IJLHTW - 36

“Don’t talk, don’t talk anymore, save your strength,” Yi Zecheng pressed her wound. The hotel must have a first-aid kit, and as long as there was one, he could find a way to stop the bleeding.

He took off his jacket and draped it over her. His white shirt was already stained with blood, which had flowed from her wound. Huo Ci’s white dress was soaked in a large patch of red, looking horrifying.

Since becoming a doctor, Yi Zecheng had performed thousands of surgeries and seen countless patients.

This was the first time he had experienced the helplessness of a patient’s family.

He told himself that the blood she was losing was not yet fatal; the bullet had entered her abdomen, far from her heart. She would not be in immediate danger.

He was a professional doctor; he possessed the basic competence to assess a patient’s condition.

But his hands, holding her, were trembling, and he was covered in her blood. Yi Zecheng had always believed that as a doctor, he never feared death. He would do his utmost to save patients. But if he couldn’t save a life, he could accept it calmly. This was what a doctor should do, and must do.

Right now, at this moment.

He couldn’t stay calm; he was terrified.

Gunshots echoed outside the hotel. Yang Ming had already contacted the Chinese embassy. He told Yi Zecheng, “Mr. Yi, not only our hotel, but the street is also experiencing exchanges of fire. I called the Chinese embassy, and they said they would notify the peacekeeping infantry battalion as soon as possible to rescue us and asked us to wait patiently.”

Several bodyguards cocked their pistols, ready to defend themselves at any time.

Yi Zecheng placed Huo Ci against the wall, letting her sit down. He reached out and touched her cheek, softly saying, “Don’t be afraid, you’ll be fine. I promise you, as a doctor.”

She looked at him and softly said, “I’ve studied medicine too. I’m not afraid.”

Huo Ci’s face was as white as paper at this moment, and her usually dark, bright eyes slowly lost their luster.

An ordinary person’s blood loss tolerance is limited. Yi Zecheng looked at the blood loss on her body, and his heart felt as if it was being tightly squeezed by an invisible hand.

No, he couldn’t wait.

“Give me the gun,” Yi Zecheng reached out.

Yang Ming was startled and immediately whispered, “Mr. Yi, what do you want to do?”

“There’s also gunfire outside. We don’t know when the doctors can get here. I’ll go find the hotel’s first-aid kit to stop her bleeding first,” Yi Zecheng’s voice was calm.

Huo Ci’s hand suddenly gripped his. Yang Ming was even more anxious: “Mr. Yi, we don’t know how many thugs are outside. This banquet hall with so many security personnel is the safest place.”

Yang Ming was right. Although the black man initially fired the shot, he was immediately shot dead by the Minister of Economy’s security personnel after he fired. Now the banquet hall doors had been closed. There were security personnel and bodyguards here. As long as they stayed inside and didn’t go out, they would be safe once the UN peacekeeping forces arrived.

Yi Zecheng said blandly, “Give me the gun.”

Yang Ming looked to Huo Ci for help. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to save Miss Huo; one person had already been shot. If Mr. Yi got injured going out, there would be no one left to take a bullet for him.

Huo Ci finally spoke after a long while. Her blood loss was so severe that speaking was extremely difficult at this point.

“Don’t go. If something happens to you, this bullet wound would be for nothing,” she wanted to firmly grasp Yi Zecheng’s hand, but she had no strength in her hands. Even lifting a single finger felt incredibly tiring.

She was so cold, even wrapped in his jacket, she was still so cold.

Yi Zecheng saw how difficult it was for her to speak even a single word and knew she was really close to giving up. Once blood loss reached the point of shock, it would truly be dangerous.

When he asked for the gun again, the silent bodyguard finally handed a gun to him.

Huo Ci’s eyes were clouded with tears. She wanted to shake her head, to speak, but she had already expended too much energy. In the end, she could only squeeze out two words: “Don’t.”

Don’t leave, don’t go.

Yi Zecheng held the gun in his hand. He lowered his head and kissed her lips. Her lips were so cold, so cold that they were losing body temperature.

“Even if I lose my life here, I won’t leave you here.”

He had brought her here; he would take her back whole.

“Mr. Yi, I’ll go with you,” a bodyguard stood up. These bodyguards had only been with him since he arrived in South Sudan. They belonged to a domestic security company and were originally tasked with escorting this batch of medicine to South Sudan.

Yi Zecheng didn’t say anything; they were there to escort medicine, so there was no need for them to take such a big risk with him.

The bodyguard chuckled and said, “You’re Xiao Cheng’s good brother. If it weren’t for Xiao Cheng making the connection, how could we have such a big client like you? Protecting you is our responsibility.”

These bodyguards were all retired soldiers, and the person speaking to him was Liu Zhen, a former sharpshooter. Xiao Cheng had specifically called Yi Zecheng before, asking him to take care of his old subordinate’s small security company.

Although this was the first time he had hired them for security work, at the critical moment, no one backed down.

The dark-skinned man looked at Huo Ci next to him and softly said, “Miss Huo saved you. We failed to protect her. Now it’s our turn to make amends.”

Yi Zecheng nodded and softly said, “Thank you, brother.”

That “brother” made Liu Zhen pause.

Then Liu Zhen told the other three, “You guys stay here and make sure to protect Miss Huo and Assistant Yang.”

“Don’t worry, squad leader,” a short man said softly.

They left through the emergency exit. Luckily, the security captain nearby was very familiar with the hotel’s layout and quickly led Yi Zecheng to the hotel’s warehouse.

Seeing the surprise on Yi Zecheng’s face, the man called “squad leader” explained, “When we checked into the hotel, we had already studied its floor plan. I figured the warehouse would definitely have the first-aid kit you need.” Ten years of military service had instilled in them a rigorous character. As soon as they checked in, they had already familiarized themselves with the hotel to prevent any unexpected situations.

The two made their way to the warehouse without encountering anyone. When they entered the warehouse, they pushed the door open only to find it locked from the inside. Liu Zhen raised his gun to shoot, but Yi Zecheng stopped him, saying, “The hotel staff might be hiding inside.”

“We are hotel guests, and our companion is injured. We need a first-aid kit, please open the door,” Yi Zecheng shouted in English towards the inside.

But there was no movement inside. Liu Zhen glanced at him.

Yi Zecheng shouted again, “If we wanted to hurt you, we would have just shot our way in. But we just need a first-aid kit.”

This time, there was finally some movement inside, and the door opened a tiny crack, then a gun blocked the doorway.

The large black man holding the gun saw that they were two Chinese men and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Chinese people were always welcome here; they were hardworking, enthusiastic, and never caused trouble.

“You need a medicine box?” the man asked, and he now also saw the terrifying bloodstains on Yi Zecheng’s white shirt.

Almost his entire chest was stained with blood.

A moment later, a simple first-aid kit was indeed handed out from inside. The black man said, “There’s only some gauze and medicine here. I hope it can help your friend.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you all,” Yi Zecheng’s voice was trembling.

He knew how scarce and important medicine was in South Sudan.

The big black man smiled and softly said, “You Chinese are our friends. I hope God can bless your friend.”

When they returned to the banquet hall, the gunfire outside the hotel grew even more intense. Everyone hiding inside was trembling. Seeing them return unharmed, those who had stayed behind breathed a sigh of relief.

Yi Zecheng immediately opened the first-aid kit. Inside was a roll of gauze and some medicine. He looked at Huo Ci, who was close to fainting, and said in a deep voice, “Yang Ming, Liu Zhen, help me hold down her hands.”

This wasn’t his first time treating a gunshot wound, but never before had it made him tremble more.

“Huo Ci, bear with it,” he knew how painful it was to emergency-treat a gunshot wound with gauze. He had done it for a soldier once, and that soldier almost bit off his own tongue.

Huo Ci opened her eyes and looked at him, saying, “See my dad... tell him... I forgive him.”

Yi Zecheng’s eyes reddened when he heard this, and his face was so grim it looked like he could kill. He hardened his heart, took off his shirt, and tied it in her mouth, fearing she might bite her tongue.

When he used medical scissors to cut away the clothes from her abdomen, fresh blood had already stained her pale belly red, and the bullet wound looked deep and large.

Yang Ming, who was beside them, loosened his grip, and Huo Ci’s hand moved.

Yi Zecheng scolded, “Hold her down, all of you.”

When he stuffed the gauze into the wound, Huo Ci suddenly arched upwards. Her limbs were held down by others; people on both sides held her hands, and Yi Zecheng’s legs clamped hers. She couldn’t move, only her body was taut, her slender neck struggling weakly in the air.

Her painful whimpers stimulated every one of them.

Yang Ming couldn’t bear to watch and was about to turn away when he saw the person treating the wound was crying.

His hand movements didn’t stop, and his expression remained unusually controlled and calm, but his tears were falling, drop by drop.

This was a scene Yang Ming would never forget in his life.

The bleeding point seemed to be slowing down, and Huo Ci’s body was not as tense as before. She was covered in sweat. Such pain seemed to stimulate her consciousness, bringing her back to full awareness from a semi-coma.

Yi Zecheng reached out and hugged her, pulling her into his arms. After two whimpers, he reached out and untied the shirt from her mouth.

Her weak voice rang out again: “Yi Zecheng, if my father sees me, remember to tell him not to blame himself. This time, he didn’t abandon me.”

Yi Zecheng sternly ordered, “Shut up.”

What Huo Ci actually wanted to say was “if he sees my body,” but she knew that would be too cruel for the man in front of her.

She had also studied medicine and knew that many people who suffered gunshot wounds died from massive hemorrhages. She was like a soldier on the battlefield; no matter how helpless the doctor was, under such emergency conditions, she might have to watch herself bleed to death.

“Let me tell you about my past,” her head rested on his shoulder, her voice tiny and weak.

He coldly said, “I don’t want to hear it.”

His expression remained cold, but tear after tear splattered onto her hair. Her dark, long hair was wet with tears.

“When I was in the car accident, he was also participating in aid to Africa. I cried and begged him to come back, but he said he couldn’t, telling me to be strong and that he would always love me. I hated him for abandoning me when I was most helpless. I would never forgive him, and I would never call him Dad again.”

That was Huo Ci back then, not listening to reasons, stubbornly wanting to go against the whole world.

“Stop talking,” Yi Zecheng’s voice was as cold as if it came from a snowy mountain.

Everyone around them had red eyes, because every word Huo Ci spoke could be her last.

“Please tell him I forgive him,” Huo Ci whispered beside his ear, her breath faint, until she said again, “And I miss him very much.”

Yi Zecheng didn’t say anything, holding her shoulders and letting her lie in his arms.

His teeth were chattering.

Finally, Huo Ci’s hand covered his, her fingers gently stroking his palm, as if with endless reluctance.

“Yi Zecheng, I won’t say goodbye to you.”

Because I want us to meet again in the next life.

Huo Ci suddenly smiled. She said, “Am I really going to die? I actually hear my dad calling my name.”

Then a group of people in blue uniforms rushed in, and a huge cheer erupted in the banquet hall. The UN peacekeeping forces had arrived, the situation was under control, and they all survived.

“Huo Ci, Huo Ci!” When Huo Mingzhou ran over with the medicine box, all the auditory hallucinations came true.

This time, she was truly rescued.