646 Just One More Step
âBut Iâm afraid of making too much noise,â Lewis said.
âThere are so many houses around. If theyâre all lit up, weâll be in big trouble.â
âDonât be afraid,â Brandon said.
âAfter we light it, weâll keep an eye on the area. When the fire gets bigger, thereâll be time to call the police. I did this when I was in Meiguo. Iâm very experienced.â
!!
âAlright, letâs do that.â
After making up their minds, the three of them took their tools and sneakily walked to the entrance of the store.
Destroying the lock on the window, they jumped in one by one and poured gasoline into every corner of the shop.
âLetâs go, itâs done,â Brandon said with satisfaction, as if he could already see Lin Yiâs helpless expression.
After pouring the gasoline, the three of them jumped out of the small shop.
Now, he only needed a small flame to complete his mission.
âWho are you?!â
In the silence of the night, a sudden scream startled all three of them.
He had never thought that someone would suddenly appear here.
Seeing the two people in front of them, the three of them became nervous.
Fortunately, it was just an old woman and a child. Moreover, they were dressed in rags and looked a little like beggars nearby. It should not be difficult to deal with them.
âGet lost. This is none of your business.â
Brandonâs idea was very simple. He wanted to chase these two people away and find an opportunity to light a fire.
However, he didnât know the relationship between the grandmother and grandson and Lin Yi.
Lin Yi and Ji Qingyan were the only people in the world who treated them well. How could they leave so easily?
âYouâre thieves. Donât even think about leaving!â
Wang Dongdong rushed forward and grabbed Brandonâs clothes.
âSomeone, catch the thief!â
âSomeone, catch the thief!â
Shouts instantly spread throughout Zhengyang Street.
Brandon and the other two were scared out of their wits. If others found out, they would be finished!
âDamn it, get lost!â
Brandon landed a heavy punch on Wang Dongdongâs head.
Wang Dongdong let out a muffled groan. His vision was blurry, but he still tightly hugged Brandonâs leg.
Seeing that the situation wasnât good, the old lady ran over while trembling. She also grabbed Brandonâs clothes and shouted with Wang Dongdong.
âSomeone, someoneâs stealing!â
âWe caught a thief!â
As the two of them shouted, the lights in the surrounding residential buildings lit up.
Seeing this scene, the three of them were so frightened that they broke out in cold sweat.
âDamn it, get out of my way!â
Zach kicked Wang Dongdongâs body mercilessly.
With a scream, Wang Dongdong was sent flying with the kick.
Lewis, on the other hand, did not just stay idly by. Grabbing the old lady, he gave her a hard tug and threw her aside, forcing her to crash hard on the floor.
âLetâs go quickly. If we donât leave now, someone will come down. None of us can leave!â Zach said.
âDamn it!â
Brandon was hesitant. He had prepared for so long, but he did not expect these two beggars to ruin it.
âLetâs go, or something bad will happen.â
The three of them didnât linger at the entrance of the store and quickly fled the scene.
It was also at this moment that the person who heard the shout ran out of his house with a coat draped over his shoulders, wanting to see what had happened.
âGrandma!â
âGrandma!â
Wang Dongdong got up from the ground and ran to his grandmotherâs side. He realized that no matter how he called out, there was no response.
Moreover, there was a smear of blood at the corner of her mouth.
The inexperienced Wang Dongdong was so scared that his face turned pale. He cried as he shouted.
âSomeone, please save my grandmother.â
The kind-hearted people who came down from upstairs surrounded him in unison, also anxious.
âLetâs stop just staring at her. The old lady is already like this. We have to think of a way to send her to the hospital!â
âThis place is quite close to Huashan Hospital, letâs send them there.â A middle-aged woman said, âDoes anyone have a car? Can you help me send them there?â
At this moment, a burly man stood up. âHurry up and get into my car. Donât waste time.â
Everyone worked together to carry the old lady to the car and drove towards Huashan Hospital.
â¦
At three oâclock in the morning, Zhonghai, a city that never sleeps, had also shed its glamorous coat, revealing its quietest side.
Ring!
Lin Yi, who was sleeping soundly, was woken up by the urgent ringtone.
âF*ckâ¦â
Lin Yi flipped over and cursed, âWho the f*ck is calling at this time?â
Turning over, Lin Yi found his phone. Just as he was about to pick it up and scold her, he was surprised to find that the person who called him was Qiao Xin.
âYes?â
Lin Yi muttered in his heart. Why was this girl calling him in the middle of the night?
âWhat is it?â
âBrother Lin, is your shop at 89 Zhengyang Street? Do you know a child called Wang Dongdong?â
âHuh?â
Qiao Xinâs consecutive questions confused Lin Yi.
Why would Qiao Xin ask about this?
âI do. Why?â
âSomething happened to Wang Dongdongâs grandmother and she was sent to the emergency department. When I asked him who his family was, he said that he knew you, so I called to confirm.â
âDid something happen?â
Lin Yi panicked, no longer sleepy. What happened?
âThe preliminary examination showed that she was hit. Chief Physician Li is beside me and is preparing to send her to the ICU.â
âIs it that serious?â
âWell, things donât look too good.â
âWait at the hospital. Iâll come over now!â
After hanging up, Lin Yi put on his clothes and rushed out of the room.
Hearing the voice from the other room, Ji Qingyan woke up in a daze. She was surprised to see that Lin Yi had put on his clothes.
âYouâre going out? Did something happen at the company?â
âSomething happened to Dongdong. Heâs in the hospital.â
âAt the hospital?â
Hearing this answer, Ji Qingyan was terrified.
âWait for me. Iâll go with you.â
âThen hurry up. The situation there is not good.â
âYeah.â
Lin Yi walked out of the villa and prepared the car.
At the same time, Ji Qingyan walked out in a pair of jeans and a Nike t-shirt, then headed to the hospital with Lin Yi.
On the way, Ji Qingyan had a rough understanding of the situation, and her face was filled with worry.
However, the details of what exactly happened were only known by the hospital.
Along the way, Lin Yi ran several red lights.
In less than twenty minutes, they arrived at the hospital and called Qiao Xin.
âWhere are you.â
âAt the entrance of the ICU. Brother Lin, we are at the sixth unit beside the chest pain center. Youâll see us when you come out.â
âOkay.â
The two of them got into the elevator and went all the way to the fourth floor.
As soon as the elevator door opened, the patientâs family members were immediately visible.
Exhaustion and even despair were written all over their faces.
âSister!â
Upon seeing Ji Qingyan, Wang Dongdong immediately pounced on her and hugged her tightly as he wailed uncontrollably.
Qiao Xin stood at the side, her eyes filled with heartache.
Ji Qingyan felt uncomfortable in her heart as she gently hugged Wang Dongdong.
âDonât be afraid. Iâm here. Donât tell me what happened.â
Wang Dongdong wiped his tears and continued to sob.
âGrandma and I were going to take the rest of the scraps back after we sent the first batch back, but when we got back, we saw three people. They were sneaking around and jumping out of your shop. I thought they were thieves, so Grandma and I stopped them from leaving. The men kicked me a few times and threw Grandma to the side. Then they ran.â
âSomeone was in our shop?â
Lin Yi and Ji Qingyan were surprised.
In the middle of the night, other than herself and Ji Qingyan, anyone else who entered the shop could be considered to have trepassed.
However, judging from the security level in Zhonghai, these kinds of thefts were rare.
âDo you remember what they looked like?â Lin Yi asked.
âThey were wearing masks and glasses. I didnât see what they looked like.â Wang Dongdong wiped his tears again. âBut they were all very tall and spoke awkwardly. They didnât seem to be Huaxian.â
âNot from Huaxia?â
Lin Yiâs heart skipped a beat. He had already guessed who it was.
Lin Yi gave Ji Qingyan a look. âYou two stay here, Iâll go take a look.â
âGo, leave this to me.â
Lin Yi and Qiao Xin stood aside.
âWho sent them here? Did they say what exactly happened?â
âIt was a middle-aged man. He said he heard the childâs cry for help and took them to the hospital. He also said he smelled a very strong smell of gasoline in your shop. It didnât seem like something a typical thief would do.â
Lin Yi nodded. Through these clues, he had already locked onto Brandon and the others.
Lin Yi dialed Liang Ruoxuâs number.
No one picked up the first two calls until he tried a third time.
âWhatâs the matter?â Liang Ruoxu asked in a daze.
âSomething happened on my side. Tell your men to arrest Brandon, Zach, and Lewis. Donât let them leave Zhonghai.â
âYou want to arrest those three?â
Liang Ruoxu was still half-asleep to begin with, so she was even more confused when she heard Lin Yiâs words.
âDonât ask anything else for now. Just do as I say.â
âAlright, Iâll arrange it now.â
Liang Ruoxu did not know the whole story, but she could feel that something big had happened.
Otherwise, Lin Yi wouldnât have spoken to her in such a tone at this time.
All she could do was help him deal with this matter.
After hanging up, Lin Yi looked at Qiao Xin.
âHowâs the old lady? Is it serious?â
Lin Yiâs question actually had a second meaning.
Would she survive?
If it were anyone else, Lin Yi wouldnât have asked this.
However, the old lady was old and could not withstand any kind of physical abuse.
Any careless accident could be fatal.
âThe situation isnât looking good. Chief Physician Li checked on her. The patient has heart failure. Moreover, itâs already at a very dangerous Level 2. Secondly, the collision caused intracranial hemorrhage. We can only pray that her condition can stabilize for the time being before we can consult her and arrange for the subsequent surgery.â
Lin Yi was silent for a moment. âGo find me a set of clothes. Iâll go in and take a look.â
âBrother Lin, come with me. Letâs go inside and change.â
According to the hospitalâs rules, no one was allowed to enter unless they were from the ICU.
However, big shots like Lin Yi and Li Chuhan could come and go as they pleased here. No one dared to interfere.
Although it had been a long time since Lin Yi resigned, the camel that died was still bigger than the horse. Although he was not officially part of the hospital, his influence had not waned.
When he was here, anyone who saw them would have to politely call him Director Lin.
The two of them changed into their uniforms to prepare to enter the ICU.
After changing his clothes, he happened to see Li Chuhan and the director of the ICU department walking out.
As they walked, they discussed countermeasures.
âLin Yi, youâre here.â
Seeing Li Chuhan, Lin Yi quickly walked up.
âHowâs the situation now? Can she be stabilized?â
Li Chuhan frowned slightly. âWeâve done everything we can. As long as she can survive tonight, thereâs still a possibility that she will recover. But if she doesnât, itâs over.â
âTake me there.â
Lin Yiâs clinical level had already reached the master level. Even in the intensive care department, he still had a significant amount of authority.
Just because Li Chuhan couldnât think of a solution didnât mean that he was helpless. He had to hurry over and take a look at the situation. Perhaps there was an additional solution that had not yet been tried.
Moreover, when he was doing the mission previously, the system had rewarded him with a Lucky Card that had a time limit of ten minutes. Perhaps it would have a miraculous effect.
âLetâs go and take a look.â
Under Li Chuhanâs lead, the group returned to the ICU.
There were several nurses and doctors surrounding the innermost bed.
Li Chuhan pointed and said, âItâs that bed.â
âOkay.â
Knowing the exact location, Lin Yi quickened his pace.
Beep!
Just as he was about to walk over, Lin Yiâs body suddenly froze on the spot.
His mind went blank, and even his breathing quickened.
In his mind, there was only a continuous beeping sound.
Hearing this voice, Li Chuhan and Qiao Xin were also stunned.
They were all professional doctors and knew what this voice meant.
The patient could not take it anymore.
The nurses and doctors around him seemed to have collapsed. They turned around and looked at Li Chuhan and the others with helpless expressions, as if telling them that the patient was dying.
Lin Yi rushed over.
The EKG line became a straight line. The old ladyâs skin was pale and her eyes were closed. She had left this world.
There seemed to be a thousand pounds under Lin Yiâs feet, as if every step was very difficult.
He was a step too late. If he had come a little earlier, would the outcome have changed?
Walking in front of the old lady, Lin Yi touched the back of her neck. It was cold.
She opened her eyes and her pupils were cloudy.
However, there seemed to be a smile on her lips.
At this point, no matter who came, there was nothing they could do.
Lin Yiâs spirit seemed to have completely faded at this moment.
The only thing supporting her might have been the faint smile at the corner of her mouth.
The moment she left the mortal world, she might no longer have been in pain.
Lin Yi squatted down and grabbed the cold hands. He said carefully,
âHave you been waiting for this day for a long timeâ¦â
âTo be honest, the human world is too bitter. I really donât want to come back in my next lifeâ¦â