Duan Chen smiled, "You've been family for a long time. I don't need to fight you for this bit of credit."
"Then what's with that look in your eyes?"
"There's an ambush at the abandoned factory."
"That's pretty normal, isn't it?"
"The opponent is a master."
"So?"
Gao Tiankai also looked at Duan Chen calmly. They met each other's gaze, and a moment of silence passed, as if both had something on their minds.
"Zhong Xingwen was shot and killed by that person. I found the bullet."
Duan Chen pulled a specially made copper bullet from his pocket. It was engraved with the characters "gh" in intricate and strange patterns.
Gao Tiankai's face instantly darkened. He looked at the bullet with extreme seriousness, his brows furrowed.
"gh... that's a specially made bullet by the Spirit Hunter Guild, Brother Chen! Could there be a mole in the guild..."
Duan Chen nodded heavily.
"Damn it, you're not suspecting me, are you? Don't forget my ability is psychic power, boss! I don't usually use guns!"
Gao Tiankai ran his hands through his hair, appearing very agitated and uneasy, which didn't seem like an act.
Duan Chen sighed, "Not necessarily. Maybe the other party left it deliberately to sow discord and cause infighting."
"Maybe not, Brother Chen. In such a dangerous situation, would a normal person pick up a bullet? They'd be busy trying to survive..."
"But I'm not a normal person." Duan Chen put the bullet away and looked into the distance. "The opponent knows me well. He could guess my actions, so he deliberately left this bullet."
Gao Tiankai swallowed. "Hey, I say, stop guessing. At least the other party didn't shoot you, and if you don't go to the infirmary soon, you might bleed to death."
Duan Chen twitched his lips. Indeed, he was starting to feel dizzy.
"I will investigate the bullet matter."
Gao Tiankai smiled helplessly. "I do know an expert in this field. His name is Gu Sang. You've probably heard of him. He's coincidentally also admitted to this hospital today, making him your fellow patient. You can ask him after you've recovered."
Duan Chen nodded. He had indeed heard of Gu Sang's great name.
He heard that this fellow was quite skilled, the leader of the Watchers organization in Su City. His abilities were mysterious and related to gunpowder and firearms. If he could look into it, there might be a breakthrough.
Did Gao Tiankai's proactive mention of this person indicate his innocence?
"Then I'll trouble you." Duan Chen extinguished his cigarette and staggered.
Gao Tiankai supported Duan Chen and helped him towards the infirmary.
"Brother Chen, have you thought about the conclusion of the 'Trolley Problem'?" Gao Tiankai suddenly whispered into Duan Chen's ear.
Duan Chen nodded. "The trolley problem of saving one person or saving ten thousand people? Does that even need consideration? Of course, save the ten thousand."
Gao Tiankai smiled gently. "That's because you haven't found someone who would make you give up the whole world."
"Bah, don't be lovesick. Forget your identity, a senior agent of the Spirit Hunter Guild. It's our duty to protect more people."
"Hey, hey... I know."
Gao Tiankai smiled. "Your discharge procedures aren't complete yet. Stay a few more days. Don't think about all these messy things and focus on recovering."
"Mmm."
Duan Chen's mind was in turmoil.
Did evil gods truly exist in the world?
Did Wu Suowei of the divine faction really die so ambiguously?
Was Zhong Xingwen's death truly at the hands of the evil gods?
Could Gao Tiankai... still be trusted? Should he try to read his thoughts?
Doubt was like a snake, once it appeared, it would tighten its coils around him more and more.
But Duan Chen didn't want to let himself continue like this, because doing so would be falling into the evil gods' trap. He didn't want to be led by the nose.
Dizzy and groggy, Duan Chen fell into a deep sleep.
In his dream, he vaguely heard someone calling his name.
It was a mature and gentle female voice.
"Duan Chen... Chen'er..."
"Chen'er, my Chen'er..."
"Come see me quickly, my Chen'er, I miss you so much..."
"Save me quickly, Chen'er, I'm in so much pain, so much pain... I'm going mad from the pain, you have to hurry, there's not much time..."
"There's not much time!"
...
Duan Chen woke up from his dream, the voice still lingering in his ears. He was a bit dazed and touched his bandaged head.
The doctor had said that the explosion had caused him a slight concussion, and experiencing mild hallucinations or headaches in the short term was normal.
But the voice in the dream was too real.
Although Duan Chen had no memory of his parents, he instantly believed that the voice in his dream was his mother's.
There was water in the thermos by the bed, as well as his favorite red bean buns and a basket of fresh fruit.
The fruit basket was vibrant red, with a few red apples on top, and other fruits hidden beneath. There was also a small card that read "Get Well Soon."
"Tch, Gao Tiankai, when did he become so formal?"
Duan Chen smiled, took a sip of water, and picked up a red bean bun. He found a note pressed underneath.
"Brother Chen, I'm going to investigate the girl's severed head. Eat and take your medicine on time after you wake up. I've already clarified for you; Gu Sang is in room 204."
Tearing open the wrapper, Duan Chen chewed on the red bean bun.
He thought about going to meet Gu Sang later.
Knock, knock, knock!
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Duan Chen looked up.
A young man wearing a plain white lab coat, a plain medical mask, and plain black-rimmed glasses appeared at the door.
He held a plain mop in his hand and said expressionlessly:
"Routine cleaning."
Duan Chen was shocked, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
"Wu Suowei?!?!"
Wu Suowei nodded and calmly walked in, starting to mop the floor.
"You're not dead?!"
"Hmm? Which eye did you see me die with?"
The mop had the scent of lemon cleaner mixed in. Wu Suowei mopped meticulously, not missing a single corner.
"Holy crap, you broke into Mirror City that day and sealed the passage. Michelle said you never came out... How could you be mopping here?"
"Heh, anything is possible." Wu Suowei smiled slightly, looking to be in a good mood.
"So gods are all so elusive?" Duan Chen raised an eyebrow.
"I was too impatient that day," Wu Suowei shook his head. "Rules are unshakable supreme existences."
"Even gods can't?"
"Of course, that's the basic guarantee for everything to operate normally. Gods and evil gods must abide by absolute heavenly principles."
"Alright, so why are you working as a cleaner here?"
"There's a trace of an evil god's aura here." Wu Suowei smiled slightly. "Unfortunately, I can only play a cat-and-mouse game with them. My identity is difficult to maintain, but thankfully, the position of a temporary worker is tailor-made for me."
"..."
Duan Chen was somewhat speechless.
"Be careful. There should be a 'gate' hidden within the hospital. The evil gods' dogs have already tracked the scent here."
Wu Suowei showed a rare serious expression.