custom rival

Xi Zhikong didn't know how long he slept in a daze.

He opened his eyes again, and there was a purer darkness in front of him than before. After moving his hands and feet, he found that these people had tied him to a pillar, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

His vest was pressed against the cold steel pipe, and he felt tired suddenly.

He wondered if he was deaf—the black cloth on his eyes was suddenly torn away, and he didn’t notice the person walking in front of him—maybe this person was waiting for him to wake up in the morning, but he didn’t move at all hear.

The man patted his face to try to wake him up, but in fact he was already very sober from the man's fright.

"Little friend, why do you want them to overturn the case? Your father stayed in the prison well, and if he behaved better, he might come out in more than ten or twenty years—ah, you don't know? At that time negotiated terms."

Xi Zhikong felt nauseous, he didn't eat much, turned his head and vomited some bile, bitter in his mouth.

He shook his head, he seemed to be out of spirit, his voice was almost inaudible: "What...conditions..."

The man stood up and patted his sleeves: "Why do you think your dad only needs 40 yuan? Could it be that his decades of time and his innocence are only worth 40 yuan?"

Xi Zhikong was taken aback.

He never thought about the question of whether his father was "worth" 40 yuan, never thought about it.

"40 plus your life is all your dad's bargaining chip, but unfortunately it's different now." The man squatted down again, took out his phone and pulled out a message, the screen was shining brightly on the table Empty eyes.

If Xi Zhikong couldn't tell whether he was afraid since he was kidnapped, or whether he was numb and not as scared as he imagined, then at this moment he really felt how desperate he was.

In the text message interface in front of me, there is a message received more than ten minutes ago, which is very concise and general: I committed suicide, checked it, and left nothing.

People commit suicide.Who committed suicide?

However, Xi Zhikong didn't hesitate too much, and quickly matched these four words with Xi Chuzhi, but he couldn't believe it easily.

He asked, "What did you do?"

"Something happened to my son, so my father has to know, right? That aunt of yours can't tell him, it's just a matter of us doing it with a little effort."

"You put—you killed my dad?"

The man turned the phone back and took a look at himself, then smiled and said, "Isn't a high school student literate? Don't you know the word suicide?"

There was a terrifying blank in Xi Zhikong's mind, he just shook his head: "Impossible, my dad can't commit suicide."

"Uh huh, then I can't control this—or do you want to look at the pictures? Or look at the news? Is a title like 'A felon committed suicide while serving his sentence' okay?" the man said. Standing up with the phone in hand, the smile on the corner of his mouth disappeared, and he glanced at him sideways: "Everyone can live in peace and 'cooperation' well, but this is why we have to make such a fuss."

Is Xi Chuzhi really dead?Xi Zhikong gritted his teeth and said, "You lied to me, how could my dad die? I said wait for him at home..."

"Little friend, never underestimate a father's determination to protect his children. Your father understands much better than you."

The man took out the phone card casually, broke it, and inserted a new one, "That aunt of yours treats you like her own son, so please persuade her. Besides, don't you have someone who grew up together since childhood?" brother?

"Do you have the heart to see him, or their family, being implicated?"

"Don't move them!" There was a red mark on Xi Zhikong's wrist, and the back of his hand rubbed violently against the steel pipe, and a piece of skin was rubbed off, but he continued to struggle, trying to break free from the restraint, as if he didn't know the pain at all. to the man.

His eyes were red, like a small beast trapped, looking fierce and pitiful.

"Have you watched too many hot-blooded comics? You decide whether you want to do it or not?——But," the man was sitting on a chair not far away, Xi Zhikong couldn't see the expression on his face clearly, he could only hear his tone returning to before "You can have the final say, your uncle and aunt will definitely respect your opinion." When Jiang Yan's family said it from that person, Xi Zhikong no longer resisted from the bottom of his heart to "talk to him" like before. conditions", he stopped struggling with his hands tied behind his back, nodded and asked him in a low voice: "What do you want me to do?"

"If you ask earlier, it's over. Why waste each other's time."

"Did my dad...really commit suicide?" He asked again.

It's more like convicting himself of a crime. Once the crime is confirmed, his whole body can finally collapse, and those things that he insisted on can be let go.

The weight on his back was really too heavy, and he couldn't breathe like a mountain.

Above him, a beam of moonlight penetrated through the dilapidated roof and fell on him. The man looked at him in the darkness, but he could only see the man's eyes.A pair of eyes that could kill his spirit contained unfathomable viciousness and viciousness.

He waited silently for the man's answer, and his heart was as noisy as thousands of ants gnawed.

"Yes."

The voice seemed to have a smile on it, and it was as cruel as if the messenger from hell wanted to hook his soul away. Xi Zhikong closed his eyes in pain. He didn't believe it at first—he didn't believe that Xi Chuzhi who was willing to live for 40 Really will leave him forever overnight.

This was a farewell that was not peaceful, and he had no time to prepare for it. At this moment, he heard that person's voice, and suddenly believed it.

Then there was a great sadness in his heart, which he could not express or explain.

"You killed him," was all he could say.

The man shook his head and sighed: "How could it be that we forced him to death? Look at you. I have reiterated to you many times just now. If you don't touch this case, you father and son can still be reunited. How can we blame us?" Head up?"

Xi Zhikong started to cry without warning, salty and bitter tears seeped into his mouth from between the teeth he clenched his lower lip, as if his 17 short years of life had been soaked in bitter water, the first time he Had the idea of ​​not being able to hold on.

He sobbed repressedly, and he opened his mouth to hope that the man would let Jiang Yan's family go.

What self-esteem and arrogance, what persistence and stubbornness, all evaporated at the moment of thinking of Jiang Yan and Jiang Wen. He was a little disgusted with his capricious "backbone". He decided to live a few years ago, so he should have lived.

Otherwise, Xi Chuzhi would not be killed.

With infinite guilt in his heart, he asked that person to call Jiang Wen again.

The person who answered the phone this time was Jiang Yan, who was anxious and panicked when he said "Hello", Xi Zhikong felt distressed when he heard it, but he couldn't help but forced himself to laugh.

He shrank back to relieve the pressure on his waist, grunted when he rubbed against the broken skin, and crushed it between his teeth in a flash, trying to make his tone seem normal.

He said to Jiang Yan, "Brother Yan, it's me..."

Jiang Yan was still at the police station, but Jiang Wen fainted just after receiving the news of Xi Chuzhi's suicide and was rushed to the hospital for treatment, and Lian Guangji rushed there.

The criminal investigators from the technical department have also withdrawn, and now there are only five people in the meeting room, Jiang Yan, Huo Mingxu, Rong Xia, Zhang Qijin and Director Yang.

Jiang Yan held the phone and said anxiously: "Kongkong! Are you okay now?"

Xi Zhikong's lower lip was bitten until blood oozes, so that Jiang Yan would not hear his obvious crying voice as soon as he opened his mouth.

"I'm fine, where's Aunt Wen?"

"She—" Jiang Yan looked at the four people in front of him. Everyone was silent and did not speak. No one could give him a suggestion, whether to tell the truth or comfort the poor child.

Jiang Yan thought, if Kongkong knew that his father had passed away, he would be even more devastated at this time.

However, his kind hesitation betrayed him directly, Xi Zhikong closed his eyes in despair, tears rolled from the corners of his eyes all the way to his shoulders, his hair was disheveled on his forehead, and he looked desperate extreme.

"Brother Yan, I'm afraid." He said.

He was really terrified. He was afraid of death and pain. He was afraid that something would happen to Jiang Yan's family. He was afraid that he would drag their whole family into trouble. All his relatives were even afraid that they would go to Gu Yijian and Liu Ping.

From his limbs to his heart, from his body to his consciousness, everything about him was crumbling.

Jiang Yan's tone became softer and more relaxed, coaxing him to comfort him, telling him not to be afraid, and cheering him up a little.

But how can he cheer up.

He can't do anything at all, the only thing he can do is to cooperate with this group of people to give up overturning the case, and let everything end with Xi Chuzhi's death.

So he could only say earnestly: "Brother Yan, let's not move on this case, shall we?"

Rong Xia straightened up from the seat abruptly, Huo Mingxu also opened his eyes wide, and the two looked at each other and looked at Jiang Yan in unison.

Jiang Yan subconsciously guessed that Xi Zhikong's life safety was greatly threatened, and quickly said: "What's wrong? What's wrong with you, Kongkong—you don't touch him, everything else can be discussed!"

Even Guangji and Jiang Wen were not there, Zhang Qijin was Jiang Yan's only "elder" at this time, he walked up to Jiang Yan and patted him on the shoulder to express his comfort.

"No, Brother Yan, I'm fine, I'm just——I'm scared, and I'm tired, maybe I should wait quietly for Dad to come out, and that'll be fine." Xi Zhikong was answering Jiang Yan's words, but these words were clearly To himself.

If he just handed over the house to Gu Yijian peacefully and didn't be so firm in begging Jiang Wen for help, maybe the situation would not develop like this now.

All his thoughts attribute all these mistakes to himself. If he can stop it by admitting defeat now, then he would rather admit defeat.

"I'm really fine, the case will not be investigated, it will not be investigated..." he said.

"Kong Kong, now it's not about whether you want to—"

"Jiang Yan!" Xi Zhikong called him, "Don't call the police or investigate, let's call it a day..."

Jiang Yan froze in place, staring straight at the mobile phone on the table, completely unable to believe that the words of giving up just now were spoken by Xi Zhikong, he frowned and asked tentatively: "Kongkong, did they threaten you? "

Xi Zhikong sighed tremblingly, opened his eyes and looked up through the hole in the top of his head, saw a full moon hanging in the sky, shook his head, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, against the cold moonlight His face became paler and paler.

He said: "Because I was really scared.

"With us in—"

"Brother Yan, listen to me! They...they are ruthless," Xi Zhikong said, looking at the person squatting in front of him, his eyelashes trembling, and a tear fell on the screen of the phone, "They said that if you don't accept Hands, there are plenty of ways to kill me."

The man gave him a thumbs up, and smiled silently, with a reckless expression on his face that made people grit his teeth.

"I am only 17 years old now, my father chose to commit suicide, even if the case is overturned, his life will not be exchanged... Brother Yan, my father's innocence and my life - I choose the latter.

"I'm really scared, Brother Yan, Aunt Wen, Uncle, please help me... Can we not settle this case?

"Brother Yan...I really don't want to be separated from you...not at all..."

Jiang Yan subconsciously made a swallowing movement, feeling a little confused, thinking that Xi Zhikong was sitting opposite him, and he let go of all his insistence and chose to compromise like that.

Feeling distressed, he stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to comfort him through the call signal, his fingertips trembled when he touched the cold mobile phone and lit the screen, and then retracted his hand.His actions were uncontrollable, and what he said was out of his consciousness. He shook his lips and said dully: "Okay...brother will not be separated from you, no..."

As soon as Jiang Yan finished speaking, the person hung up the phone, probably thinking that letting them talk too much would shake Xi Zhikong's determination, so he took a piece of gauze from the table, and Xi Zhikong was caught off guard again by him Stop your mouth and nose.

He was almost suffocated, breathing heavily, just inhaled all the medicine, and soon fell into a coma.

Jiang Wen was about to wake up, and when Jiang Yan called Lian Guangji, she didn't even dare to say a word, for fear that some word would stimulate her sensitive nerves again.He only hurriedly explained a few words on the phone, then hung up the phone and left the conference room with Huo Mingxu Rongxia.

Zhang Qijin and Director Yang were left to discuss whether they should accept the conditions of the kidnappers.

——The kidnappers asked them to hand over all the materials and evidence, so that everything could return to the starting point.

Rong Xia and Huo Mingxu leaned on the desk in silence, one left and one right, both of them stared at Jiang Yan, making him uncomfortable.

Without them asking a question, Jiang Yan asked a question first: "We didn't call the police, and you didn't call the police, and the information is still being suppressed by the sub-bureau, right?"

Rong Xia frowned and said, "Jiang Yan, you don't believe us?"

Huo Mingxu looked up at him and continued to remain silent.

"Then is this case actually still in place?" He said to himself, not going to answer Rong Xia's "sharp" question.

"It's not where it was anymore," Huo Mingxu turned around and took a USB flash drive from Rong Xia's desk, and said, "Xi Chuzhi is dead. If you hand over all these things to them, this case will really be lost."

Jiang Yan suddenly wanted to answer Rong Xia's question again.

He looked up and looked around, everyone was off duty, and there were two policemen on duty, no one looked at them.

He stretched out his hand to take the USB flash drive in Huo Mingxu's hand and looked at it carefully. After a long silence, he said: "Prosecutor Huo, I can feel that you and Officer Rong want to do their best to handle every case, no matter what the case is." .But--

"This USB flash drive is Xi Zhikong's life, and now it's his life, do you understand?"

Huo Mingxu was at a loss for words for a while, but Rong Xia snatched the USB flash drive, gritted his teeth and said, "The chairman of the Anju Engineering Company has a problem at first glance! If you want to investigate him, he is serious, and without your case—"

"Yes, I know, you must also investigate," Jiang Yan grabbed Rong Xia's wrist with courage that surged up from nowhere in his body for a moment, and said in a hurried tone: "But you can't investigate now, do you have any information?" They will all be counted as empty and short!

"I don't believe you...really...I just—can't trust those people." Jiang Yan nodded, and said in a low voice: "Kong Kong is in their hands, let's do what they say... "

As soon as Rong Xia made a gesture to speak, Zhang Qijin and Director Yang came out from inside.They looked very dignified one after the other, glanced at each other and said nothing.

Seeing this situation, Rong Xia directly asked: "Ju Yang, what should we do now?"

Director Yang coughed dryly: "Just do...follow what the kidnappers said, and give them everything."

"Ju Yang?! How is this possible?" Rong Xia subconsciously clenched the USB flash drive in his hand, Jiang Yanji heaved a sigh of relief, and slowly let go of his clenched fist standing aside.

Huo Mingxu patted Rong Xia on the shoulder, stepped forward and said: "Zhang Jian, as long as these kidnappers are caught in this case, the people behind them can be found out, why—"

Zhang Qijin waved his hand, turned to look at Rong Xia and said, "Xiao Rong, you have to understand the feelings of being a parent. I know you and Xiao Huo have been following this case for a long time, but this is also what Mr. Lian's family meant. Xi Zhikong's father In order to protect his son, he has done all he can, he wants to exchange his life for Xi Zhikong's life, protecting children is the instinct of parents."

"But Zhang Jian! Now that we are taking the initiative to attack, the situation may change. Don't try—"

Rong Xia was talking, Jiang Yan interrupted him: "Officer Rong!"

Huo Mingxu looked at the people with different expressions, heaved a long sigh, and said, "Rong Xia, they are right, we know nothing about each other, the only clue we have is to prove that there is a conspiracy behind this, but the other party is We don't know who they are, and we can collect evidence and clues, but Xi Zhikong has only one life."

"Why even you?!" Rong Xia looked a little annoyed, he lowered his head and clenched his back molars, and the corner of the USB drive in his hand almost cut his skin, "Why did you even compromise?"

"This is not a compromise, this is saving Xi Zhikong's life, Rong Xia." Huo Mingxu walked up to Rong Xia, put his hands on his shoulders and pressed heavily, and continued: "We give up now, it doesn't mean this The case and their criminal facts just disappeared. Their anti-reconnaissance ability is beyond your and my imagination. It has been so long that even Xi Zhikong himself-you should believe that there are so many of us, who else is better? He wants his father's innocence more?

"Without Rong Xia, it is our duty to solve the case, but for Xi Zhikong, these are not important. Now his father committed suicide in prison for him. He is not full yet. Strictly speaking, he is just a Children who will grow up..."

"Prosecutor Huo, what did you tell me half a month ago? You said that even if it took you ten years to solve this case, you are going to give up now? Compromise with them now?" Rong Xia slowly Lifting his hands from behind and spreading out his palms, he looked at the USB drive and said again: "Everything is obviously going to change—"

"Jiang Yan!" Zhang Qijin exclaimed, "Stop him!"

There is no justice and fairness in Jiang Yan's mind, only Xi Zhikong, he knows that he should not trust the public security organs, he should not choose to believe the words of a few vicious gangsters-but they are gangsters, and Xi Zhikong is still with them They have all the initiative in their hands.

There was really nothing else he could do.

Seeing the USB flash drive in Rong Xia's hand, he seemed to see all hope. Only with this thing can he negotiate terms with them.

While Rong Xia and Huo Mingxu were talking, he quietly took a stack of paper materials on the table, then grabbed the USB flash drive in Rong Xia's palm, turned around and ran out.

He didn't want to participate in the sports meeting at the beginning of the first year of high school, but he mistakenly thought that Xi Zhikong would also participate in the event, so he asked He Xing to declare his name, but he didn't expect that Xi Zhikong was just a cheerleader.

Standing on the line of the baton handover in the relay race, he was still very upset, feeling that he had eaten a big pot of vinegar, but the man didn't know it at all.Only when Xi Zhikong ran the tens of meters with him, did he feel more at ease.

And later when Xi Zhikong ran to fight with others, he was afraid and chased Xi Zhikong around the playground for two and a half laps. In the end, Xi Zhikong lost his stamina and was caught by him. He took his back tie and went back to the classroom to torture , There was also a farce that made people laugh and cry.

Another thing is that when he was a child, Xi Zhikong always ran away when he was afraid.No one can catch up to him, neither the teacher nor the nurse who draws blood, can't catch the little him.

No one can catch up, but Jiang Yan can. He didn't understand it before, but now he understands that at that time, Xi Zhikong was just afraid. If he saw Jiang Yan chasing him, he would slow down and be caught by him. Then pester him not to let him go.

When he was in junior high school, he almost let him go if he didn't pay attention, but when he came back to his senses, he chased him without hesitation, without any hesitation.

No one thought about this moment.Xi Zhikong's life is hanging by a thread, only he can save him, no matter what effort and price he pays, he must go.

Because his Kongkong must be very scared now, and he must be needed very much.

Jiang Yan's sudden action made everyone present unexpected. When Rong Xia hurriedly asked the police on duty to stop him, Jiang Yan had already run out of the gate.

"Fuck, what does this little brat want to do!" Rong Xia scolded and chased after him, Huo Mingxu followed closely, Director Yang was in a hurry to call the police with his mobile phone, but was stopped by Zhang Qijin.

"Director Yang, don't escalate the situation. If the kidnappers see such a big battle and go out, how can Xi Zhikong's personal safety be guaranteed? You contact the surroundings and recruit a few capable police officers to follow up to ensure the safety of Jiang Yan, and then pay attention to the outskirts of the city. The monitoring at each intersection, until they get what they want, Xi Zhikong should be fine, I will immediately coordinate with the traffic department, we will buy time to save Xi Zhikong first, and we will talk about it later."

Ju Yang thought to himself, if it was Rong Xia, his subordinate who seemed to be out of tune but actually won several martial arts championships, he would not be in a hurry, but the one who ran out to negotiate terms with the kidnappers was still a good guy. The child is a few months away. If something happens to this child, the black gauze hat on his head will probably not be able to be worn properly.

After thinking about it, he made another call, agreed to Zhang Qijin's proposal, got into his car and followed Rong Xia's and Huo Mingxu's cars.