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墨書 Inktalez
The colleagues at the Public Security Bureau were still busy, even though there were less than three days left until the New Year. Most industries had already closed their doors, waiting for the new year to bring better business. However, while most people were resting, some sectors were bustling with activity.
For instance, salespeople in major supermarkets, staff braving the cold to clean the streets, and police officers who were working overtime without a moment's rest. The entire Public Security Bureau building was brightly lit. In the office of the Criminal Investigation Team, Old Shao had just informed everyone about the situation regarding the Criminal Consultant.
Finally, Old Shao spoke up, "Everyone has worked hard. We can't go home to reunite for the New Year. However, what we are facing now is not an ordinary criminal. Although we still don't know what he intends to do, I am certain of one thing: if he succeeds, it will cause chaos in Dragon City. At that time, not only will we be unable to celebrate the New Year properly, but the citizens of Dragon City will also suffer."
"Stay alert, Forensic Science Division. You are responsible for continuously monitoring those pages, ensuring that every second there are three pairs of eyes watching. How you rotate will be arranged by Guan Deng; he will provide you with a list sent to your computers. Any information you gather should be compiled and reported to Guan Deng, who will then inform us."
"Understood."
Old Shao continued, "The rest of the detectives will work alongside officers from various precincts to search for individuals with the following characteristics throughout the city."
Old Shao pointed at a photo on the large screen and said, "Look at the screen; this is a typical outfit of the Criminal Consultant. To summarize briefly: it’s all black. This is a fixed attire—first, a loose cloak with a hood that can completely conceal the wearer's body and hide their figure."
"Secondly, black shoes and black leather gloves," Old Shao added. "This Criminal Consultant seems to have a penchant for black or perhaps enjoys darkness. But most importantly is this mask on his face. It’s a very special mask—completely black with only the wearer's two eyes visible, and beneath the right eye is a tear of blood."
"I saw this mask twenty years ago when it was worn by Wei Demian's favorite disciple. Twenty years later, I never expected that Wei Demian would cultivate another criminal genius; it's truly regrettable. If these individuals could apply their intelligence to righteous paths, they could have become great detectives."
Old Shao seemed to reminisce for a moment before continuing, "However talented they may be, once they commit a crime, they shouldn't think they can escape. Your task is to remember this mask. Anyone wearing it must be thoroughly searched; if they seem suspicious, detain them; if not suspicious, confiscate their mask."
"Understood."
Old Shao added, "As you all saw earlier, those standing below represent the actual number of people who have entered that station. As of my screenshot, the number was nearing forty thousand. Although currently only a few thousand people remain before Countdown begins, those few thousand are almost like an army. Jiang He, please share your analysis so everyone understands the seriousness of this situation."
Jiang He stood up and addressed everyone: "From this series of pages, it appears that the Criminal Consultant is selecting his followers. After filtering through layers of candidates, I have identified several characteristics among those chosen: first, they agree with the Criminal Consultant's ideology; second, they are willing to contribute their efforts towards this ideology."
"The cult often has such a structure," Old Shao said. "So, as I mentioned earlier, even if there are only a few thousand people like this, under the influence of groupthink, they can do terrifying things that I can't even imagine. From now on, for less than seventy-two hours, no one is allowed to take leave. I permit you to make simple repairs, but you cannot leave your posts. That’s it. Except for the colleagues in the Technical Team who will take turns resting, everyone else will immediately take a three-hour break. Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock, we will depart according to the schedule."
"Understood."
Under Old Shao's urging, everyone lay down on their desks. There wasn't enough space in the break room, so these detectives rested on their desks. In less than a moment, the sound of snoring filled the office. It seemed that these people were truly exhausted; they fell asleep almost instantly.
Old Shao tiptoed out of the room, and Jiang He followed him.
Old Shao quietly asked, "You should lie down and sleep for a while; we have a lot to do tomorrow."
Jiang He replied, "Aren't you going to rest?"
Old Shao shook his head and waved his hand, saying, "When you get old, you don't need as much sleep. Even if I want to sleep, I can't. Isn't it strange? When you're young, you feel dead tired but force yourself to stay awake because you think there are things to do. Yet when you get older and genuinely want to lie down and sleep, you find that you can't at all."
"I'll tell you something; life is mostly like this," Old Shao continued. "When you're young, you always feel that your current life isn't what you want. But when you're old, you realize that most of the time you're living in blessings without knowing it. But if you think about it from another perspective, aren't you also happy now? It's just that when you're in it, you can't see clearly."
"I don't understand," Jiang He admitted.
Old Shao pointed at Jiang He's heart and said, "Not understanding isn't necessarily a bad thing. Have you seen the stars in the sky?"
"I have," Jiang He replied.
Old Shao continued, "Someone once told me that when a person passes away, they become a star in the sky. The more people miss them, the brighter that star shines. Do you see the brightest star up there?"
Jiang He nodded. "Of course I can see the brightest one."
"Do you know who the brightest one is?" Old Shao asked again.
"The North Star," Jiang He replied.
Old Shao then said, "It's called Yang Xiaojuan."
"Yang Xiaojuan?"
Jiang He, with his high intelligence, quickly realized that Old Shao was using a star to symbolize a person. He said, "Old Shao, I know your fiancée Yang Xiaojuan has been gone for decades. But you just said that the brightness of the stars depends on how many people miss them. If that's the case, the brightest star must belong to some great person, someone who is missed by at least millions, right?"
Old Shao smiled but reiterated, "No, it’s called Yang Xiaojuan."
"I still don’t understand," Jiang He said.
Old Shao didn’t explain further; he simply told Jiang He, "When you understand, you will find what you've lost. But there's no need to rush. I’m telling you that it’s your own thing. Even if you let it go and it twists and turns away from you, it will eventually come back to your hands."
Old Shao advised Jiang He, "You should go back and rest. It's not just for you; it's for this case."
Jiang He nodded.
After walking a few steps, Old Shao turned back to Jiang He and said, "By the way, after this case is over, let’s celebrate the New Year together. None of us have many relatives left. Jiang He, after this case is done, can we go to your home for the New Year?"
Old Shao continued, "We can invite Xu Yiman, Guan Deng, and Yuan Jun. Over this past year, we’ve been through a lot together. The New Year is approaching, and soon we’ll all be a year older."
Jiang He and Old Shao fell silent. The traces of time were clearly visible on their faces. Time seemed particularly significant for both of them. Old Shao was already in his sixties; he might never be able to stay on the front lines again. While his spirit could endure, his body was beginning to falter.
For Jiang He, time had never slipped away from him. He remembered everything since he was six years old: the significant events like the deaths of his parents and his great-aunt, as well as the smaller moments, such as seeing an ant on the road at twelve and chewing bubble gum at seven.
It seemed that time had never truly passed for Jiang He, and he could never feel whether time existed in this world or if it was merely a concept imagined by humanity.
Jiang He also couldn't understand if he could ever return to being an ordinary person or reclaim his emotions in the future.
At that moment, fireworks suddenly lit up in the distance. Jiang He seemed to hear the joyful shouts of children, faint and distant, with only the "bang bang bang" of the fireworks echoing in his ears.
Neither of them left; they stood still, watching the blossoms of fireworks in the sky.
At that time, it was unclear whether the fireworks had awakened those who were sleeping or if they simply couldn't sleep. When Jiang He and Old Shao turned around, they saw Xu Yiman, Yuan Jun, and Guan Deng standing behind them. The five of them stood outside the police station, gazing at the fireworks exploding in the sky.
It wasn't until all the fireworks had finished bursting in the air and a cold wind carried the scent of gunpowder that Old Shao finally turned around.
The others were still looking at the sky, but Old Shao's heart was no longer there.
He suddenly recalled standing inside the police station with Yang Xiaojuan, watching fireworks. Back then, the city hadn't yet banned fireworks; there were more and larger ones than tonight. Yang Xiaojuan leaned against Shaoshilin's embrace and softly said, "The fireworks are beautiful. You must accompany me to watch them every year from now on. No arguments; this is an order."
Old Shao smiled but suddenly felt like crying.
Because that was already thirty-six years ago.
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