Chapter 77: The Clever Bird

Chapter 77: The Clever Bird

Sometimes a laid-back lifestyle feels fantastic.

But when life forces you to be the clown, you can’t take it anymore.

“Calling now? Don’t you have a better way to spend your time?”

Xiao Yu was livid. Without even checking the caller ID, he grabbed his phone and roared into it.

“…”

On the other end, Wang Dong was stunned into silence by the yelling.

What had made his little buddy so volatile?

Having been there before, he immediately understood Xiao Yu’s remark.

Had he interrupted his little friend’s fun?

And his wife was gorgeous, no less.

He clearly possessed zero shame.

Indeed!

“Come to the hospital.”

No time to waste. In a low, firm tone, Wang Dong added, “Lv Jinyan… nearly died!”

Hmm?

Xiao Yu’s anger quickly cooled as he ended the call.

He glanced at his sister with a hint of apology, as if he wanted to say something more.

“Go.”

Mu Qingwu stood up and adjusted her brother’s attire. “I’ll be waiting at home.”

“Okay!”

After hugging his sister and stealing a quick kiss, Xiao Yu turned and left…

Watching his brother’s figure recede until it faded from sight, Mu Qingwu finally looked away.

She couldn’t remember when Xiao Yu had first touched the soft spot in her heart.

Once, she had been utterly lonely and desolate.

But now, nothing was the same.

All she yearned to be was the sister waiting for her brother to return home.

She loved that feeling.

She absolutely loved it!

……

Heh~

A red-flagged car screeched to a halt in front of the hospital, a swirl of blue smoke billowing around it.

Xiao Yu leapt from the car and bolted into the hospital.

When he reached the emergency room and peered through the glass, his expression hardened at the sight of Lv Jinyan being resuscitated.

Just half an hour ago, Lv Jinyan had suddenly lost it—snapping at anything in sight, biting whatever caught his attention.

He had gouged out one eye, devoured two fingers, and slashed open his chest and abdomen with shards of glass.

Had it not been for swift intervention and emergency treatment,

Lv Jinyan would have been a goner!

Xiao Yu was utterly baffled.

Why had they struck so early?

No—that wasn’t the issue.

The real question was:

How had the adversary infiltrated a hospital jointly guarded by the police and National Security?

They had almost managed to control Lv Jinyan, nearly pushing him to self-harm or even suicide.

“The process?”

Xiao Yu glared at the emergency room and asked coldly.

“We underestimated them,” came the reply.

Wang Dong, looking chagrined, murmured, “Team member…”

“Do you think this is the time for idle chatter?”

Xiao Yu turned and fixed his steely gaze on Wang Dong.

Wang Dong shuddered under that look and shook his head, “I don’t know!”

Xiao Yu: ???

Even as a blaze of anger flared inside him, his rational mind reminded him

that Wang Dong wasn’t lying—he wasn’t toying with him!

“Without our clearance, hospital staff shouldn’t be moving in and out at will.”

Wang Dong replied grimly, “The staff have been thoroughly checked; it wasn’t them!”

“So, that means…”

Xiao Yu frowned, “Unless it was a ghost, no human could pull this off, right?”

“Yes,” Wang Dong nodded heavily.

When in doubt, ask the smart ones. That was precisely why he called Xiao Yu.

Utilizing every available advantage, he had reached out.

With a resolute expression, Xiao Yu strode toward the patient room.

A thousand anxious thoughts raced through his mind.

The patient room was a mess.

He could vividly picture the chaos after Lv Jinyan had spiraled out of control.

That breakdown had been triggered by a hypnotic suggestion.

It had forced him abruptly into a hypnotized state.

Just like the last time when Xiao Yu activated the MP5.

The moment Lv Jinyan heard the music, he snapped.

“No music?” Xiao Yu inquired.

“Absolutely none,” Wang Dong replied with a shake of his head.

“Then that’s odd. What could it be?”

After searching thoroughly and finding no item capable of triggering such hypnosis, Xiao Yu muttered, “Pull up the surveillance!”

Wang Dong had already prepared one and handed a tablet to Xiao Yu.

There were three cameras: one inside the patient room, one outside it, and one in the hospital corridor.

National Security’s surveillance tactics were impressive.

The corridor.

Just as Wang Dong had said, apart from two staff members entering the room, no one else had come or gone.

Outside the patient room.

This camera, set up temporarily by National Security, was meant to monitor any attempts to enter via the window.

The feed showed only a few birds flying by and perching on the windowsill—nothing suspicious.

Inside the patient room.

Since Lv Jinyan behaved normally when not hypnotized,

he couldn’t always be tied to his bed.

The surveillance revealed that initially, Lv Jinyan acted perfectly normal.

But then, whether from mounting frustration or something else,

he walked straight to the window, opened it, and scared away the birds on the sill.

Then he closed the window and returned to his bed.

In the next moment, Lv Jinyan’s demeanor changed.

He sat up from the bed, his face turning cold and eerie, a sickly smile spreading—a look of twisted pleasure and relief.

It had begun!

“No, this isn’t right. It can’t be!”

Xiao Yu set the tablet down and shook his head.

The hospital staff had been meticulously checked; there was no sign of any hypnotic trigger.

Outside the room, no one was approaching—only a flock of birds.

Really, would you suspect that a group of birds could induce hypnosis?

Xiao Yu thought, Why not suspect?

And indeed, he did wonder.

After all, if any bird was clever, it would be the crow.

Their intelligence was terrifyingly high.

Even so, no bird could possibly deliver a hypnotic suggestion to a human.

Besides, these birds were just ordinary creatures…

Wait a minute!

Xiao Yu suddenly grabbed the tablet and fixed his gaze on the surveillance video.

He rewound and replayed the footage…

Focusing intently on the birds perched on the windowsill.

The Great Tit, locally known as ‘Hei Zi’. 680

Noted for its gray-black head and throat sharply contrasting with white facial patches and a marked neck, small and agile…

He remembered someone saying that this type of tit was remarkably clever, even a bit sly—hard to tame and a protected species.

Because of its smarts, if properly trained,

this clever little bird could indeed perform tasks for humans.

For example…

The video paused and zoomed in as Xiao Yu fixed a steely glare on a Great Tit sitting by the window, determination flashing in his eyes.

On closer look, the bird’s beak clutched a black object no larger than a fingernail.

A Wireless Earphone!

And that wasn’t all.

In total, there were five Great Tits; the other four pecked persistently at the glass.

The video then switched scenes.

Inside the patient room, Lv Jinyan noticed the birds and frowned.

Perhaps irritated by the pecking at the glass, he attempted to shoo them away.

Then, at the moment he opened the window,

the video switched once more.

The Great Tit holding the earphone let go, and the device fell onto the windowsill.

Lv Jinyan opened the window, and the bird flew off.

Zooming in, it appeared that Lv Jinyan muttered something under his breath.

Leaning in closer, he discovered the earphone, looked at it with curiosity, picked it up, and placed it on his ear…

“Damn it!” Xiao Yu cursed loudly.

His first thought was: This has to be fake, right?!