Chapter 647: Needle

The lunch at Kangding Hospital's cafeteria was decent: one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and one soup. Although it was mass-produced, it wasn't hard to eat.

However, at that moment, Li Huowang was somewhat distracted and not focused on his meal. Just moments ago, Qian Fu had approached him again, uttering his usual nonsensical remarks. Li Huowang had initially thought Qian Fu was just being whimsical, but now it seemed he was genuinely being pestered by the man. Since Qian Fu refused to back down, Li Huowang was now trying to figure out how to get rid of him. With surveillance cameras everywhere, killing him was out of the question; he couldn't even resort to beating him as a threat.

As he pondered this problem, he picked up some water spinach with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth. The moment he bit down firmly, he let out a sharp "Hiss!" A piercing pain and the taste of blood instantly exploded in Li Huowang's mouth, making his entire body tense up. He opened his mouth and tremblingly reached inside with his fingers. Amidst the intense pain, he quickly felt several needles embedded in his tongue!

"Are you alright?" a supervising orderly noticed Li Huowang's unusual behavior and walked over to ask. When the orderly saw Li Huowang pull out several needles from his mouth, his face paled, and he immediately understood the gravity of the situation. He quickly shouted for all the surrounding patients to stop eating. Someone had placed needles in the mental hospital's food—this was a major incident that could lead to serious consequences. The entire hospital was thrown into chaos.

However, after a thorough check, it was discovered that only Li Huowang's meal contained needles; no one else's food was affected. Such a significant safety breach could not be dismissed lightly. The director, along with a group of staff, began reviewing the surveillance footage, while all patients were sent back to their dormitories.

Li Huowang, now back in his dormitory, pondered the suspicious aspects of the incident. "Who put these needles there? I haven't offended anyone in this hospital, as far as I know." He thought of Qian Fu's earlier cryptic remarks. "Could it be..."

Just then, Wu Cheng entered alone. "How are you doing? Are you alright? This was certainly an oversight on our part. To apologize, we've decided to waive some of your fees." Li Huowang, however, was more concerned with the implications behind this deliberate pain than the pain itself. "Also, you're an adult now; for such a minor incident, would it be alright if we didn't inform your mother?"

"What? Are you saying you found out who did it?" Li Huowang asked, surprised."Yes, of course. Their methods weren't very sophisticated. Here's the cafeteria surveillance footage," Wu Cheng said, turning his phone horizontally and placing it in front of Li Huowang.

With a light tap on the play button, Li Huowang quickly saw who had put the needles in his food. "Qian Fu? It was him?!""Yes," Wu Cheng said, returning the phone to his white coat pocket. "I watched the footage. He's been seeking you out a lot recently. Is there some conflict between you two?"

"What conflict could I possibly have with him! Where is he now? I want to get to the bottom of this." Li Huowang was genuinely angry. This guy had actually fed him metal needles just to make him believe his insane ramblings. There were no "Leo aliens" threatening him; the biggest threat in the entire mental hospital was probably Qian Fu himself!

"Come on, Xiao Li, you could do us a favor. We need you to ask Qian Fu where he got these long needles. Logically, such items shouldn't be brought into the hospital."

Li Huowang soon found Qian Fu in the severe restraint room, dressed in a straitjacket. Walking on the soft floor, Li Huowang stared coldly at Qian Fu's agitated face. "Why did you do this? How have I offended you?"

Hearing this, Qian Fu excitedly shouted, "No! It wasn't me trying to harm you! It was them! The Leo constellation, the aliens!"

An orderly nearby overheard this and said sternly, "The surveillance cameras captured everything! Who else could it be but you! Tell us! Where did you find those needles!"

However, Qian Fu didn't even glance at him, instead staring intently at Li Huowang. "Don't believe them! The surveillance footage has already been altered! Their technology is powerful; they can change it! It wasn't me! Really, it wasn't!" He continued, "Do you know why they do this? Because they're trying to divide us! They want us to fight each other so they can conquer us one by one! They've already infiltrated! They're like lizard people, silently replacing our own!"

Seeing Qian Fu's state, Li Huowang felt he truly was going mad, trying to reason with a lunatic. "Forget it, I won't ask anymore. Just keep this guy locked up here. Don't let him out to harm anyone." Li Huowang said to Wu Cheng, then turned to leave.

Watching Li Huowang's retreating back, Qian Fu excitedly shouted, "Xiao Li! Do you understand what I mean? Do you understand? Others won't get it! Only you can understand! The Leo aliens have descended! Danger is imminent, and simply running away won't solve anything! We must strike first!" Li Huowang ignored him and walked towards his room.

Now that Qian Fu was confined, Li Huowang hoped for a period of calm. He truly didn't want anything else to happen; he just wanted to remain undisturbed until his discharge, leaving the hospital as a normal person.

He hadn't finished his half-eaten meal, but it seemed Wu Cheng had thoughtfully ordered him roast duck takeout, perhaps to soothe him. He picked up some scallions and cucumber strips with a bit of sweet bean sauce, spread it on a lotus leaf pancake, then added a few slices of roast duck on top. Finally, he rolled up the pancake and took a bite. It had to be said, after getting used to the hospital food, a sudden takeout meal tasted remarkably good.

However, as Li Huowang savored his meal alone, he suddenly felt a gaze from outside his window. When he quickly looked up, he saw no one. "Someone's peeping at me!?" Li Huowang's brows furrowed.

A few minutes later, as two figures outside cautiously peeked out again, they made direct eye contact with Li Huowang, who was watching from the window. They were startled and quickly took several steps back. Li Huowang recognized both of them: the new arrival, Wang Gang, with his glasses, and the old man named Yuan Heping!

Seeing Li Huowang glare at them, the man with glasses, looking indignant, led the old man away. "This is ridiculous! Why does he get to eat roast duck?""Come on, let's go. Don't make a fuss. Maybe he has connections with the hospital.""Seriously? Pulling strings for food, even in a mental hospital, getting special privileges."