Mirror Flower · Qingming (Part 3)

Fifteen minutes earlier, Qingming had quietly treated Zhao Weimin while the medical staff were operating the CT scanner.

If it were any other problem, she would be helpless, but using Spatial Translocation to directly remove ten milliliters of blood clots from Zhao Weimin's brain and casually throwing them into the nearby medical waste bin was far too professional for her.

There's no point in staying here any longer, so Qingming decided to go back to school.

But as she walked out the door, for some reason, she became increasingly angry.

Those prisoners are still on the run.

Qingming narrowed his eyes. "My guardian isn't someone you can just smash around like that!"

She hailed a taxi and went to school first.

Qingming got off the bus at the school gate, walked to the next block, and then hailed a taxi to leave the city.

****

At that time, rotary-wing drones had not yet advanced to the level they would later become, nor were they widespread. The mountainous and forested areas were vast, and the field of vision was fragmented by vegetation, so search and capture operations in the wild could only be carried out by sheer numbers of people.

Vehicles stopped one after another along the mountain road, and a large number of armed police officers got out and quickly deployed at key intersections.

Some armed police officers, police officers, and members of the local joint defense team went up the mountain to conduct a comprehensive search.

Flashlight beams swayed back and forth through the mountains and forests as search teams advanced along designated areas and paths.

As the team reached the halfway point of the mountain, the police dog in the group suddenly started barking wildly in one direction.

The trainer held the leash taut and did not let go.

This is a joint operation, and the personnel's uniforms are inconsistent. The police dogs may not recognize all of them, and releasing them rashly could easily result in them injuring their own people.

The police shone their flashlights in that direction while shouting.

Who is it!

A pale beam of light swept across the bushes and tree trunks, falling into the pitch blackness.

There was no response.

"I see you, come out!" the police officer continued sternly.

He pulled back the bolt of his pistol, producing a crisp metallic sound.

"Or we'll shoot!"

There was still no response.

The police dog was still barking, baring its teeth and growling, its target very clear.

The three armed police officers exchanged a glance, each raised their weapon, and disarmed it.

They parted the bushes and surrounded them.

The auxiliary police officers and civilian police officers spread out to both sides, their flashlight beams crisscrossing as they shone forward.

One of the team members smelled the odor.

"It smells like blood!"

The search team pushed through the bushes and found four people lying sprawled among the dead leaves in an open area.

Large amounts of blood flowed, staining the soil beneath them black.

No wonder the police dogs reacted so strongly!

The armed police maintained their gun-holding positions, checked the surroundings, and some began to report the situation to the command center.

A police officer stepped forward, put on gloves, and examined the body, confirming that all four people were dead.

"The body was warm, and the blood had not yet coagulated; the time of death was very short!" he told everyone.

Everyone felt a chill; it meant the perpetrator hadn't gone far.

Police officers identify the deceased's features.

"That's our target tonight!"

He spoke into the walkie-talkie.

"The wound is a puncture wound."

The killer likely used a dagger.

This is to inform everyone about the type of weapon the perpetrator was carrying, and to remind everyone to be vigilant.

"Command received!"

But his partner, who was holding the flashlight for him, patted him on the shoulder, gesturing for him to look to the side.

It was a dagger stuck in the soil, the blade still stained with blood.

One of the deceased had an empty scabbard at his waist.

"The murder weapon was taken from the victim."

The police officer frowned even more deeply.

"After killing them, they didn't take anything with them."

****

Suddenly, the police dog spotted something again and started barking wildly in one direction.

This time the reaction was even more intense; it suddenly tightened the leash, almost causing the trainer to stumble.

Shining seven or eight beams of flashlight, they could vaguely see a very thin figure flashing past between several trees and disappearing into the crowd.

"Chase!"

The handler let go, and the police dog dashed off.

Three armed police officers followed closely behind, and the rest of the group followed suit.

The branches were repeatedly knocked away, and the search team quickly chased after them for several hundred meters.

But the target was moving extremely fast, and it even gradually outpaced the police dogs, let alone the people.

Everyone was terrified.

Just as they were about to lose sight of their target, two other search teams, also equipped with police dogs, surrounded them.

Encircled from three sides, finally, one of the groups was about to catch the target.

Qingming sighed softly.

She didn't want to waste her Magic Power to fly, thinking she could just run away, but she didn't expect to be discovered by the dog.

Qingming originally thought that the profession of hunter with a pet did not exist in this world!

But it's not appropriate to take off now.

The surrounding searchers had already been alerted, but when she suddenly took to the air, the flashlights shone on her, making her silhouette clearly visible.

Qingming's observation of law enforcement officers during this period made him realize that doing something doesn't necessarily mean you'll get into trouble; it's when you get caught that you're in real trouble!

Therefore, I must hide and escape.

The bushes ahead parted, and a police dog pounced out.

Qingming Speed Enhancement, his figure blurring as he dodged the police dog's attack, then delivered a swift chop to knock it unconscious.

An armed police officer who had been flanking her came into view and raised his gun, aiming it at her.

"Don't move! Hands above your head!"

Qingming raised his hand, and an invisible force swept past.

The armed police officer was instantly struck as if by lightning; his body stiffened abruptly, and he collapsed to the ground.

She used the same method to knock out the remaining two.

After creating an opening, Qingming rushed over quickly.

As he passed by an armed policeman, Qingming casually picked up the weapon that had fallen beside him.

Then, with superhuman speed, she took advantage of the gaps between the search teams and rushed outwards.

After completely breaking through layers of blockades and leaving the encirclement, Qingming finally had time to look at his hand.

This is a Type 81 automatic rifle with a folding stock.

This was the first time she had ever actually held a modern firearm in her hands, and she couldn't help but feel a little curious.

Qingming raised his gun, mimicking the armed police's stance, and aimed at a tree not far away, attempting to pull the trigger.

The explosion of gunfire made her eardrums tingle slightly; seven or eight bullets whistled out, scattering bark and sawdust everywhere.

"It's so noisy," Qingming complained.

She aimed at another tree and pulled the trigger again.

This time, prepared, Qingming suppressed the gun's bounce. Smoke rose, and after a series of shots, she emptied the remaining twenty-odd bullets in the magazine in one go.

"So that's what kind of weapon it is."

Qingming assessed the effectiveness.

Intermediate Rank transcendents in the Eden World can handle this with ease, but there's nothing to be proud of.

The former refers to the most outstanding individuals among the gifted in the extraordinary world, who have undergone extensive training and development; their numbers are few.

The latter refers to the mass-produced single-person weapons on this planet.

It requires no Magic Power, no decades of extraordinary training; it can be used simply through training.

During times of war, it was possible to equip every person with one, and it could be continuously upgraded according to the needs of the war.

This is what makes this form of power so terrifying: an absolute advantage in numbers and potential; a single breakthrough can be replicated by the entire population.

Qingming stared at it thoughtfully for a few seconds, clicked his tongue a few times in admiration, and then tossed the automatic rifle to the ground.

I've gone home.

****

When Liu Jingshu got home, Qingming was already at home doing his homework.

She packed a few pieces of Zhao Weimin's clothes, and also took towels, a washbasin, and other daily necessities.

"I'll stay with your Uncle Zhao tonight. Be careful at home alone," Liu Jingshu instructed.

"Yes," Qingming replied, "How is Uncle Zhao?"

"She seems to be fine," Liu Jingshu replied, "But the doctor said to observe her for a few more days and have an MRI scan tomorrow."

"That's good."

After packing her things, Liu Jingshu prepared tomorrow's meal for Qingming, put it in the refrigerator so she could just heat it up in the microwave.

Before leaving, Liu Jingshu added worriedly, "Fang Qing, don't go wandering around these next few days."

"I heard something happened outside the city, and even the local troops have been mobilized."

"Oh," Qingming replied.

She didn't quite understand; hadn't she killed all those prisoners?

Why are they still so relentless, even deploying troops?

Qingming pondered whether he should go out again in the middle of the night to see what the world's army looked like, and also try out their weapons.

However, when she looked down and saw the big red crosses on the junior high school physics test paper spread out in front of her, she scratched her head in anguish.

She's alright with problems involving mechanical motion, but she really struggles with convex lens imaging.

Light passes through and reflects back, creating various images including real images, virtual images, and focal lengths.

There are also plane mirrors and concave mirrors mixed in.

Thinking about the pop quiz tomorrow, Qingming sighed and gave up on the idea of going out.

She picked up a ruler and continued drawing the light path diagram.

****

The next morning, Qingming woke up wanting to eat eggs.

She took one out of the refrigerator, put it in the microwave to heat it up, and after a short while, she heard a "pop" sound inside, and the egg exploded and splattered everywhere.

After studying it for a long time, Qingming decided to try again.

She wiped the microwave clean, then put another egg in, and it exploded again.

"Sigh, why did the microwave have to break down when my aunt and uncle weren't home?" Qingming complained.

She thought about it for a moment and decided not to make any unnecessary repairs.

Qingming now knows that not just any device can be "taken out".

At lunchtime, Qingming, thinking that the microwave was broken, went to Zhao Weimin's workplace cafeteria.

Everyone knew about Lao Zhao's situation, so it wasn't surprising that Qingming showed up. The cafeteria worker even gave her her favorite poached chicken.

Captain Tao carried the rice bowl and came to Qingming.

In the past year or so, she has gone on several anti-pickpocketing "missions".

Each appearance of hers rekindles the nightmare memories of the thieves in the area about the "thirteen-year-old lightning girl in sheep's clothing."

Then let it cool for a while.

"Fang Qing, are you free tomorrow or the day after?"

The next two days are the weekend.

"Uncle Tao, are we going to help catch a thief again?" Qingming asked curiously.

Two weeks ago, the temperature plummeted, and residents wore thicker clothes to keep warm, which was the perfect time for pickpockets to become active.

They had already "colluded" with Fang Qing to carry out a "autumn cleanup".

"With this happening so frequently, those thieves still remember me," Qingming said.

Uncle Tao just smiled.

"Don't worry, we're going to a new spot to camp this time."

"Our team went to support the Reillumination Celebration of Yuanshan Temple."

He gave Qingming a general explanation.

The Reillumination Celebration is a large-scale event, featuring numerous parades and various performances.

"So there are a lot of people?" Qingming asked.

"There are also many pickpockets," Captain Tao said.

Although her studies are demanding, Qingming hasn't been getting enough exercise lately, so she's happy to relax a bit.

Moreover, she gets to eat whatever she wants at street stalls every time she goes out.

"Okay," Qingming agreed.

****

On Saturday morning, Qingming finally understood what "a lot of people" really meant.

The roads leading to Mount Xuanwu were already packed with people from the foot of the mountain.

Buses arrived one after another, bringing tourists to the area. The temporary parking lot was full, and colorful flags and red lanterns hung along both sides of the street.

Stalls selling sugar paintings, candied hawthorns, and various trinkets lined the road.

This was the first time Qingming had ever seen a scene more crowded than a school classroom or a bus.

As the performance began, a long dragon tumbled and lions leaped and bounded along the street. Banners and floats stretched all the way from outside the mountain gate.

The crowd of onlookers was shoulder to shoulder.

"Prosperous," the word suddenly popped into Qingming's mind.

This is the core essence of civilization; it is neither superhuman beings nor a particular weapon.

It was filled with countless ordinary people, eating, watching performances, and taking their children out to play, noisily crowding the mountain.

When such daily life is threatened by intruders, many people will risk their lives to protect it.

A thief, oblivious to the danger, approached Qingming from behind and reached into her backpack.

Too lazy to play along, she turned around, grabbed the other person's wrist that was clutching the purse, and pressed down.

The thief immediately knelt down in front of the little girl.

His accomplices tried to help, but were immediately tackled to the ground by plainclothes officers nearby.

The surrounding crowd burst into applause.

Captain Tao, however, was somewhat dissatisfied.

He handcuffed the thief and took the money.

"You're the bait," he said to Qingming. "What kind of bait does the work of catching fish too?"

"The fish was too weak," Qingming said, "It was just eaten by the bait."

****

Such a grand event naturally attracts thieves.

By the end of the day, they had arrested so many that the detention cells were overflowing, so they simply sent them directly to the detention center.

Besides the main meal, Qingming ate two skewers of candied hawthorn, a bowl of beef offal with scissors, a serving of fried cake, three skewers of grilled meat, and a bag of Chestnuts. The prizes he won from the ring toss game filled the trunk of the police car.

She was quite satisfied.

As darkness fell completely, lights began to illuminate the streets, spreading out along with the red lanterns.

The number of tourists did not decrease as night fell; on the contrary, it increased.

Qingming was waiting for curry fish balls by the roadside when he suddenly heard a muffled thud.

"Bang! A point of light rose up, leaving a bright trail, and then exploded high in the sky."

Countless sparks spread out in all directions, forming a giant red flower.

The bamboo skewer in Qingming's hand stopped.

Immediately afterwards, golden, silver, and blue lights exploded one after another, spreading the night sky into a beautiful canvas.

Some layers upon layers resembled golden chrysanthemums; others transformed into a shower of golden rain, cascading down from above; then, after a moment of darkness, thousands upon thousands of points of light flashed simultaneously from left to right, illuminating the earth for a fleeting instant.

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

Qingming tilted her head back; it was the first time she had ever seen fireworks.

In fact, with Eden's magical power, creating a similar effect would not be difficult.

But no one would organize a grand gathering for ordinary people, and no superhuman would waste their killing power on such a meaningless thing.

"Bang!"

Another huge firework bloomed in the sky, its light reflected in Qingming's eyes.

Something landed on her face. She blinked, touched it, and found it was a piece of charred paper.

It even carried the lingering warmth and smell of gunpowder.

Not only were there scraps of paper, but also a large number of tiny residues in the air, which were scattered by the wind and fell on the crowd.

"So these beautiful fireworks even drop things down," Qingming said.

Captain Tao chuckled beside him.

"If nothing falls, how will the fireworks explode for you to see?"

He patted Qingming on the shoulder.

"This is when the thieves are most active; let's do one more round and then call it a day."

"Good!"

****

After the pressure from the blood clot was relieved, Zhao Weimin's condition was almost entirely reduced to a concussion and a healing head injury.

After resting in the hospital for a few days, his discomfort had mostly subsided, except for some pain in the back of his head.

The attending physician then allowed him to be discharged.

Zhao Weimin couldn't stay idle, so he went straight to his workplace and quickly learned about the strange things that had happened a few days ago.

"Someone killed those suspects?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"We currently suspect it was a cover-up by a criminal organization," Xing Rui said. "The killer's methods were very professional; all four were killed with a single stab."

Zhao Weimin took the forensic report, flipped through it carefully, and was even more surprised.

The fatal wounds of the four victims were located very close to each other.

The assailant approached the victim from behind with a knife, and stabbed him in a vital spot through a gap in the victim's chest bones.

If it was a single, decisive strike, it could be interpreted as a sneak attack.

However, the fact that all four stab wounds were inflicted suggests that the killer possessed a fighting ability that completely overwhelmed these four individuals.

As for why he went around to the back and then stabbed Zhao Weimin stared at the photos of the scene for a few seconds.

"This killer wouldn't want to be splattered with blood," he murmured.

However, this was in the densely vegetated wilderness, and the murderer was facing four frightened fugitives, yet he was able to handle the situation with such ease.

Is this really something a human can do?

How many corpses did he use to hone this level of skill?

"Then the assailant attacked and knocked out the armed police officer," Xing Rui continued recounting the case.

"He took a gun, and after escaping our encirclement, fired it until it was empty, then discarded it."

Zhao Weimin was extremely angry.

"This is a serious provocation by the prisoner; he is extremely arrogant!"

Xing Rui nodded.

"The higher-ups were furious and requested support from the local troops, bringing in a battalion to conduct a thorough manhunt."

But nothing was gained.

"Witnesses at the scene said they couldn't see clearly, but it should have been a very thin person," Xiong Yupan said.

Zhao Weimin racked his brains, going through several known major criminal gangs in the country, but he couldn't think of any organization that would do such a thing.

Or a particular criminal.

He sighed.

"This style of operation... could it be some kind of foreign organization?"

"We are indeed investigating in this direction," Xiong Yupan replied.

****

When Qingming got home from school, he was overjoyed to see Zhao Weimin discharged from the hospital.

Liu Jingshu prepared a rather lavish dinner to celebrate.

Zhao Weimin suddenly paused.

He reached out and patted away a few wrinkles at the back of Qingming's dress, smoothing them out for her.

"Go wash your hands and eat."

"Um."

Zhao Weimin's expression remained normal until he finished eating, at which point he slowly opened his palm.

It was a thorn from a Chinese privet vine, brownish-black, and already dried up.

This thing is very common in the wild, but it is almost never seen in the city, and you would never have the chance to hang it on your clothes.

"I'm going down for a walk," Zhao Weimin said.

He went to the door, squatted down to change his shoes, and discreetly flipped over the shoes that Qingming had taken off.

The soles of the shoes were embedded with bits of mud and dry grass, and in several places, broken thorns were stuck in them.

Zhao Weimin walked out the door, down the stairs, and out of the stairwell.

He stood in the night wind, took a deep breath, then took out his mobile phone and dialed Fang Qing's homeroom teacher's number.

Hello, Teacher Qi--

"I am Zhao Weimin, Fang Qing's parent. I would like to ask if she was at school last Thursday night?"

"Yes, last Thursday--"

Soon, Teacher Qi's reply came through the phone.

Fang Qing called and told me about your injury and hospitalization.

She said she wasn't in the mood for class and wanted to go home to rest, so I agreed.

Zhao Weimin immediately clenched his fist, the plastic casing of the mobile phone making a slight "crunch".

"Thank you, Teacher Qi."

After the call ended, Zhao Weimin stood there for a while, stunned.

He then made another phone call, summoning Xiong Yupan, who went to the street to buy him a blue quilted windbreaker and a pair of warm shoes.

After returning home, Zhao Weimin had Qingming change into the new clothes.

"It's getting colder, this will keep you warm."

The trench coat looked a bit mature, but Qingming liked the style very much and looked at herself in the mirror from left to right.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhao!"

She took her discarded coat and prepared to put it in the washing machine.

"You should save this dress for next year. Have your Aunt Liu take it to the dry cleaners tomorrow," Zhao Weimin said.

Liu Jingshu smiled and took the clothes.

"When did you ever concern yourself with these things?"

****

The next day, Qingming's coat was not taken to the dry cleaners, but to the forensic laboratory.

"First, we'll screen for bullet residue, then we'll use a scanning electron microscope," Zhao Weimin said.

The technician put on gloves, picked up the clothes, and was quite surprised.

"These are children's clothes, why are you making this?"

Shooting residue detection is used to determine whether a person has recently handled or used a firearm.

When a bullet is fired, the particles produced by the combustion of the primer and propellant will escape from the muzzle, ejection port, and other locations along with the high-temperature gases.

The archer's hands, cuffs, and chest clothing may all have residue attached to them.

"Just get tested!" Zhao Weimin said, his face grim.

Xing Rui was puzzled.

"Master, isn't this Fang Qing's clothing?"

Zhao Weimin walked to a chair and sat down, placing his hands on his forehead.

He didn't have the strength to explain.

"Xing Rui, go and retrieve the surveillance footage from the hospital entrance to see how Fang Qing left the hospital that night."

"If she left in a taxi, find the driver and ask her where she went."

Xing Rui was taken aback.

"--good."

****

When the test results came out, even the technicians frowned.

Clear residue of gunpowder combustion was detected on this garment.

In addition, tiny lead, antimony, and barium metal particles were also found during electron microscopy.

In terms of elemental composition, these particles are completely identical in characteristics to the firing residue left after the primer of an ammunition burns!

Zhao Weimin's heart sank completely.

He took the test results back to the police station and found the chief.

The bureau chief was startled when he saw Zhao Weimin.

The detective looked extremely pale, almost completely drained of energy, and even stumbled as he moved.

He quickly stepped forward to support her.

"Old Zhao, you're not fully recovered yet, you should go back to the hospital and rest!"

Old Zhao waved his hand and handed the test report to his supervisor.

The latter glanced at it a few times, and his expression changed.

Whose is this?

Zhao Weimin sat in the chair for a long time before raising his hand to cover his face.

Fang Qing.

There was a moment of silence in the office, and the bureau chief gave off a "you're kidding" look.

Zhao Weimin composed himself and continued to recount the facts of the case.

"There were a lot of plant residues on the soles of Fang Qing's shoes; they were all common plant types found on that hillside."

"And she didn't go to school that night."

The bureau chief was stunned, then glanced at the report in his hand again.

"That little kid--"

He still found it absurd.

Captain Tao came to report to the bureau chief.

"What's wrong?"

He picked up the report, glanced at it, and immediately burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.

"Old Zhao, you're being too sensitive, haha!"

Seeing Zhao Weimin's murderous gaze, he quickly suppressed his smile.

"I took Fang Qing to see the big fireworks display the day before yesterday!"

Zhao Weimin was stunned.

"Large-scale fireworks?"

"Yes!"

Fireworks also use gunpowder, so naturally there will be a lot of gunpowder residue.

Barium is a core material in the colorant of green fireworks.

Antimony is an accelerant used to create flashes, sparks, or explosive effects similar to "titanium grenades." Lead is a brightener that produces flashing sparks.

They are all used to create "special effects" for fireworks displays.

Captain Tao became happier the more he thought about it.

"When the fireworks exploded, it looked like garbage was falling from the sky."

"Fang Qing's hair and clothes were covered in it, and I took pictures of her for a long time."

Zhao Weimin was confused.

"Where would there be a fireworks display at this time?"

Large-scale fireworks displays require screening for shooting residue, and environmental sources must be eliminated immediately.

However, it's currently November, which isn't related to any holiday.

It was the bureau chief who spoke first, "You forgot, the Reillumination Celebration."

This is the largest folk festival in the Jieshi Region. In addition to various organized performances, every household decorates with lanterns and colorful decorations and sets off fireworks and firecrackers, creating a lively atmosphere that surpasses even the Spring Festival.

Zhao Weimin was taken aback upon hearing this, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The Reillumination Celebration was held only once every ten years, so much so that he had completely forgotten about it.

There was another knock on the door, Xing Rui walked in.

"Master, we've found it."

He reported to his supervisor, "After leaving the hospital, Fang Qing took a taxi to the school."

Zhao Weimin immediately looked up.

"Then what?"

"I checked the surveillance footage at the school gate," Xing Rui continued.

After getting off the bus, Fang Qing seemed quite downcast, so instead of going into the school gate, she walked home.

The bureau chief smiled.

"I knew it!"

"Old Zhao, it's good to be vigilant, but we can't be overly suspicious and see threats everywhere!"

Captain Tao was still laughing beside him.

"A fourteen-year-old boy killed four fugitives in one go, knocked out an armed police officer, grabbed a gun, and broke out of the encirclement."

"You really dare to dream!"

Zhao Weimin didn't say anything, but leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.

But they felt a great sense of relief.

Several seconds passed before he awkwardly rubbed his face.

"Alright."

"I'm just being paranoid."

Zhao Weimin waved his hand sheepishly and left the office.