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墨書 Inktalez
When I entered Fatty's hospital room, I saw three people inside.
Fatty was lying on the bed with one leg raised, while Xiao Ting sat beside him, peeling an apple. She arranged the slices neatly on a plate, and Fatty picked up a toothpick to eat them. Every time Xiao Ting handed him a piece, he would stab it with the toothpick and pop it into his mouth.
Another person was sitting in a wheelchair, facing away from me. All I could see was that his head was wrapped in bandages, and one leg was propped up like a cannon barrel.
I immediately recognized him as Ouyang Jian. After hearing that he had been dealt with by the Hakka People, he must have been too scared to stay at the hotel and had come here seeking help.
I walked over and gave him a light jab on the back of his neck. "Still alive, huh? Learned your lesson?"
"Brother Qiang."
Hearing that voice made me realize something was off. That wasn't Ouyang Jian's voice; it was Liu Squad Leader's.
I walked around to take a closer look, and sure enough, it was Liu Squad Leader. His face was swollen like a pig's head, and there were plenty of bandages wrapped around his head, with only a few spots where skin was visible. One leg was in a cast. He looked so much like Ouyang Jian.
"Hey, Liu Squad Leader, who did you offend this time? You really took a beating—your leg is broken."
As soon as I finished speaking, Liu Squad Leader started to cry. "Damn it, you did this! Who else could it be?"
I was taken aback. Was he serious? This incident had happened over ten months ago. At that time, my injuries were no less severe than his, yet I was now fit as a fiddle. How had his condition worsened to the point of breaking his leg? Could it be that my awakening ability was causing some delayed effect? What kind of superpower is this—delayed retaliation?
“Qiangzi, look at what you've done to Liu Squad Leader. He used to have such a handsome face, but after a few bandage changes, Nima, his face is covered in scars, just like Quasimodo from Notre-Dame de Paris.
Now the nurses avoid him, and do you know what they call him behind his back? The Big Monster! With this appearance, how is he ever going to find a wife? You have to take responsibility for this.”
Fatty ’s words were definitely those of someone who enjoyed the spectacle and even seemed to provoke trouble.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Liu Squad Leader burst into tears, his tears flowing like a broken dam, soaking the bandages on his face. If Xiao Ting hadn’t been there, I think he might have cried out loud.
I absolutely despised Liu Squad Leader’s character, but I didn’t think he was a spineless coward. Of course, he was afraid of ghosts; that was the most cowardly aspect of his personality. But he wasn’t afraid of death. He was a tough guy; back in Lop Nur's Underground Passage, he broke his arm without uttering a single sound.
Seeing such a tough man reduced to tears made my heart ache as well. I lowered my head and leaned closer: “I’m hurt too; look, isn’t there a cut on my forehead?”
That was from when I bumped my head on Cao Mingzhe’s balcony last night. I hadn’t treated it; I just washed it off. It should still be quite noticeable.
To my surprise, Liu Squad Leader took one look and immediately began to wail. This caused quite a commotion; several doctors and nurses rushed in, all looking extremely tense.
One nurse turned pale and asked, “What happened? Is someone dead?”
I recognized her; she looked familiar from the photo posted on the ward door. She must be the responsible nurse for this ward.
I felt both angry and embarrassed as I pointed at Liu Squad Leader: “Um, his dad died.”
“Damn it, my dad has been dead for several years.” Liu Squad Leader probably could stand up again. He was about to challenge me once more.
I know very well that your dad has been dead for several years, so why do you keep whining about it? The problem is, you're a grown man here crying like a mourner. Aren't you afraid of embarrassing yourself? We're the ones who can't stand the looks we're getting.
At least try to convince Liu Squad Leader to stop wailing; several doctors and nurses have already scolded me thoroughly. The culprit is Fatty. When the doctor asked what happened, Fatty immediately pointed two fingers at me. "He did it."
It was him who made me cry today.
It was almost enough to call the police. Before leaving, Liu Squad Leader's attending physician explicitly ordered me to leave the hospital within a time limit, declaring that I was an unwelcome person.
While the doctors and nurses surrounded me scolding, Fatty lay on the bed with one hand covering his forehead, blocking most of his face, trying hard not to laugh despite his worried expression. This guy was driving me crazy.
Xiao Ting had gone to Liu Squad Leader's room since there was no one else to take care of him; she was running back and forth between the two rooms.
Once everyone left the ward, I exchanged glances with A San, who quickly turned around and shut the door tightly. I yanked on the rope that was holding up Fatty's leg, and as his leg fell onto the bed, his expression turned genuinely distressed—not pretending—he was sweating.
Fatty gritted his teeth and shouted at me, "Damn it, are you trying to cripple me too?"
"I’m about to make you wish you were dead. This feeling isn’t pleasant, is it? I'm not just venting my frustration; I'm also teaching you a lesson for Da Zhang. Forget about Da Zhang; just leave him alone in Laos so he doesn't starve to death."
Fatty clutched his leg, his lips trembling from the pain. "My leg! Just when it was getting better, now it's messed up again. Knowing you has brought me nothing but bad luck."
"Same here," I replied coldly. "Da Zhang is the unluckiest of all—alone in Laos, and if he dies, no one will even know."
Fatty paused for a moment before saying, "He won't die, and he won't go hungry. His survival skills are better than yours in that place."
"How can you be sure he's okay? What if something happens? Can you bear it?"
"I called him. He’s fine and will be back in a couple of days."
Hearing this, I finally relaxed. After worrying all morning, I could finally put my mind at ease.
However, I thought for a moment and turned to Fatty. "Can you let him stay in Laos a bit longer? I want to ask him to handle something."
"What is it?" Fatty replied irritably.
"Do you remember our deal with the Vietnamese? I want to complete that transaction."
"Why? We already have a channel to go underground in Lop Nur. There's no need to risk going to Laos. That stuff is dangerous; you know that. You could blow yourself up at any moment."
I frowned and thought for a while. There was no way around it; it wouldn't help to hide it from A San. His ability to eavesdrop was too strong. Sending him away would be pointless; he would likely overhear our conversation within the hospital premises.
It was better to be open with him since he would have to execute the plan anyway.
I briefly shared the information that Cao Mingzhe had revealed to me with Fatty, emphasizing the different objectives of Cao Mingzhe and Xiao Guolin.
Fatty was sharp in these matters and immediately understood the divergence between Cao Mingzhe and Xiao Guolin regarding this issue. He quickly expressed his willingness to help me with my father-in-law.
I looked at Fatty with mixed feelings. Damn it, that was supposed to be my father-in-law.
This matter should not be mentioned; it only brings frustration. Xiao Guolin had long ago hinted at this, even entrusting his daughter to me during a time when life and death were uncertain. Back then, Xiao Ting was still in school, and thinking back on it now, I regret not agreeing to it. I ended up pushing a lovely bride into someone else's arms.
It’s also Old Xiao's fault. He wanted to show me a picture of Xiao Ting, and I jokingly called him "father-in-law." But we who work in the field of archaeology are all dark-skinned and rough-skinned. At that time, I imagined his daughter’s appearance based on Xiao Guolin’s dark face, and I certainly didn’t want to think of her as looking like a character from a story.
(To Be Continued...)
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