Chapter 18: The Impaled Palm

Lin Qing was unlike most people; he had no resistance to anesthetics.

Having been imprisoned for ten years, he was intimately familiar with the smell of anesthetics.

He never understood why the masked figures administered anesthetics to him at regular intervals, but for Lin Qing, there was no need to investigate.

At that time, his only desire was to survive.

He never imagined it would prove useful now!

Although Lin Qing initially succumbed to the anesthetic and fell unconscious, he quickly regained his senses.

It was fortunate that Su Yao had inadvertently bought him time; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to prevent Li Mei’s murder.

Of course, Su Yao hadn’t acted deliberately; it was merely an accidental coincidence.

This was why Lin Qing agreed with Li Mei’s assessment: Su Yao was utterly deranged.

She treated human lives as if they were a mere game.

“Oh, you’re awake~”

Upon seeing Lin Qing actively block Li Mei’s attack, Su Yao raised a hand to her mouth in surprise, quickly sitting up from her reclining position.

Though a flicker of curiosity crossed her mind regarding how Lin Qing remained conscious, Su Yao’s attention was soon diverted elsewhere.

She gazed at Lin Qing’s arm, watching as the needle repeatedly pricked his flesh, crimson blood oozing from the wounds.

Yet, Lin Qing showed no reaction, as if it were someone else’s arm being injured.

‘Ruthless enough.’

‘Truly the man she had set her sights on~’

“You lost. The wager is over.”

However, the first words Lin Qing uttered successfully displeased her.

‘Since that’s the case, why not add more fuel to the fire?’

Pondering this, Su Yao planted her feet on the ground and swiftly walked towards Lin Qing.

A mischievous smile played on her lips, making her resemble a girl delighting in a prank.

Witnessing Su Yao’s continued provocation of Li Mei, Lin Qing frowned, realizing he couldn’t remain idle.

He snatched the syringe from Li Mei’s hand and tossed it towards the window.

While Su Yao wouldn’t allow him to die, she was indifferent to whether he sustained injuries.

Considering Li Mei’s entry into the ward at this moment, coupled with the precedent set by the elderly patient from bed number one being transferred, Lin Qing understood that the liquid in the syringe wouldn’t cause immediate death.

Instead, it allowed for a period of buffer.

Even so, it inflicted immense harm on the human body.

“You don’t truly intend to kill her, do you?”

Lin Qing watched Su Yao approach him, her state of excitement akin to a cat in a frenzy.

Her fur seemed to stand on end, and a low, menacing growl emanated from her.

It was as if she would bare her sharp claws at any moment.

“What do you think?”

However, Su Yao did not directly answer Lin Qing’s inquiry.

As the two spoke, Li Mei forcefully wrenched her hand free from Lin Qing’s grasp, then rapidly retreated several steps, colliding with a small trolley that had been pushed in.

As if struck by an idea, Li Mei reached out without looking back, pulling a scalpel directly from the trolley.

Clutching the scalpel tightly in her hand, it imbued her with a surge of power.

From initial despair to a glimmer of hope, only for that hope to shatter into renewed despair, Li Mei now understood her situation was irreversible.

Judging solely by her eyes, Su Yao, that madwoman, genuinely intended to kill her!

‘Detestable woman.’

‘Does she think money grants her the right to do whatever she pleases?’

‘Damn her!’

Driven to a corner, Li Mei’s mental state became highly unstable. Her expression was abnormally frantic, causing her to perceive the approaching Su Yao as the wealthy woman who had stolen her ex-boyfriend.

A raging fire of anger burned within her heart, impossible to extinguish.

As this sight registered in Lin Qing’s eyes, he saw the three black skull icons above Li Mei’s head violently trembling, displaying expressions of crying or laughing, with the red light in their eye sockets shimmering like phantoms.

Li Mei was now plunged into chaos, and with a weapon in hand, she posed a grave danger!

He could no longer stand by.

He needed to summon the bodyguards to deal with this deranged woman, Li Mei.

“Lin Qing, don’t ruin my fun.”

However, before Lin Qing could speak, Su Yao’s voice cut in, cold and sharp.

As she spoke, her steps did not falter.

“Damn you, woman, go to hell!”

The escalating tension, drawing ever closer, became unbearable for Li Mei.

Clutching the knife, she lunged swiftly towards Su Yao, aiming directly for her heart, intending a single, fatal strike.

Alas…

“You certainly scream loudly.”

The instant Li Mei rapidly closed in, Su Yao raised a hand to seize the arm wielding the knife, then delivered a powerful kick, spinning around to slam Li Mei to the ground with a mid-air throw.

Without an ounce of mercy, Li Mei’s head struck the floor with brutal force, instantly leaving her dazed, disoriented, and incoherent.

During her mid-air fall, the scalpel slipped from her grasp due to the violent clenching of her wrist.

After catching the falling scalpel mid-air, Su Yao swiftly crouched down, driving the blade directly towards Li Mei’s heart.

The curve of Su Yao’s smile widened considerably, her rapidly dilating pupils alight with exhilaration, knowing she was about to experience the thrill of taking a life!

It was truly something to anticipate.

Her surging excitement made her heart beat so fiercely it ached, yet it remained powerful and rapid.

‘Excitement~’

“Lin Qing!!!”

However, just as the scalpel was about to plunge into Li Mei’s heart, and crimson blood threatened to gush from the wound, a hand suddenly shot out beneath the blade, impaling itself directly upon the tip.

The imagined gush of blood from a palm, dripping onto the floor, was not the scene Su Yao had anticipated.

This caused her gaze to turn abruptly cold as she fixed on Lin Qing, utterly displeased by his audacity to obstruct her.

‘Lin Qing wished to be a hero, and she had provided the stage for his performance.’

‘Eliminate Li Mei, save Wu Gang.’

‘Become a hero.’

‘Wasn’t that Lin Qing’s expectation?’

‘For this, she was willing to be the blade, ensuring Lin Qing remained untainted by any sin.’

‘The exquisite darkness could stain only her.’

‘But why was he stopping her now?!’

‘She was so close, just a hair’s breadth from taking her first life.’

‘No, there was still a chance!’

Li Mei remained semi-conscious on the floor; as soon as Lin Qing was dealt with, Su Yao could continue her killing spree.

With these thoughts, a wild glint entered Su Yao’s eyes. She raised her hand and yanked the scalpel from Lin Qing’s palm.

Blood instantly gushed forth, a torrent of crimson that couldn’t be stemmed.

Witnessing this sight only intensified Su Yao’s excitement.

Her smile rapidly broadened, her heart pounding as if soaring among the clouds.

‘If Lin Qing insisted on obstructing her, then paying a price was only right.’

‘Even if Lin Qing wished to prolong this struggle, the rate of blood loss from his wound wouldn’t permit it. He would have to take other actions to preserve his own life, and that would be her moment to kill Li Mei.’

Only a few seconds, not much time was needed.

Li Mei’s still-beating heart would cease all activity.

Perhaps it was due to prolonged suppression, but Su Yao, now singularly focused on killing Li Mei, had descended into madness.

Excitement flushed her cheeks, her pupils dilated, and her exaggerated smile held a chilling, eerie quality.

This sight confirmed to Lin Qing that his actions were correct: he absolutely could not allow Su Yao to kill!

Once the switch of destruction was flipped, attempting to close it again would become impossible.

It would be like opening an evil Pandora’s Box.

Therefore, he couldn’t permit Su Yao to kill; he had to prevent that switch from being activated.

This wasn’t about saving Li Mei, nor was it about dissuading Su Yao; it was purely for his own sake.

No one wanted a murderer, especially one so terrifying, by their side.

As Su Yao was in the throes of extreme excitement, Lin Qing’s hand, previously hidden behind his back, shot out. A familiar white cloth, carrying a pungent, stimulating odor, covered Su Yao’s face directly.