Ice skates forward, regardless of east or west.

1

The package was delivered at 9:17 a.m.

A SF Express courier stood at the door of the ward, holding a manila envelope in his hand.

When Gu Xidong signed for the package, he saw the sender's address: a street in Baiyun District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. Sender: Li Wei.

He had never seen that name before.

Open the envelope.

There was a photograph inside.

Color, 6-inch, glossy photo paper.

The photo shows a tropical jungle with dense palm trees and ferns covering the ground.

Deep in the jungle, there was a dirt road, at the end of which were two off-road vehicles.

He turned the photo over.

A line of text was written on the back in black marker:

"Let's settle this once and for all."

No signature.

He put the photo back in the envelope and stuffed it into his backpack.

Ling Wuwen leaned against the headboard, looking at him. She had just finished breakfast, and a grain of rice still clung to the corner of her mouth. She wiped it off with a tissue.

Who sent it?

"have no idea."

She reached out her hand.

He handed her the photo.

She stared at the photo of the jungle. She looked at it for a long time. Then she turned to look at the text.

"Ye Shen," she said.

Gu Xidong remained silent.

She returned the photo to him.

"Sabah," she said. "This tree is from Sabah. I spent three months in East Malaysia and saw this kind of palm."

He took the photo.

Are you sure?

"Sure."

She pulled the blanket up a little higher and leaned back against the headboard. The IV line twitched, and she frowned slightly.

"He chose that place for a reason. Sabah has lawless areas controlled by gangs, where the police can't get in."

Gu Xidong put the photo back into the envelope.

"I know."

"What do you know?"

He looked at her.

"We know he went there to reorganize the remnants of the 'Poison Raising Project.' Raven previously mentioned that Ye Shen has a network in Southeast Asia. Sabah is the hub."

Ling Wuwen remained silent.

She looked out the window. It was a cloudy day, the light was grayish-white, and the windows of the hospital building across the street reflected the same grayish-white light.

"You can't go alone," she said.

2

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Raven called.

Gu Xidong walked to the end of the corridor to answer the call. The signal was poor, and the sound was intermittent.

"Ye Shen... Sabah... Sea Serpent Gang..."

"I know," Gu Xidong said. "I received the photos."

The other side remained silent for two seconds.

"What photo?"

"Anonymous package. Photo of the Sabah jungle. The back says 'Let's settle this once and for all.'"

The raven cursed in Russian.

"This is a trap."

"I know."

"You knew you still had to go?"

Gu Xidong remained silent.

At the other end of the corridor, a nurse pushed a treatment cart past. The sound of the wheels rolling over the ground grew closer and then faded into the distance.

The raven took a deep breath.

"The Sea Serpent Gang controls the east coast of Sabah. They help Ye Shen launder money, hide people for him, and do dirty work for him. The leader is Chen Jinshui, a Teochew man who smuggled himself to East Malaysia in the 1970s, started as a dockworker, and now controls the smuggling routes of the entire Tawau province."

Gu Xidong listened.

"How much did Ye Shen ask for?"

"I don't know. But the Sea Serpent Gang has a big appetite. They won't work for nothing."

Gu Xidong stood against the wall.

The wall is cold.

"I need the coordinates of Sabah," he said, "where Ye Shen might be located."

The ravens remained silent.

long time.

"I'll give it to you," he said, "but you have to promise me one thing."

"explain."

Don't go alone.

Gu Xidong did not answer.

Raven hung up the phone.

3

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

Ling Wuwen was asleep.

Gu Xidong sat on the chair by the bed, holding her hand. Her hand was cold, and her nails were a pale purple.

Immunosuppressants slowed her blood circulation, and her hands and feet were never warm.

He looked at her face.

Even when she was asleep, her brows were still furrowed. The two vertical lines between her brows were very deep.

He reached out to smooth it down, but the moment his fingers touched her, she woke up.

She looked at him.

"What time is it?"

"Four o'clock."

She slowly sat up. He supported her back and propped her up with pillows.

"Did Raven call?"

"Um."

"What did he say?"

"Ye Shen is in the Sea Serpent Gang's territory. East Coast, Tawau Province."

She looked at him.

"You're going."

He didn't speak.

"When?"

"Wait until you're stable."

She smiled. A very faint smile.

"I won't be stable. You know that."

He held her hand tightly.

"Then we'll wait until your fever subsides."

She looked at him.

"Gu Xidong".

"Um."

"Look at me."

Women's eyesight.

"I don't have much time left," she said.

"You know, and I know. Immunosuppressants are just a delaying tactic. Three months, six months, a year. Eventually, it'll all be over with a cold or an infection."

He didn't speak.

"You want to get rid of Ye Shen before I die, don't you?"

He still didn't say anything.

She pulled her hand away. Not away, but rather gripped his hand in return.

You can't go alone.

4

7 PM.

The ward door was pushed open.

A man in a black down jacket walked in. His hat was pulled low, and a mask covered most of his face. He closed the door behind him.

Gu Xidong stood up and stood in front of the bed.

The man took off his mask.

It's a raven.

He looks thinner than he did three days ago.

His eyes were sunken, he had long stubble on his chin, and his eyes were bloodshot. He threw his backpack on the ground, pulled over the plastic chair, and sat down.

The chair wobbled. He steadied himself.

"I've booked the tickets," he said. "A direct flight from Beijing to Kota Kinabalu early the day after tomorrow. Then I'll transfer in Kota Kinabalu to Tawau."

Ling Wuwen looked at him.

"Are you going too?"

The raven nodded.

"The Sea Serpent Gang knows me. I spent two months in Tawau three years ago and had dealings with them."

Gu Xidong sat back down on the edge of the bed.

What is Chen Jinshui's attitude?

The raven shook its head.

"I don't know. Ye Shen offered him a high price, but he might not trust Ye Shen. People from Chaozhou value fellow townsmen and acquaintances. Ye Shen is from the north, so he's an outsider to them."

He took a map out of his backpack.

Unfold.

Map of Sabah, with three areas on the east coast circled in red.

"Ye Shen might be in three places. First, Tawau city, the headquarters of the Sea Serpent Gang, a Chinese-populated area. Second, an island off the coast of Semporna, where the Sea Serpent Gang controls several resorts used to hide people. Third—"

He pointed to a spot that was not labeled.

"A primeval forest. It's 120 kilometers from Tawau, and there's no road; you can only travel by water. The Sea Serpent Gang has a plantation there, growing oil palm. It's legal on the surface, but it's actually their training camp."

Gu Xidong looked at the map.

"Which one is Ye Shen most likely to be?"

The ravens remained silent.

"The third one."

He looked up at Gu Xidong.

"He recruited people there and reorganized the 'breeding program.' The training camp included Chinese from northern Myanmar, militants from southern Philippines, and local indigenous people."

Ling Wuwen reached out his hand.

Gu Xidong handed her the map.

She looked at the area marked "virgin forest." She pressed her finger against it.

"I came to this place in 2017," she said.

The raven looked at her.

"Not here. It's nearby. It's a training camp in East Malaysia, a joint counter-terrorism exercise conducted by the military and police. They dropped us into the jungle by helicopter for seven days of survival training."

She pointed to a river on the map.

"This river is called the Labu River. The water level rises during the rainy season, and boats can navigate it during the dry season. The plantation is on the north bank of the river, and there is a dock there."

Raven took out his phone and zoomed in on the satellite map.

A green area appeared on the screen. Zoom in, zoom in some more. The outline of the river became clear. There was indeed an open space on the north bank of the river, with several buildings on it.

"This is it," he said.

5

Nine o'clock in the evening.

The nurse came to check on the patient. She took the patient's temperature, measured their blood pressure, and changed the IV bag.

Ling Wuwen's temperature was 37.6℃, 0.3 degrees higher than yesterday. The nurse noted in the logbook that if it continued to rise tomorrow, the medication would need to be adjusted.

The nurse left.

The ward was quiet.

Ling Wuwen looked at Gu Xidong.

"You're leaving the day after tomorrow?"

"Um."

"How long will it take?"

"have no idea."

She looked at the ceiling.

"I'll wait for you to come back."

He didn't speak.

She turned to look at him.

You don't believe me?

He held her hand tightly.

"letter."

"Then why didn't you say 'okay'?"

He looked at her.

"Because I don't know if I'll be able to come back."

She remained silent.

long time.

"You must come back," she said.

He did not answer.

A breeze has picked up outside the window. The branches sway, and shadows dance on the curtains.

6

One o'clock in the morning.

Gu Xidong lay awake on the folding bed in the corridor.

My phone vibrated.

The raven sent a message:

"Chen Jinshui agrees to meet. The day after tomorrow at 3 PM, at Tawau Port. Go alone, and don't bring any weapons."

He looked at the message.

Reply in three seconds:

"it is good."

He put his phone back in his pocket.

At the end of the corridor, the fluorescent lights at the nurses' station hummed softly. The nurse on duty was dozing off at her desk.

The ward door was ajar, and Ling Wuwen's breathing could be heard through the crack.

He closed his eyes.

I didn't sleep.

7

Four o'clock in the morning.

The ward door was pushed open.

Ling Wuwen walked out.

She leaned against the wall and slowly walked to the end of the corridor.

The IV line was still stuck in the back of her hand, and she held the IV bag up with her other hand. The infusion pump was left in the ward, emitting continuous alarms.

Gu Xidong sat up when he heard the alarm.

I saw her standing in the middle of the corridor.

He stood up, his left knee throbbing with pain, and he leaned against the wall for support.

"Why did you come out?"

She didn't answer.

keep going.

Walk up to him.

She held up the IV bag and looked at him.

"Leaving the day after tomorrow?"

"Um."

I can't see you off.

"No need to send it."

She looked at him.

Three seconds. Five seconds. Ten seconds.

"You must come back," she said again.

He reached out and took the IV bag, holding it up high. He supported her shoulder with his other hand.

"Go back and lie down."

She didn't move.

Promise me.

He looked at her.

I promise you.

She turned around and slowly walked back to the ward.

He followed behind her.

The fluid in the IV bag dripped down slowly, drop by drop. The drip rate was so slow that it could be counted.

a drop.

Two drops.

Three drops.

She entered the ward at four drops and lay back down on the bed.

He hung the IV bag back on the shelf.

She closed her eyes.

He stood by the bed.

long time.

It started to get light outside the window. The eastern sky changed from black to deep blue, and then from deep blue to grayish-white.

He turned and walked out of the ward.

The door closed.

She opened her eyes.

Looking at the ceiling.

8

The next night.

Gu Xidong packed his backpack. Two changes of clothes, a pair of hiking boots, a roll of bandages, and a Swiss Army knife.

He put his backpack by the door, sat on the edge of the bed, and held Ling Wuwen's hand.

She looked at the IV bag.

"What time is your flight tomorrow?"

"Six o'clock."

"Then you'll have to get up at four o'clock."

"Um."

She turned to look at him.

Are you sleeping?

"sleep."

"That's a lie."

He didn't speak.

She gripped his hand tightly.

"Gu Xidong".

"Um."

"I'll wait for you to come back."

Women's eyesight.

"it is good."

Outside the window, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds. It was crescent-shaped and thin, hanging between two buildings.

She looked at the moon.

"My brother said," she began, "that people become bolder when the moon is full."

He didn't speak.

She continued, "He said that on the night of the 2017 World Championships, the night he did the triple Axel, the moon was full. Before he jumped, he stood in the middle of the rink, looked up at the moon, and then jumped."

Gu Xidong looked out the window.

"I was there that day," he said.

She turned to look at him.

"You remember?"

"I remember. He wobbled a bit when he landed, but he regained his balance. The judges didn't give him a high score, and he just smiled."

She didn't say anything.

long time.

Does he know you're watching?

Gu Xidong did not answer.

She gripped his hand tightly.

"He knows," she said.