ATLAS TRANSLATES

A Si still remembered the first time he met Xu Xingchun.

It was a rainy day, everything seemed shrouded in mist. He walked over holding a dull black umbrella, with jet-black hair, tall and slim, carrying a cold refinement about him.

He was supposedly just filling in for someone, but that afternoon, Xu Xingchun uncovered two major cases involving tens of thousands of grams at the port. Later, the higher-ups personally intervened and had him transfer to narcotics enforcement.

Around the second year, the bureau received intelligence that foreign dealers had insiders collecting photos and names of police officers from the public bulletin board to build a database.

They had already identified the mole but wanted to use the situation to their advantage. The border patrol unit was too easily recognized, so they needed outside help. A Si and Xu Xingchun were chosen.

The night before the mission, they signed liability waivers. As night fell, A Si couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning, so he found Xu Xingchun and they smoked through the night.

They smoked silently for over an hour.

A Si was young and passionate, full of vigor but also prone to melancholy. “Brother Xing, there’s so much darkness in society. How does that saying go? For peace to prevail, someone must carry the burden for all the families’ lights to shine, right? After a few tough years, things will get better.”

“There’s no guaranteed sweetness after bitterness.” Xu Xingchun sat on the steps, staring into the distance thoughtfully. He looked down with a slight smile, his features unclear, “For me, the bitterness won’t end.”

That smile was too plain, carrying a subtle sadness.

A Si scratched his head, half-understanding. But he always felt Xu Xingchun carried many stories.

The next day, the meetup point was a drug lab run by armed militants. Special forces with submachine guns were positioned around the area.

The moment they exchanged materials, the dealers sensed something was wrong. A gun was raised at A Si, intending to eliminate them both. It was A Si’s closest brush with death. Fortunately, Xu Xingchun stayed calm and gave the signal in time – snipers immediately took position and fired. After the shootout, they successfully arrested the drug gang. A Si was wounded but Xu Xingchun saved him.

This drug bust became a nationwide sensation. Xu Xingchun was promoted to unit captain, and A Si developed a deep admiration for him.

However, that case involved too many people to be completely resolved. Years later, something went wrong in the narcotics investigation line, nearly costing an entire team their lives. Xu Xingchun was targeted, so he filed a report and his superiors transferred him to the Shen City Provincial Public Security Department.

They didn’t meet again until years later.

“Time flies,” A Si sighed. “I remember back then, whenever I was on patrol duty with you, girls would always come up to chat. I was so envious and jealous standing beside you, but you never seemed interested in anyone, never had a girlfriend. I even secretly suspected you might be gay, never thinking about women.”

A Si paused, then teased further, “But later, I noticed something…”

“What?”

“I noticed you often looked at a photo. Once when you were checking your phone, I accidentally glimpsed it – definitely a girl, wearing a school uniform.”

“Mm.”

Following his intuition, A Si nudged him with his elbow, “The one who just called you, was that her?”

Xu Xingchun nodded.

Just then, a phone rang. They looked at each other, knowing it was time to begin.

This bar looked very discreet from outside, with a small, messy storefront that was hard to spot.

A woman leaned against the front desk, wearing revealing denim shorts, face thickly powdered with heavy black eyeliner and makeup, lazily smoking. She barely lifted her eyelids when someone entered.

After Xu Xingchun went in, an unusual dark fragrance hit him. He discreetly observed his surroundings. The bar had two levels with several small doors on the side.

He walked up slowly and asked the woman, “Got a lighter?”

“Brother, want some late-night snack? Pork head meat?” the woman asked in Dali dialect.

This was code. Xu Xingchun nodded, “Got any drinks? Red wine and white wine both.”

Red and white wine meant different contraband substances. After confirming the code, someone put up a “Closed” sign at the bar entrance and locked the door. The woman swayed out from behind the counter slowly, “Follow me, Brother Ka is waiting upstairs.”

An hour later, in the car.

“What’s happening inside? When can we move in?” A Si asked impatiently.

The surveillance officer looked serious, “Nothing unusual yet, we need to wait. They’re being cautious, still questioning. Xu Xingchun should have the experience to handle it.”

After a few minutes, Old Wu’s expression changed, “Got the signal, move in!”

“Is the money right?” Xu Xingchun played with a lighter, looking out into the darkness. “Can you show the goods?”

A henchman finished counting the money and whispered in Brother Ka’s ear.

Brother Ka smiled and said, “Your name’s Xu Feng, right? Sister Zhang says your family’s in real estate. What’s your relationship?”

Clearly trying to test him.

Xu Xingchun’s expression remained unchanged, “Our relationship isn’t important, money is what matters, isn’t it?”

The money-counting henchman whispered something to Brother Ka. Brother Ka suddenly signaled someone to toss Xu Xingchun a cigarette, “Try it?”

Seeing the cigarette, Xu Xingchun’s expression didn’t change, but after a slight hesitation, he raised his hand to rub his nose and picked up the cigarette. He fumbled it, accidentally dropping it.

Everyone in the room watched him.

He slowly bent down to pick up the cigarette.

Suddenly the door was kicked open. Brother Ka’s face changed drastically as he instinctively pulled out his holstered gun.

Everything happened in an instant. Brother Ka realized he’d been set up. He tried to run but was firmly grabbed from behind by Xu Xingchun. Seeing no escape, he pulled out a knife from his waist and stabbed down at Xu Xingchun’s thigh, hitting a major blood vessel. Blood immediately began gushing out.