Police officer Chen Shu

in the room.

Chen Shu stood up.

He looked into Zhang Yang's eyes, which held a mixture of despair, stubbornness, pain, and a hint of madness. He watched her fingers tremble uncontrollably on the phone screen, and saw her tears silently streaming down her face as she stubbornly held back her sobs.

He understood that all explanations and assurances seemed utterly inadequate at this moment.

Looking at the disheveled woman in front of him, Chen Shu felt a mix of emotions.

When the two first met in Dongzhou, he was the deputy director of the Zhongshan Police Station, and after his officers solved a robbery case, Zhang Yang brought a TV crew to record a program.

That day, she was wearing a red coat and standing in the police station courtyard, half of her body bathed in the winter sun. Her fair face glowed, and even the fine downy hairs on her face were clearly visible.

Thinking back now, Chen Shu still remembers her long eyelashes trembling gently in the breeze, and her big eyes full of hope and curiosity, as if they could melt the cold, icy pool of the season.

So beautiful.

"I disagree."

Chen Shu placed his hands on Zhang Yang's shoulders, pressing them firmly, and commanded in an unquestionable tone, "Yang Yang, you must take the video down immediately!"

Zhang Yang was stunned, or more accurately, he was shocked by Chen Shu.

From the time they met until now, this policeman with beautiful almond-shaped eyes has always been smiling in any situation and at any time. He has never lost his temper in front of her, and he has never even raised his voice.

In the past arguments, or what Zhang Yang thought were arguments, they were actually all one-sided emotional outbursts from her. All Chen Shu did was try his best to explain, and at most, he would just sit silently on the sidelines and talk until the argument ended.

From beginning to end, it was all about Zhang Yang venting his frustrations.

From beginning to end, it was Chen Shu who stood up for her and silently protected her.

Zhang Yang knew this kind of protection in her heart, but she didn't want to know. In the past, she would take it for granted, thinking that as long as she didn't think about it or mention it, it would still be a matter of course. So whenever she encountered difficulties, the first person she thought of was Chen Shu.

Thump, clang.

Zhang Yang's pupils suddenly contracted, and she subconsciously took half a step back. Her left hand brushed across the table, accidentally knocking over the water glass that she had personally filled for Chen Shu.

The cup fell to the ground with a crisp sound, and the water inside spilled out with a splash.

Zhang Yang felt as if something was flowing out of his heart, something that seemed to disappear and never return, but then a deeper resistance surged up, instantly swallowing Zhang Yang's hesitation.

Zhang Yang flung Chen Shu's hands off her shoulders and pointed at Chen Shu, roaring.

"No! Chen Shu! You can't order me around! You have no right to order me around!"

"You're just a cop! You don't understand! You don't understand anything!"

"Once the video is taken down, the hype will be gone! Then we can't think about it again."

Chen Shu once again grabbed Zhang Yang's arms with both hands, interrupting him directly: "I understand! I understand that you want to save more people! I understand that you want to use public opinion to force the government to take action! I understand that you want to burn this evil land of northern Myanmar to the ground with raging fire!"

After a pause, Chen Shu's voice suddenly rose: "But Xiao Zhao is not firewood for you to use to start a fire! He is not a sacrifice you must make to ignite that raging fire!"

Chen Shu gripped Zhang Yang's arms tighter and tighter, angrily saying, "He's a living, breathing person! He's your partner! He's the Xiao Zhao who called me crying in the middle of the night for help! He's the Xiao Zhao who stayed behind to cover your escape even though he was terrified!"

Zhang Yang's face turned ashen instantly, and his heart began to ache terribly.

Her lips trembled, tears streaming down her face, and she whispered, "No, I didn't, I didn't want to sacrifice him. I just wanted to save more people. Xiao Zhao... he'll understand."

"He doesn't understand anything!" Chen Shu almost roared. He hadn't been this angry in all these years.

"My dear journalist, look at the live video you posted online! Where is Xiao Zhao now? He's in a dog cage! He's in a water dungeon! He's being beaten with an electric baton! He's being forced to eat feces! Tell me, what is he trying to understand? What can he possibly understand?"

Chen Shu released his grip on Zhang Yang's arms, then pointed at her nose and said sternly, "Use your smart brain to think about this! What is Xiao Zhao thinking right now? Every second he thinks about someone coming to save him! He thinks about how his partner, whom he risked his life to protect, will do everything in his power to save him after escaping from hell!"

Chen Shu suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhang Yang's right wrist. The hand that had been gripping the phone tightly before was so strong that Zhang Yang felt pain, and the phone slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

thump.

The phone, which concerned the fate of many people, fell to the ground, but neither Chen Shu nor Zhang Yang glanced at it, not even out of the corner of their eye.

Chen Shu merely sneered, his tone icy: "Tell me, if Xiao Zhao, currently huddled in the dog cage, knew that the person he saved was using him as a catalyst to ignite public opinion, what would he think?"

Zhang Yang was completely stunned.

She never imagined that this police officer, who always greeted her with a smile, would one day use such a sarcastic and indifferent tone to mock her.

Chen Shu turned around, walked to the door, put his hand on the handle, turned his back to Zhang Yang, and softened his tone: "Yangyang, keep them calm. Even if we only manage to gain a day, half a day, or even a few hours, it will give Xiao Zhao hope. Leave the rest to me."

Half a minute later, Zhang Yang frantically searched for his phone on the ground.

Her finger hovered over the screen, poised over the button that would decide her fate. On one side was the vibrant life of her partner who had worked with her for many years, and on the other was the hope of public opinion that she saw as the key to saving countless lives.

The trembling fingers hung in the air, shaking even more violently.

Tears blurred his vision, and Zhang Yang seemed to see Xiao Zhao lying in the dog cage, looking out the window. His body was covered in wounds, and his eyes were filled with fear of reality, yet also with a glimmer of hope.

Finally, Zhang Yang's thumb, heavy with immense force and accompanied by a choked sob, pressed down.

On the phone screen, the progress bar representing "removed from shelves" began to move slowly.

Zhang Yang seemed to have all his strength drained away. His phone fell to the ground with a thud, and he slumped to the ground as well. He covered his face with his hands, and suppressed, disappointed, and painful sobs finally escaped from between his fingers.

"Woo!"

"woo woo woo woo!"

Chen Shu did not turn around, his heart filled with guilt.

He forced Zhang Yang, who was independent and individualistic, to make a choice—a choice that went against her professional beliefs that she had upheld for many years.

But Chen Shu could not turn back. After experiencing so many events and suffering so much loss, he finally grasped his own path, which was not to let the "majority" bind him like morality.

He's not a great man; he can't handle it.

He's not a hero; he can't handle it.

All he wanted was to protect the people around him, nothing more.

Chen Shu took out his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and checked the time. The light from the phone screen reflected on his cold, stern face. He didn't turn back to look at Zhang Yang; he simply opened the door and walked out in silence.

boom.

The door closed behind him, shutting out the heart-wrenching cries from inside.

A race against time, against the rules, and against humanity began in the most painful way before the clock struck midnight. (End of Chapter)