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"I'm gonna kill you…"
Wang Lei was beyond furious. He had never been so humiliated in his life. He quickly got up from the ground, his eyes bloodshot like a trapped beast, and charged at Shen Xingkong for the third time, roaring in anger.
This time, Wang Lei wasn't holding back. He lunged at Shen Xingkong's throat, his mouth open wide as if ready to take a bite out of him.
Unfortunately for Wang Lei, he didn't even touch a hair on Shen Xingkong's head. Just as his hands were about to grab Shen Xingkong's neck, Shen Xingkong suddenly ducked, causing Wang Lei to grab nothing but air. A split second later, Shen Xingkong sprang up like a coiled spring, ramming his head straight into Wang Lei's chin with the force of a cannonball.
"Thud!"
"Ahh…" Wang Lei screamed as he fell backward, hitting the ground with a thud. He lay there motionless, eyes closed, with a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"Lei-ge…" Xu Jianhui and the others were stunned. The invincible Wang Lei had actually been knocked out cold. Their gazes slowly shifted to Shen Xingkong, only to find him advancing toward them with a fierce look in his eyes.
"Oh my god…"
Someone screamed in terror before turning to run, and as soon as one person bolted, the rest followed suit. In the blink of an eye, the entire group had fled, leaving Wang Lei lying there in the courtyard, his fate of little concern to them. That's what "brothers" are for, right? To be thrown under the bus when things get tough? As for loyalty, it's every man for himself when the chips are down.
Xu Jianhui was the first to flee, his legs pumping faster than a windmill, cursing Wang Lei in his heart. "That useless bastard couldn't even take down Shen Xingkong. What a waste of my thousand yuan—that's months of allowance down the drain!"
"Thud!" As Xu Jianhui was running, he suddenly slammed into someone and was sent sprawling onto the pavement, nearly breaking his tailbone.
"Are you blind… Ah? Shen… Shen Xingkong…" Xu Jianhui was about to curse when he realized it was Shen Xingkong standing before him, his eyes radiating murderous intent. Xu Jianhui was so scared he could barely speak, scrambling backward on all fours like a crab.
"Get up…" Shen Xingkong didn't bother with pleasantries. He grabbed Xu Jianhui by the hair, dragging him back to the courtyard like a dead dog.
"Shen-ge… I was wrong… I'm really sorry, Shen-ge… Please don't hit me… It hurts…" Xu Jianhui wailed in terror, begging for mercy.
Shen Xingkong dragged him back to where Wang Lei lay before letting go, then delivered a swift kick to Xu Jianhui.
"If you're gonna run, take Wang Lei with you. Xu Jianhui, if I see you again, I'll beat you again. You'd better stay far away from me!"
"Okay, okay… I'm leaving… I'll leave right now…" Xu Jianhui was on the verge of wetting his pants. Struggling, he hoisted Wang Lei onto his back and stumbled out of the courtyard as fast as he could.
Xu Jianhui's luck had really run out today. Not only had he wasted a thousand yuan on Wang Lei, but now he also had to take Wang Lei to the hospital, and once Wang Lei woke up, he'd likely take out his anger on him too.
The now-empty courtyard was still thick with the tension from earlier. Shen Xingkong's heart was pounding like a drum, and he could feel the veins in his forehead throbbing. He knew the adrenaline was overstimulating his heart and blood vessels, so he quickly ran back home and plunged his head into a basin of cold water, trying to calm down.
After about ten minutes, Shen Xingkong collapsed weakly onto the bathroom floor, gasping for air. From today's events, he knew he needed to intensify his heart and blood vessel training. Wang Lei wouldn't let this slide—there was no way he would stop here. The next time they crossed paths, if Shen Xingkong wasn't prepared, he might end up dead.
The bigger issue was that Wang Lei had money and influence in Z City. No matter how well Shen Xingkong could fight, what good would it do? Someone like Wang Lei wouldn't rest until he was dead. There were only two ways to end this—either Wang Lei disappears from the face of the earth, or Shen Xingkong becomes even wealthier and more powerful than him.
The first option seemed simple enough, but Shen Xingkong was a doctor, not a killer. Unless he was absolutely forced into it, he wasn't going to take that route. The second option was more humane but far more difficult. How could a twenty-year-old like Shen Xingkong quickly amass wealth and power? It sounded like a pipe dream.
With a head full of troubling thoughts, Shen Xingkong dried off, climbed into bed, and began his heart and blood vessel training using his ability. This time, he pushed himself harder, increasing both the intensity and duration until he nearly passed out before finally stopping and going to sleep.
Monday morning's sunlight was bright and warm as Shen Xingkong got out of bed. The effects of yesterday's adrenaline had completely worn off, but now his arms were aching as if they were about to fall off. Yesterday, during his fight with Wang Lei, he had taken several blows while defending his head. If not for the adrenaline numbing the pain, Shen Xingkong would have been the first to go down.
Rubbing his sore arms, he didn't even bother with breakfast. After quickly freshening up, he left his house and caught a bus to the hospital.
Just as the bus was pulling up to the stop near the hospital, and Shen Xingkong was about to step off, his phone rang. That annoying ringtone went off again—no need to describe it—so Shen Xingkong answered the call without even checking the caller ID.
"Hello, who's this?"
"Uh… I'm calling to ask if you're the one who can cure difficult and rare diseases?" The voice on the other end sounded hesitant, as if unsure.
"What rare disease… Oh, right, yes, yes, that's me! I'm the doctor who can treat all kinds of difficult and rare diseases!" Shen Xingkong almost forgot about the ad he placed in the newspaper, but when he remembered, he couldn't help but shout excitedly.
This outburst caught the attention of everyone on the bus, and all eyes turned to Shen Xingkong, their gazes filled with disdain, as if he were a scam artist preying on the gullible.
Shen Xingkong quickly got off the bus and found a quieter, less crowded spot nearby.
"Hello, hello, my friend, what can I do for you?" Shen Xingkong asked eagerly, sensing that his luck was finally turning.
"How old are you?" The person on the other end of the line seemed to pick up on how young Shen Xingkong's voice sounded.
"I'm… ahem!" Shen Xingkong was about to answer truthfully but caught himself just in time. He lowered his voice to sound more mature. "My age isn't important, my friend. What matters is two things: first, I really can treat difficult and severe illnesses, and second, you must have money."
"Sigh, I suppose I don't have a choice… Let's meet and talk in person." The other person sighed, sounding resigned.
"Okay," Shen Xingkong said, glancing around. "There's a café under Friendship Department Store. I'll be waiting for you there."
"Alright, I'll be there soon."