Seeing Crime Scenes in My Sleep

Jiang Li’s face was pale as she looked at him in fear. "Can it really be cured?"

"Of course. It’s just that the treatment fee..." Lin Ye trailed off, looking at Jiang Li to gauge her financial means.

"I... I only make two or three thousand a month. I... I don’t have that much money." Jiang Li lowered her head, distressed.

Lin Ye’s eyes lit up as he quickly extended an olive branch. "No problem. Our dean is a man of great compassion. As long as you sign this liability waiver, we’ll treat you for free."

Jiang Li looked up warily. "For free? Is there some kind of trap?"

"Of course not. How could there be? By helping you, we can improve our facility’s reputation. It also allows us to better understand related symptoms, which will help us save even more psychiatric patients."

Lin Ye stood up. "If you don’t believe me, miss, you should take a look at our environment and our patients."

"Alright."

Jiang Li followed Lin Ye on a tour. Everything was just as he’d described—managed with impeccable order, inside and out. The patients seemed to be doing well, with nurses dedicated to their care. Nothing seemed out of place.

’But psychiatric patients wouldn’t be this quiet.’

"The environment is very nice. I... I’d like to go home and think about it."

"Of course, miss. Why don’t you leave your contact information? If you need any help, feel free to reach out anytime. Here’s a small gift from us."

"Alright. Thank you, Dean Lin."

Jiang Li took the gift and turned to leave.

Watching Jiang Li’s departing figure, Lin Ye’s lips curled into a sinister smile. He was certain that in less than three days, she would come back to them and willingly become their test subject.

Lu Xingye parked his car and spotted a figure squatting in the grass not far away. He walked over, curious.

The next second, a sharp pain struck his neck, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Oops, got the wrong person."

Miao Anji glanced at the fallen Lu Xingye and shrugged. She squatted down to place the insects she’d collected into a jar, then looked toward the sanatorium.

’This place is full of nourishment,’ she thought. ’As expected of a big city. More people die here than in a mass grave.’

Miao Anji took out the Bone Whistle and blew on it. The insects she had released quickly returned.

After packing up, Miao Anji looked at Lu Xingye on the ground and squatted down. A moment later, a Gu Worm crawled out of his skin, scurried onto her hand, and returned to the jar.

"It wouldn’t be good if Sister came out and saw this."

Miao Anji sighed helplessly. ’It’s not my fault,’ she thought. ’Who told him to come over while I was concentrating?’

"Xiao Ji?" Jiang Li came out and looked around, but she didn’t see Miao Anji.

"Sister, I’m over here!" Miao Anji heard Jiang Li’s voice and called back immediately, then clapped a hand over her mouth and glanced at the still-unconscious Lu Xingye.

Seeing Jiang Li walking toward her, she tried to nudge Lu Xingye’s body into the bushes with her foot, but he was impossible to hide.

"Xiao Ji? Officer Lu?"

Jiang Li stared at the grown man on the ground, stunned for a moment.

"Ahem, Sister, let me explain. I thought he was a bad guy." Miao Anji scratched her head.

Jiang Li squatted down. "Officer Lu? Officer Lu? Wake up!"

"Sister, he’s just unconscious. He’ll wake up in a bit."

Jiang Li sighed in relief. "Let’s get him into the car."

Jiang Li started to help him up.

"I’ll do it, Sister." Miao Anji hoisted Lu Xingye up and tossed him into the car. ’This guy is a real troublemaker.’

Jiang Li got into the car, and a short while later, Lu Xingye woke up.

"Hiss!" Lu Xingye sat up. The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Miao Anji, and he frantically checked himself over.

"Don’t worry, you’re not going to die," Miao Anji said with a smile.

Lu Xingye felt a chill run down his spine. He had been taken down before he even saw who it was.

"Ahem. Officer Lu, what are you doing here?"

Hearing Jiang Li’s voice, Lu Xingye sat up straighter. "I came because of Wu Jianzhang’s case. I wanted to see if I could find any clues."

"He’s the dean of a sanatorium. Maybe he’s sick in the head himself. It’d be normal for him to go crazy," Miao Anji said with her arms crossed.

Lu Xingye looked at Jiang Li, wondering if she would tell him what she knew.

"Now that you’re awake, Officer Lu, you should get out and take your own car. We’re heading back."

Dejected, Lu Xingye opened the car door and got out. "You guys head back first. I still have things to do here."

Jiang Li frowned as she watched him go. ’What is he planning to do?’

’Police always respond in pairs. What is he doing here all by himself?’

Jiang Li glanced at Miao Anji in the back seat, then started the car and headed back.

When they got home, Yu Huannian and Wu Ming were back as well.

"Jiang Li, you’re back! Let me tell you, we found a wanted fugitive in just two days! We already handed him over to Officer Ji."

Wu Ming looked at Jiang Li proudly. ’See? We can catch fugitives and earn money even without her.’

"You took him in yourselves?" Jiang Li looked at the two of them. ’Doesn’t that mean you came face-to-face with a fugitive? How dangerous was that?’

Wu Ming glanced at Yu Huannian. "We had no choice. Your brother here was too reckless. He went right up, dislocated the guy’s arm, and dragged him to the police station."

The corner of Jiang Li’s mouth twitched. She could already picture the scene in her head.

"Xiao Nian, that was too dangerous. You can’t be so reckless next time."

Yu Huannian looked up at Jiang Li. "Mm. I know what I’m doing."

’The guy we caught this time was just a con artist with no combat skills, which is why I went for it.’

’If I’d waited for the police, it would’ve taken forever.’

Yu Huannian got up to heat up dinner.

After dinner, Jiang Li prepared to visit the sanatorium again that night.

Jiang Li parked her car in a dark spot and walked up the mountain path. When she reached the sanatorium’s entrance, only a few lamps were lit. The inside was pitch-black.

Suddenly, Jiang Li noticed a toppled motorcycle just inside the gate and frowned. ’Lu Xingye still hasn’t left?’

’Did something happen to him?’

Jiang Li went to the spot she had scouted during the day and vaulted the wall. The moment she landed inside, she heard two sets of footsteps and saw the beam of a flashlight sweeping toward her.

She quickly hid and peered out. It was a couple of patrolling security guards.

After they left, Jiang Li headed toward the garden.

Soon, she found the door. Jiang Li stared at it, then at the electronic lock on the wall.

Jiang Li frowned. Just then, someone pulled her aside. She was about to strike back when she heard a familiar voice.

"It’s me!" Lu Xingye said quickly, lest he get knocked out again.

Jiang Li sighed in relief. ’I thought he’d been captured and turned into a test subject.’

Lu Xingye pulled Jiang Li over and entered a password.

"How did you know the code?" Jiang Li asked, stunned.

Lu Xingye looked at her. "I saw Lin Ye earlier today."

As the door before her slowly swung open, hazy memories flooded Jiang Li’s mind, one after another.

She had run to this very door several times, only to be dragged back before she could even touch it. Then came the even more severe psychological torment. A life she couldn’t bear to live, a death she couldn’t reach.

Lu Xingye looked at the claw marks on the wall, then back at Jiang Li. "You..."

"I’m fine. Let’s go," Jiang Li said quietly, her composure restored. She led Lu Xingye inside, navigating the way with a startling familiarity.

Watching her unhesitating steps, Lu Xingye found his suspicions confirmed.