CH 203

Lin Chen didn’t know how much “medical fees” Xing Conglian paid, but the amount of money that could support Duan Wanshan’s wish was probably not a small number.

Normally, after hearing such an answer, most people would probably ask him, “Where did you get so much money?” while ordinary couples and spouses might also ask the other party, “Did you spend so much money with my consent?”

But Lin Chen thought the relationship between him and Xing Conglian wasn’t destined to be ordinary like this. Speaking of which, he didn’t know Xing Conglian’s exact background, experience, and life, but he fell in love with this person and decided to be with him. This in itself was a ridiculous thing, but… Lin Chen turned his head to look at the man who was already sleeping soundly on the narrow sofa bed on the side of the cabin—love itself was quite ridiculous.

After thinking about these things for a while, Lin Chen also fell into a deep sleep.

……

China, Hongjing.

Dr. Tan Kang, who was in charge of the research and development of Zhourui Pharmaceutical’s new drug, suddenly opened his eyes. He seemed to feel a simple discussion about his company in the rainforest deep in his mind, and suddenly felt a strange palpitation.

At this moment, he was sitting in the conference room on the 20th floor of Zhourui Pharmaceutical’s headquarters, and his ears were full of fierce arguments. As the head of the laboratory responsible for the development of the new drug “Nordren”, he was urged by dozens of calls to participate in the EIF meeting in this office, but the so-called “discussion” was purely a quarrel.

A few days ago, after a key employee in the promotion department died, the Food and Drug Administration finally issued a license for “Nordron” to be listed, but this didn’t ease the tense atmosphere within the company.

Even though he didn’t know exactly what had happened, the CEO’s gloomy expression on his face said it all.

In any case, this revolutionary new drug that should have been smooth sailing, was always like a turbulent undercurrent. It was like a thin and vicious chain, tightly wrapped around the neck of every insider.

Dr. Tan Kang looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the 20th-floor window. For a small moment, he was thinking about what it would feel like to open the window and step out, but his thoughts were limited by the glass window that could only be opened up and down.

He shifted his gaze to his notebook, gently opened it, and saw his daughter’s photo attached to the inner page.

He carefully thought about it. How long had it been since he saw his daughter since he came to China to work? 105 days, and this number was likely to continue to increase.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that it was ridiculous to choose to end his life for some salvageable things. Family always changed one’s mindset when they least expected it. Dr. Tan Kang pressed the ballpoint pen on the notebook, making some decisions.

Finally, the meeting ended. Dr. Tan Kang hugged his notebook, squeezed through the angry people, gave up taking the elevator with the other employees, and prepared to walk back to the R&D laboratory on the 10th floor.

The pharmaceutical company was always so bright and clean; even in the emergency passage, there was a clean smell of disinfectant, and he himself was very used to this atmosphere.

He slowly walked down from the 20th floor to the 19th floor when suddenly he heard a slight creaking sound from the safety corridor door on a certain floor.

Not sure if it was due to the anxiety caused by the new drug on the market or for some other reason, he had a vague feeling that someone had walked into the emergency corridor.

Therefore, he deliberately stopped and listened carefully for a moment, but there were no footsteps, and no sound of footsteps could be heard either above or below the hallway.

He pretended to step down two floors, making a clear sound of the leather shoes rubbing against the tiles.

Just then, the sound of leather shoes hitting the ground suddenly came from above his head, once or twice, making him shudder.

As if making some kind of decision, Dr. Tan Kang grabbed his phone and pressed the alarm button. He held onto the railing, turned around, and walked up. What was even more strange was that the footsteps upstairs stopped in tacit understanding.

Soon, a slowly moving mop appeared in his field of vision, and he also saw the black rubber boots of a cleaner.

In that moment, he even had a sense of escaping death. He closed his eyes gently and let out a long sigh.

……

When Lin Chen woke up, it was already the next morning.

The daylight outside the window was bright, and the sky was blue, as thin and transparent as melting glass. He subconsciously covered his eyes with his hand, but Xing Conglian leaned down and placed his hand on his forehead, smiling. “So, you want me to accompany you to sleep to reduce your fever faster?”

Lin Chen lazily held Xing Conglian’s hand and kissed it. When he raised his head, he saw that Xing Conglian was already dressed neatly and was clean-shaven, which surprised him. “We’re here already?”

“Yes, we’re here.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Seeing off the Gaomeng people isn’t as important as you sleeping.”

“Why are you so cute?” Lin Chen smiled.

“I’m serious. Watching you sleep is more beautiful to me than watching a hundred Hollywood classic movies in a row.”

Xing Conglian’s sweet words were really entertaining, but Lin Chen sat up, not letting him disrupt the rhythm. “How do we go back?” he asked.

“Although I was originally planning a resolute Atlantic Circle tour without Wang Chao, given your physical condition and the matters we need to handle when we return home, we can only take a plane,” Xing Conglian said with a disappointed expression on his face.

Lin Chen let out a long sigh. “Please don’t tempt me with these luxurious trips. We law enforcement officers can’t possibly have such a long vacation.”

“Then we can only go home, Consultant Lin…” When Xing Conglian said the words “go home”, Lin Chen felt an extremely comfortable and pleasant feeling.

He nodded, about to say something, but saw Xing Conglian hand him a set of clean clothes from somewhere and asked him with meaningful intentions, “Do you want to take another bath?”

Earlier, they had also engaged in some friendly and harmonious two-person bathing activities on the ship, mainly because his wound couldn’t touch water, and Xing Conglian had to help, but now it seemed inappropriate to take a bath again at this moment.

Lin Chen looked at him and said, “Is anyone waiting?”

“Only me,” Xing Conglian said without hesitation.

Lin Chen looked at him suspiciously, then looked out the window. From his angle, he could see a clear harbor, a blue sky with white clouds different from the rainforest scenery, and a long coastline. The port in Kaga was located on the western estuary of the Dana River and was under the control of the United States. It was also the endpoint of their rainforest escape.

There were cruise ships, containers, and occasionally landing helicopters, giving people the feeling of entering modern society from the barbaric era. But modern society wasn’t necessarily a good thing because there were also warships and soldiers guarding the port here.

In the end, Lin Chen refused Xing Conglian’s proposal to take a bath. Xing Conglian pulled the curtains and closed the door, helping him change his clothes. The process was, of course, a bit long, and after changing, both of them were a little breathless.

They walked out of the ferry side by side, and the sea breeze and brilliant sunshine greeted them as if washing away the gloom of the rainforest.

There was no trace of Gaomeng people in the cabin, and the bloodstains from yesterday had been cleaned up. Duan Yang was standing on the dock with his hands in his pockets, alone.

Xing Conglian’s two subordinates, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu, were squatting on the dock with Wang Chao, boredly watching seagulls. Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian, thinking what a joke that no one was actually waiting for them.

“The others sent the Gaomeng people on their way. I’ll let these two stay here with Duan Yang until things are resolved,” Xing Conglian whispered.

In fact, he wasn’t really worried about Xing Conglian’s arrangements.

Duan Yang walked towards them, as if he had undergone some contemplation, and slowly said, “Consultant Lin, Mr. Xing…”

Lin Chen nodded.

In fact, during the time when he couldn’t sleep last night and throughout his fugitive journey, he also thought about what to say when he parted with Duan Yang. After all, they had gone through life and death together, but when it came to the moment of saying goodbye, he suddenly couldn’t come up with anything profound. Looking at the slightly longer hair of the young man in front of him and his resolute and calm expression, Lin Chen suddenly realized that Duan Yang, who was now in front of him, was no longer the young man who needed constant encouragement from him to have a firm belief.

Growing up was so painful, but people had to grow up.

Lin Chen reached out to Duan Yang. “We will meet again.”

Duan Yang opened his mouth, his expression full of a thousand words, but in the end, he just reached out his hand, shook hands with him, and said, “Goodbye.”

……

China, Hongjing.

The weather was again at that time of year when it was very unstable, with pouring rain one moment and clear skies the next.

After a whole day of contemplation, Tan Kang finally made a complete plan.

He sat in his office, nervously clicking a ballpoint pen.

It was 6:30 p.m., and most of the employees had already gone home. The lights in the large office outside had been turned off. His personal secretary had knocked on his office door over half an hour ago, asking if he needed dinner. At that time, he was pretending to be sorting out files on his desk and refused the offer, citing that he would finish work soon.

Time passed second by second.

Tan Kang sat in his office, trying to make himself look busy.

It wasn’t until the last person outside turned off the lights and left that he stopped all his movements instantly.

He stared outside for a while, then quickly pulled open the second drawer of his desk, where a small USB flash drive was neatly placed.

He moved the computer mouse gently, and the computer screen instantly lit up.

……

Lin Chen leaned back in the soft cabin seat. This flight spanning ten time zones had made his circadian rhythm completely confused.

In a daze, he could feel Xing Conglian covering him with a blanket. Besides the sound of the engine, the only noise in the cabin was the snoring of Wang Chao. Lin Chen opened his eyes slightly. Although it felt like he had slept for an entire night, it was still daytime outside the window. He wrapped the blanket tighter around himself, and Xing Conglian habitually reached out to touch his forehead to check his temperature. He rolled over and woke up.

On Xing Conglian’s side table was a cup of coffee that looked extremely bitter, and Wang Chao’s laptop was propped up on the table with the screen still lit. From his angle, Lin Chen could only see a bright white light.

“Did I wake you up?” Xing Conglian withdrew his hand and asked gently.

Just now, in his dreams, he thought he was still in the dark and sunless hold of a small fishing boat, where the smell of fish mixed with the odor of the middle-aged man’s body made him shiver. Perhaps because he subconsciously curled up his body, Xing Conglian covered him with another blanket.

Lin Chen’s vision gradually became clearer, and to his surprise, when he thought of the small fishing boat and the middle-aged man, he saw the black ring that had been taken from him by Xing Conglian on his desk.

Previously, he had used some technical means to make Xing Conglian give up investigating how he accidentally obtained this iron ring, which he wore on his left ring finger. Now that he saw this thing again, he couldn’t help but have a headache. He then asked in a businesslike tone, “Have you found out anything?”

Although he didn’t specify the exact object, they had a tacit understanding. Xing Conglian turned the ring half a circle and replied, “You guessed it right. It’s indeed a locator.”

“Can you find out who issued it?”

“That’s difficult, but this thing is not easy for individuals to obtain. It should belong to the government. After we return to China, Wang Chao should be able to find out.”

Lin Chen turned his head to look at the teenager sleeping upside down in his seat and asked Xing Conglian, “Did Duan Yang tell you the whole process of our kidnapping?”

“He did.”

“Did he mention the origin of this ring?”

“He did.” Xing Conglian looked at him and continued to stare at the ring. “How come you always run into this kind of thing when you get kidnapped? Drugs, human trafficking, or something else? And do you think the investigation he was conducting is related to Zhourui Pharmaceutical?”

As he spoke, Lin Chen felt like he was turning into Duan Yang.

“Consultant Lin.” Xing Conglian turned his head and looked at him helplessly.

“Yes?”

“Have you noticed that you get into investigation mode too quickly?”

Lin Chen looked out at the vast sea outside the window and admitted frankly, “Maybe it’s because I had a not-so-good dream just now.”

……

The climate at sea was changeable, but the city of Hongjing was covered in brilliant summer sunshine.

Mr. Tan Kang lowered his hat and wrapped his coat tightly as he walked slowly into Hongjing Amusement Park.

Perhaps because his outfit looked out of place, the staff at the entrance checked him twice with a metal scanner.

Mr. Tan Kang coughed lightly.

“Sir, are you not feeling well?” the staff member asked.

“Even if you’re not feeling well, you still have to go on a date, right?” Mr. Tan Kang smiled and replied.

This amusement park had been built for about 20 years, and the furnishings were outdated. Hongjing itself was too comfortable, so there were no crazy sights in the park. Citizens conventionally thought that even the carousel, the less intense roller coaster, or even the slightly squeaky pirate ship were suitable.

Today was Sunday and also a summer holiday, so there were more visitors in the park than usual, mainly parents with children. The children were holding cotton candy with bright faces, chattering and laughing, making Mr. Tan Kang feel like he was back in his childhood.

A violin tune that he couldn’t name began to play on the park’s broadcast, and the music was melodious.

Walking under the sun, he felt that the dirty haze on his body evaporated from his pores. Mr. Tan Kang gradually loosened his tightly wrapped clothes and felt relaxed. He didn’t buy cotton candy but instead spent ten yuan to buy a bottle of Coke. Junk food and the smiles of young people could soothe the soul.

On the grass by the lake, not far away, gray or white pigeons walk on the lush green lawn. A balloon vendor was selling red balloons to a cute pair of twins. There were many colorful balloons tied to his booth, and many people surrounded him—no child disliked balloons. After selling those two red balloons, many parents also handed him money. For a moment, piles of balloons of various colors were flying away, looking very cute.

Mr. Tan Kang smiled, bypassed the carousel area, and the violin tune became cheerful. Music always had such a strong infectious power. He walked up the bridge with small steps. Looking around, there were crowds of people everywhere. The magic show on the water stage not far away was about to start. Only when he walked to this crowded place did he regret his earlier choice.

People were crowded in front and behind, and many people still had balloons of different colors floating above their heads. The cute things that looked lovely earlier now made him inexplicably nervous. He clenched his fists, went against the crowd, and watched the road ahead with vigilance.

Going against the grain, the oncoming people were like hard rocks. Even children just above the knee could give him enough force of impact. Each time an elbow rubbed against his shoulder, it made his heart tighten by a few points. The Coke bottle had been squeezed to deformity at some point, and the liquid inside was covered with brown foam, which seemed it could spray out at any moment when it accumulated at the mouth of the bottle.

Tan Kang was hit by people continuously. For some reason, more and more people came from the right side. He was almost pushed in the direction he came from by the crowd against the current. He could only protect his chest with his hands, and he tried his best to walk faster. In order to avoid the oncoming tall man holding a child, he squeezed to the side but stepped on a female student’s leather shoe. The girl screamed, and he had to apologize in a low voice. “I’m very sorry. I’m very sorry. Can you let me through.”

The mixture of sound and noise in the air was so loud that the girl didn’t hear him, and no one around even noticed him.

Tan Kang finally avoided the stocky man and breathed a small sigh of relief. He had not yet exhaled the turbid air in his mouth when his pupils suddenly shrank, as if he saw something. Colorful balloons floated in front of his eye, and the plastic film gently collided.

Then, he sensed something.

The sound of the piano crossed a high note, then suddenly fell, and the fountain in the distance splashed white waves.

It was a thin knife that was not too long. The tip of the knife pierced his clothes and skin, and the blade pierced into his internal organs. After stirring it, the knife was quickly pulled out. The hand holding the knife suddenly let go of the handle, and the blade seemed to be attracted by some kind of suction as it suddenly retracted into the assailant’s sleeve.

All this happened within the blink of an eye.

Parents with children in their arms, boys and girls who came to hang out, and old people who took their grandchildren out to play continued moving. No one noticed that Dr. Tan Kang, who was in the crowd, clutched his ribs and slowly fell to the ground next to a sign that read: [Crowded. Please be careful.]

The sun was still shining on the grass, and the violin music became light and beautiful again after the climax as the crowd finally passed through the narrow area of the bridge.

On the lakeside path, a man in a dark blue jacket slowly and methodically took out a small black bag from his sleeve and tied the bag tightly with three balloon strings in his hand.

The balloons floated up with the bag, and he looked up and watched as they flew into the blue sky before he heard the screams of panic coming in the distance behind him.

He didn’t turn around and instead slightly rolled up his bloodied cuffs, then straightened his dark blue coat.

Ten paces away from him stood a little boy, about five or six years old. The little boy was so fat that his t-shirt was stretched out several times its original size, looking like a fat doll made of lotus roots. The fat boy’s big black eyes stared at the last balloon in his hand.

The man went to the fat child, tied the string of the last balloon on his lotus-root-like wrist, and patted the boy’s head. Perhaps he was feeling very good, as there was a hint of laughter in his breath.