"Zhang Yang, what's wrong? What happened?" Wang Lu asked quickly. In the few days she had been interacting with Zhang Yang, she had never seen him look so serious.

Zhang Yang stood up and said, "Nothing, I have something urgent. Shi Yan, please ask for leave for me. I need to step out for a bit!"

After saying this to Shi Yan, he hurried away, leaving his unfinished meal on the table.

"Why did he leave in such a hurry? I hadn't even finished what I was saying!"

Wang Lu pouted. She had just wanted to pour out her grievances, but Zhang Yang had run off, leaving her with no one to talk to.

What she wanted to say was that she didn't know what was wrong with those teachers today; they kept targeting her, nitpicking every little thing she did.

If there was the slightest mistake, they pointed it out immediately. Pointing out mistakes was fine; it could help her gain experience, and indeed, she had gained a lot that afternoon.

But deducting points for every minor error—she had lost quite a few points that afternoon—that was what truly upset her.

She could have shared these grievances with Gao Fei and the others, but right now, she only acknowledged Zhang Yang. Telling him made her feel slightly better. With Zhang Yang gone, she could only keep bottling it up.

"Yin Yong, I'm a little worried. Why don't you follow him and see what's going on?"

Shi Yan watched Zhang Yang's retreating back and suddenly spoke. Yin Yong froze for a moment.

Yin Yong said, "What about our activity? If we skip duty tonight, the consequences will be severe!"

Shi Yan looked up at Yin Yong and retorted, "Is Zhang Yang more important, or is the activity more important?"

Hearing this, Yin Yong immediately stood up and bolted out the door without looking back.

The activity was certainly important; skipping the scheduled night duty could lead to immediate expulsion from the event if the infraction was serious. However, Shi Yan's words had struck a chord with him.

Compared to this activity, Zhang Yang was undoubtedly far more important. Even if they didn't achieve great results this time, they would have future chances.

But Zhang Yang was different. Zhang Yang was the best talent their school possessed, their greatest pride. With Zhang Yang around, achieving good results and honors was never an issue.

Yin Yong understood this, which was why he followed immediately.

"No, this needs to be reported to Professor Zhu. He must know!"

After Yin Yong left, Shi Yan murmured to herself. She couldn't even bother eating and rushed out to make a phone call.

They had already lost significant points for being late the other night. Skipping duty this time would only give their opponents leverage to potentially erase the first place they had worked so hard to secure.

Though they all claimed 'friendship first, competition second,' no one truly wanted anything less than the gold medal. Haven't you seen how ecstatic everyone is when a compatriot wins gold, while even bronze is often overlooked?

"Zhang Yang, what on earth is happening?"

Zhang Yang was walking fast, and Yin Yong sprinted, finally catching up to him at the hospital entrance.

He was panting heavily by the time he arrived.

Zhang Yang frowned slightly and asked softly, "Why are you here?"

"Shi Yan sent me. She was worried about you. What happened?" Yin Yong asked slowly, his face also showing concern. Zhang Yang's expression was so grave that it made him somewhat anxious and even fearful.

"It's nothing much. An elder of a friend is ill; I have to rush over to help," Zhang Yang said quietly. He suddenly thought of something, quickly pulled out his phone, made a call, and just as he finished, a taxi pulled up. Zhang Yang immediately got in.

"An elder? Whose elder?"

Yin Yong followed him into the car and casually asked again. Zhang Yang gave the driver an address, then turned to look at Yin Yong.

Seeing Zhang Yang looking at him, Yin Yong quickly said, "Don't look at me like that. Shi Yan said it was a choice between the activity and you, so I came!"

"You two!"

Zhang Yang suddenly chuckled. What Yin Yong said was amusing, but the meaning was clear. They all cared about him and valued him, which was why Yin Yong had followed. This feeling of being valued was excellent, and Zhang Yang knew they were all genuinely concerned.

Zhang Yang said softly, "Do you remember the reception last time? There was Young Master Gu Fang. It's his elder who is in trouble!"

Yin Yong was slightly stunned and blurted out, "It's him?"

Yin Yong had a profound memory of Gu Fang—a true young master who drove a limited-edition Bugatti, dressed in designer labels, and possessed refined conversation skills. Unfortunately, their social statuses were too disparate; they were just students that night and didn't even dare approach him.

Zhang Yang nodded. "It's his maternal grandfather. His grandfather suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and is currently in emergency surgery. It's extremely critical this time!"

As he spoke, he recalled the phone call he had just received. Gu Fang's maternal grandfather was being resuscitated at Shanghai People's Hospital, the best hospital in Shanghai, with top experts from Beijing and even overseas consulting. Simply put, every expert they could summon had been brought in.

Yet, even these experts had no solution, and they had issued several critical condition notices. Gu Fang, having exhausted all options, finally thought of Zhang Yang and called him immediately. It wasn't that he doubted Zhang Yang's medical skills, but the onset had been too sudden, and he hadn't thought of everything at the moment.

This wasn't the crucial part, though. The most important detail was the name Gu Fang gave for his grandfather.

Gu Fang's maternal grandfather's surname was Qiao.

Saving Elder Qiao—this was the Level Five mission he had just accepted. Since Gu Fang's grandfather was surnamed Qiao and his condition was so complicated, Zhang Yang immediately connected the dots. Then, the system gave him a prompt: mission subject appeared. The person he needed to save was indeed Gu Fang's maternal grandfather, Elder Qiao.

Thinking of this mission, Zhang Yang felt a touch of helplessness. Gu Fang's background was clearly extraordinary; being a leading figure among Shanghai's young elite implied a distinguished lineage, and a relative so highly valued by him must also hold a significant status. The reality confirmed this, as Gu Fang mentioned in the call that numerous experts from Beijing and abroad had come, proving the point. Level Five missions were never easy. A disease that stumped so many top specialists was unimaginably difficult, almost a death sentence.

The First Affiliated Hospital of Tongji wasn't far from Shanghai People's Hospital. Despite some traffic congestion, Zhang Yang arrived in half an hour. Someone was already waiting for him at the entrance.

The person standing there had a small white sable sleeping on one shoulder and a small white mouse on the other. These two little creatures suddenly lifted their heads, and upon spotting Zhang Yang, they both bolted toward him, changing their spots.

"I took care of you two for days, and you run off without even a goodbye. That's not very nice!" Long Feng shook his head with a wry smile. The two little ones had run too fast; they were gone before he could react.

"Squeak squeak!" "Chirp chirp!"

Lightning, which had already leaped onto Zhang Yang's shoulder, and Shadowless, which had hidden inside the canvas bag, both chirped toward Long Feng, seemingly comforting him. Zhang Yang had been too busy at the hospital these past two days to take them with him. The two little ones had stayed with Long Feng, becoming familiar with him. At least they were willing to stay on Long Feng's person.

Long Feng had thought that in the little creatures' minds, he might have been able to rival Zhang Yang slightly, perhaps making Zhang Yang a little jealous. But he never expected that the moment they saw Zhang Yang, they would betray him so completely. While it left him helpless, it also stung his heart a bit.

"Brother Long, how are you so fast?"

Zhang Yang asked with a smile. He had called Long Feng when he reached the hospital entrance, asking him to come over as well. Elder Qiao's illness this time certainly wouldn't be simple, and Zhang Yang needed to be fully prepared, summoning everyone around him who could offer assistance. Long Feng couldn't treat illnesses, but he possessed Internal Strength and could offer help in a critical moment. Plus, there was Shadowless; its body stored quite a few spiritual elixirs, and perhaps one of them might prove useful.

"I was already nearby. You called, so I came over!" Long Feng shrugged. He had nothing planned today and had gone out for a walk, partly because the two little ones were tired of staying in the room.

Long Feng didn't often move around the city. Occasionally coming out provided a pleasant sense of novelty.

"Brother Long!"

Yin Yong also walked over and greeted Long Feng. Zhang Yang stopped talking, took out his phone, and started making another call while walking inside. Gu Fang's maternal grandfather was in this hospital, likely in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) right now. Zhang Yang didn't know the exact status of his condition.

The call connected quickly. Gu Fang told Zhang Yang to come to the Emergency Building, and he would meet him there right away. The Emergency Building wasn't far. Zhang Yang arrived just as he spotted Gu Fang, who seemed to have just come out.

Gu Fang had lost all his former swagger. His face looked haggard, and his eyes were red; he looked like he had been crying.

"How long has it been?"

Upon seeing Gu Fang, Zhang Yang didn't mince words and asked directly. At this moment, he couldn't afford pleasantries. This wasn't just Gu Fang's grandfather; it was tied to one of his missions. Upon completion, he would gain Internal Strength and enhance all his physical functions. Failure could result in a regression of all his abilities.

"Two days!" Gu Fang replied softly, his voice hoarse. He hadn't slept much during these two days, staying constantly at the hospital.

"Why didn't you call me sooner?" Zhang Yang asked again, his tone slightly heavier this time. Gu Fang had invited him before, but to not call him when the situation arose felt like a lack of sincerity, and Zhang Yang felt it appropriate to express some reservation.

"I brought it up when I went back last time, but my family didn't agree. I planned to work on them for a few more days, but then Grandpa suddenly fell ill, and in my panic, I forgot. Zhang Yang, I'm sorry!" Gu Fang explained slowly, a look of apology on his face. Not calling someone until they were desperate truly was improper, whether viewed as placing importance on Zhang Yang or, less charitably, as grasping at straws when facing a dire situation.

"We don't need to discuss that now. Take me to see him immediately!"

Zhang Yang waved his hand. He didn't have time to dwell on that point with Gu Fang; saving a life was paramount, and besides, he didn't want his mission to fail.

Gu Fang nodded and walked ahead without another word. Soon, they arrived at a floor where the hallway was already crowded. Seeing Gu Fang, many people moved aside to let them pass.

A hundred-chapter bonus update, leading into Chapter Ninety-Two. Xiao Yu went home today, drove the whole way, and is very tired. So, today will follow the normal update schedule: two guaranteed chapters plus two bonus chapters. Xiao Yu still owes four chapters, but I assure everyone those four chapters will definitely be made up.