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墨書 Inktalez
I asked this question, partly betting that he was not fully informed, which aligned with Xiao Guolin's cautious nature. The clues left by Xiao Guolin were vague and unclear; I suspected that the information he provided to Liu Squad Leader would be equally incomplete. Liu Squad Leader might not even know what contact Xiao Guolin had with me. My feigned depth and unexpected inquiry might catch him off guard and compel him to reveal the truth.
Sure enough, Liu Squad Leader replied without hesitation, "I don't know when he left. He didn't say goodbye when he went."
"Then when did he arrive?" I pressed on without giving him time to think.
"Last summer, when it was really hot here. He asked me to find him a safe place to stay for work reasons. I knew it wasn't just that; do you know? The location he chose was in a village right next to the border. But I trust him; I believe what he's doing must be related to what happened last time. He didn't admit it, but he didn't deny it either. I asked him to take me along, and he said he'd consider it. Brother Qiang, are you guys going to take action? Count me in; I've been going crazy staying here for these past few years." At this point, a pained expression crossed Liu Squad Leader's face.
"You have no idea how I dream about Li Squad Leader and the others at night. Sometimes I think it would be better to die there; no one can understand this kind of torment—it's truly worse than death."
"I understand." Those three words came out choked with emotion.
I couldn't bear it any longer; I knew this kind of torment would accompany each of us throughout our lives. I lightly tapped my forehead with my fist, suppressing the tears that threatened to spill at any moment.
"You've been promoted pretty quickly; you became the director just a few years after returning." Fatty had just regained his freedom and immediately resumed his annoying expression.
The police officer sitting next to Fatty said, "Director Liu has been a second-level inspector since he joined in '93 and was directly appointed as the director." There was a tone of admiration in his voice.
Upon hearing this, Fatty chuckled in a strange manner. It struck me as odd; as a squad leader, getting a decent job upon returning was already impressive—entering the public security system seemed unimaginable. Yet here he was, retiring directly as the director of a police station, skipping several ranks that I wasn't sure about but definitely being appointed out of turn. This situation could only mean one thing: he must have achieved something significant before retiring.
I thought about teasing him a bit to lighten the heavy atmosphere. However, seeing Liu Squad Leader's face shift from pale to flushed while avoiding my gaze made me wonder what was going on. Could it be that this guy had some connections that landed him this director position?
"You got this position by selling people out, huh? You must feel guilty being the director like this. Well then, if you save us both today, consider it paying off your debt; I won't thank you." Fatty continued with his nonchalant attitude.
The words hit me like a thunderclap. According to the police officer, the year we had our incident, Liu Squad Leader had just retired and taken over as the station chief. It was a miracle he made it out of the Underground Passage alive, but there was no way he could have been promoted to this position because of that. Coupled with my own experience of being isolated right after returning to the ward from him, the other protagonist in Fatty's tale of exchanging people for positions became painfully clear.
In that moment, I felt blood rush to my head, my facial muscles twisted in anger as I stood up abruptly, hitting my head against the car roof with a loud thud. Perhaps the rush of blood made me more resilient; I barely felt any pain despite leaving a dent in the metal.
At that moment, Liu Squad Leader's face showed increasing signs of unease and guilt. His complexion was hard to read—red with a hint of black—but his evasive eyes betrayed him.
I banged on the partition separating us from the driver's cabin several times, shouting, "Stop the car!"
The vehicle gradually came to a halt. I pointed at Liu Squad Leader and yelled, "Liu Xiangrong, get your ass out here! When I saved you back then, your life was mine. If I don't agree, you can forget about dying. Today, I've changed my mind."
This was a prisoner transport vehicle with double doors at the back. I rushed over and kicked one of them hard; it felt like kicking a steel plate—completely ineffective. The officer sitting next to Fatty looked bewildered, unable to grasp how the atmosphere had shifted so dramatically into a tense standoff. However, it seemed Liu Squad Leader had briefed him beforehand; he merely watched me nervously without taking any drastic actions.
Liu Squad Leader seemed caught off guard by my outburst. Despite his guilty expression, his eyes reddened as if he was regaining some courage. "Damn it, you think I'm afraid of you? Back then, I was injured and couldn't lift my head because of you. I've wanted to settle this score for a long time. Wang, open the door." His last words were directed at the officer beside Fatty.
As soon as the door opened, I jumped down first. In that instant, I grabbed Liu Squad Leader in an attempt to pull him down and pin him to the ground. To my surprise, he was prepared; he raised his hand to block me and kicked me back with enough force that I nearly stumbled.
Liu Squad Leader didn’t rush to exit; instead, he tossed his hat onto the long bench inside the vehicle, took off his jacket, and after a moment's thought, threw his gun to the officer. "You all stay inside and turn on the lights for me. I don’t believe I can’t handle you."
With a loud thud as Liu Squad Leader jumped out of the car, Fatty casually closed the door behind him. He remained seated at the back of the vehicle, eagerly watching through the window. As soon as the door shut, darkness enveloped the interior; I saw a flash of light inside as Fatty leaned against the glass to light up a cigarette. In an instant, another excited face appeared at another window illuminated by a flicker of flame.
Damn it, they really love watching chaos unfold without fear of trouble. I cursed inwardly.
Almost simultaneously, a row of blinding lights suddenly lit up on top of the car, shining directly into my eyes. Realizing something was wrong, I quickly turned to avoid the harsh glare.
"With my own abilities, I can take you down without resorting to such petty tricks," Liu Squad Leader scoffed, lifting his chin as if to say that my earlier tactics were beneath him.
The anger bubbled inside me. Wasn't it pretty low to sell me out just to climb the ranks? And now he was acting all high and mighty. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
I had a psychological advantage in a one-on-one confrontation with him. Back during our time in the Archaeology team, whether on the Ground or after we went underground, I had him completely under control. This habitual mindset made it difficult for him to level the playing field in a short time. Moreover, he was clearly in the wrong regarding this matter, and his momentum showed he was already losing. Although he was a veteran with decent physical fitness and had received professional training in grappling and combat since joining the police force, I hadn't been idle either. I had participated in a Sanda Training course to make up for my lack of practical experience. Plus, my height and reach gave me an undeniable advantage over him.
I could crush you. That thought flashed through my blood-pumping brain.
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