Right then, a patrol car happened to arrive, its tires crunching on the gravel. Its headlights flooded the pitch dark villa with harsh white glare, carving sharp shadows. People shielded their eyes, squinting against the sudden light as six officers climbed out, their uniforms dark against the brightness. Seeing Zhang Fuqiang foaming at the mouth, slumped against the car, they asked, "What happened to him?" Their voices were tense, official.
Before long, Zhang Fuqiang collapsed to the ground, a heavy thud. Niu Mou immediately supported Zhang Fuqiang's head, wearing a look of deep concern, his brow furrowed.
"This looks like either heatstroke or an epileptic seizure. We should get him to the hospital first." Niu Mou's diagnosis was quick, plausible.
He pinched the philtrum, the groove under the nose, then slapped the cheeks, the sound sharp in the quiet yard, then performed textbook CPR, his hands pressing rhythmically on the broad chest.
If not for the fact that he slapped Zhang Fuqiang's face bright red, the marks vivid, Jing Shu would've thought Niu Mou was Zhang Fuqiang's son, he was that attentive, a performance of urgent care.
The new arrivals hesitated, looking at each other. "But the orders from above…" One of them started.
"Is your superior's life more important, or the task?" Niu Mou snapped, not looking up from his compressions.
"Fine, we'll take him to the hospital first. Move!" Xiao Zhang, the lead officer, gritted his teeth. He feared Zhang Fuqiang might die en route and he would take the blame, but if they didn't send him, the consequences would be worse, a no win situation.
They carried Zhang Fuqiang, a dead weight, into the patrol car and left, the sirens wailing to life and fading into the distance. Su Guosheng stood there, stunned, the cigarette behind his ear forgotten. After a while, a sense of wrongness crept up on him, a cold suspicion. How could things be this coincidental?
Yesterday, Su Meimei had been stung by bees for no reason and was still in the hospital. It had taken great effort to acquire a little disinfectant, a favor called in. Today, how did the old classmate end up like this? The pattern was too neat.
Once the crowd dispersed, the yard empty again, Niu Mou smiled at Su Guosheng, a thin, tight smile. "Do you have any further instructions?" The question was polite, a dismissal.
Su Guosheng jabbed a finger at Su Lanzhi, his hand trembling slightly, as if hating iron for not becoming steel. "Your father raised trash like you. Disgrace!" He turned, the insult hanging in the hot air, got in the car, and drove off, the Audi's engine revving angrily. He regretted not pressing harder against Su Lanzhi while people were still here, a tactical error.
People always think of better comebacks after an argument, vowing that next time they will perform perfectly. The thought was bitter in his mouth.
Jing Shu narrowed her eyes, watching the car leave, and quietly slipped a dozen non poisonous bees from the Cube Space into the car's interior through a slightly open window, hoping to give him a surprise close to home. It wasn't that she refused to send the old man to the afterlife, but if both men were poisoned and it was discovered, the risk would be too great. These were not nobodies. They were important figures. If the symptoms differed, the villa wouldn't be implicated, the suspicion scattered.
Of course, she also hid a few bees soaked in nux vomica on Zhang Fuqiang's clothes, the tiny insects clinging to the fabric folds. Sending him off at the villa gate wouldn't look good. Dying on the road would make everyone happy. Xiao Zhang had shown up at just the right time, practically coming to carry the blame, a perfect scapegoat.
As for the bees that had stung people, she gave them solemn burials… as if. Xiao Dou ate every last one, snapping them up with quick, precise pecks, which restored Xiao Dou's appetite, the chicken seeming satisfied.
Right. In a hive there is a queen, drones, and workers. Only the workers and the queen have stingers, but a worker's stinger is connected to its internal organs. Once the stinger comes out, the organs tear free and the worker dies quickly, a sacrifice.
Jing Shu's bees were consumables, single use weapons. Fortunately, their reproduction rate was high, and the bees inside the Cube Space didn't die from stinging, so supply kept up with demand, a renewable resource.
That afternoon, word came from Niu Mou via a terse text that Zhang Fuqiang had died in the car. The cause was listed as heatstroke during official duties in a community. Before further examination could be ordered, Xiao Zhang, the subordinate named in Zhang Fuqiang's own report, had already taken over and handled the matter, the paperwork sealed.
The news of Zhang Fuqiang's death spread quickly through official channels. The announcement warned everyone to stay indoors in the heat and not to imitate Zhang Fuqiang's hands on style that led to heatstroke. It said he had sacrificed himself for Wu City. A small memorial service was held, and the family received a batch of grain, a compensation. Red and white affairs, a bittersweet ending.
The next day there were even interviews, a camera crew at the community entrance. Facing the camera, Jing Shu had to say a few words, the microphone thrust toward her face. "Director Zhang kindly asked about our situation and set a good example for us. He made us believe in the authorities, believe the artificial sun will succeed, and that all difficulties will pass. He was a good man…" She kept her expression somber, her voice steady.
Jing Shu's clip appeared in Wu City's major news broadcast on June 22, 2023. Wang Qiqi even posted it in the group, the video link shining blue.
But the chat felt eerie, a heavy silence after the link.
On the day Zhang Fuqiang passed, Su Meimei, as the community's Consolation and Counseling Specialist, had sent a slurred voice message, her words mushy from her swollen lips: "Director Zhang will bring people today to bring that villa family that is lining their pockets to justice. Then you will know whether the one who harmed five residents of the community was her.
Before 18:00, everyone must report to me by voice and describe what you did today. Late reports won't be accepted."
Forced by the situation, many began reporting honestly to the specialist, their voices nervous in the recordings.
Some thought the villa was doomed, whispering to each other.
Others were gloating, a schadenfreude in the heat.
And the result?
People didn't know whether Jing Shu had harmed the five residents, but when the report came out the next day, everyone's jaws dropped. It was nothing like they imagined.
"Wasn't Zhang Fuqiang going to make arrests? How did it become heatstroke? Even with heatstroke, you can save someone. How did he suddenly die? What happened here?" The questions buzzed in private conversations.
Then they remembered how Jing Shu had praised Zhang Fuqiang so effusively on the news. Everyone shivered, a collective chill.
The man who went to arrest people died, while the family to be arrested was untouched and even praised him. If there were no tricks behind this, no one would believe it. The conclusion was unspoken but unanimous.
The villa family had a background. Don't provoke them. Don't provoke them. The warning passed mind to mind.
Most crucially, the next day Su Meimei said nothing at all in the group, her profile picture silent.
Wang Cuihua sent a voice message, her tone practical. "Well, are we reporting today or not? Why so quiet?"
Su Meimei still didn't respond, the absence conspicuous.
A few days later, Wang Qiqi removed Su Meimei from the group, the action final. Many asked what happened. Hadn't she been strutting around before? Why go silent the moment the leader died? The speculation was rampant.
[Wang Qiqi]:"@Everyone, introducing our community's new Consolation and Counseling Specialist. From now on, she will handle all community affairs. @Wu You'ai, Building No. 25."
"Wait, she is from our community too? She never talks. Who chose the specialist?"
"Yeah, can just anyone be appointed? Don't we need to agree?"
[Wang Qiqi]:"She was appointed from above. I am sending the new rules now. The Consolation and Counseling Specialist has the authority to record directly. Once recorded, you'll be blacklisted by major supermarkets and unable to buy water or food."
Those asking about consent fell silent at once, the threat more real than democracy.
[Wu You'ai, Building No. 25]: "Hello everyone. @Xiao Shu, Villa Area is my sister. I heard some of you think the culprit is her. I am here to clarify. She is not the killer. She was there to save people. She assisted the relevant personnel in making arrests and helped capture several criminals. She was awarded 300 virtual coins. The official document has been issued."
A picture was posted in the group, a scan of an official notice with stamps and signatures.
"Previously, Su Meimei maliciously speculated and spread rumors. She has now been dismissed and will never again be employed by the authorities. Please approach issues rationally." The statement was the final word, closing the book on the incident. The new order was established.