The Moonlight

er eyes adjusted to the darkness, Xu Qingyan cautiously followed behind the dark-faced man.
It turned out that this suite had a basement.

As they descended the stairs, dampness filled the air, and the creaking of the old wooden steps sent chills down her spine.
Xu Qingyan carefully maneuvered her way down, with the dark-faced man occasionally looking back at her.
The vigilance in his eyes felt like tangible shackles restraining her.

The basement had a faint glow of light.
Xu Qingyan squinted as she observed her surroundings. 

The setup was quite rudimentary, with a floor covered in marked cement and patches of damp stains on the walls.
Aside from a wooden cabinet placed against the wall and a suitcase, there were two chairs placed on the floor, one on the east and one on the west.
Other than that, there was an empty space in front covered by a silver curtain, concealing whatever lay beyond.

The dark-faced man stood by the curtain and gestured for her to come over. 

Xu Qingyan slowed her pace and approached him step by step.
She didn’t know what was behind the curtain, but since they said they needed her help, it was probably related to her profession.

“Hurry up!” The dark-faced man was so anxious that he seemed to want to pull her over.

Xu Qingyan quickened her pace.
Her heartbeat increased, as if an invisible hand was firmly gripping her heart.
However, due to her usual calm demeanor, it was not easy to see any change in her expression, so she appeared composed. 

She finally arrived and saw a bed first, where she immediately noticed the remnants of bloodstains on the bed sheets.
The bloodstains had turned black, indicating a continuous seepage that deepened the color to this horrifying extent. 

There was a person lying on the bed, who appeared to be terminally ill.
Xu Qingyan speculated that he had suffered a serious injury.
Next to the bed stood a stand with a bag of antibiotics hanging from it, but it probably offered little relief from his pain.

The dark-faced man suddenly approached Xu Qingyan and said in a sinister tone, “I want you to operate on him right now.”

Xu Qingyan coldly averted her gaze, took a moment to compose herself after seeing the menacing face of the dark-faced man. 

Staying grounded in reality, she responded calmly and deliberately, “That’s impossible.
There are no surgical conditions here, and I have no idea about his condition.
Why didn’t you take him to a hospital if the situation is so urgent?”

Bulging veins could be seen on the forehead of the dark-faced man.
“Stop talking nonsense.
I’m telling you to treat him, and if you can’t…,” he threatened.

Suddenly, the man pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at Xu Qingyan’s temple.
The black barrel of the gun emitted a chilling aura, as if it could go off at any moment.

His strength was immense, causing Xu Qingyan to feel dizzy, and she even stumbled for a step.

The sudden icy touch made her temple throb uncontrollably.
Anyone would be terrified at the sight of a real gun, and Xu Qingyan’s body erupted with instant goosebumps.
Deep within her sweat pores, cold sweat seeped into her undergarments. 

However, she clenched her teeth, trying to control her breathing as much as possible and stabilize herself.

“Put down the gun.” The leopard-man observed for a while and felt that this woman had an unexpectedly bold spirit.
At least from her face, there was no obvious sign of fear.
Her personality seemed tougher than her delicate appearance, which made him develop some admiration for her. 

He finally stepped forward and forcefully pressed down the gun, then sternly warned the dark-faced man, “Now, the second young master’s life is the most important.”

The dark-faced man barely suppressed his anger and stepped aside.

Then, the leopard-man coldly addressed Xu Qingyan, “Miss, you should be able to guess why we didn’t take him to the hospital.
What you need to do now is to examine his condition and perform the surgery as soon as possible.
You tell us what you need for the surgery, and we will get it for you.”

This is chaos, absolute chaos.
Do they think they’re filming a movie? It’s as if capturing a doctor is a miraculous feat.
If she could, she would immediately reprimand such disregard for the patient’s safety. 

However, deep down she knew that these desperate men wouldn’t resort to her unless they were truly cornered and had no other options.
They wouldn’t bring her in as a last-ditch effort unless they had some level of desperation.

She lowered her gaze and quickly analyzed the situation in her head.
The men wouldn’t give her much time to think, or rather, she didn’t have much of a choice.
If she said no, she might not be able to leave this room alive. 

“I can only do my best,” Xu Qingyan spoke decisively, “but I can’t guarantee that I can save him.”

A faint relief appeared on the tense face of the leopard-like man.
“Thank you.”

Xu Qingyan saw that the leopard-man was still a reasonable person, so she quickly made a request, “Regardless of the outcome, you must let me go, and I won’t mention this to anyone.”

Perhaps it was Xu Qingyan’s composed demeanor and ability to speak calmly in such a crisis that impressed the leopard-like man once again.

Without wasting any time, Xu Qingyan took off her coat and assessed the crude surroundings.
She could only disinfect her hands repeatedly with alcohol and then put on medical gloves and a mask. 

She then inquired about the injuries, “When did he sustain the injury?”

“Two days ago.”

“What kind of injury?”

“Gunshot wound.”

Xu Qingyan lifted the thin blanket and immediately saw the blood-soaked gauze on the man’s abdomen, which had lost its original color.
The fact that he could survive until now despite such a wound was quite fortunate.

She couldn’t help but shift her gaze and look at the man’s face. 

It was an exceptionally simple face, but before she could get a clear look, her eyes were drawn to a crescent-shaped scar that ran from his left eyebrow to his eye socket.
This scar looked somewhat terrifying at first glance, as if something could tear from within at any moment, spewing forth thick, dark blood or something else.

Xu Qingyan forced herself not to avert her gaze and focused on the man’s other facial features, which appeared much less remarkable compared to the scar.
His facial contours were well-defined, and although he was currently unconscious with a pale complexion, Xu Qingyan couldn’t help but acknowledge a certain captivating handsomeness that emanated from him—a unique charm that made her steal a second glance.

After a momentary pause, she shook her head, regaining her focus. 

This man was deeply unconscious, and she was now in a battle against death itself.

Perhaps Xu Qingyan appeared somewhat lost as she stared at his pale face, as the dark-faced man stepped forward and grabbed her hand, his eyes filled with menace.
He growled, “What are you looking at? Hurry up and save him!”

Xu Qingyan snapped out of her trance and endured the pain in silence.

The dark-faced man released her, his voice dripping with hostility.
“Don’t try any tricks.
Your life is in my hands.”