Chapter 6: Jin Tian Xing Woke Up

  After returning home, Lan Xilin still couldn't forget about Jin Tianhang's affairs. She also didn't dare to tell her parents about the gunfight that happened during the day, fearing it would scare them. During dinner, she was still absent-mindedly muttering a few words she had learned from Jin Tianhang: "Roy... Qingqing... Shenhukou... Lao Yema Temple." Lan Xilin's father, Lan Tian, heard her and asked, "Lanlan, are you thinking of your grandmother?"

  Lan Xinlin was taken aback, "Dad, what did you say?"

  "Are you missing your grandma?"

  "No, why are you asking this, Dad?"

  "What's the point of muttering your grandmother's name?"

  Lan Xinlin was somewhat perplexed, "Grandma's name? What does it mean."

  "You kept muttering 'Qingqing', I thought you were thinking of your grandma, Qingqing is your grandma's name."

  Lan Xilin suddenly remembered that her father had said before that she and her sister looked very much like their deceased grandmother. She made a bold guess that Jin Tianxing must have seen someone who looked very similar to her, either her sister or her grandmother, but she most hoped and thought it was the former. Due to excitement, her body slightly trembled, "Dad, do my sister and I really look like grandma?"

  Lan Tian swallowed the rice in her mouth and said, "You and Yiyi both look like your grandmother. The one who looks most like her is you. You are simply a mold carved out of your grandmother. Yiyi has a personality similar to that of her grandmother."

  As soon as Yiyi was mentioned, the expressions of Lan Tian, who was eating, Chen Ya and Lan Xinlin all darkened. Three years ago, the plane that Lan Xingyi was on mysteriously disappeared, and her family gradually stopped mentioning her name.

  Lan Xilin and her sister grew up in their grandmother's home. In her memory, after her grandfather passed away, her grandmother would often sit by the side of Poyang Lake for a long time, as if waiting for someone to return. After a long silence, Lan Xilin broke the silence first, "Dad, you know grandma's story, tell me about it."

  The blue sky was a bit unexpected, "How did you think of listening to your grandmother's story."

  Lan Xinlin said with a pout "I just want to hear it, Dad, you tell me."

  The blue sky Nasal's daughter couldn't help it, gently stroking the top of her daughter's head, "Okay, don't make a fuss, I'll tell you. Your grandma was a legendary figure, and she had many stories to tell, which would take three days and nights to finish."

  "Just give me the brief version."

  "Your great-grandfather was the leader of the largest gang of water bandits on Lake Poyang, living a life of sword fighting and danger every day. Your grandmother grew up in such an environment and naturally developed martial arts skills and exceptional courage. She was most skilled at throwing darts, hitting her target every time. What's even more amazing is that your grandmother seemed to have the ability to predict the future, always preparing ahead of time whenever something big was about to happen. During the war years, she single-handedly infiltrated enemy lines multiple times, completing many impossible tasks. After your great-grandfather passed away, your grandmother became the leader of the flying bandits and later led them in surrendering to the Communist Party, making significant contributions during the Crossing the Yangtze River campaign of the Liberation War."

  Lan Xilin interrupted her father's words, "I remember that grandma got married very late, what was it for."

  "I'm not quite sure about this either. Your grandmother didn't want to mention it, but supposedly she was waiting for someone, only in the end that person never showed up." Blue Heart Lin couldn't get any more useful information from her father and finally let him off the hook. After dinner, Blue Heart Lin returned to her own room to think about Jin Tian Xing's situation.

  The next morning, Lan Xinlin was woken up by a call from the Criminal Police Brigade while she was still in her dream. Jin Tianxing, as the only survivor of the Longjiang No. 7 case, had attracted high-level attention. This incident was classified as highly confidential and only a few people were informed, with strict orders not to mention it to anyone else, including colleagues from the Criminal Police Brigade. Lan Xinlin and Xing Yong were responsible for Jin Tianxing's safety protection until he woke up. Lan Xinlin felt strange about Captain Han's decision, wondering why only two people were assigned to protect Jin Tianxing if he was so important, and not allowing them to mention it to their colleagues. What was the captain hiding?

  From then on, Blue Heart Lin's workplace was changed from the police station to the hospital. Jin Tian Xing had been in a deep coma all along.

  Four days later, after lunch, Lan Xinglin felt a bit drowsy and fell asleep on the edge of the bed. In her haze, she heard a voice calling out intermittently, "Qing... Qing..." She immediately woke up to find Jin Tianxing waking up from his coma. Lan Xinglin immediately called for the doctor, who examined him and confirmed that he was no longer in critical condition and would recover normally after a period of rest. However, the shockwave from the explosion had left Jin Tianxing with a mild concussion, which might cause him to forget some things.

  After the doctor left, Jin Tianxing continued to call out, "Qing Qing..."

  Lan Xinlin walked to the bedside and said seriously, "I'm not Qingqing, my name is Lan Xinlin, I'm a police officer, didn't I tell you that before? Did you forget?"

  Jin Tianxing closed his eyes to rest for a while, then opened them again and stared at Lan Xinlin carefully for half a day before saying, "I didn't forget what you told me. You look very much like one of my friends. By the way, what's today's date?"

  Lan Xinlin did not expect Jin Tianxing to ask such a question and answered straightforwardly, "Today is June 29th, 2009, Sunday."

  Jin Tian suddenly remembered that he had just held his wedding on June 20th, and shouted Roy's name as he struggled to get out of bed. He was pressed down by Lan Xinlin, "Don't move around, you've just woken up from a coma, the wounds on your body haven't even been removed yet, if they crack open it won't be good. If you're not honest I'll call the doctor to give you a sedative injection."

  Jin Tianhang's face was full of concern, "Then tell me how my wife Roy is doing, is she okay?"

  Lan Xilin didn't think he had forgotten about it. He would have to face reality sooner or later, and Lan Xilin didn't want to deceive him either, so she answered truthfully, "On June 22nd, the Yangtze River No. 7 sightseeing boat mysteriously disappeared in the waters of Poyang Lake, and you are the only survivor we have found so far."

  Jin Tianxing only felt a blackness in front of his eyes, his chest like it had been hit by a heavy hammer, and his breathing became extremely difficult. It took several minutes for him to recover normally. Lan Xinlin then continued, "Your discovery proves that there may be other survivors, you must believe the police and cooperate with us, we will do our best to find your wife."

  He didn't listen to Lan Xinlin's words seriously, his mind was filled with the bizarre experiences of the past few days. His newlywed wife had mysteriously disappeared, and he himself had traveled through a mysterious cave, met a heroic woman, and encountered a strange ship loaded with national treasures. If it weren't for the pain of his injuries, he would have thought it was all just a dream. And everything that happened seemed to be connected to the waters around Lao Ye Temple.

  Lan Xilin continued to say, "The police currently hope that you can explain where the wounds on your body came from, what happened during the few days when you went missing, and what happened to Changjiang No. 7 before it went missing."

  Jin Tianxing understood in his heart that even if he spoke about his experiences, no one would believe him and would instead think he was mentally ill. It was better not to say anything. He turned his head to the side and brushed it off, "I'm tired, I don't want to talk anymore, let me rest for a while."

  Lan Xinlin knew that he had encountered such a major change, and his heart must be very difficult to accept. "You must be thirsty, I'll pour you a glass of water." She poured a cup of warm water on the table beside the bed, turned around and left the ward to call the leader to report that Jin Tianhang woke up.

  The leaders in the bureau attached great importance to Lan Xinlin's report and quickly put down their work to hurry over, asking about his well-being with concern. Jin Tianxing didn't show any gratitude, still not speaking a word as he turned his head towards the window. The several leaders felt it was pointless and left the hospital room with gloomy faces. In the following days, Jin Tianxing's physical condition kept improving, but he refused to speak, only asking to make two phone calls to his family and company. He didn't say much, and they still thought he was on a honeymoon trip.

  One day at noon, Lan Xinlin heard Jin Tianxing talking in his sleep during his nap, shouting "Qing Qing, run quickly." Thinking that Jin Tianxing always mistook her for Qing Qing, she wanted to test him with Grandma's photo, maybe there would be unexpected gains. She turned back home and shook awake Lan Tian who was napping on the bed, "Dad, shouldn't we have Grandma's photos at home? Where are they? I need them."

  Lan Tian rubbed her sleepy eyes, "Crazy girl, what's wrong with you in the middle of the day? Why do you suddenly want a picture of your grandma?"

  Lan Xinlin dragged Lan Tian out of bed, "Dad I have an urgent matter, if you have something to say, hurry up and help me find it."

  Lan Tian took his beloved daughter's helpless look, "Alright, there should be a few photos of your grandma in the old album at the bottom of the cabinet, I'll go help you find them."

  Lan Xinlin kissed her father's face on a blue day, "Dad is so good."

  Blue Sky retrieved an old dusty photo album from the bottom of the cabinet, and Blue Heart eagerly took it and opened it to find that it was filled with old black-and-white photos. The sense of history's vicissitudes hit her in the face, and after years of baptism, most of the photos had turned yellow. She soon found a photo of her grandmother and was stunned - her grandmother looked too much like her. She almost felt as if she were looking at a photo of herself, and she became even more confident in her own thoughts.

  "Dad, I want to borrow grandma's photo."

  "Blue Sky, what did you use grandma's photo for?"

  Lan Xinlin hugged the album and ran away, "Top secret, can't reveal it to you."

  The blue sky behind shouted, "Don't lose your grandmother's photo, these photos are very precious."

  "Got it!" Blue Heartlin ran out of the house.

  Back at the hospital, Jin Tianxing woke up early and was lying in bed staring blankly. Luo Yi's disappearance along with Changjiang No. 7 had drained his life of color. Then he was played by fate again, crossing paths with Qingqing, the second woman to make his heart skip a beat. Before they could even get acquainted for a day, he returned, and Qingqing's life or death remained uncertain. Right in front of him was a female police officer who looked exactly like Qingqing; he warned himself that it wasn't her.

  Lan Xinlin understood that someone had to break the silence first. She spoke up and said, "You shouted 'Qingqing' again in your sleep at noon today."

  Jin Tian Xing just faintly hummed in agreement.

  Lan Xinlin continued to ask, "Qingqing is what kind of person to you, you often mention this name in your dreams."

  Jin Tian Xing simply replied with two words: "Friend."

  Lan Xilin observed Jin Tianxing's expression secretly and said, "What a coincidence, my grandma is also called Qingqing. My dad says I look exactly like her."

  Jin Tian's expression changed in an instant, and it took a few seconds for him to regain his composure. He forced himself to remain calm and said "Is that so?" But his tone couldn't hide the fluctuations in his emotions.

  Lan Xilin dropped a bombshell with pride, saying, "My grandmother was a legendary figure, the daughter of the water bandit leader on Poyang Lake before liberation. Her flying dart skills were 100% accurate, and it's said she killed many Japanese devils. On Poyang Lake, my grandmother was someone everyone knew and talked about."

  Jin Tian's expression changed greatly, he could no longer conceal his excitement, struggling to get out of bed. "You say Qingqing is your grandmother, how do you prove it."

  Lan Xinlin smiled and said, "I discovered for the first time that you're quite humorous. You can talk nonsense, but grandma can't just recognize anyone randomly. I was afraid you wouldn't believe me, so I had prepared beforehand and brought grandma's photo album."

  Jin Tianxing stretched out his hand to take the photo album, "Hurry up and give me the album to take a look."

  Lan Xilin hid the album behind her back, "I can let you see the album, but you have to agree to one condition. After seeing the album, you must tell me about your experiences over the past few days truthfully, without hiding anything."

  Jin Tianxing was eager to see the photo album, and he agreed immediately. He took the album and saw Qingqing with a braid and wearing a coarse flower-patterned jacket. Although her appearance differed slightly from his memory, he didn't mind, thinking that people change a lot after eighteen years of age. When he thought about their shared experiences of life and death, Jin Tianxing suddenly felt like crying. He asked, "How is your grandmother now?"

  "She passed away when I was in elementary school. In my memory, she often sat alone by the side of Poyang Lake when nothing happened, as if waiting for someone to return."

  "Ah!" Jin Tian Xing finally couldn't control himself, and tears welled up in his eyes.

  Lan Xin stood silently on one side, quietly waiting for Jin Tian Xing to close the album, her emotions gradually calming down before she said, "Now you can truthfully tell me about your experiences over the past few days."

  Jin Tian took a few deep breaths, stabilizing his emotions before speaking, "My experiences over the past few days have been quite unbelievable and will likely greatly conflict with your worldview. The key is that I don't have any evidence to prove what I'm saying, so would you believe me?"

  Lan Xinlin thought seriously for a moment before answering, "One of my instructors at the police academy once said that evidence is extremely important to a detective. A detective should also have the ability to infer the truth from the evidence in their hands. In addition, they should possess bold imagination. Just tell me the truth, I believe you."

  Jin Tianxing poured out all the bitterness he had been holding in, recounting everything that had happened since they met. Lan Xinlin listened with wide eyes to the tale of the mysterious cave, the skull of unknown identity, the ominous ghost ship, and the strange circular door. It sounded absurd, but it perfectly explained how Jin Tianxing got his injuries. Lan Xinlin was captivated by this thrilling story, feeling tense, happy, sentimental, and surprised as it unfolded.

  "After a flash of white light, I lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, I saw you. You know what happened next. Now I want to know if Qing is okay and what happened to the Kamome Maru in the end."

  Lan Xinlin rubbed her eyes and said, "You asked a stupid question. If my grandmother had something to do with it, would I still be standing in front of you? As for the Kobe Maru, I've never heard my grandmother mention it, nor have I seen any reports about it."

  Jin Tianxing revealed the first smile in several days, "As long as people are fine, it's good, I was foolish, too many things happened in a few days, to the point where I couldn't bear it alone, and after telling you, I feel much more relaxed. Luo Yi is missing, Qingqing's life or death is unknown, my life has lost its color, living has no meaning." After learning that she was Qingqing's granddaughter, their relationship suddenly drew closer, and Jin Tianxing spoke his heart out to her.

  Lan Xilin sat down beside Jin Tianxing, "I understand your feelings, I also had a loved one who went missing in a mysterious event. At first, for several days, I felt just like you, helpless and disheartened, so I can understand how you're feeling now. Later on, I came to realize that I need to live well and find out the truth about what happened."

  Jin Tian Xing really wanted to know who was missing, but didn't know how to start, "The one who's missing is..."

  "I know what you want to ask. The missing person is my sister, her name is Lan Xinyi. Do you still remember the China Southern Airlines Flight 519 crash three years ago?"

  Jin Tianxing didn't know why he brought up this matter, but he remembered the Southern Airlines Flight 519 crash very clearly. A few years ago, Flight 519 from Guangzhou to Beijing crashed halfway through its journey. At that time, the weather was fine and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky. Five minutes before the crash, the pilot had communicated with the ground control, and everything seemed normal with the flight. Then suddenly, contact with the ground was lost, and the wreckage of the plane and some bodies of the victims were found at the border of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces. Later, a voice message from one of the victims suddenly appeared online, in which people could hear low sobbing and intermittent waves crashing, and many who listened to it said: "It's really scary!"

  The message started with the mailbox's timestamp: "Sent out, Thursday, 5:21". Then there was a 10-second crying sound. The voice sounded like a man, but it was unclear and all that could be heard was a series of "wuuu"s. After another 10 seconds of crying, there was a faint male voice for the last 10 seconds, saying "Don't want to... I don't want to die... Don't want to die here". The audio automatically cut off after one minute. The recording time was two minutes after Flight 519 lost contact with the ground. This crash incident was thus shrouded in mystery and was widely discussed everywhere, and Jin Tianhang naturally knew about it too.

  "My sister was on Flight 519, the plane's wreckage is scattered over hundreds of square kilometers of land, and to this day my sister's body has not been found. I believe my sister is still alive, I must find her."

  "It was truly a terrible accident."

  "Unexpected? I used to think it was an accident too. One day, an old man told me that the crash of Flight 519 wasn't an accident. When the plane lost contact with the ground, it was flying over the waters of Lao Ye Miao Temple in Poyang Lake. Something happened in the water, and a god got angry, causing the plane to crash. I didn't pay attention at the time, but soon after, a reporter found an eyewitness near Lao Ye Miao Temple who said that when the plane flew over the lake, it stirred up huge waves. After that, I couldn't find the old man again. Since then, I've been paying close attention to that body of water, which is also why I actively participated in the case of Changjiang No. 7."

  "Old man!" Jin Tian Xing exclaimed, remembering that before he boarded the Chang Jiang 7, an old man had also tried to stop him from getting on the ship. If only he had listened to him back then, nothing would have happened and he would still be on his honeymoon with Luo Yi. From what they currently knew, it seemed like all the mysterious events were centered around the Lao Ye Miao waters.

  "What? You've seen him too?"

  "Before Roy and I boarded the ship, an old man tried to stop us. This can't be a coincidence. He also told us something about gods."

  In the vast sea of people, the probability of two people meeting the same person cannot be said to be zero, but it is extremely small. However, with the mysterious incident at Lao Ye Miao as a link, everything becomes unclear again, and anything related to Lao Ye Miao becomes shrouded in mystery. Lan Xinlin said, "Then you need to get better quickly, when you recover, we'll go find him together."

  "No problem!" Jin Tianxing replied immediately.

  Jintianxing's mood improved a lot, and he continued to chat with Lanhuanlin. Lanhuanlin's phone rang, it was Ligang calling, "You drink some water first, I'll answer the call."

  "Xinlin, are you okay? You're still in the hospital? I miss you so much."

  "Stop being disgusting, who allowed you to call me Xinlin? Only my family members can address me like that. If you have something to say, speak up quickly."

  "Our patient is doing well, you'd better take good care of him, don't let her run away."

  Lan Xinlin was greatly surprised, "What's going on?"

  "This is confidential and cannot be said."

  "Speak up or I'll hang up, and don't ever call me again," Lan Xinlin said in a firm tone.

  "Stop, stop, can't I just say it?"

  "Then speak quickly."

  "We investigated Jin Tianhang's wife and found that all her identification documents, including her ID card and marriage certificate, are fake. We can't find any information on a person named Luo Yi, and there are several people with the same name nationwide, but they're either too old or too young. The only one who matches is already dead. But that's secondary. What's most important is that we found that his company has had a large amount of financial transactions with the Zong Tian Group in recent days. Captain Han suspects that he's involved in the Zong Tian Group's money laundering, and the stolen laptop may have evidence of it. Captain Han is currently searching for evidence. Keep an eye on him, can't let this big fish get away."

  Lan Xilin didn't believe that Jin Tianhang had any connection with the Zongtian Group. "By the way, can you help me investigate something else? Can you get the surveillance footage from the dock where the Changjiang No. 7 went missing and see if there's an old man on the dock? If possible, can you also help me figure out who that old man is?" Lan Xilin hung up the phone.