Immortality of the dead

Chapter 17

After a long wait, the door slowly opened.

He Xi stood at the door with her lips pursed. Because she had just cried, her expression seemed a bit weaker than usual.

"I really want to help you. I'm sorry, I just realized that I can be stubborn too."

He Xi's lips curved upwards, it seemed that my words had dispelled some of her worries. However, she quickly returned to normal.

"Come in, you stubborn mule." She stepped aside and said coldly.

I laughed.

This was the second time I had entered her room, and I couldn't help but think of that night again. The only memory I have of that time is the severe headache I had when I woke up.

“Actually, there are many things that are not appropriate to say in that kind of setting.” He Xi poured me a glass of water.

"Thank you." I took a sip and casually placed it on the coffee table.

"I don't know what Rembrandt told you."

"Your relationship with him, and Fan Zhe's current situation."

“The three of us grew up in an orphanage. Back then, I always got to eat the biggest fruit and the most food. If anyone made me cry, my brother would wipe away my tears, while Rembrandt would rush over and beat up the person who made me cry, or sometimes he would get beaten up himself.” He Xi shrank back into the sofa, as if trying to shrink back into those long-gone days.

"Later, we were taken away by our father together. Year after year, we grew up, but we always stayed together. I started working at my father's organization, doing virus research, while the two of them began traveling all over the place. Every time they came back, they would bring me local specialties and gifts. Actually, they were both very good to me, but the one I always remember is my brother. Sometimes I think, what if it was my brother who rushed in to fight back then, and Rembrandt who wiped away my tears?" He Xi smiled slightly, paused, and pondered something.

I looked at her; this was her time.

"You're right, I do suspect that it was my brother who stole the organs." He Xi came back to her senses and said this, her eyes darkening.

“Over the past two years, I’ve started to feel that he’s hiding something from me. He doesn’t say anything, and I don’t ask, but I can sense that something is putting a lot of pressure on him. I wanted to share his burden, so I tried to ask him a few times, but he just smiled, as always, without saying a word. More than three months ago, when he came back from Shanghai, I called him beforehand to find out his flight number so I could pick him up at the airport.”

"You mean he came back from Shanghai?" I couldn't help but interrupt her.

"Yes, back to Geneva from Shanghai. Why?"

"Was it the one before the accident? But when I asked Rembrandt, why did he say he didn't know?"

"He said he didn't know?" He Xi frowned and shook her head slightly. "That shouldn't be the case. When my brother had the accident, he stayed by my bedside for three days and three nights. How could he not have asked where he came from?"

Why did Rembrandt keep it from me and not tell me that Fan Zhe had come to Shanghai before his accident? The reason behind this...

“However, I do find this matter very mysterious. Later, everyone said that my brother went on vacation on his own, because there is no official record of him being sent on official business. But why wouldn’t he tell me before going on vacation? We usually go together. In addition, I also heard another version of the story…” He Xi hesitated for a moment, then continued, “Because my brother was only gone for three days in total, and my father told me that he took leave at the last minute, so the vacation story is a bit far-fetched. He went to Shanghai for some personal matters.”

At this point, He Xi's eyes showed a hint of disappointment and sadness, clearly indicating that she knew nothing about this "private matter" that had prompted Fan Zhe to rush to Shanghai.

“When I picked up my brother at the airport that night, he looked very tired. He was carrying a large travel bag, which barely contained two suitcases, so tightly that the zippers couldn’t be fully closed. I offered to help him carry it, but he said no. He seemed very concerned about the contents.” He Xi paused for a moment and sighed very softly.

"The travel bag wasn't fully closed, so I accidentally caught a glimpse of what was inside. It looked like an organ preservation box, the large kind."

I took a deep breath. Is it really him, Fan Zhe?

“Perhaps, perhaps I’m mistaken. These days I often try to recall what happened back then, but my memory is becoming increasingly hazy,” He Xi said hesitantly.

"That's because you're too focused. Just like staring at something for too long can make your eyes blurry." Actually, there's something else I didn't mention: He Xi subconsciously didn't want Fan Zhe to have stolen the internal organs.

"What happened next? Where did you go after picking them up from the airport?" I asked.

“It was past nine o’clock when we got out of the airport, so of course we went home. But not long after we got home, my brother said he had to go out for a while and drove off in his own car. He took the travel bag with him. He didn’t come back all night, and then around six o’clock in the morning, he suddenly fell ill and was taken to the hospital.”

At this point, He Xi turned her face to the side, clenched her hands tightly, and her body trembled slightly. After a few minutes, she calmed down, let go of her hands, and quickly wiped the corners of her eyes.

"But Fan Zhe didn't come back all night, how could you not feel at ease and call him?"

"He is a person who works without regard for anything else. In fact, our whole family is like that. It is common for us to stay at headquarters all night because of work. The longest I ever did was five consecutive days of experiments in the lab. When I was tired, I would sleep on the table for an hour or two."

"Oh my god, how come your skin is still so good?" I tried to make a joke to help her relax, but it didn't seem to work.

“That night, neither my father nor Rembrandt came home, and I was the only one in the house. I tried to call him, but his phone was off. This often happens, for example, when I'm doing experiments. So I didn't think much of it.”

"So you must know what your brother was doing before he was sent to the hospital. I think that's very important."

"In the virus lab at headquarters. But I had no idea he was doing virus research, and all the lab's research records were destroyed that day. Nobody knows what he was doing there!"

"Who took your brother to the hospital? Did he call for help himself?"

“It’s Zhao Ziqiang. I think he should know something. He was right there in the lab when my brother had the accident, but he said he didn’t know anything. He just saw my brother lying on the ground when he was delivering coffee to him.”

"Zhao Ziqiang? Is he also from Heller International? Chinese?"

“He came from the Anglican orphanage, just like us. We’ve known each other since we were little, but we weren’t very close back then. This guy was…” He Xi looked disgusted and said, “I don’t know how to describe it, but he always seemed timid, never standing or sitting up straight, his spine always bent. He was also very cowardly, always hiding in the corner or shadows of the orphanage, speaking softly, always looking cautious, which made him seem a bit sleazy. He was never adopted, and that’s a big part of it. He wasn’t originally called that; he changed it later.”

"Oh, so he grew up entirely in an orphanage? Being able to get into Heller International, the name wasn't a mistake."

"Yes, we were all surprised to see him at Heller International. He hasn't changed much since he was a child, especially his expression. However, we heard that he has excellent grades and a high IQ. At Heller International, he mainly does virus research and sometimes participates in medical assistance. Due to his personality, he doesn't have many friends there. I don't think my brother would bother him to pour coffee; he's not the kind of person who would offer coffee on his own initiative."

"And what about the others, Rembrandt, and your father? What did they say?"

“They…” He Xi hesitated and said, “Zhao Ziqiang insisted that he was just delivering coffee. My brother had cleaned up the traces of the previous experiments before he fainted, so they couldn’t ask him any further questions. However, Zhao Ziqiang did say something: he thought my brother’s research might be related to the Fan’s virus.”

"The Fan family virus? That's why you came to Shanghai!"

“Yes, my brother got sick after coming to Shanghai. If he contracted something, it's very likely he did so in Shanghai. Although his symptoms are very different from Fan syndrome, the sudden outbreak of Fan syndrome in Shanghai makes me feel like it might be related to my brother. Rembrandt has already come to Shanghai to deal with the Xinjingyuan matter. My father said I should relax and not come to Shanghai again. Yesterday I went to pick him up at the airport and got a scolding. He told me to find somewhere to take a complete month-long vacation and not stay in Shanghai anymore. But how can I let my brother get sick like this…”

"So, what have you discovered during your time in Shanghai? Have you... noticed anything unusual about Xinjingyuan?" My heart pounded. Three months ago, Fan Zhe returned to Geneva from Shanghai and worked through the night on research into the Fanzhe virus. If that's true, could it be completely unrelated to the outbreak of Fanzhe's disease in Xinjingyuan three months later? It's easy to draw all sorts of conclusions, even regarding the cause of Fan Zhe's death. Was he unfortunately infected, or was it murder? Did he discover something? Could it really be related to the Virus Knight?

The shadow of a terrorist attack has once again loomed over me. Perhaps, this isn't just a 10% chance!

“I didn’t find anything unusual at Xinjingyuan. I’m not a criminal investigation student, and all my energy there was focused on the dying patients. It was you who helped me find the clue.”

"Ruijin Hospital?"

"Yes, do you know what day my brother returned to Geneva?"

"Could it be... August 20th?"

"Yes, he took KLM flight KL896, which departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 12:20 pm on August 20 and arrived on time at 8:40 pm local time in Switzerland."

"The timing matches up, and there are two boxes containing organs; anyone would make that connection."

He Xi nodded: "Yes, that's why I suspect that my brother is connected to the person who stole Cheng Gen's organs, or even that he did it. But I don't understand why he would do such a thing."

"Perhaps, just like you felt when you heard about Cheng Genhail's recovery from his disease, he also thought of the hope of curing Fan's disease," I said.

"But the question is, how did he know Cheng Gen?"

I already have a guess in my mind, but it's too early to say it now. I won't be able to confirm whether Fan Zhe stole the internal organs until tomorrow.

"Actually, there's something else I haven't told anyone. This made me determined to find out the truth about this matter."

He Xi opened the closet door, inside was a suitcase. She opened the lid, took out a white item, and handed it to me.

This is a common disposable medical plastic glove. It's spotless, as if it's never been used.

"I found this while tidying up my brother's things in his office. There was more than half a bag of unused gloves. You can get these from the organization; I had one with me. Can you tell what's wrong with them?"

I looked at it over and over, just as He Xi said, these gloves are new, what could be wrong with them?

He Xi sighed, "Of course you wouldn't be able to tell. I was so grief-stricken back then. I would stare blankly at every single thing in my brother's room for a long time. Even this stack of gloves, I unconsciously took out two and put them on. I imagined what his hands looked like, but my hands couldn't fit into such large gloves. I wanted to remember his hands, and the warmth of them. That time, I cried much harder than before. I covered my face with my gloved hands, and all I could smell was the rubber. There will never be a pair of hands like that again to wipe away my tears."

He Xi's eyes began to well up with tears again, and she had no choice but to stop.

I hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping myself.

"When I cried until I couldn't cry anymore, I took off my gloves and was about to wash my face when I discovered the problem. Look closely at the tips of the index finger and thumb on the gloves."

"Oh, was this done with a needle?"

In both of these places, there was a tiny tear, so small that it was only slightly noticeable when wearing gloves and stretching the fingertip. If He Xi hadn't told me, I would never have noticed it.

"I would never have noticed if I hadn't taken off my gloves and discovered a tiny bit of water on my fingers."

“But this means…” I suddenly remembered what He Xi had said before, and quickly asked, “You said there was a stack of unused ones, does that mean they are all like this?”

"Yes, every single glove has been pricked with needles. In other words, these gloves are no longer airtight and offer no protection."

“If Fan Zhe used one of those gloves while in Shanghai, then…” I looked at He Xi and said, “He could have been murdered.”

He Xi suddenly looked up at me and said, "My brother is still alive. He didn't die."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I quickly apologized.

He Xi closed her eyes, a look of pain flashing across her face. She knew in her heart that there was almost no chance that Fan Zhe would wake up again.

“But someone wants him dead. This person is in Heller International. I must find out what he’s involved in, and that person must pay the price.” He Xi opened her eyes and said firmly.

"Okay, I've told you everything I know. I'm sorry, I hid some things from you before."

I nodded: "Of course, I understand."

He Xi didn't ask, but it was clearly my turn to say something.

"Do you remember when Guo Dong said that a cleaner might have seen someone stealing internal organs?"

He Xi nodded: "What did he say?"

"I had to go to Ruijin Hospital this morning." I glanced at He Xi; she was listening intently. I wondered what she would think if she knew I went there for her sake.

“I originally planned to come to Xinjingyuan after finishing my business, but when I was leaving, I happened to run into the police accompanying this cleaner named Wang Runfa to the hospital to walk through the scene and try to help him recall more things. As a result, Wang Runfa saw me.”

"Um?"

“Wang Runfa identified me to the police as the person in question, and as a result, I was taken to the detention center by the police and spent most of the day there. If it weren’t for Guo Dong, I don’t know how long I would have been wrongfully detained.”

He Xi's expression shifted, and I sighed inwardly; her reaction further confirmed my suspicions.

"Of course, the misunderstanding has now been cleared up. Wang Runfa mistook someone else for someone else. I know a very skilled hypnotist, and I want to take Wang Runfa to see him tomorrow. I hope that through hypnosis, he can fully recall the situation at that time and draw the suspect's appearance. We'll find out tomorrow whether it's Fan Zhe or not."

“Then, then,” He Xi stammered, then took out a photo and handed it over: “Do you need it?”

It's that photo of Fan Zhe, He Xi, and Rembrandt.

"No need, I've already copied it from Rembrandt." That's why I went to see Rembrandt this afternoon.

Wasn't he surprised that you did that?

“I said that when the police asked what photos you showed Cheng Weiping last time, I couldn’t ask you for them, so I had to take copies from him.”

"oh."

"What do you want to say?" I noticed He Xi hesitated several times before speaking.

“The Shanghai police are already investigating this matter. If it is indeed my brother… can we conduct a private investigation first, without letting the police know the results? At least I hope he can pass away peacefully.”

I remained silent, lost in thought.

He Xi looked at me, knowing that her request had already gone too far.

"This... I'm afraid it will be difficult." I looked at He Xi's disappointed face, but I had no choice but to say it.