371: Chapter 371 You went too far?

Wu Hui vaulted over the fallen tree trunk, her short dagger flashing with a cold light in the dim treeline.

The tip of the blade aimed straight for Xu Zhixia's throat.

The distance was too close.

Xu Zhixia's body's reflex ability simply could not keep up with the speed of the other party's pounce.

Lin Fan stood half a step away.

In his vision, Wu Hui's movements changed.

The pre-activation wind-up of her muscles, the stress point of her soles stepping into the mud, the angle of her wrist twisting.

Slow, far too slow.

His retina dissected Wu Hui's movements into a frame-by-frame playback of a short movie.

He even had time to deduce three ways to counterattack in his mind.

Snap her neck, break her arm, or kick directly to shatter her sternum.

He chose the simplest and most brutal one.

The muscles in his right leg tensed.

His thigh drove his calf, drawing a blurred afterimage in the air.

Bang!

The sole of his shoe kicked Wu Hui in the abdomen.

With this kick, Lin Fan held back seventy percent of his strength.

He knew his current bone density and muscle explosive power; if he had really kicked with full force, Wu Hui's internal organs would likely have shattered into a pulp.

Even while holding back, the physical impact force remained terrifying.

Wu Hui flew backward, blade and all.

Her body snapped several shrub branches, heavily smashing into that section of rotted deadwood.

"Pfft..."

Wu Hui opened her mouth and spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood. She clutched her stomach, even her painful groans stuck in her throat, leaving only her chest heaving.

Xu Zhixia froze in place.

The wind swept past her ears, whipping up the stray hairs at her temples.

She hadn't seen clearly at all how Lin Fan made his move.

The second before, Wu Hui's blade tip was right in front of her eyes; the next second, the person was already hanging on the deadwood a few meters away.

Xu Zhixia turned her head, looking at Wu Hui.

A pool of blood on the ground.

The blood Wu Hui coughed up was mixed with dark red blood clots, her internal organs having suffered a shock.

The doctor's occupational habit took the upper hand.

"Why did you hit so hard?" Xu Zhixia frowned, words of reproach slipping out instinctively.

Lin Fan tilted his head.

He looked at Xu Zhixia, raised his right hand, and pointed his index finger back at the tip of his own nose.

"Blame me?"

"If it weren't for this kick of mine, your carotid artery would have been slit by now, and blood could have sprayed three meters away without you even being able to make a cry for help."

Lin Fan closed in by half a step, staring down at her from above.

"Dr. Xu, you slept in the same cave with Song Ya for a few days, did she infect you?"

"Someone is taking a knife to your life, and you're here feeling sorry for someone else vomiting blood?"

Xu Zhixia did not answer his words, instead saying, "Lin Fan, now that Qingxue and Song Ya are both taken care of, you'd better not provoke me, otherwise I'll put a lock on myself, do you believe it!"

Fine, when this woman gets ruthless, she doesn't even spare herself. Lin Fan thought of the triple enhancement last time, where his desires in that aspect also increased accordingly; would they increase along with it this time too?

If he didn't release it, wouldn't he burst and die? Could Xu Zhixia be considered to have caught his weakness?

"Fine, Dr. Xu, even if you told me right now that your cat can do a backflip, I'd say it could do three."

Xu Zhixia did not refute, her gaze sweeping past Wu Hui, who was still retching, and landing on Xiao Qian behind the deadwood.

Xiao Qian leaned against the tree roots.

Her left arm's combat uniform was torn into strips of cloth, dark red scabs mixed with fresh blood.

Her complexion was ghastly pale, her forehead covered in cold sweat; if she wasn't treated soon, she'd probably die.

Xu Zhixia strode forward, walking toward Xiao Qian.

"Don't touch her," Wu Hui roared from behind, struggling to get up, but the pain in her abdomen made it impossible for her to muster any strength. "If you want to kill or carve me up, come at me."

Wu Hui panted heavily, her eyes staring fixedly at Lin Fan.

Lin Fan walked up to Wu Hui; if this woman suddenly got up, Xu Zhixia wouldn't be able to dodge at all.

She gritted her teeth to prop up half her body, the dagger still clutched in her hand.

Looking at her like this, Lin Fan still spoke, "On this island, there is only one person who can save her." Lin Fan used his chin to gesture toward Xu Zhixia behind him. "It's her."

Wu Hui's gaze crossed over Lin Fan, landing on Xu Zhixia.

Xu Zhixia had already walked to Xiao Qian's side and squatted down, her fingers resting on the side of Xiao Qian's neck, confirming her pulse.

"If you move around anymore, every single second you waste is Sister Qian's life."

"Believe it or not, looking at her state, she doesn't seem like she can hold on much longer. You'd better not gamble."

The tip of Wu Hui's dagger drooped downward.

She stared at Xiao Qian's face.

That face was as gray and pale as a sheet of paper, her lips drained completely of color, and the rise and fall of her chest was becoming shallower and shallower.

Recalling last time, this man didn't seem to have any hostility toward them either.

"Can you guarantee you can cure her?"

"My ass I can guarantee," Lin Fan interrupted her. "We'll do our best to save her; whether she lives or dies depends on her fortune. But if you keep wasting time here, she'll die right in front of you one hundred percent."

Wu Hui's hand loosened, and the dagger slipped from between her fingers, thrusting into the mud.

Xu Zhixia had already pulled apart the shredded cloth on Xiao Qian's left arm, quickly inspecting the depth and trajectory of the wound.

She flipped open Xiao Qian's eyelids, propping them open with her thumb to observe the pupils.

"The arm is a through-and-through wound, didn't hit the bone. Stopping the bleeding and bandaging will do."

Xu Zhixia released Xiao Qian's eyelids, her fingers wrapping around to the back of her head and feeling around.

Her fingertips touched an egg-sized swollen area; when pressed down, Xiao Qian's body twitched.

"There is blood stasis and swelling at the back of the head, and that's the reason for her coma." Xu Zhixia stood up and looked at Lin Fan. "She must be taken back to be treated; there are no conditions here."

Lin Fan glanced at Wu Hui.

Wu Hui was half-kneeling on the ground, clutching her stomach, the color completely drained from her face.

Although that kick earlier had held back its force, the aftereffect brought on by the internal organ concussion was acting up. Every breath she took brought a spasm of sharp pain from beneath her ribs.

"Can you walk?" Lin Fan asked her.

Wu Hui clenched her back molars, propping herself up against the tree trunk to stand. Her waist was bent and she couldn't straighten up, but her two legs could move.

"Won't die."

Lin Fan turned around, squatted down in front of Xiao Qian, hoisted her body up from the ground, and propped her onto his back.

Xiao Qian's head slumped against his back, her breathing as shallow as a gossamer thread.

Xu Zhixia walked to Wu Hui's side and extended her arm, "I'll support you."

Wu Hui stared at that hand, hesitating for a moment, but thinking of Lin Fan's words earlier, she dared not delay any further.

Wu Hui placed her hand on Xu Zhixia's shoulder. The speed of the four people was slowed down by Wu Hui.

Lin Fan carried Xiao Qian on his back and walked in front, his footsteps very steady. A woman weighing less than a hundred catties was no burden at all.

Xu Zhixia half-supported and half-carried Wu Hui, walking for about fifty minutes before reaching the slope below the Karst Cave.

Zhou Kai smelled the scent of blood from afar and poked his head out of the cave entrance.

"Brother Fan, why did you carry someone back?" Seeing Wu Hui being helped by Xu Zhixia and Xiao Qian slumped on Lin Fan's back, his yellowish-green vertical pupils rolled twice. "Damn, aren't these the two thugs from last time? How did they get hurt like this?"

Lin Fan didn't answer him, instead saying, "Kaizi, go help Dr. Xu."

"Yes, Brother Fan." Zhou Kai went to Xu Zhixia's side to support Wu Hui.

His eyes stared fixedly at this woman; he still had lingering fear from what happened last time.

Lin Fan placed Xiao Qian on the flat ground deeper inside the Karst Cave. Xu Zhixia had already reached Song Ya's side.

Song Ya was still lying in the blanket, her face flushed red with fever, two more bloody, cracked splits on her chapped lips.

Xu Zhixia took out some of the medicinal herbs she had gathered and handed them to Zhou Kai. "Go pound these, add a little water and stir it into a paste, quickly."

"Okay."

After Zhou Kai left, she continued to squat in front of Song Ya, pried open her mouth, dipped her fingers in a few drops of water, and moistened her lips.

A vague groan came from Song Ya's throat, her eyelids trembled slightly, but she didn't open them.

A few minutes later, Zhou Kai ran back holding a stone trough containing the thoroughly pounded herbal paste.

Xu Zhixia picked up a bit with a wooden spoon, smeared it onto Song Ya's tongue, and then pinched her chin to help her swallow.

Repeating this three times, a good amount of the herbs was fed down, and then she applied some more to Song Ya's head using gauze.

"Keep an eye on her. If she's still burning up after half an hour, feed her again." Xu Zhixia stood up, wiped her hands, and walked toward Xiao Qian.

Lin Fan leaned against the cave wall, shifting his gaze away from Song Ya and landing on Wu Hui, who was sitting on a rock.

Wu Hui wrapped both arms around her abdomen, her gaze chasing after Xu Zhixia's back, watching her squat in front of Xiao Qian to flip her eyelids, check her pulse, and inspect the back of her head.

That professional posture made the nerves that Wu Hui had kept taut the entire way relax a notch.

Xu Zhixia tore off the cloth strips on Xiao Qian's left arm, cleaned the wound, and then found some medicinal herbs to apply to the swelling at the back.

Xu Zhixia stood up. "If the blood stasis can subside on its own, she'll wake up in two or three days. If it doesn't subside..."

She didn't finish.

Wu Hui's throat rolled, and she finally spoke, "Thank you."

Xu Zhixia didn't reply, walking aside to wash the bloodstains off her hands.

Lin Fan walked over and stopped beside Wu Hui. Wu Hui raised her head.

"I'll ask you a few things." Lin Fan spoke.

Wu Hui didn't avoid his gaze. Xu Zhixia had saved Xiao Qian, so her hostility had dissipated quite a bit. "Ask."

"That fire at the Island Center." Lin Fan stared at her. "Was it set by you guys?"

Wu Hui's lips moved.

"Yes."

As soon as the words fell, she shook her head frantically, "No... not..."

Zhou Kai walked over from the cave entrance, his yellowish-green vertical pupils rolling twice in the firelight, showing his missing front teeth as he grinned and asked, "Big sis, is it or is it not? Give me a straight answer. My brain's processing speed is limited, it can't handle you flipping back and forth like this."

Wu Hui clutched the abdomen that Lin Fan had kicked, taking two breaths before smoothing out her words.

"The fire was lit by us."

"Sister Qian and I sneaked into the Island Center, circled around for a long time, and scouted that entire area."

"Aside from the woods, there was nothing else."

"Sister Qian said since we couldn't find anyone, we'd force them out."

"We piled dry branches and dead leaves under the bushes on the outer perimeter, lighting three fire sources, wanting to smoke the people inside out."

"But the fire had just been lit."

"Those trees... the speed at which they burned was completely wrong."

Zhou Kai squatted down, resting his arms on his knees. "There's wind in the woods, dry branches catch fire the moment they're touched, what's so strange about that?"

"You haven't gone in, you don't understand!" Wu Hui raised her head, tugging at her injury, the pain twisting her facial muscles together. "That forest in the Island Center, the tree canopies cover the sky so tightly that not even a few rays of sunlight leak through, and it's as stuffy as a steamer."

"There's wind, but it couldn't possibly catch fire that fast..."

"The moment the flames shot up, it was like someone had poured oil from underneath."

"With a hum, all three fire sources burst open simultaneously. We were twenty-odd meters away, and the heat wave directly pushed me over."

Lin Fan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Bursting open simultaneously—three independent fire sources separated by more than twenty meters, at the exact same point in time, detonated with the exact same intensity.

Natural phenomena could not achieve this degree.

"At first, the fire was so big that we couldn't get close at all. Sister Qian and I retreated to the outer perimeter to wait, wanting to wait for the fire to flush the people out."

"However."

Her Adam's apple rolled up and down, "The fire burned for less than a few minutes before it suddenly went out."

"That bizarre degree of it, I'm afraid you wouldn't believe it if I told you."

"It was like someone had turned off a switch." Wu Hui stared at the ground. "There was no gradual shrinking, no slow extinguishing; it was just lit, and then it went dark."

"All the fires went out at the same time."

The Karst Cave fell quiet for a few seconds. They had already seen these conditions clearly from the platform.

Lin Fan looked at Wu Hui. Being able to ignite three fire sources simultaneously and also extinguish them simultaneously—

It was pretty much as he guessed; someone was helping them.

"After the fire went out," Wu Hui continued, "a person came out."

"We didn't know where he came out from."

"He was wearing a suit. Sister Qian and I launched an attack at the same time, but that man suddenly disappeared right in front of our eyes and then reappeared behind us."

"We had never seen that kind of speed before. Sister Qian's first reaction was to fall back."

"We turned and ran, but that person..."

"Was too fast."

"Faster than you." She raised her head, looking at Lin Fan. "We've run around in the mercenary circle for a few years, what kind of opponents haven't we seen, but that person's speed..."

"We didn't even see how he moved."

"Sister Qian blocked in front of me, I only heard a sound, and then Sister Qian's whole body flew out, crashing into the tree trunk."

Lin Fan's eyelids twitched; as expected, that Suit Man was the guardian of the Island Center.

"Then how did you guys run out?" Lin Fan asked.

"Smoke grenades." Wu Hui's voice was hoarse. "The moment Sister Qian was knocked flying, I pulled the last two smoke grenades in my waist bag. Those things were military-grade goods we captured when we were in Africa before, with a large coverage area."

"I dragged Sister Qian up from the ground and carried her on my shoulder as I ran outward."

"How far did you run? Didn't he chase?" Zhou Kai chimed in.

Wu Hui shook her head, "I don't know if he chased or not. After the smoke dispersed, I turned back to take a look, and there was nothing on that clearing."

"The person was gone."

"Just as if they had never appeared at all."

The Karst Cave fell silent again.

Lin Fan straightened his body. What on earth were those people inside the island trying to do?

Why would they suddenly help Xiao Qian and the others set a fire?

Zhou Kai couldn't figure it out either. At this moment, Xu Zhixia spoke up, "Lin Fan, could it be that there are other super-powered people on the island, and they're also doing this to counter the people at the Island Center?"

"We've seen that Suit Man's speed. If he really wanted to chase someone, no one could possibly outrun him."

"Could it be that someone helped them with that fire, which is why it burned so fast?"

"And the person who helped them set the fire also blocked that Suit Man for them, allowing them to escape."

"It's possible..." Lin Fan began, "but if someone really helped them, what was the purpose?"

"In terms of strength and understanding of the island, I surpass both of them."

"If they really wanted to cooperate, why didn't they come looking for me."

The Karst Cave sank into silence again. After a moment, Lin Fan spoke once more, "Unless..."