One-Eyed Man made a phone call. Not long after, a man in a black suit appeared in the ward, carrying a box of silver needles.
He was puzzled.
But he knew better than to ask questions. He delivered the items and left quickly, without lingering.
"Here are the silver needles. You can come over now."
One-Eyed Man braced himself, preparing to carefully observe his own condition.
What could these ordinary-looking needles possibly do to make him lose consciousness?
"What beautiful needles," Old Man Zhang remarked.
Lin Fan agreed, "Yes, they are indeed beautiful, slender and gleaming. This time, be serious. Don't get distracted. Give him proper treatment. I believe you can definitely make his eye grow back."
Soon, Old Man Zhang carefully examined One-Eyed Man's head. Lin Fan watched attentively from the side, pointing to the top of his head. "This bump here doesn't look good."
Slap!
One needle went in.
"If it doesn't look good, stick him."
Old Man Zhang's fingers were nimble. Each needle went down swiftly, accurately, and decisively. Sticking wherever it felt wrong—that was his acupuncture method.
No one else could learn it.
Otherwise, wouldn't all his years of effort be wasted?
One-Eyed Man focused on the changes in his body. To his surprise, he felt nothing. A needle inserted into such a vital spot, no matter what, should have produced some sensation.
Old Man Zhang observed carefully, searching for anything that looked amiss. Even if something appeared normal at first glance, a blink later, it might seem off.
The second needle!
The third needle!
Lin Fan pointed to a spot. "There's a problem here."
"Yes, I've noticed it too," Old Man Zhang said seriously.
The fourth needle!
…
The twelfth needle!
One-Eyed Man's heartbeat gradually accelerated. It wasn't the needles that caused it, but the lack of any discomfort. This, in his opinion, was terrifying.
How did the old man do it?
Suddenly, he remembered that he lost consciousness after the thirteenth needle. The next one would be the thirteenth. He could only find out why when the time came.
The thirteenth needle went down!
One-Eyed Man concentrated, then suddenly, his vision went black. With a thud, he collapsed onto the floor.
Old Man Zhang stood there, holding the silver needle, dumbfounded. He stared at Lin Fan, bewildered.
"He… what happened to him?"
Lin Fan pondered for a moment. "He's probably fallen asleep."
A nurse stood at the doorway. She had witnessed the entire process. When she saw One-Eyed Man collapse, she immediately let out a heart-wrenching scream.
"Doctor! Help!"
Her cries alerted everyone on the floor.
What had happened?
What could make a nurse so terrified?
Without the sound of a flatlining heart monitor, doctors and nurses rushed in, placed One-Eyed Man on a gurney, and rushed him to the emergency room.
When Vice President Li learned of this, he nearly fainted.
Was he even allowed to live?
Meanwhile, Lin Fan and Old Man Zhang lay in their beds, lost in thought.
Was there a problem?
Creak!
The sound of a gurney approached.
The man who had agreed to switch rooms with Li Ang pushed the gurney in. He stopped at the door, looking at Lin Fan and Old Man Zhang. These were the mental patients the doctors had mentioned.
He understood the situation with mental patients.
They were dangerous people.
He couldn't understand why they were allowed to roam free, hurting or even killing others without punishment.
When mental patients committed murder during an episode, they bore no criminal responsibility; only their families were liable for civil compensation.
How unfair was that?
He looked at his daughter lying on the gurney, gritted his teeth, and pushed the gurney into the room.
His daughter had leukemia, which had drained all his savings.
The daily hospitalization fees were already unbearable. When he learned of the free ward, he decided to come here.
Lin Fan and Old Man Zhang looked curiously at the middle-aged man and then at the little girl lying there.
They exchanged glances, full of questions.
What was wrong with her? Why was she bald? It was very strange.
"It's not too late to change your mind," the accompanying doctor whispered in the man's ear.
"No, we'll stay here," the man shook his head firmly.
Zhang Hongmin carried his seven-year-old daughter to the bed, then brought a chair and sat between the two beds. He had to protect his daughter. If the mental patients made any sudden moves, he would fight them to the death.
"Daddy…" the little girl on the bed whispered.
Zhang Hongmin turned his head and stroked his daughter's forehead. "Be good, be obedient. When you get better, you'll be a lively little princess again. Sleep well, Daddy's right here guarding you."
"Mmm," the little girl nodded obediently.
Lin Fan and Old Man Zhang looked at the little girl curiously, then at the middle-aged man.
"She doesn't look well."
"I know acupuncture. I can take a look at her."
Zhang Hongmin didn't want to pay attention to these two mental patients, but when he heard these words, he tensed up, looking warily at them.
Gradually, Lin Fan stared calmly at the man, a smile on his face, his eyes unwavering.
Ordinary people would feel a chill down their spines, a sense of dread, when met with such a gaze.
Zhang Hongmin's throat tightened. He felt cold and uncomfortable under this gaze, but he had to keep an eye on the mental patient, in case he was attacked by surprise.
As he continued to look, he unconsciously lowered his head, unable to meet Lin Fan's gaze. But the thought of his daughter sleeping soundly behind him made him raise his head again to meet Lin Fan's eyes. Even with sweat on his forehead, he wasn't afraid.
A father's love is great.
A mortal can rival a god.
After a long while, the little girl woke up. She looked curiously at Lin Fan, and Lin Fan looked curiously back at her. The two stared at each other.
The little girl found the big brother's smile gentle.
His eyes were clear.
She liked this big brother.
Lin Fan pulled down his eyelids, stuck out his tongue, and made a face.
The little girl giggled, happy.
But the pain made her frown.
It really hurt.
But she had to be strong, she couldn't worry her dad.
Seeing Lin Fan teasing his daughter, Zhang Hongmin shielded her with his not-so-broad body, glaring at Lin Fan as if to say, "If you dare bully my daughter again, I'll fight you to the death."
Lin Fan peeked over Zhang Hongmin's shoulder, and the little girl peeked back.
The two looked at each other again.
"Hee hee!"
"Hee hee!"
Lin Fan's smile was like the sun to the little girl, warm and comforting.
But to Zhang Hongmin, that smile was chilling.
Ominous.
Creak!
Another gurney arrived.
One-Eyed Man lay there expressionless.
The doctor's words echoed in his mind.
"Your situation is a bit complicated. You have temporary paralysis in your right leg. You'll need to rest for a while."
The doctor's expression was strange when he said this, as if he was saying, "You're really something. You agreed to let a mental patient stick needles in you. Look at you now, temporarily paralyzed."
One-Eyed Man was stunned.
It wasn't the temporary paralysis that shocked him.
It was disbelief.
A mental patient had paralyzed such a strong person.
How could this be?
This wasn't reality.
He couldn't accept it.