After midnight

"The right hand joint is fractured, and the left and right knee joints are fractured. There are three puncture wounds on the body, and there is a lot of bleeding, one is on the left calf, the right thigh, and the side of the waist. In addition, there are 7 collisions of various sizes, but fortunately they are all external injuries. It is worth noting that the injured person's ability has been severely depleted, but he is in a gushing and excited state, so it is now very disordered and needs more adjustments."

"Thank you, please."

"Doctor, I'm leaving it to you." Lu Li nodded to the doctor.

After the doctor left, Lin Nuan turned to look at Lin Xuanfeng. "Jiu will get better soon, don't blame yourself too much."

Lin Xuanfeng nodded, turned sideways and walked out of the hospital corridor. Lu Li pulled Lin Nuan to sit down, "You look so ugly, how can you make Lin Xuanfeng feel better?"

Lin Nuan bit her lip and stared at the blue and white ward door without saying a word. Ah Jiu was lying inside, tugging at her heart. She didn't know when he would wake up. They were so many capable adults, but they couldn't protect a child. Ah Jiu almost died.

Suddenly, Lin Nuan's eyes turned red.

Outside, it was already dark, and the darkness was so oppressive that Lin Xuanfeng could hardly breathe. He reluctantly walked to the corner of the garden, raised his fist, and punched the thick tree trunk again and again. He hurt himself numbly, and the branches made heavy muffled sounds, and the leaves made a tiny rustling sound floating in the wind, but no one could hear it.

Suddenly, Lin Xuanfeng stopped and punched and kicked another tree. No wonder he went crazy. He never felt tired, only useless and painful! He grabbed the branches of the tree, veins bulged, and even the bones were about to bulge out.

The bark of the tree peeled off layer by layer, but Lin Xuanfeng remained unaware. The subtle but precise wind was still chiseling into the tree, cutting and tearing off the shriveled exterior of the tree bit by bit, revealing the crispy yellow branches inside.

This was the scene that Lu Li saw when he came out to look for him. When Lin Xuanfeng saw Lu Li, he withdrew his hand as if waking up from a dream. His hand was trembling and stinging, and the branch of the tree was cut in half.

Lin Xuanfeng followed Lu Li, and the two walked back in silence. When he returned to the light, he opened his palm and saw bloodstains on his palm, which were densely packed with small and shallow wounds. No one knew how scared and guilty Lin Xuanfeng was. He even wanted to kill himself, but fortunately Ah Jiu could still be saved.

Lin Xuanfeng put his hands behind his back and walked deeper and deeper into the bright and cold corridor with Lu Li.

When they received the news that Song Yu requested to retreat, Shangguan Can and Zhang Dong returned home, but Zhao Yunqi made a detour and turned back. Zhao Yunqi was not alone, which made it inconvenient for them to move. So, what else did Song Yu plan to do?

Zhao Yunqi never thought that he could be so cruel to a child. He lay under the eaves of a tall building not far away, and watched the brutal killing from a high position. It could not be called torture, if it were not for the child's amazing explosive power and willpower.

Fortunately, Lin Xuanfeng arrived in time and the child survived. Surviving, he had a bright future.

Zhao Yunqi thought as he wrapped Song Yu with gauze. Song Yu escaped before the rubble fell to the ground. He followed him, but did not help him. He just watched him escape all the way back to the inn.

Zhao Yunqi wrapped the last piece of gauze and looked at Song Yu's face with his eyes closed. It was hard to tell good from bad when his eyes were closed. After Zhao Yunqi finished, he put his things away and walked out and closed the door. At this time, Song Yu opened his eyes.

"What happened?" Shangguan Can and Zhang Dong had been waiting for Zhao Yunqi in his room. When Shangguan Can saw him come back, he asked immediately.

"It's just a minor wound, nothing serious."

"This Lin Xuanfeng is very capable. It's a pity that we couldn't get rid of him in Beizhong." Shangguan Can said.

Zhao Yunqi didn't comment. Just when he was about to ask them to go back, a letter landed near Zhang Dong. Zhang Dong took it and felt a little embarrassed because of what he saw. He didn't open the letter and glanced at Zhao Yunqi.

"Okay, Zhang Dong, you can go back first if you have nothing else to do."

Zhang Dong nodded and left in a hurry.

"Do you think Zhang Dong is a little strange?" Shangguan Can asked again. Zhao Yunqi was very busy and often appeared and disappeared. As a result, he spent more time with Zhang Dong in Beicheng. Compared with their last mission, Zhang Dong seemed to be more lively. He would smile shyly and occasionally show a look similar to missing him.

"Not bad." Zhao Yunqi didn't care much.

"Shangguan Can, do me a favor."

"What's wrong?" Zhao Yunqi rarely spoke in such a serious tone, and Shangguan Can lowered his voice unconsciously.

"While Song Yu is away from Beicheng for the past two days, I plan to go back to Jiudu. Please help me deal with Zhang Dong and don't let him find out where I am."

"No problem, but Song Yu is leaving Beicheng? When? How do you know he plans to leave in the next two days?"

"I'm not sure, but if nothing unexpected happens, he will leave for North Central tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll help you." Shangguan Can nodded. But he didn't really understand anything, such as Zhang Dong, Song Yu, and Zhao Yunqi.

Zhang Dong didn't say much. Shangguan Can had seen him receive letters more than once, and he would quietly return to his room after knowing who the letter was from, just like he did just now. He respected his privacy and judged that it was a private letter, but the extra smell of concealment was really a bit strange.

Song Yu, he wished he could stay away from him.

As for Zhao Yunqi, just like in Jiudu, he always felt that Zhao Yunqi was hiding something from him. For example, this time, he didn't know when Zhao Yunqi had colluded with Song Yu, and how much Song Yu knew that night when he arrived in Beicheng. It was Zhao Yunqi's suggestion to post big-character posters to take the initiative through public opinion.

"Thank you. You should go back to your room and rest early."

"Okay, remember what I said, be sure to inform me in advance if anything happens."

"Of course. Thank you, Shangguan Can."

"Why are you being so polite?" Shangguan Can said as he pushed open the door and went out. The matter of North City came to an end for the time being, but North Central was in a dark fog.

An Yan took the two booklets back to his room, locked the door, and began to read them.

He was surprised to find that Yin put the network of relationships in Beizhong and Beicheng in one booklet, and the other booklet gave a detailed introduction to the Song family's relationships and interest networks in Xidu and today. The latest one was the Song family elders' meeting held not long ago, at which Song Yu became the head of the Song family.

The elders who attended the meeting with Song Yu at that time were Song Yunpei, Song Luo, Song Kunyun, and a new face - Song Nan. Song Nan almost immediately caught An Yan's attention, like a beast locking onto its prey.

An Yan was so absorbed in these two books and building his own mental picture that he didn't notice that a reply letter landed beside him. It was not until there was an urgent knock on the door that An Yan opened the door.

"Su Zi Ling?"

"Zhou Chen is not coming back, so let me give this to you."

"Okay." An Yan took it and prepared to go back.

"Hey, it's already this late, let's go eat together. Xu Xing finished his meal and is now helping me stand guard."

"What time is it?" An Yan blinked.

"It's half past six. It's almost dark outside."

"Really? Then let's go eat together. Wait for me." An Yan took the county annals and walked into the house, wanting to put it back on the table. Su Ziling waited obediently at the door.

An Yan put the county annals aside, found the letter he had forgotten, and opened it. Then An Yan stood there holding the letter, not moving. Su Ziling looked at him and felt that the atmosphere suddenly became bad. He had felt this way before.

"What's wrong?" Su Ziling asked softly and walked over uneasily.

"Lu Li wrote a letter this afternoon saying that Song Yu hurt Ajiu, and Ajiu is still lying in bed and hasn't woken up yet."

"What? How could Song Yu hurt Jiu?"

An Yan quickly opened the county annals that he had placed on the table. "I won't go to dinner. You can call He."

"Haha is back?"

"Ah."

"Then shall I bring you dinner tonight?"

"Yeah." Seeing that An Yan had already started flipping through the books, Su Ziling turned around and went out, closing the door.

"Brother Ling, you look like you're in a bad mood." He and He asked him as they walked to the Hanging Window Station.

"No." Su Ziling tilted his head and asked him, "He, do you think I'm stupid?"

"I don't think so. Why do you think so, Brother Ling?"

"It's okay, let's go eat." The gray prospect in the night was just like Su Ziling's mood at the moment.

"Among our group, Brother Yin is definitely the smartest. Ye is not bad either, and Qing is actually very smart too, but he doesn't like to use his brain, and he just sleeps when he's not on a mission. I think Qing and Brother Anyan are quite similar sometimes, both appear cold and indifferent. Wu is the dumbest one, even though he likes to wear all black and looks smart and cold, he's actually quite dumb, and not cold at all, he really likes Jiu."

"As for me, I am the most ordinary one among them. I don't think I am smart or amazing. Brother Yin usually doesn't let me go out and only lets me organize materials at home. After all, no one would have thought that a child would know everything."

"This is the most powerful one, and Brother Yin told me that you are the strongest one among them." After listening to He's chattering, Su Ziling also joined in the conversation.

"Because my ability is fire." He looked at Su Ziling, and Su Ziling was stunned.

"Brother Yin must be comparing me to him when I was his age. I don't think I will be stronger than him in the future. So brother Ling, believe in yourself. You are very strong. And don't you realize that you have something unique about you?"

Su Ziling was touched by the serious comfort from someone who was three years younger than him, but he also felt that he was too inferior.

"Seriously, haven't you noticed? You are actually quite...strange?" He frowned, as if he was surprised that Su Ziling didn't notice his peculiarity, and seemed a little confused about what words to use to describe him.

"strange?"

"Yes, I heard from Brother Yin that you are a person who came back from that world, so you may not have that kind of...heaviness. Oh, I'm not saying that you are out of place or that you are bad. It's just that there is a feeling of...hope. Anyway, it feels good to be with you. Brother An Yan must feel the same way."

"Really?" Although Kan He said it so seriously, Su Ziling was still very skeptical.

"Really? Anyway, you're not stupid at all, Ling-ge. It's fine just like this."

Is He so cute? Su Ziling happily hugged He and rubbed his head. No wonder An Yan liked children so much. But speaking of peculiar, isn't An Yan the most peculiar one?

"Let me go! I won't be able to grow taller!" He said angrily.

"Okay, okay, let's go eat."

At around nine o'clock in the evening, Su Ziling finished his shift and went to knock on An Yan's door with a bowl of wontons. This time he opened the door very quickly.

When Su Ziling entered the room, he turned his head to look at the table. There were three books on the table, neatly stacked together, which proved that An Yan had finished reading them all and put them away. Su Ziling also took the wontons and put them on the table, and sat down beside him.

"Are you hungry? I brought you a midnight snack."

"Thank you."

An Yan untied the bag and poured the wontons and soup that were packed separately in the box together. A layer of chili oil mixed with vinegar and coriander immediately floated on the surface of the soup. An Yan took out his chopsticks and stirred it.

An Yan's taste is more sour and spicy, but he also likes desserts occasionally. Su Ziling just discovered this. It's not that he hadn't noticed it before, but recently, he suddenly seemed to know it.

It has only been a few days since I came here, but midnight snacks have become the norm, after all, the days and nights are reversed. An Yan chewed and swallowed the wontons without hesitation. While eating, he looked up and down and saw Su Ziling sitting upright, but he didn't say a word.

The wontons were eaten very quickly, and within five minutes, the whole bowl of wontons was gone. An Yan took out some toilet paper to wipe his mouth and quietly cleaned up the garbage, pretending not to see Su Ziling's anxious eyes.

"An Yan, have you thought about it?" Su Ziling finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Why do you ask me that?"

"Why? Song Yu, isn't he coming to North China Middle School?"

An Yan tilted his head to look at him, and Su Ziling had to explain it more clearly.

"Don't tell me you don't have any ideas. You've been looking at this and that all afternoon." Su Ziling pointed to the booklets that were still in An Yan's hand, "So I was wondering, do you have a general idea? How do we deal with Song Yu?"

"Why do you think Song Yu is going to come to North China?"

"It's very simple, because Song Yu wanted to deal with Lin Xuanfeng. Now that the plan has failed and he is injured, he will definitely not stay in North City anymore. Don't ask me why I know that the target is your senior brother, it is obvious now. And if Song Yu could deal with Lu Li and Lin Nuan in North City, the three major families would not be entangled until now. Your senior brother is the only revolutionary army, and he is weak in North City."

Su Ziling rubbed his fingers together, looked at An Yan's face and continued hesitantly, "...Back then, when you were still imprisoned, the Song family wanted to take the opportunity to kill Lin Xuanfeng."

"Ah."

Lin Xuanfeng was the most powerful one in the revolutionary army, and the Song family had wanted his life for a long time. He had thought that Lin Xuanfeng would save him, but he didn't expect that he would really save him alone, if it weren't for Yin's disruption... An Yan shook his head and pulled his thoughts back.

"We have a plan. Write a letter and ask Zhou Chen to come back. You don't have to take turns standing guard anymore. It's a waste of time and energy and it's meaningless."

"Really? I don't have to stand guard anymore?" Su Ziling looked excited.

"Well, no need."

"That's great. It's really boring to stand guard alone at night."

"It's not that exaggerated." An Yan said with a smile, "Call Zhou Chen back to my room. I want to ask him for help."

"Okay, what about me?"

"You? Go and get some rest first."

"It will come in handy in the future." An Yan added in the face of Su Ziling's dissatisfied look.