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墨書 Inktalez
After the seventh day, Liu Yinyan was buried in one of the most valuable plots in Dongxing City. The crowd that came to bid farewell to Liu Yinyan numbered in the thousands. Among them were not only Liu Yinyan's relatives and leaders from the financial and political sectors but also many ordinary citizens.
Floral tributes were laid flat beside the tombstone, and individuals stood solemnly, gazing at the site.
Some were crying softly, while others murmured to themselves. From their whispers, it was clear that these were people who had been helped by Liu Yinyan and the Uremia Foundation. Without Liu Yinyan, some of them might have left this world long ago.
I stood at the back of the crowd, silent.
"Liu Old Man was a good person; those kidnappers are truly despicable!" one elderly woman said to another. "My son was cured because of him. It's a pity that good people always die young while scoundrels live to be a hundred. Sigh, may his descendants live in peace and health..."
The other elderly woman nodded and replied, "Let's go back; we still have to walk for an hour to get to the station. Otherwise, we might miss our ride tonight."
With that, the two elderly women left the crowded area early, unnoticed by anyone. It turned out they had specifically taken a bus from another place just to pay their last respects to Liu Yinyan.
But how do we truly distinguish between good and bad people? Perhaps for those who had been saved by Liu Yinyan, he was a great benefactor. Yet for Ren Lai, who had been framed and killed by Liu Yinyan thirty-five years ago, there could be no one worse than him in this world.
Sometimes people only believe what they see with their own eyes, but in reality, the eyes are often the easiest organ to deceive. Sometimes a person is not entirely evil or entirely good; rather, they embody a complex mix of both.
Three days later.
In Captain Shao's office.
A teacup clattered against the table as Captain Shao repeatedly struck it down. His expression revealed his frustration: "I thought this matter would end here, but it seems there's still so much scheming above us. In that situation, whoever rushed in would die. Even if Liu Yinyan was important, his old man isn't more important than my team members."
"They've already placed all the blame on me," Captain Shao shouted. "I don't even know which idiot filed a report saying that if it were their own people, this wouldn't have happened. Isn't that nonsense? If you can't find even a single hair from the suspect, how can you expect me to go in? You go ahead!"
Hearing this, Liu quickly covered Captain Shao's mouth with a teacup: "My dear captain, what are you doing? Your grandson is waiting outside for you to clear some space. You're already in hot water; if anything else happens now, it would be a huge loss."
Gu Chen also wore an angry expression: "That Captain Li? He didn't show up when we were solving cases before; now he suddenly appears out of nowhere. Is he just trying to push us out? What's the big deal? If we have to go, then let's go."
Liu hurriedly tried to silence Gu Chen, saying, "Come on, just calm down. You know that after this case failed, we should have been dismissed. If it weren't for Captain Shao, we would have all gone our separate ways by now. This outcome is already quite good, so let's just let it go..."
I could see that Liu was afraid of losing his job. I wanted to say something, but seeing the helpless look on his face, I decided to keep quiet.
Captain Shao kept drinking tea, like a water dispenser.
Mary glanced at Captain Shao and then said, "Since that's the case, I'll join everyone. The higher-ups have decided that future major cases will be handled by another team led by Captain Li from outside. We might only be responsible for some smaller cases from now on, but what does it matter?"
Mary looked at us again and continued, "So this office needs to be cleared out."
Captain Shao finally stopped drinking and said, "Let's go; a little peace and quiet might be nice. After all, gold will shine eventually. It won't be long before we're reassigned to the front lines."
As we walked out of the office, we saw the so-called Captain Li standing outside.
Upon seeing Captain Shao come out, Captain Li said, "Brother Shao, the countryside isn't bad at all. The environment is great, and the food is all organic; it's a good place to relax and enjoy your later years. You've worked hard for most of your life; don't you think it's time to take a break?"
Captain Li appeared friendly on the surface, but his words hinted that he hoped Captain Shao would never return. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of grudges existed between them in the past. Captain Li extended his hand to shake hands with Captain Shao.
Captain Shao handed his teacup to Liu while shaking hands and said, "Yes, it really is time for some peace and quiet. But congratulations to you; you're almost fifty now, right? Before retirement age, you've finally made it to this position. Though I must say, this chair isn't very comfortable; it's hard to sit still."
"You don't need to worry about that," Captain Li laughed heartily.
"Alright then, let's go," Captain Shao shrugged.
We continued walking outside one by one, but Liu stood still in place.
Liu handed Captain Shao's teacup over and lowered his head as he said, "Captain Shao, I won't be going with you this time. I've promised Captain Li that I'll stay behind. You know I've been at the Dongxing City Public Security Bureau for over two years now; I'm quite familiar with things here. And you also know that I..."
We were all taken aback, and at the same time, we understood that Liu might be parting ways with us this time. Of course, in Dongxing City, in this big city, the opportunities for promotion far exceeded those in smaller towns. Liu was afraid of losing this job because it was uncertain when we would return, and that was not a good thing.
Gu Chen spat and said, "Liu Kai, I've always thought you lacked backbone. I've tolerated your penchant for taking advantage of situations, but when have you ever bought a pack of cigarettes for me or Wu Meng when we went out? Our operation failed; there's nothing shameful about it. But you alone can't bear the weight of this failure."
"You've spent more time with Captain Shao than we have; why leave now?" Gu Chen seemed unable to control his anger.
Captain Shao intervened and said slowly, "Everyone has their own aspirations; there's no need to dwell on it. Liu, stay here with Captain Li and work hard. But know that I will always keep a door open for you."
Liu was deeply moved and wanted to say something, but out of respect for Captain Li, he held back.
And so we left Dongxing City by car.
On the way, Gu Chen still felt aggrieved: "I just can't stand Liu's cowardly demeanor. This case was a joint effort; if it failed, we should all share the burden. For a few hundred bucks and a position, he runs off to cling to someone else's leg. I can't accept it."
Captain Shao waved his hand and said, "I know what kind of person Liu is; otherwise, I wouldn't have kept him around. Some things can't be viewed from just one angle; many matters are not as simple as you think. Let's not discuss this any further. Instead, let's think about what we should do in Yumu City."
The office provided by the Dongxing City Bureau for Captain Shao's Special Operations Group had now become Captain Li's.
The higher-ups had transferred Captain Shao to a city called Yumu City.
Yumu City had very few residents and could be considered a backwater town. In such a place, there were hardly any serious crimes; most cases involved family disputes or conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law.
The local Municipal Public Security Bureau was quite welcoming and arranged a welcome dinner for us. From the outside, the Municipal Public Security Bureau didn't look large; compared to Dongxing City, its staff size was akin to just one department from Dongxing City. Moreover, it lacked facilities for DNA testing or chemical analysis; any such needs had to be applied for in larger cities.
Although the conditions were somewhat tough, the pace of life in this city was incredibly slow. Everything moved at a leisurely pace, making it quite relaxing. Captain Li was right about one thing; this place was indeed suitable for retirement.
With the new office set up, Captain Shao spent his time either drinking tea or pouring water inside.
Mary was living a fulfilling life. She used the computer given to her by her superior to play online games, thoroughly enjoying herself.
The three of us were quite bored in the office. Sometimes, when we saw others responding to calls to resolve domestic disputes, we felt like joining them.
"Damn it," Gu Chen said, clearly frustrated. "This life is really boring. When you were in Dongxing City, there was almost a murder case every day. Although they weren't all major cases, at least there was something to look forward to. Now, out of every hundred emergency calls, fifty are false alarms. Of the remaining fifty, half are about forgotten keys or cats stuck in trees. The most exciting ones involve lost phones or electric bikes, and at best, we might get a robbery..."
Seeing Gu Chen's helpless expression, I smiled and said, "Isn't this every police officer's greatest dream? The fact that we have so little work means that crime is low in this city. Isn't that a good thing?"
Gu Chen sighed, "That's true, but it's really contradictory."
Guan Zengbin, holding a book in his hands, looked down on both of us. "This is the difference; you two are so idle yet haven't even picked up a book. Reading brings joy!"
Gu Chen retorted, "Who says I haven't read? I’m halfway through a book called 'Murder Case Scene.'"
And so the days passed by without much happening.
Until a few months later, the first winter snow began to fall gently.
A phone call came into the Yumu City Public Security Bureau.
"Hello, is this the police? In our village, we found a body—a woman's body!"
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