Captain Zhang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock. He knew that the bandit's arm was right across Gu Dongfeng's neck. If Zhou Ziwei's shot had been half an inch higher, it would have gone straight into Gu Dongfeng's throat; if it had been half an inch lower, it would have gone into Gu Dongfeng's chest.
Even if Zhou Ziwei's shot hadn't hit the bandit's wrist joint precisely, but instead struck the muscle in the bandit's forearm, it might have pierced through the bandit's arm and injured Gu Dongfeng behind him.
The result was that Zhou Ziwei's shot shattered the wrist joint of the bandit's right hand, and the bullet embedded itself in the joint, while Gu Dongfeng, who was being held hostage by the bandit, was completely unharmed by the shot!
Captain Zhang gasped in shock at the sight. If Zhou Ziwei's shot was intentionally designed that way, and not just a fluke... then his marksmanship must have reached an unimaginable level!
Even though Zhou Ziwei's shot was incredibly accurate, it didn't completely solve all the problems.
Despite his right wrist being shattered, the bandit stubbornly refused to drop the dagger he was holding. After letting out a piercing scream, he resolutely used the last bit of strength left in his severed hand to grip the dagger, which was about to fall, and slashed it fiercely across Gu Dongfeng's neck...
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 123: Explosion
"ah--"
Captain Zhang was all smiles just a moment ago, but his heart sank to the bottom immediately.
He never expected that the bandit would be such a ruthless character. Even with his wrist shattered, he could still wield a dagger to kill! If it were an ordinary person, they would feel excruciating pain if they exerted even the slightest force on that severed hand.
Although the bandit's right hand was probably not strong enough at this point, the throat is very fragile, and the bandit's dagger was extremely sharp. Therefore, he didn't need to exert much force. He could have just pressed the dagger against Gu Dongfeng's neck and slashed it, which would have been enough to kill Gu Dongfeng.
However, just when everyone who witnessed this scene was filled with despair, a miracle happened again.
Just as the dagger, which the bandit was barely holding between his fingers, was about to sever Gu Dongfeng's throat, it seemed to come alive. With a "whoosh," it suddenly slipped out from between the bandit's fingers, drew an arc in the air, and then, with a "thud," cleverly pierced the bandit's exposed foot.
"ah--"
The bandit, caught off guard by the unexpected pain, couldn't help but scream again, instinctively bending down to pull out the dagger from his foot.
"Old Master Gu, run!"
The bandit had already dragged Gu Dongfeng to the side of the last car, so when the bandit bent down to pull out the dagger from his foot, most of his body was hidden behind the car, while the slightly chubby Gu Dongfeng blocked the rest of his body.
Zhou Ziwei wanted to fire another shot, but he didn't have the slightest chance. So he could only loudly remind Gu Dongfeng to move aside.
Gu Dongfeng had experienced many ups and downs in his life. Although he had never been a hostage before, the life-or-death crisis he had just faced had not terrified him. Upon hearing Zhou Ziwei's reminder, he immediately took off without thinking and rolled onto the large open space between the two vehicles.
In this way, if the bandits still want to keep him as a hostage, they will have to expose themselves to Zhou Ziwei's gun!
However, the thug was obviously not stupid. As soon as he saw Gu Dongfeng escape, he didn't even bother to pull the dagger off his foot. He rolled on the spot and hid behind the car. Then, he used his hands and feet to climb onto the driver's seat of the police car from the other side.
Without even closing the car door, he immediately started the engine, half-lying on the seat, kicked the gas pedal, and then drove the police car away frantically into the distance.
"Quickly... everyone fire! Shoot out the tires! Don't let them escape!"
Upon seeing that the hostage had been safely rescued, Captain Zhang immediately became elated. Without saying a word, he snatched his pistol from Zhou Ziwei's hand and began firing wildly at the rear tires of the police car.
What happened just now was a special case, and even now Captain Zhang is still thankful that he didn't cause any trouble after handing the gun to Zhou Ziwei.
Now he dared not take that risk again, so he naturally had to put the gun away immediately to feel at ease.
Seven police officers simultaneously fired their seven guns at the speeding police car, and a series of gunshots rang out, as lively as setting off firecrackers during the Chinese New Year.
It's unclear whether the bandit's driving skills were just that amazing, or because he was reclining in the car and only using one hand to hold the steering wheel, but he drove the car like a drunkard who had drunk three catties of baijiu, swaying back and forth without any rhyme or reason.
As a result, the dozens of bullets fired by the seven officers only created some insignificant small holes in the body and windows of the police car; not a single shot hit the tires.
Seeing this, Captain Zhang immediately felt embarrassed. The size difference between a car tire and a person's wrist was like heaven and earth, yet Zhou Ziwei could accurately hit the target with a flick of his gun, while their seven men's volley of fire failed to hit even a hair. This made them look incredibly incompetent!
However, Captain Zhang was a man of principle, and he knew that now was not the time to save face, otherwise, if the bandit were let go, there would probably be more trouble.
Seeing the car drive further and further away, after hesitating for a moment, he finally gritted his teeth, turned the pistol upside down, and handed it to Zhou Ziwei, saying, "Mr. Zhou, if you're confident, could you do me a favor and shoot out the tires of that car?"
Captain Zhang's statement clearly indicated that he still had doubts about whether Zhou Ziwei's shot was just a fluke.
Zhou Ziwei naturally understood the meaning behind his words and smiled slightly. He looked up at the direction the car had driven off in, but did not take the gun.
Captain Zhang awkwardly held up his gun, about to say something more, when suddenly a deafening explosion rang in his ears. A blinding flash of light erupted beside the speeding police car, the violent explosion sending the car flying through the air, tumbling several times before crashing heavily into the muddy roadside.
As the explosion rang out, all the police officers naturally stopped firing, staring blankly at the astonishing scene, their faces pale with shock.
Zhang Jie was so frightened that he sat down on the ground with a thud, his legs trembling, almost wetting himself. As for Captain Zhang, his expression was incredibly complex, a mixture of guilt and fear. He knew very well that the thing that had suddenly exploded was none other than the time bomb that Zhou Ziwei had removed from Liu Xiaofei earlier.
Thinking back to how he had actually suspected the bomb was fake and even fantasized about taking it back to the police station as evidence, he felt his face burning.
If it weren't for Zhou Ziwei's repeated dissuasion, if he had really insisted on going his own way... he would probably be dead by now, along with this so-called evidence! Because all the vehicles were totaled, Captain Zhang had to send someone out of the mountains to contact the county branch bureau. By the time the branch bureau sent another vehicle, it was almost dawn.
After replenishing the ladybug's soul power once more, Zhou Ziwei returned to the county town with Captain Zhang and the others. During this time, Liu Xiaofei remained unconscious. Zhou Ziwei knew that her soul had been overstimulated due to excessive emotional excitement, and that restoring her would likely not be easy.
Furthermore, when Zhou Ziwei took Liu Xiaofei's pulse, he discovered that Liu Xiaofei's eyes also seemed to have some problems, which made things even more troublesome. Zhou Ziwei felt a strange sense of guilt towards this beautiful and affectionate girl, and naturally, he wanted to do his best to help her heal her injuries.
However, with so many people around, and not wanting to stand out too much, Zhou Ziwei had no choice but to hold back for the time being. Liu Xiaofei was lifted into an ambulance and taken directly to the hospital, while Zhou Ziwei, who still needed to be investigated, had to go back to the police station with Captain Zhang and the others to give his statement.
Although Gu Dongfeng was concerned about Liu Xiaofei's injuries, he was afraid that Zhou Ziwei might suffer some injustice. After hesitating for a moment, he did not go to the hospital with Liu Xiaofei. Instead, he called home and asked his wife to go to the hospital to take care of Liu Xiaofei, while he accompanied Zhou Ziwei to the police station.
Gu Dongfeng's initial impression of Zhou Ziwei wasn't particularly bad, but he always harbored some suspicion, feeling that Zhou Ziwei's failure to tell Liu Xiaofei about his marriage was likely a deliberate attempt to deceive her feelings and body. However, after this incident, he no longer considered interfering in the romantic relationships of young people.
Gu Dongfeng's thinking was indeed somewhat traditional and conservative, but people like him were particularly fond of repaying kindness. If Zhou Ziwei hadn't been there today, he would most likely have been kidnapped by that bandit and taken to the car, and would probably have been blown to bits by the bomb! The bandit was lucky; he only lost both legs in the explosion but didn't die.
Fortunately, it was raining at the time. Although the car was almost completely destroyed by the explosion, the fuel tank didn't explode. Otherwise, even if the bandit had nine lives, he would have been finished. However, if Gu Dongfeng had been in the car at the time, he didn't think he would have survived. After all, he was old, and even if he had suffered the same injuries as the bandit, he probably wouldn't have made it to the ambulance!
Therefore, Gu Dongfeng was very grateful to Zhou Ziwei for saving his life. At the same time, he was even more grateful to Zhou Ziwei for risking his life to rescue Liu Xiaofei. Even many years later, he still couldn't forget the scene of Zhou Ziwei, covered in sweat, defusing the bomb for Liu Xiaofei.
That was a true struggle on the edge of life and death. At that moment, Zhou Ziwei and Liu Xiaofei were truly sharing life and death! Gu Dongfeng asked himself honestly, if it were him, he probably wouldn't have the courage to disregard his own life and death and risk rescuing someone who had little to do with him.
However, Zhou Ziwei succeeded. Therefore, Gu Dongfeng felt not only gratitude but also a deep respect for Zhou Ziwei – a respect for courage. As a result, Zhou Ziwei naturally encountered no trouble. After examining the fingerprints, blood samples, and photographs of the deceased, he immediately discovered that these individuals were all ruthless bandits and criminals with at least several murders on their records. Furthermore, the on-site investigation revealed that the bandits had all killed each other, and none of the guns bore Zhou Ziwei's fingerprints.
Therefore, even if those deceased were not wanted criminals, Zhou Ziwei would not bear any responsibility for their deaths.
What puzzled the police most was why those ruthless criminals suddenly turned on each other, shooting each other to death. And Zhou Ziwei, who was covered in blood, had no scars at all after the examination. Furthermore, where did Zhou Ziwei learn his miraculous marksmanship and bomb-fighting skills?
But just as they were trying to get to the bottom of these questions by questioning Zhou Ziwei, the unfortunate man whose legs had been blown off woke up from his coma. From his confession, they discovered that the dead bandits were actually fugitives who had escaped from a serious hijacking case that had occurred just a few days earlier.
As a result, this case was no longer something that a county-level public security agency could handle. After being reported up the chain of command, higher-ups quickly came and took away all the bodies and the surviving bandit.
As for Zhou Ziwei, the key party involved, he only provided a more detailed statement again before staying in Tengchong. The person in charge who was sent down to investigate the case had already received instructions from higher-ups that this young man surnamed Zhou might have a mysterious background and that he should not force anything on him.
Zhou Ziwei refused to go with them, and they had no choice but to accept it. After dealing with the case, Zhou Ziwei finally managed to find time to visit Liu Xiaofei at the hospital.
Liu Xiaofei's injuries were indeed severe. The brain suffered serious trauma, leading to a decline in various bodily functions. Most seriously, she suffered a retinal tear, resulting in blindness. The only hope of restoring her vision is likely a retinal transplant. However, the surgery is incredibly expensive. Firstly, a matching retina is needed. Secondly, the operation requires one of the most authoritative ophthalmologists in the country to perform the surgery, and even then, the success rate is not very high.
Before this, Liu Xiaofei had already woken up once. As soon as she woke up, she frantically screamed for Zhou Ziwei to leave her alone and run away! Then she started tearing at the gauze wrapped around her eyes. Eventually, several nurses came to help and managed to hold Liu Xiaofei down. Afterwards, Gu Dongfeng's wife hugged her and comforted her, telling her that the bandits were all dead and that Zhou Ziwei was safe and sound.
But Liu Xiaofei had witnessed Zhou Ziwei's limbs being shattered by bullets, his entire body covered in blood, crawling towards her like an earthworm, his chest and abdomen muscles writhing... That shocking and moving scene kept replaying in her mind. Now, her aunt was saying that Zhou Ziwei was unharmed, so she naturally assumed that Zhou Ziwei was probably dead. Her aunt was just trying to comfort her so as not to upset her.
Under her aunt's persuasion, Liu Xiaofei became even more heartbroken, crying loudly for a few moments before fainting again. Seeing this, Gu Dongfeng's wife could only sigh helplessly. Liu Xiaofei probably didn't know she had lost her sight yet; once she found out, she would likely suffer another heavy blow. She truly worried whether the child could bear it!
When Zhou Ziwei and Gu Dongfeng arrived at the hospital, Zhang Jie was there too. He was trying to persuade Gu Dongfeng's wife to go home and rest, saying that he would take care of Liu Xiaofei there that night.
Zhang Jie is usually very sweet-talking and is very filial and respectful to Gu Dongfeng and his wife. Therefore, Gu Dongfeng's wife has always had a good impression of this godson. Although she felt that it might be a little inappropriate to let Zhang Jie take care of a girl, she did not refuse immediately. Just as she was hesitating, Zhou Ziwei and Gu Dongfeng entered the door.
As a result, Gu Dongfeng completely ignored Zhang Jie's fawning attitude, and only said "Get out" to kick the guy out of the ward.
As the saying goes, true friendship is revealed in times of trouble. In fact, Zhang Jie's nature may not be that bad. He is just an ordinary person among the masses. However, compared with Zhou Ziwei, his performance that day was really disappointing.
Zhou Ziwei walked to the bedside, took Liu Xiaofei's wrist to listen to her pulse, and then asked the doctor. After learning that Liu Xiaofei had a retinal rupture and needed a transplant, he remained silent for a long time.
Zhou Ziwei inherited memories of both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, so he had some understanding of retinal transplantation surgery. He knew that this type of surgery was very difficult and there was not much clinical data. Even the leading authorities in this field in China probably did not have much practical experience. Therefore, the success rate of this surgery could not be guaranteed.
If this surgery were to be performed, Zhou Ziwei estimated that if he were to personally perform the operation, the success rate would likely increase by at least two times.
Although the crippled soul he inherited, who possessed expertise in Western medicine, wasn't a particularly outstanding or well-known expert in his lifetime, when combined with his special ability to stimulate his own hand's nervous system with soul power, which exponentially increased the dexterity of his fingers, his precision during surgery would be unmatched by any doctor.
However, although Zhou Ziwei possesses superb medical skills, he lacks any medical qualifications. Convincing someone to let him perform the surgery would likely be no less difficult than the surgery itself. Moreover, the retina isn't like glasses; you can't just grab any pair and put it on.
Finding a matching retina is a matter of pure luck, and Liu Xiaofei didn't know how long she would have to wait for that opportunity. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei decided to give it a try and see if his special ability could cure Liu Xiaofei's illness.
Before this, Zhou Ziwei had successfully treated Liu Xiaofei's blocked nerve trunks in the chest and neck once. However, this time was different. Last time, he simply invaded Liu Xiaofei's body with his soul power and impacted her blocked nervous system to restore the smooth flow of the twisted and blocked nerve trunks.
This time, he was to repair the ruptured retina in Liu Xiaofei's eye. Although Zhou Ziwei's soul power was incredibly effective at stimulating the rapid regeneration of his own damaged cells to repair wounds, he wasn't sure if it would have the same effect on others.
Furthermore, Zhou Ziwei already knew that when his soul power invaded someone else's body, the closer the part was to the brain, the more easily it was hindered by the other person's soul force field, making it more difficult to move freely within the other person's body. The eyes are one of the body organs closest to the brain, so even if his soul power were to repair someone else's body, it would still be effective. However, putting this into practice would likely be quite difficult!
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 124: Repayment is Imperative
Actually, Zhou Ziwei was more worried about the trauma to Liu Xiaofei's soul than her eyes. However, doctors naturally couldn't detect this kind of soul damage; at most, they could only conclude that her brain had been stimulated. If the brain is the hardware, then the soul residing within it is the software.
While physical damage can be gradually healed through medication or physical therapy, damage to a person's soul is almost irreversible. This damage may not only accompany a person throughout their life, but may also persist in their soul after death.
Specifically, this kind of trauma to the soul can affect a person's vitality and life force. If this effect cannot be eliminated, a shortened lifespan is almost inevitable. In addition, it may also cause a significant drop in a person's immunity. Furthermore, even a person's personality and habits will be severely affected. If nothing unexpected happens, the lively, cheerful, and active Liu Xiaofei will no longer exist, and her later life will likely be spent in depression and anxiety.
Although Zhou Ziwei understood all this, he was at a loss for the time being. It would be more reliable for him to try to treat Liu Xiaofei's eyes, but he did not have the ability to treat other people's souls.
Currently, even if Zhou Ziwei could infiltrate any organ in a person's body with his own soul power, it would be absolutely impossible for him to infiltrate another person's soul power. Unless he used the special ability of Soul Roar... but if he were to actually use Soul Roar to penetrate another person's soul... then that person's fate would only be to die from the dissipation of their soul!
A series of hurried footsteps approached from afar, and then the door opened, revealing a middle-aged couple rushing into the ward with anxious expressions.
"Xiaofei...Xiaofei...what's wrong? Don't scare Mommy!"
The middle-aged woman, whose face and appearance bore a slight resemblance to Liu Xiaofei, immediately shouted excitedly upon seeing Liu Xiaofei lying on the hospital bed, and then rushed over without hesitation.
"I'm sorry... the patient needs rest right now and cannot be agitated. Please try to stay calm, okay?"
The nurse, who was preparing to change Liu Xiaofei's dressing, quickly stopped the middle-aged woman. After a lot of persuasion and explanation, the woman's emotions stabilized a little. Then she knelt down by the bed, touching Liu Xiaofei's bloodless cheeks while crying softly.
"You must be Mr. Zhou Ziwei?"
The middle-aged man stood by the bed for a moment, gazing at Liu Xiaofei with a melancholy expression, before turning to Zhou Ziwei and saying indifferently, "Can I talk to you?"
Seeing this, Gu Dongfeng quickly came over and introduced Zhou Ziwei, saying, "Ziwei... this is Xiaofei's father, Liu Haiyang, and over there is Xiaofei's mother. Um... well... I mentioned your and Xiaofei's situation to them on the phone before... I think... there might be some misunderstanding. But it's okay, you can explain it to him properly. Haiyang is a middle school teacher, an intellectual, right? He's much more understanding than this old man... Uh... Haiyang, this time Ziwei risked his life to save Xiaofei and this old man of mine, so you should be more polite to him!"
Zhou Ziwei nodded, said nothing more, and immediately followed Liu Haiyang out the door to the smoking area at the end of the corridor, where he sat down next to a row of chairs.
Liu Haiyang silently pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket, took one out and put it in his mouth. After hesitating for a moment, he took out another one and offered it to Zhou Ziwei.
Zhou Ziwei didn't say anything, took the cigarette and put it in his mouth.
Although he rarely smokes, and the pack of cigarettes Liu Haiyang pulled out was clearly the kind that only costs two or three yuan a pack, Zhou Ziwei seemed to have no idea what to do besides smoke in this atmosphere.
A similar situation occurred when Zhou Ziwei first met Xiaoya's parents in his previous life, except that he took over the pipe that Xiaoya's father had been smoking for half his life.
Although Zhou Ziwei didn't seem to have romantic feelings for Liu Xiaofei, he understood Liu Xiaofei's feelings for him. After their previous life-and-death ordeal, he couldn't quite explain his own feelings for Liu Xiaofei. So, when he faced Liu Xiaofei's father, he felt a sense of unease, much like when he faced Xiaoya's father years ago.
Liu Haiyang silently lit cigarettes for both of them with a lighter, took a deep drag, and remained silent. Zhou Ziwei also smoked in silence, savoring the slightly bitter taste of the white smoke in his mouth. He couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.
After smoking most of his cigarette, Liu Haiyang coughed lightly, breaking the silence, and said, "I heard that you risked your life to save Xiaofei this time. On behalf of her mother, I want to say thank you!"
Zhou Ziwei gave a bitter smile and said, "You don't need to thank me. In fact, I'm the one who dragged Officer Liu into this mess. Those thugs were looking for me. If it weren't for me, Officer Liu wouldn't have encountered this situation. So... I should be the one apologizing to you."
Liu Haiyang nodded, clearly agreeing with Zhou Ziwei's statement. He remained silent for a moment, then finished his cigarette, lit another one, and continued, "I heard... my Xiaofei likes you a lot?"