Chapter 101: Revenge on Society

Lin Dongxue walked over and asked Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong, “What are you two talking about so enthusiastically?”

“Games,” Xu Xiaodong replied.

“Hmph, you boys can’t live without your games, can you?” Lin Dongxue sat down as Chen Shi asked, “What case are you working on lately?”

“A fraud insurance case. It’s eye-opening. There’s a gang that recruits poor people from rural areas, buys insurance for them, and after the insurance becomes effective, they have doctors gouge out their eyes to claim the insurance money. The victims get half, and the gang gets half. Over a dozen insurance companies in Long’an City have been scammed, and they’ve jointly asked the police to investigate.”

“Have you caught anyone?” Chen Shi asked.

“Not yet. We’ve only caught some low-level members who don’t know who the ringleaders are. They’re all unemployed thugs… these people are truly heartless.”

“How much do they sell an eye for?”

“Those poor people get only 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, and they’re quite happy about it. They even bring in relatives and friends to join this ‘business’.”

Xu Xiaodong sighed, “I’ve seen too much of the dark side of human nature since becoming a police officer.”

“You’ve seen a lot. How many have you caught personally?” Lin Dongxue teased.

“Uh… wasn’t it me who caught Wu Erlang last time?” Xu Xiaodong retorted.

Chen Shi chuckled, “I’m not driving a taxi anymore. I’ll be your temporary worker. Contact me if you need help.”

“Sure!” Lin Dongxue agreed.

A few days later, Chen Shi took Tao Yuanyuan to a middle school near her home. Naturally, she was very reluctant. Chen Shi initially planned to handle the transfer procedures next spring, but the teacher suggested that since she hadn’t been to school since the fifth grade, enrolling now would allow her to use the end-of-term exams to identify areas of weakness, so she could focus on those during winter break and catch up by next year.

Although Chen Shi suspected the school just wanted to earn an extra half year of fees, he didn’t mind the small amount of money and was happy to be rid of this troublesome child temporarily.

On the day she started school, Tao Yuanyuan stood at the school gate, resentfully saying, “You’re just going to watch me fall into the fire pit?”

“No, I’ll close my eyes. Hurry up and go!” Chen Shi laughed.

The arrival of a transfer student didn’t cause much of a stir in Class 5 of the second grade. The students’ curiosity lasted only one class period. Tao Yuanyuan was seated in a corner, and nobody knew her or talked to her during breaks. Her small heart was filled with loneliness.

A few days later, a chubby boy named Liang Zuoming and some other classmates gathered around her during a break. Liang Zuoming asked, “Tao Yuanyuan? Your name is Tao Yuanyuan, right? Is your dad rich? He drives you to and from school every day?”

“That’s not my dad,” Tao Yuanyuan coldly replied.

“Ha, are you a love child?” Liang Zuoming laughed.

“I get it, it’s your sugar daddy,” another boy speculated, laughing along.

Tao Yuanyuan looked at them with disgust, clearly sensing their malice. Liang Zuoming then extended a hand, “Tao Yuanyuan, let’s be friends! You can copy my homework from now on.”

“I don’t need that. I can do it myself,” she rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, Liang Zuoming snatched her hat, revealing her freshly growing bald head. He burst into laughter, “I knew it! Always wearing a hat—turns out you’re bald.”

“Ha ha, are you a nun?” another boy jeered.

“She must have cancer. Let’s stay away from her, so we don’t catch it,” a third boy suggested.

The rest of the class turned to watch the commotion, grinning. Tao Yuanyuan trembled with anger, her small fists clenched tightly. She stood up and demanded, “Give it back!”

“Chase me, and you can have it back, Baldy!” Liang Zuoming taunted, running off with his friends.

Others joined in the laughter, but Tao Yuanyuan didn’t chase him. She knew it would only humiliate herself further. Liang Zuoming wanted to draw her to the playground to make a spectacle of her bald head in front of the whole school.

She felt like crying but bit her lip to hold back the tears, tasting blood in her mouth.

The farce ended only when the bell rang for the next class. Liang Zuoming sneaked back and whispered, “I threw your hat in the trash heap out back. You’d better get it before the junk collectors do, Baldy! Ha ha ha!”

That evening, Chen Shi noticed that her hat was dirty, her eyes were red, and she was unusually quiet at dinner. He asked, “What happened? Did your classmates bully you?”

“No,” she replied stiffly.

“Boys at this age are like little beasts. If you get bullied, don’t endure it. Tell the teacher or me, and solve it early. Otherwise, these bad guys will only get worse.”

Chen Shi’s words almost made her cry, but she held back because she had a plan. She would take revenge on Liang Zuoming!

Christmas Eve was approaching. Though this holiday belongs to Christian countries, it has become a festival for young people here in recent years, driven by businesses.

As the year-end approached, everyone was working hard, including criminals. The members of the city police’s second criminal investigation team were so busy they wished they could clone themselves.

One day, Chen Shi visited the city bureau to see if he could help. Lin Qiupu said, “We’re having a meeting soon. Join us.”

“What’s the meeting about? Tell me the case, and I’ll go handle it directly.”

“Oh, you’re getting cocky! Don’t think you can solve every case alone. You used team resources last time, and I haven’t held you accountable for that.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll join the meeting reluctantly. Captain Lin, give me a hint!”

“It’s not a special case meeting. An expert from the CDC is coming to report a case.”

“CDC? The Disease Control Center? Is there an AIDS patient spreading the disease?”

“Stop guessing. How could Long’an City have such a thing?”

Half an hour later, everyone in the meeting room was shocked. “What? There’s a woman with AIDS spreading the disease around the city?”, “Over a dozen people are infected? Two positive cases have been confirmed?”

Lin Qiupu glanced at Chen Shi, who mouthed, “I guessed right.”

Xu Xiaodong raised his hand, “Captain, will this woman be sentenced if caught?”

“Yes, she will. This is intentional harm to others, three to ten years in prison. If it causes death, it’s intentional homicide,” Lin Qiupu turned to the expert. “Only two positive cases? What about the others?”

“The disease has a three to four-week window period during which it can’t be detected. We got this data from her social media account. She has moved to another place now, and I estimate the number could double.”

Officer Lao Zhang said, “This isn’t our responsibility. We handle criminal cases, mainly homicides.”

Another officer agreed, “Right, this should be handled by the local police.”

The expert smiled wryly, “This patient is very rampant now. I estimate someone gets infected every day. One infected person means one infected family, which will then spread further. Please don’t underestimate AIDS. According to our center’s data, twenty years ago, there were no AIDS cases in our city. Ten years ago, infections were limited to the gay community. This year’s update shows 1,000 infections, with over 300 being non-gay. I’m begging you, I know your team is much more capable than the local police. If you can catch her a second earlier, you might save another person.”

The officers gave their opinions. Some felt it wasn’t their job, while others thought saving lives was paramount.

Lin Qiupu couldn’t decide and looked at Chen Shi. “Consultant Chen, what’s your opinion?”

“Take the case,” Chen Shi replied.