Chapter 6: Eternal Farewell

  The SWAT team withdrew from the scene, and other police officers took over the investigation work. Commander Gao walked to the stairs and suddenly sat down on the steps. Peng Sizhe was a bit surprised: "Why didn't you leave?"

  "My legs are weak..." Commander Gao said quietly, looking around to make sure no one was listening.

  Peng Sizhe was taken aback and lost his smile: "How did you become so cowardly?"

  "Aren't you afraid at all?" Commander Gao asked back.

  "A bit... after all... it was the first time I shot someone at such close range..." Peng Siche's mind replayed the terrified eyes of the suspect who had been shot dead.

  "That's good, I thought I was the only one who was afraid. Peng Sizhe, you're really a good brother!" Commander Gao adjusted his emotions quickly and stood up, saying another sentence: "Peng Sizhe, this time your report will take half a day to write again."

  "What's wrong with that? You're here to keep me company while I write, aren't you?" Peng Si Zhe shrugged and said nonchalantly.

  "It's also true that if there were only a few sharpshooters in the team, it would be too dull." Commander Gao said casually, he now needs to shift his own tension.

  The surprise interrogation made Qin Minghui extremely disappointed, this was not the Wang Licheng gang he was looking for. The leader of the group was another batch of drug traffickers, they had just handed over dozens of kilograms of drugs to Ningming for a night's rest at the border, but unexpectedly the police set up a checkpoint and searched their car. They thought it was to catch themselves, Qin Minghui thought he was with Wang Licheng's gang, but unexpectedly it turned out to be a misfire.

  Wang Licheng had already sneaked out by water last night, and at this time Lin Chao Hui and Bobby also abandoned their vehicle and took advantage of the police being busy with the Peace Mall incident to board a ship at a remote dock. The sudden appearance of Old Four's gang directly helped them out.

  Qin Minghui puffed on his cigarette, one after another, thinking hard about where Wang Licheng should be at this time. However, in the end, he had to accept a reality - Wang Licheng was no longer in Ningming County. With the speed of modern transportation, he should have already escaped the police's encirclement!

  At this time, Lin Chaohui was also leaning on the railing of the boat, looking at the water splashing on both sides of the speedboat. Bobo stood on the deck with a calm face.

  Lin Chao Hui had a premonition that he would have to deal with this special police force from now on. As someone who had been walking in the gray area for many years, Lin Chao Hui's intuition had never been wrong. He had always been careful to avoid the police, but what was meant to come would still come. Lin Chao Hui smiled wryly to himself. When Zhang Zhi Qiang was caught, he could have washed his hands clean and walked away, but for Zhu Mei Er, he gave up that opportunity. Years went by in a flash, and soon ten years had almost passed. Zhu Mei Er became more and more incomprehensible to him, and he too became more and more incomprehensible to himself.

  Lin Chao Hui first saw Zhu Mei Er not in that bar, but on an afternoon, Lin Chao Hui clearly remembered the playground at school, when Zhu Mei Er walked along the edge of the playground like an angel, with a bright and beautiful gaze. At that time, Zhu Mei Er was full of vitality, her eyes were pure and intoxicating, from the moment Lin Chao Hui saw that gaze, he couldn't help but fall deeply in love with her. However, he didn't expect that when he found out Zhu Mei Er would be going to the bar for a classmate's birthday party that night, he had originally wanted Zhang Zhi Qiang to go and boost his confidence, but ended up with a result of being robbed of his love!

  Lin Chaohui felt sorry for himself, living forever in the shadow of Zhang Zhiqiang. He slowly watched as Zhu Meier's originally bright and simple eyes became increasingly bewildered, shrouded in a layer of fog that no one could see through... He tried his best to pull Zhu Meier out of this quagmire, only to find himself sinking deeper and deeper... Perhaps the words Zhang Zhiqiang had spoken back then were not wrong after all - once you set foot on this path, there is no turning back!

  Lin Chaohui resented Zhang Zhiqiang, but he didn't betray him. However, who would care about that? In Zhu Meier's eyes, everything Lin Chaohui did was just to atone for his sins. His years of hard work couldn't compare to the attention Zhu Meier gave to Peng Haoming, a newcomer! A pang of bitter jealousy rose in Lin Chaohui's heart!

  "Peng Haoming... Peng Haoming..." Lin Chaohui whispered the name softly, with a fierce glint in his eyes.

  Almost a thousand police officers have been fighting continuously, and they have solved a major drug trafficking case, but Qin Minghui couldn't be happier. Old Wei was still lying in the mountains, and the search and rescue team had gone in to search at dawn, but so far there was no news. After arranging for the escort of Lao Si and others, Qin Minghui hurriedly went to deal with the search and rescue situation again. Just then, a call came from the front line, and Xiao Li ran over: "Director... something's happened..."

  Qin Minghui felt dizzy and his head was swelling. How did all these things happen at once? He asked, "What's going on again?"

  "Wang Xiaobin is gone again..." Little Li said after hesitating for half a day, seeing Qin Minghui's unpleasant expression.

  "What?! This Wang Xiaobin! No discipline at all! Has he worn his uniform enough...!" Qin Minghui was furious, how could one or two people be so inconsiderate.

  Xiao Li saw Qin Minghui get angry and didn't dare to speak. After Qin Minghui's anger passed, he thought for a moment: "This kid must have run into the mountains, let the search team pay attention, if they see him, catch him first!"

  "Yes! Director, I'll notify the search and rescue command center right away."

  Wang Xiaobin indeed ran into the mountains, where his brother, his comrade-in-arms, was still lying. No matter what, he had to go back and fulfill his promise to Lao Wei.

  The mountain search and rescue command center received a notification from Little Li, dispatched personnel to patrol the mountain road, and once Xiao Bin was found, he would be detained first. However, until the afternoon, no one saw Xiao Bin's shadow.

  Xiao Bin knew that if he went up the mountain, he would definitely be stopped. In that case, he wouldn't be able to go and pick up Old Wei himself. He played it smart and hired a guide, taking a shortcut to avoid the patrol officers on the road and entering the canyon.

  Seeing the familiar canyon, Xiao Bin couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. The tour guide found it strange that this person was clearly exhausted, yet insisted on persisting into this uninhabited mountain valley.

  Xiao Bin regained his composure and said to the guide, "Let's go, from here I know how to get there."

  The guide couldn't help but ask: "This canyon, no one has ever come before, and there is no wood or minerals, what's the point of coming here?"

  Xiao Bin looked at the deep canyon and sighed, saying slowly: "There is my promise here... Let's go, hurry up, we can still come back tonight."

  In the morning, the search and rescue team entered the canyon, unfamiliar with the terrain and having many people, so they moved very slowly. In the afternoon, at more than 3 o'clock, Xiaobin caught up with the search and rescue team, which surprised them greatly. They couldn't believe that Xiaobin had run back again. However, since it was impossible to communicate with the outside world in the canyon, they could only let Xiaobin lead the way. With someone familiar with the terrain leading the way, the speed of the search and rescue picked up.

  Lao Wei still lay quietly at the bottom of the valley, as calm as if he were asleep. He seemed to know that Xiao Bin would not give up on him and would come back to take him home. So he just waited quietly, waiting for the promise to be fulfilled...

  "Just ahead..." Xiaobin saw those familiar large stones, that was Lao Wei's last stand, behind the stones was where Lao Wei sacrificed himself. Xiaobin couldn't stop tears from flowing down, his voice choked with sobs.

  After turning over the big stone, Xiao Bin saw Old Wei. He walked quietly to avoid waking him up. He knelt beside Old Wei and gently pulled his outer garment up to cover him, saying softly: "Head, why didn't you cover yourself well again? You'll catch a chill."

  The rescue team watched as Xiao Bin and Lao Wei spoke in hushed tones, no one stepped forward to stop them. Xiao Bin said softly: "Boss, I'll take you home, don't worry, we'll definitely make it back."

  The leader of the rescue team walked up and gently patted Xiao Bin's shoulder: "Xiao Bin, don't be too sad, it's getting late."

  Xiao Bin wiped away his tears, stood up, and lined up in an arc shape with the search and rescue team members. Those who wore hats all took them off and bowed three times to Old Wei's body. This was the ritual of the search and rescue team, a sign of respect for life!

  The rescue team came forward, wrapped Old Wei's body in a body bag, and carefully placed it on a stretcher, which was then carried out by the team members.

  The guide suddenly realized why Xiao Bin had to come here no matter what. Xiao Bin quietly followed the stretcher, and the guide suddenly said: "According to our rules, we have to call out the soul, or else the soul won't follow us back home."

  The mountains are treacherous and many mountain people have mysteriously disappeared after entering the mountains. Since ancient times, they have formed a custom of summoning the souls of their loved ones back home.

  "Beloved one has gone, to the distant mountains so far away. Beloved one is expected, to return home slowly. Yo ho! Yo ho! Return, return! Spirit returns to its hometown..." The guide sang a soul-calling tune. Xiao Bin wiped away his tears, he seemed to see Old Wei's spirit floating beside him, smiling at him.

  "Beloved one has gone, to the distant mountains so far away. Beloved one is expected, slowly returning home. Yo ho! Yo ho! Return, return! Soul returns to its hometown......" Xiaobin also started chanting this unfamiliar tune, and soon the whole team was chanting along.

  "Beloved ones have gone, to distant mountains so far away. Beloved ones are awaited, returning home slowly... Oh! Oh! Return! Return! Souls return to their hometown...... Every year, many comrades make the ultimate sacrifice, their loved ones eagerly awaiting their return home. Home is what all comrades long for; even if they don't come back in person, their souls must return to their hometown, where there are people who care about them, their loved ones, their ideals and future..."

  At more than 4 am, Lao Wei's body returned to Ningming County. When Xiao Bin walked into the command center, Qin Minghui had not slept yet. Xiao Bin looked at Qin Minghui's eyes filled with bloodshot and said: "Director, I'm back."

  "Wang Xiaobin, Wang Xiaobin! You've forgotten the police discipline all the way to Java!" Qin Minghui looked at Xiaobin's exhausted appearance and wanted to scold him, but for some reason, all the good scolding words got stuck in his throat and he could only manage to squeeze out this sentence.

  "I promised Headmaster to pick him up, no matter what punishment I get, I'll accept it!" said Xiao Bin.

  "Alas... even if you memorize a thousand punishments, Old Wei will never come back!"

  "That was my last promise to him, I have to go as long as I'm still alive..."

  Qin Minghui sighed, promising that this was such a noble word, but nowadays, promises were made lightly and never fulfilled too many times. As an old policeman, he deeply knew the importance of these two words to a trustworthy person, even willing to pay with his life for it!

  "You go rest first and wait for the organization's arrangement, don't run around." Qin Minghui's voice also softened.

  Qin Minghui's son is about the same age as Xiao Bin, but he did not follow in his father's footsteps to become a police officer. Qin Minghui saw a kind of inheritance in Xiao Bin, the inheritance of a policeman who adheres to the bottom line. This feeling made him unable to utter any words of blame towards Xiao Bin again.

  Back in Guining, opinions on how to deal with Xiao Bin came down quickly. He was temporarily suspended from duty pending investigation, and Lao Wei's body was cremated a week later.

  Xiao Bin has been suspended from work, and for a while it seems like all the heavy responsibilities have been put down, but he doesn't know what to do next. Tomorrow is Old Wei's farewell ceremony and cremation. Xiao Bin suddenly wants to go see Old Wei, so he drives to the funeral home. Luo Shifu, who is guarding the morgue, sees him and silently hands over the key to open the door of the cold storage room.

  "Thank you, Master Luo." Xiao Bin handed a pack of cigarettes to Master Luo.

  "Ah……such a good person, how could he just be gone?" Master Luo said with regret as he took the cigarette. He and Old Wei had also been acquaintances for a long time, although they didn't communicate much. However, when he saw Old Wei being sent in, his heart felt stuffy for some reason.

  "Master Luo, I can go in myself, thank you."

  "Hey kid, it's alright, spend some more time with him, you won't see each other again in the future..."

  Xiao Bin opened the coffin, gently lifting the white cloth covering Lao Wei's face. At this moment, Lao Wei's complexion was deathly pale. It wasn't until then that Xiao Bin truly felt it - Lao Wei had really left and would never come back again...

  Xiao Bin accompanied Lao Wei in the cold storage, speaking softly and reminiscing about past events with him. This was his last time accompanying him and also the most they had ever spoken together.

  Luo Shifu came in to see Xiao Bin several times, but didn't stop him from talking to Lao Wei. In the evening, Luo Shifu was smoking in the duty room when Peng Sizhe knocked on the window and asked, "Master, where are the police who will be cremated tomorrow? I want to take a look."

  Xiao Bin seemed not surprised at all when he saw Lao Wei bring Peng Si Zhe in, and politely nodded his head, saying: "Sit."

  Peng Sizhe sat on one side, listening to Xiao Bin and Lao Wei's soft conversation. Sacrifice had never been so close to him before. Although Peng Sizhe and Lao Wei didn't have a deep relationship, Peng Sizhe felt that Lao Wei was like an elder brother or father figure to him.

  Peng Sizhe could feel the deep sorrow that Xiao Bin had been suppressing, that kind of unbearable pain, and he softly consoled him: "Xiao Bin, the dead cannot be brought back to life, let's mourn with restraint."

  "If I had hit it a bit more accurately that day, Tou Er wouldn't have died..." Xiao Bin said regretfully.

  "There aren't so many ifs in this world..." Peng Sizhe didn't know how to comfort him for the time being, and could only fall silent once again.

  "How did you get here?" asked Xiao Bin.

  "I? Now under suspension of duty for investigation..." Peng Sizhe replied.

  "You're also suspended for investigation? Why?" Xiao Bin asked in surprise.

  "Peng Sizhe said, 'As for what happened at the mall, I made a move from behind the suspect before receiving the order to rush in.'"

  "We're really like brothers, I've also been suspended from duty for inspection, and didn't listen to orders, left the hospital and command center on my own..." Xiaobin sighed.

  "Xiao Bin, do you still want to be a policeman?" Peng Si Zhe suddenly asked.

  When being a police officer was Xiao Bin's dream, Xiao Bin once thought he would be a police officer for his whole life. However, when Peng Si Zhe asked him at that time, he hesitated and didn't know how to answer.

  "I never thought of becoming a police officer, it was because of my brother, he's excellent, so excellent that it's enviable, he joined the special forces, I originally wanted to join the army too, but somehow ended up as a police officer, in order not to fall behind him too much, I chose to become a SWAT officer." Peng Si Zhe looked at Old Wei's face which had already lost all anger, seemingly talking to Xiao Bin and himself, yet also seeming to be muttering to himself: "But who knew... it seems like everything isn't as imagined..."

  "SWAT is much better, unlike anti-drug police, who are exhausted like dogs, and often still in vain." said Xiao Bin, he couldn't think of any comforting words either.

  "It's all about looking at each other from different mountains... To outsiders, the police seem great, but... My brother is now missing, and I'm a policeman too, yet I still can't find him..."

  "Not even a single clue?" asked Xiao Bin.

  Peng Sizhe shook his head and thought for a moment before saying in a low voice: "He must still be alive, but he's hiding from us."

  Xiao Bin was not familiar with Peng Si Cheng's affairs, so he couldn't express too many opinions. The two fell silent again, quietly accompanying Old Wei for his last night.

  On the day of sending off the body, Old Wei's daughter's heart-wrenching cry moved everyone. Xiao Bin tried to comfort her, but she wouldn't let him get close, crying and saying: "Uncle Xiao Bin, you lied to me, you said you'd bring my dad back, return my dad to me..."

  The ceremony was over, and Old Wei was sent into the cremation chamber. When he came out again, he was placed in a small urn. Xiao Bin held the urn, feeling as if it were another lifetime...

  Xiao Bin watched as the door of the columbarium slowly closed, announcing that he and Old Wei were now separated by the living and the dead. Xiao Bin felt a little dazed, and Peng Si Zhe walked over to him, saying: "Let's go."

  "Where are we going?" Xiao Bin asked.

  "Go eat, we haven't eaten since last night," said Peng Sizhe.

  "Is that it?" Xiaobin seemed unwilling to accept, the sound and appearance of Lao Wei were still in front of him, how could he have entered that small urn?

  Peng Sizhe pulled Xiao Bin: "The dead cannot be revived, be strong."

  "Yes, I have to be strong." Xiaobin looked at the gate of the bone ash storage and said: "Head, goodbye forever! Don't worry, Wang Xiaobin won't fall!"

  In a daze, Xiao Bin seemed to see Old Wei waving goodbye to him - a permanent farewell, the living lived well, the dead souls returned home, forever farewell! Forever farewell!