Chapter 7 Waiting to Die
Fortunately, Chen Xuan strongly requested that someone be sent to protect Li Qiqi. The news of Li Qiqi's self-harm was quickly reported back to the police station. Upon learning of Li Qiqi's actions, Chen Xuan immediately rushed to the hospital from the police station.
After a sleepless day and night, Chen Xuan's chin grew a layer of fine stubble and his skin became a little darker, but he still tried his best to keep his body straight and hold up his police uniform.
Walking through the crowd of patients, he came to an independent ward and pushed the door open. The first thing Chen Xuan saw was Li Qiqi, who was curled up on the edge of the bed. She was hiding in the darkness, hugging herself, staring blankly out the window.
At this moment, doctors and police officers surrounded her at a distance, wearing strict blue medical protective suits, observing and talking silently, their hazy faces showing worry.
"Officer Chen, you're finally here."
"Please put on your protective suit first..."
The police officers were looking forward to the arrival of their savior, and they showed helpless expressions, but Chen Xuan was actually not a savior.
When putting on the protective suit, everything that needed to be said had been told. Chen Xuan groped his way to Li Qiqi's bedside and sat down. The protective suit made a friction sound, and he felt as if he was in the universe, and his voice was particularly loud.
"Chi-Chi? Are you okay?"
Li Qiqi's voice was vague. She was wearing a mask on her face, and her eyes were much emptier than before. Her hands were placed flat on her thighs. Her body trembled and squirmed from time to time, rubbing against the bed. She looked at Chen Xuan and said:
"Hello, Officer Chen, we meet again."
"Qiqi, why are you hurting yourself?"
Now Chen Xuan has to be extremely cautious with every question, otherwise it is very likely that he will trigger a certain mechanism in her body and cause her mental breakdown.
Li Qiqi pulled at her mask to make her breathing easier, then she spoke in a trembling voice:
"I, I don't know, I just can't help it. I have...a rash, yes, a rash."
"I felt very uncomfortable. The longer the rash grew, the more uncomfortable I felt. So I scraped it off with a knife, and after that I felt much better."
"Officer Chen."
Li Qiqi paused, and this time, her voice was tearful.
"I'm itchy, I'm miserable, I've got a rash again, but they won't let me scratch it, they won't let me scrape it off."
"Can you please talk to them and ask them to let me shave it off? It will be much better if I shave it off."
"But if you shave it off, you'll get hurt. In serious cases, you might even die. Just bear with it for now."
Chen Xuan lowered his head and comforted him.
"But can I really survive?"
Li Qiqi looked up, but stopped abruptly when she said the last word. She looked at Chen Xuan blankly, her eyes asking for help.
Chen Xuan touched Li Qiqi's hair and said softly:
"Yes, we will all protect you."
Li Qiqi's eyes flashed with confusion and complexity. Seeing that he finally had a hint of human spirit, she didn't say anything more, just wanted to be quiet for a while.
Chen Xuan also gave her space to rest, stepped aside and started talking with the doctor.
"What on earth is growing on Li Qiqi's body? Why is she feeling uncomfortable?"
The doctor paused and gave his professional opinion:
"Current tests show that it appears to be a special type of livor mortis, a physical change caused by a decrease in body activity. Some ordinary people also experience this condition. Libido mortis itself is not contagious. We are still investigating the cause."
"However, I think the 'itch' she's talking about has little to do with physical sensations and is more of a psychological issue."
"She felt that the livor mortis was 'uncomfortable' and 'unbearable', and that the itch was the problem."
The human body has a tolerance range. If it is too itchy or too painful, people will faint and fall into self-protection, and then gradually become numb and reach a balanced position. Few people will continue to feel itchy unless there is a psychological problem.
It was because Li Qiqi had psychological problems that she hurt herself with a knife.
“Rub, rub, rub… rub, rub…”
The friction sound was heard again, this time attracting the attention of the police and doctors. Everyone looked at Li Qiqi and the conversation paused for a moment.
Li Qiqi was seen trying hard to lift the vase on the table. It was obvious that she was trying to force herself to stop, but instinct always overcame reason. She smashed the vase suddenly, picked up a piece of glass and pointed it at her arms and thighs, ready to hurt herself again.
"Control her!"
Chen Xuan quickly locked onto Li Qiqi's body.
"Let me go, let me go! Officer Chen, I feel so uncomfortable, so uncomfortable, I feel like something is growing out of my body, my pores are full of roots, it penetrates my blood vessels, penetrates my skin and flesh, it's stirring, it's breathing, I'm so itchy, I'm so itchy!!"
"Calm down, you'll just bleed to death!"
Chen Xuan forcibly pressed Li Qiqi onto the bed. The powerful force made Li Qiqi unable to move, but Li Qiqi was like a mad dog at this moment. She had lost her mind in her eyes, wailing and crying.
"I feel so bad, I feel so bad, let me go, let me go..."
Her consciousness was already blurred, and she didn't know whether she was begging for mercy to her body or to Chen Xuan.
"Tranquilizer!"
Medical staff rushed in and controlled Li Qiqi's body. With the injection of the sedative, Li Qiqi's struggle finally became much easier. She squinted slightly, with that painful expression on her face. She shook her body unconsciously and trembled slightly. Even in her sleep, she did not feel relaxed at all. The slight movement and friction of her body seemed as if she was really itchy.
"Is she...asleep?"
Someone asked, but Chen Xuan didn't answer. He saw Li Qiqi's expression. She narrowed her eyes slightly, but didn't close them completely. She stared blankly at the ceiling, just like she was sleepwalking at night.
Chen Xuan pulled open a corner of her clothes, and sure enough, her skin seemed to breathe, with spots growing one after another with each expansion.
"Fortunately, we're in the hospital. With such a crazy situation, even if we forcibly control her, I'm afraid she would hurt herself."
"It's useless. This is just a temporary solution and not a cure for the disease."
The doctor retorted:
"Also, taking too many tranquilizers can cause irreversible damage to the brain. She can't just take tranquilizers every time she feels itchy. Her body can't handle it."
"What can we do then...at the rate she's growing, she'll be covered in them soon, right? "
"What do you think... maybe she's itching while it's growing? Will it get better once it's finished?"
"So you think we should keep sedating her until the livor mortis settles? That's not a good thing either. If she gets all livor mortis, she might die."
"But Wang Sanbei died by self-harm, so this can be considered a solution."
"I don't agree. Tranquilizers shouldn't be abused like this..."
Chen Xuan listened to their argument. They each had their own reasons. Looking at Li Qiqi who was sleeping soundly, Chen Xuan interrupted them:
"Perhaps there is another way to calm her down without sedating her."
