Chapter 24 — After Doctor Diep Disappeared

At the end of the hallway is an iron door, on the door is a piece of paper printed with the words: "Cold room". When the door was pushed open, a blast of cold air hit my face, mixed with the strong smell of formalin. Co Han Chau's stomach contracted strongly. He stood at the door, holding on to the door frame, unable to get inside. The legs do not listen to instructions, the knees are weak, the mind is buzzing. Officer Liu stood next to an iron cart, on the cart was a human figure, covered from head to toe in a white cloth.

"Mr. Co, are you ready?"

Co Han Chau opened his mouth but couldn't utter a sound. He walked in. Her steps were unsteady, as if stepping on cotton. Coming to the cart, he lowered his eyes and looked at the outline under the white cloth. Very skinny figure. Exactly like Diep Nam Sanh. His hand reached out, his fingertips just three inches from the white fabric. Officer Liu glanced at him, sighed, and personally lifted a corner of the white cloth for him. The face appeared first. Swollen. Soaking in water turns white. The five senses were completely deformed, the muscle tissue on the face was swollen, the original contours could not be seen. His eyes were closed, his eyelids were swollen like two blisters. Purple lips mixed with black, parted a gap, revealing pale white teeth inside. Unrecognizable. The face was completely unrecognizable. But Officer Liu continued to pull down the white cloth. Shoulders, chest, arms. And then comes the right hand. The right hand appears under the light. The fingers were broken and deformed, the bones were misaligned, the finger joints were swollen, and on the back of the hand was a long scar stretching from the mouth (the space between the thumb and index finger) down to the wrist. Old fracture wound. Completely coincides with Diep Nam Sanh's injury. The body was wearing a black windbreaker, the buttons were round brass buttons, and there was an unremarkable stain on the left chest. It's a coffee stain. Co Han Chau realized. That day, on the camera at the airport security check area, Diep Nam Sanh was wearing this shirt. His throat made a hoarse, off-key sound. That sound was not like the sound a human could make. It's like the vocal cords are torn apart. He dove in. Both hands hugged the cold body tightly, burying his face between the white cloth and skin. The body's temperature was as cold as a cold room, chilling to the bones. The swollen skin rubbed against his face, sticky and slippery. The smell of formalin was so strong that it made me nauseous. He didn't let go. Tears flowed from his eye sockets, mixed with the blood that had been vomited before, falling onto the white cloth. Drop by drop, dark red and light red blood mixed together.

“Nam Sanh.”

His voice broke into pieces.

“Nam Sanh please wake up.”

“I'll take you home.”

“Let's go home, okay.”

“Going home.”

He kept repeating those words, saying them over and over again. Officer Liu stood next to him, his face extremely unsightly, and he took two steps back. Trieu Minh stood at the door, turned away, unable to bear to look. Co Tu Mac sat on the living room carpet, the TV in front of him was still on. The news channel is broadcasting news continuously. The image on the screen was of the coast of Nam Nhai Bay. The police had set up a blue plastic tarp, underneath which was parked a funeral home car. The text runs horizontally: “According to preliminary identification, female characteristics The drowned victim completely matches the missing Ms. Diep Nam Sanh, specific results are awaiting DNA comparison." Co Tu Mac clutched a toy in his hand. It was a small red car that Diep Nam Sanh had previously bought for the boy. The boy's fingers slowly loosened. The toy car fell onto the carpet, its wheels still spinning. The boy stared at the TV screen, his mouth opened, then closed again. He remembered some things. Things that are very far away.