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墨書 Inktalez
Things seemed to have spiraled out of control. It appeared that there was more than one camera in this place; no matter where the two of them fled, we could clearly see their figures chasing each other. This indicated that someone was remotely controlling the cameras, and that person could only be Zhao Qin.
With Yan Junde in a rage, Zhao Qin was at risk of losing her life at any moment. Yet, in such a situation, Zhao Qin was still able to manipulate the cameras. This meant that everything was under Zhao Qin's control. I suddenly recalled what Zhao Qin had said at the beginning: "Let's play a game."
So, everything was just a game played by Zhao Qin! But what was Zhao Qin trying to achieve with this? Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind, sending chills down my spine. Zhao Qin was truly a master of games, someone who could toy with others at will.
From the very start, she had intentionally allowed Yan Junde to leak information, accurately predicted when we would find the factory, arranged for someone to drive away Draw the Tiger Away from Its Mountain, and finally live-streamed a murder. If there had been even the slightest mistake at any point, this plan would have failed; every step she took was like walking on thin ice, yet she succeeded at every turn.
It is no exaggeration to say that Zhao Qin was a master psychologist. Because the two people who were supposed to die were not Yan Junde and her mother at all; they were Yan Junde and herself. Hearing that earlier statement, we all thought Yan Junde's mother had already been killed; we believed Yan Junde would be the last victim. However, we overlooked one crucial detail: the rules of the game as stated by Zhao Qin.
Although it was a game disguised in the name of justice, Zhao Qin had never crossed the line of the game's rules. Yan Junde's mother had nothing to do with rage or jealousy. The one truly enraged was Yan Junde, who was now almost driven to madness; the one truly jealous was Zhao Qin, who had lost her mother!
Understanding this made everything clear. Since Zhao Qin could control Yan Junde and create traps from which no one could escape, why did Yan Junde manage to get away? It wasn't due to luck or skill on Yan Junde's part; it was because Zhao Qin needed him to escape.
She needed him to play the role of an enraged character and then descend into hell with her!
I closed my eyes as my brain raced through thoughts. Zhao Qin's initial statement confirmed my theory: "It's simple; once the time comes, you will get what you want, and I will get what I want. Otherwise, I will never tell you her whereabouts."
Analyzing this statement revealed that Yan Junde's mother had not been harmed at all; she was locked away somewhere and was likely watching Yan Junde act out in madness! Hatred clouded Yan Junde's vision; given his personality, he might very well kill Zhao Qin!
"Mary, haven't you found this place yet?" I said anxiously.
At that moment, I saw on the video that the two figures were running further apart. The surroundings began to light up with dim yellow lights; this place seemed quite large. Amidst the chaos, besides Yan Junde's furious shouts and Zhao Qin's somewhat manic laughter, I suddenly heard the sound of flowing water—soft and fleeting—but I heard it clearly.
"Underground!" Mary and I said in unison.
Seeing this, Mary quickly added, "Found it! The signal is coming from underground and is currently moving; it's definitely Zhao Qin! Let me check the map."
At that moment, Alley spoke up: "No need to check. If there's such a large underground space left in East Suburb, it must be an old air raid shelter. I'll take you there right now."
Mary strapped a phone to my arm and said, "I need to stay up here to ensure the signal doesn't get interrupted. Your phone will transmit images and tracking points; bring him out!" She looked at me with a mature and serious expression that I had never seen before.
We followed Alley as we ran toward the so-called air raid shelter, which had been left over from before the liberation. It was used for a long time after the liberation, but it had been sealed off for over twenty years. When we arrived at the entrance, we indeed found signs of it being opened, confirming that Zhao Qin was undoubtedly inside.
Wires and cables hung above the entrance; Zhao Qin had made significant modifications to this shelter. This was the real place where Zhao Qin committed murder. The precision factory we had visited earlier was merely a distraction, a deliberate ploy by Zhao Qin to let Yan Junde think he was free. A sound of someone collapsing came through the video feed. I looked down to see Zhao Qin slumped on a high step, while Yan Junde was panting heavily but steadily climbing up.
There were about ten steps between them. Zhao Qin crawled upward using both hands and feet, laughing as he said, "Haha, when I killed her, she begged me to spare you. That's how mothers are; all mothers in the world are like that. If her death could buy your life, she would gladly do it. Haha!"
"I will kill you with my own hands," Yan Junde said slowly as he ascended the steps, each word punctuated with intensity. His face was expressionless, like a corpse long dead. I knew this was his way of expressing anger. There are many ways to show rage; some people scream in fury while others suppress it deeply. Clearly, Yan Junde belonged to the latter group.
Above the steps was a platform with a deep pool in its center, surrounded by emptiness—the only way to reach it was via the steps. Anyone familiar with underground structures and wanting to escape would never trap themselves in such a dead end. This is something even children understand, yet in his rage, Yan Junde had clearly thrown his rationality aside.
The pool contained water, and suddenly I remembered that the punishment for original sin of jealousy is to be thrown into icy water. Sure enough, everything was part of Zhao Qin's deliberate scheme. Jealousy is like drinking poison while hoping others die from it. In the end, Zhao Qin also intended to drag Yan Junde down to hell with him. I was one hundred percent certain that there were mechanisms in that pool; once activated, Yan Junde would not survive!
Watching as the signal tracker froze in place while we were still several winding kilometers away made my heart race.
"Don't fall for it; don't act!" I kept repeating those two phrases in my mind.
Zhao Qin sat beside the pool, still laughing uncontrollably. Yan Junde slowly climbed the steps and spoke in a calm tone that seemed detached from his own emotions: "Perhaps you don't know this, but during my years as a police officer, you are the only person I've ever wanted to kill myself. Skinning you alive and drinking your blood won't quench my hatred."
"Haha!" Zhao Qin gasped with laughter like a dog and replied, "Oh really? That sentiment applies to me too. I've wanted to kill you for a long time. Perhaps you've forgotten, but I remember vividly how two years ago, before you joined the Special Investigation Team, you caught a thief on the street—only that thief was just a teenager. Instead of taking him to the police station, you gave him a verbal warning and let him go."
Yan Junde frowned but remained silent as he slowly grasped Zhao Qin's collar and lifted him up: "This place isn't bad; the water seems quite cold. I've always wondered how long someone has to stay submerged in such cold water before they die. Well now, I have the opportunity to find out."
"Haha!" Zhao Qin said, "Perhaps you don't know that child grew up to be the one who stole my mother's wallet. If only you had locked him up back then, everything might have been different. Are children innocent? Kind? No! A person's goodness or evil is innate; especially evil cannot be hidden."
Zhao Qin became somewhat hysterical: "These people deserve execution! Our laws are too lenient in their punishments. If the law cannot truly uphold justice, what good is it? So I must stand up; I want everyone to know what true fairness is and what true justice means!"
Yan Junde had already lifted Zhao Qin off the ground; Zhao Qin dangled like a puppet in his grip. I knew Zhao Qin was deliberately not struggling; this was exactly what he wanted from Yan Junde. The location indicated by the tracker was getting very close now.
"Don't be fooled by appearances!" I shouted in my heart. "Zhao Qin wants this result. If you really do this, won't you become the second Zhao Qin, the second so-called Law Enforcer?"
"Justice?" Yan Junde sneered, dragging Zhao Qin to the edge of the pool. Zhao Qin was suspended above the water; if Yan Junde let go, he would fall into the cold, biting water below. Yan Junde said, "I don't know what you call justice. All I know is that you killed my family, you killed an innocent person. This so-called justice is just jealousy, nothing but jealousy."
Yan Junde trembled all over; with every word he spoke, his teeth clenched tighter. He and his mother had relied on each other since childhood, a fact he could not accept no matter what.
"Don't let go!" We were only a few hundred meters away now, very close, very close.
"Is that so?" Zhao Qin closed his eyes and said, "In that case, I have nothing more to say. Killing someone—it's only natural that one day you'll be killed in return. Perhaps, perhaps our game is coming to an end. I'm glad you could cooperate with me. Let me say one last thing: do you know the thrill I felt when I killed your mother? That feeling was quite extraordinary..."
Yan Junde trembled as he replied, "Then go die."
Slowly, Yan Junde loosened his grip.
"No!" By this time, we had rushed around the corner, but it was too late; Yan Junde had already let go, and everything was over.
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