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墨書 Inktalez
"Speaking of coercion," Zhao Mingkun squatted in front of me, dragging his hand across his face as he spoke slowly, "it's not easy for your Special Investigation Team to carry out an assassination. That's a last resort. For instance, threatening to kill your fiancée, your family, or your team members—those are all difficult maneuvers."
Zhao Mingkun blinked and continued, "Especially since Yan Junde's mother was once kidnapped; the department takes the safety of your family very seriously. They are even more concerned about your safety. If someone were to assassinate you, first, no one would dare take on that job, and second, the department would mobilize all resources to find us. We don't want to go against the national machinery, so we tread carefully. We can't afford to make a wrong move. This way, the department won't shift all their work onto us. Do you think my analysis makes sense?"
I pursed my lips and remained silent.
"Then I'll say it myself—it's very reasonable," Zhao Mingkun applauded himself and said, "So we can't do this. We can't touch what you rely on. So if you lose that support, you're no match for us at all. Do you understand?"
I picked up where Zhao Mingkun left off: "So you've set this trap to pull me away from that support. Without it, I'm nothing. In the end, I can only be at your mercy—is that right?"
"You are indeed very clever," Zhao Mingkun said earnestly. "Without that support, you can't be an explorer anymore. Your life is ruined; do you realize that? Can you accept it? Look at your current identity—you are a fugitive. If you think Yue'er can prove your innocence, then you might be mistaken. Since we can incapacitate you, we can certainly eliminate a young girl."
"Damn it!" I couldn't help but curse. "Yue'er is just a child! How can you be so ruthless!"
"Calm down!" Zhao Mingkun said. "People are all the same; there’s no distinction between adults and children. Honestly, you can't imagine what my life was like when I was underage. So don't be nervous or angry. Just listen quietly to what I have to say."
I clenched my teeth and spat out a few words through them: "The truth—I want the truth first. From the beginning of this case to the end, I want to know everything! I need all the details."
"Alright, I know that's what interests you," Zhao Mingkun said as he sat directly on the ground and continued, "You want the truth; I can give it to you..."
Then Zhao Mingkun recounted the entire sequence of events.
A little over a month ago, on September 25th, just days after Liu Fangqing had dragged her sister back from working at a hotel without permission, an unexpected incident occurred. That night, Xing Jie was walking down the street with Yue'er. Yue'er's train ticket was booked for September 26th; tonight she wanted to use her savings to buy a gift for her sister Liu Fangqing.
To surprise her sister, Yue'er didn't inform her but instead sought advice from her sister's boyfriend, Xing Jie. While they were out on the street, they spotted Liu Fangqing coming out with Wu Shuhau. Liu Fangqing was pressed against Wu Shuhau with an expression Yue'er had never seen before—one reminiscent of the expressions of prostitutes she had seen on television.
Yue'er wanted to approach and ask what was going on but was stopped by Xing Jie. It turned out that Xing Jie already knew about Liu Fangqing's behavior; she had confided in him before. Liu Fangqing knew Xing Jie was a good person; she might barely qualify as one herself, but she was a tainted good person now. Yet Xing Jie didn't leave her; instead, he doted on Liu Fangqing even more.
Xing Jie claimed he lacked the ability to earn big money and that it wasn't Liu Fangqing's fault but his own. Liu Fangqing cried bitterly as she struggled internally. But if she left Wu Shuhau now, her income would not be enough to support her family. Her heart bled while her face wore the most beautiful smile.
Yue'er was already a high school student. Although she had not yet reached adulthood, she understood many things. She chose to remain silent, having selected a gift, and waited at the entrance of the hotel. She said she wanted to watch her sister come out, claiming it was her own lack of effort that burdened everything onto her sister.
On that cold night, the two stood by the street. Xing Jie smoked one cigarette after another, feeling perhaps angry, perhaps numb, perhaps unwilling, but ultimately powerless. Yue'er held a pendant inscribed with the character for "moon," waiting outside and constantly wiping it. She hadn't intended to give this gift, but in the end, she decided to do so. She resolved not to go to school; she wanted to earn money and share the burden with her sister.
The wind that night was inexplicably strong, even howling at times. The two stood beneath the hotel, gazing at the light shining from the second-floor window, silent and waiting. They both knew what was happening inside, yet neither spoke of it. It was as if by not mentioning it, they could pretend it had never occurred.
Suddenly, several people rushed out in a hurry. Xing Jie sensed something was off and pulled Yue'er behind a newsstand. Then they witnessed a scene they would never forget. First, a waiter sneaked out, looking around cautiously. After confirming no one was watching, he immediately signaled someone inside.
Next, two individuals emerged carrying a woman wrapped in a blanket. The bearers were Wu Shuhau and Wu Jianye, and the woman being carried was Liu Fangqing. Another woman followed closely behind them; this was Xu Rong. Xu Rong pointed at the cameras on either side and asked, "What do we do about these?"
Wu Jianye whispered back, "Don't worry about those; I have connections above who can handle it easily. We just need to bury the body somewhere no one will find it and leave quickly; if anyone sees us, everything will be ruined. Remember to delete all surveillance footage from the store; we mustn't let anyone discover anything."
With that, they loaded the body into a car and hurried away.
It turned out that Wu Shuhau, Wu Jianye, Xu Rong, and Liu Fangqing had rented a room together. Although Liu Fangqing made money this way, Wu Shuhau and Wu Jianye found it lacking compared to Xu Rong's more thrilling offerings. To provide Liu Fangqing with a higher level of enjoyment, they drugged her. The drug was potent enough that Liu Fangqing seemed like a completely different person.
However, they were unaware of the severe consequences of an overdose. In her stupor, Liu Fangqing ended her life. The group realized that if their actions were exposed, their lives would be ruined forever. Thus, they bribed the night-shift waiter at the hotel to cover up their crime.
What they could never have anticipated was that two people who loved Liu Fangqing most—who were also loved by her—witnessed them disposing of her body. Neither had a car; they watched as the sports car sped away into the night, tears streaming down their faces and hearts bleeding with sorrow. Yue'er declared fiercely, "None of those four will escape; I will kill them all!"
Xing Jie nodded; he understood Yue'er's character well. He pretended to be a guardian and requested leave from school for her before locking Yue'er in an unfinished basement in a park under construction. He couldn't let Yue'er stay in his home because of this incident; he had to handle it alone without getting her hands stained with blood.
He kept the pendant around his neck. Yue'er cried and begged him to let her avenge her sister herself. But Xing Jie knew this was too dangerous. He couldn't allow Yue'er to become a killer; he would take on that role himself. Every night he brought food and water for Yue'er before leaving again. He planned to release her only after everyone involved was dead.
Thus began his meticulous planning—observing and gradually taking action over nearly a month until he devised a complete scheme he called the Death God's Revenge Plan: all four must die. On the first day of action, he killed Xu Rong and staged the scene.
Soon after, Zhao Mingkun's organization learned about this development; they realized that the Special Investigation Team was coming and initiated an alternative plan. Upon returning home one day, Xing Jie was ambushed by strangers who said nothing before killing him outright. Confused about what had happened in his final moments, Xing Jie only knew that if he died, Yue'er would starve to death in the basement; thus he pointed desperately at the pendant as his last act.
The stranger knew this but did not move. He waited for me to investigate where the cellar was, and then he would take me away.
Next, our Special Investigation Team arrived in Jing City. The enormous conglomerate disguised as Zhao Mingkun also came to Jing City. What happened afterward was carried out by this group of organized individuals. They continued to follow the plan designed by Xing Jie to commit murder, but at this point, killing had become a secondary objective; their true aim was to frame me.
At a gathering, Zhao Mingkun stole my Police Badge and SIM card. He obtained a lot of my information and even found my bank account details. At that moment, a large sum of money was already in my account, but I was completely unaware of it. Although I felt something was off, I never imagined that this plan had already begun.
Later, it aligned with my previous deductions: this group used my fingerprints to commit murder and called Wu Shuhau using my phone card, leading to a series of subsequent homicides. The truth was revealed, and all the fog cleared away. From the very beginning, I had been in the open while the hidden enemy continuously attacked me.
Now, we were finally face to face.
I did not know how to describe my feelings at this moment—anger, excitement, resentment. I wished I could tear apart the woman before me. I was furious for Liu Fangqing and Yue'er, these innocent people; I even felt sorrow for Xing Jie. All of this happened so suddenly; perhaps the deceased never realized they had become victims in a senseless game.
Do good people get rewarded while bad people face retribution? This cause-and-effect seemed never to have been validated in our work. Suddenly, I recalled the vow I had made: no matter how others viewed or thought of it, as long as the Killer was still out there, as long as the Killer remained at large, we would pursue him across mountains and rivers until he was captured and brought to justice. Even if it meant taking my last breath or shedding my last drop of blood, I would seek justice for the deceased.
For Yue'er, for Liu Fangqing, and also for Xing Jie.
On my first voyage at sea, I encountered a well-known Bengal Aid Worker. Young and impulsive, but too poor to actually fire a shot until the First Mate told me that a bag of instant noodles could get me through the night with a group of women...
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