She didn't want this poor child to die, and although she had wronged him before, she could still make amends.
Outside the emergency room, she seemed possessed, staring intently at the situation. If this woman had realized this earlier, she wouldn't be in this state now.
The hearts of parents across the world are filled with love, and even a tiger does not eat its cubs. Yet, they had abandoned an infant only a few months old.
We were all extremely nervous at the time, unsure of what to say to the woman. If anything happened to this infant, it would be too late for her to regret it even if she turned herself inside out.
Watching nurses and doctors come and go, it seemed the situation was not optimistic. After what felt like an eternity, the red surgical light turned green. A doctor emerged, saying, "The child's life has been narrowly saved, but due to prolonged lack of oxygen, his brain is severely hypoxic. It is estimated that he will be affected by various complications and sequelae throughout his life."
"Ah, this..."
Tai Qiaotong cried in regret. We all glared at her, asking if this wasn't a consequence of her own actions.
Seeing the child being brought out, he was quickly transferred to the ICU, placed in a glass container, and could only survive with the help of sophisticated equipment.
Watching him pucker his small lips, breathing with difficulty, Tai Qiaotong leaned against the window, her tears soaking through her clothes. Liu Yuning and I stood stiffly behind her, our hearts filled with mixed emotions.
Regardless, we still hoped the child would be alright and that this hateful mother would repent from now on.
Noticing we were still standing, Tai Qiaotong couldn't help but speak, "Two police officers, if you have urgent work, please go ahead. I will watch over the child!"
"Hmph, you better keep a close eye on him from now on, understand? If you don't have enough for medical expenses, I'll have the provincial department coordinate with the hospital."
"Thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know what to do!"
"You take good care of him!"
Liu Yuning and I left the hospital with these parting words. That's right, we truly had no time to waste. The killer would likely continue to murder, no! He definitely would continue to murder.
When we were investigating Xiang Yingzong, we discovered he had no connection to any of the other victims. This meant the killer was absolutely indiscriminate.
This time, we had encountered a truly deranged killer.
Looking back, there was another matter worth mentioning. When we were performing the autopsy, we found traces of Andrealphus on Xiang Yingzong's body. He is the 65th demon in the 72 Pillars of Solomon, appearing as a peacock but able to take human form. He can grant the summoner secrets of algebra and geometry and can transform humans into birds.
At the time, we wondered, transform humans into birds? We couldn't understand the meaning, but now I finally realized. This was the killer's way of viewing Xiang Yingzong as an animal, and therefore he deserved to die!
With this, another demon's mark appeared. Back at the provincial department, Liu Yuning, looking at the lab report, gritted his teeth and said, "Another demon's mark. Is this guy really trying to collect all 72 demons?"
"Based on current observations, he is already acting on his plan. If we cannot stop him, more victims with these imprinted demon marks will likely appear."
In fact, this person can no longer be described as deranged. They are completely possessed, essentially by an evil spirit.
They are slaughtering and killing those they deem sinners, cleansing the world of sin, believing themselves to be the world's purifier.
We don't know how, but as we were investigating, similar reports began to surface in the news. I didn't pay attention at the time, but Xiao Yuande sent me a shared article.
As soon as I saw the headline, I knew something bad had happened. I don't know which reporter wrote something so wild, but it said that Guangming City had appeared a "Judge of Sin" who even the police couldn't catch. However, this killer specifically targeted those who were disloyal, unjust, or unfilial, and some people even called him a great man.
Some media outlets were even glorifying such a murderer and indirectly mocking our incompetence!
Minister Zhang was furious. Liu Yuning and I immediately went to his office, expecting another severe scolding.
This lesson lasted for about an hour. Just as we were being thoroughly berated by Minister Zhang, his stern and unforgiving mouth finally quieted down. He cleared his throat, took a sip of water, and then continued, "The case was not supposed to be announced yet. It was likely leaked by someone. These reporters these days... You can't be entirely blamed for this. How is the child?"
"He has temporarily passed the critical stage, but his future life will likely be difficult!" I replied truthfully.
"Alas, what a pitiful child. If I were his mother, I would probably be kneeling before him to atone."
Liu Yuning and I remained silent. Minister Zhang waved his hand and said, "This is the provincial department, and your Sin Punishment team is in charge. This case must be solved quickly. He Sheng, Yuning, you need to cooperate. This time, we should start with Tai Qiaotong. I know there are risks involved, but it's the easiest way to catch the killer!"
"I understand, Minister Zhang. We will communicate with her properly."
"Do it as soon as possible. I don't want to see another victim. Otherwise, who knows what the news will say next time. Alright, I still have to deal with those reporters. You go find Tai Qiaotong."
"Yes, Minister Zhang!"
Leaving his office, we returned to the hospital. As soon as we arrived and saw Tai Qiaotong, a doctor anxiously found us: "The child's heartbeat has suddenly become very weak. We need to perform emergency resuscitation immediately!"
"How can this happen?" Tai Qiaotong asked in horror.
"We mentioned earlier that his condition was not optimistic. Due to prolonged oxygen deprivation, his heart, lungs, and brain functions have been severely damaged. We don't know how many times we can save him, but we will do our best! As long as there is still a shred of hope!"
"Then, Doctor, please!" Tai Qiaotong tightly grasped the male doctor in front of her. He nodded and turned to enter the emergency room.
Liu Yuning and I were also extremely anxious. Everything now depended on the child's luck. We hoped he would be strong enough to overcome this hurdle. We hoped so.