C2 The Victim

The visitor was named Lee Chunjiang, a man in his forties, of modest height and a bit on the plump side. He served as the head of the grain depot's police station.

Truth be told, Lee Chunjiang wasn't really a station head, nor did he hold any official police rank. He was simply the former head of security at the unit, who had been given a new title to keep up with the times.

Nonetheless, Lee Chunjiang was part of the leadership team, though he had no hand in production. It was quite out of the ordinary for him to show up, especially bearing fruit, which was even more baffling.

While Shanan was pondering this, Lee Chunjiang noticed he was awake and greeted him with a smile. As he shut the door, he asked, "Xue, feeling any better?"

Shanan propped himself up and leaned back, replying courteously, "I'm much improved, thank you, Director Li."

"Haha! Stay put, stay put. You're a lifesaving hero. If it weren't for you pulling Cui Ying onto that bear, she might have been frostbitten, even if the bear hadn't licked her," Lee Chunjiang said with a chuckle, placing the oranges and apples on the nightstand.

Xue Lang... It looked like the nickname was here to stay... Well, Xue Lang it is...

As the name Xue Lang was repeatedly used, Shanan inwardly shook his head, deciding not to fuss over it. There wasn't time for that anyway, so he simply smiled and responded, "You're too kind, Director Li. Anyone would have done the same in that situation. It wasn't some grand moral gesture, and certainly not heroic."

Lee Chunjiang was taken aback by the response, not expecting the usually reserved Xue Lang to speak so eloquently.

Recovering quickly, he plopped down on the bed and said with a grin, "Drop the formalities, just call me Uncle Li."

Before Xue Lang could chime in, he went on, "This afternoon, we brought that bear back to the grain depot hotel. Those kids are like a pack of wolves. If I hadn't insisted on saving a piece of the tendon meat for you, they would have devoured it all. It's a good two or three pounds at least."

Bear?

Xue Lang glanced at Lee Chunjiang's greasy face, getting the gist of his visit, and suspected the meat weighed quite a bit more than claimed.

"Uncle Li, I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Actually, I've eaten bear meat a few times as a kid. It would last all winter, all thanks to my grandfather's hunting. It's really no big deal if it's not saved." Pausing briefly, he didn't wait for Lee Chunjiang to interject before continuing, "Uncle Li, keep that meat and freeze it. Once I'm up and about, I'll head to the mountains and prepare some aged schisandra vine stew for you. It has a far superior flavor to the usual spices, and we can add some mountain chili peppers, frozen mushrooms, and wood ear fungus. Tossed with garlic vinegar made from mountain garlic, I guarantee it'll taste better than anything the hotel chefs can whip up."

Upon hearing Xue Lang's words, Lee Chunjiang couldn't help but feel a surge of secret glee. After all the effort he'd put in that afternoon to secure an extra fifteen or sixteen pounds of meat, he realized he wouldn't have to share any with Xue Lang after all.

Dispensing with formalities, he grinned and asked, "Xue, you're familiar with this stuff?"

Xue Lang returned the smile. "I've been hunting with my grandpa since I was a kid. Everything I know, I learned from him."

"You're a hunter?" Lee Chunjiang's voice was tinged with amazement. "Can you handle a gun?"

Unsure of Lee Chunjiang's angle, Xue Lang simply nodded. "I've used foreign rifles, like the German double-barreled shotgun, since I was young. Guns were banned in '94, and my grandpa never turned in his old '79. I could hit a roe deer at four hundred meters with it, no problem. Only issue was we ran out of bullets, so last year, I handed it over to the police station."

"Fantastic!" Lee Chunjiang exclaimed, slapping his thigh in excitement. "Xue, you have no idea how much I enjoy hunting. Ducks, pheasants—they're fair game. I've headed into the mountains with a semi-automatic, even a submachine gun, countless times and never even caught a glimpse of a roe deer."

Before Lee Chunjiang could finish, Xue Lang chuckled. "Uncle Li, animals have incredibly keen noses, sharper than any domestic dog's. If you don't know how to cover your tracks or mask the gunpowder scent on yourself and your weapon, you're not going to spot any wildlife with a gun in hand."

Lee Chunjiang wasn't offended by Xue Lang's slight. His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as he focused on Xue Lang. "Once you're up to it, I'll head to the Armory to borrow a couple of rifles. I might not be able to get my hands on the Forest Patrol's automatics, but for a small-scale hunt, it's doable. I'll take you with me, and we'll bag a pair of roe deer. Think you're up for it?"

Xue Lang nodded confidently. "Sure thing. Male or female, you pick."

Lee Chunjiang was inwardly thrilled to see that Xue Lang, while no longer reserved, wasn't particularly cunning. He had initially just wanted to skim a bit of bear meat for himself, even spending over ten yuan to do so. Yet, he hadn't anticipated that this mountain boy would actually be skilled in hunting.

Securing some wild game would ensure the new director's New Year's gift was taken care of.

With a plan forming in his mind, he beamed and said, "Xue, dawn is breaking. The leaders from the depot will be here soon. Get some rest and take care of yourself. When it's time to hunt, I'll make sure your attendance is covered. It won't interfere with your work."

"Sure thing, Uncle Li. No problem at all."

Xue Lang readily agreed, noticing the fleeting look of delight on Lee Chunjiang's face.

Lee Chunjiang lingered only briefly. His mission accomplished, he exchanged a few words, then rose and left the ward, likely eager to freeze the bear meat he'd claimed as his own.

With Lee Chunjiang gone, the ward fell silent once more. Embracing his new role, Xue Lang kept poring over his predecessor's information, eager to understand everything about the former occupant and to figure out what exactly was happening.

As he delved deeper, Xue Lang hesitated.

The memories revealed that, beyond expert hunting skills, the previous owner also possessed solid training in formal combat and stealth assassination techniques. These skills were a cut above the typical strength-building routines, even surpassing military boxing in combat effectiveness, though lacking in actual combat experience.

Who had taught him these skills?

With curiosity mounting, he continued to sift through the memories, seeking to understand how a mountain-raised child could acquire such knowledge.

Just then, another face appeared on the ward door's glass. After a quick glance, yet another person peered inside.

Xue Lang looked up, not recognizing the visitor. Assuming it was someone passing by, he was about to resume his memory review when the door swung open.

In walked a man about 1.6 meters tall, clad in a leather jacket with a fierce glint in his eyes, followed by a burly figure over 1.8 meters tall, as imposing as a bear.

The moment they stepped inside, Xue Lang detected the unmistakable air of ruffians about them, and he suspected they had ties to Hao Jianhua.

Without waiting for him to speak, the shorter man positioned himself by the bed and demanded, "You're Xue Lang, right?"

"Yes, you are..."

Before Xue Lang could finish, the shorter man cut him off: "Refusing to pay respect to Young Master Hao, huh? Got a death wish?!"

Just as he suspected...

Xue Lang realized these two were indeed sent by Hao Jianhua. He scoffed inwardly, then addressed the short man, "Tired of living? Is that what you came to tell me in the dead of night?"

The smaller man didn't get a chance to respond before the bear-like bruiser stepped up, his hand the size of a palm-leaf fan pointing accusingly at Xue Lang. "You looking for trouble?! How dare you speak to Fourth Brother that way?"

He gestured at the shorter man, continuing, "In the Eight, Five, Three, who wouldn't show Fourth Brother respect? Ye Si's reputation holds weight even during the Spring Festival. Watch your mouth. Don't test my patience, or I'll smack you so hard you'll wish you were dead!"

With that, he raised his massive hand, poised to strike.

Xue Lang wasn't one to indulge such riffraff, nor would he allow himself to be hit. Once he recognized the assailants, he swiftly removed the needle and hissed, "Your mouth reeks!"

Before he could say more, he flipped the blanket, landed a kick on the burly man's chin, and as the man staggered backward, Xue Lang sprang up, driving his knee into the man's chest with a solid thud.

The burly man's world spun, his jaw rocked by the force, his head buzzing. Before he could grasp what happened, a searing pain exploded in his chest, his body hurling backward as if struck by a vehicle, and with a grunt, he crashed into the wall, sliding down like a lifeless pig.

Such a frail body...

Xue Lang shook his head, noting the lack of broken ribs in his opponent.

In the moment he struck and half-knelt on the bed, Ye Si, caught off guard, drew a baton and swung it silently.

The baton whooshed through the air, aiming for the back of Xue Lang's head.

A hit would surely mean a concussion.

The sound of the baton slicing the air towards him enraged Xue Lang. A blow to the back of the head could be lethal!

You're asking for trouble!

Xue Lang, half-kneeling, sprung to his feet. As the sound of running echoed through the corridor, he executed a roll. In the instant a stick whizzed beneath him, he snatched Ye Si's wrist with Itchy Fingers, drew his knees together, and pressed downward forcefully.

A sickening snap resounded as Ye Si's forearm grotesquely twisted, the fractured bone piercing through his leather jacket.

Xue Lang didn't give Ye Si a chance to cry out, delivering a sharp elbow strike to his cheek. With a resounding thud, Ye Si was sent sprawling.

Having landed his attack, Xue Lang was about to leap off the hospital bed when a searing pain shot through his brain.

He felt his back muscles had tensed suddenly, causing the wound to reopen. Similarly, a scorching sensation at the site of his shoulder wound suggested it too had split open before the stitches could hold.

The sharp pain made Xue Lang gasp for air. As he was trying to regain his senses from the brief but intense pain, footsteps approached and a figure burst in.

"What the hell happened? Xue Lang, your stitches have burst open, don't move!"

The nurse, who had earlier assisted Xue Lang, stepped over the prone Ye Si and rushed to his side. She pressed firmly on Xue Lang's needle site and hit the emergency call button with her other hand.

Xue Lang didn't resist the nurse's actions. Glancing at the man struggling to rise and Ye Si, who was shaking off his stupor, he realized his injuries were too severe for any more exertion.

Ignoring the two men on the floor, the nurse hit the call button and commanded, "Xue Lang, have you lost your mind? Get back in bed, now!"

Xue Lang locked eyes with the burly man, his face contorted in pain, yet silent. Ye Si glared back fiercely but said nothing as Xue Lang slowly seated himself.

Before the nurse could tuck him in, the sound of hurried footsteps filled the corridor. The on-call doctor and another nurse dashed into the room.

"What's the situation here?"

The doctor took in the scene and began to scold, "Causing a disturbance in the hospital? Call secu—"

His words halted abruptly when he recognized Ye Si. The rest of his reprimand caught in his throat, leaving him standing in awkward silence, unsure of how to proceed.

The nurse's attention shifted to the doctor, and upon seeing him, she reported, "Doctor Zuo, the patient is bleeding from two wounds on the back and shoulder."

Doctor Zuo snapped to attention, glanced at the nurse, and quickly instructed, "Get Operating Room 2 ready. We need to assess the extent of the wound separation."

Hearing the call for the operating room, another nurse didn't even step into the ward but turned on her heel and dashed off, clearly to alert the on-call anesthetist and other doctors.

The previous nurse was unwrapping the bandages from Xue Lang's shoulder as she warned, "There's been an assault in the ward. You two can't leave!"

The muscular man, who had just propped up Ye Si, glared with a menacing intensity upon hearing this. However, as his gaze passed over Xue Lang, he restrained himself from lashing out.

Catching the burly man's glare, the nurse bristled and pointed at him, demanding, "What are you glaring at? Trying to intimidate someone?"

Xue Lang wouldn't let the nurse put herself at risk; these thugs might retaliate against her. Before she could say another word, he chuckled and suggested, "Let them go. Just look at how careless they are, walking around with broken arms. Lucky for them, we're in a hospital, or they might have ended up with a permanent disability. Remember to be more cautious from now on..."

At Xue Lang's words, a vicious look crossed Ye Si's face. Clenching his teeth, he conceded, "Right... I wasn't paying attention. I'll be more careful... Tao, go check in!"

Before Ye Si could finish, the nurse hesitated. She noticed Ye Si's arm was bleeding profusely, creating a large pool on the floor. Tracing the blood back to its source, the sight of the bone protruding from his leather jacket, soaked in blood, was starkly jarring.

How could this have happened? Who was the real victim here?

Overcome with shock, the nurse didn't stop the two men from leaving. She turned, her gaze filled with suspicion, as she looked at the benign and good-looking Xue Lang, struggling to reconcile his image with that of a thug capable of inflicting such severe injuries.