205: Chapter 205 On the Eve of the Surgery

Lin Yue leaned his crutches against the side of the bed and sat on the edge. The mattress was very hard, much like the ones he had slept on during his time in the army.

He looked down at his right leg; the trouser leg hung empty, like an unfilled pocket.

He reached out and felt the stump below his knee.

It had been two years, and he had touched this spot countless times.

Every time he touched it, it felt like he was confirming something—confirming it was still there, confirming it wouldn't get worse, confirming that this was how things would be from now on.

His phone rang; it was a voice message from his mother.

"Have you arrived? How is the room? Have you eaten?"

He typed a reply: "I'm here. It's quite good. Haven't eaten yet."

After the message was sent, the chat box displayed "The other party is typing." It flashed for a long time, but in the end, she only sent a single word: "Good."

Lin Yue knew what his mother wanted to say.

She was always like this; she had so much she wanted to say, but in the end, she would only say one word.

He stared at that "Good" for a while before placing his phone face down on the bed.

The sound of a wheelchair rolling came from the corridor, along with voices.

"...I didn't expect that after being discharged for so many years, I'd get to sleep on a wooden board bed again." It was Zhang Yong's voice, loud and full of vigor. Even though he had lost both legs, his voice was louder than anyone's.

"You were selected too." It was Zhao Guoqiang's voice.

"Listen to you. With this hospital's level of secrecy, if I hadn't been selected, I would've gone home long ago."

The wheelchair rolled to the door of Room 308 and stopped.

Zhang Yong poked his head in to look inside. Seeing Lin Yue, he grinned. "Yo, neighbor."

Wang Lei followed at the back. The scar on his face was particularly prominent under the fluorescent lights, stretching from his forehead down to his cheekbone like a dried-up riverbed.

He didn't speak, only nodding to Lin Yue as a greeting.

The four of them gathered in the corridor. Zhao Guoqiang leaned against the wall, Zhang Yong sat in his wheelchair, Wang Lei stood by the window, and Lin Yue propped himself up on his crutches by the door. No one spoke; the fluorescent lights hummed.

"Tell me," Zhang Yong spoke first, "can this thing actually work?"

No one answered.

"I asked that Researcher Li. She said the success rate for animal experiments is 99.97%," Zhang Yong continued. "But what about humans? How much will it be then?"

"Are you scared?" Zhao Guoqiang asked.

"Scared my ass," Zhang Yong said. "I just... forget it, never mind."

The corridor fell silent again.

In the distance on the playground, those few people in hospital gowns were still walking slowly, lap after lap, as if circling an invisible ring.

"I've got nothing to be afraid of," Zhao Guoqiang said, looking down at his empty left sleeve. "It's already like this anyway. Could it get any worse?"

Wang Lei didn't speak, just looked out the window. The scar on his face turned into a pale pink line in the sunlight.

...

Dinner was at six o'clock.

The cafeteria was on the first floor. It was large and could seat hundreds of people, but there weren't many diners.

A few doctors in white coats sat in a corner, eating while looking at their phones.

A few nursing assistants were at another table, their voices kept very low.

Lin Yue got his food and found a seat by the window. Rice, stir-fried green vegetables, a piece of braised pork, and a bowl of seaweed soup. He picked up the braised pork and took a bite. It was too salty, but it was warm, and his stomach felt a bit of warmth as he swallowed.

Zhang Yong rolled over in his electric wheelchair, the tray resting steadily on his lap.

Both his legs were gone, but his upper body was as strong as a bull's, with shoulders wide enough to shield a person.

"This meat is no good," Zhang Yong frowned after one bite. "Too salty."

"It's good enough just to have food. Have you become a picky eater after being out of the service for so many years? Think back to what our squad used to eat... sigh, forget it."

Zhao Guoqiang walked over with his tray and sat across from them.

He ate with his right hand, his left sleeve draped over the back of the chair. His movements were very agile.

Wang Lei arrived last, got his food, and sat next to Zhang Yong.

He ate very quickly, head down as he shoveled food into his mouth, not saying a word.

"Tell me," Zhang Yong started again, "after the surgery, will we really be like normal people?"

Zhao Guoqiang chewed his food and said indistinctly, "Researcher Li said we'll be able to run."

"Run." Zhang Yong repeated those two words, his voice suddenly growing quiet. "I've almost forgotten what it feels like to run."

Lin Yue's chopsticks paused. He remembered the last time he ran; it was that night two years ago.

An exercise. Running through the woods with his gear on his back, the ground beneath his feet covered in pine needles and soil, soft and damp. He ran fast, faster than anyone.

Then there was a loud bang, then pain, and then he woke up to find his right leg gone.

He put down his chopsticks and took a sip of the soup. The seaweed soup had no flavor; it was bland, like plain water.

"I used to be an Engineer," Zhao Guoqiang said suddenly. "Building roads on the border. Once there was a landslide, and I pushed a comrade out of the way. A rock smashed into my arm." He looked down at his empty left sleeve. "Just like that, it was gone."

"I was Infantry," Zhang Yong said. "A landmine. Stepped on it, and when I woke up, both legs were gone."

They looked at Wang Lei. Wang Lei stopped eating, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Special Forces, overseas mission." He said no more.

The three of them looked at Lin Yue.

"Scout," Lin Yue said. "An exercise. The explosives went off early." He paused. "That's it."

The cafeteria was silent for a few seconds. The fluorescent lights hummed, and in the distance, someone was mopping the floor, the sound of the mop dragging against the surface rhythmic.

"The four of us," Zhang Yong suddenly laughed, "missing arms and legs, all gathered together."

Zhao Guoqiang also laughed. "Isn't that right? A bunch of broken soldiers and defeated generals."

"Who's a defeated general?" Zhang Yong glared. "I was second in the entire division's competition back then."

"What's there to brag about being second?" Zhao Guoqiang curled his lip.

"What rank were you?"

"I never participated."

"Then what the hell are you talking about?"

The corner of Wang Lei's mouth twitched as if he were smiling, but he didn't make a sound.

Watching them bicker, Lin Yue suddenly felt a little less stifled.

After finishing dinner and returning to his room, it was already dark. Lin Yue sat on the edge of the bed, looking out the window.

His phone rang.

It wasn't his mother, but an unknown number. He hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Is this Comrade Lin Yue?" a young female voice asked. "I'm from the Project Team. My surname is Zhou. I'm the one who did your psychological evaluation before."

"Dr. Zhou," Lin Yue said.

"Yes. I'm calling to confirm—are you ready for the pre-surgery briefing tomorrow?"

"I'm ready."

"Good. Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock in the conference room, Researcher Li will explain the surgical plan and risks to you in detail. If you have any questions, you can ask at any time."

"Okay."

The call ended.

Lin Yue put his phone on the nightstand and lay down. He closed his eyes, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

He didn't know how much time had passed when the sound of a wheelchair rolling came from the corridor, very soft, as if afraid of waking someone.

Then there was the sound of a door opening, then closing, and everything returned to silence.

Lin Yue rolled over and pulled the quilt up to his chin.

The quilt smelled of disinfectant, exactly like the hospital corridor.

He thought he wouldn't be able to sleep, but within a few minutes, he had fallen into a deep slumber.