Inside a circular hall capable of accommodating hundreds of people, Xin Ping lay motionless on a long table. He was still in a coma, surrounded by seven or eight people, all of them looking like students.
An elderly man with snow-white hair sat at the side of the long table, carefully examining Xin Ping's left hand. The hand was tightly bound, from palm to elbow, with almost no visible skin, and the exposed fingertips were noticeably darkened.
This sight would chill anyone's heart.
"Has Ma Fei not arrived yet?" Without raising his head, the elderly man asked gently. If Chen Mu, Dong Junwei, and the others were present, they would recognize him as Shi Yuanjun, the current principal of Ziwei High School. But in a face-to-face encounter, nobody in the school would believe that this once fifty-sothing-year-old principal would suddenly beco so aged.
Shi Yuanjun used to have a scholarly and refined appearance, with a well-proportioned figure and a radiant deanor. However, after the apocalypse, within a few days, he had aged to this extent. Now, he was emaciated, his movents slow, and even standing had beco an issue.
Yet, all the students present still revered him.
Song Yu stood on the side.
Although Shi Yuanjun's question was not directed at anyone in particular, Song Yu voluntarily responded, "Ma Fei lives on the 11th floor, and it'll take so ti for him to co down. I've already sent soone to hurry him up."
But before Shi Yuanjun could speak, a tall and thin boy next to them snorted, "I see so people can't wait for Xin Ping to die."
As if he hadn't heard those words, Song Yu continued to respectfully stand beside Shi Yuanjun.
The boy who spoke felt a bit disgruntled by Song Yu's lack of response.
Shi Yuanjun still didn't lift his head but sighed softly, saying, "Where there are many people, conflicts are inevitable. But everyone shares the sa goal, so there's no need to spoil the atmosphere over trivial matters. Xiao Song, go ahead and urge Ma Fei again."
"Yes." Song Yu bowed his head and then gestured to a girl beside him. The girl nodded slightly and closed her eyes.
Within a minute or two, hurried footsteps sounded from directly above the hall.
The hall had windows all around, so lighting was not a problem. In the center, there was a thick pillar surrounded by a circular staircase.
Ma Fei, who had once unlocked Yang Buan's abilities, walked quickly towards them.
"Principal."
"Ma Fei, co and see Xin Ping."
"Sure."
Ma Fei walked up to the long table and saw the barely breathing Xin Ping. He paused for a mont, then looked at Song Yu.
Song Yu nodded slightly.
Only then did Ma Fei step forward.
"Let's see if we can remove the iron shackles from his hand." Shi Yuanjun's breath was sowhat unsteady, and his sentences were long, with the last few words trailing off, making them difficult to hear at tis.
However, upon seeing the scene before him, Ma Fei understood what had happened.
"It seems to be stainless steel? Shouldn't be a problem." Ma Fei lifted Xin Ping's left hand, and thin black blood seeped out from the top, accompanied by a nauseating stench.
Although Ma Fei and Xin Ping's relationship wasn't good, witnessing Xin Ping's current miserable state still caused a twinge of pity.
"How did it end up like this?"
"We'll talk about that later. Let's save him first."
"Alright, but I need soone to assist ." Ma Fei said.
"I'll do it." The tall and thin boy who had mocked Song Yu earlier volunteered.
"After softening, these iron rings will beco flexible, and then we can remove them one by one. Rember not to let go midway; otherwise, they might snap back and crush the hand."
"I know," the boy replied sowhat impatiently.
The two of them began working together to remove the iron shackles from Xin Ping's left hand.
Others, out of curiosity, couldn't help but draw closer to watch.
However, the sight before them made many feel uncomfortable.
"Ugh…"
Several girls quickly turned their heads away and covered their mouths.
The arm that had been trapped for over a day had lost all semblance of humanity. The skin had already ulcerated, the flesh was in a mangled state, and when the iron shackles were removed, dark, foul-slling pus and blood gushed out uncontrollably.
Even in his unconscious state, Xin Ping couldn't help but groan in pain.
Ma Fei endured the discomfort and helped remove the final iron shackle.
His hands were also covered in blood.
He held the stainless-steel rings subconsciously and felt a familiar sensation. After wiping off so bloodstains, he imdiately thought of soone else.
The last ti Yang Buan's hands and feet were bound by this lightweight stainless steel as well.
But that person didn't have any ill intent towards Yang Buan; it was rely a way to immobilize him. If little Yang were to end up like Xin Ping...
Ma Fei didn't dare to dwell on that thought and sighed, saying, "Let's bandage it up."
"No need." A girl who had been standing by the table suddenly spoke.
"Why not?"
"It's pointless now. Amputation is the only way," the girl said coldly.
"If we amputate, he'll be useless!"
The tall and thin boy roared softly, but even though he dared to mock Song Yu to his face, he couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh to the girl and could only express his dissatisfaction this way.
"Amputation makes him useless, but not amputating will lead to his death. You decide for him."
The boy struggled with his thoughts for a while, then punched the long table.
Soon after, the girl had people carry Xin Ping out of the hall.
Outside, the sun shone brightly.
But a bloody surgery was about to take place.
...
Indoors.
Everyone, including Song Yu, remained still.
Shi Yuanjun looked at the dejected Liang Yan and gave a gentle smile. "Xiao Liang, why don't you tell everyone what happened?"
Liang Yan rushed back to Qingbei and managed to bring back Xin Ping intact before the capsule lost its effect. By now, he was exhausted, but he knew he couldn't rest until he explained everything clearly.
"Principal, do you rember the sudden attack on a storage room at Yi Zhong last ti?"
"Yes," Shi Yuanjun nodded. "You and Xin Ping were in charge of monitoring the newly discovered No. 9 survivor gathering point, right?"
"Yes, we set up camp at an elevated point from noon the next day. We took turns monitoring every day, and we didn't dare to relax," Liang Yan replied.
"Why did it turn out like this?" the tall and thin boy asked angrily.
"Tong Bin, don't interrupt," Shi Yuanjun said.
The boy nad Tong Bin fud but stopped speaking.
Liang Yan seed afraid to offend him and explained to Tong Bin, "We monitored for several days, but no one ca out from there, so we didn't know how many people were inside. But it seed like there were plenty of food reserves in the storage room.
"But just a few days later, a man and a woman suddenly ca out."
"Oh?"
"My suggestion was to quickly co back and report, and then let the organization decide on the next plan. However, Xin Ping insisted on tracking those two people."
"If that's the case, it's not your fault."
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