William Carter gradually found himself unable to breathe, his eyes bulging, tongue protruding from his mouth. He didn’t even have the strength to regret—after all the effort to rescue this old man, he was now about to be strangled to death by him.

“I can die, but I absolutely cannot die so unjustly and humiliatingly.” Gritting his teeth, a surge of unwilling strength welled up from deep within William Carter, from who knows where, and he suddenly kicked out.

“Bang…” His foot landed on the old man’s chest.

“Crack…” A clear snapping sound, like a dry branch breaking underfoot—the old man’s ribs had been broken. William Carter wasn’t actually that strong, but the old man was already at the end of his rope, his bones brittle and dry, so they broke easily with the kick. The old man’s whole body toppled over, and his hands naturally released William Carter’s neck. It seemed that strangling William Carter had been the last of the old man’s strength.

William Carter quickly scrambled backward on hands and feet, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the old man, finally pressing his back against the cave wall, gasping for breath. He glanced at his wounds while keeping a wary eye on the terrifying old man.

The wounds on his body had stopped bleeding, but they burned with pain. However, the cave was too small—there was no way to completely get away from this crazed old man.

While catching his breath and gathering his strength, William Carter kept his eyes fixed on the dangerous old man. If he dared to attack again, William Carter would show no mercy.

But after being kicked down by William Carter, the old man, possibly injured in the chest, spat out two mouthfuls of dark red blood. He tried to prop himself up with his hands and sit up, but failed again and again.

It seemed that only his hands could move—nothing else. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t sit up.

After many failed attempts, the old man flew into a rage, letting out furious roars and pounding the ice with his fists. The wound on his chest was aggravated, and he spat out several more mouthfuls of black blood. His hands, from pounding the ice, quickly became a bloody mess.

Then, he gave up, lying on his back on the ice and cursing loudly. Of course, William Carter couldn’t understand what he was saying, but the voice was filled with hatred and grief, so much so that William Carter couldn’t help but be affected.

“This old man is pitiful too,” William Carter couldn’t help but feel a surge of sympathy.

At last, the old man stopped cursing and just lay silently on the ice. The broken bones in his chest might have pierced into his flesh, causing his chest to swell high. At first, the old man was still breathing, his chest rising and falling, but eventually, even his breathing seemed to stop.

Even knowing it was dangerous, William Carter couldn’t help himself and slowly walked over.

Keeping a safe distance, William Carter gently nudged the old man with his foot—there was no response. William Carter stepped closer and felt for his carotid artery—there was still a pulse, but it was extremely weak.

William Carter moved forward, lifting the old man up with effort, then opened his clothes to check the wound on his chest.

The ribs on his right chest had been broken by William Carter’s kick. He was so emaciated that his skin clung tightly to his ribs, so the two broken ribs were clearly visible. One sharp bone fragment was stabbing into the flesh, and the right side of his chest, with only a thin layer of skin, was swollen several inches high, bruised and purple, looking terrifying.

Using his basic first aid knowledge, William Carter managed to set the old man’s broken bones back into place. Throughout the process, the old man’s body trembled from the excruciating pain, but he still didn’t wake up.

Fortunately, the two broken ribs hadn’t shattered into multiple pieces, but it was still a struggle for William Carter to adjust them. In this icy cave, William Carter even broke out in a light sweat.

Suddenly! A sharp pain shot through William Carter’s eyes—two long, sharp fingernails were pressed right up against his eyeballs. If he moved even a little, those sharp nails would pierce his eyes and blind him completely.

At some point, the old man had woken up. When he saw William Carter looking at him, he let out a cruel, cold laugh. The long fingernails were still stained with William Carter’s flesh and blood, and combined with his sinister, vicious face, he looked especially terrifying.

William Carter immediately held his breath in tension, then lowered his gaze and continued to set the old man’s bones, as if completely unaware of the threat to his eyes.

Still, his hands trembled a little as he worked. William Carter took a deep breath, steadied his hands, and carefully adjusted the old man’s broken ribs.

His actions earned him no gratitude—only a mocking, cold laugh from the old man, as if ridiculing William Carter’s hypocrisy and cunning.

William Carter ignored him and continued to treat the old man seriously.

The old man’s fingernails pressed harder, the sharp nails slowly piercing into William Carter’s flesh, like blades sinking in millimeter by millimeter.

The nails had already penetrated nearly half a centimeter, breaking through the outer skin and flesh, and were about to reach William Carter’s eyeballs.

William Carter’s eyes narrowed, his right hand slowly clenched into a fist. In the next second, he would smash the old man’s broken ribs into his heart with a punch, ending the old man’s life instantly!