Chapter 121 Back Home

It was already late at night when he returned to the police station dormitory.

The dormitory conditions were actually quite good. Although some of the newer, younger officers occasionally complained, Lao Zhang, as someone who had been around for a while, was genuinely satisfied.

The dormitory was similar to a "Seven Days" hotel – simple furnishings, but at least you could take a hot shower in the winter. What more could you ask for?

Compared to that old, dilapidated place back then,

where you had to squeeze into the public bathhouse with everyone else to shower,

this was really great.

After taking a shower, Lao Zhang sat at the small table and chain-smoked three cigarettes over the ashtray.

Only then did he contentedly take off his coat and get into bed.

Two thick quilts were enough to handle winter this season. As for electric blankets and air conditioners, he didn't like using them. He hadn't used them in his middle age in his previous life, and this body was only in its early thirties, so naturally he didn't need them even more.

He lay down,

closed his eyes,

and a feeling of fatigue slowly washed over him.

There are indeed some people in this world who suffer from insomnia, but most of the people who claim to have insomnia are just too idle during the day. When you really drain your body and mind, you'll be snoring in bed in less than a minute.

Most people's insomnia is because you're not tired enough during the day...

Lao Zhang's snores were loud,

like thunder.

They would occasionally pause slightly, and then the snoring would continue as before.

A black shadow,

slowly reappeared.

This was the "guest" that Lao Zhang had inadvertently stepped on and brought home.

At this moment,

when the host was sound asleep,

the guest finally revealed its figure.

The black shadow began to climb onto the bed, covering the quilt on Lao Zhang's body. It slowly rose, revealing a silhouette-like figure, its single horn on its head looking somewhat狰狞 (zhengning, ferocious).

Lao Zhang continued to sleep soundly. He was exhausted today and didn't know that a terrifying tentacle had already extended over and was really on his bed.

The black shadow began to slowly sink,

merging into Lao Zhang's body,

gently,

slowly,

very gently,

without any brutality.

………………

Lao Zhang felt his body was swelling, as if he had been thrown into a formalin plastic bucket, and then the washing machine was turned on, stirring him up.

He wanted to open his eyes, but he couldn't. His eyes were sticky, and his whole body felt as if it was covered with layers of thick spider silk.

He didn't know how long it had passed,

but light appeared before his eyes,

and the discomfort began to dissipate.

Lao Zhang found himself standing at the end of an old alley.

In front of him,

a boy covered in blood was squatting.

The boy had a wound on his arm, and several places on his face were scraped. There were also several other children nearby, all watching him cautiously.

The children's clothes were old and somewhat worn. At least, even if today's children didn't dress well, they wouldn't wear this kind of style.

Lao Zhang stood on the side, watching like a bystander. What he didn't notice was that behind him, a black, single-horned shadow was also watching with him.

Lao Zhang remembered,

this scene,

should be when he was a child, fighting with the local hooligans who robbed his classmates' money. He had driven the hooligan away. To be precise, after the hooligan scratched him with a knife, he saw Lao Zhang, covered in blood, still charging at him, and was scared away.

Back then, he was really afraid of nothing, acting like a complete idiot. Things were much more chaotic back then, and it was lucky that he was able to grow up alive.

After he went back, his mother scolded him the whole time, and took him to the medical station to treat the wounds. Afterwards, his father, who was also a policeman, rarely didn't scold him, and even touched his head, encouraging him for once.

This is a dream, right?

Lao Zhang thought to himself.

He didn't have Zhou boss's experience of being thrown into illusions and ravaged countless times, so he wasn't sensitive to these things.

Lao Zhang wanted to walk towards that child. He didn't have any other thoughts, purely out of curiosity, wanting to see what he looked like when he was a child again.

However,

after only taking a few steps forward, the surrounding scene suddenly dissipated. What replaced it was a clean white wall. Lao Zhang turned his head and saw a group of young faces wearing police uniforms.

They were standing straight, with some remaining childishness on their faces, but at this time, they all looked serious, full of youthful vigor!

An old policeman walked to the front of the podium.

Behind him on the wall,

hung the national emblem and the national flag.

The old policeman didn't seem to be in very good health, but when he clenched his fist and raised it, his whole demeanor suddenly changed.

"I swear!"

Below,

all the young policemen raised their fists together,

and said in unison:

"I swear!"

Lao Zhang found himself in the first position in the first row on the left.

His first reaction was,

uh,

was I so ugly back then?

Lao Zhang always felt that he should have looked pretty good when he was young. He also felt that his ex-wife must have been attracted to his handsome and tough appearance back then.

He didn't know if it was because he had repeatedly used psychological suggestion to add too much beauty to his younger self over the years, but when he saw him again in the dream this time,

he was so disappointed...

And then he thought,

was my ex-wife blind back then...

However,

it could be seen,

that he was very excited back then.

Really excited.

His fist was clenched tightly,

his face was flushed red,

and his arm was trembling slightly.

This was the prompting of a sense of mission. On that day, he understood the path and essence of his future life.

"I volunteer to become a People's Police of the People's Republic of China!

I will dedicate myself to the noble cause of the People's Public Security, resolutely be loyal to the Party, serve the people, enforce the law impartially, be strict in discipline, and unswervingly be a builder and defender of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics!

I will strive to maintain social stability, promote social fairness and justice, and ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment!"

The impassioned oath ended,

and the old policeman who was leading everyone to swear in front had tears in his cloudy eyes. After coughing several times, he took a deep breath, and his gaze became powerful again.

Lao Zhang remembered who this old policeman was. He was a police hero of Tong City back then, but at the peak of his career development, he was stabbed by a knife by a criminal while rescuing hostages. Although he escaped danger, it caused great damage to a certain organ in his body, leading him to only be able to be in charge of paperwork in the years that followed, unable to go to the front line again.

The originally bright future was only left with dimness.

"My family, my son, my wife, my friends, and even my colleagues, asked me if I regretted it!"

The old policeman's voice had a kind of hoarseness,

and the young policemen below looked solemn.

"But I want to tell you that I don't care what others think, and I don't want to pay attention to how others see it.

From the day I put on the police uniform,

I have never regretted it!"

The old policeman coughed heavily again,

he took out his handkerchief and wiped the corner of his mouth,

and straightened his body again,

and continued:

"I hope that you can be like me. Since you have chosen to be a policeman, you must be worthy of the police badge on your head, and you must be worthy of this police uniform on your body!

You are policemen,

you are glorious People's Police!"

"Clap clap clap clap!"

All the policemen below applauded together.

Lao Zhang also subconsciously applauded. This old policeman died of lung disease a few years later.

Today's dream is so unusual, it's really terrifyingly real.

Lao Zhang thought to himself,

and then,

the environment around him changed again,

Lao Zhang was standing in the small conference room,

two rows of policemen were standing there,

with the Party flag hanging in front, solemn and majestic!

Lao Zhang subconsciously began to look for himself. He found himself, he already had stubble, and had begun to become sloppy. In today's popular words, he had successfully evolved from a fresh meat to an old fritter.

It wasn't so much the change in age, but the change in mentality.

Just like many young people today, even middle school students, feel unconfident if they don't wash their hair before going out.

But the old fritters have long been detached from the world, and they really don't care about their appearance.

"I volunteer to join the Communist Party of China,

uphold the Party's program, abide by the Party's constitution, fulfill Party members' obligations, implement the Party's decisions, strictly observe Party discipline, keep Party secrets, be loyal to the Party, work actively, strive for communism throughout my life, be ready at all times to sacrifice everything for the Party and the people,

and never betray the Party!"

When taking the oath of joining the Party,

Lao Zhang subconsciously straightened his back, standing as straight as he had many years ago, staring at the Party flag with a fervent and loyal gaze!

Perhaps, the changes in social thought and the appearance of various news over the years have made some originally sacred things seem not so bright in the eyes of the public.

But undeniably, there is still a large group of people who, deep in their hearts, still uphold this oath, this bottom line.

It's just that this impetuous society has covered up too much of the truth.

Lao Zhang is a very serious person,

but this is his dream after all,

and it won't be like reality where if you're slightly something, someone will think you're putting on a show.

The surging of his heart hadn't ended,

and the scene changed again,

outside the elementary school classroom,

the familiar layout,

the familiar scene,

in the air,

there seemed to be a familiar smell of gasoline.

Lao Zhang's body trembled,

the deepest level of terror in his memory was attacking!

Next,

Lao Zhang saw two people fall out of the window while hugging each other,

and then,

fire,

big fire,

suddenly窜起 (cuan qi, burst into flames)...

"Ahhhhh!!!!!"

At that time, when he desperately hugged the criminal,

he had no other thoughts at all,

relying only on his instinct,

but now, standing in a third-person perspective and seeing this scene again,

that sense of fear, like a tide, flooded in crazily.

Lao Zhang knelt on the ground,

covering his ears with his hands,

as if there was a fire burning on his body, scorching his skin!

Lao Zhang was squatting down,

but the shadow behind him remained motionless,

still maintaining its previous appearance,

as if it was,

sizing him up...