The reason Ren Xiaosu decided to save Luo Lan was because he intended to try to get into Stronghold 109 through Luo Lan!
Earlier, Ren Xiaosu noticed Luo Lan and the soldiers were getting along great. Moreover, he could feel their support for Luo Lan and Qing Zhen. People that well-supported must have something extraordinary about them. So Ren Xiaosu had been thinking if this lifesaving favor could resolve the enmity from before. If he couldn't resolve it, it would not be too late for Ren Xiaosu to personally kill Luo Lan. He also thought about whether to conceal his identity by using another name, for example. But after thinking about it, Ren Xiaosu rejected the idea, because Luo Lan had seen Yan Liuyuan and Xiaoyu before.
"Brother, give me a hand!" Luo Lan wiped his face and said, "I can't get out of the vehicle myself."
Ren Xiaosu pulled Luo Lan out of the vehicle. "Let's leave quickly. The Experimentals will break through the defensive line soon."
But Luo Lan broke free from Ren Xiaosu and looked at Tang Zhou's group in a daze. They were about to get overwhelmed by the Experimentals.
Concentrated gunfire and exploding grenades sounded from time to time at the defensive line they set up. The Experimentals still couldn't breach the Qing Consortium's defensive line for the time being.
This battle was enough to show how outstanding the soldiers of the Qing Consortium were.
Ren Xiaosu said calmly, "It's hopeless for them. If you rush over there now, they would just die in vain."
Luo Lan took a deep breath and said, "I have to! Thank you for saving me, but I can't leave yet!"
Ren Xiaosu could tell Luo Lan really cared about this group of soldiers. If he didn't, his first reaction wouldn't have been to check whether his soldiers were alright after hearing the Experimentals were about to breach the defensive line.
This was different from Ren Xiaosu's mindset of how an organization was run. He had thought they were just a group of snobbish and cold-blooded animals.
Chen Wudi turned around and looked at Ren Xiaosu. He asked, "Pigsy and the others have run far away. What should we do?"
"Let's go." Ren Xiaosu took a look at Luo Lan and decided to give up on him. Luo Lan had already run back to the troops' defensive line. There was no need to die with Luo Lan just because he wanted to gain passage into the stronghold.
Ren Xiaosu could tell Luo Lan was terrified. If it were anyone else, they would be terrified as well. Now that all of the escapees had been wiped out, only a few people managed to escape successfully. This place had been reduced to ruins.
But Ren Xiaosu could not understand why a fatty like Luo Lan could overcome his fear and run straight towards death. This wasn't about putting on an act. He would really die if he went back there!
But when Ren Xiaosu and his group were about to leave, they suddenly heard the howling of wolves in the distance!
This howling came at such an extraordinarily abrupt time it made Ren Xiaosu's heart sink. Was the situation about to become worse?
But to his surprise, the Experimentals started to stop attacking when they heard the howling of the wolves. Then they quickly retreated and left the battlefield within a minute!
What was happening? Ren Xiaosu stood still as he watched the scene unfold. He wondered if it was possible that these Experimentals were afraid of the wolves.
Ren Xiaosu had thought things would get worse with the arrival of the wolves. However, he did not expect the wolves' presence to end up counterbalancing the Experimentals and holding them in check!
Ren Xiaosu did not wish to find out about what had happened between the wolves and Experimentals. He only hoped to get Stronghold 109 safely!
He said to Chen Wudi, "Wudi, go and tell Wang Fugui and the others—"
"Who is Wang Fugui?" Chen Wudi was taken aback.
"Go and tell Pigsy and the others… to not turn back. If something happens, they should continue escaping," Ren Xiaosu corrected.
It didn't seem like he could pass on the message effectively without referring to "dharma names."
Chen Wudi went on ahead while Ren Xiaosu followed Luo Lan to return to the Qing Consortium's troops.
"Boss, why have you come back?" Tang Zhou was gasping as he laid on top of a corpse. "Hurry up and leave. Those things could come back soon."
Luo Lan squatted down next to Tang Zhou. He looked around and saw that more than 90% of the soldiers who had escaped with him from the stronghold were dead.
As for the remaining five or six soldiers, all of them had been seriously injured. Even though they might still be alive now, they couldn't survive long enough to get to Stronghold 109.
The cruelty of the Experimentals was horrifying.
Squatting down next to Tang Zhou, Luo Lan said, "Do you have any words you want me to pass on?"
Tang Zhou smiled and said, "Boss, you said you'd treat us to a good time and show us the sensual pleasures of this world when we got to Stronghold 109. We're afraid we won't make it there anymore. So, Boss, please enjoy it on our behalf when the time comes."
Luo Lan was sorrowful. "I'd probably die in Stronghold 109."
The two of them broke into laughter as though they had cracked some lame joke.
Tang Zhou suddenly said, "We don't regret it."
"Mhm," Luo Lan grunted in response.
"Um, let me interrupt you two for a moment." Ren Xiaosu watched the two men and could not help but stop their conversation. "Actually, they won't have to die."
Tang Zhou and Luo Lan were stunned. They simultaneously looked at Ren Xiaosu. Tang Zhou started laughing and said, "Young man, stop joking. No one can stop my bleeding."
However, Ren Xiaosu ignored them and took out a vial. "I have an excellent medicine here for treating wounds. Don't worry, y'all won't die. But I won't be treating your wounds for nothing." Ren Xiaosu looked at Luo Lan. "In return, I want you to get us into Stronghold 109 and obtain legal resident statuses for us."
But Luo Lan ignored the latter part of his sentence and stared at the black medicine in Ren Xiaosu's hand. This vial looked a little familiar to him.
Luo Lan's expression gradually turned from calm to shock. "This can also treat wounds?! Wait a minute, you're the magic hands that restore spring, Ren Xiaosu!"
Fucking "magic hands restore spring"! Ren Xiaosu nearly kicked Luo Lan to the ground when he was reminded him about that banner!
Still, Ren Xiaosu was one of the targets wanted by the Qing Consortium. Luo Lan could never have expected that Ren Xiaosu would appear here, and even rescue him at that.
Suddenly, Luo Lan remembered someone had mentioned before that Ren Xiaosu was a doctor back in town. This gave him some hope!
Seeing how Tang Zhou's group needed Ren Xiaosu to save them, Luo Lan resolutely humbled himself and tried to cotton up to Ren Xiaosu by saying, "With our relationship, I'm fine with however many people you wish to bring into the stronghold. Anything can be agreed upon as long as you save them!"
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. "What's our relationship?"
Luo Lan was also left speechless by that question. He hesitated awhile before saying, "A doctor-patient relationship…"
Ren Xiaosu speechlessly threw three vials of the black medicine to Luo Lan. "Apply these to their wounds."
Luo Lan hesitated for a moment. "It won't have that side effect, will it?"
"No, hurry up and apply the medicine on them. If the Experimentals or wolves come back, no one is gonna get out of here alive!" Ren Xiaosu was starting to get impatient. In reality, he decided to treat Tang Zhou and his squadmates' wounds because he wanted Luo Lan to owe him a favor. Even though the off-road vehicle had overturned, the transport truck was still in good condition. After he finished treating Tang Zhou's group, he could get them to drive the truck and pick up Yan Liuyuan and the others. It would be much easier for everyone this way.
"Wait a minute." Ren Xiaosu suddenly thought of something. "You guys won't be arresting me after you've recovered from these injuries, right?"
"No." Luo Lan hurriedly shook his head and said, "We're actually just after Xu Xianchu, but you being wanted as well was purely a coincidence!"
Ren Xiaosu reacted with an odd expression. "That's a good thing…."
He could only say in his head, 'Big Brother Xu Xianchu, I'm sorry.'
Although this might inconvenience Xu Xianchu a bit, what else could Ren Xiaosu do? He was forced by the circumstances!A Dharma name is a new name acquired during a Buddhist initiation ritual in Mahayana Buddhism and monk ordination in Theravada Buddhism | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma_name