When Yi Shi returned to the rental apartment, it was thanks to his reckless attitude towards the case—visiting, investigating, staking out, and apprehending suspects—keeping him busier than a spinning top. He had long since taken his change of clothes to the bureau, and his trips home were few and far between. Finally, he didn’t have to stay in a small hotel anymore; it wasn’t because he was picky, but in such an environment with complex personnel movements, it was impossible to maintain a high level of mental focus. Even thinking about the case was easily disturbed.
The kidnapping case involving Lin Heyu was complicated and ended in a bizarre manner, involving a wide range of people, with the case file being significantly thicker than usual. Even so, the information contained within was incomplete. For instance, among the investigators, only Lin Heyu was familiar to him; he couldn’t find any information on people like Yuan Maoqiu. There were no signs of the file being torn at the edges, as if it had never been compiled from the start.
Comparing it to the character list he once made with Yu Xue, the people who had “reverse aging” left no trace, except for Lin Heyu, who was still listed as “deceased.” He continued flipping through the file; the case process, evidence, and records were quite familiar, exactly the same as what Lin Heyu had sent him. He had carefully studied these written records multiple times and could recite the relevant details with his eyes closed.
By the 28th, Sheng Guoning had investigated Yang Wei, while Lin Heyu had followed Zhao Chenghu. These movements were correct, but there were no records of Zhao Chenghu being arrested afterward; it jumped directly to the next page, where it stated that on the 29th, Lin Heyu went missing, and four hostages held in the air raid shelter at Peacock Head Mountain were rescued, with part of the ransom recovered.
On March 1, personnel from the Nanyi City Bureau searched Peacock Head Mountain, but there was no explosion at the Nanyi Machinery Factory. Near evening, Haijing received a report that a villager from Linjia Village had found a child near the entrance to the mountain, who had severe burns on his arms, and upon confirmation, it was indeed the orphan hostage rescued from the kidnapping case.
What followed was a large-scale investigation and mountain search, but both the kidnappers and Lin Heyu vanished without a trace. This case became a cold case, and all the materials were filed away, high on the shelf. The kidnapping case that caused public panic faded away in the torrent of time, even forgotten by most, with only a few people who had deep contact with Lin Heyu retaining some memories.
From the degree of yellowing paper and ink marks, it was evident that this file was quite old, making it unlikely to be fabricated. Sheng Guoning had undoubtedly reviewed it and confirmed its accuracy before placing it at home. As for the missing parts, whether they had been erased by time or were the result of human actions, if Yi Shi wanted to verify, he would have to meet with Sheng Guoning again.
[11/11, 18:34, 13 Tingzhou Road, Nanyi City (Provincial Public Security Department)]
Sheng Guoning had just come out of the meeting room when his assistant reported that someone was looking for him, waiting downstairs.
“Who is it? Which department?”
“Uh… it’s your son, he’s been waiting for over half an hour. I asked him to sit in your office for a while, but he refused and insisted on waiting in the corridor.”
With such a stubborn attitude, Sheng Guoning didn’t need to ask to know who it was. The provincial office was busier than the city bureau, with people coming and going, but only the figure leaning against the window in the corridor exuded a cold, stern demeanor, forming an automatic barrier that isolated the surrounding noise.
“Finally here?”
Yi Shi turned around, silent, his cold eyes fixed on Sheng Guoning as he approached step by step.
Sheng Guoning acted as if nothing had happened, treating him amicably, placing a hand on his slender shoulder and patting it: “Come on, let’s go to the office. Xiao Zhao, you can leave work now.”
The assistant nodded, cautiously glancing at Yi Shi. He had seen him a few times before and thought he was taciturn, but today he emanated a sharpness that felt like a storm was approaching.
The two entered the office, with Sheng Guoning gesturing toward the sofa for Yi Shi to sit. Yi Shi sat down, placing the brown paper bag beside him. Sheng Guoning twisted open his thermos and poured the remaining tea into a half-height snake plant pot, asking, “Are you heading back soon?”
“No need.”
Sheng Guoning advised, “You didn’t eat at home last time; your mom has been nagging for days. You say you’re busy with work, but I see you’re quite idle.”
Yi Shi glanced over, and Sheng Guoning smiled: “Wasn’t that you I saw at the city bureau a couple of days ago? It’s really rare; what’s going on? You and Lin Heyu both know, and I’m the only one in the dark.”
Haven’t you kept us in the dark enough? Up to now, he still wouldn’t reveal his true intentions. Since he didn’t want to clarify, Yi Shi couldn’t be bothered to engage in small talk; he got straight to the point: “I need to ask you something, and once I’m done, I’ll leave. Is this all there is to the kidnapping case file?”
He picked up the brown paper bag. Before Sheng Guoning could respond, Yi Shi added, “You can tell me the truth. Even if the missing investigative materials are due to you, I can’t do anything about it.”
“…” Sheng Guoning pointed to the safe in the corner. “I can open it right now for you to see whether there’s anything you’re looking for. This file is just as I took it out; it’s the same as when it’s in the drawer. Believe it or not.”
Yi Shi truly walked over. Sheng Guoning was speechless; what a kid—his father had said it all, and he still needed to verify personally. Was there no trust between them?
The safe opened, and there weren’t many documents inside, but they all had stars marked on them. Sheng Guoning leaned against the safe door: “If you want to see, just open it up. Don’t dawdle; I’m all in. If something happens, I’ll take responsibility.”
Yi Shi’s fingers paused, looking back at the corner wall. Sheng Guoning assured him there were no cameras, and then, feeling that Yi Shi was too slow, he simply pulled out a copy and unraveled the string: “This one, the Ministry of Public Security’s plans for next year.”
“This one, the leadership team’s personnel changes in your city bureau.”
“This one, the ten projects to be launched throughout the province next year…”
Yi Shi stood up, not wanting to listen any longer.
Just taking out those few documents would be enough to get Sheng Guoning removed from his position if they leaked. From his attitude, even if Yi Shi flipped through them one by one, he wouldn’t show any sign of fear.
“Hey? Why did you get up? Not going to look anymore?”
Yi Shi put the documents back in place and closed the safe: “I didn’t hear anything just now. I just want to know why those weren’t bound into the file?”
“Perhaps… they shouldn’t have appeared,” Sheng Guoning recounted the details he had told Lin Heyu. Yi Shi listened while observing his micro-expressions, deducing from his gaze and muscle reactions that he wasn’t lying. The disappearance of those evidential materials was beyond human control, erasing the memories of those involved without a sound.
“How many times have we had conversations like this?” Yi Shi pointed at the brown paper bag. “In December, when Team Leader Yu and I were looking for the kidnapping case file, I sought your help. At that time, had you already taken it away and given it to me now?”
This sounded awkward, but for Sheng Guoning, the firsthand witness, it wasn’t difficult to understand. Last December, the case file had indeed been with him, though it had remained locked in the safe. From the moment he saw Yi Shi in the hospital, Sheng Guoning felt uneasy. He worried that Yi Shi frequently returning home and having too much contact with Lin Zhizhi would expose information related to Lin Heyu, which was why he had put out bait to give Yi Shi something to do.
Thus, he wouldn’t tell Yi Shi the truth but played along: “Yeah, that’s correct. In the end, I gave it to you, so it’s not like I didn’t help, right? Ha ha.”
Upon careful consideration, Sheng Guoning’s answer had no issues. After all, during the case investigation, Yi Shi rarely went home and knew nothing about what had happened. And he was the only one with complete memories, perhaps closer to the truth than the fragmented recollections exchanged between the other two.
However, having gone through previous events, Yi Shi wouldn’t easily believe it and continued to throw out questions: “Since it’s a repeated experience, tell me, during this time, did I go looking for Pang Daozi and the others?”
“Of course you did! With your temperament, how could you sit still? You must have followed their escape route. Before coming to find me, do you dare say you didn’t stake them out?”
“…”
Indeed, the day before seeking Sheng Guoning, Yi Shi had taken the high-speed train to another city to find the hiding places of Pang Daozi and the others. The person was right in the basement, and the police arrived in time, but it resulted in unnecessary friction and almost exposed his identity.
“But you couldn’t get in touch with them; I believe you’ve noticed that, right?” Sheng Guoning pulled his chair a few centimeters closer. “Xiao Yi, I still want to advise you to go with the flow. Isn’t it tiring to try again and again and fail? Anyway, when the time comes, Zhao Chenghu will be caught, and the subsequent developments will become clear, right?”
Yi Shi scoffed, tapping the table: “Is it appropriate for you to say such things from this position?”
“…Whether it’s appropriate or not doesn’t depend on you or me, but on fate.”
“Oh, but if I were you, wielding such power and able to deploy troops, I would never let any possibility of change slip away.” Yi Shi paused, lowering his gaze, “In the twenty years of amnesia, I was influenced by you to want to become a police officer. I’ve always respected you and regarded you as a father figure. Now I have to reconsider.”
The office fell into silence. Sheng Guoning took several sips of cold water to swallow the bitterness rising from his tongue. He waved his hand, urging Yi Shi to ask anything else quickly; they couldn’t continue discussing other topics.
“All that you’ve done, it’s for Zhizhi, right?”
Sheng Guoning’s eyelids twitched. Yi Shi said blandly, “Though I don’t understand the specific reasons, it must be related to her. If you won’t tell me, I’ll find a way to uncover the truth.”
It was getting late. He picked up the brown paper bag, preparing to leave, and stopped at the door: “Do you remember the promise made back then?”
“…What?”
“If you don’t remember, then forget it.”
The wooden door closed again, and Sheng Guoning leaned back in his chair, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over him.
How could he forget the promise made in that hotpot restaurant with Xiao Shitou to never hurt him? Unfortunately, plans couldn’t keep up with changes; everything he was doing now was just to be with Lin Zhizhi.
__
[11/19, 21:19, Southern Cheng’an Cemetery, Haijing City]
“Officer, here are the registration records you wanted.”
Lin Heyu took the yellowed record book: “Hmm, okay, thank you.”
He was now at the management office at the cemetery entrance, a small room with an office in the front and living quarters in the back. The administrator was a man in his fifties, whose family had been engaged in the funeral business for three generations. He used to manage private graves at the foot of Nancheng’an Mountain, but after the government built the cemetery, he was hired as the administrator and hadn’t been replaced for decades.
Sun Gui’s deceased wife, Li Man, was buried in Nancheng’an Cemetery. The recorded information from Zhao Chenghu’s notes didn’t specify the exact district number or doorplate, so Lin Heyu had to flip through the registration book page by page for the corresponding years.
The administrator lay in a rocking chair listening to Peking opera, rhythmically patting the armrest. Suddenly, he heard Lin Heyu ask, “If a person isn’t dead, can they still buy a burial plot?”
“Used to be possible, but now the regulations are strict; you must bring a death certificate.”
“What if they are missing?”
“Missing?” The administrator sat up. “Whether they’re missing or not, as long as the government recognizes them as deceased and cancels their household registration, they can come to buy a grave plot.”
So that’s how it is. Lin Heyu flipped to the records for the northern area; the buyer and grave owner for plot 10 in row 15 were still empty, but he believed it would soon be filled.
“Sir, I’d like to ask you for a favor.”
“What is it?”
Lin Heyu pointed to row 15, plot 10 in the northern area: “Please keep this plot empty for now. When my sister and brother-in-law come to buy it, just recommend this one to her.”
The administrator pushed up his reading glasses: “Oh, this one? It’s in the northern area; the location isn’t particularly good, so it won’t be sold anytime soon. Who is your sister buying it for?”
“For me.”
“…?” The administrator looked Lin Heyu up and down, shaking his head without commenting. Perhaps he had seen too many strange things and had become used to them. Lin Heyu took out a pen: “Do you have any paper? Just a small piece will do, something a bit sturdy, preferably one that won’t tear easily even in the rain.”
“Would this work?” The administrator casually tore off a corner of the record book on the table and handed it to Lin Heyu. “Our record books are made of coated paper, so it’s pretty sturdy.”
The piece of paper handed over was pristine. Lin Heyu thanked him, wrote a few numbers on it, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into his pocket.
Ten minutes later, he finally found Li Man’s record, located at row 12, plot 11 in the southern area, exactly on her death anniversary. That perverted Tu Laogui definitely wouldn’t have such a thought; it must have been the caring daughter wanting to do the last bit for her mother.
The graveyard at midnight was eerie, with cold tombstones standing in rows and clusters of greenery reaching out as if to claw at intruders, clearly unwelcome at this late hour, disturbing the peace of the deceased. Lin Heyu turned on his flashlight, and a cold wind swept through as he stepped into the southern area, heading towards row 12. Suddenly, a flickering flame caught his eye— a man squatted on the ground, broad-shouldered, almost blocking the entire fire.
A plastic bag beside him was filled with joss paper, and he casually grabbed a handful to toss into the flames, cursing loudly: “Damn this bald bastard! He doesn’t burn or worship his own wife and makes me do it. Am I his sworn brother?! If it weren’t to see Brother Pang’s mother, I wouldn’t risk running down from the mountain!”
Lin Heyu pulled out a coin from his pocket. With the reversed text and this familiar voice, he could completely confirm that the man before him was Zhao Chenghu, sent by Tu Laogui to burn paper for his wife.
Once Zhao Chenghu opened his mouth, he wouldn’t stop. Suddenly, he heard rustling noises behind him and immediately turned around, his head twisting like a bobblehead. Finding no one around, he shivered, bowing to Li Man’s tombstone: “Sister-in-law, I didn’t mean to curse you; I was cursing Sun Gui! If you have grievances, take revenge; don’t come looking for me…”
Before he finished speaking, his neck was seized, and he was yanked painfully to the ground. The force was immense; he couldn’t break free. Zhao Chenghu was terrified, initially thinking he had seen a ghost. However, upon grabbing a human hand, he quickly realized someone was playing tricks, and his confidence returned.
There were no streetlights in the cemetery, so he couldn’t see the person’s face. After being dragged several meters, stumbling from the southern area to the northern area, the person finally stopped, kicking him behind the knees and forcing him to kneel on the ground.
“Damn! Don’t let me catch you; I’ll kill you! …Ouch!”
After receiving an elbow to the back, Zhao Chenghu had to lower himself, accidentally bumping his head on the ground. The person whispered, “Just two more, bang your head again.”
Lin Heyu held Zhao Chenghu down, gazing at his father’s portrait in the darkness. Even though fate couldn’t be changed, Zhao Chenghu was somewhat responsible for this. Having him knock his head in apology at the grave of the deceased Chen Shuwu was already a leniency.
“Who do you want me to knock my head for?! …Damn, when will this end?!”
After three knocks, Lin Heyu released his grip and darted behind the nearest small tree by the tombstone. Zhao Chenghu jumped up, ready to seek revenge, but upon realizing he was all alone in the northern area, he suspected he might have gotten cursed and hurried down the mountain.
Lin Heyu didn’t chase after him. That small piece of paper was already in his pocket, waiting for the meeting with Yi Shi.
There were still traces of flickering ghostly flames in front of Li Man’s tombstone. Lin Heyu found a twig and poked around in the ashes, unexpectedly discovering a half-burned newspaper. He picked it up with the twig to examine it closely and could vaguely see words like “machine factory” and “explosion.”
How could that guy, Sun Gui, be kind enough to burn paper for his wife? Clearly, he had the malicious intent to make her restless even in death.
Lin Heyu turned on his flashlight, illuminating Li Man’s black-and-white portrait on the tombstone. He said softly, “Ms. Li, if you know anything from beyond the grave, please help us catch him soon. The crimes he committed are unforgivable; he should be able to atone for them on your behalf.”
