Like Coming Home

"Huo Ka!~ Uncle Huo Ka!~"

A little kid named Envi Prishkin burst out of the dormitory of the Transportation Department's Transportation Division.

He looked excited. He was only seven years old. His parents were militia members of the Police Department. They died on the dark eve of the arrival of the unknown person.

"Huo Ka!~ Ho------ka!~"

Every morning, young Envy would ask Mr. Huo Ka, the quartermaster of the Police Department, a question.

"Can I become a hero? Look! Haven't I grown taller again?!"

This little boy is wearing a basketball uniform from the Transportation Department's senior cadre sports team. He is a child of the Police Department, a child of the anonymous, and a child of every militia member fighting on the front lines of crime scenes.

With snot hanging from his face, he rushed into the courtyard, waving his hands, grabbing a tree branch to use as a stick, and wearing a string of pebbles around his neck as a diabase jewelry. Upon seeing Uncle Huo Ka, he began to excitedly shout.

"Of course! You will definitely become a great hero!" Mr. Huo Ka had a mouthful of fiery red beard and a bald head so oily it could be used as a mirror. He touched little Envy's shoulder and kneaded the doll's skeleton, as if doing so would continue to stimulate the little baby's body and make Envy grow up quickly.

Immediately afterwards, Mr. Huo Ka had to head to his workplace.

A terrorist attack occurred yesterday on St. Monica Street in the Lower Manhattan district. The case is very complicated. The Transportation Department has selected several elite units from the criminal investigation department, but they still don't know exactly what happened at the scene. Everything has to be determined based on the statements of the victims and the suspect.

Huo Ka injured his right leg while on a field mission a while ago. He didn't want to waste money on Universal Elixir cure, so he took two extra days off to take care of little Envi in the compound. Today, he absolutely had to go to the Police Department to see what was going on.

He picked up two breakfasts in Mickey Lane, both standard calorie meals of soy milk, coffee, toast, and raisins. He planned to take one to the new operator, Miss Bell, and also grabbed a Buffalo County newspaper to wrap some Fries for the suspect being interrogated that day. Huo Ka was a reasonable man who never mistreated criminals, but the food at the Transportation Department was terrible. It had always been like that in Tear City; prisoners were treated like ferocious beasts. In this cold weather, the detention center's canteen would only serve suspects leftovers from the previous day. If anything went wrong during the trial, and the suspect was innocent, a whole bunch of reports would have to be written.

When they arrived at the Police Department entrance, Miss Bell had been waiting for quite some time.

Huo Ka handed over breakfast and immediately asked, "Bell, you said you used to be a psychiatrist?"

"Yes, I got certified and I'm thinking of doing psychological profiling of criminals at the Police Department. Maybe it'll be useful?" Bell replied immediately.

Huo Ka: "Where is the prisoner?"

Bell replied awkwardly, "He's in the field team, two team members are watching him. He's sitting in the hallway."

Huo Ka's expression immediately turned strange.

"--Why isn't he in the detention room?"

Miss Bell had just finished handling Ammona's disappearance case and learned the whole story. She knew that the priest had come to save people and help them out of trouble, so she always felt a bit biased towards the suspect.

"He didn't like being there; the cell was too filled with smoke, and besides, someone was watching him."

Huo Ka immediately retorted angrily, "You've been cursed by this guy? He's mind-controlling you?! Is this some kind of rule?"

Miss Bell immediately chuckled awkwardly, "We don't have any evidence either."

"This kid killed twenty-three people on the St. Monica Street, six of whom were near death and ten were seriously injured or crippled, although there was no surveillance footage and no concrete evidence. They couldn't even find the murder weapon." Huo Ka, unsure of himself, stopped speaking. "Alright. At least he's a dangerous person. Miss Bell, you shouldn't have done this; you use chains to deal with wild beasts."

Bell shook his head, his cheeks flushing and his eyes sparkling. "I don't think he's a beast; he's like a gentleman."

Commander Huo Ka stepped over the boardroom counter and greeted the people; the militiamen held this quartermaster in high esteem.

Just like Saladin's military post ecosystem, the quartermaster was the spiritual leader of the militia, the soul of the team, in charge of these brothers' food, drink, sanitation, equipment, and rations. He was like a provider of food and clothing, and his life depended on them.

But when Mr. Huo Ka arrived at the corridor outside the field office, he felt a strange sense of embarrassment.

This used to be the noisiest place, where a few young men from the assault team liked to sit on the radiator in the locker room chatting and joking. Now, they've all changed into neat uniforms, like dirty stray dogs suddenly transformed into well-mannered and elegant gentlemen.

"Mr. Huo Ka! Good morning!" Julian, who loves to smoke in the office, was sitting at his desk today, working on documents, his body tense, afraid of showing his nervousness.

On the other side, Jackson, who was supposed to be late, wore dark circles under his eyes but still sat down next to the suspect, tie in hand, dutifully fulfilling his duty, even though Huo Ka could tell that Jackson had definitely gone to a bar the night before.

--It seems everything is different now.

Huo Ka carried his breakfast as he walked along and saw Father "Zhang Congfeng" sitting quietly on a bench in the corridor.

The mysterious man took off his coat and hat, folded them on the other side, and still wore his work gloves. His overalls and shirt made him look exactly like a dockworker. Only the Bible pamphlet in his shirt pocket indicated that he was a clergyman.

"What the hell?" Huo Ka asked suspiciously. He walked to the priest's side and felt a strong force on his knee. Just as he was about to resist, he inexplicably sat back down in the chair.

A warm current emanated from the injured leg, and in the blink of an eye, it seemed to have healed without any medicine.

"Just one step away from the finish line?" Jiang Xueming said politely.

Huo Ka: "Me"

Jiang Xueming: "Your rheumatoid arthritis, a side effect of White Lady's products, seems to be almost cured. You should move around more."

Huo Ka: "You're a doctor?"

Jiang Xueming: "Psychologists occasionally give massages to their patients."

Just as Mr. Huo Ka was about to put his breakfast on the table, Jiang Xueming Huo Ka pulled over a movable table and brought it to him.

"Please?"

"Uh... okay," Huo Ka stammered, "Thank you."

The quartermaster simply placed the scalding hot soy milk back on the table, and as he took out the Fries, the priest had already taken the newspaper wrapper away.

--Xue Ming's movements were swift and natural; he returned to the Police Department as if he were at home.

This wasn't his first time at the Tear City Transportation Bureau's outpost. To be precise, during the Expeditionary Era, this place was the Nameless Ones' temporary command post. Huo Ka was a sheriff back then, and they had met many times, but at this moment, Huo Ka didn't recognize the gunsmith.

"You go back first, Jackson," Huo Ka instructed. "And you, that other guy..."

Jiang Xueming dismissed the two young men beside him. "His name is Darby, little Darby. His father is the librarian here—he just started working here last week."

"Oh, little Darby," Huo Ka said with a chuckle, "You can all go back now."

The two young men stood up, pretended to tip their hats to the priest in thanks, and then returned to their respective offices.

Jiang Xueming held the newspaper while putting Fries into his mouth. He pulled his hand over Mr. Huo Ka's torso and picked out a vinyl record from the record player on the side.

"<Speak Softly Love>, sung by Andy Williams."

Huo Ka: "How did you..."

Jiang Xueming: "They told me you like this."

Huo Ka immediately laughed, "Hehe. That trick won't work on me, I always have been."

"The Iron-Faced Judge," Jiang Xueming continued, "You've always liked to call yourself that, I know, I know all that."

These frivolous and casual remarks seemed to have offended Mr. Huo Ka. How could the leader of his outpost be so casually mocked by a suspect? So he immediately rebuked him sternly.

"Zhang Congfeng, I don't know where you get the confidence to joke around with me like this—but there's one thing I'm very clear about."

"You injured twenty-three people on the St. Monica Street, which is strictly prohibited by the laws of Tear City."

Jiang Xueming: "They are from the King's Gang."

Huo Ka: "That's not your place to enforce the law."

Jiang Xueming: "Hmm."

Huo Ka added, "You could face anywhere from six months to three years in prison."

Jiang Xueming: "Hmm."

Huo Ka: "But."

At this point, Mr. Huo Ka looked through the case file.

"However, since you voluntarily surrendered to the Police Department, the case will be transferred to the magistrate for a final decision based on the specific circumstances. You will need to pay a fine and then await your legal aid. You must cooperate with our investigation."

Right now, at this very moment.

From the intelligence department and the internal affairs department, several small heads peeked out from the two corridors—all chattering service station girls, curiously observing the elegant and polite priest from afar. They feared that this charming Eastern man had been wronged by the quartermaster.

"Enough!" Huo Ka roared, furious. "What are you looking at?!"

Jiang Xueming: "Do I want to go back to the detention cell?"

Huo Ka: "Yes, Miss Bell will ask you some questions, and you just answer whatever she asks."

Jiang Xueming: "Okay."

Huo Ka breathed a sigh of relief, "Now you understand your situation, right, Father? I hope you can face this."

Jiang Xueming: "Can you give me back my beef jerky?"

"That's evidence." Huo Ka was about to refuse, but looking at the priest's kind face, he hesitated. "Uh, it's just beef jerky, right?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes, I bought it from the grocery store run by the guy with the strong arms. It cost over a hundred yuan per pound, very expensive."

Huo Ka: "Yeah, the food here isn't good. Wait a minute, I'll go to the lab and get the stuff. You go stay in the detention room for now."

Jiang Xueming stood up, took the clothes and hat, and said, "Thank you."

When Huo Ka got up to look for something, he witnessed another unbelievable scene—

--Two K9 police dogs from the field operations unit arrived. Both possess lapis lazuli blood and are veteran wolves from the expeditionary era.

They circled around the priest, their paws on the ground, wanting to hug him and play. When they saw Chief Steward Huo Ka arrive, the two wolves became anything but serious, completely disregarding this young sheriff from the expeditionary era.

"This is unbelievable," Huo Ka muttered to himself.

Miss Bell adjusted her glasses and repeatedly checked the personnel files.

"You're from Brenwell?"

Jiang Xueming had already changed into his prison uniform. He placed his hands on his knees and nodded. "Yes."

Miss Bell pressed further, "Your family situation is complicated; are you not their biological child?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes, to be specific, Brenwell is a small city. It's located in the 29th District, which is an important transportation hub. My hometown has been plagued by Madness Butterfly since I was a child. My parents were human traffickers."

Miss Bell: "Oh"

Jiang Xueming: "Is this related to the case?"

Miss Bell: "I just want to get to know you, Mr. Zhang Congfeng."

Jiang Xueming: "Hmm."

Miss Bell: "I have a medical license in psychiatry, and your violent crime can actually be explained from the perspective of mental illness."

Jiang Xueming: "I did not mean to use illness to absolve myself of guilt."

Miss Bell: "No. It's not me."

Jiang Xueming: "Or are you trying to help me get away with this? To do me a favor?"

Miss Bell was flustered; to be honest, that's exactly what she wanted to do.

When she received Ammona's distress call earlier, she was already in a terrible state of mental breakdown, and she desperately hoped that someone could save the little girl.

Zhang Congfeng appeared just like that. This man was like a messenger sent by God. He rescued Daphne and Ammona from the abyss of evil, and now he was beating up a group of thugs from the King's Gang. Even though he had injured so many people, Bell still had a little selfishness. She wanted to help this priest get away with his sins by using the name of mental illness to absolve him of his guilt.

Miss Bell changed the subject.

Did you experience violence from your father during your childhood?

Jiang Xueming answered without hesitation, "Often."

Miss Bell immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I wasn't."

"I know you didn't mean to provoke my painful memories, I understand." Jiang Xueming recalled her childhood, her emotions calm. "This is very similar to copycat behavior. I'm also a psychologist. When people face oppression from powerful figures, they often imitate the behavior and thoughts of the strong—it's a survival tactic, it comes from instinct."

Miss Bell asked cautiously, "Then, Father, how did your adoptive father treat you?"

Jiang Xueming's thoughts drifted further afield.

"I used to have a dog at home. I would secretly bring it food. It had run away from the mountains. At first, my adoptive father didn't want to keep it. It only stayed because I shared some of my food with it."

"I was often beaten. To be honest, I wasn't a smart kid, and my grades were just average. But these are not reasons for my adoptive father to beat me. Can you understand that?"

"It's like having an extra punching bag in the house. There are always some pains in our lives that have nowhere to go. For example, the weather isn't good today, the sun isn't going my way, my luck isn't good today, the lottery didn't go my way, and the girl I'm pursuing isn't good enough, she still hasn't reciprocated my feelings."

"These unpleasant thoughts piled up and turned into sticks and fists, and I, the punching bag, would suffer this abuse."

While Xue Ming was talking about these things, his eyes remained fixed on Miss Bell.

He knew that language was a very powerful force and tried his best not to affect Bell's mental state.

"I also retaliated against my adoptive father. I would steal leftovers from the kitchen to feed the dog, which made my family very angry. It wasn't that I was wasting food, but that I was wasting the family's resources. I crossed the line—I took on the role of the owner and privately accepted a dog, making it a new family member."

"My adoptive father locked me and the dog together in the woodshed for about [time period missing], I don't remember exactly."

Xue Ming scratched his head and smacked his lips. He took a piece of beef jerky from the table and handed it to Miss Bell.

Do you want it?

Miss Bell felt a heavy weight on her heart; she could hardly breathe. "You eat it," she said.

Xue Ming: "It was closed for about seventy days. I spent my winter vacation with it. That winter wasn't too cold. The thing I feared most finally happened."

Miss Bell: "Are you sick? Are you going to die?"

Xue Ming laughed, "I didn't do my winter break homework! Hahahaha!"

Miss Bell wiped away her tears, suddenly becoming a little angry. "This joke is inappropriate!"

Xue Ming continued, "No, that's exactly what I think. Because in life, no one tells me whether this is right or wrong, whether this makes sense. For a child, if you let him grow up with pain, then pain becomes as natural to him as breathing, and when he leaves pain, he will suffocate."

Miss Bell asked in a cryptic tone, "How did you escape?"

Jiang Xueming: "That's hard to say. Maybe I didn't escape. When you were little, did you think, 'Will life always be like this? Even if I get a bigger cage, will it still continue like this?'"

Miss Bell fell silent.

Jiang Xueming continued munching on his beef jerky, ignoring the operator's feelings.

After a few minutes, Miss Bell continued, "Did your childhood experiences cause you to have violent tendencies?"

Jiang Xueming: "No, I don't think so. I've always been afraid of violence. When I fought against the twenty or so people from the Zhan Gang, I was terrified."

Miss Bell: "You weren't even hurt."

Jiang Xueming: "Then I should thank the gunsmith and the knight's combat skills."

Miss Bell: "Do you have a lover?"

Jiang Xueming: "Not at the moment."

Miss Bell: "I'm twenty-one years old and just graduated. I'd like to get to know you. If you have some free time."

"That's enough of this topic; it would be impolite to continue," Jiang Xueming emphasized. "I am a clergyman."

Miss Bell: "When did you become interested in religion?"

"No, I've never liked religion," Jiang Xueming explained earnestly. "It's just a tool, like the law, a tool used to discipline people. I often use it to train dogs—to talk to them about human morality. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

Miss Bell: "You also claim to be a psychologist? How did you get your degree?"

Jiang Xueming: "I work part-time and study part-time; I want to understand myself."

Miss Bell: "Does this give you the illusion of disregarding life? For example, after understanding human beings themselves, do you..."

Jiang Xueming: "I love art, creativity, and vitality. Ms. Bell, I can also sing hymns—please don't pry into my heart, and don't presume to define me."

"Could we talk about what happened?" Miss Bell finally got to the details of the case.

Jiang Xueming recounted the whole story, including his encounter with Daphne on the train and what happened later at the card room.

"I want to talk to Cock."

"This rat hybrid has a terrible temper; he's lost an eye, an injury that Universal Elixir can cure."

"So I thought, Cock must be an aberration left over from the time of Our Blessed Mother, with inferior blood from rat kidney cells in his body—a miserable man suffering from bestiality."

"But the pain of fate cannot be used as an excuse to harm others; it is a terrifying force, but it cannot be turned into a weapon."

"I want to talk to Mr. Cock about why he imprisoned a little girl. Why?"

"I was mentally prepared and bought tools from the burly grocery store, but Mr. Cock didn't want to talk to me; he just wanted his thugs to reason with me using guns."

"So I had no choice but to protect myself."

Xue Ming spoke of these things with remarkable calmness.

Miss Bell: "But by doing this, you'll put yourself in a dangerous situation, and the militia doesn't support ordinary citizens using violence."

Xue Ming: "Yes, I know."

Miss Bell: "No matter what, I still want to thank you. Thank you for saving Ammona."

Xue Ming: "Do you know Ammona?"

Miss Bell: "Yes, I've been chatting with her these past few days."

Xue Ming: "Then you're a really good person. Without you, this little girl might have already given up."

Miss Bell exclaimed excitedly, "Really?"

Xue Ming: "Really, may God bless you."

Miss Bell: "May God also bless you, Father."

"Then there's no need," Jiang Xueming shook her head.

Bell asked in confusion, "Why? You came to the Police Department to turn yourself in, wasn't it to clear your name of crimes?"

"No," Jiang Xueming denied again, "I'm just waiting for someone. I want to see how Mr. Cock handles this problem—who will bail him out? That's what I'm thinking."

"Ah?" Miss Bell was taken aback. "You mean you still want to?"

"Hehehe, just kidding." Jiang Xueming pointed to the cell door. "This is the safest place in Tear City. I'm just a prisoner, how could I dare to say such a thing? I didn't mean anything by it."

Miss Bell looked worried and repeatedly gave him instructions.

"Father, please stop thinking about strange things. Leave the rest to us. I believe the court will give you justice."

"Okay," Jiang Xueming replied.

At midnight, the King's Gang's second-in-command arrived as promised.

This tall, well-mannered mixed-breed man with a pair of beautiful ears is named Yiven Paul. He is of serval blood, a cute yet cunning beast.

"My whole life has been like walking on thin ice." As the rat-man Cock walked out of the outpost, he repeatedly said to Yiven, "Do you think I can get to the other side? Of course I can! What can stop us brothers!"

Yiven: "Yes."

Cock: "I have to fucking get this priest killed in jail. I don't want to see him again."

Yiven: "Boss Pan is waiting for you, let's put this matter aside for now."

Through the prison window, Xue Ming saw cars coming and going on the street, and also saw Mr. Cock's wounded figure as he left.

He whistled, and immediately a military dog came to meet him at the window. In less than two minutes, he had changed his clothes and found the key through the crack in the cell door.

As soon as the cell door was opened, the two lapis lazuli dogs pounced on the gunsmith, licking him with their hot, rough tongues.

"Good dog! Good! Good dog!"

He evaded all surveillance cameras, but when he couldn't avoid them any longer as he walked out of the outpost, he turned and nodded to the cameras. He secretly patted the backs and bellies of the police dogs, telling them to stay hidden and not give Mr. Huo Ka any leverage over them—then disappeared into the darkness.