Chapter 5 Part 1 Past & Present

"Photographs are the product of heartbreak." Even at the age when his hair started to turn gray, Li Daqi heard this statement for the first time, so he was very impressed.He is a policeman, and he climbed to his current position through hard work and perseverance. I don’t know if he has a tendency to be a workaholic, maybe because of a fear of hurting others because of excessive ego, he is still single until now; I almost stepped on the red carpet a few times, but because of hesitation at the critical moment, I missed the fate of getting married. Since then, I have been more involved in handling the case, and it has been like this until now.

It's not because he has an inexplicable interest in crimes, but rather because of a sense of justice that brings criminals to justice; even though he is not a genius detective, he firmly believes that perseverance is the biggest reason for solving a case; he always works hard during the investigation process. Searching, and gradually accumulated experience and experience.Many consider him to be an excellent police officer. Stepping out of the MRT station and walking towards the designated restaurant, the river built by the crowd is at high tide, roaring and galloping under the night; shuttling between the network of people coming and going, a spiritual Great fatigue arises spontaneously.

After entering the alley, a small and tidy Thai restaurant appeared in front of him. He looked at the storefront and signboard, and only went in after making sure it was correct. As soon as he stepped in, he saw a man in the corner waving to him. It was a familiar face.Li Daqi recognized him as an old friend from high school, and immediately approached him. "It's really been a long time." The other party smiled with emotion and joy. Zhang Zhongming was his former buddy, and together they made aspirations to become excellent policemen. Later, the old friend went to Hualien and became the head of the criminal team, while he stayed in Taipei and served in the Shilin branch.

Although the criminal team has been restructured into an investigation team, Li Daqi and his friends still call his old friend Team Leader Zhang, which seems to have become his nickname. Since Team Leader Zhang happened to be going north for business, he made an appointment at a time that was convenient for both of them, hoping to catch up on the old days; so he chose this restaurant tonight and planned to have a feast. The old friend really looked much older, Li Daqi sat down while smiling wryly in his heart. The phrase "time is not forgiving" has formed more and more shadows with age, especially every time I meet old faces, I feel a lot more.

"This is the friend I mentioned to you," Team Leader Zhang introduced to a young man beside him, "Maybe you've known him for a long time, that's Lin Ruoping." Li Daqi looked at the thin young man sitting on the side, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, he should be around twenty-six years old, with a rather gentle demeanor, a few traces of gloomy gloom flashed on his calm face, as if he was thinking about something .He nodded to Li Daqi to express his respect. "Ruoping is now an assistant professor in the Philosophy Department of Tianhe University." As if Lin Ruoping was dumb, Team Leader Zhang continued, "His specialized field is... er, Ruoping, you can tell by yourself."

"I teach logic as well as metaphysics and philosophy of mind," Lin Ruoping took over and replied.His voice was a little low and muffled, but there was a strange stability in it. "Logic and form..." Li Daqi smiled politely and responded, "Form... sorry, what is form?" "Metaphysics, metaphysics." "That means?" "Simply put, it is the study of the fundamental structure of the world and its principles. For example, the principles of space, time, and causality are all within the scope of metaphysical research." "He broke the murder case in a badminton court that happened in Hualien before," Team Leader Zhang quickly changed the subject, "That was also the first time we met."

"Well, I've heard a little bit about it," Li Daqi nodded, but he felt uncertain in his heart. He really couldn't see the supernatural ability of this ordinary young man at first glance.After he took a sip of the boiled water poured by the waiter, he asked, "Has the Yuyezhuang murder case that happened before been reported?" The serial homicides that occurred in the mansion on Nanheng Highway——Yuyezhuang, were finally solved by Lin Ruoping and were widely reported by the newspapers. However, the identity of the murderer was too bizarre and there was no evidence to prove it, so he could not be accepted by the police. Consider it an unsolved case.

"That case is very interesting," Lin Ruoping said, "I think Officer Li must have experienced many strange cases." "No," he said with a smile, "most of the criminal cases are quite boring and tiresome, and you probably don't want to hear those stories. The so-called secret room murder case is also the first since I have been a policeman for decades. I heard it for the second time." "Really? If the police officer encounters some incredible cases in the future, if it's convenient, I'd be happy to participate." "Oh, that's all I have to meet." After the three ordered meals, Li Daqi said while eating: "What a friend, I know I like Thai food, and I chose a restaurant that I have never been to. past restaurant."

"Coincidentally, Ruoping also prefers Thai cuisine, it seems that you have met a lot." Team Leader Zhang said. At this time, Li Daqi saw a young woman enter the restaurant, chatted with the service staff at the counter for a while, took a note, and went out again. "What were you doing just now?" He stared at the leaving woman, without asking anyone in particular. "It looks like a nearby university is holding a film festival, and you can buy tickets here. You were a college student just now!" Ruoping replied. "I see, what kind of movies are you showing?"

"It seems to be a series of horror movies. The main movie is a previous Thai horror movie, which is related to ghost photos." "Spiritual photos?" "yes." "Do you believe in that stuff?" "Most ghost photos are fake, but..." Lin Ruoping suddenly changed from a slightly lazy attitude to a serious one. Li Daqi noticed that when he got to the point, he felt very different, and his eyes became sharper. "When it comes to photographs, I have a set of ideas. Photographs are the product of heartbreak." Hearing this sentence, the other two showed stunned expressions. "It's heartbreaking because it breaks the illusion and faithfully presents the real. We often say that the eyes deceive people, but in fact, the eyes show the real situation, and people only see what they want to see. The same is true for the camera. Once broken The illusion of the viewer's consciousness, to understand the images in the photos, people will be disappointed, and then they will be heartbroken. If you can see the truth from the beginning, how many tragedies can be reduced?"

Li Daqi didn't answer immediately, he ruminated on Lin Ruoping's words; looking at the other person's eyes and thinking expression, he suddenly realized that maybe his understanding of this young man at the beginning was also an illusion... Fate gave the opportunity to prove the above hypothesis to be true, but it was a long time later when Li Daqi got the proof in his mind. The next night, a photographer was found dead in the darkroom of the apartment by his cohabiting girlfriend, and was stabbed to death; the police officer led the team to investigate; Lin Ruoping's photo theory always lies dormant under the surface, like the silent waves of an undercurrent.