Chapter 3: Death and Transfiguration

  My heart sank, why did he want my phone? Had he discovered that I had taken pictures and recorded audio just now? It shouldn't be, there were no surveillance cameras in the room, he couldn't have found out. I wanted to read his intentions from his expression, but his face was always cold, his eyes like dead fish, without any expression.

  "What's wrong? My phone is out of battery." I said calmly.

  He didn't say a word and reached into my pants pocket, I still had the bloody gloves on my hands, instinctively using my forearm to block him. Ba Jiao's hand flashed and grabbed my wrist, twisting it, while the other hand pressed a small knife against my neck.

  I was in agony and terrified, stuttering: "Y-you... what are you going to do?"

  "Take out your phone!" He shouted coldly, the knife pressed even tighter, I felt a stinging pain on my skin, the icy sharp feeling seemed to penetrate into my bone marrow.

  It's all over, they must have found out. But every second counts, handing over my phone is better than having my throat slit immediately. I trembled as I pulled out my phone from my pocket. Ba Jiao snatched the phone from me and let go of me, walking away without even giving me a glance.

  I'm extremely nervous and scared, my hands are involuntarily shaking. Are they going to kill me? Are they going to kill me?

  I took a deep breath to calm myself down, but it was no use. All sorts of terrible consequences flooded my mind. There were several people outside, and I couldn't force my way out. The window had anti-theft netting that was very secure, so escape was also impossible. What should I do now?

  My mind was in a mess, and I didn't know how much time had passed when the door opened again. Hachiya and Shoufeng walked in with an air of killing intent, followed by our director Liu Yiming. That originally handsome and masculine face now looked ferocious and terrifying. I immediately understood that this afternoon when I talked to him, he had already become suspicious, his cunning and depth exceeded my expectations!

  "Zhao Mingzhi, what have you done to me?" Liu Yiming asked, gritting his teeth and almost enunciating each word.

  Just now I was extremely nervous and scared, maybe my nerves are a bit numb now, or maybe it's because I no longer have any illusions. Facing them, I've actually calmed down instead. I said: "Director, you've always taken care of me, I'm very grateful. Spare me, okay? I didn't want to do anything bad to you, it's just that I was really scared and did something stupid. Let me off, I swear not to tell anyone, there's no benefit for me to tell others either, and I'll also end up in jail, right?"

  Liu Yi Ming still had a straight face: "Besides you, who else has heard the recording?"

  "No, absolutely not. When I'm on duty, I don't dare to listen. After work, I came straight here. Not even I myself have listened to it." I wasn't as brave as I imagined, facing them and couldn't say anything threatening, I'm just a doctor, not an agent.

  Liu Yiming stared at me, wanting to distinguish whether what I said was true or not. In fact, I had never told anyone else before, and even forgot about backing it up to email at this time, so my eyes and expression were calm.

  "This is what you get for yourself, don't blame me." Liu Yiming narrowed his eyes and waved his hand.

  Eight and Laughing Buddha rushed over immediately, I hurriedly went to grab the surgical knife on the operating table, just grabbed it in my hand without making any attacking moves, my head had already taken a heavy blow, and immediately stars were flashing before my eyes, two buzzing sounds. I was caught firmly by them without any power to fight back, Liu Yiming picked up a disposable syringe from the operating table, tore open the plastic bag, then took out a small glass bottle containing ** from his pocket.

  "What are you going to do?" Fear gripped my heart again, this bottle was absolutely not amino acid or glucose.

  Liu Yiming's mouth curled up, revealing a sinister and ruthless smile: "You know too much, and you're not content with your life, so I'll have to send you to see King Yan. If you have any complaints, you can go tell King Yan about them. Of course, I won't waste anything - your two kidneys can save the lives of two people, which will be your last contribution to humanity."

  "Help..." I shouted hoarsely, but my mouth was tightly covered before I could even get the word out. I struggled with all my might, but it was completely useless. A weak doctor like me had no chance of resisting in front of two strong gangsters.

  Liu Yiming quickly drew out the liquid with a syringe, pressed my head to one side, and the needle pierced into the side of my neck. At first, I could still feel the coolness of the injection, but within seconds, my neck began to numb and stiffen, and after more than ten seconds, my entire body started to enter a numb state, unable to struggle.

  After another ten or so seconds, Liu Yiming said it was okay and had the two men carry me to a hospital bed. They quickly tore open my clothes and crudely cut open my abdomen without any regard for my well-being. My body couldn't move and I didn't feel much pain, but my consciousness gradually became blurry - perhaps this was some kind of nerve toxin?

  I know I'm going to die, but I won't give up. Those scum will not get away with it, they should be the ones who die. I'll take revenge even as a ghost. And there's Yu Ci, I can't just leave her behind like this. At this moment, she might be anxiously waiting for me to return home, and if she doesn't see me, she'll be heartbroken!

  The world is getting increasingly blurred and darker, at this time my heart has no fear, gradually I can't feel the things around me, only anger, hatred, nostalgia, anxiety... all kinds of strong emotions to the extreme are gathered in my heart and completely occupy my soul. This intense emotion is like a thread of light in the dark night that keeps me conscious without losing it completely, but I can't feel my body at all.

  I don't know how long it took, but suddenly I found that the scenery around me was changing rapidly. It seemed like I was running at high speed in a tunnel with no end, and countless people and things flashed before my eyes, as if all the memories from my birth to now were flashing by at an incredible speed, including some people and things that I had long forgotten. Then, after a moment of daze, I suddenly could move again and see things around me, taking advantage of their inattention, I jumped up abruptly and ran towards the door immediately.

  I ran a few steps and felt something was wrong, my body seemed to have no weight, nor the feeling of sprinting, it's hard to describe, in short, it didn't feel right. I didn't turn my head, but "saw" what was happening behind me, I was still lying on the hospital bed, Liu Yiming was taking something out of my opened abdomen, Ba Tiao and Xiao Fo were standing aside watching.

  I'm stunned, what's going on, how can there be two of me? Why didn't they see me jump up, could it be... could I already be dead? If I'm already dead, then I'm a ghost now?

  As a doctor, party member and atheist, I believe in the existence of supernatural events, but do not believe that people become ghosts after death. But if it's not a ghost, then what am I? No, no, I won't die, I can't die!

  I'm extremely confused, fearful and desperate, angry and unwilling to accept it, even I myself can't tell what kind of feeling it is. Anger has completely taken over my thoughts, I want revenge, I want to kill them! Now they're all unaware of me, just take a scalpel and slash the major artery on Liu Yiming's neck, he'll be waiting for death!

  I reached out to grab the surgical knife on the operating table, but grabbed nothing. I couldn't feel it, nor did I sense that I had touched anything. I was a bit disbelieving, and tried again, my hand passing directly through the knife and the table without any sensation of contact. I felt the table, my own body, everything seemed like an illusion that I couldn't touch. Although I could see that my body was intact, I couldn't even feel my own body, nor did I cast a shadow in the light.

  I was furious, and I rushed over to punch Liu Yiming's head with one fist. However, my fist went through his head without even disturbing a single hair on it, and I didn't feel any sensation of contact either. I fell into a frenzy, regardless of whether it had any effect or not, and I desperately punched Liu Yiming with both fists.

  I don't know how long I struggled, but eventually I stopped in extreme despair. I couldn't move him anymore, and continuing to try was meaningless. The cruel reality stared me in the face: I was already dead, just a consciousness existing, with nothing else left. According to legend, vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts are very powerful and terrifying; if I had really become a ghost, why didn't I have any abilities?

  I jumped onto the bed and lay down, wanting to return to my own body, but that body was no longer connected to me. I couldn't even touch it, let alone control it. I was completely desperate, without even a hint of hatred in my heart. Although I still existed, it was as if I didn't exist at all - I couldn't do anything. So this is what it's like when people die...

  Liu Yiming took out my two kidneys and put them in a cold storage box, taking off his gloves: "You two handle the corpse, be careful."

  Huatuo and Xiaofu responded in unison, then Xiaofu asked: "I don't know how much Mazi knows, should we also take care of her?"

  Liu Yiming cursed with a smile: "Are you f**king thinking of getting on her?"

  The smiling Buddha smiled and said: "Who wouldn't want such a beauty?"

  "He said, 'I have arrangements for her side, no need for you to take action.'"

  When the eighth spoke, I sensed his disgusting and sinister thoughts. When Liu Yiming spoke, I knew another thought of his: If she were to find out about this matter, she could only be gotten rid of, but you guys can't have her cheaply, I've got to try her out myself first... that waistline, that skin...

  I was furious, then worried, maybe that bastard Liu Yiming had already sent someone to monitor her. She knew my email password, and if she opened the mailbox and saw the recording, it would bring disaster upon herself!

  Eight and Laughing Buddha wrapped my body in a white sheet, then covered it with a black plastic cloth and carried me out. I hoped to return to my body and come back to life, unwilling to leave this body behind, but I was more worried that someone would harm Song Yucui, and I had to rush to inform her and protect her. In my current state, I couldn't do anything, but I didn't think much, only knowing she was in danger, I wanted to protect her at all costs.

  I took one last look at my body - actually, I didn't see it, I no longer had eyes and couldn't see anything, all sensations were directly felt, I hadn't gotten used to it yet - I decided to give up, because my body was already dead and had no kidneys, it was absolutely impossible to come back to life again, and Yu Ci couldn't be without me.

  I don't know how I left, the strong idea of going home dominated me, the familiar home became clear, and then I found myself in my own bedroom.

  Song Yuqi was wearing a loose robe, holding a painting album against the headboard and slowly flipping through it. Her long hair, which had just been washed, was still wet and slightly disheveled, but this only made her face look more elegant and beautiful, soft and quiet. The neckline of the robe was open and low, revealing smooth white skin, as well as some natural hills and valleys, and the bulging parts of the clothes allowed people with rich imagination to outline the contours and guess how full and firm it was inside.

  It was so beautiful that it took my breath away, and it was so tempting that it took my breath away. I forgot that I was already dead, and habitually sat down beside her, reached out to put my arm around her waist, wanting to kiss her face.

  I've missed her, I can't reach her anymore.