March 26th!
Like any other day, nothing special happened.
March 27th!
Quietly and mischievously slipped away, only turning back at the end to say, what's past is past, no need to dwell on it, cherish the beautiful tomorrow.
March 28th!
The weather wasn't great. A light, gray rain fell outside. Lin Fan and Old Zhang stood by the window, watching the scenery outside change with the weather.
Melancholy.
They leaned against the window, drinking soy milk, which, for them, was really just cola and Sprite. The deliciousness assaulted their taste buds, satisfying them, while their thoughts drifted to their second home.
Their second home was Huatian Hospital.
Rumble!
A muffled thunderclap echoed through the light rain.
Occasionally, a slender bolt of lightning would split the sky.
"I haven't cultivated for a long time." Lin Fan stared blankly at the sky outside, his eyes filled with a kind of longing and anticipation.
"There are power outlets here."
Old Zhang, willing to help Lin Fan with his cultivation, observed the surroundings and found the outlets.
Even without Lin Fan being too explicit, Old Zhang could understand what he needed.
Looking at the outlets, he shook his head. "These outlets won't do. The current isn't strong enough. They're no longer of much use to me. I want that."
He pointed his finger towards the sky, at the pure power of lightning.
His heart yearned for it.
The evil rooster cocked its head, curious. He's looking for death, isn't he? One bolt of lightning will fry him to a crisp.
"I think I've figured out a way." Old Zhang said.
"What way?" Lin Fan asked.
He had envied the electricity in the sky for so long.
Back in Qingshan Mental Hospital, he had wanted to experience it properly, but the nurses were so troublesome, always watching him, that he never had the chance.
Now, the opportunity had arrived.
He felt he couldn't let it pass.
"I saw it on TV. Someone stood on the roof, holding an iron rod, and was able to channel electricity. I think you could try it."
Old Zhang was a person who liked to carefully observe everything around him. He could learn new knowledge from television to help Lin Fan on his new path of cultivation.
"Will it work?" Lin Fan asked.
"It will work."
"Then let's go see."
With that, they headed towards the rooftop. The evil rooster watched in stunned silence.
Are they serious?
On the rooftop.
Old Zhang asked, "Do you need me to give you acupuncture? If we combine it with my Cosmic Circulation Technique, the effect will definitely be better. I'll insert needles into your limbs, forming a Grand Cosmic Circulation route. Then, you'll definitely feel a different effect."
"Okay, I'll leave it to you," Lin Fan said.
Old Zhang smiled. "It's nothing. Just like you believe in my acupuncture, I believe you can cultivate. We will always trust each other, never doubting the other."
What an enviable friendship, the kind many people could only dream of.
The two looked at each other.
"Hee hee!"
"Hee hee!"
Their simple smiles were enough to express how happy they were.
The evil rooster shuddered.
What a terrifying smile.
How to describe Old Zhang's acupuncture skills? They were truly remarkable. Now, having successfully advanced to the Cosmic Circulation Technique, they were terrifyingly powerful.
"Can you feel it?"
"It's a little itchy, much stronger than last time. Last time, you had to stick the needles all the way in for me to feel anything."
"Really? That means I've become more skilled."
Hearing Lin Fan's praise, Old Zhang smiled happily again. He loved hearing Lin Fan praise him. It felt wonderful to be recognized by his good friend; it was the happiest thing in life.
The drizzle fell, and with the change in weather, the light rain turned into heavy rain. The process was slow, but the pace quickened. The evil rooster was drenched.
In the office.
"Damn weather."
One-Eyed Man looked at the city outside, complaining in annoyance. What lousy weather. Raining in the morning, another beautiful day wasted. He had wanted to stroll around the city, enjoy the scenery, but now, well, there was no scenery to see, and he had to hide from the rain in the office.
His phone rang.
"Why is he calling me?"
It wasn't Jin Shangwu, the one who had blinded him in one eye, but a senior leader from headquarters, someone he barely knew. The man was thirty years older than him.
One of those old geezers.
But he still had to give him face and answer the call.
The people calling him these days were up to no good.
His first impression of them wasn't good, anyway. The situation in Yanhai City was complicated. Could it be that various parties were trying to get him to leave?
He really wanted to know what this guy was thinking.
"Hello! Just say what you want. I'm listening."
Even if your position is higher than mine, so what? As the head of the Yanhai City Special Department, my status is also very good. I've already given you enough face by answering your call without the respect you think you deserve.
It's that simple and domineering.
The office atmosphere was already bad due to the weather, and as the person on the other end of the phone spoke, One-Eyed Man's expression became serious, the atmosphere growing even more oppressive. Then, he retorted:
"Are you kidding me? Asking me to leave Yanhai City and report to headquarters? You should know the current situation in Yanhai City."
"You know and you still want me to go? I can report anything over the phone."
"No? Who made this decision? I just want to know who made it."
For One-Eyed Man, the situation was as he expected. Someone was targeting him.
A while ago, Jin Shangwu came to transfer him to headquarters.
He suspected Jin Shangwu had ulterior motives.
But then he thought about it and understood Jin Shangwu's intentions. It was a way to repay his guilt. But this time, it was headquarters wanting him to go, clearly wanting to transfer him away.
A tactic to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Do you really think I don't understand?
One-Eyed Man stood by the floor-to-ceiling window. The sky outside gradually darkened, covered by dark clouds. A bolt of lightning tore through the clouds, illuminating the entire Yanhai City, the rumble reaching his ears.
"I understand. I'll go."
He agreed to their request.
And at that moment…
One-Eyed Man saw a figure on a rooftop in the distance, holding something and pointing it at the sky. Looking closely, wasn't that Lin Fan?
The mental patient he brought back.
Damn it.
What is he doing?
A muffled sound came, and lightning struck, fiercely hitting the figure.
"Holy crap!"
One-Eyed Man exclaimed, then hurriedly opened the door and rushed out. What the hell was that guy doing?
"Hello! Hello! What did you say?"
The person on the other end of the phone asked, wanting to clarify who that "holy crap" was directed at.
One-Eyed Man didn't have the time to bother with him.
Someone could die now.
He had signed a contract with Hao Ren. If Hao Ren found out, he would be furious. Why were there so many things happening lately? It was making his head explode.
In that moment…
His mind raced.
The thought of sending the mental patient back surfaced.
On the rooftop.
"Old Zhang, I feel full of power! This is even more powerful than outlets and high-voltage boxes!" Lin Fan shouted, pointing his finger at the sky, his whole body trembling, like a deity summoning lightning.
His head shook rapidly, his hair standing on end, his mind somewhat confused. This was the sign of lightning entering the body, making him invincible.
"Wow!"
Old Zhang opened his mouth, clapping excitedly, shouting, "Amazing! So amazing!"
The evil rooster was dumbfounded.
He's really courting death!
If that lightning hit him, he would definitely be annihilated, no doubt about it.
The lightning disappeared.
The current flowed through Lin Fan's body, spreading down his legs and out in all directions, forming dense electric arcs.
Boom!
Lin Fan fell to the ground, smoke rising from his body. His eyes rolled rapidly, then fixed, imprinted with the gray sky. He slowly raised his hand, reaching for the sky, murmuring:
"I saw it."
His arm was bloody and mangled, and you could smell the aroma of cooked meat. The smell was simply fantastic.
Old Zhang rushed to Lin Fan's side, reaching out to hold him. Crack! An electric arc jumped, shocking Old Zhang and making him retract his hand.
"How are you?"
Lin Fan smiled, white smoke escaping his mouth. "Very good. Just now, I felt power coursing through my body. I felt it, and I touched it. Your acupuncture was successful, helping me cultivate better. It's just that I'm so tired now. I want to rest."
"Mmm, you rest well. I'll help you recuperate. I'll continue giving you acupuncture," Old Zhang said.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Lin Fan's gaze gradually dimmed, becoming vacant. His eyelids drooped, and he fell into unconsciousness.
The evil rooster wanted to leave these two humans. It was truly scared.
As an undercover agent, it naturally needed a fearless heart, but now, it was truly afraid. Normal people would never do such things. It would rather be an undercover agent among normal people than among lunatics.
The one-eyed man arrived, stepping in puddles, the heavy rain falling on him. The scene before him filled him with despair, even fear.
"What are you doing?"
A simple question, revealing his current helplessness.
He thought about calling Hao Ren, but what use would it be? Ultimately, he dialed the ambulance. Perhaps only the hospital could save him. In this situation, even the possibility of resuscitation was uncertain.
Looking closely, the skin and flesh were charred black, and he could smell the scent of burnt meat.
It felt truly hopeless.
He immediately called the strongest healers from the Medical High Court to sustain the victim's life. When everyone arrived, their first reaction was stunned silence. They asked the one-eyed man what had happened.
He could only answer that the person had been struck by lightning.
How could he tell them that he had just been standing there, holding an iron rod, pointing at the sky, when a bolt of lightning descended, resulting in the current situation? Of course, he couldn't say that. Otherwise, he would definitely be considered insane.
Old Man Zhang said seriously, "He was cultivating just now. That's right, and his cultivation was very successful. Don't be nervous."
The one-eyed man immediately covered Old Man Zhang's mouth, then looked at the crowd and said, "Save him, don't listen to nonsense."
Old Man Zhang made muffled sounds, unable to break free from the hand. He stuck out his tongue and licked the one-eyed man's palm. If I can't break free, I'll make you let go by tickling you.
Damn it!
Disgusting.
The one-eyed man immediately released his hand, looking at the old man in horror. Was it necessary to be so disgusting?
A member, hearing the commotion, came running by. Just as he passed, the one-eyed man grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, kneading his shoulder.
The member didn't dare to speak, standing respectfully in front of the one-eyed man, unsure what his leader was doing.
"You're doing well, keep up the good work," the one-eyed man said, patting the member's arm and smiling.
"Yes, sir."
The member was thrilled. To be praised by the leader was definitely a lifetime's worth of luck. He would definitely cherish it.
The one-eyed man smiled faintly, now harboring a fearful shadow of Old Man Zhang. He wasn't afraid of the old man being reckless, but he was afraid of his disgusting tactics.
The members who arrived, looking at the charred body lying on the ground, prayed silently, Safe travels, may we be teammates again in the next life.
They were all members of a special department; the necessary camaraderie had to be shown.
If it had been their leader…
They might have grieved, turned grief into strength, gone to the KTV, ordered a few girls, and belted out… Safe travels.
Beep-bop! Beep-bop! Beep-bop!
The ambulance arrived in the rain. What a time to have an accident, early in the morning during a thunderstorm. They really knew how to pick a day.
The doctors and nurses pushed the emergency stretcher.
Curious about this place.
They hadn't been here before.
Soon.
The doctors and nurses arrived on the rooftop. Although they hadn't seen the patient yet, based on their assumptions, it must have been a lightning strike during the thunderstorm. Honestly, there was no need for resuscitation; the person was basically dead. However, they had to follow procedure; otherwise, it wouldn't feel sufficiently solemn.
"Where's the patient?"
When they saw the patient, they were stunned. Was there any point in resuscitation? In this current state, even the world's best doctors would be powerless.
The highest degree of burns.
Cardiac arrest, definitely.
As for anything else, there was no need to mention it. He was essentially no different from a corpse.
"Doctor, have you noticed that this patient looks a lot like someone?" the nurse whispered.
The doctor looked closely, left and right, but couldn't see any resemblance to anyone.
Just as he was about to speak, the nurse tugged on the doctor's sleeve and said, "Look at him."
Her finger pointed towards Old Man Zhang.
The doctor looked over curiously.
Although it was raining and somewhat hazy, the moment he saw Old Man Zhang, he recognized him as a regular at Huatian Hospital. Then he looked back at the body lying there. Without a word, he waved his hand.
"Put him on the stretcher, resuscitate."
Don't ask why he suddenly decided to resuscitate. The reason was simple: members of the daredevil squad were here, so one of them must have suffered a great misfortune. Old Man Zhang was standing there perfectly fine, so the one lying there must be Lin Fan.
Regardless of the cause, he could definitely be saved.
The one-eyed man was about to explain something to the doctor, but the doctor domineeringly raised his hand and interrupted, "You don't need to tell us these things. We are professionals, and he is our professional client. No one understands him better than us. Please excuse us, we need to get to the hospital now."
Old Man Zhang followed the doctor, holding his hen.
The doctor patted Old Man Zhang's shoulder and said meaningfully, "You guys really know how to have fun."
The one-eyed man stood there, watching the departing doctor, sighing helplessly. I haven't even said anything yet, and you already know?
Not long after.
The beep-bop sound rang out.
The ambulance driver stepped on the gas, executed a masterful drift, and instantly disappeared into the distance.
Huatian Hospital.
"Make way, this is an emergency, everyone make way," the doctors shouted as they pushed the emergency stretcher.
Then a doctor called the director.
Li Laifu was living a comfortable life. Yesterday, a television station came to interview him and made a special program about him. He certainly wouldn't miss such a great opportunity to show off.
Just his hairstyle alone cost him fifty, having found a professional stylist to design a spirited look for him.
Then there was the matter of the speech. He had looked up the speeches of dozens of directors online, absorbing the essence of their speeches, integrating and understanding them, and forming the most perfect version.
Plagiarism?
That didn't exist.
At most, it was just referencing.
He would never forget the shocked expression on the television reporter's face after hearing his speech, clearly stunned by his words.
Drinking expensive tea, smoking a cigarette, life was colorful.
He answered the phone.
Before he could even speak, he was interrupted. He was a little unhappy. I'm the director! How can you interrupt before the director speaks?
"Director, come to the operating room quickly. There's a surgery here that must be performed by you."
The speaker sounded urgent.
As if it were truly a major event.
"Why does it need to be me? What about the other chief physicians?"
His main goal now was to take care of his health and live longer. After all, the continued growth of Huatian Hospital was inseparable from his health.
"Director, the patient is the one from Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital. He was struck by lightning this time. We don't dare to perform such a high-difficulty surgery."
"Wait for me."
When Li Laifu heard "Qingshan," he basically didn't need to hear the rest. He knew without guessing who had arrived.
He grabbed his glasses and ran towards the operating room.
In the operating room.
Li Laifu examined the situation, and the more he looked, the more alarmed he became. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Honestly, the last time the patient arrived in the hyperbaric chamber, it was already very serious, but this time was even worse.
"Director, is there any point in resuscitation in this situation?" a doctor asked.
Li Laifu said, "As doctors, saving lives and healing the wounded is our duty. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, we must give it our all. The fact that you're saying this shows that your thinking isn't up to par. After the surgery is over, go back and copy the hospital handbook for me."
"Well said, Director."
"Listening to the Director's words, my soul has been elevated."
The doctors showered him with flattery.
Li Laifu waved his hand in satisfaction. "Enough with the nonsense. Let's begin the surgery. No matter how difficult it is, there's always a place to start."
That's what he said, but honestly, in this situation, Li Laifu was a bit panicked. It was difficult to start; he didn't even know where to begin. He was completely speechless with the Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital patients.
Are you really trying to kill yourselves?
What the hell is that Hao Ren doing?
Doesn't he know to keep the patients indoors during a thunderstorm?
If anyone should be struck by lightning, it should be him, what does it have to do with the patients?
"Director, the patient's heartbeat is weak."
"Director…"
The situation in the operating room was unclear and very critical. If an ordinary doctor were performing the surgery, they would come out within ten minutes at most and say, "No need for resuscitation, contact the nearest crematorium for cremation."
Of those ten minutes, one minute would be spent operating, and the other nine would be spent pondering how to save the patient.
Old Man Zhang sat in the chair outside the operating room, waiting. He looked around curiously. Whenever a nurse passed by, he would greet them with a smile, but the nurses, as if seeing a demon, would quicken their pace and avoid him.
Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital.
Director Hao stared blankly at the computer screen. The TV series had reached its finale, with the male and female leads ending up together, sealed with a kiss.
"Sigh!"
With the series over, everything felt bland. He rewound to the kissing scene.
"Eh!"
"My goodness, it seems like the male lead stuck his tongue out. How could he do that?"
After watching it once, he replayed it again, perfectly immersing himself in the role of the male lead, his mood much improved. What a wonderful TV series, he truly hoped there would be more like it in the future.
The rain outside was heavy, accompanied by the dull rumble of thunder.
He was in a somewhat bad mood, perhaps because the TV series had suddenly ended, or perhaps because of something else. He always felt like something had happened.
Now, the only thing that could affect his mood was the Qingshan patients.
The other patients were safe here, so the ones he was worried about were…
Looking at the downpour outside and the dull thunder, he called the one-eyed man.
"Hello! It's me. How are my two patients doing over there?"
Hao Ren was very good to his patients. The donations he received were all invested in Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital, buying various things, renovating, and so on, all to provide the patients with a good living environment.
"Can you let them answer the phone?"
"Sleeping my ass! It's daytime. It's only dark because of the storm. Do you really think it's nighttime? Don't tell me something happened to my two patients, or I'll definitely bring the patients over to your place and protest with banners."
…
When the one-eyed man saw Hao Ren's call, he really shouldn't have answered it. It wasn't until after he answered that he remembered why he did.
Looking at the phone…
He had finally managed to deceive him.
"Should I really send them back?"
The one-eyed man pondered. They had been so good at the beginning, not causing trouble or bothering anyone.
He was still too naive.
He had thought too ideally, and ultimately embarked on a path of despair.
"Shadow!"
Swish!
Shadow appeared in the office.
"Why didn't you stop him?" The one-eyed man was helpless. It was as if it had nothing to do with him.
Shadow didn't speak. His wish was to establish his ability as a High Court, thereby carrying it forward and being worthy of his ancestors. Whether or not it could be achieved depended on whether the one-eyed man was willing to help.
Now…
"It was my negligence."
In the end, Shadow bore all the responsibility alone. Damn it, have some shame. Who would have known they'd climb up to the roof to attract lightning early in the morning? I just got up and ate breakfast; I hadn't even had time to follow them.
However, arguing with the leader was a foolish thing to do. Whatever he said, that's what it was. Just lie down and take it; as long as he was happy.
The one-eyed man waved his hand and said, "Forget it, I'm not unreasonable. I understand your difficulties. It's not your fault. Go and rest."
Shadow disappeared from the office.
The one-eyed man felt much better.
It was good to have someone to take the blame, to comfort himself that it wasn't his fault, but rather someone else's negligence in supervision. He would just have to be more careful in the future.
This kind of method was only something a leader could do. For others, it was a luxury just to think about it.