"What did the doctor say?"
"Concussion, multiple fractures, internal bleeding..."
Su Jianguo repeated the doctor's diagnosis.
"Maybe...maybe he'll never wake up in this lifetime."
Wang Xiulan suddenly covered her mouth with her hand.
"It's all my fault."
Su Jianguo began to blame himself again, his voice low and pained.
"If I hadn't sent him..."
Don't say that!
Wang Xiulan suddenly interrupted him and grabbed his arm.
"Brother Wu helped voluntarily! He respects you so much, he treats you like a brother..."
"It's because he treats me like a brother!"
Su Jianguo suddenly raised his voice.
"He was so naive, so trusting of me, and I pushed him into a fire pit..."
Seeing her husband's agitated state, Wang Xiulan quickly tried to calm him down.
"My dear, listen to me. Although Brother Wu is... although he's not very bright, he's very perceptive. He's helping you because he wants to, because he considers you the most important person in the world."
"He's in this state... he definitely wouldn't want to see you blaming yourself."
Su Jianguo fell silent, his gaze falling once again on Wu Ermaitai.
The green line on the monitor continued to jump steadily, as if silently refuting his self-blame.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Su Jianguo abruptly turned to look at his wife.
"Where's Yuzhen? Didn't I tell you to stay home and look after her?"
Now that his eldest and second sons are in such a state, Su Jianguo doesn't want his youngest daughter to come over with a big belly and tell him he's going to be a grandfather.
If things really came to that, Su Jianguo felt he might as well just give up and take his wife abroad.
Wang Xiulan replied.
"I've left the third brother to keep an eye on her; I'll be back in a bit. That girl was making a ruckus until midnight last night; she's probably still asleep."
Su Jianguo frowned.
"If that brat dares to sneak out to see that thug again..."
"Don't worry, Mingfu is watching."
Wang Xiulan comforted her.
"He promised me he'd stay by my side every step of the way."
Su Jianguo nodded, feeling slightly relieved.
He glanced at his watch, then looked towards the nurses' station at the end of the corridor, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"I need to go to the police station."
He said it suddenly.
"Let's see if those beasts have been caught yet."
Wang Xiulan looked at him with concern.
"You're going now? What about Brother Wu..."
"You stay here and keep watch."
Su Jianguo had already stood up and straightened his collar.
"Notify me immediately if anything happens. Don't hesitate to do whatever tests or medication the doctor recommends; money is not an issue."
Wang Xiulan nodded.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of things here."
Su Jianguo took one last deep look at Wu Ermaitai in the intensive care unit, then turned and strode towards the end of the corridor.
Wang Xiulan looked in the direction her husband had left and sighed softly.
She turned back to the glass window, looked at Wu Ermaitai inside whose fate was unknown, clasped her hands together, and prayed silently.
The green line on the monitor continued to beat steadily, a testament to the tenacity of life in the silent intensive care unit.
...
Soon, Su Jianguo rode his bicycle to the police station.
He pushed open the glass door of the police station, and a blast of cold air mixed with the smell of sweat and tobacco hit him.
The reception hall was packed with people, including weeping women, young people with bruises on their faces, and elderly people holding children.
Su Jianguo pushed through the crowd and walked straight to the duty desk.
"Comrade, I'm looking for Officer Li!"
Su Jianguo's voice was hoarse, and his fingers tapped on the wooden table, making a dull sound.
The police officer on duty looked up and glanced at him.
"Which Officer Li?"
"That's Officer Li, the one in charge of the burglary and assault case at No. 42 Chang'an Avenue!"
Su Jianguo raised his voice, drawing the attention of those around him.
The police officer slowly opened the registration book.
"Officer Li is out on a field mission and hasn't returned yet."
When are you coming back?
Su Jianguo suppressed his anger.
"How would I know? There's no such thing as a fixed time when investigating a case."
The police officer closed his notebook impatiently.
"Just sit and wait."
Just as Su Jianguo was about to lash out, the door to the police station was suddenly pushed open.
Officer Li and two other officers walked in, looking travel-worn.
"Officer Li!"
Su Jianguo rushed forward in one stride.
Officer Li looked up and saw Su Jianguo, a complex expression flashing across his face.
He took off his police hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Comrade Su, you've come at the perfect time."
"Have you caught them yet?"
Su Jianguo asked impatiently, his eyes fixed on Officer Li's expression.
Officer Li shook his head, gesturing for Su Jianguo to sit down on the nearby bench.
Su Jianguo's heart sank to the bottom.
"We just came back from Zhangjia Village."
Officer Li lowered his voice.
"The situation is not optimistic."
"What's the meaning?"
Su Jianguo's voice suddenly rose.
"Those four beasts got away?"
"They didn't run away..."
Officer Li sighed.
"We simply can't find them. Everyone in the village says they've never seen them before; they're all related, no matter which village they're from."
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