Free Web NovelChapter 126: Chapter 125 Bang_1
Zhou Ning looked into the old man’s eyes, gritted his teeth, and finally spoke:
"I’ve been having dreams lately where someone is holding my hand, I know it’s a woman, and I vaguely sense that it should be my mother, but when I lift my head, I can’t see her face clearly.
We stand by a window, everything outside is a vast expanse of white — I don’t know if it’s fog or snow. She asks me if I can see my father, and of course, there are many more scenes afterward, but they are all intermittent, like moving photographs. There seem to be stone monuments and group photos, but I can’t make out their faces.
Grandpa, I’ve never asked about my parents before. You’ve always told me that our family of three was in a car accident, so my parents died, and I lost my memory. As a child, I was afraid to ask and deliberately avoided the topic. However, I lived in deep self-blame, always feeling that it was because of me that they died. Grandpa, can you tell me the truth?"
The old man sighed and leaned back on the sofa, remaining silent for a long time. Just as Zhou Ning thought the old man still wouldn’t speak, he finally did.
"Actually, I should have told you long ago. When you were applying for colleges, your second uncle strongly opposed you choosing any major related to police work. Do you remember that?"
Zhou Ning sat back down in his chair and thought back briefly — indeed, his second uncle had reacted strongly at that time. He thought his second uncle, being in the system, considered the industry dangerous, so he didn’t want him involved. Seeing him choose the forensic doctor major, his uncle didn’t say much more, and even mumbled something about fate at the time.
At that time, he thought his second uncle was happy because the school and major he chose were pretty good within the first-tier college choices. It seemed that wasn’t entirely the case.
The old man took a deep breath and continued:
"Your mother was an orphan. She was a doctor, of course, that was her official job. Your father, however, had a special nature of work. Back then, I only knew he went off to college, then soon after someone came to talk to him, and of course, told us not to mention it to anyone. Just say the eldest son worked as a sailor, so I never inquired further.
It wasn’t until your parents died that this leader came again, bringing two urns. Holding them, I couldn’t believe your parents were gone. It was then that I found out what his job really was.
He worked in a special department, and to this day, his files are classified. We can only pretend he was a sailor. As for what actually happened that year, who killed them, we don’t know any of that. Only you, in a coma, were being saved in the hospital.
The scar on your head is from that time. I thought back then that losing your memory was a good thing for you, so I set the family rule that no one could mention your parents’ affairs. It seems grandpa was wrong; I should have told you earlier."
Zhou Ning subconsciously raised his hand and touched the scar on the left side of his temple.
With age, the scar had become less noticeable — just a line where no hair grew. But touching it, you could feel a slight depression in the skull at that spot.
"So that’s the kind of people my parents were. I always thought they weren’t decent, which is why I was afraid to ask. I was scared that knowing more would make it harder for me. Grandpa, do you have their photos?"
The old man shook his head, his eyes starting to moisten.
"Ah, we weren’t allowed to keep photos. I’m old now; I can’t dwell on these things. I shouldn’t have kept this from you. I couldn’t say they were heroes, nor could I say they died a worthy death. But that was their duty to fulfill. Since they chose it, grandpa has to bear it. As a parent, that’s all I can do.
It’s just that I feel sorry for you, growing up without the care of your parents. But having you around also makes me want to take better care of myself, after all, I want to see you grow up, get married, and establish your own family."
Zhou Ning shook his head and placed his hand on the old man’s leg. It was too cruel to make an old man recall the process of outliving his children.
"I’m sorry, grandpa, for making you sad."
The old man chuckled and shook his head.
"Silly child, grandpa isn’t sad. When you’re not busy someday, have your second uncle take you to pay respects. To be honest, we’re both more at ease now talking about it. Even though so many years have passed, you still can’t touch upon the matter of your father’s murder. Promise me!"
Zhou Ning nodded vigorously.
"I promise you, besides, I’m just a forensic doctor. What kind of secret files could I possibly access? You’re giving me too much credit, grandpa."
The old man chuckled and stroked Zhou Ning’s hair.
"You’re more and more like your father; sometimes, I get so confused, I can’t tell if it’s you or your father standing in front of me. After all, your father hardly came home after graduation, and when he did, it was always at night and he left before dawn."
Zhou Ning looked up and tried to muster a smile for the old man.
"Grandpa, let’s move to Qindao once I get the keys to the Qindao University apartment. I don’t want to commute back and forth, but I still want to see you every day."
The old man patted Zhou Ning, laughing along.
"Just the two of us, an old man and a young one — we’ll only be able to cook noodles. I’m still looking forward to eating the dishes your second aunt cooks. No, I won’t go!"
Zhou Ning pouted.
"I’ve heard the apartment has three bedrooms and two living rooms over 150 square meters. How am I supposed to live there all by myself? How about bringing the second aunt along, although the second uncle might come chasing after with a knife."
The old man laughed out loud, but as he was laughing, his smile suddenly stopped.
"Hold on, did you say how big the apartment is?"
"Over 150 square meters, three bedrooms and two living rooms."
"And they’re giving it to you for free?"
"No, it’s not exactly free. It’ll be deducted from my share of the software sales. Consider it an advance on my earnings."
The old man became restless and stood up, pacing in circles inside the house and continuously counting on his fingers, calculating something.
"Grandpa, what are you doing?"
"Take me back, no, take me back to my hometown, I need to find the deposit certificates. How much is the decoration for an apartment of over a hundred square meters gonna cost? We have to prepare properly."
Zhou Ning quickly grabbed the agitated old man, who was still in good health, especially his blood pressure and heart—better than many young people, as his yearly medical check-ups were thorough. Zhou Ning had barely managed to hold on to him just now.
"Grandpa, don’t worry. The apartment is fully decorated. We just need to clean it up. When we visit, we can check if anything is missing and maybe add one or two pieces. According to Doctor Lu, you can move in with just a suitcase. On my first day of work, after dinner, he gave me the keys and even told me to move in directly. Do you think the environment could be bad?"
The old man sighed and started to laugh.
"My grandson is such a credit to me. Just one year in the job and everywhere is fighting over you, even offering such generous conditions. Don’t let them down now, ah. Alright, I’m going back to sleep, I feel a bit tipsy from tonight’s drink."
Zhou Ning laughed as he escorted his grandfather back to bed, then returned to clean up and go to bed himself. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Tossed and turned for a while, in a state of half-dreaming, Zhou Ning saw that hand on his head again; this time, the mist seemed to have cleared a bit. Still, he couldn’t see his mother’s face clearly.
"Xiao Ning, does your head still hurt?"
Zhou Ning tried to speak but couldn’t open his mouth; his body was completely beyond his control. Even though it was first-person perspective, it felt as if it wasn’t him. It was a feeling hard to describe, and he could only shake his head vigorously.
He wanted to say that he didn’t blame his parents. Their jobs were such that many things were unpredictable. Even though he died at the age of ten due to his parents’ actions, he wouldn’t blame them.
Now, he just wanted to see their faces. After all, it seemed like they had never existed in the house. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t see clearly. Zhou Ning was extremely anxious.
Just then, everything in front of him changed. He was shaken awake by a pair of strong arms that lifted him and patted his back continuously.
"Xiao Ning, wake up. Listen to Dad. You must do as Mom says. Whatever you see or hear in a moment, don’t make a sound. Understand?"
The small body nodded, but his mother shouted in a low voice from the side.
"Xiangrong, don’t go out."
The father shook his head without offering much explanation.
At this moment, another loud bang came from the door, and the ground shook alongside it. Zhou Ning’s mouth and ears were covered by his mother’s hands, as his dad dragged the wardrobe to the bedroom door, the phone from above having already fallen to the floor.
"Xiao Ping, lock the door and block it with the wardrobe. I’ve called Mr. Peng already. We only need to hold out for ten minutes; they will come to our rescue. Protect the child, and if it really comes to it, escape through the window. I..."
The father didn’t continue but turned decisively to leave. Zhou Ning could feel the trembling of his mother’s hands. Even though tears streamed down her face, she made no sound.
Just as Zhou Ning wanted to hug his mother, the scene before him changed again.
He was trapped in a tiny space, unable to stand or move. Chilling coldness seeped through from beneath his feet, and darkness surrounded him, save for a single hole leaking light.
Zhou Ning hurried to peer through the hole. His father lay on the floor outside the bedroom, blood pooled beneath him, and his mother’s body was not far away, her neck twisted at an odd angle, her eyes fixated in Zhou Ning’s direction. Both were motionless, and Zhou Ning knew they were dead.
Zhou Ning felt a coldness throughout his body, not from fear, but from the frustration of wanting to do something yet being unable to act or even close his eyes. He was forced to witness everything unfolding before his eyes—a helplessness that was suffocating. free𝑤ebnovel.com
Off in the distance, the sound of police sirens began to ring, but they were very far away.
At this moment, several people entered the field of view made visible by the hole. Zhou Ning couldn’t make out their faces, only a pair of camel-colored fur-lined boots, and a voice.
"Big brother, that bitch threw the kid out of the window. There’s a bedsheet tied here as a makeshift rope. If we rush down now, we’ll run right into the cops. We can deal with that kid anytime we want later, but right now, we need to save our own skins."
"Lucky little bastard. Let’s go, exit through the back yard wall."
The two figures fled the room, but the man with the camel-colored boots paused before leaving, turning back toward the spot where Zhou Ning was hiding. Even though Zhou Ning couldn’t see his face, the probing look seemed tangible, pinpointing Zhou Ning’s location.
One step, two steps—the gap closed, and those bloodstained fur-lined boots inched closer to the cardboard box.
Zhou Ning could feel his body stiffen, but he dared not move, not even breathe. Apart from the sound of his heartbeat, he couldn’t hear anything else.
The fur-lined boots stopped. The blurry figure seemed to tilt its head and chuckle softly, then slowly raised the hunting shotgun in its hand.
"Stupid bitch, thought she could play dead and trick me. I might not have seen through you if you hadn’t made it so obvious. Alright, kid, I’m sending you on your last journey!"
Bang!
