BL Ch89

Ji Lin’s international long-distance call stretched from the first light of dawn to broad daylight, coinciding with a poetic sunrise over Moxie.

The locals, up early, began to clean their courtyards. The small city, shrouded in morning mist, echoed with the distant, sacred sounds of temple bells. Taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air felt like purifying the soul, temporarily alleviating the fatigue of a sleepless night.

Ji Lin hung up the phone, let out a long sigh, thinking of returning to his room to shave the stubble that had appeared overnight. As he turned, he saw Yu Duqiu coming out of the hotel.

He immediately panicked, “Weren’t you supposed to watch over Mu Ge? What if he suddenly has an episode?”

Yu Duqiu stopped the rushing policeman, “He’s asleep; I had Old Zhou keep watch. It’s fine. How did the call go?”

Ji Lin’s heart settled, “It took over an hour; the call charges were through the roof. If the internet here wasn’t so bad, I wouldn’t have spent that money. I’ll ask the bureau to reimburse me later.”

Yu Duqiu was slightly surprised, “What are call charges? You have to pay to make a call?”

“…” At this moment, Ji Lin deeply wished universities offered a course on common knowledge for young masters like Yu Duqiu, who knew everything from astronomy to geography but not the basics of daily life.

“…Never mind, that’s not important.” Ji Lin consoled himself and continued with the main topic, “I reported everything to Captain Xu. At first, he didn’t believe I went through all that in one night, with such a huge twist in the case. He was dazed by the information overload, repeating at least five times, ‘You’ve gone crazy with Yu Duqiu, haven’t you?'”

Yu Duqiu chuckled, “I thought Captain Xu considered me normal. You two are really birds of a feather.”

“…” Ji Lin gave him a glare, “Watch your metaphors. I also told Captain Xu about Mu Ge, asked him not to report it yet. He thinks it’s too risky to stay here without legal jurisdiction, suggested we wait for Mu Ge to stabilize, then return home before arresting Pei Ming. Anyway, the checkpoints around Moxie are still locked down; Bai Zhiming can’t escape unless he’s superhuman and can climb over the mountains, otherwise, he’ll be caught eventually.”

Yu Duqiu nodded, “Alright. I’ve sent someone to get the tranquilizers; they should arrive by tonight at the latest.”

Ji Lin seriously said, “Thank you.”

“I told you, don’t stand on ceremony.”

“It’s not just about the tranquilizers.” Ji Lin hesitated for a moment before awkwardly continuing, “Back in the room, when you talked about the night of Mu Ge’s birthday last year, you didn’t mention me… Thank you. Don’t mention it in the future either; I don’t want him to know I went looking for him.”

Yu Duqiu was puzzled, “Why?”

“You can’t be too greedy in life: having him back is enough.” Ji Lin scratched his head, “And he’s grateful I saved him now, willing to communicate with me. I don’t want to scare him away again.”

Yu Duqiu paused, pondering for a moment, then said, “Actually, I asked Mu Hao if he liked Wu Min earlier, and he said no.”

“So what? He once said he liked fair-skinned girls. Look at me, I’m so tanned now.” Ji Lin showed his arm, which had turned wheat-colored after months of running around in the sun. He gave a bitter smile, “Besides, I’m not a girl.”

“Oh? Then why did you borrow whitening sunscreen from Lu Qing on October 25th? Who did you want to see your fair face?”

“…Yu, the genius, can your extraordinary memory be used for something useful? Stay away from the private lives of us ordinary people, please?”

Yu Duqiu gave the first genuine smile of the day, “I don’t bother remembering others’ affairs.”

The mountain search progressed slowly; the rain from the day before hadn’t evaporated, and another downpour in the afternoon added to the difficulty, with thick clouds over the northern mountains, lightning frequent. From a distance, the rain looked like pillars connecting heaven and earth.

After the rain stopped, the temperature rose, and various insects and snakes, rarely seen in cities, began to appear, complicating the search.

In the courtyard in front of the hotel lobby, small night lights lined the cobblestone paths, attracting countless flying insects.

Lou Baoguo swatted his tenth mosquito with a fan, scratching his itchy arm as he grumbled, “Why do mosquitoes only bite me?”

Zhou Yi pinched his biceps, “You’ve got the most meat, the most vibrant energy; who else would they bite?”

Lou Baoguo muttered gloomily, “I’m not the youngest; big brother is. Don’t talk like he won’t come back.”

Zhou Yi fell silent for a moment, then apologized, which was rare for him, “Sorry, I hope Xiao Bai comes back too.”

But the Moxie police had been searching the mountains all day, covering a two-kilometer radius around the explosion site. With Bai Zhao injured and losing blood, he shouldn’t have been able to go that far.

“I heard from the police this afternoon… most traces were washed away by the rain, leaving only a lot of blood on the mountainside.” Zhou Yi clenched his teeth, suppressing the urge to cry, “Maybe Bai Zhiming knocked him out and took him away.”

Lou Baoguo tried to think positively, “Right, big brother was his foster son; even if they met, Bai Zhiming shouldn’t be that heartless.”

“Liu Shaojie was also his foster son, even more obedient, and look what happened to him, used as a scapegoat.” Yu Duqiu sat in the garden chair, sipping tea and enjoying the view, seemingly with ears in the back of his head, saying without turning around, “His most favored foster son betrayed him, helped the police to catch him. Would Bai Zhiming show mercy?”

Lou Baoguo’s heart trembled at the thought, asking Zhou Yi, “Old Zhou, with your experience, what would drug dealers like Bai Zhiming do if they caught a traitor?”

Zhou Yi pressed his lips together, his expression grave, “You’d better not hear it.”

“It’s okay, I can handle it.”

“The most cruel methods you can think of might be their most merciful.” Yu Duqiu’s voice was devoid of emotion, his gaze fixed on the distant mountains to the north, “You’ve seen how Bai Zhiming deals with his enemies, haven’t you?”

Lou Baoguo shivered, remembering – from Zhu Zhenmin’s drowning to the explosion they just experienced… all horrifying ways to die.

“So… what about big brother…” Lou Baoguo didn’t dare to continue the thought.

Zhou Yi couldn’t bear to talk about it anymore, “Don’t think about it too much; let’s wait for police news. Young Master, I’ll go check why the person delivering the tranquilizers hasn’t arrived; it’s already seven.”

“Hmm.”

Yu Duqiu took a sip of Pu-erh tea, feeling the warmth of the ceramic cup which seemed to evoke the memory of someone’s body heat. His eyes lost focus in the rising steam, still as a statue.

Seeing him lost in thought, Lou Baoguo didn’t dare disturb him, only fanning himself vigorously to ward off mosquitoes, thinking Zhou Yi might be right; the more vibrant the life sign, the more likely one is to be attacked.

Even mosquitoes could tell that Yu Duqiu’s heart was now cold, his blood stiff.

Just as he was thinking this, a voice suddenly called from behind, “Duqiu.”

Lou Baoguo turned to see it was Pei Ming, immediately standing straighter, watching him intently without giving anything away.

Pei Ming walked past him into the courtyard, very politely asking, “May I sit?”

Yu Duqiu pulled out a chair for him, smiling, “Of course.”

Pei Ming had come alone, seemingly out for a post-dinner stroll. After sitting, he glanced at the police watching them from inside the hotel lobby and quietly asked, “It’s been a day; why haven’t these police left? How can we go out to find volunteers?”

Yu Duqiu leisurely poured him a cup of tea, “The police are still investigating us; they should be gone in a couple of days.”

“I’m worried it will delay your experiment. If you’re not in a hurry, that’s fine. By the way, hasn’t Bai Zhao found your ring yet?”

“I sent him to do something else. Why is Pei Ge so concerned about my subordinate?”

“He was briefly my subordinate too, after all.” Pei Ming took out a cigar, “Do you mind?”

After getting permission, he struck a match. The orange flame flickered in the breeze, illuminating a spark in their eyes.

Yu Duqiu watched the flame, suddenly asking, “Pei Ge, why did you bring Bai Zhao to my eighteenth birthday party back then?”

Pei Ming had just lit his cigar, perhaps in haste, and choked, coughing violently, quickly extinguishing the match, “Cough… I don’t remember… why?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking, if you hadn’t brought him, things might be completely different now.”

“That doesn’t sound like something you would say.” Pei Ming recovered from his coughing, laughing, “The Duqiu I know always looks ahead, never backward like us ordinary folks, reflecting on past events.”

Yu Duqiu smiled, “Pei Ge is too modest; how can you be ordinary? Those kids playing in puddles or the waiter who just served me tea, they’re ordinary. We can’t, while possessing wealth beyond their dreams and exploiting generations of their labor, claim equality with them.”

Pei Ming closed his eyes, exhaling a thin stream of smoke, “That sounds more like you. Honestly, I often can’t tell which side you’re on.”

“What do you mean?”

“Say you’re good, you seem no different from us capitalists. Say you’re evil, yet you don’t seem to chase after what we all crave. Duqiu, you have everything; what do you still want? Researching brain-computer interfaces, are you really aiming to rule the world?”

Yu Duqiu’s laughter was loud, “Ha… what’s the point in ruling the world? The tycoons have already turned their eyes to space.”

Pei Ming watched him laugh, his eyes obscured by the smoke, “I’m asking seriously, Duqiu, how far are you going to go before you stop?”

Yu Duqiu leaned back into his chair, looking up at the boundless night sky, “‘I come from hell, heading to heaven, just passing through the human world.’ You’re seeking redemption, aren’t I too?”

Pei Ming narrowed his eyes, “I remember you didn’t believe in heaven or hell before.”

“I didn’t, but since someone sees me as a god, I’ll humor them, pretend to believe.” Yu Duqiu smiled, glancing at Pei Ming’s tea cup, “You’re right; I’m not one for looking back. The tea’s getting cold; drink up, I heard cigar and Pu-erh are a perfect match.”

Pei Ming slowly shifted his gaze, dispersing the mist before him, elegantly, “Is that so? Then I must try.”

He had just picked up the tea cup when the sound of urgent footsteps approached. His hand paused in mid-air as he looked over.

“Yu Duqiu! You—” Ji Lin, running towards them, met Pei Ming’s inquisitive gaze and abruptly stopped speaking, “… come to my room, there’s something with the ‘volunteer.'”

Pei Ming nonchalantly took a sip of tea, saying indifferently, “Is it drug withdrawal? Perfect, let’s test your device; I’ll come with you.”

Ji Lin’s expression changed slightly, immediately signaling Yu Duqiu with his eyes.

“No need, too many people might make the patient anxious, not good for the experiment. I’ll go. Pei Ge, please continue to enjoy your seat. Bao Guo, keep watch here.” Yu Duqiu found a seamless excuse, also signaling Lou Baoguo to monitor Pei Ming, then followed Ji Lin into the guest room.

The cigar had burned down a bit, and Pei Ming tapped the ash into the tea cup in front of him, casually asking, “Do you think your young master’s experiment will succeed?”

Lou Baoguo replied roughly, “Not sure, but the young master is a genius; if he can’t do it, few others could.”

Pei Ming’s lips curled into an ambiguous smile, “You all put him on such a pedestal; aren’t you afraid he’ll fall?”

Lou Baoguo’s face turned red as he racked his brain for a way to retort without cursing. At that moment, Pei Ming’s phone on the table vibrated, and the screen lit up.

Lou Baoguo caught a glimpse of the number and felt it was somewhat familiar, but before he could make it out, Pei Ming answered the call and hurried into the hotel, disappearing in an instant, likely heading back to his room.

Lou Baoguo stood there trying to remember for a long time until the string of numbers faded from his memory, and he had to give up. Looking down, he saw his legs were covered in swollen mosquito bites.

He raised his fan and swatted fiercely, catching a large mosquito in the act of enjoying its feast, bursting it into a smear of blood.

The faint scent of blood wafted into the air, adding an ominous touch to the night.

Inside the hotel room, the muffled groans of pain clawed at everyone’s hearts.

The emaciated man on the bed lay quietly, his rigid body like a piece of deadwood, his limbs convulsing uncontrollably, his face pale and listless, seemingly lost in a terrible nightmare.

As soon as Ji Lin entered the room, he rushed to the bedside, grabbing Mu Hao’s hand, “Mu Ge, it’s okay, just hold on a bit longer, the medicine will be here soon.”

Mu Hao’s thin, veiny hand dug into Ji Lin’s flesh, his eyes, hollow and cloudy, turned towards him, momentarily clearing, his lips moving slightly, emitting a hoarse, weak sound before being dragged back into his abyss of hallucinations, his face contorted in agony, trembling all over.

Blood marks appeared on the intertwined hands, but Ji Lin seemed oblivious to the pain, continuously offering comfort, trying to retain Mu Hao’s fleeting consciousness.

The doctor, sweating profusely in his urgency, reported to Yu Duqiu as he entered, “Young Master Yu! The patient is experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Although his willpower is strong, his body is too weak. This isn’t good; hasn’t the sedative arrived yet?”

Zhou Yi, having just finished a call, closed the door, worry evident on his face, “Young Master, there have been flash floods due to the heavy rain these past two days, blocking the road into Moxie. The car delivering the medicine had to take a detour; it will take another three hours to arrive.”

The doctor: “Three hours? The patient might not last that long.”

Ji Lin’s eyes were already red-rimmed, muttering to himself, “He’ll be fine, he survived that environment; he won’t die from mere drug addiction… addiction… Right! Yu Duqiu, don’t you have a ready device for treatment? Use it on Mu Ge!”

Yu Duqiu stood silently by the bed, watching Mu Hao struggle, suddenly feeling an invisible force draining from him—his sense of control.

Everyone’s gaze was on him, their hopes weighing heavily on his shoulders, making his body feel like it was filled with lead, making even speaking difficult.

“…We can’t use it on him; I said it’s experimental, there are risks—”

“Risks be damned, it’s better than doing nothing!” Ji Lin unconsciously pressed his face against Mu Hao’s cold fingers, his lips pale without any trace of color, looking helplessly at the man fighting for his life, pleading in a low voice, “Yu Duqiu, I believe in you, you’re so capable, you’ll succeed… I don’t want to lose him again… Please save him, I beg you…”

Each word was laden with trust and hope, piercing his ears like a sharp knife, slicing through his facade of strength.

He hadn’t changed.

The little boy who thought he could control everything but actually messed everything up stood here once again, for the third time, with reality choking him, powerless as events spiraled out of control.

“…I can’t do it.” Yu Duqiu closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, revealing a barren, lifeless gaze, “The Themis project can’t cure drug or substance addiction… at least not yet.”

Everyone in the room froze at his words.

Ji Lin felt like he’d been struck by lightning, turning to him in disbelief, “You’re joking… Wasn’t it already developed? You even went to visit professors in the US, invited the mayor to see it, and held a press conference…”

“What I showed the professors was just data from Miss Cen, just for the gimmick of ‘expert approval’. What I showed the mayor was real; I am working in that direction, but it would take at least ten years to achieve the medical effects I claimed… That’s why the press conference was rushed, without media or experts, just to deceive business people who don’t understand technology… I’m a novice in this field; how could I achieve such rapid progress in just a few months, fulfilling the dreams of countless scientists and changing countless lives?”

Ji Lin was stunned, unwilling to accept it, “What about your company? Your lab? What about this trip abroad?”

Yu Duqiu gave a hollow, bitter smile, “My company is an empty shell; no one is doing real work, so I rarely go there. As for the lab, I control everything, not allowing anyone to disclose progress. Coming to Myanmar… of course, was solely for the investigation. Otherwise, why would I not find any volunteers suitable? I didn’t want to give those people false hope… because I can’t save them.”

“How is that possible… Didn’t someone invest ten billion in you? Don’t even your investors know? Isn’t that fraud!”

Yu Duqiu casually spread his hands, “My investor is named ‘Wu Hu’; put the name together.”

“Wu Hu…” Ji Lin murmured twice before his eyes widened, “It’s Yu… you…”

“Yes, I invested in myself using an offshore account.” Yu Duqiu’s cold eyes flickered slightly, lowering his usually proud head, his hand, bereft of the ring, trembling as it curled up, as if trying to grasp something but ultimately catching nothing, “No one would find out… even if someone sensed something was off, they’d think: if there was a problem, experts, the mayor, and investors would have noticed by now. That’s ‘groupthink’; I exploited that to make everyone believe I could do it.”

“The Themis project, from start to finish, was a scam I orchestrated… I’m sorry for disappointing you. I’m not a genius, nor am I a god… I’m just a fraud, a scoundrel. I can’t save Mu Hao… or anyone.”