"You are so selfish, wanting to implicate so many people just for your own dying thrill, and wanting us to be buried with you. People like you deserve to die!" Liu Yuning, who was interrogating alongside, suddenly said.
"I confess, I can just go back inside. Anyway, there's nowhere willing to take me after I get out. Society always tells us to mend our ways and start anew, but as soon as you've been to prison, as soon as employers see a criminal record on your file, they won't hire you. People who have been to prison can't truly change; the so-called 're-shaping' is all a lie!"
"Perhaps you're right, but that's still better than dying. If you die, you won't even have a chance to start over!"
"Officer He, don't some dangerous individuals, if they don't die, will only harm more people?"
"That's why the law considers extenuating circumstances. Given your situation, it would be at most ten years before you get out."
"Haha, ten more years. A large part of my life has been spent in prison, it's truly ironic. Actually, I was only released not long ago."
Xue Hongshen let out a few cold laughs and closed his eyes, as if he didn't care anymore. Liu Yuning and I could only stand up and leave the interrogation room. Upon exiting, we learned that the others had also confessed, their statements similar to Xue Hongshen's. I instructed them to hand the cases over to the procuratorate.
Thus, we had successfully resolved another dangerous incident. However, Du Yuting's accomplices were still at large, meaning these dangerous events would continue.
Two days later, the third team recovered another bomb. He Xin seemed to be making a breakthrough as well, tracking the information of the postal senders. She inadvertently discovered that they always tampered with nearby surveillance cameras. We went to Xue Hongshen's dormitory. While inspecting the hallway and stairwell surveillance, we found no suspicious individuals.
"Before they tamper with the cameras, they implant some special data into the nearby systems. During this time, their locations are exposed. I used a special software to pinpoint some locations. Look, the places they mailed from, when combined, form some kind of symbol?"
Liu Yuning and I leaned closer to the computer screen, observing intently. The more we looked, the more we realized it was the symbol of the Polaris organization, the Big Dipper pattern.
"Now the head and hands of the Big Dipper have been located, meaning only the feet and abdomen remain. Although these two positions are not explicitly shown, analysis based on the constellation's pattern matches," Liu Yuning said.
"Yes, He Xin, check what those two locations in Fuming City are."
He Xin was already busy, but Yuan Hezhan was faster. "Team Leader He, Captain Liu, it's done. We have the cemetery on Donghe Street and the amusement park on Fulong Road. With these, the pattern will be complete."
"Right, send people there immediately!" I commanded. Liu Yuning sprang into action, and we divided into two groups. I took the cemetery, while Liu Yuning went to the amusement park.
As I arrived at the cemetery with Xiao Yuande and many police officers, it was eerily quiet, as if nothing was going to happen. Our officers didn't get out of the car immediately but observed the surroundings. According to the timeline, the weapons should have arrived by now. I didn't want to wait any longer, so I eventually ordered the officers to get out with me.
Upon entering the cemetery, we saw no one, but near a security booth, we found a blue package! The contents had already been removed. Xiao Yuande reported, "It seems the security guard took the contents. Who knows what he's up to."
"Find this security guard quickly!"
This cemetery is where many martyrs are buried. We didn't want this incident to disturb them. We searched the cemetery but couldn't find anyone. A police officer was reviewing the security booth's footage. As I approached, he opened the monitor, and we watched together.
The footage from every corner of the cemetery was displayed. I rewound it and saw the security guard opening the package with surprise. However, due to the poor quality of the surveillance, we couldn't clearly see what was inside.
After taking the items, the security guard walked towards a bamboo grove behind the security booth. I asked the officer to stay and led more people into the bamboo grove myself.
I saw several footprints on the ground, estimating that Xiao Yuande had already brought his team in. After some time, we suddenly heard strange noises from not far away, but we couldn't see Xiao Yuande or the other officers.
We scanned our surroundings, guns at the ready. Suddenly, a strange sound came from a tree, followed by a bang. A police officer next to me was hit on the forehead by something and fell to the ground. Everyone immediately scattered and fired repeatedly at the tree!
After a few bangs, the person in the tree leaped to other trees with astonishing speed and vanished.
I didn't have time to pursue. I immediately crouched down to check on the injured officer. I found several bruises on his forehead, thankfully not fatal. I called for an ambulance.
After the officer was taken away, I immediately followed the source of the sound, rushing towards the base of the trees, with a large group of officers behind me. I raised my gun and fired a warning shot into the air. The figure didn't reappear, as if it were a crow darting through the trees, or a stick insect hiding among leaves, moving with incredible speed and disappearing into the dense forest in an instant.
I and several other officers chased to a certain spot and found something resembling a cave. No, it should be called a "Sky Slot" (Yixiantian), something rarely seen unless in remote areas like deserts or valleys.
This location was quite a distance from the cemetery. Suddenly, a police officer exclaimed, "There are many earth pits over there!"
"There are some over there too! Team Leader He, should we proceed?" asked several officers.
I strained my eyesight as much as possible, but I was still just a human eye, able to see only a little better than them. I realized that the Sky Slot could accommodate our passage. I took the lead, walking ahead. "Chase! We don't stop!"
As I charged in, the officers behind me didn't dare to delay and followed closely.
I was the first to enter the canyon because I spotted more suspicious footprints. These weren't left by the officer who was hit earlier, but by the criminal.