Who Told You to Block the Car?

The iron gate creaked open, revealing a haggard but delighted face.

Mei He rushed forward and threw her arms around Sister Chen. The two hugged tightly, so moved they nearly burst into tears.

"I thought you were gone! I couldn't reach any of you before!" She immediately swung the courtyard gate open and waved Xie Huiying's car inside.

The alley fell quiet again as Xie Huiying drove into Mei He's yard.

Traps lined the courtyard walls, and a strip of broken glass had just been dragged across the entrance. Clearly, they hadn't been having an easy time either—always on guard against outsiders.

Mei He lived alone with her daughter. Her husband had died young, so her daughter had taken her surname from birth. The mother and daughter welcomed Xie Huiying and the others inside.

The room was sparsely furnished and stiflingly hot, like a giant steamer. The moment they stepped in, the air felt heavy and suffocating, so hot it was hard to breathe.

But Mei He and her daughter seemed used to it. Even with sweat beading on their foreheads, their expressions barely changed.

Sister Chen made a brief introduction for Song Weishi, then cut straight to the point.

"Xiao He, we came this time because we need your help with something."

Mei He weakly fanned herself and nodded. "Sure, as long as I can help, I will."

Xie Huiying could see how unbearable the heat was in the room, so she pulled the two of them over to the car. It was still relatively cool inside—the air conditioning was still running, maintaining a comfortable temperature.

Mother and daughter both sighed in relief, delighted by the cool air.

But as soon as they stepped in, they saw Xie Huiqing lying on the floor. Mei He crouched down with a frown. "This is Xiao Qing. Why is she lying down? What happened?"

Xie Huiying sighed and lifted the cloth covering Xie Huiqing's waist. "We were hoping you could treat her wound, but the conditions here don't look great. Xiao He, do you still have medical supplies?"

Mei He's home was virtually bare—empty rooms, sweltering heat, nowhere near suitable for practicing medicine.

Mei He looked at the wound on Xie Huiqing's waist and hissed. "It's not hard to treat, but all my equipment is at the hospital. When I retired and was rehired, I never brought anything home."

It was exactly as they'd suspected. But medical equipment wasn't a problem—Song Weishi had stashed plenty of things into her space during missions outside. As long as they were sterilized, most of it would work fine.

She also had basic disinfectants like alcohol and iodine in her space. As long as it wasn't major surgery, they should be fine.

"That's okay, it doesn't matter. We just need to get back—I've taken plenty of this stuff before."

Song Weishi spoke up just in time to solve the immediate problem. Xie Huiying gave her a grateful look, then nodded to Mei He. "The conditions here really aren't great. Xiao He, why don't you come back with us? We can settle down properly this time."

The two of them looked gaunt and famished. It was obvious their food stores had run out completely. Mei He parted her cracked lips but said nothing.

If they asked her to help, she would. But going back with them—she was afraid she and her daughter would become a burden to her old friends. Two people needed a lot of resources.

When she didn't respond for a while, Sister Chen assumed she still had reservations. "We haven't caught up in so long. Xiao He, don't worry about being a burden to us—we really do need a doctor."

She stated it plainly. Tears quickly welled up in Mei He's eyes. She held her daughter's hand, and the dull look in her gaze gradually filled with hope.

Her household had some reserves left, but the village river had run dry. If not for the supplies and water distributed by the higher-ups before, they would have starved or died of thirst long ago.

She knew it was all thanks to Xie Huiqing—that was just how she was, helping the people around her without holding back. But three days ago, the supply line had been completely cut off.

She and her daughter only had two days of water left. They were about to run out completely.

That was when Xie Huiying appeared like a beacon. The Xie family was practically their only lifeline in this world. Without Xie Huiqing, she couldn't bear to imagine how many people would die.

But soon, everyone would know what losing her meant.

Mei He briefly explained their situation and what they'd been through before, said she was willing to go back with them, and went inside to pack a few things before moving to the countryside with them.

Song Weishi looked at the two of them, tears glistening in their eyes, and could guess what was coming next.

Without Xie Huiqing's basic protections, Huihai City might hold on for a little while longer, but real hell was coming soon.

She settled back into her seat and buckled her seatbelt, waiting for the mother and daughter to come out.

Xie Huiqing was still lying there, seemingly running a bit of a fever. A faint flush crept across her pale cheeks. The inflammation was likely severe—she needed surgery as soon as possible.

She lay there quietly, a stark contrast to her usual commanding demeanor. The reliable, calm leader now showed her fragile, breakable side.

The two of them didn't have much stuff. They'd been planning to leave before, so their belongings were already stacked together. It didn't take long to pack. They came out of the house, left their luggage in the decontamination room outside, and got into the car.

The engine started and Xie Huiying began backing out. Chances were they'd never return here, so there was no need to close the gate.

The car had just turned out of the gate when it suddenly slammed to a stop. Song Weishi lurched to the side, nearly losing her balance. She grabbed onto Xie Huiqing's stretcher to keep it from shaking.

Several people seemed to be crouched behind the car, which was why Xie Huiying had braked suddenly.

Song Weishi frowned, unbuckled her seatbelt, and looked back. A few men, women, and children were planted behind the car, shouting something. But thanks to the soundproofing, she couldn't make out a word—just muffled, angry noise. Their twisted faces, though, she saw clearly.

Xie Yi stood up too and got out from the side.

"Are you delivering supplies? Why'd you go to Mei He's house? Where's the stuff? Give us some water—we're almost out!"

The man in front had cracked, peeling lips and a rude tone, like everyone owed him something.

Song Weishi looked at him. No one else moved—they were all blocking the entrance.

Their car couldn't get out unless they ran the whole group down.

Mei He got out as well and tried to explain. "This isn't a supply convoy. They just came to pick me up. Move aside—the supply truck will come."

The portly man stood firm in front of the gate. "Don't give me that shit. The supply truck stopped coming three days ago. Something's happened in the city, and that bastard leader cut us off. If you want to leave, you're taking us with you. Otherwise, you're staying here today."

Two families were blocking them, about a dozen people in all, crowding the gate. Their car had only been stopped for a short while and already they were surrounded. She didn't want to think about how many more would show up soon. Better to end this fast. Song Weishi flexed her wrists, ready to strike.

But Mei He still wanted to reason with them, patiently pleading. "Our car can't carry all of you. And I'm in a hurry—I have a patient waiting for me to save. Brother Wang, please move aside. We've been neighbors for years, please understand. Lives are at stake. Just let us go."

The man scoffed, looking around at the others blocking the way with a smug expression, hands on his hips. He had no intention of moving, as if certain they'd have to leave something behind today.

Xie Huiying also got out of the car. Hearing their words, she frowned hard. "We're all acquainted. Why do this? I don't want to fight. Move aside now!"

That was a blatant challenge. If the other side had any sense, they'd back off and let them go.

The man bristled like an enraged rooster, his face contorting with malice. "Oh, so it's you. Xie Huiying, your sister runs the city but can't be bothered with folks like us? Think being an official makes you special? Is that brat Xie Huiqing the one who cut off the relief? Fuck this—rip the tires off her car. Nobody's leaving today!"

Two men grabbed crowbars and moved toward the tires, clearly determined to stop them from going back.

Song Weishi kicked out without hesitation, sending both men flying in an instant. The crowbars clattered to the ground. They landed flat on their backs, unable to get up, not even managing a pained groan—knocked clean out.

Before the ringleader could react, Song Weishi's fist slammed into his face, shattering his nose. His body slammed against the iron gate with a loud clang, then slid down limp.

The others, seeing a fight break out, grabbed whatever they could and charged. Xie Yi and Xie Huiying struck simultaneously. Sister Chen, who had just gotten out, shoved Mei He back into the car to keep her safe, then joined the fray.

Her fighting skills were mediocre. While Song Weishi and Xie Yi dealt with the main threats, she could only manage a few sneaky blows from behind, making sure the ones who went down didn't get back up.

In under five minutes, Song Weishi and Xie Yi had taken care of all dozen or so people.

For these time-wasting, malicious bastards, Song Weishi had no intention of going easy.

She had men down with cracked ribs, unable to move, and felt they deserved every bit of it.

Xie Huiying got back in quickly and drove off, the tires rolling over the leg of the man who'd just been lying in the doorway. He jolted awake from the pain, then was knocked out again.

Mei He patted her chest, heart pounding. She'd nearly thought she was done for.

Turned out she didn't have to worry at all. Sister Chen buckled her seatbelt and said, "Xiao He, next time something like this happens, just stay out of it. You can't reason with people like that. Don't waste your time—just leave it to Xiao Yi and the others."

Mei He exchanged a glance with her daughter and nodded. The car sped off without slowing for anyone in their way. Xie Huiying kept the pedal down and drove straight back. The whole trip had taken three hours, and they soon hit the hottest part of the day.

Back at the villa, Mei He and her daughter got out. They watched Song Weishi and Xie Yi carry Xie Huiqing back inside. Mei He needed to prepare for surgery quickly, though the conditions here still weren't a match for the hospital.

All she could do was ask Xie Huiqing's people to prepare a clean room. Song Weishi helped carry the two's luggage down—several big, bulging bags.

Mei He handed one bag to her daughter and told her to brew some medicine to numb the pain. Most of the drugs scavenged from the hospital had already spoiled. Besides the ones from the system, nothing else was usable.

Luckily, she knew a bit about traditional Chinese medicine and could make do. With a doctor on board, Song Weishi's villa was even more complete and secure.