Chapter 49: Hostage

On the other side, inside Camp 21, a pitch-black gun barrel was still pressed against Wang Yang's temple.

"Speak, where are the antiviral serum and the vaccines?!"

Not far away, the tragic corpses of Lin Xiaoman and Lao Jiu lay flat on the ground. Wang Yang was completely enveloped in the deep terror of death, and his body began to tremble violently, beyond his control.

"The serum and vac, vaccines, they, they are all in the warehouse."

In his desperation, he stammered, half in English and half in Chinese.

"Such a large camp, and this is all you have? Are there more vaccines you've hidden away?!" Kuba roared with a gloomy expression.

After their search, they had only found a dozen vials of serum and over twenty vaccines—nowhere near enough for the infected soldiers in the camp.

Wang Yang knelt on the ground, kowtowing while snot and tears streamed down his face. "I'm telling the truth... the medicine was all used on the patients. There really is only this much left now!"

Kuba's face was livid. After a moment, he gritted his teeth, forced Wang Yang's chin up with the gun barrel, and said with a fierce gaze:

"Since it's all used up, then have your China send more immediately! Listen well, I want 1,000 vials of serum and 1,000 vaccines. I'll give you two days to prepare. That shouldn't be a difficult task for your China, right?"

Wang Yang nodded repeatedly, "Understood, understood, it's not a difficult task, I will definitely have them ready..."

Kuba gritted his teeth fiercely, lowered his gun, and kicked the man on the ground aside. Then, his eyes darted around, and he ordered his men, "Go, bring all the children here with you, whether they are sick or not!"

Kuba spoke to his subordinates in the local language; Wang Yang and Shi Yi could not understand, but Zhou Yutong could.

She immediately understood that Kuba intended to take all the children here as hostages!

Soon, over a dozen black children, ranging in age, were brought out of the wards with guns pressed against their backs.

Surprisingly, the youngest of these children were only three or four years old, and the oldest were no more than eleven or twelve, yet not a single one cried or made a fuss. Some were still sick, their eyes weary and listless; others showed fear and panic in their eyes, but they did not resist, walking obediently behind. It was as if each of them, despite their young age, had already accepted a cruel fate.

At this moment, infinite sorrow and desolation welled up in the hearts of Zhou Yutong, Shi Yi, and Wang Yang. However, they were unarmed and had no power to fight back; they could only let these terrorists do as they pleased.

After a while, a total of 19 children were dragged onto an open-top truck parked outside the courtyard.

Kuba, however, stood where he was, not moving a step.

He thought to himself that while he now had hostages, these were all children of the Sozali Republic, which could at most deter the Sozali government and prevent bombing by the government army. It could not guarantee that China would obediently prepare the vaccines for them.

He still needed one... Chinese hostage.

Kuba narrowed his dark green, sinister eyes and scanned the courtyard, finally letting his gaze fall upon the two Chinese women wearing white coats.

These two women looked to be about the same age, both in their twenties.

One of them was taller and sturdier.

The other was pale and delicate, but for some reason, Kuba vaguely felt that in the girl's amber eyes, there was a kind of desperate determination.

Kuba pointed his gun barrel at the taller woman.

"You, come with me."

Zhou Yutong's heart tightened. The next second, her body was yanked up from the ground by a powerful force, and she was shoved forward.

"Yu Tongjie!"

Watching helplessly as Zhou Yutong was taken away by the armed soldiers, Shi Yi felt as if her heart and liver were being torn apart. She had already lost Xiao Manjie and Lao Jiu; she could not watch Zhou Yutong go to her death.

"I'll go with you, let her go, I'll go with you!"

Shi Yi stumbled to her feet, chasing after them while shouting loudly.

However, a cold gun barrel was pressed against her chest.

"All of you, back off!"

Surrounded by armed soldiers, Kuba finally put away his rifle and retreated step by step toward the outside.

As he retreated, he did not forget to threaten in the direction of Wang Yang and Shi Yi:

"Chinese, remember this! In 2 days, bring what I want to trade for their lives! If you are even one second late, don't ever think about seeing your dear friends again."

"Withdraw!"

The sky had turned completely dark. There was no moon tonight, only a pitch-black expanse.

In the room usually used as an examination room, a dim, yellow light shone quietly through the window.

Two hospital beds were placed parallel to each other in the room, each covered with a snow-white sheet.

Shi Yi pushed open the door and walked in silently.

"Xiao Manjie, I've come to see you off on your final journey..."

Shi Yi walked lightly to one of the hospital beds and used her fingers to lift the sheet—

Beneath the sheet, a pale and peaceful face was revealed. The massive wound under Lin Xiaoman's neck had been carefully wrapped with gauze, and no red liquid seeped through; it was clear that it had been treated with meticulous care.

Shi Yi took a photo from her pocket, gently placed it on Lin Xiaoman's chest, and then wrapped her hands around her chest to hold the photo in place.

"Don't be afraid, Xiao Shiliu will be with you."

Shi Yi whispered, then bent down, brushed a strand of hair from Lin Xiaoman's forehead with infinite tenderness, and covered her back up with the sheet.

Immediately after, she walked to the other hospital bed.

She lifted her finger and pulled back the sheet, revealing the peaceful face of an old man sleeping inside.

"Lao Jiu, rest in peace..."

As she spoke, Shi Yi fished a small, round object out of her pocket. She then carefully placed it on the old man's right ear.

"I've put your hearing aid on for you, Lao Jiu. When you get to the other side, you must rest well—don't keep busy anymore..."

After finishing, Shi Yi carefully covered Lao Jiu with the sheet as well.

Having done all this, Shi Yi walked out silently. At the doorway, she saw Wang Yang sitting on the ground, already sobbing uncontrollably.

Wang Yang's eyes were swollen like two peaches, his hair was disheveled and sticking up, and he was still wearing the blood-stained clothes from the evening, sitting at the door crying in utter despair.

Shi Yi was also heartbroken, heartbroken to the point of dying.

But she could not cry.

Xiao Manjie and Lao Jiu had already sacrificed themselves, but Yu Tongjie was still alive.

She still had a mission to complete; she still had to go save Yu Tongjie!

Just then, Shi Yi suddenly remembered something.

"Doctor Chen... how is he?"

"Teacher Chen... hasn't woken up yet..." Wang Yang said, choking back sobs. "Teacher Chen, he is very ill this time. I don't know why he has been in a coma, but don't worry... his vital signs are still stable... he must be too tired..."

Shi Yi nodded silently.

Just then, a rumbling mechanical sound came from outside, followed by a flurry of hurried footsteps.

The next second, a loud shout came from outside, though it was unclear who it was.

"The government army is here!"