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Chapter 57: A king cobra, but with peculiarly sharp spikes along its back.
When Tang Cuo arrived at the hospital, it was already an hour later.
He returned home from his date with Gao Shu and received a call from Qin Ge as soon as he logged into Steam.
Rushing into the emergency room of the 267th Hospital, Tang Cuo’s face was pale. As soon as he saw Qin Ge, he rushed over. “Where’s my sister?”
“She’s being treated,” Qin Ge said. “She’s mainly suffering from blood loss.”
“I can donate blood. I have a lot of blood,” Tang Cuo said incoherently.
“Your blood isn’t needed,” Qin Ge reassured him. “The hospital blood bank is well stocked.”
He accompanied Tang Cuo to sit down. Although Tang Cuo had sat down, he couldn’t calm down at all. Qin Ge could feel his trembling and fear, so he patted his shoulder heavily.
When they found Tang Xing, she had just been attacked. Bai Xiaoyuan used the clothes she took off with Lei Chi to tie Tang Xing’s thigh tightly to slow down the flow of blood. Tang Xing’s coma seemed to be related to her spirit body, and the Pacific parrot curled up into a ball, shivering on Tang Xing’s body. When Qin Ge grabbed it, he noticed that its wings had turned black.
“…The wings of the spirit body turned black?” Tang Cuo was shocked. “How is that possible?”
After Tang Xing fell into a coma, the Pacific parrot couldn’t hold on for long either. It also turned into a white mist in Qin Ge’s hands, then submerged into Tang Xing’s body. Qin Ge was deeply impressed by its blackened wings: “Tang Xing’s ‘sea area’ was injured in the attack.”
Tang Cuo became even more anxious. “…How could my sister be attacked?”
He suddenly remembered Tang Xing’s purpose for going to the Wangdu District. She knew that the Atlantis Bar was reopening today, and Meng Yu was now the sole investor in the bar. She went to accompany Meng Yu.
Tang Cuo looked around and finally saw Meng Yu sitting at the end of the corridor.
Anger stirred Tang Cuo like never before, and he immediately stood up and strode toward Meng Yu.
The arrival of the ambulance from the 267th Hospital did cause a small commotion in the Wangdu District. When Tang Xing was taken away, she passed by the entrance of the Atlantis Bar, startling Meng Yu so much that he even dropped his guitar and followed them immediately. The leader of the Black Battalion in Wangdu District only sent a sentinel, while the werewolf Xia Chun was on-site maintaining order. Meng Yu, the underground man, seemed to have lost his ability to function normally.
Beside him, the sentinel squatted down and held his hand. “Don’t be afraid, she’ll be fine.”
Meng Yu remained silent, just staring blankly at the ground until Tang Cuo walked up to him.
“Why didn’t you look after my sister?” He roared with suppressed anger. “Isn’t the Wangdu District your underground people’s territory? Shouldn’t you be the one to protect her the most?”
Bian Han stood in front of Meng Yu, looking vigilant. “Who are you?”
Tang Cuo yelled, “And who the hell are you?”
He rarely lost his temper, and at this moment, he couldn’t recall his usual demeanor at all. He just felt enraged at the sight of Meng Yu.
Before Bian Han could speak, Meng Yu pulled him back. “He’s Tang Xing’s brother.”
Tonight, Meng Yu reminded Tang Xing to go back early. After the incident with Ling Siyuan, the Wangdu District became much quieter. No one expected that the reopening of Atlantis would attract so many people today. Meng Yu was familiar with the residents of Wangdu District, but he and the leaders found it difficult to control people from outside the district. For Tang Xing’s safety, he had been escorting her until she reached the bus station before returning.
When they said goodbye, Tang Xing was on the phone with her best friend, urging him to go back to the bar and not to accompany her.
Seeing pedestrians and lights on the road, Meng Yu felt relieved and went back to the bar.
He didn’t know why Tang Xing returned to the Wangdu District or why she ended up in that abandoned convenience store.
Tang Cuo wished he could slap him a few times, but after calming down a bit, he saw Meng Yu looking dispirited. With a burly sentinel standing between them, they eventually walked back to the emergency operating room.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Jiang Xiaochuan received a call from Qin Shuangshuang, urging him to come home.
Qin Ge stood up. “I’ll take you home.”
Xie Zijing and Bai Xiaoyuan stayed at the hospital to accompany Tang Cuo. Qin Ge and Jiang Xiaochuan walked to the elevator, and just as the elevator doors opened, they saw Lei Chi inside.
“Are you leaving?” Lei Chi looked at Qin Ge. “Can you come back later?”
Qin Ge asked, “What’s the matter?”
Lei Chi said in a lowered voice, pulling Qin Ge aside, “I need your help.”
While Xiao Liu and others remained at the scene for investigation and waited for the forensic experts from the Criminal Investigation Division, Lei Chi had come to the hospital first, but unfortunately, Tang Xing hadn’t woken up yet.
“I need to know if this case is related to Ling Siyuan’s death.” Lei Chi lowered his voice, “I hope you can enter Tang Xing’s ‘sea area’ and explore her memories before the incident.”
Qin Ge was surprised: “Related to Ling Siyuan?”
This was an unexpected speculation. Qin Ge and Xie Zijing had briefly discussed it on the way, assuming that this was a case committed by special outsiders who infiltrated the Wangdu District tonight. However, Lei Chi didn’t think so. “What you said is entirely possible, but there may be another possibility.” He glanced up, looking at Meng Yu at the end of the corridor, holding his head in silence. “Ling Siyuan’s death and Tang Xing’s incident have dealt a heavy blow to Meng Yu. If we hadn’t found Tang Xing in time, she might have died like Ling Siyuan. The biggest connection between Tang Xing and Ling Siyuan at the moment is Meng Yu.”
Jiang Xiaochuan’s phone rang again. This time it was Jiang Leyang calling to urge him. When even his father called, it meant their parents’ patience had reached its lowest point of the day. He had to walk over to Qin Ge and remind him, “Ge, I have to go. My dad says he’s coming to the hospital to pick me up.”
Qin Ge said, “Okay, I’ll wait with you at the hospital entrance.”
As he was about to escort Jiang Xiaochuan out, Bian Han approached from the other side. After greeting Lei Chi, he told Lei Chi that Xia Chun had summoned him back to help, so he couldn’t stay with Meng Yu anymore. Learning that a high school student needed escorting out, Bian Han volunteered, “I’ll take him out. I’ll come back to Wangdu District when his family arrives.”
Jiang Xiaochuan looked at Qin Ge, and Qin Ge thought about how there were always people on duty at the entrance of 267th Hospital, so he nodded, and only then did he follow Bian Han out.
Lei Chi watched as the elevator doors slowly closed, then turned to Qin Ge and said, “Ling Siyuan was Meng Yu’s good friend, and Tang Xing is Meng Yu’s lover. In fact, Bian Han’s relationship with Meng Yu is also very close.”
Bian Han grew up in Wangdu District as a sentinel, but Meng Yu didn’t. Before Meng Yu was infected with the petrification virus, he was just a student, shuttling between school and home like everyone else. After becoming an underground person, Meng Yu’s living environment gradually changed, and he eventually moved to Wangdu District to live independently, later being elected as the leader of the underground people.
When Meng Yu first came to Wangdu District, his appearance was very different from that of the typical underground person—simply put, he wasn’t as rugged. The underground people didn’t immediately accept him, and Meng Yu couldn’t live in the half-zombie settlements either. He could only go to places where werewolves and sentinel guides lived together.
That’s where he met Bian Han.
“In fact, the four leaders of the Black Battalion have very close relationships with each other. They are true comrades,” Lei Chi said. “So we must quickly determine whether Tang Xing’s attack and Ling Siyuan’s case are related, whether the assailant targeted Meng Yu, the leader of the Black Battalion, or if there are other reasons. The preservation of evidence at the scene is very poor. People entering the convenience store and the hospital inevitably destroyed some of the ground evidence. And as you’ve seen, the environment there is very harsh, so there will be very little useful evidence.”
The manpower of the Crisis Management Office is limited. Only by determining whether the two cases are related can he make a decision to investigate them separately or merge them.
Compared to waiting for evidence, exploring Tang Xing’s “sea area” was a more direct method. Since Tang Xing was able to leave a message about the “snake” before falling into a complete coma, she must have seen the person—or animal—who attacked her.
Qin Ge pondered for a moment. “We need to get Tang Cuo’s permission.”
Bian Han accompanied Jiang Xiaochuan as they waited for Jiang Leyang at the hospital entrance. When Qin Shuangshuang called, Jiang Xiaochuan didn’t dare tell her he was at the hospital. Jiang Leyang said he would come to pick him up at Wangdu District, so he had to tell his father his true location. Jiang Leyang was instantly frightened but felt slightly relieved when he found out that Jiang Xiaochuan was just with Qin Ge and his friends.
Jiang Xiaochuan only stood at the entrance for two minutes when Qin Shuangshuang immediately called again, scolding him once more.
Jiang Xiaochuan didn’t feel annoyed now, nor did he think his parents’ worry was unfounded.
After witnessing tonight’s nose stepping incident and Tang Xing’s accident, Wangdu District was completely different in his mind.
He wasn’t afraid of unfamiliar environments. With a reckless and passionate spirit, he disregarded his parents’ and Qin Ge’s admonitions: as a guide, he was different from ordinary people after all, and when it was critical, his spirit body could help. But the role of a guide’s spirit body was too limited. Even though Bai Xiaoyuan helped by scratching the face of the werewolf who groped her, the one who truly restrained him was herself.
In front of the young guide, a vast and unfamiliar world, tinged with the smell of blood, quietly revealed a mottled corner.
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Xiaochuan sighed deeply.
“Got scolded again?” Bian Han chuckled beside him. “I used to get scolded a lot by my parents too for not going home after school and fooling around in Wangdu District.”
Jiang Xiaochuan asked him, “Aren’t you afraid?”
Bian Han replied, “I grew up in Wangdu District; what do I have to be afraid of? Qin Ge said you just finished your middle school entrance exam this year? You’re so young; don’t go to Wangdu District, that’s not a place for you. Besides, there are no bubble tea shops in the nightclub street at night.”
“I’m going to the bar to watch people dance.” Jiang Xiaochuan’s voice softened. “Not to drink and play.”
Bian Han pondered for a moment. “…To watch Meng Yu dance?”
“How did you know?” Jiang Xiaochuan exclaimed.
Bian Han looked at the young boy in front of him and smiled after a moment. “Many people go there just to see him.”
Perhaps because he was facing a stranger, Jiang Xiaochuan even dared to say things he wouldn’t normally say.
“Meng Yu’s dancing is very beautiful,” he whispered as he looked at the empty street in front of the hospital, “She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
Bian Han: “…”
Jiang Xiaochuan: “I even confessed to her. But she didn’t accept it.”
Bian Han: “…You are still young.”
Jiang Xiaochuan hated it the most when people said he was young and immediately retorted, “I may be young in age, but I already know what it means to like someone.”
Bian Han leaned against the lamppost, his expression inscrutable as he watched Jiang Xiaochuan. His shadow stretched across the ground, even creeping onto Jiang Xiaochuan’s body. Suddenly, Jiang Xiaochuan realized that he was facing a powerful and mature sentinel. He didn’t know what the Black Battalion in Wangdu District was, nor did he know the roles of Bian Han and Meng Yu in Wangdu District. But at this moment, the way Bian Han looked at him made Jiang Xiaochuan inexplicably feel a little afraid.
He took two steps back, distancing himself from Bian Han’s shadow.
“Many people like Meng Yu,” Bian Han said, “You’re not special. No one is.”
“Everyone’s affection is unique,” Jiang Xiaochuan argued, “She knows I like making robots, and she’s very interested.”
“Because Meng Yu is kind, he’s kind to everyone, so it’s easy for people to have illusions,” Bian Han said, “Kid, stop dreaming.”
Jiang Xiaochuan didn’t want to talk to him anymore, so he retorted stiffly, “I just like her. I’ll grow up, and when I become a powerful guide, I’ll definitely confess to Meng Yu again.”
After a moment of silence, Bian Han said, “…You’re also very annoying.”
What did he mean by “also”? Jiang Xiaochuan wondered. He looked at Bian Han and realized that Bian Han wasn’t looking at him. The lamppost was shrouded in tree shadows, casting layers of shadows on Bian Han.
In the depths of the black shadows, Jiang Xiaochuan couldn’t quite see clearly, but it seemed like there were sinuous movements of creatures wriggling.
But when he focused his gaze, he couldn’t see anything anymore. The security guard at the hospital entrance loudly reminded him, “Hey kid, there’s a car coming over there. Is it the person picking you up?”
Jiang Leyang and Qin Shuangshuang both arrived, and Jiang Xiaochuan couldn’t afford to stare at Bian Han anymore, anxiously waiting for his parents to approach. He felt like he could already see Qin Shuangshuang’s furious face.
To Lei Chi’s proposal, Tang Cuo did not object. About half an hour later, Tang Xing’s surgery ended, and she was wheeled out of the operating room.
“The surgery was successful; the wound has been sutured, but she lost a lot of blood. She’s still in a coma, and with the effects of anesthesia, she probably won’t wake up until tomorrow,” the doctor told Lei Chi on the side. “The wound is very rough, and there is a lot of debris inside; the contamination is quite severe. The victim fought with the assailant. The wound on her waist isn’t severe, but if it had hit fully, it would have been a new fatal injury.”
Lei Chi nodded. “The murder weapon was found at the scene; it’s a stone that was sharpened on-site. There’s a lot of construction debris there.”
After the detailed report from the doctor, Lei Chi and the others accompanied Tang Xing back to her hospital room, giving a nod to Qin Ge.
Now that Tang Xing was safe, it was Qin Ge’s turn to work. Tang Cuo looked at Qin Ge, his face showing obvious concern.
“If my sister wakes up and knows that I allowed you to enter her ‘sea area,’ she’ll definitely kill me,” Tang Cuo whispered. “Please don’t investigate any of her other secrets.”
Qin Ge replied, “I understand. Anything I see in Tang Xing’s ‘domain’ that isn’t related to tonight’s attack, I’ll keep confidential forever.”
The others left the ICU ward amid the nurse’s low scolding. Qin Ge and Xie Zijing stayed behind, both donning special isolation suits with the help of the doctor.
“You only have half an hour,” the doctor said gravely. “As soon as the time is up, I’ll immediately chase you out. For us, the patient inside is more important than the truth of the case.”
He pointed to the time on the wall.
Qin Ge and Xie Zijing dared not delay, immediately entering Tang Xing’s hospital room.
Qin Ge gently held Tang Xing’s fingers and released his rabbit.
“Tang Xing’s ‘sea area’ may have been damaged, but it’s different from an abnormal ‘sea area,'” Qin Ge told Xie Zijing. “I won’t absorb negative feedback, nor will I experience dizziness. But remember to bring me back in time.”
Xie Zijing nodded.
The long-haired rabbit lay on Tang Xing’s cold hand, and drops of medicine flowed into her body through her veins. The rabbit closed its eyes, forming a circle on the back of her hand.
Qin Ge fell into a forest.
It had been a long time since he had cruised such a refreshing “sea area,” and he suddenly felt grateful.
Tang Xing’s “sea area” was very beautiful, a vast forest without boundaries. Tall trees towered, streams murmured, fresh sunlight streamed through the trees, the forest echoed with bird calls, butterflies fluttered across the pages, and flower petals drifted into the water. She loved birds very much, and as Qin Ge ran through the “sea area” calling Tang Xing’s name, countless birds took flight in alarm.
Without exception, they were all parrots.
To explore memories, Qin Ge had to first find Tang Xing’s self-consciousness. Only by communicating with it and being led by it could Qin Ge smoothly touch Tang Xing’s memories.
He stopped by a stream. It was a clear stream, but there were a few strands of discordant black liquid spreading in it.
Qin Ge swam upstream, running desperately. He didn’t have much time.
“Tang Xing!” he shouted desperately, “I’m Qin Ge, the crisis management team’s mental wellness specialist. I’m Tang Cuo’s colleague and friend! We need your help!”
As he turned around a bend in the river, he suddenly stopped.
At the end of the river, on the edge of a narrow mountain stream, floated a huge, feathered object.
The feathers had been stained black by something, but the black part had stopped spreading, just continuously dripping thick black liquid, flowing downstream along the stream.
It was parrot feathers. Feathers were protecting something inside.
“…Tang Xing?” Qin Ge asked cautiously.
He heard a faint response from within the huge sphere, but the voice was very soft. He reached out to touch the feathers, finding that there were gaps between them. His hand slipped into one of the gaps, and suddenly he was grabbed by someone inside. Before Qin Ge could speak, his hand was painfully squeezed, and he was pulled into the giant cage made of feathers.
Then he was embraced.
“Don’t be afraid…” Tang Xing held him tightly, her voice low and trembling, “Sister is here; you don’t need to be afraid.”
Tang Xing’s self-consciousness was consistent with her current age, a woman in her twenties. However, she looked panicked, holding onto Qin Ge tightly, mistaking him entirely for Tang Cuo.
She couldn’t recognize people. Qin Ge thought the damage to the “sea area” had plunged her self-consciousness into temporary confusion, and the anesthesia used in the surgery had also numbed her senses. A damp Pacific parrot perched on Tang Cuo’s shoulder, trembling, perhaps due to the cold or other reasons, cuddled tightly against Tang Cuo’s long hair.
“…Sister.” Qin Ge felt this feeling was very strange. He was an only child with no siblings, but later gained a younger brother and now had an older sister.
His call received Tang Xing’s response.
“Be good.” Tang Xing whispered, “It’s safe here, sister will protect you.”
Qin Ge looked into Tang Xing’s eyes. The girl was very scared, but when she held his hand, her eyes were firm: “Don’t run around, follow sister; sister won’t let you get hurt.”
Qin Ge gently held her hand, “Sister, what happened to you? Who attacked you?”
Tang Xing’s expression changed suddenly. She obviously saw something, but couldn’t say it. Fear instantly filled her eyes; she grabbed Qin Ge tightly and, after a while, whispered a word, “Snake.”
“What snake?” Qin Ge asked again, “Whose snake?”
In that moment, Qin Ge even had a strange feeling—Tang Xing knew whose snake it was. She saw the snake and the person who attacked her. She knew him.
Tang Xing plucked the Pacific parrot from her shoulder and placed it in Qin Ge’s hand, then slowly closed Qin Ge’s fist. Just as Qin Ge thought he was about to crush the bird, it rolled over in his palm. Countless colorful parrot feathers, thin as paper, erupted from his hand. Qin Ge instinctively opened his palm, and billions of colorful feathers surged out, instantly filling the small space and obscuring Qin Ge’s vision.
He closed his eyes and then opened them again, finding himself standing in front of the broken window of a convenience store.
There were no lights in the convenience store, and the outside streetlights provided very limited illumination. Qin Ge saw himself take out his phone to turn on the flashlight, then looked up and asked, “Where’s Meng Yu? You said he was injured here, but there’s no one here.”
Someone stood in front of Tang Xing, having already entered the convenience store through the broken window. It was a very tall man, and Qin Ge could only hear his deep voice but couldn’t see his face. “Inside, he’s already unconscious,” he said.
Tang Xing didn’t go in. She even took a step back.
“You’re acting strange today,” she said softly, “I’m leaving.”
Suddenly, a snake tail shot out from the darkness, wrapping around her ankle. Tang Xing screamed, and Qin Ge’s vision became chaotic—Tang Xing was pulled into the convenience store.
Almost simultaneously, the instinctive reactions of a sentinel guide in danger caused her to instantly release her Pacific parrot.
The little bird flapped its wings and dashed toward something in the darkness, then immediately let out a sharp scream. Two clusters of white mist entangled in the dimly lit room, and Tang Xing was temporarily released. Her phone dropped near the broken window, out of reach for the moment.
The parrot flew back to her, its feathers disheveled. The dispersed white mist slowly condensed, forming a black serpent. It slithered on the ground, finally raising its snake head beside Tang Xing. The phone’s flashlight was still on, illuminating the snake’s appearance.
A king cobra, but with peculiarly sharp spikes along its back.
Qin Ge’s mind shook—a mutated spirit body! The one attacking Tang Xing was actually a sentinel with an abnormal “sea area”!
He tried hard to get a clear view of the figure in the convenience store, but whether it was because Tang Xing didn’t see clearly at the time or her memories refused to let outsiders see clearly, the person remained blurry. Even when he bent down to pick up a broken brick and approached, Qin Ge still couldn’t see his face.
Time was up, and he faintly heard Xie Zijing calling for him. Exiting Tang Xing’s “sea area,” he broke out in a cold sweat.
Lei Chi had been waiting outside all along and immediately approached them. “Did you see anything?”
“I don’t know if it’s related to the case of Ling Siyuan,” Qin Ge quickly said, “but the one who attacked Tang Xing is a sentinel. His spirit form is a snake, a king cobra with a fan-shaped marking on its neck. And this sentinel’s ‘sea area’ is abnormal, causing his spirit body to mutate.”
“A king cobra? A sentinel?” Lei Chi was puzzled for a moment. “During the investigation, we did find some sentinels with snake spirit forms… Let me make a call!”
The one in charge of the investigation and organization was Xiao Liu, who was still at the scene. The call went through, and Lei Chi immediately asked, “Xiao Liu, I remember you mentioned during the investigation that there are sentinels in the Wangdu District with snake spirit forms. Do you remember who the king cobra is?”
“It’s Bian Han,” Xiao Liu said. “He just returned to the Wangdu District and greeted me.”
Author’s Note:
Lion: My show is about to begin!
Rabbit: I… I’ll just cheer you on then.
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