Chapter 1 I Have No Regrets: Reborn Back to 1993
Jiang Ling opened her eyes, a faint smell of ink lingering in the air.
This was a smell she knew all too well—the mingled scent of old paper and printer ink in the archives.
Looking around, Jiang Ling's pupils contracted slightly.
Inside, several rows of bookshelves stood, neatly stacked with piles of file boxes. On the mottled south wall, large black Song-style characters read: "Severely crack down on crime and maintain social order." The characters were strong and the strokes sharp, inspiring awe and a surge of powerful energy.
There is a window with iron bars on the north wall. Outside the window, green shadows sway. On the small brown desk under the window, there is a work log, a desk calendar, and a well-worn copy of "People's Police Handbook".
Long-forgotten memories flooded into Jiang Ling's mind like a tidal wave.
This is clearly my earliest workplace, the archives room of the Jinwu Road Police Station.
The small table near the door is my workbench; its legs are a little loose from long use. I replace my work log when it's full, and I change my desk calendar every year, but that "People's Police Handbook" has been with me for four whole years.
A gust of hot air blew in from the window, turning the pages of the calendar.
Jiang Ling clearly saw the black numbers on the green calendar paper: September 10, 1993.
Jiang Ling's heart suddenly started racing.
She clearly remembered that she was dead.
During that earthquake, a riot broke out in the Ninth Prison of the provincial capital. In order to save her colleagues, she rushed into the crumbling archives room.
My last memory is of the moment the ceiling collapsed with a deafening roar, and the screams that echoed in my ears.
But now, she has returned to September 1993.
That year, she had just graduated from police academy and was assigned to the Jinwu Road Police Station as an ordinary policewoman, responsible for file management and document writing.
Jiang Ling took a deep breath to calm herself down.
She was reborn? Everything was too fantastical, shattering the understanding of Jiang Ling, an atheist.
In her previous life, Jiang Ling worked in archives at a police station, Yancheng Women's Prison, and the Ninth Prison in the provincial capital. From 1993 to 2025, Jiang Ling witnessed the rapid development of archives management within the public security system. As a key figure in promoting the construction of the criminal records information center, Jiang Ling experienced the joy of success, as well as pain, confusion, and regret.
Why does darkness persist even under the light?
Why is it that even under the bright and clear sky, there are always people with filthy hearts?
Why do serious crimes still occur no matter how hard the public security system cracks down on them?
Even if these criminals are punished by law, what about those they harmed? What about those families that were destroyed? The dead cannot be brought back to life, the psychological trauma of those who were cruelly treated remains, and broken families can never be reunited...
The words on the archives are cold, but behind those words lies blood and tears.
Countless police officers have made silent sacrifices to solve cases and apprehend criminals. Some have spent months staking out in the fields, some have traveled thousands of miles, some have become exhausted, some have fallen ill from overwork, and some have even bravely sacrificed their lives in battle with criminals…
Having served as a police officer for thirty years, Jiang Ling has visited the martyrs' cemetery countless times. Standing before those silent tombstones, her heart remains unsettled for a long time.
Is there any way to find the root cause of crime?
Can we intervene as early as possible to stop crimes in advance?
Behind the glory of police officers, can we avoid sacrifice and reduce regrets?
Now, Jiang Ling has been reborn.
In this life, Jiang Ling wants to leave the archives, go to the front line, and forge a new path.
Just then, a commotion came from afar.
“He’s shameless!” a boy’s voice was low and hoarse.
"Tch, how am I shameless? You clearly deserved to be beaten!" another voice said sarcastically.
The first boy's voice sounded somewhat familiar, and Jiang Ling walked out of the archives.
The Jinwu Road Police Station is divided into two areas: office and logistics. The office area is a two-story old-style red brick building facing the street. The first floor is for reception and case handling, and the second floor is for office work. The logistics area includes a canteen, dormitory, and archives room, and is separated from the office area by a courtyard.
As Jiang Ling walked out of the archives, a courtyard came into view. Several old locust trees grew on the east side of the courtyard, lush and green, with cicadas chirping in the trees. On the west side, there was a simple shed with several bicycles and two police motorcycles parked inside.
The sunlight shines down, and the shadow at my feet is only a tiny bit.
Jiang Ling raised her head, extending her left hand to her eyes. Sunlight filtered through her fingers, and she squinted slightly. Her raised wrist was slender, and she wasn't wearing a watch. Judging from the sunlight, it must be around noon. The food in the cafeteria smelled faintly, indicating that it was past noon when it opened for lunch.
Who would come to the police station and cause trouble at this time?
Jiang Ling walked through the backyard and entered the police station through the back door.
The police service hall of Jinwu Road Police Station is about 30 square meters. The service desk faces the main entrance, and there is a row of chairs on each side.
Behind the service desk, on the wall, are the words "Jinwu Road Police Station Emergency Response Center". Duty officer Li Zhenliang is taking statements by the telephone, while Wei Changfeng, the head of the case team, comes out of the service desk, separates the two arguing teenagers, and patiently educates one of them.
"Qian Darong, stop bullying Liang Jiushan..."
Qian Darong and Liang Jiushan.
The two names were so familiar that they quickly triggered Jiang Ling's memories, and related files appeared in her mind.
Liang Jiushan was born in 1978 and was imprisoned in 1999 for murder. The person he murdered was named Qian Darong. When Qian Darong was fifteen years old, he raped Liang Jiushan's older sister, Liang Qiqiao, but escaped punishment because he was under sixteen and was protected by his parents.
Liang Qiqiao committed suicide. Liang Jiushan dropped out of school and pursued the murderer for six years, eventually killing his enemy. In court, he only said four words.
—I have no regrets.
This case caused a sensation throughout the city back then.
At the time of the incident, Jiang Ling had already left the police station. Afterwards, she saw Liang Jiushan's file at the Ninth Prison in the provincial capital. He was sentenced to death in the first instance, but his experiences and ordeal attracted widespread attention from society. A female lawyer took the initiative to appeal on his behalf, and he was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment, serving his sentence in the Ninth Prison.
Jiang Ling remembered him.
In prison, he was thin, pale, and taciturn. He was self-disciplined and earnestly reformed himself. However, even though his enemy was dead, he still had unresolved inner conflicts. During his free time, he would lean against the high wall, staring blankly at the sky, muttering to himself from time to time.
“My older sister had excellent grades, and her dream was to become a primary school teacher. That year she was a senior in high school, and if nothing unexpected happened, she would have been admitted to a teachers' college and become a good teacher, but…”
"If my sister hadn't died."
"If only time could turn back..."
"If I could live again..."
A glint flashed in Jiang Ling's eyes.
The opportunity that Liang Jiushan had begged for countless times was now right in front of him.
His sister died at the end of November 1993. Today is September 10th. Liang Qiqiao is still alive. It's not too late!
When Jiang Ling walked in through the back door, Li Zhenliang had just finished taking her statement. He put down his pen, nodded to her, and said in a friendly tone, "Little Jiang, you're here?"
Wei Changfeng glanced at her, then continued to focus his attention on the two boys: "Classmates should be friendly to each other. Qian Darong, why do you never learn your lesson? Apologize to Liang Jiushan right now!"
Wei Changfeng is the head of the case team, and he is also very troubled by this fight case.
When Liang Jiushan was nine years old, his parents died in a car accident. From then on, he and his sister depended on each other for survival, living entirely on the compensation money their parents received. They were considered key assistance recipients in the area. Children from poor families mature early. The siblings lived frugally, studied diligently, and consistently ranked among the top students in their class.
The Liang siblings have different personalities. The older sister, Liang Qiqiao, is honest and obedient and doesn't like to cause trouble; Liang Jiushan, on the other hand, is sensitive and sharp, unwilling to suffer any loss, and gets into fights at the drop of a hat.
Qian Darong came from a wealthy family. His parents were both cadres in a textile factory. He was the only son in the family and was spoiled by them.
In stark contrast to Liang Jiushan, Qian Darong had no shortage of food, clothing, or love, but he was domineering and disliked studying. At school, he used small favors to gather a group of "followers" and was quite successful.
For some reason, Qian Darong has been targeting Liang Jiushan for the past year. It started with pushing and shoving, and minor squabbles, but now it's escalated to a brawl outside of school that has taken place at the police station. The police have repeatedly tried to educate him, called his parents, and reported him to the teachers, but Qian Darong is as stubborn as a mule. He agrees readily at the police station, but after a few months of peace, he'll be back at it again.
Unfortunately, Qian Darong was under sixteen and considered a minor, so the police officers could only try their best to mediate and educate him.
But are mediation and education effective? No, they are not...
Here they are again!
Wei Changfeng raised his hand and poked Qian Darong's forehead, who was secretly rolling his eyes: "Liang Jiushan has facial abrasions and a nosebleed, which constitutes minor injury. If you are an adult, that would be a detention offense, do you understand? Apologize right now! Do you hear me?"
Qian Darong swayed his bulky body, looked up and glanced sideways at Wei Changfeng: "Officer Wei, this time it was Liang Jiushan who provoked us, he struck first!"
Liang Jiushan clenched his fists, his thin, long face tense, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked square. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground in hatred: "Pah! It was clearly you, you said it..."
Out of shame and anger, Liang Jiushan shut his mouth. Qian Darong's words were too shameless for him to repeat.
Having mediated countless times, Wei Changfeng knew Qian Darong's character well. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Qian Darong, when has it ever been you who started this trouble? If you do this again, I'll send you to a juvenile detention center!"
Qian Darong wasn't afraid of the police at all, and shrugged indifferently: "I'm a minor, so even if I kill someone, I won't have to pay with my life. Liang Jiushan and I were just playing around as classmates. He has injuries on his face, and I have injuries on my hands. You have no right to send me to a juvenile detention center."
Wei Changfeng was so angry at this kid that he almost fainted.
As a police officer handling criminal cases, he least wants to deal with cases such as fights between minors, domestic violence by husbands, or disputes between relatives. Why? Because it's difficult to determine the severity of the situation.
If it's an adult fight within the jurisdiction, just send them to the detention room, conduct injury assessments on both parties, and punish them according to the public security administration regulations. For repeat offenders, punish them severely. It's that simple.
However, relationships among classmates, spouses, and relatives are often complicated. If the punishment is too lenient, it will not have a deterrent effect; if the punishment is too severe, it will damage harmony and easily provoke conflict, ultimately leading to disaster.
Faced with this minor who knew a little about the law, Wei Changfeng picked up the enamel mug on the service counter and took two big gulps of water, trying to calm himself down. After a long while, he said to Qian Darong, "You, stand there and reflect on your actions. Wait for your parents to come and deal with this!"
Qian Darong nodded indifferently. His parents were very protective of him, so he wasn't afraid of having his parents called in.
Jiang Ling had been observing Liang Jiushan.
The boy was handsome, and even with a bruise on his forehead and blood at the corner of his mouth, his beautiful eyes and brows could not be hidden.
He was wearing a faded blue short-sleeved shirt with a frayed collar, black trousers covered in dust, and old sneakers with their laces neatly tied.
Liang Jiushan lowered his head and rubbed the second button of his shirt, his knuckles turning an unnatural bluish-white.
Jiang Ling was very familiar with this action; Liang Jiushan would always unconsciously clutch his clothes buttons when he was nervous. When the police arrested him years ago, there was a deep button mark embedded in the palm of his blood-stained right hand.
————————
Finally, the story is starting! Continuing with the female-centric crime investigation genre, I hope you all enjoy it.
I recommend two of my period crime novels, "The Mind-Reading Detective of the 1990s" and "The Beast Whisperer of the 1990s." You can find them in my author page. Thank you for supporting the original works!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com