Chapter 455: Trio
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
With Chen Chen’s approval, the helicopter was prepared. Qian Wenhuan went directly to the roof, got on the helicopter, and immediately flew to Windhoek.
More than an hour later, Qian Wenhuan met the police officer Hodge, who was now staying in the intensive care unit and was burned to the point where he no longer looked human.
Across the gla.s.s, Qian Wenhuan, accompanied by the hospital director, silently looked at the brightly lit intensive care unit, in which there was only one person who was wrapped like a mummy.
As his hands and feet were so burnt, the man’s arms and legs had been amputated. If one was not paying attention, one could not even tell that the person on the bed was a person.
“CEO Qian, this patient is Hodge.”
At this time, the director of Windhoek Hospital was by Qian Wenhuan’s side and he exclaimed, “He has been here for half a month and he’s still struggling not to die almost every day. To be honest, he can live till now is already a miracle.”
“Do you have no hope of healing him?”
Qian Wenhuan looked at the room inside the gla.s.s window with a calm, still expression.
“No, the patient’s wounds have started to deteriorate a few days ago.”
The director shook his head. “His external defense system has completely collapsed, his trachea is damaged, his lungs are damaged, and his internal defense system is going to be on the verge of collapse. It will end in one or two days. No one can pull him back from the brink of death.”
Qian Wenhuan glanced at the director, but the man played dumb and only chuckled. “What are you going to do, CEO Qian?”
“I want to meet Hodge’s family, please link me to them, Mr. Director.”
Qian Wenhuan said solemnly.
“Well...”
The director hesitated for a while, wearing a look of embarra.s.sment. “That’s not so easy for us. After all, this involves the privacy of patients. As a company, if you...”
Before he finished talking, Qian Wenhuan looked directly at the secretary behind him. The secretary nodded, took out his mobile phone, dialed a number, and then said, “CEO Qian, Hodge’s father is now on his way to the hospital. He’ll be here in three minutes.”
“Come, let’s go meet him on the first floor.”
Qian Wenhuan turned around and left, leaving only the bewildered director and a group of doctors standing outside the intensive care unit.
“Dir, director?”
A doctor asked stutteringly.
“Let’s head down too!”
The director snorted coldly, followed Qian Wenhuan, and walked toward the first floor.
The hospital had only four floors in total. The ward for the ICU was located on the top floor and it took only two or three minutes to walk down from the fourth floor.
Soon, Qian Wenhuan saw Hodge’s father at the doors.
Hodge was only twenty-four years old. He was younger than the other two eligible targets. Fortunately, he was the son of a wealthy white businessman in Windhoek.
If he were just the son of an ordinary Namibian citizen, he would probably not have enough money to live in the intensive care unit and he would have been buried in the ground by now.
However, according to the information, although Hodge’s father was a wealthy businessman, he was only slightly richer than ordinary people. The intensive care unit treatment in the past half month had almost been unsustainable for him.
Still, when he learned of the arrival of Blacklight Biotechnology who was willing to treat his son for free, the wealthy white businessman finally displayed a relieved expression despite his lingering doubts.
“Mr. William, we at Blacklight Biotechnology already know about your son’s situation. If you agree, we can transfer him to the Eco Science City to treat him with everything at our disposal and even install the most advanced bionic prosthesis on the market, so that he can return to his police post.”
The secretary next to Qian Wenhuan took out a prepared contract and handed it to the other party. The contract had more than 50 pages and there were over 1,000 clauses.
Looking at the contract in his hand, the white rich businessman seemed to understand something. He said solemnly, “Just tell me, what is your purpose, and what do you need us to do?”
“We’re currently developing some new bionic technologies that require people to try them on. Such people cannot be normal people, but disabled.”
Qian Wenhuan did not speak, but the secretary beside him said directly, “This is our purpose and what you have to do is very simple. That is, move to live in Eco Science City. However, to make up for your losses, we’ll subsidize your relocation and we can also take care of your business.”
“I... I need to think about it.”
The wealthy businessman opened his mouth, seeming to be a little tempted, but he was still hesitant. “I need to find a lawyer to help me go through this contract.”
“There’s no time left, Mr. William!”
The secretary suddenly increased his volume and said sternly, “Hodge has now shown signs of infection in his wounds. Do you know how long your son can last? He may not even last a day. You hesitate so much, do you think there’s some conspiracy in our company?”
“Then... Okay.”
The wealthy businessman felt his heart clench, so he had to agree. At the same time, he gritted his teeth and directly signed his name in the position of “Party B”.
At this moment, everyone from the hospital also arrived in front of Qian Wenhuan. Hearing Qian Wenhuan’s secretary persuading Williams, the director said with a gloomy face, “CEO Qian, I’m afraid this won’t do because Mr. Hodge can’t bear the impact of being transferred anymore. Do you think Hodge’s injuries can withstand four or five hours of being jolted about?”
“There’s no need to worry about this point, Mr. Director. Our Eco Science City has phased out ambulances six months ago and now we have been using medical helicopters.”
Qian Wenhuan said lightly, took the contract handed back by the rich businessman, and left the hospital with his secretary and bodyguard without looking back.
“CEO Qian, the director dared to get in our way. Do you need me to send someone to teach him a lesson?”
As soon as they were out the door, the secretary lowered his voice and asked.
“No need.”
Qian Wenhuan shook his head. “This hostility toward us is very common in Namibia. After all, we’ve seized a lot of resources and markets in Namibia, so the locals naturally don’t feel favorable toward us.”
“Then let’s forget it?”
The secretary nodded and relaxed.
“Forget it. Just call the Minister of Health and ask him to find a reason to sack the director of this hospital.”
Qian Wenhuan waved his hand and said placidly.
Secretary: “...”
They sent a notice for Eco Science City to send a medical helicopter to pick up the patient. After that, Qian Wenhuan and his team found the second target’s family.
This was a low-rise bungalow on the outskirts of Windhoek.
Although this was the capital, the suburbs of Windhoek were mostly bungalows made of stones. Although the place was not as prosperous as the city, it was at least a little better than those living in the slums.
However, compared to the other bungalows along the way, this bungalow was undoubtedly more run-down. Most of the red paint on the door had peeled off, exposing the bare door panels, and the doorway was even more disordered. Life here was no bed of roses.
Without waiting for Qian Wenhuan to get out of the car, the bodyguard who had been following the group got out and knocked on the door of this house.
About half a minute later, when the bodyguard was getting a little impatient and thinking that there was no one in the house, he finally heard approaching footsteps, and then the wooden door opened with a creak. A slovenly dressed black woman appeared at the door, and behind her, two biracial children who were four or five years old, were there.
The two children poked their heads out behind their mother, looking at Qian Wenhuan and the team with some curiosity and fear.
“We’re looking for Mr. Brooke.”
The secretary spoke for Qian Wenhuan, “Is he at home?”
“Please come in...”
The woman was stunned, then she moved aside and let everyone walk in.
As soon as they entered the room, Qian Wenhuan and the secretary frowned at the same time, because there was a pungent stench in the room as if this was not a private house, but a public toilet.
Not just any toilet, but a pit toilet at that.
They followed the woman to the innermost room. Finally, Qian Wenhuan and the others met the purpose of their trip, a plump, scruffy man.
The bedding under the man’s body had lost its color long ago and he was lying on the bed like a mountain of meat, completely lacking the hard lines and sharp eyes that were in his photo. All he had was a deathlike numbness.
What was even more frightening was that although the man’s face and body were extremely plump, his limbs were shrunken like bones. At first glance, it looked like four toothpicks were stuck in a ma.s.s of flesh...
Detecting the disgusting smell coming from the man, the secretary resisted the discomfort and said, “Mr. Brooke, is it? We’re from Blacklight Biotechnology. This is our general manager, Mr. Qian Wenhuan...”
The secretary waited for a while, but the man in front of him still did not respond. He had to continue. “We want to sign a contract with you. If you agree, we can remodel you...”
Nonetheless, up until this point, the man still did not move and not even his eyes flickered.
“He’s become like this a long time ago.”
Just when the secretary was at a loss, the voice of the black woman suddenly came from behind them. Her voice was calm as if talking about a total stranger. “I’ve tried. No matter what happens outside, he will not respond. He’s dead, spiritually dead.”
Qian Wenhuan glanced at the woman, then stepped forward and squatted directly beside the man’s bed. “Mr. Brooke, I know you can hear our words, so let me skip the nonsense. What if I say we can make you stand up again?”
Even so, the man still did not move. If it were not for his opened eyes and the visible rise and fall of his chest, everyone would think that he was just a corpse.
Seeing that the man still did not react, Qian Wenhuan finally shook his head and prepared to turn around and leave.
However, when he turned around, a hoa.r.s.e voice suddenly came from behind him. “What you said — is it true?”
“Of course it’s true, Mr. Brooke.”
Qian Wenhuan turned his head and flashed a meaningful smile. “But the only requirement is that you need to sacrifice something.”
“I have nothing to give up.”
Brooke slowly raised his head and it was as if there was something shivering in his pupils the color of cold ash. “As long as I can stand again, I’ll give up all I have...”
A few minutes later, Qian Wenhuan and the others walked out of the room because Brooke had easily signed the contract.
Two of the three targets had been achieved and next, there was only one target left.
However, the remaining target was not in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, but in a small village farther away.
Thus, Qian Wenhuan took the helicopter again and hurried toward Neham Village, a hundred kilometers away.
This time, it took two hours for them to find the black detective named Blake.
As a native of Namibia, this man named Blake had completely lost his mobility after his limbs were cut off by drug dealers. However, he did not sink into despair and give up like the previous Brooke but found a new job — weaving straw ropes and fishnets.
With his agile mouth, Blake could sit at the table all afternoon and weave a few meters of straw rope. Of course, this was if someone had put the raw material for the straw rope in front of him.
With this job, he lived with his parents and could even make a living with this.
“Who are you people, was it the police who sent you here to solve my physical problems?
“Oh please, how many times have I asked the police station to please send me a woman, I don’t care if she’s white or black, fat or thin. But they send me a bunch of big guys every time?
“D*mn, am I going to get my cherry popped? Those drug dealers that chopped off my limbs had spared my little guy, but now you guys are gonna pop my cherry?”
Looking at the black man yammering away while sitting on the stone bench with a row of straw ropes in front of him, Qian Wenhuan’s secretary could not help being a little surprised.
It was not as if he had not considered the man’s situation. If Blake wanted to survive in a poor country like Namibia without his limbs, he would need to support himself in addition to having a certain family background, but the secretary did not expect that Blake would be so optimistic.
Although he was full of swear words, everyone could tell that the man in front of them was not broken down at all.
“I, I am...”
When the black man in front of him had tirelessly rapped his piece, the secretary came forward. When he was just arranging his words in his head, Qian Wenhuan patted him on the shoulder and said directly, “Mr. Blake, we’re from Blacklight Biotechnology, not sent by the police station.”
“So that’s it? No wonder it’s not a group of black dudes.”
The black man bared his white teeth and laughed. “So what is the purpose of you Chinese guys coming here? Surely it’s not because I’m some sort of tourist attraction? My stinky neighbor always gets this idea, he’s discussed it with me. Ten Namibian dollars for a ticket to visit me, twenty for a photo with me, but I think tourists surely can’t be bored enough to visit some black man when there are plenty of us all over the street.”
“We have another purpose.”
Qian Wenhuan smiled. He did not respond to the other party’s mouthful of babble and just said, “Listening to your speech, it seems that you’re deeply influenced by American culture. Then I think you must have seen a Hollywood movie, the name of that movie is Robocop...”
“No, I haven’t watched it. It sounds a bit like a superhero movie.”
Blake shook his head blankly. “I have only seen one superhero movie, it’s called Black Panther.