A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 51

“Officer Lu is watching too, isn’t he?”

The man’s tone was flippant. “Tsk, tsk. Why so silent? Do you really have the heart to watch Doctor Shen suffer all alone…?”

“Get away from me!” Shen Zhao snapped, slapping the man’s hand away.

“Why so irritable all of a sudden? I’m going to get your needles, aren’t I~?” The man’s voice carried a hint of doting affection that made the hair on the back of Shen Zhao’s neck stand on end.

As the man turned to fetch the medical tray, Shen Zhao swept another gaze over the surgical bed where the boy lay. He then shifted his eyes toward the camera, the corner of his mouth twitching upward for a fleeting second as he looked up.

“You know, I haven’t been this happy in a long time.”

As he handed the tray to Shen Zhao, the man leaned back against the boy’s bed and spoke as if to himself: “The moment I saw this boy, I thought of you. Sadly, he doesn’t even possess one-ten-thousandth of your charm.”

His voice was low and raspy, his tone tender. To a casual observer, he sounded like a lover whispering sweet nothings.

Shen Zhao ignored him, bowing his head to quickly prepare the sutures for the boy’s wounds. Just as he was about to pierce the skin with the needle, he glanced up at the camera.

Meanwhile, in the Command Center

Lu Xiao stared at the screen, his eyes nearly bursting with rage. Upon seeing the look in Shen Zhao’s eyes, he understood immediately. “Enlarge that frame!”

The rhythm of Shen Zhao’s needle seemed to follow a specific, deliberate pattern.

“Shen Zhao,” the man’s whisper drifted into his ear.

The cold surface of the mask pressed against his cheek, causing Shen Zhao’s hand to tremor as he made a stitch.

“No matter what method you use to transmit information—if Lu Xiao actually finds this place, I’ll make sure he dies right in front of you. So… I suggest you save your breath.”

A chill ran down Shen Zhao’s spine, but he remained silent, keeping his head down until the final stitch was sewn.

The man lowered his head, his gaze obscured. He pulled a scalpel from his pocket, toyed with it meticulously through his gloves, the blade catching the light in a series of blinding flashes.

The moment Shen Zhao turned around, the man traced the tip of the blade along Shen Zhao’s cheek, outlining his features as if he were painting a portrait.

Suddenly, the man leaned in, murmuring in Shen Zhao’s ear: “What were you thinking… the day you started the fire?”

Shen Zhao felt his heart skip a violent beat.

“You know about that day?”

The man let out a soft laugh. “I just wanted to ask you… after all these years, have you ever regretted it? Does it hurt to live a life of ignoble existence, having abandoned everyone else to save yourself?”

“I didn’t!” Shen Zhao blurted out, his words frantic and incoherent. “That day, I just… I don’t know why the fire suddenly spiraled out of control. It shouldn’t have become that big…”

Shen Zhao’s voice grew hoarse as he spoke, and a suspicion regarding the kidnapper’s identity began to form in his mind. When he looked up, his eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. “Do you want me to atone for it?”

The man froze, then burst into laughter. “Atonement? I couldn’t bear to let you die. I originally intended to torture you, but when I actually saw you, my mind changed completely.”

“Shen Zhao, it’s as if you possess some kind of magic…”

As he spoke, he slid the scalpel along Shen Zhao’s collarbone.

Unexpectedly, Shen Zhao surged forward. Leaning in, he stood on his tiptoes and hooked his snow-white arms around the man’s neck, his eyes narrowing as he gave the man’s throat a light, biting lick.

“You!”

The man was struck with shock. He scrambled backward several steps, his voice trembling.

In an instant, Shen Zhao’s demeanor shifted. He looked at the man with a lazy, rakish glint in his eyes. “Is this the kind of thing you want?”

That look…

The man had never expected such a move from Shen Zhao. For a moment, he was dazed; the damp sensation on his neck sent a wave of illicit imagery through his mind.

In the next second, Shen Zhao lunged with sudden force, snatching the scalpel from the man’s hand and ruthlessly slashing it across his own left wrist!

Blood erupted from the wound instantly, leaving a gruesome, jagged gash. The metallic scent of blood filled the room, stinging the nostrils of everyone present.

The man stood paralyzed with terror. He reached out, trying to reclaim the blade. “Shen Zhao! Are you insane!”

For the first time, his voice lost its masked provocation.

Shen Zhao gasped for air, his face turning an ashen white. He clenched the blood-dripping handle of the scalpel between his teeth and pressed down on his wrist, blood seeping through his fingers.

Shen Zhao glanced down at his injury, then glared at the man, gripping the scalpel once more. “Release the child! Now!!”

The man’s voice was filled with disbelief. “You would go this far for a strange child?”

Whether it was a trick of the mind or not, Shen Zhao detected a hint of jealousy in his voice.

“Do as I say! Take him out! Or my next cut… goes here!” He pressed the blade against his carotid artery.

The man let out several self-deprecating, cold chuckles.

“Fine… Fine! Shen Zhao, you are one hell of a piece of work! You win!”

He fumbled with the remote in his pocket. The restraints holding the boy to the bed finally clicked open. The boy’s eyes were glassy, and his throat was so hoarse he couldn’t make a sound.

Shen Zhao gave the boy a deep, meaningful look. He applied pressure to the blade against his neck, opening a small nick. Blood began to trickle down the handle.

“Send him back! Even if his family doesn’t want him, send him back!”

As he spoke, Shen Zhao glanced toward the camera lens.

The man quickly dragged the boy off the bed, his breathing coming in ragged gasps from behind the mask. He was gripped by a profound fear of death.

“Shen Zhao, you’re crazy… if you dare to die… I truly don’t know what uncontrollable things I might do!”

The child scrambled to the corner by the metal door, huddling on the floor. He stared at the two people caught in their madness, his eyes wide with pure terror.

By now, Shen Zhao’s face was terrifyingly pale; he was on the verge of fainting.

The man immediately grabbed a roll of bandages, pressing them haphazardly against Shen Zhao’s hand to bind the wound. His voice was now pleading: “I’m taking him out right now. Just promise me you won’t hurt yourself anymore, okay?”

Shen Zhao nodded weakly, cold sweat dripping down his face, his gaze icy.

As if his strength had finally been exhausted, his body began to tilt to the side. The man took the opportunity to strike the back of Shen Zhao’s neck with the edge of his hand, knocking him unconscious.

The screen went black once more.

Four hours since Shen Zhao was taken.

Inside the command vehicle, no one dared to look at the screen. Everyone was stunned by Shen Zhao’s desperate actions.

“God damn it! That psycho! I’m going to kill him!”

Lu Xiao’s eyes were bloodshot; he looked as though he wanted to smash the screen to pieces.

“Can’t we open the mic?! I need to say something to him!!” Lu Xiao roared.

The technician shook his head. “It would expose our current communication coordinates. They… their counter-reconnaissance awareness is extremely high.”

“Motherfucker!”

Lu Xiao closed his eyes, forcing his breathing into a steady rhythm. “The Morse code Shen Zhao just sent—what’s the decryption?”

“GTS-3356. It’s very likely the model number of a piece of equipment.”

“Can we confirm the buyer? And the delivery address?”

“On it! We’re cross-referencing manufacturers and distributors of that model. We’re checking all recent orders, delivery addresses, and installation personnel! Mobilize everyone in the bureau—check them one by one!”