Rebirth of the Uncrowned King

On the first day of returning to work, I was called to the office by the director as soon as I arrived at the newspaper office.

"Your alma mater held a journalism business seminar. It took a month, and the courses were well arranged. Well-known newspapers all over the country will send reporters there for training. Several leaders of our newspaper discussed it and decided to give you this precious opportunity. Stop the work at hand if you can, prepare well in the past two days, and go to class next Monday." The director said slowly.

I froze for a moment, feeling a little dazed for a while, not knowing how to react.To be honest, I have been looking forward to going out for training more than once or twice in the past. You can get paid when you go to class, and you don't need to work overtime or look at people's faces. Such a thing is naturally good, but it has never been my turn. on my head.But this time... when I just came back to work and was about to continue investigating Qianwei Village, how could it be such a coincidence that this unique opportunity in the entire newspaper office was given to me?

I have low qualifications, poor popularity, and unremarkable performance...how can I be like this?So I have to suspect that there is Ren Min or other people's interference behind this, and the purpose is to make it impossible for me to carry out the investigation I am starting now.

"Director, but I'm investigating a very important matter now, and I don't want to give up. Let other colleagues give up such a precious opportunity." I gritted my teeth and said, lowering my head and not daring to look at the director's expression.

The director was silent for two or three seconds, then sighed: "You...why can't you be confused once in a while?"

I know what he means, and I know he is thinking about my safety, but I just don't want to stop like this.Threats to physical safety are better than guilt and anxiety. If I really stop investigating and go to school for training, no matter how leisurely and comfortable my life is, I will never feel enjoyment.

"Let me just say it. The higher-ups have already issued a notice. Stop the matter you're investigating right now. Even if you write it, I won't be able to send it to you." The director said bluntly.

I felt grievances in my heart, but because I understood the difficulties of the director, I had to force a smile and said: "Even so, I still want to investigate this incident clearly."

The director shook his head and said, "Your hand isn't completely healed yet, what if you get hurt again? If something happens to you, how can I see your parents and teachers? I don't object to you young people pursuing journalistic ideals, but you You have to take care of yourself and don't be blindly impulsive."

"I thought it through very clearly. I made the decision now after a long time of hesitation and thinking." I said loudly, "I will protect myself more carefully, and I am willing to write evidence. This accident has nothing to do with the newspaper. If you still don't agree, then I can only use my spare time to investigate in my own name."

As I said that, I looked straight at the director and looked at him.We were silent for a long time, and the director finally sighed again, and said: "So I really can't do anything with you young people, and you don't want to listen to your words, and you like to make things for me... just like you said, You really want to investigate, and I can’t stop you, I’ll ask you one last time, and you can answer me after you think it through, would you like to go to this training? There may be no such shop after this village.”

I said solemnly: "I have thought it over clearly, I will not participate in the training, I will continue to complete the work at hand." "Okay, whatever you want." The director didn't insist on asking me to give up anymore, he just waved his hand to indicate that I can leave .

Walking out of the director's office, I breathed a sigh of relief, my heart was empty, and I put down some heavy things, but I didn't feel relaxed.

My intuition tells me that what I will face next is more and greater resistance.

Sure enough, after I went to Qianwei Village again this afternoon, when I returned to the community after six o'clock, I was suddenly stopped by the security guard at the gate of the community, who handed me a rather large courier box, saying it was for me.

I walked back with the box in my arms, and I was a little puzzled for a while. I haven't bought anything online recently, and no one has notified me that I will send something. What is in this box?

When I got home and opened the box for the first time, I regretted that I had brought this thing home. Inside the box was a bloody arm and a broken pen beside it.

The arm was covered in blood and was still attached to a hand.His skin was dark, with a little bit of purple in it, his fingers curled up into claws, as if he had experienced some struggle, and there were still marks of broken nails.

I looked at it for a while, and suddenly felt that my eyes began to turn black, followed by a nausea, I rushed to the bathroom immediately, squatted in front of the toilet for a long time, and vomited out the contents of my stomach.

After rinsing my mouth and washing my face, my pale face was reflected in the mirror, the corners of my eyes were drooping, the corners of my mouth were drooping, and I was very depressed.

I know that I am frightened by this direct threat.

There seemed to be a faint smell of blood in the air. I closed the door, held the washbasin and took a few long, deep breaths. Can't take a step.

Who did this thing?Could it be Ren Min?I haven't done any other investigative reports recently... whoever is behind the scenes is warning me that if I continue to investigate, the same thing will happen to me and I will never be able to write again?

My mind is in a mess. It's not the first time I've been threatened, but it's really the first time that I've been threatened with blood.I tried to keep myself calm, but I always felt the smell of blood rushing into my nose, and my heart became more and more restless.

That is a living arm, maybe this morning, it is still growing on someone, doing such and such a thing, I don't know its owner, what is going on now, whether it is life or death...

And me, is it possible to become like that?I can't help but think of the tortures I suffered after being locked up by Ren Min in my last life. The memories that became a bit unfamiliar because I deliberately didn't think about them gradually became clear again. waist.

I'm a bit confused...

What happened later, in my memory, is a blank.

According to Xiao Ping, I made a phone call and begged him to come to my house immediately. He asked me why, but I couldn't say anything other than "arm".In addition, the voice was trembling and weak, which made his heart tense. He sent the passengers in the car to their destination as quickly as possible, then turned around and rushed over.

"Fortunately, I have the key. I saw that thing as soon as I entered the door. It was scary. I looked around and you were not there. I thought that arm belonged to you. Then I heard movement in the bathroom. When I opened the door, you Lying on the ground on your side, throwing your phone beside you, humming softly, your face turned pale, and even your eyes began to loosen. I hurriedly carried you out and let you rest on the bed. At that time, your whole body was cold Yes, my hands are like ice cubes, so I had no choice but to find a hot water bottle and cover them for you." Sitting on the head of the bed, Xiao Ping described the scene to me.

"Sorry to trouble you again..." I said to him in a hoarse voice, my voice was very weak.Counting now, I have been lying on the bed for more than two hours, but my whole body is still limp and I have no strength at all.

I'm really useless, haven't I experienced more tragic things than this, how can I be so frightened by an arm...

"Let's have some porridge." Xiao Ping brought a small bowl in front of me. Seeing that I raised my hand tremblingly to take it, he took it back and said, "Let me feed you, your hand is already hurt. , the other hand has no strength, don’t smash the bowl, or get burnt or something later, you have to go to the hospital again.”

As he spoke, he handed a spoonful of porridge that had blown through two mouthfuls to my mouth.I, who hadn't been fed for many years, felt a little embarrassed, but couldn't resist his enthusiasm, so I opened my mouth and swallowed it.

The fresh and salty shiitake mushroom porridge is mixed with coriander powder. The strong coriander flavor washed away the bloody smell in the nasal cavity, and my brain became a little clearer.

After eating a bowl of porridge, I felt some warmth in my stomach. I remembered the delivery box, and I wondered if Xiao Ping had disposed of it, so I asked him, "Where is that thing? Is it still in the room?"

Xiao Ping helped me pull up the quilt, tucked the corners of the quilt, and said, "I've already dealt with it, don't worry, there won't be anything left behind."

I nodded: "Thanks for having you this time, otherwise I would probably go crazy, and this life may not even be able to be kept."

"Don't talk nonsense, your life is long!" Xiao Ping tapped my forehead lightly, and said, "I'm very happy that you can think of asking me for help the first time you encounter trouble. !"

I smiled, hesitated for a moment, and asked again: "Don't you ask me? Why are there such things at home, don't you find it curious?"

"Tsk," Xiao Ping scratched his neck, and said, "How can you not be curious, but it's more of worry and heartache. When I think of you opening the box alone and seeing something like this without any preparation... I Thinking about it makes me panic. I thought, if I break the casserole and ask the bottom line now, wouldn’t it make you feel even more uncomfortable? So, if you don’t want to talk, I won’t ask, if you want to talk, don’t ask me I'll say it too."

This person... I looked at Xiao Ping's gentle eyes and felt the warmth in my stomach spread to my whole body with the flow of blood. I couldn't help saying: "Xiao Ping, you are so kind to me. I have met you before. The most understanding and nice guy."

As soon as I finished speaking, my nose was suddenly pinched.I watched in a daze as Xiao Ping stood up and walked out of the room with the bowl in his hand. I felt the heat on my nose, and the warm touch from his hand was still there, not dissipating at all.

This action of his, with a little intimacy and a little tenderness, made my heart a little flustered and a little confused.

Xiao Ping... I hugged my knees, buried my head in my arms, and repeated his name several times.I have a bad premonition—I seem to have a little affection and dependence on Xiao Ping, which is beyond friendship.

However, Xiao Ping is a genuine straight man!When I thought of this, I immediately became depressed.Ye Shuzhen, Ye Shuzhen, why are you so sad, the first person you loved left you covered in bruises, and it took so long to recover, and I regained the feeling of heartbeat, but I fell in love with someone who was completely impossible people together...

After experiencing such ups and downs in my heart, I calmed down a lot.The next day, as if nothing had happened, I went out as usual, went to the newspaper office as usual, and worked as usual.

Just a small, freshly sharpened knife in my trouser pocket, a bottle of chili water in my bag, and a flashlight of great power and size—a flashlight that can be used in times of trouble. Blinding the eyes of others, but also being a brick.

However, carrying such a set of equipment to and from get off work, carrying a bag that is more than twice as heavy as before, and squeezing on the bus every day, I suspect that I will be exhausted before I can use these tools.

That's all. What's even more tragic is that in the next two days, I will be assigned a lot of work.Every morning, I have to go to one place, and in the afternoon, I have to go to another place for interviews. After the interview, I have to go back to the newspaper office and hand in the manuscript before I can leave work... Let alone doing research, even the time for eating and resting is very scarce. .Unfortunately, I dare not pack lightly, for fear of any accident, so I can only carry this heavy bag around the city. After a day, when I return home, I can only lie on the bed, not even bothering to move my fingers.

In fact, I also understood what the director meant. I refused to give up the investigation of that matter, so he could only hold me back with many other tasks, leaving me with no time to take care of myself.When he does this, he still worries about me after all, so I won't fight anything, just work harder to improve my efficiency and find ways to squeeze out time.

On the third day, relying on lunch and the time spent in the taxi, I hurriedly wrote the two manuscripts due that day before three o'clock in the afternoon, then hurriedly hailed a taxi, and went straight to Qianwei village.

The villagers of Qianwei Village have all moved out one after another, leaving behind a large piece of untended wasteland, which looks very deserted.I had a chat with the owner of the small shop at the entrance of the village, and asked who had entered and left the village in the past two days. The owner stretched out his hand and pointed in a certain direction—“A lot of people came yesterday, and there are a few better houses that have not been demolished. They lived right in."

I have already moved in... I frowned. It seems that Ren Min has not slowed down the speed of the project at all. His demolition conditions are generous, and there is less resistance from the villagers. I was so much faster.