CH 7

“I Do Not Like Traitors.”

“2091, a talk.”

Lin Yi takes Jiang Yiyi out of the cell and stops somewhere with no others.

Jiang Yiyi looks around, his eyes lingering when spotting the omnipresent surveillance cameras.

Noting his actions, Lin Yi, retrieving a cigarette from his pockets, says without raising his head, “just in case.” With his back to the camera, the man hands Jiang Yiyi a cigarette, “let’s talk.”

Jiang Yiyi takes it as Lin Yi retrieves a lighter.

Jiang Yiyi backs away, though, the cigarette dancing between his index and middle fingers in mesmerising fashion, “I don’t smoke.”

Lin Yi pauses and puts his lighter away. He then observes the movements and comments, “quick fingers, they are.”

Jiang Yiyi continues. Rather than enjoying the act, he just feels more at ease with something spinning about his fingertips, “it’s part of my trade, after all.”

Lin Yi observes his expression closely, “dissection, disassembly, reassembly?”

Jiang Yiyi appears slightly perplexed, “you don’t sound like you’re describing a surgeon.”

Lin Yi notices nothing from the expression. He rubs the cigarette in hand for a moment, before getting to the point, “I do not know what your ultimate goal is…”

“But, I believe you don’t want to linger here, yes?”

Lin Yi’s confident statement receives a firm rebuttal.

“Why not?” Jiang Yiyi replies, confused, “the first floor is nice to be.”

Not dangerous, no deaths, even friendly, lovable prisoners. Where else but the first floor should he be?

Nowhere.

Lin Yi’s expression freezes for a brief moment, “you want to stay?”

Jiang Yiyi is confused about his reaction, “what reason is there for me to leave?”

Lin Yi stares at him quietly for a long time. Jiang Yiyi’s reply has completely thrown his thoughts into disarray, making him doubt his own judgement.

“If you do indeed want to stay on the first floor…” Lin Yi tries to straighten his logic out first, “then you have been far too active in action.”

Jiang Yiyi blinks, “I never did anything.”

Lin Yi tries to stay the course of Jiang Yiyi as an actor, “there is no need to maintain the secrecy here.”

“And yet, I really didn’t do anything.” Jiang Yiyi puts a warm smile on his face, the kind that can often be seen out in public, “has there been a single injury because of me? There has not.”

Lin Yi’s counterarguments pause for a moment as he recalls – from Lowly Lackey to Tiger, whether they are wounds visible or not, they have all been sutured appropriately——In the words of the Chief Physician, a masterful work.

Which means, if Jiang Yiyi does define ‘no one has been hurt’ as ‘all wounds have been properly addressed,’ Then it should naturally follow that he has been quite low profile this entire time.

The problem is that a wound addressed is still a wound in the first place.

However, Lin Yi has managed to work out the thought patterns of his conversation partner now. He looks up and down the man, before asking with a slightly bewildered tone, “you aren’t doing these just to train your surgical capabilities, are you?”

Huh? This prison officer does have something up his sleeve.

Jiang Yiyi looks at Lin Yi with surprise——Despite their wholly different repertoire of information at hand, they’ve managed to reach an eerily harmonious conclusion.

This reaction confirms Lin Yi’s hypothesis.

Which only makes him more perplexed. He understands the actions and thought patterns now, but he still does not understand his motivations at all.

It is entirely expected for Tiger and xiao-Lin to fear him, then. To fear Jiang Yiyi.

For to him, the definition of ‘death’ and ‘wound’ is quite vastly mismatched with that of normal people——It’s as if he does not view other humans as such.

A lack of sympathy and abundance of narcissism. A lack of sense of compliance to society. Clearly signs of a high-functioning sociopath.

It’s been quite a buzzword in the past decade, because a lot of patients have become ‘trendy’ or famed for their genius sides. And it is without a doubt that fewer of them are criminals by proportion.

Right now, there is clearly one such person in front of Lin Yi.

Lin Yi isn’t even surprised now that Jiang Yiyi was sentenced for unlicensed medical practice rather than murder——Those who would be easily implicated are fools.

He can imagine how cleanly Jiang Yiyi dealt with everything and simply watched on the sidelines as investigators did their futile work.

Lin Yi has been silent for long enough that Jiang Yiyi is becoming bored.

He does not know what he is thinking about——Nor does he remotely have the clues to work out the ridiculousness going on in Lin Yi’s mind right now. Still, he’s certain that whatever the guy is thinking about.

They are wrong.

Jiang Yiyi throws his cigarette away, then interrupts the man’s increasingly detached thoughts, “if you have nothing else to say, I should be going back.”

“You cannot remain on the first floor.” Lin Yi says firmly, “you are far too dangerous for this floor.”

“Me? Dangerous?” Jiang Yiyi points to himself in disbelief.

“You must go to the second floor.” Lin Yi is not interested in arguing whether he is or is not dangerous, because there is no question.

“I refuse.”

“Then I will trigger the Special Protocol.” Lin Yi gives him a brief summary of the Protocol.

Jiang Yiyi then glances at Lin Yi, concluding, “you want to be on the second floor?”

Lin Yi’s expressions freeze for a moment.

Jiang Yiyi recalls what information he’s heard about this officer, “you are related to Tiger’s superiors; Tiger is part of Nianluo…” Countless scenes flash past his memories, finally settling on the man going ‘I-saw-it.’

“You are the one who has his own ultimate goal, is it?”

Lin Yi gulps.

No wonder the NPC is handsome. He has his hidden identity.

Jiang Yiyi is intrigued now, “before you ask others of a favour, isn’t it common courtesy to reveal what you want to do first?”

“This is not a favour.” Lin Yi reminds him, “but a notice.”

Jiang Yiyi raises his hand, which makes Lin Yi put his hand on his baton by reflex.

With a smile, Jiang Yiyi pats the guy on the shoulder, repeating, “notice?”

Lin Yi, with baton in hand, can faintly smell the scent of blood from the man’s sudden domineering aura. It’s a knife’s edge. It’s death’s door.

He instinctively takes a step back and looks – Jiang Yiyi’s hand is still hovering about his shoulder height. There is nothing at his fingertips.

Jiang Yiyi lets his hand down once more, his fingers restlessly tapping, “say that again?”

Suddenly finding his goals and insistence not worth holding steadfast for, Lin Yi retracts his hand from the baton and says expressionlessly, “I have reasons I must reach the fourth floor.”

“The fourth floor, huh.” Jiang Yiyi mumbles to himself as he recalls a familiarity with the phrase.

Several seconds later, his insistent childhood friend’s scattered words pop once more into his mind.

“Fourth floor. When can we go back to the fourth floor?” His childhood friend blabbers, “Jian Si, oh my dear Jian Si. Please be a bit more useful. We won’t even try to solve the mystery anymore. Let’s just go back to safety, please?”

Hmm… Jiang Yiyi falls silent. The fourth floor? Safety?

He can only feel a ceaseless torrent of violence and blood from the tone.

“We can work together.” Lin Yi locks eyes with Jiang Yiyi, this time he has a different persuasion, “I believe you’ve already realised the lack of potential for you to further practise surgery on this floor?”

Jiang Yiyi stops his thoughts there to pay attention to Lin Yi.

“On the second floor, however, you will find that a surgeon will see a lot of work there.”

Jiang Yiyi decides to classify Lin Yi as Lawful Evil for now, as he reminds the person, “you do know what you are referring to?”

“I do.” Lin Yi makes his choice without hesitation, “I will help you.”

“We can help each other.” Lin Yi lowers his tone to offer the devil’s deal, “you merely need to head where you can be the most comfortable, while I will help you…” he pauses and adds, “exercise your work.”

Jiang Yiyi looks at the skills under his belt, and mentions something entirely off-topic, “I am also dabbling in the field of Psychology.”

Lin Yi patiently waits for what follows.

“Therefore, I will also appreciate if I have the opportunity to further my studies there as well.”

Lin Yi is doing what he can to stay indifferent, but he still finds curiosity niggling at the back of his mind——Surgery can easily be practised where there are wounds, but psychology…?

He also knows Jiang Yiyi’s file well enough to conclude that Jiang Yiyi’s ‘dabble’ wouldn’t mean he has just a few books on the subject at home, for he would see this as not even knowing what the subject is about.

His judgement is closer to reality than he thought, though. Jiang Yiyi only has two skills, of which Psychology remains Entry in level, which reflects what is considered achievable for most common people.

Jiang Yiyi ignores the confusion evident in Lin Yi and continues, “if you’re certain you will be helping me…” his smile is a bit wider at this point, “then I will certainly repay the favour.”

Lin Yi gulps once more, unable to offer a concrete answer.

He is, without a doubt, treading on thin ice here. The content of their cooperation is nowhere near as dangerous as the target of cooperation here.

“How about it?” Jiang Yiyi observes the guy with slight excitement, “what are you hesitant for?”

What is he hesitant for?

Right, what is he hesitant for?

Death? Blood? Murder?

Is that not what he shall face in the end?

Lin Yi has made his choice, “deal.”

“Then, to a long and fruitful cooperation ahead.” Jiang Yiyi extends his arm to shake hands with Lin Yi, and while they are close, he reminds him quietly, “so that nothing we would not enjoy seeing comes to pass, here is a friendly reminder.”

“I do not like traitors.”

He lets his hand go, and waves towards Zhang Zheng standing out of earshot in the corridor, “officer Zhang, let’s go.”

He moves past Lin Yi.

However, their story has only just begun.