Chapter 75 14

Chapter 75: 14

Faced with Rong Qing's insistence, Captain Liu instinctively chose to compromise, producing a safety rope and two manual I-beam vacuum suction cups.

Li Shang swiftly donned his tactical vest and plugged in his comms. He expertly checked his firearm, his gaze coolly assessing the window ledge above.

"I'll need about five minutes. The operation will commence two minutes after I enter. Have three team members with firearms, riot shields, and bomb disposal tools ready at the stairwell entrance for immediate backup. Toss the gear in upon my command."

Li Shang secured his tactical belt. "Additionally, if I fail, activate the backup plan: storm the self-study room through the door, neutralize the perpetrator immediately upon entry, then attempt to disarm the bomb and rescue the hostage."

Captain Liu followed closely. "Understood, we'll be prepared."

Li Shang quickly took the elevator to the building's 11th floor. He clipped the safety rope to his tactical vest and secured the buckle. The rope would prevent a sudden fall but offered no assistance during the climb.

Once ready, Li Shang, without a moment's hesitation, swung out the window. He was dozens of meters above the ground.

Outside the building, a window ledge, barely a dozen centimeters wide, ran along the wall. Li Shang stepped onto it, his lean body pressed tightly against the glass.

The suction cups in his hands had red and green buttons. When pressed flat against the glass, pushing the red button would make the cup automatically adhere, expelling air and fixing it in place. Once he moved, pressing the green button would release it.

Each suction cup could bear about 20 kilograms, but the glass curtain wall had limited load-bearing capacity and couldn't support his full weight; they served only as aids.

Traversing this path demanded exceptional balance and hand-eye coordination.

Li Shang moved sideways, step by step, with methodical precision, inching along the window ledge towards the 10th-floor window.

He moved swiftly and steadily.

From below, Fang Jue and Wu Yunsheng watched, holding their breath in anxious concern.

Li Shang clung to the glass like a spider.

The wind at this height was far stronger than on the ground, the ledge narrow, and the glass impossibly smooth.

The difficulty was immense. The slightest misstep would send him plummeting.

Li Shang controlled the suction cups, moving like a gecko, step by step. His thin lips were pressed tight, each movement steady. Years of dangerous missions had steeled his nerves; even performing such perilous actions, his heart rate remained calm, his hands unwavering.

As he moved, Li Shang even felt a flicker of relief, thankful he had lost so much weight. Otherwise, navigating such a narrow ledge would have been even more challenging.

Li Shang's movements were agile.

He manipulated the suction cups with both hands, striving to maintain his balance.

He covered the roughly ten-meter distance in about four minutes, finally reaching a position directly above the window.

From this vantage point, moving either up or down was incredibly difficult.

Next, he needed to descend from the 11th-floor ledge to the 10th-floor ledge below.

The vertical distance between the two ledges was about four meters, exceeding his height.

Li Shang lowered his body, one foot dangling, then the other. At this point, the suction cups were useless. He released his grip on them, supporting himself with his arms, hanging from the 11th-floor ledge.

Then, Li Shang glanced at the window diagonally below.

With a resolute gaze, he made a daring decision.

Li Shang suddenly released his hands, letting his body fall downward…

A collective gasp rose from the crowd below at the sight.

This action was tantamount to jumping off the building.

Failing to grab the ledge would be extremely dangerous. Even with the safety rope attached, he would likely collide with the glass curtain wall.

Li Shang's body plummeted, his hands scraping down the glass, barely slowing his descent.

The next second, timing it perfectly, he exerted force with both arms, firmly gripping the 10th-floor window ledge. He hung in mid-air, with no support beneath his feet, relying solely on the strength of his arms to hold his entire body.

The sudden drop in body weight demanded the engagement of every muscle to maintain balance and stability, placing immense strain on his arms and core.

His arms held up fine—Li Shang could endure the strain—but the old injury in his waist was aggravated, sending a wave of cold sweat instantly across his body.

Li Shang's face paled slightly, but he quickly steadied himself, breathing heavily. Gritting his teeth, he pulled himself up again. The 10th-floor bathroom window was now to his right.

For ventilation, it was always left slightly ajar. With a gentle push, it could be opened wider.

Li Shang slipped through the window, reaching back to unclip the hook from his back…

The SWAT team in the opposite building saw this and finally breathed a sigh of relief, radioing over the comms: "Countdown, two minutes preparation!"

.

Inside the self-study room, the conversation continued.

"Since we're just waiting anyway, I might as well tell you," Shi Luoxin began. "When Lian Xuan told me he had been accepted into graduate school, I decided he had to die."

He Lin frowned slightly, clearly unable to comprehend. "Why? Did you hate him?"

Shi Luoxin shook his head gently, dismissing the idea. "He was like a younger brother to me, or rather, he was like another me. How could I hate him? If anything, I disliked that Tang Yanshuo a bit."

He Lin asked, "Then why did you want to kill him?"

Shi Luoxin replied, "Because he was happy, he was joyful. He got into graduate school and thought he was invincible. So I had to make sure he died."

He Lin looked shocked, completely unable to empathize with the man.

Seeing the puzzled expression on the police officer's face, Shi Luoxin continued, "Everything he experienced, I've experienced. The path I'm walking now is the path he would have walked in the future. That's why I had to kill him."

These were secrets he had long buried in his heart. Now that he had spoken them aloud, Shi Luoxin suddenly felt the urge to confide.

He fiddled with the remote in his hand. "Back then, I graduated from Hengtong No. 1 High School, got into my dream university, put in four years of hard study, and then was accepted into graduate school. But as time went on, I realized I had been living in a world of lies..."

He Lin tilted his head in confusion. "A lie?"

Shi Luoxin nodded in agreement and let out a long sigh. "Yes, the lies woven by adults, the lies woven by schools. For me, this path—getting into graduate school—is actually meaningless."

He Lin frowned slightly. "Education isn't worthless."

"True," Shi Luoxin laughed. "I put my learning to use—at least I learned how to make these devices."

He pointed at the time bomb on Xie Liner's body.

He continued, "This knowledge isn't enough to change my life. Perhaps people in the past were fortunate enough to succeed, but for us now, it's simply not possible."

"Do you know what I'm facing? Unemployment, still unable to find a desirable job. Or taking on a low-paying job with a 996 schedule, endlessly toiling away in busy, exhausting labor."

"In my field, even attempting the civil service exam isn't very promising. Besides, I have some issues with my eyesight and might not pass the physical exam. Alternatively, I could pursue a Ph.D., continuing to study hard, learning nonstop."

"Even if I get a Ph.D., I'd still be broke, treated as free labor by my advisor, unable to repay my student loans. Soon I'll be thirty... how many thirty-year stretches does a person have? Endless assignments, never-ending studying—living like this, I'd probably die young from burnout. Maybe I won't even get the chance to die suddenly. By thirty-five, I'll be unemployed. Then, as a failure in everyone else's eyes, I'll die in poverty. That's the life I see clearly ahead of me."

Shi Luoxin's face was pale, his expression full of despair.

"Only schools measure a person's excellence by grades; in society, everyone's status is measured by money. My family has no money, no capital to make money, no social connections. I haven't learned a practical skill to make a living."

"What I've studied is built on the foundation of an industrial society—high-level but not essential to human life. When no one needs it, it's worthless, meaningless. You could say all these years of effort have been completely misguided."

"I want a good life, to buy a house and a car, to get married and have children, to live like an ordinary person. But it's simply impossible."

"Even if I go back to my hometown, I might earn less than my classmates who didn't get into high school."

At this point, he looked up at the empty study room: "This kind of daily studying is too bitter. My most stable source of income is this study room—every time I refer someone to get an annual membership, I get a 300-yuan commission. I earn this money while despising and loathing myself."

"When I first got into college, I had this illusion that my life was complete. But later I realized that happiness was just a facade; I needed to study even harder to find a job. Then I found out that even with excellent grades, it wasn't enough—I had to get into graduate school... but getting into graduate school turned out to be an even bigger fantasy."

He laughed bitterly, tears welling in his eyes, his shoulders shaking: "It was a dream others made me have. When I wake up, someone like me will be knocked back to reality. The sea of learning has no shore, and for ordinary people like us, that sea has no end at all!"

His gaze shifted: "Over the past year, in countless dreams at night, I've wished my life could stop at that moment—right after I got into graduate school. That was the highest point in my life."

Hearing this, He Lin seemed to understand a bit. Shi Luoxin graduated from Hengtong No. 1 High School, and through hard work, what kept him going was the idea of getting ahead, making good money, living a superior life. He'd always been taught that studying hard would help him achieve that goal.

But that belief shattered in the face of reality.

As graduation from graduate school approached, this young man was already surrounded by anxiety and unease. He seemed no different from anyone else, but in truth, he was gravely ill.

Thinking this, He Lin asked: "Is Lian Xuan a substitute in your mind?"

Shi Luoxin's emotions surged: "It's too late for me, but his timing is just right. He's a poor imitation of me. He's too much like me, and he listens to me too well. Whatever I say, he does. I told him to cut off his family, and he never contacted them again. I got into graduate school, so he was determined to take the grad school exams too, but he has no idea what he'll face if he succeeds!"

Listening to him, He Lin felt a twinge of sadness, feeling sorry for Lian Xuan.

In Lian Xuan's eyes, this Senior who saved him, helped him everywhere, guided him, was clearly a light in his life...

But in Shi Luoxin's heart, he was just a replica, not even supposed to have his own thoughts or personality.

Shi Luoxin shook his head irritably: "I don't deserve any expectations, I don't deserve to be admired, and I don't deserve to be loved. I'm utterly worthless trash. The only thing I can do, the only way I can help him, is to kill him. It's too late for me, but he still has time. I have to do it."

At this, Shi Luoxin looked down at his hands.

His fingers trembled slightly, as if he were back on Baiyu Mountain.

.

Last summer, he saved Lian Xuan from suicide in their dorm, and the two had grown close.

During that break, he stumbled upon a post saying the abandoned temple on Baiyu Mountain was very potent, so he invited Lian Xuan to go there and pray together.

The two young men climbed the mountain together.

Back then, he was still confident, sharing his experiences with Lian Xuan along the way, showing him the way forward.

"You need to cut ties with your family; they're holding you back too much."

"And you need to find a way to take the graduate school entrance exam. Only by getting into graduate school can you stay at university a few more years, study more, and then find a better job."

Lian Xuan looked at him, full of envy and admiration: "Senior, can I make it?"

Even after all these years at school, Lian Xuan still had a slight awkward accent when he spoke.

It almost made Shi Luoxin laugh.

"Of course, as long as you work hard, anything is possible." He encouraged the young man beside him, enjoying his look of worship and hope.

"But I've already graduated and will have to leave school soon. It's far from the library here—where can I go to study?" Lian Xuan was hesitant. "I've saved some money from part-time jobs, but I'm not sure if it's enough for prep courses or materials."

"No problem, I know a study room with a great atmosphere. I also have plenty of materials I can give you." He smiled. If Lian Xuan got an annual membership for the study room, he'd get a 300-yuan commission.

They reached the mountain together and bowed sincerely before the moss-covered, dilapidated Buddha statue.

Lian Xuan asked him: "Senior, what did you wish for?"

In his heart, he wished for a good job after graduate school, but he said: "If I tell you, it won't come true."

He didn't need to ask to know what Lian Xuan wished for—probably to become a graduate student.

He looked at the broken temple and said: "When our wishes come true, let's come back here to give our thanks."

Later, he moved further and further from the life he dreamed of.

He started preparing for finding a job two years early—doing internships, attending job fairs, downloading recruitment apps, understanding job requirements.

But the gap between ideal and reality was too wide.

He first considered staying at the university.

His advisor told him: "Staying at the school is quite difficult now. This year, the spots are only for Ph.D. students, and competition is fierce—about a dozen people took the preliminary exam. Maybe you should consider continuing your studies?"

He sneered. Even if he passed, he'd only be a Teaching Assistant, earning just over three thousand yuan a month. Besides teaching, he'd have to write papers every year. Among the competitors were all sorts of people with connections—how could he compete with them?

He also thought about research institutes.

A senior working at a research institute told him: "Before, graduate students could get in, but not anymore. This year, we received over thirty graduate student resumes, including some from top universities overseas. With so many people competing for three spots, honestly, your chances aren't great. Since you were recommended by your professor, maybe we can offer you an internship."

The internship paid eight hundred a month, requiring at least twenty hours a week—worse than working at a bubble tea shop.

He also wondered if he could join some related companies.

A portly director with connections told him: "Don't look at me—I only have a college degree, but everyone under me is a graduate student, even two Ph.D.s. What does a few more years of study matter? They're still working their tails off under me. Haha."

He looked at the salary numbers on job postings—the benefits kept getting worse while the requirements kept getting higher…

Before he even graduated, they stopped hiring.

His field had more graduates than jobs—existing employees held onto positions, and new openings were scarce.

Overqualified for entry-level jobs, too underqualified for high ones; he felt his studies were wasted if he took an unrelated job. Should he become a realtor? Sell insurance? Deliver takeout?

He started losing sleep, becoming anxious. Should he pursue a Ph.D.?

What would happen after a Ph.D.?

Maybe things would be even worse!

His hair fell out in clumps; every day was full of disappointment. He was probably sick, but he couldn't afford to collapse.

Why?

Then why did he study? What was the point of taking the postgraduate entrance exam?

He felt as if he were walking on a narrow, precarious bridge.

Once he crossed the bridge, he had hoped to see a beautiful landscape, but when he looked up, he found a withered garden before him.

Turning back, he saw countless people continuously pushing onto the bridge.

Some of the children didn't know what they were about to see.

He recalled his own life—it seemed the only brief moment of happiness was after the college entrance exam, and a greater joy came when he got into grad school. Back then, he felt his future was bright.

From then on, he descended from that peak of happiness. His life had been downhill until now, hitting rock bottom.

That day, he was in the study room browsing job postings.

Suddenly, Lian Xuan, like a joyful little bird, ran over and told him, "Senior, I got into graduate school! The Bodhisattva of Baiyu Mountain is so effective!"

How similar!

Just like him back in the day!

The same joy, the same innocence, the same happiness, the same feeling after hard study that he had seized control of his life and could change his destiny.

Gazing at the elated young man, a crazy idea suddenly popped into his head.

A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "That's great. Let's go to Baiyu Mountain to make good on our vow together."

Xie Liner, who was mopping the floor nearby, happened to pass by and seemed to have overheard. She glanced up at them, then continued with her work.

His heart skipped a beat, but he quickly calmed down.

It's okay.

She might not have heard clearly; her memory isn't that good, and she wouldn't dare to say anything.

Besides, he needed to make this plan even more perfect.

He had to fool everyone, especially the police.

A few days later, they set off for Baiyu Mountain again.

He walked side by side with Lian Xuan, the young man still immersed in his dreams of the future, dreaming of his wonderful life ahead.

"Finding a job after undergrad was tough, but now that I'm a grad student, it shouldn't be hard anymore, right?"

"Once I start grad school, I can tutor part-time, study, and help my advisor with experiments. I can move into the dorm then, no need to stay in that tiny room anymore."

"After I graduate, I'll definitely find a good job... I want to join a major company. By then, my salary should be around 10,000 yuan a month, right? I won't have to scrimp and save anymore..."

"After working hard for a few years and achieving something, maybe I can buy a house and reconcile with my parents. I haven't spoken to them in a year; they don't even know I got into grad school. If they found out, they'd be happy for me, right?"

"Even though my dad didn't want me to take the postgraduate exam and we had a big fight, I think those were just words said in anger. If I talk to them properly, they'll understand."

"I couldn't meet their expectations before, but in the future, I should be able to... I've made something of myself now—I'm the first grad student from our village! I'll earn lots of money to support them, build them a big house in the village! The biggest one!"

"I can also help my younger brothers and sisters, let them all go to school and study, live a good life."

The young man raised a smiling face, full of reverence as he looked at him, his voice brimming with gratitude. "Senior, you were right back then. The relationship with my family was affecting my studies. After cutting contact, I felt so much lighter."

"Senior, I have to thank you for all this. Without your help, I wouldn't have gotten into grad school so smoothly!"

Lian Xuan's smile was so innocent and radiant; he chattered on with this naive talk.

He responded, turning his head to look at Lian Xuan, forcing out an awkward smile.

Cold sweat kept dripping down his back, his palms tingled numb, and his blood vessels swelled with excitement.

The evil thought in his heart kept churning until it consumed his mind. A voice screamed hoarsely.

Let him die! Just let him die!

Put him out of his misery!

Let him die with these foolish, sweet dreams!

Right now!

He led Lian Xuan to the lake, pointing at the calm, blue-green water. Then, taking advantage of the moment Lian Xuan turned away, he struck the back of his head hard with a prepared rock.

Lian Xuan stumbled two steps and fell into the lake, but the water near the shore wasn't deep enough. Blood streaming from his head, he turned back in shock and looked at him.

Lian Xuan's eyes were full of disbelief, as if he couldn't believe that the senior who had always helped him would suddenly do such a thing. He didn't understand why he was being attacked.

He didn't dare look at Lian Xuan's face; his heart raced. He took two steps, stepped into a boat, grabbed an old oar, and struck Lian Xuan's head...

He was like a madman, gasping for breath.

His hands struck frantically, blood splattering, lake water splashing, wetting his calves and feet, even splashing onto his face.

The mountain forest was too quiet, with only the sound of the old oar hitting Lian Xuan's head—thwack, thwack.

It felt like splinters had pierced his palm, but he didn't stop.

The air by the lake had a hazy mist.

The water was blue-green, clearer and more beautiful than azure, like a huge gem. Body-temperature red blood slowly dispersed—the color was too vivid.

The scene before him was like an exquisitely beautiful yet eerie painting.

At first, Lian Xuan was still struggling.

Later, his eyes went lifeless, as if he had given up.

Lian Xuan silently gazed at him for a while, then slowly closed his eyes.

He continued mechanically hitting, over and over, tirelessly. He had to make sure he wasn't breathing, ensure he wouldn't come back to life.

He had to turn this child into a corpse.

Standing on that dilapidated boat, Shi Luoxin's eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming down his face as he gasped for air. Only one crazy thought remained in his heart.

Perhaps ordinary people couldn't understand, but his resolve at this moment was as firm as a rock.

"I want him—this person before me, the person I used to be—to die at the happiest, most joyful moment of his life!"

Panting heavily, he watched until the child stopped breathing.

Only then did his legs give way, and he knelt on the boat, breaking into loud, wrenching sobs.

His sobs echoed through the silent mountain forest.

Lian Xuan is dead?!

Good!

That way, he won’t have to go through all the confusion, despair, and pain he would have experienced later...

.

In the study room, as Shi Luoxin spoke emotionally, He Lin suddenly spotted something flickering past the slightly ajar bathroom door behind him.

He Lin knew that reinforcements had arrived.

He had seen the environment outside the building—it was an extremely dangerous route, but once someone entered, it was the ideal assault position.

The more critical the moment, the more he needed to distract Shi Luoxin.

He Lin remained calm, his tone unchanged: "What about Tang Yanshuo? Have you been helping him with those things all along?"

Shi Luoxin admitted: "Rather than helping him, I’d say I was helping others avoid going down the wrong path. The targets I had him choose were all classmates from affluent families—they didn’t need to take the grad school entrance exams to live a good life."

Ridiculous! He Lin cursed inwardly, but his face remained composed as he continued: "What about Bai Ran?"

"She was an accident. I regret her death too." Shi Luoxin looked up at him, his gaze sincere. "Officer He, I’ve committed these crimes. I suppose many people will study me in the future, right? You’ve studied criminal psychology—I’d like to hear your analysis. Why was I so determined to kill Lian Xuan? At the time, I felt it was something I had to do, my life’s mission."

It was precisely because he killed someone that he ended up where he is today.

He, too, had confusion and doubts in his heart.

He Lin sat across from Shi Luoxin. After listening to his confession, he had formed a judgment about his actions.

He Lin leaned forward slightly, appearing to continue the conversation while actually preparing to attack. He was ready to rush forward at any moment: "From a psychological perspective, your behavior can be analyzed as extended homicide, mercy killing, or what’s also called altruistic homicide."

Shi Luoxin clearly didn’t understand these professional terms and asked: "What do those mean?"

He Lin explained in detail: "This kind of behavior is often seen among family members. For example, some mothers, after suffering from depression, decide to commit suicide. They fear their children will have no one to care for them after they’re gone, so they take their children along with them."

"I think I’ve seen news reports like that." Shi Luoxin listened intently.

But out of the corner of his eye, He Lin saw the bathroom door open silently, revealing a familiar figure.

It was Li Shang...

He Lin didn’t know how he had gotten in, but he knew it couldn’t have been easy.

Li Shang signaled to him and quietly approached Shi Luoxin from behind.

He Lin’s tone remained unchanged: "Sometimes, this kind of behavior also occurs among close friends or is projected onto others. For example, you believed you could foresee Lian Xuan’s future as painful, and the only way you could think to end that pain was to kill him."

Shi Luoxin smiled, having found his answer: "Yes, that’s exactly the feeling... So others have had the same thoughts and done similar things..." His expression relaxed. "My fate was already sealed. I was a freak created by the circumstances, by the school. Either go insane or die. I didn’t want Lian Xuan to live on like that."

He Lin analyzed further: "But there’s a flawed premise in what you did. While taking the postgraduate entrance exam can solve some problems, it’s not a cure-all. It can’t solve all the problems in your life. When you staked all your hopes on the exam, the higher your expectations, the greater your disappointment would be."

Hearing this, Shi Luoxin pondered for a moment and nodded.

He admitted that he had been somewhat biased in this regard.

He Lin continued, speeding up his speech to fully capture Shi Luoxin’s attention: "Also, the path you take has always been your own choice. You believed Lian Xuan’s future would fall into the same predicament as yours, so you thought killing him would end his suffering—and even yours. But in reality..."

Shi Luoxin focused intently, waiting for him to continue...

Just then, Li Shang moved. He quickly slipped an arm around Shi Luoxin’s neck from behind.

At the same time, He Lin rushed forward, his gaze turning cold as he clenched his fist and drove a fist into Shi Luoxin’s chest.

Caught off guard, Shi Luoxin was squeezed with such force that he could barely breathe. His hands trembled as he tried to press the button, but at that moment, a punch landed squarely on his chest.

In that instant, Shi Luoxin felt as though his body was no longer his own. All the air was forced out of him, and excruciating pain exploded from his chest. His heartbeat and breathing all but stopped.

Everything went black before his eyes. His hands went limp, his fingers twitched, and the remote he had been clutching tightly fell.

Before it could hit the ground, He Lin moved faster, dropping into a crouch and snatching the remote securely.

Seeing that the remote was safely secured, Li Shang no longer held back. He stepped back and forced Shi Luoxin to the ground. Then, with a powerful twist, he rolled Shi Luoxin facedown.

The man struggled, but Li Shang drove a knee into his back to pin him and forced his hands behind him.

He Lin and Li Shang coordinated seamlessly. Within seconds, Shi Luoxin was subdued.

The situation in the study room had reversed in an instant.

He Lin looked down at the criminal lying on the ground and finished his earlier sentence: "But in reality, who gave you the right to decide someone else’s life or death?!"

Li Shang took out handcuffs and secured Shi Luoxin’s hands. Nearby, Xie Liner struggled desperately, letting out muffled, choking sobs.

He Lin breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to remove the cloth gagging the girl.

Xie Liner coughed twice, looked up, and cried: "He tricked you! The bomb was activated long ago!"

He Lin was startled. He pulled open Xie Liner’s outer clothing, revealing blinking red digits inside.

3 minutes and 24 seconds!

The moment He Lin saw the numbers, his mind reeled.

Before he had even entered, Shi Luoxin had already set the timer—that was why he had been so calm during their conversation.

Shi Luoxin, pinned down by Li Shang, had shattered glasses, his cheek pressed against the ground, his skin scratched by shards of glass, and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The lunatic burst into hysterical laughter: "It’s too late! It’s already too late! All of you will die with me!"