Chapter 130: I Am a Wreck

"You really shouldn't use that mechanical arm too much. I feel like it's going to damage your nerves."

"Just eat your food!"

Grandma tapped Grandpa's bowl with her chopsticks. "You think you're smarter than a scientist? Mingyang already told us a friend of his made that mechanical arm to protect his wound. Stop pretending to know things you don't."

"Are you really going to argue with me again, you old woman?"

...

Hearing the two of them start to bicker again, Zhang Mingyang quickly intervened. "Grandma, I need to head back to the university tomorrow."

"Absolutely not!" Grandma replied firmly. "Your wounds haven't healed yet; you aren't going anywhere."

"But...!" Zhang Mingyang winked at his grandfather.

Grandfather caught the signal and nodded. "Old woman, Mingyang is still a student at North China Union University. He’s surely going back because there's something he needs to take care of at school. If he doesn't go, what happens if they revoke his student status? You don't want him to finish college without graduating, do you?"

Hearing this, Grandma wavered. "Then when are you leaving tomorrow? And when will you be back?"

Zhang Mingyang quickly answered, "I’ll head to school at ten tomorrow morning and be back by the afternoon. Don't worry, Grandma. While I'm there, I can get my dressings changed—it's more convenient since I have my school medical card."

Listening to him, Grandma nodded. "Alright then, but you must come back early tomorrow. You have to be home before dinner."

"I'll definitely be back before dinner."

Seeing that Grandma had agreed, Zhang Mingyang smiled and winked at his grandfather.

After the meal, Grandma told Zhang Mingyang to go rest in his room, leaving the dishes for Grandpa to wash. Zhang Mingyang tried to go into the kitchen to help, but Grandpa shooed him away.

Back in his room, Zhang Mingyang removed the mechanical arm, stripped off his clothes, and walked into the bathroom. Standing before the mirror, he looked at his own reflection and gave a bitter smile. "Looks like this is all I'll ever be."

"Whoosh!"

He turned on the shower, carefully kept his amputated arm dry, and stepped inside. As the hot water cascaded over his body, he tried to enjoy the sensation and push everything else out of his mind.

"Wait, where’s the scrubbing mitt?"

He searched around until he found it on the rack. He reached out with his left hand to put it on, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't get it to fit.

"Damn it!"

Without the aid of his right hand, he had to use his foot to pin the mitt down while he slowly worked his left hand into it. Even then, he could barely reach his body to scrub. After a few moments, his left arm started to ache, and his left hand grew too weak to continue.

"Dammit!"

He threw the mitt away in frustration and slumped against the wall.

Hot water poured down over his head, and in the end, he couldn't hold back the tears. He felt like a useless wreck, unable even to bathe himself.

After crying for a while, he grabbed his amputated limb and slammed it hard against the wall. A sharp bolt of pain shot through him instantly.

But to keep his grandparents from hearing, he gritted his teeth and endured it.

He slammed it a few more times before the pain finally forced him to stop. Blood began to seep from the wound on his stump.

"Mingyang, are you still in the shower?" Grandma’s voice came from outside the door.

"I'm still washing, Grandma." He controlled his voice, making sure she couldn't tell he had been crying.

"Mingyang, do you need help with your medicine after you're done? Grandma can help you."

"No thanks, Grandma, I can do it myself." He didn't want her to see him as a burden.

"Alright, just call me or your grandfather if you need anything."

"I know, Grandma."

As soon as she walked away, Zhang Mingyang stood up, turned off the shower, and stepped out. After drying off with a towel, he put on clean clothes.

He sat at his desk and opened the medication Brother Peng had sent to dress his wound.

"Sss..."

The piercing pain made him gasp. He bit his lip, refusing to make a sound until he had finished disinfecting the area.

Once finished, he applied a plaster-like dressing to the wound. By then, he was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through.

After changing the dressing, he lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling in a daze. Looking at the white surface, he thought of Jin Yaowen's words. He had already lost an arm, and his grandparents were constantly in danger. He began to wonder if all of this was worth it, and whether he should continue staying at the base.

"Dad! You sacrificed yourself for the country. Can you tell me if I should keep going?"

Lost in thought, exhaustion took over, and he drifted off to sleep.

...

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The knocking on the door startled him awake.

"Who is it?"

"Mingyang, it's nine o'clock. Are you still going to school?" Grandma called from outside.

"Nine o'clock?"

Zhang Mingyang rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed. In his grogginess, he checked the time; it was indeed nine.

"Nine? Nine!"

"Grandma, I'm going right now!"

He shouted toward the door and leaped out of bed, suddenly remembering his appointment with Senior Brother Lin.

He rushed into the bathroom, squeezed toothpaste onto his brush, and washed his face. In less than five minutes, he ran out. After attaching his mechanical arm, he looked at his wardrobe and asked his grandmother outside, "Grandma, is it hot today?"

Grandma replied, "It's 34 degrees today, quite hot."

"34 degrees? Why is it so hot already in June?"

Zhang Mingyang grabbed a short-sleeved shirt, threw it on, and dashed out of the room.

In the living room, Grandpa was watching TV, and Grandma was preparing his breakfast.

"Grandma, I won't eat. I'll eat at school."

"Eh?"

Seeing he was about to leave, Grandma called out to him. "Eat something before you go. How will your wound heal if you don't eat on time?"

"I can't, Grandma. I have an appointment with a classmate at ten, and I'm already running late."

He slipped on his shoes, opened the door, and ran out.

Seeing him rush off, Grandma followed him to the landing and shouted down, "Mingyang, don't forget to come back for dinner!"

"I know, Grandma!"

Zhang Mingyang jogged to the bus stop at the entrance of the residential complex. He checked the time and realized he wouldn't make it.

"Forget it, I'll take a taxi."

He pulled out his phone, hailed a car, and once inside, added a few extra dollars to the fare, urging the driver to hurry.

On the way, he messaged Senior Brother Lin to let him know he might be late.

Twenty minutes later, the taxi pulled up to the main gate of the university. He paid the fare and sprinted toward the entrance.

He scanned his pass at the gate. Luckily, he was still a student at the university, and the scan went through quickly.

Past the entrance, he ran toward the shuttle stop. Since the semester had begun, the shuttles were frequent, but the one at the stop was already pulling away.

"Hey! Wait for me! One more person!"

Zhang Mingyang waved his hand and chased after the shuttle. He managed to board, but as soon as he stepped on, everyone’s eyes were fixed on him—or more accurately, on his mechanical arm.

"What is that?"

"Is that a prosthetic, big brother?"

...

Everyone on the bus began to whisper and discuss him.