Ази Хелл - Глава 33
Yang Ming shook his head and said:
“This official newspaper isn’t news, it’s not politics, it’s the hardest to work with. The more effort you put in, the less you get appreciated.” He paused and then said, “My report has been completely censored again, this is the fifth time.”
Who blocked it?
"Who else could it be but the editor-in-chief?"
Upon hearing that it was Editor-in-Chief Zhao Xiaowei, she immediately fell silent.
"The editor-in-chief didn't even read my draft. He said I had no political sense, no overall perspective, and that the whole city was already in a state of panic, and I was just adding fuel to the fire. I said the public has the right to know, and we can't hide the truth from them. Although my information is terrible, it's an undeniable fact. More importantly, even American criminal investigation experts say that the more you share with the public, the more they can help you. In fact, isn't fully mobilizing the masses, trusting the masses, and relying on the masses always the basic principle of our public security work? Li Meijin, a professor of criminal psychology at the People's Public Security University of China, said that when you encounter such problems, you should establish a certain early warning mechanism, such as informing the public through television or other media. At this time, society will be alert."
He suddenly stopped talking at this point.
Zhao Xiaowei looked at him, her face flushed:
"How can you talk like that? Aren't you just asking for a beating?"
"If only I were as shrewd as you!" I thought the editor-in-chief was convinced by my silence, so I, oblivious to my own limitations, started rambling on. I said, "In October 2002, an explosion occurred in the central square of Guilin, resulting in one death and eighteen injuries. Due to the rapid spread of the news and its significant impact, the Guilin Municipal Government held a press conference within two hours of the incident to release information about the case to the media. Several more press conferences were held later to update the media on the progress of the investigation. Because the Guilin Municipal Government communicated information with the media in a timely manner, minimizing the spread of rumors and alleviating the fear of citizens and tourists, the number of tourists visiting Guilin during the National Day Golden Week not only did not decrease but actually increased by three percent. This is already a successful example of handling emergencies recognized by the domestic public opinion."
Zhao Xiaowei was taken aback:
"You're not just asking for a beating, you're practically asking for death!"
"Looks like you understand the boss best! He was furious. He stood up, slammed his fist on the table, and shouted, 'Stability is the overriding task. For the sake of social stability, for the peace of the citizens, and for the overall economic development, not a single word about the June 29th murder case is to be reported until it is solved. If you don't change your mindset, you'll be replaced! Anyone who reports on it again will be fired!' I was terrified. I was so scared that I ran away with my tail between my legs."
Zhao Xiaowei laughed heartily:
"I don't believe it! You're afraid of something?"
"Tell me, I'm a journalist. I went through all the trouble of investigating, and then rushed back to write the article overnight. In the end, it was labeled as sabotage and disruption. Do you think I'm being wronged?"
Zhao Xiaowei blinked her eyes but didn't speak. She couldn't speak and didn't dare to, and feeling guilty, she could only ask:
"Where's the manuscript? Let me take a look."
"The manuscript has been confiscated. They won't let me get it back, nor will they allow me to submit it to any other newspapers. It's still on the computer; you can look at it yourself! I took it to the director after I finished writing it, but he said, 'Don't show this manuscript to me. The editor-in-chief said he'll handle this personally. You'd better show it to him quickly!' No one has even seen this manuscript. I've written it for nothing! I'm leaving now, going back to sleep!"
Don't forget to come pick me up tonight!
Zhao Xiaowei clicked on the title on her desktop: "What is the motive for repeatedly murdering single women?"
{Reported by Yang Ming, this newspaper} Last night, police in this city received a report that a young, single woman had been murdered in a residence in Gujingli, Gujing District. Police arrived at the scene immediately and found that the woman had been murdered on Saturday night, July 6th. She was dressed in pantyhose and high-heeled shoes, and food, drinks, and playing cards were placed in front of her. The crime scene was gruesome and appalling. It is alleged that the perpetrator entered the sixth-floor balcony from the fifth-floor landing. This case involves the same man who broke into homes from the balcony in the previous three cases; he is around 40 years old, about 1.60 meters tall, and has a slender, strong build. Police stated they will do their utmost to solve the case as soon as possible. Although the police cannot yet determine the motive for the murder, the fact that the perpetrator repeatedly inserted a fruit knife or beer bottle into the victim's genitals, based on the experience of FBI criminal psychologists, suggests that the insertion of foreign objects into the victim's vagina was a substitute for sexual intercourse. Therefore, the motive of this heinous and deranged killer is not entirely unclear. This newspaper reminds the public to strengthen their vigilance and pay attention to safety. If you discover any suspicious people or things, please call 110 immediately.
After reading the article, Zhao Xiaowei was shocked. How could such an article be published? People are already in a state of panic; wouldn't publishing such news only make things worse?
Story: People in their sleep are as easily manipulated as babies.
More and more people gathered around, and those who arrived later asked the earlier ones if they had called the police. The earlier ones replied that they didn't know if they had! Then everyone just watched, enjoying the spectacle.
The BMW veered diagonally onto the grass beside the fast lane, its front end crumpled, wedged between a concrete lamppost and two large trees. The driver lay slumped over the steering wheel, blood trickling from his forehead, motionless, eyes closed, his fate unknown. The thick gold chain around his neck still gleamed brightly, and his Giorgio Armani suit remained impeccably tailored, without a single wrinkle. His CD-style glasses, now without lenses, hung only on the frame, their gold sheen still striking. Why was it so clear? The windshield and door panes were completely gone, like a naked person.
Someone whispered that he was probably drunk, otherwise, how could he have driven his car up a tree when the road was wide and there were no cars or people?
If he drinks, he's probably drunk quite a bit—at least eight ounces, if not half a jin. He has a car to ride in, drinks to drink, and maybe even a mistress to keep him company. What a good life! Wouldn't it be a shame not to live life to the fullest, to live life to the fullest? One day is equivalent to 20 years!
What kind of alcohol are you drinking? Don't you know the value of your own life? This is all just wasting money! You spend money to buy a car, then another money to buy a driver's license, and without proper training, you can't even tell the difference between front and rear gears before hitting the road! These days, if you have money, what is there to be afraid of? No fear of breaking the law, no fear of crashing, no fear of killing someone—with money, what can't you solve?
Suddenly, someone screamed in terror from the front of the car, and the people surrounding the front scattered. Those at the back of the car asked what was wrong and why they were running. But those who ran over looked and hurriedly ran away as well.
The people who had run away gathered together again and looked up at the cement lamppost leaning against the tree. Oh my, how terrifying! The tall and thick cement lamppost was hanging on the tree. In fact, it had been broken off by the roots and pushed a meter or two by the front of the car. It only didn't fall down because it was hanging on the tree.
Only when they realized what was happening did they involuntarily take a few steps back in fright.
A screeching sound of brakes rang out, and people turned to look. An Audi A6 was parked on the side of the road. A woman with bright red lips stepped out, dressed in a high-end Jean-Louis Shelley outfit and Givenchy shoes. She looked neither young nor old. Holding a Motorola A768 phone, she walked over, talking as she spoke. A diamond ring on her hand sparkled. Finally, she finished speaking, turned off the phone, and asked the man behind the steering wheel, "How are you? Get to the hospital quickly! Did you get an ambulance?" The man mumbled, "My phone's gone!" The woman asked, "What's the emergency number? Tell me! Tell me!" The man said nothing.
The woman turned to the onlookers and asked, "Hey! Does anyone know the phone number for the emergency center? Or a nearby hospital? Does anyone know? None of you know?" The woman blushed, as if she had been collectively insulted by the men.
"Can't you fucking look it up yourself?" Hearing the man say that, she remembered to look up the number and finally got through to the hospital, but she couldn't explain where she was.
"Where is this place? How do I explain it?" she asked a man standing next to her. The man, wearing a vest and shorts, his hair and shoes covered in white ash, didn't answer her, just stared at her blankly before suddenly turning and walking away. She asked others, and others, but strangely, how could all these men have come from elsewhere to see what was going on? Not a single one lived nearby? Not a single one could clearly explain where this place was? Was that even possible? Who were these people?
It took a long time before a traffic police tow truck arrived. The two traffic police officers were very serious, looking at the vehicle from all angles, saying they dared not move it because the lamppost had been broken. If they towed it now, the pole would definitely fall down, which would be too dangerous. So, they had to find the municipal street light team. They checked the number and made calls, and almost an hour passed.
The ambulance arrived, and the injured man was dragged out. Two men helped him into the ambulance and gave him some basic first aid. One of the men, who seemed to be the doctor in charge, asked the woman, "Look at the blood on his leg. It's been clotted for at least two hours. There are cars coming and going here, and people everywhere. Why did it take so long to call an ambulance? How much precious time did you waste? How much suffering did the injured man have to endure!"
The ambulance has left, and the woman may have to stay behind to handle the towing arrangements.
Some of the onlookers couldn't wait any longer and left, but the number of people didn't decrease; new people kept joining in.
The woman's phone rang. She said, "You're at the hospital?" Then, as she listened, her face turned red, then purple, and her eyes widened. She almost shouted, "Who is it? Who is it? Short guy with small eyes? Around forty years old? Short hair and a buzz cut?"
As she shouted, people finally saw the short man she was talking about standing right next to her. Had this guy taken something from her car? Or her phone? He'd definitely gotten himself into trouble!
The woman turned off her phone and glared angrily at the short man, who hurriedly hid behind someone else. The woman shouted, "You're crazy!"
The short man remained silent, looking away.
The woman said you're crazy again!
The short man finally asked timidly, "Who did you say?"
The woman said, "Whoever I'm talking about knows, why did he ignore someone who was in a car accident? Why did he stand by and watch them die? They already asked you for help, why were you unmoved? Don't you have any feelings?"
The short man looked at her with a grin and whispered, "I want to have feelings for you, what are you going to do?"
The men laughed heartily.
The woman called him a hooligan! An old hooligan!
The shorter man laughed, a very happy laugh, because he said, "How did you know I was a thug? I've never messed with you."