But with things turning out like this, they needed to find another way to force the worm out of a person's body.
Lao Gao said, "Making someone vomit isn't hard. You just stick a finger down the throat, or kick them in the stomach."
Sticking a finger into a madman's mouth? Was he hoping not to get bitten, or trying to offer his hand up for it?
As for kicking someone's stomach… sure, the three of them had the strength to do it, but would a few kicks there really make a person vomit?
Lan Jin frowned. "I kicked you in the abdomen twice earlier. I didn't go all out, but it wasn't light either. Then Huang Jinghe hit your stomach with that thick wooden stick. Four of your ribs broke, and you still didn't throw up. I think getting this worm out by making someone vomit might not be that easy."
"There's one ready-made test subject downstairs. We could try different methods on him, see what works. Then, if we run into this again, we'll know the solution. Better to act than just keep guessing." Lao Gao pointed at the man still writhing below, looking almost excited.
Seriously… in a situation this dangerous, could he stop treating it like a game?
Lan Jin didn't know what to say. She found it hard to reject Lao Gao's suggestion, because it was, admittedly, tempting.
Just then, Ling Jiang came down the stairs carrying tools. Seeing that one person was missing from the walkway, she quickly asked, "Where is he?"
Lan Jin pointed toward the frozen surface below and explained what had happened. She added their analysis, and Ling Jiang sighed. "Then you go. I haven't gotten any stronger, so this is up to you. Test it first. If it doesn't work, tie him up on the twenty-fifth floor and keep trying while we think. But remember, if he starts to yell, cover his mouth. I don't want him calling more of his kind over."
She handed Lan Jin a large, thick rag, as if the man's mouth was big enough to need such a heavy stopper.
Lan Jin didn't refuse. "I'll get the rope. You two start now, and wrap up your skin so he can't hurt you."
They all knew even with the spring water's healing, it was best not to get injured if it could be avoided.
The two men nodded and headed down. Lan Jin ran back home, pulled the rope from her storage space, and hurried downstairs.
Once everyone had left, Grandma Ling finally stepped outside. She came to the walkway, planning to help Ling Jiang clean up. But when she saw the scene, her heart skipped. "Oh my goodness, what happened here? Did anyone get hurt?"
The bloodstains everywhere were frightening.
Ling Jiang sighed. She finally had a moment to clean while explaining the events from start to finish — from Lao Gao's madness and injuries, to his recovery, and finally the appearance of the man downstairs.
Now Grandma Ling understood why they had stopped her from going outside earlier. If that man had attacked her, her body would never have endured it.
But Ling Jiang's words raised another point. "You mean, after you and Lao Gao drank the water Lan Jin gave you, the poison was gone, and Lao Gao's broken ribs healed instantly?"
"Yes. It was almost immediate. I watched Lao Gao's energy return in front of me. After he threw up the worm, he was completely fine."
There was no question the water was precious, and whoever could produce it must be hiding an even greater secret. If the person chose to tell them, they would listen. If not, they would never ask.
Ling Jiang smiled. "Grandma, we're not fools. I know what questions can be asked and which can't. Don't worry, Lao Gao won't pry either. No need to remind him."
Speaking of Lao Gao, Grandma Ling said, "I heard you crying earlier. Were you badly hurt?"
"Hurt? More than that. I was scared out of my wits. If Lan Jin hadn't gone easy on me… well…" Ling Jiang pointed to the man downstairs, still being tormented. "I'd be just a bit better than him right now."
Grandma Ling glanced at the man bound on the ice, being steadily beaten by Lao Gao, and winced. "If you weren't someone I trust, I'd never believe this man was badly injured just moments ago. He looks even stronger now than before."
…
On the ice below, Lao Gao had already kicked the man's stomach countless times. The man was still frenzied, but his body had taken such a beating he could no longer scream. Yet the worm inside refused to come out.
"Sister Lan this isn't working," Lao Gao said. "If this were a living person, I'd just be kicking them to death before the worm ever came out. Maybe our thinking's wrong."
Could it be that the worm Lao Gao threw up earlier was just a fluke? Something unique to him?
Lan Jin thought for a moment. "I don't think it was luck. If there wasn't something wrong with that thing, how could you have spat it out? The problem isn't our reasoning, it's our method."
From her coat pocket, Lan Jin pulled out an opened packet of salt. "Try salt. Worms usually hate it. Too salty."
Huang Jinghe took the packet. "Do we feed him salt directly or make salt water? I feel like salt water would go down easier."
"If we meet one of these again, there won't be time to mix salt water. Better to just feed salt directly."
With that, Lan Jin and Lao Gao wrestled the man to the ground, pinning him completely. Huang Jinghe poured the entire packet into the man's mouth.
As his jaw worked, the salt slid down his throat. The man stopped his frenzied thrashing and began to spasm instead. After a violent fit of convulsions, his head lolled to the side, and a gush of blood spilled from his mouth — with a worm writhing in it.
The icy air froze the creature in two or three seconds, leaving it stiff and lifeless.
The man who had spat it out stopped breathing on the spot.