Hospital 444
Chapter 543 - 5 The Sinner

Chapter 543: Chapter 5 The Sinner

It was probably past seven when dinner was ready.

It was apparent that Song Ran wasn’t in the best of spirits; the dishes were simple, just two home-cooked ones: stir-fried greens and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and there wasn’t even any soup.

"I’m sorry, Yun Lan, I didn’t manage to go shopping for groceries. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the market and buy you a fish to nourish your body a bit more."

"Okay, I know..."

Hai Yunlan didn’t mind at all; from her perspective, the Song Ran in front of her wasn’t her mother but a complete stranger. She was even slightly worried that there might be something wrong with the dishes, so she only dared to eat after Song Ran had started eating first.

In short, until Song Ran was willing to be honest with her and tell her the whole truth, she couldn’t possibly trust this woman.

She dared not take Hai Yunlan’s words seriously, not even a single sentence.

Therefore, she ate her meal with a distracted mind.

"Listen well, Yun Lan, unless necessary, try not to go outside. During this time, that group with the black masks might come to inquire about us. I’ve already taught you how to deal with questions about the period of your amnesia. After dinner, I’ll ask you again."

"In short, just say that I’ve been staying at my uncle’s place these past few days. But won’t they check the hospital? Especially that checkpoint..."

"Most areas on this island don’t have surveillance cameras, and although there are cameras in the hospital, they’re limited to the interior. It won’t be a problem as long as they don’t specifically investigate the hospital. If you don’t mention it, no one will know you were hospitalized."

"You still refuse to tell me what exactly happened? That person called Dan Cha..."

Song Ran said anxiously, "You don’t know the name Dan Cha! No one knows it!"

"Dan Cha is dead, right?" Hai Yunlan suddenly put down her chopsticks and said, "If there were any possibility he wasn’t, then it would make more sense for you to prioritize getting me off this island. You can’t say you know nothing, you’re sure that Dan Cha is dead, and you’re also sure there were no witnesses."

"That’s not it!" Song Ran grasped her shoulders firmly and said, "You didn’t kill him! Listen to me, those people are inhumane; they can do anything! So..."

Just then, something eerie happened.

Song Ran’s words came to an abrupt halt.

She showed a look of horror and instinctively said, "How could..."

Then, her neck stiffened as she turned to look behind her.

But there was nothing there.

Yet Song Ran kept looking behind her, her neck maintaining that twisted position.

Keeping such a posture was definitely very uncomfortable for the cervical spine, but Song Ran continued to maintain it.

Hai Yunlan was stunned; she stood up and walked to the other side of the dining table, looking at Song Ran’s expression which was filled with terror as if she had seen something extremely horrifying.

After a long while, Song Ran finally said, "There’s... nothing."

After those words, Song Ran finally showed a sign of relief.

Then she turned her head back.

"What were you just doing? Was there something behind you that you were looking at for so long?"

Song Ran shook her head and replied, "Nothing. There was nothing."

Lies.

Absolute lies.

Her "nothing" was definitely not meant for herself!

What does it all mean?

Could there be someone outside the house? Was her phrase some sort of secret signal?

"Yun Lan, listen well. Go to bed before ten o’clock, and make sure to turn off the light as I instructed. Do not open the curtains! No matter what you hear, don’t bother with it; just sleep. Okay?"

Clearly, she wouldn’t be able to say much more.

After dinner, Hai Yunlan wanted to help with the dishes, but Song Ran still refused, insisting that she rest as soon as possible.

Back in her room, Hai Yunlan felt an intense repression and gloom.

She didn’t dare to confront Song Ran directly yet; after all, she really didn’t know what Song Ran was scheming, or if she truly was her daughter.

She didn’t even dare to take a shower, for fear that something unexpected would happen during it, leaving her completely unguarded.

She walked to the window and pulled back the curtains.

The town wasn’t a stretch of flat land but rather had several slopes, so there were many places that required climbing long staircases.

And this house was located at the foot of a hill, and there were quite a few houses that appeared to be on the slopes, which, from a distance, looked much better than this one.

It was evident that the higher the residence, the more powerful the inhabitants.

In the few hundred meters surrounding this house, there were hardly any obstructions or greenery, and fortunately, Hai Yunlan’s vision was very good.

At that moment, she saw a man and a woman running on the street while five or six people in black masks pursued them.

They weren’t running slowly, but they couldn’t escape the pursuit of so many behind them. Most importantly, the man was carrying a very large bag, which hindered his speed.

Eventually, those five or six people surrounded the man and woman.

By then, they had run to within fifty meters of the house.

Hai Yunlan watched in horror as the couple knelt on the ground, begging pitifully.

Suddenly, one of the masked men pulled out an axe from his waist and aimed it at one of the men’s head... and chopped down viciously!

Hai Yunlan was so scared she almost fell off the bed!

Then, she lay on the windowsill, barely poking out her head.

This area indeed had no surveillance, but at least it was a residential area. These people... were they really so bold as to... murder?

After that, she heard the woman’s piercing shriek. Those beasts laughed as they continued to surround her.

"No, no... save me, save me!"

Then, Hai Yunlan heard a man in a black mask shout, "Whoever dares to come out and save her, just try! Whoever dares to come out, will become the criminal! You all should know the consequences for a criminal!"

Suddenly, Hai Yunlan felt her stomach churn.

At that moment, she rushed towards the telephone, but at the same time the door opened, and Song Ran walked in.

"Don’t!"

Song Ran hurried over to hold down the handset, shaking her head, "Don’t call, even the police wouldn’t dare to do anything to them upon arriving; this isn’t China, the police and these people are in cahoots!"

"How could this be?"

Hai Yunlan could hardly believe it.

Then, Song Ran turned off the lights in the room.

"You saw nothing, you heard nothing... do nothing..."

"I heard what they said just now. And before, the people who were beaten at the hospital entrance were the same," Hai Yunlan’s eyes widened as she looked at Song Ran, questioning, "A criminal? They meant that if we tried to help, then we would be the criminals?"

"Yes. Criminals." She continued, "Listen well, Yun Lan, these are the rules on this island. This island is isolated from the outside world, almost a highly autonomous region. Those with the black masks, not even the island’s elites dare to provoke them. Or to put it another way, the bureaucrats are even more afraid of them! Even local council members are no exception!"

"Is the whole town... like this?"

"Yes. This is Heisong Town." Song Ran said this and started to cry, "I beg you, Yun Lan, don’t do anything dangerous anymore! Don’t do it again! Don’t end up like your father..."

Finally, she brought up the father!

At that, she immediately realized something.

"Dad?"

Outside the house, the woman’s harrowing shrieks continued to come through.

What she must be going through, Hai Yunlan could fully imagine.

But there was no doubt, she couldn’t save that woman.

She clenched her fists tightly, her eyes bloodshot.

"Listen to me, Yun Lan... go to sleep later... nothing happened outside... nothing happened at all!"