Crimson Instinct

Chapter 174: Meeting Yu Zichen

Time: 7:36 PM. Twenty-nine hours and fifty-four minutes left.

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*Xin Lei*

It was already dark by the time we reached retired Major General Yu Zichen's home. Bro, Shi Ruiling, Luo Zhiqiang, and Liao Huifang chose to stay back and work with Qi Qiang if they could find anything about Zhang Xiulan and her mystery supporter. Major General Shi was with us.

I rang the doorbell three times, and it opened as I saw a woman step out. She looked at the three of us in turns and asked, "Yes?"

Bai Li said, "Is Yu Zichen home?"

She slightly furrowed her brows. "Why do you want him?"

"You must be his wife."

"Yes, I am."

"We need to discuss a case, especially what happened to one soldier who met him today this morning."

"You are from the army," she stated.

"Ex-Major Bai Li, Chinese Army."

"Major General Shi Jianguo, Chinese Army."

"He is not at home."

Major General asked, "Where is he?"

"Out to buy some stuff from the supermarket."

Bai Li smiled. "Are you sure he is at the supermarket, not some shady, abandoned place behind it where there possibly could be a soldier tied up with ropes in a dark room?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you implying that my husband can do that?"

"Well, we can only see if my implication is correct after we meet him. Trust me. As a fellow ex-soldier and comrade, that is the last thing I want to be true."

She was quiet and seemed to weigh our words against her judgment.

"He is really out for about twenty-five minutes."

"Did you send him to the supermarket, or did he offer to go?"

'Kind of both. He wanted to go out. The soy sauce was finished, so I asked him to buy it with some other essentials."

"It's kind of cold outside. Can we get a cup of coffee?" Bai Li said.

I smiled at her.

She pursed her lips and said, "Come in."

We entered to find a modestly sized home. It was simple, with only minimal stuff needed. There were photo frames hung on the wall with a woman smiling with a man as they hugged each other.

That must be Yu Zichen.

Overall, her home gave a pleasant feeling.

She came back after a few minutes, carrying a tray with three cups. I helped her with it.

"Zichen has already answered all the questions to Captain Su Weiyuan. There is nothing more we can tell you."

Her voice felt cold and distant.

Major General said, "Unfortunately, Captain Su Weiyuan is unreachable, so we have to trouble you again for the answers."

"Unreachable as in kidnapped, right? And you are suspecting Zichen for it?"

Silence.

"This is what Zichen gets for serving the army for all these years." 

Her voice was getting more strained, and I could feel the flames of anger erupting from her tone. Clearly, she was displeased.

"Zichen served the nation and the army with all his heart. He even became invalid with his left arm in one mission. What more do you want? After living his life, holding it on the line for so many years, can he not live in peace now?"

She lowered her head and wiped the corner of her eye.

Ugh... Suddenly, I felt too guilty.

Bai Li slowly asked, "Why did he retire from the Army?"

She looked at us with a hint of displeasure that I could clearly feel it. "That was the same question your comrade asked. One civilian died, and you find the timing too suspicious that Zichen left the army. Am I not right!? You are suspecting him of murder too!"

She heavily breathed, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

Major General said, "Mam, I understand your feelings. But please try to understand our side too. It is confirmed that, unfortunately, a soldier from the army is a traitor. We must investigate whatever or whoever suspicious we come across."

She glared at us. "There was no reason that you are thinking about it to be! I told Zichen to retire because I had enough! I am proud of Zichen that he worked courageously to protect the nation for all these years. But do you know how hard it is for me as a wife to see him leave for any mission?"

She gasped and burst out into tears.

"I-I don't even know if he will come back alive! Will he win? Will he lose? Will he make it back? Or will I get the news of his death, knocking at my door just any moment? It was so hard to live with that fear twenty-four hours. The fear of seeing his dead body the next time ate me alive every moment!"

My heart ached for her. Indeed, a soldier's job was glorious and respectful for the outside world,  but only the family knew how difficult it was to see their son or daughter or husband or wife or brother or sister work on the frontlines.

She sniffled. "In the last mission, he almost lost his left arm. That is still better than him losing his life altogether. But, that broke my patience. So, I forced him to retire. He was mumbling to continue service but I gave him two options. Either retire or divorce!"

"..."

Bai Li and Major General Shi coughed.

She glared at us. "Do you have any problem with that? Zichen has served the country enough. Now, he should just rest and enjoy a peaceful life. It was a coincidence that it matched the timing when that civilian died. His death is unfortunate, and I feel terrible for his family, but Zichen has got nothing to do with it!"

Nobody said anything for a while.

"Jiao?"

We heard a voice and turned to look at the door. There he was, Yu Zichen carrying a plastic bag full of supplies.

"Zichen."

She rushed towards him and quickly hugged him. He patted her head. "Why are you crying?"

Then he looked at us, but he didn't seem to be surprised. He glanced at Jiao again and sighed. "It's alright, Jiao. Let me talk to them."

"I already cleared everything. There is nothing left to talk."

He smiled. "Give me ten minutes, please."

She pursed her lips. She suspiciously eyed us and silently left the room.

Yu Zichen sat in front of us. "I apologize for Jiao's outburst. I already know what she must have said."

We shook our heads.

Bai Li said, "We don't mind. She should get a medal for her bravery, too, for living with a soldier. I think all family members should. Living with that fear is not a joke. I am glad you chose to retire."

He smiled. "Well, divorce was clearly not an option."

I typed. "True. You made a wise choice."

Major General Shi nodded. "Of course. She is a lovely woman. Her will to fight for your honor was amazing. You are lucky to have her as your wife. Only a fool would choose to divorce."

Bai Li said, "I apologize for the suspicion."

Major General sighed. "We are sorry."

Yu Zichen said, "Please, you don't have to, Bai Li and Major General. At your place, even I would have suspected you. The timing indeed felt suspicious. Actually, I already kind of expected that you would come to meet me one day regarding it. And Su Weiyuan came today. As expected, Jiao talked to him more than me. She didn't let me say anything. She did all the defending."

Bai Li chuckled. "I can imagine his expression after facing your wife."

"Yeah, he had the same face as you three. But why did you come here too? I thought he would have told you everything."

I typed. "He is missing."

Silence.

Major General said, "Neither he has contacted us, nor we are able to reach him."

Bai Li asked, "At first, we thought that Sergent Zi Mimi informed you of his possible visit, so you might have planted men to subdue him."

Yu Zichen slightly widened his eyes. He murmured. "Sergeant Zi Mimi...No wonder my mission almost failed."

I frowned and typed. "What do you mean?"

"It seemed that somebody had tipped off the gang when my team barged in to raid. It was the same last mission when my arm became invalid. That's why they were so ready to counter-attack us. We still marginally won, though."

"You never doubted her."

"Our relationship was just like you have with Lin Zihao and Su Weiyuan. I trusted her. We had worked together for numerous missions, and she never let me down once. Are you really sure of her involvement?"

"Only I knew that Su Weiyuan was going to meet you. He had informed me. But she brought all the mission files and then he left. It wasn't hard to guess his destination. She has definitely informed somebody."

Bai Li tilted his head. "The question is, if not, you then who?"

I heard Major General's phone buzz. And then a second later, my phone buzzed too.

I checked it and saw a message pop up. It opened to a map with a green dot stationary at one point.

I blinked my eyes.

What is this dot? And what number is this? 

But, Major General answered my unsaid questions. "Bai Li. It's a message from Su Weiyuan. It's a map with a glaring green dot on it. He has given his location."