"
"That kid's in excellent shape. When the jump happened at the haunted house, several people went off the second floor, but he was the only one without a single scratch." Captain Cai couldn't figure it out either. He had reviewed the surveillance footage from the building across from the haunted house, and among all the jumpers, Chen Ge's movements were the most practiced — cushioning his landing, absorbing the force — as if he had rehearsed falling from heights countless times.
"There's definitely something off, but I don't think you need to worry too much. As long as it wasn't him who called the police, it's probably nothing major." Li Zheng spoke with the tone of someone who'd been around the block.
"Several people injured, a few unconscious and in emergency treatment — and you call that nothing major?"
"I don't know why he went to Xinhai either. If you ever get a chance to take one of his emergency calls, you'll understand what I mean. Old Cai, enjoy the quiet life while you can. I've got things to deal with on my end — I'm hanging up." Li Zheng was about to end the call.
"Hold on! I'm getting the feeling there's something you're not telling me. You're not hanging up until you explain." Captain Cai was just as stubborn.
"Fine, you win. What else do you want to know? Hurry up and ask." Li Zheng was genuinely busy. He had just been discharged from the hospital and immediately thrown himself back into work, with several major cases requiring his coordination.
"I looked at the commendation records you've published. The intervals between them are incredibly short — there's even a case where he provided homicide leads twice in a single week." Captain Cai's tone turned serious. "Could an ordinary person stumble upon two murder cases in the span of one week? Could that many violent incidents realistically happen around a single ordinary person? Unless the perpetrator was him, the probability is practically negligible."
"Your skepticism is well-founded, but did I ever say he was an ordinary person?" Li Zheng realized the misunderstanding.
"So he really is one of yours?"
"Not exactly. The kid has real talent for police work — it's just a shame he funneled that talent into running a haunted house." Li Zheng sounded a bit regretful. "We actually investigated his full background the very first time he called in a tip. Don't let his easy-going demeanor fool you — the weight he carries inside is something only he knows about."
"Sounds like he's got a story behind him."
"Yeah. Just over a year ago, his parents vanished under bizarre circumstances. No body, no trace, and the investigation never turned up a lead. According to a veteran officer at the local precinct, the kid completely fell apart after that — drifted in a haze for months before he finally pulled himself together. I'd guess that's when he decided to find his parents on his own. Surveillance cameras around his neighborhood regularly caught him sneaking out in the middle of the night. He collects cold cases, gathers every lead he can find, and deliberately goes to dangerous places — all of it, I assume, to track down his family."
After hearing Li Zheng's account, Captain Cai didn't respond right away. Chen Ge's face surfaced in his mind — those calm, steady eyes. "What he's doing is dangerous. Did you ever try to talk him out of it?"
"We tried. More than once. But it was no use. Put yourself in his shoes and it's easy to understand. When your family is missing and all your happy memories have become the past, a person like that naturally has no tolerance for evil." Li Zheng held Chen Ge in very high regard — he genuinely admired the young man.
A turbulent past, a strong sense of justice, an abhorrence for wrongdoing, and exceptional personal ability — that was Captain Cai's impression of Chen Ge now.
"All right, I understand. I won't keep you." Captain Cai hung up and stared blankly at the commendation records filling his computer screen, lost in thought.
A long while passed before he picked up his phone and dialed his superior, asking for instructions on whether the owner of the Nightmare Academy should be transferred to Hanjiang's special-care ward for treatment.
Once he received approval, Captain Cai set out immediately for the hospital.
It wasn't until five in the afternoon that Chen Ge finally emerged from the Xinhai Central Avenue police station.
Compared to the precincts back in Hanjiang, the procedures in Xinhai were more cumbersome — though it was also possible that the Hanjiang officers had grown familiar enough with Chen Ge to skip certain unnecessary steps.
"I was hoping to be back by noon, and instead I spent the entire day here." Stepping out of the police station, Chen Ge hailed a cab and headed back to the Nightmare Academy. Old