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墨書 Inktalez
Liu glanced at me but did not answer the crucial question. He must have understood that there were two key points in this case; if those two points were resolved, the case would be much easier to crack. One was whether the murderer was a single person or multiple individuals, and the other was what the motive for the murders was.
At this moment, Liu had already figured out the second point and was confident that his thoughts on the first point were correct. If that were the case, he was very close to uncovering the truth. This is why Liu claimed in front of so many team members that he could find the truth before I could. After all, if I ended up being the one to catch the murderer first, Liu's words would come back to haunt him.
Seeing Liu hesitating to speak, I knew he wanted to be the first to catch the murderer. I also understood that he firmly believed he could arrest the murderer before they killed again. However, if he revealed this crucial point to me, I might catch the murderer even sooner than he could, which was certainly something Liu did not want to see. Sometimes friends can share wealth, but if only one can prosper, then one must apologize to the other.
Since it was like this, I decided not to say anything more.
The City Bureau fell silent once again. Looking outside at the pitch-black night, I spoke up, "Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day. Regardless of who catches the murderer first, as long as we can apprehend them quickly, no one else will die. That should be our primary concern."
Though I said this, after lying in bed for over an hour, I still couldn't fall asleep. I thought that since I couldn't sleep, it would be better to step outside for a smoke and contemplate the direction of the case. Leaning on the railing and gazing at the crescent moon, I exhaled smoke in perfect circles; the night was tranquil.
It was around two o'clock in the early morning.
Three stories had already unfolded, and according to the murderer's pattern, a fourth story would emerge by tonight at the latest. At this moment, I sincerely hoped that Liu's thoughts were correct and that I was wrong this time; at least then Liu would successfully capture the murderer and fewer people would die.
But Liu hadn't told me what connections existed between several victims; what common traits did they share?
As I quietly smoked, a door beside me creaked open, and Gu Chen stepped out from behind it. He wore only a tank top and shorts; despite it being early spring with chilly temperatures, Gu Chen seemed completely unaffected as he moved closer to me.
I tossed him a cigarette; Gu Chen extended two fingers and deftly caught it.
"Wow," I murmured softly. "Six Phoenixes? A true master of finesse?"
Gu Chen chuckled as he lit the cigarette. "I watched an episode of Six Phoenixes last night; that move really looks cool."
I shook my head and replied, "Subtlety can be deadly. You can manage catching a cigarette with your fingers, but try catching a dagger or a bullet like that—you'd end up losing both fingers."
While smoking, Gu Chen performed one-handed push-ups on the railing. "Yeah, that's why I've always wanted to be a movie star for a while. Watching those martial arts masters leap across rooftops and wield incredible skills while fighting for justice is truly enviable."
I looked at Gu Chen's face and sighed regretfully. "So you chose to become a police officer because you didn't think you had what it takes? My childhood dream was to become President of America, but when my major didn’t align with that dream, I gave it up..."
Gu Chen chuckled and said, "You know, if someone offered me a chance to be the lead in a movie, I wouldn't even consider it. Compared to the heroic acts portrayed on screen, I prefer to help and protect those in need in real life. That's why I became a police officer. Although it's not as glamorous or revered as what you see on TV, it's still a genuine form of heroism, making the idea of being a hero feel more tangible."
I suddenly recalled a question Captain Shao once asked me: "Why do you want to be a police officer?"
At that moment, I tossed the question back to Gu Chen.
He took a puff of his cigarette, paused for a moment, and then replied, "For a long time, I've wanted to be a hero, someone admired by others. I wanted to wield a gun, punish the wicked, and become a great hero like Guo Jing. I always remembered that saying: 'A true hero serves the country and its people.'"
"But later I realized that this era no longer has such great heroes." It seemed he was reminiscing about his past as he scratched his head and smiled. "My parents were farmers. Once, when my mother fell ill and needed to go to the Big Hospital in City, my father clutched ten thousand Renminbi tightly in his hand. He was afraid of being robbed, so he held onto it for dear life, thinking that no one could take it from him if he just held on tight enough."
I nodded; it was the first time I had heard Gu Chen share stories from his childhood.
Gu Chen smiled again and said, "Back then, ten thousand yuan was a significant amount of money—savings my parents had accumulated over many years. While thieves couldn't steal it from him, robbers certainly didn't think the same way. As soon as we got off the train, my parents were surrounded by several men. They had knives and cornered my parents, demanding money or their lives."
"What did your parents do?" I asked curiously.
Gu Chen replied, "That was money for medical treatment; without it, there would be no life. With life but no money, there would still be no hope. My father knelt before those men and pleaded with them that this money was for my mother's treatment. But it was futile; robbers don't care what the money is for. When they saw my father refusing to comply, they beat him mercilessly and took the money anyway."
"My father was beaten to a pulp but still clung desperately to one of the robbers' legs, holding on tightly as if saying that as long as he held on to the money, there was still hope—unless he died. The robber had never encountered someone so desperate for money over their own life; he stabbed my father's arm with a knife. Yet my father refused to let go."
"Just when the robber was about to deal a fatal blow, a police officer appeared. Like a true hero coming to the rescue, he scared off the robbers and chased after them to retrieve the money before escorting my parents to the hospital. My parents often recounted this story to me; although it might have seemed trivial to that officer at the time—just another incident involving two honest farmers being robbed on the streets of the city—it meant everything to us."
Gu Chen crushed his cigarette butt against the railing and looked at me earnestly. "That's why I worked hard all the way from the countryside to get into police academy and become an officer. I wanted to be the kind of police officer my parents admired—the kind like that officer in their story. Because you never know how one small action can change an entire family's life."
"Although there are always dangers in this job—it's often thankless work where people frequently harbor malicious assumptions and insults." At this point, Gu Chen spoke with undeniable authority: "But we are guardians of the people; we are public servants dedicated to serving them."
Gu Chen declared loudly: "There is good and evil in this world; where there are good people, there are bad ones; where there are kind-hearted individuals, there are also cruel and violent ones. Just as there is day and night in this world, there is light and darkness. And we stand with one foot in light and one foot in darkness, using our bodies to block out encroaching shadows. I can't guarantee that others will never encounter darkness in their lives, but they will eventually come to know that there are people like us who will continue striving to push darkness out of sight."
Every word Gu Chen spoke resonated deeply within me, filling me with pride for being his companion. Yet just as Gu Chen said, those who work in this field have witnessed too much darkness and complexity of human nature; I wondered if they could still turn their backs on darkness to embrace the light in the end.
At night, Gu Chen's heartfelt words made me realize that some people will never change their beliefs.
Perhaps sensing the atmosphere had grown a bit heavy, Gu Chen patted my shoulder and asked, "What about you? Why do you want to be a police officer?"
I fell silent for a moment, still unsure how to respond. In truth, I knew I could never be a good police officer. Many times, I couldn't stand being constrained, nor could I be as resolute and decisive as Captain Shao had mentioned several times, capturing all the criminals without getting emotionally involved.
I often asked myself why I wanted to become a police officer.
Yet so far, I still couldn't answer that question.
"Actually, I would rather be an actor," I laughed lightly, avoiding the topic. "A method actor."
Gu Chen wasn't surprised by my vague response; he simply said, "Being an actor isn't necessarily easier than being a police officer. At the very least, you have to portray your character convincingly. Understanding a character's psychology, emotions, and experiences requires careful consideration. I've heard many actors isolate themselves for long periods just to embody their roles fully. Some even get so immersed in their characters that they can't break free from them, believing they truly are that person from the film."
As Gu Chen spoke, a sudden realization struck me—a point I had always overlooked but was right in front of us.
"Gu Chen," I said seriously as I looked at him, "do you think there really are people in this world who become someone else to the extent that they can't break character?"
Gu Chen looked at me with confusion before replying, "Yeah, I just went through that."
"The perfect actor is one who believes they are another person so completely that they can't even recognize themselves. If that's the case for them, then it's even harder for others to see through it." I looked at Gu Chen and said, "The direction of Liu Investigation is absolutely wrong. There are many murderers out there, but there's only one true self!"
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