Tiger Peak Toumi came to a dead stop, like a machine that had suddenly lost power, all movement freezing at once.
In truth, from the very beginning, somewhere deep in her heart, she had already realized that Kobayashi was not the murderer. That was precisely why, when she attacked, she subconsciously held back—instinctively avoiding his vital points.
It was just that the shock of Doctor Sakurai being attacked had been far too great. It left her utterly unable to think calmly about anything else. In that instant, her body was ruled entirely by blazing anger—she had to do something to vent it.
And Tiger Peak Toumi was never the type with a particularly stable mental state to begin with.
If one looked carefully, it wasn't hard to notice that Doctor Sakurai's wounds were penetrating injuries, more like the result of gunfire or stabbing. Lin Wuming—unarmed as he was—would have found it very difficult to cause such injuries.
Suspended in midair by Lin Wuming's telekinesis, Tiger Peak Toumi finally stopped struggling.
"…Let me go over there," she said, her head lowered.
In the next moment, she felt the restraining force vanish completely, and her body dropped from the air.
She had assumed Kobayashi-san would simply "carry" her over to Doctor Sakurai with telekinesis. Instead, she was released outright.
Adjusting her posture, she landed lightly on the floor, though inwardly she shook her head.
—Trusting me that much, believing I wouldn't keep attacking? His sense of caution is way too low! Someone like that wouldn't survive even a second day on the battlefield…
But when she turned her head, what she saw made her heart sink.
Kobayashi was slumped in his wheelchair, blood still pouring steadily from his wounds.
"Ah—this is bad!"
She panicked at once. Kobayashi had looked far too strong just moments ago, making it easy to forget the simple fact that she had stabbed him seven times.
With a single leap, she kicked the emergency call button on the wall, smashing it to pieces, then rushed over to examine Doctor Sakurai's injuries.
She quickly discovered that the wound in the doctor's abdomen had been sealed shut by some invisible force, temporarily stopping the bleeding.
As for the wound on her chest, Lin Wuming hadn't been able to locate it immediately, so he hadn't managed to seal it in time. Blood was still seeping out.
After a brief pause, Tiger Peak Toumi looked back at Lin Wuming again, guilt deepening in her expression.
Once she was free from the grip of rage, she was actually a very reasonable person.
—In truth, Lin Wuming was Doctor Sakurai's savior.
Thinking about what she had just done to her benefactor only made her feel worse. After using the bandages, she carried in her pocket to give Doctor Sakurai emergency treatment, she hurried over to Lin Wuming, preparing to bandage his wounds as well.
Just then, the nurses finally arrived.
Hearing the shocked and horrified voices of doctors and nurses outside the door, Lin Wuming finally let out a long breath.
At last… he could release the telekinetic force sealing the wounds.
To be honest, Tiger Peak Toumi's ability to abandon the fight so decisively and regain her composure so quickly had genuinely surprised him.
The proof was that the flow of time around him returned to normal.
He exited the bullet time state.
—The lethal crisis was over.
But at the same time, with the combat state lifted, all the suppressed pain—and the wave of sheer aftershock—came crashing down on him at once, completely overwhelming him.
During the fight, adrenaline and all kinds of hormones had been surging wildly through his body. He'd felt no pain, no fear at all.
But now…
The chest wounds were one thing. His left leg and right arm had also moved instinctively during the intense struggle, shattering their casts and making his injuries even worse.
Even more troubling was that, once he'd calmed down, Lin Wuming finally realized just how terrifying Tiger Peak Toumi truly was.
Ferocious presence. Lethal attacks. Strength like a demon or a god.
And looking more closely—
What sword?
The "rapier" in her hand was nothing more than an ordinary medical bandage!
Piercing through bed frames, furniture, even Lin Wuming's Level 3 telekinetic barrier with just a bandage—there was no need to think hard to know that this was the effect of her ability.
What kind of monstrous power was that?
Could this girl be a Level 4 Esper?
What frightened Lin Wuming even more was the madness she carried. Facing her head-on, one could clearly feel it—this girl truly dared to kill, a ruthless type who would take lives without hesitation.
Compared to her, Lin Wuming—despite having a more mature mental age, having grown up in a peaceful environment—was undeniably indecisive.
Forget killing; even hurting someone made him hesitate again and again.
Not like this girl—silent, decisive, stabbing seven holes into someone without a second thought.
That kind of combat philosophy alone was enough to make Lin Wuming want to keep his distance from her.
So when he saw Tiger Peak Toumi approaching him, his heart raced. Rationally, he knew she was probably trying to give him first aid, but his body instinctively recoiled in terror from this vicious presence that had just wounded him so badly.
If he hadn't still been maintaining the telekinetic seal on Doctor Sakurai's wounds, he would have fled without hesitation.
Thankfully, at the critical moment, the hospital's doctors and nurses finally arrived—effectively rescuing Lin Wuming.
They were stunned by the horrific state of the ward, but professional instinct quickly took over. They immediately sprang into action, sending both Lin Wuming and Doctor Sakurai to the emergency room.
Tiger Peak Toumi tried to follow, but was stopped outside.
She paced back and forth in front of the emergency room for a while, then suddenly groaned, covered her face, and slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor.
"What am I even doing…?"
After a long time, footsteps approached—two adults stopped beside her.
"Student Tiger Peak, regarding the attack on Doctor Sakurai and student Lin Wuming, as the first witness, we hope you'll cooperate with our investigation."
Standing before her were two guards in dark navy uniforms.
Letting out a long sigh, Tiger Peak Toumi knocked the back of her head lightly against the wall and said in self-abandonment:
"Fine, I admit it… I mean, Lin Wuming's injuries were caused by me. But as for who attacked Doctor Sakurai, I don't know."
She continued, "Lin Wuming returned to the ward before I did. I mistakenly thought he was the culprit, so I attacked him in a panic."
The guards weren't surprised by her answer. Most of the guards assigned to this area already knew that this girl was emotionally and mentally unstable, impulsive, quick-tempered—and extremely dangerous in combat. This outcome wasn't unexpected.
"We'll deal with your situation later," one of them said. "For now, tell us—when Doctor Sakurai was attacked, where were you, and what were you doing?"
"In the cafeteria," Tiger Peak Toumi replied. "We were about to eat dinner. Doctor Sakurai said she'd go get Lin Wuming, so she went upstairs. After a while, I thought it was taking too long, so I came up to look for her."
"Through the window?"
"Yes. It's a shortcut. Faster." Her tone was utterly matter-of-fact.
"But the ward is on the sixth floor!"
"The window ledge is wide, and there's an air-conditioning unit outside," she said calmly. "It's not hard to climb."
(End of Chapter)