Lin Rubi slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was still blurry, but the sound of soft but hurried footsteps began to approach. Within seconds, her eyes focused on the figure of a man standing in front of her—a man with flowing black hair blowing in the wind. The sunlight hit his face, revealing an anxious but determined expression.
"Jiu Fan...?" Lin Rubi's voice sounded weak but full of curiosity. "What are you doing here? How did you get here so fast?"
Jiu Fan turned around, his long black robe flapping softly as he faced her. "This brooch can detect dangerous threatening energy. When it beats fast and glows red, I know you're in trouble. So I immediately followed you from a distance."
Lin Rubi tried to sit up, but her body still felt weak. She looked at Jiu Fan, feeling safe just by looking at him. But their relief was short-lived.
There was the sound of metallic footsteps, mechanical sounds, and the deep grunts of a group of aliens. There were four of them, their bodies towering, silver in color with weapons glowing blue in their hands. Their eyes were bloodshot, and the smell of metal filled the air.
Jiu Fan stared sharply. He raised his hand and pointed at the aliens. "You guys... I didn't expect you to have planned all this. I want to know, who is behind this chaos. Who ordered you to attack Earth?"
The aliens did not give an answer. One of them immediately fired his gun at Jiu Fan. A blue beam shot out at high speed. However, Jiu Fan moved agilely, his body twisted to the left, and he landed lightly like a shadow.
"It turns out this gun can freeze movement. If I get hit, my body will freeze." he muttered while squinting.
Lin Rubi who was behind him warned in an anxious tone. "Jiu Fan, be careful...!"
Jiu Fan only nodded briefly, his focus not shifting from the aliens who were now starting to spread out, trying to flank them from all sides.
But suddenly—one of the aliens fired his gun, but not at Jiu Fan. The direction of the shot was clearly aimed at Lin Rubi.
In an instant, without thinking, Jiu Fan jumped towards Lin Rubi and kicked the energy bullet. With the right force, the bullet spun in the air and turned towards the shooter. A loud bang was heard as the bullet hit the alien's body and froze him in a standing position. His body was now like a metal ice statue.
Several other aliens reacted, but before they could move, the same bullet ricocheted and hit two others. They froze in place, unable to move. Only two aliens were still free, but they looked hesitant.
Jiu Fan stood up again, blocking Lin Rubi with his body. He turned to the woman. "Are you okay?"
Lin Rubi nodded weakly. "I'm fine... thank you..."
Jiu Fan nodded. "Then, I'll take you to work using star teleportation. This is too dangerous a place for you."
"Okay," Lin Rubi replied.
But before Jiu Fan could start his teleportation, the previously calm clear sky rumbled. A spaceship appeared from behind the clouds. It was very large, with its main gun glowing a dazzling red. Without warning, the aircraft fired an energy bullet that was much more powerful than before, straight towards Jiu Fan.
DUGHHHH!!
A red beam of light pierced the sky and shot down. But before the bullet reached Jiu Fan, Lin Rubi suddenly pushed him out of the way.
"NOOOO—!!" Jiu Fan shouted.
A loud bang was heard, and Lin Rubi's body was thrown quite far, falling rolling on the road. Blood began to flow from the wound on his stomach. Jiu Fan immediately ran to him. He knelt down and checked his pulse.
"He's still alive... but his breathing is very weak." Jiu Fan muttered, his voice trembling with emotion.
His eyes were now cold. He stood up slowly, then looked at the aircraft floating in the air. With a simple movement, he snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the sky shook. A huge explosion shook the atmosphere. Flames soared. The aircraft exploded into pieces of fire and metal, falling burning above the ocean.
Without wasting any time, Jiu Fan immediately carried Lin Rubi and activated his star teleportation. In a flash of blue light, their bodies disappeared and reappeared in front of the nearest hospital.
"There's an emergency patient!" Jiu Fan shouted as doctors and nurses came running over.
Lin Rubi was immediately rushed into the emergency room. Jiu Fan could only wait outside, sitting with his head down, his hands shaking. The doctor finally came out and gave the news: Lin Rubi was in a coma.
"She's safe, but her injuries are very deep. It will take a long time for her to regain consciousness," the doctor said.
Days passed. Three nights had passed. On the last night of his vacation, Jiu Fan sat by Lin Rubi's bedside, who was still unconscious. He held her hand tightly.
"I have to go back to Shenzhen. Thank you for helping me back then. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come. I... I'm so happy to have met you. I hope fate will bring us together again. See you..."
He stood up slowly and walked out of the room, leaving behind a shadow of himself full of emotional wounds.
---
Three days passed.
The morning light shone into the hospital room. Lin Rubi's eyes slowly opened. Her breathing was slow but steady. Her eyes stared at the white ceiling, then moved to the right side.
"Jiu Fan... Where are you...?" she said softly.
The doctor who was checking her condition answered softly. "Sorry, the man who brought you to the hospital has left. He said that he had to go back to Shenzhen."
"What...?" Lin Rubi was shocked. "How long was I in a coma?"
"You were in a coma for four days. However, that's a relatively short time for such a serious injury."
Lin Rubi was silent. Her chest felt tight. She gripped her blanket tightly, trying to accept the fact that Jiu Fan was gone.
---
Meanwhile, in Shenzhen city.
Jiu Fan lay on his bed. He stared at the ceiling, his face blank.
"Is he awake...?" he whispered. "I hope he's okay."
He got up slowly, then looked out the window, staring at the dusk sky that was starting to turn dark. The wind blew the curtains, as if bringing news from afar.
"Who is really the mastermind behind all this? Who sent those aliens to earth...?"
He clenched his fists.
"I have to find out. Before it's too late. Before this world is destroyed from within..."
To be continued...