Chapter 4 On the Road

Since Chen Xiao's hands were bound in a crossed position behind his back, even with a spoon, eating was extremely difficult. After struggling with his dinner for a full 20 minutes, he finally managed to finish the food on his plate.

The plate containing the food was naturally pushed through a small window, which underneath linked to a plastic board. At that time, Chen Xiao yanked at it strenuously, and indeed, it was very firm, probably fixed from the outside of the door. The spoon used for eating was also made from a special kind of plastic, not soft, but flexible. Involuntarily, Chen Xiao looked back at the squat toilet, then immediately banished the thought from his mind....

The spoon was attached to a sturdy rope, linked to a metal plate, meaning, keeping the spoon in the corner to lure the staff in for retrieval was impossible.

Just when the food was brought in, Chen Xiao discerned from the footsteps that it must be the bald man. He then tried to say, "Hi!"

The other side showed no reaction, not even a slight pause in their movement, just pushed the food tray through the window and left. Originally, Chen Xiao wanted to trick them by saying, "I can make you win a fortune next time you gamble!" to see if he could get some information out of them. But the other side didn't give him the chance.

Chen Xiao guessed it might be because there were surveillance systems in place, and all staff are forbidden from communicating with the patients, with dismissal as a penalty. After all, such rules are common in mental institutions.

About 10 minutes after finishing his meal, someone came to withdraw the tray with it, walking with a definitive and faint step. It was Old Lee, but knowing this was of no use. Chen Xiao also didn't plan to do much else. Since the hospital room most likely had cameras as well, and having already made enough noise with his earlier jumping and stepping on the squat toilet, stirring up more trouble might backfire. Thus, he returned to the corner to sit down, mindlessly drifting into his thoughts.

Mrs. Liu was very strange, so was that "contract". Of course, the strangest was himself.

Regarding his own memory, he really had none at all, but Chen Xiao knew, aside from those "minor issues", he seemed pretty normal, certainly not someone who should be locked in such a "high-class hospital room". But he didn't rule out the possibility of intermittent amnesia combined with occasional insanity, suicidal tendencies, or biting others.

"I need to figure out who I am soon; otherwise, this feeling of blankness in my mind is truly unbearable," he thought.

"However, although I want to know quickly, the best approach for now is to do nothing and see how things go tomorrow," Chen Xiao murmured softly to himself.

"Now that I've eaten and have nothing to do, without any beans to count, the only thing left is to sleep, right?"

...

He frowned, as if encountering a difficult problem.

Would something happen if he slept, like always having strange dreams? Would he forget today's events upon waking? Could he be someone driven insane by nightmares? Could he be a dangerous sleepwalker?

Suddenly, countless possibilities furiously invaded his mind.

Chen Xiao sat there thinking, and, with the speed of his thoughts, he actually pondered for a full 5 minutes!

Suddenly, a glint of realization flickered through his eyes, as though he had unraveled some puzzle.

"Hmm, to think so much about sleep, I really am mentally ill," he nodded seriously, appearing quite satisfied.

Afterwards, with a "clang", he directly collapsed onto the floor and just like that, fell asleep.

...

...

In the early morning, the sun, adhering to its millennia-old routine, slowly rose, dispelling the darkness. Its light, capable of traversing the vast void of space, could not penetrate a few thin leaves, helplessly scattering on the ground, forming a mottled shadow of the trees. Not to mention the tens of meters thick underground rock layer. Therefore, Chen Xiao had no idea that it was already daylight. He also didn't bother to count each second. His sleep was truly just sleep!

Lying on the ground motionless, every muscle relaxed, not thinking, not dreaming, none of the scenarios he had imagined before sleeping occurred. If it weren't for the sudden "clatter" of keys, he might have continued sleeping indefinitely.

As soon as the sound appeared, Chen Xiao immediately opened his eyes and sat up, showing no sign of grogginess from just waking.

"Not meal delivery, the footsteps are a bit hurried, still the same two people from yesterday, but without the cart. Could it be that the people Mrs. Liu mentioned have come to pick me up?" Chen Xiao thought.

Indeed, the door was quickly opened. The two men walked in, each wearing a pair of thick leather gloves reaching their elbows. Old Lee was also carrying a pair of cloth shoes.

"Really, guys, do I actually bite people often?" Chen Xiao thought bitterly, but he just sat motionless in the center of the room, expressionless.

Without a word, Old Lee and Uncle Xie immediately placed the mask with holes over his face.

"This ancestor is finally leaving!" Old Lee mumbled, his tone relieved.

"Hmm," Uncle Xie responded, but his tone seemed distracted. Indeed, he then softly added, "Hey, did you see those people outside the door... those are real guns, aren't they?"

"Probably, they even have bulletproof helmets. Must be from some government department. No idea what they want with this kid," Old Lee said.

At that moment, Chen Xiao's mask had been properly fitted, and his shoes were on. Throughout, the two did not avoid speaking in front of him, not caring in the slightest whether he heard them.

Flanked by the two men, one on each side, Chen Xiao walked out. Now able to move his head freely, he naturally began to habitually observe his surroundings. He soon realized that the entire underground ward wasn't that large, consisting only of a single corridor back and forth, ending at his own "luxury single room," and he was the only one down there.

The three took the elevator to the first floor. Along the way, the two uncles didn't seem overly anxious but rather deep in thought. The tight security from yesterday must have been because they feared an accident might occur when going to meet Mrs. Liu.

Upon reaching the first floor, and after passing through another corridor, which I will not describe here, they finally arrived at the entrance of the psychiatric hospital. The sunlight from above beamed onto Chen Xiao's face. He felt a slight ache around his upper eye sockets. It seemed he hadn't seen sunlight for a long time.

Suburbs, quite far from the downtown area! Northern plains area, late spring! The hospital had been established for over 40 years, had gone through a renovation, didn't have many patients, few staff members, and not much salary. The ground they were standing on had been a puddle five or six years ago and had been filled in due to road work. The gatekeeper had a lazy dog, which was recently suffering from diarrhea. And so on and so forth.

All these details swiftly entered Chen Xiao's thoughts, but he hadn't even had the chance to tilt his head to see what kind of attendance had come to pick him up.

…

Squinting his eyes, he shifted his gaze and instantly felt a burst of exhilaration in his heart.

A black vehicle similar to an armored transport was parked nearby, with a cargo compartment two to three meters in length and width at the back. It looked like it had been modified with an additional layer and, crucially, it had no license plate. At one side of the vehicle stood a fully armed staff member, armed to such an extent that he could, if thrown into some shooting game, play either a major character or a boss. He was equipped with a bulletproof vest, a shotgun, and a riot helmet, everything included.

"Do they need such an elaborate setup just to escort me?" Chen Xiao wondered, and then, he cracked a smile. He was very happy.

Of course, his happiness wasn't due to what was just described, but because he saw that the transport vehicle's windows were tinted.

…

"Hey! Hurry up and bring him over," the guard shouted, his age indiscernible behind the riot helmet.

Old Li and Mr. Xie leaned forward, nodding and bowing as they escorted Chen Xiao towards the vehicle.

"Hahaha, finally, I can see it!!" Chen Xiao felt a little thrill.

As they drew closer to the vehicle, only ten meters away now, approaching from this angle would allow him to see his reflection in the vehicle's glass. Chen Xiao was eager, slightly upset at how slow the two old men were walking. Oh... it was now five meters, three meters!! He was about to see his reflection. Chen Xiao didn't care about the bewildered looks from people around him, he stretched his neck forward eagerly. Seeing even half would be fine.

…

But just then, that guard suddenly walked over, perfectly blocking the car glass!!

"What the hell? What are you doing over here?" Chen Xiao was stunned, having been too eager to see his own face to notice the footsteps.

The guard pointed towards the back of the vehicle and said gruffly, "Hurry up, get in the vehicle, we're on a tight schedule!"

"Damn it, I haven't even shown my face for four words and you're rushing for what!" Chen Xiao roared in his mind. If it weren't for the mask on his face, he would have undoubtedly cursed out loud!

Helplessly, Chen Xiao was escorted to the back of the vehicle. There, he was somewhat surprised to find that there was another person.

"Get on, we're setting off!" The guard boarded the vehicle after pushing Chen Xiao inside and followed suit.

Chen Xiao gave an annoyed look that screamed "you just wait," glaring his way. Of course, with the mask on, his expression went unseen.

Suddenly, the vehicle started.

…

There were rows of seats nailed to the walls on either side of the compartment, essentially just planks fixed to the vehicle. Chen Xiao and the guard sat on one side, while the other man sat across from them, a male, Asian, about 185 cm tall, with a square face and a buzz cut, dressed in a simple black tank top that partially revealed a tattoo. He was well-built, although his muscles seemed a bit slack, suggesting he hadn't exercised in a while. Both his hands and feet were shackled, with a chain linking the shackles and the other end fastened to the wall, not having much better treatment than Chen Xiao did. His appearance screamed, "I am a high-security prisoner," while he kept a cold look observing Chen Xiao.

On Chen Xiao's other side, facing the door of the rear compartment, there was a small window, but the direction towards the driver and the rearview mirror were blocked by a panel.

It was a boring journey. The guy across maintained a cool tough-guy persona, head down, not saying a word, holding a gun with the hand beside Chen Xiao. The guard next to him may or may not have been dozing off but stayed in one position. Wrapped up like a rice dumpling, Chen Xiao certainly couldn't do much either. Otherwise, he might've cracked a joke to lighten the mood.

The vehicle kept driving, and from the small window, the scenery outside seemed to loop around the downtown area towards a more remote location.

…