The following days saw Bai Cha unusually quiet. Although Li Rong had found substantial evidence to clear her name and silence those who had tried to frame her, the missing person remained missing.
Bai Cha was still reviewing the confession videos. It had been over a day and a night, and despite Bai Cha's exceptional physical resilience, her eyes were bloodshot.
"Master, please take a break," Lucifer said, bringing her a cup of hot milk, his heart aching.
He had followed Bai Cha for so long, witnessing how she wrote proposals and reports every night, how she tirelessly searched for information and clues, painstakingly simulating various scenarios, constantly refuting her own deductions and rebuilding logic, all while managing the bigger picture and contemplating other cases.
One after another, she carried on without treating her injuries, without holidays, never complaining even when busy year-round. Her only form of protest was losing her temper during meetings, scolding those useless individuals who did nothing.
In reality, even when Bai Cha lost her temper, it was a mere reprimand confined to the matter at hand. She neither dismissed anyone nor targeted specific individuals. After the scolding, she would still take over and handle the tasks efficiently.
Lucifer sometimes didn't understand Bai Cha's heroic complex. In his view, these endeavors were thankless and served no purpose other than to wear her down.
"Has the chess game been solved?" As the video neared its end, Bai Cha turned it off and massaged her temples. Her voice was hoarse, tinged with exhaustion.
Recently, Bai Cha had been teaching Lucifer various chess games, occasionally posing difficult problems for him to solve independently, thereby honing his thinking and strategic outlook.
She kept herself exceedingly busy. Lucifer sensed that Bai Cha was using this intense busyness to suppress her inner emotions.
It seemed that some emotion had been accumulating within Bai Cha, nearing its breaking point.
"It has been solved, my Master." Lucifer bowed and presented the hot milk to Bai Cha. Before he could warn her about the heat, Bai Cha had already picked up the milk and downed it in one gulp.
Whether it was from the heat or her frustration, a flush appeared on Bai Cha's face, and she let out a long sigh.
Lucifer's feelings were a mixture of emotions. He held no affection or fondness for this country, but he did for Bai Cha. In comparison, Lucifer only wished for Bai Cha's well-being, at least to have a good outcome rather than being besieged from all sides as she was now.
"Is it worth it?" Lucifer murmured.
He couldn't comprehend why Bai Cha had to strive so earnestly, especially since her emotions seemed so detached to him.
She was indifferent to most things, yet she was exceptionally persistent about the concept of protection, to a degree he couldn't grasp.
"Probably not," Bai Cha replied, lying back in her chair.
This answer surprised Lucifer. He had expected Bai Cha to utter some earth-shattering philosophical statement, but instead, she responded this way.
"But this is my duty," Bai Cha cleared her throat, closed her eyes as she lay on the chair. "Isn't duty like this? Even if you don't want to, you have to keep going. I am here. If even I don't step forward, what about others?"
At that moment, Lucifer detected Bai Cha's helplessness. He suddenly understood, much like how some parents endure a difficult pregnancy, only to give birth to a child with a congenital illness.
If they raise the child, the exorbitant expenses can cripple a family. Yet, abandoning them is unthinkable for their own flesh and blood, and even leaving them might incur charges of abandonment.
Ultimately, most choose to bear the burden and embark on a path without light, pouring all their efforts into it.
"Don't misunderstand, I don't see my country as a burden." Seeing the flicker in Lucifer's eyes, Bai Cha waved her hand, interrupting his thoughts. "Actually, I am willing to do this for the country. However, when certain people interfere, it becomes more difficult for me."
Lucifer remained silent. Even though he and Bai Cha shared a deep connection, without personally experiencing Bai Cha's struggles, he couldn't fully comprehend her feelings. Moreover, he wasn't Bai Cha's subordinate but an independent thinker. Perhaps he was rather selfish, which was why he didn't understand Bai Cha's heroic complex.
Lucifer stepped forward and sent Bai Cha a photo of his solved chess problem. Bai Cha picked up her phone and examined it closely, nodding. Her mood seemed to improve slightly.
"You've learned well. You've begun to develop strategic thinking. Just be mindful when applying it in practice," Bai Cha said with a smile. "Tonight... tomorrow, we'll finish up the remaining matters and can go back."
Bai Cha had actually intended to say they would leave tonight, but considering how worried Lucifer had looked these past few days, she changed her mind.
It was just one night anyway; going tomorrow would be the same. Although Bai Cha was accustomed to such high-intensity work, seeing Lucifer's worried and disappointed expression made her feel a slight sense of guilt.
Taking a break occasionally wouldn't hurt.
Lucifer, of course, could guess Bai Cha's thoughts and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Bai Cha's consideration for his feelings made him a little happy.
The milk cup Bai Cha had drunk from had grown cold, leaving only a faint warmth. Lucifer moved behind Bai Cha and began to massage her shoulders with just the right amount of pressure.
"Will it be difficult?" Lucifer inquired. "Although they've privately opened a fast track for you, the public opinion..."
"I don't concern myself with public opinion," Bai Cha adjusted her posture, closing her eyes comfortably. "What truly chills me is the neutral faction."
They couldn't handle the task themselves, so they pushed it onto her, making her rack her brain, only to then not stand by her side. They would criticize and express dissatisfaction, making it seem as if she had voluntarily taken on all the tasks and failed.
"Master, what if even the higher-ups don't stand by you in the end?" Lucifer's eyes flickered, and his voice lowered slightly. "As you know, he always remains silent."
Bai Cha was the higher-up's direct guard and cleaner. Bai Cha's strenuous efforts and dedication convinced Lucifer that there was indeed a level of support from the higher-up. Without that support, Bai Cha wouldn't have toiled so hard.
However, this was also what Lucifer found most baffling. If Bai Cha were truly subjected to widespread condemnation, would the higher-up still maintain such silence?
At such a time, what was the difference between good people who remained silent and those who were bad?
"The higher-up and my father were like brothers in the past. If I hadn't been unwilling to speak, my father wanted me to recognize him as a godfather," Bai Cha smiled, not reprimanding Lucifer for speaking disrespectfully of the country's higher-up. "Back then, the higher-up hadn't yet assumed this position, and Father spoke highly of him. You can see his achievements now."
Lucifer fell silent. Of course, he could see. After all, those were achievements that ninety-nine percent of people couldn't reach in a lifetime.
"Furthermore, as a national leader, it's not easy for him to express his stance. I actually understand him," Bai Cha said. "Even if it's a bit biased, I want to believe in my father's judgment."
Lucifer remained silent. He didn't know how to respond. He could see that although Ye Feng and Bai Qingyuan had passed away a long time ago, their influence on Bai Cha was still profound. Or perhaps, in a way, Bai Cha had always lived under their shadow and never emerged from it.
Regarding this, Lucifer was also at a loss.
"But why do you sacrifice everything for this world?" Lucifer murmured, his voice very soft. Bai Cha closed her eyes and didn't respond, leaving him unsure if she had heard.
Perhaps she hadn't heard?
Perhaps Bai Cha herself didn't know how to answer this question.
Lucifer's hand gently stroked Bai Cha's hair, feeling the silky smooth strands slide through his fingers, unsettling his mind.
My Master, if one day your faith crumbles, and you find no paradise on earth, until your voice grows hoarse and can no longer drown out the clamor of others.
If such a day comes, would you be willing to let go and leave with me?
Lucifer didn't know, nor did he dare to ask. Even with the absolute trust between him and Bai Cha, he still harbored a small corner of fear.
The silence persisted until Bai Cha reopened the videos and began replaying them one by one.
"Master, didn't you just watch them several times?" Lucifer asked, confused. Bai Cha had been repeatedly watching the profiles and testimonies of various people around the missing individuals for days. Since two days ago, after narrowing down the scope, Bai Cha had watched them again several times.
"No, I've basically confirmed it," Bai Cha sighed. "I'm trying to find a way to exonerate the innocent."
"Exonerate?" Lucifer didn't understand.
Bai Cha didn't speak, gesturing for Lucifer to watch with her. Bai Cha had numbered the videos, making them not troublesome to watch. However, as the videos played one after another, Lucifer felt a bit dizzy, almost to the point of facial blindness.
"Do you see the problem?" Bai Cha asked.
"Number three, six, seven, and ten, twelve seem to have suspicious tendencies of lying," Lucifer said hesitantly after some thought. "They seemed a bit nervous when giving their testimonies, their muscles involuntarily tensing, appearing very frightened."
"You're half right. Only six and ten are problematic. In fact, two, five, eight, and nine are more concerning," Bai Cha enlarged the person on the screen and pointed. "Some people are nervous, but the tension in their muscles is an involuntary reaction driven by the brain. They might be naturally timid if they lowered their heads and fidgeted from the moment they sat down. For an ordinary person, being nervous when suddenly interrogated is a normal reaction."
"Most people will unconsciously become nervous when facing a police investigation. However, six and ten are not naturally timid," Bai Cha brought up two other scenes. "Normal people pause to think after finishing a sentence when recalling or stating logical information. Their pauses, however, are unnatural; they are reciting a script. Their eyes shift to the right, pupils constrict with aversion, and their speech is extremely cautious, making their intent to exonerate themselves very obvious."
"As for the ones I mentioned, they are even stranger. Although they were questioned because of their association with the disappearance or death of people around them, they appear extremely relaxed. If they claim to be relaxed because they did nothing wrong, that's a bit too casual," Bai Cha enlarged the eyes of one of the individuals, saying softly.
"Some even appear smug, suggesting this person likely has backing and will be bailed out."
"Some are not only not nervous but not even surprised, while some express surprise that seems too fake, as if they are acting," Bai Cha took over the tablet and pulled up the profiles of several people. "The people upstairs are very clever. They arranged them randomly, placing one or two innocent or attention-grabbing individuals around each suspect."
Lucifer quickly nodded. Although he had studied psychology, he lacked practical experience compared to Bai Cha. With Bai Cha's reminder, Lucifer immediately realized he had overlooked human natural reactions.
After all, this was like medicine; patients didn't get sick according to textbooks, just as criminals didn't commit crimes according to psychology books.
"These are just preliminary inferences, but after isolating these individuals, their suspicion becomes even greater," Bai Cha pushed the organized information to Lucifer. "Originally, they tried to shift suspicion onto 'Shadow' in one instance, likely to confuse the issue. However, by doing so, they inadvertently exposed themselves."