Chapter 84: Even Ah Q Is Outshone

The scene was suffused with a deathly silence, so quiet that the fall of a pin would have echoed; it was as if time and space themselves had frozen in this instant.

On Mo Qingqiu's strikingly handsome face was written utter disbelief—she understood all too well the hand-to-hand combat prowess possessed by Lu Qingdi. As the youngest vice-captain in the history of Dragon Fang, and renowned especially for his close combat skills, even she, giving her all, would require at least thirty exchanges to claim victory.

In stark contrast, Qin Chuan had nearly dispatched him in a single instant. Were it merely a matter of having his finger broken, one might excuse it as carelessness, but afterward, Lu Qingdi, driven into a murderous rage, had clearly fought with lethal intent. Yet even under such circumstances, he was easily and effortlessly knocked unconscious by Qin Chuan—a fact that made it clear their strengths were not even in the same league.

Faced with this realization, Mo Qingqiu felt a chill prickle across her scalp. According to intelligence, Qin Chuan was supposed to be a doctor with exceptional medical skill—how was his combat ability so monstrous? Even in the entire Dragon Fang, perhaps only the Dragon King himself could surpass him.

The more Mo Qingqiu thought, the more unsettled she felt. Looking at Qin Chuan, his face adorned with a brilliant smile, she experienced an unprecedented chill, and her gaze toward him now held a glimmer of wariness.

If even Mo Qingqiu, as captain of the Dragon Fang Special Operations Team, felt this way, one could well imagine the feelings of the ordinary team members. They had believed themselves the elite among their peers, but compared to Qin Chuan, they were utterly insignificant.

At that moment, every member of the Dragon Fang Special Operations Team present truly understood the saying, "There is always someone better, a sky beyond the sky."

"Mr. Qin, please forgive the rudeness of our approach. We truly came here to earnestly seek your help in saving a patient. Were it not for the unique nature of the case, we wouldn't dare trouble you in person. Now that Lu Qingdi has received his due punishment, would you, Mr. Qin, consider coming with us?" Mo Qingqiu's tone had grown far more respectful.

Qin Chuan replied cheerfully, "Now that's more like it! When you ask for a favor, you ought to have the proper attitude and humility."

"Then, Mr. Qin, you agree?" Mo Qingqiu pressed, unable to hide her urgency.

Qin Chuan shook his head. "If you had shown such an attitude from the start, I would have been willing to help. But now, frankly, I have no interest in meddling in this matter."

Seeing that Qin Chuan was about to leave, Mo Qingqiu grew anxious. After a moment's hesitation, she dropped to one knee and pleaded, "But Mr. Qin, the Dragon King cannot hold on much longer. I beg you to help. As long as you can cure the Dragon King's illness, I will agree to any condition you name."

Qin Chuan paused, memories flooding through his mind, and inwardly sighed. No wonder Mo Qingqiu had said the patient's identity was special—they all belonged to the Dragon Fang Special Operations Team.

"Divine Doctor Qin, please save the Dragon King!" Seeing Qin Chuan hesitate, Mo Qingqiu pleaded once more, and the other team members, too, dropped to one knee to show their sincerity.

Qin Chuan slowly turned and smiled. "You just said you'd agree to any condition as long as I cure him—are you trying to deceive me?"

"Of course not!" Mo Qingqiu responded without the slightest hesitation.

Qin Chuan stroked his chin with interest. "Very well, what I need right now is a bed-warmer. If you're willing, I'll agree to help."

"B-bed-warmer?" A blush flashed across Mo Qingqiu's valiant face. Though inexperienced, she understood all too well what that meant.

"If you don't agree, then forget it! I don't lack women around me anyway. Goodbye!" This time, Qin Chuan turned and strode away without hesitation.

Mo Qingqiu, who had never shed tears even when wounded by blade or bullet, now found her eyes brimming with moisture. She bit her lip and called out, her voice trembling, "Mr. Qin, I... I agree!"

The other Dragon Fang team members all sighed at these words. Mo Qingqiu was their goddess—beautiful, formidable, the dream companion of any iron-blooded warrior. Who could have imagined this day would come?

"This detestable fellow—when he's cured the Dragon King, even if we have to break protocol, we must teach him a lesson."

"But we can't beat him!"

"I don't believe it! All of us together!"

"Deal!"

The team members exchanged covert hand signals, quickly reaching an agreement.

Just then, Qin Chuan turned back once more. When he saw the traces of tears at the corners of Mo Qingqiu's eyes, a strange sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart. Hadn't she just been about to signal her subordinates to attack him? How could he let her off without some payback?

"Since you are all so sincere, I'll go with you. Hurry and get up—the patient can't wait!" Qin Chuan said with a smile.

The Dragon Fang team members were so infuriated their teeth itched. Clearly, it was he who'd deliberately delayed things, yet now he was shifting the blame onto them!

Inside another van nearby—

Lan Jin and the others, who had been watching the situation closely, were completely dumbfounded. They had expected Qin Chuan to go through a fierce battle, yet he had knocked down only one opponent before the rest had simply knelt?

"Awei, go and find out what happened," Lan Jin ordered anxiously.

Awei hurried out of the van, curiosity burning—he, too, was eager to know what had transpired.

"Sis, looks like you're about to turn this pretense into reality!" As soon as Awei left, Lan Xin couldn't resist teasing.

Lan Jin's face flushed at being called out, but she denied it briskly, "Nonsense! Since when has Lan Xin ever lacked for men? Why would I be interested in a guy like Qin Chuan?"

"My dearest sister, your name is Lan Jin, but you're so nervous you forgot it yourself, and yet you're still pretending?" Lan Xin rolled her eyes and taunted.

Lan Jin was so embarrassed she could have dug a three-bedroom apartment with her toes. In truth, she herself didn't know exactly when it began—she had started caring about Qin Chuan more and more. Whenever he got close to other beautiful women, she felt uncomfortable, even if the woman was her best friend.

"Ah," Lan Xin suddenly sighed, her tone suddenly world-weary. "But I have to remind you, Sis—men like Qin Chuan aren't the kind you can handle. At least, not the you of today."

"And how would you know?" Lan Jin retorted, a trace of defiance in her voice. "Besides, why should being with someone mean you have to control them?"

"Fine, maybe that was poorly put. But even if you don't want to control him, you should at least be his equal. Haven't you ever felt, Sis, that Qin Chuan doesn't belong to our world at all?" Lan Xin's expression was unusually solemn, devoid of any teasing.

Lan Jin trembled slightly. Those words struck her with sudden clarity. Indeed, she had felt it before—Qin Chuan was right in front of her, yet somehow always out of reach.

"So what if he isn't from the same world? Other people have long-distance relationships. If I could have an inter-world romance, wouldn't that prove I'm even more impressive?" Lan Jin, no longer hiding her true feelings from her sister, spoke her heart.

Lan Xin immediately gave her a thumbs-up, face full of admiration. "Sis, with that attitude, even Ah Q himself would pale in comparison. I really underestimated you before. For my past shortsightedness and failure to recognize your brilliance, I sincerely apologize."

"..."

Lan Jin had the distinct feeling her sister was mocking her, but she had no proof.