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墨書 Inktalez
"To be honest," Captain Gao said as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, taking out two. He looked around, lit them, and tossed one to me. I caught it in my left hand without looking and put it in my mouth. Captain Gao continued, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed. There really is a Smiling Face; you're quite the old smoker. Usually, I just toss it in without looking."
I remained silent.
"Your observation skills are quite sharp; the Special Investigation Team really suits you," Captain Gao took a deep drag from his cigarette and added, "Without this evidence, I suppose you wouldn't have been able to catch me, would you?"
I shrugged noncommittally.
Captain Gao smirked and said, "Now you're trying to play it cool with me? Haha. But I think there really is no crime in this world that is flawless. From the very beginning, I suspected today would come. Honestly, I'm not being a Monday morning quarterback; otherwise, those six fugitives wouldn't have ended up dead at my hands. I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. I promised my wife and daughter that after this case was over, I'd take a week off to spend time with them."
"You know, life is full of disappointments; people can only share their troubles with a few," Captain Gao reflected.
I took a puff of my cigarette and replied, "There are some things that shouldn't be said. Don't you usually watch TV? For example, saying 'after this job, I'm done' or 'this is my last mission before retirement.' Or showing off pictures of your wife and kids—those always end badly. So I advise you not to show me..."
I stopped Captain Gao from pulling out pictures of his family. He chuckled and said, "You seem to have a pretty laid-back job. I haven't had the chance to watch TV in ages. My wife is beautiful, and my child is adorable. You should take a look; if you don't, it's your loss." With that, he pressed the photo against his chest, closed his eyes, and continued, "But if you marry that forensic doctor, I doubt you'll be able to handle her."
"You think I'm like you, doing housework while dealing with corpses? In my opinion, men shouldn't do those chores..." I countered. "And honestly, I could easily find a hundred ways to make her submit to me. You must be under your wife's thumb at home."
"Of course she manages things," Captain Gao replied. "Out here I'm the leader; at home she calls the shots. When you've been in charge for so long, it's good to let someone else take the reins. Enough of this chit-chat; let's get down to business. That V Mask was something I unconsciously drew on; I imagine you've figured out quite a bit from that mask."
I nodded and said, "Honestly, once I saw that mask, I had a feeling this case wouldn't be as simple as we thought. Mary made it clear: pursuing justice without scruples. As for Wang Kang and Zhao Wei—I'd never believe they had such resolve. To put it bluntly, do you really think what you're doing is just? Since you know those people are fugitives, why not just arrest them? Why resort to murder?"
"Sometimes I feel that simply capturing them doesn't relieve the hatred in my heart," Captain Gao gazed into the falling snow with a distant look in his eyes and said, "I've been chasing them for quite some time now. Do you know what crimes they committed? A ten-year-old girl—rape and murder—blood everywhere—all for revenge against a police officer."
"That officer was my mentor," Captain Gao continued. "Can you understand that kind of feeling?"
His words suddenly reminded me of Captain Shi and Wang Gang; it's been almost three years without any news about them. Speaking of which, Captain Shi was my mentor too—I understood that feeling all too well. I nodded and sighed, "Perhaps I do understand."
Captain Gao seemed pleased and then said, "My mentor once sent them to prison; because of that, when they got out..." At this point, tears welled up in his eyes as he frowned, seemingly trying to hold back his emotions. "After that incident happened, my sister-in-law couldn't take it anymore—she committed suicide."
"I've never hated anyone like that before; I'd love nothing more than to peel their skin off and eat their flesh while draining their blood," Captain Gao trembled all over as if wanting to expel all the pent-up frustration within him. "Catching them and sentencing them to death? That's too easy for them! Later on, I learned about the Pentagram's curse of murder—I cursed them to suffer endlessly in this world’s worst torments for eternity and fall into hell!"
"A few years ago, I found out Wang Kang hired those people; so I went all out to infiltrate their group. Finally recently, I killed all six of them and then dismembered them—stitched them together because they liked working as a group! Now they'll be together forever! Haha!" Captain Gao laughed—a raspy sound that tore through the air.
"Do you believe it?" I asked calmly.
"I don't believe it, but I have to do it for those who do!" Captain Gao said, enunciating each word.
In life, one must have a belief. Traditional Chinese culture emphasizes cause and effect; many people believe in it, leading to followers and those who repent after overstepping. Nowadays, people believe in money and power, resulting in social disharmony. Compared to that, the concepts of ghosts and karma seem more tangible. Suddenly, I recalled a passage I had read years ago, and countless thoughts surged within me, yet I found myself unable to articulate a single word.
Seeing my silence, Captain Gao didn't say anything further, allowing the snowflakes to fall upon him. The cold was biting, and the pain from his broken bones was unbearable. After finally recovering from the explosion, he felt his consciousness beginning to fade. I hurriedly lit a cigarette, hoping to stay awake, only to find that the snowflakes had already soaked it and extinguished the flame.
"Say something," Captain Gao trembled as he spoke to me.
"What should I say?" I replied. Without uttering a word, pain surged through my chest with every movement of my ribs. Yet, I felt somewhat numb; I knew this wasn't a good sign—it meant I could faint at any moment. I struggled to control my body's movements, but it seemed my body no longer accepted my commands.
Captain Gao closed his eyes, his mouth still moving: "Anything will do; just say something. I've heard that when a person is about to die, everything goes dark before their eyes. If no one speaks, it's too lonely. Really, I don't know if everyone feels this way—everything goes dark, and there's no end in sight."
"You should keep walking down this path. It's time for me to go where I need to be. Don't lose your true self like I did. Goodbye..."
I didn't understand what Captain Gao meant; something felt off. However, my consciousness was gradually fading as well. I wanted to speak but found myself unable to form words. In the haze, a photograph drifted down beside me—a young and beautiful woman holding a small girl who pouted as if avoiding the camera...
When I woke up again, several faces were hovering above me, startling me. Mary shouted loudly, "Doctor! He's awake..." Juan Juan playfully tapped Mary's head and said, "No need to call the doctor; there's a forensic expert right in front of you. He won't die; he's got a strong constitution..."
"Heh heh." I cracked my dry lips and said, "If you were here to see me, I'd really be dead by now. I've never seen a forensic expert treat a living person..." As I spoke, pain coursed through my entire body as if it were falling apart: "How long has it been since the surgery? How many days have I been unconscious?"
"I've never seen a patient with such severe injuries wake up so rationally," one doctor approached me after examining me thoroughly. "The surgery was successful; however, it looks like you'll need to stay in bed for a while." With that, he left without another word.
Mary said, "If he were an ordinary person, he wouldn't have made it into the Special Investigation Team."
Juan Juan used medical cotton balls to moisten my lips. Swallowing felt like a struggle; I asked, "What happened to Captain Gao?"
Everyone exchanged glances as if reluctant to answer that question. Yan Junde finally spoke up: "Captain Gao sacrificed himself. When we found you two, you were already unconscious; Captain Gao had already passed away—his back was blown apart by the explosion—and with the weather being so cold... sigh."
I couldn't help but recall Captain Gao's last words to me; he must have known he wouldn't make it through. I said, "He actually shouldn't have died. If he hadn't shielded me at that moment, it should have been me who died." After a moment of silence, I continued asking, "How did this case conclude?"
Yan Junde said, "Killer, Wang Kang, and Zhao Wei committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Captain Gao died in the line of duty, and the explosion left the place unrecognizable; we couldn't even identify the bodies. However, based on the evidence we have gathered, we can secure a conviction. Fortunately, those who died this time were all fugitives, and we have received commendations from above. Still, I can't help but feel a bit unsatisfied that I didn't personally catch Killer."
I nodded in silence.
"A week later, the Police Department will hold Captain Gao's funeral," Mary said.
On the day of the funeral, it was crowded with people.
I could only sit in a wheelchair. I handed a document to the Director. After reading it, the Director sighed deeply and patted my shoulder, saying, "The matter is in the past. Sometimes the truth is something most people don't want to see. Look at Captain Gao's wife and daughter; how sorrowful they are... This will become a secret between you, me, and Captain Gao."
"Heroes never fade away; their spirits endure forever," the host announced. "One of Captain Gao's colleagues is here with us today; let's invite him to say a few words." Unbeknownst to me, the Director pushed me onto the stage. Looking out at the sea of dark-clad faces below, I truly didn't know what to say.
Captain Gao always said that the darkness lasted too long. I had always been silent, unsure how to counter that sentiment. Suddenly, a thought struck me: "If I had never seen the sun, I could have endured the darkness. But one cannot grow accustomed to darkness and defend it. Thank you."
The crowd listened in confusion, not understanding my words, but that statement was never meant for them anyway.
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