Chapter 188: The Most Familiar Stranger

2022-05-20

Maybe that madwoman they caught was just a distraction. From the start, there might’ve been two people running this whole escape plan. I already had a suspicion about this farce, but I needed to look at her file to be sure. Before leaving, I glanced one more time at the exposed wiring. The cut end was razor sharp, and the wire was mounted on the wall, at least three meters up.

My eyes dropped to the floor by the wall, where I spotted a small, sharp knife stabbed at an angle into the ground. I pulled it out and looked it over carefully. On the edge of the blade, I found a tiny bit of black rubber—the insulation from an electric wire.

“Give me a hand,” I said to Gu Chen. “I want to get a closer look.”

Gu Chen nodded and crouched down, signaling for me to step onto his shoulders. I nodded too, not bothering to refuse.

From up there, I could see marks on the wall. That’s when I noticed—a small groove, smudged black as if something had burned it.

“Find anything?” Gu Chen asked as I climbed off his shoulders.

I brushed the dust from Gu Chen’s shoulder and said, “There’s a timing device. You know, all sorts of things like incense sticks can be used to keep time. When the incense burns down, the knife resting above drops, the blade cuts the old wire instantly.”

“So you mean,” Guan Zengbin said, looking up, “all of this was planned out from the start.”

I nodded, putting the knife away. “Exactly. And it proves something else, too.”

“What is it?” Guan Zengbin asked.

I spoke slowly. “There’s only one person directing this whole thing. If others were involved, why bother setting up such a complicated timing device? But there’s still one problem.”

I stuck out a finger, explaining, “How did that woman get into Area A in the first place? Maybe it was just a clever substitution.”

When we got back to the ward, the Head Nurse was at the door, directing the security guards to check on every patient inside. If one person could get out, the others might try it too—especially the four on the third floor, and that old man in particular.

If that old man escaped, things could get really dangerous.

I asked, “Who exactly is that madwoman? Was she a patient before all this?”

The Head Nurse shot me a sour look. “Of course! She was brought in a month ago, severe schizophrenia. She once mistook her own child for a chicken and killed them. When she was admitted, she’d completely lost it, sees everyone as the person who killed her kid…”

“I want to look at her file,” I said.

The Head Nurse put her hands behind her back, squinting at me, clearly annoyed. “Wu Meng, don’t push your luck. The place is a mess and I hardly have time for you. You should be investigating, not poking around here.”

I turned to Guan Zengbin. “Any news from Mary? Has the third story started yet?”

Guan Zengbin waved his phone. “Nothing yet. If there’s anything, Mary will tell us right away. Judging by the timing, the third story probably won’t happen until this evening. We’ve still got a few hours, but we don’t have the slightest clue about the killer…”

I shook my head and told Guan Zengbin, “After listening to that old man, I think I’m starting to get an idea about this person’s mindset.”

Then I turned back to the Head Nurse. “Look, we’re just standing here, waiting. Don’t you think something’s off? If that woman went through all the trouble to escape from the ward but got caught before even leaving Area A, isn’t that suspicious?”

The Head Nurse glanced at me, then eyed the security guards checking rooms. Worry clouded her face. “You think there’s an insider?”

I shrugged. “Probably not. Who’d collude with a psych patient? Would you trust some lunatic promising you ten thousand to let them out? I doubt any normal person would. My guess—she opened the door herself.”

Next, I shared my theory with the Head Nurse.

She scratched her head and asked, “So what do you think her motive was?”

I didn’t answer but turned to Team Leader Shao. “Are you sure the person you caught is the same one who ran out?”

Shao frowned, catching my meaning. “You mean…?”

I nodded. The one who ran out and the one brought back might not be the same person.

The Head Nurse finally caught on and handed me the madwoman’s file. According to her records, the woman was in her thirties and looked fairly pretty in the photo. But in the pictures, she looked a bit chubby—totally different from the woman I’d seen inside earlier.

I compared the photo, then asked the Head Nurse, “You’re sure this file is correct?”

She checked it carefully. “No doubt. It’s her.”

Pointing at the photo, I asked, “Don’t you think the woman in the file isn’t the same woman who was in the ward earlier?”

“They aren’t the same person?” The Head Nurse sputtered. “That can’t be.”

Without another word, she headed upstairs. Right in front of the room where the patient had just been brought back, she stopped. Through the iron bars, we could see the woman tied tightly to the bed, still struggling with all her might.

The Head Nurse stared for a long time, then finally said, “See? It’s her. You’re just imagining things.”

I pointed to the woman. “In the surveillance footage, that woman was always sleeping. That’s why no one noticed. But the woman in those videos wasn’t this one—someone was impersonating her.”

Then I asked, “Do the patients in Area A get any time outside every day?”

The Head Nurse nodded, like it was obvious. “Of course. Psychiatric patients need some freedom. They can’t just stay cooped up inside all day. Every morning, the patients on the second floor are let out to use the bathroom—you saw for yourself, the rooms don’t have bathrooms.”

“Why is that?” Gu Chen asked.

The Head Nurse pointed at the woman. “Because the ones on the second floor can get violent. It’s safer to line them up every morning to use the bathroom, easier to manage…”

“Is there anyone supervising the bathrooms then?” I pressed.

“No!” The Head Nurse sighed. “Everyone deserves privacy…”

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Now I was almost certain what really went down. A woman disguised herself as a psych patient and sneaked into the building. First, she drugged an actual female patient when they went to the bathroom. Then she switched clothes with the patient and rejoined the group after the break.

Once inside, she set up a timed device on the main surveillance circuit. While inside, she kept scratching lines into the wall, marking time to match the device outside.

As soon as the power was cut, she made her escape.

That means she came here for a reason—way more than just getting in and out.

So if you look at it that way, the only reason she’d sneak into the hospital must be to meet someone inside. As for who—I could only think of that old man on the third floor.

Someone wanted to find the old man.

Was our meeting a coincidence, or planned?

As we puzzled over it, Mary called my phone.

It was already evening.

I realized—the third story must’ve started.

“Mary,” I answered.

She said, “Wu Meng, what’re you up to? Xiao Liu found a clue.”

“The third story already started?” I asked, surprised.

“No, not yet. Xiao Li found that man, and Xiao Liu found something useful from him.”

I nodded and told the others, “Xiao Liu’s got something. Let’s go.”

Gu Chen frowned. “Would Xiao Liu even bother telling us unless there’s something we need to solve for him? Let’s see what he wants.”

I didn’t respond, just said, “Let’s go check it out. Head Nurse, I really think you should investigate all this. Things aren’t as simple as they seem—especially with that old man on the third floor. I think he’s involved somehow.”

The Head Nurse waved me off. “Everything was fine before you came back. Every time you show up, trouble follows. You should stick to your investigation and leave this place alone. I know more about that old man than you ever will.”

I just smiled and kept quiet.

As we left Area A, I finally noticed the brand-new buildings outside, all bright and modern. Walked around the corner, almost bumping into a woman coming the other way.

She didn’t apologize, just brushed past me. Watching her leave, I felt a strange, lingering sense of familiarity.