Chapter 1931: And You Can't Go Die
Li Song was originally resting, but he rushed over after receiving the news. He already knew on the way that his team member had died, so upon arrival, he immediately checked on the injured.
The injured were all to be sent to nearby hospitals. It wasn't strange for those with minor injuries who didn't want to spend money and didn't want to deal with the Supervision Department to leave, but two severely injured people forcibly jumped out of the transport vehicle and ran away. Regardless of their motives, it was highly suspicious, and there was also a certain probability that they were the players who caused the explosion, so the Supervision Department had to catch them no matter what.
"You and Han Cong, follow me." Li Song pointed at Xu Huo.
Xu Huo exchanged a glance with Han Cong and quickened his pace to follow.
The search was conducted in groups of three. Several teams coordinated to search house by house, alley by alley, turning over every place. During this process, anyone who didn't cooperate, the inspectors had the authority to shoot on sight. If they encountered resistance, nearby armed aircraft would immediately converge and open fire until the resister was killed.
Not long after, one of the injured was found. When the inspectors surrounded him, the man shouted, "The will shall never be extinguished!" and then detonated a bomb he had hidden in advance, taking two inspectors who were at the front with him.
When the debris of the bodies flew out, both Xu Huo and Han Cong instinctively ducked into the alley behind them. Captain Jiang, who had arrived later, shouted at them with a dark face and, as a form of punishment, ordered them to collect the remains of their colleagues.
Just looking at the scene was physically nauseating, but Captain Jiang kicked a bucket over to them and commanded, "Don't miss a single piece!"
There was no choice. Xu Huo and Han Cong had to lower their heads and gather the remains of colleagues they had never met. Other matters were no longer their concern, but Captain Jiang and his team hadn't gone far, so it wasn't hard to find out what was happening.
The one who was blown up shouting "The will shall never be extinguished!" was undoubtedly a member of the Rebel Army. As for why he was here, the reason was unclear.
But their appearance, coinciding with the deaths of several inspectors, made it hard not to suspect that the Rebel Army was planning some major action. So after a brief exchange, different branches of the Supervision Department began to cooperate, deploying a large number of armed aircraft for round-the-clock surveillance of various blocks.
The other person who had run away was caught not long after. He didn't have much to do with today's case, but under the influence of drugs, he confessed to murders he had committed in the past, including the stabbing of an inspector last month. He was then executed on the spot, saving the trouble of filing a case.
Xu Huo and Han Cong's faces were a bit pale when they carried the bucket back to the vehicle. Captain Jiang didn't say much and took them back.
Back at the Supervision Department, the two of them got another scolding before they could leave.
However, Han Cong didn't think there was anything wrong with their reaction at the time. He said privately to Xu Huo, "Everyone has instinctive reactions. You can't just charge headfirst into a bomb and get yourself killed, right?"
Xu Huo didn't say whether that was right or wrong, but he felt a bit ashamed and said, "I'm just too cowardly."
Although the Supervision Department's procedure for handling such incidents was simplified, they still had to be busy for a while. At the very least, they had to register the names of the deceased, investigate their relatives and friends to confirm their identities, and if they could follow the clues to find one or two leads on the Rebel Army, that would be even better. At least they could gain something from this incident; they couldn't just swallow this anger after so many inspectors had died.
The new recruits were also assigned tasks. Xu Huo followed Li Song, responsible for organizing part of the list of people.
The people in the West District were dissatisfied with the Supervision Department's "major inspection." Some who could run away would deliberately leave before the inspectors arrived and only return after they had left, operating on the principle of "you can't catch me if you can't find me." So, most of the time, Xu Huo and the others' main task was to search houses.
The vast majority of people in the West District were not wealthy. These places were small, cramped, and cluttered with all sorts of junk. At a glance, there was nothing worth searching, but they had to search anyway.
"Hey!" A fellow inspector pulled a photo from under a cabinet and stared at the young woman in it, who looked under twenty, saying, "Not bad looking."
He then waved the photo in front of Li Song before pocketing it.
The others said nothing, finished their own tasks, and moved on to the next house.
As they inspected more and more places, Xu Huo noticed that many families liked to use a head-mounted terminal. It was simpler than a wristwatch terminal but was equipped with the necessary game facilities.
"You're curious about this?" Li Song asked when he saw Xu Huo holding the terminal.
"Even though their homes are bare, and they can't even afford food, they still have plenty of game equipment," Xu Huo shook his head.
Li Song took a drag from his cigarette. "The game world is great, isn't it? Clean streets, clear laws, endless delicious food, endless scenery, no fear of being killed or robbed. Anyone would want to live in that kind of environment. Then look at the outside world."
He pointed his chin at the dilapidated house. "There's no hope in reality, so you have to find it in the game."
"What else can you do? And you can't go die, right?" The inspector who had taken the photo chuckled, sounding indifferent.
The sky quickly darkened, and the lights in the West District came on in large numbers. The events of the day hadn't had much impact on the night owls. People passing by Xiaotai Street might glance over a couple more times, then go about their business. However, this lively atmosphere wasn't very friendly to inspectors in uniform.
Li Song saw that it was about time and told them to wrap up.
Back at the Supervision Department, they changed clothes, and those who weren't on duty could leave.
Xu Huo didn't take off his uniform. Instead, he put his own clothes on over it before leaving the Supervision Department building.
By nightfall, it started raining again. Inspectors left in twos and threes. Xu Huo and Han Cong walked together for a while before parting ways, taking public transport back to their respective residences.
Three streets away from him, the inspector who had taken the photo didn't get on the bus home after saying goodbye to his companion. Instead, he changed course and headed back to the block they had searched during the day.
He had only been here during the day, and even with glasses on, some people still recognized him as an inspector.
Someone quietly followed him.
The inspector walked alone for a while before turning into a small path. After circling around twice, he cornered the person following him. It was a young boy. The inspector kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling. The dagger in the boy's hand clattered to the ground. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to grab the weapon, but was kicked over again.
The inspector stared at him with a smile, then tossed out the photo. "Going against the Supervision Department, you can't live, and neither can your family. The girl, though, can stay."
These words ignited the boy's killing intent. He charged forward recklessly, but the inspector raised his gun. Just then, a flowerpot suddenly fell from above, hitting the inspector's arm. In that moment of distraction, the dagger stabbed into his abdomen.
The boy gasped heavily, staring at the spot where the dagger had struck. He saw no blood flow out. Then a large hand grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. Panicked, he wildly stabbed the dagger towards the inspector's face.
The inspector had long arms and legs; with the boy's arm length, he couldn't possibly reach him. But just as the inspector was tightening his grip, he suddenly felt a warmth on his neck. He dropped the boy and touched his neck, only to find blood gushing out. He stared at the boy, staggered back, and slumped against the wall behind him, blood frothing from his mouth.
The boy didn't understand what had happened. He looked at the dagger, which wasn't stained with blood, quickly picked up the photo from the ground, and ran.
The rain gradually grew heavier.
(Chapter End)