CH 198

After getting off the bed, Xing Conglian called the doctor in and told him that treatment could begin. Then he leaned against the low cabinet next to the hospital bed.

Dr. Duan Yang checked Lin Chen’s heart and lungs with a stethoscope, then skillfully opened an injection and injected a small but potentially life-taking dose of medication into Lin Chen’s body. The process was very quick.

According to Duan Yang, the next allergic shock would kill Lin Chen in a short time, so the medication injected into Lin Chen’s body this time was essentially no different from a highly toxic drug. Unlike the situation in movies, where the patient would always be in a coma for a few days and nights, Lin Chen was awake the entire time through the short but long treatment process. Although he was weak, he insisted on not going to sleep.

So much so that Xing Conglian asked Lin Chen, “Why aren’t you dizzy?”

“Seeing you, I can’t bear to faint.” Lin Chen opened his dry and chapped lips and answered him with a smile.

Lin Chen seemed to want to say all the love words of his life, not sparing any of his feelings, to the point where, for the first time, Xing Conglian realized that he seemed to be losing to Lin Chen in some aspect.

But whether it was due to physical exhaustion or the effects of the medication, after he finished saying this, Lin Chen gently closed his eyes.

Xing Conglian became nervous for an instant and suddenly checked Lin Chen’s pulse. Fortunately, although the beating under his fingers was weak, it still existed, and Lin Chen just fell asleep.

He leaned against the bedside table again. Whenever such moments came, people always began to reminisce about the past. But strangely enough, with Lin Chen breathing evenly, he felt very calm inside.

He felt that his life had been smooth sailing, which was probably related to the many fortune tellers who had calculated his destiny when he was born. He didn’t understand those complex metaphysical systems at all, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the benefits that good fortune brought him.

For example, when he was very young and drew lots, he knew to choose the gun instead of other things like the abacus. This allowed him to escape from certain systemic training in his family that he wasn’t interested in and embark on a relatively free career. Another example was that he often had strange near-death experiences, such as leaving a building a few minutes early because he felt the air was bad, and then the building exploded. Such things that made him break out in a cold sweat afterwards always happened.

And on the bottom floor of that dim building, the moment Lin Chen kissed him, he did feel the benefits of good fortune again. Although at first he was just shocked and at a loss—there weren’t many things that could make him at a loss these days—but soon he became happy. Anyone who was adored by someone they highly admired would have the urge to show it off to the world.

In any case, he never felt any sense of rejection towards Lin Chen during this process. The only thing that took him some time to think about was how to continue to interact with Lin Chen. Whether to be friends or to date, he had passed the age where he could follow his heart without thinking, and he needed to think more and plan for the future in order to ensure control over it. At that time, he even thought that it wasn’t a bad thing for Kang An to take him away on purpose—at least that was how he felt then—giving everyone space to think things through and then interact well. This was also acceptable.

Then he discovered there was nothing he could control, and the things that happened in this world would never make sense.

When he left Lin Chen, he began to miss him. When he saw Lin Chen being kissed by Huang Ze, he was furious. He couldn’t help but think of being with Lin Chen all the time. These emotions were completely natural and uncontrollable. Not to mention, when Duan Wanshan insisted on telling him the story that now he considered to be purely coincidental, he was immersed in a thick feeling of anxiety, and all things from that moment on slid into an abyss that was fundamentally out of his control.

The joke of fate was incredible to say, but he still felt that his fate wasn’t too bad. At least Lin Chen was sent to his side after being kidnapped instead of any hellish corner in the world. Since he was able to find Lin Chen at the last moment, this was a sign that, although the situation was difficult, Lin Chen could always survive.

When people were in despair, they usually needed to find some faith to move forward, telling themselves that everything would be alright.

Around him were recitations coming from the lower decks of the ship, composed of the very tongue-twisting Gaomeng language, which were eulogies that roughly meant sentences like “may your soul enter the world of bliss.” Xing Conglian listened carefully for a while and suddenly realized that it should be the Gaomeng people mourning for Duan Wanshan.

He couldn’t help but move his gaze to Duan Yang. The doctor was looking at the clock carefully, calculating the time and amount of medicine with a calm expression, as if he weren’t affected in any way.

Listening to the Gaomeng’s buzzing eulogy, Xing Conglian watched the last shot of antibiotics injected into Lin Chen’s body, then asked Duan Yang, “What are you going to do with your teacher’s body?”

When he heard the word “teacher”, Duan Yang’s hand showed an obvious tremble. The young man pursed his lips into a thin line, threw all the disposable needles into the trash can, and looked at him with dark eyes. “Cremate as soon as possible.”

……

In the course of their escape, it wasn’t particularly wise for them to stop the ship to cremate a body, but Xing Conglian still ordered it to be done.

There were many reasons. One, because Lin Chen’s savior made this request, and two, because in a place like the Dana Rainforest, a corpse started to smell after three hours. He himself didn’t want Duan Wanshan’s body to rot and turn into a terrible appearance.

After Lin Chen’s situation temporarily stabilized, the boat stopped, and most of the Gaomeng people were ordered to stay onboard. They carried Duan Wanshan’s body off the boat. At that time, Xiao Wu wanted to climb a tree and pick some fresh green leaves to lay under Duan Wanshan’s body, while the Gaomeng people also wanted to dress him up with many ivory and gold ornaments, but were stopped by Duan Yang.

“We’re doctors. We don’t care about the things that we can’t bring with us when we’re born or take with us when we die.”

That was what the young man said.

In fact, not many people present knew about Duan Yang’s and Duan Wanshan’s relationship, but probably because of his indifferent and fearless temperament, even the Gaomeng people who didn’t speak his language didn’t dare to speak out against it. They looked at the young man’s expression, and everyone naturally stopped talking.

Duan Wanshan laid on a thin blanket. His eyes were tightly closed, and he had a calm expression of neither pain nor concern.

He was sprinkled with some ingredients made of white phosphorus, and a gasoline barrel was placed on the ground, but no one had the heart to take it. At this moment, Duan Yang went straight over, opened it without hesitation, and splashed it on his teacher with extremely gentle movements.

Duan Wanshan’s shirt became almost transparent when he was doused with gasoline, making it look as if his body was melting.

Duan Yang took out a lighter and said to everyone, “Stand back.”

The moment the flame ignited, it almost soared into the sky. The Gaomeng people kneeled on the ground, and their prayers became louder. Xing Conglian even had the illusion that his soul was about to be shattered.

Gasoline kept pouring as he continued to watch the flames devour the doctor’s body, bit by bit.

He remembered the first time he heard this name, when the young doctor at the medical station introduced him to Duan Wanshan. So, seeing this scene, he always felt that this kind of cremation shouldn’t be the ending that someone like Duan Wanshan deserved. He should have had a large family or grown old with his silly student, enjoying the blessings that Mr. Duan Wanshan, who had done so much, deserved.

But seeing Duan Wanshan gradually turning into bones and then dust in the skyrocketing fire, he felt that the true nature of life and death was just like this.

Death could come suddenly one day, like a huge wave crashing down, making it impossible to resist. When it came, it didn’t take your life into account and make a choice based on it; it was never like this.

Too many people think that there was always time in the future, and he used to be one of them, but the truth was often much more brutal, and he realized this very clearly and deeply today.

The flames gradually extinguished, and most of the people were driven back to the boat. Xing Conglian thought that Duan Yang might need time alone, and he was also ready to leave.

At this moment, there was a soft click of a lighter behind him.

Xing Conglian was startled. He suddenly turned his head, only to find that Duan Yang had just lit a cigarette.

“I won’t be a martyr. Please rest assured,” Duan Yang said as if he knew what Xing Conglian was thinking.

Xing Conglian raised his brows as Duan Yang threw the lighter and cigarette pack at him. For the sake of the sad young man in front of him, he took out a cigarette and smoked one with the other party.

Duan Yang’s smoking posture this time was different from his previous appearance, where he almost choked to death. He looked like an experienced smoker, taking a drag, holding it in his mouth for a moment, and then exhaling. Seeing this, Xing Conglian couldn’t help but have a newfound respect for the young man’s ability to learn.

Duan Yang held the cigarette in his mouth and began to clean up Duan Wanshan’s ashes.

He was holding an urn he brought off the ship. To be precise, it wasn’t an urn but a relatively large candy box made of iron, square-shaped, and originally filled with mixed flavors of Eclairs candy. Now it still smelled like a sweet kiss of toffee.

The young man was holding such an urn and carefully picking up the ashes of his teacher. Looking at his back, Xing Conglian spoke slowly. “I thought you would say that as doctors and materialists, we don’t have the habit of preserving ashes. After all, the person has truly passed away.”

“It’s just a thought, but it’s really not important,” Duan Yang said, shaking his cigarette to the side as he replied. “And if Teacher didn’t die of sepsis, then he should be very happy to donate his body for science. He once said this.”

“This is indeed like what Duan Wanshan would say,” Xing Conglian said. “Quite persistent, but also chic.”

Duan Yang still had his back to him and was doing things silently. Xing Conglian watched the young man’s back and spoke slowly. “Although Lin Chen is more suitable to say some things than I am, given his physical condition, I think it’s okay for me to take his place. There are some things you should know.”

“Please tell me.”

“Your teacher actually likes you…” Xing Conglian wanted to continue telling the story he had heard from Duan Wanshan, but was interrupted by Duan Yang.

“I know.”

“How?”

Duan Yang looked at him with a resolute but gentle expression. “There are some things that will be very clear when you reach the end and look back. This I know.”

“So, what are you going to do next?”

When he asked this, he was ready to hear the young man say, “Please avenge Teacher for me” but to his surprise, Duan Yang just said, “I want to stay here, find out what happened, and seek justice for all the dead to comfort Teacher’s spirit in heaven.”

In similar words, Xing Conglian seemed to have heard Lin Chen say this a long time ago, when he wanted to seek justice for Xu Ran.

But of course, Lin Chen and Duan Yang were different. He frowned and looked at Duan Yang. “To try to stop a speeding car with just your arms is foolish. You should be thankful to still be alive and standing here. Seeking justice? There’s no justice to be found in this world.”

Duan Yang looked at him solemnly. “If Consultant Lin didn’t survive in the end, what would you do?”

Although Duan Yang’s tone was gentle, Xing Conglian had the illusion of being pointed at his nose and scolded. “Of course go and kill Zaratul.”

“Can’t I do the same?”

“Do you have this ability?”

Duan Yang laughed. “Not yet. I’m a doctor, so I can’t kill people.”

“What kind of logic is this?”

“Don’t worry. I’m different from you.” Duan Yang closed the lid of the urn and stood up. “To put it simply, each of us can only do what we are capable of doing within our own limitations. For example, even if I now know that my teacher’s death and the displacement of the Gaomeng Tribe were all caused by illegal human experiments conducted by Zhourui Pharmaceutical using Zaratul’s influence in the rainforest, I am indeed powerless to do anything about it. My personal strength cannot kill Zaratul, nor can I provide enough evidence to make this multinational corporation bankrupt. Therefore, all I can do is stay here and wait for an opportunity to arise that will allow me to bring down these two giants.”

“Zhourui Pharmaceutical?” Xing Conglian interrupted Duan Yang.

“Do you want to hear it?” Duan Yang hugged the urn and stepped back onto the boat with Xing Conglian, looking like he would hold the listener responsible for everything they heard.

“I really don’t want to, but if it involves a Chinese company breaking the law, it is indeed my duty,” Xing Conglian said.

Duan Yang turned around and stared at the urn in his hand. After a while, he slowly said, “Thank you.”