My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Jin Renguang straightened in his seat. "What do you mean?"

Ru Meiqi strode quickly, half jogging and half running to the desolate part of the village, near the dense banana and mango tree where she parked her car. Slamming the door shut, she put the phone on speaker and started the car. "According to criminal psychology, the first victim of every budding psychopath will unwittingly—proven by data—to be someone they know. They would be invested both emotionally and psychologically in their first killing. But in Qian Ke's case, it is clear that she didn't have much to do with the culprit. She came from a faraway village, and the time she spent in City S was less than two months. Even if the culprit was involved with her, he would need sufficient and meticulous planning; considering that he didn't leave any trace of evidence, nor did he show any incompetence in executing it. Two months' time wasn't enough."

"That's why I thought that there's something weird about the first case." Ru Meiqi drove smoothly to the main road and merged together with the stream of vehicles that weaved under the upcoming sunset. "Kidnapping. Torture. Dismember. All of it concludes that the culprit has intense hatred and repulsion inside him, preferably to people around twenty who came from broken families. There must be a reason why, but until now, we are still unable to make any conjectures about that. Meanwhile, in Qian Ke's corpse, I couldn't find any trace of hatred in it. He was too calm, too scrupulous to the point of apathy and indifference."

"So," Jin Renguang slowly concluded. "There's someone who died before Qian Ke?"

"Yes, and I suspect that there's more than one."

A harsh exhale of breath resounded from the other side of the line. Ru Meiqi readjusted her rearview mirror and continued, "This is the first time you encountered such a vicious criminal since you became a criminal investigator right?"

"Right," Jin Renguang admitted wryly. "Meiqi, all those years in the US, how could you cope with that?" Terrorists weren't much better than serial killers, both of them had a maniac hobby of killing people, spreading panic among masses and took pleasure in the negativity and chaos that stemmed from it.

Ru Meiqi fell silent for a while. There was only the sound of intermittent honk and the soft purr of the car machine. "At first, I couldn't cope with it either. Seeing the devastation, bodies that weren't even intact and unrecognizable, the despair and chaos they caused. But the answer was only one; slowly, you will get used to it and everything will not matter anymore."

"Is that why?"

"Is that why what?"

Jin Renguang asked softly. "Is that why you changed so much upon your return?"

Ru Meiqi's hands clenched on the steering wheel and a faint indifferent smile with a hint of mockery appeared on her lips. "I don't know. I don't even realize that I have changed."

The atmosphere turned stagnant and Jin Renguang was the one who broke the ice. He knew that it wasn't the time to catch up on their old history nor did they have the time to. "So, what advice can you give to this rookie investigator who is totally a greenhorn in dealing with vicious criminals?"

Ru Meiqi scoffed out a laugh, her previous gloominess due to Uncle Qian and their talk dissipated somewhat. "Judging from the timeline, it should be a year—or even more than a year—since the culprit's first murder. Now that we can't find any similar cases, there are two possibilities. First, the victim was someone that, even if they disappeared, no one would report them missing. Second, the victim was someone who was high in social background and the case was too unsightly to be reported, afterall, to them, face and reputation was more important than finding the killer."

Jin Renguang digested her words carefully. "Which one are you inclined to?"

"The second." Ru Meiqi answered without hesitation.

The man chuckled bitterly. "Then everything will become complicated." He looked down at his notebook which was full of Ru Meiqi's analysis and closed it. "Okay, return first as soon as you can. If your analysis is true, then I know someone who I can seek help with."

"Who?" she asked.

Jin Renguang pinched his brows and said reluctantly, "Director Fen of City S Police Bureau."

***

City A's Hospital, in room 510th.

Si Zhening stood by Jiang Jinyan's bedside, a usual black briefcase still in his hand. Beside him, there were two nurses and Doctor Heng, a middle aged doctor who specialized in artificial limbs. The nurses unwound Jiang Jinyan's bandage, showing the stump knee out in the open. Because of the surgery, there was a large hideous black surgical line across it and the skin around was reddish with a few spots of bruises.

Jiang Jinyan clenched his fists. This was the first time for him to face his leg head on ever since the accident. As he thought, it was truly…unsightly.

Si Zhening asked worriedly. "How is it, Doctor?"

Doctor Heng wore a pair of surgical gloves as he scrutinized Jiang Jinyan's legs. "Hmm, it is recovering nicely. But no, it is still too early for artificial leg."

Jiang Jinyan took a deep breath. "Do I need more physiotherapy?"

"No, Mr. Jiang. This is not the matter of therapy. It's your wound itself. Wearing an artificial leg means that you have to put a heavier burden on your amputated leg, it can cause inflammation, bone fracture and worse, you can end up limping for the rest of your life. You don't want that, do you?"

Jiang Jinyan's jaws ticked and he didn't answer. But the slight tremble of his fingers betrayed his indifferent appearance.

It was Si Zhening who brought up questions. "Then, how much longer does he need? Can you guarantee that he can walk as smoothly as before?"

"Approximately two more weeks if there's no further accident." Doctor Heng answered. "If Mr.Jiang followed the proper procedure for recuperating, then his normal life will not be hindered by his leg."

Si Zhening opened his briefcase and took out an exquisite box. He opened it to show a stack of name cards and gave one to the doctor. "Doctor Heng, if there is any problem, please contact me here. I also wish to discuss further about Young Master Jiang's condition with you."

"You are…?" Doctor Heng accepted the name card gingerly. A hint of shock flashed across his eyes but soon returned to the previous calmness. Albeit a little shock due to knowing that such a young man managed to hold quite a high position in the business world, it didn't cause quite a ripple for Heng Liujun. As a high rank member of the hospital's Board of Directors, which influential figure he hadn't seen before?

"I am a temporary guardian of Young Master Jiang." Si Zhening explained.. "Until Young Master Jiang's parents return, I will be solely responsible for him."