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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 4: Grudge (Thirteen)
The car moved slowly, stopping intermittently, and in the distance, I could see the giant sign of the Red Cross. City Hospital was not far away. I needed to gather my thoughts; I had once given Zhang Xian a talisman. Logically, with that talisman, no evil spirit should approach her—unless she had disregarded my words and thrown it away.
Up front, Qin Jian and Chi Xinrong were whispering about something. I couldn't hear them clearly and didn't care to eavesdrop on their private conversation, so I turned my gaze to the window.
The busy and crowded morning looked the same from any angle.
People rushed by, cars moved in fits and starts, shops displayed a dazzling array of goods, colorful lights twinkled, and dizzying signs flashed everywhere. And there were the roads—vibrant and ever-extending, winding and twisting in all directions. The city's most distinctive feature was its roads.
These roads could lead people from outside the city into its heart or guide those within the city back out again.
Thus, roads played a crucial role in the human world.
I adjusted my sitting position but still couldn't catch what the couple in front was saying. With no other choice, I shifted my focus back to the window, where I now saw the sign for City Hospital. As we arrived at the hospital entrance, my legs felt weak—not from fear, but from a genuine reluctance to be in a place like this.
Ignoring the bustling crowd around me, the emergency room, and the registration desk, I expressionlessly glanced at the consultation desk before heading straight for the Inpatient Department.
Zhang Xian was safe; her life was not in danger, but something was off.
Her eyes were vacant; she could sit, walk, and talk.
But what came out of her mouth didn’t sound like her at all.
When she saw Chi Xinrong, she didn’t recognize her. When she saw me, she didn’t recognize me either. Then she rushed over to Qin Jian and hugged him tightly, calling him "Senior." Turning around, she saw a nurse and called her "Mom," then spotted a male doctor who was her boyfriend. Overall, she seemed completely unwell—a classic case of nervous breakdown.
I asked Qin Jian, "Are you really her senior?"
"No."
Is my doctor having an affair with Zhang Xian? Previously, there were reservations, but now that his mind seems to be unhinged, he just blurts it out without a care.
Chi Xinrong shot me a glare, unwilling to let me get close to Zhang Xian, insisting on sending her to the Mental Hospital.
Qin Jian and Chi Xinrong said, "Just let Qi take a look at what’s going on. Besides, Qi still has some sensing abilities."
"I don't trust him; I just don't trust him."
If I don't trust him, then I don't. Can I dig out the mess in your head? I was speechless and took a step back, crossing my arms to watch the show.
Zhang Xian seemed to have no relatives, so everything about her was temporarily decided by Chi Xinrong. After all, their relationship had reached that level.
Li Mingliang was an experienced psychiatrist with decades of clinical research in mental illness and was also the chief physician of neurology. I went with Qin Jian and Chi Xinrong to the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital; I wasn't there just to watch; I wanted to see the real Li Mingliang.
Everyone has curiosity, and I was curious about how Zhao Di could impersonate Li Mingliang and escape from the Hospital, doing so many things that ordinary people would find incomprehensible.
Zhao Di's words echoed in my mind: "I'm not crazy; please help me."
When Qin Jian and Chi Xinrong brought Zhang Xian into the physician's office, I casually glanced at several key symptoms of mental illness: language barriers, disordered thinking, emotional and behavioral abnormalities, and possible self-harm or harm to others, as well as destruction of property.
Zhang Xian was in the early stages; Li Mingliang confidently stated that there was a great hope for recovery and requested that Zhang Xian's hospitalization procedures be processed immediately.
Chi Xinrong and Qin Jian were discussing something when I approached them. "Are you sure about this? I don't think Zhang Xian needs to be hospitalized. With some psychological guidance, I believe she will recover quickly."
Qin Jian agreed with me, suggesting that it could be worth a try.
However, Chi Xinrong was not pleased. She shot me a glare and said, "This seems to have nothing to do with you. Zhang Xian is already pitiful enough; do you really want to make her situation worse? The earlier we act, the better. I may not know how much pain she is in, but I can feel the pressure she’s under. Ever since that incident during the trip, she has been burdened with worries and has refused to go out despite my repeated inquiries."
"Has she told you about the nightmares she's been having?"
"I don't believe in dreams." With that, Chi Xinrong turned and walked away to handle Zhang Xian's hospitalization procedures. Qin Jian and I exchanged silent head shakes.
Qin Jian asked, "What do you think is wrong with Zhang Xian?"
I pulled an empty bottle from my pocket. I had found this bottle in Zhang Xian's trash can. I handed it to Qin Jian and said, "Take a good look at this."
Qin Jian examined the empty pill bottle closely and looked at me in surprise. "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide? This is a psychedelic drug... How did she get this?"
"It’s also a derivative of ergot acid, known by another name: hallucinogen," I added. "This kind of drug isn’t something an ordinary person can just buy; it can only be legally prescribed by a doctor. If Zhang Xian is taking this drug, it can cause hallucinations. Do you think what she experienced was a hallucination or something supernatural?"
"That's something I need to ask you."
"First of all, Zhang Xian is not an ordinary person; she’s a doctor. So no one would force her to take this drug; it must be her own choice. Therefore, what she has experienced, including those nightmares, are all hallucinations."
Qin Jian nodded thoughtfully. "Are you questioning Zhang Xian's situation because you're trying to uncover the truth?" I neither nodded nor shook my head but instead asked him about the last thing I had asked him to look into. Qin Jian chuckled, "I almost forgot! You were investigating Zhao Di, right?"
"Pretty much. What’s the outcome?"
“Zhao Di had no children of her own and adopted a goddaughter a few years ago. Afterward, the goddaughter went missing. Zhao Di searched everywhere but could not find her, which led to some mental issues, and she ended up in the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital. Later, she was involved in a car accident, and her body is still at the funeral home.”
I knew everything that happened to Zhao Di afterward; I just didn’t know she had a goddaughter.
The goddaughter went missing innocently, perhaps having run away or left for other reasons. As Zhao Di searched for her goddaughter without success, she couldn’t bear the emotional toll, leading to severe mental breakdowns over time, resulting in abnormal neurological symptoms. Eventually, she was forcibly admitted to the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital.
What a coincidence! Zhao Di’s attending physician was also Li Mingliang, and Zhang Xian’s attending physician was also Li Mingliang. Furthermore, Zhao Di had worked as an aunt for Zhang Xian before her death.
I told Qin Jian that Zhao Di believed Zhang Xian was the murderer of her daughter and mentioned the Bracelet, which had a photo on it.
Qin Jian immediately asked where the Bracelet might be, suggesting it could be with Zhao Di.
“Shall we go to the funeral home?”
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