The ambulance doors slammed shut and the sirens screamed as the vehicle pulled away from the warehouse. Gu Yanchen climbed into the back and pressed one hand firmly against Ren Hao's chest, feeling the faint, thready beat beneath his palm.
"Stay with me," he muttered. "Come on, Ren Hao. You're not done yet."
The monitor flatlined without warning, the steady beep dissolving into a single, piercing tone that cut through the ambulance like a knife.
"He's crashing!" The paramedic's voice cut through the chaos. "Paddles! Now!"
Yanchen stepped back, his heart pounding against his ribs, as the paramedic pressed the pads to Ren Hao's bare chest.
His body arched off the gurney and then dropped back down, limp and unresponsive.
A second shock produced the same result. Still nothing.
The paramedic fired a third charge, and the monitor finally beeped back to life.
Weak. Irregular. But steady.
