Chapter 74: Fang Yuqing’s path

Xu Tingsheng and Fang Yuqing walked over, standing beside Zhong Wusheng as they looked into the room...

A few seconds later, Fang Yuqing turned and walked silently away. Xu Tingsheng tried to grab him, but failed to do so.

Fang Yuqing silently picked up the baseball bat that he had originally already put down. Expressionlessly, not uttering a sound, he picked it up and...smashed it continuously down upon the legs and bodies of the three men.

The sound of bones breaking resounded along with agonised howls...Yet, it was not scary at all as it was instead like music to their ears.

Even Li Linlin did not cover her eyes or turn away as she just stood there and watched on just like that.

“Bro Zhong, stop him,” Xu Tingsheng requested with a bit of a trembling voice.

The trembling was due to his fury. Still, Xu Tingsheng reminded himself that he just absolutely had to maintain his composure.

Zhong Wusheng retreated out of the room as well. He hesitated for a moment, but eventually still forcefully seized Fang Yuqing who was completely unable to keep his emotions in check.

There was a certain period of time in Xu Tingsheng’s previous life during which he had continuously seen a few cases in the news in which females had been imprisoned or enslaved. While he had felt furious regarding it back then, at the end of the day, those had been incidents completely detached from his daily life...

Now, however, such an incident had occurred right before Xu Tingsheng’s very eyes.

It was even to the extent that even Li Linlin whom he was well acquainted with had very nearly fallen victim to the crime.

Within the room, other than the young boy, there were still two other pairs of eyes currently gazing at him. One of their gazes was numbed while the other contained yearning whilst also fear.

“Don’t be afraid, we’re here to save you...the police will be here soon,” Xu Tingsheng said as gently as he could.

It was only after he had finished saying this that one of these two people within the room began to cry.

They were both females. The one currently weeping and nodding appeared to be in her thirties, while the other was perhaps 14 or 15 years old. Both of them were completely naked with their hands and feet tied and tape pasted across their mouths as while weeping, only a slight tremoring noise could be heard from the first woman’s mouth.

Endless filth covered the ground beneath them, yet they just sat there, because they were completely unable to move.

Their bodies were covered in wounds. Some were from physical kicks and punches. Some were from cuts or puncture wounds caused by sharp objects. Some...were teeth marks from being bitten. Some of these wounds had already healed with only scars remaining, while others were still bleeding externally.

Those wounds which had already healed showed that they might already have been imprisoned here for a very long time.

Still retaining her sanity, the woman in her thirties began weeping as she did understand what had happened. However, that young 14 or 15-year-old girl had already grown completely numbed as she looked blankly at Xu Tingsheng for a moment before turning back to stare dazedly at the ground, her body resting entirely on that of the adult woman.

To her, numbness was perhaps the best means of salvation.

There were three criminals, and there were two women within the house. Perhaps Li Linlin had been their final target, the last time they acted...If Xu Tingsheng’s trio had not appeared today, perhaps the criminals would have thought up a way to take the women along and depart, heading to some deep mountain or old village or something of the like. If that had happened...

The young boy’s identity could only be left for the policemen to investigate. Xu Tingsheng felt that the ones within the room were most likely a mother and her two children, but all of these were already no longer important.

“Let go of me! I’ll only smash their arms and legs!” Fang Yuqing roared as he struggled furiously.

Keeping him trapped tightly in place, Zhong Wusheng turned and looked at Xu Tingsheng. Seeing the latter nod, he released his grip. From the expression on his face, it was visibly evident that he had long since wanted to do so.

Fang Yuqing continued smashing downwards again and again, again and again...

Bones breaking and agonised howls-that sweet music resounded once more.

......

Fang Yuqing vented all the way till he received his cousin’s call.

Fang Yuqing’s cousin had already arrived in the suburb with his men.

“We’re at Block 11, on the 7th storey. It’s okay now, but the situation is a little complicated. Come up and take a look first,” Fang Yuqing said into the phone.

After he had hung up, Xu Tingsheng questioned him, “What’s your cousin’s position? Is he in charge of those who’ve come here this time?”

“Vice-captain. I think.”

“Alright then. I’m going to tell you two things now that you should say to your cousin later. Firstly, this incident may be reported on by the media afterwards. Remind your cousin to protect the privacy of the victims, not exposing any information that might lead to any guesses. They especially shouldn’t mention home tutors, our university and us...”

Looking at Li Linlin who was still curled up within Old Wai’s embrace, Fang Yuqing nodded, “I understand.”

“Secondly, their injuries,” Xu Tingsheng pointed at the three collapsed men before continuing, “The injuries on them were left behind from when we rushed in and fought with them...don’t say how you’re not afraid or should be able to suppress this matter. Bro Zhong and I don’t want to get into any trouble, and I don’t wish for you to get into any trouble as well.”

Fang Yuqing nodded before asking, “Alright...do you know the law? ...Are their actions enough for the death penalty?”

Xu Tingsheng also vehemently wished these three beasts at their feet dead, yet such did not correspond with the memories from his previous life...He shook his head, saying, “You can ask your cousin about it later.”

Soon after, Fang Yuqing’s cousin arrived at the scene with his men.

Fang Yuqing pulled his cousin aside and spoke with him, communicating to him what Xu Tingsheng had earlier just told him to.

Xu Tingsheng saw murder in the gazes of the two female police officers present that were on the three criminals.

“They probably won’t be having it good.”

......

Old Wai and Li Linlin were sent to the hospital. When Xu Tingsheng, Fang Yuqing and Zhong Wusheng had finished giving their statements at the headquarters of the vice squad, it was already the early hours of the next morning. Fang Yuqing drove, sending Xu Tingsheng and Zhong Wusheng back to the riverside residence.

In the end, he didn’t leave, staying over at Xu Tingsheng’s place as well.

Xu Tingsheng leaned against his bed face-first, for a long time unable to enter slumber.

Fang Yuqing came and knocked on his door.

After entering, he said, “Xu Tingsheng, I can’t sleep.”

Xu Tingsheng knew that this incident had perhaps affected Fang Yuqing much more greatly than it had affected him, because the environments that the two of them had grown up and lived in were, after all, different. Before tonight, the greatest thing plaguing Fang Yuqing had merely been how he should spend his time, how he could give it a little flavour...

“I’m not presuming as far as to be able to shoulder justice and fairness one day...you know what I mean? Xu Tingsheng, I know that I’m not Superman or Batman...Still, I never want to be as helpless as I was today,” Fang Yuqing said as he sat on a chair, smoking a cigarette.

“My cousin can be considered a rare breed in our family. There were many paths available for him, many great dazzling paths which he could have chosen...he chose the most difficult one...Because he chose to enter the vice squad, his parents nearly cut off all ties with him.”

Xu Tingsheng could vaguely understand Fang Yuqing’s meaning. He had once read a perhaps unvalidated article before. It had said that whereas the average lifespan of people in their country had already reached 70, the average longevity of those of the vice squad seemed only to be around 40.

“Now, I wish to walk the same path as him,” Fang Yuqing said.

Xu Tingsheng said nothing. He knew that Fang Yuqing actually didn’t need any opinion or advice from him. He was just engaging in some self-reflection concerning his life thus far and his life thereafter; in having come to find Xu Tingsheng and speak with him...it was actually merely a soliloquy on his part.

Xu Tingsheng didn’t know what kind of a life Fang Yuqing would have led had he not appeared. Maybe he would have spent it leisurely away; maybe he would have soared to great heights. Yet, however it would have been, it would still definitely not have been like what he aspired it to be like now.

Xu Tingsheng couldn’t even properly judge whether this situation might be for better or for worse.

With the flap of a butterfly’s wings, thence had just changed Fang Yuqing’s path.