Don't You like Little Dogs? Now that I'm Taking Liberties, You're Suddenly Reluctant? - Chapter 44

The gunfire inside the warehouse gradually thinned out. It was not because the enemy had retreated, but because they were temporarily suppressed by Pei Ye’s desperate counterattack. However, the sound of more approaching footsteps grew louder.

Pei Ye gently lowered Jiang Si, taking off his jacket and folding it to cushion his head. His movements were infinitely tender, forming a stark contrast to the world-ending tyranny and rage swirling in his eyes.

“Wait for me, Master.” His voice was hoarse but unnaturally calm; it was a calmness that was, in fact, terrifying. “I will be back soon.”

He stood up, picked up a long blade dropped by a fallen enemy, and drew the tactical knife from his thigh. In the next second, like an Asura returning from hell, he charged into the remaining crowd of enemies.

Squelch! Squelch!

There were no gunshots, only the teeth-gritting sound of cold steel slicing through flesh and the short, sharp shrieks of the dying.

“What is that thing rushing toward us?”

“Over there!”

“Get out of the way!”

Pfft!

Pei Ye’s figure was so fast it was reduced to a blur of afterimages. Every flash of his blade inevitably brought a spray of blood and severed limbs. He had completely abandoned defense, focusing solely on offense. It was the most primitive, barbaric, and efficient form of slaughter. Blood stained him completely red, until it was impossible to tell what was the enemy’s and what was his own.

He was no longer the composed Pei Ye. Now, he was a lethal weapon driven by frenzy, existing only for Jiang Si. Without his Master’s presence to guide him, he no longer required the constraints of discipline.

When the Adjutant and Cang Jun led their men through the warehouse doors, they encountered a scene like a living purgatory. Broken corpses littered the ground, and blood had nearly saturated the floor. Pei Ye stood in the center of this sea of bodies, drenched in gore, holding a dripping blade. His eyes were hollow yet filled with a tangible murderous intent, as if any living being that dared approach would be torn to shreds.

He panted slightly, the thick scent of blood and death radiating from him.

Cang Jun let out a low whistle, though his expression was unusually grim. “Wow. When Xiao Liu goes crazy, he really…” Even a maniac like him felt a chill down his spine.

Cang Jun raised a hand to stop his subordinates from instinctively aiming their weapons. He said in a deep voice, “Pei Ye, it is us.”

Pei Ye’s hollow eyes slowly focused, landing on them before snapping toward Jiang Si’s direction.

The Adjutant had already rushed behind the shipping container. Upon seeing Jiang Si’s condition, his face instantly turned ashen. He quickly checked the wounds, pulling out a field medic kit to apply emergency pressure and inject a common anti-venom, but Jiang Si’s situation remained critical.

“He must be sent to the Headquarters Medical Center immediately!” The Adjutant’s voice was tight. “Clear a safe passage! Prepare the stretcher! Quick!”

The well-trained team members acted instantly.

Pei Ye dropped his blade and staggered back to Jiang Si’s side, collapsing to his knees. His hands trembled, yet he did not dare touch him.

“Master!”

He looked at Jiang Si’s pale face, his body shaking uncontrollably. Perhaps sensing a familiar presence, or perhaps due to the Adjutant’s emergency treatment, Jiang Si regained a faint spark of consciousness. He struggled to open his eyes, his vision blurred, finally managing to focus on Pei Ye’s face, which was covered in filth and terror.

He moved his finger, and with extreme weakness, he hooked it around Pei Ye’s blood-stained finger.

“Master! I am here, Master!” Pei Ye leaned in, trembling. His usually stoic face looked as though it were on the verge of tears.

“Pei Ye.” It was barely a whisper, a breath of air. Jiang Si called out the name with extreme weakness, but it was unmistakably his name.

Then, Jiang Si lost consciousness completely.

That low murmur hit Pei Ye like a bolt of lightning. He jolted, gripping Jiang Si’s cold fingers tightly as if grasping a lifeline, only to immediately loosen his grip for fear of hurting him.

“Master!”

A wave of immense grief and fury swept over him again, but he forced it down. Now was not the time to collapse. His Master was still alive, and he had called his name.

He looked up at the Adjutant, his eyes filled with a near-insane obsession and plea. “Save my Master.”

The Adjutant frowned deeply as the medical team busied themselves. “Of course.” Fourth Brother would not die.

The journey back to Headquarters was suffocatingly tense. On the helicopter, the medics performed emergency life support. Pei Ye never let go of Jiang Si’s hand, staring at his pale face without blinking, as if his Master would disappear the moment he let go. His own wounds, large and small, were still seeping blood, but he felt nothing.

Cang Jun tried to bandage him, but Pei Ye pushed him away with a look so feral it was murderous. Cang Jun clicked his tongue but did not approach again.

Cang Jun reported in a low voice to the Adjutant, “The stronghold has been cleared, but the resistance was unnaturally high, as if they were trying to stall us on purpose. The same happened at the exchange site.”

The Adjutant’s expression was dark. “There is someone above ‘Scorpion’ this time, and they are high-level. Once Fourth Brother is out of danger, we will conduct a full investigation.”

At the Skeleton Headquarters Medical Center, the lights of the emergency room flickered on. Pei Ye stood outside like a statue cast in blood, guarding the door and refusing to let anyone near.

The Adjutant began organizing matters with ruthless efficiency: investigating the scene, leaking no information, stabilizing the organization, and launching retaliatory strikes against the remnants of “Scorpion.”

The entire First Division was mobilized. Cang Jun took command, Cang Jun handled the “friendly questioning” of prisoners, Ghost handled the infiltration and investigation, and Viper set up the defenses. The entirety of Skeleton began to operate like a precision-engineered, yet enraged, machine.

Minutes turned into hours. The emergency room doors opened and closed as medical staff hurried in and out. Pei Ye remained standing, motionless. His entire world had shrunk down to that door and the person inside whose life hung in the balance. Fear and rage boiled within him, threatening to tear him apart.

If Master… if he… he did not dare finish the thought. The mere idea was enough to destroy him. It was all his fault. It was because of his failures that he could not protect his Master, leading to this. It was entirely his fault.

He could not exist without his Master. A puppy cannot leave its owner.

“Please, Master. Do not leave me.”

He did not know how much time had passed; maybe a day, maybe two. To Pei Ye, it felt like a century.

Finally, the emergency room lights went out. The doctor walked out looking exhausted. Facing the Adjutant and Pei Ye—who had locked onto him like a vengeful spirit—the doctor spoke. “Fourth Brother is out of critical danger. The toxin was tricky, but it has been controlled, and the wounds are treated. He lost a lot of blood and needs long-term rest. He is currently unconscious but should wake up soon.”

Thank God.

Pei Ye’s tightly wound nerves suddenly snapped. His vision went black, and his body swayed, only to be caught by the Adjutant.

“You need your wounds treated too,” the Adjutant said with a sternness that brokered no argument.

Pei Ye shook off his hand and croaked, “I want to see Master.”

Seeing his near-collapsed yet stubborn state, the Adjutant sighed and nodded to the doctor.

Pei Ye practically stumbled into the Intensive Care Unit. Jiang Si lay on the hospital bed, his face as white as paper, connected to various tubes. His breathing was weak but steady. The word “fragile” had never been associated with his Master, yet now he looked so breakable.

Pei Ye walked softly to the bedside, not daring to touch him, greedily tracing his silhouette with his eyes to confirm he was breathing. He slowly knelt by the bed, resting his forehead lightly against the edge, his body trembling slightly. The sheer relief of having him back nearly overwhelmed him.

His Master was saved. His Master was okay. It was truly, truly wonderful.

In the next moment, due to the prolonged extreme tension and the onset of his untreated wounds, Pei Ye collapsed right there against the side of the bed.

“Pei Ye!”

“Doctor! He fainted!”

“Wake up!”

Hustling footsteps sounded in his ears, but he no longer had the energy to care. He only knew that his Master, Jiang Si, was okay. That was enough. Nothing else mattered.