Chapter 191 [VIP] The Essence of a Criminal Investigator (1)

Chapter 191 [VIP] The Essence of a Criminal Investigator (1)

On August 13, 1994, after a night of heavy rain, the downpour finally subsided.

Dawn had not yet broken.

Liang Ran got out of the car, cradling the unconscious Meng Siqi, and walked step by step toward an outdoor pool in a shopping mall. The pool was brimming with rainwater, and in the center stood a lotus-shaped fountain statue, large enough to support a person.

Liang Ran waded into the pool, making her way toward the lotus statue, and laid Meng Siqi horizontally on it.

The light rain drizzled over Meng Siqi, droplets clinging to her pale face.

Liang Ran pushed her wet hair back, smirked, and said, "Meng Siqi, Lu He is dead. Living must be the hardest for you, huh?"

Liang Ran walked out of the pool and left the place.

A flash of lightning lit up Meng Siqi's frail form, as if grieving her fate and mourning her life.

"Meng Siqi..."

"Meng Siqi..."

After what felt like an eternity, Meng Siqi seemed to hear a familiar call and gradually woke from her sleep...

She felt awful, retching and spitting out bitter water onto the table. Then she noticed the world around her had shifted. She was in a house, the house she had always lived in, the house she shared with Meng Xinghai. On the wall hung a photo of Meng Xinghai.

She vividly recalled that while investigating the Red Dress Serial Murders, Meng Hui, Ye Xiuhui, and Aunt Chang were suddenly kidnapped to Sujiang Lighthouse. She was hurrying to save them, carrying 500,000 yuan in cash, but just as she was about to arrive, the lighthouse exploded. In a flash, everything went black. What had happened?

She rose slowly from the chair and made her way to the bedroom. The wall clock displayed the date: December 31, 2024.

What was happening? She remembered living in 1994. How had she suddenly arrived at the last day of 2024?

Meng Siqi was utterly confused. She wandered the room, taking in the familiar surroundings. This was her home. Her eyes fell on a notebook resting on the table. She recognized it as hers and flipped it open. Inside were her own notes, detailed records of criminal investigations.

But she also remembered that this was the notebook Meng Xinghai had left her before his death. She recalled that the day after Aunt Meng gave her the notebook, she jumped into the river at Sujiang Lighthouse and committed suicide.

Why were these notes in her handwriting? She turned the pages and a photo suddenly emerged. It was a photo of her and Lu He taken at the Bund.

But this was unmistakably the photo Aunt Meng had handed her. On the title page of the notebook, it read: "Qiqi, have a safe journey! From Aunt Meng."

She also remembered the conversation she had with Aunt Meng that day. She had asked, "Aunt Meng, you never told me who this person is."

Aunt Meng replied, "He is Lu He."

"Lu He? He is Lu He?" At the time, she didn't know who Lu He was, but she had heard news about Lu He's remains.

"Yes, he is Lu He," Aunt Meng answered.

"Aunt Meng, you never told me his story."

"Because some stories, you will experience too. These are our stories."

Why had Aunt Meng said, "These are our stories"? Meng Siqi finally understood. She hadn't returned to 1994. She had just had a dream about Aunt Meng. Because Aunt Meng had always told her stories from her youth, stories from thirty years ago, she had a long dream about that time.

But she clearly remembered participating in every case, from the Zhou Jieli case to the Ruan Mengying case, and finally the Red Dress Serial Murders. She remembered Zhao Leiting, her mentor, Captain Han, Old Tang, Sis Rong, her parents, Aunt Chang, and Liang Yunfeng and Luo Xiaoguo.

She also remembered Lu He, every word he had said. How could this be just a dream?

Tears trickled down Meng Siqi's cheeks. No, this couldn't be just a dream.

But she couldn't explain everything she had experienced.

She powered on her computer and typed "the culprit behind the Red Dress Serial Murders," and the search results displayed: "Liang Ran."

Liang Ran? After all the time she and Lu He had spent investigating, how could it be her? There was scant information available online, only that Liang Ran had committed crimes due to factors from her childhood, and the details of her crimes were varied on the internet.

Liang Ran was actually the culprit behind the Red Dress Serial Murders, and this information left her stunned for a long time.

Her fingers clenched tightly around the mouse, and she remained motionless. After a while, she typed another two words into the search bar: "Lu He."

A brief profile quickly appeared: Lu He, born in 1965 in Jinyang City, Haijiang Province, graduated with a bachelor's degree from Haijiang Province Police University in 1986... He had served at the Jinyang City Municipal Public Security Bureau, and in August 1994, he lost his life in the line of duty.

There was also the latest information about him: On the morning of August 13, 2024, Lu He's remains were found by the Sujiang River. The captain of the city bureau's criminal investigation unit, who had been missing for thirty years, met his end at the age of 29...

Meng Siqi proceeded to search for additional information and typed another name: "Zhao Leiting."

Zhao Leiting, born in 1969 in Jinyang City, Haijiang Province, currently holds the position of Vice Mayor of Jinyang City, the Director of the Jinyang City Municipal Public Security Bureau, and the Inspector General.

She went on to look up "Han Changlin," "Feng Shaomin," "Chen Jierong," and others, but the search yielded no results.

Finally, she typed a name that was the same as hers: "Meng Siqi."

A brief entry quickly appeared: Meng Siqi, born in 1972 in Jinyang City, Haijiang Province, had worked as an archive room administrator at the Jinyang City Municipal Public Security Bureau... She died in October 2024.

Thus, all of this was real; these were real individuals. Meng Siqi became more convinced that her journey back to 1993 and 1994 was merely a dream.

This dream was distant, heartbreaking, and utterly unexpected, yet it was also indelible. However, it was just a dream. Perhaps the tale of Aunt Meng had profoundly affected her, leaving an indelible impression on her heart and causing her to have many fantasies.

The death of her father, Meng Xinghai, must have severely affected her mental state, leading her to dream of an era and a world far removed from her own, where countless unforgettable events had unfolded.

Meng Siqi decided not to think about all of this anymore, not to recall any of it. Her father had passed away, Aunt Meng had passed away, and almost all of her closest relatives were gone. She had to face her own life properly.

She needed to secure employment, work hard, and aim for a prosperous life, becoming the pride of her father and Aunt Meng.

That evening, she updated her previously submitted resume. In the personal statement section, she altered "I will work hard to repay the company" to "I aspire to become an outstanding individual."

Soon, she received an interview invitation from a company. She deliberately dressed in formal attire, made herself up, and went to the company for the interview. It was a financial company because her major had been finance.

She walked into the interview office, where three interviewers, two men and one woman, sat across from her, all carefully examining her.

She was wearing a beige suit, specifically chose an olive green shirt, and had her hair tied in a ponytail. Her makeup was elegant, and her lips had a bright, glossy sheen.

The female interviewer said, "Please introduce yourself."

Meng Siqi briefly introduced herself.

The male interviewer picked up her school transcript, looked at it, and then looked up at her: "Student, your grades are excellent, and your appearance is also very good. I believe you are well-prepared for this interview. Do you know about our company? Can you talk about why you want to join us?"

Meng Siqi tried to listen to his question, but for some reason, she couldn't hear a single word clearly. Instead, a very clear voice entered her ears—it was Feng Shaomin's voice:

"Apprentice, believe that you are on the path of justice. The difficulties before you are only temporary. The future is full of light and thorns. Be brave and take the step. Make bold conjectures, but verify them carefully!"

"Master, master..." Meng Siqi murmured in response, "Am I dreaming?"

"Student, student..." A strange voice pulled her back from her reverie. She suddenly realized that the three faces before her were filled with confusion and bewilderment.

She felt quite embarrassed and quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just..."

The female interviewer said, "Student, have you been under a lot of pressure recently?"

"I'm sorry, could I have another chance?"

The two interviewers exchanged glances, and one of them asked, "What do you know about our company? Why do you want to join us?"

Meng Siqi had already done her homework on the company. She was about to gather her thoughts when suddenly, many voices echoed in her ears again.

Feng Shaomin, Captain Han, Zhao Leiting, and Tang Xiaochuan's voices intertwined, as if telling her there was an important case she needed to investigate right now.

"Meng, Meng?" Han Changlin's voice suddenly rang out, "Do you have a grip on this case?"

"I," she slowly began, "Captain Han, I..."

"Miss, miss..." an unfamiliar voice interrupted all her fantasies and voices again.

She suddenly realized she wasn't with the second team but in an interview. She felt she could no longer focus on the interview.

The three interviewers looked puzzled and showed some inexplicable emotions.

She stood up slowly and bowed deeply, "I'm sorry for wasting your time."

After leaving the interview, she stood by the roadside, watching the traffic flow like streams of light, and fell into deep despair. She felt somewhat hopeless.

She seemed forever trapped in that strange 1994 dream.

In this dream, she was always chasing and discussing cases with the second team. She felt she could never break free.

"Siqi, what's on your mind?"

She turned her head and found Chen Jierong standing beside her, just like the first time they met. Chen Jierong smiled beautifully, her red lips full and sexy, comforting her, "Siqi, you are so great, what hurdle can't you overcome?"

"Sis Rong, am I dreaming?"

Chen Jierong extended her slender, pale hand, "Siqi, this isn't a dream. This is your reality. Come, Sis Rong will take you back to the city bureau."

She reached out, but found nothing. Chen Jierong had turned into a puff of air. She grabbed at the shadow, but caught nothing.

"Sis Rong, Sis Rong?" she murmured, her eyes filled with tears.

After returning home, she suddenly felt as if the world had changed, becoming incredibly unfamiliar and distant. It seemed she had never lived here, and once she closed her eyes, all she saw were their shadows.

She boiled the electric kettle, cooked instant noodles, and sat at the small round table, twirling the noodles with her chopsticks, slowly twirling, but still not taking a bite. She hadn't eaten all day, her stomach empty, but she just didn't feel like eating anything.

Could she be suffering from severe depression?

"Siqi, I made longevity noodles for you today." Lu He's voice suddenly came from the kitchen.

She actually saw Lu He again...

He was very young, the lines of his cheeks as if drawn with heavy ink, elegant and distinct. He hadn't changed, still the same as he was back then.

He smiled and brought the noodles to her, with a poached egg on top.

"Is it my birthday today?" she asked.

"You forgot, Siqi, today is July 7th, your birthday."

"Thank you, Lu He, thank you." Meng Siqi's eyes suddenly welled up, tears desperately swirling.

"Hurry up and eat, or the longevity noodles will get cold."

She smiled through her tears, "Lu He, I'm so happy. Mind if I take a sip of wine?"

"Sure, let's have a sip," Lu He grabbed a wine glass.

After taking a few bites of the longevity noodles, Meng Siqi, smiling, raised her glass and clinked it with his. "Lu He, to our dreams and thirty years of a life well-lived, cheers!"

"To our dreams, to the honor of the badge, and to Siqi's everlasting beauty and good health, cheers!"

A single tear rolled down Siqi's cheek and plopped into the steaming broth.

Lu He said, "Come on, eat up. It's good for you, isn't it?"

She devoured the noodles, leaving not a drop of soup in the bowl. She showed Lu He the empty bowl, "See, Lu He? All gone."

Lu He gave her a warm smile and a nod.

But his face started to fade away...

Meng Siqi woke up, chilled to the bone, only to realize she'd dozed off at the table. She woke up in the dead of night to find her instant noodles all gone, with an empty glass by her side, reeking of alcohol.

It had all been a figment of her imagination. Lu He was never really there.