Chapter 37 - The journey back home.

As the helicopter landed the security officers whisked them away in a cab, that was waiting for them.

Liqin turned to Jia and said, "Jia you go on top. I will arrange for some food. Kindly ensure, that uncle has his lunch on time along with his medications."

"I will do that."

As she reached the room and walked in to see Bao, Li Enlai walked in, and asked, "How are you, my dear?"

Jia replied with moist eyes, "I am fine."

She watched in silence as Li Enlai sat beside his son with tears in his eyes holding his hands. As the tears fell on the hands of Li Bao his hands moved a bit.

Jia immediately pointed to his hands and responded, "Uncle I saw his hands move. He is probably improving."

Li Enlai gestured her to keep silent, and then wrote on a paper, and handed it over to her.

As Jia held the paper it read, "He is fine and stable. We had purposefully spread the rumor to avoid any further attack. Liqin is also aware of the truth. As of now do not disclose it to anyone, till we reach Shanghai and catch the culprit involved."

After she read the paper Li Enlai took it back, shred it to pieces, put the pieces into his pocket, and said, "It is better this way."

"Uncle, have you eaten anything since morning?"

"I had breakfast at six in the morning."

As they were talking Liqin walked in with food, and said, "I think we need to have some lunch."

He then gestured to Jia who promptly got up, and said, "Uncle let me prepare the plate for you to eat. You must have your medicines on time."

"You stay here, and ensure, that uncle eats well, before his medicine intake, I will in the meanwhile hand over the meals of the security officers in charge as well."

"Mr. Chen has left for Zurich with Dr. Wu and Dr. Jones. They will be back by five in the evening You also should have some food with us. I cannot afford to have you fall ill as well now."

Liqin called in one of the security officers, and handed over meal parcels for all of them, and said, "Let me know if anything is lacking or if I have missed on someone."

As the officer left Jia prepared the food for both, and they had lunch together with moist eyes hoping for a return of normalcy.

The remaining day went smoothly without much event. At about five in the evening Dr. Wu returned with Dr. Jones, and said, "We have completed the formalities, and we can leave for Shanghai tomorrow."

Mr. Chen handed over the tickets to Dr. Jones and added, "The flight tickets have been booked for Dr. Jones to fly to Shanghai on the twenty-sixth early morning as well."

Li Enlai walked to them and asked, "I have one question to ask. Is Ms. Xiao Esther from China as well?"

Dr. Wu shook his head and replied, "No. She is an American citizen."

Li Enlai sighed and replied, "Dr. Wu, in that case, if the family desires her to be shifted back to the U.S., which is the safest alternative under the present circumstances, we can arrange that as well. You have it checked with her family."

Dr. Wu paused and replied, "Her parents were in a medical conference, and I was able to get in touch with them only ten minutes back. I have not explained the gravity of the situation to them as they might be aggrieved badly. Dr. Jones would be informing them tomorrow morning when they reach. They will reach here by eight in the morning. If you could arrange for sending them home back to the U.S., it would be great as they would have all the facilities available for them there, as her parents are doctors as well. Her mom is a neurologist so that would be of great help as she is in a coma."

Li Enlai held his forehead and replied, "In that case, I could arrange the flight, that is taking us back home, to return to Zurich and transport Ms. Xiao and her family back to America.

Dr. Wu, you go ahead with Liqin and check with the doctor whether she can be transferred to the U.S. without any concerns, and inform Mr. Chen of your plans. If you could do it now, it would be better as I can settle this matter before I leave for Zurich."

Dr. Wu nodded and replied, "We will do that immediately as it would be better for us to have her shifted to the U.S. I had checked with the doctors on the way and they had informed, that though she is in a coma, her vital signs are pretty stable."

As Dr. Wu left with Liqin, Dr. Jones said, "I will attend to Ms. Xiao then, Mr. Li thanks for all the support, that we received. Safe journey to you."

Li Enlai smiled and replied, "It is my responsibility. As a matter of fact, I should be apologizing, for the loss of your close friend."

"Have they been able to nab the assailant?"

"No, not yet. It was a well-planned assault, and their escape was well planned. Moreover, the surveillance system in that area was down as well due to the blizzard so they do not have any clues as of yet. The car, that was used had been randomly picked up from the street as several vehicles had been stranded in the snow, and has been abandoned promptly midway. Hence our safety is of much importance now."

"It's very true. I will take your leave then Mr. Li."

As Dr. Jones got up to leave, Jia said, "I will accompany you, Dr. Jones, I have not paid a visit to her since I came here."

As they walked out Dr. Wu returned with Liqin, and said, "I have checked with the doctor, and they have no concerns over transferring Ms. Xiao to the U.S."

Li Enlai checked the calendar on his mobile and replied, "When do you want me to arrange, that for then? We will reach Shanghai on the twenty-fifth early morning. They can leave for Zurich back on the twenty-sixth, and reach on twenty-seventh, and then leave from Zurich on twenty-eighth for the U.S. Would that be fine? Till the time you board the flight for the U.S., my security officers will have you guys covered. Mr. Chen will stay back, and ensure a smooth journey for all of you."

In the next ward, Jia walked in with Dr. Jones, into the room where Xiao Esther was hospitalized.

As they walked into the room Jia looked at the beautiful Ms. Xiao, and said, "She is very beautiful. She looks like someone I know."

Dr. Jones nodded and replied, "Yes, she is very beautiful and lively as well. She was supposed to be engaged to Dr. Wu this Christmas. He had come down to Zermatt well planned for a proposal. He did not expect it to turn out like this. It's sad though."

"But wasn't Ms. Xiao Ann the one who was supposed to be engaged to Dr. Wu."

Dr. Jones smiled, and said, "Xiao Ann is his first cousin, the daughter of his late aunt. How can he marry her? You must have heard it wrong from someone."

"I am sorry for overhearing yours,' and Mrs. Altermatt's conversation, that day in the lobby."

Dr. Jones shook her head and replied, "Oh—that conversation in the lobby, that must be all her misunderstanding. Dr. Wu informed me that Xiao Ann had married Mr. Li Bao that morning."

"Bao had messaged her name to Liqin and updated his 'moments' with a picture. Let me show it to you."

As Jia showed the picture to Dr. Jones she said, "Wow! That is a beautiful picture, and the rings are beautiful as well. I think I have seen the blue diamond ring adorned on the finger of Mr. Li Bao somewhere. I don't recollect now though."

"You must have seen it with Xiao Ann."

"I don't think it was Ann. Anyway, I do not recollect it now. But it was not Ann though. Maybe I might have come across one like that one in some shop while shopping. It's pretty sad, that she couldn't survive to enjoy the bliss of married life."

"Yes, it is pretty sad. It was very difficult for us to convince Bao to get married, and now when he did, he lost her in such a bad manner. He did not even have a single enemy. He was always at peace with people. Was someone who followed the Bible, and its principles thoroughly like a dictation."

"Was he a Christian?"

"Yes, and that's supposed to be a secret. He is very close to his mother's best friend, and she is a committed Christian. It is through her influence that he became one. His parents are not aware of it, to date. It's a secret, that we three friends share amongst us."

"It would have been a blessing to the Xiao family to have him as their son-in-law."

"Every family in Shanghai shares your opinion on having him as their son-in-law including my parents at a time."

"Are you serious?"

"I and Liqin were childhood friends and were comfortable with each other. It was only when my dad and uncle tried to get me and Bao hitched, that I and Liqin realized, that we could not live without each other. It was Bao who put in efforts to ensure, that we confessed our feelings for each other. Hence, it is very sad to see him lose his loved one in this fashion."

Dr. Jones held the hand of Jia, who had by now started to cry, and said, "Life and death are beyond our control. This is something, that I have realized with my three years of practice in the medical profession. Sometimes we put in all efforts to save a patient, and, that patient passes away, and at other times a patient for whom we have lost all hope bounces back to life. Over the years I have accepted this as a reality of life. I have seen so many deaths, that sometimes I ask myself whether I will ever be able to mourn the death of a family member in case of one passing away."

"It must be tough to lose loved ones. I just realized yesterday, that time is fleeting, and if not spent wisely might never come back."

"It's true that time and tide do not wait for anyone."

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"Do you love Dr. Wu? I am sorry if I am intruding into your privacy."

"Yes, it is very evident. Isn't it? The only person who is not aware of my feelings is Dr. Wu. Or probably he doesn't want to acknowledge my feelings."

"Does he love her?"

"I am not sure about it. It is an arrangement made by the families. I have never discussed this matter with him."

"Why don't you confess to him? Are you scared of losing a friend? I can understand your stand as I have gone through a similar situation. Then I asked myself a question and, that gave me my answer and the direction, that I had to choose."

"What was the question?"

"I asked myself whether I will get a chance to be his friend forever once he finds a woman to call his own, and the answer was simple."

"What was it?"

"The answer was, that no lady would allow her spouse to have another one as his packaged deal for life. I would not allow that myself. Then how can someone else allow the same? Once I knew the answer, I decided to confess."

"How did the confession go then?"

"I never got a chance to confess."

"Why?"

"He confessed to me first due to some circumstances, that we faced. In your case, I think, you should confess first. Life is very uncertain for us to keep our loved ones waiting for us. Give it a thought."

As she completed her sentence Liqin joined in with Dr. Wu, and asked, "Were you on an advising spree again?"

He then turned to Dr. Jones, and said, "Well, you can take her advice pretty seriously. What was it about though?

As he handed over a package of snacks to them, he continued, "Here, you guys have some snacks and coffee."

Dr. Jones accepted the package from Liqin, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Chang. Well, about what we discussed earlier; I will surely give a thought to it."

Liqin looked at Jia, and said, "Enlai uncle will be leaving in about fifteen minutes for Zurich. We need to send him off."

Liqin then looked at Dr. Jones, and said, "About what was discussed earlier, you surely should give it a thought."

He then gestured to Dr. Wu, and said, "In fact, both of you should seriously give it a thought."

Jia narrowed her eyes, and asked, "What should Dr. Wu give a thought about?"

Liqin held her by the shoulder, and said sheepishly, "Some personal matters, that you need not know as uncle is leaving, and we need to send him off."

As they walked out of the room, they heard Dr. Wu asking, "How is she doing now?"

"Not much of an improvement."

As they walked towards the room of Bao, Liqin said, "Dr. Wu and I were silent listeners to that discussion between you and Dr. Jones."

"Since when had you guys been overhearing our conversation?"

"Since the time you popped up the question of whether Dr. Jones loved Dr. Wu."

"That means he overheard the complete conversation that mattered to him."

"Yes, he heard everything."

"That's great then. He should act now since he is aware of their mutual feelings."

Liqin shook his head, turned to her, and replied, "We do not know them well to jump to a conclusion, that the feelings are mutual."

As they entered Bao's room Jia nodded, and replied, "Yes, that's true. We do not know them well to jump to a conclusion."

Li Enlai stood up and said, "I am leaving Bao with you guys till tomorrow. You both take care of yourselves, and Bao for me till we meet again."

Jia and Liqin replied in unison, "You take care of yourself too uncle."

"Kindly have your dinner on time along with the medication."

"During the night, other than the staff registered for the care of Bao and Esther, no one will be allowed on this floor. Their names, copies of identity cards, and photos are available with the security. Under no circumstances should any person not on this list be authorized to enter the entrance of this floor. The entrance to this floor will be locked from the inside, and only once the outer security approves will the inner security open the door for the authorized staff. The adjacent rooms are vacant for you guys to take a rest in between. Let us hope, that no untoward incident happens until we leave the hospital tomorrow. I have asked Mr. Chen to clear all the dues of the hospital. He will stay back, and leave only when Esther is flown back to the U.S. on the twenty-eighth. The return tickets of the security officers for Esther have been booked for the twenty-eighth of December post the departure of Ms. Xiao Esther. Inform Dr. Jones, that the security officers do not have permission to divulge any details to anyone, including the members of the family. We cannot take chances with our lives as we do not know who the black sheep is. Medical helicopters and ambulances have been arranged to transport Bao, the deceased Ms. Xiao, and you guys to Zurich tomorrow."

"All of what was discussed now would be taken care of before we leave tomorrow. Meet you at the airport at nine in the morning. There's one more thing, that I need to update you on."

Li Enlai turned around and asked, "Is there something I am not aware of?"

Liqin opened the 'moments' of Bao, and showed it to Li Enlai, and said, "This is what I wanted to update you on. I am not sure as to whether the security team has access to his account, and has this information. Ms. Xiao Ann was probably married to him as per this update. The one who died probably was your daughter-in-law."

Li Enlai creased his brow, and said, "Why hasn't someone informed me about this, all the while, till now? This is surely going to hit his recovery hard. I can't believe, that he finally found love only to lose it in this manner."

As they were discussing it, Mr. Chen arrived, and said, "Sir the car is ready for departure."

Li Enlai looked at Liqin, and said, "We will discuss this matter during the flight tomorrow. By the way, those rings look very familiar to me. How did he get the same pattern on his ring as well?"

"Does someone else have a similar ring?"

"We will discuss this once we reach Shanghai."

"We'll do that then."

As Mr. Li Enlai left with the entourage, Jia asked, "What is the problem with those rings? Why does it seem familiar to everyone?"

Liqin fixed his gaze at her face and asked, "Who else felt familiar with this ring?"

"Dr. Jones told me, that she had seen the ring with someone, but not with Xiao Ann."

"Maybe this was the same ring, that aunt Roulan had returned to Enlai uncle when she broke the engagement. Liqin had informed me, that grandma had handed over the ring to him to be passed on to her granddaughter-in-law as an heirloom. But uncle was discussing the ring, that he was wearing, the blue diamond one. Where did uncle see that kind of a ring before?"

"We'll discuss that later. No wonder he was so disturbed earlier."

As they were discussing Dr. Wu walked in, and asked, "Is something wrong here?"

"We were discussing the photo, that Bao had uploaded minutes before the attack regarding his marriage to Xiao Ann."

Dr. Wu asked wide-eyed, "When did they get married?"

Liqin shrugged and replied, "Probably during the blizzard due to fear of not surviving the wind and the storm."

Dr. Wu walked toward Liqin, and asked, "Can I see the picture?"

Liqin opened the "moments," and showed the update to him, and said, "This is the one we are discussing."

Dr. Wu looked at the mobile and asked, "Is this real?"

Liqin shook his head with a half-smile and replied, "That's a weird question, Dr. Wu. I still have it in the belongings of Bao."

Liqin then removed the sealed packet, opened it, removed the blue diamond ring, and showed it to Dr. Wu who looked at it, and asked, "Is this an imitation jewelry?"

Liqin then handed over the ring to Jia, and said, "Let us ask the jeweler to check. Her family owns one of the largest companies selling diamond and precious stone jewelry in China."

Jia took the ring, checked it, and said, "This is a very costly real blue diamond, and it is genuine, and not a fake one. Moreover, this looks like an ancestral piece."

Dr. Wu narrowed his vision on the ring and replied, "There's no way she could have earned that. She grew up with my family, and all her expenses were paid for by us. We have never owned such expensive pieces of jewelry in our family."

Jia tilted her head and replied, "Both rings that were used that day could belong to the Li family, and he used them for the wedding probably. No wonder uncle was able to recognize the blue diamond ring. He probably considered it to be a jinx or something just now."

"Do you guys believe in such things as jinx with your education?"

"No, we don't believe either."

He then looked at Jia, and said, "Could this ring also be associated with the history of Li Enlai and aunt Roulan?"

As soon as the question was completed, Dr. Wu was dumbstruck, and asked, "Who is aunt Roulan?"

"A family friend of ours."

He then looked at Jia, and said, "It could be probably true with the earlier expression of Enlai uncle."

"Can you check the belongings of Xiao Ann for the pigeon ruby ring?"

"I don't think it would be appropriate to open it before handing it over to my parents. But I am pretty sure, that there was no ring with a heart-shaped ruby on her hand as I was present while her belongings were being removed by the staff after her death on arrival. If there is a ring that big, you can feel it. Isn't it? Here, you guys can feel the package to check for the ring."

As Dr. Wu handed over the package Jia held it in her hand and felt the same, looked at Liqin, and shook her head, and said, "There is no ring of that kind in that package. In fact, I can only feel a chain, and a watch."

"She could have lost the ring during the ambush."

Dr. Wu looked at the photo of the huge ring embellished with a heart-shaped ruby and diamonds, and asked, "Is it expensive? I do not have knowledge about precious stones and their values."

Jia nodded in affirmation and said, "It is very expensive. More than that, it is the heirloom ring of the family passed on to the daughter-in-law."

Liqin pointed his finger and replied, "Let me call up the security cell, and request them to check the area of the attack. It has been cordoned off by the police already. Hence no one else might have got a chance to pick it up from there."

Liqin then called Mr. Chen and relayed the request. As the call was disconnected, he said, "Mr. Chen will speak to Mr. Muller and the police department, and do a thorough inspection of that area tomorrow at six in the morning."

"When are we scheduled to leave?"

"The team of doctors accompanying Bao will arrive at half-past five in the morning. We will leave for Zurich at sharp seven in the morning."

"You guys are sincerely committed. A brain-dead person, however, does not have any hope. It is like his organs are surviving on that ventilator. The moment it is plugged off the organs will die as well."

Jia was about to reply when Liqin held her hand tightly gesturing to stop, and said, "Hope is what keeps the world alive Dr. Wu."

"I didn't intend to hurt your feelings. I have lost my sister as well. I was just preparing you guys for the reality, that lay ahead."

"We understand your concern for us Dr. Wu, however, we do not wish to lose hope till the last ray of hope is lost."

As they were discussing, Mr. Chen walked in, and said, "Dinner has been arranged for. I need to apprise you of some arrangements."

As they all sat for dinner Mr. Chen continued, "It has been arranged, that the doctors, nurses, and other staff who are stationed to attend to Mr. Li will not leave the floor till we reach Zurich tomorrow. They have also been requested, utter secrecy, and they would be stationed in a room on this floor which would be under the supervision of the security staff to avoid any leakage of information about our travel. You guys rest early as we might require you any moment with any change of plan."

Dr. Wu looked around and asked, "Are you guys expecting another attack."

Mr. Chen shrugged and replied, "It is better to be safe than regret later."

Liqin nodded and responded, "We will do as you say."

Dr. Wu looked at them, and said, "Why does it feel, that wealth comes with the compromise of privacy and security?"

Mr. Chen smiled and replied, "It's true. Sometimes it does come with tethers, that restrict your freedom."

After dinner, Liqin, and Jia retired to the room of Bao. They were too tired and dozed off as soon as they hit the beds.

Dr. Wu and Dr. Jones walked into the room of Ms. Xiao Esther and sat there for a while.

The silence of the room was shattered, when Dr. Wu asked, "Is there something, that you would like to discuss or share with me Julian?"

"I have shared the updates of her health already. No further updates are available to share."

"Anything other than the health condition of Esther."

"There's nothing more to share."

Dr. Wu held her by her shoulder and said, "Julian we were best of friends since high school, and have known each other pretty well. Why do I feel distanced, and aloof from you these days? You seem to be keeping a distance from me these days."

Dr. Jones turned away and replied, "Well your families had arranged for you guys to get married, and I did not want any misunderstanding between both of you."

Dr. Wu tilted his head and replied, "Is that a misunderstanding? Or is it that we are avoiding bracing the truth of the matter?"

Dr. Jones looked into his eyes and asked, "And what exactly is the truth?"

He held Julian by her shoulders as she avoided any eye contact as tears swelled up her eyes.

"Can you look at me and talk without avoiding eye contact. Look up, will you?"

Dr. Jones looked up as tears swelled up in her eyes, and said, "What answers are you seeking?"

Dr. Wu was taken aback by her tears, and said, "I didn't intend to hurt your feelings."

Dr. Jones wiped her tears and replied, "I have an offer from a hospital in San Jose. I was thinking of considering the offer."

Dr. Wu shook his head and replied, "Is that a method of escapism, that you have chosen. Why can't you face the truth? I do not mind you accepting the offer if it is for building your career. But do not accept it to run away from me."

Dr. Jones clenched her teeth and responded, "I don't intend to run away from you. You get yourself some rest as you will need to fly early morning tomorrow, and might not get to rest once you land in Shanghai. We will discuss these things once we are back."

"Fine, we will discuss it once we return."

As they closed their eyelids to rest, both quickly went into a deep sleep as they were quite exhausted. Their deep sleep was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Dr. Wu got up and opened the door. As he opened Mr. Chen walked in, and said, "Dr. Wu, I am sorry to have disturbed you. But we need to leave in another half an hour."

Dr. Wu looked at the watch, and said, "It's only two in the morning."

"There have been some suspicious movements around the hospital. Hence we thought it is better to exit before our earlier planned time."

Dr. Wu nodded and replied, "Fine, I will join you guys in fifteen minutes. I need to wake her up, and inform her as well."

Dr. Wu quickly dressed up, looked at the still sleeping Julian, and thought, "I can't keep hurting her, and myself in this manner. Once I am back, I will have to do a thorough introspection as to whether this compromise, that I am about to make is worth it. After all, we cannot lead our lives with falsehood. Moreover, she has been my companion and best friend since the time we met in high school. Both of us have gotten used to each other's company. I also need to ask myself, whether I am doing justice to Esther."

As his hands affectionately touched Julian's forehead, she woke up, and asked, "When did you wake up, and why are you dressed up so soon? What's the time?"

Dr. Wu replied, "It's 2:15 AM. There has been a change of plan. We will be leaving in another fifteen minutes."

Dr. Jones sat up, rubbed her eyes, and replied, "Why do they need to move at such an earthly hour?"

As she completed the statement Liqin, Jia, and Mr. Chen walked in. Dr. Jones got out of the bed as Mr. Chen said, "We just needed to update you on some details. Liqin and Jia will leave with Bao and the medical staff at half-past two. Dr. Wu will leave with the body of the late Ms. Xiao fifteen minutes after their departure."

Mr. Chen paused as he looked around for an affirmation of their understanding and continued, "We will be using the back door of the hospital which is usually used for internal purposes. This way we can reduce the waiting time at the helipad. The luggage will go with Dr. Wu and the team."

As they were discussing one of the security officers walked in, and handed over a set of medical gowns, and masks.

Mr. Chen distributed them and added, "We have arranged for medical gowns and masks. As you go down each of you will be wearing these gowns and masks, and we will walk out one by one to avoid any form of attention. Each person will be accompanied by a security officer in disguise as well. The discharge formalities had already been cleared yesterday night. It will take ten minutes for us to reach the helipad from the hospital. The medical staff in attendance will stay back to attend to Ms. Xiao Esther, and will leave the floor only at eight in the morning."

As Mr. Chen completed the statement, three officers entered in a medical gown and mask. He then introduced them, and said, "Jia will be the first one to leave followed by Liqin."

As they put on their medical gowns and masks, another officer walked in and gestured to Mr. Chen who looked at Liqin and said, "Let Jia leave now, and put your handbag into this paper bag to avoid any form of visibility."

As Jia was about to leave, Liqin held her, and said, "You need to be careful."

After five minutes Mr. Chen said, "You may leave now Mr. Chang."

As Liqin walked out Dr. Wu turned to him and asked, "Are you not joining us?"

Mr. Chen shook his head and replied, "I will be staying back, and ensuring the safe journey of Ms. Xiao Esther, and her family back to the U.S. Mr. Yang, from our security team who accompanied the medical team, will be replacing me, as security-in-charge."

As they were talking, Mr. Chen received a call. As he disconnected, he said, "Your entourage will leave in another ten minutes. We have replaced the complete set of security officers to avoid being traced. All familiar faces who were present in the hospital already could be trailed, hence, we have replaced them with a fresh set of officers."

After twenty minutes Mr. Chen received another call. After answering that call, he said, "The helicopter with junior Mr. Li has left for Zurich safely. You need to leave now."

Dr. Wu held out his arms and asked, "Can I speak to Dr. Jones for a moment?"

Mr. Chen nodded and replied, "Sure, but make it quick as the schedules cannot be disturbed. We will wait outside."

As they left Dr. Wu turned to Dr. Jones, and said, "Take care of yourself, and of Esther for me. Aunty and uncle will be here by half-past seven. I will take your leave now."

As he was about to turn to leave Dr. Jones hugged him tightly, and said, "Take care."

Dr. Wu was taken aback by the emotional outbreak. His comforting arms covered her warm shoulders, and he said, "I'll be fine, and we will meet in three days. I will pick you at Shanghai airport on the twenty-seventh morning."

As they finished talking, an officer walked in, and said, "Sir we need to leave."

Dr. Wu nodded and replied, "I am ready, let's leave."

As Dr. Wu walked to the elevator, the corridor seemed to have been devoid of any staff. As they walked into the elevator another security officer walked in with the luggage on a stretcher which was very well hidden, covered by the bed sheet of the stretchers.

As they reached the down, the stretcher with the luggage was transferred into the ambulance, and the officers then placed the embalmed body of Ms. Xiao on the stretcher.

The security officer and Dr. Wu got into the ambulance and left for the helipad. They were followed by a group of security officers in a car in a distance.

As they reached the helipad the two helicopters were already waiting for them to get in. The luggage and the embalmed body were quickly transferred to the helicopter within minutes.

As the helicopter took off an officer introduced himself, and said, "Good morning Dr. Wu, I am Mr. Yang, and I will be taking over from Mr. Chen."

Dr. Wu smiled and replied, "You guys have put in a lot of effort to chalk out this foolproof plan. It must be quite a tiring adventure."

Mr. Yang leaned back and replied, "It's our responsibility. Our job involves the safety and security of lives, like the medical profession, and a deviation of by even a fraction of second could change the course of action, and put the lives of people involved to severe risks."

"That's true."

As the helicopter hovered over the snow-covered land twinkling with the Christmas decorations, with the Matterhorn glowing in the background of the bluish-white snow-covered landscape, Dr. Wu said, "It is pretty sad, that Christmas turned into mourning for our families. This year, as we touch Shanghai on Christmas, joy will be replaced by mourning, and a joyful coterie replaced by the black hues of the cemetery."

"We are sorry for your loss. It is very painful to lose a loved one."

"It is more painful to lose in the manner, that we have lost. A young life lost to greed and vengeance."

"Well, I am not good at offering condolences. I am of the school of thought, that a grieving family cannot be consoled with words as words alone cannot replace their loss."

Dr. Wu looked out at the towering Alps and replied, "You are perfectly right in what you said just now. All those tall words of condolences are like the Matterhorn, which stands tall in this dark blue cold landscape, but is devoid of any warmth nor can it warm those cold bodies, that are exposed to the harsh winds. It would require a new sunrise to warm those hearts like the Matterhorn basking in the glory of early sunrise."

As the helicopter left the beautiful landscape of the Alps and hovered over the city of Zurich before landing, the copter was filled with silence and solitude, accompanied by pain and loss.

As they landed, an ambulance and cars were already waiting to transport them to the airport.

They quickly got in and moved. As they reached the airport, Liqin and Jia were awaiting them with the security team.

Dr. Wu walked to them and asked, "How is Bao doing?"

Liqin touched his forehead and responded, "The medical team has the same opinion as you in his matter. Anyway, we are not giving up so easily. He has been transferred to the aircraft already. It is half-past three We still have two hours before we leave."

Dr. Wu rolled his eyes and asked, "Wasn't the flight scheduled for ten in the morning.

Liqin shook his head and replied, "It was planned that way earlier, however, we received clearance for an earlier departure."

As they were talking, the officers in charge assisted with the luggage and the coffin of late Ms. Xiao, and they walked into the airport for clearance.

"I'll need to make a call, and inform the parents of Esther about our departure."

"Are they in Zurich?"

"No, they are in Geneva."

Dr. Wu stepped aside and made the call while Liqin and the team prepared for the check-in formalities.

Dr. Wu disconnected the call with the statement, "I will call you once I reach Shanghai. Take care."

By the time they completed the check-in formalities and boarded it was already half-past four in the morning.