Li Mazi frowned and said, “Didn’t you say he passed away?” 

“Well, he had a wife, didn’t he?” 

“But his wife’s in a mental hospital! Do you think her condition will be better than Old Gang’s?” Li Mazi was skeptical about my suggestion.

“Even if she’s staying in a mental hospital, we should go see her. It’s our only option.” I then punched Li Mazi. “You’re the one who got us into this mess. Are you scared now? You want money so badly that you don’t even want your life!” 

Li Mazi giggled. “Little Brother Zhang, although I’m a little silly, I’m a good assistant; we complement each other. I’ll no longer provoke you. From now on, I’m going to do whatever you tell me. I’m under your command.” 

I snorted and focused on driving. 

Li Mazi turned to check on Old Gang, who had been tortured all day long and was physically and mentally exhausted. He fell asleep despite being in a moving vehicle.

Shortly after, Li Mazi also fell asleep.

We drove the car for two days before we reached the gate of the mental hospital. We were exhausted.  

Li Mazi craned his neck out to check the place. “Little Brother Zhang, don’t worry. I’ve scanned the place, and there’s no police here.” 

I unfastened the seatbelt and found a razor in the car. I was shaving myself when Li Mazi looked at me and laughed. “Little Brother Zhang, I’ve just figured out that you’re somewhat funny. As long as you’re going to see some women, you will make sure you look presentable. Things are urgent, but you didn’t forget to shave. It’s a quality trick to earn the hearts of women. I already admire you!”

“Shut up! I’ve endured so many hardships because of you!” I threw the razor to him. “I’m just afraid that the hospital will mistake me as one of their patients and capture me. I had to do this. Stay in the car and watch Old Gang. I’m going out to see.” 

“All right.” Li Mazi nodded in agreement.

I stepped out of the car and tried to flatten my wrinkled clothes. Then, I walked comfortably into the mental hospital.

It was like what I had imagined. This place didn’t have strict controls. After I registered my visit with a young nurse and gave her some ambiguous winks, the nurse volunteered to take me to the patient room.

Along the way, she even told me some information. “Mrs. Song’s a poor woman. Her husband jumped off the building and killed himself. She received a huge shock, which affected her mental stability. She often talks to someone invisible outside the window, but we can’t understand what she’s mumbling about. Oh right, how are you related to Mrs. Song?”

“Ah, no, we are not relatives. When I was in university, I received help from Mr. and Mrs. Song. When I heard that something really unfortunate happened to them, I ran here to see if I could help.” Since I had been with Li Mazi for long enough, I had mastered the skill of fabricating stories.

The nurse had good feelings about me, which showed across her face. “Sigh, there aren’t many people like you in this society these days. Most people prefer not to return the favors they’ve received.” 

I smiled at her.

The door to the patient room was pushed open. I saw a woman sitting on her bed, hugging her knees. She wore a loose patient uniform. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was pale. 

She looked at the window. When she heard my footsteps, she slowly turned her head toward me. Then, she turned back to the window. 

Her movements were mechanical, just as if she were a robot. 

It seemed the young nurse was used to it. She wasn’t surprised. “This is Mrs. Song. You can talk to her now. I’m not going to disturb you anymore. If you need anything, please call me.” 

I nodded and thanked her. The nurse left with a blush on her face. 

I slowly approached Mrs. Song. I called, “Mrs. Song?”

It seemed she didn’t hear me. She was still observing something outside the window. 

I felt somewhat embarrassed and cleared my throat. “I have something I want to ask you. Do you know where your husband got this clock?” 

While talking, I carefully unwrapped the clock. The ticking sound immediately permeated the silent room. 

Mrs. Song recovered as soon as she heard the ticking noises of the clock. She was surprised and looked at me. She then looked at the clock on the bed. 

“Mrs. Song?” I seized the chance and asked her, “Do you know where your husband got this clock?” 

Please. Give me some useful information.

I didn’t want to spend the latter half of my life in jail with Li Mazi. 

Mrs. Song’s eyes moved around. She slowly craned her neck. It was as if her body was about to fall apart. She looked at me and creepily parted her mouth. She said only one word. “Well...”

“What?” I wondered if I had heard correctly. 

This clock was taken from a well? 

Mrs. Song turned her head again and gazed at the door. She maintained her stiff pose and ignored me. 

For the next few minutes, no matter what I said or asked her, she was like a dead person. She didn’t say anything. 

I felt a little worn out. I decided to get up and leave.

When I passed by the counter, the young nurse waved at me and smiled. “Will you come again tomorrow?” 

“Yeah.” I gave her a nod and quickly left the hospital. 

When I got into the car, Li Mazi turned to me. “Little Brother Zhang, how did it go? Did you get anything?” 

I shook my head and grimaced. “Nothing.” 

Li Mazi was worried that I was upset and tried to comfort me. “Don’t worry. We still have time.” 

I forced a smile. “Isn’t that what I always say? Now, you’ve learned how to advise me.” 

“I’m just applying what I’ve learned.” Li Mazi then pouted his lips. “This gentleman here is having a major nap. He’s been sleeping for days.” 

“It’s strange.” I gently shook Old Gang. “Old Gang! Old Gang!” 

I called him several times, but he didn’t react. 

“Did he die?” Li Mazi was scared. His face turned pale. 

“Don’t talk nonsense. His body’s still warm.” Although I said that, I was also worried. I hurried to check his breathing. He was breathing steadily. 

“It’s okay. He’s just sleeping.”

I tossed the clock onto Li Mazi’s lap, buckled my seatbelt, then started the car.

Li Mazi picked up the clock, suddenly bringing it to his ear before checking the clock’s face. He sounded surprised. “Hey? What did you do? Why did the clock stop working?” 

I immediately stepped on the brakes. Li Mazi almost hit the windshield. 

“Little Brother Zhang, your driving is too dangerous. Did you buy your license or what?” Li Mazi nagged.

I didn’t have the mood to retort and snatched the clock from him. It turned out that the clock wasn’t working.

When I was in the patient room, the clock was moving just fine. How could it stop in such a short moment? 

I didn’t understand what was happening and scratched my head. I lifted my head and saw Old Gang sleeping in the rear-view mirror.

Perhaps… Old Gang isn’t actually sleeping. It is as if time has stopped for him. Is that why he’s been ‘sleeping’ this whole time? 

I was scared by this thought.

Li Mazi tapped my shoulder. “Little Brother Zhang, are things okay? If you have something you need to think about, you should share it with me. I’m willing to contribute my brain cells to help you!” 

I shook my head and asked him to wrap the clock well. I started the car engine again. 

Li Mazi asked, “Where are we going?” 

“To Mr. Song’s neighborhood.” 

Compared to Old Gang’s neighborhood, Mr. Song’s was a level lower. Although it was a luxurious apartment building, it was far less impressive than Old Gang’s villa. 

Mr. Song had jumped off his balcony to kill himself, which was on the 27

th

 floor. There was no pain as his life was taken away the moment he hit the ground. 

Since it was a recent accident, the place looked gloomy. Most of the residents in the apartment moved around to avoid the area of the accident. It made the ground underneath Mr. Song’s apartment feel empty and lonely as if it was separated from this world. 

The blood on the floor had been cleaned, but Li Mazi still kept some distance from the area. 

I checked around and didn’t find anything strange. I decided to go upstairs to check. 

The elevator stopped on the 27

th

 floor. I went to Mr. Song’s apartment and gently knocked on the door. 

As expected, no one opened the door.

Li Mazi hid behind me and said, “One’s dead while the other one’s in the asylum. Nobody’s in the house. If the door opens, I’m sure it’s a ghost...” 

Before he could finish talking, the door opened! Li Mazi shrieked, jolting backward in fright.