Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

Inside the office.

The silence lasted for almost a minute.

Li Lei finally couldn't help but speak up, "Director, please agree. My mother-in-law... my mother-in-law is about to give birth, and I need to go back to my wife's family home."

He himself found it absurd to say that.

Mother-in-law giving birth?

What is the son-in-law going back for?

Do you deliver babies?

But he couldn't think of a better excuse.

Resign?

No.

He spent the entire way from the steel mill back to the police station thinking about what he would eat and drink after resigning.

He had worked his way up from a lowly police officer to the position of director of the Hongxing Police Station. Although he was only a section-level cadre, he was still considered a figure in Beijing.

If he resigns, he will have nothing: no job, no income, and no status.

Go back to my hometown, Baoding?

His relatives back home had long envied him for being a policeman in Beijing. If he went back in disgrace, wouldn't he be laughed at to death?

Why not take a leave of absence and go away to hide for a while?

Once the heat dies down, the case is solved, or... or if it's truly unsolvable and someone else takes over, he'll come back.

If all else fails, I can try to find connections to transfer myself back to Baoding. Although my rank might be lowered and my benefits might not be as good, it's still better than waiting to die here.

Director Zhao didn't speak, but slowly shook his head.

He picked up a Daqianmen cigarette from the table, took it out, lit it, and took a deep drag. The smoke rose slowly under the light.

"Li Lei, you know what the situation is right now. You want to take leave, but do you think I don't want to?"

The evil spirits grew increasingly rampant. Starting from the courtyard at No. 95, over three days and four nights, more than forty people died: the children in the warehouse, Liu Xiaoqiang who overturned the boiler workshop, Bi Yuntao in the tree, Liu Guangqi in the alley, Zhang Jianguo who disappeared in the jeep...

But have you noticed?

"This evil spirit has killed so many people, but have you ever seen it harm any of our police officers?"

Director Li was taken aback for a moment.

He thought about it carefully, and indeed, all the dead were people from the steel mill, people from the courtyard house, and people related to the Lin family.

Although the police were extremely busy, no one was injured or killed.

But I participated myself.

"Thus, it is clear that evil spirits are only seeking revenge. Every wrong has its perpetrator and its debtor; whoever does something wrong must pay the price."

Director Zhao paused for a moment, then said, "So don't even think about taking leave. Think more about whether we can take the blame for this."

"The courtyard house at No. 95 is within your jurisdiction, and now most of the people there are dead. Do you think you can escape?"

Cold sweat beaded on Director Li's forehead.

He knew that Director Zhao was telling the truth.

He is the director of Hongxing Police Station, and the courtyard house at No. 95 is within his jurisdiction.

With such a major case and so many deaths, he, as the director, cannot escape responsibility.

Even if they take leave and run away now, they still won't escape the responsibility once the case is closed.

Even if you can't run, you have to run.

Li Lei gritted his teeth and thought to himself, "Compared to taking the blame, my life is the most important thing."

Chief, you have no idea, I haven't dared to close my eyes to sleep these past two days, because every time I do, I see those corpses...

I saw Director Yang with his limbs gone, hanging from the roof beam; I saw Director Wang split in two; I saw those children…”

But on the surface...

Director Li pleaded, "Chief, my mother-in-law is really having triplets. She's an elderly mother, and it's very dangerous."

I'll just take a week off, I'll be right back.

As for this pot, it's my share, I'll take it, but you have to let me finish dealing with things at home first, right?

Director Zhao didn't speak, but squinted and carefully examined Li Lei.

Not right.

This kid is acting really strange tonight.

Something is very, very wrong.

Director Zhao pondered to himself.

He knew Li Lei well; he was a capable man who had risen from a junior police officer to the station chief, and he knew his temperament well too.

This person is a bit clever and cunning, but not very brave; he tends to shrink back when faced with trouble.

Even if we go further back, we wouldn't go so far as to make up such an absurd excuse as "my mother-in-law is giving birth."

This isn't just a simple request for leave; this is a genuine attempt to run away.

I'm afraid he took leave and won't come back.

Could it be that they have already come up with a plan to escape?

What channel have you found to extricate yourself from this predicament?

If so...

Then we absolutely cannot let him leave.

I haven't even left yet, how can you run away first?

The case occurred in your jurisdiction, so many people died, and you think you can just walk away and leave me with this mess?

It's not that simple.

"no."

Director Zhao uttered two words, crisp and decisive.

Director Li panicked: "Chief! I..."

"Li Lei, you can leave now."

Director Zhao waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly. "Your mother-in-law isn't your wife. Even your father-in-law isn't in a hurry, so why are you? Could it be...?"

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, staring at Li Lei with a strange look in his eyes.

Director Li felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze: "Could it be what?"

Director Zhao stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Could the child be yours...?"

The words were left unsaid, but the meaning was clear.

Director Li's face flushed red instantly, not from embarrassment, but from anger.

"No! No! Director Zhao, please don't slander me! That's my mother-in-law! My own mother-in-law!"

"You still love your mother-in-law? You beast!"

"No, I didn't! Don't slander me!!"

"Then why are you so insistent on taking leave to go back to Baoding?"

Director Zhao continued his questioning, his eyes fixed on Li Lei, not missing a single subtle change in his expression.

Director Li panicked for a second.

He really hadn't figured out how to cover up this lie.

Why is the son-in-law in such a hurry to go back when his mother-in-law is giving birth?

That doesn't make sense.

But he quickly calmed down, took a deep breath, and began to spout nonsense with a straight face:

"Director, as you know, my wife and I have been married for several years, but we still don't have children."

My wife is anxious, and so am I.

My mother-in-law is in her forties and is pregnant with triplets. I think... I think there must be some secret to it.

He got more and more carried away as he spoke: "So I want to go back and see how my mother-in-law got pregnant, just in case..."

"You want to borrow a seed from your mother-in-law?"

Director Zhao interrupted gossipily, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "She'll have children."

"Chief!"

Director Li was truly angry; his fists clenched. "You're slandering me! I'm going to sue you!"

"Just kidding, just kidding."

Director Zhao waved his hand, but his face clearly said, "I don't believe you for a second." "You continue."

Director Li swallowed his anger, silently cursing Director Zhao's ancestors for eighteen generations.

If you weren't the bureau chief, I'd really like to give you two big slaps.

Composing himself, he continued, "Chief, I just wanted to learn from your experience, based on what my wife said..."

"What are you, a grown man, doing collecting semen?"

Director Zhao interrupted him again, this time going even further, "You need to retrieve your eggs..."

"Chief!"

Director Li slammed his hand on the table, his eyes red with anger. "If you slander me again, I'll really hit you!"

……