Murder painting

Introduction

He once thought everything was over.

Yes, at least on the surface, he has been living in another world for many years. The joys and sorrows, the partings and reunions of the mundane world are no longer relevant to him.

Even the hatred that once burned like a raging fire, the hatred that devoured him like a demon, was also destroyed along with that painting.

It's been sealed away.

His memories were also buried in dust; he could hardly remember what a terrible sight he looked like and what he felt when he first came here 20 years ago.

He thought that memory would never be touched again, but he was wrong.

The moment the scroll was unfurled, the flames reignited. Before it, what can you do but tremble?

Chapter 1

Late November 1993, Nanmingshan area, suburbs of Longzhou City.

As dusk approached, the sky was overcast, and the north wind howled, growing stronger with each gust.

Luo Fei stood behind the window, gazing at the rolling mountains outside, thinking to himself: It seems the first snow of the year will arrive soon.

It's good that it snowed sooner. In a sense, with the heavy snow blocking the mountains, the year's work can come to an end. Luo Fei felt a sense of relief and liberation.

However, this feeling didn't show on his face at all. In fact, when Luo Fei was thinking, it was very difficult for others to guess his inner thoughts from his expression. His facial skin was naturally somewhat loose, which made him always look like he had droopy eyes and a worried expression. Even when he was very happy, the smile on his face was only two obvious crescent moons at the corners of his mouth. People who didn't know Luo Fei would think he was cold and unapproachable because of this, but in fact, Luo Fei was a typical Scorpio man who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. In his interactions with others, it often happened that while the other person might still be trying to figure out Luo Fei's attitude, Luo Fei might have already completely regarded that person as his friend. Of course, this person must first gain Luo Fei's approval in terms of character.

Luo Fei has an exceptionally keen eye for people, which may be related to his astrological sign. A book describes Scorpios as having meticulous thinking, a knack for judging people and things, and a talent for reasoning and analysis. These descriptions are extremely apt for Luo Fei; he possesses an innate desire and ability to solve puzzles. "Why" is the word that appears most frequently in his mind; he is always searching for answers to various questions. These questions might seem insignificant or inexplicable to others, but Luo Fei finds them endlessly fascinating. Perhaps in many cases, he is not pursuing the result of the problem, but rather enjoying the process of exploration.

From a young age, Luo Fei had always dreamed of becoming a policeman, like Sherlock Holmes in the novels, solving all sorts of bizarre and mysterious cases. How exciting and thrilling that life would be! He had been working hard towards this dream. Ten years ago, in the summer after the college entrance examination, he finally entered the provincial police academy.

After graduating from police academy with excellent grades, Luo Fei was directly assigned to work at the Nanmingshan Police Station in Longzhou City. He was quickly promoted to deputy director due to his outstanding work, and two years later, he was promoted to director. Luo Fei was in charge of a mountainous area of 30 square kilometers, which was the largest of the 17 police stations in the city, but he did not like the job.

Within Luo Fei's vast jurisdiction, there are 527 households and 4 temples, with a total permanent population of 2,513. For over two years, neighborhood disputes and theft have been the most frequent reports received by the police station. Sometimes Luo Fei would walk long distances through the mountains, perhaps because Zhang's second uncle had drunkenly assaulted Li's son-in-law, or because someone had stolen fruit from Wang's orchard.

In spring and autumn, Luo Fei's work becomes slightly more meaningful. Although Nanming Mountain is undeveloped, its beautiful scenery attracts many tourists when the seasons are right. With more people comes more work. Fire prevention, theft prevention, and preventing illegal logging are all duties that the police station must fulfill.

Undoubtedly, Luo Fei was weary of this kind of work. He would rather be an investigator in a grassroots criminal investigation team, busy running around, visiting and investigating every day, encountering all sorts of people and things, observing them, analyzing them, and searching for the hidden truths. This was the life he had dreamed of and pursued.

Two years ago, Luo Fei submitted an application to his superiors requesting a transfer to the criminal investigation team of the municipal bureau. His request was finally granted recently; the organization has made a decision, and the transfer will be arranged once he finishes his current work for the year.

Therefore, Luo Fei was now eagerly anticipating snowfall. He stood by the window for a long time, gazing at the gloomy sky, but as the sky grew darker and darker, the snowflakes still did not fall.

"Director Luo, not home yet? What are you daydreaming about?" A voice came from the office doorway, followed by a soft sound as the speaker turned on the fluorescent light, instantly creating a nighttime atmosphere.

The speaker's voice was all too familiar to Luo Fei. He turned around, and sure enough, Zhou Ping's smiling face appeared before him.

Luo Fei left the window, sat down at the desk, and casually explained, "I'm on duty tonight."

Zhou Ping casually walked over and sat down opposite Luo Fei: "I'm not going home tonight either."

"Why?"

"Let's watch the game! There's a Champions League match at 11:30, Barcelona vs. Milan."

"Can't I watch it at home?" Luo Fei himself is not a football fan.

“Hey…” Zhou Ping shook his head, “It’s no fun watching alone at home. I have Lao Zheng here to keep me company. When watching a game, you have to chat while you watch.”

Luo Fei nodded in understanding. Old Zheng was the gatekeeper at the station; he was over 50 years old, lived alone, and spent his days...

The cat, who keeps company with the 21-inch color TV in the house, is also a die-hard football fan.

Luo Fei glanced at his watch: "It's not even 7 o'clock yet. Are you going to wait here for more than four hours?"

"I already made plans with Lao Zheng to have a couple of drinks together during this free time. I've left some cooked food and a bottle of strong liquor in Lao Zheng's room. You should come too! If it starts snowing later, it'll be even more atmospheric."

"No, we can't drink alcohol while on duty." Luo Fei rejected Zhou Ping's suggestion without even thinking.

Zhou Ping scratched his buzz cut with some regret: "Hey, being on duty is just a formality! In this weather, who would still go into the mountains?"

Despite his words, Zhou Ping knew that Luo Fei was a meticulous person. Without waiting for a reply, he immediately changed the subject: "Then I'll go have a one-on-one fight with Lao Zheng! If you need anything, just call me anytime."

Luo Fei nodded and watched Zhou Ping leave.

If Luo Fei were to leave this police station, his biggest regret would be losing Zhou Ping as a subordinate. Zhou Ping was a local, not very old, not yet 30, but already a veteran policeman with 10 years of service. Due to his relatively low level of education, he had only managed to become the captain of the criminal investigation team over the years. However, he didn't seem to care about this, always maintaining a high level of enthusiasm for his work, and fully enjoying his free time. Luo Fei greatly admired his personality, but what satisfied Luo Fei most was Zhou Ping's work ability. This guy was not only quick-witted, but also had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of all kinds of people and things in the jurisdiction. This was not only due to Zhou Ping's local status, but also related to his optimistic and cheerful personality. His round, smiling face seemed to exude a mysterious aura, allowing him to easily mingle with all sorts of people.

Luo Fei began organizing the work materials from the past year. As night deepened, the howling wind grew increasingly piercing, making Luo Fei several times tempted to run to the gatehouse for a drink. However, he restrained himself; at this crucial moment before his transfer, he didn't want any mistakes to occur in his work.

During this time, Zhou Ping, slightly tipsy, came over and dragged Luo Fei into a few games of chess. In terms of skill, Luo Fei was slightly better, and he quickly won the first game. From the second game onwards, Master Zheng intentionally or unintentionally sided with Zhou Ping, occasionally offering reminders and suggestions. With this capable assistant, Zhou Ping regained his footing, and for a time the two were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Before they knew it, it was already 11 p.m. Zhou Ping glanced at his watch, stretched, and said, "That's all for now. I need to wash my face and get some rest before watching the game. Are you coming?"

"I'm not interest

……