Crimson Instinct

*Xin Lei*

"I think I made it clear that we don't want civilian interference anymore."

Duan Deming looked at us with a hint of warning in his gaze.

I thought Tian Song might seem a bit unsettled after what happened in Andingzhen, but he looked absolutely unperturbed as if nothing ever happened.

Wasn't he afraid even a bit if we exposed him?

Bai Li roughly glanced at Duan Deming's direction. "And if I remember correctly to my knowledge, we didn't say anything of the sort that indicated that we agreed."

Duan Deming narrowed his eyes. "You know, this is an intrusion in the crime scene. I can arrest you for this."

The man beside him said, "Officer Duan. Let it go."

"Who are the two people with you?" Bai Li asked.

"One is Tian Song."

We looked unaffected and indifferent.

"And he is Zhao Wenyan, Yi Xiaosi's assistant."

Zhao Wenyan, who gave the order to demolish this place in Natural Park.

Fu Meili's state flashed past my mind, and I had a sudden urge to strangle him right now. My hands were itching to punch the shit out of him.

Zhao Wenyan came forward. "Nice to meet you. I heard what happened here, and I immediately came over to take a look."

I carefully observed him, and his expression didn't seem tense or stiff. He appeared shocked, though, but not something how a culprit would panic.

Nice acting, I must say. He was in control of his emotions.

"Are you sure you just heard what happened, or is it taking a great deal of effort for you to feign the opposite?" Bai Li sarcastically said.

Duan Deming widened his eyes. "Bai Li. Do you know who you are talking to?"

"I know, and I fucking don't care."

Zhao Wenyan knitted his brows. "I don't know you. Have we met before? I don't know how I might have offended you."

"Oh, trust me. You don't need to personally know anybody after what you did. People will naturally come for your life."

I typed. "You think that there are so many innocent people buried here, and that is not a reason to get offended?"

"Sir! We have found more bodies here!" A junior cop yelled from our right.

Duan Deming said, "I will go take a look-"

"I will go." Tian Song cut him off. "I will take care of what the cops find and make arrangements to take the evidence to the forensic lab."

No ways! You want to go so that you destroy any evidence? Just like how you stole the DNA sample?

I clenched my fingers into a fist.

Duan Deming immediately interrupted. "It's okay, Song. Stay here with Mr. Zhao. I will do it."

"Your leg is injured with the shot. It is best not to move in your condition."

I gritted my teeth.

Duan Deming and looked at me and gave a slight nod. "Alright, then."

Tian Song nodded and quietly went away.

I didn't know what Duan Deming had in store, but I guessed he might have told somebody to keep an eye on him.

Zhao Wenyan asked, "Who are you, people?"

I typed. "Doesn't matter to you."

"How does it not? Some strangers barged into Natural Park and dug a place all on their own. You found dead bodies. How does it not matter to me? This area falls under Yi Xiaosi party's jurisdiction."

Bai Li said, "Exactly. Something so big was happening right under your nose, and you had no idea about it? Do you even know how many victims are there? Do you know that one of them is an eight-year-old girl?"

Zhao Wenyan turned grim. "I understand that. And that is naturally a grave matter. But I don't see how you people have any right to question me. You are not the law."

"Heh! So Duan Deming. Why don't you ask the esteemed Zhao Wenyan why he gave the orders to demolish this area? Aren't you a cop? Come on. Do your job."

"Bai Li…"

Duan Deming seemed furious.

Liao Huifang suddenly burst out in anger. "You cops! You never know how to do your job! One of the unfortunate is my sister! But you never have any answers to give! Cops and the law are just useless!"

Tears fell from her eyes, and she choked.

Duan Deming said, "Aren't you Liao Chuntao's sister? Look, I understand your pain, but we are doing our best to give your sister justice."

"I am listening to that crap for the nth time already! If you had taken my complaint seriously the first time I came for your help, then perhaps my sister would have been alive now!'

"Miss, we were just following the protocol." He sighed.

"Screw your protocols!"

Zhao Wenyan said, "Wait. Do you think our party is behind these murders? There is a big misunderstanding here."

"Care to explain the meaning behind your actions, then?" Bai Li asked.

Zhao Wenyan was quiet for a moment. "Can we talk somewhere?"

"Obviously. You got no choice but to talk because I am not leaving you one. You have to give answers."

He twitched his brow, and he certainly looked displeased with Bai Li's tone, but we didn't care.

Before we left, we saw Fu Meili one last time as she was taken away. I scrutinized the officer's every move so that they handled her with the utmost respect and care.

Fu Meili...What you saw that day, what you witnessed the monstrosity...we promise that we will definitely bring it in front of the world.

We will give justice to you and every single innocent person who has lost their life. This is my promise.

Inside the park itself, we went to a small inn.

"Start talking already."

Zhao Wenyan shot a glare at Bai Li. "Enough of your accusations. We know nothing about this."

"Then why did you order to demolish the area?"

Zhao Wenyan sighed. "That part was literally a barren land. We wanted to renovate it so that we could build some other structures on it. The plan is still ongoing on what to do over there. The whole area needed restructuring and maintenance. We had no idea that something this horrifying was taking place here."

Liao Huifang sneered. "And you expect us to believe you?"

"Of course! Natural Park is in Langfang and Yi Xiaoshi, which is the party for which I support, has a seat here. Do you think we would do something like this in our own place? The elections are near. Do you think we would be stupid enough to murder people where we rule? If this goes out in public then it would be a heavy blow on our party's reputation on Yi Xiaosi's reputation. No, what if? It is already going to be a disaster."

I hate to admit it, but he had a point. There was too much risk to do this at your own home.

He continued. "Even if the real culprits are caught, our reputation would be forever stained. We couldn't stop this from happening in our own place. The authorities would even force our party to be dismissed from the eight allied parties with the CPC."

Bai Li said, "But the reverse is also true. Since you are practically in charge here, you can control what goes on here. You have the power to silence people or buy them as you wish because it's your own territory where it's the easiest to rule. That is also why everything that happened wasn't exposed before."

Bai Li had an equally good counter-argument.

Duan Deming frowned. "Bai Li. I agree with Mr. Zhao. What you are saying doesn't seem plausible. Of course, that still could be the case, but at such a crucial time in elections, no party would take such a risk to harm their chances of winning."

"He is right. Do you have any idea what the opposition would do now once this news gets out?" Zhao Wenyan seemed tired. He rubbed his forehead. "This is the shittiest timing that something like this has come out now. And it works so much in favor of Zhang Chao and Yao Shuang! The two parties are our main competition."

Bai Li said, "Your theories won't get you anywhere."

"No. Believe me. I am damn sure it's all the dirty work of Zhang Chao or Yao Shuang's people! Or maybe they have colluded with one another."

I raised my brow. There he goes. All the political parties only know how to blame each other.

I typed. "Do you expect us to believe now that some other party managed to do all the murders under your nose, like right where it's your jurisdiction, and you didn't get a clue? You are expecting us to believe you on too many things, Mr. Zhao."

He gritted his teeth. "But that is what makes sense! One of the parties wants to destroy Yi Xiaosi, so they expertly crafted this plan! Doesn't the timing seem way too suspicious?"

Then he narrowed their eyes at us.

What now?

"In fact, since you three came all the way here, lied to the guards to enter the park and found the place and the bodies, it isn't wrong for me to wonder that you might be in cahoots with one of the oppositions who has planned this."