After Chong Lin showed his wound to Dai Li, he immediately rolled his pant leg down to cover it again, worried that someone else would notice his horrifying scar.
He took a deep breath and remained silent for a few seconds, then said, "I was working in narcotics. I worked in a southwestern border city, and was a undercover investigator among drug dealers."
Dai Li immediately recalled the tough men on TV that would hold machine pistols and dart to the drug lord's lair. An undercover investigator usually looked intense and scheming, like Chaowei Liang in Infernal Affairs, the famous spy movie. But seeing Chong Lin, Dai Li was shaking his head on the inside. Regardless of his appearance or temperament, Chong Lin was too ordinary; he wasn't powerful or bold at all, like the dramas had portrayed.
What Dai Li didn't know was that when selecting undercover investigators, police would usually choose ordinary faces purposefully. Handsome muscle men were too attractive and would easily draw attention, which would keep them from completing their tasks.
Chong Lin continued, "I was an undercover investigator for five years, then finally completed the job successfully. My wound is from my last arrest. The injury was quite serious, and the rehabilitation process was not optimistic. My doctor's diagnosis was a permanent unrecoverable disability. My injured leg can't take too much force, otherwise I will feel a violent pain in it, making me weak. I can't do any activities for too long, even jogging. That is why I have been out of practice for years, and why I didn't pass the fitness test."
"Is the test aiming at first-class policemen? If you have a wound, why would the bureau of public security insist that you work here? You could be a civil servant in the administrative or logistics department," asked Dai Li.
"I concealed my injury," said Chong Lin, "After that job, the organization transferred me to Huajing, a city thousands of miles away from my original city, in an attempt to protect me from from the drug dealers' backlash. When I registered, I concealed my leg injury from the leaders of the Huajing Bureau of Public Security so that I could continue working in first-class narcotics."
"You don't want to be a civil servant?" Dai Li immediately asked.
Chong Lin nodded seriously, "Right, I don't want to be a civil servant! I'm a policeman. I still remember my vow under the national flag on the first day I became a policeman. My duty is to get rid of the cruelty in the world, keep the peace among the people, stop crimes, and protect everyone! If I became a civil servant who stayed in the office all day long, I'd feel like the walking dead! I'd rather be killed by drug dealers than hide in an office room all day!
"That's why I didn't say anything about my injury. I want to stay on the frontline and catch criminals myself!" Chong Lin was speaking in an agitated tone. He took a deep breath to calm down, but his face showed how exhausted he was. "But I may not be able to cover it up anymore. The fitness test revealed my secret; I didn't pass it because of my injury. A policeman who can't chase after thieves is useless. I won't be able to stay on the frontline any longer."
Hearing Chong Lin's words, Dai Li was touched. To uphold his responsibilities, Chong Lin had concealed his injury so he could stay on the frontline. He didn't know how many policemen were like Chong Lin, but one thing was certain—Chong Lin was great!
"Coach Li, could you please help me pass the test? Only then will I be able to stay here fighting criminals!" Chong Lin said. He had finally told Dai Li his ultimate goal.
Chong Lin had been an undercover investigator, which meant that hiding a leg injury was not a difficult thing for him. Because Dai Li had not suspected anything, Chong Lin had chosen not to hide his secret on purpose. That was why Dai Li had noticed his abnormality. If Chong Lin had wanted to hide his injury, even Dai Li would not have been able to discern it.
Chong Lin knew that he might not be able to hide his secret much longer. If he could not pass the make-up fitness test, he would be transferred and become a civil servant. Because of this, there was no need to pretend he was fine in front of Dai Li. Instead, he had chosen to tell Dai Li everything, hoping that Dai Li could help him.
"Sure!" Dai Li nodded without hesitation. He had a special feeling that helping Chong Lin was his new mission.
Even though it is a gunshot wound, my massage rehabilitation should work. Even if I cannot bring Chong Lin's leg back to its original condition, I have to help him pass the fitness test. Moreover, this test matters for my future, and whether I can stay or not. If Chong Lin does not get a good score, I will be eliminated!
Thinking about this, Dai Li suddenly felt like he was unlucky. There were more than sixty policemen who had not passed the test, yet he had gotten the one injured person who had concealed their condition. When training a person with injuries that was not completely recovered, normal training methods could cause negative effects.
The other coaches don't need to deal with these difficulties, do they? Their trainees, even though they had poor performances, are at least normal people. I'm the only one who has to work with this challenge!
On second thought, Dai Li felt that he was lucky. Because there were more than sixty people who had not passed the test, he was the one who had partnered Chong Lin.
Chong Lin's leg was hurt when he took the test the first time. Only my massage rehabilitation can help him recover. If it was some other coach, he would probably have to become a civil servant, and we would have lost an outstanding policeman. It is my honor to help him, and he is lucky to have met me!
Dai Li took a deep breath to calm himself down, then told Chong Lin, "May I take another look at your wound? I've been studying athletic rehabilitation, so perhaps I can help you."
"I have seen a lot of famous doctors. After seeing my CT slice, they all said there was no way to cure it. Permanent disability was assured to me," said Chong Lin.
"Don't worry. Let me give you a massage first," Dai Li said, beginning to use the massage rehabilitation.
"It's useless. I have also seen some masseuses, but none of their massages have worked. My wound doesn't hurt normally, and I don't even feel any discomfort when i'm resting; but once I put pressure on it or run for a long time, it hurts," said Chong Lin.
"It doesn't hurt usually? You don't feel any pain?" asked Dai Li.
Chong Lin shook his head and said, "No."
Dai Li looked serious.