14: The crushing of the steel monster

At that moment, a deathly silence fell over the scene.

The thugs on the other two speedboats, still holding Molotov cocktails, stood with their mouths agape.

They watched the sudden appearance of this colossal iron beast, trembling all over.

The heavy-duty Mechanical Arm mounted on the rear deck.

It was now slowly extending, its massive three-fingered steel claw gleaming coldly under the lightning, as if silently declaring: move, and you die.

Inside the cockpit, Jiang Ran was panting heavily, his face a terrifying shade of crimson, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

He switched on the external loudspeaker, his hoarse voice, laced with undeniable killing intent, echoing across the water:

"Get lost."

"Or... die."

The thugs on the remaining two speedboats were no fools.

Seeing their leader's several-ton fishing boat instantly smashed into floating debris, disappearing along with the people on board.

They were utterly terrified, their courage shattered.

Supplies, women—none of it mattered at this moment compared to their own lives.

"Mon... monster! Run!"

Without Jiang Ran needing to lift a finger, the two speedboats turned around like startled rats and fled frantically, vanishing into the pitch-black curtain of rain in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Ran did not pursue.

In his current state, he felt exhausted just operating the boat for another minute.

"Cough... cough..."

He coughed violently, tasting iron in his throat.

His vision was beginning to blur severely with double images; the yacht before him kept splitting into two, then three.

"Get closer... secure it..."

Biting the tip of his tongue, Jiang Ran forced himself to stay conscious and manipulated the massive heavy-duty Mechanical Arm on the rear deck.

"Crunch!"

The Mechanical Arm extended, its three-fingered steel claw firmly gripping the second-floor railing of the "Seraphim" yacht.

Locking the two vessels side by side.

After completing this task, Jiang Ran picked up the Tactical Machete, staggered as he pushed open the cockpit door, and stepped out into the downpour.

The icy rain struck his feverish skin, causing wisps of steam to rise, yet it couldn't extinguish the fire raging within him.

He stepped onto the crossbeam of the Mechanical Arm and jumped onto the yacht's deck.

It was covered in scorch marks and shattered glass left by the Molotov cocktails.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of dry powder and burning.

"Doctor... where..."

Dragging his heavy steps, Jiang Ran headed toward the main salon on the second deck, following the earlier sounds of gunfire and the flare's trajectory.

The solid mahogany cabin door was tightly shut, its lock smashed by the thugs, clearly barricaded from inside with heavy objects.

Without a word, Jiang Ran lifted his foot and kicked it with all his might.

"Bang!"

The already precarious door burst open.

Clutching his machete, soaked to the bone, Jiang Ran stumbled inside like a demon crawling straight out of hell.

"Stay back!!"

A sharp yet trembling female voice rang out.

By the flash of lightning outside the window, Jiang Ran saw the person inside.

It was a young woman wearing a white lab coat stained with grime.

She had a stunningly beautiful, aloof face that remained striking even in her disheveled state.

But at that moment, her face was etched with despair and fear.

She was backed into a corner, with a pile of sophisticated medical equipment behind her.

In her hands, she tightly gripped a gleaming silver scalpel, its tip aimed at Jiang Ran's throat.

Though her hands trembled violently, her eyes held a desperate resolve to rather die than surrender.

Clearly, she had mistaken Jiang Ran for the leader of the Pirates who had just attacked.

"Stay back! There are only virus samples here!"

"No supplies! Take another step and I'll blow this place up!"

Su Qingyu shouted sharply, her voice hoarse from excessive tension.

Jiang Ran stopped.

Leaning against the doorframe, he gasped for air, his chest heaving violently.

The high fever had almost shut down his brain.

With great effort, he lifted his eyelids and looked at this woman, who was bristling like a frightened kitten.

"I'm not here for money... or women..."

Jiang Ran's voice was as hoarse as if scraped over sandpaper.

His machete clattered to the floor, and he slid down weakly against the doorframe.

This show of weakness gave Su Qingyu pause.

She stared at the man before her.

Though he had just piloted that terrifying iron beast to crush the Pirates.

His face now showed a sickly flush.

His lips were parched, his gaze unfocused.

"You..."

Su Qingyu's grip on the scalpel loosened slightly, but she remained wary: "Who are you?"

Jiang Ran didn't answer her question.

With trembling hands, he struggled to tear open the expensive bathrobe he was wearing, turned around, and exposed his sweat-and-rain-soaked back to her.

"If you don't want... to die at the hands of Pirates..."

Jiang Ran pointed at the horrifying, festering, pus-oozing wound under his left shoulder, swollen like a steamed bun.

Summoning his last ounce of strength, he squeezed out the words: "I have a boat... food..."

"Save me..."

Before he could finish speaking, a wave of dizzying darkness overwhelmed him.

Jiang Ran could hold on no longer; his vision went black, and he collapsed heavily onto the carpet, completely unconscious.

Inside the cockpit, a dead silence reigned, broken only by the sound of rain outside and distant echoes of thunder.

Su Qingyu's hand, still holding the scalpel, froze mid-air, her breathing rapid.

She looked at the man lying at her feet—a killing god who had just piloted an iron beast to crush Pirates moments ago.

Now, he lay curled up on the carpet like a helpless child, his face frighteningly red.

Kill him?

The thought flashed through Su Qingyu's mind for only an instant before reason swiftly dismissed it.

Killing him wouldn't solve her predicament.

This yacht was wrecked, powerless, and devoid of food.

Though the Pirates had fled, new looters would soon hear of this and come.

When that happened, a defenseless woman like her would face a fate worse than death.

And this man before her... Su Qingyu's gaze passed through the shattered cabin door, looking out at the black iron fortress that had firmly latched onto the yacht.

That ship had electricity, power, and even... as this man had just said, he had food.

"Hah..."

Su Qingyu took a deep breath, her eyes regaining their clarity and determination.

As a doctor, saving lives was instinct.

As a survivor, attaching oneself to the strong was the law of survival.

She put away the scalpel, quickly crouched down, felt Jiang Ran's carotid pulse, and checked his eyelids.

"Heart rate 140, temperature at least 40 degrees Celsius, sluggish pupillary light reflex."

Su Qingyu frowned, glancing at the abscess on his back.

"Severe Staphylococcus aureus infection, already causing systemic Toxemia."

"Another two hours, and not even a god could save him."

Without further hesitation, she turned and grabbed a silver first-aid kit from the cabinet behind her—her last possession, defended to the end.

Then, with great effort, she hoisted one of Jiang Ran's arms over her shoulder.

Gritting her teeth, she dragged the much heavier man, step by step, toward the door... Ten minutes later.

As Su Qingyu dragged Jiang Ran, stepping onto the massive Mechanical Arm.

Finally crossing through the wind and rain and squeezing into the cockpit of the "black iron fortress," she froze completely.

Warmth.

Dryness.

Brightness.

Compared to the damp, cold hell outside, this place was practically heaven.

The warm air from the climate control instantly dispelled the chill on her body, and the soft LED lights illuminated the neat leather seats.

But what truly broke Su Qingyu's composure.

Was the rich aroma of fried steak and red wine still lingering in the air.

She instinctively swallowed, her stomach cramping in protest.

"This guy... was actually eating steak at a time like this?"

Su Qingyu looked at the unconscious Jiang Ran, her expression turning extremely complex.

Just who was this man?

But now was not the time for wonder.

She laid Jiang Ran flat on the clean single bed behind the cockpit and quickly opened her first-aid kit.

"No anesthesia, you'll have to endure it."

Su Qingyu deftly put on rubber gloves, picked up a sterilized surgical scissors, her gaze instantly becoming focused and cold.

"Sss—"

The scissors precisely cut through the necrotic skin around the wound.

Pus and blood gushed out.

Jiang Ran groaned in pain in his unconscious state, his body convulsing instinctively, but Su Qingyu held him down firmly.

Removing the rotting flesh, draining the pus, rinsing with hydrogen peroxide, suturing.

The entire procedure flowed seamlessly, without any unnecessary trembling.

Finally, she retrieved a precious Broad-spectrum Antibiotic from the bottom of the kit.

Administering the maximum dose, she injected it directly into his vein.

"Whether you live or not depends on how tough your fate is."

After finishing all this, Su Qingyu was nearly exhausted.

She collapsed onto the floor.

Watching the liquid drip from the IV tube, the nerves that had been taut for three months finally relaxed at this moment.

Under the warm light, she unknowingly fell asleep... She didn't know how long had passed.

Jiang Ran awoke with an intense thirst.

He opened his eyes; his vision was no longer blurry.

The burning sensation as if trapped in a furnace had also mostly subsided.

Replacing it was extreme weakness and a dull, throbbing pain in his back.

"Still alive..."

Jiang Ran moved his fingers, seeing he was lying in the familiar cabin, an IV drip still attached to his arm.

He turned his head and saw the woman curled up asleep in the corner of the pilot's seat.

Su Qingyu was still wearing her white lab coat, stained with his blood and mud, her brows slightly furrowed as if uneasy even in her dreams.

Jiang Ran didn't wake her.

He slowly removed the needle from his hand, propped himself up, took the half-empty bottle of water from the nearby table, and gulped it down.

The noise startled Su Qingyu awake.

Her eyes snapped open, her hand instinctively reaching for the scalpel in her pocket.

But upon seeing it was Jiang Ran who had awakened, the killing intent in her eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a professional aloofness.

"Fever's down?"

She stood up, walked over, and reached out to feel Jiang Ran's forehead.

Her fingers were cool, delicate.

"Seems your fate is quite tough."

Su Qingyu withdrew her hand, her tone flat: "I've treated the wound, excised the necrotic tissue, and administered antibiotics."

"You'll need continuous dressing changes for the next three days, absolutely no contact with water."

Jiang Ran looked at her, silent for a few seconds.

Then, from the storage compartment beside him, he took out an unopened bag of Self-heating Military Rations and a bottle of purified water, tossing them over.

"Payment for the treatment."

Su Qingyu caught the food, and a trace of barely concealed desire finally flashed in her eyes, which had maintained a cool composure until now.

Without any hypocritical refusal, she immediately tore open the packaging and began devouring the food ravenously.

Jiang Ran leaned against the headboard, watching her finish eating quietly before speaking slowly: "You're a doctor?"

"Attending Physician in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Su Qingyu."

She wiped the corner of her mouth, resuming an elegant posture, looking directly into Jiang Ran's eyes:

"Also experienced in handling trauma, emergency care, and... surviving in this damned world."

"Good."

Jiang Ran pointed to the deck beneath his feet.

"As you can see, this ship doesn't carry idle passengers."

"But I need a Team Doctor here."

"I can offer you safe shelter, clean water, and meat."

When he said "meat," Su Qingyu's throat visibly moved.

"In exchange."

Jiang Ran's voice, though weak, carried an undeniable authority: "Your medical skills, your life, from today onward, belong to this ship."

Su Qingyu fell silent for a moment.

She glanced outside at the still-raging storm, then looked at this iron fortress filled with a sense of security.

Finally, her gaze settled on Jiang Ran's stern face.

"Deal."

She extended her hand, her voice clear and firm: "Captain."

Jiang Ran reached out and grasped the hand that had just saved his life. "Welcome aboard, Dr. Su."