Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 118 - 113 Altar

「Three days later.」

Feng Yan and his team were having a spell of bad luck. After tailing Gao Yang for three days, they had found nothing unusual and had little to show for their efforts.

Gao Yang’s company was strange. It wasn’t in an office building but in a warehouse that looked like an auto repair shop. If not for the sign out front, no one would ever guess it was the trading company that controlled the entire medicinal herb trade in Shanghai City.

Almost everyone in Shanghai City knew of Gao Yang, but very few people knew about his origins. In the eyes of the Shanhai people, he was a ruthless thug who seemed to have shot to fame overnight. No one knew how he had made his fortune. Even locals like Wang Jian, who had grown up in Shanghai City, had only heard stories about Gao Yang and knew very little about what he actually did. Outsiders, of course, knew even less.

By now, Gao Yang had become the sole supplier of medicinal materials in Shanghai City, keeping a much lower profile than before. The money he was earning, however, was countless times more than he had made in the past.

Feng Yan’s team had managed to uncover this much, but that was where things got strange. Gao Yang lived in the most famous residential complex in Shanghai City. It was the first one developed by Country Garden and was considered a high-end community. Yet, it was strange for a major boss to live in such a modest mixed-use residence—after all, this was Shanghai City, not the Demon City, and his home was no Thomson luxury mansion.

It was strange, wasn’t it? Where had all his money gone?

During the stakeout, Feng Yan had already dispatched a team to investigate Gao Yang’s finances, but results were hard to come by. Two days had passed with no leads. So, Feng Yan stuck to the old-fashioned methods of tracking and surveillance, convinced the man would eventually slip up. The deadline from his superiors was one week. If they had no clues by then, they would be forced to resort to more extreme measures.

That day, Gao Yang returned with two of his underlings and an internet celebrity. After he went upstairs, his underlings waited below. As soon as Gao Yang got inside, he and the internet celebrity started getting intimate, completely unaware that the room was bugged.

In the past few days, Feng Yan’s team had already witnessed three such encounters, each with a different woman.

Another one was starting now, but strangely, just as Gao Yang lay back and the woman leaned over him, they stopped after only a few movements.

Gao Yang was suddenly unable to perform.

"Mr. Gao?" the woman’s puzzled voice came through the feed.

"I don’t know what’s been going on lately, but my left eyelid won’t stop twitching," Gao Yang said, rubbing his brow wearily. "You should go."

Gao Yang dismissed the woman and remained still until she had left. Just as Feng Yan was starting to wonder what was happening, Gao Yang moved.

It was only when he sat up that Feng Yan got a clear look. Gao Yang’s face was covered in sweat and he looked utterly exhausted, a complete reversal from when he had first entered the room. A moment ago, Gao Yang had been a man in his prime, but now he looked dehydrated, sweating profusely, his expression twisted and savage. If the woman hadn’t already fled, she would have been terrified by his state.

Gao Yang reached for a bottle of water by the bed and guzzled down several large mouthfuls, quickly finishing the entire thing. This did nothing to relieve his symptoms. He ran to the refrigerator, grabbed a large 1.5-liter bottle of water, and began chugging it straight down, with purified water streaming down his cheeks. When he was done, Gao Yang forcefully threw the bottle aside, turning so that he was facing the surveillance camera directly.

Feng Yan’s mouth fell open in shock.

On the monitor, Gao Yang’s veins were bulging, his eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing was rapid—he looked just like an addict in the throes of withdrawal.

Seemingly unaware he was being watched, Gao Yang stared at a safe in the living room. He staggered toward it, knocking over furniture in his path. From the safe, he pulled out a black jar, about the size of a fist, that looked like an ordinary ceramic container. The jar was painted with a blue-and-white pattern and etched with talismans, giving it a strangely sinister air.

"What is that thing?"

"What is he... about to do?"

While Feng Yan stared in amazement, Gao Yang pulled a black worm from the jar and, with almost no hesitation, tossed it into his mouth.

After eating the worm, Gao Yang still wasn’t satisfied. He began frantically digging his fingers inside the jar, clearly desperate for more. But after a few seconds, he furiously smashed the jar on the floor. It shattered, scattering pieces of porcelain and some dirt, but nothing else.

Next, Gao Yang collapsed, curling up and muttering incoherently. Finally, he lay motionless, as if he were dead.

"Fuck! He’s not really dead, is he?" Feng Yan cursed aloud, wanting to rush over. He had just started to stand when there was a new development on the monitor, and he immediately sat back down.

Gao Yang’s phone was ringing.

It rang for a full minute before stopping. Gao Yang remained motionless on the floor. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Feng Yan frowned and turned to Cai Kai. "Can you trace that call?"

"Sure!" Cai Kai nodded, his hands flying across the keyboard. "I’ve already hacked his phone. Just give me a second..."

"Done!" A few seconds later, Cai Kai read out a name. "Mr. Chen?"

"Some teacher," Feng Yan said dismissively.

"It’s the contact name on his phone," Cai Kai speculated. "I guess he’s a teacher?"

Feng Yan waved his hand. "Forget whether he’s a teacher or not. Find out who owns the number and see if he’s legitimate."

Just as he finished speaking, the phone rang again. Feng Yan raised a hand, silencing Cai Kai as he saw Gao Yang begin to move.

Gao Yang sat up. He was clearly in much better shape than before, though still visibly weak.

Gao Yang froze when he saw the contact name on the screen. The subtle change in his expression didn’t escape Feng Yan, who immediately sensed a potential breakthrough. He quickly told Cai Kai to monitor the call and record a separate audio track.

Cai Kai understood. With a few clicks, he patched the call’s audio through, and Feng Yan immediately began listening on his headphones.

"Hello, Mr. Chen?" Gao Yang asked.

Mr. Chen’s voice was low and carried little echo, suggesting he was indoors. "Is anyone around?" he asked.

After a faint cough, Gao Yang replied, "No, just me."

"Hmm," Mr. Chen said, seeming to notice Gao Yang’s condition. "You had another relapse, didn’t you?" Without giving Gao Yang a chance to argue, he went on, "I told you before, using those things for debauchery would eventually backfire. Instead of wasting time and energy on that, you should be focused on the altar. Is it finished yet?"

Altar?

Upon hearing that word, the expressions on both Feng Yan and Cai Kai soured. Anything involving an altar was never good news.

Sure enough, Gao Yang’s voice came over the line. "Don’t worry, Mr. Chen. The altar will be ready tonight, and the offerings have already been arranged. You can rest assured."

"Good. The flesh worms are gone. Go to the usual place to get more."