Prologue (Part 3)

The atmosphere lapsed into silence once more. Keanu ceased his speech, and so did Bradley. Keanu retreated into himself on the sofa, appearing to ruminate on something, or maybe he was merely reminiscing. It wasn't until a while later that he finally spoke up, his voice deep and low.

"My parents died early, leaving me only a house and a bit of money. They did not leave me anything else, nor did I have any other relatives. It was Grace's parents who took me in…" Bradley gazed at him, remaining utterly silent.

"Since elementary school time, Grace and I grew up together. We were playmates and very good friends. By the age of twelve, I began to vaguely understand what affection was. And so, unbeknownst to others… we pledged a lifetime to each other."

Keanu spoke as he recollected, humor subtly lacing his words. A chuckle broke out from him when the story reached its amusing parts. His eyes shimmered with yearning for the cherished past that was beautiful beyond measure. He then turned to Bradley, "Have you had any youthful sentiments?"

In response, Bradley took on an oddly serious tone. "At eleven, even a year earlier than you were. Heartbroken just a week later, I cried my eyes out. Even mimicked others trying to drown my sorrows in alcohol which led to a brawl."

Keanu erupted into laughter once again at these words. He gestured a thumbs-up to Bradley, grinning broadly.

Following the laughter, Keanu continued in his low, "Grace's parents always took care of me. They knew that we were just kids, but they did not stand against our emotional bond. I'm two years older than Grace. When I was eighteen, I got into college which required quite a lot of tuition. Grace's parents were the ones who helped me out. But what I didn't expect was that something terrible would happen to Grace not long after I started college."

"That case..." Bradley tried to interject, but Keanu held up his hand to halt him. He looked at Bradley solemnly, "Do you know how long they were sentenced for rape and causing death?"

"Three months!"

"In prison, they continued to live a luxurious life as if they were outside," Keanu stated.

"Keanu." Bradley moved forward a bit, leaning closer to Keanu, "Listen to me, we all know that there are scums in this world who disgrace their duties. But you can't just..."

Keanu immediately cut Bradley off, "Grace's parents appealed three times; you know what the outcome was?"

Bradley was stunned; they didn't know about this. Keanu continued, "All three appeals were rejected. Grace's dad lost faith in the local government. His leg was broken, he received death threats, and their house was burned. Their health deteriorated day by day. Despite having their most difficult times, they didn't stop paying my tuition."

Bradley sat there, a dumbstruck expression on his face, resembling a weathered stone statue, unable to utter a single word. Keanu's expression was steady throughout, but Bradley could sense his smoldering anger and resentment.

He said slowly, "Many people were involved in that case, but none of them were just." With a sigh, Bradley was rendered speechless.

Keanu reclined on the couch, spreading his hands, "Look, I don't want to fight against the state or society. I can even believe that the state will get better, and such phenomena will fade. But that doesn't mean we now have to endure the unpleasant. The future may hold beauty, but present ugliness needs to be resisted too. If some things can't rely on others, I might as well resolve them myself."

Bradley was stunned.

After a moment, he finally said, "I guess I don't need to tell you what the consequences of these actions would be, right?"

Keanu coldly replied, "Grace's dad told me from a young age that a man should take responsibility and consider the consequences before doing anything. He intended to caution me to be careful and not impulsive. But to me, the converse is also true: as long as I have the resolve to bear the consequences, I can do whatever I want... That's the ultimate difference between me and those scumbags."

So, it was like this.

Bradley was at a loss for words.

Reaching this point in the conversation, Keanu smiled, "I've done my research on you; You are a good cop."

Bradley was taken aback.

He saw Keanu beckoning him over with a finger, saying, "Follow me." With that, he walked towards the bedroom.

Effortlessly pulling out a recorder pen, he tossed it onto the bed. Pointed at Bradley, speaking to Conrad's parents, "This is Bradley, the Chief of the Detective Squad. He's here to save you. But as you can see, he can't do that right now. Without my permission, this place is a powder keg - anyone who dares enter is toast. I'm giving you one last chance. I know you've put in great effort to save your son. So now, tell him about what you did back then. Tell him who else was involved. And by the way, whether you tell him or not, I already know. It's just that our detective here is clueless."

With that, Keanu turned around to leave. As he reached the door, he suddenly flung back a question at Bradley, "What would you like to eat?"

"Uh?" Bradley was taken aback.

Keanu, quite seriously, said, "I'm hungry. There are some lobsters left in the fridge. Would you like to try my cooking?"

Bradley simply nodded in bewilderment. He watched as Keanu walked into the kitchen. Then, he turned his gaze back around to take in the room. As a professional, he was entirely confident he could dismantle all the explosive wires in nearly no time at all.

Moreover, he doubted whether Keanu had indeed manufactured nitroglycerin as he had claimed. Let alone the controlled nature of the ingredients, even if he could obtain them, the instability of nitroglycerin explosives was inconsistent with Keanu's current actions. But for some unknown reason, he didn't want to know the answer, nor was he interested in removing the wires.

He sat at the bed's edge, looking at Conrad's parents, and beckoned in a muted voice, "Come on, tell me about those things you did back then."

Forty minutes later, Bradley knew everything.

During this time, the radio had sounded twice but Bradley dismissed them both times with "still negotiating." He felt weighed down and at a loss for words. After taking a glance at the parents and their son, he picked up the voice recorder and left the bedroom.

Keanu was already enjoying the lobster.

Seeing Bradley come out, he pointed at the lobster on the table, "This is for you. It's not considered a bribe, right?"

Bradley took a seat at the table, watching Keanu intently.

He said, "Everything is recorded. All those people… they will take the punishment they deserve. Including some that you didn't know."

"I knew there were people I couldn't find out, but it doesn't matter, they will talk eventually."

"So that's why you..." Bradley had a sudden realization, "You staged all this. You deliberately lured me in so those whom you couldn't track would also be nabbed?"

"The crux was to involve you directly in the process. As you know, evidence gathered under coercion usually isn't admissible. But with you as a witness, it becomes a different story. I couldn't act prematurely against the Conrad family, which would have tipped you off early. So I had to opt for a compromise. I took care of those who wouldn't alert you immediately and let you help me deal with the ones I couldn't handle… Given so many people have died, it would be impossible to cover up such an incident."

"You really thought it through… The file was also handed over to Nydia by you, right? Otherwise, it couldn't possibly be such a coincidence. By the way, how did you steal the file?"

Keanu chuckled, "I joined my company merely three years ago after graduation. Coincidentally, your police department was investing in precision devices from my company, and I was in charge of the debugging and installation. I put in quite a bit of effort for that deal and caused a minor fire to steal this file. As for Nydia… Well, she didn't actually know who I was. I initiated the contact and offered her the clue. She was easily tricked, poor young woman. Don't be tough on her after this."

"You prepared for this day for three years…" Bradley found it hard to believe.

"Seven years," Keanu corrected him, "From the day the sentence was announced, I started planning, researching, investigating. I made friends with cops, acquired your methods of operation, studied the target characters, designed action plans, and even built a criminal record by invading homes to ensure the effectiveness of the operation. I have stolen television remotes from eleven households, snatched the account books from six stores, and severely intimidated them… So it has been a full seven years of planning and preparation."

Bradley was rendered speechless.

He helplessly watched Keanu, who frankly, couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh.

Pointing at the lobster he asked Bradley, "Are you sure you won't eat? It's quite tasty."

Bradley shook his head.

"What a waste, Grace really likes it," sighed Keanu, a faint look of sentimental longing in his eyes.

After finishing his lobster, he walked into the bedroom.

Bradley seemed to have sensed something was about to happen. He spun around and yelled, "Keanu! No!"

"Bang!"

A gunshot echoed.

Then, four more loud gunshots echoed, followed by a bout of screams. Keanu emerged with the gun in his hand.

Wiping his mouth, he softly spoke, "I killed Conrad. As for his parents, I smashed their kneecaps. They will never stand again."

Keanu's expression was calm throughout his statement.

He walked out of the room, standing at the doorstep. Very casually he said, "Oh, forgot to mention, those explosives were fake. But I guess you figured that out. There was one truth, though. You are indeed a good cop. Thank you."

His face was luminous with satisfaction. He had purposefully allowed Bradley the chance to defuse the bomb, but Bradley chose not to take action.

With these words, he stepped briskly towards the outdoors.

Bradley stood alone in the living room and closed his eyes.

Outside the villa, Keanu raised his gun towards the crowd of police.

An uproar of gunfire filled the air.

One year later.

Bradley came with flowers to the lakeside cemetery.

On the tombstone, Keanu's smile was as vivid as always.

Beside that tombstone was Grace's grave.

In life, they couldn't be together. In death, they were finally interred together.

He placed the flowers in front of the tomb, and spoke, "Dear brother Keanu, even though I never agreed with your methods, I wish you find a place of peace in heaven, together with Grace."

He paid his respects to the tombstone.

As he started to walk away, he noticed an elderly couple not too far away.

The man was in a wheelchair, the woman pushing it.

Mildly stirred, Bradley approached them, "Pardon me, you must be Grace's parents?"

The elderly couple nodded.

"Since Keanu's passing... your life..."

The old man in the wheelchair answered, "Before Keanu left, he had already arranged everything for us. We don't have to worry for the rest of our lives. The only worry, if at all, are those deserving bastards."

"They have already received the strict punishment of the law," Bradley replied earnestly.

"We are aware of that," the old woman sighed, "We also know it's all you're doing. We heard that you withstood a lot of pressure, even threats against your life."

Bradley managed a bitter smile, "A few officials fell from grace, some criminals received their retribution, and a few slippery fish wanted to vent. It's all par for the course. Regardless, as a police officer, I should live up to this uniform. As long as brutes exist in this world, there should be heroes. I dare not say I am a hero, but at least I have done justice to my role."

The elderly couple bowed together to Bradley.

As the old couple left, Bradley walked alone on the path.

Lifting his eyes to the blue sky, the dark cloud overhead was quietly dispersing...