41 – Because the Truth is Never Meaningless

Chapter 41: Because Truth is Never Meaningless

Five minutes.

Lu Yuzhu thought that everything would end in just five minutes.

The ticking of the detonator echoed through the basement. Just as the pendulum clock in her old childhood home had ticked away the seconds of her peaceful life decades ago.

Back then, she believed she could spend her entire life in peace and tranquility.

And then, suddenly.

Just as that rookie reporter had shattered her life.

The countdown to death stopped.

At the same time, the dull sound of elevator doors opening echoed from behind her.

Startled, she whipped around to see the elevator doors sliding open slowly. Inside stood a man with a tall stature, broad shoulders, and long legs. A sharp spark flickered within his beautiful peach blossom eyes.

Xie Qingcheng stepped out of the silver-gray elevator. [stolen content]His piercing unauthorized copygaze cut straight into the woman’s heart.

Everything had gone exactly as He Yu predicted.

Around the time Lu Yuzhu was guarding the basement, a mirroring app He Yu had downloaded onto his phone before entering the archives sent a strong signal. Upon connecting the app and scanning, He Yu discovered the detonator program.

There wasn’t just one or two.

Fortunately, this detonator could be manipulated via the mirroring app. Thanks to this, He Yu had breached the opponent’s firewall and stopped the countdown before even entering the archives.

The two of them had hidden the fact from the police and moved independently. Time was short, and since they had discovered a spy within the police force, they couldn’t afford to take any risks.

Now, the secret was unveiled. Lu Yuzhu had intended to “clean” all the evidence through a suicide bombing for the sake of her benefactor.

“The countdown was probably five minutes. But it’s stopped now.”

Xie Qingcheng glared at the woman’s face.

“Could we have a word?”

“The countdown… how could the countdown have stopped…?”

“It’s all thanks to your boss, who loves high-tech gadgets.”

A voice as smooth as satin resonated from behind Xie Qingcheng.

Only then did Lu Yuzhu realize there was another person inside the elevator.

It was because Xie Qingcheng’s presence had been so overwhelming. The way he stepped out of the slowly opening doors was almost like a god. It felt as if every step he took was treading upon her own heart. Consequently, she hadn’t noticed the young man standing in the corner of the large elevator.

The young man, dressed in a simple black turtleneck, looked remarkably calm. Even as he stepped out from behind, he was indifferently tapping away on his phone. He looked as if he would feel no out of place even if this grand archive were replaced by a bookstore or an office.

The young man gave her a thin smile.

“Ms. Lu. The technology really is impressive.”

Of course, He Yu looked back down at his phone immediately after that one sentence. The opposing technician was frantically attacking the program system he had just hacked. After his polite greeting, he left Xie Qingcheng and Lu Yuzhu behind, his eyes darkening as he leaned against the wall, focusing on this silent online war.

Having lived through a tumultuous life, Lu Yuzhu quickly regained her composure despite the shocking situation.

“You don’t seem to be police,” she said, scanning the two of them. Her tense muscles relaxed slightly.

“That is correct.”

“The hounds couldn’t even catch a scent, yet you arrived first?”

Lu Yuzhu narrowed her eyes.

“Who the hell are you people?”

Xie Qingcheng spoke bluntly, cutting straight to the point.

“Nineteen years ago, my parents died in a car accident. An autonomous vehicle with no driver struck them, and after the collision, the driver’s seat automatically caught fire to destroy the evidence. It was the exact same method your organization used to kill Zhang Yong earlier.”

“…”

After a silence, Lu Yuzhu spoke.

“Were your parents traitors who deserved to be purged? Or were they police dogs?”

“They were both police officers.”

“Then they died well. What’s there to be aggrieved about? They were probably processed as having died in the line of duty anyway.”

Lu Yuzhu sneered, her lips curling.

“No.”

At Xie Qingcheng’s answer, Lu Yuzhu’s smile froze.

“They didn’t die during a mission, and there was no direct evidence that they were murdered by an enemy. Their colleagues knew it wasn’t a coincidence—that it wasn’t a normal traffic accident—but since it was difficult to prove the facts, it was closed as an accident.”

“…”

Perhaps reminded of her own past, Lu Yuzhu’s gaze sank into darkness.

“I’ve seen your files. I know what you went through in the past.”

After a brief pause, Xie Qingcheng continued.

“I know how it feels to be ignored by justice for many years. Lu Yuzhu. But not all police officers are that atrocious.”

“…”

“My parents passed away when I was thirteen. They were always people of clear conscience. In truth, they were brutally murdered while chasing the truth and trying to clear the names of people like you.”

Xie Qingcheng continued.

“I know you hate the reporters, prosecutors, and everyone involved who broke you in the past. You left your hometown and suffered your whole life. The case was overturned three years ago, but it was already too late. Because that doesn’t change the past. But do you know? How many people are moving for the sake of people visit our sitelike you, to rescue those who were wrongfully framed? In places you don’t know, nameless reporters, police officers, and prosecutors are risking their lives and doing their absolute best. Do you know why these people would [unauthorized copy]devote their blood, their youth, and their lives to a case that ended long ago… a case where the victim wouldn’t even be satisfied even if the facts were revealed and compensation was received?”

He took a breath and continued.

“A belated truth cannot change the past.”

Xie Qingcheng’s voice trembled slightly. While speaking to Lu Yuzhu, it felt as if he were appealing to the version of himself that had endured nineteen grueling years.

“But at the very least, it can set the future back on the right track. It can allow someone who lived in injustice to hold their head high again. It can allow martyrs who died for no reason to be buried peacefully in the afterlife. It can remove the heavy shackles from a victim’s shoulders and show those outside the law what true justice is. The wounds of the past may not be healed, but still…”

Though he suppressed his emotions with a cold voice, his reddened eyes revealed the inner turmoil that had already collapsed.

“It is not meaningless. Because truth is never meaningless.”

Xie Qingcheng’s voice continued.

“The moment the prosecutors came to you and bowed their heads in apology… didn’t the anger you held for over a decade subside and your heart feel light? Though immense pain accompanied that relief, at least in that moment, you could breathe, couldn’t you?”

“…”

Lu Yuzhu’s eyes wavered faintly.

“You got a result, Read on Read BL Novelsbut I waited for nearly twenty unauthorized copyyears and didn’t unauthorized copyget a single result.”

“…”

“Do you know how many people bleed and sacrifice themselves for the sake of the wronged you, in places you cannot see? They are people whose names you don’t know, but they are always striving for fairness and fighting to correct errors. Even though it wasn’t their fault, do you think it’s meaningless to hope for justice for those who survived and those who died? Ten years have already passed. Even if your husband betrayed you and your child no longer knows their mother, even if you yourself cannot remember what you were like as District Councilor Lu Yuzhu, some people who have never met you held your files and investigated until the end. Do you think they did that just to go to the victim later and say ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘my apologies’? At least my parents weren’t like that. They said they joined the police to earn money to support their family. But despite saying that, they ultimately died fulfilling their duty as police officers. Their salaries were so tight they couldn’t even raise their children properly. I was only thirteen when they passed. Lu Yuzhu, since you are also a mother, you can probably guess what my mother was thinking before her death.”

Lu Yuzhu, who had remained silent throughout, trembled at the last sentence. She felt as if some weeping eyes—a woman who, like her, had been separated from her child—were silently watching her from heaven.

“Half of her body was crushed. I saw it with my own eyes. It was all done by people from your organization.”

“…”

“What did my mother do wrong? She wasn’t someone who bragged. I still remember the words she told me with such gravity. That when people suffer from hardship, they long for the truth. That they must believe in something bright to survive in this world. My mother hoped that the police badge on your shoulder would be that ‘something bright.’ She hoped you would be someone that people searching for help could trust. But your colleagues, the people of your organization, killed that mother.”

Xie Qingcheng added immediately.

“And they shattered that badge into pieces.”

Lu Yuzhu’s fingertips trembled slightly.

“The target of your hatred should not be the police, but the criminals who framed and slandered you. Come back now. No matter how painful it is, there are things one must not do.”

Lu Yuzhu’s expression was like a soul wandering the earth. The tangled life of over a decade roared and visit our sitecircled within unauthorized copyher body. Finally, she lifted her head and spoke. Her voice was half-cracked.

“…I’m truly sorry too.”

“…”

“I’m sorry, but…” she murmured.

But—.

“But, do you know? Those words were the ones the prosecutor who reinvestigated my case said the most when he came to see me,” Lu Yuzhu said softly.

“At that time, I thought. ‘I’m sorry,’ ‘it’s a pity’—what do those words even mean? It means ‘I’m the one who felt bad about it, but anyway, it has nothing to do with me,’ doesn’t it?”

She stared at Xie Qingcheng with infinitely complicated eyes.

Swallowing a short silence, she continued.

“Still, I feel sorry about your situation. Yes, that’s right. Perhaps… that prosecutor’s words were sincere, just like mine. Yes, that person certainly felt anger on my behalf with sincerity. However—.”

With those two words, the flow of the air changed.

Under the cold basement lights, Lu Yuzhu spoke slowly.

“…The past cannot be undone. People from my organization might have unintentionally involved innocent people. No, perhaps they really did commit crimes. But that person from the organization saved me when I was drowning in despair and agony. They provided me with a home.”

“…”

“If it weren’t for those people, I would have committed suicide while waiting endlessly for the trial results. I wouldn’t have been able to wait until the case was overturned because the pain was too great.”

Lu Yuzhu looked at Xie Qingcheng and spoke in a voice that had softened.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong. I know I’m the one who’s wrong. But what can I do when I’m already someone who belongs to the darkness? Light is just unfamiliar to me. Regardless of right or wrong, my life was given to me by that person. Even if I die, I cannot betray them.”

“…Do you not think that person saved you just to use you? That they needed a sacrifice who would keep their mouth shut and willingly give their life for this day! The countdown is five minutes and remote control is possible, so why did they leave you here? Do they want you to die along with the evidence that must be concealed?”

At Xie Qingcheng’s words, Lu Yuzhu smiled.

“I think you’ve misunderstood something.”

“…”

“That person told me to go together from the start. I volunteered to stay. The matter has become too big. To lure the police so they can close the case, at least a few organization members must remain at the scene, right? If I wanted to live, I could just press the button and escape. That person even gave me time to change my mind and run away. But I have no intention of doing that.”

Lu Yuzhu paused and then added immediately.

“Because I don’t want to fall into the hands of the police. I never want to go back to that place where I was locked up for years. I don’t want to be tortured, and I have even less intention of cooperating with the police. I am not afraid of death at all. Being alive is what is distant and desperate.”

As she spoke, Lu Yuzhu stepped away from the light, slowly retreating into the deep darkness of the basement.

She didn’t want to move forward.

She could no longer move forward.

She reached behind her. Her fingertips caught the handgun tucked into her lower back.

She had no actual experience using a gun. This gun was the last item the organization had given her for emergencies. She didn’t know if she could aim and fire properly, but she wanted to try.

Lu Yuzhu’s gaze landed on the young man who had been tapping his phone screen in silence the entire time.

Yes.

I no longer remember the version of myself who lived a glamorous life as a District Councilor.

Her heart tightened painfully. She silently grit her teeth and unlocked the handgun with trembling hands.

Right then—.

A ding notification sound rang out.

He Yu, who had been fighting the cyber war, paused simultaneously.

It was a message sent by the opposing technician, who had breached the information block. Sending an anonymous message in the middle of a battle was a very unexpected turn of events.

The attached file was a video.

[Edward, we’ve found your identity. Watch this video first, then decide whether or not to help Xie Qingcheng.]