Chapter 14 Until After the Rain
"Hold on!" Police Officer Li shouted. "The number of harpoons is limited. If we can endure this, we'll survive!"
Before anyone could respond, another scream echoed through the room.
They turned to find that it was Tian Tian. She wasn't as fortunate as Xiao Ran; a harpoon had pierced her palm. Tian Tian's strength faltered, and the table shield in front of her was knocked askew by the whistling harpoons.
"Be careful!" Qiao Jiajin shouted, gritting his teeth as he reached out to grab the shield in front of Tian Tian.
At that moment, a harpoon flew through a gap and pierced Han Yimo's shoulder.
Han Yimo screamed in pain, but he continued to grip his table shield tightly.
"Don't panic!" Police Officer Li commanded, gripping Han Yimo with one hand before moving it to support half of the shield for him.
Qiao Jiajin also acted swiftly, securing the table shield for Tian Tian with his other hand. Fortunately, these two individuals were strong, and their efforts helped the entire formation regain stability.
After a while, the barrage of harpoons ceased, leaving an eerie silence outside the table shields.
"Is it over?" Han Yimo asked through gritted teeth.
"Let's wait just one more minute," Qi Xia instructed.
Everyone held onto the table shields, waiting silently for another minute. They observed that there was indeed no movement outside. Qiao Jiajin cautiously created a small gap and peered out. "The hell..." Qiao Jiajin was instantly stunned by the scene before him.
As everyone slowly moved the table shields away, they discovered the floor and the shields were littered with harpoons. The sight of the two corpses on the floor was even more gruesome. At that moment, they resembled two hedgehogs, their bodies densely covered with ‘thorns’. Each harpoon was tethered by a hawser, with the other end connected to a hole in the wall. The room was in disarray.
Doctor Zhao wasted no time, rolling up his sleeves as he approached Han Yimo. His condition appeared dire; the harpoon had pierced his shoulder and demanded immediate attention.
Han Yimo lowered himself into a seated position, offering a bitter smile. "Just moments ago, I feared I might become another unfortunate victim, but I never imagined I'd truly be hit..."
Tian Tian appeared visibly distraught, hastily offering her apologies to Han Yimo.
However, everyone understood that this incident was not Tian Tian's fault; she too had been struck by a harpoon.
"Hey, leng-mui[1], come here." Qiao Jiajin beckoned Tian Tian over with a wave of his hand. "I can help bandage your wound."
"Huh?" Tian Tian was taken aback. "You know how to bandage wounds?"
"Just a little." Qiao Jiajin tore a piece of cloth from the deceased Mortal Goat's suit and then divided it into two strips. One strip was bound tightly around Tian Tian's upper arm to stem the bleeding, while the other was meticulously wrapped around the wound. "I've had my fair share of injuries on the streets, so I've picked up a few tricks for bandaging myself," Qiao Jiajin explained.
Tian Tian nodded silently.
At that moment, an unusual calm descended upon the group, as if they had momentarily escaped the looming shadow of death. With no door in sight, it seemed as though the room itself conspired to keep them trapped. Where exactly were they? And what lay beyond the confines of this mysterious room?
Less than a minute later, a sigh emanated from Doctor Zhao's direction.
Qi Xia pivoted to face Doctor Zhao, observing the doctor's evident dilemma as he tended to Han Yimo's wound.
"What's the matter?" Police Officer Li inquired. "Is the injury severe?"
"It's not a serious wound," Doctor Zhao replied, shaking his head. "The issue is that I'm unable to extract the harpoon from his body."
As everyone gathered around to inspect the situation, they realized the gravity of the problem. The harpoon's tip was barbed, and attempting to remove it risked causing further harm to the injured. And to complicate matters further, the tail of the harpoon was connected to a hawser. Han Yimo seemed trapped, akin to a fish ensnared by a line; no matter where he moved, he remained tethered.
"The only solution is to sever the hawser and then extract the harpoon from the front," Doctor Zhao explained, looking around. "But I don't have a sharp tool available."
Han Yimo's lips had turned a pale shade, the harpoon in his shoulder was causing him considerable pain.
"Use another harpoon," Police Officer Li suggested decisively. "Although the harpoon is pointed, it can function as a sharp weapon."
"It seems that's our best option," Doctor Zhao agreed. "Writer, I need you to find the most comfortable position and lie down. We need to cut the hawser on your back. Stay calm and move slowly. Be mindful of the harpoon in front of you, and avoid putting pressure on the injury."
Han Yimo nodded and, with considerable effort, began to reposition his body carefully.
Qi Xia couldn't shake a feeling of dissonance as he watched the scene unfold. Move slowly? Do they really have the luxury of time in this situation? He glanced at the hawsers strewn across the floor, a sense of foreboding creeping into his mind. If his suspicions were correct, they were still racing against time.
"We can't afford to take it slow!" Qi Xia exclaimed suddenly. "Remove the harpoon from him immediately!" He hurried to the doctor's side and addressed Han Yimo with a serious expression. "Just bear with it. I'll pull the harpoon out for you right now!"
Han Yimo, though confused, did not resist.
"What are you doing?!" Doctor Zhao exclaimed, pushing Qi Xia away impatiently. "You'll make his injury worse!"
"There's no time! Any further delay and he could die!" Qi Xia insisted, pushing Doctor Zhao aside and grasping the harpoon embedded in Han Yimo's back. A scream pierced the air as Qi Xia began to pull. While it's easy for a barbed harpoon to penetrate, removing it was an incredibly arduous task.
"Hey!" Police Officer Li intervened, rushing over to pull Qi Xia away, his voice filled with anger. "Are you trying to commit murder?"
Qi Xia found himself halted twice, his frustration now evident as his face contorted in annoyance. "I understand you want to save him, but if we don't act quickly, the harpoons will—" Before Qi Xia could finish his sentence, the sound of chains reverberated around them once more, as if some immense mechanism had been triggered again.
Simultaneously, Han Yimo's heart-wrenching scream echoed through the room.
As everyone snapped back to reality, they observed that all the harpoons were slowly retracting under the traction of the hawsers. Han Yimo was also being dragged by the tremendous force at that moment. Qi Xia had realized this fact long before. The hawsers attached to the harpoons were not merely decorative; they were bound to retract the harpoons sooner or later.
Panic-stricken, everyone followed Han Yimo as he was being dragged away. Amidst the chaos, Police Officer Li attempted to pull on the hawser in a desperate attempt to resist the immense force pulling them towards the black holes, but his efforts were futile. The table boards, each with harpoons lodged in them, were gradually torn apart by the retracting harpoons. The sheer force capable of tearing apart wooden boards was clearly beyond what could be resisted with bare hands.
Despite the excruciating pain, Han Yimo quickly realized another dilemma. If he were dragged to the wall and remained impaled by the harpoon, he would be effectively pinned to the wall, facing imminent death. With this grim realization, he rose to his feet with great effort, seized Qi Xia, and uttered each word with urgency, "Please, help me pull out the harpoon! Now!"