Monster - Chapter 39
Chapter 39: A Desperate Remedy
Lacking a nerve for fear, Lou saw Xing Meilu and Saya enter. She gave them a polite nod, then sat down on her chair, steady as a rock, and started playing on her phone.
Xing Meilu saw only a male high school student and figured he must be the son of the patient next door or something similar. She paid him no mind, giving him a nod in greeting before immediately focusing her attention on Lin Sandie.
"The surgery went fine, and her recovery is going well. You don't need to worry too much." Saya picked up the medical chart first and began flipping through it.
"I just feel like what happened to her this time is beyond simple bad luck!" Xing Meilu's brow was tightly furrowed. Looking at Lin Sandie on the hospital bed, she felt an inexpressible anger. She believed Lin Sandie had been treated with absolute injustice, yet she was powerless to bring her justice, which made Xing Meilu feel deeply self-reproachful.
Saya gave Xing Meilu a deep look before closing the chart and putting it back in its place. "Just do your best, Xiao A'Lu," she said in a gentle voice. "There are many things we can't control."
Xing Meilu sighed softly and sat in the chair beside Lin Sandie's bed. She looked at the frail, still-unconscious Lin Sandie and said no more.
She didn't know the specifics of the threats Lin Sandie had faced, but a video of her fighting a man several times her strength was circulating all over the dark web.
It was a dark web forum called "Fight Club," where combat-related videos were frequently uploaded. It had a ranking system based on followers and donations. As long as the combatants could still fight, they would sometimes be scheduled for another match based on the donations they received.
Xing Meilu had only recently learned of the forum's existence. She saw that the top-ranked video was of a woman named Kang Yi fighting another man. After several rounds of spectacular close-quarters combat, the man was knocked out when Kang Yi slit his throat.
This Kang Yi was an absolute celebrity on the forum. Xing Meilu did a quick scan and saw that five or six of the top ten videos, ranked by followers and donations, featured Kang Yi.
Lin Sandie's fight video was currently ranked fifteenth and had the highest current view rate. It was clear that the forum's active users were mostly men, which was why female participants were common among the top rankings. In particular, videos of seemingly weaker women delivering a finishing blow to stronger men garnered more attention.
After Lin Sandie's fight video was released, countless people commented below, clamoring for her to be scheduled for another fight as soon as the beauty recovered from her injuries.
Xing Meilu was so furious that she had people shut down the forum overnight and began investigating its founder and some of the more aggressive active users. She knew it was impossible to completely eradicate a highly anonymous dark web forum, but when she saw those comments, she was about to explode with rage.
Through her relentless investigation, Xing Meilu discovered that the matter concerning Yan Ting was like the tip of an iceberg. She could only see a corner, but beneath the surface lay an unimaginably colossal mass. The deeper she investigated, the greater the resistance she faced. Her superiors had already explicitly ordered her to investigate other cases, transferring the Cheng Lina case and the unnatural deaths surrounding Lin Sandie to someone else. Xing Meilu had a premonition that if she insisted on continuing her investigation, she too would be in danger.
But she had no intention of compromising. She would investigate in private.
Saya also sympathized with Lin Sandie's plight, but not to the extent of being as invested as Xing Meilu. Seeing Xing Meilu watching Lin Sandie, she let her gaze wander. The boy next door was tapping on his phone, and she walked over curiously.
"Hey, kiddo." Saya's voice always carried a hint of an ambiguous smile.
Lou looked up curiously. "What is it?"
The woman before her was around thirty, dressed in a black leather jacket and black trousers, with long, slightly curled brown hair draped over her shoulders. She looked cool and friendly, but during her earlier scan, Lou had already seen her true face. This was a monster whose mutation was on par with Yan Ting's. Who knew how many people she had killed in private.
"I didn't expect her to be a Legislator like Lin Sandie. But it seems she's hiding her identity. I've never seen her in the Salai Building, and she doesn't look like someone powerful," Miu the crow also noticed the woman who had suddenly approached them and started chattering to Lou.
"Is that your mother?"
"Yeah." Unsure of the other's intentions, Lou gave a concise nod.
"Heh, I wanted to ask, when you came to visit your mom, have you seen anyone come to visit the young lady next door?" Saya asked, noticing Lou's guarded expression.
"Haven't seen anyone." Lou shook her head honestly. "My mom was just admitted last night. I came over today on my day off and haven't seen anyone visit the young lady next door."
The truth was, according to Miu's surveillance, Yan Ting always came to visit Lin Sandie, but usually in the afternoon. Therefore, her current persona wasn't supposed to have seen anyone visit Lin Sandie.
"You're wearing your school uniform on your day off?" Saya asked, amused.
"That's where you're wrong. If I don't wear my uniform, how will people know I'm from Yuhai High School?" Lou lifted her chin smugly. When it came to acting, she had been professionally trained.
"Lin Sandie, you're awake?" Xing Meilu, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke. Lou immediately looked over. Saya, not noticing Lou's eager gaze, walked back to see Lin Sandie struggling to open her mouth, but her voice was dry and hoarse, and no words came out.
"I'll go buy her a bottle of water and call a doctor to take a look," Saya said, heading out. Of course, these were just excuses; she just wanted to leave Xing Meilu and Lin Sandie some time alone.
Lou also got up and walked over, pretending she was just there to look at the pretty lady.
Having just woken up, Lin Sandie felt pain all over her body, especially her abdomen, which felt as if a knife were still cutting into it. The pain also made her vague memories of the dream she'd had hazy, her attention completely scattered by the agony.
"Officer Xing, what are you doing here?" Lin Sandie managed to greet her, then looked at Lou, who was walking over. Seeing it was an unfamiliar, non-mutated boy, she gave a slight nod.
"How are you feeling?" Xing Meilu asked quickly.
"A little sore." Lin Sandie forced a slight smile. "Are my glasses here?"
"Glasses?" Xing Meilu paused, then instinctively pulled open the drawer. She saw a glasses case inside, picked it up, and opened it. Lin Sandie's gold-rimmed glasses were lying quietly inside.
Xing Meilu took out the glasses and gently placed them on Lin Sandie's nose. The gesture made Lou press her lips together, her handsome brows furrowing.
"Excuse me, kiddo," Xing Meilu said, turning around. "We have some private matters to discuss. Uh... could you please give us a moment?"
Lou shrugged and turned to walk out, leaving only her backpack, adorned with the Crow Brooch, behind.
Outside the private ward, Lou angrily shielded her mind from Miu's incessant chatter. She didn't want to hear Miu's real-time reports on Lin Sandie and Xing Meilu.
A doctor walked toward her. Lou saw him put his phone, which he had just hung up, back into the pocket of his white coat. She figured it wouldn't be long before Yan Ting came charging over.
Inside the elevator, Lou pressed the button for the first floor and began to listlessly analyze her observations of Lin Sandie. The woman truly had a certain charm that attracted not only Yan Ting but also herself. But what exactly was that charm? Lou couldn't figure it out. All this time, she had only been acting on a subconscious instinct to get closer to Lin Sandie.
When she reached the hospital lobby on the first floor, she saw Saya approaching with several drinks.
"Want a drink? I bought one for you, too," Saya said, lifting the bag in her hand.
Lou shook her head and said, "When I came out just now, I think I saw a doctor calling someone who knows the lady next door, telling them she'd woken up."
Saya froze for a moment but quickly realized this must be an informant Yan Ting had planted to watch Lin Sandie. She smiled and nodded. "Alright, I understand."
After Saya left, Lou glanced down at the black watch on her wrist. It was 10:30 in the morning. It would take an hour by bus to get to her meeting with Mira and Aphra, which meant she could stay at the hospital for about another hour at most. That was enough time for Miu to gather the information Xing Meilu wanted to discuss with Lin Sandie. And if Yan Ting moved quickly enough, they might even be able to stay in the same room and perform a little pantomime of "your girlfriend will soon be my girlfriend."
At the convenience store next to the hospital, Lou carefully selected and bought a tin of star candy. These were spherical candies the size of a pinky nail, with many points on their surface. They were colorful like stars, hence the name.
Prying open the lid of the tin, Lou tossed a few pieces into her mouth, then returned to the hospital and connected with Miu.
"Little Crow~"
"Get lost! Do you have any idea how much I've been talking? How much breath I've wasted analyzing everything?"
"I bought star candy. Want some?"
"That's it?"
"This afternoon, we'll go to the amusement park. You won't have to be a brooch, and we can have lunch together. How about that?"
"...You're suddenly being so nice. I feel like there's a catch."
"What catch could there be? We haven't known each other long, so you don't understand me. Once you get to know me, you'll realize I'm a very easygoing person."
Miu expressed its skepticism with a dry laugh but still, in the spirit of partnership, relayed the conversation it had overheard between Lin Sandie and Xing Meilu.
"Xing Meilu wanted Lin Sandie to press charges against Yan Ting and even promised to protect her personal safety with her life, but Lin Sandie refused."
"Of course she refused. Lin Sandie doesn't want anyone else to die because of her, especially an innocent person like Xing Meilu." Lou tossed several more star candies into her mouth. The tiny sweets melted much faster than other candies.
"Xing Meilu's gung-ho attitude is definitely a headache for Lin Sandie. But then again, I don't think Lin Sandie's stance will have any positive effect on what happens to Xing Meilu in the future. It would be better to cooperate and fight against the injustice. Besides, even if Lin Sandie ignores her, Xing Meilu is probably already a target. That doctor came in and rushed them out just now; Xing Meilu and Lin Sandie barely got to say a few words."
"Everyone has their own position. That's what makes relationships so complicated," Lou said, feigning depth. On the way from the elevator back to the private ward, she unexpectedly didn't run into Xing Meilu or Saya.
"Where did you read that line?" Miu retorted. It was realizing that its lack of understanding of Lou had led to many misconceptions. But sometimes, it had the strange feeling that Lou was originally supposed to be a monster devoid of human emotion. She had no fear, no capacity for guilt. Yet for some reason, someone had taught her, corrected her personality, making her seem unlike the "Lou" she was supposed to be, as if her body had been possessed.
For instance, she enjoyed playing pranks, but only when the other person had insulted or provoked her first. She was vengeful and mostly did whatever she wanted, but she was serious and responsible when it came to missions. Even if she was unwilling, she would be impeccable with the details. She never swore, but it wasn't because she was elegant or well-mannered; it was more like a strict rule had been imposed on her. All these impressions made Miu somewhat curious about Lou.
Lou didn't answer Miu's question. She returned to the private ward to find Lin Sandie alone, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Miss, want some candy?" Lou shook the tin of star candy, making it rattle.
"Thank you, but no." Lin Sandie snapped out of her daze and glanced at her. "Besides, I can't move my hands right now."
Lou poured a few star candies into her palm and moved closer to Lin Sandie.
"I heard eating candy helps when you're in pain." Lou looked at Lin Sandie with a gaze so sincere it could deceive anyone.
Lin Sandie looked at her silently. Thinking that this strange boy didn't seem to be a monster, she opened her mouth.
She had been composed in front of Xing Meilu, but she truly felt like she was about to die from the pain.
Lou happily poured the star candies from her palm into Lin Sandie's mouth. Whether intentionally or not, the edge of her palm lightly brushed against Lin Sandie's lips.
"Thank you." As the assorted fruit-flavored candies melted on her tongue, Lin Sandie thanked the boy.
But Lou didn't leave. She knelt by Lin Sandie's bedside, facing her with a charming smile. She saw Lin Sandie's pale, weak face, her slightly dry skin, her long, thick eyelashes, her somber eyes...
Lin Sandie looked so fragile, as if she could die at any moment. Lou couldn't help but soften her breathing.
"Miss, you're really beautiful."
"I'm a patient right now. What's there to look at?"
"Your eyes are beautiful, your eyebrows are beautiful, your nose is beautiful, your mouth is beautiful..." Lou gripped the edge of the bed with both hands, leaning in to observe Lin Sandie more closely.
"That's rude." Lin Sandie frowned slightly and turned her face away.
"Oh. Want some candy?" Lou sat up straight and poured more star candies into her palm.
Lin Sandie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She didn't need this kind of bribe.
After eating the candy again, Lou looked at Lin Sandie with sparkling eyes and asked, both cheerfully and seriously, "Miss, what's your type?"
"I only like young ladies." Lin Sandie shot Lou a glance.
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