Chapter 296: Protecting the Target

Lin Dongxue divided the tasks, leaving a few people to closely protect Sun Shu, while others in plain clothes surveyed the surrounding area. The rest were sent home to rest and return for the next shift in the morning.

Those staying included Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, and Lao Zhang. Sun Shu quickly treated them as invisible, returning to his work of scalding a piglet. The freshly slaughtered piglet was soaked in a steaming wooden barrel, surrounded by congealed pig blood. With a cigarette in his mouth, Sun Shu expertly hooked the piglet out of the barrel and scraped off its bristles with an iron brush. The entire room was filled with the stench of pig.

Lao Zhang commented, “Old Sun, why are you still doing this work?”

Sun Shu squinted from the cigarette smoke, “All the roast pig at the restaurant has to be freshly slaughtered the day before. This job is mine. A table of roast pig banquet costs over three thousand. Damn it, I can’t even afford it with my monthly salary.”

“You’ve had a rough time these years.”

“Rough? As an ex-con, no one would take me in. I’m lucky to have this job. You cops are living it up with good pay, aren’t you?”

“You know how little police make.”

Sun Shu sneered and continued scraping the piglet.

Watching Sun Shu’s hunched back, Chen Shi felt a pang of sorrow. But he was Chen Shi, not Song Lang, and could only pretend not to know him.

After finishing his work, Sun Shu said, “I have to work the night shift. If you’re all here, I’ll go sleep.”

“Go ahead, sleep. We’ll keep watch.”

“A truck from the meat plant comes at five to unload. Wake me then…” Sun Shu opened his teacup and took a pill bottle from a drawer, shaking out two pills to swallow.

Chen Shi quickly intervened, “Don’t take those yet!”

“They’re for my blood pressure!” Sun Shu said impatiently.

“Better safe than sorry. From now on, everything you consume has to be checked.”

“Fine, check away!”

Chen Shi carefully inspected each pill before allowing him to take them.

As Sun Shu slept, his snores soon filled the air. The night was uneventful, with everyone either reading novels or playing on their phones. They ordered a late-night snack, and the room’s heating kept it warm.

Around two o’clock, Lao Zhang and Xu Xiaodong were exhausted, sleeping on the table or in chairs. Lin Dongxue yawned repeatedly, no longer having the energy to play “Guess Who I Am” with Chen Shi.

Chen Shi handed her the car keys, saying, “Staying up late is bad for your skin. Go sleep in my car for a while.”

“What about you?”

“I’m a night owl. Staying up doesn’t bother me.”

Lin Dongxue yawned again, “No, it’s safer if two of us keep watch. If something happens, we’d regret it.”

Chen Shi insisted, pressing the keys into her hand, “Sleep for an hour. I’ll wake you at three.”

Lin Dongxue finally agreed, leaning in to say, “Goodnight.”

Chen Shi kissed her cheek, “Goodnight.”

He set up a chair facing the door, keeping both Lin Dongxue and Sun Shu within his sight. The city was silent in the early morning hours, and memories stirred within him. He thought of Sun Shu, Wang Sunxu, and himself, reflecting on how each person is shaped by countless past experiences. Fate is unpredictable, with a single choice able to alter an entire life.

Before he knew it, morning arrived. A truck pulled up outside, and the driver knocked on the door.

Everyone woke up startled. Sun Shu, rubbing his eyes, said, “The meat delivery’s here. Help unload.”

They unloaded slabs of pork from the refrigerated truck. Lao Zhang asked, “Isn’t this a roast pig restaurant? Why do you sell this too?”

“We don’t just sell roast pig. Other dishes too.”

“Step back!” Chen Shi ordered, “Let’s check each slab to ensure there’s nothing inside.”

“Are you paranoid? Could someone hide in this?”

“The killer previously used a homemade bomb. He could hide one in the meat.”

After inspecting the meat, they allowed Sun Shu to handle it. Once the work was done, Sun Shu went for breakfast, followed by Lao Zhang and Xu Xiaodong. Sun Shu laughed, “Look at me, a laborer with two bodyguards!”

At 7:30, the shift changed. Chen Shi reminded the new officers to inspect everything Sun Shu ate and ensure the restaurant’s surveillance was working. They were to investigate any suspicious individuals immediately.

Chen Shi then drove Lin Dongxue home. They found that Tao Yueyue hadn’t gone to school since it was the weekend. Chen Shi said, “Yueyue, I’ll call your teacher and get you a few days off. Stay home and don’t go anywhere.”

Lin Dongxue asked, “Isn’t this a bit much? Why would Wang Sunxu come after Tao Yueyue?”

“I just don’t feel safe!” Chen Shi replied. “By the way, I’ll buy two cheap phones today. One for you and one for Yueyue, so we can stay in touch in case of emergency.”

Lin Dongxue laughed, “No need for phones. If you’re really worried, I’ll get everyone a button-style GPS tracker for the task force.”

“Great, let’s do it today!”

They slept until the afternoon, had a simple meal, and then went back to Sun Shu’s place.

Peng Sijun had joined them, thoroughly checking every corner of Sun Shu’s room. Sun Shu didn’t appreciate the effort, responding with sarcasm, especially since it was Peng Sijun who had written the report on Sun Shu’s accidental shooting.

Another peaceful night passed. At dawn, Chen Shi felt relieved. Daytime wasn’t necessarily safe, but it felt more reassuring.

At 7 AM, Sun Shu got up, yawning. “This new generation of cops is useless. Can’t catch a serial killer after all this time. They look good, though. Just decorative pillows.”

He took his morning blood pressure medication with his thermos. The group had grown accustomed to his jabs. Chen Shi asked, “Have you ever caught a serial killer?”

“Of course! The 421 poisoning case, remember?”

“I do, but that wasn’t really serial killing, and it wasn’t your case.”

“Not mine, but yours?” Sun Shu sneered.

“Do you know the person trying to kill you is Wang Sunlei’s brother, Wang Sunxu?”

“It’s him!?” Sun Shu was shocked.

“You know him?”

Sun Shu recalled, “After his brother was sentenced, I often visited him. But that kid seemed to hate us cops. He was an orphan, only had his brother, who then got imprisoned. The newspapers were all over it, calling him ‘the killer’s brother.’ How could he not hate us? Why did he end up like this, throwing away his future at twenty-something?”

“Three feet of ice isn’t formed in a day,” Chen Shi said.

“If he really comes to kill me, I want to talk to him… Look at me, I made mistakes, went to jail, lost everything, but I’m still here. Living is hard, but falling is easy!”

“Seems like you still have integrity inside, even if you’re unpleasant outside,” Chen Shi smiled.

Sun Shu also smiled, “Go to hell!”