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Pastor Liu solemnly handed the last box of Gleevec, wrapped in kraft paper, to a pale-faced patient.

The patient accepted the gift with trembling hands, his knuckles turning white from the force, his lips shaking as he repeatedly murmured, "Thank you, Pastor Liu! Thank you..."

May the Lord bless you! Amen.

"Amen!"

When he turned around, his previously unsteady and staggering steps seemed to become more grounded, as if the small medicine box had given him the strength to keep going.

Liu Sihui, who was not far away, watched this scene and her tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Pastor Liu's involvement had an immediate and significant effect. His irreplaceable prestige and trust among patients greatly accelerated the distribution of medications.

In just half a month, nearly half of the massive inventory of 7500 boxes had been quietly sold out.

However, while the increased efficiency brought hope, it also quietly ushered in new troubles.

……

Trouble struck unexpectedly one evening.

Liu Sihui and Lü Shouyi had just completed a transaction at an abandoned repair shop in the suburbs and were dragging their tired bodies back to the city when they were stopped at the entrance of a deserted alley.

The man who stopped them was a man in his thirties with a haggard face and sunken eyes. He was a fellow patient who had failed to get a spot in the previous two attempts due to limited availability.

He finally got the medicine, but after the transaction was completed, he suddenly pulled this stunt.

He clung tightly to Lü Shouyi's arm, refusing to let go, his voice filled with a desperate sob: "Brother Lü! Brother Lü, please have mercy! Look at my child, he's only three years old! If I die, and his mother runs off with someone else, what will happen to the child? Can you lower the price a bit? I've only managed to scrape together 1,500, I really can't borrow any more."

Lu Shouyi's heart clenched instantly. Looking at the despair in the other person's eyes, the words "the rules cannot be broken" stuck in his throat, and he couldn't bring himself to say them.

He subconsciously looked at Liu Sihui.

Liu Sihui hardened her heart, pulled him aside, and lowered her voice: "Benefit! Rules are rules! If this loophole is opened, everything will fall into chaos!"

However, the fellow patient became agitated, his voice suddenly rising and sounding particularly jarring in the quiet alley: "Rules? What rules?! You sell them for two thousand a box! How much did you get them from India for? You must be making a killing! We're all just waiting to die, can't you make a little less profit and leave some way for us who are really about to die?! Where is your conscience?!"

These words were like poisoned daggers, piercing deeply into the hearts of Lü Shouyi and Liu Sihui.

They felt a suffocating sense of injustice and panic. How could they have ever made a single penny of dishonest money?

Every penny of profit was immediately converted into the next batch of life-saving medicines, in a continuous cycle.

But faced with this naked plea for survival, all explanations seem so pale and powerless.

Worse still, this sentiment is not an isolated case.

Soon, various doubts and discussions began to quietly spread within the patient support group.

Sarcastic speculations began to circulate in the QQ group: "They must have taken a huge cut from each of them, right?"

"With such a large volume, the cost must be lower, right? Could you talk to your superiors again about a price reduction?"

Some even directly tagged Liu Sihui, demanding that the costs be disclosed and questioning their motives.

Liu Sihui stared at the constantly flashing group message notifications, not even having the courage to open them, utterly shocked by the complexity of human nature.

……

"Boss Su, we have to discuss this with you." When Lü Shouyi and Liu Sihui found Su Ning, their faces were ashen, as if they had suffered a defeat.

Liu Sihui handed her phone to Su Ning, whose screen displayed a series of glaring messages and questions: "Boss Su, look, many people are saying we're making dirty money and demanding a price reduction. If we firmly refuse, we're afraid of alienating everyone and losing their support; but if we give in, everyone will try to negotiate the price, and the pricing system will collapse. Where will we get the money to buy the next batch of medicine? This is a dead end!"

Su Ning took the phone, his gaze quickly sweeping over the text filled with negative emotions. His fingers paused for a moment on the cold screen, then he looked up, his eyes unusually calm and resolute, unwavering in the slightest.

"Rules are rules. They must never be broken."

“But they are really having a hard time…” Lü Shouyi still wanted to try to persuade Su Ning to understand their difficulties.

“No buts!” Su Ning interrupted him, her voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable resolve. “Today someone bargained, and we agreed. Tomorrow someone will ask for credit, and the day after tomorrow someone will come to us for compensation with medicine that didn’t work or had side effects! After that, someone will report us to the police for money or for the promise of the legitimate drug dealer! On that day, all of us, including those who are bargaining now, will be completely cut off from the drug! Nobody will survive! Don’t forget, I’m selling this drug to help you. There are many ways to make money. I’m young, and I really don’t need to take such a risk with you.”

"This……"

Then, Su Ning's gaze swept over the two men: "From today onwards, this will be strictly enforced! Anyone who tries to negotiate or question the price will be blacklisted, kicked out of the QQ group, and their supply will be stopped. You don't need to explain further; the more you explain, the more they'll think we're guilty, and the more trouble we'll cause."

"India is right there! If they want to buy cheap things, they can go to India themselves. Nobody is stopping them from going. They can see if they can bring them back, and whether there are any costs involved in bringing them back."

"Furthermore, we are not the first to do Gleevec reselling, nor are we the only sales channel. They can certainly look for other channels."

Lu Shouyi and Liu Sihui were stunned by Su Ning's cold and cruel logic; they had not expected Su Ning's attitude to be so tough.

But seeing the undeniable clarity and deep-seated heaviness in his eyes, they understood that this was not cold-heartedness, but the only way to protect themselves in the face of a greater disaster.

Finally, Lü Shouyi nodded heavily: "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll never take orders with haggling prices again."

“Brother Lü, Sister Liu, it’s the same for you! If you feel you’ve made enough money and don’t want to do this business anymore, you can leave the team at any time.”

"..."

……

However, the trouble did not disappear because of their tough stance; instead, it erupted in a more intense way.

A few days later, Lü Shouyi and Liu Sihui went to a new trading point to deliver medicine to several patients in the suburbs.

As soon as he stepped out of the alley where they had met, Lü Shouyi keenly sensed footsteps following him closely.

His heart tightened, a sense of foreboding washed over him, and he immediately pulled Liu Sihui along.

The two then quickened their pace and turned into an even more secluded and deserted dead-end alley.

The footsteps behind them immediately followed, and they clearly quickened their pace, getting closer and closer.

"Who?! What are you doing following us?" Lu Shouyi turned around abruptly, shielding Liu Sihui behind him, his voice trembling with tension.

At the entrance of the alley, a figure blocked the way. The man had strikingly dyed golden hair, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and a fierce look in his eyes.

He was leaning casually against the mottled wall, still holding a wooden baseball bat in his hand.

He tilted his head and sized them up: "Hey! You two, you're the ones who secretly sell Indian Gleevec, right?"

Lu Shouyi and Liu Sihui's faces turned deathly pale in an instant, and their hearts nearly leaped out of their chests.

Their worst fears seem to have come true; they've been targeted!
The two instinctively wanted to run, but there was no way out in the dead end.

Just when they were in despair, they heard a series of hurried but steady footsteps behind them!
Like a ghost, Su Ning had somehow appeared behind Huang Mao without anyone noticing!

Holding a heavy tire-prying iron bar, he took advantage of the moment when Huang Mao's attention was entirely focused on Lü Shouyi and the other man, and without hesitation, swung the iron bar and struck Huang Mao precisely on the back of the neck!

"Ugh!" The blond-haired man only had time to let out a short groan before his vision went black and his body slumped to the ground, the baseball bat falling to the ground with a clatter.

"Don't just stand there! Quick! Get him into the car!" Su Ning lowered her voice, her tone urgent yet calm, leaving no room for argument.

Lu Shouyi and Liu Sihui finally snapped out of their shock and, together with Su Ning, hurriedly dragged the unconscious blond-haired man out of the alley and stuffed him into the van parked in the shadows.

The car sped along, heading towards an old warehouse in the suburbs that had been abandoned for many years.

The warehouse was filled with old, broken machine parts and moldy cardboard boxes, and the air was thick with dust and the smell of rust.

Su Ning tied Huang Mao tightly to a greasy wooden chair and splashed a basin of cold water on his face.

Huang Mao jolted awake, coughing as he woke up.

He shook his groggy head, and upon seeing the three people in front of him, his eyes immediately turned fierce and wary. He struggled to curse, "Damn it! You dare touch me?! Do you know who I'm with? If you mess with me, none of you will get away with it!"

"Shut up." Su Ning pulled over another tattered suitcase, sat down opposite the blond-haired man, and stared calmly at him. "Tell me, why were you following them? Who sent you? Were you trying to steal the medicine? Or were you trying to report them?"

The blond-haired man, neck stiff, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and said viciously, "Report? I don't have time for that! I just want to see how much your medicine costs! Can you sell me a few boxes too! The genuine one? I can't afford it even if I sell my blood!"

This answer surprised everyone.

Su Ning was stunned. He carefully examined the young man with blond hair who looked like a hoodlum.

Suddenly, the image of the impulsive, righteous, and ultimately tragic "Yellow Hair" in the movie overlapped with his own.

Su Ning's guard lowered slightly, and a thought flashed through his mind.

He softened his tone: "I can give you the medicine. I can even get you to work for us."

Yellow Hair scoffed as if he'd heard the biggest joke in the world, his face full of disdain: "Work for you guys? Don't fucking try to make me happy! You just want someone to run errands and risk their lives, right? Why all the nice talk? It's all about making money!"

"Making money? Yes, we are making money." Su Ning didn't deny it; instead, he readily admitted it, but his tone suddenly became sharp. "But without money, would the Indian pharmaceutical company give us the drugs for free? Without money, how would we bring the drugs back from thousands of kilometers away? Without money, how would we find the next warehouse, rent a car? The genuine drugs sell for 40,000 yuan a box; their profits are hundreds or even thousands of times greater than ours! Nobody says they're guilty! We risk going to jail or being executed, working hard just to recoup our costs and earn enough for two pancakes, so this cycle can continue, so more people can afford the drugs and survive! Is making this little bit of money to stay alive such a heinous crime?! What kind of logic is that?!"

Suning's voice echoed in the empty warehouse, resounding with conviction.

Huang Mao was stunned by this series of questions. His mouth was open, and the ferocity and disdain on his face slowly solidified and dissipated.

He recalled the doctor's indifferent face when he was diagnosed, the humiliation of running all over the city to borrow money, and how that exorbitantly priced medicine was like a mountain, enough to crush any ordinary family.

If I could really join them, I could not only get the medicine to save my own life, but also help other people who are as desperate as I am...

The hostility in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a complex struggle and a faint glimmer of hope.

"You're selling it for too high a price! It's definitely a case of making exorbitant profits."

"How much is considered cheap?"

"This……"

"You think two thousand is too expensive! But one thousand five hundred isn't expensive?"

"I……"

"I'd like to sell you a bottle for one dollar, is that possible?"

"I..." Huang Mao's voice lowered, knowing that Su Ning's words made sense. He asked in a hoarse voice, "If I work for you, can you really guarantee that you'll give me the medicine to save my life?"

“As long as you follow our rules and arrangements,” Su Ning stared into his eyes and solemnly promised, “you will not only get the medicine, but the ‘salary’ you earn will also be enough for you to buy medicine for yourself. You are saving lives, including yourself.”

Huang Mao fell silent. He lowered his head, looking at the dirty tips of his shoes. After a long while, he suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with determination: "Fine! I'll do it with you! But let me make this clear: if you dare to lie to me or mistreat other patients like me, I'll fight you to the death!"

Su Ning smiled, stepped forward, and used his dagger to cut the rope binding the blond-haired man: "Don't worry, we won't, and have no need to, lie to a fool."

"..." The blond-haired man realized he was being mocked.

……

It was already late at night when I left the abandoned warehouse.

The cold night wind dispersed the dust and grime from the warehouse.

Lu Shouyi and Liu Sihui looked at the slightly unruly yet thin back of the blond-haired man walking ahead, and breathed a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off their shoulders.

An unexpected crisis was unexpectedly resolved, and it even gave them a seemingly reckless but potentially incredibly loyal and reliable helper.

But Suning's mood was far heavier than theirs.

The addition of Huang Mao certainly increased manpower, but it also meant that their organization was larger and had more variables.

He knew that the current peace was only temporary, and the road ahead was destined to be filled with more thorns and traps.

However, as your gaze sweeps across the city lights in the distance, you may see a family struggling with illness and poverty under each of those lights.

He clenched his fist, his eyes regaining their resolve.

This path is difficult, and I can't continue on it forever; I can only try to walk as much as possible.

...(End of chapter)