Death Notice 2 Destiny

Chapter 24

Of course, he didn't take these security guards seriously. It was just that, judging by the timeline, that person should be arriving soon—that was his real concern.

Seeing the young man's thoughtful expression, the middle-aged fat man assumed his persuasion had worked. He swallowed hard and pressed on, "I'm the manager here. Whatever your complaints about our service, I can help you resolve them. Put the gun down first..."

The young man smiled slightly, then suddenly twisted his arm, reversing the rifle butt and smashing it heavily against Zhong Jimin's forehead. The latter immediately collapsed to the ground unconscious. Almost simultaneously, a gunshot rang out, shattering a large chandelier above the fat man's head with a loud bang. Glass shards rained down like a shower of petals, and the people under the chandelier scrambled for cover in panic, throwing the shooting range into chaos.

The young man threw the shotgun at Zhong Jimin's feet, the only person present who could hinder his escape, so he immediately took him down. The group of security guards, though numerous, were all utterly incompetent. As the young man strode towards the edge of the shooting range, those idiots couldn't possibly grab a single hair from him.

After regaining his composure, the portly manager pulled out his phone and hurriedly dialed 110 (the police emergency number). The police arrived even faster than he expected. Almost as soon as he hung up, he saw a group of three people rushing in. They were all in plainclothes, but the leader's posture and demeanor already revealed certain professional characteristics. The portly manager, a man with a keen eye for people, immediately went to greet them. The man in the lead looked serious, showed his identification, and introduced himself, "We're from the Criminal Investigation Department."

"Yes, I called the police." The portly manager pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, and exclaimed in surprise, "You guys came really fast!"

The man speaking to the portly manager was Luo Fei, though he hadn't come on orders from the 110 command center. Upon learning of Eumenides's feigned escape, he immediately led Liu Song and Zeng Rihua towards the Zishan Shooting Club. According to their research, Zhong Jimin, the former SWAT sniper, was now working as a shooting instructor at the club.

Seeing the portly manager's flustered expression, Luo Fei knew that something must have happened. Despite his relentless efforts, he was ultimately too late.

"Where is Zhong Jimin?" Luo Fei didn't have time to explain anything to the other party; he went straight to the topic he cared about most.

The portly manager pointed: "Over there. It just happened, I haven't even had a chance to go see, and I don't know how the person is. The killer just left too, you might still be able to catch him if you chase after him!"

Luo Fei shook his head. Since Eumenides had already left, pursuing him was clearly futile. He simply looked in the direction the fat manager was pointing and saw a group of people gathered around the shooting range, which was obviously where the incident had occurred. Luo Fei quickly led his men over, and after parting the crowd, they saw a middle-aged man lying on the ground with his eyes closed. From his dark and thin face, they could recognize him as Zhong Jimin, the person the police were looking for.

There was no blood at the scene, which eased Luo Fei's tension slightly. He crouched down and checked Zhong Jimin's breathing with his finger; it was normal, so he should be alright. He also noticed a bruise on the unconscious man's forehead, indicating a blunt force trauma. Luo Fei helped him sit up slightly and pressed his right thumb against his philtrum.

A moment later, Zhong Jimin let out a long sigh of relief and slowly regained consciousness. The portly manager immediately rubbed his hands together with joy, saying, "Oh, it's good that he's alright, it's good that he's alright!"

"Zeng Rihua, take them down to find out what's going on. Liu Song, stay alert," Luo Fei gave brief instructions. It was indeed a welcome result that Zhong Jimin was unharmed, but Eumenides' behavior was always unpredictable, and the possibility of him suddenly returning couldn't be ruled out. Therefore, not only should vigilance not be relaxed, but all bystanders at the scene should also be dispersed as soon as possible.

Zeng Rihua chuckled and pulled the chubby manager aside, while calling to the security guards who were watching, "You all come with me." Compared to Luo Fei, his demeanor was very easygoing, so the manager and the others followed him and retreated to the area behind the safety line.

Luo Fei looked at Zhong Jimin, who was rubbing the lump on his forehead, his mind gradually returning to normal.

"You saw him?" Luo Fei asked.

"Who?" Zhong Jimin looked somewhat bewildered. He looked at the unfamiliar man beside him and asked again, "Who are you?"

"I'm a police officer," Luo Fei identified himself, then pressed further, "Have you seen the person who injured you?"

Zhong Jimin replied with a wry smile, "He took me down, how could I not have seen him?"

“What I mean is—” Luo Fei emphasized, “Have you seen his actual appearance?”

“This—” Zhong Jimin paused for a moment, “—No, he was wearing a hat and sunglasses, and his collar was very high, so I couldn’t see what he looked like.” He looked somewhat embarrassed. As a man with experience in the special police team, it was really embarrassing to be knocked to the ground and not even be able to see the other person’s face.

Of course, Luo Fei wouldn't underestimate his opponent because of this, as he was well aware of the perpetrator's formidable strength. In fact, when Eumenides escaped the police operation, Luo Fei had already prepared for the worst. But the fact that Zhong Jimin was still alive was somewhat unexpected.

Given Eumenides' killer nature, he had no reason to let go of the enemy who shot his own father. So what circumstances changed the tragic outcome that should have occurred? Did Zhong Jimin's resistance cause Eumenides' operation to fail, or was Eumenides plotting an even more terrifying conspiracy?

The answers to these questions should lie in Zhong Jimin's past experiences. So Luo Fei immediately asked again, "Tell me what just happened. You need to recall carefully and not miss any details."

Zhong Jimin began to recount his experiences, starting with the mysterious young man's entrance, and meticulously reviewing all their interactions and conversations. The struggle gradually became clearer in this narrative, and the answer he revealed greatly surprised Luo Fei.

In fact, like Eumenides, Luo Fei immediately guessed the real gunman's identity when he heard that Zhong Jimin was just a "stand-in" gunman. However, he patiently listened to the other party finish recounting the whole story. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Was the trainee policeman who shot Wen Hongbing named Yuan Zhibang?"

“Yes.” Zhong Jimin looked at Luo Fei with some surprise, wondering how the other party also knew about this matter.

Luo Fei also found it strange, because Huang Jieyuan had never mentioned such an important detail. Since Huang Jieyuan and his son did not follow the police operation after their reunion, he could only get the answer to his question from Zhong Jimin.

"Didn't even the other operatives know that you were impersonating someone else?"

“Only Yuan Zhibang and Ding Ke know. You should have heard of Ding Ke, right? He is meticulous in his work, and it would be easy for him to hide certain truths within his jurisdiction.”

Yes. Luo Fei had no doubt about the legendary police officer's ability to handle things, but his brows were still deeply furrowed at this moment.

Why? Why did Ding Ke do this? Was it merely to cover up an overstepping of authority? In any case, Yuan Zhibang killed a criminal strapped with explosives; even if it was a violation, at most it would be a case of merit offsetting demerit, right? What reason did Ding Ke have to hide the truth of this matter so thoroughly?

There must be some intriguing secrets hidden here!

The Fate of the Death Sentence (12)

7:23 PM, in the conference room of the provincial capital's criminal police team.

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat silent.

After Luo Fei took over the "418" task force, today was the first time he led his team to engage in a formal confrontation with Eumenides, and the result of this confrontation was less than satisfactory.

In fact, if it weren't for the unexpected turn of events in the "130" case eighteen years ago, the task force might have faced yet another victim's body, murdered by Eumenides. The thought of this filled Luo Fei with lingering fear: the police were incredibly lucky to have escaped unscathed in this operation!

The other members of the task force were also inevitably affected by similar emotions. Yin Jian kept his head down and remained silent, while Liu Song looked frustrated and unable to muster any energy. However, the most unhappy person was Zeng Rihua. In today's battle, he was one of the main forces directly confronting Eumenides, but not only did he fail to crack their lie detector program, his online tracking also fell into their diversionary tactic. It seemed like a complete defeat. And he never hid his emotions, so he kept grinning and sighing.

"Can you please shut up?" Mu Jianyun, sitting to the side, seemed unable to bear it any longer. She glared at Zeng Rihua and complained. The latter scratched his head sullenly and muttered, "If you're unhappy, you have to find a way to vent, right?"

"I think everyone needs to pull themselves together," Mu Jianyun said, raising his voice as he addressed the crowd. "Things aren't as bad as they seem. Although we failed to defeat Eumenides this time, Eumenides aren't enjoying the joy of victory either."

All eyes turned to Mu Jianyun. They understood the meaning of the last sentence: Although Eumenides had successfully tracked down the sniper in the "130" case, that sniper wasn't the one who shot his biological father. The real gunman was Yuan Zhibang! It was this man who had single-handedly raised him from a helpless orphan into an invincible assassin. How would Eumenides cope with this profound emotional shift?

"I hope you can analyze what Eumenides might be thinking now? This will be very important for our next move," Luo Fei asked with concern. He had been pondering this question and had just come up with some ideas, but he needed to consult with a professional.

This was precisely the topic Mu Jianyun wanted to address. The female lecturer began to speak eloquently: "He will fall into a state of intense confusion. He originally pursued his origins with a sense of revenge, searching for the murderer of his biological father. But now, the identity of the murderer points to Yuan Zhibang, the one who led him down the path of an assassin. Even we are very confused about this matter, so Eumenides will surely be plunged into an even deeper fog. For him, this fog must be cleared, otherwise his existence will lose its meaning. Because Yuan Zhibang shaped the first half of his life, we can imagine that the influence Yuan Zhibang left on him was as profound as that of a godfather, and this influence became the solid foundation for his path to becoming an assassin. But now, these foundations have transformed into a shaky question mark. If these question marks are not cleared up, how can he continue on his path?"

Luo Fei interjected, "You mean he's determined to find out the real reason why Yuan Zhibang shot his father?"

“Yes.” Mu Jianyun nodded firmly. “No matter how difficult it is or how much it costs, this is something he has to accomplish.”

"Then his investigation can only focus on Ding Ke and Chen Tianqiao," Luo Fei continued, extending the line of thought. According to Zhong Jimin's description, besides Chen Tianqiao and Yuan Zhibang, only Ding Ke, the commander of the operation at the time, knew the details of Wen Hongbing's death. Now that Yuan Zhibang is dead, the leads have become even narrower.

"Both of them are hard to find. Ding Ke has been missing for ten years, and Chen Tianqiao is heavily in debt and hasn't been seen in public for three or four years. A lot of people are chasing after him. To put it bluntly, whether they are dead or alive is still uncertain."

These words were spoken by Zeng Rihua. In fact, after the files of the "130" case were discovered, Luo Fei had already arranged for an investigation into these two key figures, with Zeng Rihua's subordinates handling the specific work. But so far, they have made no progress.

"Have your men step up their efforts—" Luo Fei emphasized, then turned to look at Yin Jian, "You also send some people to assist in this work. A two-pronged approach is needed; we must get ahead of Eumenides!"

Yin Jian accepted the order and said, "Understood!"

Luo Fei's gaze hadn't left his eyes: "I don't need to elaborate on the importance of this matter, do I?"

Yin Jian met Luo Fei's gaze with unwavering determination: "Eumenides' target is the police's target. The key to success or failure in this operation lies in the speed of the pursuit. If Eumenides gets ahead, we will lose the most important clue to distract our opponents."

Yin Jian's analysis was concise yet insightful, and Luo Fei nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked at Mu Jianyun again, still having some questions that needed the other person's help to answer.

"Professor Mu, I would also like to ask, if Eumenides finds the final answer, what kind of impact will that have on him?"

This time, Mu Jianyun did not answer immediately. She remained silent, seemingly pondering something. After a moment, she said, "That depends on what kind of answer he finds."

Luo Fei gave a soft "hmm" and continued, "Could you be more specific?"

"What do you think the answer would be?" Mu Jianyun asked Luo Fei in return. "Why did Yuan Zhibang shoot Wen Hongbing? That's really interesting—Huang Jieyuan and Zhong Jimin both confirmed that the situation at the scene was under control at the time."

Luo Fei shook his head: "Based on the information I currently have, I cannot make a judgment."

Mu Jianyun smiled slightly: "You don't need to be so precise in every word—I just want to hear your guesses."

“Speculation is meaningless…” Luo Fei grinned. But to go along with the other party, he continued, “…maybe it was just a mistake. Yuan Zhibang was just a trainee policeman at the time, and it was his first time participating in such a mission. It’s understandable that he made a mistake because he was nervous. However…this person’s behavior is sometimes hard to fathom. If he had other ideas and did this on purpose, then it wouldn’t be surprising.”

Mu Jianyun nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll speak based on your guess. If it was a mistake, then when Wen Chengyu learns the truth, he will feel very disappointed. His father was accidentally killed by Yuan Zhibang. Although he may not hate him, Yuan Zhibang's prestige in his heart will be greatly reduced. This may shake his mental support, make him lose interest in the character of Eumenides, and he may even lose interest in many things, becoming depressed and seeking a peaceful life instead."

Luo Fei listened very attentively, and as soon as the other person paused, he asked somewhat eagerly, "What if it's the latter situation?"

“In the latter case—that is, Yuan Zhibang deliberately shot Wen Hongbing for some purpose—things would become more complicated,” Mu Jianyun said carefully. “First of all, there is no doubt that Wen Chengyu will develop a deep hatred for Yuan Zhibang after learning the truth. He will believe that Yuan Zhibang’s previous feelings for him were completely hypocritical, that he was a victim, and that Yuan Zhibang ruined his life. He will then hate his identity as Eumenides, because that was imposed on him by Yuan Zhibang, and in his eyes, this identity became a continuation of the other party’s conspiracy.”

"Will he stop killing?" Luo Fei asked expectantly, as this was actually his biggest concern.

Mu Jianyun, however, did not give Luo Fei the answer he most wanted to hear. "Not necessarily," she said, shaking her head. "Under such intense emotions, his temperament might go to two extremes. He might suddenly see things clearly, completely abandon his identity as an assassin of Eumenides, and feel remorse for his past actions, thus embarking on a path of reform; but there is also the possibility that he might commit even more frenzied acts of bloodshed, because he would regard Yuan Zhibang's shooting of his father as an unpunished crime, and to atone for the pain this crime caused him, he would have to continue searching for targets for punishment, seeking relief through killing."

“They are indeed two extremes, completely different directions,” Luo Fei murmured, then narrowed his eyes and looked at Mu Jianyun. “So can you tell me: which direction will he ultimately take, and what will determine that?”

"A significant part of the reason depends on his own personality—something innate that no one can control or predict. Of course, the influence of the external environment cannot be ignored. If he has a close friend who can listen to him, share his sorrow, and comfort his anger, then he is more likely to become a normal person again. Conversely, if he suppresses all his emotions and has no opportunity to vent or express them, then there is an 80% or greater chance that he will become an even more terrifying and insane killer."

Luo Fei stared blankly for a moment, then gave a wry laugh, his tone full of helplessness: "Who can he confide in?"

Luo Fei didn't spell it out, but everyone present understood his hidden meaning: how could such a lonely killer expect a bright and cheerful external environment? It seems that the only way to stop Eumenides's path of evil is to bring him to justice! Everyone recalled the orphaned child they had seen in the photograph, and couldn't help but feel a little emotional: perhaps from the moment he met Yuan Zhibang, he was already destined to embark on a tragic life path.

9:45 PM. In front of the Lvyangchun Restaurant.

Beneath the dazzling neon lights of the city, the girl's white blouse and black skirt stood out with their understated elegance. And on her face, the expression was noticeably different from usual: her sorrow had lessened, and a new expectation for life seemed to linger in her brows; even her long-blind eyes seemed to gleam with a new light.

When the restaurant chef approached the girl, she once again refused his offer to take her home, and this time the refusal was even more thorough. She told him, "From now on, you can just go straight home after get off work. Don't worry about me anymore; someone will take me home."

The chef glanced at the girl, then his gaze swept around the room, a mixture of curiosity and surprise on his face. However, he didn't find anything particularly noteworthy. After offering a few polite instructions, he left.

"Thank you! Don't drive too fast on the road," the girl said behind him. The man turned around and saw her beautiful, flower-like smiling face. His heart skipped a beat.

This was the first time I'd seen her smile like this since her father's accident. What exactly changed her mood?

Regardless, it was a welcome change—a slight smile appeared on the man's lips as he turned away again.

“Let’s go too.” The girl shook the leash in her hand, conveying her command to the guide dog crouching at her feet. The little dog, named “Niu Niu,” stood up, shook its golden fur, and skillfully led its owner down the steps.

The girl steered the way, while Niu Niu pointed out the various turns and obstacles. Their seamless teamwork often drew envious glances from passersby. After walking for a short while, the girl heard someone politely say in front of her, "Hello, miss. Please follow me; your friend is waiting for you."

The girl recognized the voice as belonging to the café server who had guided her the day before. She smiled and nodded in thanks, then followed him into the café.

It was the same spot as yesterday, she could tell. As she settled in, she asked, "Do you always like sitting in places like this?"

"What kind of place?" a voice answered her.

"In the corner. It's like that in the restaurant, and it's like that here too."

"Hehe." The young man she was talking to chuckled. "Although you can't see it, you notice more things than most people do."

The other person clearly agreed with her guess, so the girl curiously followed up with, "What are the advantages of this location?"

"Quiet," the young man replied calmly. Of course, this was only one reason; there was another, more important reason he couldn't explain, and besides, even if he did, the girl in the dark world wouldn't understand, would she?

"I like Huaiyang cuisine, light drinks and alcohol, and I enjoy listening to violin music like 'Meditation.' I prefer quiet corners..." the girl said softly, her eyes fixed on the young man opposite her, as if she could see him. Finally, she asked herself, as if talking to herself, "You must be someone with a lot of experience."

The young man's eyes flickered, and his heart was stirred.

"Why?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Because only those who frequently experience storms can truly appreciate the feeling of tranquility. If your life is mundane, you'll definitely want to try some exciting Sichuan cuisine and have a wild party in a noisy bar in your free time."

The young man's thoughts were somewhat scattered, and he closed his eyes for a moment before regaining control of his emotions.

“What you say makes a lot of sense…” he said with a sigh, “but why do you feel this so deeply?”

“Because…” the girl hesitated, “…because I am blind.”

The young man responded with an "Oh?".

“Because I am blind, I have more time to think than you do,” the girl explained.

“Yes.” The young man seemed to understand something. “Thinking in complete darkness, undisturbed, allows one to see things that ordinary people cannot.”

The girl smiled: "Are you envious of me?"

The young man answered very seriously, "A little."

"Isn't it a bit strange for a normal person to envy a blind person?"