Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Shi Chaoyang?"
"That's him."
Old Shao's mind flashed back to Shiseidon's boastful expression about how exceptional his son was, but what Old Shao never expected was that the truth of the matter was like this. Wang Liguo had been saving people all along, yet for five years, he had been misunderstood as a murderer. Shi Chaoyang had always been a good student, admitted to a prestigious high school, but no one knew that he had once committed such an evil act.
Was Wang Liguo a good kid? He was not. With no one to discipline him, Wang Liguo had to scrounge for food; when there was none, he stole it, and he took money as well. To those classmates he robbed, he was utterly despicable. But could such a despicable person really be a murderer?
The answer was no.
However, in the preconceived notions of all the villagers, Wang Liguo was a criminal. He bore this accusation for five long years; he had tried to explain himself, but no one believed him. Everything stemmed from Wang Liguo's own misfortunes, but if he had been born into a happy family, perhaps the story would have unfolded differently.
Wang Liguo would inevitably be buried with this slanderous title, but the only thing that allowed Old Shao to find some solace in his sorrow was that in his final moments, he had deceived Wang Liguo into believing that Ge Dongyun still trusted him. Perhaps from the moment he decided to take his own life, he had let everything go.
Old Shao remained silent for a long time after hearing this. It wasn't until Captain Liu asked several times that Old Shao finally said, "Come back; Wang Liguo just died."
"Died?" Captain Liu couldn't believe it.
"Yes." Old Shao had little desire to explain further. He said, "You'll see the media reports soon enough."
With that, Old Shao hung up the phone.
A look of fatigue crossed Old Shao's face as he turned to Jiang He. "This case has stirred up so much commotion; it finally seems to be coming to an end here. When I was young, I always thought the world was simple, believing that all we needed to do was tell everyone the truth of the case, regardless of whether that truth was cruel or heartwarming."
"You don't think that way now?" Jiang He looked at Old Shao.
Jiang He still wore a cold expression; Old Shao understood that it wasn't because Jiang He was aloof but because he simply couldn't grasp the complexities of human emotions. He might understand others' joys and sorrows, but Jiang He didn't comprehend that laughter could sometimes be pure joy and other times forced. Tears could signify heartbreak or overwhelming happiness.
Sometimes being like Jiang He was preferable—no need for empathy.
"Exactly," Old Shao replied. "When I was in my forties, something happened that changed my perspective. After that incident, I realized that the public might not need the truth because the truth is always cold and devoid of any warmth. Whether it concerns victims or perpetrators."
Old Shao sighed, "There are two types of people: those we consider good and those we consider bad. Among the murderers, there are both the truly heinous and those who are forced into a corner. The victims can be those who have done terrible things or innocent souls. Yet all four types are extremes; most people we encounter, whether they are murderers or victims, are a mix of good and evil, making it hard to draw conclusions."
"But regardless of what kind of person they are, there is always the law to pass judgment. A murderer must be caught," Old Shao continued. "This should be a simple matter, yet no matter how you approach it, there will always be regrets and shortcomings, and there will always be people with differing views standing against you."
"I increasingly feel that there is no such thing as a true reality in this world. The truth we speak of and the truth others speak of—what exactly is the truth?"
As he walked away, he spoke to Jiang He, "I thought society would gradually improve, but I realize that humanity is like this: it was the same a hundred years ago and will be the same a hundred years from now. It has never changed. I've lived more than half my life and have never seen a decrease in murderers."
Old Shao looked at the noisy crowd, addressing both Jiang He and himself: "With every bit of heat we emit, we give off light; perhaps this is our mission."
Jiang He seemed to understand something yet also appeared confused.
"Go back and give yourselves a break." Old Shao stretched lazily, as if expelling all the negativity from his heart.
"Let's go," said Shao the Elder.
The other members of the task force were already waiting behind the building for Old Shao and Jiang He. The two walked briskly forward without saying anything. Through the glass, they could see that the crowd outside was gradually dispersing. Those who needed to eat went to eat, and those who needed to use the restroom did so; everything returned to normal.
Wang Liguo's kidnapping case was merely gossip for these onlookers.
"Relatives may still mourn, while others have already begun to sing." This phrase reflected that while relatives might still face grief over their loved ones' deaths, other spectators had moved on. When Old Shao dialed Wang Liguo's father's phone number, there was no reaction at all—like a dog had died; no, it was more like a stray dog that had no connection to him at all.
Would anyone in this world remember Wang Liguo? Perhaps some would; perhaps none would.
Only Ai Hua, still alive, could no longer express her gratitude to Wang Liguo in person.
A few people gathered behind the hospital building. Although this case had been thoroughly investigated and turned out to be nothing more than a farce, it had directly taken several lives or indirectly altered many destinies. First was Deng Xiangyu, who committed suicide for various reasons; then Liu Huairou, who was beaten to death by an angry mob; Zhuang Qinyun, who ran away from home; Ge Dongyun, who was killed by her stepmother; and Wang Liguo, who had been misunderstood for five years.
All of this stemmed from an accidental video exposure and the furious backlash from netizens. One could only wonder how the two individuals in the video who remained unseen felt after learning about this chain of events.
Fear, regret, relief?
No one knew for sure, but the only thing Old Shao understood was that these two people would likely have to change their identities and start anew for the rest of their lives.
Everyone wore a look of fatigue, and a stifling atmosphere quietly spread among them. Although the case had come to a close, for some reason, there was no excitement about solving it; instead, there was a sense of helplessness.
It was that kind of helplessness that came from thinking, "This situation could have been avoided." How powerful is public opinion? The group didn’t quite understand, but they did grasp that under the weight of strong public sentiment, some people could be driven to despair. Especially those who often acted without having the full picture and began their verbal assaults prematurely.
Once the police released a statement to dispel rumors, some people wouldn’t bother to read it, and those who did wouldn’t believe it. Each netizen seemed to see a vague semblance of truth in the exaggerated portrayals by various media outlets vying for attention. Those impressionable individuals followed along, crafting a eulogy for justice, and together they reached a fever pitch.
The power of words is terrifying; who knows how many more "murderers" like Wang Liguo have already been condemned to death in the court of public opinion?
"What should we do next?" After a moment of silence, Xu Yiman was the first to speak up. "I don't know if you feel this way too, but I always get the impression that we’ve been running around without actually accomplishing anything. We may have caught the 'killer,' but we can’t stop these people from heading down a tragic path."
"It seems their fate was sealed the moment that video was released," Xu Yiman sighed heavily. "That feeling is really unpleasant."
Yuan Jun scratched his head and said, "This serves as a bloody lesson for those who enjoy bullying others; just because you’re in a crowd doesn’t mean you can pick on someone alone."
"Let’s go," Old Shao said.
After walking a few steps, Jiang He suddenly spoke up. "By the way, Wang Chao is on the seventh floor in his hospital room. After he left intensive care, he moved here."
Xu Yiman looked up and said, "Let’s come back to see him later. I saw a group of reporters interviewing Xiao Xuanmiao when I walked over here. That poor kid looked terrified; but isn’t her dream to become an actress? She’ll have to face cameras eventually; I guess she’s getting some practice ahead of time."
"One of those six people is named Li Liangcai," Yuan Jun suddenly recalled. "But out of all six, he’s probably the only one who might feel quite lonely."
"That’s not allowed—"
Before Xu Yiman could finish her sentence, she felt darkness envelop her vision. Then there was a loud crash as something fell from above.
A startled cry came from upstairs. Xu Yiman looked up and saw Wang Chao leaning out, straining to look down.
Almost in that instant, a liquid splashed onto her face, causing her to quickly shut her eyes. She caught a familiar scent and, when she touched it with her hand, realized it was a warm, somewhat viscous liquid.
The smell was unmistakable; it was the scent of fresh blood.
She hurriedly wiped her eyes and looked ahead, where Jiang He was now crouched on the ground beside a person lying down. Blood was gushing from the person's head, and Jiang He was pressing on the wound to stop the bleeding. Seeing this scene made Xu Yiman's legs go weak, and she trembled uncontrollably.
Because she understood that this person didn't have much time left.
She wanted to scream, but no sound would come out.
“Yuan Jun, go find a doctor!”
Before Jiang He's voice faded, Yuan Jun had already dashed out.
Being in a hospital, it wasn't long before the injured person was rushed into the operating room by the arriving doctors.
As the red light of the operating room lit up, the hearts of those waiting tightened in unison.
Comment 0 Comment Count