Chapter 799: Cannon Fodder in the Real World (Finale)

The front hall erupted into chaos, and the bodyguards dressed in black hurriedly began setting up a defensive line around them. A confidant walked up to Shi Yubai and whispered something.

The face of the man, which had been calm a second ago, instantly turned frosty.

Leaving the roomful of guests behind, he turned and left. From a distance, the pungent smell of smoke and flames was already detectable. He passed through the garden and arrived at the main house in the backyard, which was now engulfed in flames. Since the houses of the Huang Family were all made of solid wood, once they caught fire, the blaze was so fierce that no one could get close.

The rescue team had already arrived, but it would take a long time to put out such a massive fire.

"The fire has already spread to the lawn at the back, and there’s still no trace of Miss Jiang."

Jiang Lai had just said she was going back to the house to rest. If she really had fallen asleep, she would definitely be surrounded by a sea of fire now.

Looking at the fierce flames in front of him, Shi Yubai let out a low roar.

"Concentrate all forces on extinguishing the fire in this room!"

"But the other room contains the collections left by Mr. Huang!"

The value of the collectibles in that room was astronomical, incalculable, and most of the rescue team was focused on saving the items inside.

Shi Yubai shot him a sharp glare, and the other was startled by the redness and madness in his eyes.

"If the person inside gets hurt, I’ll throw you into the fire as well."

Three hoses were aimed at the top of the house, but the fire showed no signs of abating.

At the moment, the incoming heat waves and the noisy clamor seemed to be blocked by an invisible membrane.

Shi Yubai could only see this house burning fiercely.

His eyes turned red.

At this moment, he was ninety-nine percent sure that Jiang Lai wasn’t inside.

But that negligible chance of accident made him unhesitatingly wrap himself in a fire blanket and charge inside.

He wouldn’t let Jiang Lai die in front of him.

After rushing into the sea of flames, he braved the terrible heat to reach the bed and saw it empty, almost engulfed by flames at the corner of the wall. At this moment, he knew Jiang Lai wasn’t there.

She was so smart, so agile. How could she fail to escape this sea of fire?

He suddenly realized it was a trap.

A trap set for him by Jiang Lai.

Did she want to kill him again, just like before?

Seeing the exit blocked by the fire, Shi Yubai’s mind was uncommonly clear.

This was, in fact, quite normal.

Jiang Lai was still that same Jiang Lai.

Rebellious, stubborn, ruthless.

She was as disobedient as ever, trying all means to escape from him.

Shi Yubai stood still, lowering his eyes to look at the photograph hanging on the bedroom wall.

Half of it was already burned, and the remaining half showed Jiang Lai’s eyes, half-smiling yet not.

"Jiang Lai..."

This time, would she escape again?

Shi Yubai sneered, standing motionless as he watched the flames surround him.

No matter, he still had a long, long time, and his patience hadn’t worn thin yet.

With a "snap," the photo on the wall completely fell.

Shi Yubai slowly closed his eyes, suddenly snapping them open due to a sudden force on his arm.

He turned around, caught off guard by the sight of a familiar face.

Suddenly, he wondered if he was hallucinating.

Why, at this very moment, did he see Jiang Lai?

"Cover!"

The other person tossed over a wet cloth and then shared half of their fire blanket with him.

"If you don’t run, do you really want to burn to death inside?"

Jiang Lai shouted, each shout inhaling large amounts of smoke.

She coughed violently.

Shi Yubai stared at her, seemingly forgetting the perilous situation they were in.

All around was already engulfed in flames.

"Jiang Lai, you came to save me?"

"Mr. Huang is dead, you’re my only family left!"

Jiang Lai’s eyes were red, and large tears rolled down.

Shi Yubai couldn’t tell if she was crying for him or if it was the smoke irritating her.

But he believed she did care for him, if only a little.

Otherwise, why would someone as selfish as Jiang Lai risk her life for someone else?

In that moment, he felt both joy and sorrow. He reached out, gently cradling Jiang Lai’s head, holding her close as he trembled and whispered hoarsely.

"I’ve waited a long time for this moment."

Jiang Lai hugged him back.

When the flames licked at her, she opened her eyes, looking clearly and coldly at the fiery sea before her.

Just like the day she saw the boatload of roses he sent.

——

"Beep——"

"Beep——"

"Beep beep beep——"

The life monitor issued a harsh alarm, and the hallway was filled with the sound of chaotic footsteps. Finally, the heavy door of the ward was unlocked layer by layer and opened. A doctor in a white coat walked in, looking at the pale, thin girl on the hospital bed, and used a flashlight to open her eyelids for a careful examination.

"The patient’s heart rate is unstable. Notify the dean, defibrillation is needed."

"The dean isn’t here."

"There’s no time, start defibrillation!"

Beneath the defibrillator, the girl’s body, already as thin as paper, now looked like a delicate butterfly wing, rising sharply and then falling heavily with the suction of the defibrillator.

Finally, the alarm on the instrument ceased, the data returned to normal, and the man breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the girl on the hospital bed as if he’d just survived a disaster.

"Record the rescue process, save the video and upload it to the cloud for the dean to review."

The assistant doctor nodded, skillfully administering the IV and covering the girl, then followed the main doctor out of the room.

"Dean Liu, is she the only patient in our hospital?"

The assistant doctor had been there for a while, and he only needed to clock in and out each day. Apart from the recent incident, he rarely saw any patients.

Although it was a private hospital and thus might not have as many patients as a public one, he couldn’t quell his curiosity at seeing only one patient after working here for so long.

How did such a hospital even sustain itself?

Importantly, the hospital had full departments, and everyone seemed accustomed to this state. Apart from being busy for a short period each month, the staff had an abundance of free time, yet the pay wasn’t low.

He felt uneasy, cautiously watching Dean Liu’s expression.

Fortunately, Dean Liu was always amiable to his subordinates, smiling without any sign of anger.

"Don’t pry into hospital matters. Work when it’s there, mind your business when it’s not.

Less looking, less asking, and less pondering, understand?"

"Understood, I’ll remember."

The assistant felt a chill down his back.

He was grateful Dean Liu had a good temper and didn’t scold him for being nosy out of curiosity.

Back in the office, Liu Zhi’an smiled at the assistant.

"Get back to work."

After the assistant had just closed the door and left, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Fire the assistant who started last month, find a new one."

After hanging up, he began uploading the records and video of the recent rescue.