— Lin Yi’s Recollection —
The Beirits Sanitarium was located in Texas, M Country, a private, never-before-opened special care facility.
Beirits belonged to the Tang Empire, and it was not hard to imagine that this was the place where adopted sons went to rest after completing their missions.
Here, the best internal and external medicine doctors rotated, and of course, many brave and fearless adopted sons were buried here.
One day in September, a torrential rain lashed every corner of Texas, and Beirits remained shrouded in gloom all day long.
Axe held Ouzhan’s hand tightly. His good brother had been seriously injured during a mission, and bandages were wrapped tightly around Ouzhan’s eyes.
Blood all over his body stained the road with a beautiful crimson hue, but unfortunately, no one stopped to notice…
Axe: "Save him, save him!!!"
Poor Ouzhan could feel nothing. His vision was pitch black, and the ringing in his ears was louder than anyone’s shouts.
Doctors and nurses rushed Ouzhan into the operating room. Axe felt death was closer to him than ever before.
Brothers came over to pat Axe’s shoulder, comforting each other. They would also pray to God, as devoutly as God’s most loyal children.
K: "Ouzhan volunteered to go, don’t be sad. He did very well."
Axe: "What did you say? How could he have volunteered? Didn't the old man specifically ask for him?"
Axe grabbed K by the collar, thinking he had misheard.
But he would never forget. The day Ouzhan told him he was going on an assigned mission, he had warned Axe that the chances of survival were slim.
K: "I heard the old man wanted to ask you to go, but Ouzhan took it upon himself to take the mission..."
Axe: "So I was in the rear while he was on the front lines?"
Axe suddenly lost all strength. He slumped to the ground, leaning against the wall, his eyes full of tears. His good brother had gone to complete a top-tier mission for him.
Ouzhan had returned, but his life was hanging by a thread…
Day, night, and another day…
Nurses came and went, and gurneys carrying blood bags came and went.
Axe lay outside the operating room door. If his best brother died, what would he do?
He recalled so many things. The years of being an adopted son, which he once thought were endless, the years he had longed to escape, now felt so meaningful at this moment…
Night fell again, and the torrential rain outside continued. Axe wearily closed his eyes.
After a long time, Axe seemed to hear someone waking him.
K: "Axe, the surgery was a success!!!"
Axe immediately got up. He looked at the operating room door, and a patient bed was pushed out.
Axe: "How is he?"
Doctor: "His life is saved."
Axe was so moved he was about to cry.
Axe: "You bastard, you survived! I knew it, I knew you’d keep tormenting me!"
Axe: "His eyes?"
Doctor: "His optic nerves were injured. We can’t guarantee he’ll be able to see when he wakes up…"
Now Axe was no longer excited. Would he go blind?
During combat, Ouzhan was his eyes. He was the best sniper…
Several days later, Ouzhan gradually regained consciousness. He was fortunate; apart from his inability to see, everything else was fine.
But compared to his other brothers who had died on missions, he was already content…
A few more days passed. It was another night of fierce wind and rain, and another batch of injured adopted sons were sent to Beirits.
And among these adopted sons, someone had infiltrated. That person was Lin Yi.
She belonged to no organization, but someone had hired her to sneak into Beirits and steal the list of adopted sons.
Lin Yi disguised herself as a nurse in the sanitarium. She was very good at it, and no one suspected her, as the patients here were all men.
Many nurses had been transferred to treat the injured adopted sons, leaving no one to care for the blind Ouzhan.
Ouzhan fumbled his way into the corridor. He moved step by step, relying on his memory, but accidentally fell down the stairs.
And just as Ouzhan fell, Lin Yi happened to pass by him.
Lin Yi, who initially didn’t want to intervene, couldn't help but run over when she heard Ouzhan groaning in pain on the ground.
With Lin Yi’s help, Ouzhan slowly sat up.
Ouzhan: "Nurse? Thank you."
Lin Yi: "Are you okay?"
"Hiss…"
Ouzhan felt a piercing pain where Lin Yi touched him.
After a quick glance, Lin Yi determined that his arm had been dislocated when he fell.
Lin Yi: "Relax, I'll help you."
With a crack, Lin Yi reset Ouzhan’s arm.
Lin Yi: "Try moving it. Can you?"
Ouzhan: "It doesn't hurt as much now."
Lin Yi made a few quick punches in front of Ouzhan’s eyes. She remained cautious. Only when she was certain that the man wrapped in bandages truly could not see her appearance did she relax.
Lin Yi: "I'll take you back to your room."
That was the first time Lin Yi met Ouzhan, and neither of them was in their best state.
Later, Lin Yi would often see Ouzhan staring blankly in the corridor, his eyes bandaged. After several conversations, Lin Yi realized that the adopted sons here were not as uninteresting as rumored.
Even though they had killed countless people, they still possessed interesting souls.
Lin Yi walked up to Ouzhan. Perhaps it was默契 (mòqì - unspoken understanding), or perhaps they were truly compatible. Ouzhan instinctively knew that the person beside him was the only nurse in the facility who could set bones.
Lin Yi: "Can you see now?"
Ouzhan shook his head. Compared to a few days ago, he could perceive faint light, but unfortunately, he still couldn't see anything clearly.
Lin Yi: "Then how did you know it was me?"
Ouzhan: "I heard your footsteps."
Lin Yi smiled, and Ouzhan sensed it. He turned to face Lin Yi and reached out his hand, only for Lin Yi to evade it.
Lin Yi: "What are you doing?"
Ouzhan: "I want to know what you look like. Have we met before? I remember all the nurses here. Which one are you?"
Lin Yi chuckled. This fool. It was better for him to be blind. What if he recognized that she wasn't a nurse from here?
Lin Yi: "Would you like to go for a walk in the garden?"
Lin Yi extended her arm, and Ouzhan naturally placed his hand on it.
During that month, Lin Yi became Ouzhan's eyes. She read him the news and even acted as a real nurse, feeding him.
She also longed to see the eyes beneath the bandages, to see if this man’s appearance was as handsome as in the photos.
Time passed quickly. Lin Yi had already gathered the adopted sons’ information and would soon be leaving Beirits.
Ouzhan: "I still don't know your name?"
Lin Yi: "Lynn."
Ouzhan: "Lynn, this is for you."
As Lin Yi turned, Ouzhan held a small pistol folded from paper, taken from a pink magazine.
Lin Yi picked it up and carefully placed it in her palm. This was the first gift she had ever received.
Ouzhan looked a bit embarrassed: "I can't see, so I folded it from memory. I hope you can tell what it is."
Lin Yi: "I like it very much. Thank you."
Ouzhan scratched his head.
Lin Yi took Ouzhan's hand and placed it on her face. This was too risky, but she was willing.
Lin Yi: "Remember what I look like."
Ouzhan gently traced Lin Yi’s face with his fingertips. Her eyes, eyebrows, nose, and mouth were so vivid.
Little did Lin Yi know that Ouzhan had already recovered his sight. If he removed the bandages, he would be able to see the woman before him.
But Ouzhan kept his eyes closed, imagining the nurse who had taken care of him all these days.
Her eye sockets were not deep, her eyebrows were thick, her eyelashes were long. Her nose wasn't particularly prominent but had a slightly raised bridge, and she had a cherry-like mouth.
She must be Asian, Ouzhan thought to himself.
At Axe’s call, the two in the garden drew apart.
From then on, Ouzhan never saw the nurse again, as if that short month had been a Platonic dream.
None of the nurses at the sanitarium resembled the woman Ouzhan had imagined, and everyone around him said there were no Asian nurses here.
But the sensations were so real, as if she had truly existed and then disappeared one day after the rainy season ended, along with the rain.
— End of Lin Yi’s Recollection —