Longhua Arsenal
They were surrounded by water, a vast expanse stretching as far as the eye could see. Only the noise of the heavy rain hitting the roof of the car proved that they were still on land.
It was a place that could be reached by simply turning the corner from the back door, but driving took a roundabout route. However, Gao Junxiao felt that if you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way, and driving the injured person would make it seem more urgent.
Before they could even process what was happening, a splash of water revealed the iron gates of the Longhua Arsenal. A white stretcher was already waiting at the door. Before they could even settle in, Gao Junxiao followed the stretcher all the way to the examination room. The examination room was located at the outermost part of the medical area, connecting to six wards.
Before long, the doctor on duty came out, pushed up his glasses as if he was thinking about how to reply, but Gao Junxiao took the initiative and invited the doctor on duty to talk in private.
The two men entered the consultation room outside the medical area one after the other. As soon as the door closed, the doctor on duty couldn't wait to speak: "Sir, your colleague's blood pressure is not low, but rather... a bit high. If we give him adrenaline again, it might kill him."
"That good-for-nothing Huang Xiaoxian, her mental fortitude is so poor!" Gao Junxiao cursed inwardly, then said in a deep voice, "Oh, the situation has improved. That must be due to your miraculous healing. The patient is Commander Huang of the 19th Route Army. I'll tell you in secret, the advance team consists of the most trusted confidants. If Commander Cai knew that your medical skills were so superb, he would surely reward you handsomely."
"I...I...no." The doctor on duty stammered, waving his hands helplessly.
"Don't rush, catch your breath. You see our car's license plate number, right? We can check who it belongs to," Gao Junxiao said, putting his arm around the on-duty doctor's shoulder.
“I know it’s Commander Xiong’s name. But…” the on-duty doctor tried to explain.
Gao Junxiao interrupted him, leaning closer and saying, "That's right, Commander Xiong sent us. We absolutely need adrenaline, two doses. Our headquarters should have already given instructions over the phone, right? If it's inconvenient for you, just give the medication to the patient, and I'll take him back to get it. Commander Xiong and Commander Cai are both anxiously waiting."
Perhaps feeling the pressure, the doctor on duty shrank his neck and chuckled awkwardly, "Okay, please wait outside for a moment, the patient will be out after changing the dressing."
Gao Junxiao nodded, thinking that he was sensible and didn't need to say too much. So he kindly reminded him, "The credit should be given to one person. Don't talk too much, otherwise progress will turn into regression."
"Sigh." The doctor on duty quickly pushed open the door to the medical area again.
The spring door was still swaying when two men and a woman appeared at the end of the corridor, or rather, an older doctor leading a young new doctor, and a young nurse.
Standard procedure, probably just ward rounds. Gao Junxiao, hands in his pockets, didn't seem to care. The three of them continued walking and discussing the patients' conditions, passing by him.
Gao Junxiao casually glanced at the backs of the three medical staff as he sat down on an empty chair to wait. Suddenly, a strange force surged through his body, as if someone had pried open his skull and inserted a magnet.
His gaze was firmly drawn to the figure, and Gao Junxiao's throat bobbed until the figure became a tiny dot. Only then did the strange pulling sensation lessen, and he withdrew his gaze, avoiding the white figure.
Looking out the window, fine raindrops slid down the glass, letting in the outside lights. Unfortunately, the thick fog obscured the surrounding scenery, and the rain pattered down, probably hitting the banana leaves.
"Sir, sir." The on-duty doctor sneaked out of the medical area.
"What's wrong?" Gao Junxiao felt a sense of unease.
“Our director just went in. He’s an old-fashioned guy, so I didn’t have a chance to prescribe any medicine. Why don’t you accompany Commander Huang to his ward to rest for a while, and then after about ten minutes, pretend he’s not feeling well and come straight to my office so I can give him first aid?” the on-duty doctor suggested.
Gao Junxiao immediately objected: "No way! It would be too much of a commotion. Commander Xiong and the others want to handle this discreetly, you understand?"
"I understand." The doctor on duty pushed up his glasses. "Uh~ I have another way. I'll prescribe some anti-inflammatory pills for you. You can go directly to the pharmacy to get them. I'll talk to the pharmacist and guarantee you'll get what you want."
The dual-certificate system is too troublesome. Gao Junxiao asked, "When is your director leaving?"
"How would I know? It's my shift today." The doctor on duty looked aggrieved. "If you're not in a hurry, you can sit for a while. I estimate he'll be leaving in about an hour."
This is no short time. If Zhang Chong kicks the bucket, we won't be able to explain ourselves even if we have a mouth. We finally got Commander Xiong's operational funds, and we can't make enemies with the Guos before we've even done anything. If that happens, Li Sheng will be truly beyond saving.
Gao Junxiao was annoyed and spoke with extreme impatience: "Hurry up and start, Commander Xiong is waiting for me to report back."
"Okay, okay, I'll open it right away." The doctor on duty said, taking out his medicine booklet from his pocket and quickly scribbling a few scribbles.
"Hey, is this written in Chinese? What dynasty is it from?" Gao Junxiao took the prescription with a look of disdain. "Oh well, as long as the pharmacist can understand it, it's fine."
"Please wait at the pharmacy; it's just ahead, turn left," the doctor on duty assured him.
As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Xiaoxian was pushed out in a wheelchair by a nurse. Almost all the bandages on his head had been removed, leaving only one around his forehead. He tried to wink at Gao Junxiao, who was completely confused. What was he doing?
"Who is Huang Xiaoxian's companion?" the chief physician asked in a harsh tone.
"Yes, that's me." Gao Junxiao raised his hand and stepped forward.
"The patient is fine. Go back and tell your Dr. Wu that there's no need to make a fuss about injuries of this severity in the future. If he can't even suture properly, he shouldn't be holding a scalpel anymore. Also, what's going on with your headquarters? We can't get through on the phone. If there's an emergency, who will take responsibility?" the chief physician demanded sternly.
"Huh? That serious? It must be due to bad weather. I need to hurry back and report; they probably don't even know yet," Gao Junxiao said, feigning ignorance. Wouldn't military intelligence be reported by telegram?
"The patient should not drink water for three hours after returning home, and should avoid getting the wound wet when doing personal hygiene." The head doctor left the medical instructions, and Gao Junxiao just grunted in response, wondering whose relative he was, with such an air of superiority.
"Xiao Liu, take the two officers to get their medicine." The on-duty doctor, seeing the director's suspicion, hurriedly explained, "Director, although our place is small, we have to treat the whole illness. I prescribed some anti-inflammatory medicine for the officers so they can go back and rest slowly."
"Nurse Liu, take them to get their medicine." The director didn't ask any further questions.
Gao Junxiao followed behind Nurse Liu, and a strange pulling sensation surged up again. He tried to control his outstretched hand, gritted his teeth, and clutched the wound on the back of his hand. The pain and discomfort made him feel listless and uncomfortable. He really didn't want to offend anyone, but the more he resisted, the stronger the pulling sensation became. It was truly bizarre.
Nurse Liu stopped walking, and Gao Junxiao was startled, barely managing to stand at attention against the wall. He heard her say, "Please give me the form."
Gao Junxiao quickly took out the prescription and handed it to her: "Nurse, this prescription is a little different. I don't know if the doctor told you about it?"
Holding the prescription, Nurse Liu didn't look up and said indifferently, "No, we always dispense medication according to the prescription. If you're not sure, you can take the medicine bag to the doctor to confirm again."
After several trips back and forth, time was wasted. Gao Junxiao pretended to comply and nimbly slipped inside the moment the nurse closed the door.
"Sir, this is a pharmacy, and outsiders are not allowed inside. Please wait outside." Nurse Liu was more composed than expected.
"Don't worry, there's something I forgot to mention. It's that prescription." Gao Junxiao pretended to point to a dot on the paper. "Look here, this little red dot was added by the doctor, so it's different from a regular prescription. There's a phone number over there, why don't you confirm it with your doctor on duty?"
"Sir, it's just that the printing core is leaking ink," Nurse Liu said as she inserted the prescription into the long needle.
"No, take another look. A professional would definitely know." Gao Junxiao forced a smile, and clattered a five-dollar note onto the prescription.
Upon seeing the money, Nurse Liu's teasing gaze swept over them: "Sir, this is against the rules."
"Ahem, the people in our headquarters know the rules best, and what else?" For some reason, Gao Junxiao felt weak in the knees under her gaze. He coughed lightly, trying to regain his composure, but his limbs wouldn't obey him, and his hand trembled as he took out his money.
Before she knew it, a check for 50,000 yuan fluttered out of her pocket. Nurse Liu tilted her head and chuckled, "Sir, would you like to buy our arsenal as well?"
"No, this isn't it. You took the wrong one." Gao Junxiao squatted down awkwardly to pick up the check, when suddenly something in his mind cracked.
He stood up abruptly, staring at Nurse Liu in disbelief. Their eyes met in mid-air. She was still smiling, and her dimples made his lips inexplicably curve upwards, but her cool white coat created an unapproachable distance.
At this moment, Gao Junxiao seemed to wake from a dream. His previous loss of composure was not due to tension or unease, but rather a tremor of his soul, which recognized his lover even faster than his eyes.
Gao Junxiao suppressed his joy and took out ten more silver dollars, stacking them on top of the original five: "You see, when the rules are followed, just give me a shout."
"Sir, you're joking. I'm not a rat. Do you want morphine or something else?" Nurse Liu calmly pocketed the money, as if this wasn't her first time doing this.
“That’s a question. I’m not that kind of person.” Gao Junxiao trailed off, his tone light. “I just need two adrenaline shots.”
"That's it? Looks like I'll have to give you the change." "Nurse Liu" said, feigning regret.
"No, I don't take back the money I've given away." Gao Junxiao stared intently at the man, afraid of missing a single second. "If you really feel bad about it, you can help me apply some medicine."
"Okay, sit down and take off your clothes." Nurse Liu readily agreed.
Huh? Gao Junxiao raised an eyebrow, thinking he had misheard. Hehe, the little girl has become more unrestrained after putting on a new skin. He floated like a ghost from her left to her right, and then from her right to her left, observing her subtle expressions from every angle.
After confirming that her words were unambiguous, Gao Junxiao walked around to her and said jokingly, "I'm a little embarrassed in a public place."
Nurse Liu gently patted the chair, smiled, and whispered in his ear, "Please sit down, sir. We are all professionals, there's no need to be shy."
The two were pressed very close together, and Gao Junxiao became somewhat carried away. His hand slowly reached around to her back, but stopped before touching her. His palm was separated by air, as if he were embracing her and dancing a waltz. The intoxicating fragrance was still there, but unfortunately, this time there was no warmth from her body.
A sharp pain suddenly shot through his shoulder. Gao Junxiao glared at her angrily: "You went too far. I'm going to file a complaint against you."
"Whatever! People who don't cherish their own bodies expect others to." Nurse Liu snorted and pressed him into a chair. "The effort I used to examine you was less than the effort I used to put on the cap. This isn't a gunshot wound, is it?"
"Tch, if it weren't for some scoundrel who came to our headquarters to cause trouble and tried to arrest my colleague, would I have bothered with this?" Gao Junxiao stretched out his hand, looking aggrieved. "Look, my hand is all cut."
Nurse Liu's moist eyes flickered for a moment, but she didn't answer. She quickly brought over a disinfection tray and iodine, skillfully cleaning the wound. Before finishing, she blew on the still-wet iodine, sending a tingling sensation through Gao Junxiao like a tiny electric shock. However, the next second, she froze, seemingly realizing something was wrong, and immediately pushed away the gauze and applied it.
The warmth still lingered on his fingertips, and Gao Junxiao urged, "Blow on it again, it'll heal faster if you blow on it."
“I’m sorry, sir, our department doesn’t offer this service. You can leave now, to avoid anyone dying from lack of care.” Nurse Liu tossed a paper bag into his arms, making a gesture to shoo him away.
"Ugh, just thinking about that despicable bastard makes me annoyed," Gao Junxiao sighed. "If he's alive, he'll arrest my colleagues; if he's dead, he'll damage my reputation. I'm even thinking of having someone secretly get rid of him."
“That’s one way too, we can ask some brothers in the underworld,” Nurse Liu replied.
"Are there any brothers who are good at their jobs?" Gao Junxiao looked expectantly at "Nurse Liu".
“Of course there is. I only heard it secondhand. There’s a soldier in our factory who goesssips. A new advisor has come to the Rongtan of the Green Gang. He’s very shrewd and has a wide network of connections. Many chivalrous people in the underworld have joined his ranks.” Nurse Liu patiently explained.
"That sounds interesting, but we're not from the same circle, so how do we strike up a conversation?" Gao Junxiao pressed.
“The Green Gang values seniority above all else. If you don’t mind the trouble, you can first find an elder to pay your respects and have them host a dinner party for you.” “Nurse Liu” roughly tidied up the medicine tray, deliberately lowering her voice.
"I see. Besides murder, do you take other jobs? I want to save people." Gao Junxiao stated his purpose directly.
“Killing is easy, saving is hard; it depends on how much you care.” Nurse Liu pointed to the pocket where he kept his checks.
"I'll give you my heart, but you have to meet my standards." Gao Junxiao lingered on the places she had touched, savoring her lingering warmth.
"I don't know about that. I'm just a nurse. You'll have to negotiate the terms yourself." "Nurse Liu" yanked open the pharmacy door, and Huang Xiaoxian was caught off guard and fell inside.
"You brat, eavesdropping! You're so useless!" Gao Junxiao grabbed Huang Xiaoxian by the back of his collar and pulled him up. He turned to the nurse with an apologetic look and said, "He must be dizzy. We'll go back now. Thank you. See you later."
"Don't come again." Nurse Liu coldly rejected her.
"Okay." Gao Junxiao obediently agreed. The beautiful dream was fleeting, and all that remained was the harsh reality.
When Gao Junxiao came to his senses, he found Huang Xiaoxian looking at him like he was trash. Gao Junxiao said irritably, "What are you looking at? Get lost."
Huang Xiaoxian was not intimidated at all and touched Gao Junxiao's forehead: "Ah Xiao, have you been bothered by something unclean lately? I suspect you've been possessed by a lewd ghost."
"Bullshit! Get out of here, or I'll beat you up." Gao Junxiao kicked Huang Xiaoxian's butt. Huang Xiaoxian dodged and smiled provocatively. Gao Junxiao stopped dawdling, grabbed him by the neck, and dragged him out.
The raindrops fell incessantly like spring water. The military doctor from the Songhu Command came out of the ward and breathed a sigh of relief, indicating that Zhang Chong's condition was temporarily stable and that some external injuries would heal with rest, but the head injury still needed further observation.
"As long as he doesn't die, that's good." Commander Xiong breathed a sigh of relief.
"We've finally bought some time." Commander Cai turned to Gao Junxiao and said, "Counselor Gao, our current story to Guo Lao is that Zhang Chong and Deputy Officer Weng got into a fight, and the two of them are locked up for three days. The others just watched the show and didn't stop it, so they're also locked up. So you'd better act immediately."
"Okay." Gao Junxiao suddenly remembered something and reminded him, "Sirs, it's fine to leave the access control alone, but it would be best to lift the phone restriction, otherwise people outside won't be able to get through and will become suspicious."
"Yes, notify all units to turn on their phones." Commander Xiong nodded in agreement and said to the guard beside him, "If anyone couldn't get through before, give the same answer: our main telephone line was struck by lightning and just repaired. Anyone who dares to gossip will be dealt with according to military law."
"Yes, sir." The guard scurried away upon receiving the order.
"By the way, Councilor Gao, have you found someone to help you?" Director Cai asked, bringing up the promise he had made earlier.
"Huang Xiaoxian would be my first choice. I have a good understanding with her. Also, I might need to pull some strings with higher-ups. Director Luo is an expert in this area. Of course, I wouldn't dare to bother him normally, but if I need anything, please help me make an exception," Gao Junxiao said tactfully.
"No problem, it's decided then," Commander Cai said.
As soon as he left the ward, Gao Junxiao's face darkened.
Three days, only three days. Either clear Li Sheng of suspicion, or send Li Sheng on his way. As he pondered, he smelled a familiar scent of cigarette smoke.
Following the scent, Gao Junxiao saw Li Sheng wearing a hospital gown, leaning against the balcony railing, a cigarette between his fingers, the flickering light of the cigarette illuminating his cold face.
“Brother Li.” Gao Junxiao pressed down on Li Sheng’s shoulder.
"You've come," he replied casually, continuing to smoke in the moonlight.
"Brother Li, I'll take your case," Gao Junxiao said earnestly.
"Why did you take on this mess of a mess?" Li Sheng smirked mockingly. "You don't want to be the groom anymore."
“These are two different things. I believe you are innocent. If you have any evidence to refute Zhang Chong, please tell me.” Gao Junxiao didn’t mince words and went straight to the point.
"That's all. I'm just taking my mother back to my hometown to pay respects to my father and grandfather, and then to visit relatives at the ancestral home. My mother is a Buddhist, and she always goes to the Plum Blossom Temple for a few vegetarian meals. Since they don't accept male guests, I naturally have to find another place to stay." Li Sheng exhaled a puff of smoke.
"The process is pretty much the same. If they really want to arrest me, they'll have to manipulate the length of my stay. For example, they could say that my mother stayed on the mountain for four or five days, and that I was doing other things during that time."
"You didn't keep a receipt for your accommodation?" Gao Junxiao pointed out the key issue.
“Of course there are. The hotel can check the records, but the more unethical the work CC does, the more meticulous they are.” Li Sheng smiled bitterly. “You’re already a step behind CC. A lot of evidence that is in my favor has probably been destroyed. I really can’t explain this time.”
"If we really can't get through this, is there anything I can do to help?" Gao Junxiao asked, emphasizing each word.
"It's nothing, just helped me send my mother to my sister's house. Last time, my sister wanted her to stay with us permanently, but she didn't agree. Also, your sister-in-law Chen Caiyun, persuaded her to take the children back to her parents' home, instead of staying in Shanghai and suffering there." Li Sheng spoke casually, as if he wasn't talking about his own affairs.
"Okay, I will definitely do it." Gao Junxiao lowered his head, not daring to look into Li Sheng's eyes, the determination in them made him feel ashamed.
Just then, Li Sheng grabbed Gao Junxiao and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "If I am convicted, Mr. Xia will also have to disappear from Shanghai. As long as both sides are 'dead' and there is no way to verify, Zhang Chong will be helpless. Don't regret that identity; you can earn it back while you're alive."
"I understand." Gao Junxiao gritted his teeth, a huge wave of emotion surging in his chest. He hated his own powerlessness.
Li Sheng stubbed out his cigarette, then patted Gao Junxiao on the shoulder: "It's a pity I can't attend your wedding. Congratulations in advance on your marriage. Take care!"
As Gao Junxiao watched Li Sheng disappear from sight, Qingcheng's suggestion flashed through his mind. There were still three days left, and he would never stand by and watch Li Sheng die like this!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
