It’s been ten years since my death, and Rachel, the fiancée I abandoned, has returned to the country as a scam kingpin to expand her operations. Her first target is my family. After swindling my family out of their property, cutting off their limbs to pay debts, and handing my sister over to a sadist, she’s disappointed that I still haven’t come to arrest her. Furious, she thinks I must be hiding somewhere again. Just as she’s considering whether to leak photos of my family online to force me out, one of her subordinates informs her, “Boss, he died ten years ago.” “He was caught for dereliction of duty and killed in prison by criminals he’d previously arrested.” “His body is still there. Do you want us to dig it up and desecrate it?” The luxurious office is dead silent. A bird perched on a branch curiously peers at the figure inside but is startled away by a sudden sound. The hunched figure slowly kneels down, while Rachel sits in her chair, looking down at his movements with disdain. “Rachel, please, uncle knows you’re capable. Give the money back to uncle, I’m begging you,” the man pleads. Rachel casually blows on her perfectly manicured nails. “Uncle, weren’t you quite wealthy before? You could throw around $10,000 to hurt people, but now you can’t even come up with a few thousand? What happened?” she asks with malicious intent. “Did you spend all the money you made from selling me out? Look at you now, reduced to begging on your knees.” Watching my father kneel on the ground, kowtowing to someone else, I feel a piercing pain in my heart. I reach out to stop him, to make him get up. My father, always so proud, how could he kneel and kowtow to someone else? But my outstretched hand passes through his body. That’s right, I’m dead. It’s been ten years, and I still haven’t gotten used to it. I laugh bitterly, helpless to do anything but watch as my father kowtows until his forehead bleeds. He can barely speak clearly but still hopes Rachel will return the money. “Please, I’m begging you, please…” Rachel smirks contemptuously and deliberately takes out a few $10 bills, slapping them on his face. “Fine, consider this my charity to you.” “Tell your son I’m back, and this is what he owes me.” “I’ll collect this debt bit by bit.” “Now get out.” I watch as the man who had been proud and strong all his life lowers his head, picking up those humiliating bills, and then says, “Can you give a little more?” My tears fall instantly. Watching him stumble away, the pain of helplessness envelops me, leaving me breathless. I look at Rachel. She’s changed, become more unfamiliar.
I follow Rachel back to her home. For some reason, I can’t leave her side, forced to go wherever she goes. There’s a noise inside the house. Rachel becomes alert. The next moment, a familiar face emerges from the kitchen carrying a plate. My gaze sharpens. It’s Derek, the scam kingpin, my old nemesis. Seeing him, Rachel instantly drops all her defenses. Like a swallow returning to its nest, she throws herself into his arms with complete dependence. “Derek, why are you here?” Derek smiles indulgently, “You’re back in the country, of course I had to come see you. I still have food on the stove.” “No, I won’t let go,” Rachel pouts, her eyes shining with a light reserved only for those she trusts most. She used to look at me like that too. We were childhood sweethearts, and I was the person she trusted most. Back then, I was the only one in her eyes. My heart aches with a dense, gnawing pain, as if being eaten by ants. Derek helplessly moves to the dining table in this position, casually bringing up, “I heard you went to see someone?” Rachel grins proudly, “Yes, Jack’s father came begging me. I even threw money in his face to humiliate him.” Derek’s smile falters slightly before returning to normal. “Do you still remember Jack?” Rachel puffs up angrily, “Back then, their whole family ruined me so badly, I won’t let them off, especially that Jack. I’ll make him lose everything.” I look at Rachel. She’s still as grudge-holding as she was when we were young. Probably even if someone told her I was dead now, she wouldn’t believe it. She’d likely think it was another of my tricks to deceive her. That’s fair. I did deceive her. She trusted me so much; it’s right for her to hate me.
Rachel waited for a few days but found that no one came looking for her. Getting angrier the more she thought about it, she stormed over to my house with a group of people. But only my mother, now half-paralyzed, was at home. Apart from an old wooden bed and some simple odds and ends, there was nothing else in this small room, let alone a place to hide someone. “What’s the point of having a son like this? It’s no different from not having one at all. Your mom is half-paralyzed in bed, your dad has become a cripple, and he still doesn’t come back.” Rachel looks at the run-down room with disgust, pinching her nose against the odor, and launches into a barrage of mockery. “We treated you like our own daughter since you were little. When Jack wasn’t around, you were the one who kept us company. How did you become like this?” my mother, with half of her body immobile, struggles to sit up on the bed, trying to grab Rachel’s clothes, her voice choked with emotion as she asks why. Rachel rudely slaps away her hand. “Don’t touch me with your dirty hands. I should thank your son for what I’ve become!” “If he hadn’t sold me out, I wouldn’t be as rich as I am today. Being rich really does feel good. No wonder you liked to throw money around to hurt people.” “If you have any way to contact your son, go ahead and do it. Doesn’t he hate criminals the most? I’ll face him head-on!” My mother hesitates for a moment but remains silent. Rachel, however, takes this as her having nothing to say and becomes even angrier. “Trash the place!” she orders. The people she brought with her start smashing the few remaining broken bowls, chopsticks, tables, and chairs in the house. My mother, wrapped in tattered quilts, tries desperately to stop them but can’t move far. Seeing this miserable scene, I feel a lump in my throat. It’s my fault. Years ago, Rachel was brainwashed by a scam organization, firmly believing she could make big money. She even invited us to join. My father threw $10,000 at her, telling her never to come to our house again. My mother remained silent. In the end, persuaded by Rachel, I joined the organization. She trusted me completely and told me everything. So when I personally led the team to arrest her, she couldn’t believe it. The last glance I saw as she left was filled with venomous hatred. I knew she would come back, but I didn’t expect her hatred to be so intense. Ten years hadn’t made her forget; instead, she remembered even more deeply. Rachel, seeing the already shabby room become even more wrecked, felt some of her anger dissipate. “Tell your son to come back quickly. Otherwise, your whole family won’t have peace. Let’s go,” she says. My mother presses her lips tightly, glaring hatefully as Rachel leaves. Rachel casually kicks away some debris blocking her path and struts out in her high heels. I kneel beside my mother, wanting to hug her, begging her not to be so stubborn anymore. But she can’t hear me. She takes out a yellowed photograph from under her pillow and mumbles, “Jack, she wants to know, but we won’t tell her. That’s what she gets for becoming so evil.” Tears blur my vision. I’m not a good son. I don’t deserve this. I thought they had long forgotten about me.
Rachel is no longer the kind-hearted person she once was. The scam organization is not a good place; it’s a living hell. She has sunk deeper and deeper, even her heart has grown cold and hard. She doesn’t care if my mother is paralyzed in bed or if my father is disabled. She only wants money. When she swings the knife to cut off my parents’ limbs, I am completely devastated. Rachel watches the people lying in pools of blood with an expressionless face. She waves her hand to call her subordinates, “Find a back-alley doctor to give them a couple of shots. As long as they don’t die, it’s fine.” I keep shouting in rage, passing through her body. I want to strangle her. She’s not human anymore. I’m the one who did wrong, why do my parents have to bear the consequences? Watching my parents being carelessly given a couple of shots to stop the bleeding and then left there, I break down. I wish I could be the one lying there, hovering between life and death. No matter how cruel, as long as my parents are okay. “Boss, this needle was just used by a drug addict. Is that okay?” the shady doctor rubs his hands, looking a bit embarrassed. I rush over to punch that shameless face. Our family can’t afford to treat AIDS now. He’s going to kill my parents. Rachel smiles, “It’s fine. They’re old anyway. Without hands and feet, they won’t live for many more years.” She takes a drag on her cigarette. “Whatever medicine you use, make sure they live for at least a year.” I know why she says this. Because in the past, I would see her at least once a year. After failing to get into the police academy, she thought I was working outside. But that wasn’t true. I was undercover. So she never knew my real identity. Actually, I wish I had really failed back then. Then I wouldn’t have had to watch her go down the wrong path. I really made a mistake. I betrayed her for myself, and then betrayed my oath for her. In the end, I lost everything. This must be my retribution. Looking at my parents’ pale faces from blood loss and the empty spaces where their hands and feet should be, I desperately pound my head. I’m not a good son. I wish they had never given birth to me. Then they wouldn’t have to suffer such a cruel fate in their old age. I don’t know how long it’s been, but my father regains consciousness. Seeing Rachel, he trembles with anger, unable to utter a word. “What’s wrong, uncle? Did you have a stroke in your old age?” Rachel asks mockingly. “That’s too bad. Do you have money for treatment? I’m afraid you can only wait for death now.” She laughs wildly, then covers her mouth in mock surprise. “Oh my, I forgot to tell you, uncle. The needle used for the injection might have been used by a drug addict before. Who knows if you’ll get sick?” “Isn’t that terrible? It seems you can’t afford treatment anyway.” Rachel shakes her head in feigned pity. My father’s eyes bulge with rage. He wants to fight her to the death but can’t move an inch. He can only stare at her fiercely, but when he sees my mother beside him, tears start to fall. I’ve never seen my father cry before. This is the first time. He struggles to move his body closer to my mother, leaning against her and silently weeping. Tears fall from his aged face, his already graying hair now even whiter. Rachel narrows her eyes, “Uncle, don’t blame me for being heartless. How about this? If you apologize for what happened before, I’ll give you a dose of preventive medicine. How about that?” She stands still, clearly wanting my father to crawl to her feet. I’ve seen through her now. She’s a complete psychopath, a cold-blooded monster. No matter how much I want to help my father, I can only helplessly pass through him. Watching him struggle to get off the bed, falling heavily to the ground, only able to slowly crawl towards Rachel’s feet with his remaining limbs, leaving a long trail of blood. “I beg you, please…” “Uncle, your voice is too soft. I can’t hear you. Why don’t you lift your head?” Rachel says maliciously. My father trembles as he lifts his head, in a ridiculous posture. But my mother can’t laugh. Already weak, seeing her husband in such a humiliating state, coupled with the massive blood loss, she faints. My father turns back to see this and lets out a heart-wrenching cry, trying to rush over to her. Rachel impatiently covers her ears, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you screaming so horribly? Hey, don’t let them die.” The doctor who had been watching from the side goes over to save them. Rachel purses her lips in boredom and walks out in her high heels.
She drives to the seaside and lights a cigarette. In the sea breeze, the smoke is hazy, dispersing with the wind. I don’t understand why she still looks so melancholic when she’s already done such extreme things. She stubs out the burnt-out cigarette and takes out a photo from her phone case. It’s a picture of me and her. I thought she had thrown it away long ago. After all, it’s been ten years. The photo shows signs of being torn apart before, but it has been pieced back together. She smokes and cries, cursing my name at the sea. “Jack, you’re a dog, an ungrateful bastard, a fool who doesn’t know how to make money.” “Be a loser for life, you’ll die in some godforsaken corner with no one to bury you. All you know is how to be a cop, too cowardly to show your face, you coward!” I sit beside her, listening to her grievances. I owe her a lot. As she wished, I’m dead. I don’t know if anyone buried me. Maybe I’ve been dismembered. After all, those criminals hated me to the bone, wishing I’d die without a proper burial. Rachel sits there for a long time until her phone rings with a text message. “Is my gift ready?” I’m a bit curious. Is she going to attend a birthday party? Rachel starts the car and heads in a direction. As the road becomes more and more familiar, I finally realize—she’s going to find Emily! I desperately try to stop her, not wanting her to find Emily. Emily is an orphan I used to support. She has intellectual disabilities and has always lived in the orphanage. When she arrives, Emily has just finished class and is playing in the yard. Seeing Rachel, she happily rushes over to hug her, “Rachel, big sister!” Although it’s been ten years since they last met, Emily still remembers her. “Jack, where’s big brother?” Emily curiously looks behind Rachel. Rachel looks at her with complex emotions, “He’s not here. Do you want to leave with me?” Emily happily nods and skips off to find the orphanage director. “She’s yours now.” Rachel releases Emily’s hand and pushes her towards the man in front of her. The man gropes Emily up and down, a look of satisfaction on his face. “Rachel, big sister…” Emily struggles desperately, but is slapped by the man, leaving a clear handprint on her face. Rachel coldly watches this scene, “Don’t blame me. Blame that brother of yours. This is what happens when you’re associated with him.” “Since he still hasn’t shown up, I’ll force him out.” After saying this, she calls her subordinates to set up cameras. “Remember, full coverage, no blind spots. I want that man to know the consequences of offending me.” She slowly adds, “Do whatever you want with her, just one thing—record everything.” Thinking about how Jack will be heartbroken watching the video, Rachel’s eyes curve in a smile, feeling somewhat happy. The broken scenes cause me pain. Emily is like my daughter, the child of my comrade. I couldn’t save my comrade, and now I can’t even protect his child. I close my eyes, wanting to escape, but Emily’s painful cries pierce my ears. It’s my fault. I’ve been dead for ten years, but death is no excuse for me to escape. This is my retribution. My heart is like dead wood, already numb.
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