Hongfeng Town, an ordinary country town in the south of Tang Country. It is so ordinary, so ordinary, that many people in Tang don't know that there is such a town. Of course, most of the soup countries don't care about these things either.

It's a town that looks like it was a hundred years ago, and most of the town's buildings are still old, wooden buildings. The townspeople here seem to be living a leisurely life that is no different from their ancestors, and when Du Ping and Lisa come here in the future, from time to time, local residents will push the door out of their houses and look at Du Ping and Lisa's vehicles strangely.

The rapid conclusion of Manhapur's dismemberment case also gave Du Ping some free time. Because there was still internal competition within the group, no one else invited Du Pingping to assist in the investigation of the case he was responsible for, so Du Pingping's earliest application for the investigation report of the old case was deservedly approved. Then Lisa accompanied Du Ping to this ordinary country town in the south of the soup country, Hongfeng Town. It is said that the specialty of these is wood.

It is a relatively closed place, and it can be said that the residents have lived here for generations. It was supposed to be a very calm, peaceful and peaceful place, but a year ago, a tragedy occurred here that shocked everyone.

The town's 200-year-old wooden chapel is followed by a communal cemetery for the townspeople. Most townsfolk choose this place to rest when they die.

A tombstone that is not unlike any other, with the words:

"John Krasinski

1978.4－2013.4

He and his wife, son, and daughter are laid to rest here, happy and happy."

This is a very simple tombstone, a black stone slab, on which is written a story, where the John's family, including husband and wife, children are buried together. At the same time, John's family all ushered in the fate of death.

Holding a white bouquet of flowers, Du Ping slowly walked to the tombstone, offered flowers, and prayed softly with his hands together.

Du Pingping, "Nan no Amitabha!"

Lisa, who came with her, also offered her own bouquet of flowers and bowed her head in prayer.

Conduct an investigation into this incident! This is Du's fair choice. But this was more than a year ago, and the case was not solved at that time. Even if it is restarted now, the possibility of becoming an unsolved case is very high. So it's a gamble.

Du Pingping is no longer the utilitarian and career-minded young man he was two years ago, so it is not surprising that Du Pingping made such a choice. But Lisa still followed, and after applying to Aaron, Lisa chose to go with Du Pingping. Come here to investigate this tragic incident that happened one year ago. It's also a small gamble on the direction of your future. Although out of trust in Du Fair, Lisa chose this decision. But that kind of uneasiness from the depths of her heart still makes Lisa always uneasy.

Until this moment, until this moment of standing in front of the common tombstone of John's family, Lisa's heart suddenly calmed.

Lisa suddenly remembered her original purpose for joining the FBI, and that the original, purest purpose was just to try to find the justice that such victims deserve. Lisa prayed in a low voice, standing here, standing on the edge of this peaceful town, standing in the middle of this cemetery with countless tombstones, but her heart calmed. No more hesitation about your own choices and your own future.

Lisa, "This is the family of the victims of the tragedy of a family of four in Hongfeng Town, and it is said that the local townspeople jointly funded the construction of this tomb for them and buried it here. ”

"Compared with the stiffness and coldness of the material, only by standing here can you really feel its truth and cruelty." Lisa, will we work together to bring them to justice?"

Lisa, "What's next?"

Du Pingping, "According to the procedure, let's meet the sheriff here." ”

Lisa, "Okay. ”

When the two of them turned around, an old man with a cane, gray hair, a cold face, and a police uniform from the cowboy era was standing under a large tree.

Lisa, "Seems to be the sheriff here." ”

Du Ping nodded, and when the two were about to walk over, the old man had already walked over with the help of a young policeman. Step by step, staggering, he walked in front of Du Ping and Lisa, and did not speak directly to the two, but took a bouquet of flowers from the young policeman next to him and sent it to the tombstone.

Old man, "I've heard of you!"

The old man's voice was stiff, and his eyes were directed at Du Pingping. Like a pale lion, it is still impossible to ignore its majesty.

"Tell me, young man, what are you here for?"

When Lisa took out her police badge and documents and handed them over, the old man didn't look at them at all, but still looked directly at Du Pingping.

"You're the sheriff here?"

Old man, "Yes, Sheriff Cade Wood. ”

"I'm Du, a senior consultant at the FBI's Crime Labs, and I'm sure you already know that?"

Cade, "Yes. ”

Du Pingping, "Then what have I done before, I believe you should have also conducted an investigation?"

Cade, "Even though Red Maple is a rural place, I still have my own network. ”

"Then what do you think I'm here for? just to give flowers and to remember?"

Cade, "I know what you're here for, but I'm going to hear with my own ears what you have to say about it. ”

"I went to the FBI's crime lab because I had an agreement with the FBI and had to solve enough difficult cases for them. I came here because I was confident that I had the ability to solve cases. ”

Cade, "At that time, you were just sitting in an air-conditioned, comfortable, bright office? At that time, all you saw was a paper document or an electronic document?"

Du Fair, "Yes. ”

Cade, "So, do you still think so, after you get here?"

"I see what you mean. This was indeed a very difficult case, and the police detectives who solved the case at that time were also very good detectives. But I still have faith in myself, and I can tell you clearly that this is not the most difficult and clueless case I have ever encountered. ”

Cade, "The Manhapur shredding case just now?"

"Although there is no clue, it is not a difficult case. ”

Cade, "The case of the white-headed head of the slaughterhouse in New City, the arson murder case of the New Dahuan ring road, the serial ghost murder case of Kurama Lihua High School, and the case of suicide by jumping off a building in Kuroda Industrial Park on Ledo Island...... , lad, I know you're very stakesome. But what I want to ask is: If you get a setback, will you continue, will you continue to investigate this case, or will you disappear like the agents before you?"

Du Pingping smiled, "Sergeant Cade! Is such a promise useful? I think you must know that this case is not a hot case that everyone is fighting for, but a kind of unsolved case and death case that everyone avoids! If I were to get promoted and make a fortune, I would not make this choice." I'm here for the only reason, and that's because I think I have the ability, and I'd rather use it for the people who need it more, rather than for the tools and interests of politicians and high-ranking officials. That's why I'm here, this explanation old sheriff, do you agree?"

The old sheriff looked directly at Du Pingping, motionless. Du Pingping responded to the old sheriff, his eyes calm.

1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes...... 10 minutes 、...... 15 minutes

The old sheriff finally spoke again.

Cade, "Young man, I believe in you!"

Du Fair, "Thank you!"

Cade, "The rules of the Southerners, since I believe in you, you are our brother and our relative. You've got this gun!"

The old sheriff handed over a vintage revolver with a long history, huge, heavy, and engraved with ancient patterns.

Du Ping shook his head.

"I'm not strictly an FBI agent, so I can't be equipped with a gun." ”

Cade, "This is my old Wood's gun, as long as it's in the South, many old people will recognize it! You hold it, as long as you can get things done, it's yours!"

Du Pingping still wanted to refuse, but Lisa on the side shook her head at him and signaled him not to refuse. So, Du Ping thought about it and took the gun.

The old sheriff's face, which had been cold at this time, showed a slight smile.

Cade, "Noah!"

The young cop, "Yes, Daddy!"

The old sheriff pointed to the young policeman and looked at Du Pingping.

Cade, "This is my second son, Noah Wood, and the mayor's policeman!

Du fair, "Okay. ”

The old sheriff looked at his son.

Cade, "Noah, Daddy is getting old, do you still have our family's tradition of being the sheriff of this town, you should know how to do it?"

Noah, "I will take back the scalp of the enemy and come back to sacrifice the spirits of the dead!"

Du Ping's scalp was a little cold and looked at Lisa on the side.

Du Ping whispered, "What's the situation?"

Lisa, "This is the southern part of the soup country, and there are many places where some old traditions are still preserved, even we must respect them. ……”

Although Tang is a unified country, it seems to be the modern civilization of the Caucasian race. But the reality is that it has never been a country of unity of culture and civilization. For example, this place has always been considered the traditional area of the "Tide Gang".

In 1607, when there was a time when there was a lot of gold in Tangzhou, a company called Virginia in the Soviet State developed a business and sent thugs who were going to come to Tangzhou to plunder the gold of the natives. At that time, the mainstream West Yaya people and Flange people on this continent. What an exciting and exciting idea to plunder wealth on someone else's land! And the Virginia Company also obtained a legitimate private certificate authorized by the king. Soon the Feginia Company received an order, according to which they were to transport 104 legal bandits of the Soviet State to Tangzhou. Who will be the one who will run this lawful plunder in this era? Don't think it's a crime, a thug, or a civilian. The first is that they do not have this awareness, the second is that they do not have the relevant information channels, and the third is that the king will not give them this kind of privateering certificate. In fact, the main customers of the Ferginia Company were the king's lower squires, who had a history of pirates during the Age of Discovery. The robbers on land of the client during this period also did not have any ideological baggage.

When 104 customers arrived at Tongzhou, they found that they had actually been deceived. Because where Virginia was able to reach, it was just a barren barren land. The same is true of history, when the West Yaya people, who kept discovering gold mines in this land, were further south. And it was still winter when they arrived. After the winter of that year passed, only 38 of the 104 people who wanted to make a fortune by lawful forcible robbery survived. On the days when the snow covered the mountain, Virginia did not prepare any food or clothing for them. They can only eat mice, cats, snakes, their own belts and boots, and even people who have just died.

When he finally arrived in the spring of the following year, he was finally able to harass the local natives everywhere, only to find that the natives here were not as weak and easy to bully as the legend said, and they were caught by the local natives and almost killed. The rest of the story is more legendary, the princess of the indigenous people fell in love with the leader of these people at the time, John Smith, and then the intermarriage between the indigenous and the invaders took place. Invaders also slowly turned from robbers who wanted to make a fortune by plundering to colonists who wanted to make a fortune by working on the land. Here, too, the Sioux people, with the help of the natives, gained a foothold. And they found that the West Yaya people and the Flange people, who were said to own this land, could not control them at all, because they were too far away from the land. As a result, a steady stream of colonists entered the area, forming a plantation economy with tobacco cultivation as the main cash crop.

The name "Tidewater Gang" comes from the fact that the area is close to the Atlantic Ocean, and the tides at sea affect the ebb and flow of the river level, which in turn affects the local plantation economy. Most of the colonists of the "Chaoshui State" were descendants of the gentry class from the southern part of the Soviet Union, who wanted to rebuild the landlord-hired peasant society in the Soviet countryside. In the "Chaoshui State", there are clear social hierarchies, the landlord is the landlord, and the hired farmer is the hired peasant. Due to the large amount of labor required to grow tobacco, black slaves were introduced. However, unlike the more southern parts of the Tang Kingdom, the living conditions of the black slaves here were relatively good. In the end, the supply of black slaves in the "Chaoshui State" mainly relied on the reproduction of the blacks themselves, and there was no longer a need to continue importing from Nanzhou. It is a politically conservative land, and although it is a predominantly Caucasian regional human society, some of the descendants of early immigrants here still have local indigenous ancestry and traditions. Noah Wood's tradition of using enemy scalps to sacrifice the spirits of the dead is actually a tradition of the indigenous people here in the past. It's just that the original natives here were basically wiped out by these foreign invaders.

…………………………

The land of the Tidewater Gang is a relatively traditional place, not only reflected in their political philosophy, but also reflected in the local lifestyle and economic form, and there are historical farms here that seem to be in the cowboy era, such as the site of the Red Maple Town Massacre. After crossing a very thin wooden fence and riding a horse for more than a dozen minutes, Noah took Du Ping and Lisa to an old wooden house far away from some historical years.

Noah, "This is it!"

Noah jumped off the horse first and took Du Ping off the other horse's back. This is the first time Du Ping has ridden a horse, and to be honest, it has been a pain in the ass. Lisa was much more neat, and as soon as she crossed over, she jumped off the horse, and her handsome movements caused Noah to whistle involuntarily.

"This is it?"

Aaron, "This is it!"

After moving his hands and feet for a long time, Du Ping can be regarded as making his body recover after sitting on horseback for a long time with soreness. Noah, the local police officer, did not laugh at Du Pingping, but threw a kind smile at Du Pingping.

This is the real southern countryside of Tang Province, an ancient village that seems to exist in history. The people, the life, and the rhythm here don't seem to have entered the modern society. But it is still an important part of the country as a whole. A group of "Founding Fathers" in the history of the Tang Kingdom have emerged here, such as George Wharton, Jamas Thofersson, and James McT, all from the "Tide Gang". People here believe in democracy, but the democracy they have in mind is the democracy of ancient Greece, that is, there was slavery, but the upper class handled public affairs through democratic deliberations. The ideologues of the Tidewater Gang did not believe that all men are created equal, and they believed that freedom was a privilege rather than an innate human right. Virginia Congressman Randolph, a former spokesman for Jefferson, unmistakably said, "I'm an aristocrat." I love freedom, but I hate equality. ”

Yukoku is like that, when you look at it from a distance, it's a whole. When you look closely, it is actually an organic whole formed by different cultural regions. Even on the same thing, everyone's understanding may be very different.

Du Ping took Lisa to the old house, which had been abandoned for a long time, and pushed the door into the dark, cold house. This is the real southern countryside of Yukoku, and there are places where there is no easy road to follow. It can only be reached by horseback, and cars are still impassable at this stage. If it weren't for the support of the old sheriff, he and Lisa might not have been able to finish eating and walking when they arrived here. Moreover, it is impossible to achieve the kind of work rhythm that arrives on the same day and leaves on the same day. Judging from the current situation, Du Ping, Lisa, and Noah will most likely need to stay here for two days. This person has lived for a while in the place where his family was slaughtered by unknown thugs, although that was a year ago, but it is not a situation that ordinary people can accept. Fortunately, Du Ping and Lisa are people who are used to seeing big scenes.

In the courtyard of the old house, Noah unloaded the saddles of the horses, led them to a small pool on the side, and began to press water into the small pool with a water press. After pressing the water, he resisted two rolls of hay, cut the grass into sections with a lawn cutter and poured it into a long wooden box in the ground for feeding the horses, and began to mix a small bag of soybeans on his horse's back into the hay. This is a skilled farm guy!

Inside the old house, Lisa began to wash pots, dishes, fires, and water ....... At first glance, she is also a very skilled farmer girl. Noah gives Lisa another loud whistle, the kind of boy on the farm that he admires for a girl, but Lisa ignores him.

There are skilled workers inside and outside the house, and Du Pingping can't help much, because he has grown up in the city since he was a child. So I don't know how to do all kinds of work on this kind of farm. Of course, Du Pingping's role here is not for this, Du Pingping picked up his tablet with the information, compared it with the photos of the scene at the time of the crime, and surveyed the entire room.