Chapter 793: Transaction

Chapter 793: A Deal

Watching Li Huo Wang being carried away, Yang Na followed behind, her voice choked with reluctance as she explained, “Huo Wang, don’t be afraid. I’ve recorded everything that Qing Wang told them in the past—everything they said, all the details. I’ve been collecting evidence for a long time now, and I’ve given it all to Dr. Yi. He already knows that there are people threatening you!”

“Once you’re admitted to the hospital, Dr. Yi will call the police. I’ll tell them everything. Huo Wang, you’re safe now. Someone is watching over you. You won’t be in danger anymore!”

“Huo Wang, don’t be afraid. You must take your medicine properly!”

As the orderlies carried Li Huo Wang down the stairs, he still kept his neck raised, still unable to believe what was happening, still shouting out why.

When he heard the last “why” from Li Huo Wang’s mouth, Yang Na clutched her face and collapsed to her knees, sobbing in despair.

The familiar iron gate of the White Pagoda Prison, the familiar barbed wire, the familiar TV in the rest room, the familiar fellow inmates, the familiar intensive care ward—all flashed before him in sequence.

Li Huo Wang, wrapped tightly from head to toe, sat motionless in the restraint room. When food came, he ate. When medicine came, he took it.

The doctor came to treat his wounds, and Li Huo Wang remained compliant.

There was no sense of time here. Li Huo Wang didn’t know how much time had passed.

When the restraints were finally removed and his injuries were nearly healed, he was led out of the isolation ward by orderlies, handcuffed and shackled.

Looking at the familiar path, Li Huo Wang knew where they were going. They were heading to Yi Dong Lai’s office.

Once Li Huo Wang was seated, and he saw Yi Dong Lai’s face, he wasn’t surprised at all.

After Yi Dong Lai signaled the orderlies to leave, he sat down across from Li Huo Wang with a tablet in hand. “Don’t you want to say anything? This doesn’t seem like something you, Li Huo Wang, would do.”

“What do you want me to say? Do you believe me if I say I’m not sick?” Li Huo Wang looked around, taking in the office of Yi Dong Lai.

It wasn’t very large, minimalist in design. Besides a desk with a computer and a chair for psychological therapy, the only notable feature was the bookshelf on the left side.

Towering high, the bookshelf was filled with books related to Yi Dong Lai’s profession. But not all of them were books. Some decorative items also adorned the shelf, including a dodecahedron-sized die among them.

Seeing Li Huo Wang staring at it, Yi Dong Lai explained, “This is a bronze-inlaid dodecahedron die, an artifact from the Western Han dynasty. The ancients used it for drinking games or for playing the board game Liubo.”

“Heh, a Western Han artifact in your hands? Are you mad?”

“Of course, the real one isn’t here. I saw it once at the Guanfu Museum in Shanghai, so I bought a replica from the souvenir shop.”

Yi Dong Lai reached out and picked up the die, flipping through several faces quickly, showing Li Huo Wang the small script on the bottom.

“See? Yiwu-made. Fake.”

With a blank expression, Li Huo Wang turned his head away, not bothering to look at him anymore.

Yi Dong Lai placed the die back on the table and said, “Why have you become so calm all of a sudden? Don’t you want to know how Qing Wang Lai is doing? What about your enemies?”

“If you’re going to tell me anyway, whether I ask or not, then why should I ask?” Li Huo Wang clenched his fists.

“Let’s start with Qing Wang Lai. The graduate student you mentioned with Yang Na—it turns out he’s not even a graduate student. He doesn’t work or study at that university. I couldn’t find anyone named Qing Wang Lai.”

Li Huo Wang’s pupils contracted slightly. “That’s impossible!”

“It’s possible. If you don’t believe me, just look for yourself.” Yi Dong Lai handed over the tablet.

Watching Li Huo Wang scroll rapidly but still failing to find what he was looking for, Yi Dong Lai half-joked, “What? Is your friend a computer genius? Can he hack into the university network and rewrite his own records?”

Observing Li Huo Wang’s expression, Yi Dong Lai continued, “As for your enemies—the ones who allegedly spied on you and later tried to harm you.”

“Under normal circumstances, if it really happened as described, it would’ve been officially investigated long ago. There might even be a special task force formed.”

“But unfortunately, nothing was ever filed.”

“Why?” Li Huo Wang pressed his thumb hard into the screen, pressing it inward.

“Because there’s no evidence. All the places Yang Na mentioned occurred in areas without surveillance. We’ve checked every one of them. No evidence was found.”

“In this day and age, even if you confess to killing someone, if no body is found, you’re innocent.”

“In theory, witness testimony could suffice, but... your word won’t be believed by the police.”

“As for Yang Na, even her words won’t be trusted.”

“Why not trust Yang Na?” Li Huo Wang couldn’t help but recall Zhao Shuang Dian’s rules theory earlier. The world in his mind began to feel absurd.

“Because she has depression. Depression can cause delusions.”

“You, with your kind of delusion—completely disconnected from reality—she couldn’t possibly fabricate that. But depression, which distorts reality in a secondary way, is very common.”

“She got better! Where would she get delusions from?”

“No,” Yi Dong Lai’s expression became serious. “Her condition relapsed, and worse than before.”

“She should be resting, not under stress. More importantly, you shouldn’t have blamed her. Her self-destructive symptoms are your fault.”

“Where is she? I want to see her!” Li Huo Wang’s fists tightened further, his nails digging deeply into his palms.

“Forget it. Your girlfriend is being taken care of by another doctor. You two aren’t fit to meet right now. First, you need to focus on yourself. One mistake, then another, then another—this time, you may end up here for a year or more.”

“Yi Dong Lai! I passed the test under your supervision! I’m not sick!”

A year or more? Li Huo Wang definitely couldn’t stay here. Yu’er Shen and those celestial beings had already infiltrated. Staying longer would only make him a target for ambush.

“You’re not sick because you’re taking your medication! Why did you stop taking it on your own!?” Yi Dong Lai’s expression suddenly turned stern. “And what about your injuries? How did you get them?”

“They shot me with guns!”

Feeling utterly exhausted, Yi Dong Lai let out a helpless sigh. “Alright, it’s time for lunch. Go eat first. After you come back, we’ll run a test.”

With a heavy expression, Li Huo Wang turned and walked toward the exit.

Once outside the office, instead of heading to the cafeteria, Li Huo Wang hurriedly walked a few steps and rushed into a nearby restroom.

Seeing no one around, Li Huo Wang took out the dodecahedron die and placed it carefully in front of himself.

He stared at the big yellow dot on the die and spoke to it in a tone of negotiation:

“Die, let’s make a deal.”

(End of Chapter)