With the help of that power, Su Hui flipped off the treatment bed.

A sharp blade grazed his waist, leaving a bloody mark. Surprisingly, the sight of blood brought Su Hui back to consciousness.

The soothing music continued to play in the consultation room. He lifted his head and, in his blurred vision, saw a person standing in front of him. She hung her head low, her hair loosely falling, her gaze unfocused as if in a dream.

Her current state was completely different from before, making it difficult to recognize her at first, but Su Hui still recognized her—it was Yang Yuqing.

At this moment, this once gentle and graceful psychologist stood before the treatment bed like a madwoman, holding a blood-stained, sharp knife in her hand.

Su Hui suddenly realized that the last voice he heard was Lu Junchi calling his name.

If he hadn’t woken up and struggled to sit up just in time, that knife would have pierced his body…

At that moment, the door of the consultation room was slammed open from the outside, and Lu Junchi rushed in.

Su Hui rolled off the bed, while Lu Junchi aimed his gun at Yang Yuqing, almost simultaneously.

Yang Yuqing’s expression twisted. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she continuously waved the knife in her hand.

Su Hui held his waist wound and coughed repeatedly, saying, “Don’t hurt her. She… seems to be hypnotized.”

Doing something like this didn’t align with Yang Yuqing’s psychological trajectory. She was just a puppet of the other party.

As he said this, Yang Yuqing suddenly turned around, as if sleepwalking, lifted the knife, and struggled to rush out into the corridor.

Lu Junchi holstered his gun, took a couple of steps forward, and grabbed her back with one hand while snatching the knife from her other hand.

Under hypnosis, Yang Yuqing’s strength suddenly increased. She even lowered her body, trying to bite Lu Junchi’s hand, but her petite figure was clearly no match for him.

Yang Yuqing swung the knife, and Lu Junchi twisted her arm behind her back.

He tapped her neck with his hand, using just enough force. Yang Yuqing’s body instantly went limp, fainting.

At this moment, Zheng Bai rushed in, holding Yang Yuqing down, and then escorted her out of the room. After laying her flat, they handcuffed her to a chair at the reception desk.

With the culprit captured, Lu Junchi quickly returned to Su Hui’s side. “Are you alright?”

Su Hui covered his mouth, feeling dizzy. He kept his eyes closed and couldn’t open them. “I might… have inhaled something… I feel nauseous now…”

He coughed violently after saying this, “It might be chloroform…”

Jin Qiu had been waiting with Lu Junchi and the others by the elevator upstairs. They were suddenly pulled downstairs, and now she was dumbfounded witnessing this scene.

“There’s something wrong upstairs. We’ve called for backup…” Lu Junchi said as he tried to help Su Hui up.

Su Hui’s complexion and lips were pale. He couldn’t stand at all. He curled up, coughing and wheezing incessantly, clearly struggling to breathe, as if he might faint at any moment.

Lu Junchi turned to Jin Qiu and asked, “Is there any oxygen tank or something similar?”

“Yes… yes…” Jin Qiu stammered. Various medications and supplies were always kept in the consultation room to prevent emergencies.

Lu Junchi said, “Go and get it quickly!”

After saying that, he lifted Su Hui horizontally, trying to figure out where to place him…

At that moment, Su Hui was particularly afraid that Lu Junchi would put him back on the treatment bed. He pulled his finger and said, “An anesthetic… it was sprayed on the pillow in the consultation room…”

Upon hearing this, Lu Junchi carried him into an empty room in the middle of the corridor.

Jin Qiu rushed over with a small oxygen tank and a first aid kit. She quickly connected the oxygen mask to the tank and handed it to Lu Junchi.

Lu Junchi pressed the mask onto Su Hui’s face. Su Hui lay on the treatment bed and took a few breaths of oxygen, and the dizziness in front of his eyes finally diminished slightly.

Lu Junchi pulled open Su Hui’s waistcoat and inspected the wound. It wasn’t large or deep, but the bleeding hadn’t stopped. Only then did he feel slightly relieved. He used gauze to apply pressure to Su Hui’s waist wound.

With a dizzy head, Su Hui removed the oxygen mask for a moment and asked, “What did you find upstairs?”

Lu Junchi summed it up briefly, “There were surveillance devices. This clinic has been under constant surveillance by the other party.”

The commotion attracted the attention of others, and the psychotherapists interrupted their work, coming out of the consultation rooms one after another.

Qiao Ze instructed Jin Qiu to quickly close the clinic and prepare for investigation.

Lu Junchi ensured Su Hui was settled and walked out of the consultation room to handle the immediate situation.

A middle-aged male doctor approached and asked, “What’s happening here?”

Jin Qiu shook her head, “I’m not sure either. Just now… Dr. Yang suddenly took out a knife and tried to harm someone.”

All the doctors and nurses were stunned upon hearing this news. “How is that possible? Why would Dr. Yang do such a thing?”

“Dr. Yang was normal when she came this morning…”

“Why did Mr. Su suddenly faint?”

“Lock down the psychological clinic. No one is allowed to enter or leave,” Lu Junchi said. “The other party might be near the consultation rooms.”

Qiao Ze wanted to contact the headquarters but exclaimed, “I can’t make any calls.”

The nearby doctors also tried to call emergency services but couldn’t connect. “Strange… My phone has no signal either…”

Lu Junchi paused and realized that his call with Su Hui had been automatically disconnected at some point.

The signal in this area was obviously being blocked, possibly by a signal jammer.

Jin Qiu quickly realized this and went to the front desk to pick up the phone. She shook her head at Lu Junchi, indicating that there was no signal tone on the phone.

Zheng Bai, who was guarding outside, tried to open the door to the safe passage. He jiggled it, “The door is locked.”

“…It was open just now,” a doctor anxiously shook the door of the consultation room, making a creaking sound, but there was no sign of it loosening.

“What about the emergency exit?”

“It’s locked too…”

“Does anyone have a key?” Lu Junchi asked.

Jin Qiu was frightened and took out the key. Her hands trembled as she tried to insert it several times but couldn’t get it in.

Qiao Ze crouched down and took a look, “Something is blocking the keyhole…”

Lu Junchi thought for a moment, “What about the internal elevator?”

Someone ran over and pressed the button, “The door won’t open either…”

They had just come down from upstairs…

Lu Junchi asked, “Are there any other exits or passages here?”

The psychotherapists and nurses shook their heads in confusion. It seemed like this place had been turned into a sealed chamber.

Lu Junchi frowned. The other party was definitely very familiar with the environment and layout here, considering all the details…

Just then, they smelled a faint fragrance in the corridor.

Lu Junchi furrowed his brow and instinctively held his breath, but the smell made him cough.

He suddenly remembered the gas that had caused Su Hui to pass out earlier, and then he recalled the empty sealed canisters he had seen upstairs.

Now the other party had turned this place into a large gas chamber.

The scent must have been introduced through the air conditioning vents, exhaust fans, or somewhere else.

Lu Junchi looked up and saw two air vents at both ends of the corridor, emitting gas with a hissing sound.

It was a somewhat eerie fragrance that spread throughout the corridor in a short period of time.

Like numerous flowers blooming in the air in an instant…

Someone deliberately wanted to trap them here…

The smell in the air grew increasingly dense and suffocatingly sweet.

“What is this smell?” a nurse asked. After holding her breath for a while, she couldn’t bear it any longer and opened her mouth. The scent immediately infiltrated her lungs, causing her to cough several times, and then her entire body began to weaken.

Zheng Bai supported her with a gasp, almost being dragged down by her.

During this time, some people near the ventilation duct began to experience dizziness, and the weak ones started vomiting.

“It might be chloroform… It should have been released from the ventilation duct on the ceiling. Everyone, stay away from the vents…” Lu Junchi recalled what Su Hui had mentioned earlier. Now he confirmed that the other party had failed to drug Su Hui by conventional means, so they increased the dosage and released it directly into the air.

Qiao Ze immediately said, “Open the windows and ventilate as quickly as possible!”

Several staff members held their breath and opened the doors of the consultation room, pushing open a few windows. People gathered in the middle, far from the vents, but the smell in the corridor did not dissipate.

A psychotherapist ran to the window and shouted loudly, “Help!”

Before she could finish shouting, her body suddenly fell straight to the ground.

Zheng Bai held his breath and ran over to carry her back into the corridor.

“Quickly pull down the blackout curtains…” Lu Junchi suddenly realized something. “Chloroform sinks in the air. The other party placed a high concentration of chloroform from the top, and even if we open the windows, it won’t help. It will only accelerate the oxidation of chloroform and air, forming toxic gas.”

The therapist might have been poisoned.

In high-rise office buildings, for safety reasons, windows can only be opened slightly, allowing only a small gap. In the case of a large dose of toxic gas entering, the ventilation effect is extremely limited, and being near the windows becomes even more dangerous.

After hearing his words, the psychotherapists and nurses hurriedly held their breath and ran to pull down the blackout curtains. The entire floor plunged into darkness. Sunlight was blocked, with only a few beams of light seeping through the cracks.

As time passed, people in different positions inhaled different amounts of chloroform. Some remained conscious, while others collapsed and fell into a coma.

“Help!” a male patient cried out in obvious panic. “We’re all going to die!”

A nurse burst into tears. “Chloroform turns into a lethal gas when exposed to light! We can’t get close to the windows to call for help…”

In the case of ordinary toxic gas, there might still be a glimmer of hope near the windows, but due to the nature of chloroform, approaching the window was equivalent to seeking death.

Zheng Bai felt his head spinning. He went over and kicked the door of the consultation room again, but the reinforced door remained motionless. He took out his gun and fired two shots, but there was no response.

Lu Junchi grabbed Jin Qiu and asked, “Do you still have any oxygen cylinders here?”

If they had other oxygen cylinders, it could buy them some time.

Jin Qiu was already nervous, sweating profusely. “No… there’s only that one…” She felt her head starting to spin as well.

After all, this place was not a regular hospital, and the oxygen cylinders were only kept as backups.

Inside the consultation room, Su Hui had just regained consciousness. His head was still spinning, and fresh blood flowed from the wound on his side. Perhaps due to the inhalation of oxygen and the pain stimulus, his thinking remained clear.

Seeing the chaos outside, Su Hui opened the door and stepped out of the room, wanting to hand out the oxygen cylinder. Lu Junchi grabbed him and said, “Don’t do anything foolish. This small amount of oxygen won’t save everyone. Quickly think about how to inform the outside…”

Today, everyone in this psychological clinic, whether it’s doctors, patients, or police, is in danger.

The blackout curtains were all pulled down, and the consultation room was illuminated by white lights, with soothing music playing. The once warm and peaceful clinic had completely changed.

The glass was tempered, and breaking it hastily could injure people outside and accelerate the synthesis of toxic gas.

Su Hui suddenly thought of something, blinked his eyes, and looked up at the ceiling. “Fire alarm…”

Jin Qiu realized what he meant. “There’s a fire alarm device on the ceiling, but it’s near the ventilation duct…”

She pointed with her finger. It was the kind of smoke fire alarm commonly used in offices and hotels.

That meant that in order to reach it, they would have to expose themselves to a high concentration of chloroform.

Zheng Bai made a quick decision. “I’ll go with Qiao Ze.”

They found a lighter, held their breath, and rushed over. Then Zheng Bai carried Qiao Ze in his arms.

Everything went smoothly. The flame of the lighter burned the fire alarm device, and water sprayed out in the hallway, like rain.

The building had automatic power cutoff protection, and the white light tubes in the corridor turned off automatically, replaced by green lights that guided the escape routes to safety.

The fire alarm bells rang throughout the building.

This kind of commotion would surely quickly alert the property management and the fire department.

However, such an action couldn’t stop the spread of chloroform.

Both of them were soaked with cold water, but they still couldn’t resist the toxicity of chloroform.

They took a few steps forward, but due to inhaling too much toxic gas, they quickly passed out.

As time passed, the remaining people also fell to the ground, and there were very few who remained conscious.

Su Hui asked, “Lu Junchi, how are you?”

They were standing far from the ventilation duct, and Lu Junchi had been trying hard to hold his breath. At this moment, he also felt dizzy, and his strength was gradually being drained. It was an unprecedented feeling of exhaustion.

Dizziness, darkness before his eyes…

The surroundings had already become dim, and the sound of the fire alarm mixed with the clinic’s music. The psychotherapists, nurses, and patients all lay on the ground, motionless except for a slight rise and fall of their chests. They were almost indistinguishable from corpses.

The only ones still conscious were Su Hui, who had been inhaling oxygen for a while, and Lu Junchi, who had better physical endurance.

Su Hui handed the oxygen mask to Lu Junchi, covering his nose and mouth. His hands trembled, and his voice was shaking. “Take a few breaths!”

Lu Junchi opened his narrow eyes, and as the oxygen entered his body, the sweet and nauseating smell finally disappeared. Oxygen combined with his blood, and he had never felt that being able to breathe freely was such a wonderful thing.

He took a few breaths for about half a minute and finally caught his breath. Frowning, he said, “Keep it for yourself. There’s not much left…”

Lu Junchi knew clearly in his heart. His fingers were already numb, and his vision was gradually blurring. He probably wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer.

Chloroform poisoning could be fatal.

Exposure to chloroform would harm the body.

They only had a small bottle of oxygen, which was essentially a drop in the bucket.

It wouldn’t last long, perhaps not even until someone came to rescue them.

His body was still relatively strong, while Su Hui, who was already weak, would worsen his condition if he inhaled too much. Su Hui covered his mouth, coughed, and shook his head, reassuring him, “The property management and fire department should be coming soon…”

Lu Junchi put the oxygen back in his hand and said, “Hold on to this. Wait for rescue obediently. If you can’t bear it anymore, take a breath.”

“But…” Su Hui wanted to say something else.

“The ventilation system has stopped, which means the chloroform has been depleted. Opening the windows might have some effect, and the toxic gas will gradually dissipate,” Lu Junchi explained. He held the back of Su Hui’s head, kissed him, and comforted him, “Listen to me, help is already on the way. You did well, we will be fine…”

Including the corridor and several consultation rooms, the overall area was quite large. Lu Junchi didn’t know how much toxic gas the other party had prepared, but the air concentration should have reached its peak earlier, causing everyone else to pass out. He managed to hold on with the help of the oxygen Su Hui provided.

Although the air exchange from opening the windows was slow, with time passing, no new toxic gas was entering. Perhaps he could endure a little longer.

Just then, there was a slight sound from the restroom at the end of the corridor, and the door opened.

Two men wearing raincoats and gas masks walked out from inside. One appeared to be older, with slightly gray hair and a slightly chubby body, while the other was a young man in his twenties.

Lu Junchi’s initial judgment was correct. The culprits were nearby, and these were the two self-assured perpetrators who were highly confident in their plan.

Seeing that they were still alive, they couldn’t wait any longer and appeared impatiently, intending to change their method of killing…

In that instant, Su Hui widened his eyes. Although he couldn’t see the person’s facial features clearly, he immediately recognized him by the silhouette alone. The older person was someone he had seen two years ago and had an encounter with in the elevator!

“Zhang Junzhi…” Su Hui recalled the name of the disciplinary supervisor from the information he had seen. He had only seen it in written documents, but now the person matched the name.

“So, you’ve guessed my name…” a muffled voice came from beneath the mask as the man sneered, “But you won’t have a chance to tell anyone else.”

The man’s voice matched the person seen in the video from the 372 Research Institute, just slightly older. Su Hui was certain that he was the same person.

Seeing the person in front of him, Lu Junchi quickly made a judgment. He was already poisoned and couldn’t hold on for long. At this point, he could only fight quickly and resolve the opponent.

The disparity in strength between the two was significant. Lu Junchi needed to weaken the opponent, and the most direct way was to expose him to the toxic gas as well.

Thinking of this, he took advantage of the opponent’s momentary distraction and drew his gun from behind, firing shots.

One bullet hit the nearby wall, while the other hit the young man’s thigh.

The young man let out a cry of pain, and before he could raise his gun to shoot, Lu Junchi rushed forward and punched him in the face. The gas mask shifted, revealing the face of a young man underneath. Lu Junchi remembered where he had seen him before. This person was the driver who took Song Lan’en away from the scene.

Lu Junchi intended to pursue further, but Zhang Junzhi’s body collided with him, knocking the gun out of his hand.

Lu Junchi retaliated by elbowing him, causing the strap of Zhang Junzhi’s gas mask to snap and fall to the ground. Lu Junchi grabbed the back of Zhang Junzhi’s throat from behind, trying to prevent him from putting the mask back on. However, the inhaled chloroform was continuously corroding his body, something that no amount of willpower or physical fitness could withstand.

Zhang Junzhi took a few steps back, colliding Lu Junchi against the wall. Lu Junchi felt a heavy blow to his back, as if his ribs had been broken, and intense pain followed.

Lu Junchi had been trying his best to minimize his intake of the toxic gas, but at this moment, he was on the verge of losing consciousness. In this situation, facing two opponents, he couldn’t hold on for much longer.

Su Hui held the oxygen mask with his left hand, took a few steps forward, and knelt down on one knee. With his right hand, he picked up the gun that had fallen from Lu Junchi. His fingers moved and touched the position of the trigger…

But he hesitated. Just a slight deviation, and he would shoot Lu Junchi instead.

Lu Junchi held Zhang Junzhi from behind, his strength nearly depleted. He couldn’t restrain Zhang Junzhi’s throat, so he could only use one hand to hold onto his body, while the other hand controlled him, preventing him from aiming and shooting.

“Poet, stop struggling. You should have died two years ago.” Zhang Junzhi sneered, looking at Su Hui in front of him. It was only a matter of time before the person on his back would break free.

“The others have all passed out. You’re just a cripple now. You can’t see clearly or hear clearly. You’re not my opponent at all?! Shoot, aren’t you afraid of injuring these police officers and innocent people?!” Zhang Junzhi laughed.

The surveillance here had already been shut down, and the fire alarm had only slightly disrupted their rhythm.

The people outside wouldn’t arrive so quickly.

After confirming the deaths of these people, he and his accomplice would open the door and leave through the elevator. Everything upstairs would soon disappear, leaving no trace behind.

According to the agreement, this case would be taken over by others, as long as the investigators were replaced by their people, the truth could be concealed.

No one would ever know the secrets of the past again…

While Zhang Junzhi was thinking, he forcefully slammed Lu Junchi into the wall, trying to shake him off.

With a loud bang, Lu Junchi’s body collided with the wall once again. Zhang Junzhi was tall and slightly chubby, pressing his entire body against him. Under the heavy pressure, Lu Junchi felt as if his organs were being crushed, and he coughed out a mouthful of blood.

The smell of blood stimulated him, making his consciousness clearer. He firmly grasped Zhang Junzhi, unwilling to let go, even if he died here today, as long as Su Hui could be safe…

Su Hui breathed gently, lowering his eyelashes for a moment before raising his head to look.

The oxygen in the cylinder was almost depleted, and he could feel the urgency of time.

Zhang Junzhi and Lu Junchi were still struggling, and for a moment, Zhang Junzhi’s figure blocked the light in the corridor, almost completely covering Lu Junchi’s body.

It’s now…

Su Hui took a deep breath, set down the oxygen cylinder, and raised the gun in his hand.

The small oxygen cylinder was already empty, and he no longer needed to make the final choice of who to save with the remaining oxygen.

After the explosion of sand, his vision had been impaired for a long time due to intracranial bleeding, but this condition had somewhat improved recently.

At least now, at this distance, he could see the blurry figure in front of him and distinguish his silhouette.

Su Hui held his breath, trying to keep his arm steady. He recalled the techniques Lu Junchi had taught him…

In that instant, he felt as if he was standing behind him, facing the assailant together.

Su Hui didn’t hesitate to shoot, continuously pulling the trigger.

Gunfire erupted in the corridor.

Bang, bang, bang, bang…

The recoil traveled through his arm, causing a slight pain in his chest, and the bullets tore through the air.

The figure in front of him trembled and fell to the ground. Lu Junchi released his grip, finally free from his control.

He hit him, he should have hit him…

The sweet chloroform scent mixed with the smell of blood.

Su Hui felt his suspended heart finally drop.

But the next second, he heard Lu Junchi calling his name, “Su Hui!”

Since Su Hui had known him, Lu Junchi had never sounded so panicked, his voice even trembling.

Lu Junchi rushed over and stood in front of him. With a bang, another bullet struck his left shoulder, splattering fresh blood onto Su Hui’s pale and handsome cheek.

Su Hui, somewhat surprised, reached out his hand, trying to grab hold of Lu Junchi. Then he felt a surge of pain exploding from his body. His body trembled, and with a somewhat incredulous look, he slowly lowered his head.

He saw blood flowing from his chest and abdomen, like red blossoms blooming on his white shirt. The pain finally surged up.

Su Hui realized that when he had shot Zhang Junzhi just now, the fallen young assailant had also fired a shot…

The first two shots hit him, and Lu Junchi blocked the third shot for him.

Lu Junchi took the gun from Su Hui’s hand with his right hand, turned around, and fired, hitting the man.

Then he tightly embraced the slowly falling Su Hui.

TN:

Damn the author really likes to abuse Su Hui! As if he isn’t sickly enough sob.