The parking lot was empty.
There wasn't a single car. Wang Xiaoliang parked without turning off the engine and looked through the windshield at the hospital entrance.
The doors were shut tight.
He drove out of the parking lot and circled the hospital's outer wall. The east gate was locked. So was the small gate to the north. The whole building was lifeless, every window closed, not a soul in sight.
He drove back to the parking lot and parked. His hand reached for the door handle, but before he could pull it-
His phone rang.
An unfamiliar number. Local.
Wang Xiaoliang's hand was shaking when he picked it up. He answered without speaking.
"Wang Xiaoliang, it's Xie Hui."
His throat tightened.
"Military control has been lifted. You can come pick Zijin up."
She really had called at the first opportunity.
Come pick Zijin up.
Pick her up.
He opened his mouth, but his vocal cords seemed rusted shut. After two seconds, he finally squeezed his voice out of his throat.
"I'm coming up now. Can you open the main entrance for me?"
There was a pause on the other end.
"You're downstairs?"
Wang Xiaoliang didn't answer her. His question came out softly.
"Has Zijin... woken up?"
Xie Hui didn't answer him either.
Silence.
Three seconds. Five.
"Wait a little. The nurse is checking Zijin over and taking care of a few things. Then I'll come down and open the door."
Beep-beep-beep-
The call ended.
Wang Xiaoliang sat there holding his phone. The screen went dark. He didn't move.
She hadn't answered him.
She hadn't answered that question.
If Zijin had woken up, why wouldn't she tell him outright?
The answer was already there. From the moment Xie Hui had spoken, the words "pick her up" had been the answer.