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墨書 Inktalez
"What happened? What's wrong with you?" Ah Huang rushed over to support me, his voice filled with concern.
I weakly waved my hand. "This job is really not easy."
"What happened to you all?" Ah Huang noticed the two plainclothes officers behind me, also being helped, and he asked anxiously.
"It was Li Ping. He attacked your two subordinates and almost killed me. You need to hurry to his room, but he should have already escaped."
Ah Huang immediately waved his hand and ran past me. "You all go to the emergency room first!"
I sighed. By now, he was probably long gone. I finally understood why police in movies often arrive late; thieves are always prepared, and with careful planning, the police can only watch the thief's back.
Ten minutes later, we were all lying on hospital beds in the emergency room. The doctor had just examined me; my neck was bruised and had been choked hard enough to reach the subcutaneous tissue. Fortunately, it hadn't gone deeper. They had already treated it for inflammation and disinfected it, wrapping it in gauze.
The other two plainclothes officers had one with dislocated arms and another who had been struck at the carotid artery and fainted for a while, but neither had serious issues.
Ah Huang burst in again, full of energy. "I spoke to the doctor; you're all fine. Don't worry about your injuries! Zhang Laohuang, I'm giving you a break! This was definitely my fault, and I will take responsibility for your injuries." He looked genuinely guilty, especially when he directed that last part at me.
"Alright," I waved my hand dismissively. "No one could have predicted this."
"Li Ping is really something," Ah Huang murmured.
"But it wasn't all for nothing. When I fought him, I managed to grab a handful of his hair; you can find it in his room." I said weakly.
Ah Huang immediately became excited. "Really? I'll send someone right away!"
"Yeah, along with fingerprints, we should be able to identify him."
"Fingerprint evidence isn't very useful. Aside from Liu Qi and Zhou Tao, there are no other fingerprints left in Zhou Tao's car. However, the hair sample you collected is sufficient; we will send it for testing immediately. Once the results come back, we will report to the higher-ups for an arrest."
"What about now?" I asked Ah Huang anxiously. "This person feels extremely dangerous."
"Right now, we can only set up surveillance at Liu Qi's home and his place, keeping a close watch. If he shows up, we will take him down first," Ah Huang said decisively.
"Sigh," I exhaled. "Make sure the people you send are alert. This person is very skilled. Weren't you worried about not being able to trace his background? I suggest you look among retired soldiers; he is likely from the Special Forces." I pointed to the two individuals being helped to stand nearby.
Ah Huang was taken aback and turned to look again. "Are you sure?"
"Most likely," I whispered. I recounted what I had seen in the room once more, and Ah Huang frowned, sitting silently on my bed.
"Go on, hurry up and set things in motion; there's no need to stay here with me," I urged quietly.
Ah Huang hesitated; I knew what he was thinking. "Are you feeling a bit scared?" I looked up at him. "Yeah," he nodded.
"Honestly, so am I," I signaled for Ah Huang to give me a cigarette. He looked surprised but quickly pulled out a pack of He Bai Sha Golden Century from his pocket. I knew that since becoming a leader, Ah Huang always kept some good cigarettes on him to share with others. The reason I wanted one was partly to calm my nerves and partly because after facing death, I realized that all this talk about health maintenance is nonsense—life can be gone in an instant, so what's the point of worrying about what's in my lungs?
Ah Huang lit it for me, and I took a deep drag, letting the smoke swirl through my throat and lungs before coughing several times. Squinting at Ah Huang, I said, "Since I've promised you, I have to see this through. If I run into Li Ping, it's just bad luck for me; you don't need to feel guilty. Life is like playing cards; how can you always have a good hand?"
Ah Huang remained silent for a while before checking his watch. "Brother, I'm really sorry about this. I've ordered food for you; just rest here and eat when it arrives."
I sighed. "Brothers still need to return to the unit." I started to sit up.
Ah Huang pressed me down gently. "No need for that; I've already reported to the Department Leader that you acted bravely during our case and got injured. I've suggested they commend you for your service; they probably already called your unit by now. Just focus on recovering in the hospital; there might even be rewards when you get back. Also, I'm quite familiar with a reporter from the City Daily; I've called them over tonight to interview you and issue a press release. Brother, this is all I can do for you; this incident almost..." Ah Huang's voice choked with emotion.
I understood that Ah Huang was usually quiet and didn't like explaining things. For him to express such guilt showed how deeply he felt about it all. I patted his shoulder and said, "It's not as serious as you're making it out to be; I just got caught off guard for a moment. If we faced each other directly, who knows who would come out on top! We're brothers; there's no need for all this drama. Just remember, if you need help, I'll never hesitate to lend a hand. And by the way, how long has it been since we sparred?"
Ah Huang smiled, "I've long since put aside Kung Fu."
"That won't do. What will you do if you run into Li Ping?" I joked.
Upon hearing this, Ah Huang's expression immediately darkened. "I must catch him myself!"
"Li Ping wouldn't want to part with that dog. He'll keep a close watch on his home. Even if he doesn't come to take the dog, he still has to feed it, right?" I fixed my gaze on Ah Huang.
"Are you suggesting we set up surveillance at his house?!" Ah Huang pondered. "What about Liu Qi?"
"I don't think Liu Qi is the focus here. From what we can see, this case is most likely tied to Li Ping. Although there are still some unclear details, I believe that regardless of his relationship with Liu Qi, and no matter how he might have manipulated Liu Qi, he wouldn't risk showing up again just for Liu Qi. Plus, think about it—taking a dog is much easier than taking a living person, right? And look at that Tibetan Mastiff; it's not easy to raise. Generally, they grow up with their owners, right? That big Tibetan Mastiff of his must have been with him for many years. I feel like he's a sentimental person; he wouldn't want to part with that dog!"
"Are you so sure about that?"
"Of course! I saw him still using the same water basin from his army days. I'm certain he's nostalgic; he wouldn't abandon that dog!" I asserted.
"Brother, I really admire you sometimes. Your mind is incredibly sharp; it's a shame you don't do puzzles and reasoning professionally!" Ah Huang exclaimed.
I chuckled without replying.
"But there's still one thing I can't figure out. Lao Zhao is certain that Liu Qi was hypnotized, but Professor Qin seems unlikely at this point. Could it be that this person is Li Ping?"
I couldn't answer right away; how could Li Ping possibly be an expert in hypnosis? "If we catch Li Ping, won't we know everything?" I laughed. "Ah, speaking of catching him—I'm not seriously injured. Since I've gotten involved in this case, I might as well follow along with you guys!"
Ah Huang was startled. "No way! You need to stay here for a couple of days and observe the situation." We held our ground for a moment until I finally relented and agreed to stay in the hospital for now, as long as Ah Huang came by regularly to update me on the case progress.
Not long after Ah Huang left, the food delivery arrived. Surprisingly, it seemed Ah Huang was genuinely spooked this time; he ordered a mountain of food that I couldn't finish alone, so I had to invite the other two plainclothes officers to join me for a meal.
The meal was not finished when the troops arrived. Who was it? The Political Affairs Director, along with our Company Commander, Instructor, and Old Tang, came in with a basket of fruits and flowers.
I was about to get up to report when the Political Affairs Director pressed me down, saying, "Don't move! Just rest well!"
I smiled and said, "What brings you here, Leader? Did I cause trouble again?"
"No, no. We just received a call from the Local Public Security Bureau. We reported this matter to the Political Commissar, and the leaders are very concerned. Your bravery is representative of our troops' spirit and image. They specifically sent me to see you. Look, I've brought almost everyone from your battalion," Director Xiao said with a smile.
"I'm sorry for causing trouble again; I seem to attract it even during my time off."
"It's fine, it's fine. You're young; who doesn't run into some issues? Besides, you did very well this time. You demonstrated the qualities and image of a soldier. Just focus on recovering; there’s nothing much going on during this time," the director quickly replied.
Everyone asked me what had happened, but I kept it vague, only mentioning that I helped the police catch a criminal and got injured in the process. They chatted for a while longer, including some insincere comforting words from the Instructor before they all left. Before Old Tang left, I told him not to bring this matter back to the Unit; it was my personal issue and shouldn't affect everyone else. Old Tang agreed and reminded me to return to the team soon. He mentioned that things had been quite lax during my absence and that I needed to go back and straighten things out. I laughed and agreed; these kids really couldn’t be left unattended for a moment. As Old Tang was leaving, I asked him to have Sheng Xiong bring my Nunchaku over. I was determined to catch Li Ping, but without weapons, I felt it would be difficult to subdue him if he truly came from the same unit as me.
I am not someone who can sit still; staying in the hospital was torture. The second afternoon was better when Sheng Xiong brought my steel Nunchaku over. We chatted for a bit about how lazy our Unit had become and how some people were quite arrogant, especially in dealing with other Units. Our usual condescending attitude weighed heavily on my mind; being envied by others made things even more troublesome for our Unit. It seemed that we needed to rectify our conduct soon. I thought to myself that I needed to find an entry point for this issue—an appropriate opportunity would be necessary. Sighing, I realized that wrapping up this case quickly would allow me to return to my unit sooner so everything could get back on track!
(To be continued; more exciting content tomorrow!)
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