Chapter 37

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Despite Zheng Qiuyi being mentally prepared, the first words Zhang Yueting said left her completely baffled: "Director Zheng, do you believe that there are really monsters in this world?"

"Monsters? Director Zhang, why are you bringing this up?"

Zhang Yueting whispered, "Director Zheng, there's something I need to tell you in private, but once we leave this room, I won't acknowledge it— the person who killed the criminal was not us."

Zheng Qiuyi was taken aback. She regained her composure and laughed, "Director Zhang, are you joking with me? Wasn't it you who led the division and fired dozens of shots at the criminal, ultimately killing him? The autopsy report said that the criminal had over twenty bullet wounds, and twenty bullet heads were extracted. Now you're telling me it wasn't you? This is really... I can't understand it."

"Director Zheng, you didn't get my point: I did lead the team to fire at that guy, and we did hit him with dozens of bullets, but in the end, the one who killed him was not us."

Zheng Qiuyi frowned slightly, and after a moment, she nodded, "I think I understand what you mean, Director Zhang. Your point is that although you hit the criminal, it wasn't a fatal wound, and the one who actually killed him was someone else?"

Zhang Yueting nodded repeatedly, "Yes, exactly!"

"But, Director Zhang, how is that possible? I didn't participate in the autopsy, but I heard that over twenty bullet heads were extracted from the criminal, and his vital organs, including his heart and brain, were completely destroyed. This is definitely a fatal wound!"

Zhang Yueting smiled bitterly, "Director Zheng, what you said is true, but what I said is also true. I want to tell you that even though his brain was shattered, his brain matter was exposed, his heart and liver were destroyed, his legs were broken, and his intestines were torn out, the criminal was still not dead. What do you think of that?"

Zheng Qiuyi frowned, "This... some people have strong vitality and can survive for a while even after severe injuries... I read a news story about a man in a foreign country who was shot in the heart, and his heart membrane was pierced. Normally, he would have died, but he managed to drive for half an hour to the hospital for help. Sometimes, a person's strong will and vitality can create many miracles before death."

Zhang Yueting waved his hand and said excitedly, "Director Zheng, it's not like that. I'm telling you, it's not like that! What you're talking about is a last gasp, which I understand, but what we encountered today is definitely not a last gasp! According to the autopsy report, the guy's brain was shattered, his brain matter was exposed, his heart and liver were destroyed, his legs were broken, and his intestines were torn out. But even in that state, he could still engage in close combat with us!

At that time, there were seven of us from the division, all armed with police batons, and our skills were not bad. Normally, we could handle three to five troublemakers without any problem. Among us was Da Wu, who was the runner-up in the national free fighting competition. He was not just a showman. But when he went up, he was immediately thrown away by that monster, his arm was broken, and he fainted on the spot.

Director Zheng, think about it. That's the runner-up in the national free fighting competition! He was knocked down by a single punch from the other side. What level was that monster? This is not a person with a fatal wound; even a lively elephant would not be like this!"

Zheng Qiuyi's expression became serious. When the criminal was killed, she was not at the scene. She only heard that the criminal was shot many times and died, and the Xinjiang division also suffered many casualties. She thought that the police had discovered the criminal and tried to arrest him, but the criminal resisted fiercely, leading to the deaths and injuries of several police officers, and the police had no choice but to shoot him dead. She did not expect that the actual sequence of events was completely opposite: the police shot the criminal first, even giving him a fatal wound, and then the criminal fiercely counterattacked, injuring several police officers.

Zheng Qiuyi had extensive criminal investigation experience, and she certainly understood what Zhang Yueting's words implied—whether the police shot first or the criminal attacked first was a very serious matter, involving serious legal responsibilities.

Her eyes flickered, and she asked in a low voice, "Director Zhang, you know, this is a very serious matter..."

Zhang Yueting was also an experienced old police officer. He certainly understood that whether the police shot first or the criminal attacked first involved legal issues and could have serious consequences. He nodded and said, "Director Zheng, I'm not a child; I know the consequences. I already said that what I'm saying tonight is in private, and once we leave this room, I won't acknowledge it. So, what I said just now, only you and I know. When you write the case closure report and come to me for formal questioning, what I will say will be different."

"I understand. Thank you for your trust, Director Zhang. I will keep this in mind... Actually, that guy deserved to die! To be honest, if I had been as decisive as you and ordered the shooting, perhaps our colleagues Da Qi and Lao Zhao wouldn't have died, and Li Nanmin wouldn't be in a life-or-death situation now."

Zhang Yueting waved his hand, "Director Zheng, you misunderstood. I didn't ask you to come here to cover up for me—shooting that man-eating beast, I have no regrets. Whether it's the internal affairs department or the prosecutor's office, I don't care! He attacked the police and killed people, and as a police officer, I shot him. Legally and morally, I have no regrets. If I was afraid of this, I wouldn't have come to you."

"Then, Director Zhang, why did you call me here for..."

"Director Zheng, I'm not afraid to admit that I shot the beast—what's there to be afraid of? But the problem is, the one who killed him was not us—" Zhang Yueting shook his head and said firmly, "No, to be more precise, that guy was not killed by bullets!"

"Killed by bullets?" Zheng Qiuyi was shocked, "This... how is that possible?"

"He's not human; he's a monster!" Zhang Yueting said decisively, "Perhaps, using a more powerful automatic rifle or a shotgun might work, but our current police pistols are absolutely useless against him!

Now, every time I lie down and close my eyes, I immediately think of that guy's eyes, glowing red and eerie!

Director Zheng, don't laugh at me, but I'm not a coward. I joined the army as a reconnaissance soldier when I was eighteen, and I used to sleep in graveyards. I've caught over a dozen murderers with my own hands, and I never believed in those supernatural things before. But today, when I looked into his eyes, I really felt scared!

That red, eerie gaze, devoid of any human quality—those are not human eyes; he is a demon! Now, every time I lie down, I dream of those red, eerie eyes, and I can't sleep at all!

Director Zheng, I used to be skeptical, but now I really believe it! Whether you call that guy a zombie, a zombie, a vampire, or any other kind of monster, I believe it, but he is definitely not human! There is no such person in the world who can still be lively and vigorous even after their head is blown off—I think even if you cut off his head, he would still be alive and kicking!

I called you here to remind you to be extremely cautious when you are responsible for the case closure investigation. Don't be careless! Don't think that just because the criminal is dead, the case is over and there's no danger. Don't think that the investigation is just a casual visit to his home, asking neighbors and colleagues, and then it's done—don't think like that!

That guy is very sinister. You need to be careful when you investigate his background. Bring your gun, bring enough bullets, and bring more people. Don't treat this as a routine background check; treat it as if you're catching a wanted criminal. Be decisive and shoot if necessary. Don't hesitate. If anything happens, it's better for them to die than for our colleagues to be hurt again."

"Thank you, Director Zhang, your warning is very timely!"

Seeing that Zheng Qiuyi had taken his words to heart, Zhang Yueting looked very pleased. He said, "I know that Director Zheng is smart and capable and would not overlook the oddities. I just wanted to remind you to avoid any trouble for our colleagues."

At that moment, Zheng Qiuyi thanked Zhang Yueting again for his concern. Just then, her phone in her handbag rang. She apologized, picked up the phone, and listened for a few moments. Then, her smile disappeared, her expression turned gloomy, and her shoulders slumped, looking very dejected.

Zhang Yueting asked, "What's wrong, Director Zheng? Did something happen?"

Zheng Qiuyi weakly shook her head and covered her face. After a while, she put her hand down, her eyes glistening with tears, and her voice was low and sad. She said, "Our colleague Li Nian, who was stabbed in the chest by the criminal this afternoon, did not survive the emergency surgery. The hospital just informed us that he has passed away."

"Ah!" Zhang Yueting's eyes widened, and his expression turned gloomy. Although he did not know the police officer who had just died, they were both police officers and had been injured by the same criminal, so he felt a deep sense of sorrow.

At that moment, neither of them spoke, and the room was filled with an unbearable silence.

Fortunately, although Zheng Qiuyi was sad, she did not lose control. After a while, she regained her composure, stood up, and bid farewell to Zhang Yueting. He nodded solemnly and waved goodbye to her.

As she was about to leave, Zheng Qiuyi stopped—Zhang Yueting had taken a risk to reveal the truth and warn her to be careful, and she could not ignore his kindness. However, what he said was indeed too bizarre, and she was skeptical.

She turned around, "By the way, Director Zhang, there's something I forgot to ask: since you said that the pistol was ineffective against that monster, how was it finally killed?"

Zhang Yueting gave Zheng Qiuyi a thumbs up, "Impressive, Director Zheng, you still thought of this! That's right, the monster was not killed by us, but by a girl."

"Oh? A girl? What happened?"

"At that time, I was thrown away and could not move, lying near a glass counter. I saw clearly that all our police officers were knocked down, and the monster rushed towards the crowd. A five or six-year-old girl was left unattended, and the monster rushed towards her..."

"A five or six-year-old girl?" Zheng Qiuyi found it hard to believe, "She killed the criminal?"

"Ha ha, definitely not—then, a young man suddenly rushed out, kicked the monster down, and carried the girl away. The monster pursued them relentlessly. At that moment, another girl, who looked about sixteen or seventeen, rushed out with a black long stick. Her movements were very fast. She rushed out from the side, intercepted the monster, and struck it with the black stick. I don't know if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I saw the black stick flash. After the girl struck the monster, it froze on the spot and then fell down and died."

Zheng Qiuyi listened, feeling as if she was listening to a fairy tale. She asked, "Director Zhang, the criminal who couldn't be killed by bullets was killed by a girl with a stick? Is that really possible?"

Zhang Yueting nodded seriously, "Yes, that's exactly what happened. I saw it with my own eyes, clearly!"

If the person saying this was not an experienced and seasoned old police officer, a leader at the same level as herself, Zheng Qiuyi would have burst out laughing. She held back her laughter, but a smile still crept onto her lips. She asked, "Why don't you think this way? The criminal was already severely injured from the bullets, and you and your colleagues fought with him, making his condition even worse. At that point, a girl came out and hit him with a stick, and he just happened to die. Isn't that more reasonable? In fact, the main credit for killing the criminal still goes to you and your colleagues!"

Zhang Yueting looked at her and sighed deeply in his heart.

If he had not been there in person, if he had not fought with the monster and experienced its power and speed firsthand, he would have admitted that Zheng Qiuyi's explanation was more reasonable—but it was not the truth.

Zhang Yueting had fought the monster personally and experienced its terrifying strength. A single punch from the monster broke two of his ribs and threw him seven or eight meters away. With such strength, how could the monster be "on the verge of death"?

He had seen the monster's eyes, the red, eerie gaze filled with evil and violence—this was not a creature on the brink of death, but one with abundant evil energy.

But these were just his feelings at the time, and he had no evidence to support them. So, he could only soften his tone and say to Zheng Qiuyi, "Director Zheng, this matter is very strange. You can't think about it in a conventional way. I suggest you find the girl who killed the criminal and ask her. She should know something."

"Why?"

"My intuition. She was very calm, standing in front of the monster without any panic. At that time, everyone was panicking—facing a monster that couldn't be killed, not just the crowd but even our police officers were at a loss. But that girl, I saw clearly, was not afraid at all. Her expression was very calm, as if she was confident that the monster couldn't hurt her.

At that moment, I was thinking about this—how could she be so confident that the monster couldn't hurt her? But I was injured and couldn't move, so I couldn't stop her. Later, when my colleagues arrived, the scene was a bit chaotic, and when I asked someone to find her, she was already gone.

But I remember her appearance—long hair in a ponytail, tall and slim, about 1.68 meters tall, with a beautiful face and good temperament. She was wearing black pants and a red casual outfit, and she had a black long object on her back, which looked like a stick or an unsheathed sword. I couldn't see clearly from a distance. Director Zheng, you can check the surveillance footage. Her temperament is very unique, and she should be with the young man who saved the girl. It shouldn't be hard to find her."

Zheng Qiuyi took out a notebook from her handbag and carefully wrote down the characteristics Zhang Yueting described—frankly, what Zhang Yueting said was too bizarre, and she did not really believe it. A criminal who couldn't be killed by bullets was killed by a teenage girl with a stick? This was too far-fetched. If she believed this, she would be laughed at.

Zheng Qiuyi was skeptical that Zhang Yueting, who had not only broken ribs but might have been hit on the head, was coming up with all these strange ideas.

She closed her notebook and said sincerely to Zhang Yueting, "Alright, Director Zhang, I've noted what you said. I'll look into it and find the girl. If there's any news, I'll let you know."

Zhang Yueting sighed. With his experience and insight, he could tell that Zheng Qiuyi's words were full of敷衍 (敷衍 means insincerity or perfunctoriness, but it's not commonly used in English, so I'll translate it as "insincerity"). But he could only say so much. After all, they were colleagues at the same level, and he could give advice, but saying too much would be interfering with her work.