In an underground clinic somewhere in the Junk Guild, Wei Jun sat naked on a round stool while two identical blonde twin nurses in white uniforms administered emergency treatment.
Melted foreign objects embedded in his flesh were removed one by one, wounds cleaned, and medicine applied...
Wei Jun's expression remained unchanged as if the body wasn't his own, his eyes fixed intently on the operating room nearby.
Moments later, the operating room door opened, and an elderly doctor in surgical attire emerged.
Wei Jun abruptly stood up, freshly treated wounds immediately splitting open as blood flowed out. He rushed forward without regard, urgency in his voice: "How is he? Is the kid alright?"
The old doctor removed his mask: "With me handling it, what's there to worry about? Just some gunshot wounds, already treated. But his continued unconsciousness might be due to some psychological trauma."
Wei Jun clenched his fists tightly upon hearing this: "It's all my fault. He warned me..."
"As for you, 90% of your skin is burned with partial carbonization, injuries to your chest cavity, respiratory tract, lungs, and bones... It's a miracle you're still alive. Even Coordinators aren't this terrifying. You East Asians are practically monsters."
"I'm fine. As long as the kid is saved... I promised his mother and grandfather I'd take good care of him, but..."
As he spoke, tears streamed down Wei Jun's face, his teeth gritted.
The old doctor sighed at the sight and instructed the nurses: "Vinnie, get the adrenaline and sedatives. We can't let him get too agitated right now. Vess, clean up the operating room and prepare the tools. I need to treat him immediately."
"Yes," the twin nurses replied in unison, swiftly moving to their tasks.
...
East Asia, Beidu Villa District.
1:44 AM. Zhou Hanxiang suddenly sat up in bed, drenched in sweat, her heart pounding wildly.
Clutching the thin fabric of her nightgown at her chest, she stumbled out of bed in a panic, muttering incessantly: "Tian Ming, Tian Ming..."
She grabbed her phone and dialed, but the call wouldn't connect.
Her heart ached so severely she could barely breathe. Gasping for air, Hanxiang staggered toward the door.
Gao Jing, awakened by the noise, emerged from her bedroom in pajamas and saw Hanxiang's frantic rush.
Frowning, she quickly caught up and grabbed Hanxiang's arm: "Hanxiang, what's wrong?"
"Tian Ming's in trouble! I need to go to the Junk Guild, I need to go now..." Hanxiang struggled to break free, tears streaming down her face. "I can't reach him. Something's happened. I have to get there fast!"
"Calm down!" Gao Jing shouted, then turned toward the bedroom and called out, "Junguo!"
Zhou Junguo stepped out of the bedroom and, without a word, picked up his phone to call Wei Jun.
But all he got was a busy signal—no connection.
His face darkened as he shook his head at Gao Jing.
Gao Jing also realized something was wrong, her heart trembling, but she quickly composed herself. "Hanxiang, don't panic. If you panic, who else can save Tianming?"
At these words, Zhou Hanxiang shuddered and stopped struggling. "Right, I need to stay calm. I need to stay calm."
Wiping the tears from her cheeks, her gaze turned resolute as she addressed Zhou Junguo. "Dad, I need a shuttle to get into space as soon as possible."
"I'll arrange it," Zhou Junguo nodded. "Keep making calls—anyone you can reach on the Junk Guild side. We need to know what happened before we can act."
Zhou Hanxiang nodded, recalling the phone numbers she had memorized from the Junk Guild and dialing frantically.
But none of the calls went through.
"How are you feeling?" Gao Jing asked then.
Zhou Hanxiang closed her eyes, focusing inward, when suddenly she felt dizzy, as if something were clogging her chest.
Cough, cough, cough—
A violent fit of coughing wracked her, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering Gao Jing's clothes.
Zhou Hanxiang felt her breath grow labored, a sharp pain shooting through her. Then, darkness swallowed her vision as she abruptly lost consciousness and collapsed onto the sofa.
"Hanxiang!!" Gao Jing cried out.
...
Junk Guild, around 6 a.m., inside an underground clinic.
On the hospital bed, Zhou Tianming awoke, a throbbing pain in his head making him grimace.
Squinting, he glanced around. Seeing no one, he fully opened his eyes to take in his surroundings.
The walls were made of dull, dark metal, with exposed pipes crisscrossing overhead.
He lay on a metal-framed bed, an IV needle inserted into the back of his right hand. A transparent bag of medicine hung from the metal stand beside him, connected to him via a plastic tube.
This feels so familiar…
Realizing he was likely in a clinic and that no one was guarding him, he relaxed slightly.
Looking down, he saw bandages wrapped around his body and arms, with traces of blood seeping through in several spots.
Pulling the IV needle from his hand, Zhou Tianming got out of bed. His body swayed, his head pounding with dizziness and pain.
"Is this the price of overusing Mental Power? I need to find a way to strengthen it as soon as possible."
Quietly moving toward the door, he reached for the handle and tried to turn it.
Just then, the handle twisted under an external force.
Someone was opening the door!
Zhou Tianming quickly let go and stepped aside, but the sudden movement aggravated his wounds, making him hiss in pain.
In his haste, he bumped into something behind him, creating a loud noise.
Vinnie, who had just entered, turned toward the sound and immediately spotted Zhou Tianming clutching his chest, his face twisted in agony. Surprised, she turned and shouted outside, "Doc, the kid's awake!"
The sound of hurried footsteps approached, and the old doctor walked in. Taking one look, he frowned disapprovingly. "None of you can stay still, can you? Get back in bed right now."
Seeing that neither of them seemed hostile, Zhou Tianming lowered his guard slightly and obediently returned to the bed.
"Thank you for saving me."
"You should thank me, but I only treated your gunshot wounds. Someone else saved you."
The old doctor jerked his thumb toward the door behind him.
Heavy footsteps echoed as a giant, wrapped head to toe in bandages, stepped inside. The eyes peeking through the wrappings gleamed with joy.
"Tianming! Are you okay?"
With that, he rushed forward.
"Uncle Wei?!"
Recognizing the voice, Zhou Tianming exclaimed in shock, "You're alive!"
But in his surprise, he forgot to dodge and was caught in a tight embrace. The mingled scents of blood and medicine flooded his nostrils.
The next second, Wei Jun slapped his back with loud thuds.
The pain twisted Zhou Tianming's handsome face as he opened his mouth to cry out, only to be cut off by a coughing fit from the forceful slap.
Wei Jun panicked, releasing Zhou Tianming to grab his shoulders and shake him. "Kid! Are you alright?!"
He turned and shouted at the old doctor, "Check him now!"
The old doctor facepalmed.
Moments later, only Zhou Tianming and Wei Jun remained in the room.
Before Zhou Tianming could express his gratitude, Wei Jun suddenly dropped to his knees.
His voice choked with emotion, "Uncle Wei failed you. I almost got you killed."
Zhou Tianming's arm twitched, but he ultimately didn't stop Wei Jun from kneeling. "You saved me, didn't you? Thank you."
At that moment, the [Trust] in Zhou Tianming's mind reacted—the golden sphere solidified further: 59+37=96.
He instantly felt a refreshing stream pour into his mind, the stinging pain and dizziness fading as his Mindpower revitalized.
Was I really that distrustful? Only now learning to trust others?
Zhou Tianming mentally rolled his eyes at his own Golden Finger but also sighed in genuine relief—he was finally back to normal.
"Uncle Wei, what exactly is going on? Why would they go this far?"
Wei Jun shook his head. "I don't know. I can't figure it out either."
But then his eyes widened, teeth grinding audibly like a volcano on the verge of eruption. His suppressed voice seethed, "It doesn't matter anymore. All I want now is to make them pay for my brothers' lives."
Zhou Tianming thought of those uncles who, though he'd just met, had left a good impression. His gaze dimmed. "The uncles... all of them...?"
"..."
Bang! The door suddenly burst open as the old doctor hurried in. "Wei Jun, we've got trouble."