Chapter 144: Why bother?
Liwu didn’t have the heart to listen, but Xiao Yi did.
"What does it say?" he asked.
Linlin replied slowly, in a low voice, "Tell him I am sorry."
The room remained silent for some seconds. They had all heard the story, and knew who Rong Jian was apologizing to.
Liwu’s hand trembled. She had seen tragedy before, but somehow, this one cut deeper. She had known, had felt, that she could reach Huo Lingtian. And now, she would never know if his ending could have been changed. And what about Rong Jian’s ending? a voice in her mind asked. If they had not visited that man, would he and his mother be alive?
Chief Abby raised his chin and cleared his throat. "It’s over. Great job everyone."
Liwu turned, her eyes blazing. "No, it’s not over. We could have tried harder to save at least one person. All that man wanted to be heard. Some justice. Maybe he didn’t use the best means to get back at them, and yes, he caused the death of a five year old...."
"Stop." The Chief barked at her. "We saved the victim, Su Wan. You did your job and because of that, at least that little girl gets to go home. If I had to make a choice again between who to save, I would still choose the girl. She is the only one in the situation that didn’t kidnap anyone, cause a death or play the part of a co-conspirator in a murder ten years ago."
"If it helps, the other three children have been found as well." Linlin chimed in nervously, "You were right, they were having fun. Huo Lingtian gave them ten thousand yuan each to spend as they like."
Liwu turned around and muttered, "I need to go outside for a moment."
"Detective, we can’t save them all sometimes." Chief Abby spoke softly.
Liwu’s voice was sharp. "Then why do we try? Why do we chase shadows, risk our lives, if not to save them?"
Silence answered her.
****
Despite her conflicting emotions, Liwu still went ahead to carry out a task that was very much one of her duties: press liaison.
The city hall steps were crowded with reporters, their microphones thrust forward like spears, cameras flashing under the harsh midday sun. Liwu stood stiffly at the podium, flanked by Chief Abby on one side and her husband, Weijun on the other.
Her face was composed, but her eyes betrayed exhaustion and pain. Weijun had just finished talking to the reporters, flashing a smile so bright that it almost shadowed the sun.
It was her turn, but Liwu could not bring herself to smile. "Good afternoon," she began, her voice steady but perfunctory, "I am Detective Tai Liwu, the leader of the SOB team that was assigned to handle the kidnapping of child actress Su Wan. She was kidnapped today at 6:05 and the bureau acted swiftly. Officers were dispatched to the crime scene immediately.
The bureau has neutralized the threat within four hours and rescued the victim. Our agents risked their lives to protect her. They also rescued her father, who is alive but injured.
Unfortunately, the suspect chose to taken his own life at the scene of the crime. We mourn his loss, but we will continue to uphold justice."
Her words were carefully chosen, stripped of emotion. She knew the press wanted more--wanted drama, wanted tears, but she gave them only the official line.
Most had even come hoping that Su Wan would be paraded in front of Liwu and photographed. Sometimes, victims attended press conferences after rescue. Liwu had turned down the idea. There was no need to subject a traumatized child to greedy sharks that wanted to make money off her tragedy.
Chief Abby stepped forward, his baritone voice reinforcing her statement. "President Alix, the minister of justice and other parties plan to address this matter later. We would like to assure all the residents of the city that their children are safe. We will review our protocols to ensure such tragedies are minimized.
The Bureau remains vigilant always, but it is important for people to remember that not all system hosts are registered. If you know someone like that, please inform us as soon as possible."
Weijun added his own assurance again as the chief stepped back, "Our city stands united. We will provide support to the victim and her family. We will also invest in resources to prevent similar crises."
Reporters shouted questions, but Liwu kept her answers clipped, professional.
"Is it true that the suspect had superior teleportation abilities compared to those of the agents of the bureau?"
"No."
"What can you tell us about the suspect’s motives?"
"They will be addressed by President Tai Alix."
"What happened during the time when the agents cornered the suspect and when he took his own life?"
"I cannot comment on operational details."
"Is Mr. Su Daji on life support?"
"Yes."
"Detective, the bureau has system hosts that can cultivate. Can’t they just give Mr. Su Daji a pill and heal him?"
She blinked. "Do you know how many patients in the hospital are hoping for such pills? If the bureau could save them all, we would. Yes, there are cultivation system hosts but like we have said many times, earth does not have that special mana required for them to become true cultivators. They can only accomplish so much here. What I can say is that Mr. Su is receiving the best medical care the hospital can give him."
That answer did not seem satisfactory and stirred the reporters as if they were hornets in a nest. Liwu went back to giving brief answers.
When the conference ended, she descended the steps, ignoring the barrage of questions that was still coming. Her husband touched her arm gently, but she pulled away. "Not now: she muttered. "I need to go."
She stumbled away quickly, and found her car. As quickly as she could, Liwu pulled away from city hall, tires screeching loudly in protest.