Chapter 35 THIRTY-FIVE

Chapter 35: Chapter THIRTY-FIVE

Xin Linhua’s fingers drum steadily on the steering wheel. He leans his head on the other hand, frowning slightly.

It’s been a few days now, and he still can’t make sense of things. Zhao Xi had given him an empty folder. Well...not exactly empty but there wasn’t anything useful in it.

All that’s in the file is Rong Yizhan’s codename and a blurry picture. Extremely blurry picture and time stamps. Dating back to seven years ago.

He tried calling Zhao Xi multiple times over the past few days, but he just can’t get through.

The youth said he had something to tell him but he gave him an empty file and just... vanished. Absurd.

"Yaras?." He turns to the man beside him "I have to go find Zhao Xi. I’ll drop you–"

"I can go back myself."

"Are you sure? The city is chaotic and we’re still far from the institute."

"I’m sure."

"Alright then."

Xin Linhua drops him at the nearest station. He waits until he boards the tram before driving off. He still can’t reach Zhao Xi and he’s starting to worry.

It’s not unusual for Zhao Xi to go AWOL at times, it often happens. But not like this. No texts, no calls, radio silence.

What worries him even more is his friend’s safety. What he dabbled with the wrong kind of people? That’ll be a disaster. He’ll get himself killed.

With those racing through his mind, he skids to a halt in front of a small apartment.

The mailbox is filled to the brim. The front door has days old newspaper piled up upfront and the lights are out.

"Zhao Xi!" He disregards the doorbell and goes straight to pounding his fist on the door "Are you in there!? Ah Xi! Don’t tell me you’re there! Son of a–"

He tries to look through the window, but the thick curtains are down. His cussing grows even more.

"Zhao Xi–"

__Crash!

A sound echoes from within. Maybe a vase, a cup or something else has shattered in there.

"Zhao Xi!"

The door lock clicks open and opens from within.

Zhao Xi, tired, worn out and visibly thin walk out. His eyes are red and his hair is in disarray.

"Xin Linhua..." His voice cracks "W-What are you doing here...?"

"You bastard!" Xin Linhua pinches the door "Where have you been!? I thought you died or offended some people who came to harvest your organs!"

"Uhn..." He blinks "Is it morning yet?"

"Morning?" Xin Linhua clenches his fist "It’s almost 4pm!"

"Uh?" Zhao Xi leans on the door for support "I was asleep for that long?"

"Asleep...you were sleeping?"

"Yeah. I feel weak. And dizzy. Like I might collapse and die."

"Shut up." Xin Linhua grabs his hand and leads him to a couch inside "Damn! When was the last time you cleaned this place."

"Yesterday..." Zhao Xi sneezes "I don’t know why it’s suddenly all dusty again."

"Ah Xi..." Xin Linhua frowns "What day is it?"

Zhao Xi lowers his lashes, contemplating seriously. His head rings, and everything’s spinning.

"Yesterday was when I met you, so...Tuesday. It’s Tuesday."

Xin Linhua quietly stares at his friend. Met him? He was at the training grounds all day. The last time they met was really Monday...but it’s not Tuesday now.

"Ah Xi... it’s Saturday." Xin Linhua quietly says "It’s been five days since we last saw each other on Monday. You...are you sick?"

"That can’t be..." Zhao Xi mutters in denial "I met you at Spring Tea restaurant and I gave you a file."

"Yeah, it’s empty by the way." Xin Linhua crouches in front of him "That was five days ago. Wait...if you slept on Monday and woke up thinking today’s Tuesday, doesn’t that mean you’ve been asleep for five days!?"

The two stare at each other, disbelief flashing though their eyes.

"How the hell are you still alive?" Xin Linhua starts to check on him "You didn’t eat or drink anything. How is this possible? Ah Xi, tell me the truth...are you on something?"

"Are you crazy?"

Despite being physically weak, Zhao Xi still has enough strength to glare at his friend like he wants to strangle him. But his limbs are weak and he can barely lift them now so he’ll have to reschedule that plan.

"Yeah, we’re going to get you checked."

Thus, Xin Linhua helps his friend to the car and drives off to a hospital one of his brother’s friends works at.

Tests. Scans. Whatever it is they have to do to determine Zhao Xi’s life and death, Xin Linhua pays for them.

Everything turns out to be fine, except that Zhao Xi is malnourished and weak. He’s been sleeping for days after all.

When Xin Linhua goes to see him, he’s already on his second IV drip.

"Hey." He sits on the small chair "They say you’re fine, but I don’t buy that bullshit. There’s no drug in your system, not even alcohol. So how the fuck did you sleep for five days straight?"

"I don’t know." Zhao Xi stares at the calendar on the side table "I got back and I just took a nap. Next thing I knew, I was waking up to you tryna break down my door. And now this? My brain aches, actually aches."

Xin Linhua exhales, visibly exhausted as well. He takes off his coat.

"Okay, you remember our meetup right? You even met my Sentinel."

"I...did?" Zhao Xi.

"Dude. What are you talking about? You ate lunch with him too. You said you’d call me when you get back because we couldn’t discuss it in front of him. You never called, and I couldn’t reach you for days."

Zhao Xi stays quiet for a beat. His eyes slowly light up like he remembers something, but the light dies out just as quickly.

"What is it? " Xin Linhua leans closer.

"I remember meeting up with you. You came with someone...but I really can’t remember his face."

"Seriously? A face like that? You can’t remember a face like that?"

"I can’t. I’m serious."

"That’s it, they’re doing a brain scan." Xin Linhua suddenly stops "Wait, what about the thing you said you wanted to tell me over the phone? You kept reminding me to call you."

"I...don’t remember."

Xin Linhua stays quiet. If he hadn’t transmigrated into a world with people that can manipulate air and shoot fire from their eyebrows, he’d have found this perplexing.

"It’s fine. Don’t strain yourself. I’ll get them to do a brain scan." He walks out.

"I don’t need it!" Zhao Xi shouts after him.

"Sit still and shove it."

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Zhongjing Institute

Rong Yizhan shuts the door behind him. He slowly takes off his coat and hangs it on the rack. His shoes come undone and onto the shoe rack.

"Ugh!"

He suddenly clutches his chest, his knees give out as he falls heavily to the floor.

He braces himself with his other hand, keeping his lips sealed tight as if he’s afraid that someone might hear him.

The red light on his ra?ar starts to blink rapidly. The color has deepened, like crimson. Rong Yizhan tugs at the choker on his neck, flinging it to the side.

"Ah..." A distorted voice echoes from him "Captivity...is not the life I chose."

His nails crack against the marbled floor, blood stains his fingers and the black coat he’s wearing.

"Why...are you still weak?" The distorted voice says like he’s in pain.

Something slips out from under his sleeves. Black, hazy. Like tentacles or a wisp of black smoke...

"Get...back!" Rong Yizhan’s normal voice echoes "Get the hell back!"

"Don’t be reckless again...if you lose control, I won’t give it back..."