"Tiantai Pharmaceutical is such a big company, they wouldn't hesitate to give this small amount of money,"
"But... it's not impossible either," I was just a boy from the slums in Chicken Snake Country. If they decided to default, I had no means to fight back...
A thousand Langke wasn't much for Tiantai Pharmaceutical.
But if they didn't want to pay, there was nothing I could do...
Ruan Yu didn't seem like a swindler...
But what if I got swindled...
In my mind, two guesses battled each other.
And yet, a rush from the bottom of my heart, like a sharp sword, suddenly thrust itself in.
"Kill them all."
Wei Tianyang shook his head, loosening his fist, not knowing why such a thought sprang up.
The fat man suddenly stood up, twisting his body, and started sizing Wei Tianyang up from all angles.
"Aren't you missing something?" Bald Uncle suddenly asked.
He shook his head, not quite understanding what the other man meant, but soon he realized that all four men had physical deformities, which he hadn't noticed before.
The fat man's right arm was gone, his forearm looked like a meat stick. The muscular man seemed normal, but his chest was caved in.
Bald Uncle's head was wrapped with a bandage, and Glasses Beast's left eye was just an empty socket.
"Is this... a side effect of the medicine?" Wei Tianyang asked in surprise.
"Yeah, it really hurts, but it'll be better after a week, you get used to it," the muscular man said with a laugh.
Wei Tianyang's hair stood on end. The drug's side effects were terrifying...
Considering his ability to burn a hole in a steel plate with a punch, it might backfire on his own body too.
"My arm here turned black, did the same happen to you before?" Wei Tianyang raised his right arm to show them the dark mark.
Whether it was psychological or not, the area of the mark seemed to be growing.
"Not really? We didn't turn black. After the injection, the pain was unbearable," Glasses Beast interjected.
Hearing Glasses Beast say this, Wei Tianyang felt somewhat relieved.
"Forget about the money, run," the fat man suddenly said.
How can I run without money?
Wei Tianyang thought for a moment and decided to find Ruan Yu.
He had to get the money somehow; Ruan Yu wouldn't cheat him.
If she defaulted, then he would kill her...
No... that's not right... that's not what he was thinking...
Wei Tianyang rubbed his face and said, "Enough talk, I'm going to find Ruan Yu."
Saying this, he made a gesture with his hand and turned to walk in the direction of Ruan Yu and Hans.
Several researchers eyed him curiously, whispering something among themselves.
Only Hans was left by the window, on a phone call.
Wei Tianyang didn't disturb him but tiptoed to look around, searching for Ruan Yu in the crowd.
"What are you muttering about all alone? We still have a lot to do."
Ruan Yu suddenly grabbed Wei Tianyang's arm from behind.
He jumped in shock, a mild mint fragrance filled his nostrils, the smell of Ruan Yu's lady's cigarette.
"Is the project successful? Can I get the money now?" Wei Tianyang asked bluntly.
Ruan Yu smiled, taking Wei Tianyang's hand and pulling him aside.
"I know you want to quickly take your mother out of this country, but don't rush. We have one last step to go through. After we finish this, I'll personally handle your arrangements to leave the country," Ruan Yu said.
Wei Tianyang didn't say a word, and Ruan Yu crouched down, holding his right hand with both of hers, quietly watching him.
Wei Tianyang didn't respond, just quietly watching Ruan Yu.
Ruan Yu smiled and said, "To achieve my goal, I would do anything, except for lying."
She seemed sincere, at least she appeared very sincere.
This sincere defense, however, deepened Wei Tianyang's suspicion of her.
He hadn't said anything, yet Ruan Yu intuitively thought that Wei Tianyang suspected her of lying.
Traitors emphasize their loyalty repeatedly, and liars reiterate their honesty again and again.
"You've come this far, don't let your efforts go to waste," Ruan Yu said.
After speaking, she opened her handbag, took out a white leather rectangular wallet, and pulled out ten 100 Langke banknotes, stuffing them into Wei Tianyang's hand.
The small stack of green banknotes felt strange in his hand.
It was neither thick nor thin.
Soft, yet incredibly firm.
Light, yet unusually heavy.
Wei Tianyang trembled a bit, the thousand Langke, now in his hands.
"I'm paying you out of my own pocket now; you should believe me now, right?" Ruan Yu said.
Money in hand, no matter what.
Crossing from Chicken Snake Country to Yin Country cost fifty Langke per person; he'd still have 850 Langke left to find a place to settle down and plan for the future slowly.
This stack of notes dispelled Wei Tianyang's concerns; he stuffed the money into his canvas backpack and asked, "What's the last thing I need to do?"
Ruan Yu smiled and said, "It's been over a week since your last injection. Now, we need to proceed with the second injection to see if your abilities change."
"What exactly is this drug? Why can my fists melt through steel plates? I just heard from the previous Medicine People that this stuff has severe side effects, potentially causing disability," Wei Tianyang blurted out.
"Previous batches? Where?" Ruan Yu interrogated, her gaze suddenly sharp.
Wei Tianyang looked towards where the surgery table was placed, where several researchers were sitting drinking beer; the four Medicine People had already left, presumably to change their clothes.
Ruan Yu wanted to ask more, but Hans walked up with his cellphone.
"The drugs are on their way; we will start preparing for the second injection soon…" he hadn't finished speaking when Ruan Yu pulled him aside and whispered something in his ear.
Wei Tianyang noticed a change in their expressions, surely it was something those four Medicine People shouldn't have mentioned.
After Hans and Ruan Yu finished their conversation and glanced at Wei Tianyang, they went to prepare for the injection.
Ruan Yu walked over, placing a hand on Wei Tianyang's shoulder, a professional smile appearing on her face as if nothing had happened.
"Go rest over there for a while; it will be over soon. Maybe by this time next week, you'll already be in Yin Country," she said.
Wei Tianyang smiled and then nodded.
At noon, he ate boxed lunches with the researchers from Tiantai Pharmaceutical, leaving most of the dishes uneaten, then packed them in a plastic bag and stuffed it into his backpack.
At 3 p.m., the noisy sound of vehicle engines came from afar.
Wei Tianyang stood in front of the window and saw a container truck and an orange-yellow crane arriving together into the abandoned park, stirring up a large flock of black birds.
The vehicles stopped at the entrance of the underground parking lot, and around a dozen armed personnel, fully armed, jumped out of the container.
These soldiers, dressed in black with full-coverage helmets and automatic rifles that Wei Tianyang had never seen before, spread out, encircling the building and vehicles in formation.
Meanwhile, several workers in white hazmat suits dragged a silver-white canister, taller than a person, from the container and hung it on the crane's hook.
The wall of the hall on one side began to retract, with several researchers standing at the opening, waiting for the canister to be hoisted up from below.
Wei Tianyang stood watching, as if the whole affair had nothing to do with him.
At that moment, he glimpsed the four Medicine People at a deserted window at the far end of the room, also watching the activity downstairs.
The silver canister was hoisted to the eighth floor, where Hans and two assistants expertly unhooked the ropes, and a group began bustling around.
Ruan Yu, cigarette in hand, walked up to him and patted his shoulder, saying, "Go to the surgery table; you're just twelve steps away from Yin Country."