Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

At that time, "it" referred to the cold.

Later, as the two grew up, Li Rui became a criminal police officer who hated evil, and "it" became all the darkness and evil that made the victims feel desperate.

Memories recede like the tide.

In reality, Su Xiao's warm palm gently enveloped Li Rui's large, calloused hand, which was covered from years of holding guns and fighting.

"From childhood to adulthood, the way you rush to 'burn' whenever you see injustice is the most dazzling light in my heart." Su Xiao squeezed his hand, the warmth of her palm flowing through her. "Brother Rui, don't doubt yourself. Go, go burn through the darkness. If the fire isn't big enough, I'll always be your accelerant."

Li Rui looked at the light in his wife's eyes.

It was an overflowing adoration, a profound insight into and acceptance of the essence of his soul.

The embers that were about to go out in his chest seemed to be rekindled by these words, transforming into a purer and more resolute flame.

The confusion about the rules temporarily dissipated at this moment.

"Okay." Li Rui gripped his wife's hand tightly, a long-lost smile finally appearing on his lips. "Wait for me to come back. Report the 'victory' to the commander tonight."

"Go, my great hero."

Su Xiao smiled and took a step back, then turned around and picked up the backpack from the entryway cabinet.

That was her work bag, with a brightly colored children's picture book, "Fireman Sam," tucked into the side mesh pocket.

As a kindergarten teacher, she always enjoys telling children stories about protection and rescue.

The moment Su Xiao turned around, Li Rui saw the small brooch pinned to the collar of her cardigan.

It was a ruby ​​brooch in the shape of a flame, a wedding anniversary gift from Li Rui.

She treasured it and wore it almost every day.

The two walked to the door together.

Su Xiao straightened Li Rui's police cap and said one last time, softly but firmly:

"Burning through the darkness."

"Burning through the darkness."

Li Rui nodded solemnly and strode into the morning breeze.

Inside the door lies a warm harbor and a flaming fire, while outside lies ashes and an abyss waiting for him to clean up.

No matter how strange and unpredictable the world becomes, as long as the fire in his heart remains, he dares to burn a hole in this murky sky.

------

The clear morning light filters through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled, golden light across the asphalt road.

Su Xiao walked out of the apartment building, her light apricot-colored knitted cardigan gleaming softly in the morning light.

She slung the backpack containing early childhood education materials over her shoulder and walked briskly toward the street corner—the kindergarten was just two blocks away.

Unbeknownst to her, in the shadows across the street, a pair of eyes were fixed on her like a viper locking onto its prey.

Zhang Ziqian leaned against the brick wall, his hands in his coat pockets, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He enjoys these moments—hiding in the shadows, observing, and in control.

Just like a cat always likes to play with a mouse before it pounces on it.

He maintained a distance of about thirty meters, blending into the morning commute, his gaze fixed on the light apricot-colored figure in front of him.

Su Xiao's ponytail swayed gently as she walked, and she would occasionally reach out to tidy her sideburns that had been ruffled by the wind, exuding a love for life.

This made him even more excited.

"You stay put!"

The roar of his father, Zhang Zhaoqing, suddenly exploded in his mind—it was the scene when he was sent to the "Chenxi City Anning Mental Health Prevention and Treatment Center".

His father grabbed his collar, his eyes bloodshot, his voice low and filled with anxiety: "The whole province is focused on Chenxi City! Don't cause any more trouble at this critical juncture!"

Zhang Ziqian simply shrugged at the time.

When he left the "ward" this morning, he didn't even need any formalities.

When the on-duty caregiver saw him approaching, he immediately lowered his head and pretended to record the patient's medical history.

He said casually, "I'm going out for some fresh air."

The caregiver simply grunted in response, not even daring to meet his gaze.

The access card beeped softly, the iron gate opened, and outside came the cool air and the glaring sunlight.

The so-called "forced medical treatment" was nothing more than a temporary hotel that his father had booked for him with his money and influence.

He licked his dry lips and continued to follow Su Xiao around the street corner.

He knew from a young age that he was different from others.

While other children would hide from insects, when he was six years old, he caught a dragonfly, squatted in a corner of the garden, and patiently tore off its wings one by one.

Watching it thrashing about on the ground in vain, its abdomen contracting violently, the way it struggled...it was really interesting.

In junior high school, there was a student in my class who had asthma.

He secretly replaced the liquid in the guy's spray with water, then hid at the corner of the stairs and watched as the guy suddenly couldn't breathe, turned purple, and frantically searched for the spray after gym class.

If the teacher hadn't arrived quickly, the child might have died.

Afterwards, the father used his connections to pay a large sum of money, and the matter was suppressed.

The first time I truly hurt someone was in high school.

He pushed the top student in the grade, who never spoke to him, off the third-floor stairwell.

There was no particular reason; it was just that the sun was shining brightly that day, and he suddenly wanted to see—to see what would happen when this good student fell and the textbooks and test papers he was holding scattered in his arms.

Like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

He was standing at the top of the stairs when he watched the frail body roll down, hit its head on the step, and blood immediately spread.

The screams from his classmates were deafening, but he felt... calm, and even a little amused.

There was no reason, no hatred.

They harm people simply because it's fun.

It's as natural as breathing.

Zhang Ziqian raised his hand, looking at his long, clean fingers.

These hands have played the piano, gripped golf clubs, and once held a female college student by the throat.

People like Li Rui will probably never understand—some people are born to destroy.

Just as fire is born to burn, ice is born to be cold.

His existence is to tear apart and crush those beautiful, complete, and shining things, bit by bit, and listen to their melodious lamentations.

Ahead, Su Xiao smiled and exchanged a few words with the familiar shop owner next to her.

The morning light shone on her profile, and her eyelashes cast small shadows on her cheeks.

Zhang Ziqian stopped across the street, leaning against a landscape tree, his gaze cold and sinister.

Fragments of memory surged up again—

That was after the crime was committed.

He meticulously staged the scene, cutting off all direct chains of evidence, believing his act to be flawless.

Just as he was looking for his next target, Li Rui and his criminal police officers appeared like divine soldiers descending from the sky.

He was pinned to the ground, his cheeks rubbing against the floor; he still remembers the sensation of that coldness mixed with a burning pain.

Li Rui's eyes were bloodshot—clearly from days of continuous surveillance and investigation—and he grabbed the man's collar, his voice filled with anger: "You think you can escape justice?"