"Don't worry, I won't stay here forever. I'll leave you here, and whether they can find this place will depend on your luck."
"Perhaps you're wondering why I took Fan Tianyun away. Detective He, you must be confused why I'm only taking the body now, right? Aren't you very clever? Is this stumped you this time?"
"Haha, I told you, no matter how smart you are, some things you can't figure out. Don't think that nothing in this world can baffle you."
"There are plenty of things you can't figure out. I hate seeing that smug look on your face the most. I can tell you, this case has no complex motive. I just wanted to lure you out. Do you believe me? After all this, you've become a public enemy to us criminals. We've even started a WeChat group, all trying to find a way to deal with you. You can't escape. But according to our plan, I won't end your life so quickly. I'll leave as I said."
After saying this, the person patted me and Liu Yuning on the face and turned to leave. I saw him exit through a gap in the wall behind the wooden house, just wide enough for one person to pass. After he left, we showed no intention of leaving, standing there quietly, bound. We weren't scared at all, nor did we worry about not being rescued. We even felt it wouldn't be bad to die like this, as if we had been hypnotized.
If I hadn't experienced it myself, I wouldn't have believed I could have such thoughts. How could I become so self-abandoning? Is it true that people are inherently lazy? I knew that wasn't the case; the guy must have injected us with something.
This time, we had clearly seen his face. He didn't kill us to silence us and simply left. This meant he wasn't afraid of us recognizing him or of us pursuing him later. That was all I could think of at the time.
We were trapped in the wooden house for a day and a night without anyone coming. It seemed Gao Mingqiang and the others couldn't find us.
Normally, we should have been in grave danger, but perhaps due to the drug's effects, we had no desire to struggle. We felt it was quite pleasant to be there, and even death seemed insignificant.
Time continued to pass. We even saw the sun and moon cycle outside the gap. Without food and water, humans can survive for a maximum of 72 hours. However, in reality, the body stops functioning when it runs out of fat, protein, and carbohydrates for energy. But death doesn't require complete energy depletion. If there are sufficient water-soluble B vitamins for fat metabolism, heavier individuals might live longer. The longest recorded period of fasting belongs to Irish hunger striker Kieran Doherty, who died after 73 days. With vitamin and water supplements, people can live a year without eating.
Of course, we had nothing here. Based on my observation, two days had passed. If we stayed another day or two, we would likely die of thirst. I kept wondering why Gao Mingqiang and the others weren't looking for us. Although the lake was a bit distant from here, it shouldn't be impossible to find us. Were they doing it on purpose?
It was unlikely. We used to be so close. These thoughts ran through my mind, yet I still didn't struggle. My subconscious wasn't completely obeying that apathy; another part of me was resisting, but it was clearly being overpowered by the negative thoughts.
Then, for some reason, Liu Yuning suddenly spoke, "Are we really going to stay here?"
Her seemingly ordinary words jolted my entire nervous system. I began to struggle desperately. That's right, we couldn't stay here…
This was the hospital in Fuming City with the best equipment. We were lying in a double room. Although we weren't seriously injured, the doctor advised us to stay for observation. The last time we struggled, we found our phones and made a call. He Xin found us immediately. It turned out they were looking for us, but couldn't find us. The place we were held was very mysterious. Although not far, it was obscured by strange plants, making it impossible to find the entrance. Because of this, the members of the Sin-Punishment Squad had been extremely tense and anxious for the past two days.
When we woke up, He Xin, Gao Mingqiang, Xiao Yuande, and Xia Hou Tengfei were all there. He Xin cried and hugged me, burying her face in my shoulder, "Dad, I thought I would never see you again, sob! Do you know how I've been these past two days? Every day I thought you had been harmed, and Liu Yuning's mother too!"
"How could we be alright? We're back now, aren't we? That guy was very clever. He injected us with something. Oh, right, did Zhang Keying draw our blood samples?"
"Of course, Dad. If they find any problematic ingredients in the analysis, we'll have the evidence!"
"Mmm, we'll be discharged soon. Nothing was found to be wrong, right?"
"Yes, the doctor said you were just suffering from extreme fatigue."
At this moment, Liu Yuning turned her head. For some reason, her eyes were filled with tears. "What did you just say? He Xin!"
"Mom! I don't care anymore, you're my mom for life!"
Liu Yuning no longer felt awkward. She struggled to sit up, supporting her frail body. Everyone moved to her side, helping her up. He Xin also came to her. I stood up, and we embraced. We were together like this forever. Although He Xin was not related to me by blood, ever since I saved her, a bond had formed between us, an eternal bond.
Actually, I wasn't single. Before I met Liu Yuning, I was divorced. I had never told her this secret, afraid that it would affect our relationship. The reason I liked He Xin so much was because I once had a daughter named He Ruixin. But my ex-wife and I lived far apart, and we would never see each other again in this lifetime.
He Xin thus became a form of solace. Of course, I didn't see her as a replacement for He Ruixin; I genuinely wanted to care for her. There was also something I hadn't told everyone: during a mission, Liu Yuning fractured her pelvis, making it impossible for her to have children for the rest of her life. Therefore, my adopted daughter, He Xin, would become our continuation.