Controlled Experiment Chapter 52

Two Missing One – 2

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Li Yao was now a doctor. The number of operations he had performed, big or small, was too many for even him to remember clearly, and the patients he had treated were countless. By all accounts, Li Yao had always believed he could remain calm in the face of anything that might or had already happened. Yet now, as he looked at the tightly shut doors of the operating room, he let out a heavy sigh. He hadn't expected his fingers to tremble with nerves, nor for his palms to be so slick with sweat. Such a thing was unimaginable to him in the past.

He didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

Li Yao found that, to his surprise, he had developed feelings for Du Yusheng that went beyond mere worry.

Whether this was a good or a bad thing, Li Yao had no idea.

Li Yao's childhood had been far from pleasant. After being lost in a gamble, he couldn't remember how many times he'd changed hands. In the end, he'd been left with a drug lord, not out of any excessive fatherly love on the man's part, but because he believed children were better suited to transporting drugs, or perhaps more suited to becoming the sacrificial pawn.

Had it not been for certain actions he took and certain people he encountered, perhaps he wouldn't still be alive today.

Li Yao had long been mentally prepared for Du Yusheng's presence in his life. What he hadn't expected was that this man would leave traces of himself in it. That had caught Li Yao off guard. He used to find him very annoying and hated him, but after spending time together, what about now?

Li Yao didn't know how to describe it.

Compared to Du Yusheng, it seemed true that Li Yao's emotional capacity was indeed lacking.

Li Yao rubbed his fingers together, standing in front of the locker and gazing at the small mirror on it with a sigh.

Er Zhuofan said something very right.

"You're the one who pulled him into this situation. You must make sure he gets out of it unharmed."

Li Yao had never placed much hope in his own ending, but when it came to Du Yusheng, he wanted to do something.

=========

After quickly handling the scene and giving a few brief instructions to his subordinates, Qin Yan and Xiao Bai arrived at the hospital almost at the same time. Qin Yan sat properly in the family waiting area outside the operating theatre, his eyes fixed on the three red words, "surgery in progress". Xiao Bai, meanwhile, was squatting against the wall, smoking one cigarette after another. In Qin Yan's mind, Xiao Bai had always been a clean-cut, fair-skinned young man, with no bad habits and hardly ever uttering a swear word. To see him smoking like this, Qin Yan knew that Xiao Bai was upset.

The moment Li Yao emerged from the operating room after changing his clothes, he saw the two of them.

Though he didn't yet know what exactly had happened to Du Yusheng, judging from their expressions, Li Yao could tell that this was no small matter.

Qin Yan kept his gaze on Li Yao, but the latter paid him no attention and walked straight towards Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai was still squatting, so Li Yao simply crouched down beside him, so their eyes were level.

Li Yao glanced at the cigarette in Xiao Bai's hand and said, "Smoking is prohibited in the hospital."

His gaze was both gentle and polite, but Xiao Bai shrank back slightly as if frightened, lowered his head, and stubbed out the cigarette while saying in a low voice. "Sorry."

Li Yao didn't say anything. He slowly stood up and walked over to Qin Yan, giving the forensic doctor a once-over from head to toe.

"What happened?" Li Yao asked. "I heard Du Yusheng is in the operating room."

Qin Yan let out a cold laugh.

He had never thought much of Li Yao to begin with, never understood what Du Yusheng saw in someone like him, and now, seeing Li Yao's composed manner only irritated him further.

"You're still this calm?" Qin Yan sneered sarcastically. "Seeing Du Yusheng lying inside, you can still talk to us like nothing's happened? What are you thinking?"

Li Yao ignored Qin Yan and turned his gaze to Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai raised his head and met Li Yao's eyes for a brief moment before quickly lowering his head again.

"We... we got a call reporting a murder. We took our team over and found..." Xiao Bai paused for a second, then said, "When we got there, the ground was covered in chunks of flesh blown apart by the explosion and pieces of charred remains, you could hardly tell it had once been human. The person who died happened to be the suspect in the murders of Chen Xin and Old Qian, Zhao Liang. And Brother Yu was not far from him, with the detonator still clutched in his hand. We don't know what happened..."

Qin Yan wanted to test Li Yao, so he continued, "We suspect Du Yusheng of murder..."

"There's no need for so much suspicion," Li Yao cut Qin Yan off. He knew exactly what Qin Yan was trying to say and gave him a measured glance before continuing, "There are countless ways to kill a man, to die together and drag the other down with you is the worst of them. Du Yusheng wouldn't stoop to that."

Li Yao walked a few steps forward, lifted his head to look at the red "surgery in progress" sign above the door, and frowned slightly.

Li Yao didn't yet know what exactly had happened, but there was one thing he was certain of.

Du Yusheng would be fine.

Otherwise, what would be the point of calling it a miraculous recovery? (Angel: The 'sheng', or 生, in Du Yusheng's name is in the idiom, 绝处逢生, or make a miraculous recovery.)

That sort of vitality, Li Yao believed he could afford it.

He had to afford it.

=========

Du Yusheng woke up at three o'clock the following afternoon.

Ten full hours of unconsciousness, for Du Yusheng, it was nothing more than a long, restful sleep. But for everyone else, those were ten incomparable hours of torment.

Du Yusheng opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He felt he hadn't slept so soundly in ages, it was as though all sound around him had gone silent, as though nothing was stirring in his mind. There was nothing he had to think about, nothing to occupy him, just the single task of resting well.

What pulled Du Yusheng back to reality first was the headache, a pounding, vicious headache. Then came the aching across his entire body, the dull throb from some unknown organ. Pain ran from head to toe, and there wasn't a single spot he felt comfortable. Even his eyelids stung with a deep soreness.

Du Yusheng felt that he might as well continue sleeping.

Using the support bar beside the bed, Du Yusheng pulled himself halfway upright. He reached up to touch his head, and there was no need to think about it, with layer upon layer of gauze tightly wrapped around his head, how could it not hurt?

There was a glass of water placed by the bed. Without a second thought, Du Yusheng picked it up and gulped down a large mouthful.

"Fuck," he swore. "Who the fuck drinks bitter melon soaked in water?"

"Brother Yu, it's your mouth that tastes bitter," Xiao Bai said as he came in from outside, holding a thick wad of payment slips. He helped Du Yusheng lie back down. "That's plain water."

Du Yusheng didn't believe him, he brought the glass up to his nose and sniffed it.

It really was just water.

"Will insurance cover this?" Du Yusheng craned his neck to glance at the slips in Xiao Bai's hand. "Doesn't matter, I can pay, don't bother standing there doing mental maths."

Xiao Bai shot him a look and tossed the slips aside.

In truth, the moment Xiao Bai came in, Du Yusheng caught the smell of smoke on him. The kid hardly ever smoked, which made it clear that his hospitalisation had genuinely worried Xiao Bai. From the moment he stepped into the room, Xiao Bai's face hadn't relaxed once.

Du Yusheng really wanted to ask where Li Yao was, what he had been doing while he was in the operating room, and whether he had worried about him. But the words stuck in Du Yusheng's throat. Illness always made a person vulnerable, and Du Yusheng didn't want to show that side of himself to anyone.

"How about that, my body can still take a beating, right?" Du Yusheng groaned and clutched his head, cursing. "Spoke too soon."

Xiao Bai adjusted the bed until Du Yusheng was comfortable.

"Most of the injuries are superficial, the doctor said the headaches are to be expected and will last a few days. The CT scan of your head showed no fractures, just a bit of internal bleeding, it was all external trauma." Xiao Bai said, "The best news is there's no damage to your organs. The doctor was even joking just now, said when they wheeled you into surgery they thought it'd be something major, but the biggest wound on you was the one on your head. Said we wasted their time sterilising, scrubbing up, doing anaesthesia, it could've been dealt with in the emergency room."

"Well, that's not too bad," Du Yusheng nodded, preparing to get out of bed and stretch his legs.

Xiao Bai immediately rushed over to stop him. "You still need to be hospitalised for observation."

"Observation, my ass," Du Yusheng chuckled. "I'll go home and observe myself in the mirror."

Du Yusheng's whole body hurt, and his feet hurt so much that he couldn't even touch the ground.

Xiao Bai said, "Since it's come to this, you might as well lie down and rest properly."

Du Yusheng nodded, pulled the quilt back over himself, and obediently lay back down.

He glanced over at Xiao Bai, who was holding the glass of water and staring silently out the window.

Du Yusheng smiled and said, "By the way, how come you guys ended up there?"

"We received an emergency call," Xiao Bai explained. "When we got there, Zhao Liang had already been blown to pieces, blood and flesh everywhere, and you were lying not far from him, tightly clutching the detonator."

Du Yusheng froze for a moment.

"Why does it sound like I killed Zhao Liang?"

Since they were already on the subject, some things had to be said. Xiao Bai glanced at Du Yusheng.

"... Those people in the photo, seven of them in total, only two are still alive," Xiao Bai licked his lips and continued, "One of the individuals is being protected by our personnel around the clock, and the other is currently on a flight back home. As soon as he lands, we will immediately send someone to protect him as well. I also looked into the causes of death for the three who've already died. Traffic accidents, illness, sudden incidents, each one seemingly very reasonable. But the strange thing is, we haven't been able to trace the people who most directly or indirectly led to their deaths, just like Zhao Liang. It's as if they disappeared. Luo Daheng, Chen Xin, and now these others, people in that photo are dying one by one. At this point, I think the same as you do, Brother Yu, the killer's just a tool. The real mastermind might very well be Jing Wen's surviving son. If we can just find out where that son is, everything else could fall into place."

He hadn't expected Xiao Bai to say so much. Du Yusheng scratched his face.

He nodded and said, "Yes, the surviving child is highly suspicious, he's a good starting point. The problem is, we can't find him. There's no information on him at all."

Xiao Bai gave a bitter smile. "There's always a way, after all, doesn't he want to kill the remaining two? The worst-case scenario is that we protect the remaining two people and ensure there are no more victims."

Du Yusheng rubbed his fingers together. He felt there was a hidden meaning behind Xiao Bai's words.

"... Why are you suddenly talking to me about this?"

Xiao Bai stepped away from the bed and stood properly beside Du Yusheng.

"Brother Yu, I've organised all the material I have on hand, this is all I can do right now." Xiao Bai tossed a heavy stack of paper files onto Du Yusheng's bed, took a deep breath, and said, "Brother Yu, the team now suspects you of murdering Zhao Liang, so the higher-ups have decided to suspend all your current duties. You are not allowed to leave the country or the island, and you must keep your phone on twenty-four hours a day to ensure we can reach you at any time. You're required to report your movements and whereabouts within the specified timeframe. As of now... you're no longer involved in any cases."

After hearing the last sentence, the colour instantly drained from Du Yusheng's face. It felt as though a heavy thud had struck him hard in the chest.

Almost at the same time Xiao Bai finished speaking, Du Yusheng stood up and grabbed him by the collar, shouting, "Just because I was fucking with Zhao Liang? Just because I was clutching the timer in my hand?"

Xiao Bai shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Brother Yu, we didn't think it had anything to do with you at first either, but then we received a video."

The video was only twenty seconds long. Xiao Bai turned the brightness up to maximum and tossed it to Du Yusheng.

The video showed the crime scene, but it wasn't very clear. Only the clothes the people wore could just about be made out, and their approximate height guessed. Their faces, however, were difficult to discern. The first figure to appear was a man on his knees, who, based on his clothes and posture, seemed to be Zhao Liang. Five seconds later, a second person entered the frame. This person stayed on screen for a few seconds, then approached Zhao Liang and tied something to him, before stuffing something into his own pocket.

Du Yusheng froze for a moment, he suddenly understood why those people had forced him to change clothes.

Because the clothes the person in the video wore were identical to the ones he had been made to change into.

It was obvious he'd been set up.

And worse still, he'd walked right into the trap on his own.

The video ended there.

Staring at his own face on the screen, Du Yusheng gave a cold laugh.

"So this is all one big fucking re-enactment. Dug a pit and waited for me to jump in, very fucking clever." Tapping the screen with his finger, Du Yusheng went on, "The person in the video isn't me. Someone sent me a text message to lure me to the crime scene. My clothes were changed at gunpoint. I don't know why Zhao Liang was there. But now, all of that ignorance is conveniently explained away by this one video. Even I'm starting to wonder if I really did kill Zhao Liang."

Xiao Bai shook his head helplessly, there was nothing he could do about the team's decision.

But this was also good, Du Yusheng could finally get some rest, at least avoid any further accidents.

Just as Xiao Bai was about to leave, Du Yusheng suddenly called out to him.

"Mu Bai, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." Du Yusheng took a cigarette and held it between his lips, but didn't light it. "That note you gave me, the one with the username and password for that website. Did you really find it at Zhao Liang's place?"

Xiao Bai paused, then nodded.

"It was tucked underneath a flowerpot at their house."

Du Yusheng raised an eyebrow and asked again, "You really found it at Zhao Liang's house? And it's not something someone planted for you to pass on to me?"

Xiao Bai blinked.

"Am I insane?!"

Leaving those three words behind, he slammed the door.

Looking at Xiao Bai's furious face, Du Yusheng couldn't help but smile.

At this moment, he was the only one left in the hospital room. According to others, once a person calms down, all sorts of pains in the body would be magnified countless times. However, Du Yusheng didn't seem to feel any pain. Compared to being suspended from work and having his freedom restricted, pain was nothing at all.

Better to slam his head into the wall.

The current situation is that he was suspended. But what did the other side gain from having him suspended?

Du Yusheng couldn't figure it out.

The phone under his ass buzzed.

Another reading comprehension line.

"Please choose a number from 1–7."

Ah, this time it's multiple choice.

Looks like the game isn't over yet.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: June 17, 2025 by Angel

Edited: July 29, 2025 by Angel