Doomsday Spiritual Artifact Master

Chapter 49.2 – Tongwan Hospital (3)
◎ We Kidnapped a Big Star! ◎

 

Humming a tune, Lin Youyou entered the Fifth Hospital with a graceful stride. She passed through the spacious lobby, navigated through the crowded people, and arrived at the exclusive elevator for VIP wards, pressing the button to go up.

The elevator doors opened, and she found herself alone inside. She stood confidently, pressed the floor button.

The metallic double doors slowly closed, and while waiting, Lin Youyou adjusted her hair in front of the one-way mirror. As she moved, her fingertips suddenly stopped, and through the gap in her sunglasses, a sparkling snowflake slowly landed on her nose.

At this time of the year, in such a sealed space, where could snowflakes come from?

Lin Youyou realized something was wrong!

She desperately pressed all the floor buttons, but it was too late. The running elevator froze suddenly, coming to a slow stop, stuck halfway between floors. The space inside her car was encased in a layer of thick frost.

Ka-chunk!

The metal sliding doors were forcibly pried open. Outside was pitch black, and in some mezzanine of an unknown floor, Song Ke, with her bare hands, forced open the elevator door. She squatted on the ground and gave Lin Youyou a sinister smile.

Lin Youyou quickly took off her sunglasses, her eyes wide with shock, and her red lips were about to speak.

Song Ke didn’t give her a chance to speak. She delivered a swift knife-hand strike to the back of Lin Youyou’s neck.

Although this celebrity was an awakener, she was a pure support type and had almost zero close combat experience. Struck by Song Ke like this, her body went limp, and she fainted on the spot. Song Ke extended her arm, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her out of the elevator.

Then, she shouted up through the elevator shaft to Xu Xing above, “Xiaoxing, it’s a success!”

Xu Xing’s furry little head appeared on the top floor. This time, his ability had turned into ice blades. He knocked on the frozen elevator and peeled away the layers of ice and snow. In no time, the elevator returned to normal operation as if nothing had happened.

Song Ke carried Lin Youyou like a sack and met up with her two “accomplices” in the corridor.

“We, we kidnapped a big, big star!” She exclaimed in disbelief in a hushed voice.

“We kidnapped a big star!” Xu Xing repeated like a tape recorder.

The two of them jumped up and twirled around in joy.

“Don’t celebrate too soon,” Zhuang Qingyan poured cold water on their excitement. “We still need to find a place to hide her. Otherwise, with Rainforest’s tracking methods, it won’t take more than ten minutes for Su Cha to locate her.”

“Whe-where should we hide, hide her?” Song Ke asked nervously.

Zhuang Qingyan brushed non-existent dust off the blanket and smiled, “I have a place in mind. It should be just right.”

…

When Lin Youyou woke up, she found herself in a spacious hospital room, her hands and feet tightly bound.

There was a dull pain in the back of her neck, and her head throbbed with dizziness. Her vision started as a blurry white expanse but gradually became clear, revealing two familiar figures. She lifted her head abruptly, only to see a teenage girl and a child sitting back-to-back on a chair, both glaring at her fiercely.

“…Song Ke? Xu Xing?” she said in surprise.

“Hmph,” the two of them responded in unison, clearly not pleased.

“Why have you kidnapped me? Release me immediately!” Lin Youyou demanded angrily.

“We won’t release you, won’t release you. I’ll piss you off to death!” Xu Xing cheerfully gloated.

“Not releasing you,” Song Ke also followed, adding fire.

“Su Cha? Su Cha!”

Lin Youyou couldn’t be bothered to argue with the two of them and called out for Su Cha using her psychic power. However, there seemed to be an invisible barrier around her, trapping her psychic power within the room, preventing it from escaping.

Observing her puzzled expression, Song Ke coldly huffed and said, “It’s useless.”

“What do you mean?” Lin Youyou asked.

“Even if you scream your throat hoarse, no one will come to rescue you!” Xu Xing helped her understand.

“Yeah!” Song Ke nodded vigorously.

“Woof!” From the corner came a barking sound, as if echoing the conversation between the two.

Lin Youyou raised an eyebrow in confusion. What kind of kidnappers were these?

However, Song Ke had intentionally chosen this room. It was a highly confidential double-ward VIP room. To obtain this, she not only voluntarily covered Tao Tao’s medical expenses but also spent a lot of contingency funds, buying a bunch of high-end dog snacks. Only then did she capture Tao Tao’s heart and ask it to help release a little bit of its domain.

After handing her child over to the hospital, Tao Tao’s mother didn’t have much to do at home and was getting bored staying indoors for a few days. Just then, Song Ke took the initiative to offer help and promised to take care of Tao Tao today. So she happily made plans for afternoon tea with her girlfriends. Now, this ward has become a natural prison, with Tao Tao’s domain covering it. Even if Su Cha tries, he won’t be able to find it.

Lin Youyou’s heart was pounding fast. The two humans and one dog were making a ruckus, and it was really getting on her nerves. However, she guessed that something must have been done to the room, as her psychic powers were cut off, and it was pointless to continue trying.

Lin Youyou refused to communicate with these strange beings and turned to the only normal person in the room.

“What exactly do you want from me?” Lin Youyou asked.

“I don’t want to do anything, I just want to have a good chat with Miss Lin.” Zhuang Qingyan leaned against the window, his smile as cool as the cold wind, devoid of any warmth.

Lin Youyou fell silent for a moment, carefully considering the situation, then turned to Song Ke with a serious expression. “Regarding Mirror Lake, Song Ke, I apologize to you. I’m sorry. If you want that crystal, I can return it to you.
“What compensation do you want? Within my capabilities, I’ll do my best.”

“Miss Lin, not all mistakes can be made right afterward,” Zhuang Qingyan interrupted her. “Even if wounds can be healed, the scars left behind are difficult to erase.”

Song Ke nodded, though she wanted to argue that the scars on her body could disappear, but now was not the time to correct Zhuang Qingyan.

So, she endured.

“You’re right, I feel sorry for what I’ve done… but I don’t regret it.”

“If I had to do it again, I would.”

Lin Youyou’s gaze was resolute. “Because I have a reason I can’t afford to lose.”

“Song Ke, you won’t trust me again, will you?”

Lin Youyou sighed, a hint of bitterness in her mouth. “My initial intention in proposing cooperation was not to deceive you. If that wasn’t the last crystal, we should be able to sit together and celebrate victory.”

Song Ke remained silent.

There were no “ifs” anymore; Lin Youyou had betrayed her trust, and she couldn’t get over that.

“Betrayal is never worth forgiving,” Zhuang Qingyan calmly commented.

“If Miss Lin feels truly guilty, she should take some practical actions.”

“What do you want? Money? How much money?” Lin Youyou asked.

Zhuang Qingyan shook his head slowly. “What kind of people do you take us for? Extortionists and thugs?”

Lin Youyou replied, “From your actions, is there really a difference?”

Still being defiant, Zhuang Qingyan wheeled his wheelchair across the floor and approached the famous star.

“Lin Youyou, you left Ferrara and came to Tongwan, specifically to the Fifth Hospital, which is mainly responsible for recuperation? Why? Do you have someone here who means a lot to you? Family or friends? Is the other person hopeful to wake up, or have they already turned into zombies?”

“I guess it should be the former, but the situation isn’t great, which is why you’re willing to do whatever it takes to snatch the crystal, right?”

Lin Youyou narrowed her eyes suddenly.

“Since we were able to capture you, it wouldn’t be difficult to find out who your family and friends are and what their names are,” Zhuang Qingyan replied.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been working in the archives for the past few days, responsible for compiling all the patient data admitted after the apocalypse, and there aren’t many people from Ferrara…”

“That’s enough,” Lin Youyou said expressionlessly. “…I admit it, let’s negotiate the terms.”

Zhuang Qingyan gestured for Song Ke to come over and whispered to her, “How do you want to get back at her?”

Song Ke asked curiously, “Do you really know the names of her family and friends?”

“I was bluffing,” Zhuang Qingyan winked at her, “There’s too much patient data for me to go through.”

In a hidden spot where others couldn’t see, Song Ke secretly gave a thumbs-up, impressed by Zhuang Qingyan’s cunning.

“How about we make her do ten commissions for us?” Zhuang Qingyan suggested. “Free labor, why waste it?”

Song Ke’s eyes lit up. Zhuang Qingyan was still wicked… no, Zhuang Qingyan had a lot of good ideas!

The two returned to Lin Youyou, and Zhuang Qingyan added a precaution, “Miss Lin, this time, you won’t suddenly change your mind again, will you?”

Lin Youyou winced as his words cut deep, mentally and physically drained, she said, “I’ll do as I say. If you don’t trust me, you can report to my fans that I participated in the Throne Race, and ruin my reputation. Will that be enough?”

The importance of the Throne Race to Lin Youyou was self-evident. She dared to make this promise, so it seemed she was genuinely willing to cooperate.

“Remove the barrier. If Su Cha can’t find me, he will tear down the entire hospital.”

Song Ke and Xu Xing tried to coax Tao Tao again, with Song Ke performing a sort of acrobatic act with her emei thorns, and Xu Xing barking “woof, woof”, trying to find the right frequency to communicate with the dog.

Finally, Tao Tao couldn’t stand it anymore and hid in the doghouse, with its round buttocks facing the two people, ignoring them completely.

Lin Youyou felt like facepalming: ‘How did I end up being kidnapped by these people?’

But when she glanced at Zhuang Qingyan, who remained unfazed while watching this absurd scene, she thought that when it came to cunning, this man was the most terrifying.

After coaxing Tao Tao for a long time, Tao Tao finally decided to forgive these two indecisive humans and withdrew her domain ability.

Song Ke prepared herself for what was to come.

In less than five minutes, a snake-like figure burst into the room, heading straight for the group of people.

Song Ke raised her emei thorns to block, and a dark green dagger flew out, embedding itself in the ground and instantly corroding a large area.

Tao Tao’s tail wagged frantically as it barked alertly, “Woof, woof!”

“Su Cha, stop,” Lin Youyou stopped him with a tired voice.

Su Cha slowly moved forward, exuding an aura of danger in the midst of the turmoil. He walked silently in his short boots, bringing with him the damp and oppressive feeling of the rainforest. He seemed like a weapon ready to be unsheathed, his muscles taut, ready to strike at any moment.

If Tao Tao was a cute puppy, then Su Cha was like an enraged watchdog, desperate to bite down on any threats, especially those who threatened his owner.

Everyone in the room kept a close eye on him because when a powerful psychic lost control, the destruction they could cause was astonishing.

Fortunately, Su Cha had not completely lost his sanity. He coldly glanced at the people in the room, then came to Lin Youyou’s side and knelt down to untie the tightly bound ropes.

Lin Youyou flexed her wrists, which had turned red from the tight bindings. “So, what do you need me to do?”

Song Ke put forward the request for 10 commissions. Lin Youyou furrowed her brows, taking a moment before nodding. “Alright, but make sure it’s done before the next match. I won’t stay in Tongwan for long.”

“Considering it’s a temporary employment, sharing your information publicly should be a basic requirement, right?” Zhuang Qingyan spoke with a chilly tone.

Lin Youyou silently nodded and compromised.

“Lin Youyou, A-class support type, psychic ability: Illusory Singing. Depending on the lyrics I sing, I can apply curses or blessings.”

“He’s Su Cha, A-class offensive type, psychic ability: Venomous Corrosion. However, he excels at assassination, and in one-on-one combat, before meeting Song Ke, no one was his match.”

Zhuang Qingyan’s speculations were indeed correct; these two had sound and venomous abilities.

A double A-class combination.

With these two free laborers, Song Ke’s excitement surged. They could take on more challenging requests and make a lot of money!