It was stipulated in the rules of the Police Force that police officers could not investigate cases in private, else they would be dismissed. It had only been a short time since Yang Shengfei had become a police officer, so logically, he did not have much in terms of savings. In addition to this, he had to support a frail widowed mother, who was his only family. Just her monthly medical expenses alone were a huge expenditure. If Yang Shengfei really lost his job, his family would undoubtedly be in trouble financially.

Zhuang Zhen couldn't just sit by and watch as one of his team members headed toward a dead end. This wasn't even mentioning the fact that dismissal wasn't the worst case scenario. The worst thing would be- what if, in the process of investigating the case, Yang Shengfei ended up becoming too emotional and made a grave mistake? Or, what if the suspect divulged the secret to him out of fear and then immediately murdered Yang Shengfei to silence him? The consequences of either situation would be irreparable.

"Go find him, quickly!" Zhuang Zhen ordered in a hurried tone.

Thinking about the possible consequences of these situations, the other members of the First Investigation Team could no longer sit still, and immediately went to chase after Yang Shengfei.

Song Rui removed his glasses and sighed before he spoke, "When he comes back, persuade him to stop being so impulsive. Otherwise, Xiao Jin's fate will become a lesson he will have to learn himself. Should I help you with the closure report?"

"En. That would be good. Please help me write the section about Fan Jialuo." Zhuang Zhen quickly pushed the pile of information over to the other.

Song Rui: ...

The two spent hours writing the closure report for this case. The most difficult-to-write content was still about Fan Jialuo. They edited out all the bizarre plots and absurd conversations, simply summarizing it all with the words 'There is no reason to suspect this person following thorough investigation'.

After reading the submitted report, the Bureau Chief shook his head and sighed, "The world is so big that nothing is too bizarre!"

Then, with the stamp of that bright red seal, the case was closed.

It was evening by the time the team members finally managed to chase down Yang Shengfei and bring him back to the police station. A small crowd had gathered around him, one that tried to persuade and comfort him in soft voices.

However, Liao Fang, who was usually the most enthusiastic of the bunch, sat to the side as she wiped the red corners of her eyes with a tissue, not wanting to say a word. In front of her was a folder filled with details of a case where a minor had infringed upon a young girl. It was the same case that had caused Yang Shengfei to become so furious earlier that morning.

"I won't approve your application for leave." Zhuang Zhen cut off Yang Shengfei's train of thought with this one sentence.

"Leader, I beg you!" Yang Shengfei suddenly raised his head, and his eyes were filled with grief.

Liao Fang closed the folder with force, and suddenly asked a completely unrelated question, "Leader, why did you want to be a policeman? Is all your hard work worth it?"

By the time Liao Fang's voice faded, the room had descended into silence.

As Zhuang Zhen was weighing his words, Liao Fang spoke again, " I can finally understand Fan Jialuo's approach now. If I was him, I would not have called the police either, because it useless to report such things to the police. The true villains will not be punished as they should rightly be, and the good and honest people who were lost will not be brought back to life because of this... "

Zhuang Zhen interrupted Liao Fang and spoke in a severe tone, "Why do you think our work is meaningless? Have you counted the number of drug trafficking victims and families that are rescued by our Anti-Drug Enforcements every year? Do you know how many criminal cases our Criminal Investigation Team has cracked every year or the number of victims who have complained about their grievances? We are at the forefront, upholding justice and jurisprudence. Without us, justice would not only be late, it would also always be absent! When you feel so tired that you are about to collapse, then go home and see your parents who are living peacefully, carefree and happy, will your feelings of exhaustion not disappear then?"

Liao Fang nodded without hesitation. "Of course they will."

Zhuang Zhen softened his tone and slowly continued, "Then, you can think about it from another angle- their safety and happiness is all because of you, me, and all the public security officers and soldiers who are fighting on the front line. Do you still think our work is meaningless? There are 365 days a year, and on an average, one anti-drug police officer dies while on duty every day. Go and ask them if they regret it! When the national flag was folded and the coffin was buried in the earth, ask their colleagues if they flinched! Since we wear this uniform, we must shoulder the responsibility of upholding law, fairness and justice. It is our honor to carry the weight of the people, do you understand?"

Liao Fang remained stunned for a long time before finally nodding and saying in a hoarse voice, "Leader, I understand. I was too emotional just now. I'm sorry."

"You've just started working, and you haven't experienced anything yet. Occasionally thinking too much and straying from the intended line is understandable. But, when you joined the police force, you took an oath, did you forget those oaths?" Zhuang Zhen stared at Liao Fang's face and then looked at the unwilling Yang Shengfei.

The two were lost in recollection for a moment before a look of shame spread across their faces.

Be loyal to the motherland, the people, and the law; obey orders and follow commands; strictly abide by discipline and keep secrets; enforce the law impartially and be honest and upright; be conscientious in duty and not afraid of sacrifice... They hadn't yet upheld any of those oaths, yet were already having doubts about their profession...

The two quickly rose to attention, bowed their heads, and apologized, "Leader, we are wrong, we should not have let our faith be shaken!"

Yes, if the police did not exist, who would the victims turn to for help? Who would redress the injustices of those who died in vain? If Xiao Rui had bravely stood up and asked the police for help, all the following tragedies could have been avoided.

Seeing that their expressions and tone was sincere, Zhuang Zhen patted them on the shoulders and said firmly, "You should believe in the law and in your choices. Xiao Fei, I will submit an application to the Mobei Police Station for a re-investigation into your sister's case. Don't act on your own in private. It's against the code of conduct. Our whole team will help you. The truth will come to light, and the murderer will fall against the might of the law. Those words that you have said thousands of times to the family members of the victims, now I want to say them to you-You have to trust our ability in handling cases."

Yang Shengfei's eyes were red, and with tears swimming in them, he nodded his head heavily.

With this matter concluded, Zhuang Zhen said with relief, "Xiao Jin's case is over. You all can go home early and have the remainder of today to rest."

Despite hearing that they could finish the day early, not one officer cheered. They simply dispersed in silence.

As each team member turned to leave, Zhuang Zhen held Xiao Li back, and instructed, "You have another task. Publish the details of the case on the Internet as an explanation to the public."

Xiao Li first nodded in agreement but after thinking about it, he asked, "Many people believe that Fan Jialuo is the murderer. Should we clarify this matter for him?"

Liao Fang, who was preparing to leave work and had just grabbed her bag, looked over in a seemingly nervous manner.

Zhuang Zhen glanced at her and nodded. "Please clarify it for him. As I said, we police officers will not let a criminal escape, nor will we treat a good man wrongly."

Xiao Li grinned and simply said, "Okay, I'll go write the document now."

"Let the people of the Publicity Department help you to check it, and don't forget to send it to the Chief after writing it." Zhuang Zhen did not feel at ease after hearing the other's short response and so added on a few more instructions.

Xiao Li readily agreed, and Liao Fang breathed a sigh of relief.

Slowly, the room emptied out and the members of the First Investigation Team dragged their tired bodies out of the police station.

-

That same day, it was night when the official Weibo of the Police Sub Bureau released a summary of the final case report, and also helped in clarifying Fan Jialuo's innocence, saying that all the evidence showed that he had nothing to do with the case.

However, the netizens could not accept such an explanation at all, because they had long believed that Fan Jialuo was the murderer. People only believed what they wanted to believe; they wouldn't believe in the so-called 'truth' and 'conclusive evidence'.

Gao Yize's murder case had initially drawn a lot of attention and this closing report only served to create larger waves of commotion across the Internet. Some people suspected that Fan Jialuo had bribed the police. Others suspected that he had found a scapegoat. On top of all this, some people simply clicked the complaint button to report this particular Sub Bureau's leaders on charges of corruption, bribery, and the offense of bending the law for their own selfish ends.

There were very few people left online who were still thinking rationally, yet it was as if they had no right to speak at all. As soon as they tried to defend Fan Jialuo even in the slightest, there would be a fervent critic who would retort with a: [Then, you'd better ask him to come forward and explain what his death notices and sketches are about! He knew that Gao Yize would die, how can he have nothing to do with the case?! The police are treating us as idiots!]

Of course, there were also numerous people digging out Xiao Jin's identity and trying to obtain some kind of evidence which would show that the police had made him a scapegoat. Unfortunately, the police's published final report was so generic in tone that they couldn't determine anything from it.

Just as public opinion fell on one side- accusing the police of bending the law for their own selfish ends and denouncing rich people for shutting out the heaven with their palms, Fan Jialuo woke up.

His pair of dark eyes gleamed with glittering streams of shining stars, which seemed to be dissipating into mist and reappearing again simultaneously. He stepped out of the bathtub and stood naked in front of the French window, looking over at the mountains in the distance. The light from an orange lamp shone on him from above, coating his jade-like skin with a layer of gold. After a few days of napping, his body had become even more plump and supple. He had even grown a few centimeters taller.

There were countless shimmers of light dancing in his pupils, and even more of them were quickly dispersing within them. The world that appeared in his eyes was totally different from that being seen by others- mountains were not mountains, water was not water, and people, perhaps, were not people.

At this time, his mobile phone, which was connected to the charger, began to chime. He picked it up and skimmed over the various notifications. He couldn't help but smile. Then, opening his Weibo, he changed his account ID to 'Psychic Fan Jialuo', and began to appreciate the malicious messages he had received.

It was not long before someone discovered his actions and quickly spread this information amongst the masses.

Psychic? What do you mean? Are you washing yourself clean indirectly?

[Is Fan Jialuo suggesting that he has nothing to do with Gao Yize's murder? Are those death warnings and death sketches due to his psychic vision?] -Some people speculated thusly.

[Psychic? What nonsense! Apart from Gao Yize, did the other death notices that he warned about even happen? He's just trying to create a sensation! Gao Yize must have been killed by him, and then he came to stir public opinion in order to make himself famous! This man is obviously crazy. He doesn't respect the law and doesn't even have a moral bottom line. He's just crazy!]

[The police station is covering for him! I have reported them to the Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection! These people must face a thorough investigation!]

[Where is the axiom? Where is the law? Where is justice? Is there any hope left in the world?]

[The evidence is so incriminating that I don't know how Fan Jialuo managed to extricate himself from this case. Psychic? Isn't such a reason too ridiculous? This is the same as rubbing our IQ into the dirt!]

[Even if he has been abandoned by his family, he is still surnamed Fan, and the Fan Family will not ignore him. Isn't it easy for the 'privileged class' to take advantage of others? They don't even bother to give the public a decent reason. They are too arrogant!]

[I knew that this kind of thing would happen sooner or later since a long time ago! Justice and axiomata are in the hands of the privileged class, not the people! Wake up! You all are just a herd of cattle and sheep waiting to be slaughtered!]

[I'm so fucking angry that I don't have an appetite anymore! Why is scum like Fan Jialuo still alive? He should just die!]

[I want to strangle him too!]

The public opinion on the Internet on this matter was quickly becoming more and more radical. The public no longer clamored for Fan Jialuo to leave the entertainment circle, but rather hoped that he would disappear forever.

Such a malicious speed of transmission and range of spread were terrifying. The malice of millions of people almost immediately gathered into an overwhelming torrent, sweeping the entire network and clouding the judgment of the vast majority of bystanders.

Even if the actual murderer had been brought to justice, Fan Jialuo was still unable to wash away the charges pasted on his body, because the ones who were judging him weren't part of the law, but the public. Such judgments were often extreme and were even further away from reality and the truth.

Xiao Li, who had been monitoring the direction of public opinion on the Internet, had long broken out into a cold sweat.

In order to reduce the negative impact, the police had not announced that the case was actually a serial murder case. Therefore, the public still believed that there was only one victim-Gao Yize. Fan Jialuo had the strongest motive for killing, and his actions were also the most suspicious, so the public took it for granted and he very naturally became the 'murderer'.

The document published online had been written by Xiao Li. His original intention was to help Fan Jialuo, but never had he expected that it would instead harm Fan Jialuo and set a fire under the Sub Bureau. Now that the Sub Bureau had been reported, the Liaison Department's phone was continuously ringing. All these calls were from indignant people who scolded them without having any substantiated cause or reason.

Xiao Li immediately called the Bureau Chief, Deputy Chief and Zhuang Zhen, to seek their opinions on this issue.

The Bureau Chief was so angry that he cursed, "Damn it! I just received a call from the Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection, saying that a special team is going to be sent down to investigate us! The evidence on this case is conclusive, so what is there to investigate?! If they dare make any trouble, Laozi will publish all the details of the case without exception, no matter how much influence they try to exert! We have worked hard to handle this case. Why should we carry this black pot on our back?"

Xiao Li tried to persuade him, "Chief, you-please calm down. The truth of this case is truly too terrible. The higher ups will not allow us to publish it without their authorization. We should take the lead in this situation! I still want this month's bonus!"

Despite how angry he was, the Bureau Chief didn't dare to release the truth and could only vent verbally. He asked Xiao Li to delete the malicious comments, control public opinion, and then refrain from any other unnecessary actions.

Xiao Li promised to do so and was preparing to delete the malicious comments when he was suddenly taken aback, so much so that his fingertips hung over the mouse and could not press down on it for a long time.

What he saw was a Weibo post that suddenly 'burst' and quickly topped the day's hot search list, and the title was very eye-catching, written in big red words-《The truth behind Gao Yize's murder! There are pictures, recordings and videos, a real hammer!》

The rapid increase in the number of hits showed that this Weibo post was neither gimmick nor a fabrication. The situation already seemed to have spiraled out of control...

...

Qiuxue: Stupid people. Say it a fourth time for good measure~

Noks: Stupid people. Get ready to be shocked. Saying it for a fifth time... to hammer the nail into the coffin.