735: Chapter 727: Six Years and Eight Days 735: Chapter 727: Six Years and Eight Days “It sounds simple, but does it work?
Boss, I don’t want Toad to become a porcelain doll afterward, you know what I mean.”
Upon hearing Frey’s question, Gao Yang spread his hands and said, “It’s really that simple.
As for its effectiveness, that depends on how flawlessly we carry out the plan.
If we think the results aren’t very good, we can specifically repeat this method to psychologically intervene with Toad.
According to the material I’ve read, after being tormented repeatedly with this approach, the results are quite good; eighty percent of the aid recipients managed to leave the battlefield with a normal state of mind.”
Glolov shrugged and said, “I didn’t take this course in the training camp, but this isn’t much different from what we used on the battlefield, is it?
We stimulate him and then let him kill to his heart’s content.
In the battlegrounds of Grozny, this could be dangerous—you might end up getting killed by the enemy instead of blowing off steam.
But here, it’s much safer.
If we can’t find the direct murderer, then let’s just settle for some despicable scum.”
Rafael said with a bitter smile, “This method is too crude.”
Gao Yang also smiled bitterly and said, “Those who designed this plan wouldn’t want to discharge a bunch of soldiers with combat syndrome.
Of course, they’d rather nip the danger in the bud, preferably resolving the problem on the enemy’s battlefield.
It’s a method meant for immediate use on the battlefield—did you really expect it to be gentle?
As for those who are willing to do this for their comrades, they are nothing more than blockheaded soldiers; who’d worry about whether it’s too cruel or not?
Where do you find a psychologist on a battlefield?
Alright, although it’s crude, this is the simplest and most effective method.
Get ready, once Little Donnie arrives, we can contribute to Pointe Noire’s security for free.”
Once Frey had left, a few people quickly left the temple.
Li Jinfang looked like a normal person except for his lifeless eyes, staring straight ahead, and he could respond to others’ conversations but often gave irrelevant answers.
Driving the rickety car straight to the outskirts, Pointe Noire wasn’t blockaded, so Gao Yang and the others managed to drive out of the city smoothly.
After getting far from Pointe Noire, the car stopped in the trees in the suburbs.
Going to the suburbs was just a temporary measure, a quieter place for Li Jinfang’s psychological intervention.
Pointe Noire still had a mess to deal with.
Once Li Jinfang’s grief was triggered and his anger ignited, they would inevitably have to return to Pointe Noire.
Situated in the Equator region, Congo-Brazzaville was overgrown with dense bushes and forests.
They casually drilled into a forest, and once they felt they would not be discovered, Gao Yang whispered, “Alright, this is the place, brothers.
Surround Toad, we need to be silent listeners, but also be prepared to restrain Toad should he suddenly lose control.”
Tommy said with a wry smile, “If Toad really loses control, I hope he’s not as formidable as he usually is.”
After hesitating for a moment, Gao Yang turned to Eileen and said, “Apart from Toad, you’re the best fighter we have.
It’s up to you.”
Eileen punched her chest twice and said with conviction, “Don’t worry, I’ll be a qualified meat shield.”
Gao Yang nodded, led the silently seated Li Jinfang into the forest, and had him sit cross-legged on the ground.
Gao Yang and the others then scattered around, squatting or standing as they surrounded Li Jinfang.
Finally, Gao Yang cleared his throat and said, “Jinfang, I got some information from the police station.
It says a girl named Zhou Lizhe died.
Hmm, how was she related to you?
What was your relationship with her?”
Gao Yang chose to be direct.
However, upon hearing the three words Zhou Lizhe, Li Jinfang’s already expressionless eyes grew even more lifeless as he stared blankly in one direction, motionless.
Frey sat opposite Li Jinfang.
He gestured to Gao Yang with a questioning shrug, to which Gao Yang shook his head.
He then continued, “Jinfang, the information I read wasn’t very clear.
Why don’t you tell me what happened?
How did Zhou Lizhe end up getting shot?
With your skills and experience, how could you overlook a threat coming from behind?
You made a big mistake.
Now tell me, what exactly did you do that resulted in Zhou Lizhe being hit by a bullet from behind?
Tell me how you killed Zhou Lizhe!”
Gao Yang relentlessly used the three words Zhou Lizhe and directly blamed Li Jinfang for a significant error.
His intent was not for nothing; he was aiming to stir Li Jinfang from his stupefied state into self-blame or anger.
Whatever the emotion, the only way to proceed to the next step was to get his mind running again.
Indeed, Gao Yang’s words powerfully stimulated Li Jinfang.
Li Jinfang’s blank face gradually filled with expressions of self-reproach, anger, and pain.
He clenched his fists tightly but spoke in a calm tone, “I’m useless, I’m a waste, I killed her, it was me who killed her.”
Gao Yang yelled harshly, “That’s right, you killed her!
You useless piece of trash!
Tell me, exactly what did you do that led to Zhou Lizhe getting shot?
Speak up!”
Li Jinfang clenched his fists tightly and lowered his head, finally speaking not with a calm tone but with self-blame, he slowly said, “I was walking on the street with her when suddenly two men jumped out and blocked our way, demanding money with knives in their hands.
She said to give them the money and not to cause trouble, but I was angry.
I kicked one of them down and then knocked another out with a punch, but they had accomplices, and one of them shot from behind.”
At this point, Glolov exclaimed loudly, “Why didn’t you check your surroundings first?
Tell me, did you even glance around at the time!”
Li Jinfang covered his face with his hands in agony and said in a low voice, “I did check my surroundings then, there was only a woman four meters behind me, looking very scared.
I didn’t notice she had a gun, I thought she was just frightened by the robbery.
I thought there was no greater threat, so I struck down those two thieves.
It’s all my fault, if I hadn’t been impulsive, if I had realized the woman wasn’t scared because of the robbery but because she had to fire the gun, I wouldn’t have attacked.
It’s all my fault.”
Seeing Li Jinfang’s emotions fully stirred, Gao Yang breathed a sigh of relief and then softened his voice, “So that’s what happened.
If that’s the case, it’s not your fault, after all, she was a woman behind you, without a weapon.
It’s normal to make a misjudgment.”
Li Jinfang shook his head and said, “I am the one who caused her death.
If only I had listened to her, none of this would have happened.
She always told me not to be impulsive and to stay calm, but I still made a huge mistake because of my impulsiveness.”
Gao Yang spoke softly, “Tell me, how long have you known Zhou Lizhe?”
Li Jinfang slowly said, “Six years and eight days, that’s how long I’ve known her and been with her.”
Gao Yang internally sighed at the clarity of memory and promptly asked, “How did you meet her?
How come you remember the days so precisely?”
Li Jinfang let out a long sigh, “We met at school, up until I finished high school and left to join the army.
We were together for exactly six years, and then I met her again here, for exactly eight days.
So, the time we spent together was six years and eight days.”
Gao Yang didn’t give Li Jinfang time for reflection and immediately asked, “Tell me, was Zhou Lizhe your girlfriend?
Were you two ever together?”
Li Jinfang said with a face full of pain, “Yes, she was my girlfriend, once.”
Watching Li Jinfang’s increasingly pained expression, Gao Yang knew his first step was nearing success.
He couldn’t relax now; he had to keep getting Li Jinfang to bring out his most precious and now most painful memories.
“How did you two get together?
And why did you break up later?”
“I don’t even know how we got together.
We were just kids in junior high, she was so gentle, and we just ended up together without realizing it.
At first, we weren’t really dating, but others said we were, and eventually, we sort of started to feel that way too.
Then we went to the same high school, and we were older, so we actually became a couple, holding hands, kissing, and all that.
My temper was just bad, always fighting, and she would always criticize me for it, not letting me fight.
I would lose my temper with her because of this, and on the day of our high school graduation, I beat up a few guys again, which upset her, and I lashed out at her.
Then she cried and said she wanted to break up with me.”
After a difficult swallow, Li Jinfang lifted his head to wipe away tears and continued, “We had a fight, I didn’t go to her, then, she was going to college, and I was going to the military.
We just parted ways, but later on, when thinking back, I felt like such a beast.
She never had it good with me, just got yelled at.
When I was on family leave from the military, a classmate told me she was asking about my contact info, but I hadn’t told anyone where I was serving, and she was too embarrassed to ask my family.
So we completely lost contact.”
Wiping away the tears on his face, Li Jinfang continued, “I’ve regretted it for a long time, truly, I’ve regretted it ever since I left her.
After every fight, she would apologize to me.
That last time we argued, I was also waiting for her to apologize to me, but I didn’t, and I refused to contact her first, to tell her it was actually my fault.”
As he spoke, Li Jinfang slapped himself on the face and said with a sobbing tone, “I always thought I was a real man, I couldn’t admit my mistakes.
But I was waiting for a girl to apologize to me, what kind of man is that?
I’m just a total bastard.”
Crying was good, and seeing Li Jinfang crying hard, Gao Yang felt relieved but also deeply uncomfortable.
After a sigh, he moved forward, patted Li Jinfang’s shoulder, and said in a deep voice, “I had no idea you had this kind of past.
You indeed messed up big time.
Now I just want to ask you, those three who caused her death, did you take care of them or not?” (To be continued.
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