"Where's the phone?" The policeman shouted.

"It's all right! Power and phone lines are cut off! "The pain in the bronze ears has lessened and my hearing has recovered slightly.

"What's going on here?"

Gong Yu was frightened and collapsed weakly.

Decker hugged her and placed her on the brick floor of the foyer. He felt a cool breeze blow in through the open front door. "Hurry up and call for help! I'm going to watch over her! ”

"I'll be right back," the police rushed out of the house.

Bronze looked in that direction and saw two headlights quietly lit outside the courtyard gate, and the policeman disappeared behind the headlights. Then, his attention turned to Gong Yu.

He knelt beside Gong Yu and stroked her forehead. "Hold on, you'll be fine, the ambulance will be here soon."

After a while, the police returned. He leaned over Bronze and said something, but Bronze didn't hear a word.

"The ambulance will arrive soon." Bronze said to Gong Yu. Her forehead was wet and a little chilly. "You'll be fine soon." Bronze thought, I'll have to cover her with something to keep her warm. He pulled open the closet behind him and grabbed an overcoat and put it over her.

The policeman approached him and spoke louder. This time the bronze heard clearly. "When I got here, the front door was open! What happened? You said that someone broke into the door? ”

"Yes." Bronze was still stroking Gong Yu's hair, and he really didn't want the police to disturb him at this time. "They must have barged in through the front and back doors at the same time."

"Them?"

"The man in the hallway, and others."

"Others?"

"It's all in my bedroom."

"What?"

"Three, maybe four, I killed them."

"Oh my God." The police said.

On the wide cobblestone driveway outside the bronze house, the headlights flickered in a haphazard manner. The car engine rumbled and crackled. The terrifying shadows of cars reflected by the lights seemed to be everywhere, with patrol cars, vans, and an ambulance speeding away.

Bronze shivered in his coat, leaning against the brushed whitewashed wall next to the open courtyard gate, staring restlessly at the fading ambulance lights disappearing into the night. He didn't seem to see the police waving flashlights to search every corner around his house. At that moment, a team of forensic doctors walked past him with instruments and equipment.

"I'm sorry." A police officer said. He was the stout local cop who was the first to arrive at the scene, and he later introduced himself as Officer San. "I know you'd love to accompany your friend to the hospital, but we need you to stay here and answer more questions."

Bronze didn't answer, just stared at the ambulance's headlights getting smaller and smaller in the darkness.

"The paramedics in the ambulance said they didn't think her life was in danger." Officer Sang continued, "The bullet pierced her right arm, but it didn't seem to hurt the bone. They had stopped her bleeding. ”

"Shock," said bronze, "my friend is in shock. ”

The policeman looked a little uncomfortable, and didn't know what to say for a while. "Yes, shock."

"Shock can be fatal."

The lights of the ambulance are gone. Bronze turned around, and he couldn't help but feel nervous when he saw two confused-looking civilians walking briskly towards him, surrounded by police. Could it be that the police have already caught the person suspected of this attack? Bronze left Officer Sang and walked angrily towards the open door, staring intently at the man who had been brought to him.

It was a man and a woman who were brought. When the nearby headlights finished shining on their faces, Decker recognized them, and his anger immediately subsided.

The policemen who walked on either side of them came to the gate with a decisive expression on their faces. "We found them on the road. They claim to be your neighbors. ”

"Yes, they live across the street." Bronze was still buzzing in his ears, but not as badly as before. "They are Mr. Chan and his wife."

"We heard gunshots." Mr. Chen, who has a short beard, said.

"And the fire," said Mrs. Chan, who had gray hair. She and her husband were dressed in crumpled civilian clothes that looked like they had been put on in a hurry. "At first, we thought we were mistaken. How can there be gunshots in your house? We couldn't believe it. ”

"But we still couldn't rest assured," Mr. Chen said, "so we called the police." ”

"You have done a great deed," said Bronze, "thank you so much." ”

"Are you alright?"

"I think it's okay." Due to excessive tension, the bronze body has some pain. "I can't say for sure."

"What happened?"

"That's exactly what I'm asking." Someone chimed in.

Bronze turned his face in confusion and saw a man emerge from a field of car lights outside the door. He was tall, very strong, and wore a fur hat, and Officer Sang shone a flashlight at the man, and Bronze concluded that he was also a local. He had a handsome, lanky face and melancholy eyes, and long black hair. He was about thirty-five or sixteen years old.

The man nodded at Officer Sang, as a greeting.

Officer Sang nodded at the man.

The visitor turned his attention to bronze. "I'm Officer Blue." His local accent pronounced the "l" into a curly tongue sound.

"I know it's a terrible disaster. Are you ——? ”

"Bronze, ancient antiquity, copper coin of copper"

"Surely you are frightened and distraught, and miss your friend, whose name is ......?"

"Gong Yu."

"Does she live here with you?"

"No," said Bronze, "she's my neighbor." ”

Officer Blue thought for a moment and seemed to come to a logical conclusion. "Well, I'm going to find out what happened as soon as possible so that you can also go to the hospital to see your friend as soon as possible. So, allow me to ask you a few questions......"

Suddenly, the light came on above the front door. At the same time, the light in the foyer came on, and a beam of light shone through the open front door.

Bronze heard a shout of approval from the police who were searching the outside of the house.

"It seems so," Officer Blue said, "that you've finally managed to fix your circuit." Can you tell Officer Sang where the switch for the lights outside is? ”

Bronze's throat itched a little, as if he had sucked in dust, "It's inside the front door." ”

Officer Sang entered the house. In a few moments, the lights illuminated the courtyard wall and the main entrance leading to the front door. Subsequently, Officer Sang turned on the light in the living room, and the soft light through the window illuminated the courtyard.

"Excellent." Officer Blue said. Through the light, he could see a 9 mm Beretta pistol with a holster hanging from his belt. He now looks thinner than he had just been in the limited lighting conditions of the headlights and flashlights. His face was weather-beaten, his skin was dark and rough as leather, and he knew at first glance that he was a man who spent a lot of time outdoors. He was about to ask a question when a policeman approached and gestured to a man outside the door. It was a worker, "yes, I want to talk to him." Please wait. After he finished speaking to the bronze, he turned and walked towards the worker.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen seemed overwhelmed by all this.

"Can you please come with me?" One officer said to them, "I need to ask you a few questions. ”

"We'll do our best to help."

"Thank you both," said bronze again, "thank you so much." ”

Officer Blue walked past them and walked back. "If we come into the house and talk, you'll feel better." He said to Bronze, "Your feet must be cold." ”

"What do you say? My feet? ”

"You haven't put on your shoes yet."

Bronze looked down at his bare feet on the brick floor. "There are so many things that I have forgotten."

"You must also be tempted to take off your coat and put it on."

"There was a shootout in the bedroom."

The abrupt change in topic seemed to confuse Officer Blue.

"And in a closet that you can walk into." Bronze said.

"Really?" Officer Blue examines the bronze.

"All my clothes are there."

Officer Lan then understood. "yes, you're afraid you can't touch anything there until the inspection team is done." Officer Blue made a gesture to enter the room and looked at Decker more closely.

"They cut off the power from the telephone pole next to your house." Officer Blue said.

He and Bronze sat at a table in the kitchen. At this time, the police, medical examiners and coroners were inspecting the bedroom and laundry area. The photographic policeman pressed the flash again and again to take pictures. The bronze eardrum was still aching, but the tinnitus had subsided considerably. He could hear the cacophony of grinding and cacophony of speech as the device was turned on, and he could hear a person talking about the "war zone".

"The telephone pole was 30 yards away from the gravel road, and there were a few trees in front of it." "There are no street lights, and the houses are scattered, so if someone climbs a telephone pole in the middle of the night to cut the wire, they won't be seen." It's the same with the phone line, they cut it in the junction box next to your residence. ”

Despite bronzing in his coat, he was shaking incessantly as the adrenaline action continued. He looked into the living room and saw investigators coming in and out. He has been thinking about Gong Yu. How's it going in the hospital? Gong Yu is okay, right?

"The people who broke into the door had papers in their wallets," Officer Blue said, "and we're going to find out their backgrounds, and maybe that will get us to the bottom of things." But...... Mr. Bronze, what do you think is going on? ”

Bronze thought, yes, that's the problem. God, what the hell is going on? During the entire shootout, he only tried his best to control his panic and protect Gong Yu, and he didn't have time to think about the secret. Who the hell are these people? Why did they break in? As bewildered as he was, he was sure of two things – the attack was related to his previous life, and, out of concern for the country's security, he must not tell Officer Blue anything about his past life.

Bronze made a puzzled look. "I guess they're thieves."

"Burglaries usually do it alone or in a partnership," Officer Blue said, "and there are three of them." But in my experience, there has never been a crime committed by four people together. Unless they want to steal large items, such as furniture. If that were the case, they would have to use a van, but we didn't find one. In fact, we didn't find any improperly parked vehicles in this area. Besides, they chose the wrong time to break into your house. Last night was the start of the festival and most people were going out for the festivities. It's wise for them to watch if you leave the house and then do it as soon as it gets dark. The gang was smart enough to cut the phone and power cord first. I don't understand, why don't they do it smarter and choose the best time for them? Bronze looked haggard. To hide his nervousness, and from exhaustion, he rubbed his forehead. "Maybe their minds aren't clear enough, maybe they're smoking opium. Who knows what thieves think? ”

"The burglars were carrying a rifle with a sawn barrel short, two Yuz submachine guns, and a Mike Model 10 submachine gun. Who are these people going to come here against? Is it a soldier? ”

"Officer, I used to work in Nanjing. I have been to Chongqing many times. From what I've read from the newspapers, it seems like every opium dealer and thief has a Mike Type 10 or Yuz submachine gun. For them, the submachine gun was a status symbol. ”

"That's in the hinterland, we're in the northwest. How long have you been here? ”

"About a year and three months."

"So you're still far from it. As you may have realized, there's a reason why they call Santa Fe a 'foreign city'. To outsiders, there are many ways that it is still a barbaric west. We've always done things the old way. If we want to shoot at someone, we usually use a pistol or a shotgun. In my 15 years as a police officer, I have never come across a single case involving so many assault weapons. By the way, Mr. Ku-"

"How?"

"Have you ever worked in law enforcement?"

"Law enforcement agencies? No. I sell real estate. How did you come up with that—"

"Officer Sang said that when he spotted you, your behavior seemed to indicate that you were well versed in police procedures and were familiar with the psychology of officers when they encounter such potential dangers. He said that you repeatedly emphasized that you would raise your hands when you walked out of the laundry room, and that you would show them to him first. This is an extraordinary move. ”

Bronze rubbed his forehead with a dull ache. "It's just a reasonable move. I was afraid that the officer would think I was a dangerous guy. ”

"Also, when I asked you to get dressed, you took it for granted that you couldn't go to the bedroom to get your clothes, and that you had to wait until the forensic team was done."

"And that makes sense. I think it's probably because I read so many books about crime. ”

"Also, where did you learn this good marksmanship?"

"In the army."

"Aha!" Officer Blue said.

"You see, I need to know about my friend."

Officer Blue nodded.

"I was so worried about her that I could barely concentrate."

The other nodded again. "I'll give you an idea, why don't we stop at the hospital on the way to the police station?"

"The police station?" Bronze said.

"There you can make your statement."

"Aren't I doing this?"

"Statements at the police station count."

Bronze thought, should make a phone call. He had to make a call to his former boss. He had to tell them what had happened and ask them what they were going to do with it.

A police officer walks into the kitchen. "Officer, the coroner said that Mr. Gu can go to the bedroom to get his clothes."

Bronze stood up.

"When we're in the bedroom, please give us a demonstration." "It would be very helpful if you could tell us exactly what happened." And ......"

"What else?"

"I know it's hard, but this case is extraordinary. If we could know right away instead of waiting until tomorrow, it would save a lot of time. ”

"I don't understand what you mean," said Bronze, "what do you want me to do?" ”

"Look at their faces."

"What?"

"The face of the deceased. It's here, not in the corpse. Maybe you can recognize them. Just now in the dark, you can't see their faces clearly. Now, all the lights are on......"

Bronze would also like to identify the corpses, in case he can recognize them. But he had to feign reluctance. "I think my stomach will—I'll throw up."

"We don't force you. There are two other options, one is that the medical examiner is taking a photo, and in the future you can take a closer look at the photo; The second is to go to the corpse center to identify the corpse in the future. But. Sometimes the photos are not realistic enough, and the corpse may be distorted when it is stiff. So, even if you've ever bumped into them on the road, you won't feel like they're familiar. Now, while the attack has just ended, there is always the possibility of ......"

Gu Bronze couldn't help but think of Gong Yu, he must go to the hospital. So, still with a reluctant look, he said, "Bodhisattva bless me." Okay, I'll go identify them. ”

At the hospital, Bronze wears a gray cotton sweater and sits in a hard chair in the waiting room of the emergency ward. It's almost empty. The clock hanging on the wall showed the time, and it was almost half past six. The fluorescent lights on the ceiling pierced his eyes. On the left outside the waiting room door, Officer Blue is talking to a standing police officer. Next to the policeman was a teenager with a blue nose and swollen face, who was tied to the gurney that was transporting the patient.

As a paramedic pushes a gurney through an electronically controlled revolving door leading to the emergency room, Officer Blue walks into the brightly lit waiting room. His slender legs and slender frame walk gracefully, reminiscent of the local timberwolves. The detective pointed to the gurney. "It was a victim of an accident. Is there any news from your friends? ”

"Nope. The receptionist said that a doctor would come out to see me. The bronze shrunk even lower in the chair. He felt as if his head had been wrapped in a strap. He rubbed his face, touched the stubble, and smelled the gunpowder on his hands. He kept thinking about Gong Yu in his heart.

"Sometimes too much stress can affect your memory," Officer Blue said, "are you sure you're not familiar with the corpse you just saw?" ”

"As far as I can remember, I've never seen them before." The disgusting smell of copper-like blood still lingered in the bronze nostrils. The men who were killed were in their 20s, sturdy, dressed in dark clothing, and Bronze recalled his last mission for the Intelligence Bureau, which was in Shanghai. Could those gunmen be old colleagues from the past? Does this attack on his home have anything to do with the events that took place in Shanghai a year and three months ago? He wished Officer Blue would leave him alone for a while so he could hang up.

"Mr. Ku, the reason I asked you if you were in law enforcement is that I can't understand all that you've managed to do. Four men armed with offensive weapons smashed your house into a honeycomb, and you killed all four of them with a pistol. Don't you think that's incredible? ”

"Everything related to this case is incredible. I still can't believe—"

"Most people are scared when they hear someone breaking down a door and they will hide."

"So, Ms. Gong and I ran into the big closet."

"But before that you grabbed a pistol from the bedside table drawer. You said you were a real estate agent. ”

"That's right."

"Why do you think you need to hide a pistol next to your bed?"

"To protect my home."

"In my experience, there are more disadvantages than good in hiding handguns to protect your family," Officer Blue said, "because the owners of handguns tend not to use them." As a result, family members were shot and innocent bystanders were shot. Oh, there's a lot of prey in this area, and there are a lot of hunters. But I'm not interested in how often you go hunting—when those four men attack you with heavy weapons, if you have time to wet your pants before they kill you, you're very lucky. ”

"I was simply terrified."

"But that doesn't diminish you in the slightest. If you've worked in law enforcement, or if you've been tested by war, then I understand. ”

"I told you, I was a soldier."

"Yes." Officer Blue's weather-beaten wrinkles around his eyes deepened. "You told me that. What unit are you in? ”

"Special Forces. You see, I really don't understand what you mean by asking. Bronze said impatiently, "I learned how to use a pistol in the army. Luckily, when it came to the last minute, I could still remember how to shoot. You made me feel as if I had done something wrong. If a gang of thugs broke into my home and opened fire, is it also a crime for me to defend myself and protect my friends? The Dao of this world has been turned upside down, the thief has become a good person, but I, a citizen who has kept my duty, have become—"

"Mr. Gu, I'm not saying that you did anything wrong. We have to investigate, you have to give testimony as well, it's the law. As long as it is a shooting, even if there is a valid reason, it will be thoroughly investigated.

"How do I think you mean more than that?" Bronze said dissatisfied.

。