Chapter 18

I was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.
Fortunately, the bureau had evacuated most of the building’s occupants beforehand, so the explosions caused few casualties.
The city bureau, working with the provincial detachment, held an emergency meeting that night. The incident was extremely serious, even drawing in special forces from other regions.
Xu Chang was now a fugitive. The reward for information leading to his capture was enough for a down payment on a downtown apartment.
Lying in bed with an IV drip, I requested to join the operation.
“You just rest!”
The old chief pressed me back onto the bed.
He was just short of shoving a piece of fruit from the get-well basket into my mouth.
“Xu Chang won’t escape.”
“We’ve got a full air, land, and sea blockade. It’s only a matter of time before he’s caught.”
“You focus on recovering. Wait for our good news.”
“Who knows, you might wake up tomorrow morning and find yourselves separated by iron bars. So stop worrying.”
The IV bottle swayed gently. When I left, the chief was a steady, mature man in his prime. Now, wrinkles etched the corners of his eyes.
We had waited for this moment for far, far too long.
After the chief left, I lay alone on the hospital bed.
I turned, watching the curtain flutter in the breeze.
Outside the window, the bare branches had already sprouted green buds.
It seemed the spring in Qubei City,
was almost here.

Chapter 19

February 4th. An informant reported a sighting of Xu Chang in Luwei County, Qubei City.
The city bureau immediately dispatched units for the apprehension operation.
I requested to join, but the chief refused.
“I said, get some rest! Will you?”
“My arm is fine! See? The sling is off.”
I waved my arm in front of him. The old man looked like he was about to have a heart attack trying to support me.
“You stay put in that hospital. We don’t need a colleague wrapped in bandages leading the charge.”
…
The chief’s refusal was absolute. I lay back down on the bed.
If only Master were here. Master would have found a way to get me what I wanted.
Sigh, Master.
Loyal bones rest in every mountain. Why do the good die so young, while the wicked endure for a thousand years?
Perhaps the path of ideals is simply too arduous and long.
…
At midnight, I slipped into the chief’s office.
The dim yellow lamp was still on, long past office hours. He sat hunched over his desk, writing furiously.
When he saw me, he nearly jumped out of his skin, dropping his pen.
“You… you… what are you doing out of the hospital?”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“Please, let me join the operation to apprehend Xu Chang!”
I stood ramrod straight and saluted him.
He sat in his chair, stunned for two or three seconds, then sighed.
“You…”
“Just as stubborn as your master.”
“…”
At the mention of that name, we both fell into a heavy silence.
I lowered my head and spoke softly:
“I know Xu Chang better than anyone. During the arrest, anything could happen. I will be useful.”
“And besides…”
“I want to put the handcuffs on him myself… for Master’s sake too.”
“…”
In the deep quiet of the night, moonlight shifted with the breeze.
After a long while, the chief stood up and patted my shoulder.
“You definitely won’t be the one putting on the handcuffs.”
“During the operation, remember to stay in the back.”

Final Chapters Translation (20 & 21):

20

Xu Chang’s hiding place was cunningly chosen. It was a festival season, and the location was a bustling market.
To avoid alerting him, we hadn’t evacuated the civilians.
This, however, made the operational environment infinitely more treacherous.
At 3:15 PM, the sniper finally spotted him peeking out from the east street entrance.
As dusk began to fall, the next time he showed his face would signal the start of the arrest.
After an agonizing wait, the signal came through.
Operation initiated.
On one side, undercover officers disguised as civilians moved to encircle him. On the other, the sniper provided constant updates.
The lively clamor of the crowd surged; no one noticed the deadly undercurrent beneath the surface.
Xu Chang seemed to have come out only to buy some essentials, wearing a baseball cap and a mask.
Our undercover officers swiftly closed in. But just as they were about to grab his sleeve—
The lion dance troupe abruptly erupted into drumbeats.
Xu Chang spun around and fled.
In an instant, everything descended into utter chaos.
Stalls were overturned, figures scrambled over walls and roofs, the crowd jostled and panicked.
A group of people chased one man through the throng.
I could only watch from the command vehicle.
Though I nearly bolted out several times, the Chief beside me held me down.
Thankfully, the arrest seemed to be going smoothly.
Word came through: the suspect was pinned to the ground.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief—
The image on the screen suddenly zoomed in—
It wasn’t Xu Chang at all!
They’d caught the wrong man.
I froze for a few seconds before the realization hit.
I grabbed the Chief’s shoulder.
“Evacuate the civilians! Now!”
But it was too late.
The first explosion tore through the east market intersection.
A deafening roar shook the heavens, followed by flames shooting meters high. The crowd instantly dissolved into pandemonium.
I wrenched the car door open and jumped out, ignoring the Chief’s shouts behind me.
The crowd surged out like a mad torrent. The scene before me was a vision straight from hell.
Yet I pushed against the tide, moving inward.
My left arm wound throbbed dully from being jostled. I pressed a hand to it, forcing myself to think.
After all my time with Xu Chang, I knew him well.
Where would he be now?
Somewhere hidden, yet with a view of this unfolding spectacle.
And at this moment, Xu Chang no longer cared about his own life.
My gaze shifted to the heart of the inferno, the teahouse teetering on the brink of collapse.
The closer I got, the thinner the air became.
I handed a crying little boy to a colleague on site, sending him back out.
Then I stepped into the teahouse.
I grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the counter, poured some onto a handkerchief, and covered my mouth and nose as I ascended the stairs.
The teahouse was ancient; everything groaned, ready to give way.
And to make matters worse, the wound on my arm flared with pain.
A massive piece of debris crashed down nearby. I instinctively flattened myself against the wall.
But the searing heat nearly scorched the skin off me.
Dodging, I suddenly fell into someone’s arms.
A low, hoarse, and familiar voice brushed against my neck and shoulder.
“Long time no see.”
“…”
I spun around, striking fiercely at his right side.
It hadn’t actually been that long—just over ten days—but between us, it felt as if mountains had risen.
The floor shuddered violently. We stared at each other, even as our fists and feet flew.
“A’Qing, so you can fight.”
“Otherwise, how could I help you deal with your disobedient men?”
I shook my hand. The base of my thumb ached from the impact.
Using a deft move, I pinned the man to the floor. He lay there, just looking at me, smiling.
I reached behind my back for the handcuffs, but in a split second, he flipped me over, pinning me down again.
We grappled once more.
He was being sentimental, even now.
At a time like this, he was still concerned about the wound on my arm.
Otherwise, he probably would have finished me off long ago.
“A’Qing, do you hate me?”
We were both exhausted. I leaned against a marble counter, unable to push myself up.
He staggered to his feet and stepped back.
“The year I got out of juvenile detention, I met a guy. I treated him like a real brother, gave him everything I had.”
“And what happened? He treated me like a joke. One night, he dragged me behind his car for two miles.”
“Ever since then, the thing I hate most is people who betray my trust.”
“And you… you ripped my heart out and stomped it into the dust.”
“You know, I hold a grudge like no other.”
Slowly, he pulled the handgun from his pocket.
According to Bureau analysis, it held one last bullet.
Now, the barrel was pointed at me.
“A’Qing, heaven… goodbye.”
His finger tightened on the trigger, but I shouted first.
“LOOK OUT!!!”
The ceiling above him collapsed. The ground beneath him gave way.
My body lunged forward, grabbing his arm.
But how could I have had the strength?
I clung desperately to a stone pillar, gripping his wrist.
He hung there, suspended by my grip, dragging me down with him, slowly sliding.
“What are you doing???”
“Are you trying to get yourself killed??”
“Let go! NOW!”
It was the first time I’d ever seen an expression of utter disbelief on this man’s face.
“Why are you saving me? Why???”
“Let go, please? You’ll die too if this keeps up.”
“I was just about to kill you! Why are you saving me?”
I held onto him with every ounce of strength left in my body.
The wound must have torn open. Blood gushed from my sleeve, streaming down and mingling with the blood on his arm.
His tone gradually turned to pleading.
“Please, let me go, won’t you?”
“You’ll die too like this… Qingqing.”
“Why…”
Why, indeed?
Perhaps because only when saving a life could I remember my identity as a police officer.
Perhaps because only when preserving another’s life could I forget that sea of blood.
“Live… live to face your crimes…”
I used the last of my strength to try and pull him up, but I failed.
The structure beneath me was also unstable. Crumbling bricks and mortar gave way like disintegrating earth.
I fell with him.
…
I don’t know how long it was before I started to regain consciousness.
I wasn’t dead. The pile of beds and sofas downstairs had cushioned our fall.
But I couldn’t move a limb. The man beside me, however, was slowly pushing himself up.
…Why are the bad guys always so tough to kill…
He wiped away a mixture of blood and soot, then reached towards my waist, fumbling with something.
I was completely paralyzed; it was a miracle I could even think. I could only glare at him with my eyes.
Then I saw him pull out my handcuffs.
He cuffed my hand to his.
Dragging me, he started crawling towards the exit.
He was clearly badly injured too; his movement was barely a stagger.
The fire still raged. He dragged me, crawling out.
My consciousness began to fade, but in the end, I forced my mouth open to ask him.
“Xu Chang…”
“Will you confess?”
“…”
“Yeah. I will.”
That was his answer. I closed my eyes in relief.
But I felt him grip my hand, as if trying to wipe away the bloodstains.
But I knew, they could never be wiped clean.
He seemed to be crying.
“Qingqing… if only your hands weren’t stained with blood.”
“…”
I could no longer feel the scorching heat.
I could no longer speak.
Fortunately, I heard the distant wail of sirens.
The sound of sirens was always so reassuring.