Chapter 701: Freedom

"Yang Na, go to the specific address first and see if you can find anything."

"Okay, but the houses here are built very haphazardly," Yang Na said, and the camera began to shake.

After searching for a while, Yang Na quickly found the address Qian Fu had mentioned, located in a small alley.

It was a two-story concrete shack at the end of a narrow alley. The concrete was roughly plastered, and it was covered with numerous colorful doodles by children.

The door to the second floor was locked, and the given address specified the second floor.

"Smash!" The sound of a bowl breaking echoed from inside, followed immediately by another "smack!"—the crisp sound of a slap.

Startled by the commotion, Yang Na recoiled a step, but then cautiously moved forward again.

"Money, money, money! It's always about money! How much do I even earn in a month?!" a man's gruff voice bellowed from within.

This was followed by a woman's wailing. "You promised me when you married me! You said you'd be responsible for Dad's recuperation fees!"

"Don't even dare mention your father! No wonder he's obsessed with money! How much money has he swindled all these years! Why isn't he dead yet! How much longer will he torture our family?!"

Inside, the sound of breaking bowls and falling furniture erupted again, mixed with the suppressed sobs of a young girl. Hearing the content of their argument, Li Huowang realized he had found the right place. He quickly thought things over, and an idea came to him. "Excuse me, is Qian Peiling here?"

"Who is it?" A scruffy man, wearing a yellow electric scooter helmet, emerged with an unfriendly expression.

When he saw that the speaker was a young student's face on a phone screen, a flicker of impatience crossed his face.

If he hadn't noticed that the person holding the phone was an attractive woman, he would have already started cursing. "What do you want?"

"Hello, Grandpa Qian asked me to tell you something. He doesn't want to stay at Kangning Hospital anymore; he wants to leave. Nana, I've sent a video; please open it and show it to them."

Soon, Qian Fu's emaciated face appeared on the screen, complaining pitifully. After his daughter and son-in-law watched the video, their argument intensified.

As the shouting grew louder, neighbors began to peek out and watch. Apparently embarrassed by the public spectacle, the couple shut the main door and continued their argument inside.

Yang Na didn't leave; she waited quietly as Li Huowang had instructed.

After lunch, when they saw the man ride out on his electric scooter, Li Huowang quickly told Yang Na to follow him.

"Do you know? There's a hospital better than Kangning Hospital, and it's cheaper. It's also better for the patients, which would lighten your burden."

"However, this hospital has one slight drawback: there aren't many surveillance cameras."

Li Huowang quickly spoke to him, but the man remained aloof and unresponsive.

"Huowang, it's no use," Yang Na said, her face a mix of regret and perhaps relief.

"No, it is useful. If it weren't, he wouldn't have listened to my 'nonsense' just now."

"But he didn't agree to anything in the end."

Hearing this, Li Huowang smiled faintly. "It's our first meeting; he doesn't know us well. How could he tell us what he's truly thinking? But look at how he was just now—is he really happy for Qian Fu to keep wasting money at Kangning Hospital?"

"Actually, he just doesn't want to be the 'bad guy' or carry the 'unfilial' label. He needs us to give him a push."

"How do we push him?"

Li Huowang opened his mouth, then thought better of it and shook his head. "It's fine. Come back. We just need to go to Kangning Hospital again tomorrow."

Three days later, Qian Fu coincidentally had his stomach pumped after swallowing a foreign object, and this news, also by coincidence, reached his daughter and son-in-law.

The matter was quickly and satisfactorily resolved: Qian Fu was transferred to another hospital.

He was transferred to the hospital Li Huowang had mentioned. They chose it not only because it was cheaper but also because Li Huowang had stayed there before, knew it well, and it was close to his own residential community.

After the transfer, Qian Fu's condition seemed to improve significantly; he no longer had to stay in the restraint room every day.

Days passed. Once the security around Li Huowang's area became a bit more relaxed, one evening, Li Huowang took the items he had prepared and quietly climbed over the community wall.

After riding the electric scooter Yang Na had prepared for a while, he found the mental hospital where Qian Fu was staying.

Li Huowang expertly scaled the wall, evaded surveillance, and, familiar with the layout, quietly led Qian Fu out of the hospital.

After taking off his striped hospital gown and putting on the clothes Li Huowang had prepared, Qian Fu was finally free.

As soon as Qian Fu stepped onto the street, he looked around with tearful eyes, breathing in the fresh air of freedom. Suddenly, he moved, running to a nearby dumpster, picking up leftover takeout food, and began to eat it ravenously.

"Stop eating!" Li Huowang forcibly pulled him, dragging him into a secluded alley.

After nervously looking around to ensure no one was there, Li Huowang urgently stared at him and asked, "I've set you free; now you should help me! How exactly can I deal with those people?"

"Don't panic. Before, you were alone, which was inconvenient. Now we're on the same side. I can help you, help you deal with them together!"

"What nonsense are you spouting here? I'm asking how to deal with them! Don't tell me you have no way! If you dare say that, I'll throw you back into the mental hospital right now!"

"No, no, no! There's a way!" Qian Fu seemed terrified, waving his hands frantically. "They're targeting you, but they're not targeting me! Nor are they targeting my friends!"

"I'll go find our friends now. You saved me, so my friends are now your friends. Once everyone is here, you can be the bait, and we'll catch them all in one swoop. Don't worry, they're not as powerful as you imagine!"

Li Huowang was half-skeptical of what Qian Fu said, but he decided to meet these "friends" first. He was curious if Qian Fu's friends could also see "those people."

"Alright! Here's my old phone and an unregistered SIM card." Li Huowang stuffed the phone into Qian Fu's arms.

"Use this phone to contact me later!" Just as Li Huowang was about to let him go, Qian Fu clutched onto him tightly, his face filled with terror. "No! They... they're coming for me now! They want to turn me into one of them! Quick!! Help me!!"

"What?" Just as Li Huowang was completely bewildered by Qian Fu's sudden change, he saw Qian Fu transform as if into a different person, looking at him with surprise. "Li Huowang? Where is this? What's going on? Why am I not in the ward?"

"Damn it!" Faced with this sudden change, Li Huowang nearly spat blood. He had almost forgotten that Qian Fu had a split personality!

"No! I must go back! Back to the mental hospital! I must receive treatment!!"

Just as Qian Fu struggled and tried to leave, Li Huowang tackled him to the ground, pressing a sharp dagger directly against his neck. "Don't move!!"

Qian Fu was clearly terrified by Li Huowang's actions. "Li... Li Huowang, calm down, please calm down. Did you... did you not take your medicine today? Be a good boy and take your medicine first."

"Even though we are psychiatric patients, we mustn't give up on ourselves! As long as we persist with treatment, we will definitely recover."

"Enough nonsense! Get up!!"

Li Huowang, with a ferocious expression, forcibly dragged Qian Fu up, gripping his neck from behind, and pulled him deeper into the alley.

Qian Fu was clearly terrified by the current Li Huowang, his face turning ashen.