By Bai Xuefei, Guo Yanbin

　　East Ujimqin Banner, Inner Mongolia, sits along the northern frontier of China, where winters linger stubbornly with piercing winds whipping up heavy snow into relentless whiteouts that regularly disrupt local life. Zhang Bingyi, the political instructor of the traffic police brigade of the East Ujimqin Banner Public Security Bureau, was responsible for patrolling the G331 National Highway. Spanning over 300 kilometers, this route run within 30 kilometers from the border in some sections. It serves not only as a vital east-west transport corridor but also as a strategic foothold for safeguarding border security, combating cross-border crime, and ensuring stability in the northern frontier.
　　During the harsh winters, when the relentless "white-out" storms rage on, any sign of danger is treated as an immediate call to duty. January 13, 2024, was an ordinary Saturday. It wasn’t a day Zhang Bingyi was scheduled for duty, so he took his daughter, who was suffering from a bad cold, to the hospital for an IV drip early in the morning.   Around noon, his wife called him, saying that their apartment’s heating system had broken down and flooded the neighbor’s home and the staircase. She asked him to talk to the neighbors about compensation as soon as he got back. Hardly had Zhang stepped through the door when an urgent notification popped up on his phone: "Due to extreme weather conditions, all police officers must report immediately for patrol duty."He jumped to his feet immediately, tossing out a quick "Let’s talk about the heating when I get back from patrol," and rushed out the door. Little did he know, those were the last words he ever spoke to his wife.
　　At 15:22, Zhang posted an update in the traffic officers’ group: "There are snow drifts on the road surface at the 5,665 km marker of the G331 National Highway, with visibility below 20 meters. All patrol crews should proceed with caution."At 15:28, he posted a message reminding everyone to use extreme care. After that, a flood of messages about road conditions, patrol reports, and safety alerts flashed up, but none came from Zhang.
　　More than an hour later, the devastating news came. The dashcam recorded his last few minutes. The blinding snow swirled violently across the ground. The footage recorded Zhang speaking to the driver, "Drive Safe."The driver replied, "Thank you!"Then came the thud of a door closing. Moments later, a vehicle emerged suddenly from the opposite direction. Due to extremely low visibility, Zhang was hit in a chain collision and critically injured. Despite emergency rescue, he succumbed to multiple severe injuries at the age of only 48.
　　In that moment, he provided safety for the civilians, only to collapse himself onto the freezing road..

　　A Dedicated Officer at Every Post
　　When sorting through her father’s belongings, the bereaved daughter discovered a heartbreaking truth: the possessions of her frugal father could barely fill two woven sacks, while his certificates of merit and awards filled an entire suitcase.
　　Zhang’s career spanned multiple divisions within the East Ujimqin Banner Public Security Bureau, including the detention center, the criminal investigation brigade, and the traffic police division. Each time he took up a new post, he would buy several professional books to study. Long after work hours, Zhang would often be found in the office, immersing himself in learning.
　　Wholeheartedly devoted to every post he held, Zhang always pressed forward without hesitation whenever needed.
　　For nine years, Zhang worked in logistics at the detention center. In this position, often regarded as dull, routine, and unremarkable, he remained diligent and dedicated. He helped offenders re-enter society, accompanied and reformed those who had strayed, and defended the fairness and justice of the law with a strong sense of responsibility. During his stint at the detention center, he maintained a flawless track record, contributing to the center’s distinction of "zero accidents for 20 years in a row."Zhang was awarded a third-class merit citation for his outstanding performance.
　　In April 2010, in recognition of his strong political integrity and professional competence, Zhang was transferred to the criminal investigation brigade. From then on, he had become even busier in the eyes of his wife and daughter. Sometimes he returned home injured from handling cases, but he would always downplay his wounds as accidental scratches to ease his wife’s doubts and worries. As a criminal investigator, Zhang cracked tough cases with unwavering dedication and quickly became a top officer. Over the years, he helped crack over 1,000 criminal cases of various types. During the nationwide "Hunt for Fugitives"campaign in 2011, he travelled across more than 30 cities in half a year and apprehended seven criminals at large.
　　On the eve of the 2014 Chinese New Year, a jewelry store was robbed, with losses exceeding RMB 400,000. Zhang gave up his family reunion and immediately investigated. He successfully identified some clues and pinpointed the suspect. The case was cracked in just 17 days.
　　In 2015, a violent criminal case broke out in East Ujimqin Banner, but the suspect escaped from the scene. Zhang immediately rushed with his colleagues to the suspect’s hideout for arrest. The suspect, highly skilled in counter-surveillance, switched vehicles and fled to another city after sensing danger. Zhang and his teammates drove through the night to the suspect’s temporary residence and found him. During the operation, the vicious suspect suddenly pulled out a sharp knife. Without hesitation and regard for his own safety, Zhang lunged forward, tackled the suspect, and pinned him to the ground. His arm was cut, but he was not deterred and continued to fight until he managed to subdue the suspect. The case was solved in just 16 hours.

　　A Guardian amid Blizzards
　　"Now that I’m in traffic control, I’m gonna stick to the same code I had back in CID. If I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it right.  I must be worthy of the title ’Traffic Police’,"Zhang once said.
　　To adapt to his new role in traffic policing, Zhang pushed himself harder, immersing himself in traffic laws and regulations, enforcement procedures, and protocols for handling traffic violations. He rose early and worked late, putting in long hours each day to sharpen his professional skills. As busy as he had been in the criminal investigation brigade, he spent little time with his family and turned his longing for them into care and concern for the people.
　　"I had thought that after the transfer, my father would finally have more time for us, but now…"his daughter said through tears.
　　"My father was very kind,"she recalled. "When he saw an abandoned tire on the road, he would move the tire aside to prevent accidents. When he saw a car parked abnormally on the roadside, he would approach and ask if the driver needed help."
　　On one business trip, Zhang encountered a herdsman’s vehicle stranded by the roadside with an empty fuel tank. He quickly contacted a colleague on duty and arranged for fuel to be delivered to the herdsman. Half an hour later, he called again to confirm if the issue had been resolved. Such simple acts spoke volumes about Zhang’s professionalism as a traffic police officer.
　　Zhang’s WeChat profile features the silhouette of a police officer with the words: "Having chosen the distance, we shall press on rain or shine."His Moments background, by contrast, was a photo of his wife and daughter.
　　"On January 11, he returned with an honor from an awards ceremony in Xilinhot,"his wife recalled. "I made a special dinner to celebrate, but he had hardly settled in for his meal when the call came. He dropped his chopsticks and rushed out. He always said work came first. It’s the same old story, over and over again."
　　Being married to a police officer made her taste both the joys and hardships of this profession. She had seen her husband working tirelessly until dawn, rushing out for duty halfway through meals, beaming with joy after solving major cases. "Zhang’s life as a police officer was like a stack of vivid photos. Those moments had woven themselves into my days and nights. The sight of him leaving on January 13 is forever etched in my mind,"she said with red and swollen eyes.
　　Zhang’s colleagues and family members recalled that during his busiest periods, he spent more than 300 days a year on various cases. His daughter, who grew up almost in his absence, came to understand him only after his passing. "He always rushed out without a word,"she said, noting that her father was simply too busy, with his heart and mind preoccupied with people he served. She hopes to grow up to be like her father one day and make a difference to society.■
　　
　　（Translated by Zhang Yanzhou ）