Chapter 37: Doctor Li (Part Two)
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Ma Lie emerged from the crowd and slowly approached Li Guanqi. He bent slightly, as though inspecting a pet, and said coldly, “You’re making demands of me?”
“I don’t want the card.”
He drew a pistol and gradually raised the muzzle, aiming it at Li Guanqi’s eyes.
“What I want is—”
“Your life.”
With a cold laugh, Ma Lie gently pulled the trigger while watching Li Guanqi’s pupils contract.
“Click—”
Sanity: 58% → 56%
The chamber was empty. Nothing happened.
“Hahahaha!” Ma Lie threw back his head and laughed. “Just scaring you.”
The mission assigned from above was activation, not hunting. Activation meant no killing by default—only pure torment.
“You held out.”
He gazed at Li Guanqi’s shadow, his smile full of hidden meaning.
Usually, a worthless nobody with no abilities, no status, and no cards would lose his sanity after a single fake shot. Most could even be frightened into collapse without a shot being fired.
This numbered citizen had decent willpower.
But then again—
That only made things more fun.
“What exactly are you trying to do?” Li Guanqi demanded angrily, his voice low and heavy.
Ma Lie’s expression darkened. He gave a meaningful glance to the thugs on either side.
“Teach the newcomer some rules.”
He looked at Li Guanqi. “I didn’t ask you a question. Who gave you permission to speak?”
Several thugs came forward. Two seized Li Guanqi while the others beat and kicked him.
This time, however, his sanity did not decrease.
Li Guanqi kept Qin Dongzhu’s warning firmly in mind: once his sanity fell below fifty percent, he might as well die outright.
He struggled desperately to remain calm.
During the beating, one of the thugs searched Li Guanqi and found the fire crystal and electric crystal in his pocket. He immediately snatched them up to claim credit.
“This kid has something this good.”
The Satellite District, also known as the Wastelander District, had no access to virtual currency without a supercomputing ring. People there relied entirely on barter.
Negative crystals were top-tier hard currency no matter where they were found.
“What an unexpected surprise!” Ma Lie stared at the fire crystal and electric crystal in his hand, his delight plain to see. “Two hundred milligrams!”
Two hundred milligrams could be exchanged with a Star Broker for two low-grade suppressants.
They could buy him another six months of life.
Six months of life!
Once the illness struck, those without suppressants would usually be eroded by strange cards within a few years, descending into madness before suffering brain death.
Li Guanqi watched as the two crystals were stolen. Though he did his best to suppress himself, his sanity continued to fall.
His first fortune had been earned through three hard-fought victories in the league, and these bastards wanted to take everything the moment they arrived.
Sanity: 56% → 54%
As his sanity declined, a cold sigh rang out in Li Guanqi’s mind.
【How pitiful.】
Li Guanqi jolted in shock.
Was this the voice of the symbiotic card?
Qin Dongzhu had told him that if he ever heard the voice of the symbiotic card, it meant his sanity had fallen below fifty-five percent and was nearing its limit.
“You’ve taken the card, and you’ve taken the crystals.” Li Guanqi panted. “What more do you want?”
Having obtained the fire crystal and electric crystal, Ma Lie was in an excellent mood. He raised one hand slightly, and the thugs stopped beating Li Guanqi.
“I’m so jealous.”
Ma Lie loaded the revolver one bullet at a time.
“Born with treasures like these…”
He walked over to the wrecked car and aimed the gun at Qin Dongzhu, who lay barely alive inside.
“You piece of trash. You wrecked four of our cars.”
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“Hey!” Li Guanqi shouted.
Bang!
The bullet struck Qin Dongzhu squarely in the chest. Blood gushed out at once, staining the front of his shirt crimson.
Qin Dongzhu’s body jerked violently, and he let out a faint groan.
...
“If you win, I’ll give you another hundred and fifty thousand!”
“They’ve all given up. I’m the only one who still wants a championship.”
“Don’t be afraid…”
“It’s nothing serious…”
...
“Enough… enough!” Li Guanqi’s emotions began to collapse. “Stop…”
He lunged forward to intervene, only to be pinned down by several thugs.
Sanity: 54% → 52%
Ma Lie had become intoxicated with killing. Laughing loudly, he turned the muzzle toward the passenger seat, where Lin Yu lay unconscious.
Bang!
Bang!
Both shots found their mark. Blood seeped through the gap beneath the car door.
...
“Once you’ve fought on the same battlefield, you’re comrades.”
“Watch your manners! Call me Brother Ba!”
“Lin Yu—if you go to Ninth Street in the Western District of Bianyuelong, just give them my name…”
...
The voice in his mind rose and faded. Li Guanqi’s gaze became dull and vacant.
“Enough…”
Sanity: 52% → 50%
The cold sigh echoed through his mind once more.
【How pitiful.】
【How pitiful, Li Guanqi.】
【Driven to this point by a bunch of vermin.】
Rain poured down in a dense, rustling curtain.
“Boss!” one of the thugs cried excitedly, pointing into the car. “There’s a woman inside!”
“Oh—”
“It’s Tang Xin. Prime merchandise!”
A dozen members of the Black Car Gang simultaneously broke into lewd grins.
Ma Lie gave a cold smile.
“Drag her out. Play with her until she dies.”
“Right away!”
The Black Car Gang members scrambled to reach into the car, gripping Tang Xin by the shoulders and pulling with all their strength.
Tang Xin had regained a little consciousness. Driven by a woman’s instinct, she clung desperately to the seat with every ounce of strength she had.
She had recovered only a fraction of her awareness.
But she understood one thing perfectly—
The moment she let go, hell awaited her.
The gang members tore at her ruined clothes and ripped at her hair, but no matter how hard they pulled, they could not drag Tang Xin from the car.
“This is getting interesting.”
Ma Lie raised his gun and aimed at Tang Xin’s arm.
...
“Brother Ba is great, Brother Ba is mighty, Brother Ba is the best!”
“If Brother Ba hadn’t taken my place tonight, I would have been the one to defeat three opponents in a row!”
“Brother Ba…”
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“Cheers!”
...
“Enough…” Li Guanqi lowered his head and spoke in a hoarse, corpse-like voice.
Ma Lie acted as though he had not heard him. He fired at Tang Xin’s arm, yet somehow, despite the gunshot, the gang members still could not pull her free.
“That’s one stubborn woman.”
“Brothers, let’s enjoy her while she’s still warm.”
Ma Lie raised the muzzle, shifting his aim from Tang Xin’s arm to her head.
“Enough…” Li Guanqi hung his head, his gaze empty.
The torrential rain drowned out his faint voice.
“Looking for death, are you, bitch?” Ma Lie sneered coldly and pulled the trigger.
Bang—
Sanity: 50% → 48%
Li Guanqi abruptly raised his head. His eyes widened, filled with fury and savage menace.
“Enough!”
His roar exploded like thunder, reverberating through the void.
Crack-crack-crack—
Twelve pocket watches shattered simultaneously across the world.
Clang—
A deep, resonant bell rang high above and continued echoing.
The rain stopped. Droplets froze in midair.
The bullet halted three inches from Tang Xin’s forehead, while the muzzle flash solidified into an eerie flower.
The feral grin on Ma Lie’s face froze. The gang members remained locked in their various poses as though immobilized by magic. Only their pupils trembled faintly.
“What did he activate?!”
The same thought arose in the minds of every member of the Black Car Gang.
Li Guanqi let out a long, deep breath.
The sorrow, anger, and fear on his face had vanished without a trace.
There was something else, too—
A hint of languor?
The two shadows cast by the headlights slowly merged into one.
Without the slightest trace of panic, he caught the rainwater and carefully washed his hands and forearms. He scrubbed for at least five minutes, cleaning his fingers, beneath his nails, his wrists, and his forearms thoroughly to reduce the number of bacteria.
“Today’s patient is so well-behaved. Not making a fuss at all.”
Li Guanqi murmured to himself, but no one answered.
He took the time to rub the stains from his clothes, then straightened his cuffs and collar to prevent contamination.
Fortunately, he found a pair of white gloves inside one of the cars.
Finally, he adjusted the headlights, ensuring the illumination was bright enough and focused directly on the surgical area.
More than twenty black cars formed a brilliantly lit operating table.
Beneath the concentrated beams, Li Guanqi took his glasses from his pocket, gently wiped the rain from them, and put them on. Every movement was refined and scholarly.
He had been praised as a good, obedient child since he was young.
Snap—
He picked up the gloves, shook them open, and put them on both hands. With a light flick, the gloves tightened around his fingers.
Backlit by the headlights, Li Guanqi swept an indifferent gaze across the scene and said coldly:
“During the operation—”
“Please remain silent.”
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