After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 35

An ambulance screeched to a halt in front of them. Medical staff rushed out with a stretcher, intending to take the person cradled in Wen Jingzhi’s arms. But the latter remained expressionless, not loosening her grip by even a finger. Her clothes were disheveled, even somewhat ragged, yet she still carried an air of unshakable dignity.

Her gaze fell upon the slender, blood-soaked fingers dangling limply, and her eyes seemed frozen by a blizzard.

The medical team hesitated, unsure how to proceed. Wen Xihe, draped in an overcoat, stepped out of a car behind them. She hurried over in her high heels, her eyes first catching on the two mangled pieces of “scrap metal” by the railing. The gruesome sight made her legs buckle. As she reached Wen Jingzhi, her second glance fell upon the child, now almost entirely drenched in blood. Her vision darkened, and her legs gave way completely, saved only by the steadying arm of a nearby medic.

“Give, give him to them,” she managed, but there was no response.

Wen Xihe took a deep breath, steadying herself. “Wen Jingzhi! Hand Xiao You over to the doctors!!”

At that, the ice in Wen Jingzhi’s eyes cracked.

With steady hands, she passed the fragile form into the waiting arms of the medical team. They carefully laid the child on the stretcher and rushed toward the ambulance.

Suddenly, the silent woman lifted her gaze to Wen Xihe. The moment their eyes met, Wen Xihe’s own welled up with tears. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Wen Jingzhi.

“It’s going to be okay. Everything will be okay.”

Wen Jingzhi lowered her eyes, closing them briefly. Her bloodstained hands hung limply at her sides. She didn’t return the embrace, only tilted her head slightly, resting her cheek gently against Wen Xihe’s shoulder.

It was a vulnerability she had never shown before.

“I’ll have someone take Xiao Xi to the veterinary hospital for treatment,” Wen Xihe said, swallowing her tears as she pulled back. “Let’s go.”

She led Wen Jingzhi to a police car. As it started and pulled away, the ambulance immediately followed.

With the police car clearing the way, they sped unimpeded through the streets.

When they reached the entrance of Military District One Hospital, the police car veered off, allowing the ambulance to enter first. Medical staff swiftly unloaded the emergency stretcher, along with an array of equipment, and rushed it into the emergency room.

As they passed through the doors, a small, fuzzy object tumbled from the stretcher, unnoticed by anyone.

Suddenly, a bloodstained hand reached down and picked it up, lifting it to eye level.

It was the blood-soaked felt doll of Xiao Xi.

The stretcher was wheeled straight into the operating room. Waiting nearby were Wen Lao and Wen Xize. The moment they saw the blood-drenched figure on the stretcher, their vision swam.

Su Yue had already completed all preparations. Alongside the lead surgeon invited by the old master, she entered the operating room.

The doors closed, and the red “In Surgery” light flickered on.

Preliminary test results from the ambulance came through. Su Yue glanced at them, her face paling in panic. “How is this possible? Forced differentiation?”

“She’s not even twelve yet!”

“The injury to her right eye is too severe. We have to prepare for enucleation!”

“Her differentiation is too chaotic hormone levels are fluctuating wildly. We can’t administer any medication!”

“Blood pressure, heart rate, respiration all critical! She has less than two minutes!”

“Dr. Su! Professor Yang! The patient has gone into cardiac arrest!!”

“Prepare the defibrillator!”

“Dr. Su, go request the experimental Z-reagent! Xiao Li, notify the family!”

“Professor Yang, the clinical trial data for that reagent is still insufficient!”

“There’s no other choice! We can’t use any drugs during differentiation, the slightest stimulus could kill her!”

“Her internal and external injuries are too severe. If we delay any longer, not only will she lose her left eye, she’ll lose her life!”

When Wen Xihe and Wen Jingzhi arrived, the operating room door happened to open. Su Yue waved off the few people trying to crowd around and turned to run away.

Xiao Li came out and closed the door, quickly informing them, “The patient’s condition is critical. She is currently differentiating into an Omega. The differentiation process cannot be interfered with manually, and medication cannot be used. However, her physical condition can no longer afford any delay. We need to use special means to forcibly halt her differentiation process before proceeding with the surgery.”

“But the blocker is still in the clinical trial phase and carries certain risks.”

“Please discuss it as a family. Time is short only one minute. Decide quickly whether to sign this agreement or not.” After speaking, Xiao Li handed the critical condition notice and the medication consent form to Old Master Wen.

Old Master Wen was momentarily stunned. A pale, slender hand reached over from beside him, took the forms, and extended a hand toward Xiao Li. “Pen.”

“Jingzhi!” Wen Xihe panicked. “We haven’t discussed it yet?”

Wen Jingzhi took the pen and directly signed the critical condition notice and the medication consent form before handing them back. “No need. Without it, Lin Li will die. With it, there’s still a chance.”

No discussion was needed.

There was only this one choice.

The others knew it too, but their hearts were still racing.

Xiao Li took the forms and hurried off.

Medical staff came and went in a rush. After the operating room door opened and closed three times, it remained shut.

Wen Jingzhi went to wash up briefly, changed into casual clothes, and tended to the injuries on her feet and elbows. When she returned, she sat in a chair, staring at the operating room door as silent as a stone statue.

Wen Xize’s legs felt weak, so he sat down as well. He wanted to ask something but, sensing the heavy atmosphere, kept quiet.

Wen Xihe was too anxious to sit still, pacing back and forth until Old Master Wen snapped coldly, “Sit down properly!” The former pressed her lips together and obediently took a seat.

One hour passed, then two, then three…

Wen Xihe covered her eyes, overwhelmed by worry and guilt.

If she hadn’t suggested taking Xiao You to the lounge, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.

And Wen Jingzhi, who had remained silent, was thinking much the same.

If she hadn’t agreed to let Lin Li go to the lounge, if she had been more careful and brought more people, the child wouldn’t have faced this ordeal.

Thinking back, whenever the child was around her, something always went wrong.

Asthma, high fever, and this time, even…

She stared at the red light above the operating room, closed her eyes, and took a soft breath.

Stop thinking. What’s done is done.

Over four hours passed. It was already early morning. The people who had finished inspecting the scene arrived at the hospital. The man leading them wore a uniform and held a high rank. He walked up to Old Master Wen, stood at attention, and saluted. He instructed his subordinate to take Wen Jingzhi for a statement while personally escorting the old master to Su Yue’s office.

Once inside and with the door closed, the man bowed to the old master. “I’m sorry, Superior Master.”

“Pan Bing.” Old Master Wen sat in a chair, his imposing aura pressing down. “What exactly happened? Not only did you fail to detect the intruder for so long, but you also let him succeed repeatedly and escape. Have you grown complacent after all these years in your high position?”

Pan Bing’s face flushed with shame. He hesitated to speak, but the old master raised a hand. “Give me the documents to sign.”

Some procedures had to be followed.

Pan Bing immediately handed over the confidential documents. The old master signed them without even looking. “Now, speak.”

Pan Bing breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to the old master again. “It’s my fault for lax oversight.”

“We’ve been conducting internal investigations for the past two years and uncovered a few individuals, which made me complacent. During this period, I focused my attention on the research institute, where there was a mole leaking the physical data of the two children, as well as some basic information about Lin Li.”

“I never expected that a subordinate I trusted would resort to such an extreme act using a child as bait.” In front of his former instructor, mentor, and superior, the man in his forties felt deeply ashamed as he spoke: “He deliberately allowed Lin Li’s information to leak, revealing her location and physical condition in an attempt to conduct entrapment.”

“By the time I discovered it, I had already detained him, but it was still a step too late.”

Old Master Wen let out a heavy snort, closed his eyes, and suppressed his anger. “Entrapment?”

“Did the family consent? Did the person involved consent?”

“Just entrapment!”

“What made him think he could use Xiao You to lure out the mastermind?”

“On what basis did he draw such a conclusion?”

“It’s this.” Pan Bing pulled a photograph from his pocket and showed it to the old man.

The top right corner of the photo was marked with a timestamp, clearly taken from surveillance footage.

In the image, the girl was not as frail as she was now. Dressed in a hospital gown, she was pinning down a long-haired woman in a white coat and a mask. Clutching a scalpel, she pressed the tip against the woman’s neck, lifted her head, and stared directly into the surveillance camera.

Her downturned eyes were deep, gloomy, and fierce, carrying the desperate resolve of a cornered beast utterly devoid of fear.

Old Master Wen’s pupils trembled, and he thought to himself: So that’s it.

So this child was not as gentle and obedient as she appeared on the surface.

These eyes were almost identical to Junyan’s in her youth. This was the kind of child she would have raised!

The faint sense of incongruity had come from this!

“Look here.” Pan Bing flipped the photo over, revealing a string of text in a foreign language, which translated to:

“My dear little lion.”

Old Master Wen’s face instantly darkened. Pan Bing swallowed nervously and said, “In one of the offices at the base, this child’s photos covered an entire wall.”

“That’s why we speculated that the mastermind must hold an extreme, almost pathological, fondness for Lin Li.” Sensing the old man’s growing anger, Pan Bing spoke cautiously: “Based on this conclusion, he came up with the idea of entrapment.”

Old Master Wen snorted coldly. “And did he succeed in this ‘entrapment’!? Did he catch anyone!? Aside from the bodyguards, there was no one else at the scene! Pan Bing, I’m not senile yet!”

“If it weren’t for my granddaughter chasing after them, Xiao You would have been taken away!” The old man slammed his cane heavily on the ground. “Even if it really was some damn entrapment, what was the outcome? Junyan’s precious granddaughter is lying in the operating room, fighting for her life!”

“She spent her entire life sweating and bleeding for this country, her body broken and her glands ruined. She didn’t want us to worry, so she hid away in a small village, all alone. In her old age, she finally found something to hold onto.”

“That child has already endured inhuman treatment and only survived because of her own resilience. She was on the verge of differentiation, at the final step, and now this!?”

“If I were to go to the afterlife, I wouldn’t have the face to see her or Zehe!”

“It was my fault.” Pan Bing was filled with self-reproach, burning with shame and guilt. “I will deal severely with those involved. Once this matter is resolved, I will resign to take responsibility.”

“I have let down my mentor’s guidance and trust.”

“I don’t care about the internal power struggles and conflicts among you,” Old Master Wen stood up, thumping his cane heavily. His aged eyes were bright and sharp, radiating an imposing aura. “If anything happens to Xiao You.” His gaze, carrying a mix of threat and warning, fell upon Pan Bing. “I may be old and retired, but I’m not dead yet!”

Pan Bing swallowed hard. Despite his high rank, he dared not utter a single word in the face of the enraged old man.

After delivering his warning, Old Master Wen picked up his cane and strode out. Pan Bing immediately tucked the photo away and followed him.

By the time they reached the operating room, Wen Jingzhi had already returned from giving her statement. She didn’t know much, only briefly describing the situation at the time and providing details about the black-clad assailant’s appearance and skills to assist in creating a profile.

As for the person involved, Chen Qing, the authorities were already compiling information and preparing a report to issue a warrant for his arrest.

The old man walked over and sat down beside Wen Jingzhi without a word. Pan Bing, having other matters to attend to, left a few subordinates to stand guard, excused himself to the old man, and departed.

The corridor outside the operating room fell silent once more.

The faces of every member of the Wen family were cold and somber.

Time passed in agonizing waiting.

At 5:10 a.m., the door to the operating room opened.

Support