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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 409: Someone Next Door
Just as I was released, I caught a glimpse of the closed door and window of the room next door. My heart stirred, and I said to Gousi, "I need your help with one more thing."
"You’re my brother; don’t be so formal. What’s one thing or a hundred things?"
"Well, Gousi, I want to see who is in the room next door."
Zhang Deputy Captain, who was following Gousi, interjected, "That’s not allowed. The boss won’t permit it."
"Damn it! Your boss is about to die, and you’re still acting as his accomplice. Aren’t you afraid of retribution?"
Zhang Deputy Captain trembled in fear and quickly retreated, waving at Li Qing, who was standing nearby. "Open it."
Li Qing glanced nervously at Gousi and the others behind him, then nodded submissively and went to open the door.
As the door opened, a wave of damp air rushed out. I couldn’t see anyone inside; all I could see was the dust stirred up by the movement.
"No one?" Gousi walked in with me, and an unbearable stench hit us. He waved his hand to disperse the dust that obscured our view. I crouched low and strained to look into the darkest corner.
After a while of searching, just when I thought I wouldn’t find anything, Gousi shouted for them to turn on the lights. Someone replied that there were no lights in this room. Then I saw a person curled up on the ground. They were in terrible condition—hair disheveled, clothes torn and stained with blood. If they hadn’t moved slightly, I would have thought they were dead.
I stepped closer to the person on the floor when suddenly they reached out and grabbed my ankle, calling out weakly, "Ma Qi."
Hearing that name made my heart ache with mixed emotions. My nose tingled; I wanted to cry but couldn’t. Instead, I desperately hugged him tightly, unwilling to let go. He was the Qin Jian I had been searching for.
"Qin Jian! What happened to you?"
Gousi struggled against the overwhelming stench; it was clear that Qin Jian had been imprisoned for a long time in this small space where he had to eat, drink, and relieve himself. The smell of excrement filled the room. He coughed lightly and said, "I got word that your friend was being held here. I didn’t expect to rescue you first by mistake."
Qin Jian was gravely injured and could barely walk. Gousi called for someone to carry him out, but I refused and insisted on carrying him on my back instead. Once we reached solid ground, he struggled to open his cracked lips and grasped my sleeve tightly, whispering urgently, "Call the police..."
I reached out to check Qin Jian's forehead; he was burning with fever.
At that moment, Gousi wore a dark expression and remained silent while Zhang Deputy Captain—the fake cop—tried to explain himself. But Gousi was adamant about wanting to see their boss. I couldn’t wait any longer; no matter what happened next, I had to get Qin Jian to safety first.
I hurriedly took out my phone and dialed Chi Xinrong's number. This was the first time I had actively contacted her since being chased.
You should know that Chi Xinrong has a loose tongue. I was worried that once she learned about my whereabouts, she might casually tell others, which would lead to trouble. I never expected Qin Jian to end up like this; I had to be the first to inform her of his situation.
The call connected, and Chi Xinrong's voice trembled with tears as she asked if I had seen Qin Jian, who had been missing for several days. "Don't rush me; let me finish," I said.
Chi Xinrong listened to me and managed to stop crying. When I told her about Qin Jian's serious injuries, she finally erupted into a long-overdue wail.
"Ma Qi, what have you done to him? He was perfectly fine, and now look at him!"
"Can you please be quiet and think for a moment? I'm also looking for Qin Jian. Now that I've found him, I'm telling you first. You need to send a car immediately to pick him up..." After hanging up on Chi Xinrong, I didn't report to the police as Qin Jian had asked.
It wasn't that I didn't want to listen to him; it was that I no longer dared to trust anyone easily.
Around noon, Qin Jian and I were taken to City Hospital, where real police officers were stationed outside.
Those impersonating police were still officers; they just did things they shouldn't have under someone else's orders—the person who ordered them was Gong Elder, whom I had seen in that row of old houses.
Gong Elder's trump card was the accusation that I had killed Sha Doctor using feudal superstition.
Moreover, I didn't know if those in the hospital who were associated with Sha Doctor had been drugged or something, but they insisted that Sha Doctor died because of my reckless use of talisman water. However, whether these people truly believed in equality before the law or not, speaking nonsense would come with consequences.
Sha Doctor's body was still in Gong Elder's possession. After a thorough search by the police, they found a severely decayed corpse beyond recognition. Following an autopsy, there was no evidence to support my guilt; Gong Elder was guilty of personal revenge, abusing his authority as an elder to carry out illegal punishment and forcibly detain Qin Jian. He almost got me killed and was formally arrested.
In the hospital, Chi Xinrong cried uncontrollably, her eyes never drying.
"He’s not dead; you're going to cry him to death," I muttered irritably, which only made her cry louder. After she had cried enough, she started scolding me.
"Ma Qi, why did it take you so long to contact me? I've been trying to call you but couldn't get through... Wuwu, Qin Jian, don’t die! You promised me you'd do something!"
I thought about telling her that while I couldn't reach Qin Jian on the phone, I had also been daydreaming. Moreover, I had set her number on my blacklist; this was something I really couldn't share with her. She seemed like she had a pig's heart—sometimes acting foolishly like a pig.
Her crying was driving me crazy. I turned away in silence, not wanting to see her sobbing face, only to unexpectedly turn around and see Gousi.
Seeing him, I knew that Gousi had already taken care of everything for me.
Behind Gousi stood another person, who smiled and called out, "Thank you, Master?"
"How is your friend?" Thank you, Master asked as he glanced into the hospital room, showing no intention of entering. It was understandable; men generally dislike seeing women cry. I walked out of the hospital room with Thank you, Master and Gousi, heading down the corridor to a secluded spot.
Thank you, Master fixed his serious gaze on me, as if he had made a decision. He nodded and said, "Ma Qi. There are some things that shouldn't be said by me. I have been afraid before; life is short, and I fear that I might really die. You don’t even know who you are."
"What?" I was taken aback. I looked at Gousi; his deep-set eyes were half-closed, seemingly indifferent as he took out a cigarette but instead of smoking it, he brought it to his nose to sniff before putting it back in the pack.
"You two continue talking; I'll be right back."
Gousi was about to leave, and I wanted to stop him, but Thank you, Master shook his head. " Gousi has something to take care of; just let him go." Then he took a few steps in the opposite direction from Gousi and said to me, "Qi, come with me; we need to talk outside."
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