Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Zhao Dong could hardly believe his eyes. The building before him was utterly dilapidated, looking for all the world like it belonged in a city slum. The area was filled with old buildings, pitted streets, and rundown stalls. Every so often, a truck would rumble past, kicking up gusts of wind and sand.

Zhao Dong was shocked. How could Su Yuxi's home be here? From her looks to her demeanor, she seemed like a girl from a wealthy family. How could she possibly live in a place like this?

As if reading his mind, Su Yuxi spoke sadly as she led the way into an alley, "You're wondering how I could possibly live here, aren't you?"

Zhao Dong didn't deny it. Following behind her, he said, "I really didn't expect this. Isn't your family very rich? You should be living in a villa, not a place like this."

Su Yuxi stopped in her tracks. She turned to look at him, her expression somber. "Zhao Dong, I never told anyone I was from a wealthy family. Not only is my family not rich, but we're actually considered impoverished. My parents divorced a long time ago, and I live with my grandma…"

The words hit Zhao Dong like a hammer to the chest. If he hadn't heard it from her himself, he never would have believed that Su Yuxi, who had the air of a beautiful, wealthy socialite, came from such circumstances.

Su Yuxi gave a miserable smile. "Are you starting to look down on me?"

Zhao Dong immediately shook his head. "No, it's just that I always pictured you as this wealthy, beautiful girl. This just caught me off guard, that's all."

"So you won't look down on me?" Su Yuxi suddenly asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Seeing the cautious look in her eyes and hearing her humbled tone, Zhao Dong's heart ached.

He said softly, "I would never look down on you. I'll never forget how you took that knife for me. Not only will I not look down on you, I'll help you in any way I can."

Su Yuxi's eyes reddened. "As long as you don't, that's enough. In all these years, you're the first friend who knows about my family's situation."

With that, she lowered her head and continued down the alley. Watching her somewhat frail figure retreat, Zhao Dong felt a heaviness settle over him.

Soon, he followed her to an old, poorly maintained apartment building. The corridors reeked of a foul, damp, and musty odor. Compared to the prosperous East Sea, this place felt like another world.

Zhao Dong's heart ached. So this is the kind of life Su Yuxi has been living.

The wail of an ambulance siren echoed from downstairs.

Zhao Dong was startled. "Why is there an ambulance?"

"I called for one in advance," Su Yuxi said, her voice laced with anxiety as she quickened her pace.

Zhao Dong hurried to keep up, finally arriving at a door on the fourth floor.

As the door opened, a neighbor, an older woman, saw Su Yuxi and rushed over. "Yuxi! Quick, check on your grandma! I think something's wrong with her! You need to call an ambulance!"

Tears streamed down Su Yuxi's face as she rushed into the apartment without a second thought.

Zhao Dong paused at the doorway, then entered under the neighbor's surprised gaze. It was a small two-bedroom apartment that had clearly seen better days, with dim lighting, sallow wooden floors, and dated furnishings that spoke of a bygone era.

He only took a quick glance before following Su Yuxi into a bedroom. The room was tiny, containing only a small bed and a little television. An old woman with white hair was lying on the bed, her face a waxy yellow, her eyes shut tight.

Su Yuxi knelt by the bed, hugging the old woman as she sobbed. "Grandma! What's wrong? Don't scare me. Wake up…"

The old woman didn't respond. Su Yuxi called her name several more times, her voice dissolving into tears.

Zhao Dong frowned, stepped forward, and placed his fingers on the old woman's wrist. His heart lurched. Her pulse was nearly gone, so faint it was practically nonexistent. In medical terms, this was a state of near-clinical death. She was at the very end of her life, a point from which medicine offered no return.

Just then, several paramedics in white coats burst into the room.

"Move aside! Don't get in the way of the rescue!" a young paramedic shouted, shoving Zhao Dong aside.

The team began checking the grandmother with their equipment, their expressions growing increasingly grave.

Su Yuxi choked out, "Doctor, what's wrong with my grandma?"

The paramedic who had pushed Zhao Dong hesitated. "Uh… we can't determine the problem right now. Let's get her to the hospital first!"

As he spoke, they began to move Su Yuxi's grandmother onto a stretcher.

Watching them, Zhao Dong frowned and said, "It's a cerebral infarction. When you lift her, try to support the back of her head with something."

His words stunned everyone present, including Su Yuxi and the paramedics.

The young paramedic who had pushed him frowned. "How do you know it's a cerebral infarction?"

Zhao Dong was silent for a moment before replying, "I could tell from her pulse."

He wasn't lying. He had briefly taken her pulse, and thanks to the power of his Mystic Sky Technique, he had instantly identified the condition.

However, upon hearing this, the paramedics' faces twisted into expressions of disbelief.

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could you possibly diagnose a cerebral infarction from a pulse? Get out of the way and stop wasting our time."

Even Su Yuxi looked at him in surprise. "Zhao Dong, how do you know? My grandma never showed any symptoms of a cerebral infarction before!"

"Yuxi, I'm not joking," Zhao Dong said earnestly. "Please, believe me." He then turned to the paramedics. "The critical window to treat a cerebral infarction is two hours. By the time you get her to the hospital and run a series of tests and scans, it will be too late!"

Displeasure was evident on all the paramedics' faces. The young one glared at Zhao Dong with extreme impatience. "What is wrong with you? Are you a doctor? Stop spouting nonsense here! Move aside! We'll deal with this at the hospital!"

Zhao Dong was about to say more, but Su Yuxi interrupted, pleading anxiously with the paramedics. "Doctor, please, just hurry and get my grandma to the hospital. She can't wait. Please…"

The paramedics nodded and immediately carried Su Yuxi's grandmother out on the stretcher.

Zhao Dong felt helpless. He had wanted to say he could treat her right there, but seeing Su Yuxi's frantic state and the doubtful looks from the paramedics, he knew no one would believe him. Fine. Her grandmother is only in a coma for now, so there's still a chance. If it comes to it, I'll just have to step in then.

Zhao Dong said no more and boarded the ambulance with Su Yuxi, rushing toward the hospital.

In the vehicle, Su Yuxi's face was ashen. She was clearly terrified, tear tracks staining her cheeks as more tears streamed silently down her face.

Zhao Dong sat beside her and sighed softly, trying to comfort her. "Yuxi, don't worry. Your grandma will be fine."

"Zhao Dong…" Su Yuxi sobbed. "My grandma and I have only had each other for so many years. I'm so scared… I'm so scared of losing her. What am I going to do…?"

A pang of sorrow shot through Zhao Dong. He gently patted her shoulder. "I'm here. It'll be alright."

At his words, her tears flowed even more freely. Eventually, exhausted from crying, she unconsciously leaned her head on his shoulder. At that moment, he was the only person she could depend on, even for just a little while.

Zhao Dong's body stiffened for a moment, but he didn't pull away, allowing her to lean on him. He knew that right now, he was the only one who could offer this poor woman any comfort.

Suddenly, the various monitoring devices attached to Su Yuxi's grandmother let out a piercing alarm.

"Heart rate 99… 82… 73… 61! This is bad, the patient is going into arrhythmia! She's in danger!"

Panic flashed across the faces of the accompanying paramedics and nurses. Numbers like these were typically a sign that a patient was about to die. Su Yuxi's grandmother's life force was visibly draining away. Her face lost all color, turning a horrifying purplish-black.

"Administer a cardiotonic, now! The patient is coding!" one of the paramedics yelled. The nurses scrambled to prepare the injection.

Watching this unfold, Su Yuxi's sobs intensified until she could no longer sit, half-kneeling beside the stretcher in despair.

Zhao Dong's gaze sharpened. He rushed forward, shouting, "Let me handle this! Don't inject the cardiotonic! It will turn the cerebral infarction into a cerebral hemorrhage!"

The paramedics and nurses froze, but only for a second. They didn't believe a word he said.

One of the paramedics shoved Zhao Dong aside as a nurse quickly plunged the syringe into the old woman's body.

Once the cardiotonic was fully administered, Su Yuxi's grandmother's heart rate actually began to stabilize. Just as everyone was breathing a sigh of relief, the monitor screamed again with a piercing BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

This time, her grandmother's heart rate plummeted. With a final, long BEEEEEEEP—the monitor flatlined into a single, straight line.

The paramedics stood frozen, their faces etched with sorrow. The data was unequivocal… the patient was dead.

"I'm sorry," one of them sighed softly. "We did everything we could."

Su Yuxi stared blankly at the scene. A second later, a torrent of tears erupted from her eyes.

"Grandma!"