When I woke up, I found myself lying in the hospital again. I raised my hand and found no handcuffs. I tried to sit up, and with a slight movement, the world spun.
Just then, I saw the nurse walk in. She said something to me. I only saw her mouth move, and my ears buzzed, unable to hear anything. At that moment, I remembered the instant before I fainted, my ear was bleeding. Had I gone deaf? The thought of this possibility instantly sent panic through me.
"Speak louder," I said seriously.
The nurse typed two words on her phone and handed them to me: "Don't shout."
Damn it, I was definitely deaf.
...
Actually, it was only temporary hearing loss. My ears have abundant nerves and blood vessels, and their repair ability is quite good after trauma. However, most of the time, I preferred to pretend I couldn't hear and chatted with the nurse on my phone. Through these casual conversations, I learned the nurse's name was Li Qian and her father's surgery had been successful. I was gratified to have helped someone and indicated that I wouldn't bring up the previous matter.
During this readmission, I noticed the nurse had become much gentler. She administered injections perfectly on the first try, and it didn't hurt. Moreover, she often chatted with me, speaking softly, as if she had become a different person.
After a week like this, Li Qian walked in and said joyfully, "Those prison guards are gone." Fearing I couldn't hear, she took out her phone again. I grabbed her hand and said seriously, "I can hear you. The prison guards are really gone."
"You can hear now?" Li Qian looked at me in surprise.
"Yes!"
"When did this happen?"
"A few days ago."
Hearing this, Li Qian blushed and slapped my hand away, saying with a playful pout, "You could hear and you still chatted with me on your phone, just playing with me?"
"Sorry, I just didn't want to interact with the police. However, the prison guards withdrawing probably means the criminal investigation bureau's investigation has concluded."
"Really?" Li Qian's face lit up with joy for me.
"Yes! Can I be discharged?"
"If your ear is fine, you should be able to be discharged."
"Then stop giving me shots, hurry up, I need to get out of here."
...
As I was processing my discharge, Yu Xiaoluo rushed over. This woman had been out of sight, but she didn't fail me at a crucial moment. Alas, seeing her, I couldn't run, so I could only give an awkward smile: "Sister Xiaoluo..." Before I could finish, I saw her hand raise, and I flinched, closing my eyes, thinking she was going to slap me for escaping the hospital. To my surprise, Yu Xiaoluo's hand merely checked the external wound on my head. I had been too close to the explosion site, suffering a concussion, hearing loss, and many other injuries.
Seeing my injuries were healing well, Yu Xiaoluo glared at me: "What are you doing? Who allowed you to be discharged?"
"Didn't those prison guards leave? I thought I was in the clear."
"The prison guards left because the criminal investigation bureau requested you from the local public security department, allowing you to redeem yourself with merit."
Hearing this, I felt a pang of distress: "What do you want me to do now?"
"Nothing much. It's just procedural talk. You basically won't have to do anything."
After Yu Xiaoluo finished, she took away the materials I had prepared. I looked at Yu Xiaoluo in confusion and said with a hint of grievance, "I've already been scheduled." Yu Xiaoluo didn't answer, just glared at me. I smiled obediently, "Thank you for your kind consideration, leader. I'll stay a few more days. Can it be reimbursed? Don't forget, all my money was scammed away."
"Don't worry about the expenses."
...
Back in the ward, Yu Xiaoluo closed the door and then asked me, "What did you see that night?"
"There was a car outside the compound, a Mercedes. It wasn't Tie Zishan's. His Audi in Nanshan Mine was probably rented. I glanced at it from outside the compound. I could see two figures through the window, and then as I was about to go in, the house exploded."
"The general situation is similar to what we've learned?"
"Tie Zishan is dead?" I asked, a heavy tone in my voice.
Hearing my question, Yu Xiaoluo also sighed, "They were too close to the explosion site. There were almost no remains. However, after a thorough search, we found partial remains of two individuals. One leg belonged to Tie Zishan, and several damaged organs belonged to Jin Bengui."
Hearing this, I was extremely puzzled: "I can understand Tie Zishan killing Jin Bengui; they were abandoned by Jin Bengui. But he had just defrauded two hundred million. There was no need for him to die with Jin Bengui."
"At the explosion site, we found a metal casing. That was a makeshift timing device used by the miners. From the scene analysis, Tie Zishan only intended to kill Jin Bengui with a timed bomb, but something went wrong midway, igniting the bomb and causing both of them to die within the blast radius?"
Something went wrong?
This was unlike Old Tie's current style. Using a bomb to kill someone indicated that Tie Zishan had learned a lot from the demolition experts during the mountain blasting. Old Tie's greatest ability was his rapid acquisition of professional skills. He could create realistic jade roughs, and naturally, he could skillfully use explosives and detonators. So, the problem lay here: the final death scene was an accidental explosion.
"What are you thinking about?"
Yu Xiaoluo noticed I was spacing out and called me back.
I snapped back to reality and lied, "Thinking about whether we could have a relationship."
"When you fainted, the police searched you and found the letter Tie Zishan left you. Speaking of which, I must criticize you. The criminal investigation bureau is holding you back. Are we not worthy of being your comrades? You have a good identity and background but you insist on playing the lone hero. Do you really think you're Batman from American movies?"
"I'm sorry, I'll consider it carefully next time."
"There won't be a next time."
"No, no, there won't be in the future. Has Jin Bengui's identity been confirmed?"
I needed to change the subject and stop Yu Xiaoluo from targeting me. Yu Xiaoluo nodded with a grave expression, "We checked. The company Jin Bengui registered in Hong Kong was fake. The promised funds never arrived; he was a con artist who defrauded the government of tens of billions."
The amounts of fraud kept getting bigger. Tens of millions from Qin Sisi, then hundreds of millions in Xi'an. Now here, it was tens of billions. The appetite of 'Logical Paradox' was growing larger and larger.
"What's the situation now? Has a case been filed?"
"We're considering remedial measures. The project cannot stop, and we still need to introduce foreign capital. A fraud case won't be concealed, but it will be filed and concluded only after minimizing its social impact."
Given the immense sum, I could understand.
Yu Xiaoluo and I fell silent for a while. Then she said, "Team Wang is quite busy recently and can't visit you. The criminal investigation bureau is also busy, and I can't visit you. However, your hospital expenses this time are covered by the industry and commerce bureau. Also, Team Wang asked me to pass on a message. If you want to be a hero and solve cases, study hard and get into civil service. As long as you have a state position, Team Wang will definitely transfer you to the criminal investigation bureau."
"Please thank Team Wang for me."
"When are you planning to take the exam?"
"After I graduate from university, if they don't expel me."
"We've spoken to the school, they won't expel you."
"Thank you!"
After staying in the hospital for a week, I returned to school. Upon entering the dormitory, my roommates all looked at me. The fourth roommate said, "Boss, explain yourself." I looked at them, rolled up my sleeves, and then changed my tone: "This matter is a long story. It was on a dark and stormy night..."
...
Is Old Tie dead?
When I called my parents, my father was very angry about Tie Zishan scamming me out of millions. I asked them how they knew. Later, I learned that the police in my hometown had investigated Tie Zishan's parents' home. His parents felt too ashamed to stay in their hometown and moved away. My father was still fuming when he mentioned it. I told him, "What's gone is gone. I still have my house, my studies. And I have investment industries in Beijing and Xi'an, so I won't worry about not having money in the future." My father was very pleased hearing this. He, an honest farmer, never expected to have such a promising son. Hearing that I wasn't afraid of being scammed because I had investments, he could brag to his neighbors again.
Life returned to a peaceful rhythm. My first semester of university was over. I left Hohhot and returned to my hometown. During this time, I did nothing but contemplate the letter Tie Zishan had left me. Should I delve deeper into the darkness and fight the people of 'Logical Paradox' to the end? Could I protect my family and friends from their organizational methods?
Because I couldn't resolve this issue, I chose to remain quiet.
As the Chinese New Year approached, someone anonymously sent me an international package. I tore it open, revealing a red envelope with "Happy New Year" written on it. Who would send me a red envelope during the New Year? I opened it and found a printed piece of paper inside. It contained an account number and password, along with a USB key for online banking.
USB key. Exclusively for Swiss online banking.
Swiss banks, major international banks. I checked the balance online. The account was in my name. The balance was in Swiss currency. I checked the exchange rate online; the balance was one hundred and seven million.
I ran my fingers through my hair and couldn't help but laugh. As I laughed, tears involuntarily streamed down my face: Old Tie is still alive! This guy has evolved into a super villain.