Chapter 196: Savior
After the four of them had rested and recovered, they needed to return to Heaven's Gate immediately.
After all, each of them was injured. Although the wounds weren't fatal, if they weren't treated promptly, the next few days would certainly be unbearable.
Leaving the Earth Tiger's venue, the group spent about an hour and a half traveling back to "Heaven's Gate."
Just like yesterday, Chu Tianqiu was standing in the courtyard, looking outward.
"Hey!" Qi Xia called out. "Someone's injured. Call for help."
"Huh?" Chu Tianqiu was startled. "Alright... I'll get someone right away."
In no time, five or six people rushed out from inside Heaven's Gate and brought the three injured individuals back inside.
Among them, Qi Xia spotted Dr. Zhao.
"Good..." Qi Xia said to Dr. Zhao. "Lucky you didn't go out. Help them take a look quickly—they're all covered in superficial injuries."
"Alright... but I'm not a professional surgeon after all," Dr. Zhao said hesitantly. "I can only do what I can."
He led the three into a classroom and gave them a rough examination. Rumor had it that this classroom was specifically prepared for the injured.
As things stood, the one with the lightest injuries seemed to be Zhang Shan. He looked completely covered in blood, but upon examination, no injuries could be found at all.
Next was Qiao Jiajin. The skin on his hands and legs had extensive abrasions, as if someone had scraped it open with a rough stone.
Although this type of wound wasn't fatal, the victim would experience unimaginable pain.
The worst off was Li Xiangling. She had several fractured ribs, along with arm contusions, a sprained left foot, and a puncture wound on her right biceps that wasn't too serious. None of these were life-threatening, but she would have to rest and recuperate—no longer fit to participate in any games.
After hearing this, Qi Xia nodded, gave a few instructions to Dr. Zhao, and was about to head out when he suddenly froze in place.
A special room for the injured...?
He looked back at Li Xiangling, and something flashed through his mind.
"Rest and recuperate?"
Qiao Jiajin also noticed Qi Xia's expression wasn't right and asked in confusion, "Liar, what's wrong?"
"Nothing..." Qi Xia's face turned cold, a plan already forming in his mind. "You guys rest up. I'll go get you some food."
With a cold expression, he opened the door and muttered to himself, "So that's how it is... Just like Zhang Shan, Li Xiangling won't make it through tonight either."
Qi Xia returned to his own classroom and opened the door to find Han Yimo sitting inside.
He was staring up at the sky with a smile.
That smile was particularly eerie.
Seeing someone come in, Han Yimo immediately withdrew his expression and turned to look at Qi Xia.
"You're back?"
Qi Xia frowned slightly and said, "Yes. I came to get some food."
"Oh, let me help you." Han Yimo stood up, grabbed a few cans from the floor, and picked up some bottles of water. "Here."
Qi Xia stared into Han Yimo's eyes and silently accepted the items.
"What were you... looking at just now?" Qi Xia asked.
"I was looking at the sky," Han Yimo said with a smile. "This sky here is mesmerizing."
"Is that so?"
Qi Xia looked out the window. Outside was a dark red sky and a yellowish sun.
Around the sun's outer edge, faint black lines were spreading inward from the rim.
"Have you ever seen a sky and sun like this?" Han Yimo slowly turned around, speaking with a smile. "That sun isn't dazzling at all. It looks like a yellow ball. I can't find any words to describe it."
"Freakish things are everywhere on the streets here. I've grown used to it," Qi Xia said flatly.
"It's not 'freakish'... it's 'beautiful,'" Han Yimo said. "It floats in the sky... it makes me feel so beautiful. It seems like... I can't explain it, but I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."
"I think you have too much free time." Qi Xia sighed and said, "Didn't you mention earlier you had an unfinished novel? You could use this time to plot it out. On the day you return to the real world, you can publish it."
"A novel...?" Han Yimo was slightly taken aback. "Right, a novel. Qi Xia, do you know? Every novel has a savior."
"Is that so?" Qi Xia replied indifferently. "I rarely read novels, so I wouldn't know."
"Qi Xia, you are my savior."
"I'm a 'savior'...?" Qi Xia thought for a moment. He felt that Han Yimo had called him "savior" several times before, and it was starting to irritate him. "I only saved your life once. There's no need to elevate it to such a high level."
"Hahaha!" Han Yimo laughed. "Right, right. Sorry, my wording wasn't precise. Anyway, thank you for saving me."
Qi Xia felt something was off.
Before this, Han Yimo seemed like a perfectly normal young man. Although he was a bit timid, he had never done anything confusing or unpleasant.
But why was he acting so strangely today?
Had he been affected by Zhongyan Land?
A series of footsteps echoed in the corridor—someone was sprinting.
"Something happened, something happened! Is anyone in charge?!" a voice shouted from outside the door.
Qi Xia recognized it as Old Lyu's voice.
People trickled out of the classrooms and saw Old Lyu, drenched in sweat, anxiously looking for someone. He was soaked through, as if he had just come out of the water.
"Where's Chu Tianqiu? Where's that kid named Qi?" he shouted with a trembling voice. "Is there anyone smart who can help?"
Qi Xia opened the door and walked out, meeting Chu Tianqiu who had also come over.
"What's wrong?" Chu Tianqiu asked.
"That superstar..." Old Lyu kept patting his chest, trying to catch his breath. "Yun Yao... something happened to Yun Yao!"
Both Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu's expressions froze.
"What happened to her?" Qi Xia asked.
"She's trapped in the game venue..." Old Lyu said. "Oh my god... I've never seen anything like this. That rabbit won't let her go."
"What?" Qi Xia frowned and glanced at Chu Tianqiu.
But Chu Tianqiu also looked baffled.
"Rabbit?" Chu Tianqiu asked. "Human Rabbit?"
"Yeah!" Old Lyu nodded emphatically. "It's so strange... Didn't you say you gambled that rabbit to death yesterday? Why is there a 'Zodiac' standing there today?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Tianqiu's face turned pale with shock. He quickly said, "Old Lyu, Qi Xia, you two come with me. Everyone else, dismissed."
"Dismissed?!"
The group exchanged bewildered glances, completely in the dark. Shouldn't their top priority be to go rescue Yun Yao?
Qi Xia took a deep breath and followed Old Lyu to Chu Tianqiu's classroom.
"Close the door..." Chu Tianqiu said, somewhat dazed.
"What's going on?" Qi Xia said. "Do you need my advice?"
"No... wait a moment." Chu Tianqiu turned to Old Lyu. "First, tell me exactly what happened."