Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Zhou Shouzhen's hand trembled, and the nib of his pen drew a line of ink on the paper.

He glanced at the caller ID; it was his former superior at the Provincial High Court.

What's the purpose of this phone call at this time?

Zhou Shouzhen took a deep breath, answered the phone, and said respectfully, "Hello, old leader."

A friendly voice came through the receiver: "Shouzheng, you've been quite busy lately, haven't you? I heard that several major cases have occurred in Chenxi City, so the judicial system must be under a lot of pressure."

"Yes, everyone is working overtime to handle it," Zhou Shouzhen replied cautiously.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work. But it's precisely at times like these that we need to remain calm." The other person then changed the subject, "I've heard about the case of that mentally ill patient. I understand the police's feelings. However, we also need to consider the seriousness of the 'compulsory medical treatment' system and the consistency of our province's judicial policies."

Zhou Shouzhen's heart sank.

"That patient's condition is unpredictable. If we hastily lift the coercive measures, what if he has another problem after leaving the detention center, or what if he falls ill in court? Who will bear the responsibility? If public opinion reverses again, it will be a second blow to our judicial credibility."

The voice on the other end of the phone paused, then became meaningful: "Shouzheng, you've always been steady and reliable, and I have high hopes for you. The provincial academy recently has a vacancy for an expert-level vice president, and they need someone like you who is principled and knows how to 'balance' within the overall context to play a greater role..."

……

The phone call ended a long time ago, but the busy tone still echoed in Zhou Shouzhen's ears.

The old leader's meaning couldn't be clearer—uphold the original ruling, and this is a ticket to the provincial high court;

Approving the removal of the order shows a lack of understanding of the "big picture," and the future remains uncertain.

Zhou Shouzhen looked at the application in front of him, at the ink mark made by the pen, as if it were a dividing line of choice in his career.

He recalled the gruesome deaths of the victims in the case file.

After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the struggle in them had disappeared, replaced by a self-hypnotic "reason".

I'm not doing this for a promotion...

I did it for the sake of judicial prudence.

What if he really does have a relapse?

What if it causes even greater chaos?

As a judge, I am responsible for public safety.

Maintaining the status quo is also a form of responsibility.

Zhou Shouzhen picked up the application, slowly closed it, and then put it into a folder labeled "Needs Further Research/Postponed".

------

The information infiltrated the Special Investigations Bureau through informal channels.

At first, it was just vague snippets of information circulating in the break room, in the corner of the corridor, and in a small group on a messaging app—"Have you heard? Something happened at the Criminal Investigation Department," "Family of a criminal investigator," "Terrible, so tragic."

Wang Shiwei didn't pay much attention at first.

In the early days of the Special Investigation Bureau, information was gathered from all sides, and rumors and gossip circulated daily.

She buried herself in piles of documents and meeting minutes awaiting filing, meticulously recording and organizing useful information before sending it back to her family.

Until the name "Li Rui" appeared frequently.

"I heard that detective Li Rui has been forced to take leave..."

"Can't I take a break? My wife was tortured to death, and the killer is that same perverted rich kid we arrested before. Apparently, Li Rui almost beat someone to death in the mental hospital..."

Fragmented information pieced together the cruel truth.

The victim was Su Xiao, the woman who always looked at Li Rui with gentle, adoring eyes;

The perpetrator was Zhang Ziqian, son of Zhang Zhaoqing, chairman of Huiguang Pharmaceutical.

Her heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by a hand.

What kind of hell is that man with the piercing eyes and burning righteous fire in the police academy currently in?

She closed her eyes and could almost picture Li Rui's current appearance—those eyes that once burned with the flames of justice were now just empty, lifeless vacancies.

She had a strong urge to find Li Rui, even if it was just to hand him a cup of hot water or listen to him roar and vent his anger.

But reason, like a cold wall, instantly blocked her path.

Zhang Ziqian's father is Zhang Zhaoqing.

Zhang Zhaoqing and his Radiant Pharmaceuticals are crucial fulcrums in his brother's plans for Dawn City, and irreplaceable tools for the family to gain access to "extraordinary" power.

An absurd and cruel reality lay before her: she sympathized with the victim, but her surname, her family, and her stance naturally sided with the perpetrator.

This sense of disconnect made Wang Shiwei feel nauseous.

……

Late at night, in a high-end apartment in Chenxi City, at Wang Shijun's residence.

"elder brother."

Wang Shiwei pushed open the door and entered. Without exchanging pleasantries as usual, she went straight to the point: "We need to talk about Zhang Ziqian, the son of Zhang Zhaoqing of Huiguang Pharmaceuticals."

Wang Shijun looked up and replied, "If it's about this, there's nothing to talk about."

"Why can't we talk?" Wang Shiwei suppressed her emotions, trying to persuade him with rational logic. "Zhang Ziqian is an uncontrollable time bomb! This time he's messed with the police, and his methods are extremely cruel. Public opinion and internal emotions are exploding. He'll burn Huiguang Pharmaceutical, and even us!"

She stared into her brother's eyes: "Is it worth taking such a big risk for a crazy person who only causes trouble? Even if Zhang Zhaoqing is useful to us, shouldn't we consider some risk mitigation measures at this time? For example... abandoning Zhang Ziqian and giving the police an explanation."

This was the best compromise she could think of—it allowed her to avoid completely abandoning Zhang Zhaoqing, give Li Rui justice, and ease her conscience a little.

However, her brother's reaction surprised her.

"risk?"

He stared into Wang Shiwei's eyes and said, "Shiwei, you want to know more than just about the risks, right? You're asking about that detective, Li Rui, aren't you?"

Wang Shiwei's breath hitched, as if the most hidden corner of her heart had been suddenly pierced, but she still tried her best to remain calm.

Before her brother's eyes, which seemed to see right through her, all her intentions appeared to be exposed.

"I've already made the necessary arrangements," Wang Shijun said, shifting his gaze. "The judges will know how to weigh the options and make an 'appropriate' decision."

"An 'appropriate' decision?"

Wang Shiwei stared in disbelief at her familiar relative. "You used your family's influence in the legal system to protect a deranged murderer? This will smear our hands with something we can't wash off! And Li Rui, he is..."

"He is your old classmate, someone you admire, someone you once loved."

Wang Shijun interrupted her, saying coldly, "But so what?"

He slowly stood up, walked to the French windows, and turned his back to Wang Shiwei.

"His pain, his hatred, his justice... are they important to our overall situation? Shiwei, your performance tonight has disappointed me somewhat."

Wang Shiwei shuddered, biting her lip, her nails digging deep into her palms.

"Your family put you in this position and gave you resources and vision that ordinary people could never achieve in several lifetimes, not so that you could pity a pawn or be obsessed with that kind of 'cleanliness' in a worldly sense."