Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 1220 - 1225: Cannot Afford to Be Fragile

Chapter 1220: Chapter 1225: Cannot Afford to Be Fragile

It took a week for Anton to leave the intensive care unit, and by this time, Yang Yi’s face was already presentable.

It took half a month for Xiao Ran to finally leave the intensive care unit, and by this time, Yang Yi’s face had basically recovered.

During this half month, Yang Yi never entered the intensive care unit. He just stood outside the door every day to take a look.

Finally, when Xiao Ran was transferred to a regular ward, Yang Yi sat beside her bed for the first time.

"Hmm, you’ll get better."

Yang Yi didn’t tell Xiao Ran there was a chance for her legs to recover because he felt the timing wasn’t right yet. Also, since Aaron told him the news was classified, it was best not to talk about it, even if Xiao Ran was the one in need of treatment.

"Hey, tell me, how am I supposed to shoot while sitting in a wheelchair?"

Xiao Ran frowned tightly and asked Yang Yi, then continued with a serious expression, "I’ve thought about it for a long time. It’s really inconvenient sitting in a wheelchair. Plus, I’ve considered the biggest problem with shooting on a wheelchair is the recoil—it’ll definitely be affected."

"You... only thought about this?"

Xiao Ran glanced at Yang Yi and said, "What else should I think about? Huh, your face... Hmm, not bad, but it obviously looks like a cosmetic surgery face."

Yang Yi pulled a forlorn expression and said, "Hey, this is clearly just minor adjustments, okay?"

"Really? Come here, bring your face closer."

Xiao Ran reached out to pinch Yang Yi’s nose, tugged at his ears, and then squeezed his cheeks before nodding, "It actually seems pretty normal."

"This isn’t a fake nose; of course it’s normal!"

Xiao Ran shrugged, then instinctively tried to roll over. Yet while her upper body moved, her lower body didn’t budge.

She quickly rolled back as if nothing had happened, but Yang Yi could tell Xiao Ran still hadn’t adapted to her paralyzed body.

"Old Devil?"

"Next door. He’s fine."

"Oh, as long as he’s okay."

Forcefully changing the topic led to awkwardness. Xiao Ran scratched her face and said, "Anyway, you can leave now. I want to rest for a while."

Yang Yi softly and gently said, "You just woke up, didn’t you? You’ve been lying here all along... Hmm, how about I give you a massage? Uh, I’ll call the caregiver in to massage you."

Xiao Ran sighed weakly, "Why are you so oblivious? I need to go to the bathroom, get it? Leave!"

Yang Yi scrambled to his feet, nodded to the two caregivers waiting at the door, and hurriedly escaped to the neighboring room.

Although injured badly, Anton had already entered the recovery stage. Under the nurse’s supervision, he could start walking slowly.

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing. Hmm, are you okay?"

Anton studied Yang Yi for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I’m fine."

The way Anton shook his head while saying he was fine could easily be misunderstood, so he followed up slowly, "What’s happened has happened. You need to accept the facts and bear the consequences. If you feel guilty about Xiao Ran, that’s normal. But don’t show it. Hmm, treat her the way you used to, and keep doing the same."

"Hmm, uh, oh, well... do you think... Never mind."

Anton didn’t look at Yang Yi. He continued speaking calmly, "If you have something to say, just say it directly. Don’t hem and haw."

Yang Yi sighed, shook his head, and said, "Nothing, nothing. You keep moving around. I’ll..."

Initially, Yang Yi wanted to go check on Xiao Ran, but after hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t bring himself to enter again.

Xiao Ran now needed someone to take care of her, and thinking about this made Yang Yi feel stifled inside.

Anton looked at Yang Yi with an empathetic gaze and finally said, "It’ll be okay. Everything will eventually pass. Time will soften all wounds."

This was a stronghold of the Grey-cloaked People. Some things absolutely couldn’t be said aloud.

Yang Yi nodded to Anton, then turned on his heel and walked toward the hospital garden. He just needed to walk alone.

Taking out his phone—it wasn’t the one given to him by the cleaner anymore—Yang Yi dialed Annastasia as he strolled casually through the garden.

"Hi, how are you?"

Yang Yi replied wearily, "Not great. My mood is terrible. I should be full of drive right now, but for some reason, I’ve suddenly lost confidence. I’ve lost faith in everything."

In the past days, Yang Yi and Annastasia had a few conversations. But this was the first time he openly expressed his despair and unease.

It wasn’t just because of Xiao Ran. Knowing there was a chance Xiao Ran could be cured, Yang Yi felt less hopeless at least.

Right now, Yang Yi’s heavier psychological burden was caused by Aaron.

Aaron was far more formidable than Yang Yi had ever imagined. All of Yang Yi’s plans seemed meaningless in front of Aaron.

Yang Yi’s current position wasn’t achieved through earning Aaron’s unwavering trust; instead, it came from Aaron’s unshakable confidence in his own dominance. In other words, Aaron didn’t care whether Yang Yi’s intentions were genuine or not. Even if they were schemes, Aaron could effortlessly dismantle them, and this realization was a heavy blow to Yang Yi.

As a spy, Yang Yi now felt like he was completely transparent, which made him feel utterly incompetent.

Annastasia naturally understood Yang Yi’s predicament, though she wasn’t entirely aware of his inner turmoil.

But Annastasia astutely sensed Yang Yi’s abnormality and simply said one thing.

"You’re strong! You have to be strong!"

No encouragement, no consolation—Annastasia simply stated the truth.

Yang Yi had no right to wallow in despair. He had no right to falter or succumb to sadness.

Yang Yi must rally immediately. After hearing Annastasia state this fact, Yang Yi genuinely started to gather himself.

That surge of inner strength—from emotional resilience to physical response—brought rapid revival.

"Got it. I’m doing great now, better than ever."

Suppressing all negative emotions at lightning speed to confront challenges in the best possible state—a rare and valuable ability. Simply put, it meant possessing an incredibly strong will, and Yang Yi did have a resilient mind paired with tenacious determination.

Failure isn’t frightening; setbacks aren’t frightening. What’s truly terrifying is collapsing under pressure, becoming irredeemably broken. Fragile-minded people don’t deserve to be spies.

Annastasia was relieved. She solemnly said, "Can we proceed with the tasks now?"

"Yes. How’s your side looking?"

"Everything’s great."

Yang Yi exhaled deeply and said in a low voice, "Stay safe. The cleaner might retaliate. And make your preparations; we’re about to carry out a major operation."