Electronic Nezha

Chapter 138 Alarm
Huang Jiaoming still seemed shaken as he spoke, pausing after every few words, unable to believe it even to himself.

I said, "Tell me slowly, starting from the beginning, how did these two people find you?"

“I was staying in the apartment arranged for me by the People’s Hospital at the time. It wasn’t difficult for them to find me. Those days I was in the eye of the storm, and many people came to see me for medical treatment or to interview me. The two of them knocked on the door and came in. As soon as they came in, they asked me who gave me that picture. I thought they were reporters, so of course I said that I drew it…”

Huang Jiaoming paused and said, "Those two seemed very certain that I wasn't the author, and they forced me to tell the truth, so I didn't hold back and made them leave. Then... then they tied me up and took me to the operating room. Like I just told you, there was a patient lying on the operating table, and they said they would believe me as long as I drew another mind map."

When he said that, I already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. Huang Jiaoming was probably hypnotized by the Queen—the operating room and the anesthetized patient. She couldn't possibly have prepared all of that without leaving any traces.

I said, "Think back to how they took you away, how you left the house, what kind of car you were in, and which operating room you went to."

Huang Jiaoming said, "I don't remember at all. I was too scared at the time. I've performed thousands of surgeries in my life, and I never thought I would be tied to the operating table like this. If you were a writer, wouldn't you be scared if someone held a gun to your head and made you write?"

"and after?"

“I couldn’t draw it, so these two people asked me where the picture came from. I gritted my teeth and insisted that I drew it. I thought to myself, they might as well kill me. Dying on the operating table is better than being disgraced.”

I thought to myself, you really love names.

Huang Jiaoming said, "Who knew that these two people would give me a chance to find out the source of that picture, and then I inexplicably went back to my apartment."

"You didn't call the police?"

"I don't want to make things worse..."

"If you just ignore them, this matter will end here, won't it?"

Huang Jiaoming's eyes flashed with even stronger fear: "At first, I thought the same thing and ignored them, but two days later, the same scenario repeated itself: these two easily broke into my apartment and took me to the operating table. The woman said that if I didn't tell them the truth, they would do this every few days. Who could stand that? I wanted to tell the truth, but I only realized now that no one had ever recognized that picture, so I issued a statement later."

At this point, I finally understood. The most fatal thing was the second hypnosis. Huang Jiaoming was someone who was not afraid to die for fame, but the Queen made him have a deeper fear, which was that he could not control his own destiny. That was the most terrifying thing.

I said, "Have you ever considered that all of this might be a dream?"

Huang Jiaoming pointed to his head and said, "That's what I study. I can distinguish between reality and dreams."

"So, do you think this conversation of ours was a dream or reality?"

Huang Jiaoming paused for a moment, then suddenly picked up a match from the hotel, struck one, and stuck his finger into the flame.

I was stunned. Besides his love of fame, what other side of this old man was he?

"Hiss—" Huang Jiaoming gasped for breath and frantically shook his hands, explaining to me, "Fingertips are more sensitive to pain, and based on my current feeling, I think it's true."

That's impressive! An average person could only pinch a thigh.

"When those two kidnapped you, didn't you think of using this method to test them?"

Huang Jiaoming stared blankly and said, "Are you saying that was all my hallucination? That my sense of shame manifested as a moral judgment against me?"

I said speechlessly, "No matter how you interpret it, those two weren't after you, and they won't bother you again, but stop deceiving yourself."

Huang Jiaoming struck another match. "What are you doing?"

"I just want to make sure I'm not dreaming—" The old man stared at the flame, but ultimately hesitated to put his finger over it. I took out a cigarette, lit it with the flame, and said to him, "From now on, be a good expert and serve the people. You can continue to keep your habit of not accepting gifts."

The flame burned his hand, but Huang Jiaoming tossed the matchstick into the ashtray, beaming. He suddenly called towards the door, "Xiao Li, call reporter Ma in—that short-haired girl in the pink down jacket!"

I asked, puzzled, "Why are you looking for her?"

Huang Jiaoming asked me, "How should I explain this to the media?"

"That's your business."

Can I contact you again in the future?

"No!" I wanted to get rid of my inner demons so that he could help me clean up the mess without any worries. I didn't want to have anything to do with him again.

A short while later, Ma Chaoran walked in. She glanced at me and said to Huang Jiaoming with displeasure, "Professor Huang, you've remembered me again?"

Huang Jiaoming smiled and said, "Of course I remember you. You are very capable, and the report you wrote about me was very comprehensive. I think—"

Before he could finish speaking, fire alarms suddenly blared down the corridor, and people shouted repeatedly, "Fire! Run!"

My phone rang almost simultaneously in my pocket; it was Dolphin calling.

"Brother Feng, there's no fire. Someone's trying to take advantage of the chaos. Don't go anywhere. Wait for me and Shark to meet up with you!"

Outside, there was a cacophony of footsteps and voices, mixed with the voices of Huang Jiaoming's assistant and Chen Zihan's father. The two of them seemed to have been swept away by the crowd. Just as I was about to peer through the peephole, Ma Chaoran suddenly slammed me against the wall. I didn't expect this girl to be so strong.

"Don't go out, wait for reinforcements!" Ma Chaoran held me with her left hand, and with her right hand she held something close to her thigh. When I saw it clearly, I was shocked. It was a pistol!
Seeing my shocked look, Ma Chaoran whispered, "I'm also from the Sixth Division."

These words reassured me a bit. She first observed the situation outside through the peephole, then pricked up her ears to carefully discern what was going on. She then opened the door, revealing dolphins and sharks outside. Both of them reached their hands inside their clothes and simply nodded when they saw Ma Chaoran.

Just then, a waiter ran past us, waving his arms and shouting, "Everyone, don't panic! There's no fire. It's just a child pressing the alarm."

The dolphin and the shark remained vigilant, flanking me as they walked towards the stairwell.

This unexpected incident did not affect Huang Jiaoming's mood. He did not see the gun in Ma Chaoran's hand at all. At this moment, he was still excitedly saying, "Reporter Ma, I'm going to hold a press conference right away. You can host the Q&A session. Don't worry, my interviews afterward will all be your exclusives."

Ma Chaoran glared at him with disgust and said, "Go find someone else."

Huang Jiaoming smoothed his hair and said, "People in your line of work shouldn't hold grudges, right?"

The dolphin turned to him and said, "She doesn't hold grudges; she settles scores on the spot."

Huang Jiaoming shouted at me again, "Um... I still don't know your name."

I turned to him and shouted, "Don't ask about me, don't look for me—just forget about me."

(End of this chapter)