# Chapter 86: My Mission
"Dad, there's a parent-teacher meeting next Friday afternoon. Can you come back then?"
I suddenly opened my eyes in a daze, the sharp pain in my neck telling me that I absolutely could not give up now.
Although the seat was reclining very slowly, by now I was already completely lying flat.
Zhang Huanan couldn't use any strength from this angle, he could only keep retreating backward.
After I fully reclined the seat, I continued groping with my left hand and soon found another button.
Once this button was pressed, the entire seat would slowly slide backward.
"You son of a bitch..." Zhang Huanan was being pushed backward by my seat, running out of room to move.
I finally escaped the wire's restraint, feeling my entire throat throbbing with pain. But this was a life-or-death moment; anything non-lethal was just a flesh wound.
I immediately raised the pistol and turned around, but everything was pitch black before me, my brain still hadn't recovered from the oxygen deprivation.
Based on sound and experience, I aimed the gun straight ahead, ready to finish off Zhang Huanan.
But at that moment, the entire car suddenly shook violently.
A few seconds later I came to my senses — this was an earthquake.
I had lived in Inner Mongolia for over thirty years and never experienced an earthquake.
But this earthquake was so distinct, making it even harder for me, already dizzy and disoriented, to keep my balance.
After two consecutive shots missed, Zhang Huanan suddenly lunged and tightly grabbed my hand.
I had fought him before; this liar wasn't very strong, but every move was insidious.
One hand pressed down on my gun, while the other reached for my left pinky finger, grabbed it, and viciously bent it backward.
I didn't expect this move and instantly pulled my left hand back. The next second, I finally regained my vision, only to see Zhang Huanan pulling a hammer from somewhere.
Before I could react, the hammer flew toward my head.
In an instant, I felt the world spinning, as if my very soul was about to leave my body.
I knew this was the precursor to fainting; the next few seconds would be my last chance.
By now, the car was sliding randomly due to the violent earthquake. Through the window, I vaguely saw houses on both sides of the alley collapsing, walls cracking, and even the distant sky splitting open...
Wait... the sky was cracking?
Before I could process it, Zhang Huanan's hammer came down again, which I narrowly dodged.
I pulled myself together, knowing that if I didn't kill Zhang Huanan here, he would kill Xuanxuan, and more people would be defrauded by him in the future. Even if I had to die here, I would drag Zhang Huanan to hell with me.
I thrust one finger viciously toward Zhang Huanan's eye, feeling a warm wetness as my finger pierced straight through his eyeball.
He howled in agony and released his grip on the gun. I immediately aimed at his chest and fired.
The bullet clearly pierced into his lung, but at the same time, his hammer swung again and smacked into my temple.
The next few shots — whether due to the violent earthquake or my temple being struck — completely lost direction. Although I wanted to fire a few more shots, my balance was entirely destroyed.
Darkness filled my vision; I didn't even know where I had collapsed.
The hammer seemed to keep falling on my head.
But I felt nothing anymore.
Warm liquid soaked my eyes. I could only hear the "thump thump" sounds of my own skull.
Everything was shaking. Everything was breaking.
Distant sounds surged like waves — screams, shouts, the crash of vehicles colliding, the rumble of collapsing buildings all exploding at once.
No, I still couldn't die.
I had to deal with Zhang Huanan quickly, then get out of the car to save people.
I needed to call the team and request backup.
Had to save people, had to save them right now.
Every minute of precious rescue time wasted during an earthquake was throwing away lives.
I had my mission. I couldn't stand by...
But... would I still be alive?
...
Am I alive now?
When I opened my eyes, nine strangers were sitting before me.
This place looked somewhat like an interrogation room, but we never used round tables.
A round shape doesn't create pressure; instead, it gives a feeling of gathering and comfort. So interrogation rooms usually have square tables, while hotel dining tables are round.
At first, I thought this was some little trick Zhang Huanan had pulled... but thinking about it carefully, he and I should both be dead by now.
I reached out and touched my head. My skull was slightly dented, but there was no bleeding.
I touched my neck and felt a sharp sting.
So the injuries from before were still there, but I wasn't dead — what was going on?
The neck and skull were fatal wounds, yet I was sitting here perfectly fine. Not only could I see and hear, I could even feel my own wounds.
An old colleague at the station once told me that when a person dies, their life flashes before their eyes like a revolving lantern.
But I didn't remember ever seeing these nine people before. Each of them had a face I didn't recognize, and like me, they were looking around in confusion.
So this wasn't a memory montage — was it some strange dream?
One minute later, the man wearing the goat-head mask mercilessly killed someone, and I finally understood my mission.
Even if this was a strange dream, even if this was hell.
My mission was not yet over.
This was a place for me to continue paying my debts.
I would crush those evil people and save all the innocent.
This time, I would never hesitate again. I would never let myself regret.
I was a police officer. Even here, I would fulfill my duty.
I didn't expect the identity I drew to be "Liar." Now came the difficult choice.
Should I first protect the lives of the innocent... or survive and personally kill that masked freak with my own hands?
After a few seconds of mental struggle, I understood.
Never follow the suspect's train of thought. He wanted us to kill each other, but I was determined to save everyone.
As long as everyone survived, there was still hope.
Unfortunately, even if I won this game, I couldn't go back.
I had killed someone.
I couldn't face Xuanxuan anymore. Only the law's judgment awaited me.
So my end could only be here.
Life had no second chances. I couldn't change my past.
What a pity I didn't have a single cigarette in my pocket, and I hadn't brought the lighter Xuanxuan bought me with her allowance. I didn't know how unbearable the days ahead would be.
If possible, I really wished I could smoke one more Dongchongxiacao.
So let me do what I had to do, then quietly go.
My name is Li Shangwu.
I am going to start lying.