Chapter 38

The man standing before him looked to be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, standing at about 1.8 meters tall, wearing glasses, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, a well-proportioned face, and a neat short haircut. He looked sunny and steady, making people feel good at first sight... Is this really Zhou Ruinan?!

"Are you Zhou Ruinan?" Ma Le swallowed, asking somewhat disbelievingly. Doctor Zhou found Ma Le's attitude a bit strange and hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Yes, it's me. Have you met me before?"

Ma Le quickly shook his head, "No..." As he spoke, he took out his phone and secretly glanced at the screen, his expression relaxing. He extended his right hand, "Thank you, Doctor Zhou, thank you for taking care of my father these past few days!"

Seeing Ma Le become more relaxed, Doctor Zhou also relaxed and shook his hand, "It's my duty. Since Uncle Ma is under my care, I will treat him like my own father and do my best to help him recover as soon as possible!"

They exchanged a few pleasantries, and Doctor Zhou also inquired about Uncle Ma's condition, made some notes, and then left. Ma Le plopped down in a chair. Just now, he had secretly used the Miracle Badge to scan this Zhou Ruinan and found that he was indeed just an ordinary person. Could it really be a coincidence that they had the same name?

Ma Le thought about it but still felt something was off. The name Zhou Ruinan wasn't that common, how could he run into two people with the same name who were both doctors? Thinking of this, Ma Le asked Ma Xiaoxiao, "Is there a doctor in this hospital who is not very tall, maybe less than 1.7 meters, looks to be in his thirties, doesn't wear glasses, and has a bit of a temper?"

Ma Xiaoxiao shrugged, "This hospital is so big, how would I know?" Ma Le added, "This person should be a friend or rival of Doctor Zhou, or at least have some connection. Can you think of anyone?"

Ma Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, thought carefully, and suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean Zhao Renfan!"

"Zhao Renfan?" Ma Le was puzzled, what a lousy name. Ma Xiaoxiao added, "Is this person short and thin, with small eyes, slightly dark skin, and looks a bit sleazy?" Ma Le thought about it and found it roughly fitting, nodding, "Yes, is there really such a person?"

Ma Xiaoxiao huffed, her tone slightly dissatisfied, "Of course there is. The first time I came to visit Uncle Ma, I couldn't find the ward. This guy happened to pass by, so I asked him for directions. He acted as if he had eaten something dirty and said, 'Can't you see for yourself?' I thought this doctor was so rude and started arguing with him. He pushed me away very roughly, small in stature but strong! If Doctor Zhou hadn't passed by to mediate and show me the way, I would have complained about him! Later, I heard from the nurses that this doctor is named Zhao Renfan, known for his bad temper and mental issues. Everyone calls him 'Zhao Renfan' behind his back!"

Ma Le thought it must be him. Ma Xiaoxiao, though academically excellent, was not a bookworm. She loved sports, especially taekwondo, and was the captain of the university taekwondo team, known for her well-rounded abilities. Ma Le had also scanned her with the Miracle Badge, and her strength was as high as 4 points, 30% stronger than the average man. The thin and small Zhao Renfan had casually pushed away Ma Xiaoxiao, who was proficient in taekwondo and very strong, so this guy was definitely not simple. Ma Le estimated that this Zhao Renfan was the senior Zhou Ruinan, who had assumed his colleague's name!

Thinking of this, Ma Le's heart raced again. If Zhao Renfan was indeed the senior, then wouldn't he and his family be in danger in this hospital? Thinking of this, Ma Le decided to investigate first. He stood up and said to Ma Xiaoxiao, "Sister Xiao, you stay here for a bit, I need to go out and do something!"

Ma Xiaoxiao, not knowing Ma Le's thoughts, nodded in agreement. Ma Le thanked her and left the ward, walked to the toilet, found a stall, and made sure no one could see him. He activated his mimicry ability to transform into Anderson's appearance and changed his clothes. In this form, Zhao Renfan would definitely not recognize him.

Ma Le left the toilet and asked a nurse about Zhao Renfan's whereabouts. She told him that he was currently on rounds with the chief, probably on the seventh floor. Ma Le went down to the seventh floor and indeed saw a group of white-coated doctors coming out of a ward from a distance. Among them was a small man whose demeanor and behavior were very similar to Zhou Ruinan from the Slaughter World! Ma Le scanned him from a distance with the Miracle Badge but got no information, as expected, this guy was an adventurer!

The scanning ability of the Miracle Badge could accurately scan the basic information of ordinary people but was ineffective against adventurers, which was an important way for adventurers to recognize each other in the real world! Incidentally, the scanning attribute limit of the Miracle Badge was 10 points. Even when scanning ordinary people, if a person's attribute exceeded 10 points, that attribute would be displayed as unknown.

Ma Le was almost certain that this Zhao Renfan was the original Zhou Ruinan! Although there were some differences in appearance, his demeanor and behavior were almost identical. After all, adventurers used a different face in Miracle City and mission worlds, and this should be his true appearance.

After confirming his identity, Ma Le's first reaction was to run! This guy had once injured Alex, and although Ma Le had become much stronger by luck, he still had no chance against such a skilled opponent. Although adventurers' false attributes in the real world could only be 20% effective, who knew what powerful skills he might have. Moreover, for Ma Le to use his full strength, he needed to revert to his original form, and if he was recognized and informed the other team members, he would be in real trouble.

His mind was a mess, and Ma Le slowly walked down the stairs, went to the back of the hospital to take a walk, and pondered what to do next. His father's hospital records listed his mother's name, so they should be safe for now and didn't need to be discharged urgently. However, this meant he shouldn't be in the hospital too often... But even if he didn't come to the hospital, they were still living in the same city. Who knew if they might run into each other on the street? Sigh, it was his own fault for not being able to change his appearance in the trial world...

As Ma Le was agonizing, he walked further and further into the secluded area. The hospital was built on a hill, and the back door led directly to a mountain path. With Ma Le's physical condition, even if he couldn't walk on walls, he could easily traverse the mountains. So he ignored the mountain path and walked directly through the forest, deep into the woods. When he realized it, he was surrounded by trees and didn't know where he was.

"Damn, how did I get lost?" Ma Le muttered, turned around, and planned to go back, but found someone standing in front of him, it was Zhao Renfan! Ma Le's heart skipped a beat, had he been discovered?

Zhao Renfan chuckled and walked forward, "Brother, it's not polite to scan people with your badge!"

Ma Le, realizing he was still in Anderson's appearance, breathed a sigh of relief. He pretended to be calm, "Oh, big brother, I was rash. I thought you looked extraordinary and couldn't resist scanning you. I didn't mean to offend you, please forgive me!"

Seeing Ma Le's submissive attitude, Zhao Renfan became even more arrogant, "Kid, let me give you a piece of advice. In the real world, don't scan people if your perception is less than 20 points, you might run into trouble! But you're lucky, you ran into me. Today, I'll be generous..." He paused, his tone turning dark, "And send you to heaven!"

As he spoke, Zhao Renfan pulled out a surgical knife and lunged. But he didn't expect Ma Le to react even faster, advancing instead of retreating, and pouncing on him first, grabbing his wrist and tackling him to the ground!

Ma Le had seen this guy's selfish and cruel nature in the Slaughter World and knew he wouldn't let him off in this situation. So while he pretended to submit, he had already prepared to fight. The moment Zhao Renfan turned, he launched a surprise attack!

Zhao Renfan's strength was around 110 points, and his agility was as high as 160 points. Even among seniors, such attributes made him a top-tier powerhouse! But in the real world, his false attributes were reduced by 80%, so his effective strength was less than 40 points, and his agility was only about 60 points. Being caught in close combat, he was temporarily overpowered by Ma Le. They wrestled on the ground, with Ma Le tightly controlling the hand holding the surgical knife and continuously attacking, determined not to give him a chance to breathe.

Zhao Renfan, in a panic, activated his bone-shrinking skill, instantly breaking free from Ma Le's grip, and then used an invisibility skill to hide. He never expected this kid to have such high real-world attributes. When he detected the scan, Zhao Renfan assumed the other's perception was less than half of his, probably around 17 or 18 points. Generally, even martial arts types would increase their perception to protect themselves in unpredictable battles, so low perception usually indicated weak strength. But he didn't expect this kid to be so one-sided, with strength and agility both over 40 points, but perception only in the teens!

But it didn't matter, Zhao Renfan licked the surgical knife and watched Ma Le with a sinister smile, thinking: This kid, based on his attributes, should be a senior, but his combat experience is clearly lacking. With my 57 points of agility in the real world, it shouldn't be hard to play with him! Thinking of this, Zhao Renfan secretly gathered his qi.

Ma Le stood in the woods, alertly observing, but couldn't find Zhao Renfan. He thought about running, but if he made an enemy today, Zhao Renfan would surely keep an eye on him. If he checked the surveillance and saw his original appearance, his parents and Ma Xiaoxiao would be in danger. The only way was to fight to the death here!

Suddenly, Ma Le heard a movement behind him, a cold wind rushed towards him. He instinctively turned and punched, but only hit a mist of water. Just as he was puzzled, he felt a chill in his lower back. Turning around, he saw Zhao Renfan crouching behind him, looking up with a sinister smile, the surgical knife already embedded in his waist...