187 I'll carry you

Yang Xiaojin just looked at Ren Xiaosu. They had attacked her because she wasn't a resident of the stronghold? What kind of nonsense was that!

Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu said, "This particular group known as the Experimentals have been growing stronger and stronger. When I was on my way to rescue you, I saw an Experimental inject a normal human being. When the gray liquid was injected into that person's body, he somehow turned into an Experimental as well."

Yang Xiaojin was hearing this for the first time. She said in shock, "So if they inject all of the stronghold's residents with that drug, wouldn't there be hundreds of thousands more Experimentals? No, wait, they're probably selective about who they inject it into."

"That's right." Ren Xiaosu said, "They probably selected specific individuals to inject the drug with, but we don't know what kind of conditions they must meet. I think as long as we can figure out the origins of the Experimentals, we should be able to understand how they select their candidates. There had to have been thousands and thousands of survivors in the aftermath of the disaster at Stronghold 113, but the number of Experimentals only increased by around a 1,000 or so in the end."

Yang Xiaojin suddenly said, "We received intel about the Pyro Company, and it seems like that lab in the Jing Mountains is related to them. They were using it before The Cataclysm, and it became lost after that. They had no choice but to give up on that portion of their research, so the related studies were also lost as a result."

"Then do y'all know what kind of experiments they used to carry out in there?" Ren Xiaosu asked.

"We don't know. All we know is that they experimented on cancer patients. The cancer patients knew they wouldn't live for much longer, so they decided to sell themselves to the Pyro Company in order to leave behind a lump sum of money for their families," Yang Xiaojin replied.

Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu's wounds seared with pain again. He retrieved the black medicine from the palace and applied some on himself. "You should apply some medicine on your wounds as well. Where are you hurt?"

Yang Xiaojin said, "Give me the medicine. I'll apply it myself."

Ren Xiaosu handed a bottle of the black medicine to Yang Xiaojin. He had wanted to inform her of the price but managed to hold back from doing so.

Then he watched Yang Xiaojin blow out the candle before she started applying the black medicine on her wounds in the dark. "I've long heard about how miraculous this black medicine of yours is, but I really didn't expect it to be this effective."

"Mhm." Ren Xiaosu said curiously in the darkness, "Do you have any wounds that you can't reach? Let me…"

With a striking sound, Yang Xiaojin used a match to relight the candle. Ren Xiaosu lowered his head and continued applying the medicine on his wounds.

Yang Xiaojin watched Ren Xiaosu lift up his shirt to reveal four very deep and bloody wounds around his abdomen. They were probably inflicted by the claws of an Experimental. It was fortunate that his organs were not wounded. She said in surprise, "Didn't you find it painful just now?"

Ren Xiaosu had been speaking with her like everything was fine for a long while. It didn't look like there was any indication of pain on his face.

As he applied the medicine on his wound, Ren Xiaosu said calmly, "I'm used to it."

"Used to it." These three words seemed to have a kind of quiet strength. Over a decade of bitterness and suffering were harbored within these three words.

Used to the pain.

Used to getting injured.

Used to enduring it.

In the candlelight, Yang Xiaojin noticed that Ren Xiaosu's forehead was dripping with sweat. Moreover, his lips had turned pale. He was clearly suffering from very serious injuries.

She took the black medicine from Ren Xiaosu and lifted his shirt up. She was greeted by the sight of more than a dozen wounds everywhere. Yang Xiaojin said, "I'll apply it for you."

Ren Xiaosu did not say a thing and just let Yang Xiaojin's finger go over his wounds.

This skin of the girl's hand was not delicate at all. In fact, her hand was covered with callouses, clearly demonstrating she had been through some very tough training.

In fact, Ren Xiaosu already knew while in the Jing Mountains that Yang Xiaojin wasn't delicate and fragile like most other girls.

"Is it painful? Tell me if I'm too heavy with the application." Yang Xiaojin said softly, "Turn the other way. You have injuries on your back as well." Yang Xiaojin sounded very firm.

Ren Xiaosu thought for a while before saying, "The place above where we were earlier should be filled with Experimentals. Now that we've walked quite far away, we should be getting close to the stronghold's gate. However, I'm not sure if we can escape from there."

It would be very simple to get from underground to the surface, but how could they avoid getting hunted down by the Experimentals afterwards?

If they bumped into the Experimentals the moment they went up to the surface, they could be chased for up to several hundred kilometers from the stronghold and still end up dying!

Ren Xiaosu could feel the soothing effects of the black medicine. The pain of his wounds was relieved, leaving him in much better spirits. "But I think these Experimentals definitely need to rest during the day. So if we wait here quietly until daylight when it's time for them to hide, we can make use of that time to flee. We should just rest and conserve our strength for now."

Yang Xiaojin replied, "It's no secret they're afraid of daylight, so your deduction is correct. They'll be certain to go into hiding to sleep when it's daytime."

"Mhm." Ren Xiaosu nodded at her affirmation. He thought, 'Great minds think alike.'

The two of them sat in the dark sewers and fell into a brief silence. Yang Xiaojin suddenly said, "Actually, not even a close friend would come back to save me in that kind of a situation. I'll skip the thanks and just—"

But Ren Xiaosu said in seriousness, "You should still thank me."

Yang Xiaojin was taken aback. "Thank you…"

"Gratitude received from Yang Xiaojin, +10."

Wait a minute! Ren Xiaosu was startled. He had only gotten Yang Xiaojin to thank him because he thought that since the quest could not be completed, he should at least earn a gratitude token to make up for his loss. As a result, Yang Xiaojin's thanks actually earned him ten gratitude tokens!

What made Yang Xiaojin so special?!

But at this moment, the manhole cover above them suddenly moved. Then an Experimental jumped down from above. However, the Experimental did not expect to see anyone down here either, so both parties were equally surprised by this encounter!

Whatever happened to making their escape at daylight? Why had this Experimental suddenly come down into the sewers? It was almost daybreak now. Shouldn't it be looking for a place to get some rest?

Yang Xiaojin said softly, "I suddenly thought of a problem. Where do you think they'll retreat to during the day?"

Ren Xiaosu considered the question for a moment. "The sewers?"

"Mhm." Yang Xiaojin nodded.

Ren Xiaosu suddenly felt terrible. He had wanted them to make their escape when it was daylight, but it looked like they had to quickly run now. Otherwise, they might end up having to sleep with the Experimentals. Who knew if the Experimentals would welcome them?

In an instant, the Experimental roared and pounced at the two of them. Ren Xiaosu did not even need to move as his shadow clone rushed forward with the black saber in its hands. The shadow clone choked the Experimental with one hand and raised the black saber with its other hand before plunging it through the Experimental's heart. The Experimental was pinned against the sewer wall on the opposite side.

But an even greater calamity was to come. This Experimental's roar had alerted all of the other Experimentals aboveground. Two other Experimentals laid on the road next to the manhole and popped their heads down to have a look. Ren Xiaosu said, "Run, I'll carry you!"

He couldn't let his shadow clone carry Yang Xiaojin since he needed it to fight!

However, Ren Xiaosu did not realize that his body could hardly hang on any longer. After the intense battle during the night and getting injured, he was finding it difficult to even remain standing.

Right at this moment, Yang Xiaojin knelt down in front of him and said, "I'll carry you."

Before Ren Xiaosu could react, Yang Xiaojin had already placed him on her back and started running.

Yang Xiaojin was quite tall, but her body frame was small. Ren Xiaosu felt a little awkward when he was being carried by her, because he had never ever relied on anyone else before even in the most difficult of times.

He had come back to the stronghold to rescue someone. But right now, the person he wanted to rescue was carrying him instead.