The three troublesome cases landed squarely on my desk, and three days had passed without so much as a glimmer of progress, leaving my face creased with worry. How I missed those carefree days of old.

Just then, a sudden brightness flashed before my eyes, and a lively figure skipped into view.

"Cong Lin?"

"Brother Lei, you still remember me?"

"How could I forget a beauty like you? Where have you been gallivanting all this time?"

"You're such a jokester, Brother Lei. I was on a business trip recently; just got back."

"Oh, why come here? Aren't you afraid your group leader, Hong Da, will make things difficult for you?"

"Brother Lei, you’re teasing me again. Group Leader Hong already said our two teams are handling this case together. I came specifically to take a look."

Xiao Cuo interjected from the side, "What’s there to see?"

Cong Lin retorted without mincing words, "None of your business! Get back to work! If you can’t crack the case, you’ll have a reckoning!"

The girl had a fiery temper and a sharp tongue. Little Cuo’s edge was completely blunted by her, and he didn't dare challenge her further. He said to me, "I should get going too. I’ll call if anything comes up." Then he grabbed Wang Xuyang and they bolted out of sight.

The girl blinked her bright eyes, scanning the office, and immediately spotted Feng Siyan. Feng Siyan had actually seen her earlier, but since I was still talking to her, she hadn't said anything.

Cong Lin immediately abandoned me, leaning in close and whispering, "Sister Feng, you came over without even telling me, hmph. Are you up to something secretive?" Cong Lin's tone was casual, suggesting her relationship with Feng Siyan was quite good.

Feng Siyan glared at her and murmured, "Keep talking nonsense, and I won't pay attention to you anymore," adopting the demeanor of an older sister.

"Alright, alright, I’ll stop. Then, after work today, let’s go shopping. I…"

The two women’s voices dropped even lower, but the light on their faces grew more dazzling.

I shook my head and sighed: Even the most beautiful and aloof women cannot resist the lure of shopping, especially when two women are together.

At that moment, I suddenly heard Gao Jianning blurt out, "During work hours, personal conversations are prohibited."

Huh? Did the sun rise in the west today? Since Feng Siyan joined the Special Investigation Office, this kid Gao Jianning had never spoken a single man-like word. Something truly strange was afoot today.

"I was just discussing something with Sister Feng. Is that not allowed?" Cong Lin pouted, clearly unyielding.

"No, we’re discussing official business," Gao Jianning wouldn't budge an inch.

I couldn't help but be surprised. What game was this kid playing? I couldn't quite figure him out.

"You, I..." Cong Lin was so exasperated by Gao Jianning that she was almost dizzy.

"What about you? What about me? If you have something to say, say it. If not, please leave immediately." Gao Jianning was actually issuing an eviction notice.

"Sister Feng, look how he’s bullying me. Say something for me," Cong Lin whined, tugging at Feng Siyan's sleeve.

"You go back first. We’ll meet after work," Feng Siyan’s words were quite suggestive.

After Cong Lin left, Gao Jianning and Feng Siyan exchanged no words, merely tapping away at their keyboards. Yet, the rhythm of their typing was perfectly synchronized, sounding like they were performing a beautiful piano duet.

Baffling. What was this all about?

Suddenly, it dawned on me. Gao Jianning was employing a strategy of "Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao." He was deliberately acting harsh toward Cong Lin to better showcase his regard for Feng Siyan. No wonder Feng Siyan wasn't the least bit angry.

Brilliant, truly brilliant. It seemed this kid Gao Jianning was about to surpass the master. My old bones were quickly becoming a relic of the past.

I decided to give the pair some breathing room and stepped out of the office, strolling casually toward the Fourth Criminal Investigation Team.

The Fourth Team was currently assisting the Special Investigation Office with the case. Nominally, it was a superior-subordinate relationship, so it felt quite refreshing for me, the superior, to wander into the subordinate’s territory for a bit.

However, after knocking for a long time, there was no response. As I was wondering, someone from the adjacent Third Team approached and said, "Stop knocking. They’re extremely busy; they left a long time ago."

A wave of shame washed over me. It seemed my own awareness needed upgrading, or I really couldn't compare to Team Four.

The two teams were moving with tense yet orderly focus, leaving me, the acting overall commander, with nothing to do. Unwilling to return to the office and disturb the little lovebirds, I left the precinct alone, walking slowly along the street, contemplating a new direction for the investigation.

Outside the precinct was a wide avenue, lined on both sides with London plane trees whose lush canopies stretched toward the center of the street, meeting the foliage on the opposite side to form an arch. Even in the scorching summer heat, it felt as if the sun was blocked out above the treetops.

There were many shops lining the street, and many people recognized me, so I was stopped almost immediately by warm greetings. I am, after all, a worldly person, so I settled in and completely lost track of time.

After an hour of free-flowing conversation, I remembered the colleagues from Team Four, and felt a pang of shame. I rose to leave and continued forward, suddenly stopping because the Forensic Science Office was just ahead.

Due to initial planning and land allocation issues, some municipal bureaus were not co-located. Units like the Forensic Science Office, the Archives, the Riot Squad, and the Cultural Protection Bureau were scattered in different locations.

I looked at the Forensic Science Office, and a sudden sense of apprehension washed over me. Although I had already brought the You Qiaolin case to a perfect conclusion, there was always a barrier in my heart. This barrier had nothing to do with success or failure; it was rooted deep within my soul, destined never to vanish.

I couldn't bear to look at anything that might remind me of those things, so I turned and walked away.

Not far down the road, a dark object suddenly plummeted from above, followed by a sharp sound—a high-rise object had fallen. Had I walked just a step further, that flowerpot would have smashed onto my head. I looked up, but the upper floors were deserted; not a soul in sight.

As I lowered my head, a face suddenly appeared on the second-floor balcony, flashing a sinister smile toward me before quickly retreating and vanishing.

In the bright daylight, under the vast sky, I was struck with a cold sweat. Because I recognized that face—it was You Qiaolin, and the smile was identical to the one she wore in the detention center.

Could it be that You Qiaolin had escaped?

Or was there another You Qiaolin in this world?

Without a second thought, I rushed upstairs and knocked on the door of the second-floor apartment. An elderly man with white hair appeared before me.

"Old sir, is there anyone else living here?"

The old man glanced at my police uniform, then said, "Just me. My children are all busy; they even forget their old father."

"May I come in and take a look?"

"What, you don't believe what an old man says?" The old man's attitude instantly changed.

I quickly said, "No, no, sir. It’s just that a flowerpot fell from upstairs just now and hit a pedestrian. I need to investigate every apartment door-to-door." Although deceiving an old man was wrong, I absolutely had to see inside to ascertain the truth.

Hearing this, the old man immediately stepped aside. "That’s truly depraved. Young officer, you must catch this person; they are a menace to society."

The old man seemed quite knowledgeable, and I smoothly entered the apartment. It was a two-bedroom unit, unfurnished since the old man lived alone. The doors to both bedrooms were open, fully visible. I quickly went to the balcony; it was empty. I checked the kitchen and the bathroom too; the same. It seemed only this old man resided here.

It must have been a hallucination, I sighed, leaving the old man's home. But for some inexplicable reason, the dark cloud in my heart would not dissipate; instead, it grew thicker, pressing down on me until it was hard to breathe. Based on past experience, I sensed something was about to happen, so I hurried back toward the precinct.

Pushing open the door to the Special Investigation Office, I saw Feng Siyan sitting there, but Gao Jianning was nowhere to be seen.

My heart clenched inexplicably. "Where is Gao Jianning?"

Feng Siyan looked up as if to speak, but someone clapped me on the shoulder from behind: "Brother Lei, looking for me?"

"No, no, just asking. Glad you're here."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Get back to work."

I spent the entire morning feeling suspicious and jumpy, but nothing happened. Perhaps I was overthinking it. After lunch in the canteen, I felt a bit tired and decided to rest on the sofa in the office.

Between waking and sleeping, I heard voices, which gradually grew louder, preventing me from sleeping. I finally sat up and looked back to see Wang Xuyang dangling his little chicken legs, flirting with Feng Siyan.

It seemed Feng Siyan was truly uninterested in him; it was almost entirely Wang Xuyang talking to himself, performing a solo act. Gao Jianning also seemed to have gotten the hint, as he wasn't as hostile toward Wang Xuyang as before.

I called out to Wang Xuyang, "Keep it down. Everyone needs to rest at noon. If you have nothing to do, find somewhere else to cool off."

Wang Xuyang probably felt it was pointless performing alone. He chuckled twice, swung his skinny arms, and prepared to leave.

"Hold on, come back!" I leaned back on the sofa.

"What now?" Wang Xuyang looked displeased, as if I were disturbing his midday nap.

"Where's Xiao Cuo?"

"In the Archives."

I sat bolt upright and yelled at Wang Xuyang, "Didn't we agree that two people must go to the Archives together? Why are you back? Go!"

Wang Xuyang was startled by my shout, but then he rolled his eyes, "Team Leader Wang, it’s rest time now. I can do as I please. You have no right to interfere with my freedom."

Well, now! This kid dared to lecture me on freedom. He was truly out of line! But what he said had some merit. During rest hours, unless it was work-related, I truly couldn't command him. Still, I felt something was odd about the Archives; I couldn't shake the worry.

Seeing me pause, Wang Xuyang thought I was genuinely angry and quickly said, "Actually, I remembered what you said last time, but it's not as serious as you think. Besides, nobody saw those things anyway, not even the greatest scientists have confirmed them—why should we worry?"

I couldn't be bothered with him. I stood up from the sofa and walked outside. Wang Xuyang followed, speaking as he walked, "Brother Lei, you go back. I’ll head over there right now."

"I wouldn't dare impose upon you. You should go chat with the pretty lady instead," I retorted coldly, quickening my pace. If I didn't discipline this kid properly, he'd really turn rebellious later on.

Wang Xuyang followed behind me pitifully, all the way out of the police station.

Suddenly, there was a dull thud, and a crack of thunder erupted in the clear sky. I glanced up, bewildered—not a cloud in sight. This thunder was bizarre.

Suddenly, Wang Xuyang shouted, "Bad! There's a fire over there!"

I looked up and saw a column of thick smoke rising not far ahead, mingled with flashes of fire. A fire had indeed broken out. That sound hadn't been thunder; it must have been an explosion at the fire scene.

I quickly pulled out my phone, dialed the fire department, and shouted, "There's a fire here! The location is—"

My voice abruptly cut off, and then I shrieked at Wang Xuyang, "Quickly! That's the Archives!"

I sprinted all the way. My legs moved like tireless machines, constantly driving forward. Every step was forged with a single hope: Xiao Cuo, please, don't let anything happen to you!

It was about eighty meters from the precinct entrance to the Archives. I started running the moment the smoke billowed up, reaching the spot before the flames could spread widely.

But when I stood before the Archives, I saw thick smoke rolling out, obscuring any sign of life inside. Suddenly, with a loud boom, there was a huge sound from within the Archives, and then a massive fireball erupted, the raging flames instantly consuming the smoke.

By then, the fire trucks had arrived. Silver-white jets of water sprayed toward the dragon of fire. The scene immediately erupted into chaos, but I heard nothing. I simply sat on the ground, dumbstruck, like a person in a vegetative state who had lost all sensation.

When I came to my senses, Zhang Jiewei told me that the fire had burned Xiao Cuo into a charred corpse barely two inches long!

Everyone was submerged in grief, but mine was undoubtedly the deepest, akin to the sorrow when Xiao Xuan left me.

I remembered that Xiao Cuo had a younger sister who was still studying. He scrimped and saved every month, even swallowing his pride to eat for free at others’ tables, all to pay for his sister’s education. Now, one fire had destroyed everything.

Why did all this happen?

Was it because Xiao Cuo was getting too close to the truth of the case, and the 'Grim Reaper' had begun his slaughter?

Or was it because You Qiaolin smiled at me?

I dared not consider it. If You Qiaolin’s smile was a reference to this incident, then the depth of my sin would be immeasurable!

According to the two colleagues from the Archives: Xiao Cuo arrived at the Archives after lunch that day, gathered a large pile of documents, and immediately buried his head in reading, while they took a short rest on a sofa near the main door.

Suddenly, one of them vaguely smelled burning paper. Just as he was about to get up to check, he heard a whoosh, and the fire had already erupted around Xiao Cuo’s reading area. Since the room was filled with paper and wooden objects, the speed at which the fire spread was unimaginably fast. In the blink of an eye, the room had become an ocean of flames.

The two colleagues rushed over with fire extinguishers and sprayed wildly into the room. Amidst the towering flames, they clearly saw Xiao Cuo struggling in agony, twisting ceaselessly, but they couldn't get in. They could only watch helplessly as he turned into a human torch, shrinking smaller and smaller until he finally collapsed. Seeing this, they could only flee.

I couldn't bear to imagine the scene, sitting there silently by myself.

My brain had ceased functioning normally, lost in a haze of confusion. I even began to suspect You Qiaolin was behind it all. Otherwise, why did I see her in the residential building outside the precinct? And why did this disaster strike immediately after I saw her? If not her, then who?

If I hadn't gone to see You Qiaolin, would this have never happened? Would Xiao Cuo still appear before me punctually every day, shamelessly begging me or other colleagues for a free meal?

If fate granted me a chance to return to the moment before the interrogation, I would absolutely not have interrogated You Qiaolin. Because Xiao Xuan was already dead, and Xiao Cuo was such a kind-hearted, childlike soul.

I caused Xiao Cuo's death!

Xiao Xuan died because of me too!

Why? Why did all this happen?