Skin - Chapter 84

Chapter 84 – The Fear of Death

　　The scar-faced man and his companions smashed the broken glass on the window with their fists, then jumped out by supporting themselves on the windowsill with their hands.

　　Meng Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. His mental and physical strength, which he had been holding on to, collapsed in an instant. His eyes turned pale, his legs went weak, and he was about to fall. Lu Shichen’s arm supported him from behind: “Meng Zhao!”

　　The chaotic footsteps were getting closer and closer. Captain Zhao rushed in with a dozen policemen. Seeing the bloodstains and the bodies lying on the ground, he was startled at first, then looked at the nearly unconscious Meng Zhao and Lu Shichen, who was supporting him: “How are you?”

　　Lu Shichen frowned: “Hurry up and save them!”

　　”The blood loss is too severe,” Captain Zhao looked at Meng Zhao, whose half body was soaked in blood, and turned to the people behind him and said, “Xiao Liu, quickly go to the car to get a tourniquet. After the bleeding stops, immediately send Captain Meng to the hospital.”

　　The policeman who was called answered, turned and ran out the door.

　　Captain Zhao asked Lu Shichen again: “Where are the other kidnappers?”

　　”Escaped through the window.”

　　”Leave one person to take Lin Mai and her son back to the police station, and everyone else, follow me!” Captain Zhao said, and chased after them with a dozen policemen.

　　The policeman who went to get the tourniquet quickly returned and put a tourniquet on Meng Zhao with a neat movement. Then he looked up at Lu Shichen and said, “Consultant Lu, I have already driven the car to the door. I will help you carry Captain Meng into the car.”

　　Lu Shichen bowed, picked up Meng Zhao and said to him, “Lead the way ahead.”

　　Perhaps because he was too busy with work and had irregular meals, Meng Zhao’s weight did not seem to match the amazing fighting power he had just demonstrated. Lu Shichen held him and walked quickly towards the door.

　　The policeman ran to the car at the door and opened the back door. Lu Shichen walked over, bent down and carefully put Meng Zhao in the car, then he also lowered his body and sat in.

　　The policeman sitting in the driver’s seat started the car, stepped on the accelerator, and drove onto the road.

　　The car sped along the road, its bright yellow headlights illuminating the pitch-black road ahead, and the shadows of the trees on the roadside quickly receded.

　　Lu Shichen let Meng Zhao rest his head on his legs. He placed his uninjured hand against the side of Meng Zhao’s face and touched the artery on his neck with his fingertips. His pulse was fast and weak, which meant that Meng Zhao’s life was slipping away.

　　Lu Shichen had experienced this kind of near-death moment. When a person is dying, he will be extremely sleepy, as if sleeping can get rid of the pain and bring him complete relief. The impending feeling of relief is irresistible, and the person just wants to close his eyes and fall asleep.

　　”Meng Zhao, don’t sleep.” Lu Shichen looked at him. Meng Zhao’s hair was already wet with cold sweat. His black hair stuck to his forehead, making his face look even paler, almost bloodless.

　　Lu Shichen raised his hand, wiped the few strands of sweaty hair, and wiped the thin layer of sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand: “Don’t sleep, the hospital is almost there, hold on a little longer.”

　　Meng Zhao was still conscious, but he felt extremely tired, as if a thousand pounds of weight had fallen on his eyelids. Just opening his eyes made him feel exhausted. He took a lot of effort to open his eyes and look at Lu Shichen, and it took a lot of effort to speak: “Don’t worry… You won’t die.”

　　His vision was becoming blurred and his hearing seemed to be weakening. Meng Zhao could only see Lu Shichen’s lips moving but could not hear what he was saying.

　　Is this expression… sadness? He looked at Lu Shichen, thinking in a distracted manner, and seemed anxious.

　　After the car accident, Lu Shichen’s apathy seemed to be recovering. Earlier, he was angry, and now he was sad and anxious. Meng Zhao looked at Lu Shichen and wondered, why did these emotions that were first revived make him so unhappy? It was not enough, he had to live a little longer, and he had to make Lu Shichen feel happy, comfortable, and happy…

　　He couldn’t just die like this, he had to let Lu Shichen know that being alive was a very interesting thing.

　　‘Don’t sleep,’ Meng Zhao said to himself, ‘don’t sleep, if you fall asleep you won’t be able to see any of this.’

　　Ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of the nearest Grade A hospital.

　　Because they had contacted the hospital in advance in the car, the medical staff had already prepared a gurney and were waiting at the door.

　　Lu Shichen got out of the car, carried Meng Zhao out of the car, and laid him flat on the stretcher. Several staff members quickly carried him into the transfer bed in the hospital lobby.

　　Lu Shichen didn’t know what Meng Zhao felt the last time he was in the emergency room. But now he realized that he clearly felt the emotion of fear – the fear of Meng Zhao losing his life.

　　He has never had any feelings about life. In Lu Shichen’s view in the past, the so-called birth, aging, sickness and death of human beings, if you think about it in a small way, are just like the growth and decay of plants and trees, and if you think about it in a big way, are like the rise and fall of dynasties. They are just the laws of nature.

　　When a person dies, he or she will become a thin black-and-white photo, embedded painlessly into the tombstone, and will no longer have any connection with this world.

　　So last time, when he was lying in the ambulance and realized that his life was about to end, he only felt calmness. He didn’t even think about why he rushed forward to block the truck at that moment, and he didn’t understand why Meng Zhao looked so nervous that even his fingers were shaking so badly.

　　But now, Lu Shichen clenched his fingers. His mind flashed back to himself driving into the empty factory, seeing the room full of blood and Meng Zhao covered in blood, and the moment when the dagger stabbed at Meng Zhao. He truly felt the fear of death.

　　This fear made him feel a little confused. He didn’t know if he was one second late and Meng Zhao really died, how he would deal with himself in the world next.

　　It seemed to be more than just fear, but a mixture of many complex emotions that made his heart ache and made him restless, unable to maintain his previous calm and composure.

　　At this time, the door of the emergency room opened and the doctor came out.

　　Lu Shichen, who had been pacing in the corridor, walked over and asked, “What’s going on?”

　　”Fortunately, you guys stopped the bleeding in advance and arrived in time, so no organ damage was caused,” the doctor took off his mask. “The patient has received a blood transfusion, so his life is not in danger, but he is still in a coma for the time being, and it is hard to say when he will wake up. With such a large amount of blood loss, the patient will be very weak, and he will definitely feel sleepy and have chills in the short term. After he wakes up, it’s better to eat more blood-enriching foods and take good care of himself.”

　　”Yes,” Lu Shichen nodded, “Thank you.”

　　”Oh, it’s really not easy to be a policeman,” the doctor shook his head, “even harder than us…”

　　Behind him, Meng Zhao was pushed out of the emergency room, and Lu Shichen followed and helped push the mobile stretcher to the ward.

　　The doctor and the nurse connected Meng Zhao to a 24-hour monitoring device, gave Lu Shichen some instructions, and then left the ward.

　　Lu Shichen sat down next to the bed and stared at Meng Zhao for a long time.

　　The unconscious Meng Zhao looked pale and fragile, with dark eyelashes covering his lower eyelids, and his entire face formed a sharp contrast of black and white.

　　In Lu Shichen’s memory, Meng Zhao always had a vigorous and wild vitality. His life seemed to have a tenacity that made Lu Shichen irresistibly attracted to him, just like a cluster of fire attracting a traveler who was naturally afraid of cold.

　　Lu Shichen stretched out his hand, covered Meng Zhao’s hand, and then tightened his fingers to hold it.

　　Meng Zhao’s palms were always warm, as if his body temperature was naturally higher than Lu Shichen’s, so Lu Shichen liked to hold his hand and have physical contact with him, but now, due to excessive blood loss, the palm of this hand became very cold. Lu Shichen clenched that hand, wanting to pass the warmth of his palm to Meng Zhao.

　　Because of long-term training, Meng Zhao’s palms were rough and calloused. Lu Shichen rubbed the calluses on his palms with his fingertips for a long time before he let out a soft and long breath.

　　That night, Lu Shichen lay beside the hospital bed and had several nightmares in a row.

　　He dreamed that he drove into the empty factory. There was no one in the factory, and the man lying in the middle was a bloody mess. He walked in and saw that the man was Meng Zhao.

　　He dreamed that the dagger was stabbing towards Meng Zhao. He rushed over to stop it, but he was still too late. He could only watch the sharp blade of the dagger sink into Meng Zhao’s body.

　　He dreamed that the black muzzle of the gun was pointing at Meng Zhao, and steel balls were coming straight at him. Meng Zhao rushed over and helped him block all the bullets.

　　Lu Shichen woke up several times and reached out his hand to feel Meng Zhao’s breathing several times. He would only close his eyes again after confirming that Meng Zhao was still alive.

　　After having several nightmares in a row, Lu Shichen simply decided not to sleep. The sky outside was gradually getting brighter. He stared at Meng Zhao, watching the outlines of his face becoming clearer and clearer as the sky brightened.

　　It was almost noon and Meng Zhao had not woken up yet.

　　Seeing that Meng Zhao’s lips were very dry, Lu Shichen poured some warm water and applied the water on his lips with a wet cotton swab.

　　At this moment, there was a knock on the door of the ward. Lu Shichen put the cup and the things beside him on the table, stood up and walked over to open the door.

　　As soon as the door opened, Lu Shichen saw Director Li and Captain Zhao from the Yancheng Bureau standing outside.

　　”Consultant Lu,” Director Li looked at him, “I’m sorry we could only come here now. How is Xiao Meng?”

　　”Still unconscious.” There was no expression on Lu Shichen’s face and he looked a little cold.

　　”Can we go in and see him?”

　　Lu Shichen opened the door wider and made way for Director Li and Captain Zhao to walk in.

　　Director Li walked to Meng Zhao’s bed, looked at him for a few seconds, and sighed.

　　Lu Shichen stood at the side and, with cold eyes, he observed the director who was about the same age as Director Xu. He asked, “How did the kidnappers know that Lin Mai had a tracking device hidden on her? And why was it that they knew that Meng Zhao participated in the rescue operation? Director Li, do you think all of this is a coincidence?”

　　Director Li turned his head and looked Lu Shichen up and down before he said in a deep voice, “Are you asking this because you are doubting the Yancheng police?”

　　Lu Shichen did not answer directly, but continued to ask calmly: “Knowing that Meng Zhao was suspended, you easily agreed to let us participate in this operation. Can you explain why? Also, there has been no contact between you and me, so why is it that you know my name?”

　　Director Li did not answer his question immediately. He just remained silent, as if in deep thought.

　　Just as Director Li was about to speak, a weak, very low voice said, “It’s Lin Mai.”

　　Lu Shichen suddenly cast his gaze towards the bed, walked over and leaned over to look at Meng Zhao and said, “Are you awake?”

　　”Well,” Meng Zhao’s lips were still a little pale, “I woke up when I heard you guys talking. I was a little thirsty…”

　　Lu Shichen fumbled for the button beside the bed, raised the bed a little, and picked up the cup to get hot water.

　　”Director Li, Captain Zhao, you guys are here too,” Meng Zhao looked at the two people beside the bed, “Have you caught the remaining two kidnappers?”

　　Captain Zhao shook his head and said, “We searched the area all night but still couldn’t find any trace of the two men. Our Yancheng is mountainous, and the factory is close to a deep mountain, making it very easy to avoid being tracked.”

　　”Well,” Meng Zhao had no energy to speak, and his voice was very low. “Those three people are professional killers. Although they were desperate, they were also extremely calm and rational. They chose to act here, so they must be very familiar with the surrounding terrain and must have planned an escape route long ago… How are Lin Mai and her son? Did you find a black bag at the crime scene?”

　　Captain Zhao said, “Lin Mai seems to have been frightened and hasn’t said a word. Her son is still unconscious after being injected with some drug, so we have no idea. As for the black bag, isn’t that the fake one that we gave to Lin Mai? Why are you looking for it?”

　　At this time, Lu Shichen took a cup of warm water and came over to hand it to Meng Zhao. Meng Zhao took the cup and drank a few sips of water. He paused for a while before continuing, “I’m talking about the real bag, not the fake one. Lin Mai found it at the beginning, but she didn’t tell the police, leaving herself a backup plan. I guess at the beginning, she didn’t really want to hand the bag over to the kidnappers, and still wanted to rely on the police to rescue her son. It’s just that the kidnappers tricked her into contacting the police, and in order to save her son’s life, she confessed everything at once.”

　　”It turned out that Lin Mai leaked our plan…” Captain Zhao frowned after hearing this and said, “This is what I fear most as a police officer. All our action plans are based on the information provided by the victim. Once the victim betrays us, all our preparations and efforts will be meaningless. It’s also my fault for not thinking it through.”

　　After he finished speaking, Meng Zhao laughed helplessly: “What can we do? If we don’t trust the victim, and the victim doesn’t trust us either, how can we investigate the case? Don’t blame yourself. There is nothing we can do about this kind of thing.”

　　The others didn’t say anything and the room fell into silence.

　　After a moment, Director Li looked at Lu Shichen again and said, “Consultant Lu, I didn’t have time to answer your question just now. Now that everything has been explained clearly, I’ll say a few words as well.”

　　After a pause, Director Li continued, “I know what you are worried about. Wu Jiayi is so powerful and has worked in Yancheng for so many years. It is normal for you to suspect that the local police are colluding with him. To be honest, I don’t even know if there are any police officers in the Yancheng Police Department who have private contacts with criminals. I believe Xiao Meng should have thought of this, but even so, he still chose to believe us without hesitation. In addition to his sense of justice, there is another important reason. As a policeman, when there is no definite evidence, you must not look at your comrades with suspicion during the operation, because once you do so, you may be restricted in your thinking and will also delay the best time to rescue the victims.”

　　”The reason I’m telling you this is because as a technical consultant, you will be needed to assist in many future cases, and you will also need to work side by side with the police. In this case, you not only need to trust Xiao Meng, but also trust us. As I just said, only when we trust each other can things go smoothly. The police system is not as dark as you think.”

　　Lu Shichen didn’t say anything and remained silent.

　　”Alright, Xiao Meng, take good care of your injuries,” Director Li looked at Meng Zhao, “We’ll be heading back first. If you need anything, feel free to contact Captain Zhao.”

　　”Okay,” Meng Zhao responded, “Thank you, Director Li.”

　　”Also, Director Li…” Meng Zhao suddenly spoke when he saw Director Li walking to the door and opening it.

　　”What’s wrong, Xiao Meng?” Director Li turned his head.

　　”Forget it, I’ll tell you next time.” Meng Zhao shook his head.

　　”Yeah.” Director Li paused, didn’t ask any more questions, and walked out.

　　After Director Li and Captain Zhao left, Meng Zhao turned his head to look at Lu Shichen: “Did you take what he just said to heart?”

　　Lu Shichen glanced at him and said calmly: “It’s enough for me to only trust you.”

　　Meng Zhao smiled and shook his head.

　　”How do you feel now?” Lu Shichen asked, “Are you still feeling uncomfortable?”

　　”I don’t feel uncomfortable, but I’m sleepy…” Meng Zhao closed his eyes, “It seems like I didn’t get enough sleep.”

　　”Then sleep a little longer,” Lu Shichen helped him lay the bed flat, “The doctor said that you lost too much blood, and you will feel sleepy and chilly in the short term. Are you cold?”

　　“Somewhat.”

　　Lu Shichen’s fingers touched the temperature controller at the head of the bed and raised the indoor temperature a few degrees.

　　Seeing that Meng Zhao seemed to have fallen asleep again, Lu Shichen held his hand again.

　　After a moment, Meng Zhao closed his eyes and whispered, “It was too early to say it last time. This month’s Bloody Disaster KPI has just been completed.”

　　”Aren’t you a policeman?” Lu Shichen looked at him and lowered his voice, “You still believe in fortune-telling.”

　　”I believe it… The fortune teller also said that I will meet a fairy this year who grew up drinking dew. She will be able to turn misfortune into fortune, and even if I encounter a bloody disaster, my life will not be in danger.”

　　”This fortune teller is cheating me,” Meng Zhao said in a low voice, as if he was talking in his sleep, “He even got the gender wrong… What fairy? Are you a fairy? Huh? Fairy Lu?”

　　Meng Zhao spoke with his eyes closed, a smile appearing on his face.

　　Lu Shichen didn’t respond, but the hand holding Meng Zhao tightened a little.