LCFM Chapter 48

Fu Yan was already on his feet, rushing forward a split second before Kang Cheng even stood up.

But it was too late.

Jiang Xinghuai felt a sudden rush of air behind his ear and turned his head—

It was Wang Qinhai, charging straight at them.

Before Jiang Xinghuai could react, his wrist was yanked tight. Wang Qinhai lunged forward and tore Qian Ranran out of his grasp.

Jiang Xinghuai froze, completely unaware of what was happening, and instinctively chased after him.

“Jiang Xinghuai! Stop!” Fu Yan’s voice came from behind.

But Jiang Xinghuai didn’t stop. He dove forward, trying to grab hold of Wang Qinhai’s pant leg.

Everything happened in a single instant—a single, frozen second.

In that one second, everyone realized what was happening. People leapt from their seats, scrambling toward the back of the cabin in panic.

Kang Cheng roared, pushed to the rear by the stampede, while Fu Yan rushed forward, and Jiang Xinghuai threw himself to the floor, trying to seize Wang Qinhai.

The next second—

“Ahhh!!” Qian Ranran let out a terrified scream.

Jiang Xinghuai’s heart lurched violently. He scrambled up from the floor. The scene before his eyes made all the blood in his body surge straight to his head.

Wang Qinhai sank his teeth into Qian Ranran’s slender neck. Bright red blood spurted out instantly.

Jiang Xinghuai’s eyes went bloodshot, his breath bursting out in an explosive roar: “You fucking bastard!”

“Jiang Xinghuai!” Fu Yan finally caught up, grabbing him just as he was about to lunge forward again.

But he couldn’t hold him back—

Jiang Xinghuai’s body didn’t even slow. He bent low and leapt forward, one hand bracing against the back of a seat. His body twisted midair, his flexible waist cutting a sharp arc.

As he came down, his leg sliced through the air with a whistle, slamming full-force into Wang Qinhai’s head.

The kick landed with everything he had.

Fu Yan froze, stunned, until Jiang Xinghuai landed on his feet.

The next second, Wang Qinhai crashed heavily to the floor.

Fu Yan snapped out of it, rushed forward, and pinned Wang Qinhai down as he tried to rise again.

Wang Qinhai’s pupils were turning a murky yellow. Though his mind was already blurring into chaos, one thought still clung desperately in his fading reason.

There was an antibody in the blood!

He needed the antibody!

He didn’t want to become a mindless monster. He couldn’t just die like this!

Qian Ranran lay on the floor, mouth open as she struggled for breath. Her head tilted toward Jiang Xinghuai, but no words came out.

“Fuck!” Jiang Xinghuai lunged forward, slamming his fists into Wang Qinhai’s face again and again. “Let go! Let go! I said let go of her!!”

Wang Qinhai, wracked with pain, tried to struggle, but Fu Yan had him pinned down so hard he couldn’t move an inch.

Heavy punches landed over and over on his temple.

Soon, Wang Qinhai’s vision began to darken, his consciousness slipping away.

His jaw slackened, finally releasing its death grip.

“Fu Yan!” Jiang Xinghuai carefully moved Qian Ranran’s small, trembling body away.

Fu Yan tore open his shirt and pressed it hard against the gaping wound on her neck, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.

“Zheng Yi! The medkit!” Fu Yan shouted.

Afraid that Wang Qinhai might regain consciousness, Jiang Xinghuai yanked off his own jacket and tied the man’s hands tightly behind his back.

Zheng Yi rushed over, his hands shaking as he held the portable respirator.

“Hold her steady!” Fu Yan grabbed the respirator, fixed it over Qian Ranran’s mouth and nose, then looked up sharply. “Jiang Xinghuai, get over here! Behind me!”

Breathing heavily, Jiang Xinghuai looked at Wang Qinhai, who lay motionless with his eyes closed. Gradually, his tense shoulders loosened. Straightening up, he turned and walked toward Fu Yan.

“How’s Qian Ranran—” Jiang Xinghuai hadn’t even finished the question—

“Get down!” Fu Yan suddenly exploded into motion.

Jiang Xinghuai had never seen that expression on Fu Yan’s face before.

It was… panic.

Before he could figure out what was happening, a sharp pain shot through his wrist. He instinctively yanked his hand back, startled, and turned around in shock.

Bang—

Fu Yan’s kick sent Wang Qinhai flying more than a meter away. But the man didn’t stay down for even a second. His body twisted into a grotesque posture as he staggered back onto his feet and lunged again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire erupted, loud and jarring.

Wang Qinhai, charging forward, staggered mid-stride before crashing heavily to the floor.

Kang Cheng, drenched in cold sweat, slowly lowered his gun.

Jiang Xinghuai stood frozen, his thoughts a blur, staring at Wang Qinhai’s body lying by his feet. In that instant, his pupils contracted sharply.

He saw it. Dark lines crept up Wang Qinhai’s neck.

Jiang Xinghuai’s heart plummeted, and a chill spread through him as his back broke out in cold sweat.

Wang Qinhai was infected.

“Come here,” Fu Yan said, turning to grab a bottle of alcohol from the medical kit.

Jiang Xinghuai froze. He looked down at the deep bite mark on his wrist, fresh blood still oozing from it.

Slowly… he took a step back.

“I said come here.” Fu Yan’s face was cold, but there was a fire burning behind his eyes, veins standing out at his temples.

“I… I…” Jiang Xinghuai stammered, terrified and panicked. He wanted so badly to go to Fu Yan, but…

“I’m infected.” Jiang Xinghuai’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile, but tears spilled down instead.

“I’m gonna turn into a monster, Uncle.” His crying came out broken and ugly.

“Disinfect it first.” Fu Yan stepped forward quickly, grabbed his hand, and poured alcohol over the wound.

Jiang Xinghuai flinched in pain, crying even harder.

Fu Yan’s hand, gripping the bottle, wouldn’t stop trembling. His teeth were clenched, eyes bloodshot as he stared at the wound, his face growing darker by the second.

Then suddenly, Jiang Xinghuai threw his arms around him.

The restraint Fu Yan had been clinging to snapped in that instant. He wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him tightly against his chest.

Jiang Xinghuai buried his face against Fu Yan’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably. He didn’t want to turn into a monster. He didn’t want to leave Fu Yan. He didn’t want to never see him again.

His heart ached so much it felt like it was splitting apart. For one brief, desperate moment, he even thought he wanted to bite Fu Yan.

He was terrified of being alone.

“Don’t be afraid… don’t be afraid…” Fu Yan’s voice was hoarse. He was forcing himself to stay calm and only pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Jiang Xinghuai’s head. “I’ll stay with you…”

Jiang Xinghuai froze, his sobs catching in his throat. He slowly loosened his grip on Fu Yan’s hands.

And then guilt began to creep in. How could he be so selfish?

“Ranran! Ranran! Qian Ranran!” Zheng Yi suddenly screamed.

Jiang Xinghuai’s heart lurched. He wiped his tears and wanted to go check on Qian Ranran. But he didn’t dare.

“What’s going on?” Kang Cheng’s face was pale as he knelt on the floor, pressing down hard on the wound at Qian Ranran’s neck.

“The bleeding won’t stop… We can’t operate like this…” Zheng Yi said in despair, holding the little girl’s limp, unconscious body.

“Is she not breathing anymore? Lei Pengtao! Get another oxygen bag, hurry!” Kang Cheng shouted, his voice trembling.

“Yes, sir!” Lei Pengtao turned and ran.

“It’s no use!” Zheng Yi suddenly screamed. “The bleeding won’t stop at all! She’s lost consciousness! She’s dying!”

Kang Cheng froze. He looked down carefully at the little girl, barely as tall as his thigh.

The rise and fall of her thin chest was so faint it was almost invisible.

Kang Cheng braced himself against the wall, then kicked it hard with a heavy thud.

“Ah!” Kang Cheng clutched his head, falling to his knees in anguish.

The number of people in all of China who possessed antibodies was already vanishingly small. So the odds of encountering one and losing her meant the weight of Qian Ranran’s importance was immeasurable.

The entire cabin sank into a deathly silence, broken only by the faint, weakening rhythm of the little girl’s heartbeat.

Zheng Yi gently straightened Qian Ranran’s dress, carefully wiped the blood from her face, and then held her in his arms as he sat down in his seat.

Kang Cheng panted heavily, forcing himself to calm down.

He had to stabilize the passengers, clean the cabin, and prepare for takeoff. No matter what, there was still a plane full of people he had to protect.

Finally, he walked toward Fu Yan and Jiang Xinghuai, who were sitting apart from the others.

“Mr. Fu,” Kang Cheng began.

“I’ll stay with him,” Fu Yan interrupted softly. “We’ll go to the rear cabin.”

Kang Cheng was silent for a while, then nodded.

He reached into his tool kit, pulled out a restraint strap, and handed it over. “When we reach the main base… maybe there’ll still be a way.”

Fu Yan took it without a word.

“I stashed a packet of beef jerky for you,” Kang Cheng said with a faint smile, pulling a small pack from his pocket and handing it to Jiang Xinghuai. After a pause, he added quietly, “You really remind me of my younger brother.”

“Brother.” Jiang Xinghuai gave a goofy little grin.

“I didn’t protect him… and I didn’t protect you, either…” Kang Cheng’s eyes slowly reddened. He bent down and gently hugged him once. “I miss him so much.”

Jiang Xinghuai patted his back, then stood and followed Fu Yan away.

Fu Yan pulled the compartment door shut, blocking out the crowd’s prying eyes.

Jiang Xinghuai found a seat and sat down, fastening his seatbelt.

“Give me your hand,” Fu Yan said, sitting beside him with gauze and iodine in his hands.

“I’ve never flown economy class before,” Jiang Xinghuai said, stretching out his hand and shrugging in mock lightheartedness. “It’s not as cramped as I imagined. Next time I—”

He stopped halfway through the sentence.

There wouldn’t be a next time…

“Next time, I’ll fly with you,” Fu Yan said quietly, pressing the gauze into place, then wrapping his arms gently around him.

“…Mm.” Jiang Xinghuai’s nose stung. His voice trembled.

The engines roared to life. The plane began to move slowly forward.

Jiang Xinghuai’s head started to spin. His vision gradually blurred.

He knew he was probably going to turn into a monster.

Until his stomach suddenly let out a loud grumble.

“Uncle… I’m kinda hungry,” Jiang Xinghuai said uncertainly.

“What do you want to eat?” Fu Yan asked.

“Steak,” Jiang Xinghuai replied.

After tying him securely, Fu Yan went to the galley and actually managed to find some steak.

Even after finishing it, Jiang Xinghuai still felt half-dead, but now he was thirsty.

“It’s a little salty,” Jiang Xinghuai muttered, smacking his lips.

Fu Yan held a cup of water to his mouth.

“I want cola,” Jiang Xinghuai said weakly.

Fu Yan stood up and searched the storage cabinet, finally finding a can of cola.

Jiang Xinghuai took a few gulps and downed half the bottle.

“It’d be perfect if I could play a game after eating,” Jiang Xinghuai murmured with his eyes closed, sounding content.

Fu Yan looked at the color returning to his face—the faint flush of someone full and warm—and his gaze grew darker. After a long moment, his hand trembled as he slowly lifted the gauze on Jiang Xinghuai’s wrist for a look.

Then Fu Yan turned around, went off somewhere, and actually came back with a game console for Jiang Xinghuai.

Half an hour later.

“Damn it! The console froze!”

“Why won’t this muscle guy die?!”

“How do I jump over—hey, hey! The muscle guy’s back again!”

“Oh yeah! Cleared it!”

Jiang Xinghuai weakly sipped his cola and kept making requests. “Uncle, I still want to—”

Fu Yan applied another layer of medicine to his wound, covered it with fresh gauze, took the cola from his hand, and then put away the game console. “You just swore a few times. For every curse, you’ll do one problem. Finish them before dinner. I’ll check.”

Jiang Xinghuai stared, dumbfounded, then quickly pretended to be weak.

“I feel terrible,” he said pitifully.

“Dizzy?” Fu Yan asked.

“Super dizzy!” Jiang Xinghuai nodded.

“Your vision’s blurry, too, right?” Fu Yan asked again.

“Yeah!” Jiang Xinghuai answered immediately.

Fu Yan didn’t say anything. He stood up, the veins on the back of the hand pressed against the seat by Jiang Xinghuai’s ear bulging tight.

“Wha… what’s wrong…” Jiang Xinghuai froze.

But Fu Yan suddenly leaned down hard and crushed his lips against his.

“Bad kid.”

That was what Jiang Xinghuai heard Fu Yan say.

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Moonlit: If I remembered it correctly, Xing Xing was bitten by that woman back at chapter 1, right? Could it be that he also has the antibody?

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