NB Chapter69

Whether to choose wealth and honor for their families by hanging themselves with a hemp rope under his supervision, or to choose their own lives by explaining exactly what happened back then, surrendering to the authorities, and revealing the whole truth.

This was what Zhang Mingsheng called a “choice.”

Clearly, it was more like intimidation.

Come to think of it, I had never actually seen Zhang Mingsheng kill anyone. A person who has valued cleanliness since childhood and dislikes the sight of blood, combined with the fact that he has plenty of subordinates to do his bidding, means there are likely very few people left who would require him to kill personally. I still remember the most terrifying thing he ever did to me: pressing the tip of a fountain pen into my thigh, leaving a faint trace of blue ink beneath the skin. By the time the wound healed, that speck of blue remained trapped there like a tattoo; one that could only be removed by enduring the same pain all over again. This was his way of doing things: he didn’t break my limbs or force me onto addictive drugs. Instead, every time I tried to escape and got injured, he would simply bring me back; silently, carrying me as if nothing had happened.

I rarely revisit these details. I have set them aside in the depths of my memory, secured them with heavy locks, and wrapped them in layers of flesh. I thought I could forget them this way. But over time, everything I dared not face congealed into a tumor in my heart.

Now, I am forced to cut it open and extract the memories of living with Zhang Mingsheng day and night to judge the truth and reliability of his words.

He gave them a choice; a half-playful, yet utterly soul-crushing one.

Tracking them down had been far too easy. After handling that cold case of a high-society disappearance where no body was ever found, these men had actually risen steadily through the ranks, which immediately caught Zhang Mingsheng’s attention. After returning home for a period of time, he must have uncovered the financial transactions between the Zhang Group and these police officers.

I believe Zhang Mingsheng must have proven to them that he had the capability to set up an airtight “examination room” to supervise their suicides.

The only question is, why?

What exactly was Zhang Mingsheng trying to observe?

His narration was entirely flat, only raising an eyebrow when he uttered the sentence, “They all chose suicide.” In the eyes of the Zhang Mingsheng of that time, these people hadn’t even bothered to give a verbal answer before they each followed instructions, found a spot, and hung themselves one after another as if it had all been prearranged. Zhang Mingsheng was somewhat surprised when he saw the news, but he didn’t take it to heart. After all, back then, they had abandoned their consciences for money; now, they were abandoning their lives for the wealth of their families and future generations. Zhang Mingsheng figured that in the minds of these people, money had always been held in higher regard; practicing this belief unto death was, in a way, consistent.

It wasn’t until the body of the first innocent, ordinary police officer was discovered and the police declared it a serial murder case; releasing more details to the public and calling for leads, that Zhang Mingsheng realized someone had used him, had used his setup.

They hadn’t committed suicide; they had been murdered. There were faint traces indicating the presence of a second person at the crime scenes. Furthermore, as new victims continued to appear, these traces became increasingly obvious.

The killer derived pleasure from the acts; he began to turn frantic, hovering on the edge of provoking the police.

Zhang Mingsheng said this was perhaps a provocation toward him as well; he could feel it. However, he had never managed to track down who that person actually was. He suspected the other party was also very eager to learn his identity.

I also asked Zhang Mingsheng why he didn’t suspect Zhang Yaonian.

Zhang Mingsheng was far away from me. He tilted his head slightly while looking elsewhere, and said, “It’s not that I didn’t suspect him, but he wouldn’t mind revealing to me if he had tampered with things. I think even if those people had surrendered and implicated him, nothing would have happened to him either. Talk is easy; those people had no evidence, yet they had accepted his favors.”

Zhang Yaonian’s ambiguous admission revealed no details; even if Zhang Mingsheng had recorded video or audio, it could not be used as evidence either. He simply wanted to break Zhang Mingsheng by warning him that since he could kill the boy’s parents, he could naturally destroy him just as easily; only then would the eldest grandson bow before him and remain under his control.

I do not know if this was related to Zhang Mingsheng’s drag racing and death wish back then.

However, after he survived, he frequently opposed Zhang Yaonian. I suspect he intentionally or unintentionally leaked the fact that he was threatening those police officers to Zhang Yaonian, as if to say, “Look, your people are already meeting their ends; are you afraid?”

It was a game between the grandfather and grandson; refraining from attacking each other for the time being, instead resorting to step-by-step intimidation to see whose psychological fortitude was stronger.

I asked him, “Why didn’t you tell me back then?”

“Tell you for what? To let you go out and investigate the case?” Zhang Mingsheng spoke with total nonchalance. “Besides, their deaths really were related to me. I was glad to see them dead. If you want to pin it on me, I’m willing to take the blame.”

I was speechless, glaring at him in disbelief before storming away. He didn’t tell me then because he wanted to force me to give up hope. He was telling me now because he still wanted to keep me. I had no doubt that he truly did view himself as the killer; his plan had simply been hijacked by another, making him an accidental partner in the crime.

Only after walking a great distance did my pace finally slow. I knew in my heart that Zhang Mingsheng did have other suspects in mind. On this overcast, rainy day, I hurried out of the cemetery with my coat damp and heavy enough to weigh down my shoulders.

Zhang Yaonian’s aging voice from that phone call still rang in my ears. He had once tried to bribe my mentor as well. According to him, my mentor refused, but the clues were exploited by his colleagues, and Zhang Mingsheng would not let him off the hook.

Zhang Mingsheng had already grown suspicious of my mentor. It was only because of me that he hadn’t brought it up.

If what Zhang Yaonian said was true, then the map of Zhang Mingsheng’s revenge was far larger than I had imagined, and Zhang Mingsheng himself was even darker, more extreme, and more paranoid than I thought.

But if Zhang Yaonian was lying, then he was trying to drive a wedge between us.

How ridiculous, did Zhang Mingsheng and I even need someone to drive us apart? There was already a Grand Canyon between us.

The rain continued to fall, it was still a fine drizzle, offering no sense of relief at all. I sat on a roadside bench and lowered my head, beginning to reminisce.

My mentor was hiding a secret. The more I looked into it, the sharper my intuition became.

I took a deep breath.

While lost in thought, I was startled by a sudden ringtone. I pulled out my phone and answered; on the other end came Li Yi’s loud condemnation, “Officer Yu, where have you gone to make your fortune? You’re taking leave again; do you have any idea that I’m the one getting chewed out? Are you coming to the hospital tonight or not?”

I snapped out of the cold case immediately, my nerves tightening as I stood up abruptly. “What happened? Did something happen to Shimu?”

“Nothing’s happened! It’s just your little junior sister; she’s complaining that I’m clumsy and not as attentive as you.” Li Yi said in his usual shiftless manner, his voice trailing off occasionally as he bickered with another female voice.

Clearly, it was Shanshan.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and with it, my furrowed brow and solemn expression finally relaxed. Having been tense for so long, they felt somewhat achy. I said, “I’ll head over right away.”

After hanging up and tucking my phone away, I decided to find a bus stop to study the routes and leave by bus.

On a rainy day, and so close to the cemetery as well, there were few people on the road.

The raindrops grew larger, pelting the top of my head.

I suddenly recalled the red rims of Zhang Mingsheng’s eyes.

In that moment, his pain had seemed somewhat unusual, and he had been clutching his chest the entire time. Could he have a heart condition? Probably not; if there were something wrong with his heart, he would have dropped dead halfway through that drag race back then, it never would have been my turn to risk my life to save him.

“He’s clearly always been in good health.” I murmured under my breath.

Just as I was thinking this, I heard a car horn blare behind me.

I was just about to turn around when I caught a glimpse of blinding headlights. Ignoring my shout, the car plowed straight into me. In an instant, the world spun violently before my eyes.

I lay sprawled on the ground, feeling pain radiating through my entire body, especially in my chest and right leg. I must be bleeding. I couldn’t utter a word, and breathing became difficult; every gasp of air pulled at the agony throughout my frame. My consciousness was slipping away, and my body was gradually growing cold.

Before my eyes closed, the last thing I saw was a pair of dark brown leather shoes.

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