Chapter 101

In the broadcast room of Nancheng Tower, Lu Siyu’s voice continued to narrate the case.

“…After the discovery of Chen Yanqiu’s body, as the police investigation progressed, we interviewed his fellow patients, his doctor, and his sister, to learn more about this person. He was cheerful, optimistic, and helpful. It’s hard to imagine such a person becoming an accomplice in a case. But it was precisely because of his circumstances in life that he was forced onto the path of becoming a scapegoat. When he discovered the truth, his initial reaction was like that of a guilty child, seeking forgiveness from people. He hoped to set everything back on track. So, he came to you…” Lu Siyu’s voice was cold and restrained, slightly trembling with restraint.

Chen Yanqiu was originally a young man suffering from a terminal illness; perhaps he should have quietly passed away.

But by a twist of fate, he got involved in the hit-and-run case, and in the entire scheme of things, he was just a pawn. However, subsequently, the pawn that was supposed to be taken off the board was revived using someone else’s death, changing the course of the entire game.

“…After the accident, Chen Yanqiu found you. At first, you were angry, unwilling to accept his apology, believing that he was in cahoots with the person who killed your wife. But later, you learned about his terminal illness and understood more about the truth of the accident. You developed a subtle feeling towards him, perhaps sympathy, perhaps mixed with something else. At this point, Chen Yanqiu proposed a suggestion to you. He was willing to help you investigate who was the mastermind behind the scenes…”

As Lu Siyu spoke the last few words, deliberately slowing down his speech, this part contained some of his own deductions. He observed Zhang Congyun’s reaction, trying to confirm his suspicions. Zhang Congyun’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn’t refute.

This indicated that his speculation was correct.

Meanwhile, in a room several hundred meters away from Nancheng Tower, Song Wen observed the situation inside the broadcast room through a telescope.

Lu Siyu was currently talking to Zhang Congyun, sitting facing the glass window, while Zhang Congyun stood not far from him, and Huo Shaoqing slumped to the side.

Apparently, Lu Siyu had temporarily stabilized Zhang Congyun…

“The sniper is in position, and we can act at any time.” Zhang Guodong and Song Wen discussed, “However, I still hold the same opinion as before. At this distance, the sniper cannot guarantee a hundred percent shot, but there’s over fifty percent certainty.”

Song Wen’s palms were sweating. He said, “Let’s wait a little longer…”

Making this decision was not easy, and giving the order to shoot was equally difficult. At this moment, Song Wen felt his heart being twisted repeatedly in his chest. The person he cared about was in such danger. He wished he could replace him or at least be by his side…

“But waiting longer also carries great risks. Can your colleague… persuade that old man?” Zhang Guodong roughly understood the situation as he arrived.

“If it’s him, I’m willing to take the gamble.” Song Wen said, looking through the telescope at Lu Siyu. The distance was too far, and he couldn’t see his expression.

Song Wen also hoped this game of wits could end swiftly, rather than being in constant agony.

At this moment, through the telescope, that person seemed to casually make a gesture, his hands crossed his arms, then his right hand palm moved downward as he spoke.

Song Wen momentarily thought he had seen it wrong until Lu Siyu repeated the same motion clearly.

Standby…

That was the message Lu Siyu sent to him.

It was a code he could understand.

“…So, as a victim’s family member and as someone who took the blame, you came together for a common purpose. You knew Zhao Yuanlan’s daily cleaning route, Chen Yanqiu had driven that car, knew the route it took, and you pieced together the actual scene of the incident. Chen Yanqiu also knew some information about the people he met with. You visited bars along the way, gathered information, gradually discovered the true culprit of the incident…”

Lu Siyu continued his reasoning, pointing to Huo Shaoqing beside him, “You began to gradually focus on targeting Huo Shaoqing. On one hand, you approached Zhao Liu’er in the broadcast room, kept sending rewards to her room to track Huo Shaoqing’s movements, and on the other hand, you began to observe the actions of the Huo family.”

With this reasoning, they probably used the dirty money Chen Yanqiu contributed and the compensation money from Zhang Congyun’s wife.

“When Zhao Yuanlan died, you were lonely and helpless. Thoughts of revenge and murder couldn’t be shared with family and friends. You had to bear these crazy thoughts alone. At that time, Chen Yanqiu appeared. Despite his age being similar to that of your son, he was terminally ill. You gradually sympathized with him, let go of your guard, and during that time, your relationship with Chen Yanqiu became very intimate, more like comrades than just friends.”

At that time, the two of them fit the profile of a criminal gang, and having a partner undoubtedly brought Zhang Congyun a sense of security and belonging.

Lu Siyu cleared his throat again, forcing his brain to analyze. Many details discovered in the previous case were now connected one by one, and his train of thought gradually became clear: “The turn of events should have happened around the Chinese New Year. You returned home for the New Year, Chen Yanqiu disappeared, Huo Shaoqing suddenly went abroad, and your plan had to be terminated.”

He tried to analyze from Zhang Congyun’s perspective. At that time, Zhang Congyun was undoubtedly angry and crazy. He viewed everything as a betrayal by Chen Yanqiu. The secondary harm caused by this forced him to make the extreme move he did today.

Lu Siyu took a deep breath, pinpointing the crux of the problem: “You hated Chen Yanqiu because you felt he had deceived you, ruined your plan. You became dissatisfied with just retaliating against Huo Shaoqing. You wanted to attract more attention and focus, even if it meant harming others.”

Zhang Congyun raised his head to look at Lu Siyu. The young man’s skin was somewhat pale, but his eyes were pitch-black. When they first met, he only thought of this person as a responsible intern police officer. But now, he felt a kind of pressure from Lu Siyu. His words were like arrows, piercing his heart, penetrating his thoughts. The wounds that had already scabbed over were torn open again, and red blood flowed out.

“Isn’t it true? I shouldn’t have trusted him. If he could take the blame for money, he could betray me for money,” Zhang Congyun said in a low voice.

After Chen Yanqiu disappeared, he knew he had been betrayed. Chen Yanqiu must have sold that information to the Huo family, causing Huo Shaoqing to go into hiding. And he took the money and could afford medical treatment, so he went far away. He didn’t know why Chen Yanqiu died later; perhaps the Huo family wanted to silence him, or perhaps someone got greedy for the money.

Zhang Congyun rubbed the calluses on his hands. He was a hitman betrayed by an accomplice. He wasn’t young anymore, and it took a lot of effort for him to adjust to this change. He got up, made a new plan, continued to maintain a relationship with Zhao Liu’er, underwent a drastic change in personality, spent a lot of time alone, and behaved in ways that were incomprehensible to his daughter.

When the police came knocking, his uncooperative attitude was because he was afraid the police would find out something that would ruin his plan.

“But what if I told you there was more to it?” Lu Siyu shook his head slowly as he said this, having just realized these truths himself. “Perhaps Chen Yanqiu didn’t betray you. He didn’t disappear; he died.”

“Impossible! He broke his promise! He lied to me! He ran away and never came back!” Zhang Congyun’s emotions suddenly became agitated. “He promised me he would help me avenge my wife!”

Lu Siyu didn’t argue with him but turned to Huo Shaoqing beside him, “When your family sent you abroad, it wasn’t because they heard that the families of the accident victims were preparing to retaliate, but for other reasons, right?”

“Huh, I…,” Huo Shaoqing stuttered, struggling to speak.

“You still have a chance to tell the truth now,” Lu Siyu added, hoping Huo Shaoqing understood his implication. If he admitted now, perhaps he could live to see another day, await trial. If he continued to hide something, he might have to carry this secret to hell.

“I…,” under Lu Siyu’s questioning, Huo Shaoqing’s gaze began to shift, and then he trembled as he spoke, “At that time… there was… an accident.”

“Back then, before the Chinese New Year, Chen Yanqiu, that young man, was killed by you, wasn’t he?” Lu Siyu voiced his inference. “So, you fled abroad.”

Huo Chen thought the matter of the accident had already passed, but Huo Shaoqing suddenly killed someone again, prompting him to hurriedly send Huo Shaoqing abroad.

Hearing Lu Siyu’s analysis, Zhang Congyun froze, but Huo Shaoqing’s mouth twitched noticeably, and he lowered his head guiltily.

The broadcast room suddenly fell silent, with only Lu Siyu’s voice remaining. “At first, I couldn’t understand why they chose to dispose of the body at a chemical plant until I found out that Huo Chen had once partnered with someone to run a factory in his early years. This time, he thought he could get away with it completely. A corpse without clothes, without a murder weapon, and even difficult to identify. He believed the police wouldn’t be able to find the killer.”

Dumping the body was setting a false trail, perhaps because Huo Chen was too eager to protect his son. Huo Chen thought the abandoned factory was desolate enough, and industrial salt could conceal the features of the corpse, making it unrecognizable.

But he forgot, the law is all-encompassing, and no detail goes unnoticed.

At this point in the analysis, Huo Shaoqing collapsed, a voice in his heart echoing, It’s over, everything is over, the police have found out, they know everything…

“Is what he said true?!” Zhang Congyun stared fiercely at Huo Shaoqing, advancing step by step.

Huo Shaoqing spoke haltingly, “That person… he’s crazy… I… I had my own apartment for convenience, you know, to pick up girls. I don’t know how he found it or how he got into the community. He suddenly kidnapped me when I entered the door. Once inside, he said he had evidence of my involvement in the accident and wanted me to surrender to the court. At that time, I thought he was crazy, told him to stop dreaming. He said he wouldn’t give up unless I killed him… I acted in self-defense, it’s true… self-defense…”

Lu Siyu addressed Huo Shaoqing, “That young man knew he was about to die, and he knew he probably couldn’t persuade you to surrender. He did it deliberately, like a moth to a flame. He probably didn’t plan to come back alive.”

Zhang Congyun continued to question Huo Shaoqing, “So, did you really kill him?”

Huo Shaoqing stuttered again, “I… it was… he provoked me deliberately… he brought the knife himself… at that time… I thought we were just going to fight, but he suddenly charged at me with the knife… then we struggled, and the knife fell to the ground. But then he stopped suddenly, and I picked up the knife… accidentally stabbed him…”

“Stop with these ridiculous excuses. It was just the two of you there at the time. Why should I believe your side of the story?!” Zhang Congyun suddenly laughed, as if he had gone mad. “Good, very good, two lives. With this, today, I can avenge everything!”

He finally understood why Chen Yanqiu disappeared inexplicably. The knot in his heart suddenly unraveled. He hadn’t been betrayed after all.

“Wait a moment…” Lu Siyu coughed to stop Zhang Congyun. His stomachache had reached its peak, and his face was so pale that he couldn’t even speak.

“Shouldn’t such a person die?” Zhang Congyun pointed the remote control at Huo Shaoqing, his face showing a fierce expression. Then he glanced at Lu Siyu again. “Perhaps you’re afraid of death and want me to let you go? Also… you’re just an intern police officer. I should thank you for telling me all this. In return, I can give you three minutes to leave before detonating!”

“He should die, but what he said should also be true. When we found Chen Yanqiu’s body, there was something we couldn’t understand.” Lu Siyu spoke up, “That body was smiling.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Congyun was stunned again.

“Chen Yanqiu didn’t intend to kill Huo Shaoqing. Instead, he decided to let Huo Shaoqing kill him.” Lu Siyu took a deep breath. “Don’t you understand? Chen Yanqiu didn’t betray you. At that time, the plan was only halfway through, and he changed his mind. Based on the evidence left behind, I can confirm that he made arrangements before his death, packed up everything, bid farewell to his sister, and calmly left the hotel.”

“Chen Yanqiu deliberately went to his death! It was to let you live with a clear conscience, so you wouldn’t become a criminal…” Lu Siyu continued to explain, “Because in Chen Yanqiu’s logic, he wanted Huo Shaoqing to face legal consequences. Even if he couldn’t be punished for your wife’s accident, he wanted him to be punished for killing him.”

Lu Siyu’s lips trembled. “It’s just… his body was buried, delaying the revelation of these truths for a long time.”

It was a suicidal move, but it was the best method Chen Yanqiu could think of. He didn’t want Zhang Congyun to become a murderer.

At this point, Zhang Congyun finally understood Lu Siyu’s meaning. Memories of that young man seemed to flash in his mind again—clearly, he was terminally ill, yet always smiling.

When Chen Yanqiu found him and said he was willing to make amends for his mistakes, he didn’t believe it at first, until he handed over all the money… The scales were still not balanced, so he added his life.

Zhang Congyun blinked, warmth filling his eyes, a sense of bitterness surged up. He had a moment of hesitation, but killing Huo Shaoqing had long become an obsession in his heart. How could he give up so easily?

Zhang Congyun looked at Lu Siyu. “Thank you for telling me all this, but you want me to let him go now? That’s impossible! You talk so lightly, you don’t understand my pain!”

Lu Siyu had already analyzed all the facts he could analyze just now, but he knew he couldn’t stop Zhang Congyun. At this point, his mind was chaotic, his stomach dull with pain. Having reached this point, he could only dissect himself, as if he were a sacrifice on an altar…

“In the past six months, you’ve wanted to kill him every moment, wanted to drink his blood, eat his flesh.” Lu Siyu lowered his head. “I can understand that feeling. I have enemies too. When I was young, my biological parents were killed by someone. I also hated those who killed them. In my dreams, I’ve tortured those people a thousand times. But once in reality, I understand that it’s illegal and wrong. I have the urge for bloodshed on one hand and the struggle with myself on the other…”

If the conversation between Lu Siyu and Zhang Congyun had some skill before, with Lu Siyu leading the robber and deliberately diverting the narrative during the storytelling, now he was speaking completely chaotically, relying solely on his instincts.

“… I chose the profession of a policeman, or rather, others see me as a policeman. Just adding these two words makes me feel completely different. When I climbed this tower and decided to face you, I understood what was in my heart… I… I hope to save people…”

Those were words never spoken in public, secrets never shared with anyone. At this moment, Lu Siyu spoke them out, for the first time wanting to prevent tragedy at all costs. He exerted all his strength, trying to stop everything, not because he wanted to save his own life, but because he wanted to hold onto a phantom standing on the edge of a cliff—a phantom that seemed to be Zhang Congyun, yet also seemed to be himself.

He was destined to face those sins, just like now, with Zhang Congyun holding the remote control. With a slight press of his finger, everything could be destroyed.

“Today, if you press that button, it’s not just the three of us who will die. The destruction of Nancheng Tower will trigger a chain reaction, causing widespread devastation. I think he deserves to die, but such a person isn’t worth sacrificing your life for, and certainly not worth so many others being buried for him.”

“I know… sometimes we find that the public prosecution system is also manipulated by people. We can’t distinguish between what we see—is it fact or illusion? We feel… we feel like justice is lost, and we don’t know who to believe anymore.”

“…This world is dark, very dark. Sometimes, you might feel like this world is beyond saving, feel like you’re about to be swallowed by darkness, feel like you can’t hold on anymore. But at times like this, perhaps if you turn around, you’ll see that some people are still emitting light, albeit faintly, not enough to dispel the darkness, but they’re still fighting…” Every word he spoke seemed to be tainted with the blood from his heart.

“I firmly believe one thing: among the 6.5 billion people on this Earth, there are more good people than bad. Many ordinary people, no matter how hard life gets, will still strive to live earnestly. They’re giving their all to live, so who are we to trample on the lives of the innocent?”

Lu Siyu continued, “In this world, one unjustly killed Zhao Youlan is already too much. You and Chen Yanqiu have helped her achieve perfect revenge. Those villains will all be punished. If you insist on continuing now, you’ll be betraying Chen Yanqiu’s death.”

“I hope you don’t betray Chen Yanqiu’s sacrifice, make his death meaningless, or harm more innocent people…”

“You’re old enough to be my father,” Lu Siyu said softly. “I think Chen Yanqiu also regarded you as a father. Your daughter and Niuniu are still waiting for you to come back…”

Zhang Congyun fell silent, as if awakening from a nightmare.

Should he really give up now? After coming this far, should he still give up?

Or can he still give up?

Zhang Congyun took a few steps forward, reaching the background window of the live broadcast. It was a large floor-to-ceiling window, and through the glass, he could see outside. The Nancheng Tower he was in was a symbol of the city. Standing here, he could see a vast blue sky, with clouds seemingly at his feet.

This was a place Zhao Youlan had never set foot in her entire life.

“Was the press conference you mentioned just a trick to deceive me?” Zhang Congyun suddenly spoke. He turned to look at Lu Siyu. “I’m afraid you police were prepared long ago, with snipers and everything.”

At that moment, Lu Siyu’s heart raced, as if it was about to burst out of his mouth.

He knew that Zhang Congyun should be standing in the most suitable position for a sniper. The sniper should have been ready long ago. With just one bullet, the elderly man in front of him would be shot dead.

But now, he couldn’t feel any killing intent from Zhang Congyun.

He bit his lip and knocked on his elbow again.

Stand by…

If the person opposite him noticed he was transmitting a message, if the person opposite him was Song Wen…

Zhang Congyun stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his face pale, as if murmuring as if he were seeking death: “So, this is what it looks like from the top of the tower.”

Since the construction of the first Tower of Babel, people have been continuously building various towers. Regardless of time or location, people have been fond of these impractical structures, always wanting to stand high, as if only then could they conquer the world.

Zhang Congyun stood there blankly for more than ten seconds, seemingly turning into a statue. Then, he sighed as if he had aged ten years in an instant. Afterward, he turned away, facing away from the light, but his eyes had already firmly engraved everything he had just seen in his mind.

There was indeed a sun in the sky; it was just occasionally obscured by dark clouds. Those gentle rays of light had always been there; he just hadn’t noticed.

He turned back and took a few steps, handing the remote control to Lu Siyu.

The crisis was averted.

Watching Zhang Congyun, Lu Siyu suddenly recalled his own father. It was the first time he had climbed this tower, and his father was waving his hands vigorously, full of enthusiasm. “This tower is one that Dad invested in and helped build. You see, it’s tall, isn’t it magnificent? Beautiful? Here, Dad is giving this city a gift.”

In an instant, Lu Siyu couldn’t control his tears anymore. His beautiful eyes were blurred by tears.

Outside Nancheng Tower, the message transmitted by Lu Siyu was finally received. The preparations under the tower had all been completed. The media, which had been held back outside the safety line, became noisy, with camera flashes flickering. Reporters shouted, “Someone is coming out of the tower.”

Several special police officers escorted the people from the tower. At the front were Zhang Congyun and Huo Shaoqing, with a black box still handcuffed to Huo Shaoqing’s wrist. Bomb disposal experts quickly approached, separating the deadly box from his wrist and dealing with the explosive device in his hands.

Zhang Congyun’s hands were cuffed, and he lowered his head, being escorted into a police car. The flashes of media cameras recorded this moment.

“Lu Siyu!” Song Wen called out, running a few steps and supporting the last figure to come out of the building.

Lu Siyu’s body collapsed into Song Wen’s arms. Even with closed eyes, he could feel Song Wen’s tension. The grip was so tight, and the hands were so warm. He patted Song Wen’s hands to comfort him and whispered softly in his ear, “It’s not that serious, no injuries, Officer Song. I just have a bit of a stomachache and am really tired…”