“What proposal? Aren’t we already married? This is a family treasure of the He family that I'm making up for you!”
“Oh, hahahaha! I forgot, my memory has been declining sharply lately, I don’t know why!”
“Don’t, you must keep your mind clear, otherwise how can you continue to lead the Punishment and Sin Squad with me!”
“Got it, I’ll make some gastrodia elata and pig brain soup later…”
Agate, also known as ma nao, ma shang, or ma nai, is a type of chalcedony. It is often a banded massive form containing opal and cryptocrystalline quartz. It has a hardness of 6.5-7 degrees, a specific gravity of 2.65, and a layered, colorful appearance. It can be translucent or opaque. Its original form is trigonal. It often appears in dense massive forms exhibiting various structures, such as mammillary, botryoidal, and nodular, with concentric banding being common. It is a chalcedony with different colors, usually green, red, yellow, brown, and white. It can be classified into onyx, sardonyx, moss agate, and fortification agate, among others, based on patterns and inclusions. It is commonly used for trinkets, ornaments, jewelry, or collectibles. Strands of agate beads are often found in ancient burial sites.
The most outstanding and miraculous example of its symbolic representation is a “Heart Lamp (Lamp of the Soul),” which is rumored to have been sold for a seven-figure sum and is hailed as the soul of Warring States Red.
My name is He Sheng, and I am the leader of the Punishment and Sin Squad, affiliated with the Guangming City Provincial Department. I was once a forensic examiner, but my ancestors were coroners.
Liu Yuning was discharged from the hospital about a week later and returned to the quad. Her body had almost completely recovered and was in good health. She would be back to her old self after a couple of days of rest at home.
During these two days, I didn't go to the provincial department. Firstly, there were no cases, and secondly, after my uncle and He Qing were arrested, I don't know why, but the family felt very cold. He Xiaoyu even asked me to return to my hometown before, but I'll think about it later.
Since He Xiaoyu and He Jinghui disappeared again after the last case, they left when our police team stormed the aerial courtyard. I was speechless. They timed their departure perfectly, not wasting a single second.
Regarding the last case, it's worth mentioning that my mother had originally arranged to meet my father, meaning she intended to propose to him. Unexpectedly, my father ended up saying it first.
After this incident, Lu Chusheng returned to the Punishment and Sin Squad. The last time, he was intercepted by He Qiming’s men at the foot of a mountain on the other side of the Valley of Lost Souls and couldn’t escape. If the special forces hadn't rescued him later, he would likely have been shot dead.
Today, Liu Yuning and I returned to the provincial department with full spirits, ready to start a day's work. However, as soon as I sat in my office chair, before I could even have a cup of Ba Xingke coffee, the landline on my desk rang…
Every time something like this happens, I think a case is coming. However, the phone stopped ringing less than thirty seconds later.
I initially didn't intend to answer it, but after taking a sip of coffee, the phone rang again. It was as if the caller had intended to call me but was delayed by something else.
This time, I picked up the receiver without hesitation: "Hello!"
"Child, I'm back…"
Hearing those words, I was almost shocked because the voice was none other than my father's!
I hadn't heard his voice for many years, and I even thought I would never hear it again in my lifetime. To think that at this moment, on such a morning, I heard his voice again.
Twenty minutes later, I had arrived at the rooftop of the Fudu Building in Guangming City. That's right, my father had asked me to meet him here.
However, when I saw him, his appearance seemed a little off.
"Lu Chusheng??" I said in surprise, seeing him.
"It is indeed me. The one who’s been sending you WeChat messages all this time was me. Aren't you surprised? You probably thought he was still alive!"
"I see, did my father instruct you to do this?"
"No, this is my own decision. Ever since that case, I was worried you would become discouraged if you couldn't find the results. I had no choice but to play the good guy. In fact, He Guanghui's phone has been with me all along. From that time, I impersonated him and kept contacting you. So, team leader, do you understand now? Your father is dead."
Although I had already expected it, hearing it confirmed by Lu Chusheng still made me quite sad. Noticing my expression change, Lu Chusheng said, "The reason I'm telling you this is because I don't want you to live in a dream forever. It's not good for you. He Sheng, you must face reality. This is the real world. Now, only we can help you fulfill your grandfather's and He Guanghui's wishes, to completely eliminate the North Star organization."
I looked at Lu Chusheng with certainty. "I understand, thank you for telling me this. Let's go to the police cemetery. I think my father would also want to see you."
"Heh, I was nearby several times when you were paying your respects to him."
"Oh? So that's why I felt someone was watching me from behind back then. It was you…"
In the police cemetery, regardless of the season, it always evokes a sense of solemnity and peace, yet it doesn't feel lonely. This is because many martyrs are here, accompanying the deceased police officers. They are all people who dedicated their lives to criminal investigation. In the end, they did not yield and shed their last drop of blood.
Lu Chusheng had already prepared many offerings and placed them before my father's tomb, performing the ritual of kneeling. I also knelt on the ground, touching my father's tombstone, and looking at the kind yet heroic photograph. No matter how many years have passed, I can still recall this day when I could finally pay respects to my father with Officer Lu.
Lu Chusheng was once my father's close friend. They had gone through countless life-and-death situations together to reach where they were. But my father fell, and only Officer Lu remained in this world.
At this moment, Lu Chusheng poured some white wine on my father's tombstone, opened the roast chicken my father loved the most, and prepared some fruits. Then, we both burned a lot of spirit money.
"Guanghui, it's been a long time. Today, your son, your most capable son, and I are kneeling before your tombstone to pay our respects to you. That's right! We have dealt a heavy blow to the North Star this time. Several of their mid-level leaders have been arrested, and Little Dong has also been apprehended. That guy was well hidden. If it weren't for him… I don't want to talk too much about the case. I hope you can still watch us and protect us in that world!"