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Chapter 12: The expression it stares at its prey is dark and fierce.
The first dead baby in the hands of Cai Mingyue was completely accidental.
Because of the difficult childbirth and the umbilical cord wrapped around the neck, the baby died shortly after birth. She was still young at the time, and when she saw the family of the expectant mother rushing towards her, she thought she might be subjected to insults or even physical violence.
But nothing of the sort happened.
An elderly person held her hand and continuously thanked her in a hushed tone.
The baby was a girl, missing two fingers. Her father was a rapist, and her mother was only 16 years old. There was no one in this world who wanted her.
“Since she’s dead, let it be,” they said in hushed tones, “Doctor Cai, you’re a good person, and we will be forever grateful to you.”
Gradually, more and more people came to find Cai Mingyue. Babies with disabilities, babies of the wrong gender, babies with special needs… none of them were wanted.
Cai Mingyue, along with several nurses in the obstetrics and gynecology department, became the keepers of secrets and the enablers.
“Actually, there aren’t that many… We don’t agree with everyone who comes…” Cai Mingyue’s voice was hoarse, and the pain that was afflicting her had already consumed most of her energy, but she was still struggling to justify herself and holding onto Qin Ge’s hand tightly, not allowing him to withdraw a fraction, “I will screen.”
Among them, children who were not expected by their families and those born with congenital illnesses were easily the ones who got screened out.
Sometimes it was the expectant mother herself begging Cai Mingyue: she didn’t want this child, and for various reasons, she couldn’t bear to add another burden to her already difficult and painful life.
Sometimes it was the husband of the expectant mother or their family. Too impoverished, too many mouths to feed at home, too difficult, too painful, and special children being too terrifying… for them, the child did not bring happiness and joy, but rather foreseeable disasters.
“What wrong did they do?” Cai Mingyue trembled as she asked, “They are all unfortunate… What’s wrong with them… Some children, even if they are born, will only suffer… I helped them; I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Qin Ge lowered his head, looking into Cai Mingyue’s eyes.
He was very tired and extremely exhausted. The adverse effects of patrolling an abnormal “sea area” were constantly stirring and clamoring in his brain. The disgust and hatred triggered by what Cai Mingyue had said made him feel as though there was thick, sticky, and foul-smelling blood in his throat, making it difficult to speak.
But he had to muster his strength and continue to guide Cai Mingyue to say more.
“If no one did anything wrong…” he said in a low voice, “then what about those children you killed?”
A low sob escaped Cai Mingyue’s throat.
“You passed judgment on them,” he stared directly into Cai Mingyue’s eyes, “because they couldn’t make the choice themselves. You judged these children. Who among them was at fault? Did they choose to come into this world themselves?”
The old woman’s cloudy eyes began to tremble, and tears rolled down once again.
Qin Ge’s hand was hurting from her grip. “Dr. Cai, if you truly believe you did nothing wrong, your ‘sea area’ wouldn’t be like this. There are many reasons to not want a child, and no one would be blamed for not giving up at the right time… Even if it’s too late and the child is born, can you just kill them because you ‘don’t want’ them? Dr. Cai, besides death, do these children truly have no other option?”
Cai Mingyue wanted to argue, “No… I know these children would’ve suffered even if they were born. I know too well…”
“Is it the children who would suffer, or the people around them who would suffer because of the children?” Qin Ge felt like he was saying these words not of his own accord but as if another person within him was using his voice to angrily reproach. His head hurt too much, to the point where he couldn’t control his emotions properly. “What right do you have to pass judgment? What right do you have to carry out the death penalty? Using the children’s ‘suffering’ as an excuse, is it to make your actions seem just? If you truly did nothing wrong, then what are you regretting?”
Cai Mingyue just cried, not saying a word.
“It’s because you know you were wrong that you’re afraid. Everything in your ‘sea area’ is created by you, and only you can make them disappear.” Qin Ge calmed down slightly, and his voice became softer. “Tell me, what made you realize? Was it the child who survived in your hands?”
That was the last time Cai Mingyue was begged to “resolve” the problem.
The one who came to find her was a husband–most of the people who asked for her help were husbands, and Cai Mingyue was used to it.
The man was furious and agitated. He was an ordinary human, and he only found out today that his wife was a guide when she requested to give birth at 267th Hospital.
They had never obtained a marriage certificate, and the man had no idea that his wife was a special human. His disgust and fear of special humans drove him almost insane. “Is my child going to be born as one of those freaks too?”
DNA testing showed that there was a 92% chance that his child was also a chromosomal mutant, highly likely to be a guide.
The expectant mother wailed and begged her husband not to abandon her and to give up the child if he didn’t want it, but she still wanted to live with him. It was clear that both of them did not welcome the little guide in her womb. After reviewing all the medical records and talking to both of them, Cai Mingyue decided to accept their request.
By her standards, this child was evidently someone who was not blessed, not expected by anyone, just an extra person.
But the unexpected happened. She had clearly covered the baby’s mouth and nose, watching the child stop breathing, but when she handed the lifeless body to the man, the child suddenly convulsed and let out a weak cry.
The cry startled the man, and he loosened his grip, causing the baby, still in the swaddle, to fall to the ground.
Cai Mingyue acted swiftly, scooping the baby into her arms, but she also fell heavily to the ground.
What followed was chaos. Cai Mingyue was taken for examination, and the baby was placed in an incubator. By the time Cai Mingyue found out that she was already two months pregnant, the man had disappeared without a trace.
“At that time, I was carrying my son, Cai Yi,” Cai Mingyue said hoarsely, “The fetal position was unstable, and it took a long time to preserve the pregnancy with medications and injections. I was very afraid… There might really be consequences in this world. Later, they told me that the child had actually survived and was very healthy, finally leaving the hospital with his mother. I thought, maybe I should stop helping people.”
The so-called “helping people” was just an excuse. She always knew, deep down, that she was taking lives.
However, what ultimately woke her up was not the resurrected baby but her own child.
Soon after Cai Yi was born, the nightmares began.
Initially, they were just occasional dreams where she stood in Operating Room 6, covering a baby’s mouth and nose, then telling the nurse behind her that the child was “dead.” However, as the years went by, the nightmares became more detailed and specific. When she retired, with fewer things occupying her time, she had more leisure to rest and sleep.
It was during this time that the “sea area” began to control her madly.
Qin Ge let go of her hand.
The headache made him sway as he stood up, and his vision even became a bit unsteady.
“You’re free now,” he said, his throat dry and his voice hoarse, “Rest… if you can really get a good rest.”
He took a few steps back, supported by Xie Zijing. When he turned to face Xie Zijing, Qin Ge forced himself to focus and grabbed Xie Zijing’s collar, asking in a hushed voice, “Did you hear everything?”
“I heard,” Xie Zijing nodded, “I know what to do.”
Qin Ge couldn’t relax just yet. Cai Mingyue was still crying, and her crying was giving him a splitting headache, and the dizziness was growing stronger, impossible to dispel.
“What are you going to do?” He had to force himself to ask Xie Zijing to get his mind working.
Xie Zijing patted his shoulder, “I’ll take you home so you can rest properly. While you’re resting, I’ll write a report about this matter. When you wake up, you can guide me, Chief Qin.”
The door to the hospital room swung open, and Cai Yi walked in briskly, glancing at Qin Ge and Xie Zijing before turning his attention to the hospital bed where Cai Mingyue lay.
“What’s going on?” he furrowed his brows tightly.
“Dr. Cai can finally get a good rest,” Qin Ge said, “I promise.”
As he turned to leave, Cai Yi grabbed his hand. “What about the matters in the ‘sea area’?” he asked.
“It will be a secret of the adjuster,” Qin Ge replied one word at a time, “I promise.”
As they left the hospital building, they saw Yan Hong rushing over from the outpatient building.
Seeing Qin Ge’s expression, Yan Hong immediately grew anxious.
“Are you going home?” He asked, grabbing Qin Ge’s arm, “Are Aunt and Uncle at home?”
“No one’s at home; they’ve taken Xiaochuan to Shanghai for a competition.” Qin Ge’s face was pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, “I’m going back to the apartment.”
He climbed into the back seat of the car, leaning against the window and involuntarily curling up. His heart was beating fast, he was sweating profusely, and his hands were so weak that he couldn’t even make a fist. This was the first time Qin Ge had patrolled such an abnormal sea area with such severe adverse effects, far beyond his imagination.
He could resist fear within Cai Mingyue’s “sea area,” but the abnormality of the “sea area” itself still plagued him, like a giant bell that, even when it stopped ringing, the hum continued, and the sound waves continued to spread.
Qin Ge wanted to release his rabbit, but his trembling hands could only produce a mist of emptiness that couldn’t take shape.
A honeyguide flew in through the half-open car door and affectionately nestled on his shoulder, nuzzling his ear and emitting a soft chirp.
Yan Hong’s face was full of concern. “Did he just patrol Dean Cai’s ‘sea area’?”
Xie Zijing said, “Yes, he said he was going for a deep dive, and then he turned into this. Do psychological adjusters always experience such severe adverse reactions after deep dives?”
“I only know one psychological adjuster; I’m not sure,” Yan Hong reminded them, “I can’t leave right now, so you guys remember to keep him company. The negative reaction is too strong.”
Bai Xiaoyuan, who had opened the driver’s seat door, couldn’t help but turn around. “Why is Qin Ge’s reaction so severe? This state is very similar to a ‘tsunami.'”
A “tsunami” was an extremely severe adverse reaction that only occurred in Sentinels’ “sea area,” especially when handling difficult tasks that touched on ethical boundaries. Sentinels would experience severe emotional turmoil.
But it had never been seen in psychological adjusters before.
Hearing this, Yan Hong looked surprised. “Don’t you all know why Qin Ge became a psychological adjuster?”
The three members of the Psychological Adjustment Department exchanged puzzled glances. “What’s the reason?”
“Qin Ge can absorb negative emotions from abnormal ‘sea areas,'” Yan Hong explained, looking at Qin Ge through the car window, “He can handle normal ‘sea areas’ without any problems, but if he dives into an abnormal ‘sea area’, he will automatically absorb all sorts of… strange things. After the dive, the person’s ‘sea area’ will be much calmer, but Qin Ge will be very uncomfortable.”
Xie Zijing finally understood why Qin Ge had told Cai Mingyue that she could get a good rest.
“This is Qin Ge’s most special ability, and he can’t control it himself.” Yan Hong’s gaze shifted among the three, “The next 24 hours are crucial. I can’t leave, so you guys take care of him; talk to him more and don’t let him be alone.”
During the ride home with Qin Ge, he briefly fell asleep, leaning on Xie Zijing.
He didn’t sleep well at all, constantly sweating and gripping his hands tightly. Tang Cuo released his panda, allowing it to snuggle up to Qin Ge. This seemingly innocent spirit seemed to sense Qin Ge’s discomfort and quietly held onto his thigh, as if hugging a piece of wood.
Guides could indeed alleviate negative emotions, but whether it was Yan Hong or Tang Cuo, they couldn’t help him relieve this.
Xie Zijing supported Qin Ge’s body and quickly briefed Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo on the situation with Qin Ge’s arrangements and what had happened with Cai Mingyue.
Tang Cuo was completely stunned. “…Isn’t this too terrible? How could it be concealed? Is Cai Yi insane?”
Bai Xiaoyuan was much calmer than him. “Qin Ge’s mind works quickly; otherwise, we would have been trapped by Cai Yi. Xie Zijing, do you know how to write this report?”
Xie Zijing replied, “To be honest, I don’t really understand it. Can you teach me? We need to act swiftly and not give Cai Yi time to react.”
Bai Xiaoyuan looked at him through the rearview mirror. “You take care of Qin Ge, and I’ll write the report.”
After dropping Qin Ge off downstairs, White Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo planned to return to the Crisis Management Department. “Tang Cuo, go to the archives room and find the archives related to the events at 267th Hospital over thirty years ago. I’ll ask about something else,” Bai Xiaoyuan said, sticking her head out of the car window to tell Xie Zijing, “See you tonight.”
Qin Ge knew they were coming to keep him company and quickly waved his hand. “You don’t need to…”
But Xie Zijing silenced him and informed Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo of Qin Ge’s address before helping him into the elevator.
Back in the familiar space, Qin Ge relaxed for a moment, but then he became even weaker and started trembling more intensely. He didn’t dare to go back to his room, so he curled up on the sofa, holding a cup of hot water, and stared out at the balcony, shivering.
He knew that his field of vision was narrowing, and the entire room seemed to be spinning and swaying. The feeling of nausea became more pronounced, but his stomach was empty, and it ached. He felt like his hot blood was being drained away, and he grew colder and colder.
The rabbit still couldn’t take shape, and Qin Ge missed the warmth of the little fire that used to lie against his chest.
“Cold…” he murmured.
But the room temperature had already risen to 25 degrees, and Xie Zijing covered him with a blanket, wiping away the cold sweat on his forehead.
“What about the rabbit?” he asked gently, “Let it accompany you.”
“…No, it can’t come out.” For some reason, when Qin Ge said this, he suddenly felt like crying. The strong sense of loss and depression made him think immediately that he had lost his rabbit… This time’s “sea area” was so abnormal that his rabbit might not exist anymore.
It was possible… he thought blankly. People always encounter the worst things at the worst times.
“So, do you like pandas or little sand cats?” Xie Zijing patted Qin Ge’s head, sat beside him, and tried to get as close to Qin Ge’s head as possible, saying, “They’ll be here soon to keep you company.”
Qin Ge suddenly remembered Xie Zijing’s spirit body.
“What about your lion?”
“…It’s too big, and it’s fierce.” Xie Zijing thought Qin Ge had forgotten common sense, “Besides, Sentinels’ spirit bodies can’t comfort you.”
“I’m not afraid.” Qin Ge looked at him. “I want to see it.”
Although he had just mentioned being cold, sweat had already dripped down to his chin, and his eyes were red, like a rabbit that had been drenched in rain with no place to seek shelter. At this moment, there was no way Xie Zijing could refuse any of Qin Ge’s requests.
He roughly ruffled Qin Ge’s hair and said, “If you’re afraid, just hold onto me.”
A thick mist rose from Xie Zijing and swirled around in the small space. Finally, it settled heavily on the other side of the couch, right next to Qin Ge.
Qin Ge widened his eyes and instinctively covered his nose. Perhaps it was due to his weakness, or perhaps it was because Xie Zijing’s power was too overwhelming, but in this instant, he actually detected an unfamiliar pheromone, dry and coarse like a scorching desert wind, emanating from the only Sentinel in the room.
The mist eventually coalesced into a gigantic form, a feline creature slightly larger than the usual lion-sized spirit body that Qin Ge encountered.
It had golden eyes with a ring of dark red encircling the outer edges of its pupils, and it gazed at its prey with a sinister and fierce expression.
At this moment, it turned its head and carefully examined Qin Ge from top to bottom.
Xie Zijing felt a bit embarrassed. “It… doesn’t quite understand manners.”
Qin Ge, no longer sensing Xie Zijing’s pheromones, felt slightly calmer and extended a hand toward the lion.
After a moment, the lion shook its extraordinarily thick mane, lifted one of its paws, and gently placed it in Qin Ge’s palm.
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