Welcome to the Misogyny Game

"Name?"

"Wu Sifeng".

"age."

"24."

"What crime did you commit?"

"The aquarium's glass was damaged."

"Were there any accomplices?"

"No, I did it all by myself."

The male police officer slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely. Tell me honestly, who is the accomplice?"

Wu Sifeng shuddered, but still insisted, "There was no one else, I did it all by myself."

After leaving the interrogation room, the two officers took off their hats and wiped their sweat.

"Still haven't gotten anything else out of them?" One person handed the other a glass of mineral water.

“This young girl insists that she did it herself, and the surveillance footage didn’t show any trace of anyone else, but I still find it suspicious,” said the officer with a slightly darker face.

“This is the third rather strange case, right? Do you remember the Emei Mountain fire incident? At that time, the man only admitted to doing it himself, and the motive seemed reasonable but also a bit far-fetched. Moreover, how could one person set the mountain on fire, and how could it burn so quickly? When we searched his backpack, there was only a knife, not even any kerosene,” said the slightly fair-skinned police officer.

"Hey, Zhang, Liu, are you done with the interrogation?" Officer Zhou Man greeted them. "Want to go to the cafeteria for lunch together?"

"Go." The two wiped their sweat, only then realizing their stomachs were starting to rumble.

In the cafeteria, the three of them got their food and sat down at the table. Officer Liu Bai looked at Zhou Man, then suddenly remembered something, nudged Zhou Man with his elbow, and said with a teasing expression, "Hey, who was that girl at the scene? Do you know her?"

When he saw the serious-looking Officer Zhou Man taking care of the little girl with such concern, he listened from the side and felt that his voice was eight octaves higher.

"Yeah, yeah." Officer Zhang Mo looked at him with a gossipy expression and winked at him: "Something up?"

"What are you all thinking?" Zhou Man said speechlessly. "She's just a citizen under our jurisdiction. Of course, I have to serve citizens patiently; that's the basics."

At this, both of them fell silent, then said in unison, "Yes, the foundation."

"But I've never seen you treat other people like this," Zhang Mo said, still unwilling to give up.

“Actually…” Zhou Man said, “This girl is quite pitiful. I always run into her at the accident scene, and when I see her, I take extra care of her.”

The two were completely speechless.

"Do you think it might be..." Liu Bai said.

“No.” Zhou Man said firmly, “This girl is a very upright person. Last time there was a fire in the mall and a forest fire. Although we don’t know about this case, she has been saving people. She can’t possibly be a suspect or a murderer. Besides, she’s just unlucky to have run into trouble. Instead of thinking about how to protect her, we’re suspicious of her motives and how she happened to be involved in the case. It’s really hurtful.”

Liu Bai felt somewhat ashamed: "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for? Why are you talking about me?" Liu Chaoque walked past the three of them, holding an iron plate.

"Sigh." x3

"Miss Siman, what are you doing here?" Zhou Man was very puzzled. This is the police canteen, it's not open to the public.

“I brought her here,” He Yanzhi said, walking a few steps behind Liu Chaoque.

"Attorney He? What brings you here?" Liu Bai asked curiously. Attorney He often worked with the police, and he was a regular at the police canteen. "Did Director Chen call you in to handle another case?"

“No, that’s not it.” He Yanzhi shook his head: “I mainly came here to accompany Miss Si Man.”

As expected, all the male leads are top lawyers, Liu Chaoque thought to himself as he sat in the police canteen.

He Yan was wearing a white shirt, which was embroidered at the cuffs, perhaps to match the occasion, and black jeans, giving him a casual look.

Liu Chaoque wore a white ethnic-style dress, a green bamboo pendant around her neck, and a black and white panda holding a bamboo headdress, looking very fresh and elegant.

"But I didn't expect you to bring me directly to the police canteen." Liu Chaoque had a headache when he saw him swipe his card to come in, and then they came here to eat. How should I put it, it was really a novel experience.

“It’s lunchtime now. I’ll take you inside later, but you have to keep it a secret.” He Yanzhi made a shushing gesture: “You’ll pretend to be my assistant today.”

"Alright then." Liu Chaoque thought to herself that she really had never done this job before. What was an assistant again? It felt like she was being forced into this role.

Zhou Man and the others were three tables away from Liu Chaoque.

Liu Bai nudged Zhang Mo, gesturing for him to watch Zhou Man's reaction. Zhang Mo glanced at her, his eyes full of mockery: "Who are you looking at?"

Zhou Man's gaze returned to her plate, and she coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment.

"Oh, so you're just protecting the masses, just caring about the people," Liu Bai said sarcastically.

"Look at you, your eyes are practically glued to that young girl, and you're still trying to deny it," Zhang Mo clicked his tongue. "Comrade Zhou Man, you're not being honest."

Zhou Man looked at the two of them speechlessly: "Let's eat."

After the meal, Liu Chaoque and his companion walked towards the interrogation room. The officers were quite perplexed by the questions they asked Wu Sifeng. Just as they were about to say something to He Yanzhi, they saw the unfamiliar Liu Chaoque next to him and asked in a hoarse voice, "Who is this?"

"I am..." Before Liu Chaoque could finish reciting the words He Yanzhi had told her earlier, He Yanzhi interrupted her.

"She and I are both exceptional individuals with outstanding abilities, so the higher-ups assigned her to accompany me in investigating this matter."

He spoke with such conviction that if he hadn't been talking about herself, she would have almost believed him. But... what is an "extraordinary person"? Are they people with superpowers? This city has had such a department so early on; does that mean the zombies that followed weren't just a coincidence?

She recalled the settings of many zombie novels, wondering if they all involved leaked virus research conducted by some research institute, infecting many people?

Amidst her jumbled thoughts, the two had already made some confirmations. The officer's attitude towards her changed rapidly, from wariness to trust, and now he was even a little too enthusiastic.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but this matter is confidential, and unrelated people cannot get involved, so we are being very cautious," he explained.

Liu Chaoque was almost drenched in sweat, and could only say, "It's alright, it's alright, it's just following the rules, I understand."

As the group chatted about random things, Liu Bai and Zhang Mo walked in. Seeing four people, including a girl Zhou Man liked, they couldn't help but ask, "What are you all doing standing here? Having a meeting?"

Liu Chaoque awkwardly shrank behind He Yan.

"These two are from higher up and are assisting in the investigation of the aquarium case. They will be observing your interrogation later," Chen Yu explained.

"Oh, is that so? Come in." Liu Bai glanced at the two of them, then opened the door to the interrogation room and went in first.

Zhang Mo smiled and nodded to them, and the three of them entered the interrogation room together.

The interrogation room contained only two tables and three chairs. It was very white, with no other windows, making it feel somewhat oppressive. Wu Sifeng sat there, handcuffed, her eyes vacant. When someone entered, she only blinked slightly, then showed no further reaction.

She changed into an orange jacket and prison clothes. In just a few days, she seemed to have transformed from a vibrant college student into a melancholy old woman. Her eyes were numb and devoid of light; if it weren't for the handcuffs, she looked like she might have ended her own life.

"Let the professionals handle this," Liu Chaoque said, looking at He Yanzhi with a questioning gaze.

He Yanzhi shook his head, signaling her to wait.

Well, since the lawyer said so, she can't let her concern cloud her judgment.

The two officers asked some routine questions, and then got down to business.

Wu Sifeng confessed to her crimes without reservation, but still denied having any accomplices. She could not answer questions about her motives, and when asked how she brought the tools into the house, she only said that she had hidden them on her person.

They also inquired whether the companions who entered the aquarium with them had engaged in any acts of harboring or assisting in the crime.

Wu Sifeng's usually calm face finally showed an expression other than numbness. She said excitedly, "They didn't know. It was just a spur-of-the-moment idea of ​​mine."

"Why did you bring the shovel with you on a whim?" Liu Bai asked.

“Because the shovel was right next to me at the time,” Wu Sifeng said.

Zhang Mo: "Is it in the front or the back? Was it there when you went in, or was someone brought in later?"

Wu Sifeng: "It was there all along. I saw the shovel when I went in."

Zhang Mo: "No, the shovel only came after you came in. Tell me honestly whether someone gave it to you."

Wu Sifeng: "Maybe I remembered wrong, there were so many people in that aquarium."

Zhang Mo: "No, when you entered, you were the only person in the White Shark Aquarium."

Wu Sifeng: "So you're saying I did it all by myself? Officer, you can't just make up a person out of thin air."

"What are you afraid of?" Liu Chaoque suddenly interjected, "Wu Sifeng, what are you hiding? A man, or someone you've been longing for day and night?"

Wu Sifeng suddenly raised her head, her eyes widening as she looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar woman. At this moment, Liu Chaoque had a serious expression, his lips, which had been smiling, were pursed, giving off an air of authority without anger.

"What do you know?" Wu Sifeng asked tentatively.

"About White Shark, about the man you want to protect?" Liu Chaoque said vaguely.

"Oh, you know?" Wu Sifeng said dejectedly, "But how can I tell you?"

She covered her face, her numb pupils slowly welling with tears: "I can't betray him a second time."

Things took an unexpected turn. Liu Bai and Zhang Mo exchanged a glance and stopped asking questions.

Wu Sifeng's sobs were soft, as if suppressed, and filled with deep sorrow.

"Betrayal?" Liu Chaoque frowned. "Why did you use the word 'betrayal'? You didn't do anything wrong to Bai Sha. You just can't get over that hurdle in your heart."

“But I survived by stepping on his bones.” Wu Sifeng’s voice was like a gust of wind, yet it could be clearly heard in the deathly silent interrogation room.

What? There's even a murder case? Zhang Mo wanted to ask something, but Liu Bai stopped him and shook his head.

"You ate him?" Liu Chaoque recalled the story she had told him, which began with her misfortune and ended with the death of the white shark and her rescue.

But it seems everyone has overlooked the bodies of those great white sharks, and how she managed to contact the ship.

Or perhaps the ship came to her on its own? She didn't know where the island where she was stranded was, but half-guessing, half-thinking, Liu Chaoque had a guess: could it be the high seas, that chaotic place where illegal transactions could take place? If that were the case...

She looked at Wu Sifeng, who had her head down, her eyes filled with heartache. How much suffering had she endured and how many things had she done against her own will in order to leave and live, before she could utter the word "betrayal"?

"Yes," Wu Sifeng said with difficulty. She gave a bitter smile. "Shark fins, shark meat, and shark meat are obviously very precious ingredients, but I feel disgusted as if I ate earthworms. I want to vomit, but I can't. I dissected my benefactor and put him on the table. Maybe my expression pleased them, so they let me go with the crew to hunt. If we can't catch white sharks, there is no food."

Did you know? Every time a great white shark gets curious and approaches, I always want it to leave quickly. I can hear its cries and see its last gasps for breath.

I became the knife that ended their lives. I wish I had never had this ability, never heard their voices, never felt their vitality. That way, my hand might not have trembled, that way, I might not have lived…

“That was a nightmare. Every time I woke up, I would ask myself, why am I still alive? Why didn’t I just die on that floating platform, or become food for the great white shark, or become a breeding ground for marine microorganisms? But I have friends and family. I try so hard to live just to see them, so that they won’t be sad for me. I stay at home and try to heal my wounds, both physical and psychological.”

"Having finally found myself living under the sun, I thought I would forget that ocean, bury those things in my heart, let them slowly gather dust, and perhaps one day, I could calmly recount these things to my friends as an adventure from my youth."

“Actually, you did it.” Liu Chaoque said, “I could tell that you had already let go. It wasn’t that decades later, when you were still young, you could calmly tell us these things. But why?”

"Is it because you saw a great white shark that resembled that one, or...?" She paused, then said seriously, "You saw the dead great white shark?"

"Waaah." Wu Sifeng's sobs grew louder. She could no longer suppress her emotions and burst into tears, burying her face in her arms on the table.

“The white shark has come back to life…” Liu Chaoque finally understood what had happened. She exclaimed, “So the accomplice who disappeared never existed in the first place.”

"No." Wu Sifeng suddenly raised her head: "He is here, he is here." She seemed to be lost in memories, and her tear-reddened eyes became empty again.

"Well, perhaps to put it more accurately, he was reincarnated as a human?" Liu Chaoque wasn't exactly having wild imaginations; she was just making a reasonable guess, since Wu Sifeng hadn't denied that the accomplice was a "person."

No way, how could a shark be reincarnated as a human? Zhang Mo was dumbfounded. He patted Liu Bai, who was frantically taking notes next to him, and after being glared at, Liu Bai immediately became obedient.

"Mm." Wu Sifeng nodded.

"And then he died?" Liu Chaoque continued to guess.

"So what is your purpose?" Liu Chaoque asked subconsciously.

"He wanted to go inside for a stroll, so I smashed the glass." Wu Sifeng no longer hid anything. Liu Chaoque knew everything. Wu Sifeng should just say this ridiculous reason herself, otherwise, if it were investigated, it would be another kind of social death.

"Uh." Everyone fell silent. Well, this reason... Liu Chaoque didn't know how to respond.

"Do you know who put that shovel in there?" Liu Bai decided to press his advantage.

Wu Sifeng shook her head.

"So you actually suspect that your human-turned-white shark did it, and in order to prevent his soul from bearing the sin, you took the blame yourself," Liu Bai asked.

Wu Sifeng nodded.

“But you also said he’s dead. As a spirit, he can’t do many things,” Liu Bai said.

Wu Sifeng suddenly realized.

"Besides, if your friend had any obsessions, he wouldn't be at the aquarium. Doesn't he yearn for the sea?" Liu Chaoque chimed in.

"He became a human and lived in Suzhou. He saw his companions in the aquarium living a life of ease and envy. He also regretted his life in his previous life. So after he died, his obsession was to be in the aquarium. He couldn't pass through the glass, so I took him in. This was his wish, and it was also my wish." Wu Sifeng said this with a smile on her lips.