Chapter 4: I Only Need 72 Hours To Fall In Love With You (IV)
Charlton angrily started the mental shock control equipment. Shang Ke only felt a pain coming from his head before he lost consciousness. At the same time, the room suddenly entered complete darkness.
Everyone became restless, clueless on what was happening. They did not notice that, in the dark, over a dozen of people used the confusion to quietly depart the room.
The bugle horn of battle was silently blown at this time!
The torment that Cage had suffered did not cause the resolute rebels to feel fear, but instead aroused their raging will to fight. Their gazes were like blazing hot fires, glistening and dazzling in the darkness.
Cruise, will die!
These three words converged into a great power in everyone's hearts. Like a ferocious beast preparing to pounce, they were ready to swallow up all evil at any moment.
Shang Ke's emergence and perseverance not only diverted the monitorer's attention, but they also allowed the rebels conviction to strengthen further. This resulted in them working five hours earlier to take control of the intellectual brain. Meanwhile, the person in question was completely ignorant of it.
The revolutionary operation was like a gale shower, quickly and violently engulfing the entire regime's hierarchy.
By the time Ravel took control of the situation, seven hours had passed.
He personally went to the interrogation room, and without caring about the stains on Shang Ke's body, he carefully held and took him out of the prisoner room that had tormented him more than enough.
The bones within Shang Ke's limbs were completely broken and his body was bloodstained. There was not a single area where his skin was intact, and only that Flaming Red Sky Flower continued to bloom devilishly on his chest. It seemed to carry the ability to enchant others, and people were unable to move their gazes away.
When the soldiers saw his entire body full of tragic injuries, they all revealed expressions of shock and admiration. They were truly unable to imagine just what kind of suffering he had endured, and just how he had managed to persevere on.
Within his dim consciousness, Shang Ke felt a lot of people moving near him. It seemed that they were trying to save him, but he really wanted to tell them to not worry about it, and allow him to go happily.
While lost in his thoughts, his consciousness began to grow hazy again, and he heart a faint voice by his ear.
"How is his situation?" Ravel looked toward Doctor Banny.
Doctor Banny replied with a sigh, "His broken bones can heal slowly, and although it will somewhat influence his daily life, at least he will not be completely paralyzed. What is truly troubling is the venom within his body. If it was just one or two types, then we have some means to treat it. But for twelves types...I can only say that the fact that he is still alive is already a miracle.
Ravel asked in a lowered voice, "How much time does he have left?"
"Perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps the day after. In short, it won't be long."
Ravel silently turned before ordering, "Use any means to lighten his pain, so that he can live comfortably these few days."
Banny smiled bitterly, "I'm afraid that there is nothing I can do for that either. With his body's current condition, even if it was the lightest anesthetic, it has the possibility to take his life. In his remaining time, he can only continue to bear the pain." After pausing for a bit, he continued again, "I propose that we let him go. Compared to living in pain, death would be freedom for him."
A flash of grief flitted through Ravel's eyes, and he told Banny, "He persevered up until now not just to die, but to see the destruction of Cruise with his own eyes. As such, no matter how painful it is, I believe that he would not choose to leave without knowing the ending."
If Shang Ke were able to hear those words, then he would certainly cry out loudly, No, I have zero interest in witnessing Cruise's destruction. Give me a fast death!
When Banny thought back to Cage's bitter experiences, he agreed with Ravel's words.
"If that is so, then Sire, you must work quickly. Fight for Young Master Cage, so that he can see a new empire before he dies."
Ravel nodded his head and left behind a line to "Take good care of him," before leaving with large strides.
When Shang Ke once again regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a brightly lit and spacious sick room. His injuries had already been taken care of, resulting in his whole body being wrapped in bandages. Besides his neck, he wasn't able to move anything else.
He actually wasn't dead yet? Shang Ke was shocked. Don't tell him that the mission wasn't complete?!
【Mission Completed. Detained time is 15 days.】 The System's voice echoed in his mind.
Why was he detained for another 15 days?
【If the Host survives the near-death mission, the System will give different amounts of detained time. During this time frame, it is possible to come across more missions. For every extra mission completed, the reward will be raised accordingly. If the Host completes three near-death missions and still does not die, then the Host can choose to stay in the current world with neither responsibilities nor restrictions, and live his life as the Host pleases.】
Just how depressed would he have to be to drag this half-paralyzed body and choose to live freely in this world? Freeing him of life would be more appropriate! Moreover, he would have to complete three near-death missions. Just one mission already made him wish he was dead, and he was expected to do it three times?
"You're awake." At this moment, a low voice interrupted his train of thought. Immediately following that voice, he saw a tall man slowly walking to his bedside.
"Hello, I'm Ravel." The man's expression was grave and stern, but his eyes were very gentle.
Shang Ke nodded toward him. Under the System's reminder, he learned that he was this world's main character, and the future boss of the empire.
Ravel sat by his bedside and told him, "We have already acquired victory. The remaining time will be used to clear up Cruise's remaining vestiges of power, one by one."
Shang Ke smiled, expressing that he was very pleased. The other explained that this bro did not receive torture for nothing, so please don't be careless while wiping them out.
When he opened his mouth to speak, he discovered that his throat was unable to produce a single sound.
When Ravel saw that, he explained, "Your vocal cords suffered grave damage. I'm afraid you won't be able to make any sound for the time being."
Doctor Banny had told him, "'Cruise, will die' were the final words in this child's life."
Ravel quietly observed the boy on the bed after telling him of his current condition, and discovered that the fear and pain he was expecting wasn't there. Instead, the boy gave him a gentle smile. Although his appearance was haggard, those dark green eyes shone like precious stones.
Ravel's eyes dimmed, and he spoke using a gentle voice that he had never used before, "Cage, in the future I will personally take care of you. Please give me a couple more days, and I will definitely let you see a brand new empire." Don't leave this world so quickly, and stay behind to share this happiness with him.
Besides nodding his head, what else could Shang Ke do? As the main character, for such a trifling matter like ruling the world, didn't it just require stretching out his hand to grab it?
Afterwards, Ravel truly followed his words to the extreme. No matter how busy he was, he always took three to four hours of his time and accompanied Shang Ke, changing his bandages, feeding him, cleaning him, and so on. He performed every duty with meticulous care.
In actuality, Shang Ke didn't understand his behavior at all. Although he had showed a rather remarkable side under the torture, it wasn't enough for the future boss of this empire to value him so much, right?
Shang Ke did not know that he had already became a hero of the entire empire. His interrogation video stunned countless people, and he was praised as the "The World's Most Beautiful Martyr." He displayed a tenacious willpower, holding tightly onto his beliefs, even under the enemy's cruel torment.
Especially his last line of "Cruise, will die." Who knew just how many people got their blood fired up from that line?
He was like a Phoenix bathing in fire, and despite being riddled with injuries, he still kept fighting back, despite all the setbacks he encountered.
When Cage's diagnosis was announced and spread online, there were countless people who shed tears and lamented for him, and that insulting Flaming Red Sky Flower on his body became a warrier's seal.
One day passed, two days passed, three days passed... Doctor Banny had initially judged him to only live for two days, but as more time passed, he had to repeatedly revise his prognosis. Cage's body was obviously extremely weak, and yet it stubbornly continued to live.
Banny had no choice but to admit that some people's vitality was just too strong. It was no wonder that he could take so many hours of torture. Even Banny was unable to determine just how long that boy was going to live now.
On the sixth day, Ravel arrived at his usual time to visit Shang Ke.
When he walked into the sick room, he saw that the other was focused on watching a video. Ravel looked at the screen, and saw that a gourmet food program was playing on it.
"Do you have something you really want to eat?" Ravel asked him.
Shang Ke quickly nodded.
Ravel opened a gourmet food profile book on the screen, and flipped through each image for Shang Ke to look at.
"As long as the food isn't too stimulating, you can taste it. You just can't eat too much."[1]
Shang Ke cheerfully smiled, his smile acting like sunshine and dispersing the gloominess surrounding Ravel's body. His mood also improved greatly. The more that he came into contact with this boy, the more special he seemed to be. If his tenacity and willpower were what had first attracted his attention, then it was now his optimistic and cheerful personality. Ravel was very clear on how he endured the pain every single day. Even the doctor had already given up, and yet he did not, and withstood the pain.
Ravel had never loved a person so much before. It was only the boy before him that could become his exception.
Shang Ke's life these past few days had been pretty satisfying. With the 50% pain reduction still in effect, he wasn't actually in as much pain as other people were imagining.
Shang Ke could only express his silence on it.
On the eighth day, a new visitor came to his sick room. It was Gabriel, Utrecht's adopted son and Cage's older brother.
Shang Ke had almost forgot about this person's appearance since he had never appeared before him.
However, it wouldn't matter if he forgot, since he was going to die in a couple days.
Gabriel walked up to his bed and arrogantly looked down at him.
The moment Shang Ke saw the other's attitude, he knew that the other party did not have good intentions!
"Cage, long time no see," Gabriel taunted, "When you sneaked out, you probably never foresaw that you would end up like this, right?"
Shang Ke calmly looked at him.
"How was the taste of torture?" Gabriel placed his hands on either side of Shang Ke and coldly smiled, mocking, "Take a look at you now, struggling while at death's door. Truly pitiful. Did you know that your days are numbered?"
Bro, do you really feel the need to strut around someone who's about to die? That is really below your status.
"You always looked down at me, and ordered me around like a servant. However, fortune rises and falls. You're about to die, and I will inherit the family and its honor." Gabriel revealed a smug smile and said, "I should thank you for your sacrifice."
My god! If he was really Cage, he would probably be angered to the point of spitting out blood. He had suffered through torture, even staking his life, and yet in the end it would only serve to help this thankless wolf.
However, what made Shang Ke truly angry was what happened after. Gabriel suddenly stood up, raised his hand, and slapped him.
The "pa" sound echoed in the room, and although it felt no different from being rubbed by a hand with the pain reduction, what this slap injured wasn't his face, but his dignity.
Shang Ke angrily glared at him. This guy, didn't he know that there were monitors in this sick room? How did he dare to have the courage to do this?
Gabriel seemed to know what he was thinking and laughed. "Don't worry, I have an interference device on me. The events that happened during the past few minutes will not be recorded."
So he had actually come prepared.