Drapeau fantôme

Chapitre 25

The young man had to admit: "There is a little bit."

“That’s the feeling, isn’t it?” The girl tilted her head slightly, lost in thought as she spoke. “Many things are the same: the more you have something, the more you crave its opposite. You might envy how I feel in the dark, but what about me? My longing for light is something you can’t understand. When I analyze your preference for tranquility using this line of thinking, I can roughly guess what kind of life you’re going through.”

The young man lowered his head and remained silent, as if intently savoring what the girl had to say. After a moment, he spoke again, shifting the focus of the conversation back to the girl.

"Are your eyes... congenital?"

The girl nodded: "I could see some things when I was very young, but it got worse and worse, and I went completely blind before I was ten. So my impression of the world is only in the images from my childhood. Those images are very beautiful when I recall them—it's just that so much time has passed, and they've become blurry."

The young man gazed into the girl's eyes, beginning to imagine: what a breathtaking sight it would be if the light in those eyes could be restored! With this thought in mind, he asked, "Are you still receiving treatment?"

The girl shook her head: "Treatment stopped a long time ago—it's useless now."

“Hmm…” The young man was not as pessimistic as the other. “I’ve heard that there’s a gene therapy that can treat congenital conditions like yours. You should give it a try.”

"Really?" The girl looked up expectantly, as if she were underwater and had caught a whiff of air. "Which hospital has one?"

“I need to go to America—” the young man replied, “—because it’s the latest technology.”

The girl's enthusiasm clearly cooled down.

"America?" She gave a faint, bitter smile. "I've never even left the provincial capital... and this kind of treatment must cost a lot of money, right?"

The young man naturally continued the conversation, saying, "You don't need to worry about any of that. I'll take care of it for you."

The girl was stunned. She had only known the man across from her for a day, and although they had a good feeling about each other, she couldn't understand why he would suddenly promise to do such a big favor. Was he joking? Or was he just saying something insincere? But judging from his tone, neither seemed to be the case. With this confusion, the girl's brows furrowed involuntarily.

The young man sensed what the other person was thinking, so he added, “I’m serious. And you don’t need to think too much, I’ll handle everything—everything. Once I’ve arranged everything, you just need to go to the United States for treatment.”

"But—why?" The girl shook her head in confusion. This matter was too perplexing for her to understand.

"Who are you? Have you ever known me before?"

“It’s not that complicated,” the young man replied calmly. “I just want to help you.”

“If we had only just met, I can’t think of any reason why you would help me like this…” the girl said bluntly. “You know what? When you said that, I wasn’t happy at all, and I wasn’t grateful to you at all. I just felt… that you were lying to me.”

"What you think doesn't matter. I'll arrange everything, and then you can go to the United States for treatment. It's that simple for you."

"Do you think I'm very simple?" the girl asked in a curt tone. "If that's the case—then I will refuse all your help."

“You misunderstood me… When I said ‘simple,’ you should understand what I meant.”

"Then you have to give me a reason why you're helping me like this."

After a moment of silence, the young man's voice rang in the girl's ear: "Because no one else but me would take care of you like this."

The girl trembled slightly, a hot, tingling sensation spreading through her body as if she had been electrocuted. At the same time, she shifted her body awkwardly, as if trying to avoid something.

But the young man continued, “I want to take good care of you so I can hear the music I like—I don’t know if that’s a reason to satisfy you? Besides, it’s not difficult for me to help like this; I just want to help a friend who deserves it within my capabilities.”

The girl recovered from her dazed state.

“But you’re just a stranger to me—” she emphasized again, though her tone had softened considerably. “If you’re going to help me, what you need to do now is perhaps to let us get to know each other better first.”

“I hope so too. But…” The young man seemed unable to continue, and after a long pause, he said sadly, “Some understandings may be impossible to achieve even from afar.”

"Why?" the girl asked, puzzled.

The young man said nothing more; he had already said too much today, and this was not his style.

A silence fell between them, which was eventually broken by the girl's voice.

“I want to go home,” she said somewhat dejectedly. When she came to this appointment today, she hadn’t expected the conversation to turn into such an awkward situation. She now believed that the other person genuinely wanted to help her, but for some reason, she felt a strange feeling starting to develop between them.

It seemed that the person was hiding something very important from her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"It's getting late, I'll take you home now," the young man said, glancing at his watch. "But there's something else I need to tell you."

"What?" The girl pricked up her ears, looking somewhat expectant.

The young man looked at her tenderly and attentively: "We made a promise yesterday: I said I would wait for you in this coffee shop every day from now on, and then walk you home—"

“Yes.” The girl smiled, hoping to ease the previous unpleasantness. “Today is the first time we’ve kept this promise.” But her smile quickly froze on her face, because the other party’s answer surprised her once again.

"I have to break my promise," the young man suddenly said in an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry."

The girl was taken aback, then shook her head, unable to hide her dissatisfaction: "Do you always change your mind about the decisions you make so quickly?"

“No, it’s not what you think—” The young man paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and said, “I have something to do, and I won’t be able to see you again until it’s done.”

The girl was silent for a moment: "Then why did you make an appointment with me? We both have our own lives and can live without interfering with each other."

"This just happened today, something I never expected," the young man explained in his usual calm tone. He didn't seem in a hurry to explain, but this attitude made him seem even more credible.

The girl's dissatisfaction had subsided considerably, but disappointment was still etched on her face. She asked tentatively, "Are you going to another city?"

"No, I just can't see you."

"Will you still come to listen to my music?"

"No, not until that's over."

The girl pouted sadly: "How long will it take to complete that task?"

The young man shook his head: "I don't know."

The girl sighed softly. She found that the closer she got to the man, the more shrouded he became in mystery. But she didn't want to ask any more questions. Previous experience had taught her that it was futile to ask what someone didn't want to say.

After a moment, she said, "I also want to tell you something."

"What?"

The girl pursed her lips, seemingly hesitating about something, but in the end she still spoke her true feelings.

“I’ve been blind for over ten years, you can imagine how much I long for sight. But today, you told me you would help me heal my eyes, and then you said you couldn’t keep your promise from yesterday. You know what? I would rather you ignore my eyes, but at least keep your promise. That way, I would truly feel like I have gained a friend, instead of some unrealistic expectation. Ha, maybe this is a little hard for you to understand?”

“No—” the young man replied immediately, “I completely understand you. In fact, we have a lot in common.”

"Oh?" The girl bit her lip. "—Would you consider it again?"

The young man didn't answer; instead, he suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Why did your father die?"

The girl looked surprised, not understanding why the other person had brought up this topic. However, she wasn't shy about it, because her father was a hero in her eyes, and she even wanted the whole world to know about his deeds.

“My father was a policeman,” she said, her voice tinged with sadness but also with pride. “He was investigating a murder case, a very serious one. Eventually, the killer found him, and he was killed in the struggle with the killer.”

"Do you want to find the murderer? The one who killed your father?" When asked this question, the young man lowered his head, not daring to look the other person in the eye, even though he knew those eyes couldn't see anything.

“Of course,” the girl said without hesitation. “If I can find him, I’m willing to pay any price. I want to ask him face to face: Why did you do this? I think he wouldn’t dare answer me; he would tremble before my rage. But I won’t let him go. In this world, only he knows all the details of my father’s death. I must find him and get to the bottom of it, and then I want to watch him suffer the most severe punishment.”

The girl's voice was so firm, a stark contrast to her delicate and refined appearance, while at the same time, two clear tears rolled down her cheeks.

The young man was lost in thought, silent for a long time. Only when the girl's tears slowly dried did he hear his voice again.

"You don't want to leave any questions unanswered about your father's death. And... if you have the chance, you'll definitely avenge your father, won't you?"

The girl nodded silently.

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking right now,” the young man said sadly. “So, we have so much in common. I wish you could understand me as I understand you—I apologize again for breaking my promise, but there are always things we have to do.”

November 1st, 7:41 AM.

Inside the detention room of the Criminal Investigation Brigade.

This is the location where the criminal investigation team detains criminal suspects; the interrogation room is next door. Suspects are usually held in this room for a period of time before being interrogated. Right now, a man sits alone in the room. His right hand is handcuffed to a specially made prisoner's chair; he appears to be a suspect who has just been apprehended.

However, his clothing and demeanor seemed inconsistent with his identity as a suspect. He appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in designer clothes, youthful and fashionable. Although handcuffed to a chair, he maintained a very nonchalant posture: legs crossed, upper body leaning back in the chair, jacket zipper casually undone below his chest. His mannerisms didn't resemble those of someone under detention, but rather someone waiting in a café for a date with a beautiful woman.

The detention room was simply furnished. Apart from a set of wooden tables and chairs, the most striking feature was a large mirror on the west wall. The young man was facing the mirror, admiring his handsome reflection with a narcissistic air.

Two other people stood behind the mirror. However, when they looked into the mirror, their gazes seemed to pass right through the lens, offering a complete view of the detention room. It turned out to be a specially designed monocular lens, installed there precisely to allow the police outside to observe the suspect's every move inside.

“That kid’s a real actor,” said the skinny man among the two behind the mirror. “You didn’t see how scared he was when I grabbed him; he almost peed his pants.”

The speaker was unremarkable in appearance, and compared to the men in the detention room, he even seemed somewhat sleazy. However, when he looked at the handsome man handcuffed to the chair, his eyes were filled with contempt.

The skinny man's companion nodded in agreement. His gaze into the room was extremely sharp. After observing carefully for a minute or two, he said, "This guy probably knows it's a one-way window. So he's putting on this nonchalant act on purpose. But his eyes are wandering, which means he's a little guilty. And his right index finger, did you notice? It's been tapping on the chair arm. That means he's thinking about a lot of things, not as relaxed as he appears."

The thin man looked in the direction his companion pointed and saw that it was indeed the case. He couldn't help but sigh, "Humans are such complicated things. What you see on the surface is often far from the truth. Sigh, it seems that someone like me can only deal with computers—that world is very simple, it's either 1 or 0, and there's no need to follow others in circles."

The speaker's achievements in the field of computers are indeed hard to match. He is Zeng Rihua, a technical expert from the Internet Supervision Department of the Provincial Public Security Bureau, and the middle-aged man standing next to him is Luo Fei, the newly appointed captain of the criminal investigation team of the provincial capital's Public Security Bureau.

"How did you find him?" Luo Fei asked at this moment.

Zeng Rihua clicked his tongue and said, "That really took some effort. I originally thought that as long as I found their boss, I could definitely expose this kind of online reporter. But I didn't expect that this guy didn't have a boss at all! I went to the website that uploaded that video material, and the website didn't know this guy's identity either. They just communicated online. After receiving a large sum of money from the website, he sent over the relevant information. So I checked his account for receiving the money, and it turned out to be opened with a fake ID."

"Oh?" Luo Fei chuckled. "He's quite vigilant, isn't he?"

Zeng Rihua nodded and said, "That's for sure. This guy knows he's not doing anything good. He uses the pen name 'Zhen Rufeng' online, and he's been involved in several unscrupulous interviews and reports that violate privacy rights. He's already notorious, and some of the parties involved even wanted to hire gangsters to retaliate against him. That's why he's hiding, like a rat that can't see the light of day."

"Evil people will be punished by other evil people." Luo Fei glanced at the man inside the room and said meaningfully.

Zeng Rihua continued his story: "Later, I locked onto the accounts he frequently used online and started monitoring the city's computer network. Around 4 a.m., he logged into QQ in the lounge of a bathhouse in the city center. I immediately led a team there and caught him red-handed. At first, he made a scene and tried to resist, but as soon as we revealed our police identities, he immediately cowered. Tch, he was as cowardly as a chick back then."

"You deliberately didn't identify yourself from the start, didn't you?" Luo Fei noticed some bruises on the man's forehead and turned to ask, "Did you hit him?"

Zeng Rihua scratched his head awkwardly, then forced a smile and said, "That bastard, don't you want to beat him up? He was the one who pushed and shoved me first, and of course I didn't hold back. Hehe, don't let his tall and big appearance fool you, he's no match for me."

Luo Fei smiled and shook his head. He knew that although Zeng Rihua was an office worker, he was also a skilled fighter. When Deng Hua's men tried to kidnap Mu Jianyun, it was Zeng Rihua who single-handedly rescued him. The guy in the house had probably suffered quite a bit this time. Although this matter violated police regulations, as the head of the special task force, he could only laugh it off. Then he steered the conversation back on track: "Have you investigated his background and history?"

“His name is Du Mingqiang, he is twenty-six years old. He comes from the mountainous area of Guizhou. This is his identity information, which has been verified and there are no problems.” Zeng Rihua said as he handed a printed copy of the household registration information to Luo Fei.

Luo Fei quickly and carefully scanned the document, then instructed, "Take him to the interrogation room. I'll prepare him first." As he spoke, he glanced at his watch. "Hmm, it's 7:45 now. Inform everyone that we'll have a meeting in the conference room at 8:30 to discuss the detailed plan."

“Okay.” Zeng Rihua agreed and left the monitoring room. A moment later, Luo Fei saw him walk into the detention room. Du Mingqiang, who had been putting on airs inside, immediately shifted nervously, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

This Zeng Rihua seems to have gone all out. Luo Fei secretly weighed the situation in his mind. Although he wasn't particularly averse to the beating, if Du Mingqiang developed serious antagonism towards the police because of it, it could negatively impact his plans.

However, the problem shouldn't be too serious. At least on the surface, Du Mingqiang doesn't seem like a difficult character to control. With this in mind, Luo Fei left the monitoring room and went to the interrogation room to wait.

Not long after, Zeng Rihua brought Du Mingqiang to the interrogation room.

The Fate of the Death Sentence (13)

Not long after, Zeng Rihua brought Du Mingqiang to the interrogation room. The two men were more than half a head apart in height, but Zeng Rihua held Du Mingqiang's arm so firmly that the latter was powerless to resist. However, Du Mingqiang didn't stop talking; he shouted angrily all the way, "Why are you arresting people? Why are you beating people? I want to file a complaint!"

"What are you yelling about? Behave yourself!" Zeng Rihua used his wrist to forcefully press him down onto the interrogation chair, which had a locked wooden board that, when placed in front of Du Mingqiang, formed a makeshift cage.

Luo Fei gave Zeng Rihua a wink, and the latter understood, turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Now only Luo Fei and Du Mingqiang remained in the room. Luo Fei didn't rush to speak; instead, he focused his gaze and began to observe the other person from a closer distance.

Undeniably, he was a handsome young man. He had thick, long hair, a lean and well-defined face, a sharp and straight nose, and a firm line at the corner of his mouth. When he slightly raised it, he revealed a proud and unruly expression.

Of course, what impressed Luo Fei the most were the other person's eyes. Those eyes weren't large, but the black and white were very distinct. Now, those two jet-black pupils were staring directly at Luo Fei—their owner was also carefully sizing up his opponent.

This guy was indeed a tough opponent—Luo Fei's earlier guess was confirmed. Unwilling to give the other party any more time to prepare, he asked, "Your name is Du Mingqiang?"