Special Forces Medic

"Why didn't you have the leg bone injury treated as well?" Xia Xue offered her shoulder to Xiao Lin, remembering the habits Lian had advised him of before stepping out.

Leaning against Xia Xue's shoulder, Xiao Lin closed his eyes: "Got to leave some opportunities for others, right? If I do everything, what will they eat?" Such arrogant words, Xia Xue chuckled: "Don't sleep here; let's go home. I drove."

"It's nice here, good air quality, perfect humidity, ideal temperature!" Xiao Lin burrowed his head into Xia Xue's chest and curled up his body.

Lian Shuo was right, every time after surgery, Xiao Lin was as muddled as a child. She affectionately stroked his head: "Let's just nap for a bit, then we'll go home."

"Mm!"

In the darkness, someone stood atop a mountain peak with the wind fluttering their coat in the air. An eerie silence filled the surroundings, with only the wind and the distant growling of beasts piercing it.

Looking down from the peak, there was a rushing river below. The man shifted, causing stones under his feet to roll and vanish from sight, while birds swooped down from afar, landing on the cliff, adding a patch of white to its barren face.

The dust-covered black leather boots made the original color indistinguishable. His face, hidden beneath the brim, shone pallid under the moonlight, even his lips were white. He stared at the river below, sometimes emitting an indescribable sound, leaving it unclear whether he was crying or laughing.

He didn't move, yet he could still sense the stones rolling invisibly beneath his feet. The wind puffed up his robes as if they might be carried away at any moment.

Darkness!

Endless darkness with only the crescent moon in the sky reflecting a near white hue, providing no more brilliance. The man moved, inching closer to the edge of the cliff, his body leaning forward. Without warning, his entire being left the cliffside, plummeting silently into the valley's river below.

The overwhelming pressure tormented the sleeping man painfully, his mouth slightly parted, gasping for the air he craved. He wanted to wake up, but found his tightly shut eyelids heavy and weak.

"Lin? Lin! Wake up." Xia Xue patted Xiao Lin's face. He frowned deeply, sleeping restlessly. The sweat beads on his forehead chilled her fingers.

Xiao Lin couldn't hear Xia Xue's calls. He watched himself fall endlessly but could never reach the rushing river below. Falling from the mountain again and again, the scenes were as real and oppressive as reality itself.

Xia Xue anxiously laid Xiao Lin flat on a bench, wiping his sweat. She had never seen him sleep so profoundly before. Watching his pained struggle for breath, Xia Xue slowly closed her eyes, pressing her lips against his slightly open ones: "Don't sleep anymore, wake up!" Her voice choked in her throat.

Is someone speaking to him? Back atop the mountain, standing on the cliff edge, would he continue to fall next? Was someone speaking? The warmth on his cold lips was soft and comfortable. He licked the softness with his tongue, greedily indulging in this comfort, reluctant to let go.

Feeling a response, Xia Xue widened her eyes. He could sense himself. She deepened the kiss repeatedly with this realization.

The two entangled, neither willing to let go until Xia Xue struggled to breathe, starting to push him away. She needed fresh air.

As the gentle warmth began to leave him, the person at the cliff's edge started to resist. No, he didn't want to lose this only warmth in the cold world. A strange sound emanated from his throat, but the warmth was receding.

"No!" A clear shout burst from Xiao Lin's mouth as he snapped awake, sitting upright from the bench, his clothes soaked and clinging to him, the corridor cold and piercing. He woodenly turned his head to look at Xia Xue, momentarily confused, unable to focus his gaze: "What happened to me?"

"It's nothing, just a dream!" Seeing Xiao Lin awake, Xia Xue sobbed, holding his face: "It's okay now, you're awake, it's okay."

Xiao Lin seemed not to hear Xia Xue's words, his feet on the ground, head buried in his arms, vertebrae protruding down his arched back. He reminisced about that scene, the vivid terror, yet he believed it was not ordinary. Sighing, he grasped Xia Xue's hand: "Thank you for bringing me back." He placed her hand on his lips, feeling the trembling on her smooth skin, and Xia Xue knew he hadn't fully recovered from the nightmare. She couldn't display too much anxiety in his presence; she needed to trust him.

"Let's go home!"

Xia Xue suggested to Xiao Lin, leading him from the bench.

The operation corridor was desolate and empty, the cement walls conveying a cruel isolation. She didn't want to linger here a second longer. Never had she been so terrified of such a corridor, but today, as she looked back at the long passageway, each tightly closed operating room door resembled a gaping maw ready to swallow them whole.

"I don't want to stay here another moment." Grabbing Xiao Lin's hand, Xia Xue started to run, the door just ahead, and once opened, they could step out.

"We can't leave!" After a few steps, Xiao Lin halted. A strange air current swirled around them, beside them.

"Let's go!" Xia Xue didn't understand why Xiao Lin stopped, as he looked around, standing there.

"Xiao Lin!" Xia Xue shouted at him, but he seemed not to hear.

"Shh! Don't speak." Xiao Lin stood there, arms open, head raised, eyes closed. His bizarre expression left Xia Xue staring incredulously, unable to draw near.

Xiao Lin stepped back, returning to where he had been sitting, with Xia Xue running over: "Look at me, please, look at me!"

Xiao Lin lifted his head and gave her a ghostly smile: "Shh! Don't speak."

No, this wasn't Xiao Lin, or maybe... Xia Xue let go of Xiao Lin, stepping back in horror: "Who are you?"

"Shh! Don't speak!" The words repeated from Xiao Lin's mouth, as Xia Xue fearfully rushed to the door, pulling it open, only to be met again with the endless corridor of operating rooms, stretching far away. Where is this? Looking back, Xiao Lin stood there, but where was this place?

Without support, Xia Xue screamed aloud. It had been Xiao Lin moments earlier, how could it be like this? What was happening here?

Feeling on the verge of breakdown, she walked back to Xiao Lin step by step: "Is it still you?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)