Chapter 103:“ Why didn’t he make it before, but he’s making it now?”

After the matter was settled, Chu Zu immediately retreated to the sea of consciousness, and relinquished control to "Catch Me If You Can" to take over Zu Qian.

Under the system's continuous patching, "Catch Me If You Can" was already quite perfect, and the added code was more than the source code.

He was very curious about Guanfu's reaction.

The little yellow chicken was also almost done with its work.

It had rejected the other side's cowlick little chicken's connection requests, which were full of "gentle and refined" language, several times in a row, and was now observing with the host.

After observing for less than two seconds, the little yellow chicken let out a "huh".

“He's adding a character design to Meng Yu'an.”

Chu Zu: “Let me see. What did he add?”

***

Meng Yu'an had always felt that even on the Financial Street, Zu Qisheng and Zu Qian were not as they were rumored to be.

He didn't know Zu Qian very well.

The one he had really spent more than half a year with was his older brother, Zu Qisheng.

Zu Qisheng was a very good child.

He knew that he was living under someone else's roof and wouldn't cause trouble.

Even if he was not very comfortable, he would still act stable.

Meng Yu'an was a rough man.

He could get by.

If it weren't for the person in his house, he would have wanted to live in the bureau and rely on the cafeteria auntie for his daily life.

He didn't know how to raise children.

Zu Qisheng knew how to raise himself.

At that time, Zu Qisheng was only 15 years old, and he had organized Meng Yu'an's home in an orderly manner.

Before the case was tried, he couldn't go to school, nor could he see his younger brother.

The way he passed the time was by watching TV and movies.

He tried to live like a normal child who had never had an accident, with a little bit of independence and a little bit of thoughtfulness.

He often mentioned his younger brother, saying that little Zu was a stupid child.

The characteristic of a stupid child was that you had to tell him what to do, and you shouldn't talk to him about big principles.

He couldn't listen to reason, but he would be obedient.

Zu Qisheng often said that little Zu needed someone a little older to lead him.

It didn't matter if he was long-winded.

He would repeat it over and over again.

He found it annoying, but he was really obedient.

Meng Yu'an found it strange and said, you can't always tie him to your belt, can you?

He's only a few years younger than you.

Zu Qisheng said, not always.

Little Zu was too young when he went to the factory and didn't know anything.

When he had lived in a normal society for a period of time, and his age had also come up.

When he no longer needed others' advice to live a good life, he would let little Zu be independent.

Zu Qisheng also said that for the time being, it was fine to just treat the two brothers as one person.

The brain would not dislike the clumsy limbs, and the limbs would not think that the brain's instructions were superfluous.

Meng Yu'an didn't receive that phone call.

He had a fever for a few days and was sent to the hospital for an IV drip by his colleagues.

After he woke up, he began to deal with the backlog of work.

The missed calls filled the communication records.

He remembered that his phone seemed to have been ringing for a long time.

Later, the battery died and it automatically shut down.

There must have been more that didn't get through.

Dealing with them one by one consumed as much energy as having a fever.

The work at the bureau was also piling up.

The new young people had caused a lot of trouble.

His colleagues had helped to solve some of it, and the rest was left for him, the "master," to scold.

There was a strange call that he couldn't get through no matter what.

Meng Yu'an was a very serious person.

The work he did also required him to be rigorous.

Even if a telecommunication scammer had accidentally fallen into his trap, he had to ask clearly what was so important.

Later, Meng Yu'an checked this strange number.

The police had no authority to use their authority in private matters, but he had found it.

Because Zu Qisheng was recorded in the file, the information was easy to find.

The officials would conduct regular follow-up visits, and the colleague in charge of this area had his number in his phone.

After knowing the other party's identity, Meng Yu'an had tried to contact Zu Qisheng repeatedly, but to no avail.

He was not at ease.

He had gone to Zu Qisheng's and Zu Qian's school to ask.

The teachers also didn't know where they had gone.

They all said that they couldn't be contacted, and they had also reported it to the police.

The local police were also in a difficult position.

“Their parents owed loan sharks and disappeared without a trace. It’s hard to say where these two children have gone. We’ve also been investigating if it’s across regions.”

Meng Yu'an had followed the address and found their previous residence.

According to the navigation, he had walked from the park to the bustling street.

The crowd was surging.

He had brushed past the crowd and walked towards a deeper and more remote corner.

A highly modernized city also had places that were difficult to see the light.

The old residential building hidden in the shadows was surrounded by withered trees.

It was hard to tell if the leaves had all fallen off, or if they couldn't grow at all.

The two brothers had subsidies, but it seemed that they were all used for other things, or they were squandered by their two gambling-addicted parents.

Otherwise, they would not have lived in such a place.

Meng Yu'an had found the place at dusk.

This small community was like a building stuck on the edge of a deep ravine, divided into mottled fragments by the faint light.

No matter how small the fragments were, they couldn't escape the deep ravine and were blocked by the bared-teeth withered branches.

The brothers room was on a higher floor.

The external rusty iron stairs were unstable.

One step down would make a creaking sound.

The corridor was actually the place with the best lighting.

After entering the corridor, all the warm yellow was blocked.

The various small advertisement flyers on the wall were blurred by the humid environment.

There was also a surrogacy advertisement written in red paint, which was crossed out with a line, and below it was neatly written: fake, don't go.

Meng Yu'an recognized this handwriting.

Before, Zu Qisheng had written many words in his small notebook: who he had received a gift from, what kind of gift, and when he had received it.

His handwriting was easy to recognize.

It was clear that he had practiced.

It was neat, with a very light stroke.

There were actually not many households in this building.

It was not in the demolition plan, and the current urban planning did not have a place for it.

As long as life was not so bad, those who could leave had already left.

The brothers' room was also easy to recognize.

The outside of the door was full of various large red characters, expressing one meaning in crude or intermittent words: pay back the money.

The red paint dried slowly.

Every character was dragged out by gravity into a red mark like a tearstain.

The characters connected the iron door and the wall, like a Taoist's ghost-drawn talismans, which was meant to make the people inside die a terrible death.

Meng Yu'an had gotten the key from the landlord in advance.

The key was stuck in the keyhole for a long time and couldn't be turned.

He had to lift the handle to lift the door up to get it to catch the lock.

The room was pitch black.

Because the electricity bill had not been paid, the lights could not be turned on.

Meng Yu'an turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it inside.

He wanted to find a window.

The room was facing away from the sunset, so if he opened the window, he would be able to see the light.

He did indeed find it.

It was drawn with an oil-based pen.

A window was drawn on each of the four square walls.

The handwriting was crooked.

The sun was drawn on the left window, and the stars were drawn on the right window.

There were also two windows with flower pots drawn on them.

There were no flowers in the flower pots.

He got closer to look.

There were two bamboo skewers stuck in the position of the flower pots, the very common kind on the market, used to skewer sausages.

There was a sticky note on the floor, which should have fallen off due to poor adhesion.

It was written: Plant two sausages in the spring, and harvest two handfuls of sausages in the autumn.

It wasn't Zu Qisheng’s handwriting, so it could only be Zu Qian’s.

When Meng Yu'an was on duty, he would often investigate various residences.

The furnishings and layout of the room could show the owner’s personality or living habits.

It was the same now.

He held his phone's light and fumbled along the wall, bit by bit.

Dust fell down, and a damp, musty smell entered his nostrils.

He touched an iron frame, which was covered with a plastic bag.

He lifted the plastic bag, and inside were a few sets of school uniforms.

Next to the iron frame was a bed.

The sheets were a little damp, and there was still the smell of soap on them.

After fumbling around for a while, Meng Yu'an finally sat down at the short table.

On the table were piles of various textbooks, as well as a few plastic bags, which contained moldy steamed buns.

And, a phone with three corners of the screen broken.

He knew this was Zu Qisheng’s phone.

At that time, in order to make it convenient to contact him, he had given his old phone to Zu Qisheng; it wouldn't respond no matter how he pressed it.

Meng Yu'an had brought a power bank and tried to charge it.

After a while, the phone turned on.

The screen was the system's default.

No third-party software was installed.

The SMS icon had a red dot of 999+, and when he opened it, it was full of various advertisements, with a few reminders to pay the electricity bill.

Meng Yu'an hesitated for a while, but still opened the call log.

The first line was 185****6732 (65)

The meaning was very direct.

On the left was the number that had been dialed but had not been connected, and on the right was the number of times it had been dialed.

Before Meng Yu'an’s phone had died automatically, it had only shown three missed calls from this number.

That is to say, apart from the first three, for the next sixty-two times, all the feedback would be: the number you have dialed is switched off.

Meng Yu'an sat quietly for a long time.

This house was very strange.

At first, you would feel that the environment was harsh.

After sitting for a long time, you would start to feel anxious.

After a while, you wouldn't feel anything at all.

Had they always lived in such an environment?

Leaving school, diving into the hustle and bustle, and then leaving the hustle and bustle, coming back at sunset, and climbing the rusty stairs into the damp and dark?

Meng Yu'an had always thought that Zu Qisheng was a very opinionated person.

He was very sensitive, and also very sharp.

He could know what was good for him and adjust himself accordingly.

What had he learned from those movies and TV shows?

Apart from the habit of making an IOU for the gifts he received, what else had he learned?

Meng Yu'an actually knew nothing about him.

He had left his phone number and said that he would help if he could.

Zu Qisheng was very stubborn.

He had never contacted him.

When he really needed to, Meng Yu'an had failed to keep his promise.

Zu Qisheng was a very good child.

Whether he was imitating and learning to be a normal person or not, his various actions and measures all showed one fact: he wanted to integrate into society.

Society would accept him, but the threshold was too high.

He couldn't reach it.

He couldn't even reach it.

How could his younger brother possibly reach it?

Meng Yu'an felt very powerless.

Investigating these things was not a heavy burden for him.

The conclusions he had drawn were far from being as dangerous as in other cases.

Just the deduction would make people furious, or horrified.

Everything he saw was very quiet, just like the impression that Zu Qisheng had left behind, very quiet, silent.

After that, every time Meng Yu'an saw a red advertisement, or heard the creaking sound of an iron frame, he would recall some things, or some smells.

Like the damp, musty smell that had just been buried in the soft soil on a gloomy and rainy day when the sun was lost.

Just like now.

The victim had become the perpetrator, holding a knife in his hand.

This was not the first time Meng Yu'an had seen Zu Qian "commit a crime," but his expression was completely different.

He had been much crazier when he was a child.

There was not much flesh on his palm-sized face.

When he got fierce, he actually looked like he was crying.

His eyes would also glance at his brother from time to time.

Now Zu Qian was very calm.

Just like his brother, it was difficult to find any mood on his face.

Meng Yu'an couldn't help but think, it was this madman, who was famous among the players for his fierceness, who had drawn windows on the wall, had drawn the sun, the moon, and the stars, and also the sausages in the flower pots.

The smell of blood on him was very strong, but it couldn't cover the smell in Meng Yu'an’s memory.

The fresh, damp, musty smell.

***

“This and the previous specialist’s work don’t seem to be any different?”

The system pouted, “It’s all about using the missed phone call to create Meng Yu'an’s ‘regret’.”

Chu Zu had handled it very vaguely before, using Zu Qian’s perspective, leaving a lot of room for revision.

Now it was being used by Guanfu.

This matter was related to Meng Yu'an, and Guanfu could also use the settings to supplement the full picture of the events at that time.

“Look at the result.”

Chu Zu said, “If it were the previous specialist, he would have only revealed it at the very end, and would have recalled the past after big Zu had broken down.”

“At that time, the matter was already a foregone conclusion. Recalling the past was just recalling the past.”

He smiled, “Maybe he would even come up with some golden sentences like ‘how did you become this kind of person’.”

The little yellow chicken said seriously: “Then I would really spit on him.”

Chu Zu: “It’s not the end yet. Even the second economic law hasn’t been revised. Now, mentioning that phone call, the purpose is not to lament the impermanence of the world, but the strong motivation for Meng Yu'an’s current behavior.”

His tone was a little regretful: “If it had been a big Zu who was clear-headed, the effect might have been better, but in front of him is little Zu.”

The little yellow chicken thought for a moment: “Actually, I always feel that little Zu would be easier to talk to. Big Zu looks like he can be moved, but it’s very difficult to figure out what he’s thinking.”

“It’s better not to figure it out. If he’s in the villain’s position, the readers only need to look at his words and actions. There’s more room for interpretation, and it doesn’t seem pretentious.”

Chu Zu did not hesitate to praise, and scratched the little yellow chicken's chin.

“You know so much now.”

The little yellow chicken said humbly: “No, no, I actually don’t understand. It’s because you revised it well.”

“But you said moved…”

Chu Zu said, “It’s not that little Zu can’t be moved, but the premise is that he can’t beat you, otherwise he will go berserk and start chopping people when he can’t argue back and his older brother is no exception.”

Can Meng Yu'an beat Zu Qian?

The little yellow chicken began to wonder if it should appropriately adjust "Master Wang."

Sigh, it was all its fault.

Its operating speed was too high, and the cowlick little chicken on the other side couldn't compare.

***

Zu Qian made the first move.

A person holding a knife often has a deterrent force that is far greater than a person holding a gun.

On the one hand, this was because guns were banned in China, and people knew very little about firearms, but almost everyone knew the sharpness of a knife.

On the other hand, a knife was a cold weapon, and the contact with the body was more direct.

The thought of a knife cutting into flesh and tearing skin would make people feel a stronger sense of fear.

And, using a knife meant that the attacker had to get close to the victim.

The threat of a close-range aggressive act was greater.

Zu Qian’s stab at Meng Yu'an was very swift.

His movements were small and compact.

The knife cut a small arc of light in the air.

Meng Yu'an had to hold his breath to avoid it.

In just a few seconds, several exchanges had already ended.

A few times, the tip of the knife was only a few centimeters away from his throat or chest.

The slaughter in the game last time had already been enough to prove Zu Qian’s strength.

His skills were very baffling.

There was no formed system, nor did it belong to street fighting.

It was more like a killer who often took people's lives had found the doorway.

Meng Yu'an had originally been running, so his stamina was depleted.

The narrow space of the corridor made it very difficult to avoid the attacks.

After a few times, he was already beginning to lose his strength.

Meng Yu'an simply took the opportunity to rush into the door.

He had seen it clearly.

Zu Qian was completely going for him.

He no longer had Yu Yan in his heart.

It would be safer to bring him inside.

He also saw Zu Qisheng on the sofa.

The young man who was lying down was breathing very shallowly.

Half of his face was covered by his hair, and the exposed half was as pale as a corpse, looking very weak.

As he was looking, Zu Qian directly threw the knife.

He had used all his strength to find an angle to dodge.

As soon as he dodged, the knife went straight for the sofa, and finally, it was stuck in the cushion, only one centimeter away from Zu Qisheng.

For a moment, the room was silent for a few seconds.

The two clear-headed people were both frozen and did not move.

Meng Yu'an reacted very quickly.

He knew he wouldn't get the better of him.

In a hurry, he rushed straight for the sofa.

Before Zu Qian could, he pulled out the knife and stood next to the unconscious young man.

Finally, Zu Qian, whose actions were as precise as a killing machine, chose to stop.

For the time being.

“Get away.”

Zu Qian’s eyes were even colder.

Meng Yu'an was covered in sweat.

He was panting heavily, one hand on the back of the sofa.

This was obviously a threat to Zu Qian, as if he were using his older brother as a condition.

“I just came to ask some questions so you don’t have to react so strongly.”

Meng Yu'an didn't mention the matter of Zu Qian attacking Yu Yan.

Zu Qian was too tense.

This was not the time to provoke him.

“I don’t have to react so strongly?”

Zu Qian chewed on these words, “Do I need you to plan my reaction?”

The knife in Meng Yu'an’s hand turned half a circle, and finally, he held it in a reverse grip, the tip of the knife pointed at himself.

He raised both hands, a clear gesture of surrender.

“I remember the Financial Street doesn’t allow acts of harm.”

What he didn't say was, why don't you calm down too?

“We met in that restaurant. I had a meal with Zu Qisheng. At that time, I had just come to Financial Street.”

Meng Yu'an said, “I saw your game before the meal, that game of rock, paper, scissors do you remember me?”

Zu Qian: “Now I remember.”

He sneered, “Officer Meng, right?”

“I’m not a detective anymore. Now I’m just a civil servant who gets a meager salary and muddles along.”

“There are no civil servants on the Financial Street.”

“Then I’m just an ordinary player, like an ordinary player, coming to Mr. Zu for help.”

“I thought you were here to provide help.”

Zu Qian said sarcastically, “The Financial Street is really an interesting and good place. All sorts of strange things can happen.”

Meng Yu'an still had enough composure and judgment.

“If you need help, I will do my best. If not, then just treat it as a strange thing.”

He said, “No matter what you want to do tonight, as you can see, I actually can’t stop you. I can only delay time. Will you knock out your brother a second time?”

Zu Qian’s face darkened.

At this moment, Meng Yu'an clearly realized that composure and judgment were sometimes useless.

It was completely useless to reason with Zu Qian.

In front of him, there was no right or wrong.

He would operate in the mode that was most comfortable for him.

Meng Yu'an made a decision in an instant and took the initiative to go forward, wanting to control him.

But just as his hand was raised, the knife fell to the carpet.

Zu Qian looked down at him.

“You can kill me, but you can’t kill people.”

Meng Yu'an said quickly, “You and your brother.”

“I said, get away.”

Zu Qian said and kicked him in the lower abdomen.

He didn't hold back at all.

Meng Yu'an was in excruciating pain.

Countless fragments flashed in his mind.

Zu Qisheng’s prediction had all come to nothing.

His younger brother had not been able to live in a normal society.

Now that he was an adult, this was the independent judgment he had made.

Zu Qian stepped on Meng Yu'an’s shoulder, flipped him over, squatted down himself, and held the knife to the side of his face, smiling at him.

It was the same face as Zu Qisheng’s, but without any refinement.

It had a hint of mischief, and a gloating smile.

“I’m not good at interrogation, is that what you call it? It doesn’t matter.”

Zu Qian moved the blade to Meng Yu'an’s wrist and said.

“I couldn’t fight at first either. The players taught me. You know, there are always times when you’re unlucky and you run into a game that promotes violence.”

“At that time, I asked my brother, do we still have to be law-abiding? He said, whatever.”

“Then I started to learn. Fighting is something you don’t have to think about. There’s no such thing as teaching. As long as you get beaten up enough, you can get the hang of it.”

“If you can’t remember the moves, then remember the pain. Remember every nightmare that has no end, until you can also become a nightmare.”

“Can interrogation be a synonym for a nightmare?”

He asked.

Meng Yu'an endured the cold sweat.

He glanced at Zu Qisheng:

“No, what do you want to ask?”

“It’s like this, Officer Meng. We’re not in a game right now. Logically, you and I have no conflict. But you came very quickly, and at just the right time. It’s easy for me to think of some bad things.”

Zu Qian said, “Tell me, why didn’t you make it before, but you’re making it now?”

Meng Yu'an was silent.

The moment the phone rang, his heart skipped a beat.

Then the door opened, and Zu Qisheng’s assistant stood in front of him.

Did he make it?

It seemed so.

Meng Yu'an’s work was like that.

Most of the time, they were rushing around, dutifully reducing the possibility of tragedy, or putting a period on a tragedy that had already happened.

Arresting one more suspect was equal to saving countless more people.

It also often happened that they didn’t make it.

They couldn’t decide that everything would develop in the best possible way.

A detective’s psychological quality had to be high.

He had to have empathy, but he couldn’t be swallowed by empathy.

But Zu Qisheng’s phone call was not a missed opportunity.

It wasn't that he didn't make it.

How could there be a missed opportunity that had lasted for so many years?

What was that?

Meng Yu'an didn't know either.

If he had been considerate enough, and had really cared about the child he had taken care of, he should have communicated often.

Just a phone call, just visiting them more often.

How much effort would that have taken?

He knew how strange this pair of brothers was.

A strange child plus unrepentant parents.

The following story was simply written clearly.

He just hadn't done anything, and had only realized it afterwards.

And until now, he didn't know if he was regretting what he hadn't done, or if he was simply unable to bear the pressure of this matter and was trying to find a way to make himself feel better.

“If you think I’ve made it now…”

Meng Yu'an said, “Then can you let me help you?”

It wasn't because he wanted to salvage it, or for any other purpose.

He was no longer a detective.

He had a mission.

Logically, he should have prioritized.

If he still wanted to take risks and solve the conflict that he had not been able to solve many years ago, then there might be only one reason.

He was just tormented by that smell for too long.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.