"Congratulations to the host for successfully killing the supervillain Block Longmulo, completing your first battle with a character from the story after crossing over and achieving victory. The host will receive the reward 'Encouragement from the System,' which will now be distributed."
"Great job, host!"
"The reward has been distributed. Please keep up the good work!"
Hearing the system's prompt, Clark couldn't stop the twitching at the corners of his mouth.
This was indeed encouragement from the system!
Apart from encouragement, there was nothing substantial! And to think, Crossbones was a key villain. Was he really worth so little? Moreover, when did this god-level BGM system start becoming humorous?
However, upon hearing the system's prompt, Clark gave up the idea of going back to give Crossbones another strike. He turned his head to look at Nalan Qing, who was still bleeding from his wounds behind the trash can.
"Big brother!"
At that moment, Nalan Bai also rushed over from the alley behind, looking anxiously at Nalan Qing, who couldn't get up, unsure of what to do.
From her tear-stained face, it was evident that she had been secretly watching the battle from the sidelines.
But Bai, after all, came from a martial arts background. Although she had not practiced martial arts herself, she had seen enough scenes to know that jumping out in that situation would only cause more chaos. So, she just hid and watched silently until everything settled down before running out.
Turning off the BGM, Clark, enduring the severe pain in his arm, untied the weight again and threw it aside. He then asked Nalan Bai, "You guys came here?"
"You forgot to ask me for your Walkman when you left. Big brother drove me here especially to bring it to you," Nalan Bai explained. "I didn't expect to see you fighting with that guy wearing a skull mask when we arrived. Big brother told me to hide on the side and then he charged up with a bat himself."
Hearing Nalan Bai's explanation, Clark couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart.
He hadn't actually forgotten about the Walkman. Seeing that Bai was enjoying it, he just didn't ask for it back. After all, it was just an ornament to him; he could always buy a new one later.
He hadn't expected this casual decision to involve them both in this big trouble, causing Nalan Qing to be seriously injured.
Now was not the time for reflection. Clark immediately said to Nalan Bai, "It's good that you have a car. Help me carry your brother to the car and rush him to the hospital."
"But your arm..."
"It won't kill me!"
With Nalan Bai's limited strength and Clark's injured arm, it took all their effort to finally get Nalan Qing into the car.
Fortunately, the Nalan family's car was a medium-sized van, spacious enough for Bai to help Nalan Qing lie down in the back seat. Without lifting her head, she said to Clark, "I'll take care of my brother. You drive."
Clark: ...
Hesitating for a moment, Clark finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Um, Bai, do you know how to drive?"
"I don't..." Nalan Bai turned her head to look at Clark, then asked somewhat embarrassingly, "You can drive with one hand, right?"
Clark's face turned red: "It's not a matter of how many hands I have; the problem is I don't know how to drive."
"Do you need help?" Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. Turning around, they saw a man with a bow and arrow, wearing an eyepatch, smiling harmlessly at them.
Clark was startled, then quickly said, "Hello, my name is Clark. You can also call me Clark Lee. May I ask who you are?"
Receiving +10 impression points from Clinton Francis Barton!
Clinton Francis Barton? Hawkeye?
Another character from the story!
Unaware that his identity had been revealed under Clark's cheat-like true name recognition ability, Hawkeye continued to play coy, "If I wanted to reveal my identity, I wouldn't be wearing an eyepatch. But don't worry, I only have a driver's license, no ill intentions."
Seeing his outfit, which resembled that of a circus performer, it seemed Hawkeye had not yet joined SHIELD.
And if he really had ill intentions, given Clark's current state as a one-armed hero, he wouldn't likely play tricks.
Realizing the key point, Clark nodded at Hawkeye: "Then we'll have to trouble you."
Hawkeye didn't hesitate, directly taking the driver's seat: "Where to?"
"The hospital," Clark paused briefly before adding, "The best hospital in New York!"
...
Upon arriving at the hospital, the unnamed Hawkeye discreetly disappeared, while Clark, with the help of medical staff, sent Nalan Qing to the emergency room and stayed himself.
"Oh, isn't this Clark? You're here again."
The nurse treating Clark's wounds happened to be the same one who took care of him during his last hospital stay. He remembered her name was something like Christine, but he hadn't thought to ask her full name at the time, being preoccupied with quantum realm issues.
Her way of greeting was indeed hard to respond to.
But Clark wasn't in the mood for retorts, quickly asking, "How's the situation?"
"The situation isn't good," Nurse Christine sighed, shaking her head. "Apart from the bullet, there's a lot of iron sand that was driven into your muscle tissue along with the bullet. Surgery is required to remove all the iron sand, otherwise, your body, which heals faster than normal people, will only make the situation worse."
"I'm not asking about me!" Clark said after listening to her talk about his own wounds, quickly asking, "What about the patient who came with me, the one who was shot in the abdomen? How is he?"
"His situation is even worse," Christine said. "The bullet penetrated his left kidney, causing massive bleeding. The difficulty of the suturing surgery is extremely high, and ordinary doctors simply can't handle such surgery."
Nalan Qing was rushed to the emergency room, and Nalan Bai, who had come with him, could only wait for news with Clark. As soon as Christine shared this internal news, Bai immediately burst into tears.
"Don't panic, Bai. There must be a way," Clark hurriedly comforted Nalan Bai, then turned to Christine and asked, "You said ordinary doctors can't handle this surgery, which means extraordinary doctors can, right?"
Christine nodded, "As far as I know, only Dr. Stephen Strange is more confident in handling such surgery, but he just went off duty not long ago and never agrees to work overtime. And if the patient's condition is not treated in time, he may not last until tomorrow morning."
Hearing Christine's words, Nalan Bai's tears flowed again.
Clark patted her shoulder with his good right hand, whispering comfortingly, "Don't worry, I'll figure something out."
"Stephen Strange, huh? I'll get him to work overtime."
"Miss Christine, could you please give me Dr. Strange's phone number?"