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墨書 Inktalez
Jiang He glanced at the man in black, then at the bleeding Zhao Wenjing. In that moment, he made a decision. He rushed towards Wei Qian, while the man in black quickly ran toward the vertical ladder. Jiang He hurriedly began to untie the ropes binding Wei Qian's hands, using his hands and even his teeth.
The man in black had already reached the base of the ladder.
Jiang He nearly tore apart the ropes binding Wei Qian's wrists with sheer force, and he quickly instructed her, "Untie the ropes on your feet, then tear off some of your clothes to stop her bleeding. Don't panic, don't be afraid; the police will be here soon."
With that, Jiang He couldn't afford to think about anything else. He looked up and saw that the man in black was already halfway up the ladder.
Suddenly, the man in black stopped, turned around, and smiled at Jiang He as if he were watching a monkey at a circus.
Jiang He charged forward again, and the man in black resumed climbing. Jiang He ascended the ladder but saw that the man in black had already lifted the cover and was leaning out. Never before had Jiang He run so fast or felt so strong; he couldn't understand why. It felt as if something inside him was urging him on.
That something was pushing him forward, giving him strength, telling him he had to catch this Criminal Consultant.
Jiang He gritted his teeth and continued to climb. Suddenly, a shadow fell down upon him. He quickly raised his hands to block it and realized it was the man's black robe. The robe enveloped him completely before he managed to pull it off. He quickly scrambled out of the cellar and looked around, but there was no sign of the man in black anywhere.
Jiang He looked down at the ground; muddy footprints were scattered across the suburban terrain. There were three sets of footprints: two belonged to Wei Linghui who had brought Jiang He here, and one set belonged to the man in black who had fled in another direction. Jiang He immediately chased after those prints, running for about half an hour until they disappeared onto the highway.
At that moment, a black sedan sped past Jiang He, driven by none other than the man in black.
"Our game is far from over," the man in black's hand reached out from the window and waved at Jiang He.
"Goodbye!" The man's voice echoed in Jiang He's ears long after he had gone.
Jiang He quickly dialed Yuan Jun's number and said, "A black sedan; its model and license plate number are..."
Old Shao was currently sitting in a car driven by Xu Yiman as they hurried towards the suburban cellar. As soon as Jiang He appeared on screen, Old Shao received a text message from him detailing Zhao Wenjing's location. Old Shao immediately split their forces: Xu Yiman would drive him and Guan Deng to this location while Captain Liu led A Team to also head for the cellar.
Only Yuan Jun was left in the wooden cabin.
In that moment, Yuan Jun could not understand Old Shao's intentions, but when he received Jiang He's call, he understood. They had left the bastard who killed Wang Chao to him; he would personally catch that bastard and avenge Wang Chao.
When Jiang He returned to the cellar, he noticed a new set of footprints on the ground—those of a girl.
Wang Chao had entered the cellar.
He found Zhao Wenjing lying near the glass window, while Wei Qian, who had promised to stop her bleeding, had vanished without a trace. Wei Linghui's corpse lay next to Zhao Wenjing, her hand resting on the gunshot wound in Zhao Wenjing's leg.
This could only have been done by Wei Qian.
Wei Qian had used her aunt's hand to stop Zhao Wenjing's bleeding and then fled. Jiang He did not understand why Wei Qian had run away. Was it simply because her past from ten years ago had been exposed? But so many people were dead; who would pursue her?
Jiang He did not want to understand; in an instant, he felt something inside him dissipate.
What is human nature, after all?
Jiang He picked up the gun from the ground and smashed it against the camera with force. The camera emitted a crack as it shattered under his blow.
He approached Zhao Wenjing, tearing off his shirt to apply pressure to her wound.
At that moment, Zhao Wenjing had already closed her eyes. Jiang He felt for her pulse at her neck and sensed a faint heartbeat; she was still alive—perhaps there was still hope for her. His gaze shifted toward Wang Chao on the other side of the glass. He lay face down on the ground, blood pooling around him, already congealed.
He remained motionless, utterly still.
Kneeling on the ground, Jiang He thought that if only he had arrived a moment sooner, Wang Chao would not have died. He couldn't discern his own feelings as he looked at Wang Chao's back; he recalled that the last time he saw Wang Chao was one hundred twenty-seven thousand six hundred seconds ago. Yet suddenly, Jiang He felt as though he understood what it meant to feel like "a century had passed."
He recalled Wang Chao's words to him: "You and I are different; you are a talented detective."
Jiang He knew he should feel sorrow for the death of his good friend, but he couldn't bring himself to grieve. He only felt as if something within him had been wiped away, yet he couldn't identify what that something was.
The sound of an ambulance siren echoed from outside the cellar, and many people streamed in—detectives and paramedics alike.
"She's still alive; treat her immediately!" Jiang He said, looking at Zhao Wenjing.
Slowly, Jiang He stepped back.
The two men secured Zhao Wenjing onto a stretcher.
One detective crouched at the front of the stretcher while the other supported it with his shoulder.
Unconscious, Zhao Wenjing was unaware of anything happening around her; her feet kept striking the face of the detective in front. Yet, he didn't flinch or try to evade her kicks, seemingly oblivious to the pain. Jiang He noticed that he was firmly lifting Zhao Wenjing's injured leg to prevent any further harm. His face flushed as he held onto the ladder with one hand.
The stretcher occasionally collided with the ladder, pressing against his hand. In just four or five meters of height, his hand was repeatedly crushed, causing blisters and abrasions.
Jiang He heard Captain Liu's voice from above: "What happened to your hand? Can't you take care of yourself?"
The young detective replied, "Wang Chao was our team leader; I have to protect his sister-in-law and ensure she doesn't suffer any further injury!"
"Get in the car!" Captain Liu commanded.
After hearing the ambulance leave, Xu Yiman, Old Shao, and Guan Dengtai climbed down from the ladder. Although Xu Yiman desperately wanted to be the first to see Wang Chao, she understood that they needed to let the paramedics go first. Every second counted in pulling Zhao Wenjing from the clutches of death.
As Xu Yiman descended, her hands trembled. She caught sight of Wang Chao's lifeless body.
Jiang He stood to the side as Xu Yiman pressed herself against the glass. She softly called out Wang Chao's name, her voice gradually growing louder. She pounded on the window, desperate to awaken Wang Chao, who lay on the ground as if he had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Old Shao approached quietly, gazing at Wang Chao's back without uttering a word.
Finally giving up on her attempts to rouse him, Xu Yiman leaned gently against Old Shao's shoulder and said slowly, "When I was a police officer, I never thought that we could die at any moment."
Old Shao took a deep breath and replied, "When we put on that uniform, we have already set aside thoughts of life and death. Sometimes people are strange creatures; they feel lost when they know nothing, find clarity when they understand a little, but then become lost again when they learn just a bit more."
"It's like a cycle," Old Shao mused, speaking to himself yet also addressing the motionless Wang Chao. "But no matter what Wang Chao has experienced, he has never been lost. Jiang He, Xu Yiman, Guan Deng, and I—we are all like wanderers lost in the dark; we are confused. But Wang Chao is never confused, which is why he is a good police officer and we are not."
"But in the end, we will all grow. Wang Chao will too," Old Shao sighed.
Jiang He looked at Old Shao; he didn't fully grasp the meaning behind Old Shao's words, but he understood that Wang Chao was gone.
"We need to find another exit," Old Shao said. "Only then can we move Wang Chao's body out."
"Guan Deng," Old Shao turned to him and asked, "Have you traced the source of the communication?"
Guan Deng shook his head and pulled out his phone to write: "The Criminal Consultant has cut off the signal source."
Old Shao raised his head to glance at the camera that Jiang He had knocked askew, remaining silent.
"What about Wei Demian?" Jiang He leaned against the glass window and inquired.
Old Shao shook his head and said, "Wei Demian's illness is beyond cure. Before he died, he set this trap just to see my sorrow. Wei Demian is dead—the once formidable hypnotist is gone. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that Wei Demian has truly died."
"People live for a hundred years; ultimately, they cannot escape their fate lying in the loess," Old Shao lamented. "No matter who that person is or how great their achievements or power may be, they cannot escape death."
"Can we catch that bastard?" Xu Yiman wiped her eyes and looked at Old Shao.
Old Shao shook his head and said, "Wei Demian has no heirs. After his death, he probably left his property to his disciples. In such a short time, we've already discovered he had three cars. I doubt he would drive just one sedan into the city; he must have changed vehicles several times along the way. Just as Wei Demian said, the game has only just begun."
Jiang He spoke up, "I smell the stench of decay on him, and there's also the scent of burnt paper. I'm sixty percent sure he might be hiding in a crematorium."
"Did you get a good look at his face?" Old Shao asked.
Jiang He shook his head.
It wasn't until two hours later that the criminal investigation team found another exit, which was a sewer that extended into the cellar.
The members of the task force watched as Wang Chao's body was carried away from the other side, gradually disappearing into the darkness.
The game is not over yet; it's either you die or I perish.
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