Chapter 38

He jumped out of bed, grabbed his coat, slipped on his shoes, and rushed out the door without a second thought. Recalling the appearance of the rats after being bitten by Xiaoqing, and the scene of Qian, who was poisoned by a snake on Beishan Mountain, he was filled with a single thought: I was bitten by Xiaoqing; I must get to the hospital as soon as possible.

As he emerged from the building, he noticed that it had started snowing at some point, and a thin layer of snow had already accumulated on the ground.

He lived in a remote neighborhood, and it was late at night, so he couldn't find a taxi nearby. Fortunately, the hospital was not too far from his neighborhood, only about two to three miles away. He immediately ran in the direction of the hospital.

Lacking first aid experience, he didn't know that running would accelerate the onset of snake venom. In a panic, he ran as fast as he could. His heart raced, and his ears burned, making him even more afraid. He thought to himself: The venom must have taken effect. If I don't get to the hospital in time, I'll end up like Qian, dying from the poison.

The more anxious he became, the faster he ran. In just a few minutes, he reached the hospital.

The hospital was open 24/7, and the main entrance was wide open. Without pausing to catch his breath, he rushed inside and into the main hall.

Glancing around the hall, he saw that the nurse at the reception desk was dozing off. He panted heavily and asked urgently, "Nurse, I was bitten by a venomous snake. Which department should I go to?"

Without opening her eyes, the nurse replied indifferently, "Third floor, Hematology Department."

In his condition, he should have gone to the emergency room, but he didn't ask in detail, and the nurse, who was dozing off, didn't give a clear answer.

He had never been seriously ill and was unfamiliar with hospital procedures. He had either endured minor illnesses or bought medicine from the pharmacy. Without thinking, he ran to the third floor.

Following the signs, he found the Hematology Department. The on-duty doctor was a chubby man in his thirties wearing glasses, who was looking down at a medical record.

Seeing the doctor, Xumo felt a sense of relief. He burst into the room and said urgently, "Doctor, I was bitten by a venomous snake. Please take a look." He extended his finger toward the doctor.

The doctor looked up at him and asked, "Have you registered?"

Xumo was taken aback, realizing he had forgotten to register. He said hurriedly, "I was bitten by a venomous snake and fear it will take effect soon. Please take a look first, and I'll register afterward."

The doctor waved his hand and said, "Go register first."

Xumo, still not understanding what was happening, pleaded again, "I'm afraid I won't make it. Doctor, please take a look first. I'll register immediately."

The doctor turned away and resumed looking at the medical record, ignoring him.

Xumo, feeling both panicked and afraid, said again, "Please, doctor." He extended his finger once more.

The doctor suddenly slammed his hand on the desk and shouted angrily, "Can't you hear? I said go register first. Do you not understand human language?"

Xumo, feeling angry but forced to hold back, asked urgently, "Where do I register?"

The doctor, impatient, replied, "First floor," and ignored him again.

Xumo had no choice but to go down to the first floor. As he returned to the main hall, he saw a security guard nearby and asked hurriedly, "Sir, where do I register?"

The security guard pointed in the direction. Xumo, in a rush, thanked him and hurried to the registration window.

Since it was late at night, there was no queue at the registration window. Xumo quickly approached the window and shouted, "Registration."

The young male nurse on duty, who was writing something, didn't look up and asked coldly, "Which department?"

Xumo answered quickly, "Hematology."

"Five yuan," the young nurse said, extending his hand.

Xumo reached into his pocket to get the money but his face changed when he realized he had forgotten his wallet in his haste.

After being bitten by Xiaoqing, he was in a panic, fearing that he would die from the poison if not treated in time. He hadn't thought about such details.

Facing this situation, he was instantly terrified, thinking: If I go back now, it will be too late. I might die from the poison on the way.

He looked up at the window. The nurse, seeing that he hadn't paid, had already withdrawn his hand.

Xumo, feeling helpless, asked in a low voice, "I forgot my wallet. Can you register me first? I'll bring the money back immediately."

The nurse showed no reaction, as if he hadn't heard.

Xumo continued, "Can you lend me five yuan? I'll pay you back soon." He was not good at begging, but his words were almost a plea.

He knew little about hospital procedures and only wanted to register, not realizing that even if he registered, he would still need to pay before receiving treatment.

The nurse still ignored him.

Xumo, not wanting to say more, thought of Qian's tragic death and felt a chill. He shouted, "I was bitten by a venomous snake. If I don't get treated, I'll die soon."

The nurse remained calm, not even blinking, and continued writing.

People nearby turned to look at him. Xumo glanced at them, but they quickly turned away.

Seeing this, Xumo's face turned ashen. He wanted to beg, but didn't know whom to beg. His remaining pride prevented him from asking for help.

Feeling desolate, he wanted to curse but had no strength, and he didn't know whom to blame. Finally, he gritted his teeth and made a quick decision: I'll go back for the money. Even if I die on the way, I won't beg anyone.

He ran home without further thought. In his haste, he stumbled and fell at the entrance of the hall, landing on the ground.

The fall was severe, and he felt numb and painful all over. He struggled to get up and, by chance, looked at his bitten finger, letting out a surprised "Huh."

Xiaoqing had bitten his right middle finger, leaving two tiny wounds. In the light from the hospital's street lamps and the snow, he saw that the tiny wounds had already scabbed over.

He slowly got up and gently pressed the scab with his thumb. Apart from a slight pain, there was no other abnormality.

He suddenly felt something was wrong. Normally, a venomous snake bite should cause the wound to turn black and feel numb, spreading to other parts of the body. But he felt nothing like that.

Curious, he pressed the scab harder, causing it to reopen and bleed. He returned to the hall and examined the blood under the light. The blood was red.

"Could it be..." He suddenly felt a surge of hope and thought, "I wasn't poisoned? Although Xiaoqing feeds on the venom sacs of other poisonous insects, it might not be venomous itself?"

His guess was not entirely correct. Although Xiaoqing feeds on the venom sacs of other insects, it secretes the venom through its saliva. Recently, it had been feeding on colored toxic powder, secreting a hallucinogenic powder.

The hallucinogenic powder is a type of poison, but its effect is hallucinogenic and wouldn't harm him.

He had been too panicked after being bitten to think clearly. If he had examined the wound more carefully, he wouldn't have gone through such a ordeal.

Realizing he was fine, he felt a great relief and quickly calmed down, feeling extremely lucky. He composed himself and headed home.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the ground. Xumo was startled and almost fell again.

He looked up and saw a distant flash of fire, lighting up half the sky like daylight. White light and thick black smoke spread, and a strong, pungent odor quickly filled the air.

He looked in the direction of the fire and felt a sudden, intense sense of unease. That direction was where his rented house was.

People in the hospital hall also ran out to look in that direction.

Thinking of Xiaoqing and worried about its safety, Xumo didn't hesitate and ran back. Along the way, many people had come out of their homes, either looking in that direction or heading there.

The sounds of police cars and fire trucks grew louder, overtaking him and heading in that direction.

Seeing this, Xumo became even more anxious. As he ran closer to his home, the fire grew larger, the smoke thicker, and the pungent odor stronger.

He returned to his neighborhood and, from the square outside, saw a large crowd gathered at the intersection, blocked by police barriers.

He approached the crowd, squeezed through, and stood on tiptoe to look inside. Several fire trucks were parked, and numerous firefighters were busy extinguishing the fire.

His rented house was in the middle of the fire, now reduced to rubble. As expected, the explosion had occurred in his rented house.

He was overwhelmed with anxiety and shouted, "Xiaoqing!" before fainting.

——

PS: The last paragraph wasn't written well. I'll look at it later to see how to revise it. Also, Xiaoqing won't appear again until the sixth volume, where it will transform into a human.