Skin - Chapter 59

　　Chapter 59 – Looking For Lu Yang

The old woman lying on the hospital bed in front of him, although also gray-haired, pale and old, was not the same old woman he had seen in the basement of the nursing home in his memory…

　　If his memory was correct, could it be that the old woman had been switched?

　　If that was the case, why was she replaced? Could it be that what he had been doing in the past few months had been discovered? It was possible. His visit to the sanatorium a few days ago should have been clearly recorded by the surveillance camera…

　　Lu Shichen raised his head and his eyes fell on the emergency call button next to the bed.

　　He walked out and said to the policeman guarding the door: “The old woman’s finger just moved.”

　　”Moving? Then we have to call a doctor right away.” The policeman pushed the door open and pressed the emergency call button.

　　A few minutes later, the doctor came over. After checking the woman’s basic condition, he stood up and said in surprise, “Nothing unusual. Did her finger really move just now?”

　　”Well,” Lu Shichen said, “it only moved a little.”

　　”Oh, that could also be the involuntary twitching of the finger controlled by the nerve. It means the patient’s condition is improving. We need to observe it further.”

　　”How long has this old woman been under the effect of the drug in the nursing home?” Lu Shichen asked naturally.

　　”It’s hard to estimate the exact time,” the doctor said. “Captain Meng also asked this question before.”

　　”How many months?”

　　”No, no, no. A few months is absolutely impossible. Judging from the physical examination of this old woman, she has been receiving injections for the longest time among the others. It must be at least ten years.”

　　”I want to see her test report.” Lu Shichen said.

　　”You are…” The doctor looked at Lu Shichen. The man in front of him had a very superior appearance and temperament. He was wearing a hospital gown and seemed to be an inpatient.

　　”Captain Meng and I went to the sanatorium to save people,” said Lu Shichen.

　　”You are the one who saved the whole ambulance,” the doctor suddenly realized, “Come, the test report is in the office, please follow me. Speaking of which, I really want to thank you for what happened that day…”

　　•=|=•

　　The taxi stopped in front of the hospital building. Meng Zhao paid the fare, opened the door and ran quickly into the hospital building.

　　He didn’t have time to wait for the elevator and went up the stairs in two steps.

　　When he opened the door of the VIP ward, Lu Shichen was not there and the ward was empty.

　　Meng Zhao felt a little nervous for a moment. He pulled a passing nurse over and asked, “Where are the people in this ward?!”

　　His tone was stern, and the nurse was taken aback by him: “No, I haven’t seen him.”

　　”I’m a policeman, take me to the monitoring room.” Meng Zhao was about to take out his ID when the nurse who had just finished cleaning the lunch boxes returned.

　　”Officer Meng, why are you back at this time?” the nurse asked with some surprise.

　　”Xiao Luo, where’s Lu Shichen?” Meng Zhao turned to ask the nurse, “Why didn’t you answer the phone?”

　　Seeing Meng Zhao shift his focus, the nurse breathed a sigh of relief and quickly slipped away.

　　The nurse was also a little confused: “I was busy just now and didn’t check my phone. Mr. Lu said he was walking in the corridor by himself and didn’t need me to follow him.”

　　”Where did he go?”

　　”It seems to be upstairs…”

　　Meng Zhao let go of the nurse and was about to run towards the stairs when Lu Shichen’s voice came from behind him: “Meng Zhao.”

　　Meng Zhao stopped in his tracks, turned around and looked at Lu Shichen who was safe and sound a few steps away.

　　”What’s wrong?” Lu Shichen looked at him and asked.

　　”Where have you been?” Meng Zhao walked over and asked a barrage of questions, “Why didn’t you bring your phone? Do you know it’s dangerous to walk around alone just after you can get out of bed?”

　　”I was just walking around the building,” Lu Shichen said calmly, “What happened?”

　　Facing Lu Shichen, Meng Zhao was instantly silent: “It’s okay, someone threatened me about you on the phone. No, the hospital is too dangerous, I have to find someone to guard here.”

　　Meng Zhao said, taking out his phone and looking through the address book, but he couldn’t think of who to contact. Most of the city bureau’s staff had been sent out to investigate the place in Shao Qi’s video, so there was no one available at the moment…

　　”Let me go with you.” Lu Shichen said.

　　”No,” Meng Zhao immediately refused, “Your injury hasn’t healed yet, and it’s dangerous to go out.”

　　”I just had a checkup this morning, and my condition is very stable. I can be discharged after a few more days of observation,” Lu Shichen looked at him, “Do you want to stay in the hospital with me or do you want to go with you? You decide.”

　　He couldn’t stay in the hospital. With Lu Shichen’s physical condition after recovering from the serious injuries, he would be in danger if Wu Weihan’s men came looking for him. As for going with him, although the place he was going to was not very safe, the police force was concentrated, and it would be much safer than to just send someone to watch over Lu Shichen than in the hospital…

　　After weighing the two options, Meng Zhao raised his hand, held Lu Shichen’s wrist, and pulled him forward: “Then it’s settled, you are only allowed to stay in the car for a while, and you are not allowed to walk around.”

　　On the way to the hospital, Meng Zhao called over a car from the police station, and the police car was already waiting downstairs.

　　Meng Zhao asked Lu Shichen to sit behind the driver and he got in from the other side.

　　”Lao Qin,” Meng Zhao said to the driver sitting in the front, “Drive steadily and be careful not to put a brake suddenly.”

　　After saying that, he leaned over and pulled the seat belt from Lu Shichen’s side and buckled it on.

　　”Do people in the back seat also need to fasten seat belts as well?” Lu Shichen looked at the whorl of hair on Meng Zhao’s head when he lowered his head.

　　”Most people don’t need to fasten it, but you have to.” Meng Zhao fastened his seat belt, stood up and called Zhou Qiyang.

　　”Everything has been arranged, Brother Zhao,” Zhou Qiyang said on the phone, “Xiao Cheng’s cooperation notice has also been issued, and the traffic checkpoint has been controlled. Brother Bin is also leading people over there, and all the surrounding police have been mobilized. I’ll be there soon. How is your friend?”

　　”He’s fine. When you get there, take people to search for the traces left by Lu Yang. I’m on the way and will be there in about twenty minutes.”

　　•=|=•

　　The last location of Lu Yang’s cell phone number was in a desolate and remote suburb. When Meng Zhao arrived, his colleagues from the Municipal Bureau had already taken police officers from the police station to search for Lu Yang in the surrounding area.

　　Before getting out of the car, Meng Zhao told Lu Shichen: “Stay in the car and don’t get out. Did you understand?”

　　”Yeah.” Lu Shichen said.

　　Meng Zhao pushed the door open and got out of the car, observing the surrounding environment. This place was almost undeveloped, with large tracts of messy grass extending far away. If Lu Yang had met with an accident here, it would be difficult to find his footprints…

　　Zhou Qiyang, who was not far away, came over at this time and said, “Brother Zhao, everyone has split up to look for traces left by Lu Yang. Brother Bin is looking in that direction. I am staying in this area, but I haven’t found anything yet.”

　　”Got it,” Meng Zhao waved him over, “I’m taking over your area. I’m giving you another more important task. Keep an eye on the person in the car. Don’t let him walk around freely. Make sure he’s not in danger.”

　　”Okay, got it.” Zhou Qiyang replied.

　　The footprints on the grass were extremely difficult to distinguish. Meng Zhao walked forward for a while and noticed a river in front of him. The river was not wide, but because the terrain here was downward, the water was quite turbulent and the sound of the river could be heard from a long distance away.

　　”We found footprints!” Someone from Ren Bin’s team shouted loudly a few dozen meters away.

　　Everyone who was searching for footprints stood up and looked in that direction.

　　Meng Zhao walked over quickly and looked at the series of footprints. The grass here was sparse, so it was easy to leave footprints.

　　Judging from the size of the soles and the number of footprints, these are not just Lu Yang’s footprints, but also the footprints of another person.

　　‘Could it belong to the person who was chasing Lu Yang?’ The footprints continued to the riverside. Meng Zhao walked along the footprints and half-knelt down to observe the footprints. The footprints here by the river were almost not ordinary footprints. One could visibly see the traces of a violent struggle.

　　Judging from the degree of the struggle, this should be a mark left by a person in a state of extreme fear and near death.

　　Meng Zhao’s mind was filled with an imaginary scene -the murderer held Lu Yang’s neck and submerged his entire face in the water. Lu Yang choked on the water and struggled violently. After a few minutes, his limbs gradually stopped struggling and he drowned. The murderer threw Lu Yang’s body into the river, and the turbulent water swept Lu Yang’s body down…

　　Where did the murderer go after dumping the body? Meng Zhao walked back a few steps and looked down at the footprints. He only noticed that the footprints were messy, but now he looked carefully and found that some of the footprints were in the opposite direction.

　　After dumping the body, the murderer returned along the same route. After all, compared to the dirt road where footprints were easily left, the dense grass was more suitable for escape.

　　Being able to easily subdue an adult male and let him drown, and then calmly choose the right escape route, showed that he is an experienced veteran.

　　Meng Zhao stood up and gathered all the people he had gathered nearby.

　　”We will split up now. Ren Bin will lead the team to find Lu Yang’s body downstream of the river. Xiao Xu will lead the team to chase the murderer. The rest of you will follow me and search back in the direction Lu Yang ran from.”

　　The police officers on the scene were divided into three groups to complete the task. Meng Zhao took a few people back to the lawn. Just as he was carefully checking the footprints on the lawn, Zhou Qiyang called.

　　Seeing that the call was from Zhou Qiyang, Meng Zhao instinctively became nervous. He picked up the phone and asked, “What’s the matter?”

　　”Brother Zhao, there is a low building about 1,500 meters away from the four o’clock direction of the car just now. Judging from the footprints, Lu Yang seems to have escaped from near this low building. Can you take a look?”

　　”Okay.” Meng Zhao said, waving to the police behind him to follow him, and walked towards the place Lu Yang mentioned, “Why did you go there? Where is Lu Shichen?”

　　”Mr. Lu is with me, I can’t stop him…”

　　”Nonsense.” Meng Zhao said, quickening his pace and running over.

　　•=|=•

　　”I want to get out of the car to get some fresh air.” Lu Shichen pushed open the car door, observed the surrounding environment, and then walked in the opposite direction of Meng Zhao.

　　”Hey, Mr. Lu, just get some fresh air around here,” Zhou Qiyang stopped him. “Captain Meng won’t let you get out of the car. The air over there isn’t necessarily better than here.”

　　”I’ve been in the car for a long time and I want to move around a bit.” Lu Shichen looked at Zhou Qiyang, “Is this request not too much?”

　　”It’s not too much…” Zhou Qiyang was a little embarrassed. Captain Meng’s friend looked cold and distant, and seemed to be from a different world from them. Moreover, his tone was calm, but his words always seemed to imply that others could not resist.

　　Seeing Lu Shichen walking further and further away, Zhou Qiyang couldn’t resort to force or order him, so he had to follow him: “Then let’s stay in this area. You really can’t go far. The murderer may still be nearby. It’s too dangerous.”

　　Lu Shichen didn’t respond, but just looked at the grass not far away and said, “Footprints.”

　　”Ah?” Zhou Qiyang followed Lu Shichen’s line of sight and looked over. “We noticed that footprint before and have already traced it forward. It’s the direction Captain Meng went.”

　　”Aren’t you curious about where that footprint came from?” Lu Shichen looked up at him.

　　”We’ll find Lu Yang later and follow the trail he left.”

　　”Why did Lu Yang come here, to such a remote place? He must have found something,” Lu Shichen looked around, “and what he found must be very important, otherwise his life would not be in danger. You just said that the murderer might be nearby, so if such an important thing is not found immediately, it is very likely to be destroyed by the murderer. Should we stay here and wait idly, or follow the footprints and grope forward? You are a policeman and should be able to make the right judgment.”

　　Zhou Qiyang: “…”

　　”Your mission is to ensure my safety. Is it so important whether I am in the car or not?” Lu Shichen looked at Zhou Qiyang, “Or is it that with your skills, you cannot ensure my safety outside the car?”

　　”That’s not the case…” Zhou Qiyang finally saw how powerful the friend of Captain Meng was. Lu Shichen’s words left him speechless. It seemed that if he didn’t follow the direction of the footprints, it would be a dereliction of duty for him as a policeman.

　　Zhou Qiyang had no choice but to follow Lu Shichen and walk with him in the direction of the footprints.

　　The footprints on the grass were extremely difficult to identify, but about half an hour later, a narrow dirt road appeared in front of Lu Shichen, and Lu Yang’s footprints began to become clear.

　　Lu Shichen stepped onto the dirt road and continued walking in the direction that Lu Yang was running from, with Zhou Qiyang following closely behind.

　　After walking a few hundred meters, they saw a gray-white square building similar to a factory building hidden among the trees.

　　”The footprints disappeared,” Lu Shichen stopped and looked at the low building in front of him, “The secret that Lu Yang discovered should be here. Call your Captain Meng and ask him to send someone to take a look.”

　　”Oh, okay.” Zhou Qiyang took out his cell phone and called Meng Zhao.

　　It was really ridiculous to let them stay in the car and let Lu Shichen walk so far. Meng Zhao led people to rush over, and planned to criticize Lu Shichen and Zhou Qiyang together after returning.

　　After walking more than a thousand meters, Meng Zhao suddenly felt that this place looked familiar.

　　The gray tree trunks, the half-man-high weeds, and the outline of the distant mountains in front of him always felt a little familiar… Meng Zhao paused, raised his hand and said, “Don’t move, and don’t make a sound!”

　　He held his breath, and the sound of gurgling water came to his ears. This intermittent sound of flowing water made him suddenly realize that this was the place where the video of Shao Qi was filmed!

　　The road in front of them is the road where Lu Yang escaped, and also the place where Shao Qi escaped from.

　　Meng Zhao suddenly thought of what Lu Yang said on the phone- “I found evidence…”

　　‘The evidence Lu Yang found was actually the place where Shao Qi escaped from?! How did he find this place?’

　　There was no time to think so much, Meng Zhao quickened his pace. There was no doubt that the secret about the girls in the basement of the sanatorium must be just ahead!

　　After walking a few hundred meters, he saw Lu Shichen and Zhou Qiyang standing on the side of the road, waiting for him.

　　A few meters ahead, a gray-white low building stood there quietly.