Special Forces Medic-Chapter 659 - 621: I Don’t Have That Permission
"It's too late for you to tell me this now. Even if I want to back out now, will they believe it?"
Xiao Lin smiled slightly; she was right.
"I can only say it's a coincidence. Hua Qingyi and I appeared in the northern district because we were looking for someone named Hong Lian, and you got involved because of a traffic accident." Xiao Lin said calmly.
"Four people have already died, and Director Zhao is currently missing. I can't find him anywhere."
"Lord Four has always been my target of pursuit. You became her target because I destroyed her factory."
"A factory?"
"That abandoned brick kiln factory, its bottom has actually been hollowed out, and the forbidden substances sold privately in the northern district are distributed from there." Xiao Lin paused, keeping a close eye on Wu Shuang's expression. "Leaving aside the deaths of Xiao Mei and Ah San, Wang Canghai is a collateral member of the Wang Family. I believe you understand what it means to kill somebody to silence them. And just now in the mental hospital, you saw Tang Xiaoxia's condition. I think we share the same feeling — Zhang Qiang shouldn't have died, but because you got involved, it accelerated their pace, as someone doesn't want you to know the inside story. Destroying the factory was an accident, so..."
"So I became their target for revenge?" Wu Shuang finally understood. She wasn't sure what she felt now — a bit upset, a bit angry, but mostly furious.
"The reason Hua Qingyi doesn't want you to investigate further is that most of the officials in the northern district have been bribed, and your access doesn't reach here." Xiao Lin's eyes were somewhat stern.
"After Tang Xiaoxia entered the mental hospital, Wang Zhanting visited her, and personally, I think there's something hidden about her condition. That Dr. Zhou is very problematic."
Xiao Lin sighed. "Tang Xiaoxia is like a gun, discarded when no longer useful. It's safer to get her out of there as soon as possible."
"Can you treat her problem?" Wu Shuang asked. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
"She isn't ill, what would I treat?" Xiao Lin chuckled; that woman must be playing the fool, and she didn't seem so stupid.
"I understand. I'll handle this matter." Wu Shuang rubbed her head. Relationships seem to be used when needed, right? "Take me back to my parents' place."
"Regarding the case in the northern district, starting with Zhang Qiang, don't bother with the issue of forbidden substances for now. The hospital itself is problematic. Start investigating from the top."
"I don't have that permission." Wu Shuang answered helplessly.
"You don't, but I do." Xiao Lin's words informed Wu Shuang of his decision. Now is not the time to play games. After the previous violent case, Xiao Lin realized one thing. "It's going to be tough afterward, be prepared mentally."
At the entrance of an independent community, Xiao Lin stopped the car. "So you knew my identity all along?"
"I know much more than you do." Wu Shuang would be very safe here. Although each resident lived at a certain distance from each other, independently existing, this area belonged to the military, with guards to ensure absolute safety.
After seeing Wu Shuang off, Xiao Lin didn't head back immediately but parked the car at a street near the mental hospital. He walked slowly, his eyes scanning the surrounding buildings. The closer he got to the hospital, the fewer residential areas there were, likely for various reasons.
He stopped about two or three meters from the hospital. It was already silent here; occasionally, eerie sounds emanated from the building's surface, breaking the stillness and sending chills down one's spine.
The gatehouse was lit, and the two sliding iron gates had already been shut. The site of the violent case, under Mu Rongyun's command, had been cleared.
Standing there, Xiao Lin could still smell the scorched, metallic scent in the air. It was suffocating. He pulled out black gloves from his pocket and put them on, climbing up a wall with electric network devices that, in reality, were just there to scare the uninformed. After crossing with ease, he quickly ran towards the building.
In the corridor, lights illuminated at intervals, making the ten meters or so stretch appear even colder. Xiao Lin moved from the first to the third floor, where there was no one at the reception. Each room was tightly closed, with noises emanating: crying, laughing, shouting — a complete madhouse.
Not lingering long on the third floor, Xiao Lin made his way to the top. The rooms there were significantly fewer, not due to more space, but because half of the floor had been converted into a rest area. Standing there, Xiao Lin looked up at the surveillance equipment overhead.
The black lens looks forbidden, but it's actually rotating 360°, meaning that no matter how he hides, he can be found. He took a step back to hide by the stairs, looking upwards for the window leading from the fifth floor to the rooftop.
In front of him was a heavy iron door sealing off the severe ward, and on the other side, another door isolated the rest area. Stuck in the middle, Xiao Lin thought for a moment and returned to the ground floor.
The floors of the mental hospital are about a meter higher than typical residential buildings, meaning that the fifth floor is equivalent to about three and a half levels of a regular residence. To reach the rooftop, he could only climb up from the outside.
After climbing the tallest tree, Xiao Lin leaped to grab a piece of platform exposed by a second-floor window, stabilizing himself there. With a light jump, he grabbed the ledge above the window, flipping himself up to nearly the third floor, approaching the drainpipe. Testing the distance, he lunged for the pipe, brushing against the wall and slipping as pain shot through him. In the nick of time, he hooked his foot, wedging his toe into a gap between the wall and the pipe, stopping his fall, hanging upside-down on the wall.
Whew! Letting out a silent breath, Xiao Lin wrapped his arms around the pipe to free his left toe. Using both his hands and feet, he continued to climb upward. Typically, downspouts run from the ground to the top, but this hospital's downspout diverted after reaching two and a half floors, a curious sight. Xiao Lin glanced down at the direction of the pipe—it continued to the other side of the second floor.
Shelving his curiosity for now, Xiao Lin picked up speed and climbed onto the rooftop. The roof of the mental hospital was not much different from typical buildings, with bricks intentionally forming a boundary around the edge, topped with drying racks.
Having roughly determined his position, Xiao Lin found a sturdy pipe. He tied a knot with the rope he carried and secured it to himself, taking a leap in the direction he intended.
The length of the rope was just enough between the rooftop and the window. Dangling, Xiao Lin flipped in mid-air, landing his feet on the windowsill.
The window here could only open a hand's width to prevent patient suicides, and the room was pitch-black. Xiao Lin shielded his eyes with both hands to peer inside; all he could see were thick curtains.
He tried to push the window open just enough to slip a hand through, wanting to lift one side of the curtain to see if the person inside was whom he was looking for.
The window was tightly locked. Xiao Lin tried forcefully at both sides without success, realizing he'd need another way. Just as he had planned to climb back to the rooftop, a face pressed against the glass. Pale, eyes like hollow voids stared back at him. Saying it's not frightening would be a lie. Clutching the rope tightly, Xiao Lin looked back at the face, unable to see the eyes, only two black holes.
Human or ghost? Xiao Lin asked himself, breathing deeply, staring silently at the face on the glass. A breath of white mist formed on the glass—he was human. Ghosts don't exhale like humans.
Human or madman? Xiao Lin asked himself again. If it was a madman, what would he do next? Scream, shout, or?
None of that happened, for the face vanished, and the heavy curtains were drawn. Xiao Lin stood a little dazed, as if what just happened was merely his imagination. The glass in front of him was void of anything.
Was there really nothing there? Xiao Lin tilted his head as condensation from breath formed "SOS" on the window—a universal distress signal.
He wanted to knock on the window when the entire building suddenly lit up. He quickly climbed up along the rope. What happened? Upon reaching the rooftop, he hugged the side, remaining still.
After a burst of noise, the building returned to silence, the lights extinguished. Not everyone in a mental hospital is normal, and even if they are, they're the "normal" among the abnormal.
Going down along the drainpipe, Xiao Lin didn't stop at the second floor but continued downward. The pipe went into the building between the second and first floor junction, preventing further access from there. He landed on the ground. Glancing back at the building, he ran towards the wall.
On the fifth floor, there was nothing at the window where the face had been, and the electric grid on the wall was activated. He groped his way to the guardroom, taking the opportunity to vault over the iron gate while the occupants engaged in chatter.
If it were just Tang Xiaoxia, getting out wouldn't be too hard. But what about the other person? He shouldn't exist here. Xiao Lin looked back again and saw a light appear in the window from his angle.
SOS! He was signaling for help.
"I've confirmed the person is in the municipal psychiatric hospital, alive." Xiao Lin dialed the phone. It was 2 a.m., and the person on the other end murmured, seemingly bewildered. "Hong Lian is in the municipal psychiatric hospital."
"What?" came a grunt on the other end, like the sound of falling off a bed. "Hong Lian?"
"See you in half an hour."
Hua Qingyi got up from the floor, sitting on the bed, slowly digesting Xiao Lin's words.
Hong Lian is in the psychiatric hospital! (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
