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墨書 Inktalez
I ignored Gu Chen and didn't tell him to stop; instead, I went to check on Wang Mai's condition. From the outside, it looked like his nose was bleeding profusely, almost like a stream. However, Wang Mai seemed accustomed to it, not even furrowing his brow. For him, this pain might have felt like just a mosquito bite.
I hurriedly pulled out a tissue from my pocket to help stop the bleeding, but I couldn't be sure if there was any damage to the bones in Wang Mai's nose, especially since Wang Mai's father had hit him quite hard.
I said to Gu Chen, "Let him go. I'll take Wang Mai to the School Medical Office. You all stay here."
Gu Chen nodded and finally released the man.
I led Wang Mai outside, and he didn't resist; he simply remained silent.
The man dared not confront Gu Chen as we exited, but I could still hear his shouts: "You little brat, all you do is get me into trouble! I sent you to school, not to stir up the police! When we get home tonight, I'll break your legs!"
Gu Chen replied, "Try breaking his legs. Sit down and behave."
Only then did the man's voice fade away.
Living in this world, we can choose our friends and our lovers, but the one thing we cannot choose is whose child we become. There's a saying that terrifies me: thinking about how adults can become parents without any tests or qualifications fills me with dread.
Wang Mai's father is a failure as a parent. He trembles at the slightest frown from outsiders but can commit such bloody and terrifying acts against his own child. Unfortunately, there are too many fathers like him in our country—those who are meek and submissive outside but turn into tyrants at home, freely abusing their children.
The only ones they can bully are their own kids and wives.
People like Wang Mai's father are definitely not isolated cases; there are far too many of them. Those who are submissive and lack confidence also need an outlet for their frustrations, but they can only vent on those weaker than themselves. This might explain why the stronger individuals tend to be more humble while the weaker ones are filled with more aggression.
Wang Mai remained silent throughout our journey; perhaps he didn't speak to his parents at home either. At this moment, did he truly feel abandoned by the entire world?
After I took Wang Mai to the medical office and watched as the doctor cleaned his wounds, I stepped outside and lit a cigarette in the hallway.
Neglect allowed evil rats to become elephants in the house. I couldn't help but ask myself: if it weren't for the murderer—if they hadn't started killing—when would I have learned about Wang Mai's situation? The only reason we know about Wang Mai is because of the murderer's actions. But what about places where no murders occur? Among so many students in our country, how many children like Wang Mai are being bullied or even abused?
I couldn't bear to imagine it. Today we managed to save one person—Wang Mai—but there are countless other children we don't know about. Who will save them?
It really felt like a paradox. Was the Murderer a twisted, perverse villain, or a good person who saved lives from the flames?
I couldn't provide an answer.
Leaning against the wall, I tried to push this matter out of my mind. Captain Shao was right; the way to resolve this paradox was to never think about it at all. I needed to clarify my identity and understand my responsibilities, without pondering what was good and what was evil.
Moreover, in the world we live in, kindness and evil are merely relative concepts. The world is not absolute; between good and evil lies a vast expanse of gray areas that cannot be defined. One should never view the world through a binary lens; we all exist in this dim middle ground.
At that moment, I felt a headache coming on. We should be able to learn about the other perpetrators from Wang Mai, as these individuals were the targets of the Murderer. However, Wang Mai wasn't speaking, and the students in the class seemed oblivious to this Elephant in the room. It appeared difficult for us to understand the situation.
Crushing the cigarette butt, I faced the wall and pressed my forehead against it, hoping it would ease my headache.
As I pondered, I waited for Wang Mai to come out of the infirmary.
Just then, a pair of hands suddenly covered my eyes. They were cold hands, and a familiar voice followed: "Guess who I am."
In that instant when the hands touched me, two people flashed through my mind—Zhao Mingkun and Guan Zengbin. But with the sound of the voice, I quickly realized who it was. A sudden feeling of loss washed over me, but thinking of this person behind me brought joy back to my heart.
"Mary," I said lightly. "Who else would be so childish?"
"You little brat," Mary said as she released her hands.
I turned around to face Mary. We exchanged glances, and I could see that she had become quite haggard during this time. In my mind, she had always seemed like a vibrant young woman at thirty within the Special Operations Group, but now I truly felt that Mary had aged.
"What are you looking at?" Mary frowned and said. "Haven't you seen a beautiful woman before?"
A pang hit my heart, and I couldn't help but embrace Mary. She playfully scolded me: "What are you doing? I'm a married woman now."
But in an instant, Mary softened her tone: "You've worked hard during this time. I believe you didn't do that thing; I believe you're a good person. Although at first I found you hard to look at—how could someone with Self-Blame Delusion be a police officer?—now you've become a real police officer in my eyes."
For some reason, all my thoughts surged up at that moment, making me feel a bit choked up; I was on the verge of bursting into tears.
"Remember, you must always be a good police officer and never forget your original intention," Mary continued.
I closed my eyes, and after a moment, I released my embrace and smiled, "Have you gained some weight after not seeing you for a few months?"
"Get lost!" Mary replied.
I looked at Mary and said, "We're just missing Captain Shao and Guan Zengbin; our Special Operations Group will be fully assembled."
Mary nodded and said, "Your current identity is quite dangerous, but fortunately, I am considered an external member now. With me around, you don't have to worry about your phone being tracked. Moreover, I haven't been idle these past few months. Based on the clues from Guan Zengbin's previous disappearance, we already have some initial leads. I believe that as the investigation deepens, we will soon find Guan Zengbin."
I nodded and said, "We must find her."
Mary nodded seriously.
After a moment, Mary spoke again, "Captain Shao should be wrapping things up soon. If we can clear your name, our Special Operations Group will be almost complete. But let's put that aside for now. I just called Gu Chen; he mentioned that you are currently investigating a case. What's going on with that?"
As I watched the doctor in the medical room examine Wang Mai through the window, I briefly recounted the general outline of the case.
After listening, Mary said, "So you're saying the breakthrough lies with this child, Wang Mai? But due to Wang Mai's circumstances, he isn't speaking?"
I nodded and replied, "Exactly. From him, we should be able to identify the other abusers. He is likely the most probable target for the Murderer. If we don't clarify this, there's a high chance the Murderer will continue killing. It's been a night since we found Liang Zhengyu's body; given the Murderer's pace, he could strike again within a day or two."
"I'll give it a try," Mary said as she looked at me. "I'll talk to Wang Mai and see if I can uncover any clues."
"You?" I asked. "The tigress?"
Mary shot me a glare and said, "I'm much more delicate than you big men. By the way, tell me some basic information about Wang Mai so I can have a starting point."
I thought for a moment and replied, "Wang Mai has no friends due to his experiences; he usually keeps to himself. Oh, it seems he likes to draw. He often creates some profound artwork during class that I can't quite understand; I can only analyze him psychologically as being quite reclusive."
"Draw?" Mary asked. "Show me."
"Let's go." I led Mary to see the paintings created by Wang Mai. From the window, I could see the artworks spread out on Wang Mai's desk, quietly waiting as if they were a part of him, unnoticed by anyone. I thought that those children probably didn't even care where Wang Mai had gone.
After a moment, Mary touched her chin and slowly said to me, "Alright, let me give it a try. I should be able to get Wang Mai to speak."
"You think you can?" I asked. "What have you figured out from the paintings? Is your psychology better than mine?"
Mary shook her head. "In that regard, I'm certainly not as good as you."
As she walked toward the infirmary, she continued, "But when it comes to painting and appreciating art, I'm much stronger than you. Don't forget who I am."
At that moment, I realized I had almost forgotten that Mary was actually of mixed French and Chinese heritage, born into a prominent family in France. If it weren't for her obsession with ghosts and solving cases, and more importantly, marrying a Chinese police officer, she might be living a life of sipping red wine, listening to concerts, and attending art exhibitions.
Mary glanced at me and said, "Just wait here; I'm going to have a private talk with Wang Mai."
She took Wang Mai into an empty office.
I instructed Gu Chen to send Wang Mai's parents home first, while Gu Chen "politely" warned them not to lay a finger on Wang Mai.
When Mary emerged from the office, two and a half hours had passed.
"I have some very important clues..." Mary said.
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