Chapter 55 You are arrested
The Lantern Festival moonlight carried a bone-chilling chill, like ice-hardened steel needles piercing the tombstones in a suburban cemetery. Liu Bing squatted before his parents' tombstones, unraveling the last of the yellow paper and placing each sheet into the brazier. The orange flames greedily licked the papers, making a soft crackling sound, casting a flickering light on his wrinkled face. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, still stained with unwiped cigarette ash, trembled slightly as he spoke. "Dad, Mom, Happy New Year..." he rambled on. "The village hasn't been peaceful this year. Two people died, Wang Shun and Guo Zhong, both violently. Captain Yu asked me to keep an eye on things, but I can't do much, just run a few more errands..." He poked the ashes in the brazier with a branch, sparks flying up, scorching him so much that he quickly retracted his hand. "Please bless me over there..." The paper in the brazier had almost burned out, leaving only a pile of grayish-white ash, which rustled and fell onto his cotton trousers in the wind. Liu Bing took out a wrinkled handkerchief and carefully wiped the snow off his parents' tombstones. He kowtowed three times to the young parents in the photo before shouldering his canvas bag and heading down the mountain. This path was a shortcut to the cemetery, rarely used normally, and tonight, not a soul was in sight. The snow crunched underfoot, and Liu Bing's footsteps were especially clear in the silence. The pines and cypresses lining the road grew crooked, their branches stretched out in the moonlight, like bony hands reaching out from the darkness to grasp something. After walking a few steps, Liu Bing suddenly stopped. There seemed to be a sound behind him. Not the whirring of the wind through the treetops, nor the rustling of nocturnal animals, but a very light, deliberately quiet sound of footsteps, like cat paws on cotton, following him closely, always maintaining a distance that made his scalp tingle. A chill suddenly ran down his back, and cold sweat quickly soaked the back of his cotton shirt. Here it comes, he thought to himself. Liu Bing's hand unconsciously reached for his canvas bag, which contained a high-intensity flashlight and a polished steel pipe that he had specially sharpened at a blacksmith's shop, claiming it was for self-defense. Liu Bing slowly quickened his pace, his eyes scanning the pine trees on both sides vigilantly. The footsteps behind him quickened, maintaining that breathtaking distance. He didn't dare look back. The old folks said that if someone followed you at night, turning back would "take your soul away." Although he'd spent most of his life refusing to believe in ghosts and spirits, the fear still gripped him like a vine, tightening around him.
The moonlight of the Lantern Festival brought a bone-chilling chill, like an ice-hardened steel needle, piercing the tombstones in the suburban cemetery.
Liu Bing squatted in front of his parents' tombstone. He opened the last stack of yellow paper and put it into the brazier one by one.
The orange flames greedily licked the paper, making a crackling sound and making his wrinkled face flicker.
There was still some cigarette ash in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, which trembled slightly as he spoke.
"Dad, Mom, Happy New Year..." He rambled on, "The village hasn't been peaceful this year. Two people died, Wang Shun and Guo Zhong, both of them died suddenly. Captain Yu asked me to keep an eye on them, but I can't help much, so I can only run a few more errands..."
He used a branch to poke the ashes in the brazier. Sparks flew up, burning him so much that he quickly retracted his hand. "You guys protect me over there..."
The paper in the brazier was almost burned out, leaving only a pile of grayish-white ashes, which fell onto his cotton trousers when blown by the wind.
Liu Bing took out a wrinkled handkerchief and carefully wiped the snow off his parents' tombstones. He kowtowed three times to his young parents in the photo, then picked up his canvas bag and walked down the mountain.
This path is a shortcut to the cemetery. Usually, few people walk on it, and tonight there is not even a ghost in sight.
The snow crunched underfoot, and Liu Bing's footsteps were particularly clear in the silence.
The pines and cypresses on both sides of the road grew crookedly, their branches stretched out in the moonlight, like bony hands reaching out from the darkness to grab something.
After walking a few steps, Liu Bing suddenly stopped.
There seemed to be a sound behind me.
It was not the "woosh" sound of the wind blowing through the treetops, nor the "rustle" sound of nocturnal animals running, but a very light, deliberately quiet sound of footsteps, like a cat's paw on cotton, following behind him not too far away, always maintaining a distance that made people's scalp tingle.
A chill suddenly ran down his back, and cold sweat soaked his cotton shirt on the back.
Here it comes, he thought to himself.
Liu Bing's hand unconsciously reached for the canvas bag, which contained a high-intensity flashlight and a shiny steel pipe that he had specially asked a blacksmith to polish, saying it was for self-defense.
Liu Bing slowly quickened his pace, his eyes warily scanning the pine trees on either side. The footsteps behind him also quickened, always maintaining that breathtaking distance.
He didn't dare look back. The elders said that if someone followed you at night, turning back would "take your soul away." Although he had spent most of his life refusing to believe in ghosts and spirits, the fear still gripped him like a vine, strangling him and making it difficult to breathe. It felt like a ball of cotton was stuck in his throat, making even breathing difficult.
Nearing the foot of the mountain, the path suddenly turned into a dense forest. The trees here grew even denser, their intertwined branches blocking most of the moonlight, leaving only spots of light filtering through the gaps, which fell on the snow like a field of broken glass.
Liu Bing's heart was beating like a drum, and the "dong dong" sound echoed in his chest, drowning out the sound of his footsteps.
He could clearly hear the breathing behind him, heavy and rapid, like a cornered beast, and the hot breath seemed to fall on the back of his neck.
The moment he stepped out of the woods, the footsteps behind him suddenly disappeared.
Liu Bing's steps suddenly stopped. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead and dripped onto the frozen ground, instantly freezing into ice. It was so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat, and... the rustling of leaves rubbing against each other, right next to his ears!
He turned around suddenly and pressed the switch of the high-intensity flashlight at the same time.
With a "snap" sound, the beam of light pierced through the thick darkness like a sharp knife and shone accurately on the face of a person wearing a black mask.
The man was standing two steps behind him, tall and broad-shouldered, holding something tightly in his hand, which shone coldly in the moonlight.
"Who?!" Liu Bing's voice was shaking, and the steel pipe in his hand hit the tree trunk next to him with a "clang". He quickly raised it up subconsciously. The coldness of the steel pipe passed through his rough palm, slightly suppressing the fear in his heart.
The masked man said nothing, merely tilting his head slightly, as if examining a piece of merchandise. Moonlight streamed down from above, casting a deep shadow on his mask. His expression was unclear, except for a pair of eyes, gleaming fiercely in the darkness.
Liu Bing's flashlight subconsciously swept across the man's hand - it was a knife with a very thin blade that glowed bluish-white in the light, and there were still some undried snow particles on the blade.
"It's you! Sun Yong!" Liu Bing suddenly shouted, his voice distorted by excitement. Although he couldn't see his face clearly, his figure, his walking posture, and the fierceness in his eyes were exactly the same as Sun Yong, whom he had been staring at for half a month! "I knew it was you! You killed Wang Shun and Guo Zhong, didn't you?"
The masked man's body visibly stiffened, and his hand gripping the knife tightened, his knuckles turning white from the force.
"I told Captain Yu!" Liu Bing shouted bravely, but his legs had already become as soft as noodles. "He has suspected you for a long time! You can't run away!" He pressed his back against the tree trunk, trying to find some support for himself.
"Really?" The masked man finally spoke, his voice hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper, carrying an indescribable strangeness. "It's a pity that you didn't get to see me get caught."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly rushed forward, the knife in his hand stabbing Liu Bing's chest like a venomous snake spitting out its tongue! The speed was so fast that people could not react.
Liu Bing was so frightened that he instinctively dodged to the side. The blade grazed his clothes, tearing a long hole in his cotton coat, and the cotton wool inside fell out.
He swung the steel pipe and smashed it randomly, but the other party easily dodged it. The steel pipe hit the tree heavily, making his palm numb.
"Are you really going to kill me?" Liu Bing shouted as he backed away, his back hitting another tree trunk, leaving him with nowhere to retreat. The cold bark hurt, but it also sobered him up a bit.
The masked man approached step by step, his eyes flashing with wolf-like cruelty in the shadow of the mask: "Who told you to meddle in other people's business?"
"How am I meddling in other people's business?" The steel pipe swayed in his hand.
"You saw something you shouldn't have seen." The masked man's voice lowered, as if squeezed out from between his teeth. "What did you see at the door of Room 202 that night? And you're still telling everyone about it."
Liu Bing's heart skipped a beat. It turned out that his suspicion was correct.
"I didn't see anything!" Liu Bing shouted hurriedly.
The knife stabbed again, this time faster and harder, straight for his throat!
This is at this moment.
"Bang!" A gunshot pierced the night sky, startling a flock of birds, which fluttered out of the woods, and their black shadows flashed by in the moonlight.
The masked man suddenly stopped moving, and the knife fell to the ground with a clang, sticking into the thick snow, with only the handle exposed.
He lowered his head in disbelief, looking at his right arm. Blood was seeping out of his sleeve, leaving a string of bright red dots on the snow.
"Freeze! Police!"
Suddenly, several dark shadows rushed out of the woods. They were all wearing black police uniforms and holding guns in their hands. The muzzles of the guns flashed coldly in the moonlight.
Lu Chao was the first to pounce, moving as fast as a cheetah. He twisted the masked man's arms behind his back with his backhand and handcuffed him with a "click". The force was so strong that the other party groaned.
Liu Bing slumped on the ground, gasping for breath. Every breath he took felt like he was swallowing a knife.
He looked at the police who suddenly appeared in front of him, his mind went blank. The moment when he was on the verge of life and death just now was like a nightmare. He was still frightened and his whole body was shaking uncontrollably.
A familiar figure walked up to him. It was Yu Hao. There were a few grains of snow on his police uniform, but his face was calm, his eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Captain Yu... Captain Yu?" Liu Bing finally recovered, his voice trembling. He pointed at the masked man pinned to the ground, "He's Sun Yong! It really is him..."
Yu Hao nodded, signaling Lu Chao to bring the person over. Under the moonlight, he squatted down, slowly stretched out his hand, touched the edge of the mask with his fingertips, and gently tugged.
It was indeed Sun Yong's face that was revealed. Veins bulged on his forehead, like twisted earthworms. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Yu Hao intently, like a trapped animal.
"Sun Yong, you're under arrest." Yu Hao's voice was calm but carried an undeniable force. "You're suspected of murdering Wang Shun and Guo Zhong, as well as attempted murder."
Sun Yong didn't say anything, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes when he looked at Yu Hao.
Yu Hao stood up, walked over to Liu Bing, and reached out to help him up. Liu Bing's legs were still shaking, and he could barely stand. It was only with Yu Hao's support that he was able to stand.
"If you don't show up, I'll really die here." Liu Bing's voice was filled with relief at surviving the disaster, and tears flowed down his wrinkles.
"You should be thanking me." Yu Hao patted his shoulder, his tone sincere, "If you hadn't insisted on keeping an eye on him, we wouldn't have caught him in the act."
Only then did Liu Bing notice that there were several police officers hiding in the woods. Zhang Min was holding up her camera, snapping photos of the scene non-stop. The flash went off again and again in the darkness, making the photo on the tombstone flicker.
Sun Wei squatted beside Sun Yong, holding a first aid kit in her hand, and was giving his wounds simple treatment. Her movements were quick and calm.
"I... I just feel like something's wrong with him," Liu Bing's legs were still weak. "He's been hanging around the cemetery these past few days. Yesterday, he even asked me about the etiquette for burning paper. I found it strange and guessed he might want to attack me..." He paused, then added, "I sent a message to Captain Yu this afternoon, saying that Sun Yong was acting suspiciously. I didn't expect..."
"You did the right thing." Yu Hao interrupted him and gestured to the police officer next to him, "Let Zhang Min take you to the hospital for a checkup first, and leave the rest to us."
"I wasn't hurt, just scared."
Yu Hao smiled and said, "Go quickly."
The red and blue lights of the police lights flickered in the woods, making the snow half red and half blue, like a strange painting.
When Sun Yong was taken into the police car, he looked back at Yu Hao.
Yu Hao looked at him. Sun Yong didn't say a word. He hadn't said a word since he was arrested.
"Take it away."
The police car roared away from the cemetery, the roar of its engine carried far into the silent night and gradually disappeared at the end of the road.
The Lantern Festival moon is still hanging in the sky, and its cold light is shining on the earth, as if watching everything silently.
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