Looking at the wailing Bai Tao, he felt as if he were seeing his former self, at a loss for what to do.
"...Please accept my condolences." He knew that Bai Tao didn't need anyone else's words, so he silently took two steps back.
Bai Tao turned around sharply, her bloodshot eyes fixed on the security chief who had somehow gotten up and was trying to sneak away. Finally finding an outlet for her anger, she shouted without restraint, "It's all your fault, it's all your fault, it's all your fault!"
"If it weren't for you, my mother wouldn't have left!"
"Waaaaah, I want you dead!"
The cries were heart-wrenching, like knives piercing the ear canal, tearing the eardrum, and sharply stabbing into the brain.
"I want you dead!" She tried to rush over, but couldn't bear to let go of the gradually cooling corpse in her arms. So she held the corpse tightly in her arms, her chest heaving violently as she glared at the security guard, her cries filled with blood.
Bai Chenzhu's mind went blank for a moment, and his vision went black for a few seconds. He instinctively sensed danger and quickly covered his buzzing ears.
"Stop!" Jiang Ye's face was ashen. Under Bai Chenzhu's questioning gaze, he stood up and rushed towards Bai Tao's direction with great momentum, but halfway there he suddenly knelt down on one knee and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Zhou Zhuohua covered her ringing ears with one hand and hurriedly pulled him with the other, "Jiang Ye! What's wrong with you?"
Although Bai Chenzhu felt unwell, he wasn't vomiting blood. Zhou Zhuohua, being a patient, couldn't care less about Jiang Ye, and in the process, he also fell to the ground. So he went over to support Jiang Ye, who was about to fall to the ground, and the skin he touched was burning hot.
Bai Chenzhu almost wondered when this person had been infected with the virus. "Jiang Ye, you have a fever?"
The painful screams drowned out Bai Tao's low growls. In Zhou Zhuohua's horrified gaze, the security chief screamed like a madman, clutching his head and banging it against the wall repeatedly, creating spiderweb-like cracks and causing blood to flow down the wall. His face was twisted and ferocious.
It was like seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
Bai Chenzhu felt a sudden tightening in his arm and looked down to find Jiang Ye's head buried in his shoulder, the warm breath he exhaled causing goosebumps to rise on his neck.
The person who started this was completely unaware that the social distance was too close, and was speaking in a garbled manner.
"Say it again." Bai Chenzhu's face was solemn as he listened intently.
It felt as if the earth was shaking and mountains were trembling, and all I could hear were screams coming from hell.
Jiang Ye took a deep breath and said in a strained voice, "Remember what I taught you, to restrain your five senses? Now, release them all."
He turned his head and looked at Bai Tao's back with murderous intent.
Bai Chenzhu froze, looking around frantically. Bai Tao was still crying, clutching her mother's lifeless body, her eyes filled with hatred.
Strangely, her voice struck straight to the soul, like a sharp knife stabbing into one's mind.
In such a tense atmosphere, he had completely forgotten what he had done!
Jiang Ye gripped his shoulders tightly, his throat constricted, and he gasped for breath, "Quick! Imagine a shield to cover us."
Even Zhou Zhuohua started covering her ears, her face showing pain.
Meanwhile, the security chief screamed as his eyeballs burst open, blood splattering in the air. He died with his eyes wide open, his body falling backward and crashing heavily to the ground with a thud.
He died without anyone getting close.
Bai Chenzhu felt his head getting heavier and heavier. He shook his head violently, and his vision gradually transitioned from darkness to a blurry scene.
The sight of the security chief's death spurred him on. Driven by an instinctive will to survive, he awkwardly and laboriously released his mental energy, imagining it as an invisible shield that gently enveloped the three of them.
The moment the thin barrier appeared, his head throbbed with pain, and he seemed to be hallucinating. He 'saw' the entire room filled with strange, thread-like objects, most of which bypassed them and pierced the head of security's head. But they didn't give up and almost wrapped the corpse up, making it unrecognizable, like a mummy.
A weight settled on his neck; Jiang Ye had collapsed onto him.
"Jiang Ye!" Bai Chenzhu was so frightened that she checked his breathing. Fortunately, he was still alive, and Zhou Zhuohua didn't seem to be in so much pain anymore.
Zhou Zhuohua was genuinely afraid of that girl. Losing her mother was a deep-seated pain, but how could crying alone kill someone?
She whispered, "Let's go outside."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud bang was heard, and Bai Chenzhu turned his head to look.
Alright, Bai Tao has also fainted.
Bai Chenzhu placed the body of the security chief at the hotel entrance, and his henchmen immediately scattered in panic, disappearing without a trace.
Faced with the unconscious Jiang Ye and Bai Tao, Bai Chenzhu and Zhou Zhuohua were at a loss.
In the end, Bai Chenzhu didn't touch Bai Tao, presumably because she didn't like others separating her from her mother.
Bai Chenzhu went to the next room and kicked open another door. He pulled Jiang Ye's arm onto his shoulder, half-supporting and half-carrying Jiang Ye over, and threw him onto the bed.
Zhou Zhuohua pulled over two chairs and sat down in one first.
Bai Chenzhu didn't stand on ceremony with her and asked after sitting down, "Sister Hua, has your fever gone down?"
"Yes." Zhou Zhuohua felt quite guilty. She repeatedly pinched the clothes on her knees as she recounted the events.
She was woken up by knocking on the door in the morning. Aunt Liang rushed over and said that a group of thugs had broken into the hotel, killed the receptionist, and were guarding the door, preventing anyone from getting out.
Those who claimed to be ridding the people of evil were going to kill everyone in the hotel who had a fever. They acted without any restraint, clearly not treating the sick as human beings, but rather classifying them as zombies, using this to mask their bestial behavior as that of great saviors.
Aunt Liang came to tell her to run away quickly, because those people would kill anyone who tested positive for a fever, and those who didn't would be locked up together.
But the assailant was faster than them; he arrived just as Aunt Liang finished speaking. A stun gun flew over, striking Aunt Liang squarely on the back of the head with tremendous force.
The black and white images flickered before her eyes, and Aunt Liang fell forward.
The already weak Zhou Zhuohua couldn't support her weight and was pulled down onto the ground, her back burning with pain.
Zhou Zhuohua was shocked and horrified. She never expected that someone could be so strong; it was almost like a 'superpower'.
Seeing the two thugs approaching, Zhou Zhuohua struggled to support her limp body, picked up Aunt Liang, and tried to climb back into the room.
However, it was too late. They were grabbed by the thugs, who had just been hitting them with stun guns. Now, however, they were dressed in human skin and pretended to be polite, offering to take them to have their temperatures checked.
Two men in their prime are naturally quite strong, especially one of them who is exceptionally strong.
Amidst the commotion, Zhou Zhuohua seized the opportunity to push the weakened Aunt Liang inside, while he clung tightly to the doorway, refusing to leave or let the thugs in.
Seeing that she was about to be dragged away by the two men, Zhou Zhuohua became furious. Suddenly, she let go of their hands, turned around, and kicked the man's private parts with quick and accurate speed, while slapping the other man at the same time.
Just as she fled into the house, the enraged thug grabbed her collar and pulled out a knife from somewhere.
Aunt Liang rushed out and took a knife for her.
When the cleaver slashed down, blood splattered all over her, and also onto the assailant. Zhou Zhuohua felt a chill run through her body, but she reacted quickly, shouting, "You beasts! She's not sick, you're killing her! Murderers!"
Her voice was high-pitched, and she took the opportunity in the chaos to drag Aunt Liang back to her room.
Later, the self-righteous thugs realized what was happening and immediately kicked down the door. Just as they were about to break in, they received some kind of message and hurriedly went downstairs.
Bai Chenzhu felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this; what if they had returned any later...
Zhou Zhuohua clutched her head in pain.
Bai Chenzhu grabbed her wrist, trying to pull her hand away from her head, and asked gently, "What's wrong? Does it hurt again?"
From his perspective, however, the threads had almost completely disintegrated.
“It’s my fault.” Zhou Zhuohua shook her head; she just couldn’t get over it herself.
“If Aunt Liang hadn’t cared about me and had left on her own, none of this would have happened. Now I’m not only a burden to you all, but also to my family. I’m just a burden. Why, why don’t I have such great abilities?! If I had even half the abilities of that girl, Aunt Liang wouldn’t have died!”
Why is this happening?
Bai Chenzhu listened in silence, patted the back of her hand, and said rationally, "The people in the hotel have all suffered. How can you put your hopes on those murderers? What if Aunt Liang gets into trouble while she's locked up? She won't even have time to see her daughter one last time."
With a dazed look in her eyes, Zhou Zhuohua said, "I know, but what if..." She took off her glasses, and the usually calm and composed person was now desperately wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, trying to hide her loss of composure.
She was clearly taking deep breaths, but she was trying her best to hold back her tears.
Noticing the other person's discomfort, Bai Chenzhu turned her head and murmured, "Why hasn't Jiang Ye woken up yet?" She walked over and sat down next to Jiang Ye, considerately giving him space.
It was already late at night outside the window. Bai Chenzhu and Zhou Zhuohua ate something and turned on the lights in the corridor and the room, which made them feel a little better.
There's no other reason than the thought of the scattered corpses downstairs always sends chills down my spine.
Zhou Zhuohua went next door to rest and also to look after Bai Tao, who had fainted but was still clinging tightly to the body. Just as Bai Chenzhu was about to wash up and go to sleep because she couldn't stay awake any longer, Jiang Ye mumbled a few words in her sleep.
His ears perked up immediately, and he bent down to eavesdrop.
“…Evil White Peach, you’re dead.”
Bai Chenzhu: ...?
He doubted he had heard correctly.
I'm not sure, let me listen again.
Jiang Ye's voice was so soft that you had to be very close to hear it. Bai Chenzhu leaned over and tilted her head, her earrings swaying slightly in mid-air, flashing with tiny golden light.
"...I'll kill you."
Bai Chenzhu's pupils contracted sharply, unsure of who the words were directed at. He turned his head, only to be met with a pair of dark eyes.
It's too close. At this distance, if Jiang Ye were to launch an attack while in a daze, he wouldn't be able to dodge at all.
However, Jiang Ye showed no intention of making a move. He stared blankly at the ginkgo leaves swaying in the air, like stars.
When he raised his hand to catch the stars, Bai Chenzhu stood up straight.
Eavesdropping is unethical. Bai Chenzhu coughed softly, "You're awake? Sister Zhou said you're very healthy and there's nothing wrong with you. Also, it's late now, would you like to get up and eat something before resting?"
Jiang Ye snapped out of his daze, a sharp pain that felt like it was going to smash his head open surged up. He clutched his forehead and gasped for breath, seemingly in excruciating pain. He hunched over and buried his face in the blanket.
"Are you alright?" Bai Chenzhu asked, concerned for the patient.
"No, not good at all." Jiang Ye gritted his teeth, his voice tinged with barely concealed anger.
He hadn't yet woken up from his past memories. In his dazed state, he only remembered the days when he and Bai Tao used to fight. At the worst point, he even picked up a weapon.
If it weren't for the two sides holding the two people back so tightly, it's hard to say whether the two bases would have merged.
It's a real shame that in the end, neither of them could kill the other.
Now, Jiang Ye felt that familiar pain of being attacked in his mind. Half-asleep, relying on habit, his first reaction was to grab a weapon and go to the other side for revenge.
Bai Chenzhu was completely unaware of their past, but based on Jiang Ye's words, she suspected that this man might draw his knife and kill Bai Tao at any moment.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Ye actually got up unsteadily, his hands trembling uncontrollably, his eyes searching for something.
Bai Chenzhu asked, "What are you looking for?"
Jiang Ye shook his head, trying to clear his mind, and said succinctly: "Knife."
"Wait!" Bai Chenzhu hurriedly grabbed Jiang Ye, who was walking out, his face a mess. How could this male protagonist live like a villain!
He grabbed the other person's collar and shook her violently, shouting, "Wake up! She's only a senior in high school, she's still a child!"
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