Yan Cijin glanced at Ren Ming, who was still struggling on the ground not far away. A little satisfaction flashed through her eyes when she saw those people acting so helpless and scared. She did not say anything, but she sat down beside Bai Li in silence, her whole mood much steadier than the others. Then she reached into her backpack, took out two wet wipes, and very gently wiped away the blood on Bai Li’s neck and face. Her hands moved carefully, as if she was afraid of hurting her even a little bit. The blood had already dried in places, and the wipe slowly cleaned the skin beneath it, revealing Bai Li’s pale face again.

After thinking for a moment, Yan Cijin reached out and grabbed Bai Li’s right hand to check it. Sure enough, the wound had started bleeding again. The skin around it looked torn open, and fresh blood was seeping out. Yan Cijin’s brows pulled together at once. She lowered her voice and said, "Rest well, and try not to use your hands again." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Bai Li nodded at her. She did not say much, because there was nothing more to say. It was not that she did not want to rest, but some people just would not stop coming over to die. Since they wanted trouble so badly, then she would give them trouble. Her gaze stayed on Ren Ming the whole time, and there was no soft look in it at all. It was obvious she was still ready to move at any second if needed.

Peng Xiao, who had already taken a few steps toward Ren Ming with the gauze in her hand, suddenly got so frightened by Bai Li’s warning that she quickly retreated. Her feet moved backward almost on their own. She hurried over and stood next to Zhang Fan instead, her face tense and her lips trembling. Then she asked in a shaky voice, "Dean Wang, what should we do?"

"Don’t panic, everyone, don’t panic." Wang Bo said this, but his own voice was shaking too. He tried to sound steady, but the fear in his tone was too obvious. He was still hiding behind the others, and that alone made his words sound weak. He kept glancing from Bai Li to Ren Ming and then back again, as if he was trying to find some magic answer that would make this whole thing go away.

"Dean, save me, save me, it hurts so much, help me!" Ren Ming’s screams kept going and going, cutting through the room like sharp blades. But Wang Bo and the other five people stayed where they were and did not move forward at all. Their faces were full of fear, and nobody wanted to be the first one to step up. It was not that they did not hear Ren Ming, it was that they heard him too clearly. They knew the danger might be real, and they were not willing to risk themselves for him.

"Mingju, it’s not that I don’t want to save you, but no one knows what your condition is right now. I can’t let everyone take risks, right? Just bear with it, hold on, and wait ten or twenty minutes. If you’re okay then, we’ll come over and bandage you." Wang Bo forced out these words one by one. They sounded like comfort on the surface, but anyone could hear that they were empty promises. He was basically buying time, hoping something would change on its own, or hoping someone else would take responsibility before he had to.

"Twenty minutes? Dean Kang, will I even be alive by then?" Ren Ming felt his life slipping away from his body at a terrifying speed. The pain was so strong that it felt like something was tearing him apart from the inside. A strange sensation rolled through him at the same time, making him feel like his body did not belong to him anymore. He could not even tell where the pain ended and where the numbness began. It was like a sick, twisted thing was growing inside him, and he was trapped inside his own skin watching it happen.

The pain kept getting worse and worse, and he started screaming even harder. At the same time, the change on his body was becoming visible. The veins on Ren Ming’s skin bulged out in thick lines, looking dark and ugly under the surface. Blood burst through the flesh around the wound, and the blood that leaked out had already turned a dark red color. It looked thick and dirty, and the strong foul smell made people’s stomachs twist. Everyone who saw it felt a chill run down their spine. The scene was so ugly and so wrong that even the people standing far away wanted to step back again.

"Save me, save me..." Ren Mingju was still holding on to the last bit of his willpower. His eyes had not fully clouded over yet. He was still aware enough to know he was in danger, still aware enough to beg for help, even if nobody was actually helping him. That tiny bit of clear mind made his suffering even worse, because he could feel the pain, feel the fear, and still understand that the people around him were choosing not to move.

Seeing this, Bai Li picked up her kukri again. She did not say anything to Yan Cijin, but she stood up and moved in front of her anyway, knife in hand, ready to strike at any time. Her posture was steady, and her eyes stayed sharp. She had already shown enough mercy by giving them a warning. If Ren Ming really turned, then she would deal with it right there and then. She would not let it spread, and she would not let anyone else get dragged into it.

Then, as if Yan Cijin had suddenly remembered something, she turned around and started rummaging through the drawers behind her. She opened one after another in a hurry, checking each one with quick, focused hands. After a short moment, she actually found what she had been looking for. She quickly pulled out a pair of disposable medical rubber gloves and handed them over. "Bai Li, put these on."

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TO BE CONTINUED,