The technical investigation team worked efficiently. Within just an hour, the results of their analysis were delivered to the criminal investigation team after repeated confirmations. Yu Xue’s speculation was proven wrong. After frame-by-frame analysis, there was nothing unusual about the entire “Humpty Dumpty” video. In short, it was just an ordinary children’s cartoon.
“No way, is Pang Daozi really that childish? Is he seriously just sending a nursery rhyme to mock our police?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. The fact that we haven’t caught him yet is mockery enough, isn’t it?”
“Didn’t that note mention the fifth hostage? I feel like it’s implying that the victim is a child.”
“In the past, they’ve always acted directly, killing the hostage and then disposing of the body. Why the death warning this time?”
“Getting cocky, trying to provoke the police in every possible way.”
Discussions about the nursery rhyme filled the big office. Several lines of thought were listed on the whiteboard, and everyone was brainstorming wildly, but no clear direction had been found yet.
At the window seat, Yi Shi still sat in front of the computer, staring at the video without blinking. Ding Ju had watched the “Humpty Dumpty” video over a dozen times with him, and the childish voice’s catchy tune stuck in his head, so much so that he could hum a couple of lines unconsciously.
Song Ping sat to Yi Shi’s right, resting her chin in her hand and watching him. Her name included “Ping (since Ping Guo 苹果 means apple),” and correspondingly, she had an apple-shaped face: rounded cheeks, a smooth chin, and a plump nose. Despite being 26 years old, she still looked quite youthful. Resting her chin in her hand, she looked like a student attentively listening to a lecture, just missing a notebook to jot down notes.
Zhang Rui came over with a cup of tea. He had found it too dull after watching the video for the fifth time and had gotten up to make tea to refresh himself, only to find Song Ping had taken his seat. The “Humpty Dumpty” video was still playing on the computer, and Zhang Rui was somewhat impressed with Yi Shi for maintaining the same expression throughout.
“Any new discoveries?” Zhang Rui asked.
Ding Ju shook his head, rubbing his temples in frustration, “My ears are about to grow calluses.”
Song Ping asked, “Yi Shi, what about you? Have you found any clues?”
“Probably not,” Ding Ju glanced at Yi Shi. From his understanding, if Yi Shi had any ideas, he would have already taken action and wouldn’t be sitting there quietly.
“How long do you need to keep studying it? You’re hogging the computer and not letting others work,” Zhang Rui said with a peculiar tone, glancing at Song Ping as he spoke. Song Ping looked at Zhang Rui and asked, “What work do you need to do? What has Captain Yuan assigned you? Why don’t I know?”
“…Just making a chart from the inspection data collected these days,” Zhang Rui’s mouth twitched. This girl, always siding with outsiders, can we still have a good conversation?
Yi Shi suddenly looked up, his gaze swept lightly over Zhang Rui’s face.
Zhang Rui’s arm hairs stood on end, feeling like those eyes were like a scalpel, stripping a layer of skin from him. It was as if all the unseemly thoughts in his heart were laid bare.
The next second, Yi Shi turned off the video, stood up, and thoughtfully opened Excel, handing the computer back to Zhang Rui. Zhang Rui stared at the blank spreadsheet, his mouth twitching even more.
This Yi Shi…
Song Ping rolled her eyes, silently dissing Zhang Rui for being so petty and boring.
Over by the whiteboard, Liu Chenyi was holding a notebook, looking like he was giving a presentation.
“I’ve researched some information. This nursery rhyme has several different interpretations. Listen up,” Liu Chenyi cleared his throat, “The line ‘all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again’ implies ‘once damaged, it cannot be repaired.’ Another interpretation is that the nursery rhyme has origins related to the British royal family, alluding to King Richard III of England. After becoming the regent in 1483, he killed his nephew Edward V and usurped the throne. He suffered a crushing defeat in a battle in 1485. The ‘wall’ in the rhyme refers to the throne, ‘falling down’ means being defeated, and ‘couldn’t put him back together’ means ‘Richard III is dead, and the golden age is over.'”
“Wow, so there’s political meaning behind it,” Li Changsheng marveled.
“So, what’s this implying? That Pang Daozi’s fifth victim is someone powerful?” Shao Shiqing stroked his chin and asked, “Is he planning to target our leaders in Nanyi and Haijing?”
Everyone’s face changed at this statement. Retaliation against law enforcement personnel was not uncommon, especially for high-risk units like drug enforcement and SWAT. It wasn’t just themselves at risk; their families could also be implicated. A few years ago, there was a notorious incident where a criminal planted a bomb under a police car, resulting in casualties among a team of detectives and shocking the entire law enforcement community.
“I’ll have people pay more attention to the security of our facilities,” Yuan Kang said, looking at Yu Xue, “Captain Yu, you should also notify the Nanyi City Bureau.”
Yi Shi leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, his posture relaxed and casual. With his poetic looks, he exuded an air of elegance and charm. However, his thoughts were far from romantic, and he continuously pondered the “Humpty Dumpty” nursery rhyme.
Having listened to it more than ten times, the nursery rhyme was etched into his brain. He could recall every second, from the prelude to the end. Targeting people within the police force? Unlikely. The note mentioned “the fifth hostage,” indicating the victim was among the hostages; otherwise, it could have simply said “the fifth victim.” Targeting a child among the hostages? Why not act sooner instead of waiting until now? Taking a child on the run wasn’t wise; children were fragile, disobedient, and could become a burden unless they held some value.
As far as they knew, none of the kidnapped children came from wealthy families, and the police hadn’t received any ransom demands. So, for Pang Daozi, the children and other hostages held the same value. If his goal was to incite public fear, why not kill the children right away? It would be quicker, easier, and more shocking to the government, showcasing the criminals’ brutality.
“Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall…”
“Couldn’t put Humpty together again.”
Yi Shi was stunned, a bloody scene suddenly tearing through his mind.
He frowned deeply and was suddenly poked on the arm by Song Ping standing behind him.
“Hey, are you okay? You look so pale; do you have low blood sugar?” Song Ping took out a piece of candy from her pocket and handed it to him, “Here, eat this and rest for a bit.”
Yi Shi looked at the candy in her hand, and his thoughts ignited like a match, exploding.
Cemetery, child, candy, single-word tombstone…
Behind him was a burning fire. He lay on the ground, covered by another body, shielding him from the powerful impact and heat waves. He crawled out of the warm embrace, looking at the tattered, bloody back, instantly panicking, shaking the person’s arm, begging him to open his eyes. Droplets of water fell on the dirty, miserable face—it was his eyes, he was crying.
A nerve in his brain throbbed with pain. Yi Shi brushed past Song Ping and rushed out of the office, slamming the door hard. Everyone’s eyes were drawn, focusing on the slightly shaking wooden door. Song Ping stood there, bewildered, not understanding why the young man suddenly lost it.
Yi Shi rushed to the restroom, turned on the faucet, and cupped his hands to splash water on his face. The cold tap water calmed him down a bit, and the scent of sandalwood burning in the restroom soothed his agitated blood.
The restroom was empty; the quiet, narrow space was filled only with the sound of running water. Yi Shi suddenly unbuttoned his shirt, quickly taking off one sleeve and exposing his entire right arm under the stark white light.
The mirror clearly reflected the state of his arm. From the upper arm to the forearm, it was covered in a large area of hideous scars, like a twisted, disgusting centipede clinging to his porcelain skin. Despite multiple repair surgeries, the burns were too severe, and this was the best recovery they could achieve.
Just like the lyrics in “Humpty Dumpty,” “Couldn’t put Humpty together again,” the human body is the same. Once damaged to this extent, it can never be fully repaired.
According to his adoptive parents, the scars were from a fire. Yi Shi had never paid much attention until that inexplicable bloody scene flashed through his mind, prompting him to dig deeper: What caused the fire? The flames didn’t look like those from ordinary burning materials; the rising mushroom cloud and the acrid smell in the air indicated the aftermath of a chemical explosion.
Yi Shi’s nose twitched as if he could smell the faint scent of gunpowder.
—Wait a minute.
Yi Shi propped himself on the sink, staring at his reflection, his brow tightly furrowed.
“All the king’s horses… And all the king’s men… King’s men and horses…”
He lowered his gaze, thought for three seconds, then quickly put on his shirt and buttoned up as he strode out of the restroom. Before returning to the main office, he made a stop at the surveillance room, repeatedly playing the video of the woman being escorted to the surveillance room, gradually coming to a realization.
Yi Shi had been gone for fifteen minutes and had not returned. Song Ping kept glancing towards the door. Zhang Rui, tapping away at his chart, said sourly, “Stop looking. He doesn’t appreciate your concern. Why so eager?”
“I just feel he’s not as strange as he seems.”
Zhang Rui took a sharp breath, impressed by how women let their view of a handsome face override their judgment. Yi Shi not strange? He had inquired about him over the past few days—colleagues in Nanyi dreaded being paired with him on assignments. He never followed the usual procedures, doing whatever came to mind without warning. They could only grit their teeth and follow him; even though his judgments were always correct and his strategies sound, they found it hard to bear and wished to keep their distance.
“Song Ping, look at you, forgetting your principles at the sight of a handsome guy. Can you be objective? Yi Shi is clearly—”
“He’s back!” Song Ping suddenly grabbed Zhang Rui’s arm. Zhang Rui turned and saw Yi Shi walking in. Compared to when he left, his clothes were a bit disheveled, his hair tips damp, and his expression cold, even more chilling.
“It’s not about hidden meanings; it’s a method.” Yi Shi stood still and spoke heavily, “He will make the fifth hostage jump from a building. The hostage won’t have a chance to hit the ground; the bomb will detonate mid-air.”
