After the Dusk Comes the Dawn [BL]

Part 13

42

With my many years of understanding of Song Chen, I stayed up several nights.

Comparing maps, I pinpointed every possible location where transactions could be hidden.

During the day, I took Zhang Da Yong to personally investigate.

A few days later, I marked several suspicious locations and handed them to Bai Xi.

Bai Xi looked at the map for a long time.

He was silent for a long time.

Finally, he looked up at me, as expected, with a scrutinizing gaze.

I knew what he wanted to ask.

He wanted to ask how someone who just graduated from university could know so much.

How I could be so certain of these locations.

But in the end, he said nothing.

He just stood up, patted my shoulder:

"Good job."

Then he took the map and left the office to arrange the arrest operation.

...

He chose to trust me.

Watching Bai Xi's back, my eyes couldn't help but grow misty.

Realizing this, I froze, then reached up to cover my eyes.

How pathetic, Jiang Xiao Chen.

43

My understanding of Song Chen was correct.

Using the map, Bai Xi led his team to apprehend many transaction sites.

Everything went smoothly.

But no one expected that there would be an accident during the final raid.

During the raid, someone was shot, the bullet severing an artery. He didn't make it to the hospital.

I recognized him.

He was the boy who looked at Bai Xi with admiration and argued with me when Bai Xi received the First-Class Merit.

He would always eagerly volunteer for tasks during missions.

In the office, he would happily share snacks with us.

He would call me "Brother Chen" with a smile.

...

Fresh out of university, only 23 years old.

He aspired to be an outstanding police officer like Bai Xi.

But he would forever remain 23.

His parents arrived soon after receiving the news, holding his wide-eyed body, crying their hearts out.

I stood beside them.

My hands stained with dried blood.

I tried to save him but failed.

I watched helplessly as a vibrant life was frozen in an instant, becoming a corpse covered by a white sheet.

I had seen countless corpses in my past life.

But at this moment, it felt like something was clogging my heart, making it hard to breathe.

I never thought anyone would die.

But I was clearly aware of the danger we faced.

But what was he doing it for?

As I followed Bai Xi to his parents, about to apologize, they lifted us up.

"I'm also a policeman, I know what you want to say, so you don't need to say it."

The elderly father, eyes bloodshot, trembled as he held Bai Xi's hand,

"Just tell me, did my son's sacrifice have meaning? Did he save others?"

Many around us couldn't hold back their tears at these words.

Zhang Da Yong leaned against my shoulder, crying uncontrollably.

Bai Xi's eyes were also red.

"It was meaningful."

He gripped those rough hands tightly,

"He saved many lives and rescued many families."

Hearing this, the father's eyes turned even redder, tears streaming down his face.

His lips trembled, unable to form words.

Finally, he whispered,

"That's good, that's good."

44

At sunset, I found Bai Xi in the stairwell, having dealt with everything.

As the backbone of the team, he couldn't show weakness in front of others.

But I knew.

Someone who would take responsibility for my injuries, feeling guilty for days like him.

He was kind-hearted, soft, and empathetic.

...

But I was too late.

When I arrived, Lu Ji Bai was already there, sitting beside him, comforting him softly.

He kept talking, saying many things.

It was the first time I realized that someone as aloof and quiet as Lu Ji Bai could say so much to comfort Bai Xi.

But Bai Xi remained silent throughout.

Until much later, he finally spoke.

He asked Lu Ji Bai:

"Ji Bai, do you remember Brother Wang, who grew up with us in the orphanage?"

"Yes."

Bai Xi took a deep breath and asked again:

"Do you remember what his autopsy report said?"

Lu Ji Bai recited the report, speaking slowly, word by word.

Five ribs were broken by a blunt object.

The flesh was stripped from his legs below the knees.

His nose was cut off.

Both eyes were gouged out.

His jaw was smashed by a hammer.

Eight fingers were broken.

The voice was soft but each word was deeply etched.

"Yes..."

Bai Xi took a deep breath, tears sliding down his cheeks as he buried his face in his hands.

"He went undercover in the criminal den to obtain intelligence, but was eventually discovered."

"They tortured him and injected him with drugs, making him wish for death but keeping him conscious to endure it all."

"He held on until I arrived, just to give me the intelligence with his last breath..."

His palms were wet with tears, unable to hold back,

"And after him, many others have died."

"Today, Little Ge also died."

"Twenty-three years old, such a young kid."

In the silence, only the faint sound of sobbing remained.

It was the first time I saw Bai Xi cry.

Lu Ji Bai lowered his head, sincerely and earnestly looking at Bai Xi for a long while. He reached out to touch him but stopped mid-air, slowly retracting his hand.

"Little Xi, when Wang Hai died, I was afraid you would end up like him one day."

"I'm a selfish person. I just hope the people I care about are safe and healthy."

He sighed.

"But Xiao Xi, the path you've chosen is both noble and dangerous."

After a long while, Lu Ji Bai asked him a question.

The same question I wanted to ask him.

He asked him,

"Xiao Xi, are you afraid?"

"I am."

Bai Xi nodded.

The stairwell fell into silence.

A few minutes later, I heard Bai Xi's voice again.

"But if one day I face the same situation, I know I would make the same choice without hesitation."

He finally raised his head, turning to look at Lu Ji Bai,

"Because protecting the thousands behind us is the reason we police officers exist."