Chapter 979: The Right Thing Ahead of Its Time

Lin Qiupu brought the suspect back to the station and handed him over to the other officers, but Lin Dongxue stood at the entrance, hesitant to enter.

Lin Qiupu said, “What’s this? Are you really not considering yourself a cop anymore?”

“I handed in my badge and gun. Am I still a cop? But I don’t regret it. Today, I stopped the seventh person predicted by the Human Observer. I saved lives and feel at peace… By the way, why are you here?”

“Take a guess!”

“Did Chen call you?”

“He did. He explained everything from start to finish, said you were acting alone outside, and I couldn’t stop worrying, so I came to find you. Oh, and he apologized to me.”

“Why did he apologize to you?” Lin Dongxue laughed, feeling calm now that some days had passed.

“Apologizing to me is like apologizing to you. He said he shouldn’t have lost his temper that day. Couples fight; you should understand each other. He was wrong, but as the team leader, he has responsibilities he must uphold.”

“I understand,” Lin Dongxue said, lowering her head.

“But…” Lin Qiupu placed a hand on her shoulder, “No one will blame you for saving people out of kindness. Police represent justice, but we’re human too. Kindness is fundamental to being human.”

“Thank you, brother. I should go now.”

“Go where?”

“Home, of course. My work here is done, so I’m going home.”

“Come back to the team. You haven’t officially resigned. Get your badge and gun back. The second team is short-staffed and can’t do without you.”

“But I said those things…” Lin Dongxue hesitated.

At that moment, several police cars pulled up, and Chen Shi got out. Two officers escorted a suspect inside, followed by forensic officers carrying three body bags.

Seeing the suspect’s face, Lin Dongxue was shocked. She intercepted him, “It’s you!?”

The suspect, looking dejected, said, “I’m sorry, big sister. You stopped me that day, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. So I…”

“Move!” The escorting officer pushed him along.

Lin Dongxue stood in shock, not even noticing Chen Shi in front of her. Chen Shi said, “He was one of the seven people predicted to commit a crime by the Human Observer. You tried to stop him, but he still killed two days later.”

“Why? I talked to him for hours. Why did he still act on impulse?”

“Dongxue, it’s not impulse; it’s his nature. It’s hard for people to change. His background, family, and education led him to this path. Without strong external intervention, he couldn’t transform on his own.”

Feeling the urge to cry, Lin Dongxue weakly asked, “Who did he kill?”

“His stepfather, biological mother, and brother. After killing them, he kept stabbing his stepfather’s body while calling the police. When we arrived, he was still on the ground, stabbing the corpse.”

“I thought I saved them, but I only extended their lives by a few days.”

“You all go ahead,” Chen Shi told the others, nodding at Lin Qiupu who was standing in the porch. He then pulled Lin Dongxue aside.

They sat in a quiet spot in a nearby park. Chen Shi said, “As a cop, it’s hard to prevent crimes effectively. It seems like the only answer is to kill these people, but then how are we different from the Human Observer?”

“Isn’t there another way? I just want to save people!”

“Dongxue, I’ve been thinking too. The Life Function’s accuracy is clear. Should we stop the Human Observer and let crimes happen, or let him quietly reduce Long’an’s crime rate?”

Lin Dongxue looked at him, “Are you speaking as a police officer?”

“As an ordinary person, I believe the Human Observer is correct.”

Lin Dongxue couldn’t believe this was coming from Chen Shi.

“But,” Chen Shi continued, “every form of correctness has its limits. The Human Observer’s correctness is ahead of its time. It’s like someone from the future killing future criminals. To him, it’s saving lives, a noble act. But to us, it’s a crime. We live in the present, and to us, an advanced form of correctness is evil.”

Hearing this, Lin Dongxue started to cry and hugged Chen Shi, shaking uncontrollably. Chen Shi gently patted her, “Don’t be sad. Everyone has their limits. You’ve done very well.”

Lin Dongxue just cried without speaking.

Chen Shi held her shoulders and pushed her back slightly to wipe her tears. “Have you been okay these past few days?”

“Not too hard, just missed you.”

“I missed you too. Now I know what it means to live each day like a year.”

“I’m sorry!” Lin Dongxue hugged him tightly again, whispering in his ear, “I won’t be so willful anymore.”

“It’s okay. This is who you are—kind and genuine.”

They embraced, finding solace in each other’s company after days of loneliness. Chen Shi deeply felt that he could never be without Lin Dongxue; she was his soulmate, best friend, and dearest person.

Their reunion was interrupted by Chen Shi’s phone ringing. He answered it, “What? Hao Yunlai is poisoned?”

“Who is ‘Hao Yunlai’?”

“I’ll explain on the way. Yueyue is over there!”

“I’ll get my badge.”

“No need.” Chen Shi took out her badge from his pocket, “Here.”

It was still warm. Lin Dongxue smiled and kissed Chen Shi on the cheek, “Thank you for understanding me.”

“That’s what husbands do.” Chen Shi smiled too.

They rushed to a hospital where Tao Yueyue and Xu Xiaodong were waiting. Seeing Lin Dongxue, Tao Yueyue couldn’t help but get excited.

Xu Xiaodong reported to Chen Shi, “We had been watching him all morning. He ate instant noodles at home, smoked a few cigarettes, drank some goji berry tea, then went out for a walk. Suddenly, he collapsed, foaming at the mouth and convulsing. We didn’t know what happened.”

“You brought him here?”

“Yes, we couldn’t just stand by. He was unconscious, so he doesn’t know we brought him.”

“Where is he now?”

“In the emergency room.”

Lin Dongxue said, “Maybe it’s not poisoning, but an acute illness?”

Xu Xiaodong replied, “Doesn’t seem like it. He’s young, what illness could he have?”

Tao Yueyue joked, “Almost fifty is young?”

Chen Shi said he would go inside to check. The three stood outside. Tao Yueyue had many things to share with Lin Dongxue. “Uncle Chen gave me this boring surveillance task. It’s killing me. I asked him why I had to do it, and he said it’s to train my patience and teach me to deal with idiots.”

“Am I the idiot?” Xu Xiaodong pointed at himself.

“Don’t eavesdrop!” Tao Yueyue continued to Lin Dongxue, “But Brother Xiaodong has been very nice, always getting food for me.”

“Haha, that’s his best trait. He took good care of me when we were partners.”

The two chatted while Xu Xiaodong stood awkwardly beside them, thinking how close they seemed despite having no blood relation.

Just then, Chen Shi rushed out and confronted Xu Xiaodong, “How did you watch him? The person in the emergency room isn’t him at all!”