[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wasteland-s-only-king":3,"chapter-wasteland-s-only-king-wasteland-s-only-king-chapter-45":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Wasteland's Only King",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1594855,2061,"Chapter 45: The Elderly Couple","wasteland-s-only-king-chapter-45",45,"\u003Cp>Gunzhou People’s Hospital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inpatient Department, Room 308.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, when Yu Jin arrived, his adoptive father was already out of danger and his condition was stabilizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The patient is elderly and has chronic cardiovascular disease. The sudden shock caused a temporary myocardial infarction.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Luckily, he was brought to the hospital in time, so it didn’t result in irreparable consequences.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But as a doctor, I still recommend the family consider coronary artery bypass surgery—it can reduce the risk of heart attacks to some extent...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctor in a white coat finished speaking to Yu Jin and walked out of the ward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And inside the room—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu’s muttering could be heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m telling you, Xiaofang...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Something this minor, why did you have to call Xiaojin back all the way from Jiang City...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s not easy for our family to have Xiaojin, such a top student who got into Jiang University. How can we let something like this disrupt his studies...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Limin, that is, Yu Jin’s adoptive father, had already woken from his coma and was getting an IV drip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned against the headboard, chattering away at Cao Fang, who still hadn’t had time to take off her apron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin’s adoptive mother, Cao Fang, was a traditional homemaker with a rather docile temperament.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, listening to Old Yu’s grumbling, she just kept her head down, not saying a word, wiping her tears nonstop—clearly still badly shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mom, it’s okay now. I’m here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin stepped up, hugged his adoptive mother, and gently patted her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sobbed quietly, and Yu Jin could still smell that familiar, faint scent of cooking oil and smoke on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the past twenty years,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu and Cao Fang had run an old noodle shop, raising Yu Jin and Yu Chen—two brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years of tireless work from dawn to dusk had left their marks on the couple’s health.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Yu Jin returned to Gunzhou partly because it was on his way—and partly because he wanted to use ’Purifying Light’ to remove his parents’ lingering illnesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you can’t take care of your own parents, what’s the point of having a high Tier or powerful abilities? What kind of Superman would you be then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin just hadn’t expected something to go wrong before he even made it back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made him feel a bit guilty inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xiaojin...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m fine!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s Friday today. Don’t you have class at school?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you’ve got class, you should head back soon. I’m really okay—it was just a scare, my blood pressure spiked a little, that’s all!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the hospital bed,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu, though his lips were purple and his face pale, insisted on acting as if nothing had happened, speaking in his usual boisterous way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin didn’t reply, just sat down by the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached out and placed his hand on Old Yu’s wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buzz——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thought, Yu Jin activated his ’Purifying Light’ ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A barely visible halo of light seeped from Yu Jin’s fingertips into Old Yu’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu suddenly paused on the hospital bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why does it feel like the tightness in my chest just suddenly cleared up?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t suspect Yu Jin, instead he glanced up at the IV drip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is this IV really that effective?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin didn’t respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To avoid the couple and the doctor noticing anything abnormal, he deliberately controlled the speed of Purifying Light’s healing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the next day, that glow would slowly but completely cure all the underlying health issues of his parents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he hugged his mother earlier, Yu Jin had also used the Purifying Light on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hoo—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Old Yu’s complexion gradually turning rosy, Yu Jin felt a huge weight lift from his heart and let out a long breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, now spill—what did you run into in that game?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the illness was cured, Yu Jin’s tone with Old Yu returned to its usual directness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu was always a bit intimidated by Yu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How’d you know that was a game?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu widened his eyes at Yu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t worry about how I know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And I’m not asking what you were thinking, putting on the helmet as soon as you saw it. Just tell me—what did you run into in the game?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin’s tone was a bit stern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu shrank his neck, glanced at Cao Fang by the bed, and only then lowered his voice—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It—it was nothing, really.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just found myself in some wasteland covered in yellow sand. Xiaojin, you wouldn’t believe how real it felt!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was eye-opening, honestly. I had no idea tech had come this far. If you hadn’t said it was a game, I’d have thought I’d actually been thrown into some TV drama and time traveled—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu might have been old, but his personality was anything but.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from running the noodle shop, his favorite pastime was hanging out with the old guys in the community—playing chess, cracking jokes, bragging about everything under the sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get to the point.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin cut straight in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I ran into a rat—the size of a basketball!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I hadn’t even walked a couple steps before that rat jumped straight at my face and scared the hell out of me. And then...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I opened my eyes and found myself on the hospital bed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu recounted honestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mom, where’s the helmet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin turned to Cao Fang, his tone instantly softening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Still at home.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When Li Min passed out, I was so scared that I took the helmet off his head and called 120.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The helmet’s still on the floor—we didn’t have time to pick it up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Fang replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin nodded, standing up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The two of you—no, the next few days, just don’t worry about the noodle shop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old Yu, you just rest up here at the hospital, and Mom, try not to stress too much either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As for the helmet, you both stay away from it—I’ll take care of it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And don’t worry about the hospital bills this time, just focus on getting better, alright?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his words, Cao Fang moved her lips but said nothing, only looking at Old Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu looked at Yu Jin, but under his son’s stern gaze, he instinctively dropped his head, though he still muttered quietly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re still a student... where’d you get money for hospital bills...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And if the shop’s closed for a few days, all those regulars will complain...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The school just awarded me last year’s scholarship—twenty thousand in total.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t mention selling the gold, just made something up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he finished speaking—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yu almost jumped out of bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Fang’s face lit up with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You got another scholarship?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, Xiaojin, you really are my good son—my good boy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahaha!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Old Yu, it wasn’t really about the money—it was what the scholarship represented: honor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the day Yu Jin was adopted at the age of three, he’d always been sensible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All through his childhood, Yu Jin’s grades had topped his class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he got into Jiang University after the national college entrance exam, Old Yu had even thrown several tables of celebratory dinners at the noodle shop, inviting all the neighbors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of that—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Old Yu was immensely proud of his son, he was always a little afraid of him too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For all his life, nothing had ever mattered more to Old Yu than saving face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Yu Jin was, in more than fifty years, the best thing he could show off to the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, you two just rest up here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll go find the doctor and ask about the details.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin said to his parents, gave Cao Fang another hug, and walked out of the ward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for finding the doctor, that was just a cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he’d activated Purifying Light, his parents’ bodies wouldn’t say they were as fit as eighteen-year-olds, but they were definitely healthy and strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He left the room because now that the family issue was dealt with, it was time to handle his own business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since setting foot in the hospital,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flashing words on Yu Jin’s interface hadn’t gone away for a second—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Warning! Warning!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You are nearing the extremely dangerous, terrifying ’Infected Nest’!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You are deep in the extremely dangerous, terrifying ’Infected Nest’!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Danger! Danger!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You are as weak as an ant, utterly unable to stand against the horde of Infected Bodies gathered here!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Run! Run!]\u003C\u002Fp>",1424,"2026-06-06T09:25:00.699Z",1,"novelbin.me","ef11fece5dffdc338fa0b6cb88c4bbb8c26e7da86b8acf8bde965768c19ff3bd","wasteland-s-only-king-chapter-312","wasteland-s-only-king-chapter-217",370,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwasteland-s-only-king-cover.jpg"]