Наёмная принцесса - Глава 65
"Because I never break the law! I know more about the law than any of you!" Chen Tianqiao answered to himself, then swaggered past Luo Fei and walked away.
"Are we just going to let him go like that?" Yin Jian, who had been standing next to Luo Fei, couldn't help but ask as he looked at Chen Tianqiao's back.
"What can we do if we don't let him go? Can you punish him like Eumenides did?" Luo Fei retorted, then patted his assistant on the shoulder, "Stop thinking about it—hurry up and go to the conference room, Professor Mu and the others are waiting."
Ten minutes later, Luo and Yin arrived at the Criminal Investigation Brigade's conference room. For over a month, this had become the regular meeting place for the "418" task force. At this moment, core members such as Mu Jianyun, Zeng Rihua, and Liu Song were gathered here once again.
Luo Fei then brought everyone some rather unexpected news.
"I hereby announce that the 'April 18th' task force is temporarily disbanded, effective today."
"What?!" Liu Song was the first to widen his eyes. "But we haven't caught Eumenides yet!"
"How do we catch them?" Luo Fei asked calmly.
Liu Song shook his head; he couldn't come up with any solutions either.
"He's stopped. And we have no leads to follow—" Luo Fei sighed softly. "We don't know his public identity, we don't know what he looks like (Note: The scene of Zeng Rihua's composite sketch has been removed from this manuscript; please don't let it distract you)... For the past two weeks, our operations have made no progress. What's the point of the task force continuing?"
Liu Song suddenly thought of something else: "What about Chen Tianqiao? Why don't we send someone to keep an eye on him?"
"There's no need. He's already let Du Mingqiang go, so he won't go looking for Chen Tianqiao—he's no longer Eumenides."
"So, is this case just going to end like this?" Yin Jian seemed quite unwilling.
Luo Fei shrugged: "For now, it can only be postponed indefinitely, unless another 'death sentence' appears."
"I'm afraid there won't be another one..." Mu Jianyun shook his head. "Since he has already given up on the path of an assassin, what reason would he have to turn back?"
"So, does that mean we have no choice but to disband?" Zeng Rihua stretched lazily. "That's fine too. This past month has been exhausting. Everyone should take a few days to rest!"
The group exchanged bewildered glances, speechless. Eumenides had stopped the crime; such an ending might not be considered a complete failure, but for the task force that had fought together against the common enemy for over a month, it certainly left behind too many regrets…
9:37 PM.
Green Sun Spring Restaurant.
As the music ended, the girl gracefully rose and bowed to the audience. Although she was blind, her body instinctively leaned towards a corner of the restaurant.
She knew that person had sat there before, but she didn't know when he would come back.
Suddenly, the girl's lips curled up slightly, because she smelled a familiar floral fragrance—the fresh, elegant, and refreshing scent of lilies.
The girl straightened up, waiting for something with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
With the sound of light footsteps, a restaurant waiter ran up and handed a bouquet of lilies to the girl.
"Where is the person who delivered the flowers?" the girl asked somewhat anxiously.
"He didn't come in," the waiter replied.
The girl let out an "Oh," unable to hide her disappointment. But the waiter's next words made her smile again.
"He said you know where to find him."
An hour later, the girl arrived at the familiar coffee shop and sat in her usual seat. The person wasn't waiting for her across from her. But she wasn't worried, because she believed that the person would always keep their word.
Sure enough, ten minutes later, she heard familiar footsteps approaching. The cow lying at her feet wagged its tail happily.
"You're late," the girl said with a smile, but there was no hint of blame in her tone.
"I'm sorry." The young man apologized as he sat down, but he didn't explain why he was late: before entering the cafe, he had to carefully survey the surroundings to make sure the girl wasn't being followed.
"Have you finished with your work?" the girl asked softly. She remembered that the other person had said that they had to deal with an important matter and wouldn't have time to come to her until it was finished.
The young man was silent for a moment, then he softly replied, "It's probably over."
The girl smiled, revealing her white teeth, and looked very happy.
The young man gazed at the girl's smiling face as if he were seeing the most beautiful scenery in the world. At the same time, he sighed with emotion, "I originally thought that matter would be very difficult to accomplish; I even entrusted you to someone else."
"Really? You didn't ask for my permission then," the girl said, feigning annoyance. "But since you're my friend, you must be someone I can trust."
The young man shook his head: "He's not my friend, but he's definitely very trustworthy."
The girl frowned slightly, seemingly finding it difficult to understand this relationship. However, it no longer mattered to her.
"And now?" she asked the young man, "Are you going to take care of me yourself?"
The young man nodded: "I've already contacted doctors in America. I'll take you abroad to get your eyes treated."
"Really?" the girl exclaimed joyfully, but then her expression turned serious. "Why are you so good to me?"
The young man thought for a long time, seemingly finding it difficult to answer the question. In the end, he could only use a very common word to express his feelings.
"Perhaps, this is... destiny."
"Destiny?" the girl suddenly exclaimed excitedly. "Could it really be destiny?"
"What's wrong?" The young man was somewhat surprised by the other person's change in mood.
The girl tilted her head slightly: "You might not believe it, but it really is quite amazing..."
The young man hummed in response, still puzzled.
"It's like this," the girl began to explain in detail, "Three weeks ago, before we even knew each other. That day I went to my father's funeral, and in the cemetery I met a strange man who gave me a gift..."
"A strange person?" A vague sense of unease crept into the young man's heart, and he quickly asked, "How so?"
"His voice was hoarse, even quite unpleasant, but it seemed to possess a mysterious magic—because whenever he spoke, I was always deeply drawn to him, unable to look away. I guess his appearance must be quite unique too, it's just a pity I can't see it… Do you think he has some kind of extraordinary ability?"
The young man's heart pounded noticeably. He had no time to answer the girl's whimsical question; he simply asked urgently, "So, what did he give you?"
"I don't know either." The girl smiled mischievously. "Because he wouldn't let me open it. He said this thing was for you."
"Give it to me? But you didn't even know me back then."
"That's the strange thing. That person told me that I might meet a man who would be very close to me, but I would have a hard time getting close to him... Don't you think that person is a lot like you?"
A chill ran through the young man's body. He struggled to control his voice, trying not to let the feeling show: "What else did he say?"
"He said, 'If one day this man is truly willing to stay with you, then give him this box.'" The girl said, taking a small box out of her handbag. "I've been carrying this box with me these past few days, but I'm really worried that I'll never see you again."
The young man took the box and opened the lid with slightly trembling hands—inside lay a small cassette tape.
"You know what? That person also asked me to tell you something that sounds a lot like what you just said!" the girl said excitedly.
What did he say?
He said: "This is your destiny."
The girl's voice was as melodious as a silver bell. But to the young man, those words were so heavy, so oppressive, that he could hardly breathe.
The monster's voice, like tearing flesh, echoed in his ears again: "This is your destiny—it was decided eighteen years ago."
The Fate of the Death Sentence (38)
7:21 PM on December 10th.
Haikou City, Hainan Province.
This is the most renowned retirement destination in the country, with beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate.
Chen Tianqiao loved this city. He was sitting at a bustling open-air food stall, enjoying delicious seafood while feeling the warm and refreshing sea breeze.
In life, Chen Tianqiao never shortchanged himself. He believed that the purpose of living in this world was to eat, drink, and have fun, to enjoy everything one could have—making oneself comfortable was the only important thing, and all other things like morality and loyalty were just nonsense.
He's lived more than half his life, and now he has no friends, not even a single relative, but he doesn't care, because he's never shown any genuine affection to anyone. In his eyes, there's only self-interest, self-serving interests.
So he was very rich. His wealth allowed him to enjoy his later years in this beautiful seaside city, even in his sixties, he could still embrace a different woman every day.
He was very satisfied with this.
The sudden arrival of those police officers a few days ago had quite surprised Chen Tianqiao; he had thought he had actually fallen into their hands. However, the matter ultimately came to nothing, indicating that the police investigation had yielded no substantial results. As he walked out of the criminal investigation team's detention room, Chen Tianqiao almost couldn't help but burst into laughter. He felt like a complete victor; he had defeated everyone he had ever dealt with, and even the law itself.
He had no more worries. After returning to Haikou, he indulged in life even more, enjoying the wealth he had seized from those losers.
In early December, while the seawater in other areas was already bitterly cold, here the water temperature remained above 28 degrees Celsius, making the shrimp and crabs plump and full of roe. After finishing the last large crab, Chen Tianqiao wiped his mouth with a napkin and shouted, "Check, please!"
A tall waiter quickly approached him. Chen Tianqiao glanced at him briefly and noticed that the man had long hair and a thick beard, making it impossible to tell his exact age.
"New here?" Chen Tianqiao burped. "He looks unfamiliar."
The waiter smiled without answering, and respectfully handed over a bill with both hands.
Chen Tianqiao took the bill and stared at it under the light, but he was suddenly stunned.
The blank sheet of paper didn't contain a list of expenses; instead, it contained a puzzling statement:
Death sentence notice
Inmate: Chen Tianqiao
Crime: Intentional homicide
Implementation Date: December 10th
Executor: Eumenides
"What are you up to?" After a moment, Chen Tianqiao angrily crumpled the piece of paper into a ball and threw it at the waiter.
The crumpled paper hit the waiter in the face, but he didn't seem to care at all. He even answered Chen Tianqiao's question very seriously.
"I'm asking for your payment." With these words, the waiter's right hand swiftly reached forward, drawing a semicircle in front of Chen Tianqiao. The latter felt a chill on his neck and tried to scream in fear, but found himself unable to utter a sound.
Because his throat had been severed, the airflow only carried with it foul-smelling blood, spurting out of the wound like a fountain. He stared wide-eyed at the horrific scene unfolding before him, while simultaneously hearing the waiter coldly say, "This debt should have been settled eighteen years ago."
Eighteen years ago? Chen Tianqiao vaguely remembered something, but his thoughts could no longer continue. All his senses were rapidly fading away with the spurting of blood, and when his body stiffened and fell, he didn't even have time to feel a trace of remorse.
The customers around the food stall noticed the unusual scene at the table, and a small commotion was brewing. The waiter, meanwhile, strode quickly towards the bustling street. Moments later, terrified screams erupted, and he had already blended into the throng of people on the street.
10:40 PM.
Haikou Haitianchao Bathing Center.
The young man immersed his entire body in the bathtub, leaving only his head above water. The water was so hot that it even stung his skin slightly, but he liked the feeling; it seemed to loosen up every muscle and bone in his body.
The pool was quiet, with hardly any other guests in sight. This is because people who come to the bathhouse at this time are usually not there to bathe.
The young man lay quietly in the water, a cloud of steam rising before him, blurring his vision and making his thoughts drift away...
He seemed to hear the sound of music, a beautiful and gentle violin, which had once led him to a wonderful place. But this beauty was soon shattered by another sound.
The radio waves from eighteen years ago recorded an ugly chapter of history, and also foreshadowed his fate thereafter.
The radio waves gradually drowned out the melodious violin music, and an uncontrollable bitter taste appeared on the young man's lips.
He knew he had to forget something, and no matter how painful the process, he couldn't turn back.