Wei Tianyang was at a loss for a moment, his rapid breaths causing his chest to heave up and down.
"This fellow is hurt so badly, I'm afraid he's not going to make it."
The onlookers suddenly fell silent, and Uncle Wu, standing in front of the crowd, was also open-mouthed and speechless.
After being stunned for a dozen seconds, an old man who had been singing suddenly squeezed through the crowd and dragged Wei Tianyang off the man's body.
"Get up! What are you still sitting there for?" the old man urged.
Only then did Wei Tianyang begin to recover somewhat, standing beside the old man, disbelievingly staring at the man's body.
Just now, as he had delivered a punch to the man's head, he knew he had used force, but not enough... not enough to smash someone's skull like this.
He was utterly baffled by the outcome.
A person's strength couldn't possibly be this enormous.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the words of the woman in white from Tiantai Pharmaceutical.
"If everything goes smoothly, you will feel your strength increase a bit..."
Could that be the reason?
The moment he threw the punch, he did indeed feel a strange sensation, a warm current surging from his heart and funneling into his fist.
He shook his head; the drug he was trialing, an injection from the research project, was a health medicine for treating nervous system disorders – it couldn't possibly have such severe side effects.
Besides, he was slender in build, and the man's arm was as thick as his two combined...
The more Wei Tianyang thought about it, the more chaotic his thoughts became. The onlookers were starting to collect themselves when someone, with a voice like a cracked gong, suddenly shouted: "Murder!"
The sound was loud and soon reached every corner of the construction site.
Those who had been sleeping in their sheds, eating in the canteen, or smoking at the doorway were all startled by the shout.
Workers came out one after another to see what the commotion was about, and soon a large circle of people had formed around the body.
Wei Tianyang instinctively looked for Uncle Wu but couldn't spot him anywhere in the crowd. The temporary workers were pointing and whispering about Wei Tianyang.
"Just a joking remark, and he kills a man, born a bad seed." A tall skinny guy with glasses stood in the crowd, making cool and derisive comments.
Amidst the noisy surroundings, the singing old man could only try to explain over and over what had happened before. A few workers even held shovels defensively against Wei Tianyang.
"Tie him up! An eye for an eye!"
"It's not like that! Listen to me, that fellow insulted his mom first..."
"What are you meddling for? Could this kid be your bastard?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
"An eye for an eye! No law broken if we kill him— he struck first!"
Engulfed by anger, Wei Tianyang looked up at the crowd and bellowed, "Shut up, all of you!"
At his shout, the surroundings immediately fell silent.
"Find the security officer..." he said gravely.
4 hours later.
Qiyang City Security Bureau, temporary detention center.
Wei Tianyang sat alone on the long bench of the temporary detention cell, anxiously waiting.
The buzz of fluorescent lighting was the only accompaniment here. Through the walls, Wei Tianyang could hear the wall-mounted TV broadcasting the news.
"... Unification of the northern territories of Chicken Snake Country is the wish and mission of all Chicken Snake people. We will spare no effort to dissolve the false rule of the northern pseudo-government..."
"The several massive meteorites that have fallen within our borders have attracted attention from several foreign pharmaceutical companies, including Tiantai Pharmaceutical, Nianchuan Pharmaceutical, Red Pharmaceutical, and others, which have initiated talks with our Ministry of Health..."
"... The fallen meteorites have damaged the local environment. The northern and southern military factions, at the request of Tiantai Pharmaceutical, have cooperated to establish a restricted area. Currently, there are already thousands within the country infected with an unknown disease..."
The news presenter rattled on in Chicken Snake language, but Wei Tianyang couldn't care less about any of it.
He sat with one leg crossed over the other, his left leg jittering continuously as thoughts swirled in his mind.
Would he be sentenced to death?
He wasn't afraid of the fate that awaited him; after all, he was the killer and had to pay the price for breaking the law.
Wei Tianyang was only worried about his mother, who completely depended on him for her livelihood.
What would she do if he wasn't there?
He couldn't help thinking that if only he had chosen to bear it silently...
No... it only enraged him more the more he thought about it.
Insult my mom, and I'll take your life!
It was only the man's skull that was too fragile to withstand even the fist of a weak 15-year-old boy.
Every so often, he glanced toward the green iron door of the detention room, fearing that his frail mother would appear at the doorstep, her face full of worry.
After locking him in the cell, the security officer hadn't bothered with him since.
No interrogation, no further investigation, he was just left here.
Waiting for someone else to decide his future was an unbearable feeling.
Amid his chaotic thoughts, bustling footsteps echoed from outside the door, followed by the click of a lock being opened.
Fate was about to reveal itself...
Wei Tianyang looked towards the iron door and saw a woman in a white suit appear at the entrance, a security officer following behind her.
It was the woman from Tiantai Pharmaceutical, the one who had offered him the drug trial job.
Why was she here?
A glimmer of relief and anticipation welled up inside him.
The woman, Ruan Yu, was over 30, dressed in spotless white, her skin fair and glowing, her hairstyle meticulous, her makeup delicate and refined.
Just by looking at her, it was clear she was a cut above the rest.
"Release him," Ruan Yu said with a nod.
The security officer bowed, took out the keys, and unlocked the iron door to Wei Tianyang's cell.
"Let's go!" the security officer urged.
Wei Tianyang had indeed thought this woman might help him out, but he hadn't expected it to be so nonchalant.
He stood up wanting to greet her, but Ruan Yu did not even glance at him and turned to walk out the door.
Wei Tianyang, carrying a canvas bag, followed outside the security office to see a black SUV parked by the roadside.
The driver opened the car door, letting Ruan Yu in first; she sat inside, arms crossed, and motioned with her eyes for him to get in.
He sat beside Ruan Yu, the door closed, the engine started, and the vehicle took off in an unknown direction.
"Thank you."
Wei Tianyang had stewed a long time before breaking the silence.
Ruan Yu was looking out of the window as if she hadn't heard him, and a faint fragrance filled the car.
That was the scent of Ruan Yu's perfume.
"I...uh...I didn't mean for that to happen. I don't know why I..." Wei Tianyang rubbed his hands, trying to explain.
"I don't care why you did it," said Ruan Yu, turning to him with a smile on her face.
Wei Tianyang had thought she would be angry.
After all, he worked for Tiantai Pharmaceutical, and during that time, he had been blamed for a murder that could likely plunge them into a PR crisis.
"What did it feel like at the time?" Ruan Yu asked, smiling.
"I had no psychological preparation...I just got carried away and then..." Wei Tianyang trailed off, looking down.
"No, I'm talking about the changes in your body. Did you feel anything different at the moment of action?" Ruan Yu shook her head.
Different?
The rush of heat in his heart...the numbness in his fist...
Wei Tianyang recalled.
At that time, his right fist had felt as if it were made of lead.
"At the time, I felt like my right arm had gone numb," said Wei Tianyang.
Ruan Yu suddenly reached out and grabbed his right forearm, then rolled up the sleeve.
He was frighteningly thin, with limbs as skinny as hemp stalks from long-term malnutrition. An adult could encircle his wrist with the thumb and forefinger.
His wheat-colored skin had the smoothness peculiar to young men, a delicate texture no middle-aged person could achieve with any skincare product.
"Maybe it's just psychological...you see, there's nothing..." Wei Tianyang said.
However, Ruan Yu twisted his forearm, causing Wei Tianyang to shift in his seat.
"Hiss!" He looked at the underside of his own forearm, his eyes widening.
A thumb-thick black line was seeping out from the largest vein on the palm of his hand, extending all the way to his elbow.
Staring at the black line, Wei Tianyang couldn't tell if it were an illusion, but it seemed to be emitting a dim white-golden light, pulsing in the dimly lit cabin.
"Do you feel anything?" Ruan Yu asked.
Wei Tianyang shook his head.
Ruan Yu touched the black line on his arm carefully, her expression a mix of surprise and joy.
"Finally...finally..." she whispered under her breath.
"This...is this normal? Could it affect the nerves in my limbs?" Wei Tianyang asked.
Ruan Yu did not answer him but instead stared solemnly into his eyes.
"Is there a risk of becoming disabled?" Wei Tianyang asked again.
Risk...
There was certainly a risk, but he had disregarded the likelihood of such risks before making his choice...
It was just a health supplement.
"I don't know, we need to conduct further research. Come to the company for a check-up tomorrow, I'll come to pick you up in the morning," Ruan Yu finally spoke.
"What about the security bureau? I... I killed someone," Wei Tianyang said.
Ruan Yu suddenly laughed out loud, pulling a pack of cigarettes from her shirt pocket and lighting one for herself.
Smoke swirled around the car, and Wei Tianyang coughed a few times.
"You're still worried about that? That's just laughable," she said dismissively.
"The guy was just an unemployed bum, alone in the world, with no one to care if he lived or died," she said while pressing a button to lower the window, flicking the cigarette ash outside.
A cool breeze entered, clearing the lingering smoke, but Wei Tianyang could not appreciate the delicate profile of Ruan Yu's face.
"In Chicken Snake Country, the death of a civilian or two every day is nothing unusual," she said, taking another drag and exhaling smoke outside the window.
"Your life is more important than his, at least for now," Ruan Yu said with a smile, looking at Wei Tianyang.
"So..." Wei Tianyang understood.
Ruan Yu took out a 50 Yin Min Currency note from her wallet and handed it to Wei Tianyang.
"Go have a shower and a good meal when you get back. Don't stuff your construction site lunch box in your bag; I can smell the oiliness from here," Ruan Yu said.
Wei Tianyang laughed, took the money, and tucked it into his jacket pocket.
"You want a ride back?" she asked.
"No, don't stop in front of my house. Just drop me off on the street where Sushi Delivery Logistics Company is located," Wei Tianyang said.
He didn't want acquaintances seeing him in contact with pharmaceutical company people.
Some minutes later, Wei Tianyang got out of the car with his bag.
Ruan Yu watched his receding figure, then slowly rolled up the window.
"The autopsy results are in, the lab is waiting for you," the driver said, glancing in the rearview mirror.
She picked up her makeup compact, touched up her eye makeup, and said, "Let's go back to the office, let's see what kind of ability this item number 091 has."
The SUV made a U-turn on the empty road and drove toward the outskirts of the city.