"Uncle Shen!" Lu Mian exclaimed in alarm when she saw the team carrying an unconscious Huo Shen into the residence. "What happened?"
She had just tucked a sleeping Duoduo into bed. The little boy had insisted on hearing the same bedtime story twice before finally drifting off.
After making sure he was asleep, she had quietly come downstairs to warm herself a cup of milk.
She hadn't expected to run into the team the moment she reached the living room. And she certainly hadn't expected this.
Huo Shen hung limp against Rhino's back, his head tilted slightly to one side, his face pale in the dim lighting.
"Injury. An accident" bit off Rhino as he carried Huo Shen to his room on his back.
Huo Shen was a little over six feet tall. Despite the illness that plagued him, his build was powerful; broad-shouldered and solid with muscle. Carrying such weight would have strained most men, but Rhino's steps never faltered.
With Viper carefully supporting Huo Shen's head to stabilize his airway, Rhino took the stairs two at a time, managing the entire flight without jostling the unconscious man even once.
"Keep him on IV till we know more." Gu Qingze ordered Viper. "Monitor his vitals. If bp spikes or heartbeat reduces, I need to know. Do NOT under any circumstances administer drugs" he ordered and turned to leave.
The heart monitor flickered to life. A slow rhythmic beep… beep… beep echoed through the room.
"Not even if he deteriorates?" asked Rhino faintly.
Gu Qingze's expression hardened.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." said Gu Qingze grimly. "If we introduce the wrong compound, we could trigger a metabolic cross reaction." In other words, the wrong medicine would only kill him faster.
The room fell quiet.
In the initial tests, all they had found was that the toxin wasn't contagious. So, like Huo Shen had wished, they brought him back home.
But identifying the toxin itself was another matter. And without knowing what they were dealing with, Gu Qingze couldn't neutralize it. Time was not on their side.
He turned toward the door.
"Lin Ke put out the call for the divine doctor again. Double the rewards." he ordered.
"Falcon" he continued " Look for the doctor he met in his last mission. Maybe they have a way" . Right now, they needed all the help they could get.
"Little sister, don't worry. Go back to bed," Lin Ke said gently, already turning back to his screens. His fingers were flying across the keyboard. "Bai Renzhou is on his way too. Boss will get better soon, you'll see."
He flashed her a brief reassuring smile before returning to work.
Lu Mian stood frozen, her mind reeling.
To her Huo Shen was a dependable mountain. He was unshakeable. He had been the reason she leave her family and start anew. He had given her hope. He had gone head to head against Black Lotus to rescue her. But now...
Seeing him lying pale and lifeless on the bed unsettled her deeply.
In her previous life, though they had never met, she knew the third son of the Huo family ended up confined to a wheelchair.
Was this how it happened? Her heart clenched painfully.
She desperately wanted to rush in and use her skills to save him. But she understood the reality. No matter what, it would be hard for this team to believe a 17yr old girl with their boss' life.
Her eyes darkened with resolve.
Her mind made up, she gave a nod to Lin Ke and went back to her room. She knew what she had to do.
Downstairs, the atmosphere was still tense. Falcon was assessing previous mission's information to get a handle on the mysterious benefactor.
Rhino was keeping an eye on Huo Shen's vitals as Viper was busily working to get more machines rigged up.
For several minutes, no one spoke. Then, Rhino broke the silence.
"We've never managed to find the Divine Doctor before," he said quietly. "Do you really think it'll work this time?"
They had put an ad on the Dark Web right before their previous mission - and got only a load of quacks, according to Qingzhe.
"No matter what happens, Boss will be fine" muttered Viper grimly. "He always pulls through. Now, with his son and a little girl to look after, he has a lot more reason to live" more as a promise to himself.
"Regardless of whether the Divine -"
"We got a hit" called Lin Ke, barely suppressing his excitement.
"The Divine Doctor responded" His fingers flew across the keyboard as lines of encrypted code streamed down the monitor. "The Id looks legit" he confirmed.
The team froze, confused and exchanged uneasy glances. They were all thinking the same thing - this is too convenient. Was it a trap?
Falcon came to watch over Lin Ke's shoulder. "What's their terms?" he asked quietly. "Can you trace their IP?"
Lin Ke read the response and frowned "He says he needs a favor - and will collect once the patient is better" And, negative boss - can't trace his IP it's a rotating proxy chain.
Falcon's expression eased slightly, after seeing the terms. Money or favors, he was confident they could offer. "When can they come? I will get Qingzhe back" he said.
"The divine doctor's in the capital!" called Lin Ke in shock. "He says he can be here in a couple of hours."
The team exchanged uncomfortable glances again. Was their luck too good?
"The ID doesn't seem hacked" said Lin Ke, knowing exactly what his team was thinking. "No spoofing either. I've checked the authentication signature. It matches previous underground medical boards"
Falcon made a split second decision.
No matter how flimsy the chance, they would take it to save their Boss. Worst case, it was a trap. Then they would exchange their lives to protect him. He promised silently.
As a master strategist however, he knew they held the advantage - nothing could touch their boss on their turf.
"Get Qingze back." he ordered. "We meet the doctor in an hour".
No matter how dangerous or unpredictable the so-called Divine Doctor turned out to be, Falcon was ready.
Sixty minutes later, the entire team stood frozen in disbelief.
"You…"
Lin Ke stared in shock.
"You're the Divine Doctor?"