Lan Yu felt that things were not going to go well and couldn't help but hold her breath.
Officer Liu wiped the tear from his glasses, his voice trembling slightly, "On July 24th last year, there were still two months before we were to meet. I had a week's vacation, and I couldn't wait to board the starship that was transporting supplies to meet him on the main planet."
The huge starship slowly landed on the military parking lot of Sasu Star. Liu Zhao, carrying his simple luggage, had been waiting at the exit early.
"Officer Liu, you are so active! The starship hasn't even come to a complete stop yet." A starship soldier who was familiar with him greeted him with a smile.
Liu Zhao explained amiably, "I haven't been back to the main planet for a long time. I'm a little excited."
"I understand, I understand." The starship soldier winked at him again, "Do you want me to recommend a few bars to you? The omegas and betas there are quite exciting."
This star ship soldier often came into contact with Liu Zhao when transporting supplies or prisoners, so he was quite familiar with him. Knowing that Liu Zhao had a gentle temper, he started joking with him.
Liu Zhao waved his hands repeatedly and said, "No, no, I'm not interested in these."
The Starfleet troopers laughed.
After the starship came to a complete stop, the hatch opened and a long gangway lowered to the ground. Liu Zhao was the first to step out of the cabin, trotted down the gangway and boarded the shuttle bus.
It was already past ten o'clock in the evening and the ship yard was very remote, so he had to finally call a taxi at the terminal. As a result, before the car stopped completely, a man rushed out from the side and opened the door.
If it were an ordinary day, Liu Zhao would never fight for it and would just wait patiently for the next one. But it’s not possible today. Every minute and every second before meeting Xu was so long and difficult.
He couldn't wait any longer.
Liu Zhao stood at the door of the car, not letting the man get in, and said, "This is the car I called, you can call another one yourself."
The man looked Liu Zhao from head to toe.
He was not wearing a police uniform today, just an ordinary coat. The style was a bit outdated and old-fashioned, but he ironed it straight. The few small balls of hair on the cuffs were carefully trimmed off before leaving.
The leather shoes were the kind that middle-aged men generally loved. They had no special features and were a popular brand. Although there were a few wrinkles on the leather surface, they were brushed to a very bright finish.
The man glared at Liu Zhao fiercely, trying to scare this ordinary man away, but he was not afraid at all and even had a kind smile on his chubby face.
“Bad luck…” the man muttered, took his hand away from the car door and took two steps back.
Liu Zhao got into the taxi and closed the door.
"No. 12, Changda Street, Luya District, next to the Black Crow Bar." He couldn't wait to read out the place name that he had memorized by heart.
This is the place Xu rented in Sasu Star. He found a job in a nearby bar and worked while waiting for Liu Zhao's term of office to end.
The taxi headed towards the destination, and Liu Zhao sat in the car, feeling both expectant and excited. Xu worked the day shift today and is at home now. He is probably sitting on that old single sofa, drinking beer and watching today's news program.
He felt in his pocket, touched the hard room card, and held it in his hand.
He would open the door quietly, then stand at the door, looking at his lover with a smile. When Xu saw him for the first time, his face must have been full of surprise, and then he would laugh.
——Just like when she smiles every day, her eyes begin to curve from the corners, filled with surprise.
Liu Zhao looked at the neon lights on the street outside the window and couldn't help but smile.
"Sir, are you going to meet your omega? You are smiling so happily." The taxi driver asked, looking at him in the rearview mirror.
Although Liu Zhao is not young anymore, the longing and joy on his face can be seen at a glance by the driver who has seen countless people.
Liu Zhao wanted to say that it was his alpha lover, but he felt that there was no need to explain it so clearly, so he smiled and nodded and said, "Yes, go meet my lover."
The taxi drove into the lure area, then into a street that looked relatively narrow, and stopped on the side of the road.
The driver turned around and asked, "Sir, we've arrived at Changda Street. No. 12 is right inside, but the road is too narrow. I'm afraid it will be difficult to turn around after we drive in. How about you get off here and walk for a few minutes?"
Liu Zhao agreed very nicely, paid the fare and got out of the taxi.
In front is where Xu works, the Black Crow Bar, and the house he rents is next to the bar.
When Liu Zhao passed by the bar, he saw two security guards in black suits at the door. People were pushing the door in and out, and loud music floated out from inside.
Xu worked as a cleaner in a bar. Liu Zhao thought it was too messy and asked him to quit or find another job, but Xu refused.
"We need money to go to Chaya Star to buy a boat and a wooden house. Your salary alone is not enough. I have to save more. The bar pays high wages, and ordinary people are no match for me. They should be afraid of me. Don't worry." Xu comforted him.
Liu Zhao turned his head to look at the bar and continued walking forward, almost bumping into someone coming towards him.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He apologized hurriedly and took a step aside.
The person who bumped into him said nothing and continued walking forward without looking back. Liu Zhao went to pick up the luggage that had fallen to the ground, and when he looked up he subconsciously glanced at the man.
He was a tall and thin man wearing a beige windbreaker, with perfect body proportions.
When passing by the Black Crow Bar, he turned his head slightly to look over there. Liu Zhao saw his profile, with a high nose bridge casting a shadow on half of his face.
Although I couldn't see his exact features, I could tell from the blurry outline that he had a very good-looking appearance.
This was just a small episode and Liu Zhao didn't care about it. The small building that Xu rented had appeared in front of him. His heart began to pound, full of anticipation and excitement.
He ran a few steps and reached the bottom of the small building, then walked up to the second floor along the old iron escalator next to it, walking lightly.
There was a corridor on the second floor with single suites on both sides. Liu Zhao couldn't suppress the smile on his face and stopped at the door of Xu's room.
He changed hands and took out the room card from his pocket. Before he put the identifier on it, the door creaked slightly and opened a crack.
The sweet voice of the female news anchor came out from the crack of the door. Liu Zhao shook his head helplessly and put the room card away.
Xu is still so careless. He even forgets to lock the door even though he lives in an unsafe place like Changda Street.
He gently pushed the door open, and everything in the small room was visible at a glance.
On the left side of the room is a three-dimensional projection, showing today's Sasu main city news. The female anchor is explaining a car accident behind the scenes.
The sofa in front of the projection was empty, and there was a cup of hot tea on the coffee table in front of it, with white smoke rising from it.
A person was lying face down on the floor between the sofa and the coffee table.
Liu Zhao's luggage fell to the ground. He rushed over quickly, turned the man over, and Xu's bloodless face appeared before his eyes.
"Xu, Xu, what's wrong with you?" Liu Zhao patted his face gently, his voice trembling with fear.
His eyes swept across the floor where Xu had just been lying. There was a pool of sticky blood, so red that it was shocking.
Liu Zhao's gaze slowly moved downward and he saw a peanut-sized bullet hole at the position of Xu's heart on his left chest.
The bullet hole was still oozing blood, and the surrounding clothes were soaked through, a glaring blood color.
At that moment, Liu Zhao felt his whole body cold, as if he had fallen into an extremely cold ice cave. His heart stopped beating and was covered with thick white frost.
"Xu, Xu..." He trembled incoherently and tried to dial the terminal on his wrist. His hands were shaking so much that he failed to press the key correctly several times, so he finally used voice recognition.
"No. 12, Changda Street, Luya District, someone has been shot... No. 12, Changda Street, Luya District, please hurry up, someone has been shot..."
"Liu Zhao..." An inaudible voice sounded, and Xu opened his eyes slightly.
"Hey, I'm here, Xu, I'm here." Liu Zhao pressed his hand on the bullet hole, trying to stop the glaring red from seeping out, and said in a trembling voice, "Don't be afraid, the ambulance and emergency personnel will be here soon, don't be afraid."
"Liu Zhao..." Xu stared at the void with his dazed eyes and muttered.
Liu Zhao leaned down, put his mouth close to Xu's ear, and said hurriedly: "Xu, I'm here, I'm here, I'll stay with you."
Xu had already entered a state of confusion due to excessive blood loss, and he kept repeating the name of Liu Zhao in an almost inaudible voice.
"Don't talk, don't talk, I'm here." Liu Zhao's face was as pale as Xu's.
Xu stretched out his hand convulsively into the air, and was grabbed by Liu Zhao. He suddenly opened his eyes wide and mumbled something. Liu Zhao only heard the words "prison" and "Lonte people".
Xu used all his strength to utter words intermittently, blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, and his words were unclear.
Liu Zhao reached out to wipe the blood from his mouth, but the more he wiped, the more blood came out. He could only cry, "I know, I know, don't say anything..."
Xu's voice became smaller and smaller, with only his lips still slightly moving. Finally, his eyes completely lost their luster and stared blankly ahead.
"Xu, Xu..." Liu Zhao murmured, burying his head in his neck. The skin his cheek touched was still warm and had a familiar scent.
He knelt on the floor, holding Xu motionlessly. I don't know how much time had passed before I vaguely heard the sound of an ambulance, footsteps on the stairs, and someone talking next to me.
"Sir, please cooperate with our investigation. Who is the deceased? What happened here just now..."
"July 24th, there are less than two months left until he and I are reunited." Liu Zhao put the photo frame in his hand back into the drawer and slowly closed it.
There was silence in the small prison guard dormitory. Lan Yu and Lu Rankong remained silent after listening to his story.
After a long while, Liu Zhao continued in a hoarse voice: "After dealing with Xu's affairs, I thought about his words many times and came to the conclusion that there was a Longte in the prison, and that Longte killed him."
"I know this idea is ridiculous and no one will believe it, but apart from this, I can't find any other clues, so I renewed my contract with the prison. I want to stay here and find that person."
"I collected all the information about the Longte people, whether it was true or false, and analyzed it. So when I saw the painting in your cell, I knew it was of Qichu Star, but the three-legged gull was not. I have been keeping an eye on everyone in the prison, looking for any suspicious ones and then investigating them, but I haven't found that person yet."
He paused, then tilted his head and asked, "Can my telling of this experience prove that I am not from the Lonte star?"
Lan Yu met his painful eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and knew that every word he said was true. If all this deep sorrow was acted out, then I have been the best actor for so long in vain.
He glanced at Lu Rankong and replied, "I believe you are definitely not from the Longte star."
Lu Rankong said nothing, obviously agreeing with what he said.
"July 24th last year was more than half a year ago. In other words, the Longte starman who killed Xu was in prison half a year ago." Lu Rankong whispered: "He did not come here through the interstellar channel that was opened half a year ago."
Seeing that Liu Zhao had calmed down a bit, Lan Yu asked carefully, "Didn't you report this to your superiors later?"
Liu Zhao wiped his face and said, "I know that the Longte man is of great importance, and Xu also said that he was in prison, so I didn't dare to report it to anyone in the prison. I wrote a confidential letter and sent it directly to the upper echelons of the military through the channels I learned."
"That……"
"I didn't receive any response. The secret letter was lost in the sea." Liu Zhao lowered his eyes and looked at the drawer in front of him. He said calmly, "That's right. How could the military think that he met the legendary Longte star just based on Xu's few words? So I just went to look for him myself and wanted to find the Longte star."
He turned to look at Lan Yu and said in a hoarse voice: "I didn't expect the military to really send someone here. I didn't expect..."
Lan Yu knew that it was because the interstellar channel was opened that the military began to pay attention to it. He said, "We came here this time because the military received a report that the blood of the Longte people was found in the A mine. According to calculations, the time was April 13th. Do you remember this incident?"
"April 13th, April 13th..." Liu Zhao frowned and fell into memories.
A rumbling sound came from the sky, interrupting Liu Zhao's memories. A bright light was shining outside the window, and the three of them could not help but look out of the window.
A huge starship slowly passed overhead, and one could see the black metal belly reflecting bright light. That was the thick layer of ice that formed on the surface as it traveled through space.
The starship flew over the prison, illuminating the area below as bright as day, and also illuminating the prison guard office building dozens of meters away opposite.
There was no one working there at night, and the lights in the entire building were off. Only the windows were open and the glass was shining.
The rumbling sound gradually faded away, and the starship slowly flew to the pad not far away and landed.
Lu Rankong looked at the office building opposite, took a few steps back, and said, "Don't stand near the windows."
Lan Yu knew that this was out of caution, so she and Liu Zhao stepped back and closed the curtains.
"The starship that's delivering the supplies has arrived." Liu Zhao explained to the two of them, "After the starship delivers the supplies, it will leave soon. The next time it comes will be a month later."
"We're leaving soon." Lan Yu sighed unconsciously and turned to look at Liu Zhao.
Liu Zhao was also looking at him, but when their eyes met, he immediately looked away.
Lan Yu felt a little surprised. No matter now or in other days, Liu Zhao would always look at her intentionally or unintentionally, and sometimes even say a few words deliberately.
"Officer Liu, do you know me?" he asked suddenly.
Liu Zhao was stunned for a moment, then replied, "Colonel K, I don't know you."
"Then you..." Lan Yu didn't finish the rest of his words, but Liu Zhao reacted instantly and understood what he meant.
He was silent for a moment and then spoke with some difficulty, as if he was choosing his words carefully, "The night Xu was murdered, when I passed by the Black Crow Bar, didn't I bump into someone?"
"Hmm..." Lan Yu remembered what he said. Between the Black Crow Bar and Xu's residence, he almost bumped into a man in a windbreaker.
"When I saw Xu, he had just been shot, no more than five minutes ago. And along the way, I didn't meet anyone else except the man in the windbreaker who bumped into me."
Lan Yu had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.
Sure enough, Liu Zhao glanced at him and said hesitantly: "When you first arrived at the prison, I noticed that your back and profile were very similar to that man."
Lu Rankong couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say you didn't see that person's face clearly?"
"Yes, because I didn't pay attention at the time, it was very difficult to find that person later. I couldn't describe his appearance at all. Later, I found an acquaintance to check the surveillance footage, and it turned out that many of the surveillance footage in that section were broken. The only footage that was left showed the person with his head down, so I couldn't see his face clearly. But the moment I saw K, I felt that he should be very similar to that person." Liu Zhao said.
Seeing that Lan Yu had no expression, but Lu Rankong looked unhappy, he added, "But when I saw Xu was shot, my mind was blank. I didn't bother to see if there were other people nearby. I even forgot to search the building. If the murderer is hiding somewhere, maybe he left afterwards."
Officer Liu lowered his head in regret, then raised his eyes after a moment and asked hopefully, "Colonel K, was it you that I met that night? Were you on Sasu Star at that time? If so, did you discover anything at that time?"
In July last year, Lan Yu had not come here at all, so he could not say whether he was there or not. He only said vaguely: "I don't remember..."
"Indeed, for what happened last year, even if I met you at that time, you were probably just passing by, so it's normal that you don't remember it." Liu Zhao smiled bitterly, and his voice sounded very depressed.
Instantly he perked up and continued the topic he had just started: "Let me think about what I was doing on April 13th."
After saying that, he opened the terminal in his hand and checked the memo inside.
"There will be a prison meeting on March 20th... A colleague asked for leave on March 28th, so I will take his place... The prison will start a study session on April 10th..." Liu Zhao swiped up the virtual screen quickly, muttering to himself.
"April 13th, April 13th, I should be on vacation that day." He walked to the desk in front of the window and flipped through the work schedule inside. "Let me see what's going on that day."
Pulling out a work schedule, he began to look through it toward the window, his shadow falling on the curtains.
Lu Rankong was just about to remind him to retreat to the window when he heard a gunshot outside. The window glass shattered at the same time, and the curtains fluttered slightly.
The moment Lu Rankong heard the gunshot, he rushed to the window, squatted behind the wall, lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out, and Liu Zhao also squatted down.
After waiting for a few seconds, there was no more gunfire, so Lu Rankong asked, "Are you okay?"
"It's okay..." Lan Yu also squatted down and rushed to the other side of the window to look out.
"Where is Officer Liu?" Lu Rankong asked.
Liu Zhao did not reply.
Lan Yu suddenly turned her head and saw Liu Zhao kneeling on the ground, slowly spreading out his hands that were covering his chest.
The palm of his hand was blood red, and on the clothes on his chest, a dark mark was spreading rapidly.
Then he slowly fell to the ground.
In his vague consciousness, Liu Zhao felt that he stepped onto a narrow iron escalator. He walked and looked around while carrying his luggage and stopped in front of a door.
The door was painted mottled, there was a scratch on the handle, everything looked familiar.
He found that the door was not closed, and the sweet voice of the news anchor could be heard, as well as the sound of teacups clinking on the coffee table.
He was having trouble breathing and pushed the door open with trembling hands.
The floor lamp in the corner emits orange light, making the whole room bright and warm.
There was a person sitting on the old sofa. When I turned around and looked at him, my face was filled with disbelief at first, and then I started laughing.
——The eyes begin to bend from the corners of the eyes, full of surprises.
"thread……"
Liu Zhao's face was pressed against the cold floor, revealing a faint smile.
The author has something to say: Liu Zhao will not die.
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