·68｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·68 (Buy with caution)

This chapter is primarily from Mr. Lai Chuan's perspective; purchase with caution.

The entire Hagiwara squad has been killed in action.

Thick black smoke billowed out, and the instantaneous heat wave, reaching over a thousand degrees Celsius, ignited flammable materials on the 20th floor and surrounding areas, causing the fire to spread rapidly. Fire trucks had already set up ladders, and a helicopter parked on the 20th floor narrowly escaped crashing due to the shockwave of the explosion.

"Hagiwara..."

Matsuda Jinpei stood downstairs at the Asai Villa Plaza, looking up through his black sunglasses at the 20th floor that had been destroyed in the explosion.

That's really far.

From the first floor to the twentieth floor.

Just like the distance between him and Kenji Hagiwara at this moment.

Matsuda Jinpei's breathing became heavy, as if air was leaking from his chest and lungs, and each exhale was painful. His heartbeat was erratic, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, as if it might stop at any moment.

"Hagi..."

He first murmured the name of Kenji Hagiwara.

"Hagi!"

Then the volume was turned up again.

Ignoring the shouts of the mobile unit commander behind him, Matsuda Jinpei rushed up to the twentieth floor. Glass shattered everywhere, walls cracked, and fissures wide enough to fit three fingers spread outwards from the blasted gaps. Scorched black marks covered the ceiling.

No.

There wasn't even a body, let alone any severed limbs.

The entire Hagiwara squad was vaporized by the intense heat of the explosion and reduced to dust in an instant, leaving them no chance to be buried.

"Hagiwara."

Matsuda Jinpei fell to his knees, his knees embedding themselves in shards of glass and pebbles as they hit the ground. His eyes widened, a tsunami brewing within his deep, azure gaze.

"Idiot," he gritted his teeth, suppressing his surging emotions, his back trembling, his voice gradually rising: "You idiot!"

He slammed his fist into the ground: "How could you just die like that!"

"Didn't you say you'd wait for me when we parted so I could get better..." Matsuda Jinpei abruptly stopped, as if he had suddenly remembered something terrible. His eyes widened in horror, and he even forgot to breathe.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and Matsuda Jinpei scrambled to his feet without hesitation, turning and running downstairs. He practically tumbled and crawled to his car. The wheels kicked up gravel as he floored the accelerator and sped to his destination. Despite being a car enthusiast, he was so flustered and anxious that he slammed the car door shut with a loud bang when he got out.

The two-story house with the words "Hagiwara Family" written on the door was unlocked. Matsuda Jinpei knocked on the door a few times, and when no one answered, he pushed the door open and rushed in.

Nichiri TV had already started broadcasting other content, but a small rectangular box appeared in the upper right corner of the program, continuously broadcasting the situation at the Asai Villa Plaza.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan lay on the ground, her eyes half-closed, revealing only a slit, her blue eyes dull and lifeless. Blood flowed from her palms to the ground, and a blood-stained fruit knife lay beside her.

"The Yellow Springs!"

Matsuda Jinpei hurriedly squatted down and hugged Yomi Rikawa into his arms.

He put one arm around Lai Chuan Huang Quan and pulled her bleeding hand with the other, then breathed a slight sigh of relief. Thankfully, it was just a scratch; he had almost thought Lai Chuan Huang Quan had committed suicide by cutting her wrists.

"Yellow Springs! Yellow Springs!"

He checked Lai Chuan Huang Quan's breathing and pulse, then embraced her and called out loudly. But the person in his arms only furrowed her brows and did not wake up.

Damn it!

Matsuda Jinpei put Yomi Yorikawa in the car and sped all the way to Beika Hospital. He also received a phone call from a SWAT officer along the way, briefly explaining the reason for his sudden departure and obtaining the officer's understanding and permission.

The First Investigation Division's operational error has already resulted in the deaths of an entire explosives disposal squad; they cannot afford to let down the families of those who perished. If anything were to happen to Yoruichiro, not only Matsuda Jinpei, but also the Mobile Unit Commander would be unable to forgive himself.

Fortunately, Lai Chuan Huang Quan only fainted due to the excessive stimulation and was otherwise unharmed. She lay quietly on the hospital bed with her eyes closed, her face as pale as a fragile doll.

The IV drip hanging by the bed slowly poured medicine into Lai Chuan Huang Quan's veins, while Matsuda Jinpei, with a cigarette in his mouth, sat up on the folding chair by the bed.

Although smoking is prohibited in the hospital, he never smokes in front of Lai Chuan Huang Quan—he's afraid Huang Quan will inhale his secondhand smoke. But the series of incidents is overwhelming him; if he keeps holding back, he really will go crazy. Lai Chuan Huang Quan is wearing an oxygen mask now and can't smell the smoke, so he should forgive him for smoking in the ward.

During this time, a middle-aged doctor wearing black-rimmed glasses came to see him once. He squinted at Matsuda Jinpei and sighed, "The smoking area is at the end of the corridor."

He immediately put away his stethoscope, turned and left, neither directly stopping him nor asking Matsuda Jinpei to put out his cigarette on the spot.

Matsuda Jinpei's bow, stretched to its limit, appeared shiny and new, but its interior was corroded and hollow, on the verge of falling apart. He looked up at the grid-like ceiling, his eyes bloodshot. He stubbed out the cigarette he had just lit, slumped onto the edge of the bed, and wearily closed his eyes.

He was too tired.

From body to mind.

The silent clock ticked round and round, the moonlight hidden behind the clouds. The moment the hospital room door was gently pushed open, Matsuda Jinpei abruptly opened his eyes. He rubbed his temples, forced himself to sit up straight, and looked at the person who had entered.

The visitor looked travel-worn, with wrinkles around his eyes. His hair, swept back, fell across his forehead, mottled with gray and white.

Matsuda Jinpei frowned: "You are... Yomi's father?"

Matsuda Jinpei had never met Mr. Raikawa, but he could guess the man's identity from his facial features.

Mr. Lai Chuan nodded, his voice hoarse: "How is Huang Quan?"

He moved closer to the bedside, his calloused fingers stroking back and forth across Lai Chuan Huang Quan's pale cheek, trembling slightly.

The smell of gunpowder entered Matsuda Jinpei's nasal cavity; it was very faint.

Matsuda Jinpei carefully observed Mr. Raikawa for a while before slowly speaking: "You're a police officer, right? And not a low-ranking one at that."

The smell of gunpowder on his clothes, the calluses from years of gun use, and his silent movements—all these were evident in the way Matsuda Jinpei glimpsed Furuya Rei, who had been missing since graduation, and another man standing outside the door the instant the door closed as he entered.

Matsuda Jinpei could only draw one conclusion.

The haggard-looking man in front of him, Mr. Raikawa, and Rei Furuya were likely in a superior-subordinate relationship, and had rushed over after completing a certain task.

Mr. Raikawa grunted in response, without looking at Matsuda Jinpei.

When investigating Kenji Hagiwara, he also investigated all the men who frequently appeared around his beloved only daughter. Even back then, Mr. Raikawa knew that Jinpei Matsuda was a frighteningly intelligent person with a keen sense of reasoning.

Mr. Lai Chuan used his rough fingertips to smooth Lai Chuan Huang Quan's hair, which was sticky with cold sweat. His brows twitched, and his eagle-like eyes were cloudy and weary: "Huang Quan, my Huang Quan..."

Upon first hearing of Kenji Hagiwara's death, Mr. Raikawa's first thought was of Yomi. He was extremely anxious, but Yomi had long since blocked all his communication methods, making it impossible to contact him.

After finally managing to sort out her own affairs, she learned of her daughter's whereabouts again only after Matsuda Jinpei had already taken her to the hospital.

As he stroked Lai Chuan Huang Quan's black hair, Mr. Lai Chuan carefully examined his only and last relative in this world. This little girl was growing more and more like her mother, especially when she smiled with her eyebrows curved; they were practically identical.

Her thick, long eyes resembled his, as did her slightly wavy hair, but it was softer. Mrs. Raikawa always said that her hair felt like a bristling lion's mane, stiff and unyielding.

Mr. Raikawa suddenly recalled something from Raikawa Yomi's childhood. The little girl, who hated carrots, secretly poured carrot pieces into the pot where he grew pothos, thinking she had gotten away with it perfectly, but Mr. Raikawa discovered it in less than half a minute. He only had to sternly frown before Raikawa Yomi pouted, scrunched up her round face even more, and started to cry with her hair in two buns.

At this time, Mrs. Lai Chuan would hug the aggrieved little Huang Quan into her arms, glare at Mr. Lai Chuan and accuse him of scolding the child, while giving him a way out—it was really hard for him not to surrender when Huang Quan looked at him pitifully with her crystal clear sky-blue almond eyes.

Aside from his marriage to Kenji Hagiwara, Mr. Ryukawa has almost always been yielding and compromising.

On the day he received the acceptance letter, Mr. Raikawa slammed his fist on the table, his eyes red with anger, and ordered Raikawa Yomi to stay home in solitary confinement. But when he left, he neither locked the door nor froze Raikawa Yomi's bank account. He even transferred 150,000 yen to Raikawa Yomi on the same day his salary was paid.

Mr. Raikawa was too traditional and disapproved of flashy hair colors, but Raikawa Yomi dyed her long hair a bright and flamboyant red in the second semester of her sophomore year, which angered him so much that he smashed his plate and then transferred 200,000 yen to Raikawa Yomi's bank account on payday.

No matter how angry he was, he still couldn't bear to punish Lai Chuan Huang Quan.

Mr. Raikawa was always fearless and never admitted defeat, making unstoppable progress in his struggle against darkness. But in Raikawa's underworld, he surrendered time and time again.

Mr. Lai Chuan is very smart. At a young age, he became a key member of the police department and became the fastest-rising super ace.

Mr. Lai Chuan was too stupid; he didn't know how to love Lai Chuan Huang Quan, let alone what to give her.

They received the best education and the best resources. They received five to ten times more pocket money than their peers, not to mention living expenses. Lai Chuan Huang Quan had never done a single chore in his life, except for tidying his own room.

He had even meticulously planned out Lai Chuan Huang Quan's future path. As long as she did as he said, he could guarantee her a life of comfort and security, and that she would always be the flower facing the sun in his palm.

But loving someone can't rely on material things alone; it also requires companionship.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan's world is very small, consisting only of studying and his parents.

pity.

Mr. Lai Chuan doesn't understand.

When Mr. Lai Chuan was young, his already impoverished parents were tricked into leaving their last refuge. Tormented by extreme poverty, they chose to commit suicide together. Fortunately, Mr. Lai Chuan knew what he wanted and what he should do from a young age, and he broke free from his mother's grip on his neck and escaped.

In places where light doesn't reach, darkness breeds chaos. Just because you can't see it or don't know about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist; it just means you're being well protected.

From then on, "justice" and "money" were deeply imprinted in Mr. Lai Chuan's veins, flowing through his entire body with every heartbeat.

The renowned psychologist Maslow divided needs into five levels. If even survival was a problem, how could Mr. Lai Chuan care about growing up as an orphan? He was strong, talented, a genius among geniuses, who climbed to his current position through his own efforts, adhering to justice. But Lai Chuan Huang Quan didn't experience what he went through, nor did he inherit his strong, aloof, and somewhat cold personality.

Mr. Lai Chuan couldn't understand why he had given Lai Chuan the best things in the world of the underworld—letting her live in the light and allowing her to buy anything she wanted.

But why!

Lai Chuan Huang Quan still hides in her room and cries quietly.

She looked at him with resentment.

After Mrs. Raikawa left, little Raikawa Yomi was left with only her father, a father who never came home. At that time, the maid would only appear at mealtimes, and leave in a hurry after preparing the food. She sat alone at the dining table, numbly looking at the still steaming dinner, without touching it, and then stood up and dumped all the vegetables and meat into the trash can.

Delicious food tumbled and fell into the trash can, its reflection shimmering in Lai Chuan Huang Quan's eyes. She was like that discarded food, exquisite in appearance, but untouched by anyone.

Nobody loves her.

On a rainy day, Lai Chuan Huang Quan, a junior high school student, walked home alone with a small pink umbrella. It was parent-teacher conference day, and all the students' parents were there except hers. Her father was always absent from her class activities; this time was no exception, as was the last sports meet. The teacher had tried to visit her home, but her father refused.

If Lai Chuan Huang Quan hadn't inherited her father's intelligence and academic prowess, achieving grades so outstanding that she could easily outshine the second-place student, she would probably have been quietly shunned by the teachers long ago as an oddball—teachers are wary of parents who are too eccentric. Anyone who has taught for a long enough time has been harassed and tormented by some strange parents; many teachers have even been driven to the point of losing their jobs. Teachers are human too, and they also have their own desires and aversions.

Surrounded by groups of classmates and their parents, Lai Chuan Huang Quan looked up at the gray sky with large raindrops, put away his umbrella, and walked home alone in the downpour.

She was a child no one loved.

Her mother didn't want her, and her father didn't love her either.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan will always remember the weather when his mother left; the sky was foggy and rainy.

Her world is always raining.

Until that day, Kenji Hagiwara knelt down in front of her with a smile, looking tender and affectionate.

"Can you still stand up?"

"If you attend classes well this week, I'll take you to the aquarium."

"Would you like to exchange phone numbers? We'll pick you up this weekend."

Aside from carrying the unable-to-stand Yomi Lai to the infirmary, Kenji Hagiwara gentlemanly refrained from touching her, maintaining a polite yet unobtrusive social distance. His soft, heartfelt words, however, were like warm sunshine soothing Yomi Lai's soul, thawing her long-frozen heart.

The fireworks faded on the horizon, leaving behind a golden glow from the streetlights and the bright moonlight. Lai Chuan Huang Quan hugged her round, chubby doll, her eyes trembling as she forced back tears. On this day, she encountered the only light in her life.

From then on, the lovemaking ceased.

But today, November 7th, someone stole her light.

[Author's Note]

The Metropolitan Police Department's riot police unit doesn't just handle explosives; they also handle riot control, counter-terrorism, search and rescue, and more. It's important to note that "riot suit" and "bomb suit" are different things. The "riot suit" mentioned here refers to what the riot police unit wears regularly, while the "bomb suit" is the 40-pound suit Matsuda wears when defusing bombs.

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