Chapter 387: Sorry

"What's wrong with this person? Why did he jump from such a high building? Should we call 120?" someone exclaimed. "Guard! Someone's injured here!" another shouted. "Hey! I know him, he's been on TV!" a third voice chimed in. "I heard he's a great hero who rid the people of a menace." "Look," someone else added, "his hand is injured. How pitiful."

The chatter of the other patients around him did not disturb Li Huowang in the slightest. He withdrew his gaze from the cell in front of him, lifted his head, and scanned his surroundings, searching for something. "Although I've come out of its belly, I'm still in the water," he thought. "If I don't get back to the boat soon, I'm afraid I'll drown!"

Li Huowang continued his search until his gaze suddenly fixed on a distant steel watchtower. It appeared to be on the periphery of Baita Prison, where a guard, armed with a firearm, was craning his neck, looking towards them with a puzzled expression. The watchtower was exceptionally tall, noticeably higher than the surrounding buildings, making it the highest point in the vicinity.

"That's it, that's the boat I was on before!" Li Huowang quickly raised his hands, swinging them as if swimming through the air, propelling himself towards the steel watchtower.

Li Huowang felt intense pain throughout his body; his arms were almost impossible to lift, and he felt as though his body was falling apart. He understood that he must have suffered severe injuries inside the monster's belly, though he wasn't sure if it was from bites or corrosive stomach acid. Nevertheless, he couldn't give up easily. Li Huowang swam with all his might, muttering to himself, "Li Sui, quickly help your father! Help me swim faster. I can't see what's happening over there right now; I'm relying on you for anything!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Huowang genuinely felt a surge of strength welling up within him, aiding his efforts. "Thank you, Li Sui!" he thought. Just then, a large group of prison guards emerged from the prison gate, carrying large nets, iron pitchforks, and other law enforcement equipment, anxiously pursuing Li Huowang.

In the oval exercise yard within the Baita Prison complex, one person ran ahead while a group of others chased behind. Li Huowang's movements were not as fast as theirs, and the distance between them was rapidly diminishing.

Finally reaching the edge of the exercise yard, Li Huowang found a dense barbed wire fence blocking his path to the watchtower. Without hesitation, he hooked his fingers into the mesh and began to climb the wall.

Seeing the situation rapidly spiraling out of control, the guard on the watchtower quickly raised his rifle, closed one eye, and prepared to aim. "Don't shoot! Absolutely don't shoot!" a panicked voice shouted from the chasing crowd. "This person has a lot of public attention right now! If he dies in our prison, it'll be a massive problem!"

As they spoke, Li Huowang had already reached the highest point, where a rolling cage covered in dense, sharp spikes appeared before him. The moment he reached out to grasp the spiked cage and prepare to flip over it, blue electric arcs instantly shot out from the contact point, revealing that it was clearly electrified with high voltage. Seeing this, the various forks and nets that had just reached up from below quickly retracted, their wielders fearful of being shocked.

"You think this little pain can stop me?! It's not enough!" Li Huowang, his expression grimacing, directly grabbed the rolling barbed wire cage and forcefully pulled himself over it with one arm. His entire body flipped onto the spiked cage, his skin began to char, and his hospital gown started to smoke.

"Pull the switch! Quick, pull the power switch!" someone yelled. As Li Huowang's body seemed on the verge of spontaneous combustion, everyone below stood dumbfounded, watching the man, who was emitting white smoke, still manage to move. "My God," they murmured, "is that even human?"

Li Huowang, summoning his last ounce of strength, launched himself into a leap, landing on the iron steps at the corner of the adjacent watchtower.

"Ha ha," Li Huowang gasped for air, his body completely numb, his consciousness beginning to fade. He was incredibly exhausted at that moment, as if every last drop of strength had been drained from him. Yet, he was so close to getting back to the "boat" and absolutely could not fail at this critical moment. Taking a deep breath, Li Huowang suddenly stood up. Using his hand, which was mangled and bloody from the spiked cage, he leaned on the nearby railing and stumbled unsteadily towards the watchtower.

Seeing the terrifying madman actually climbing the steps, the two on-duty guards were at a loss whether to raise their rifles or not. Finally, they simply slung their guns onto their backs and immediately adopted a military combat stance. However, they were greatly surprised to find that the madman, upon reaching the watchtower, merely stood still, showing no intention of attacking them.

Li Huowang, of course, didn't need to move, for he believed he was now back on the "deck" and had temporarily escaped danger. After catching his breath, Li Huowang forced himself to speak to the two men in front of him: "Captain, don't stop, keep sailing to Xingdao."

"Thump-thump-thump." The sound of various shoes clattering loudly on the iron steps instantly set off alarm bells in Li Huowang's hazy mind. He quickly retreated against the wall, creating an angle between himself, the people rushing in, and the two men already there.

Staring at the gleaming forks in their hands, Li Huowang screamed hysterically, "Water monkeys, are you?! You won't drag me back into the water!"

Just as they were about to pounce, Li Huowang decisively raised his right hand, moving to gouge out his own left eye. "Huowang!" A voice, almost a wail, made Li Huowang's hand freeze. He looked at the "water monkeys" in front of him with surprise, as a figure in white emerged from among them. It was Yang Na, looking haggard, standing there, a truly heartbreaking sight. "Huowang, you're lucid now, aren't you? Do you recognize me?"

Li Huowang instinctively lowered his head, avoiding Yang Na's gaze. Still in a hazy state, he suddenly raised his hands, his mouth opening wider and wider. "I am the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong! Today, I shall smash the Hall of Divine Mists and wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace!" Li Huowang laughed, tears streaming down his face, gesticulating wildly before everyone like a true madman.

Watching Li Huowang's actions, Yang Na's heart was pierced with excruciating pain. She cried out, almost on the verge of collapse, "Huowang! What do you want me to do?! I truly can't forget you!"

Hearing her words, Li Huowang slowly stopped. His expression flickered, then he stumbled as he raised his right hand towards her, his mangled hand holding a small, fingernail-sized white wildflower.

Seizing the moment of Li Huowang's distraction, a red fire extinguisher was forcefully swung, smashing directly into his forearm and bending it at a ninety-degree angle. Simultaneously, a powerful force slammed into him from behind as the two guards rushed forward, pinning Li Huowang firmly to the ground. Fearing that the violent madman might suddenly lash out and injure someone, others quickly rushed to assist, with more and more people piling on top of him, nearly submerging him completely.

Li Huowang's gaze pierced through the swaying crowd, falling upon the helpless, desperate Yang Na. He softly murmured, "Nana, I'm sorry for before..."