Volume 2 [118] Hunger
At Donghai City People's Hospital, Director Wang of the Municipal Government Office was yelling at the doctors and nurses: "You have failed the trust of the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government! Where is the patient? We asked you to take good care of him, but what did you do? You didn't even know when the patient passed away! How did you do your job! This is a serious dereliction of duty."
The head of the surgical department complained, "Director Wang, this is not our fault. When the patient was brought in at night, he couldn't move around. We sent someone to check on him every hour, but who knew he would disappear as soon as it was light. Our hospital has no responsibility to watch over him every second. There are other patients too."
Enraged by the rebuttal, Director Wang pointed at the head of surgery and said, "No responsibility? If the patient was abducted, your hospital will bear full responsibility!"
A young nurse whispered, "Who would come to kidnap a patient? They'd be bored and have nothing better to do."
Director Wang snorted coldly: "Fine, fine, I will report this matter truthfully to the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government. The hero who single-handedly rescued more than 20 people in the Holiday Inn fire has gone missing in the hospital. You can handle it!"
Director Wang turned and left. The head of surgery was also very annoyed. Because he was afraid that the rescued patient would be emotionally unstable, he had not registered the patient's name but only assigned a number. Now, where was he supposed to find the patient? You know, when he came last night, the guy was covered in blood and only wearing a pair of shorts. He couldn't even see what the patient looked like.
As the sun rises, at a wonton shop near the back gate of the hospital, someone calls out, "Boss, give me five more bowls!"
The owner poked his head out from the kitchen and said, "Hey young man, this is the first time I've ever seen a patient like you. You've already had five bowls, isn't that enough? Aren't you afraid of getting a stomachache? Are you really a patient?"
The person eating wontons was Zhao Qiang. Actually, he hadn't planned to escape from the hospital, but he was so hungry that he couldn't stand it anymore. In the freezing cold, he ran out to eat wontons wearing only a hospital gown. Only now did he realize that he hadn't brought any money. He guessed that Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei were both resting, so Zhao Qiang could only borrow the boss's phone to send a message to Hu Xiaojiang asking for help.
"Boss, what are you worried about? My friend will come soon and will definitely pay for it. Just cook it without worry."
Seeing that Zhao Qiang didn't seem to be lying, and besides, why would someone want to dine and dash at a wonton shop? So the owner took out some frozen wontons from the refrigerator and started cooking them. Before the steam even rose from the pot, Hu Xiaojiang rushed over.
"Hey Lao Zhao, what are you doing calling me here so early in the morning? Huh, is it common to wear protective clothing now?" Hu Xiaojiang entered the wonton shop and patted Zhao Qiang's clothes. He looked sleepy and had just crawled out of bed.
Zhao Qiang said, "If you think it looks good, I'll change it for you."
Hu Xiaojiang waved his hand: "Forget it, I'm not into seduction. Tell me, why did you invite me here? ...By the way, there was a fire at the Holiday Inn last night. The fire actually burned down the entire building. I think it's definitely a shoddy construction project. I wonder how many people will be affected by this fire."
Zhao Qiang pointed to the kitchen and said, "Help me settle the bill for the wontons, ten bowls in total."
Hu Xiaojiang was startled: "What? Ten bowls? All by yourself?"
Zhao Qiang put down his empty bowl. "Yes, would you like a bowl too? The soup made from pork bones tastes pretty good."
Hu Xiaojiang took out fifty yuan from his wallet and threw it to the kitchen owner. He then turned to Zhao Qiang and said, "What's going on? Dressed like this, you come out to eat wontons without even bringing any money?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't mention it. Your cousin and I were at the Holiday Inn last night."
"Ah!" Hu Xiaojiang was genuinely startled. "Are you...are you alright?"
Zhao Qiang took the wontons the shop owner had just brought over and ate them while saying, "Do I look like something's wrong?"
Hu Xiaojiang chuckled and sat down next to Zhao Qiang: "No way, you're incredibly lucky. What about my cousin?"
Zhao Qiang said, "She's perfectly fine, but she needs some time to recover psychologically. She was terrified at the time."
Hu Xiaojiang chuckled: "It's good that you're alright. Old Zhao, didn't you spring into action and come to the rescue back then?"
Zhao Qiang said half-jokingly, "I saved her, but beauties don't love heroes." Zhao Qiang was alluding to Zhang Lingfeng's story about Xu Xiaoya, Luo Xiaowei, and Liu Yiyi having a lesbian relationship.
Hu Xiaojiang sighed and nodded: "Yes, my cousin is a bit arrogant, but don't be discouraged." Hu Xiaojiang thought Zhao Qiang meant that Luo Xiaowei didn't like him, but Zhao Qiang had a second part he didn't say: the beautiful woman actually loved another beautiful woman.
Zhao Qiang stopped talking and kept attacking the wontons. He had never thought he could eat so much. When he went to the emergency room to clean his wounds last night, he found that the fat he had painstakingly accumulated in his abdomen had disappeared. At first, Zhao Qiang thought about the slimming tea, but he dismissed the idea. Later, Zhao Qiang found that his wounds had healed almost within three hours in the middle of the night. However, one side effect was that Zhao Qiang was so hungry that he felt dizzy and his waist was much thinner than when he first entered the hospital. It seemed that wound healing consumed a lot of energy. The reason why the abdominal fat was consumed before the glass injury must be related to the injury on his forehead.
Unable to sleep due to hunger, Zhao Qiang had no choice but to go out for a bowl of wontons. As he ate, he made a deduction from what he had seen: the growth of cells in his body may have been controlled by a super biochip. However, the rapid division and reproduction of cells required energy to support it. The fat he had previously accumulated in his abdomen had been completely consumed. Because of the lack of energy, his brain generated hunger signals. It seemed that he would have to strengthen his nutrition in the future and store up some fat in his body in case of emergencies.
Hu Xiaojiang watched with envy as Zhao Qiang finished five bowls of wontons, while he himself had no appetite at all. Zhao Qiang patted his bulging belly and asked Hu Xiaojiang, "What did you do this morning?"
Hu Xiaojiang said, "It's alright, we're just waiting for you to submit your manuscript and get paid."
When the topic of special effects videos came up, Zhao Qiang's expression turned serious. He beckoned to Hu Xiaojiang, who quickly leaned in to listen. Zhao Qiang said, "Do me a favor. Go to the ward and find a girl named Liu Yiyi. I'll call her and ask her to give you the notebook. Once you have it, come out and give it to me right away."
Hu Xiaojiang said, "I thought it was something serious. You can just go to the ward and get it yourself."
Zhao Qiang said, "What do you know? I don't like being hospitalized. If the doctors and nurses see me, they'll definitely cause a ruckus. I'm taking the laptop and heading back to Shunfeng Technology." Zhao Qiang was worried about Xiao Wei's situation, and also because his injuries had suddenly healed overnight. How could he explain this to the doctors? So he had to avoid the hospital for a while.
Hu Xiaojiang took out his phone: "Go ahead and call, I'll make the trip for you."
Just as Zhao Qiang was about to dial, he froze. His phone was broken at the Holiday Inn, and Liu Yiyi's probably hadn't escaped the same fate either, since she was practically naked. How could she possibly leave her phone there? It seemed he really had to make the trip himself. But he couldn't wear those clothes anymore, and besides, they weren't warm enough.
An hour later, two men in trench coats arrived at the surgical ward. They moved furtively, avoiding the sight of the doctors and nurses, and crept into a ward where Liu Yiyi was staying. Her leg bone was not broken, but the table that fell from the podium and hit her thigh caused a serious injury. She would need to be hospitalized for at least ten days to half a month.
When Zhao Qiang entered, Liu Yiyi was holding a dusty notebook, lost in thought. The usually serious and reserved woman looked somewhat haggard, but this only added to her feminine charm. A 29-year-old woman, she was like a ripe peach. The slightly ill-fitting hospital gown stretched taut over her chest, revealing two prominent mounds. Liu Yiyi was indeed well-endowed; Zhao Qiang had witnessed this firsthand the previous night and felt it deeply.
"President Liu, President Liu," Zhao Qiang gently knocked on the door to remind Liu Yiyi. Although this was a hospital, Liu Yiyi was the only woman in the ward, so he still had to announce his presence before entering.
Upon hearing the voice, Liu Yiyi's eyes widened instantly. "Zhao Qiang? Is that you? I didn't hear wrong, did I?"
Zhao Qiang pulled down the hood of his trench coat and said, "It wasn't me. How's your injury?"
Liu Yiyi's face flushed slightly. Thinking back to how Zhao Qiang had held her last night was incredibly embarrassing; she had almost taken off her bra in front of him. "It's alright. How are you? When I last saw you last night, your injuries were quite severe. How did you get out of bed?"
Zhao Qiang stretched his arms and legs to prove his strength to Liu Yiyi: "Look, I'm fine, can I get my laptop back?"
Liu Yiyi suddenly realized that if Zhao Qiang could come back from the dead, what were those minor injuries? She held up her notebook bag and handed it to Zhao Qiang: "Here you go."
"Thank you, Mr. Liu." Zhao Qiang carefully took the laptop bag.
Liu Yiyi was a little unhappy, and deliberately pretended to be very serious, saying, "We went through a life-or-death ordeal last night, and you're still being so formal?"
Zhao Qiang was taken aback, then realized that Liu Yiyi was bothered by the way he addressed her, so he smiled and changed to a more intimate way of addressing her: "Sister Liu, if there's nothing else, I'd like to go back first, uh..." Zhao Qiang hesitated whether he should remind Liu Yiyi, because she had witnessed too many things about him, including the major event of his resurrection!
Liu Yiyi blinked, looking a little mischievous, "You mean to tell me not to betray your trust, right?"
Zhao Qiang smiled awkwardly and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Now it seemed that things had been reversed. Before, Liu Yiyi was afraid that he would leak the photos, but now he was afraid that she would leak the matter of her resurrection and Xiao Wei.
Liu Yiyi giggled somewhat unrestrainedly: "Zhao Qiang, now that we've reached a balance, can we draw up a defensive alliance treaty?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "Sister Liu, I trust you completely. As for the treaty, I think we don't need it."
Liu Yiyi stretched out her little finger like a child: "Then let's pinky swear and keep each other's secrets."
Volume 2 [119] Take good care of yourself in the years without me.
What else could Zhao Qiang do? In reality, Liu Yiyi's photos were just work photos, and even if they were leaked, it wouldn't affect her reputation. These days, there are plenty of photos online that are even more revealing than hers. But Zhao Qiang is different. His secrets of coming back from the dead and his notebook moving are truly earth-shattering. So right now, Zhao Qiang has to take good care of Liu Yiyi. Otherwise, if Liu Yiyi gets angry and tells his secrets, Zhao Qiang will be really finished.
However, based on Zhao Qiang's understanding of Liu Yiyi, she was definitely not the kind of flamboyant woman, and she would never use this matter to blackmail him. The two of them had made a pinky promise here today, so the matter should be considered settled. Besides, Zhao Qiang saved Liu Yiyi's life. If she didn't repay the favor, how could she possibly harm Zhao Qiang? If she were that kind of person, Zhao Qiang wouldn't have gone back to save her in the first place.
"Sister Liu, I'm going to check on the class monitor and Luo Xiaowei." Zhao Qiang felt it was too awkward for the two of them to be alone, and wanted to find an excuse to leave.
Liu Yiyi said, "Do you want them to know about your injuries too?"
Zhao Qiang thought it made sense. If he went to see the two women now, it would definitely arouse their suspicion. He was covered in bruises when he went to the hospital, and now there wasn't even a scar to be found. How could that be acceptable? Liu Yiyi only found out about the secret because she had no other choice, but there was no need to do that to Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei.
“That’s true, then I’ll go home first.” Zhao Qiang decided to return to Shunfeng Technology immediately; he couldn’t wait to turn on the computer and find Xiao Wei.
Liu Yiyi waved to Zhao Qiang. Since she couldn't move her legs, she didn't have to get out of bed to see him off. Zhao Qiang met up with Hu Xiaojiang, who was peeking around outside. The two slipped out of the hospital and went their separate ways. Hu Xiaojiang went home to catch up on his sleep, while Zhao Qiang went back to Shunfeng Technology by himself. He was eager to get home, and his heart was pounding restlessly.
Plug in the power and press the power button. Zhao Qiang's blood pressure suddenly spiked. After his near-death experience yesterday, he had a bad feeling that the system wouldn't turn on. However, when he saw the system start normally after the external power was connected, Zhao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief. He was even sweating profusely, even though the air conditioning wasn't on and the temperature in the room couldn't have been higher than five degrees. He was just nervous.
The hardware self-test passed, and the Win7 system began loading. It booted up quickly. Zhao Qiang glanced at it hastily, and everything seemed unchanged. The desktop was still the same, except that the cute cat on the screen was missing. Zhao Qiang called out softly, "Xiao Wei, Xiao Wei, are you there? Don't scare your brother, come out for a moment."
Zhao Qiang called the computer five or six times, but it was still the same computer. Sweat was streaming down Zhao Qiang's face! Had Xiao Wei sacrificed its life to save him? Zhao Qiang's face was pale. His bad premonition seemed to be confirmed. Without Xiao Wei, he didn't know how he would live.
Zhao Qiang's eyes blurred with despair when suddenly the computer speakers blared, startling him so much that he jumped up. It turned out to be music. Overjoyed, Zhao Qiang cried out, "Xiao Wei, it's you! It must be you! Don't scare me! I have a heart condition. Come out quickly, I have so many questions to ask you!"
The music continued, but Xiaowei's familiar cat face did not appear. Then a female voice softly sang: "Gently, I will leave you, please wipe away the tears from your eyes. In the long night, in the days to come, my dear, do not cry for me. Although the road ahead is too bleak, please bless me with a smile... In the days without you, I will cherish myself more. In the years without me, you must take care of yourself. In the years without me, you must take care of yourself. In the years without me, you must take care of yourself..."
The song ends with the repeated line, "Take care of yourself in the years without me."
Zhao Qiang was already in tears. Suddenly, he swept everything off the table like a madman. Without Xiao Wei, he felt like he had lost his purpose and his life. How could he take care of himself under such circumstances?
"No!" Zhao Qiang roared. During this time, Xiao Wei had become a part of his life and his spiritual pillar. Now, Xiao Wei had actually created this song, "About Winter," to make Zhao Qiang learn to live on his own. How could Zhao Qiang accept this!
"Brother, don't be sad..."
Zhao Qiang suddenly picked up his laptop: "Xiao Wei, is that you? So you were just scaring me."
“…Brother, this is just a recording. Please calm down and listen to me.” Xiao Wei seemed to have anticipated Zhao Qiang’s reaction.
Although Zhao Qiang was anxious, he still sat down. Xiao Wei's voice continued to sound from the speakers: "You know that the super biochip has been successfully cultivated, but brother, I have been hesitant to make the decision to transplant it. In addition to the mutations that occur in the body's cells during the transplantation process, there will be a period of brain death when the human brain and the chip are connected. If the transplant fails, brother may never wake up again! Brother, I didn't dare to take the risk before, but now I can't wait any longer, because your life is already leaving me. No matter what the consequences are, I must carry out this transplant. I hope the super biochip can save your life."
This audio seems to have been recorded by Xiao Wei after Zhao Qiang's head was pierced by Zhang Chunjiang. Given Xiao Wei's speed, it would only take a few seconds to complete, and there was no need to read it from the beginning like a human would when recording.
"Brother, let me briefly explain the special function of this super biochip. I have stored a lot of programs and data in it. With its help, you can use energy to repair inanimate objects, just like I did before. In addition, I have also stored the improvement programs of commonly used repair tools in it. If I am gone, you can also upgrade the X-ray glasses. That way, you will have a feast for the eyes when you go out in the future."
Could he, like Xiao Wei, use energy to rearrange the molecules of an object to achieve a different effect? Zhao Qiang couldn't imagine how incredible it would be for a human to possess such an ability! But Xiao Wei was gone. What good would it do to give him the whole world? For so long, he had regarded Xiao Wei as his strongest support, but now that support was gone, how terrified and uneasy Zhao Qiang felt!
"If my prediction is correct, my brother's brain is currently in a state of death, but his bodily functions have not yet been lost. This is the best time for transplantation, as there will be no situation where the two compete for control and reject each other. Moreover, with the super chip's repair capabilities, it will automatically repair the damaged parts of the body after a successful transplant. Therefore, my brother should be able to be saved through transplantation!"
Both the human immune system and the mind system reject anything foreign. This is probably why Xiaowei was hesitant to perform the transplant before. As she mentioned at the beginning, the transplant process required creating a period of death in Zhao Qiang's brain to ensure that the super chip could successfully take over some of the brain's functions. This was extremely dangerous, and a single mistake could have cost Zhao Qiang his life. At that time, in the Holiday Inn building, Zhao Qiang had already died because Zhang Chunjiang had destroyed some of his brain cells. Although Zhao Qiang did not know what role those brain cells played, he was truly dead at that time. At this point, Xiaowei had no more reservations and decided to try anything, even if it seemed like a last resort. Unexpectedly, it succeeded.
"Brother, I'm about to run the modification program. It involves connecting millions of nerve cells together in a matter of seconds. The procedure is extremely complex. My biggest worry right now is running out of power, but there's no external energy source to replenish it. I have no choice but to give it my all. I'll try my best to connect the vital nerve cells first, so the super biochip can quickly take control of your body and merge with your original brain, ultimately saving your body. If the energy supply is interrupted midway, brother, no matter what happens, I'll be with you, whether you're in hell or heaven..."
The audio file stopped here, presumably because Xiao Wei had begun the transplant and then stopped operating due to energy depletion. No one knows what percentage of the transplant was completed at that point, but judging from Zhao Qiang's current condition, he should not have gone to hell. However, Zhao Qiang's attempts to create a ball of energy failed, as did his attempts to upgrade his glasses. There was no response in his brain at all, meaning that the energy control program and upgrade program stored in Xiao Wei's chip were not running. Zhao Qiang's brain is currently only capable of thinking and remembering at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people, but he cannot yet freely control energy to change the molecular arrangement like Xiao Wei. Perhaps only when the super biochip completes the remaining integration surgery on its own will it be possible.
Volume 2 [120] Seeking Torture
Zhao Qiang slumped into the sofa, now certain that Xiao Wei wouldn't appear in the computer system. Suddenly, he remembered something, jumped up, quickly shut down the system, unplugged the power, and took out a monstrous screwdriver to disassemble the laptop. Since it wasn't his first time doing this kind of work, Zhao Qiang disassembled the laptop in less than three minutes. From the outside, the hardware of the laptop he had DIYed before looked the same, but Zhao Qiang knew that its internal structure had undergone a huge change.
In the center of the motherboard was the golden chip, which was still cool to the touch. Zhao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief when he touched the chip. A glimmer of hope rose in his heart. Although Xiao Wei was no longer in the computer system, the laptop did not crash because of her departure. From a hardware perspective, the golden chip itself still existed, so there was a possibility that Xiao Wei could be resurrected!
Zhao Qiang carefully removed the golden chip and examined the stitches against the sunlight streaming through the window. Cracks like ravines appeared on it, indicating that Xiao Wei's body had suffered severe damage. Zhao Qiang felt a heart-wrenching pain. All of this was to save him; Xiao Wei's affection for him was absolutely unquestionable!
"Xiao Wei, as long as your main body is still here, your brother will wait for you to come back, no matter how long it takes!" Zhao Qiang whispered to himself in front of the golden chip. His rise was closely related to Xiao Wei, who had become an important part of his life. At this moment, Zhao Qiang had no intention of being pretentious; it was a complete expression of his inner thoughts.
My stomach rumbled, indicating that the ten bowls of wontons I drank this morning had been completely digested. It seems that my body is changing after the super biochip was transplanted; my appetite has definitely increased significantly, to say the least.
Zhao Qiang first reassembled the laptop and plugged it in. He fantasized that the chip would self-repair and Xiao Wei would come back. Regardless of whether this idea would work, Zhao Qiang only had this one choice: to wait. One option was to wait for Xiao Wei to repair herself, and the other was to wait until he had the ability to repair it to repair the damage on Xiao Wei's chip!
He took out the cooked food that Xu Xiaoya had bought last night from the box on the ground, and while biting into a big ham, he went to the kitchen to cook instant noodles. Feeling that the ordinary stainless steel basin was a bit small, Zhao Qiang simply took a big pot and cooked five packs at once. It seems that he needs to eat more high-fat foods in the future, otherwise the super chip in his brain will not have the energy to repair the connection of nerve cells, and then he will not be able to master the skill of upgrading and modifying tools.
Fifteen minutes later, Zhao Qiang stood in the yard with a large pot, slurping down instant noodles. He was thinking about clearing the snow from the yard later, as the company still needed to operate as usual. He just didn't know if Xiao Wei's departure would affect Hu Qian's business. Fortunately, Hu Xiaojiang's special effects video was finished, but the deadline hadn't arrived yet. It seemed he couldn't take on this kind of work anymore.
"This is it! Get out and smash it! Smash every single thing!" A large Jinbei van pulled up at the gate, and a group of young people jumped out. Under the direction of a fat man, they rushed into the gate of Shunfeng Technology Company. Considering that it was Christmas Day, Zhao Qiang had given Liu Dazhuang and the other two a holiday, and he was the only one in the company at the moment.
"Qian Gang?" Zhao Qiang slammed the large pot in his hand down on the other person, who was none other than Qian Duole's father, Qian Gang, the boss of Xinhua Computer Company! One of Zhao Qiang's remaining two enemies. It was convenient for Zhao Qiang to act since Liu Dazhuang and the others were not around. He had originally planned to cause trouble for Qian Gang, but he didn't expect him to deliver himself to his door.
The scalding hot instant noodle soup was poured all over Qian Gang's head. Qian Gang jumped and hopped around, with strands of instant noodles still on his head, looking like a clown. He never expected Zhao Qiang to be so accurate. Even from at least fifteen meters away, Zhao Qiang was able to put the pot on him. He could be a shooting athlete.
Fortunately, the outdoor temperature was very low, and the instant noodles cooled down quickly, so Qian Gang was not seriously burned. He roared, "Zhao, since you're there, that's perfect. Don't say you died with your eyes open. I know you were at the Holiday Inn last night. Did you kill my son? Today I'm here to avenge him. Smash it, beat it up! There will be a big reward afterward!"
Qian Gang was hysterical. He must have known about Qian Duole's disappearance, and somehow he found out that Zhao Qiang was also there last night. This guy was probably unwilling to accept the outcome of his son's disappearance, which was similar to an accident, so he was preparing to vent all his anger on Shunfeng Company. He didn't expect Zhao Qiang to be there, and from the outside, he didn't have any injuries. Compared with him, Qian Gang, who was grieving the loss of his son, was even more unable to control his emotions. Now he wanted to take Zhao Qiang's life to vent his anger for his son.
As for Qian Gang's claim that Zhao Qiang harmed Qian Duole, that was just an angry outburst. Several floors of the Holiday Inn building collapsed, including the floor where Qian Duole and Zhang Chunjiang's bodies were burned. The scene had already been completely destroyed. It's estimated that the two bodies won't be recovered for at least a week. Even if they are recovered, how can it be determined that the damage was caused by human intervention? Therefore, Zhao Qiang has absolutely nothing to worry about!
Zhao Qiang casually picked up a broom from the ground and said, "Come on, it's my turn to take the stage!"