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墨書 Inktalez
At three in the afternoon, under the leadership of Jiang He, the members of the Criminal Investigation Team had narrowed down three locations where the Criminal Consultant was most likely to appear.
The first was the Cultural Center where everyone was gathered, followed by Wanda Plaza located in the west of the city, and lastly, Shenglong Center in the south. According to reports from the Public Security Bureau, all three locations had organized performances and fireworks displays on New Year's Eve. Notably, the Cultural Center had arranged a countdown event for everyone to participate in, given that it had two large clocks.
This Countdown event coincided perfectly with the Criminal Consultant's own Countdown. This was one of the reasons Jiang He believed that the Criminal Consultant was most likely to show up there.
Based on data from previous years provided by the organizers, each of these three places was expected to attract over a hundred thousand people, with total crowds potentially reaching five hundred thousand. If any incidents were to occur, injuries could easily be counted in thousands.
The Director of the Longcheng City Public Security Bureau personally oversaw operations at the police station. The Dragon City City Bureau and all substations were instructed not to allow any leave during the Spring Festival period. Even officers who had previously taken leave were called back at this moment. Everyone understood that something significant was happening in Dragon City; otherwise, those in higher positions would not be so anxious.
During this time, all actions were coordinated by Old Shao, and everyone followed his orders.
Director Bai bowed deeply to Old Shao and said, "The safety of Dragon City is entrusted to you."
With forty-eight hours remaining, the Criminal Investigation Team and officers from nearby precincts had already set up surveillance at these three locations, waiting for a direct confrontation with the legendary Criminal Consultant. In the past few hours, police had arrested over twenty individuals wearing criminal masks and cloaks.
Surprisingly, among these individuals were both men and women, young and old—truly a case of "everyone participating."
After a brief investigation, it turned out that aside from a few who were merely following trends, all others were dissatisfied with society. Some complained about unfair treatment of the elderly; others lamented that poor children could not afford preschool; some targeted hospitals; while others focused on specific issues.
The police had no time to engage in discussions with these individuals and simply confiscated their clothing and masks.
However, while all the officers were busy, in a spacious office, a group of people was brewing tea.
Old Shao gently poured the brewed tea into a large porcelain cup and addressed everyone: "You must be very curious why I am wasting so much time making tea when things are so urgent."
Old Shao distributed tea to everyone and said, "Look at this porcelain cup. The pattern on the outside has long been worn away. This cup isn't mine; it's from an old friend of mine. We were close friends despite the age difference, but he jumped from the building and took his own life. You all have lost loved ones too, and although you may be young, I believe you can understand life and death."
Old Shao took a gentle sip of tea. "You all know that the Criminal Consultant is someone who doesn't play by the rules. If this operation goes smoothly, we'll celebrate the New Year at Jiang He's home. If it doesn't go well, since the police can't drink, we'll use tea in place of wine. Regardless of who sacrifices themselves, remember not to forget them. When you look up at the stars, know that they are looking back at you."
He finished his tea in one gulp and lightly caressed the cup as he continued, "We should try our best to live on, but death isn't something to fear. What’s truly frightening is not knowing why you are alive. Generations of Criminal Consultants have sought to build an ideal world in their eyes, but what does an ideal world even look like?"
Old Shao paused before speaking again. "In reality, every generation believes that the time they live in is the worst of times. This era is filled with various problems and darkness. Some people romanticize the past, thinking there was a time when everyone lived in peace and everything was orderly. Others dream of a utopian future."
"But for thousands of years, such a world has never existed," Old Shao said earnestly to the crowd. "Since humanity began, technology has continuously advanced, yet human nature has never changed from the very beginning. There’s nothing new under the sun; the ugliness of human nature can be seen in any era."
"As long as there are people, there will be darkness," Old Shao replied. "Technology may help improve lives, but you must understand that this world won't get significantly better or worse. Don't hold onto any illusions; once you grasp this point, you'll be able to move forward with determination. Contribute your warmth where you can and shine your light where possible; that's why our profession exists in this world."
"This is the world we live in," Old Shao concluded. "It won't get worse, nor will it get better."
The group seemed unable to fully comprehend this insight; they simply drank their tea in silence.
Only thirty hours remained until New Year’s Eve. Normally at this time, police officers would be busy putting up Spring Festival couplets outside the precinct, but now they had no time for such things.
A large number of criminal and civil police officers had transformed into plainclothes and set out.
At that moment, a detective suddenly approached Old Shao with urgent news.
After Old Shao quickly inquired about it, the detective spoke up: "Earlier we confiscated a criminal's mask, but this person insisted on getting it back and followed us all the way here. No matter how we tried to persuade him to leave, he wouldn't budge until just now when he received a text message. I don't know if it's a prank or if it really is a message from the Criminal Consultant."
Old Shao took the man's phone and saw indeed there was a message on it. He lowered the phone so everyone could see:
At eight o'clock on New Year's Eve, wearing masks and cloaks, we agreed to meet at Shenglong Square.
“Shenglong Square,” Yuan Jun said. “The Criminal Consultant will appear there. We need to dispatch police forces to Shenglong Square immediately.”
However, Jiang He and Old Shao shook their heads. Jiang He spoke up, “Not necessarily.”
Jiang He turned to Yuan Jun and said, “Do you remember the middle school students we caught at the Cultural Center this morning? We should take the police to check on them right away; their phones might have received similar messages. Guan Deng's phone didn’t receive any such information either. I’m ninety percent sure this is a smokescreen deliberately set up by the Criminal Consultant.”
Yuan Jun nodded and replied, “I’ll handle it right away and try to bring those little brats back as soon as possible.”
Jiang He then turned to Guan Deng and instructed, “Keep an eye on your phone. If you get any news, let me know immediately.”
Guan Deng nodded in agreement.
Around six o'clock in the afternoon, at Jiang He's request, the police detained all individuals dressed in black cloaks. They found that these individuals had received similar text messages on their phones. However, the locations indicated by the Criminal Consultant in these messages were different.
The police compiled the information and confirmed that it matched exactly what Jiang He had speculated.
It was indeed the three locations that Jiang He had identified.
Old Shao remarked, “This Criminal Consultant is quite cunning. Even if only thirty thousand out of fifty thousand people show up, scattered across three squares, it will still be difficult to locate him.”
“All available personnel have been dispatched to these three locations,” Xu Yiman stated. “During the Spring Festival, we usually need to allocate manpower at train stations, squares, and large shopping malls. Now, all police forces in the city will have to work without rest. The Criminal Consultant really knows how to pick a day—choosing such a festive occasion to commit his crimes.”
“This guy never plays by the rules,” Old Shao said. “But that’s not what worries me most. We can all see that the Criminal Consultant's plan is meant to confuse us—using thousands of people dressed identically and wearing identical masks to disrupt our police operations. More importantly, besides these individuals, there are also more fervent loyal supporters of the Criminal Consultant. However, he hasn’t assigned them any tasks yet.”
As Jiang He and Old Shao turned their attention to Guan Deng, the latter pulled out his phone. The message inbox was completely empty, not even a single spam message.
Yuan Jun scratched his head and remarked, "Your inbox is emptier than my wallet."
Old Shao replied, "That's the problem. What exactly does the Criminal Consultant want you to do?"
Everyone shook their heads in response.
At that moment, Jiang He spoke up, "I am eighty percent sure that the Criminal Consultant will appear at the Cultural Center. This Countdown and the two Bell Towers at the Cultural Center must have some indescribable connection. I believe the Criminal Consultant will be there, and it will definitely be related to the bomb."
Yuan Jun suggested, "Then let's head to the Cultural Center. There are already detectives, armed police, and Special Police deployed there. As soon as we spot someone in a black cloak wearing a criminal mask, we’ll take them all in."
"Taking them all in isn't feasible with our manpower. First of all, we are certain that the Criminal Consultant is male. Secondly, he stands between five foot nine and five foot ten, weighs between 120 and 140 pounds, and is aged between twenty-five and thirty-five. This is the only clue we've gathered after so many encounters with him."
Yuan Jun said, "I'll notify all units shortly to keep an eye out for someone fitting that description. We’ll make sure to apprehend him when the time comes."
Old Shao nodded and said, "Let's set off for the Cultural Center."
At this moment, there were only twenty-six hours left until the new year.
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