Chapter 218: Justice

The airport buzzed with activity.

"You know why I'm here," Old He, accompanied by Officers Wu and Qian, quickly located Xu Ruyi and got straight to the point.

"I'm busy! Xiao Zhi, hurry in! Go now!" Xu Ruyi urged Feng Zhi beside her—Feng Zhi, carrying a backpack, was calmly watching Old He and his two officers.

Feng Zhi was dressed in brand-new clothes, his backpack was new, and the suitcase Auntie Feng was helping pull beside him was also new.

The brand-savvy Officers Wu and Qian murmured quietly that it was designer.

Naturally, all of this was prepared by Xu Ruyi.

Xu Ruyi's feelings for Feng Zhi were no less than those for a biological brother.

"If you truly care about Feng Zhi's well-being, you shouldn't have dragged him into this," Old He sighed amidst the noisy crowd. "He's still studying. Even Qi Donghao and Cui Yuan, who've graduated, shouldn't have been involved. And Gong Xiaoyu. But most importantly, you."

"Why did you have to do this, Xu Ruyi?" Old He had a belly full of questions, but they choked in his throat. Looking at the similarly thin, stubborn face before him, his heart genuinely ached at that moment.

Xu Ruyi was here to see Feng Zhi off to study abroad. Besides her daughter, Auntie Feng and her son were now the only family she had left.

Throughout his career, Old He had always felt sincere joy and pride upon solving a case and uncovering the truth.

He had never felt this conflicted before.

Xu Ruyi, her eyes holding immense pain; the sunny, smiling young man; Qi Donghao, Cui Yuan, Gong Xiaoyu…

The words on Old He's lips turned into familial advice. "Why? The net of justice is vast. Under the sun, crime and darkness cannot hide forever. You must believe the police can do it. But some things… we cannot do. Some lines we cannot cross. It might help you, but it could also destroy you."

"Oh? You can do it?" Xu Ruyi looked up, her gaze icy as she met Old He's eyes. "The first trial is over. Did he confess?"

No.

In the just-concluded first trial, Qin Guan had retracted most of his previous confessions. He denied killing Qi Min and vehemently denied killing Mr. Xu. He insisted Qi Min was killed by Xu Ruyi, claiming his so-called "confession to killing his father-in-law" was the product of abusive interrogation tactics by the police. He also nitpicked, saying that interrogation session itself was procedurally flawed…

A shrewd and formidable lawyer, fighting tooth and nail for his own skin. The law firm defending him, hungry for fame, had sent their best.

In court, the lawyer and the suspect displayed astonishingly high levels of sophistry that left everyone dumbfounded.

Of course, Qin Guan was found guilty of Qi Min's murder in the first trial. The case regarding Xu Qian's death was extended due to insufficient evidence—impulsive crime, seventeen years imprisonment.

No one was satisfied with this result. Qin Guan immediately appealed.

Xu Ruyi was naturally even less satisfied.

"You saw it! With such a complete chain of evidence, he only got seventeen years! Even with his own confession, the charge didn't stand! And now, he's appealing! His legal team is still gathering evidence, even trying to use a hereditary mental illness defense to exonerate him!" Xu Ruyi gritted her teeth. "Tell me, how can I trust you to get it done? 'The net of justice is vast'? That all crime is uncovered?"

"I know what you want to ask me," she said, her expression calming. "Xiao Zhi, go on in. I'll… go out with them."

Feng Zhi checked in and went through security.

Old He didn't stop him.

He knew what Xu Ruyi was protecting.

Truthfully, if he really wanted to stop him, he could have done so even if the other had boarded the plane.

He took Xu Ruyi outside the departure hall.

The area surrounding the airport was covered in neat, beautiful greenery, lush trees, and clusters of vibrant roses dotting the grass—the city, newly promoted to Tier 1.5 status, clearly scored high on urban aesthetics.

"I'll say it again. I did nothing," Xu Ruyi stated firmly once they stopped.

Old He didn't press her immediately. He turned to face the sun and suddenly began talking about himself.

"The first time I went to Guanlan Court, I was almost certain Qin Guan was scum. Know why? You remind me of my wife's younger sister. Look alike. Married alike too. A privileged, beautiful woman from a wealthy family, marrying a poor 'phoenix man' with nothing, rushing headlong for love. Result? Betrayal. Affairs."

"The difference is, you're alive. My sister-in-law… she's dead. I was the one at the scene. The place was burned. People turned to charcoal. No evidence left."

Old He's gaze met the blinding sunlight, creating swirling colored halos before his eyes.

"I knew that bastard did it. I was a hundred percent sure. That bastard never had any true feelings for Xiaoyu from the start. All that 'niceness' was calculated. I'm a man, I could see it. But Xiaoyu wouldn't believe it. Young girls, always infatuated with illusory love. She was so young… younger than you are now when she died. Young, beautiful, sensible, obedient. They say youngest daughters are spoiled and proud. She wasn't. She was good to everyone in the family. Good to outsiders too."

"Her death… my wife, my in-laws, my son… none of them could accept it."

"Neither could I. I'm a fucking cop! Couldn't protect my family. In the end, couldn't even catch the murderer. Funny, right? Insufficient evidence. That fire burned everything. And he had an alibi."

Xu Ruyi, her head held stiffly high, turned to look at Old He, puzzled.

Old He closed his eyes, his fist gently thumping against his chest, which felt like a lump of stone.

"He swaggered out. Regained his freedom. Even inherited the marital home according to the law. How could I accept that? My son called me a coward. My mother-in-law cried, asking me why, 'Aren't you a policeman?' My wife beat my chest, screaming, asking why this was the result."

Old He rubbed his face vigorously, trying to knead away the pain.

"I couldn't accept it. I got obsessed. Spent all day thinking about that case. Digging. Digging deep. Digging everywhere. Still no leads. What to do? One night, sitting in the evidence room, it hit me: no evidence? I could make some. His past, his affairs, his personal belongings… slipping in some evidence would be easy, right? Nail him shut?"

"That night I started planning. Scheming. The next day, I researched similar cases. I'd find the most perfect 'evidence' for him. Something no one could detect. I could do it. Investigating evidence is my job!"

Xu Ruyi's gaze remained fixed on him.

"Three days. I racked my brain for three days. Like I was on speed. Didn't sleep. Designed several plans. Finally decided on one. That morning, I ran through it one last time in my head. Got ready to leave. Put on my uniform, looked in the mirror… and suddenly woke up. What the hell was I doing?"

Old He's brow furrowed deeply. "At that moment, I finally understood what my old mentor said years ago. Evil is a black hole. A bottomless black hole. You think you can control it, but the moment you get close, it starts to devour you… Ah, succeed this time? For justice? But what is justice? Helping good people is justice? Next time, helping those I want to help is justice? And the time after that? Does it become… achieving my goal, that's justice?"

Xu Ruyi didn't speak. The hardness had already left her eyes.

She understood Old He's words.

It was exactly what she feared, for those others she had involved.