Chapter 14: After the Rain

“Hold on!” Officer Li shouted. “We only have a limited number of harpoons—just hold on a little longer and we’ll survive!”

Before anyone could respond, another scream pierced the air.

Turning their heads, they saw it was Tian Tian.

Unlike Xiao Ran, who had been lucky, the harpoon had pierced clean through her palm.

Temporarily robbed of strength, Tian Tian’s grip faltered, and the tabletop in front of her was knocked askew by the whistling harpoons.

“Watch out!”

Qiao Jiajin gritted his teeth and reached out to steady the tabletop in front of Tian Tian.

In that split-second gap, a harpoon shot through the opening with deadly precision, impaling Han Yimo’s shoulder.

Han Yimo let out a pained scream, but his hands remained tightly clenched around the tabletop.

“Stay calm!”

Officer Li steadied Han Yimo with one hand and then spread his arms, bracing half of the tabletop for him.

Qiao Jiajin didn’t hesitate either, reaching out to support Tian Tian’s side of the table.

Fortunately, the two of them were incredibly strong, and the formation began to stabilize once more.

As the impacts gradually lessened, everyone realized just how well-thought-out this formation was.

Had they followed Officer Li and Dr. Zhao’s initial idea—placing the tabletops haphazardly and holding them vertically—the harpoons would have easily pierced straight through.

But the “bamboo shoots after rain” arrangement ensured that harpoons from all five directions struck the tabletops at an angle, drastically reducing their penetrating force.

Especially the harpoons raining from above—their trajectories were altered by the conical shape of the formation.

After a while, the sounds outside the tabletops ceased entirely.

“Is it over?” Han Yimo asked through gritted teeth.

“Wait another minute,” Qi Xia replied.

They held the tabletops for another minute in silence, confirming that there was indeed no more movement outside.

Qiao Jiajin cautiously peeked through a gap.

“Dang it…” He was instantly stunned by the sight before him.

The others slowly lowered the tabletops, revealing a room littered with harpoons—embedded in the floor, the tabletops, everywhere.

The two corpses on the ground were even more gruesome, now resembling porcupines with their bodies riddled with harpoons.

Each harpoon was tethered to a rope that led back to the holes in the walls, leaving the room in complete disarray.

Without hesitation, Dr. Zhao rolled up his sleeves and approached Han Yimo.

His condition was serious—the harpoon had pierced his shoulder and needed immediate attention.

Han Yimo slowly sat down, forcing a bitter smile. “I was just thinking how unlucky I might be… and sure enough, I got hit.”

Tian Tian looked deeply guilty and quickly apologized to him.

But everyone knew it wasn’t her fault—she had also been wounded, with a harpoon puncturing her palm.

“Hey, pretty girl, come here,” Qiao Jiajin beckoned. “I can bandage you up.”

“Huh?” Tian Tian blinked. “You know how to dress wounds?”

“A little bit.”

Qiao Jiajin tore a strip of fabric from the dead goat-headed figure’s suit and split it into two.

One piece was tightly wrapped around Tian Tian’s arm to stop the bleeding, while the other was carefully wound around her wound.

“I used to get hurt a lot on the streets, so I picked up some first aid,” Qiao Jiajin explained.

Tian Tian nodded faintly, saying nothing.

For the first time since arriving here, the group had a moment of quiet—as if they had temporarily escaped death’s shadow.

Yet there were still no doors in sight, and this damned room continued to trap them.

Where the hell were they?

And what lay beyond this room?

Less than a minute later, a sigh came from Dr. Zhao’s direction.

Qi Xia turned and saw that the doctor, who had been tending to Han Yimo, now wore a troubled expression.

“What’s wrong?” Officer Li asked. “Is the wound serious?”

“The wound isn’t the issue,” Dr. Zhao shook his head. “But I can’t remove the harpoon.”

The others gathered closer and saw the problem for themselves.

The harpoon’s tip had a barb—pulling it out would cause even greater damage.

But the harpoon’s tail was still attached to the rope.

At this moment, Han Yimo was like a speared fish—no matter where he went, that rope would keep him tethered.

“The only way is to cut the rope and pull the harpoon out from the front,” Dr. Zhao said, looking up. “But I don’t have anything sharp.”

Han Yimo’s lips were pale, the harpoon lodged in his shoulder blade causing unbearable pain.

“Use another harpoon,” Officer Li said decisively. “It’s sharp—it’ll work as a blade.”

“That’ll have to do,” Dr. Zhao nodded. “Han Yimo, I need you to lie down in the most relaxed position possible. We’ll cut the rope on your back—take your time. Be careful with the harpoon in front—we don’t want to worsen the injury.”

Han Yimo nodded and began shifting slowly, wincing in pain.

Qi Xia watched the scene, a sense of unease growing.

Take their time?

Did they really have the luxury of time in a situation like this?

His eyes scanned the ropes strewn across the floor, and a dark premonition surfaced.

If he was right, they were still racing against the clock.

“We can’t take our time!” Qi Xia suddenly spoke up. “Get that harpoon out now!”

He strode over to the doctor and said firmly to Han Yimo, “Bear with it—I’m pulling it out right now!”

Han Yimo looked confused but didn’t resist.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Dr. Zhao shoved Qi Xia angrily. “You’ll make his injury worse!”

“There’s no time! If we waste another second, he’ll die!” Qi Xia pushed back, grabbing the harpoon embedded in Han Yimo’s back.

A scream tore through the air.

The barbed harpoon had gone in easily—but pulling it out was agony.

“Hey!” Officer Li rushed over, yanking Qi Xia away. “Are you trying to kill him?!”

Thwarted twice, Qi Xia’s expression darkened.

“I get that you want to help, but if we don’t act fast, the harpoon will—”

Before he could finish, the sound of chains echoed through the room again, as if some massive mechanism had reactivated.

Followed by Han Yimo’s bloodcurdling scream.

Only then did the others realize—all the harpoons were being retracted by their ropes.

And Han Yimo was being dragged along by the immense force.

Qi Xia had seen this coming—those ropes weren’t just for show. Sooner or later, the harpoons would be reeled back in.

Panicked, the group scrambled after Han Yimo. Officer Li tried to grab the rope and fight the force pulling from the black holes, but it was futile.

The tabletops, riddled with harpoons, were now being torn apart, slowly dragged backward.

This force—strong enough to splinter wood—was beyond human strength to resist.

Despite the excruciating pain, Han Yimo soon realized another problem.

If he was pulled all the way to the wall without the harpoon being removed, he’d be pinned there—left to die.

With this in mind, he struggled to his feet, clutching Qi Xia as he spoke through gritted teeth:

“Get this harpoon out of me. Now.”