Cai Lang's fingers tightened around suo ran's hand. The faint whisper had disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving only the quiet rhythm of the heart monitor filling the room. Beep... Beep... Beep... Cai Lang stared at Suo ran's pale face for a long moment before leaning closer, lowering himself until he was near his ear. His usually calm expression had begun to crack with worry he could no longer hide. "Suo Ran..." he called softly, his voice gentler than it had ever been. "Can you hear me?" There was no response.
Suo ran's eyelashes remained still, his breathing shallow but steady beneath the oxygen tube. Cai lang swallowed before speaking again, this time with more urgency. "Jun Wei?" His brows slowly knitted together. "What happened to Jun Wei?" His thumb unconsciously rubbed over the back of Suo ran's hand as if trying to bring him back through touch alone. "Where is he?" He waited several seconds, watching carefully for even the slightest reaction.
Cai Lang leaned even closer. "Suo Ran..." he whispered again. "Answer me." His eyes searched suo ran's face desperately, hoping for another word. "Why were you telling someone to save jun Wei?" His jaw tightened slightly. "Wasn't Jun wei with Lian Ziho?" He frowned deeply, unable to understand what he had just heard. "If he was with Lian Ziho... then why were you calling his name like that?" His breathing grew slower as countless possibilities began running through his mind, each one worse than the last.Cai lang lowered his head slightly, still refusing to release Suo ran's hand. "What happened while I wasn't around?" he asked quietly. "What did I miss?" His voice no longer carried its usual coldness. Instead, it was filled with restrained frustration directed entirely at himself. "You called me... you kept calling me..." His eyes slowly closed for a brief moment before opening again. "Then after that... what happened?" His gaze settled on the bandages."Did everything begin because of Jun wei?" he murmured. "Were you trying to find him by yourself?"His grip tightened slightly.
He looked him as though he wanted to say something else, but before another word could leave his lips, the quiet hum of the ICU was interrupted by the soft sound of the door opening.Cai lang straightened instinctively and turned his head. Doctor Gu walked into the room carrying a patient's chart in one hand and a tray containing fresh medication in the other. His white coat was slightly wrinkled from hours of work,and faint signs of exhaustion could be seen beneath his eyes, yet the moment he noticed Cai lang sitting quietly beside suo ran's bed, and smile appeared on his face. "Well..." he said leisurely as he approached the bedside. "So you actually came."
Cai Lang remained silent, his expression unreadable. Doctor Gu set the tray down on the bedside table before opening the chart and casually flipping through several pages. Without looking up, he continued, "When I called you earlier... you sounded as if you couldn't care less whether this patient lived or died." He glanced sideways with an amused smile. "I almost believed you." Cai Lang didn't answer. His gaze quietly returned to Suo ran. Doctor Gu chuckled under his breath before reaching for suo ran's wrist.He put his fingers against the pulse point while his eyes shifted toward the heart monitor. *Beep... Beep... Beep...*
He nodded with quiet satisfaction. "Much better than before." He adjusted the IV tubing carefully, and he making sure the medicine continued flowing properly, then checked the monitor displaying suo ran's oxygen saturation and blood pressure. "Blood pressure is stabilizing... oxygen level looks good." Lifting one corner of the blanket, he carefully examined the fresh bandages wrapped around suo ran's abdomen before nodding once more. "No new bleeding. That's exactly what I wanted to see." He wrote several notes onto the chart, closed it, and finally turned his full attention toward cai lang.
Folding his arms loosely across his chest, he smiled. "You know... people are interesting." Cai Lang remained silent and Doctor Gu continued calmly, "People can lie to everyone else...but they usually can't lie to themselves."Doctor Gu leaned lightly against the foot of the bed. "There's nothing embarrassing about worrying over someone important." Cai lang lifted his eyes toward him.His face remained calm and indifferent. "I was just passing by." Doctor Gu burst into quiet laughter. "Passing by?" His eyebrows lifted in exaggerated surprise. "This hospital isn't exactly on the way to anywhere."
Cai lang looked away again without the slightest change in expression. "You're overthinking."Doctor gu tilted his head. "Really?" Cai Lang answered without hesitation. "I'm not worried." "Not at all?" "No." "You just happened to be nearby?" "That's right." Doctor Gu slowly nodded several times as though carefully considering the explanation. "I see..." He deliberately paused before continuing. "So you just happened to walk into the ICU... just happened to sit beside his bed... and just happened to hold his hand."
Cai Lang's expression stiffened for the briefest moment.Without a word, he calmly released Suo ran's hand and folded his own arms. "You talk too much." Doctor Gu laughed even harder. "There it is." Cai Lang frowned faintly. "What?" "That expression." "What expression?" "The one people make after they've been caught." Cai Lang looked at him without blinking. "I wasn't caught." Doctor Gu smiled knowingly. "No?" "No."
Docter Gu simply shook his head with quiet amusement before reaching for a syringe. He Carefully injecting fresh medication into suo ran's IV line, he continued speaking as though the conversation had never stopped. "For someone who insists he isn't worried... you've been sitting here long enough that half the nurses outside already know you're inside." Cai Lang didn't answer.Doctor Gu adjusted the drip speed, shined a small flashlight into Suo ran's pupils, then gently checked his breathing once more. "The sedative is working properly." He nodded in satisfaction. "He'll probably sleep for another few hours." He carefully pulled the blanket a little higher over suo ran's shoulders before taking one last look at the monitor. "Everything looks stable."
Then he picked up the empty tray together with the patient's chart and slowly walked toward the door. As he reached it, he paused briefly without turning around. "Don't worry." Cai Lang immediately answered, "I already told you..." Doctor Gu raised one finger to interrupt him. "I wasn't finished." Doctor Gu smile and said," He'll wake up soon!" He reached for the door handle before continuing. "and when he does..." Then he laughed again without sound."he'll probably start arguing with you before he even thanks the doctors." He slowly opened the door and glanced back over his shoulder. "I've treated plenty of stubborn patients..." His smile widened slightly. "but the two of you might actually compete for first place."
Without waiting for a reply, Doctor Gu stepped outside. Just before disappearing into the corridor, he added casually without even looking back, "Try not to start a fight inside my ICU." The door closed softly behind him.Cai Lang stared quietly at the closed door for several long moments before letting out a slow breath. "You're noisy!" he muttered under his breath.
Cai lang remained seated for a long moment, his gaze quietly resting on Suo ran's face.He slowly looked down at the hand still resting in his own before tightening his grip one last time. His expression remained calm, but the determination in his eyes had become unmistakable. After a long silence, he spoke in a low voice."Suo ran! No matter what happened..." He paused, his thumb lightly brushing back of Suo ran's hand. "...I'll find Jun Wei." His eyes slowly lowered, his voice growing firmer with every word. "If he's missing..." He took a quiet breath. "...I'll bring him back." His gaze returned to suo ran's face, lingering there for several seconds. "This time..." A faint bitterness crossed his eyes before disappearing again. "you won't have to search alone."
He leaned forward slightly. "You've carried enough by yourself." His voice softened. "Leave the rest to me." After few seconds of silence followed he whispered one sentence. "Just wake up." He Carefully, almost reluctantly loosened his fingers and gently placed suo ran's hand back onto the blanket, making sure the IV line wasn't disturbed. He looked at suo ran one last time, and he turned toward the door. Without another word, Cai lang quietly opened it, stepped out of the ICU, and softly closed it behind him.
Meanwhile, Zheng rui drove steadily through the evening traffic, one hand resting loosely on the steering wheel while the other shifted gears whenever the road demanded it.Lian Ziho sat quietly in the passenger seat with his seatbelt fastened, his elbow resting against the window as he watched the city drift past. Towering office buildings slowly gave way to aging warehouses, busy streets became quiet roads, and before long, even the streetlights became fewer and farther apart. Old factories lined both sides of the road, their rusted gates hanging open as though they had been forgotten years ago. And abandoned buildings stood beneath the fading light.The farther they drove, the quieter everything became.
After several minutes of silence, Lian Ziho spoke without taking his eyes off the window. "How far is it?" Zheng rui glanced at the navigation screen before looking back at the road. "About fifteen minutes." Lian ziho gave a small nod but remained thoughtful. A few moments later he asked another question. "You've never been there before?" Zheng rui thought briefly before answering. "Only once." Lian ziho turned slightly toward him. "For work?" Zheng rui nodded. " I came long time ago for an investigation." Lian Ziho studied his profile carefully. "Did you find anything?" Zheng rui's expression stayed calm. "Nothing useful."
Lian Ziho continued watching him for another second before quietly asking, "Anything interesting?" Zheng rui's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the steering wheel. "No." Lian Ziho remained silent, but his eyes never left Zheng rui's face. After a few seconds, he spoke again,"Then why do I feel like you're lying?" Zheng rui glanced sideways for only a brief moment before looking back at the road then smile appeared on his face. "Because you're getting better at reading people." Lian Ziho let out a quiet sigh and leaned his head back against the seat. He turned his attention toward the passing scenery again, watching another abandoned factory disappear behind them. "I wish I wasn't." Zheng rui raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Lian Ziho remained quiet for several seconds before answering. "Because lately..." He looked out at the empty road ahead, his reflection faintly visible in the window. "every answer has been bad." The smile on Zheng rui's face slowly faded.He understood exactly what Lian ziho meant.The car continued down the deserted road in silence, the steady hum of the engine filling the empty space between them. After a while, Zheng rui spoke again without looking away from the road. "You're tired." Lian ziho let out a quiet laugh that carried no amusement. "Is it that obvious?" Zheng rui nodded once. "You haven't slept properly in days."
Lian ziho rubbed his eyes with one hand before resting his arm against the window again. "Sleep doesn't solve this." Zheng rui's voice remained calm. "No. But exhaustion won't solve it either." Lian ziho smiled faintly without answering. His gaze drifted toward the dark horizon where another row of buildings slowly came into view. "You always know the right thing to say," he murmured. Zheng rui gave a small shrug. "Knowing what to say and fixing the problem are two different things."
Lian ziho looked at him again. "Do you think we'll find anything there?" Zheng rui was quiet for a moment before answering honestly. "I don't know." Lian ziho looked forward once more, his expression growing serious. "I hope we're not too late." Zheng rui tightened his grip on the steering wheel ever so slightly. "So do I." Neither of them spoke after that. While the car continued toward the abandoned district, disappearing deeper into the empty roads as the last lights of the city vanished behind them.
The car slowed as the cracked road came to an end. Zheng rui pulled over beside a rusted chain-link fence and switched off the engine. For a moment, neither of them moved.Lian Ziho unfastened his seatbelt, opened the passenger door, and stepped onto the ground.He slowly looked around.There were train tracks stretched endlessly into the distance before disappearing behind overgrown weeds. And broken fences leaned sideways as though they had been pushed down years ago and never repaired. There were wild grass grew through cracked concrete, swallowing parts of the old railway. And several abandoned warehouses stood nearby with shattered windows and faded walls, their empty interiors hidden in darkness.
Lian Ziho slipped both hands into his pockets and quietly surveyed the area. "This place gives me a bad feeling." Zheng rui stepped out of the driver's side and closed the door behind him with a soft click. He looked toward the warehouses before nodding once. "Same."Lian ziho lowered his eyes and lightly kicked a small stone across the cracked pavement. The stone bounced twice before disappearing into the tall grass. "Nobody comes here?" he asked.
Zheng rui adjusted the strap of the small bag hanging over his shoulder and calmly answered, "Not unless they want to." Lian looked around again, his eyes moving slowly from one abandoned building to another. "Perfect place to hide." Zheng rui nodded. "Exactly." He paused briefly before adding, "Which is why I don't like it."Lian ziho glanced at him. "You think someone's using this place?" Zheng rui didn't answer right away. He studied the empty railway before speaking quietly. "Places like this never stay abandoned forever." Lian shook his head with a quiet sigh. "Let's get this over with."
The two of them began searching without another word. Zheng rui headed toward an old maintenance building standing beside the railway while Lian ziho followed the tracks at a slow, careful pace.His eyes never stopped moving. Every broken rail, every patch of disturbed grass, every cracked section of concrete caught his attention.A few minutes passed.
Lian ziho suddenly stopped walking and his expression changed.Slowly, he crouched beside the railway and brushed away a thin layer of dust with the tips of his fingers. His eyes narrowed. "Zheng Rui." His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed through the empty corridor. Zheng rui looked up from the maintenance building and walked over quickly. "What did you find?" Lian ziho didn't answer right away. He simply pointed toward the ground. "These." Zheng rui crouched beside him and carefully examined the marks in the dust. Several footprints were clearly visible, leading away from the railway and toward the warehouses. He studied them for a long moment before speaking. "It's happened recently."
Lian ziho nodded slowly. "Someone came through here."Zheng rui's eyes moved farther along the trail. "More than one person." Lian followed the line of footprints until they disappeared around a broken fence. "Think they're still nearby?" Zheng rui remained silent while listening carefully to the wind. The entire area was still. After a few seconds, he quietly answered, "Let's hope not." Lian ziho stood up slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the trail. "Hope usually isn't our strongest strategy." Zheng rui smiled little."No." His expression became serious again as he looked toward the warehouses. "But today... I'll make an exception."
Lian ziho looked ahead without blinking. "Then let's keep moving." Zheng rui nodded once. "Stay close." Without another word, they followed the footprints deeper into the railway corridor.The footprints led away from the railway tracks and toward the nearest warehouse. Lian ziho and Zheng rui followed at a slow, careful pace, neither of them speaking as they watched the ground. The trail remained clear in the thin layer of dust, weaving through patches of wild grass before reaching a narrow path between two old buildings. The deeper they went, the quieter the surroundings became.
Lian ziho's eyes swept across the ground, searching for anything that helps them. After several steps,something caught his attention near the edge of the tracks. "Wait." Zheng rui stopped and turned toward him. Lian ziho crouched beside the rail and reached for a paper coffee cup lying on its side among the gravel. At first glance it looked ordinary, but when he picked it up,his expression changed. He frowned slightly and turned the cup in his hand. "This isn't old."
Zheng rui walked over and took the cup from him.He pressed two fingers lightly against the side before narrowing his eyes. "It's still warm." Lian ziho looked at him. "So?" Zheng rui handed the cup back. "They left recently." Lian looked down at the cup again, thinking quickly. "That's mean?!" Zheng rui glanced toward the empty tracks before answer ,"We just missed them." Lian ziho remained calm, but his eyes never stopped scanning the area. "Or..." He paused for a moment."they're watching us."
They instinctively turned around, thier eyes searching every broken window, every rooftop, every patch of tall grass surrounding the railway. But there was nothing.There were no footsteps.Lian ziho slipped the coffee cup into a nearby trash bin before dusting off his hands. "If they're watching us..." He looked toward the maintenance building standing a short distance away. "...then they already know where we're going."
Zheng rui looked in the same direction. "Which means we shouldn't waste time." Lian ziho nodded once. "Let's move." The two of them crossed the cracked concrete and approached the small maintenance building beside the railway. Its door was half open, and it was creaking softly whenever the wind pushed against it. Zheng rui stepped inside first while Lian ziho followed close behind.
In building broken chairs had been pushed against one wall, their legs bent and cracked with age. There were tools lay scattered across the floor beside overturned storage boxes. And Shelves leaned sideways under the weight of forgotten equipment. At first glance, the room looked completely abandoned. Then Lian ziho's eyes stopped on a table near the back wall. Unlike everything else in the room, its surface was perfectly clean. He slowly walked toward it, his expression growing more serious with every step. "Zheng Rui." Zheng rui turned immediately and joined him beside the table.
Lian ziho gently brushed his fingertips across the wooden surface before looking up. "Someone wiped this." Zheng rui leaned closer and examined it carefully. He nodded once. "Recently." Lian ziho rested his hand flat against the tabletop. "No dust." Zheng rui looked around the room again, paying closer attention than before. His eyes moved from the clean table to a chair that had been pushed neatly underneath it, then toward a faint footprint near the doorway. "This room wasn't abandoned." Lian ziho looked at him. "Someone's been using it." Zheng rui slowly opened one of the table drawers but it was empty. He checked another and it was empty again.
Lian ziho watched him quietly. "Whoever was here cleaned up before leaving." Zheng rui closed the drawer gently. "They didn't want to leave anything behind." Lian glanced around once more, his eyes lingering on the walls. "People don't clean places they never plan to return to." Zheng rui looked toward the open doorway, his expression unreadable. "Which means there's a good chance they'll come back." Lian ziho folded his arms and let out a slow breath."Hopefully after we've figured out who they are." Zheng rui gave a small nod. "Then we'd better keep looking." The two of them continued searching the maintenance room.
Lian Ziho moved toward a row of oldl lockers along the far wall and began opening them one by one.Most were empty. A few lockers contained broken tools,torn work gloves, and dusty maintenance records that had long since become unreadable.Nothing seemed useful. "Anything?" Zheng rui asked without looking up. Lian ziho shook his head as he closed another locker. "Nothing but junk." He walked over to a cracked window and looked outside. "If someone really used this place," he murmured, "they cleaned it well."
Zheng rui was kneeling beside one of the walls,quietly studying the floor instead of the furniture.His eyes moved slowly across the dust, stopping every few seconds before continuing again. "Not well enough!" he replied calmly. Lian ziho turned toward him. "What do you mean?"Zheng rui didn't answer right away instead heremained perfectly still. Lian ziho walked over and asked,"Did you find something?" Zheng rui raised one hand slightly without taking his eyes off the floor, asking Lian ziho to wait.