Chapter 1: Rainy Night

I will definitely catch you

The defendant stood up, bowed slightly to the judge and the audience, then smiled and nodded at Luo on the left before leaving the courtroom with the lawyer

The man looked at the lawyer with a cold, vacant gaze and replied: "We have the right to track the suspect"

On a cold winter night, with chilly rain and gusts of wind, the entrance of a small two-star hotel stood open due to a malfunction, allowing the cold air to mercilessly fill the entire hotel lobby

The man replied: "Someone needs help"

The lawyer then asked: "The defendant, in a state of desperation, informed Officer Liu Mo about the clue regarding the yacht with a white bottom and red edges at the East Coast dock. The police, following this clue, found a batch of jewelry that had been stolen in Thailand ten days prior on the yacht, and also detained several suspects. Is that correct?"

Without saying a word, the man ran towards the stairs, and the security guard said: "Call the police." He hurriedly followed the man.

You certainly have the right to track the defendant, and then the defendant had an accident in a remote location, requesting you to save his wife, correct

Five meters away from the person who was bound, there was a sealed plastic bag on the ground. Inside the bag was a mobile phone, which was vibrating and emitting light. The man looked at the bound person, tore open the plastic bag, took a deep breath, and answered the phone in a calm voice: "Hello, I have arrived"

The quiet atmosphere was suddenly shattered as a man in a suit, drenched and soaked, burst into the lobby, his white shirt stained with blood. In his right hand, he held a handgun, scanning the surroundings rapidly while gasping for breath. He looked at the receptionist, tugged at the badge worn on his chest with his left hand, and asked loudly, "Where is the elevator?" His voice resonated with a buzzing sound in the stillness of the lobby.

I will wait for you, hehe

Officer Zuo, here are my questions, please respond. The first question is, you tracked the defendant, correct?

I forgot

We administered first aid and also called the emergency services.

The lawyer said: "Officer Liu Mo dragged the plaintiff's wife in front of the defendant and loudly interrogated the defendant, correct?"

Thank you, Officer Zuo. My client, the defendant, holds you in high regard and considers you a model police officer. The lawyer turned to the judge and said: Your Honor, the defendant is not a criminal; he merely associates with some bad people. At a banquet, he overheard someone mention that stolen goods were on a yacht. Under the threat to his wife's life, he had no choice but to inform Officer Liu of the only information he knew that might interest the police, in hopes of seeking their assistance

A few minutes later, the police car arrived, the helicopter appeared, and more than a dozen police officers reached the rooftop. No one attended to the man; everyone silently collected all the evidence from the balcony

Yes

The lawyer leaned against the armrest beside the man, looked at the judge, and said: "According to the defendant's testimony, Officer Zuo, you were very eager to prioritize saving people, but your partner Officer Liu Mo stopped you and even punched you. Is that correct?"

It is also late, I do not understand why, despite giving you ample time, you did not arrive on time

"Elevator." The man repeated.

So you are late

The man restrained himself from the impulse to smash his phone, recognizing it as evidence, and felt he had no right to do so. He felt physically and mentally exhausted, slumped down in the cold rain, leaning against the railing, took out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one of them.

I was wrong, please give me another chance

The elevator does not operate after twelve o'clock... I will help you open it. The receptionist noticed the man's furrowed brows and instinctively replied, The stairs are over there

Court

I do not think so, Officer Zuo. I personally have great respect for you. This tragedy should not have occurred; it was merely that someone crossed the line, and the one who crossed the line must die

It is now midnight, and in the entire lobby, there is only one security guard and one front desk staff member still on duty. The front desk staff member glanced at the door, where the cold rain was hitting the edges, and water droplets were bouncing onto the lobby floor. She felt dissatisfied with this; the efficiency of the hotel engineering department is too low

Yes. However, I hold you in great respect, so I am giving you an opportunity, a choice. If you are not going to save the person lying by the roadside, who is bleeding, then you have ample time to rescue your partner. Your choice is foolish

In other words, do you admit that your partner used the life of the defendant's wife to threaten the defendant

The judge reminded: "Witness, you are a police officer, and you have the obligation to answer this question."

The security guard and the front desk attendant were both stunned as they looked at the man, who appeared to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with short hair, a height of 1.85 meters, and a strong, robust build that exuded a natural sense of intimidation

Yes

Your partner Officer Liu Mo threatened that if the defendant does not admit to his crime, he will not rescue the defendant's wife, correct

The man remained silent for a long time before responding: "Yes"

(The institutional system is purely an idealized virtual concept, unrelated to reality; please do not take it personally)

The man glanced at his watch: "Two minutes and twenty seconds"

The man remained silent for a longer time, and as everyone waited, he replied: "Yes."

You are late

In the southeast direction, there is a billboard, a hotel advertisement, on the edge of the neon lights hangs a person, a man around forty years old, his mouth sealed with tape, his hands suspended by ropes on the billboard. In the center of the rope that is hanging him, there is a component that occasionally emits a faint red glow

This story is purely fictional; any resemblance to actual events or persons is coincidental

The man stared blankly, hearing a voice beside him. In the shadow of the billboard, there was a mobile phone. The man took a couple of steps, tore open the plastic bag, answered the call, and said fiercely: "Bastard, you are dead meat"

The security guard leaned against the front desk. Although he faced the wind, the only pleasure of working the night shift was chatting with beautiful girls, perhaps the sole motivation for the night shift. However, the front desk attendant paid him little attention, playing with her phone and occasionally responding with a few words here and there.

I forgot

The lawyer continued: "The testimonies confirm that among the few individuals apprehended on the yacht, one had previously attended a dinner with the defendant. I also have surveillance footage from the dinner, which shows that the defendant and this suspect were not familiar with each other; they merely conversed a bit more because their native language is English. It was during that time that the defendant inadvertently overheard information regarding stolen goods on the yacht. As a foreigner, he should have reported it to the police, but he was timid and afraid of the consequences, so he did not dare to mention it. All current testimonies and evidence indicate that the defendant is innocent. Thank you."

... ...

"No." The man heard the sound of the call being disconnected and rushed towards the billboard. The ropes binding the person suddenly snapped, and the bound individual fell down like a sandbag. ... The man reached over the railing and touched his hair, leaning forward to see his face, his eyes ... . ... Watching him crash onto the empty space of the parking lot.

Scenes replayed in Zuo Luo's mind: the car accident, coercion, the fall from a building... Zuo Luo looked towards the defendant's seat, where sat a man in his forties. This man was dressed in an expensive suit, his hair meticulously styled, and he wore a constant smile. In the pocket of his chest, he had inserted a rose folded with black gauze, a tribute to his wife who had passed away over a month ago

The man pushed the door, but it was stuck. He took two steps back and kicked it hard with his right foot several times. Noticing some give in the door, he made a charge and slammed his body against the iron door. The iron door was knocked open, and the man fell to the ground, but he immediately got back up and ran towards the southeast direction

The hotel is not tall, only nine stories. As the man sprinted, by the time the security guard reached the fourth floor, he had already arrived at the ninth floor. One more flight of stairs leads to an iron door, which is the iron door to the rooftop

I forgot

Mistakes must come with consequences, so say goodbye

The man asked in a deep voice: "So you intended to kill him from the very beginning"

What is more important? The life of your partner, or that of a stranger?

The defendant is not guilty and is released in court