Chapter 280: Headache
Meanwhile, on the floor above, Lu Weiyi was not as comfortable as the others. He curled up on the double bed, clutching his head in pain.
His breathing was uneven and strained. The pain in his head felt like it might burst at any moment, reminding him of when he had smashed zombie heads before—if zombies could feel pain, this would be it.
His ability had not yet reached the upgrade point. Forcing himself to upgrade now, his body couldn’t handle an SS-level ability. His mental power was rampaging wildly inside the crystal core.
He felt like a balloon with his mental power surging inside, searching for a weak spot.
If he lost focus even briefly, the mental power might burst out of a crack, causing his crystal core to explode—just like those who failed to upgrade.
Each second was unbearably painful. His body’s sensation gradually dulled, likely due to the painkillers. Lu Weiyi exhaled deeply and struggled to sit up.
By now, the bed was soaked in his sweat, and his clothes were drenched through.
“…Qi Lin,” he croaked hoarsely.
No one outside heard him at first. He tried to shift down the bed but accidentally bumped into the nightstand. Exhausted, he toppled over, bringing the nightstand crashing down loudly.
“Captain!” Someone outside heard the noise and called his name, pushing open the door.
“Quick, call a doctor!” Qi Lin shouted outside, sensing his weakness. He lifted Lu Weiyi back onto the bed.
Lu Weiyi was a mess—his lips bitten and bleeding, hair wet and stuck to his face.
When Qi Lin first met Lu Weiyi, he was already a powerful figure—always confident and skilled. This was the first time Qi Lin saw him so fragile, the delicate young man seeming as if he might shatter at any touch.
Qi Lin couldn’t help but soften his voice, “Captain, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. I want to take a shower. Get me some water.”
Lu Weiyi tried to maintain a strong front in front of his subordinates. Their squad’s situation was uncertain, and as the leader, showing weakness might unsettle his team, especially since they were currently at another base, making it difficult to avoid suspicion from other factions.
This was why Lu Weiyi had always been ruthless when acting on behalf of the Zhuang family—he couldn’t let others see him as weak or vulnerable. Otherwise, the chances his people would survive and escape would need to be recalculated.
Just as he finished speaking, Zhuang Ai Yi ran in after hearing the noise, seeing the situation and panicking.
“Little Daddy, what happened? You’re bleeding!”
“Who bullied you? Ai Yi will beat them!”
“It’s okay, Dad is sick. He took medicine and will be fine. Can I go out and play?”
“Really?”
“Really, be good,” Lu Weiyi said patiently, signaling Qi Lin to take the boy out.
“Little Daddy, where’s my big Dad? Let’s find big Dad and make him beat them. My big Dad is very powerful.”
When Zhuang Ai Yi said this with a choked voice, Lu Weiyi also felt a surge of grievance in his heart.
The person who had always protected him, the one he had protected all along, now he wasn’t even sure if that person still stood by his side.
Lu Weiyi fell silent, saying nothing, then slightly leaned forward and gently hugged Zhuang Ai Yi, who was resting his head just above the headboard.
After a long moment, he finally responded with a soft, “Okay.”
Just then, Jindiao and Cong Qing entered after hearing the noise. Seeing his condition, they asked, “Young Master Lu, is your headache really bad?”
“The medicine is kicking in; I’m already feeling much better. Thanks. I’ll rest a bit more and I’ll be fine,” Lu Weiyi replied.
“Should I take you for a checkup? Our hospital here is pretty well equipped. Xiao Ye’s people are there, so no outsiders will handle you,” Jindiao suggested, worried he might feel unsafe.
“No, it’s nothing. Something went wrong during my ability upgrade. Going to the hospital won’t help. I’ll just adjust slowly myself,” Lu Weiyi said lightly. Jindiao and Cong Qing exchanged looks.
If that was the case, then indeed there was no solution. Jindiao glanced toward the living room and asked, “Do you want a healer-type ability user to come try?”
“Yeah, maybe Xu Yi can help,” Qi Lin chimed in, then shouted, “Xu Yi, come here!”
Xu Yi had been in the living room playing games with the two kids, and the commotion drew his attention.
But since Lu Weiyi hadn’t called him, he was holding back. Hearing Qi Lin call his name, he reluctantly raised his chin and walked over, crossing his arms at the door and asking, “What’s up?”
“Xu healer, Young Master Xu, hurry and check on our squad leader. He’s got a bad headache. Please help,” Qi Lin said quickly, grabbing him and pulling him toward the room.
“Me? Check him? He’s not afraid of me or anything…” Xu Yi’s sentence was cut off by Qi Lin slapping him hard on the back, causing him to cough violently.
“Damn it, are you trying to kill someone?”
“Can’t you just be quick and straightforward for once?”
Qi Lin thought the guy was just asking for a beating.
“Uncle Xu, please help my dad! He’s sick. Can you save him?” After days on the run, Zhuang Ai Yi had come to rely on Xu Yi. He clung to Xu Yi’s shirt corner and looked up at him pitifully, his bright eyes especially heart-rending.
Xu Yi snorted reluctantly but leaned closer to Lu Weiyi, slowly reaching toward his head, ready to defend if attacked, and stubbornly said, “I’m not sure I can fix you. I’ll just take a look.”
Lu Weiyi nodded, not feeling any urge to argue.
Xu Yi immediately grinned mischievously, “Looks like you’re really suffering.”
Jindiao and Cong Qing nearby both thought Xu Yi was pretty cheeky.
Still, Xu Yi first fixed the wound on Lu Weiyi’s lip caused by biting. Then, as he probed Lu Weiyi’s brain with his ability, an invisible force crushed and tore it apart.
Xu Yi abruptly withdrew his ability, feeling like if he had gone any slower, it would have been himself getting torn apart. Shaken, he asked, “What… what’s going on here?”
Lu Weiyi shook his head.
“Are you resisting me? Let me try again,” Xu Yi said, putting on an air, “Don’t worry, I won’t mess with your brain directly. After all, everyone around here is your people. I still want to live a long life, not die here.”
“I can’t control it,” Lu Weiyi explained his earlier reaction.
Xu Yi said no more and injected his ability into Lu Weiyi’s brain again.
In an instant, it was shredded clean again.
He hurriedly withdrew again and shook his head, “I can’t do anything, but I didn’t see any injuries.”
Lu Weiyi hadn’t really hoped much from healer-type abilities, so this didn’t surprise him. Seeing Qi Lin worried, he reassured him, “It’s fine, already much better.”
“Then I’ll prepare some more painkillers. Take two if it hurts badly. I’ll also check if there have been similar cases in the base,” Jindiao said.
After leaving a bottle of painkillers, Jindiao and Cong Qing exited the room. Xu Yi returned to playing with the two children. Qi Lin stood at the bathroom door, listening to the sounds inside, ready to rush in if needed, while updating Lu Weiyi on the team’s situation.
A minute later, Lu Weiyi came out of the bathroom looking fresh and clean. Although he still looked noticeably ill, at least he was no longer so disheveled. Qi Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Squad leader, what would you like to eat? I’ll get someone to make it for you,” Qi Lin asked.
Lu Weiyi wanted to say he had no appetite but was interrupted.
“Since the health of the team is uncertain, you really need to take care of yourself,” Qi Lin reminded.
“…Porridge,” Lu Weiyi said faintly, as if speaking was an effort.
“I’ll make some meat porridge,” Qi Lin said, walking out with him, ready to catch him if he stumbled.
Lu Weiyi nodded. Just as they were about to enter the living room, he stopped and turned toward the stairs, “Which room is Antonio in?”
He wanted to inform Antonio of the outcome of the handling. Given Antonio’s vengeful nature, anyone who messed with Andy got their life taken. Now, Lu Weiyi only let him return the favor, but he wasn’t sure if Antonio would agree.
“They’re all in their original rooms,” Qi Lin answered. Seeing Lu Weiyi hesitate, he added, “Squad leader, want me to carry you up?”
As soon as he said this, he noticed Xu Yi giving him a strange look from the living room. He immediately remembered that the man had a boyfriend, so his offer might seem like flirting.
“I don’t mean anything else. I just… uh…” The nearly two-meter-tall man scratched his head, unsure how to explain. Being too clear about it would sound like he cared about sexual orientation.
“It’s okay, I can manage myself,” Lu Weiyi said quietly, then started walking upstairs.
Xu Yi slowly stood up, thinking he might need to help, but just then, Zhuang Ai Yi’s little legs sprinted so fast he was suddenly at Lu Weiyi’s side.
“Little Daddy, Ai Yi’s holding you up. You rest your head on Ai Yi’s head—Ai Yi’s head is really sturdy, it hurts a lot when you bump into it,” Zhuang Ai Yi looked up at Lu Weiyi with a serious expression.
Lu Weiyi finally experienced what it felt like to be cared for by his son, like a warm current slowly flowing through his heart.
Since the unpleasant incident involving his abilities with Zhuang Mingxu, Lu Weiyi often found himself silently pondering why he had been reborn. He was a person with a detached nature; rather than caring about those around him, he felt they were more like his responsibility. Whether he was there or not made no real difference.
Especially now that his relationship with Zhuang Mingxu wasn’t as good as in the previous life, he would often long for those past days. Back then, there were no disputes or quarrels. Though the outside world was turbulent, their small life was peaceful and uneventful.
He liked that kind of life and always hoped to live that way again in this life.
