The deceased was completely unresponsive.

While waiting in the hotel lobby, Cheng Xiangwu saw Diana reclining on the sofa reading a newspaper. She wasn't wearing a trench coat and casually used her critical and unique perspective to critique the work of her colleagues.

"Oh." Diana seemed to notice the gaze, looked up, and waved to Cheng Xiangwu with a smile. "Fellow traveler, I see you again. You didn't come to see me, did you?"

Cheng Xiangwu sat down next to her. "Waiting for someone. I'll be leaving soon."

“Then it was a coincidence.” Diana put down her newspaper, glanced at Cheng Xiangwu’s injuries from side to side, and asked, “I can’t tell anything from this, so let me ask the person involved directly: how are you feeling right now?”

"It's alright," the person replied. "Much better than yesterday, it won't affect my work."

“That’s really dedicated. Your boss will be very touched,” Diana said seriously.

“…I hope so,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

The reporter folded up today's newspaper, covering up the outdated news headline "Suspect apprehended, public safety greatly guaranteed," and began his firsthand report: "Last night I spoke with the mayor. I won't go into the details, but I received some new information."

There was something suspicious about the part that wasn't said, but seeing Diana's expectant smile, Cheng Xiangwu chimed in, "What's the news, Anna, the great reporter?"

"Haha!" Diana laughed, clearly pleased with the title. "Through the mayor's connections, I managed to interview President Bai, not the one currently at work."

“…Oh.” Cheng Xiang nodded. “Then that’s definitely a heavyweight guest.”

“Right?” Diana nodded, then lowered her voice and leaned closer to say, “And, it seems that the mayor and President Bai used to have a good relationship, at least the kind of friends who could argue on the same level. I’m only telling you this inside scoop.”

“I see…” Cheng Xiang nodded. “Then I won’t tell anyone that Gu Wanqiu and Bai Yuntian used to talk badly about others together.”

The friendship between two people who both dislike the same person is genuine. As for who that "other person" is, neither of them knows, and it doesn't matter anymore.

Upon hearing this, Diana laughed again, then cleared her throat. "In short, I interviewed the person involved about her attitude toward tomorrow's events. She seemed uninterested in topics other than the Bai family's affairs and was reluctant to answer, but she clearly stated that she has no desire to be resurrected."

Cheng Xiangwu nodded. "People have asked others in there before, and they all had pretty much the same attitude."

"As expected..." Diana mused.

"What's wrong?" Cheng Xiang asked.

“They and we live in two different worlds, no, that’s really how it is,” Diana said. “Although I don’t know why we can still meet, what we do is no longer their wish, and what they do is certainly no longer our wish.”

She sighed, rested her hand on the back of the sofa, turned her head to look at the rain outside the lobby's floor-to-ceiling windows, and her voice almost blended into the rain, "We can't do anything for them who are flying in the sky."

Cheng Xiangwu did not reply, and the rain was very noisy.

"Fellow professionals," Diana turned around, smiling, and asked, "Could you tell me what Officer Xie and her team's attitude is?"

“What they say,” Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment and said, “is that they are more concerned about solving social security issues now than about cases.”

"Oh..." Diana nodded with a smile, "Please pass on a message for me, Anna thinks highly of them! That's right."

"Okay." Cheng Xiang nodded.

Xie Wuchang was the only one who came to pick them up, but as they headed toward their destination, Cheng Xiangwu noticed many eyes watching from the corners, and even from the rooftops across the street.

As a high-profile suspect, Xie Wuchang arranged for Lin Che'an to talk at an ordinary coffee shop, the familiar one, of course. Whether it was due to the weather or the atmosphere, there were no customers inside, and the umbrella stand in front of the door was empty.

"She chose the location." Xie Wuchang's expression proved that she had slept about the same amount of time as Ariel last night. She wasn't wearing a police uniform and, like someone who had the leisure to leave the house on a weekday without a computer, she had sprayed on her perfume, but no one would think she was there for coffee.

"Did she know I was coming?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.

“...I didn’t say it, but she asked, and I didn’t deny it,” Xie Wuchang said. “So, she did know.”

She spoke as if all was lost, and Cheng Xiangwu laughed and said, "What can we do then? Anna said she has high hopes for you two."

Xie Wuchang rested her arms on the table, her head drooping so low her neck seemed about to break. She seemed to be whispering something, but Cheng Xiangwu didn't hear it clearly and didn't pay much attention. When the waiter came to ask for her order, she ordered three cups of tea, just like last time.

"Wait a minute." Xie Wuchang looked up. "Could you please change one of the cups to black coffee with four shots of espresso? Thank you."

“…Okay.” The waiter looked at her worriedly and asked, “Would you like dessert?”

"No need, thank you." Xie Wuchang forced a smile.

The waiter left.

"Captain Jiang Ling can't be discharged from the hospital today, but Sister Ling and some of my teammates are waiting outside." Xie Wuchang said, looking out the window. Across the street, in the driver's seat of a car, Jiang Ling was holding a laptop and waiting. "I talked with my colleagues in the team last night. Everyone has different attitudes toward the ultimate goal of the investigation team, but most of them support this operation."

"So you're going to that place again tomorrow?" Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment and said, "To provide guidance on security work?"

“…Go.” Xie Wuchang said, “We don’t intend to care about the local police’s attitude anymore, but the police are still our job.”

As she spoke, she looked up, her expression softening slightly. "That's what the captain always says."

A cup of tea and a cup of dark black coffee were placed on the table first. Xie Wuchang thanked them and drank half a cup in one gulp. The caffeine seemed to have a good effect. After pouring it into his head, he could vomit up a lot of things that were not as bitter as it.

Lin Che'an didn't keep the two who arrived early waiting for too long.

"Long time no see." She was wearing her work uniform and seemed to be in a hurry to go to work, but her expression showed no unease about her situation. Only after noticing the two of them did she sigh with concern, "What's wrong with you two? I thought I was the one who was going to suffer today."

“…Dr. Lin.” Xie Wuchang straightened his back and said, “First of all, thank you for meeting us as promised.”

The waiter brought Lin Che'an's cup of tea. She smiled gently and thanked him, then looked at Xie Wuchang, "Since you said so, of course I had to come."

As she spoke, she looked at Cheng Xiangwu again, frowned slightly, and asked, "Ms. Cheng is here too, is it because you also disagree with my approach and the advice I gave last time?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Wuchang paused for a moment, then remained silent.

“I don’t have any psychological problems that need treatment.” Cheng Xiangwu shook his head and asked, “I came here partly to ensure that Xie Wuchang can go back alive, and partly because I have something I want to ask you.”

"Oh dear... I'm not some dangerous person." Lin Che'an sighed, then asked with a smile, "So, what's the problem?"

“We,” Cheng Xiangwu gestured with his hand in a large circle, “we found out about the guild’s past, at least thirty years ago.”

"I see." Lin Che'an nodded. "That's why you were injured."

“But we, at least I think it’s worth it,” Xie Wuchang said. “Based on the results and the suspect statements brought back from previous operations, Dr. Lin, you don’t seem to belong entirely to that kind of tightly knit structure. We think we can perhaps communicate on this point.”

“Officer Xie mentioned this yesterday as well.” Lin Che’an smiled, then asked Cheng Xiangwu, “So, what is your question?”

"Do you have any religious beliefs?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.

“Eh…” Lin Che’an was a little surprised. She adjusted her glasses and said, “No, I’m a civil servant, but you know, I’m not an atheist either.”

“I see.” Cheng Xiangwu nodded.

"...Is this the question Ms. Cheng wants to ask?" Lin Che'an frowned and said, "If it's just this, I think my attitude in the last conversation was enough to prove that my motives were not religious."

"So, do you want to become an object of worship?" Cheng Xiang asked.

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Che'an's expression vanished. She stared at Cheng Xiangwu and asked, "Whose conclusion are you verifying?"

Her smile returned quickly. "It must be that Ms. F. Perhaps she misunderstood me, but I am just a psychologist and have no such leadership goals."

“But you have a goal, and you’re even willing to stay in an exclusive and extreme organization for it, without asking for anything in return, and you’ve been helping those people for a long time, right?” Xie Wuchang said.

“Hmm…” Lin Che’an said thoughtfully, “I can’t just admit it directly here.”

"This also proves that you know it's not a good place, at least not a good place that society can recognize." Xie Wuchang looked at Lin Che'an and said, "Dr. Lin, I've worked with you for a while and I can see that you are a responsible person."

Lin Che'an didn't speak, but smiled at Xie Wuchang, as if encouraging her to continue.

"...To be honest, I don't understand what you're doing, but since you're trusted by so many people and willing to come here to meet us," Xie Wuchang paused, then tentatively said, "I think perhaps you would also be willing to lend us a hand and provide assistance to Senhu City, or even more areas suffering from the same situation."

After saying that, she pursed her lips, nervously waiting for Lin Che'an's response.

“…Trust.” The respondent murmured to herself, then suddenly laughed, as if she had thought of a joke. She looked at Xie Wuchang, frowned, and asked, “Officer Xie, you’ve seen, or rather, experienced firsthand the attitudes of several leaders in the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Whether it’s them or others, most of them are lazy and cautious people. They trust me and entrust me with their psychological secrets, partly because they trust the professional ethics of psychologists, and partly because they know that I don’t care about the things that come with those struggles and secrets.”

She propped her head up, looked at the rain outside the window, and spoke in a calm, even cold, voice, "In Senhu City, I have never been trusted."

“But—” Xie Wuchang began.

“The reason I’m here is very simple.” Lin Che’an didn’t turn around, and the warmth in his tone didn’t rise. “Because you have obtained the physical evidence, and Ms. Cheng is here, I would like to conduct a follow-up visit.”

Xie Wuchang looked at Cheng Xiangwu with a conflicted and hesitant expression. She seemed to still care about the previous diagnosis process in the doctor-patient relationship, but Lin Che'an wouldn't say anything, and Cheng Xiangwu didn't know what to say either.

“But now, you seem to be trying to impress me with your attitude.” Lin Che’an turned around and looked at Xie Wuchang with concern, asking, “Is there something wrong with the physical evidence?”

Xie Wuchang didn't speak, but her expression betrayed her; that was the psychologist's conversation partner.

“…I see. That’s a pity.” Lin Che’an lowered his head, picked up his teacup, took a sip, then put it down and smiled. “It seems we don’t need to continue our conversation.”

After saying that, she reached for her canvas bag, clearly preparing to leave.

"Wait—" Xie Wuchang quickly stood up.

“You won’t be able to achieve your goals if you stay in Senhu City,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

Lin Che'an paused, looked at Cheng Xiangwu, frowned and smiled, "Ms. Cheng, since you've already said those things, please stop worrying about my career."

Cheng Xiangwu was taken aback by these words. Could it be that something she said had actually hurt this person's feelings? But she couldn't even remember which words she said, so of course she couldn't feel sorry for it.

"...Don't feel guilty about it, I understand." Lin Che'an shook his head.

“But your goal is indeed related to your profession, right?” Xie Wuchang said, leaning on the table. Her face was not good, but her tone was calm. “Senhu City does not need mental health professionals. I heard that from Pan Jiangliu.”

She paused, then said, "As long as things don't change here, you won't be able to do what you want. Dr. Lin, you know this, but don't you care?"

Lin Che'an looked at Xie Wuchang but did not speak.

Xie Wuchang ignored the calm and continued, "The same goes for the guilds, as you clearly know—"

"Officer Xie, how can I change this place?" Lin Che'an asked. "This place was like this before I was born. No matter how much time has passed, the people here are like this, as if they can't wake up. I can't cure people who are pretending to be asleep."

She was so calm that Cheng Xiangwu didn't know if this was a fact she had already accepted, or if her heartbeat was correcting her thoughts.

“…That’s not what you should do,” Xie Wuchang said. “That is what we should do.”

She sat down, finished the rest of her coffee in one gulp, and asked, "Dr. Lin, what do you want?"

Lin Che'an didn't speak, but looked down at the cup.

“Whatever it is, it’s definitely not the result of ‘I tried my best,’ right?” Xie Wuchang looked at Lin Che’an and forced a smile as he said, “To be honest, during the previous cases, I thought this many times: I tried my best, that’s enough, that’s it, whatever the result, it has nothing to do with me.”

She paused, then couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Just like when I took exams before."

“…Indeed.” Lin Che’an sighed. “Especially those papers, basically once they’re submitted, the results are no longer my concern. There’s no reliable grading standard…”

“But the fact that I’m sitting here with you, face to face, is a result we’re unwilling to give up,” Xie Wuchang said. “Dr. Lin, if you’re willing, you can also be one of us. We’ll work together, look forward to the outcome together, and bear the disappointment of a bad outcome together.”

As she spoke, she took out a folder from beside her, unfolded it, and inside the laminated folder was only one document titled "Criminal Witness Protection Program," written in black and white, but without a red stamp. She pushed the document out and looked at the person in front of her, saying, "Let me be frank, legally speaking, the witness protection program only covers innocent witnesses, and it doesn't apply to your situation, Dr. Lin. Therefore, this document is a contract prepared specifically for you by the investigation team, and compliance with every clause is based on the trust between us."

Lin Che'an looked at the documents on the table with some surprise, frowning, "This is really... hard work. Internal communication must be very difficult, but frankly speaking, this is just..."

"It's just a blank sheet of paper for now, for both of us," Xie Wuchang nodded. "But everyone in the investigation team has reviewed it and given their approval. Everyone agrees that we need you."

"Ah, oh... I see." Lin Che'an said blankly, picked up the folder, held it up to look, but the plastic cover obscured her face.

Seeing this, Xie Wuchang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Cheng Xiangwu looked at her and realized why she looked so sleep-deprived. Perhaps all her colleagues were also sleep-deprived.

Not long after, Lin Che'an lowered the barrier, cleared her throat, and said with a smile, "I've finished reading it all."

"...How is it?" Xie Wuchang asked nervously.

“Hmm… I understand what you want.” Lin Che’an nodded and said, “I can indeed share the technical information with you so you can do what you want.”

Xie Wuchang smiled, "Then—"

“However, according to professional ethics, I will not disclose the patient’s information to you,” Lin Che’an said. “And I will not leave Senhu City.”

Looking at that calm face, Xie Wuchang was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said, "...This is dangerous."

“I’ve prepared for this.” Lin Che’an closed the folder and put it into her canvas bag. Instead, she took out a sealed plastic notebook with a zipper and placed it on the table, the inside rustling. “I know those people fairly well; they’re quite superstitious.”

Xie Wuchang took the notebook, remained silent for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Can you tell me why?"

"Haha, we're not that close yet," Lin Che'an laughed, resting his chin on his hand. "Maybe that day will come, but not today. We've only just begun trying to make peace, and—"

She turned her head to look at Cheng Xiangwu, smiled gently, and said, "I have to be responsible for my patients."

“…Speaking of which,” Cheng Xiangwu said, “if we could get rid of your boss, would you consider quitting your job?”

"...What should I do?" Lin Che'an asked, tilting his head.

"What do we need to do?!" Xie Wuchang asked, turning his head forcefully.

“…I’m still thinking about that,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “Anyway, if you resign, your previous jobs won’t count anymore, right?”

“…Ms. Cheng,” Lin Che’an said to her with concern, “please don’t try to give up on treatment.”

While Cheng Xiangwu was considering other countermeasures, Lin Che'an and Xie Wuchang discussed some details of the operation, as well as the previous xenophobic issues within the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

“Ah, about this.” Lin Che’an adjusted his glasses and frowned as he said, “This drug was initially distributed from within the bureau. In the first few years after Mayor Gu took office, many people from the union were arrested and imprisoned, but the evidence was in the hands of the police. We don’t know who started using it secretly. After the people from the union discovered this, they came to talk to him, and later the pharmacists started mass-producing and selling it.”

Xie Wuchang's expression was strange, "...Then you can leave Qin Zixi's matter to us—"

“The union has been making too much noise in the last six months, so I wanted to use your help to give them a heads-up,” Lin Che’an said with a smile and a sigh. “This case is impossible to investigate, but no one expected you to keep pursuing it until now.”

"What's the reason we can't find out?" Xie Wuchang asked.

"...Chairwoman Bai will handle it," Lin Che'an said. "She started getting involved in this matter six months ago, and both sides tacitly agree to it, you just don't know it."

She paused, then looked out the window and said with a sigh, "When the perpetrator's body was dumped at the police station entrance, everyone was shocked. Some even guessed it was you guys, haha, so their attitude towards you became even more unfriendly afterward. But I recently heard that Captain Han and the chief had a talk, and the atmosphere seems to have eased a bit."

"Has that, uh, brave citizen been found?" Xie Wuchang asked.

"No, not at all." Lin Che'an waved his hand with a wry smile. "There have been too many important things happening lately, so this one is nothing."

“…Chairman Bai.” Cheng Xiangwu snapped out of her daze and looked at Lin Che’an, asking, “Is she also your patient?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Che'an remained silent for a moment before simply replying, "...I don't know."

She lowered her head and swirled the now-cold tea in her cup. "She needs me, but not to cure her illness, nor to join the organization, so I don't know."

"Then what else could it be for?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.

"I won't go into business-related matters, or my personal safety might be in danger." Lin Che'an shook his head, looked up at the two of them, and smiled. "Well then, that's all for today. I have work to do later. Please contact me if you need anything, or you can come to my office directly."

“…Thank you for your help.” Xie Wuchang stood up and extended a hand. “Dr. Lin, I hope we can get to know each other someday.”

“…I hope so.” Lin Che’an reached out and shook hands with Xie Wuchang, then extended his hand to Cheng Xiangwu, smiling without saying a word.

Looking at the hand still covered with burn marks, Cheng Xiangwu sighed, raised his hand, grasped it, and gently shook it.

"Do you need me to give you a ride?" Xie Wuchang asked.

Lin Che'an shook his head, opened the glass door of the coffee shop, waved, and said, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Xie Wuchang didn't finish his sentence before the glass door closed, and it was unclear whether the other party had heard him.

Outside the rain-streaked window, Lin Che'an picked up the long, plaid umbrella still damp with raindrops from its holder, looked up at the narrow, gray sky, and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before shaking the umbrella to reveal a patch of dark green plaid fabric. Stepping into the rain-splashed street, she took two steps, then suddenly turned back, just like on the bus, and waved through the glass towards where Cheng Xiangwu was.

Cheng Xiangwu couldn't see her face clearly, but when she saw her waving, she also raised her hand and waved back, as if to say goodbye.

Xie Wuchang was on the phone with his teammates when Cheng Xiangwu stood up, straightened his coat, and prepared to leave as well.

A muffled thud came from outside the window, as if someone had fallen. The sound was barely louder than the whistling of the wind whistling through the awning; it was just a very soft sound. In contrast, the crisp sound of the umbrella frame hitting the telephone pole was louder and more distinctive.

Cheng Xiangwu looked out the window.

The figure that belonged to Lin Che'an fell down; she lay there, the gray stone bricks growing increasingly red.

That wasn't a fall. Cheng Xiangwu rushed out the door, and Xie Wujian immediately followed.

The rainy world is really noisy and troublesome. Clothes are getting heavier and heavier, and there is an occasional inexplicable liquid flowing on the skin. The surroundings are filled with the fishy smell of rain and blood mixed together. Hair sticks to the skin, and the falling raindrops seem to be defying gravity and desperately squeezing into the skin. The nerves in the teeth inside the cheeks start to throb with the moisture, and the pain in the eyes and temples is in rhythm with the heartbeat.

The glasses shattered on the ground, and Lin Che'an was still bleeding. When Cheng Xiangwu arrived at her side, she was still alive. She had been shot in the back at an angle. A large-caliber bullet flew from above and shattered the lower part of her left and right lungs. Every breath she took was a life-threatening effort, and she made a sound. But who can stop breathing?

But she remained calm.

“…cough—” The half-dead woman’s inhalation caused a violent cough. Even though there was already a lot of blood on the ground, blood and organ fragments still took a detour and gushed out from her trachea and esophagus.

People gathered from all directions, and the sound of sirens drowned out the rain.

"The sniper isn't one of yours?" Cheng Xiangwu asked Lin Che'an.

“…Our team doesn’t even have a sniper.” Xie Wuchang’s voice was tight. She squatted on the ground to check Lin Che’an’s condition. She should be sweating profusely, but the rain was too heavy to allow for any extra emotions.

Cheng Xiangwu and Lin Che'an looked at each other, and Cheng Xiangwu knew that Lin Che'an must want to say something, but Cheng Xiangwu's dull senses could neither see nor hear clearly, and Lin Che'an might not be able to say it either. Rainwater streamed down her head, following the wet path of her hair, mixing with her blood. She bent down, letting the raindrops fall to the ground, and grasped Lin Che'an's pulse. She saw Lin Che'an smile.

Through the skin, there was a fluttering, chaotic heartbeat, accelerated by the will to survive, with no discernible pattern.

Cheng Xiangwu stood up and looked towards the rooftop, where a shadow still lingered. She rushed into the building, stepping through the bloodstains. As she climbed, the rooftop door was open, and a person lay prone on the ground with their back to her, watching the ground below. She went forward, grabbed the person's shoulder, and turned them over. Rain lashed against the person's dead body and the old-fashioned rifle with its sights and silencer beneath them.

The still-hot gun barrel was pointed directly at the shore. Through the scope, one could see the police officers swarming around Lin Che'an's body. Her blood had been diluted too much by the heavy rain to be carefully avoided, and it would no longer soil anyone's shoes.

Cheng Xiangwu, panting, looked down at the ground. After a long while, she turned her head, left the rooftop, and ran in the opposite direction from the police rushing up the stairs. She went down back to the street, which had become crowded with death in an instant. She shook her head at Jiang Ling, who was walking towards her. Jiang Ling paused and looked across the street. The deaths there were already settled, and only Xie Wuchang was still in the same place. She looked up and looked in Cheng Xiangwu's direction through the heavy rain. She was silent for a long time, and then lowered her head again.

So, in the pouring rain, Cheng Xiangwu learned that the psychologist who had insisted on treating her had died.

The coffee shop was temporarily requisitioned as a meeting place.

"...The person on the rooftop has no vital signs." Jiang Ling typed as she spoke to Cheng Xiangwu, who had a towel covering her head. Her already curly hair was now covered in seaweed from the dampness, and the cold light from the screen accentuated her gloomy expression. "Heart arrest, needle marks on his left wrist, the syringe is on the ground, the drug has been sent for testing, but I suspect it's that kind of drug."

Cheng Xiangwu didn't speak. She looked out the window and Xie Wuchang was nowhere to be seen. She had gone to the rooftop as a frontline worker. The body had already been taken away by the ambulance. No one wanted the umbrella; someone had put it back on the umbrella stand.

“There are no surveillance cameras on the top floor of that building, but we checked the surrounding area beforehand. That person arrived at the sniping point before you got here; he was someone from inside the building.” Jiang Ling rubbed her temples with one hand free. Under the light, she looked extremely tired. “The gun, you saw it too, it’s from the guild.”

“No,” Cheng Xiangwu said, only then realizing that his voice was hoarse, but he couldn’t care less. “That person was already a corpse before the shot was fired.”

Jiang Ling was taken aback, then looked up and asked anxiously, "What happened?"

“…The feel.” Cheng Xiangwu said, extending his right hand and placing it on his increasingly painful forehead. That’s the bad thing about neuralgia; it goes straight to the brain without going through the skin and flesh, so you have to increase the dosage of painkillers.

The stiffness of the shoulders of the person lying face down on the rooftop told Cheng Xiangwu that the person had been dead for at least half an hour. The reason for this oversight was unknown, but it was evidence that only she could use, proving that someone else had fired the shot. There were too many reasons to frame a union member for killing Lin Che'an, but Cheng Xiangwu couldn't find a single person who would do such a thing, or who had the ability to know the itinerary of this group of law enforcement officers.

Rather, after searching around, she herself was the most suspicious one. It's fortunate that she had an alibi, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to come down that staircase. Every policeman who passed by her looked like he wanted to flash his handcuffs.

“…The rain will wash away so much.” Jiang Ling took a breath, but didn’t sigh out. She just hung there, typing faster than ever. “You have a guess?”

"The person who dumped the body in front of the police station," Cheng Xiangwu said, "you—"

"Wait a moment." Jiang Ling stood up, took her suddenly vibrating phone, and walked towards the coffee shop entrance.

Cheng Xiangwu fell silent. With no one to speak to her, she had nothing to say. She looked out the window. The scene was cordoned off; the yellow lines were winding, and the heavy rain blurred the boundary of death before the people were enclosed. She suddenly remembered that she had wanted to kill her before, and now she was dead just like that.

"Okay, I understand." Jiang Ling replied as she hurried back, picked up her laptop and prepared to leave. She looked at Cheng Xiangwu and said, "The forensic doctor determined that the heavy rain caused the suspect's vital signs to be unstable before his death. I will remember your testimony."

But that was all. Cheng Xiangwu looked at Jiang Ling and asked, "Where are you going?"

“…Go and prove our innocence. In any case, we need to give the Municipal Public Security Bureau an explanation now.” Jiang Ling said, turning back to look at her, smiling, and said, “You can go now, innocent civilian.”

After saying that, she pushed open the door of the coffee shop and walked to her car across the street. Cheng Xiangwu watched as her car door closed and the car disappeared from sight before she stood up.

The mixed-use building, housing and commercial space, had multiple entrances, all leading to the street. After sealing off several entrances, the police first interviewed the shop owners to obtain CCTV footage. In a breakfast shop without surveillance cameras, a customer in a corner paid his bill, greeted the owner who was talking to the police, picked up a folding umbrella from the shop entrance, glanced at the police, opened the umbrella, and walked onto the street.

Cheng Xiangwu followed.

The man took long strides, splashing water with each step, only to have it swept away by the rain. He walked along the street towards the city center, his umbrella held low, almost obscuring the road ahead. Suddenly, at an alleyway near the city center, he turned and disappeared into the alley, dropping his umbrella which spun around like a small boat in the rain. His movements then transformed into a sprint.

Cheng Xiangwu followed.

The alleyway was narrow and dark, with daytime lights shining from the windows of the apartment buildings on both sides. A person darted about beneath the black wires, weaving through garbage and scrap. Without warning, the person veered left or right, occasionally pulling down wooden frames and building materials that had been leaning against the wall to block something unseen behind them. Aluminum cans rolled to the ground, startling crows into flight, their black feathers catching on reflective puddles. From within the equally dark apartment buildings came the sounds of televisions and voices, mingling with the heavy rain and creating a chaotic scene.

Cheng Xiangwu followed.

Seemingly having figured something out, the person stopped deliberately venturing deeper into the alley and instead began running onto the busier streets. They surged onto the street, glancing left and right under the watchful eyes of startled passersby, then paused before deliberately running in one direction. It was an underground shelter in the city, an emergency space capable of accommodating 10,000 people. The entrance was located under a stone bridge outside the city hall area. Although the heavy door was usually locked, occasionally people would seek shelter from the rain or cool off in the passageway outside, especially in the height of summer.

Now, the entrance was open. The man rushed into the passage, leaving the heavy rain behind without looking back, letting his footsteps echo in the circular corridor. Only when he touched the door did he have time to catch his breath. Looking back, there was nothing in the long corridor, but the man still dared not relax. He nervously squeezed into the door, pulled it shut heavily, and locked it before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

The man leaned against the door and slowly turned around. He saw a person who was already soaked by the heavy rain standing in the empty shelter under the pale, flashing light in front of the door.

The man was startled and retreated hastily, only to be stopped by the door he had closed. He cried out, "You, you—"

The sound wasn't even enough to echo in the shelter. Cheng Xiangwu looked at the person and used her throbbing, blurry vision to identify him. He was an ordinary person with nothing special about his skills. His observation skills were decent, but nothing special. Not to mention his identity, he was wearing a white shirt and trousers under his wet coat, and his tie was a little crooked, as if he was going to work soon.

But it wasn't the union, the Bai family, or any organization she knew. Cheng Xiangwu looked at that panicked expression and couldn't understand anything.

"...You're not trying to avenge that person, are you?!" the man roared. "Do you know how many people that organization has killed? Do you know how many young people here have died because of that drug?"

As if emboldened by these two questions, the man took a deep breath, clenched his trembling fist, and glared at Cheng Xiangwu, saying, "And where did you come from, you outsider? What right do you have to interfere in Senhu City's affairs? We've already let you get what you need, what more do you want?!"

“…You heard our conversation,” Cheng Xiangwu said, her voice low and hoarse, barely audible, as if it were about to dissipate into the dust.

"...I didn't hear it, but we always knew," the man said fiercely. "Without that person, the organization will never have new members again, and no more madmen will do such things... No more people will be hit by trucks suddenly rushing into the street on their way home from get off work! No more being burned to death, shot to death! And in the end, no one will even have a proper ending..."

The man's eyes were bloodshot, his tone was fierce, and as his shoulders heaved, the fear on his face was gone, replaced by anger.

“…She…” Cheng Xiangwu began, but didn’t continue. What did she mean? Was she not one of those lunatics? Had she originally planned to leave the union to assist the police? Was she important to public safety?

What does this have to do with her?

"...You weren't acting alone." Cheng Xiangwu closed her eyes to ease the throbbing pain and asked, "And who are you?"

“…I am nothing.” The man said, his tone and expression falling silent. “If you want revenge, then do it, but I, I will not die like this.”

"I said, who are you?" Cheng Xiangwu stepped forward, opened his eyes and looked down at the other person. The person shrugged his shoulders, squeezed back a little, and reflexively raised his hands to protect his chest.

But he didn't say a word.

Cheng Xiangwu reached out to grab the man's collar, but the door behind him suddenly creaked open.

The door opened a crack, and the sound of rain echoed through the long corridor to their ears. The man hesitated for a moment, then without thinking, he felt his way through the door and slipped out, disappearing in an instant.

The door opened wider and wider. Cheng Xiangwu paused for a moment, then went out, stood outside the door, and turned back.

"Oh dear." Zhou Yan, holding a bunch of keys, exclaimed as she watched the departing figure, "How could there be someone in there?"

Then she turned her head, surprised, and exclaimed, "Xiao Wu? What are you doing here... what are you doing—"

Cheng Xiangwu didn't speak. She just looked down at Zhou Yan's surprised expression, letting her raise her hand, brush the hair stuck to her skin, touch her throbbing forehead, and then cup her face with her slightly warm but cool palms, wiping away the raindrops on her cheeks with her thumbs, making the worried expression clear.

“…Come with me first,” Zhou Yan said, sighing as she reached out and took Cheng Xiangwu’s soaking wet coat. Only then did she realize how heavy it was, and for a moment her head felt lighter.

The two walked outside, Zhou Yan carrying her coat in one hand and an umbrella in the other, her footsteps echoing. "It's raining today. The person who was supposed to be checking the shelter's drainage system got sick and asked me to come and take a look. I didn't expect someone to take the opportunity to sneak in."

“…Mm,” Cheng Xiangwu responded.

"Xiao Wu." Zhou Yan turned around, her smile gentle yet tinged with concern. "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

"It's nothing," Cheng Xiangwu shook her head and said, "It's just that my head hurts a little."

“…Sigh.” Zhou Yan sighed and said nothing. She stopped at the end of the passage, in front of the rain, and opened the long umbrella in her hand. The brown umbrella covered the area where the two of them were. Then she lifted her foot and walked into the rain, creating a clear space. She looked back at Cheng Xiangwu and waited for her to go in.

Cheng Xiangwu stepped forward and slipped under the umbrella.