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Ha Li Min looked at me and provided an address.
She spoke, "Hu Ningning is at that location. I assure you, Hu Ningning is safe now, she is alive. You are right; Hu Ningning has never abused my son, nor has she mistreated anyone else. During the time she was captured, I actually treated her well. I told her that everything was just a game of a police officer catching thieves."
A look of maternal affection appeared on Ha Li Min's face, a expression only a mother could possess.
She gently said, "I only want to eliminate those hopeless children. Hu Ningning is very understanding; when she sees me sad, she comes over to comfort me. I think if I weren't so busy with work, my son would probably do the same. I've already missed out on most of the beauty in life; what does being alive even mean anymore?"
"This officer?"
Ha Li Min looked at me, her expression twisting. She said, "Don't you feel the same? This world is dark and hypocritical; everyone is the same. Those rotten hearts hidden beneath human skin, the naked darkness and evil. This world is too beautiful—so beautiful that it has become the best hell for those demons."
"Only death is liberation; remember my words, only death is liberation."
Ha Li Min murmured softly.
Listening to her words made my mind buzz with confusion. I had thought about this issue long ago; I have no friends, no one I can trust. I've seen too much betrayal and lies, witnessed too much darkness and distortion. Life is inherently evil; those who are good simply haven't encountered the right opportunity.
This disgusting and hypocritical world.
But at some point, I found a few people who would never betray me and would always support me: Captain Shao, Gu Chen, Mary, Guan Zengbin, even Zhao Mingkun and Sister Mao. When I became a fugitive and everyone believed I was a murderer, they never doubted me.
This made me realize that in this world, I am not alone.
At least after I die, I will become a star—not bright, perhaps even dim and dull—but I will always be there. Although only a handful of people might remember me, that is enough. That is what I have longed for and strived to achieve in this life.
I took one last glance at Ha Li Min and said to the others, "Let's go to that place and bring Hu Ningning back."
In the car, Chen Bo finally let out a sigh of relief. "After investigating this case for a week, it's finally over. With all this commotion, I really want to get a good night's sleep. The weather is nice too; the light rain is refreshing. It's true what they say, good news brings good spirits, even the heavens are helping us."
Noticing my furrowed brow, Chen Bo patted my shoulder and said, "What's wrong, Officer Wu? The matter is settled now. You heard in the interrogation room that Hu Ningning should be fine. With Ha Li Min's actions, a death sentence is inevitable. There's no need for a dead person to lie."
I shook my head and glanced at Gu Chen and Mary; their expressions were equally serious.
I replied to Chen Bo, "When a person is about to die, their words may be sincere because they have nothing left to lose. But in reality, not every dying person speaks the truth; it depends on the situation. This case is quite complicated. Of course, I'm not referring to Ha Li Min but rather the people behind him."
"Wu Zui?" Chen Bo scratched his head. "I've heard of this Wu Zui. Wasn't he involved in the notorious Liu Yinyan kidnapping case that caused such an uproar in Dongxing City? After Liu Yinyan died, the stock prices plummeted terribly. You could see that the Venture Capital Firm was solely supported by Liu Yinyan."
He slapped his thigh and continued, "Getting off track here! So who exactly is our Wu Zui? I've heard he's a young man who wears a mask and seems to be skilled in psychological profiling or something like that. With your intelligence, why are you a police officer instead of pursuing a career as a Criminal?"
"Do you know about Liu Yinyan's case?" I asked.
"Of course," Chen Bo replied. "That case shook the department; I doubt anyone in the province was unaware of it, and it even had national repercussions. We police officers are more aware of what your team has been dealing with. But don't be discouraged; we will catch this person eventually."
I looked at Chen Bo; he seemed harmless, almost like a white rabbit.
But there was one problem: since Chen Bo knew so much about me and had even heard my name, he must also know that I am currently a wanted suspect throughout the city and possibly beyond—provincially or nationally. If he understood my identity, why hadn't he revealed it until now? Did he hope to arrest me after I solved the case for some sort of two-birds-with-one-stone scenario? Or was it because he was related to Gu Chen and wanted to protect me? At that moment, it seemed everyone was aware of something unspoken, but no one dared to address it.
It was complicated and murky; various forces were intertwined. Who were my allies and who were my enemies? Those ambiguous messages—more than one person had told me there was a mole in the police department—were my parents police officers or criminals? What had transpired seven years ago between Captain Shao and that criminal Shi Huacheng?
Why is Wu Zui targeting me? Why is Zhao Mingkun helping me? These two are clearly siblings adopted by Shi Huacheng, one wanting to end that life and keep Shi Huacheng from coming out, while the other is always ready to bring Shi Huacheng back. What is their relationship—love or rivalry?
Before all the answers arrive, I still don't understand and can't figure it out.
As Chen Bo said, it started to rain at this moment, a refreshing drizzle. However, this rain was different from before; it seemed that if we didn't use an umbrella for too long, we would end up soaked. We arrived at the house belonging to Ha Li Min, which looked quite well-decorated.
When we kicked the door open, we saw a girl tied up on the sand in front of us. Her mouth was gagged, and she wore a blindfold. This girl was none other than Hu Ningning. At that moment, she appeared very quiet, showing no signs of movement.
It seemed that she had suffered quite a bit while being tied up. However, judging by her complexion, she didn't look too bad. It appeared that Ha Li Min had treated her well; she wasn't being mistreated. Hu Ningning was so calm that she might have genuinely believed Ha Li Min's words, thinking it was just a game.
For a ten-year-old girl, if she could truly see this as a game, that would be wonderful; otherwise, the psychological scars left from childhood could follow someone for a lifetime. Hu Ningning was dressed simply in a t-shirt and shorts, with no visible injuries, which eased my worries significantly.
At that moment, it seemed she heard some noise and slightly turned her head.
Just as I pulled the cloth out of Hu Ningning's mouth, she said, "Good auntie, you're back! I've been playing this hostage for a long time; when will I get to play the bad guy while you play the hostage?"
It seemed Hu Ningning really did think of this as a game.
"We're police officers; we're here to rescue the hostage."
As I spoke, I removed her blindfold.
Seeing that we were indeed police officers, Hu Ningning first froze in surprise before bursting into tears. This sudden reaction startled us; we had no idea what was happening. Outside the window, the rain seemed to grow heavier along with her cries; summer rains like this were not common.
I hugged Hu Ningning and gently touched her face as I said, "The police uncle is here; why are you crying?"
Hugging me tightly, Hu Ningning cried out, "Uncle Police, you finally came! I'm so scared. That bad auntie tricked me into thinking this was just a game. I'm really frightened, but I didn't dare let her know I was pretending to play with her. I know she has killed many people, and she thinks I don't know. I'm so glad you are here."
With that, Hu Ningning burst into tears again.
It seemed I had underestimated the intelligence of a ten-year-old girl. In Ha Li Min's eyes, her words seemed to have deceived Hu Ningning. She didn't want this incident to become a psychological shadow for Hu Ningning, but the truth was that Hu Ningning already knew what Ha Li Min was up to. Even after realizing Ha Li Min's identity, she still played along with her.
Hu Ningning was too clever; she understood how to protect herself.
However, seeing her like this stirred an unusual feeling within me.
I said to Hu Ningning, "It's okay now. Uncle will take you to the police station first. We will ask you about what happened recently. Don't be afraid; once we understand everything, we will send you home. Just answer whatever we ask, okay?"
Hu Ningning nodded in agreement.
I picked her up and said to everyone, "Look around this room for anything else. If you find any clues, bring them back with you."
The others began searching the room.
I turned to Hu Ningning and asked, "Hu Ningning, Uncle has a few questions for you. Don't be scared."
She nodded again.
"When you were here, did that bad auntie hit you?" I asked.
Hu Ningning hesitated for a moment before replying, "No, she never hit me."
It seemed that Ha Li Min had done well in this regard.
I continued to ask, "Do you know what she has done?"
"I do," Hu Ningning said, but then she started crying again.
After much effort, I finally managed to calm Hu Ningning down and asked her why she was crying. It turned out that those people were indeed told to Ha Li Min by Hu Ningning, and since Hu Ningning had a good relationship with Zhang Zuocheng, it was Zhang Zuocheng who informed her about who had bullied him. So, Hu Ningning passed that information on to Ha Li Min.
"You and Zhang Zuocheng get along well?" I asked.
Hu Ningning was silent for a moment before replying, "It's okay. I get along well with every child."
"Has he ever given you toys?" I asked again.
"Not that," Hu Ningning answered.
As we exchanged questions and answers, it was already twelve o'clock, and we had been here for over half an hour.
At that moment, Chen Bo walked over with a serious expression and said, "Something has happened."
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