《Replacing the Evil Way》


 CH 1

    Chapter 1: Rainy night ghost


    The rain outside the window kept falling. Wang Mei held a flashlight and pushed open the door of the private room to do the routine night inspection. The hotel where she worked was located near a remote national highway, and it had a very bold name called ¡°Shengshi Hotel1¡°. In the five-story building, the first and second floors were used as restaurants, and the third to fifth floors were accommodation rooms. The neon lights on the roof of the hotel were always on all night, and it was the most ¡°high-end¡± hotel in this area.


    After the inspection of private room 201 was over, Wang Mei withdrew and closed the door. But just as she looked up, her whole body trembled, and all the fine hair stood on end.


    At the end of the long and quiet corridor, there stood an old man in a Chinese tunic suit. He was short and thin, and above him was a sensor light. In order to save electricity, the lights used here were of the minimum wattage. Under the dim yellow light, the old man¡¯s face was not clear.


    But Wang Mei knew that his expression must be ferocious. His eyebrows were raised and his face was straight, just like what many colleagues on the night shift had described before. His cloudy eyes were shining, as if he was looking at some target.


    There have been rumors of ghosts in the Shengshi Hotel for more than half a month. At twelve o¡¯clock in the middle of the night, when the yin energy was at its peak, an old man in a Chinese tunic suit quietly appeared in the corridor and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Several of her colleagues had seen it with their own eyes and were frightened. Two of the waitresses even resigned voluntarily, not daring to continue working here.


    Wang Mei froze in place. Her hands and feet were cold, her palms were sweaty, and the flashlight in her hand fell to the ground. All the sensor lights turned off one by one, and the corridor was instantly enveloped in darkness. She let out a shrill cry, which turned on the sensor lights in the entire corridor, but there was no one at the end of the corridor except for her.


    Hearing the screams, the security guard ran up. Wang Mei trembled all over and grabbed his arm tightly, so frightened that she couldn¡¯t stand still.


    ¡°There is a ghost, there is a ghost! It¡¯s that old man!¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­


    He Wei was driving a car and saw the red and blue police lights and ambulance lights flashing alternately a few meters away. It was raining and the vision was poor. The windshield wipers had just wiped off the windshield, and another layer of rainwater rushed up, forming wavy water patterns, and the lights in the distance also swayed into double shadows.


    He parked the car in front of the gate of the Shengshi Hotel and got out of the car with an umbrella. The scene had been cordoned off, and a dozen or so passers-by stretched their necks to look into the courtyard gate, and some even came wearing pajamas to join in the fun. This should be the time when everyone was sleeping soundly in the dead of night, but the lights in every house around were lit. It was obvious that they couldn¡¯t fall asleep because of this murder case.


    Holding an umbrella in one hand, He Wei took out his police ID card from his pocket, walked over from the side of the crowd, raised the cordon, and stooped to enter the courtyard gate. Just as a local police officer was about to speak, he raised his hand, revealing his ID card¡ª¡ª


    He Wei, head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Shengzhou Public Security Bureau.


    The police officer opened his mouth and hurriedly saluted, watching the young man enter the murder scene.


    The rainproof shelter had been set up in the courtyard, and the officers on the site were now collecting evidence. Zheng Youqing, wearing a mask and holding a camera, took pictures of the shoe prints in the mud. When he saw He Wei, he raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Captain He, you are here.¡±


    He Wei nodded, looked left and right, and asked: ¡°Where is the corpse?¡±


    Zheng Youqing pointed to the five-story building behind him: ¡°It¡¯s at the back; you have to turn around. Captain He, do you like Sichuan cuisine?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± As He Wei replied, he had already put away his umbrella and put on the transparent raincoat and plastic gloves handed over by his colleagues. Zheng Youqing stuck out his tongue: ¡°That¡¯s good, Sister Lan said there was mapo tofu, Brother Chong had supper before coming, and he almost spit it out. ¡°


    The corners of He Wei¡¯s lips were curved, and he walked over while wearing a mask. The moment he went around the corner, he saw Xia Liang in the group wiping the corner of his mouth while holding the wall. He raised his head and met He Wei¡¯s eyes, complaining with a distorted face: ¡°Sister Lan told me that the scene wasn¡¯t ugly. That¡¯s called not ugly? Some parts have to be brought back with a shovel.¡±


    He Wei raised his head to measure the height of the floor, and then he glanced at the flower bed not far behind him. It was very likely that the ground was red and white. According to the part of the bodies that hit the ground and the geographical location where they landed, different people who fell from the building have different situations. Some might fall from more than a dozen floors and only break their limbs, whereas others might be unable to be rescued after only a few meters. According to the reactions of Zheng Youqing and Xia Liang, the deceased who fell from the building tonight must have died on the spot, and the ambulance was superfluous.


    ¡°Generally, the high-falling victims have minor external injuries and severe internal injuries, which is really not that ugly. You have been going on the sites for three months; why haven¡¯t you adapted yet? If you can¡¯t bear it, you can think of something else to divert your attention,¡± He Wei patted his face, ¡°Such as strawberry yogurt.¡±


    Xia Liang¡¯s expression changed, and his stomach, which had just been emptied, began to convulse again. He Wei asked him to rest for a while and drink a glass of water while he walked to the flower bed by himself.


    The scene at the flower bed was not so tragic. All he saw was a pool of blood and a corpse covered with white cloth. ¡°Mapo Tofu¡± and ¡°Strawberry Yogurt¡± were spread on the stone steps of the flower bed, which was flown to the ground along the colored bricks. The constant washing of the blood diluted the bloody smell a lot, and it didn¡¯t look too disturbing.


    ¡°You missed the most exciting part; do you regret not staying in the bureau and going home tonight?¡± Du Ruanlan stood aside, took off the blood-stained gloves, and handed them to assistant Luo Ying, saying, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Go back to the bureau; I¡¯ll call you during the autopsy.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, I don¡¯t have the hobby of admiring corpses like you, but I can still seamlessly encounter cases on the way back home.¡± He Wei squatted down, lifted the white cloth, and took a look, asking, ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°The deceased was a male, 175 cm tall, and weighed about 65kg. He fell from the building and died at 12:20. The skull was deformed, and there were two lacerations on the occiput. The brain tissue overflowed; there was a small amount of bleeding from the mouth, nose, and external auditory canal. There is a contusion and laceration on the right elbow and exposed bone, which is consistent with the characteristics of a high fall injury. All the details will not be known until the autopsy after returning to the bureau.¡±


    ¡°This building was five stories high, about 13 to 15 meters. The distance between the landing point and the building is about one meter, and he landed on the flower bed, so there should be some external force.¡± He Wei picked up the corpse¡¯s shirt with his gloved hand, saying, ¡°The tear marks on the clothes don¡¯t look like they were caused by the pressure of the high fall.¡±


    ¡°Yes, to be able to cause damage to this extent, it must be at least the twentieth floor or above.¡± Du Ruanlan pointed to the roof, saying, ¡°Chongzhen and Hu Songkai are on it, they should be able to find clues.¡±


    ¡°Were there any witnesses at the scene?¡± He Wei covered the white cloth again, and Du Ruanlan took off the mask, revealing her beautiful face, and smiled: ¡°Yes, this is the main reason I called you. You know what she said?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°She said¡­¡± Du Ruanlan smiled even more, ¡°It was a ghost.¡±


    The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became strange as the chilling night wind blew. He Wei frowned, feeling that this case of falling from a building wouldn¡¯t be simple.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°It¡¯s true! There really is a ghost!¡±


    Wang Mei was trembling with a water glass in her hand, sitting on a wooden chair in the lobby on the first floor of the hotel. Yun Xiaoxiao comforted her while taking the statement: ¡°Repeat the specific situation at the time of the incident.¡±


    He Wei walked into the hotel lobby and saw the witness shaking like a sieve, describing the scene of the crime:


    ¡°I was supposed to be on the night shift today, but I ran into a ghost while checking the private room and was too scared that I couldn¡¯t make it through 12 o¡¯clock. So, I asked for leave with the manager and wanted to go back early. But as soon as I walked to the back door of the compound, I heard a loud bang behind me. I turned around and saw a person falling on the flower bed. I walked over to have a look. It was the manager¡­ His head was bleeding a lot, a white substance was flowing down the flower bed¡¯s edge, and his eyes rolled a few times¡­¡±


    She closed her eyes suddenly, obviously recalling the terrifying image of the brain shattering. Yun Xiaoxiao caressed her back. Wang Mei took a sip from the water glass and continued: ¡°Then I looked up, and there was an old man standing on the roof! It was the ghost I met at night. He must have killed the manager. This hotel is not clean. There is really a ghost here! I¡¯m quitting; I want to go home!¡±


    She became agitated and stood up to rush out. Yun Xiaoxiao and another policewoman hurriedly grabbed her and appeased her softly, and then took her to the private room to rest. He Wei called Yun Xiaoxiao over: ¡°Are all the statements recorded?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they all said it was a ghost.¡± Yun Xiaoxiao pointed to two other hotel employees who had panicked expressions in the lobby: ¡°According to them, most of the staff in the hotel have seen the old man with their own eyes, and just now the security guard was out of his mind, saying that it was raining and the gate of hell was not closed properly, so the old man took the manager on the way.¡±


    ¡°On the way?¡± Xia Liang opened her eyes wide, feeling speechless, ¡°It was a human life; and on the way? Is it grocery shopping?¡±


    ¡°How can there be so many supernatural events, and didn¡¯t you study science?¡± He Wei ordered, ¡°Xiaoxiao, record all the features of the ¡®ghost,¡± as they said, and ask for more details.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao agreed, and He Wei and Xia Liang found the stairs. There was no elevator in this building. The floor structure was simple, with only one staircase leading to the upper floor. He Wei raised his head, noticed the camera, and turned his head, saying, ¡°Xiao Xia, go to the security guard to check the surveillance and see who has been up there during the time of the incident.¡±


    He climbed up to the fifth floor alone and pushed open the door leading to the rooftop, which was also covered by a rain shelter. Two of his colleagues were carefully collecting all suspicious traces. Chong Zhen pressed Hu Songkai and simulated the scene of the deceased falling from the building at the railing.


    ¡°Look, we are fighting hand to hand, and I will press you against the railing,¡± Chong Zhen held Hu Songkai¡¯s collar and let his back stick against the railing, ¡°Look around; move left and right.¡±


    ¡°Handle the case; why¡¯re you saying words like this? If that scratch came from this way, what about the fingerprints on the railing?¡± Hu Songkai grabbed the rusty railing behind him with both hands, ¡°The fingerprints of the index finger and middle finger are at the bottom of the railing, and the lines go inward. It is a pronated grip. Even if it is held with the backhand, the position of the fingerprints will be different.¡±


    Hu Songkai pushed Chong Zhen, and the two changed their positions so that Chong Zhen was facing the railing and Hu Songkai¡¯s hands were pushing him on his back: ¡°He should be facing the railing like this. The deceased was looking down, leaving fingerprints in his pronated grip, and then someone pushed him from behind. Don¡¯t you think it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°It seems, since there is still a half-shoe print on the step, and with your inference, this posture should be like jumping over the railing?¡± Chong Zhen turned his head, saw He Wei, and waved at him, ¡°Old He, come and judge! Erhu suspects that the deceased went down the railing!¡±


    ¡°¡­Did I say jump over the railing?! I made a preliminary judgment based on the traces of the landing spot!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me to judge; I don¡¯t want to join the debate between you two.¡± He Wei took a small flashlight and turned it on, ¡°Have you seen everything on the scene?¡±


    Chong Zhen said: ¡°Look at the roof; there is no obstruction except for the stairwell and the ventilation ducts above. If you look to the end, you have already seen everything at a glance without missing any corner.¡±


    He Wei held the flashlight and went to check the jumping spot, which was surrounded by a yellow mark. He saw a scratch about ten centimeters long on the rusty railing and half a blurry mud shoe print on the steps. He squatted down and saw a group of fingerprints that had been marked by the technical team. The roof was a concrete floor, and it was raining again. There was only a half-shoe print left on the ground, which was from stepping on the dirt accumulated at the base of the wall.


    ¡°The door lock was intact, and there were traces of struggle at the jumping spot, but no one was injured, and no blood residue was detected.¡± Hu Songkai waved, and Xiao Chen from the technical team handed over a ziplock bag, ¡°Looking for half a day, the only valuable thing we found is this button with half a fingerprint on it.¡±


    He Wei took it over and took a look: ¡°The shirt worn by the deceased has white buttons, and the trousers have black buttons; this one is navy blue, and there is a thread on it, which may have been torn off during the fight with the murderer,¡± he glanced up at the roof, pointing to a hemp rope tied across the roof to two thin bamboo poles, ¡°and it is also possible that it was accidentally dropped while drying clothes. First take it back to the bureau to compare fingerprints. ¡°


    He stood by the railing and looked down. There happened to be no obstruction on this side of the wall, and the deceased fell smoothly to the ground. The rainproof shed hadn¡¯t been removed yet, and only a part of the flower bed could be seen. He Wei lamented that as long as a person fell a little further and landed on the flower bed, he might be able to save his life.


    At this time, Xia Liang¡¯s voice came from the walkie-talkie: ¡°Captain He, come down and have a look; maybe there really is a ghost!¡±

 CH 2

    Chapter 2 The Disappearing Murderer


    He Wei, Chong Zhen, and Xia Liang were huddled together in the small security room. Each staircase of the Shengshi Hotel had cameras, all of which were connected to a computer. The screen was divided into six equal parts; five were videos of the staircase, and one was of the entrance door.


    There were currently four guests staying in the Shengshi Hotel, all of whom lived on the third floor. There were three employees on duty tonight. The manager usually gets off work around ten o¡¯clock. Tonight, he was checking the accounts, so he stayed till late. The surveillance cameras below the third floor, including the corridor, had video of the three employees and guests going up and down, but no one had gone up the stairs on the fourth and fifth floors. At about 12:10, the manager went upstairs alone, and until the time he fell to his death, no other person was seen to go there.


    ¡°I have checked the surveillance video, and there is no sign of cutting or overwriting. This is the original.¡± Xia Liang sat in front of the computer, skillfully fast-forwarding and replaying the video, ¡°From the beginning to the end, there is only the manager in the surveillance video. The murderer didn¡¯t go upstairs, so how did he get to the roof?¡±


    Chong Zhen grabbed He Wei¡¯s shoulder with one hand and rubbed Xia Liang¡¯s hairy head with the other: ¡°Didn¡¯t you watch more than five hundred episodes of Conan? Use your imagination, anime boy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than seven hundred episodes!¡± Xia Liang scratched the back of his head, ¡°How can it be compared to Conan? The modus operandi in it is too mysterious; no normal person can imagine it. But since they can¡¯t be seen in the surveillance, I speculate the murderer went up during the day and stayed on the roof to ambush; or he might have climbed up the wall without making a sound just like Spiderman¡­¡±


    ¡°Although it sounds unreliable, there is indeed such a possibility.¡± He Wei took Chong Zhen¡¯s hand off his shoulder and said, ¡°Go and inspect the outer wall with Erhu and others. Check the air-conditioning frame and awning carefully, and bring all the useful things back.¡±


    ¡°There is another possibility! Helicopter! By throwing a ladder down, oh, how cool is this!¡±


    Chong Zhen grabbed the child¡¯s neck to interrupt his fantasy, feeling that those more than 700 episodes of the anime were really unreliable. It was much better to check the surveillance of that time more carefully to see if there were any suspicious characters.


    He Wei stared at the screen, then suddenly pressed the space bar with his slender index finger, and the image of the manager looking up at the black box on the wall froze. Chong Zhen leaned over: ¡°This is the meter box; I saw it when I went upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Why does your manager go to check the meter box in the middle of the night?¡± He Wei turned his head and looked at the security guard standing honestly beside him.


    The security guard replied: ¡°There has been a power cut in our hotel recently, and it happened again tonight. The manager went upstairs to check the meter box and was going to report for repairs tomorrow.¡±


    He Wei pressed the spacebar again, and the video continued to play. They saw the manager open the meter box, but he closed it again within a minute. Looking at his posture, he turned around and was about to go downstairs, but stopped and walked toward the rusty door on the roof.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t intend to go to the rooftop. He was attracted to something.¡± Chong Zhen stroked the tiny stubble on his chin and asked, ¡°Did he hear someone calling his name? It¡¯s often done like this in ghost movies.¡±


    Xia Liang shuddered: ¡°If I hear an unknown person call my name, I will not dare to go there.¡±


    ¡°There may be other movements, and it is not difficult to attract a person over.¡± He Wei continued to ask the security guard, ¡°How long has this place been haunted here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been half a month. Every day, around eleven o¡¯clock. The old man disappears as soon as the sensor light goes off.¡±


    ¡°Has everyone seen him?¡±


    ¡°A few cleaners who specialize in the day shift have never seen him. However, the gate of hell is closed and doesn¡¯t open during the day.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao mentioned earlier that this security guard had a superstition, saying that some gate of hell was opened and dragged people in. He wasn¡¯t surprised; after all, this hotel was located in a remote place, and further down was a large crop field. The employees in the hotel were almost all nearby villagers. In the countryside, there were always rumors about Huang DaXian 1 possessing people, so it wasn¡¯t unexpected.


    ¡°Xiao Xia, copy the surveillance video from the last half month.¡±


    Xia Liang nodded and began to copy the video. Chong Zhen went to Hu Songkai to check the outer wall, while He Wei returned to the hotel lobby. Seeing him come in, Yun Xiaoxiao stood up and explained the basic information about the deceased.


    ¡°Chen Lei, male, thirty-four years old, married with a four-year-old daughter, lives in Chenjia Village, two kilometers away from the hotel.¡± The transcript in Yun Xiaoxiao¡¯s hand turned to another page: ¡°He is the manager and accountant of this hotel. He is also a relative of the boss. The boss hardly comes here, and it¡¯s Chen Lei who is managing the hotel.¡±


    ¡°Did you call his family?¡±


    ¡°Someone informed his wife just after the accident, but she still hasn¡¯t come. It took less than three minutes to drive from Chenjia Village to here, and it took only a quarter of an hour on foot.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, they heard a woman crying and wailing in the yard, calling Chen Lei¡¯s name. He Wei and Yun Xiaoxiao walked over, only to see Chen Lei¡¯s wife crying beside the white cloth-covered body and a sleepy little girl standing beside her, who probably didn¡¯t realize that she had lost her father. She tilted her head and stared at the white cloth in a daze.


    ¡°What would I and your daughter do after you¡¯re gone?! ¡­and your mother and father, who will take care of them!¡­¡±


    The woman cried out breathlessly, and the police officer on the side couldn¡¯t bear it and advised her to restrain her grief and accept her fate. The scene of the separation of relatives always makes people feel depressed. Yun Xiaoxiao sighed: ¡°The child is still so young. How pitiful.¡±


    He Wei stared at the woman and suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s a bit strange.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao blinked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter, captain?¡±


    ¡°She came here with makeup on.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    It was already late at night, and the rain that had been falling all night finally stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and the moon and stars were sparse. After the police removed the body, the spectators almost dispersed, and the night finally gradually returned to tranquility.


    ¡°Lei Zi usually checks accounts and comes back at night, and my child and I are used to it. We, mother and daughter, have already gone to bed. When I heard that Lei Zi had an accident, I hurried over with my daughter¡­¡± Chen Lei¡¯s wife, Wang Cui, had red eyes. The daughter was very sensible. When she saw her mother crying, she handed her another piece of tissue.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been home all this time?¡± Yun Xiaoxiao stared at her, saying, ¡°It was less than 12:30 when I called to inform you, and it¡¯s already 1:00. How long does it take to get from your home to the hotel?¡±


    Wang Cui hesitated and said it was a rainy day, and her daughter was too young. She accidentally stepped in a mud puddle while walking with her at night, so she went back to change her clothes before coming over.


    ¡°Went back to change clothes, and put on makeup on the way?¡± Yun Xiaoxiao pointed to her lips with a pen and said, ¡°The lipstick color is still very bright. Your husband has an accident, and you are still so leisurely?¡±


    Wang Cui¡¯s face turned pale, and she quickly pulled out a piece of paper to wipe off the lipstick and changed her words again, saying her daughter fell asleep but she didn¡¯t. The makeup was done during the day, and she didn¡¯t have time to remove it.


    ¡°Sister, we are all women, and I can tell at a glance how long it has been since you have put on makeup. Your husband¡¯s fall from a building is not simple; you¡¯d better cooperate with us and tell the truth.¡±


    Wang Cui was very surprised: ¡°Is it not an accident? Lei Zi has a good temper. He hasn¡¯t offended anyone, so who will harm him? Comrade police, I¡¯ve been at home tonight with my daughter, and I¡¯ve never gone out. You have to trust me!


    ¡°You haven¡¯t gone out, then did you wear such gorgeous makeup for yourself at night?¡±


    Wang Cui¡¯s eyes wandered from side to side, and she made an excuse that she didn¡¯t have good makeup skills and that she had nothing so practiced at home.


    He Wei and Wang Mei were on the second floor of the hotel. This was the main haunted place. There were five private rooms, one on the left and one on the right. There was a window at the end of the corridor and a storage room to the right. At first, everyone suspected that someone was hiding in the storage room to pretend to be a ghost. Those who were brave went to check after the old man disappeared but found nothing. The same was true in the private room. It was as if the old man disappeared from the face of the earth, so the haunted rumors spread in the hotel.


    ¡°I-I was standing here,¡± Wang Mei stood at the door of the first private room on the second floor, pointing forward, ¡°The old man appeared at the position of the light.¡±


    He Wei walked over and observed the environment of the corridor. Next to the sensor light was an air vent, and below it was a window. Turning around, there was a storage room. When he opened it, it was only two square meters in size. There were ladders, brushes, wrenches, and other tools inside. Wang Mei said that the first few times the haunting incident occurred, everyone suspected that the old man was hiding in the storage room, so they had checked there countless times.


    ¡°Brother Li said that the ghost is very angry and is looking for a substitute. This area used to be a cemetery, and it must have been disturbed by the building of a hotel¡­ He killed the manager today, and no one knows who he will kill later. I-I don¡¯t want my salary; let me go home quickly!¡±


    He Wei frowned lightly. His light eyes swept over her; this girl was really scared, not just pretending. It was no wonder; it was already enough for a weak girl like her that she didn¡¯t faint from fright after seeing the murder scene with her own eyes.


    However, He Wei doesn¡¯t believe in ghosts taking lives. If there was a murder, there must be a murderer. Finding out the criminals hiding in the dark was what those who were engaged in the criminal investigation should do.


    He looked at the vents and windows and was puzzled: ¡°Next to the window, what kind of vents are installed here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s abandoned, and the end of the pipe inside is blocked.¡± Wang Mei thought for a while, ¡°It seems that it was originally a large room, and then a wall was built and it was changed into a small private room.¡±


    At this moment, the sensor light went out. He Wei stomped his foot, but there was no response. Wang Mei jumped hard, and the sensor light turned on again.


    ¡°Poor connection?¡± He Wei raised his head, squinting his eyes slightly, and Wang Mei nodded: ¡°Yes, sometimes it takes a lot of movement to turn on. But the lights in front are all good, and the manager said that the ones here will not affect the use of the private room, so we should save the money and leave them be.¡±


    He Wei took out the ladder from the storage room, climbed up to turn on the flashlight, and saw that the sensor light was covered with a thick layer of dust. There were spider webs around it, and there were corpses of small flying insects in the lampshade, apparently uncleaned for a long time. But the louver hood of the vent was much cleaner, with obvious traces of wiping. He lowered his head and asked, ¡°Is this place cleaned often?¡±


    Wang Mei shook her head, not sure about this. The light of the flashlight swept over bit by bit, and He Wei saw fresh scratches on the four screws of the louver. He asked Wang Mei to take a Phillips screwdriver, and he took out gloves from his pocket to put them on.


    The sensor light went off again, and he didn¡¯t bother to care about it. He took the flashlight in his mouth, unscrewed the screws one by one, and removed the louver. As soon as it was disassembled, he didn¡¯t see any dust. He Wei expected that this abandoned vent would often be used.


    The air vent was rectangular. He Wei pulled out a steel ruler. It was 40 cm long and 30 cm wide. A flashlight went in. The area around the air vent was spotless, except for the cobwebs around the blocked pipes.


    The cleaning Aunt would never clean up here anyway. He Wei looked at the vent, it was not realistic for a normal-sized man to climb in, but a thin woman or a short and strong man could get in.


    He Wei picked up the walkie-talkie: ¡°Hu Songkai, let two of your colleagues over there come to collect evidence on the second floor.¡± He thought for a while and added, ¡°By the way, call Xiaoxiao.¡±

 CH 3

    Chapter 3: A brief uproar


    Yun Xiaoxiao stood on the ladder and pointed the flashlight at the vent: ¡°Captain, are you sure I can climb in?¡±


    ¡°Try it.¡± He Wei supported the ladder, saying, ¡°Our ability is limited, we really can¡¯t get in; otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have to make it hard for you.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao was 165cm tall, weighed only over 80 jin1, and had a small frame, so she was the only person in the team who could enter this vent. She tied her hair into a ponytail, held the flashlight in her hand, and carefully stepped on the top of the window frame. She wanted to stretch her feet first, but it didn¡¯t feel right. She asked, ¡°Captain, how should I get in? Head first or feet first?¡±


    He Wei stroked his chin, replaying the disappearance scene of the suspect in his mind. If you held the top of the window frame with your hands and jumped into the air vent like in a movie, that would be a posture with your head out and your feet in. which would show that this person was very flexible and had a little martial arts foundation. However, if it was done head first, it would be much more difficult and less agile, and it would take a few seconds to get into the vent.


    ¡°Most of them usually went in feet first, but we need to search for evidence, that position would be inconvenient, so just climb in.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Yun Xiaoxiao crawled as she spoke. Although she looked weak and delicate, she did things cleanly and could endure no matter how tiring or hard it was on the scene. This was also the reason why she was able to stay on the front line all the time; otherwise, the beauty, who was as weak as a delicate flower, would have already sent a report and transferred to a civilian job.


    The two colleagues in the technical teams were very nervous, for fear that the sunflower of their criminal investigation unit would fall off. He Wei smiled and said, ¡°You guys go do your work; I¡¯m looking at Xiaoxiao. Check around the window frame and the louver carefully. ¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao put her elbows on the air vent and crawled in with all her strength. He Wei supported her leg to lift her. Yun Xiaoxiao finally went in with half her body, sweating all over.


    ¡°Captain, it¡¯s very narrow here. I think the person who can come in should be thinner than me.¡± Yun Xiaoxiao¡¯s shoulders were against the upper wall of the ventilation duct. She struggled to even use the flashlight and could only try her best to search as much as possible. He Wei¡¯s arms wrapped around her legs to prevent her from falling.


    ¡°There are also traces of wiping dust here in front of me¡­ about half a meter in front; the suspect should have gotten in with his whole body. There are a lot of corpses of bugs and cockroaches here! It¡¯s disgusting¡­ this!¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao¡¯s cry suddenly changed, her legs moved twice, and she crawled a little further in. There was a rustling sound in the ventilation duct. She slowly crawled out, her fair face turning into that of a little spotted cat, shaking the bag in her hand : ¡°There is biological evidence!¡±


    He Wei smiled and brought her back to the ground safely: ¡°You worked hard; go wash your face quickly.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    After all the evidence collection and transcripts were completed, He Wei and his group went back in the middle of the night. Yun Xiaoxiao yawned: ¡°Captain, shall we go back to the bureau directly?¡±


    He Wei raised his hand and looked at his watch: ¡°It¡¯s 4 o¡¯clock now; I can give you guys a few hours to rest.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡± Yun Xiaoxiao touched her cheek and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been staying up late for the past month. I¡¯m going to be a yellow-faced woman before I get married.¡±


    ¡°You little girls are the only ones who care about this. Look at our Sister Lan from the forensic department of the Shengzhou City Bureau. She is still struggling with the corpse on the dissection table,¡± said Chong Zhen.


    Hu Songkai sneered: ¡°Xiaoxiao and Sister Lan¡¯s pursuits are different. Sister Lan doesn¡¯t need a man, so you should just forget about it.¡±


    This sentence hit Chong Zhen¡¯s sore spot. He had pursued Du Ruanlan for several years, but this cold-faced beauty refused him mercilessly. It wasn¡¯t that she disliked that he was younger than her by two years, nor did she look down on his rough and shabby appearance. Du Ruanlan had made it very clear¡ªshe didn¡¯t need a man or love. In the future, she would just choose high-quality sperm from a sperm bank to cultivate a successor to her forensic career.


    The person had already said this; what else could Chong Zhen do? He could only bury his love silently in his heart. This topic was never mentioned again after that, and they all worked together on the case, which was no different from before.


    Yun Xiaoxiao stretched her waist: ¡°I have to take good care of my skin these two days, since I¡¯m going to a concert this weekend to see a handsome guy!¡±


    ¡°Concert? Whose?¡±


    ¡°Cheng Zesheng, that pianist who is always on the hot search lately!¡±


    Xia Liang, a two-dimensional young man, didn¡¯t understand this and asked curiously about how much the ticket cost. Yun Xiaoxiao said a number, and he was surprised: ¡°So expensive?! If you want to see a handsome guy, isn¡¯t there one on our team? Captain He, the reputation of our city bureau. Look at him as much as you want; why spend so much money?¡±


    Chong Zhen interjected: ¡°How could you miss me? I¡¯m Shengzhou City Bureau¡¯s Andy Lau!¡±


    Hu Songkai raised his hand and said, ¡°And me! Shengzhou City Bureau¡¯s Zhang Cheung!¡±


    He Wei closed his eyes and rested, too lazy to chat. Listening to their noise, his tense nerves gradually relaxed.


    He went to the scene from his home today. After dismissing the team, he went straight back to the dormitory in the bureau. Xia Liang and Chongzhen followed him along the way, especially Chong Zhen. The two lived on the same floor, just like neighbors.


    Chong Zhen and He Wei were transferred to the Municipal Bureau together and had been working together for five years. They were about the same age; from young men in their twenties to men in their thirties, they knew each other well. Seeing that he was rarely quiet, He Wei guessed that he was worried about Du Ruanlan, so he poked him with his elbow: ¡°Don¡¯t force it if it¡¯s not fated. Let my younger brother introduce you to someone some other day. There are many beauties in his company.¡±


    Chong Zhen was surprised: ¡°Don¡¯t mention your brother introducing someone to me. Your brother is gay! His vision is different from us straight men¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°His vision is better than yours¡ªa straight man¡¯s, I can assure you.¡±


    Chong Zhen took out a crumpled packet of cigarettes from his pocket and handed over one of the cigarettes. He Wei looked down, only to see that the shreds of tobacco were exposed: ¡°Did you pick it up on the road? It¡¯s all crumpled.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to say, but didn¡¯t you tell us to go and be Spiderman? I put the cigarette in my trouser pocket, and it became like this after untying the safety rope.¡±


    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± He Wei wiped the cigarette and lit it up, and Chong Zhen waved his hand: ¡°Now is the rest time. The case will be discussed when we return to the bureau at dawn. Can you have any other hobbies besides investigating cases? No wonder you still don¡¯t have a partner after all this time.¡±


    He Wei smiled lightly, took only a few puffs of the cigarette, and had already walked to the door of his dormitory. Chong Zhen held a cigarette in his mouth and put his hands in his trouser pockets: ¡°Didn¡¯t Old Zheng say that he would change your dorm room after he was promoted? How come there has been no movement until now? Why don¡¯t you urge him?¡±


    The ¡°Old Zheng¡± he mentioned was Zheng Furui, the chief of the Shengzhou City Bureau. The former captain of the criminal investigation unit had just retired this year, so Chief Zheng brought He Wei up and offered to change dormitories. The bureau had planned for a new dormitory two years earlier, and it was built according to the popular small single apartment and was also arranged for him.


    That¡¯s what was said, but there were no movements in the follow-up. Three months passed in a flash, and the small apartment was still unoccupied. He was not in a hurry and didn¡¯t care at all; it was just a place to sleep for him. The new dormitory was some distance away from the bureau, and it would just delay him in handling the case.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to rush? It¡¯s not that you¡¯re moving, so be positive.¡± He Wei opened the door, ¡°See you tomorrow morning; don¡¯t be late.¡±


    In this 15-square-meter dorm, things were arranged extremely neatly. Large furniture consisted of only a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk. The sheets were not wrinkled, the quilt looked like a block of tofu, and the color was monotonous black and white. The whole room was spotless, from the window sill to the floor, so clean that it was almost lifeless.


    Chong Zhen took a look and shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s still the same; how does it smell like a single man? Cleanliness is a disease, and it needs to be cured.¡±


    He Wei didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. He told him to go back to his doghouse. Thinking that the other party usually throws his socks and forgets to wash them for a few days, where did his confidence come from?


    After closing the door, He Wei went to take a shower, and when he came out in a quarter of an hour, it was already daylight.


    Well, there was no point in sleeping. He Wei took out the transcript made by Yun Xiaoxiao and looked it over carefully.


    ¡ª¡ª


    At eight o¡¯clock in the morning, the Municipal Bureau was already busy. He Wei was carrying the steamed buns and soy milk bought in the cafeteria. The colleagues he met along the way greeted him one after another, ¡°Morning, Unit Captain He¡± and ¡°Hello, Captain He¡±. He also ran into Heng Luzhou, the second in command of the anti-drug unit, head-on, who was rushing out with his people in a hurry, and was about to go on a mission.


    ¡°Leaving so early?¡± He Wei asked, and Heng Luzhou rushed over while putting on his coat: ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ve received a reliable tip that the leopard has come out of the mountain! I¡¯ve been after him for more than two years, and this time I have to arrest him back with my own hands!¡±


    He Wei told him to walk slowly, wishing his brother a successful completion of the mission. He had just inserted the straw into the soy milk when Heng Luzhou flew past him, and in the blink of an eye, the steamed stuffed bun and soy milk in He Wei¡¯s hand disappeared.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten breakfast yet, so how can I have the energy to fight drug dealers?¡± Heng Luzhou took a bite of the steamed stuffed bun and waved at He Wei, ¡°Thank you, A-Wei; I¡¯ll treat you to dinner later!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± He Wei looked at his empty hands, then at the door, only to see that the robbery suspect had disappeared. He murmured to himself: ¡°I¡¯ve already been robbed a few times; if you talk about treating me, you should really treat me.¡±


    He walked into the big office with empty hands. Everyone was busy with their work. Xia Liang was watching the surveillance video as he ate the cake in his hand. But as soon as he looked up and saw the captain staring at him, he quickly put the cake in his hand into the drawer: ¡°I will definitely watch the surveillance carefully; don¡¯t worry, Captain He.¡±


    He Wei didn¡¯t mean to stop him from having breakfast at all; he was just thinking about whether to buy another breakfast or not. At this time, a box of yogurt was handed to him. He Wei raised his head, and the owner of the white wrist bent their eyes and smiled at him: ¡°I just witnessed Brother Heng¡¯s robbery scene at the door; this is for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He Wei took a glance at it. It turned out to be mango yogurt, so he didn¡¯t reach out to pick it up. ¡°I¡¯m allergic to mangoes.¡±


    ¡°You allergic to mangoes too?¡± Zheng Youqing was surprised, ¡°Captain He, do you have an allergic constitution? Last time I bought you lychees and pineapple, you also couldn¡¯t eat them.¡±


    He Wei nodded. He was naturally allergic to many foods. Sometimes it showed on the skin, causing skin rashes; sometimes it showed in the body, causing throat edema, difficulty breathing, etc. Especially with the seafood, the allergy was the most serious, so he couldn¡¯t even touch it. This might be part of the reason for his cold personality. Food was one of the most important things for the people. God tied his mouth, and he couldn¡¯t eat many things and satisfy his most basic appetite, so his desire for other things was even shallower.


    Zheng Youqing returned to his seat and took out a box of strawberries from the drawer: ¡°Can this be eaten?¡±


    In the transparent plastic box were delicious, plump strawberries. He Wei took one and stuffed it into his mouth: ¡°Has the trace inspection report come out?


    ¡°A part of it came out. At dawn, Sister Lan asked Luo Ying to send some, but there are still a few identification results that haven¡¯t come out.¡±


    He Wei covered the strawberry box, returned it to Zheng Youqing, and asked Yun Xiaoxiao to call the forensic department for an immediate meeting.

 CH 4

    Chapter 4: Painstaking Investigation


    In the conference room, representatives from all teams were present. He Wei was sorting out the clues from the falling case. The detailed autopsy report had come out. The results of the autopsy were consistent with the conclusion of the preliminary autopsy on the spot. The deceased was indeed pushed down while he was alive. This was an out-and-out murder case.


    He had a blow wound on his back and an occluded wound on his left forearm. According to the degree of subcutaneous bleeding and fracture damage, it was inferred that the damage was caused by a cylindrical metal stick, similar to a baseball bat or other murder weapon. Although no contusion was caused, the striking surface of the metal rod might have left with the victim¡¯s skin tissue.


    The results of the trace inspection showed that the thread on the button found on the roof was cotton fabric, and the half-fingerprint belonged to the deceased Chen Lei. After comparison, it was the fingerprint of the right thumb. The half-shoe print on the steps, the heel print on the corner, and a set of fingerprints on the railing all belonged to the deceased.


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s been premeditated for a long time. Did he wear gloves and shoe covers to commit the crime?¡± Chongzhen asked, and Zheng Youqing nodded: ¡°It¡¯s possible. Almost all the physical evidence we collected came from the victim, including the vent. Didn¡¯t Xiaoxiao go up to see it? No fingerprints were collected.¡±


    ¡°But there is still a hair.¡± Yun Xiaoxiao turned sideways and complained to Zheng Youqing, ¡°I picked it up from the bug¡¯s corpse!¡±


    ¡°Although it¡¯s really disgusting, Xiaoxiao, the reality is cruel.¡± Zheng Youqing handed the inspection report to He Wei. He Wei opened it and was stunned: ¡°Chemical fiber?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Zheng Youqing shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s not real hair. It doesn¡¯t have any biological information; it¡¯s from a wig. ¡°


    ¡°The traces of the ropes found on the outer wall are all old. They should have been left behind by the previous repair of air conditioners. The murderer did not go from the outer wall.¡± Hu Songkai said.


    Xia Liang raised his hand: ¡°I¡¯ve watched all the surveillance of the past three days, and I haven¡¯t found any suspicious behavior from the staff or residents of the hotel. The last call from the deceased¡¯s cell phone was to his wife at 8 o¡¯clock, and everything else was work realted. I didn¡¯t find any conflicts with anyone.¡±


    There was a brief silence in the conference room. He Wei stood up, picked up a marker pen, and began to sort out the information they had so far on the whiteboard. There was no biological evidence of the murderer¡ªnot even a shadow. This person was as elusive as a ghost in a rainy night¡ª invisible and intangible.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not surprising. It¡¯s unlikely for an elderly to be so strong that they can get into the vent.¡± He Wei tapped the whiteboard with his index finger, ¡°The murdrer has a certain anti-reconnaissance ability, and he didn¡¯t leave us anything useful. It¡¯s more challenging, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The people in the conference room looked at each other: No, we just didn¡¯t have a clue, and we didn¡¯t regard solving crimes as a hobby, so we couldn¡¯t resonate with Captain He.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, Chong Zhen.¡±


    The two people who were named responded, and He Wei asked them to take two teams out, one to investigate Chen Lei¡¯s social relations and the other to investigate whether there was anyone who matched the characteristics of the haunted old man.


    ¡°There must be something hidden in this carefully planned murder case. Go through all the villages within three kilometers of the hotel, and don¡¯t miss anything.¡±


    Xiao Chen from the technical team knocked on the door, and the test result of the clothes of the deceased sent by Luo Ying was obtained. The tear marks on the neckline were artificially caused, and the scratch marks on the back were consistent with the rust on the railing. Combined with the resisting injury on the left forearm, it was enough to infer the scene of Chen Lei fighting before falling from the building.


    ¡°What about the half shoe print?¡± Hu Songkai asked, ¡°He was fighting to escape, but he stepped on half of the steps and realized that this is the top floor? That¡¯s not escape, it¡¯s courting death.¡±


    ¡°This can be discussed by the throwing object experiment,¡± He Wei put on the marker pen cover, ¡°Go to the police academy to borrow a dummy of similar height and weight, and then go to the scene. Lan-Jie, if you have nothing to do in the morning, you can come with us.¡±


    After the meeting, Hu Songkai, He Wei, and Du Ruanlan went to the parking lot together, and Hu Songkai asked, ¡°Are you driving or should I drive?¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Lao Zheng assigned you an assistant yet? You have to do everything yourself.¡± Hu Songkai thought of something and suddenly realized, ¡°Oh, no, I saw Miss Zheng sticking to you and giving you things again this morning. Lao Zheng must have done it on purpose. Creating opportunities for his daughter, he wants you to be his son-in-law.¡±


    He Wei told him not to talk nonsense. Zheng Youqing was fair and beautiful, and she was also the jewel in the palm of the city bureau chief. Hu Songkai grabbed his arm: ¡°Don¡¯t you believe it! Really, I really feel that Lao Zheng has this purpose. If you become the son-in-law of the chief, your future is limitless!¡±


    Du Ruanlan listened with interest and patted He Wei¡¯s shoulder: ¡°Youqing is gentle and cute, and she is also beautiful. She is a good match for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have such a good fortune.¡± He Wei has already gotten into the car, started the engine, and reminded them, ¡°Seat belt; hitting your head is not considered a work-related injury.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    He Wei and Hu Songkai were on the top floor, dressing the dummy in the same style of shirt and trousers as the deceased, while Du Ruanlan was downstairs, waiting to observe the falling posture of the dummy and the distance from the landing point.


    ¡°The deceased was near the falling point and was attacked from the back, then he turned around and raised his arm to block,¡± Hu Songkai pulled the dummy¡¯s left arm up, ¡°He wanted to escape, but he stepped on the steps and found that there was no way out. Then the murderer pushed him down?¡±


    ¡°Most people make the most favorable judgment based on their survival instincts at the moment of life and death.¡± He Wei took the dummy over, ¡°I think the blocking injury occurs first. The deceased struggled with the murderer, tore off a button, and then wanted to call for help from the railing and was attacked from the back.¡±


    The dummy held the railing with both hands and was placed in a hanging position. Hu Songkai snapped his fingers: ¡°The murderer wanted to push him down. He was struggling, and he stepped on it to find a support point!¡±


    He Wei nodded and simulated the scene with Hu Songkai. After pushing the dummy down, Du Ruanlan¡¯s cold voice came from the communicator: ¡°No, there is a deviation in the landing point; in front of the flower bed.¡±


    The dummy was brought up again, and Hu Songkai changed the method; instead of pushing his back, he threw it down with its head down, but the landing point was still wrong, and the deviation was even greater. He Wei rubbed his chin: ¡°He raised one foot as a support, right? If the suspect didn¡¯t push him off from behind like we tried and didn¡¯t lift him up and throw him down, then there is only one way left.¡±


    Hu Songkai understood again. This time, he lifted the other leg of the dummy and lifted it off. He and He Wei looked down together. After Du Ruanlan checked, she made an ¡°OK¡± gesture. That¡¯s how the person fell, and the slight data deviation could be ignored.


    Hu Songkai wiped the sweat from his forehead: ¡°It seems that the murderer is a man. It¡¯s not easy for a petite woman to throw a big man off in this posture.¡±


    The hotel was closed today, and only the security guard was on duty. The owner of the hotel, Pan Pinghai, was a middle-aged man in his fifties with a crew cut, dark, and thin. He was the uncle of the deceased, and on behalf of the relatives in the family, he came to ask how the case was going.


    ¡°The case can be solved in just a few hours?¡± Hu Songkai looked at him, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come at night?¡±


    Pan Pinghai hurriedly explained that he had just returned from a trip in the morning, and when he got home, he heard that his nephew had an accident in the hotel, and he was terrified. Hu Songkai asked some basic information, and He Wei called the security guard surnamed Li over: ¡°How is the relationship between your boss and the manager usually?¡±


    ¡°The boss doesn¡¯t come much, and the manager is in-charge of our hotel.¡± Security guard Li said mysteriously, ¡°However, they were arguing in the office a few days ago. I heard the boss scolding the manager. It seems that something was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Chen Lei was filling his own pockets?¡±


    Security guard Li shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just a small security guard; how can I know the affairs of my bosses?¡±


    He Wei smiled, and the security guard also showed a simple and honest smile. After Hu Songkai¡¯s questioning was over, he went back with He Wei. The two exchanged opinions on the road, mentioning the conflicting points about finances. Maybe they could dig up clues along this line.


    Back at the bureau, Xia Liang came to report that he had seen the surveillance from a week ago and finally found something wrong.


    ¡°Unit Captain He, look,¡± Xia Liang pointed at the screen that was divided into parts and said, ¡°The one on the left is from before April 7th, and the one on the right is from April 7th to the present. Isn¡¯t there a difference?¡±


    He Wei narrowed his eyes and soon realized what the difference was. There was a deviation in the position of the camera monitoring. Although it was the corridor at first glance, if one looked closely, one could still find that the camera after 7th had moved to the right.


    ¡°I¡¯m used to paying attention to the corners when I look at things. On the 7th, there were suddenly more corners of the stairs below. After comparing, I found that the camera was moved.¡±


    He Wei stretched out his hand to pat the top of Xia Liang¡¯s head: ¡°Not bad, the young man¡¯s eyes are good. Is it like this on every floor?¡±


    Xia Liang nodded. It was like this on every floor, and all the cameras had been moved to the right by a slight angle. He Wei picked up his jacket, and Hu Songkai had just come back from buying a bottle of drink from the canteen and had just unscrewed it when He Wei took it away: ¡°ErHu, let¡¯s go to the hotel again.¡±


    After speaking, he unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip, frowning: ¡°Why buy peach flavor? It¡¯s too sweet.¡±


    ¡°¡­Damn, you learned the habit of robbing from the Heng bandit next door, right?¡± Hu Songkai said viciously, ¡°I¡¯ve already drank it!¡±


    He Wei stared at him. His eyes made it clear that he just didn¡¯t want to deal with him, so he stopped talking nonsense and took him and Xia Liang to the Shengshi Hotel again. Seeing the police car turn back, the security guard scratched the back of his head: ¡°Comrade policeman, why are you back again?¡±


    He Wei locked the car: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just to borrow your security room a bit.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    He Wei and Xia Liang were watching the monitoring in the security room, and Hu Songkai was in the corridor, clinging to the wall, trying to figure out how big the blind spot of the monitoring was.


    ¡°ErHu, move a little further to the left. Yes, retract your head further, how is your position now?¡±


    Hu Songkai pressed against the wall, struggling to hold the walkie-talkie: ¡°I am completely attached to the wall now, like a gecko. It is too strenuous to go down in this posture, but if you are very familiar with the terrain, you should be able to go very quickly.¡±


    ¡°You go through the first floor.¡±


    A minute later, Hu Songkai walked from the first floor to the second floor, but his figure did not appear in the surveillance. Security guard Li, who was watching the excitement from the sidelines, exclaimed: ¡°Oh my god, can you hide like this? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen it!¡±


    Now that the criminal suspect¡¯s modus operandi could be preliminarily determined, He Wei wrote down several key information: Male, short in stature, has certain martial arts skills, is very familiar with the internal facilities of the hotel, is thoughtful, and has certain anti-reconnaissance capabilities.


    Yun Xiaoxiao and Chong Zhen¡¯s investigation work also had some clues. After returning, they both said at the same time: ¡°There is a major discovery.¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao first.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Yun Xiaoxiao opened her palm-sized notebook, ¡°Chen Lei¡¯s family relationship is not harmonious. His wife Wang Cui has a lover outside, and neighbors say that they often have trysts while Chen Lei is on night shift. Last night, there was a black Buick was parked at the intersection of their house, it was that lover.¡±


    ¡°Found Whose car is it.¡± He Wei seemed to think of something, ¡°When we went to the hotel, we saw a black Buick.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao nodded: ¡°Captain, you guessed it right. Wang Cui¡¯s lover is the hotel owner and Chen Lei¡¯s uncle, Pan Pinghai.¡±

 CH 5

    Chapter 5: Hidden Accident


    No one expected this family to be so complicated. The uncle and the nephew¡¯s wife got together, and the main point was that the neighbors around seemed to know the inside story. Not only did they not plan to divorce, but they could live together peacefully under the same roof, which was really weird.


    He Wei wasn¡¯t surprised. He had been in the police force for many years; what kind of things hadn¡¯t he seen? There was another case last year. The son liked his mother, was jealous of his father, and stabbed him to death with a screwdriver in the middle of the night.


    He recalled Pan Pinghai¡¯s appearance. He was dark and thin, but he was a hotel owner. He had emotional and financial disputes with the deceased, so there was indeed a possibility of him committing the crime. However, based on his intuition in handling cases, He Wei had a feeling that there was something wrong with it.


    ¡°Lao He, listen to me; there is an unexpected harvest.¡± Chong Zhen took out a photo and handed it over. In the photo was a white-haired elderly man who was already very old but in great spirit. The photo was black and white, and at first glance, it looked more like a photo of a deceased person. He Wei asked, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Wang Fusheng, who lived in Wangjiawa village near the hotel. He lived alone. Half a year ago, he was killed while picking up waste. His family members were all in the city. There was no one to take care of him. His family didn¡¯t even show up after he died, and the funeral was arranged by the village committee.¡± Chong Zhen continued, ¡°There was no surveillance on the country road where the accident happened, and because it was midnight, there were no witnesses. The village police station could not find the vehicle that caused the accident, and no one cares about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that they haven¡¯t tried to catch the prepator all this time, right?¡± He Wei took the photo and frowned, ¡°Is he the one who is haunting?¡±


    ¡°According to the statements of the hotel staff, he fits the description. This picture was given to me by the village committee. You see, he is wearing a Chinese tunic suit, and the ghost they saw was also wearing a Chinese tunic suit, so he must be the one.¡±


    The news brought back by Chon Zhen caused a qualitative change in the investigation direction of the case, and what might have been a case of love murder turned into revenge; the change was too great. He Wei flipped through the records that had been made before and asked Yun Xiaoxiao: ¡°Does Chen Lei have a car at home?¡±


    ¡°No, but his yard is large enough to park a car. I also saw screenwash, car wax, and other automotive supplies. ¡°


    ¡°Okay, Xiaoxiao, you and Xiao Xia go and investigate Wang Fusheng and find out his recent whereabouts.¡± He Wei picked up the car key and said, ¡°Chong Zhen, you are going with me.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    Wang Cui opened the door. Her face was without makeup, her eyes were bloodshot, and there were several large bags piled up in the living room, all of which were Chen Lei¡¯s remnants. She packed them up overnight, preparing to burn them together with the funeral.


    ¡°It was tidied up so soon?¡± Chong Zhen flipped through the bags, ¡°Yo, the razor and toothbrush are all in there; none of them have been left behind.¡±


    Wang Cui smiled awkwardly: ¡°The person is gone. There is no reason to keep them. The more you look at them, the easier it is to think about him.¡±


    Chong Zhen thought that she cried miserably in front of them last night, but now she looked like a normal person, thinking that this couple really had no relationship and that the fact that they haven¡¯t divorced may be out of consideration for their child and reputation.


    He Wei came over at this time mainly to ask about the car. According to his way of thinking, since it was a ghost asking for his life, it must have something to do with the accident; otherwise, there would be no such task as demanding one¡¯s life. Wang Cui said that there used to be a red BYD at home. Chen Lei wanted to change it half a year ago, so he sold it. He never found a suitable one later, and the car purchase plan was temporarily put on hold.


    ¡°Who did he sell the car to?¡±


    ¡°It was sold in the city. I¡¯ve got the invoice.¡± Wang Cui went to the room to search for a while and found the invoice for selling the car. Chong Zhen took it and went to the car repair shop with He Wei.


    The little girl with pigtails was jumping rope carefree in the yard. When she saw Chong Zhen and He Wei, she ran over and said, ¡°Uncle, where is my father?¡±


    Chong Zhen knelt down and stroked her hair: ¡°Didn¡¯t Mom tell you? Dad has gone far away, and he doesn¡¯t have time to go home for now.¡±


    The little girl shook her head: ¡°Mom said Dad would not come back. She didn¡¯t let me cry and told me to forget Dad.¡±


    Chong Zhen and He Wei glanced at each other, feeling sorry for this kind of marriage that existed in name only. This child had lived in such an environment since she was a child, so he wondered if there would be psychological shadows.


    The car repair shop on the invoice was in the suburbs of the city, in the economic development zone, and it was a private car repair shop. After seeing the invoice, the shop owner immediately remembered: ¡°Yes, this is the car that Chen Lei sold to us half a year ago. His car had been in an accident before. The bumper and the front panel of his car were changed, but then he wanted to sell it. If it weren¡¯t for the low price, we wouldn¡¯t be willing to accept it.¡±


    ¡°What accident?¡± He Wei took out a pack of cigarettes and gave one to the shopkeeper, who nodded and stooped to take it and lit it: ¡°He said he was driving in the village and hit and killed someone¡¯s sheep and also lost a sum of money. Later he felt this car was unlucky, so he wanted to sell it for a new one.¡±


    Chong Zhen smiled: ¡°You really believe it?¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t we believe an old acquaintance? All the maintenance of his car is done in our shop, and he is a regular customer.¡±


    He Wei asked him if he had sold the car and to whom. Coincidentally, the one who bought the car was a car mechanic in their shop who bought it cheaply and took it home. The car mechanic took the two police officers to his house. The red BYD was parked at the door. The inside and outside of the car were cleaned up, coated, and waxed, making it look like a new car.


    ¡°Have you changed the parts after buying it?¡±


    ¡°No, I had repaired it before. Except for the bumper, there is no other problem with this car. It drives very well!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He Wei took out his mobile phone to make a call, ¡°It¡¯s much more convenient if the big parts are all there.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    In the repair garage, Zheng Youqing was wearing a mask and holding a watering can with a prepared luminol reagent in it. The bumper of BYD had been removed, and what she needed to test was whether there was a blood reaction in the front of the car, and if there was, DNA would be extracted from the collected blood sample.


    After spraying, Zheng Youqing stood up and gestured, and the staff of the car repair shop at the door pulled down the shutter door. All of a sudden, the light in the garage became dim, and the front of the vehicle showed fluorescent reactions in the form of dots and flakes, and the distribution was concentrated above the bumper.


    Xiao Chen took out his camera to take pictures, and Zheng Youqing took a cotton swab and quickly wiped the light-emitting area. He Wei asked: ¡°Half a year has passed; how high is the success rate of the extraction of the DNA of the deceased?


    ¡°The blood sample needed for the testing is very small; the M48 magnetic bead extraction method will be used for the DNA extraction.¡± Zheng Youqing didn¡¯t delay her work at all when she spoke, and half a minute later, the fluorescent reaction gradually disappeared, and she sealed the swabs that had been wiped and put them in the evidence box.


    The store manager and the car mechanic panicked: ¡°Didn¡¯t he just kill a sheep? How-how could there be a dead person?¡±


    Zheng Youqing took off her mask and smiled: ¡°Whether it was a sheep or not will be known soon.¡± She carried the evidence box and asked, ¡°What else do I need to do? If there¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ll go back to the bureau and find Sister Lan for extraction.¡±


    He Wei told her to go back early and pay attention to safety on the way. Although the results haven¡¯t come out yet, He Wei already knew that Chen Lei was the driver of the accident after seeing the reaction of the luminol reagent. After he escaped, he sold the car to an acquaintance, thinking that he would be able to hide the truth without anyone noticing.


    But what was puzzling was that Wang Fusheng¡¯s family members were all in the city. They didn¡¯t usually contact the old man, and they didn¡¯t even look at him when he died. How could they think of avenging him? His ashes were stored in a small funeral home in the township, and the storage fee was also paid by the village committee. If there was really someone so close to him, why didn¡¯t they even claim the ashes?


    ¡°Is it possible that there are two people, one pretending to be the ghost and the other the murderer?¡± Chong Zhen guessed, ¡°Maybe the old man was hit to death, someone pretended to be a ghost, and then the murderer followed suit, just to disguise the murder case as a supernatural event, killing two birds with one stone.¡±


    ¡°There is such a possibility, so Wang Cui and Pan Pinghai have not cleared their suspicions.¡± He Wei took Chong Zhen¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Get in the car and go to Wang Fusheng¡¯s house to visit.¡±


    With the help of the Wangjiawa Village Committee, He Wei and Chong Zhen found the house where Wang Fusheng lived before his death. This was a dilapidated, small, tile-roofed house. The roof was not even covered with tiles; it was covered with plastic sheets. Compared with the surrounding two-story buildings, it looked too shabby. The chief of the village committee revealed that Wang Fusheng¡¯s son kept it here to wait for the government to demolish it; otherwise, this dilapidated house would have been demolished long ago and sold to the family, who built a greenhouse next to them to grow vegetables on the three acres of land.


    Wang Fusheng makes a living by picking up scraps. His house was empty, and his daily necessities were very simple. The only appliance in the house was a broken electric fan. Chong Zhen lifted the quilt, and a burst of pungent dust hit his face. He coughed twice and swept the dust away with his hands in the air a few times.


    They rummaged through the house, and the chief of the village committee was holding the key at the door. He Wei chatted with him while looking for clues and listening to all the gossip in the nearby villages.


    ¡°¡­Wang Cui is also from our Wangjiawa village. She married into Chenjia village and lived a restless life. Our village officials know everything about her. Pan Pinghai¡¯s wife, Chen Chunhua, has come to our village committee four or five times to cause trouble, wanting us to do something, but we can¡¯t control it¡­¡±


    ¡°Then you have worked hard too.¡± He Wei bent over, and when he took a flashlight, he found a few pieces of paper stuck between the bed, ¡°Chong Zhen, come here; here is something.¡±


    A few pieces of paper were taken out of the bed, which unexpectedly turned out to be a remittance slip. The money was remitted at the post office in the town. The remitter was Wang Fusheng, and the receiver was a person named ¡°Chen Gui,¡± whose address was in Pingchuan City. The remittance time varied every year, and the amount was not much. It was about 1,000 each time, but given Wang Fusheng¡¯s economic conditions, the 1,000 was at least his long-term savings from picking up scraps.


    The chief of the village committee didn¡¯t know who this ¡°Chen Gui¡± was. They didn¡¯t have anyone with this name in Wangjiawa, so they might have to go to Chenjia Village up ahead to have a look. Chong Zhen frowned: ¡°This case is getting more and more complicated like a ball of thread, and we still have to ask the Pingchuan Municipal Bureau to cooperate with the case?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it how case investigation is? Is it your first day of a criminal investigation?¡± He Wei pinched the remittance slip, ¡°We still have to make a report for the collaborative investigation. Hey, didn¡¯t you have a classmate who went to Pingchuan?¡±


    Chong Zhen put a cigarette in his mouth: ¡°I haven¡¯t contacted him for a long time. On the day of his wedding, I caught an armed robber in Sichuan and failed to go there; on the day of his child¡¯s full moon wine, you detained me outside the nightclub to go to the grassroots level to conduct investigations. It already happened twice; how could I have the nerve to ask for help? ¡°


    He Wei smiled: ¡°Special circumstances are treated specially. We are criminal police, and the missions come as soon as we talk. When my mother was over 50, I was still in the branch office. On the way back, I was robbed with a knife. Not only did I fail to go on her birthday, I also went to the hospital. She was so angry that she ignored me for half a month.¡±


    Chong Zhen sighed: ¡°Do what you do and love what you do¡­¡± He dug out the number of that classmate, went to call under the big banyan tree, and came back after a while: ¡°Go check it out, and let me know if you have any news.¡±


    It was getting late. He Wei drove Chong Zhen in the direction of the dormitory. Chongzhen wondered: ¡°You workaholic, do you want to go back to the bureau?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to take a shower.¡± He Wei rubbed his neck, ¡°I forgot the time while handling the case in the bureau, and I haven¡¯t washed in two days.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only been two days since you took a bath?¡±


    ¡°¡­..¡±

 CH 6

    Chapter 6: One wave has just settled and another wave has risen again


    Yun Xiaoxiao came back travel-worn, and Xia Liang followed behind: ¡°Xiaoxiao! Wait for me! You¡¯re walking so fast.¡±


    ¡°Still dilly-dallying in reporting for work, you have to find a purchasing agent to go to the anime expo at this speed.¡± Yun Xiaoxiao knocked on the door of the unit captain¡¯s office, ¡°Captain! We¡¯ve checked everything out!¡±


    He Wei was looking at the inspection report. The DNA extracted from BYD was compared with the DNA of Wang Fusheng¡¯s son. The driver who caused the accident was undoubtedly Chen Lei. Just then, Yun Xiaoxiao and co. also came back, and He Wei beckoned her to come and talk.


    Xia Liang followed in and closed the door, and Yun Xiaoxiao took out a small notebook dedicated to handling cases: ¡°Pan Pinghai recently has been going on a lot of business trips, and he was not home every day to go on a date with Wang Cui. The two of them have been together for several years. Chen Lei had found it out quite early. Not only did he not divorce Wang Cui, but he also took this opportunity to work as a manager at the Shengshi Hotel. He didn¡¯t care about Wang Cui and Pan Pinghai¡¯s affairs; even the daughter was not his.¡±


    Xia Liang continued: ¡°Last year, he took advantage of the situation, squeezed out the finances, took control of the financial power, and began to fill his own pockets. Pan Pinghai quarreled with him a few times after he found out, but they didn¡¯t make a big fuss. He endured it because of Wang Cui, and the three of them continued to maintain this kind of abnormal relationship. On the night of Chen Lei¡¯s death, Pan Pinghai did come back from Muyang County and went to Wang Cui¡¯s place as usual. The two were together and never left home.¡±


    The pen in He Wei¡¯s hand turned twice: ¡°They are equivalent to family and cannot provide an alibi for each other.¡±


    ¡°There are also neighbors who testified that they did not go out. And something happened that night. Wang Cui didn¡¯t say that Chen Chunhua went to their house to catch their adultery. She couldn¡¯t stand her husband having a lover outside, and she was still a relative at home. She went to the Wangjiawa Village Committee and asked the village chief to make a decision, but the village chief couldn¡¯t help, so she held her breath and went to make trouble by herself when she had nothing to do.¡±


    He Wei understood. That night, there was a movie for three people. No wonder Wang Cui and Pan Pinghai didn¡¯t tell the truth. How humiliating it would be if this matter spread to the village. They kept their mouths shut and didn¡¯t mention their meeting. Unfortunately, the neighbors knew what was going on. Under the pressure of Yun Xiaoxiao and Xia Liang, Wang Cui couldn¡¯t bear the pressure and gave up.


    ¡°Wang Cui and Pan Pinghai have reasons to hide it. Why did Chen Chunhua hide it? Chen Lei¡¯s death has nothing to do with her, right?¡±


    Hearing He Wei ask this question, Yun Xiaoxiao blinked: ¡°Captain, this is the biggest gain from our trip.¡± Xia Liang rushed to the table: ¡°The haunting matter is finally clear!¡±


    It turned out that the haunted hotel was Chen Chunhua¡¯s idea. She was angry because Pan Pinghai wasn¡¯t at home and spent money on his little lover, so she came up with this idea to make his hotel unable to do business. She found Li Chenggui, who was honest and timid, and took a liking to him as a hotel security guard, so he could pretend to be a ghost, but Li Chenggui was timid and superstitious. After talking about this matter several times, the price was increased again and again before he reluctantly agreed.


    It happened that an old man in Wangjiawa died in a car accident half a year ago. Chen Chunhua asked Li Chenggui to pretend to be him, but Li Chenggui quit after pretending for a few days and also returned the money, saying that he accidentally really summoned the ghost of the old man. Chen Chunhua didn¡¯t believe it at first, but when she saw it with her own eyes in the hotel, she was almost scared out of her wits. So when she heard that Chen Lei had been killed by a ghost, she was the most frightened, fearing that it would be blamed on herself.


    She swore to the sky that the murder had nothing to do with her, and neither would Li Chenggui do it. The security guard was timid and superstitious, and he would scare himself to death before killing anyone.


    He Wei nodded slightly, pondering over the information that had been investigated and feeling that a crucial link was missing. Although only one person died in this case, it was still full of twists and turns, as if countless baits were thrown in the river and the fishing threads were entangled, and it was not yet possible to figure out which hook the fish was biting.


    There was another knock on the office door, and He Wei shouted, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Chong Zhen opened the door: ¡°My classmate replied back just now. The address of Wang Fusheng¡¯s remittance is the home of a mother and son. The son¡¯s name is Chen Gui. Later, the mother remarried, and the son changed his name to Li Chenggui.¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, go to Chief Zheng to issue a search warrant and ask ErHu to lead a team to search Li Chenggui¡¯s house.¡± He Wei stood up with a ¡°swoosh¡± and picked up the car keys, ¡°Chong Zhen, come with me to the Shengshi Hotel!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Li Chenggui bought a bouquet of flowers and came to the township funeral home. The staff of the funeral home asked him whose family member he was. He wanted to say ¡°Wang Fusheng¡±, but he held back and gave his grandfather¡¯s name.


    His grandfather was from Chenjia Village, and he had been friends with Wang Fusheng for many years. After his grandfather left, Wang Fusheng treated him like his own grandson. When he was a child, the other party saved money from picking up scraps to buy toys for him. When he got a little older, he followed his mother to Pingchuan, but he still received remittances from time to time every year. Wang Fusheng saved money on food and clothing and almost dug out his heart and lungs1 for him, a ¡°god-grandson¡± who has no blood relationship with him.


    When he was finally able to take the old man to Pingchuan to take care of him in old age, unexpectedly the bad news that Wang Fusheng had died in a traffic accident in the village came. The son was greedy, and the relatives were not there. The driver who caused the accident had never been found, and the police station had a limited police force. Li Chenggui quit his job and returned to Shengzhou to work as a security guard in the Shengshi Hotel, hoping to find the driver by himself.


    He had been here for more than two months but got no clue. Coincidentally, the proprietress asked him to pretend to be a ghost, and he got the news of the car accident by mistake.


    ¡°Just pretend to be that old man in Wangjiawa. He has been dead for half a year, and the driver has not been found. I feel that it has something to do with that Vixen¡¯s family. Otherwise, why would Chen Lei sell his car? Selling a good car just like that, there must be something wrong!¡±


    Li Chenggui¡¯s mind moved, and he agreed to pretend to be a ghost. Among the panic reactions of everyone in the hotel, Chen Lei was the most special, shouting, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose!¡± Later, when the two of them were drinking, he spat out the truth, ¡°An old man caused him to lose a car.¡± His tone was annoyed and disgusted, without the slightest intention of repentance. Li Chenggui gritted his teeth and was already prepared to kill.


    He continued to pretend to be a ghost, taking advantage of the power cut to move the cameras and using the night shift to practice walking around blind spots. Fortunately, he practiced martial arts when he was a child, and his body was very flexible, so none of these things troubled him. Everything was well planned, and on a rainy night, he finally decided to act to seek justice for Grandpa Wang.


    Li Chenggui put the bouquet of flowers in an unclaimed area and bowed to Wang Fusheng¡¯s urn. The dead were gone, but the living still have to face the sun tomorrow. Forgive him for not being able to take the ashes away. After the case subsided, he would definitely find a good cemetery for Grandpa Wang to rest in peace.


    After leaving the funeral home, Li Chenggui rode his electric car back to the hotel and saw the familiar Karoq at the door of the hotel. He Wei and Chongzhen were leaning against the door, smoking.


    ¡°Police officers, have you come to our hotel to investigate again?¡±


    He Wei nodded, and Chong Zhen, who was still smoking a cigarette, leaned on the car door with one hand and asked, ¡°Where did you go? We¡¯re almost dried out in the sun.¡±


    ¡°I went to the funeral home. Today is the anniversary of my grandfather¡¯s death. I went to pay my respects.¡± Li Chenggui took out his key and opened the door of the security room, letting two police officers in. He Wei and Chongzhen pinched their cigarettes and walked in together. Li Chenggui was filling a thermos cup with water. He Wei stood behind him and pulled out a stool to sit down.


    ¡°Which grandfather did you go to see? Wang Fusheng or Chen Hua?¡± Chong Zhen closed the door.


    Li Chenggui paused and said with a naive smile: ¡°My grandfather is Chen Hua; who is Wang Fusheng?¡±


    Chong Zhen took out his mobile phone, clicked on a few photos, and put them in front of him: ¡°It¡¯s all over here, why are you still pretending to be stupid? I found these at your house¡ªwig, Chinese tunic suit, plastic glove, shoe cover, etc. ¡ª have an explanation?¡±


    The way Li Chenggui looked at Chong Zhen and He Wei changed. He was no longer the honest security guard and seemed to be a different person, calm and composed, without any panic: ¡°The proprietress asked me to play tricks and scare the customers in the hotel. I later stopped but didn¡¯t throw the things away. Isn¡¯t this acceptable?¡±


    Chong Zhen smiled, and his tone was lazy and even a little careless: ¡°It¡¯s acceptable, as long as no casualties or financial losses are caused. This kind of behavior will only be educated. But if you kill someone, this can¡¯t be solved by just education, right?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even been to the rooftop; how can I kill people?¡± Li Chenggui looked at him and said, ¡°Do you have my fingerprints? Are there any traces of me going up?¡±


    Chong Zhen became serious: ¡°Still stubborn? The buttons found at the scene can be identified as being from the same tunic suit! Do you think sophistry is useful? Now, the confession weighs less, and the evidence is more important. As long as the chain of evidence is complete, a zero confession can still convict you!¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve been wondering what the murder weapon that was used to attack Chen Lei was.¡± He Wei, who had been silent all this time, stood up, walked to Li Chenggui¡¯s side, and reached for the rubber baton hanging from his waist. Li Chenggui suddenly stretched out his hand to hold it down, and He Wei smiled: ¡°It¡¯s so heavy; is it custom-made? Generally, there are no such specifications on the market. By the way, since you have some anti-reconnaissance knowledge, don¡¯t you know how advanced the technology is for the current trace inspection? The molecular exchange will inevitably occur when things come into contact, and DNA can be detected as long as dander is attached; even if you have wiped it clean, we can still detect it.¡±


    Li Chenggui¡¯s face became tense as time passed. He Wei was not in a hurry. He lit another cigarette and handed him one: ¡°You are filial, but the method is wrong.¡±


    Li Chenggui was silent for a moment, took the cigarette and lit it, and after smoking one, he felt relieved: ¡°It took a lot of talk to find someone to order this baton on the Internet, but the effect is good. As soon as it went down, Chen Lei just screamed, which was comfortable to hear.¡±


    He stood up, and without having time to drink the freshly brewed tea, he stretched out his hands: ¡°Let¡¯s go. I also went to see Grandpa Wang today; I have no regrets.¡±


    In the supernatural homicide case at Shengshi Hotel, security guard Li Chenggui was handcuffed and sent to the police station as the suspect. Before entering the interrogation room, Li Chenggui looked back at He Wei and smiled slightly: ¡°Officer He, you helped me, but I didn¡¯t expect that you would catch me.¡±


    He Wei was taken aback, and just as he was about to ask him what he meant, the other party had already entered the interrogation room. Chong Zhen took a baton and studied: ¡°Hey, Lao He, the equipment on the technical team is really so advanced? Fingerprints and dander can be detected even after being wiped clean?¡±


    ¡°How could I know?¡±


    ¡°¡­But what you said seemed to be true!¡±


    ¡°Scaring him. This is also a method of handling cases; learn a little bit.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The case of falling from a building was finally over, and it was rare that no one had to work overtime tonight. He Wei invited colleagues on the team to a dinner party. Yun Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t attend. She made an appointment to go to the spa at night to save her dull and dry skin. Tomorrow, she was going to listen to the male god¡¯s concert.


    Shaking his head and sighing, Xia Liang poured beer for He Wei: ¡°I really don¡¯t understand. Going to see what kind of male god, isn¡¯t the male god sitting with us?!¡±


    Hu Songkai grabbed Xia Liang¡¯s neck: ¡°Hey, you seem to have a problem with Xiaoxiao chasing stars? Are you jealous?¡±


    Xia Liang blushed instantly, anxiously defending himself. Chong Zhen patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly: ¡°We understand. We understand. Who hasn¡¯t had a time of budding love, right?¡±


    The dinner party lasted until midnight. He Wei drank a little too much, fell asleep after returning home, and was woken up by a phone call at three o¡¯clock in the morning:


    ¡°Unit Captain He, come here quickly; there is a shooting case here in the Chengnan mansion!¡±


    He Wei¡¯s chaotic brain instantly woke up. He got up and cleaned himself up in three minutes. He picked up his coat and went out. After taking two steps, he turned around and ran to the room at the end of the corridor, knocking hard on the door.


    ¡°Chong Zhen! Get up! There is a case!¡±

 CH 7

    Chapter 7: Shooting scene


    The location of this shooting murder case was a magnificent old mansion standing on Fulong Mountain in the south of the city.


    This mansion was built by a foreigner during the Republic of China. Hidden in the green mountains and forests, it had a small garden with a fountain. The doors and windows were in Baroque style and exquisitely carved. However, the fact that it had been abandoned for a number of years, had been subjected to wind and frost damage, and had mottled rust added an unsettlingly eerie atmosphere. The previous owner of this house was a well-known big entrepreneur in the city. Later, the whole family immigrated for unknown reasons, and the house was not sold. Such a large mansion had been abandoned in the mountains and gradually became a ¡°ghost house¡± among the surrounding residents.


    This mansion had probably not been so lively for more than ten years. Numerous police officers were manning it as it was cordoned off from the outside. A group of students stood by the guardrail, huddling together for warmth with faces full of horror. They were the ones who called the police when they found the dead body. Now, in the middle of the night, there were quite a few people sneaking around outside the mansion. He Wei glanced at them and knew they were reporters.


    ¡°The people¡¯s police are for the people, so shouldn¡¯t they let us rest a bit?¡± Chong Zhen yawned with a tired face and raised the cordon. He Wei followed in, put on plastic gloves, and handed him a pair along the way: ¡°You have rested too thoroughly, haven¡¯t you? It knocked on your door for a full ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, I drank more than you; isn¡¯t it natural for me to sleep deeply?¡±


    ¡°Who made you drunk? Who made you sad and weep? You were the one who made yourself drink like that.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re so boring. Do you know what a ¡®middle-aged crisis¡¯ is? All you ever think about are cases. You¡¯re so heartless. What a waste of a pretty face¡±


    The two stepped into the opposite door of the mansion with each other. As soon as they entered, there was a gust of wind, and Chong Zhen rubbed his arms: ¡°It can¡¯t be a haunted case again, right? Recently, my luck has been low, and my grandma said I¡¯m prone to evil things.¡±


    He Wei looked up to observe the terrain. The mansion was divided into upper and lower floors. The living room was quite large. There was a long and wide spiral staircase leading to the second floor on the left and right sides. This layout was very similar to the wealthy villas often seen in TV dramas. Whether it was from the gilded railings or the exquisite decorative carvings in the house, it was enough to see the luxury and beauty of this mansion in the past, but it was a pity that things were different now. The glory was no longer there, and everything that came into view was a dilapidated scene.


    Chong Zhen looked around and exclaimed, ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this hall bigger than your house? It¡¯s enough for a conference!¡±


    ¡°Not just for the conference, but also for the memorial service.¡± He Wei looked around downstairs and found that all his colleagues hadn¡¯t arrived yet. Zheng Youqing and Yun Xiaoxiao were not on the scene, but Du Ruanlan and her little apprentice, Luo Ying, rushed to the front as always. They were in the middle of the living room, and they had already started the preliminary autopsy.


    Xiao Chen squatted on the floor to extract the shoe prints, and Chong Zhen lowered his head: ¡°Hey, how are these so many footprints? Can you tell which were from whom?¡±


    ¡°This scene was discovered by the students who came to explore. The footprints coming in from the door are fairly clear. When they got there, they probably saw the corpse and were so scared that they ran around. This is a special test of our ability to detect traces.¡± Xiao Chen sighed, saying, ¡°A lot of them are stacked together, so I might as well take them all back and separate them slowly. For stones, bring plastic wrap! Big ones!¡±


    No wonder these students had nothing to do and went to the wilderness. It turned out that they were exploring. Unfortunately, before they could finish their adventure, they bumped into a dead body as soon as they came in. They were so afraid that they wouldn¡¯t dare play any haunted house adventure escape room in this life.


    Chong Zhen searched the downstairs room with a flashlight. He Wei walked to the corpse, glanced down, and saw an extremely good-looking face.


    This was a young man lying straight on the floor; blood splatters were scattered around the body, and there was a pool of blood underneath. His eyes were tightly closed, his facial features were profound and handsome, and every angle from the bridge of his nose to his jaw was impeccable like a masterpiece carefully carved by God. With such a delicate and eye-catching appearance, if he opened his eyes, he would definitely attract everyone¡¯s attention. Even if he was lying there with a pale face and lifeless body at the moment, there was a kind of desolate and decadent beauty.


    After seeing so many corpses, He Wei felt a strange feeling that he had never felt before: What a pity to die young.


    ¡°Lan-jie, what¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°The rigor mortis is very high, the cornea is moderately turbid, and the pupils can barely be seen through, and some of the corpse spots are still faint. It is preliminarily estimated that the time of death is within 24 hours.¡± Du Ruanlan opened the man¡¯s blood-stained shirt, revealing a blood hole: ¡°There is a circular wound about 7 mm on the left chest. There is a reddish impact circle around the wound, and there is a black wipe ring on the inner edge of the hole. There is only one bullet hole in the whole body. It seems that he was killed by a single shot. Everything was arranged very neatly, and the splattered blood around him is also a bit strange. Wait for someone to test the blood reaction at the scene later to determine whether this is the first crime scene.¡±


    ¡°The marksmanship was pretty good? A professional?¡± He Wei squatted down and observed the wound, ¡°This size of the gun wound can be caused by 64, 77, or 54. Have you found the bullet and shell casing?¡±


    ¡°The bullet is in the body, and Hu Songkai is looking for the shell casing.¡± Du Ruanlan touched the scalpel in the box, ¡°Do you want to cut it and take it out?¡±


    He Wei was actually very indifferent to what Du Ruanlan asked. The conditions at the scene were not as good as those in the dissection room. If the bullet was dug out first without following the dissection procedure, it was unknown if it would affect her follow-up work. Du Ruanlan thought for a while, then retracted her hand: ¡°It¡¯s better to take it back to the bureau. When Xiaoxiao comes here later, she will definitely cry to death. Let¡¯s stop stimulating the little girl directly.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He Wei was curious, ¡°She knew the deceased?¡±


    ¡°Are there any girls who don¡¯t know him?¡± Du Ruanlan looked at him with disgust and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see so many reporters coming outside? It¡¯s all because of him. This person is the big star pianist, Cheng Zesheng.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Yun Xiaoxiao appeared on the scene with red eyes. From the moment she entered the door, her mood was gloomy and depressed, and she wiped her tears quietly several times. He Wei couldn¡¯t stand it anymore: ¡°Xiaoxiao, why don¡¯t you go back to rest today and go to the bureau tomorrow morning?¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao shook her head and said stubbornly: ¡°No, I want to collect evidence here and catch the murderer with my own hands!¡±


    Chong Zhen gossiped with He Wei in a low voice: ¡°Xiaoxiao is really emotional. She is feeling so sad that I thought it was her boyfriend lying there.¡±


    Xia Liang quietly leaned over: ¡°King Yama¡¯s1 work is just like this. This person¡¯s concert is tonight, and he took the person away one step ahead of time.¡±


    Although He Wei doesn¡¯t chase stars, there were quite a few young girls in the bureau, and there were a lot of them like Xiaoxiao who were willing to spend money to go to the concert. Therefore, in He Wei¡¯s eyes, their feelings were very sincere, and the so-called ¡°if you love him, you will pay for him¡± was quite clearly reflected in the star-chasing girl.


    Yun Xiaoxiao had only recently fallen in love with Cheng Zesheng, and she was so sad that she could imagine how much sensation this news would cause when it was announced to the whole society by outside reporters. She heard that Cheng Zesheng was not just an ordinary pianist; he won a grand prize for the glory of the country, but he was shot dead. Maybe the provincial government would send someone to watch over this case.


    After the preliminary autopsy was over, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s body was moved back to the bureau, leaving only a white line where the pile of blood was. Du Ruanlan also deliberately avoided Yun Xiaoxiao and greeted He Wei: ¡°This case is quite special. I will go back to the bureau to work first. I will come over when you come back and solve it together with you.¡±


    He Wei nodded. This mansion was too big. Two groups of people were dispatched to investigate together. The investigation had not been completed yet. Hu Songkai and Xia Liang were downstairs looking for bullet marks, bullet casings, and murder weapons. Chong Zhen and He Wei went to the room on the second floor to search for useful clues. Yun Xiaoxiao was very good at her job; holding a small notebook, she went to take the statements of the group of students outside.


    There were only a few pieces of broken furniture left in this mansion; almost every room upstairs had been evacuated, and all that was left were cabinets and decorations, which were of no reference value. Chong Zhen wiped the cabinet casually, and the dust was several inches thick. It covered the second floor from the stairs like snow, showing that no one had ever gone up there.


    ¡°It seems that the murderer and the deceased are only active downstairs.¡± He Wei pushed open the rusty iron window and looked toward the back garden, ¡°The grass below has grown half a meter tall, and there are no traces of stepping on it. The door to the backyard had not been moved. The murderer probably swaggered out from the main entrance after killing.¡±


    Chong Zhen stood beside him and looked into the distance: ¡°The scenery is really good, and the air is also fresh. There are mountains around, and it hasn¡¯t rained in the past two days. A living person who leaves here will definitely leave certain traces.¡±


    The search for the mountain had to wait until after dawn, and the two came down from upstairs and returned empty-handed. Chong Zhen saw Hu Songkai lying on the sofa with his butt pouting at first glance. He raised his legs and kicked, ¡°ErHu, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to die. Lao Hu¡¯s butt shouldn¡¯t have been kicked!¡± Hu Songshou waved at him, ¡°Come and see; what¡¯s the shiny thing underneath?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Can you still find a treasure?¡± Chong Zhen knelt down on the floor, got down, and flashed the flashlight under the cabinet, ¡°It¡¯s round and reflective, like glass or crystal; we have to hook it out to see.¡±


    Xia Liang took a stick and handed it over: ¡°Brothers, use this.¡±


    Chong Zhen poked a few times with the small stick and pulled out the round thing¡ªa simple, unremarkable glass marble that could be seen everywhere in the market, and one could buy a bag for five yuan.


    The three of them stared at the glass marble, full of childhood memories. Chong Zhen turned on the flashlight and observed it carefully. Given its cleanliness, it was likely that it rolled out of the deceased or the murderer and fell under the floor cabinet.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He Wei approached, saw the marbles in his hand with red and white patterns inside, and said with a smile, ¡°I have this.¡±


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t have it? When I was a child, I bought a whole bag.¡± Chong Zhen handed it to Xia Liang, ¡°Ask Xiao Chen to pack it in a bag and give it to their technical team.¡±


    Hu Songkai beat his own waist. He was so old that his back hurt from doing such little work. He Wei asked, ¡°Have you found the shell casings and the gun?¡±


    ¡°No, I was almost lying on the ground to search the carpet, acting as an artificial vacuum cleaner.¡± Hu Songkai wondered, ¡°There is not a single bullet mark on the floor or wall, it seems that the murderer really killed the person with one shot, quite neatly. ¡°


    ¡°Or, it might be a professional. It¡¯s okay if you can¡¯t find it. After Lan-jie digs out the bullet, determines the model of the gun, and judges the shooting distance based on the wound, the scene will probably be reconstructed.¡±


    He Wei looked up and saw that Zheng Youqing hadn¡¯t come yet, so he greeted Xiao Chen and prepared the Luminol reagent to test the blood reaction on the spot.


    After spraying, the fluorescent reaction was concentrated at the corpse, and the distribution of the sprayed blood was also strange. There was an irregular shape on the right side of the corpse that was not affected. After taking the photo, He Wei squatted down, closed his eyes and simulated the scene in his mind, and gradually became sure¡ª¡ª


    It was a person. Besides the murderer and the deceased, there was a third person at the scene.


    However, the traces of the third person¡¯s existence have been obviously cleaned, and there were no footprints or fingerprints left around the body. But what was even more strange was that if they wanted to cover it up, why didn¡¯t they do it thoroughly? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to interfere with the luminol reagent to disrupt the police¡¯s vision? There are so many information channels for criminals nowadays, and there are many ways to find them on Baidu with a mobile phone.


    Since it was known that there might be more than two murderers, the search of the surrounding mountain roads was even more important. As soon as He Wei walked out of the mansion, a beautiful reporter with dyed brown hair rushed over, her big eyes fluttered, and she fired at him: ¡°Captain He, do you remember me? I am Gu Meng, who did an exclusive interview with your city bureau.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± He Wei pointed at her camera and reminded her, ¡°We don¡¯t give interviews at the murder scene, and we have no comment on what is being investigated. Go back.¡±


    Gu Meng pursed her lips and wanted to get close to him, but He Wei had already ordered a few people to go with him to the mountain to search.


    Hu Songkai, who stood at the door and witnessed everything, stroked his chin: ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, just like before, cold and indifferent.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s obsessed with cleanliness and loves to investigate cases.¡± Chong Zhen was puzzled, ¡°Why do pretty girls like him?¡±


    Xia Liang, who didn¡¯t understand the melancholy of the middle-aged man, tilted his head: ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of Captain He¡¯s good looks?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hu Songkai and Chong Zhen each rewarded him with a hit on the head. It was really unpleasant for a child to speak the truth.

 CH 8

    Chapter 8: Another Scene


    The sun was shining in the afternoon, and the shadows of the mottled trees were cast on the front door and the back garden of the abandoned mansion. The noise of people broke the silence for several years, gradually waking up the mansion that was sleeping in the lush forest.


    During this time period, in addition to the nearby villagers, there were also tourists who came to Fulong Mountain to climb the mountain. This mansion had been abandoned for a long time, and it was regarded as a haunted house by the nearby villagers. Few dare to approach it. Today, two foreign tourists stopped by to rest. They found that there was such a big mansion in the mountains, so they were curious to check it out. Through the window, they happened to see a pair of feet that remained motionless by the sofa, and they were so frightened that they immediately called the police.


    Three police cars had already been parked at the entrance of the mansion. The police were handling the case, and all the onlookers were rushed outside the cordon. Suddenly, a black off-road vehicle screeched to a stop behind the police car, and a tall, long-legged man came down. He was at least 1.8 meters tall and wore a navy blue magnificent windbreaker, with dark hair and eyes. His impeccable facial features form a handsome and flawless face, bringing a strong visual impact, as if a gem was shining unscrupulously.


    The onlookers whispered: ¡°Is this a TV show? The stars are coming.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see the camera, and the Lao Wang next door really saw a dead person! Are the TV dramas so wild now? Dare to use real corpses?¡±


    ¡°But look, the young man doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s here to investigate the case at all!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just a formality, right? Can the cases be solved by being so good-looking?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng turned a deaf ear to these discussions and entered the scene, holding his ID. Xiang Yang, a young rookie on the team, immediately ran over: ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng! You came here so fast!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, I ran through three red lights. When you get back, go to the traffic control office to explain the situation and clear the violation.¡± Cheng Zesheng took off his windbreaker, handed it to Xiang Yang, and put on gloves and shoe covers, ¡°How many died? Have they been identified?¡±


    ¡°One, he didn¡¯t have any documents with him. Ke-Jie took his fingerprints and went for comparison in the database.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng walked into the mansion. There were two teams that came to the scene to investigate. The young man lying sideways beside the sofa was the deceased. He looked to be in his twenties, and his identity was unknown. There was no external injury on his body, only a dark purple strangle mark around his neck, and he still held a brand new hemp rope in his hand.


    ¡°Hey handsome, how did you get the time to come? Haven¡¯t you gone to accompany a beautiful woman to coffee and shopping?¡± Jiang Tan said strangely, ¡°Have you succeeded? Congratulations! You have broken away from our single-dog group. Be careful of attacks by the dead in the bureau.¡±


    ¡°Succeeded, what succeeded? I was dragged by that girl, Xie Wenxi, to work as a coolie. Don¡¯t I also want to rest at home on rare weekends?¡± Cheng Zesheng squatted down and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°The face is bruised and swollen, the conjunctiva of the eyelids has dense needle-like bleeding points, transverse grooves can be seen on the neck, the border around the neck is clear, and the depth is basically the same. The finger nails are cyanotic, and the corpse spots are dark purple, which is temporarily consistent with the sign of mechanical asphyxiation.¡± Jiang Tan continued, ¡°I haven¡¯t done the dissection yet, so we can¡¯t rule out serious illnesses, death from poisoning, or mechanical injuries caused by damage to vital organs.¡±


    Holding the windbreaker in his arms, Xiang Yang squatted down as well and asked cautiously, ¡°Then according to your intuition, how did he die?¡±


    ¡°Intuition is useless in the face of the truth!¡± Jiang Tan took off his mask, revealing a fair and delicate baby face, ¡°Even if it is suffocation, it is not self-stranglement; there is a 90% chance that this is murder. What the hell is the weather today, why is it so hot? ¡°


    His apprentice Liu Renyu handed over a pack of tissues and smiled: ¡°Teacher, it¡¯s 30 degrees today, and it¡¯s almost summer.¡±


    ¡°Death time?¡± Cheng Zesheng asked.


    Jiang Tan took out a long piece of tissue paper and wiped the shiny beads of sweat on the tip of his nose: ¡°According to the appearance of the corpse, the time of death is more than a day, probably between 2 and 5 o¡¯clock in the morning yesterday. The detailed time will not be confirmed until after the autopsy. ¡°


    Cheng Zesheng lowered his head. The man¡¯s face was slightly swollen, but it couldn¡¯t hide his handsome appearance. Cheng Aiyue from the technical team took a bag to collect the hair she found on the ground and muttered in a low voice: ¡°Not only the beauty had a bad fate, but also a blue face. It¡¯s a pity to be so handsome.¡±


    It¡¯s a pity to die young. Cheng Zesheng stood up: ¡°Xiao Tanzi after you¡¯re done, take the body back. It won¡¯t be good for it to be here in this hot weather.¡±


    Jiang Tan was furious: ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to call me that?! Call me Forensic Doctor Jiang or Chief Jiang!¡± He put his hands in the pockets of his white coat and ordered angrily, ¡°Xiao Liu, drag me away! Let¡¯s go back to the bureau and turn on the air conditioner.¡±


    After finishing speaking, he walked vigorously forward, and the small man of 1.6 meters still showed awe-spiring authority.


    Cheng Zesheng was puzzled and asked Liu Renyu: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him? It looks like he has eaten gunpowder today.¡±


    Liu Renyu smiled: ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just before coming to the scene, he received the bomb that he was the only one left in their single group who was really single.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The upper and lower floors of this mansion add up to nearly 400 square meters. The doors and windows were intact, and the back door had not been touched. Le Zhengkai took two people to check upstairs. After a while, he stood at the stairs and shook his head at Cheng Zesheng: ¡°Boss, nothing; the murderer never went upstairs at all.¡±


    Ke Dongrui walked over with a small laptop in her hand: ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, the deceased¡¯s fingerprints are recorded in the fingerprint database, and this is the result of the comparison.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng looked at the screen: He Wei, male, 32 years old, Chinese nationality. His birthplace and ID registration address are both in Shengzhou City; he is a local.


    ¡°Look for his family members to identify the body in the police station. After confirming his identity, go to investigate his social relations. Find out who he has been in contact with recently and why he came to this wilderness.¡±


    Ke Dongrui nodded and followed the instructions of the Unit Vice-Captain. Cheng Zesheng continued to investigate the scene, and Xiang Yang followed him around all the time. He was just assigned to the criminal investigation unit, and all he did was do odd jobs and run errands. The old captain of the Unit was now less active on the field, so he simply asked him to follow Cheng Zesheng more and learn the skills of solving cases.


    ¡°How many people do you think there were?¡± Cheng Zesheng asked suddenly.


    Xiang Yang looked down at the shoe prints: ¡°Two, there are two sets of shoe prints.¡±


    There were obviously two different kinds of shoe prints left on the floor of the living room downstairs. Cheng Aiyue had already collected some of them. Cheng Zesheng asked her to go to other things first, and he himself squatted on the ground to look at these complex footprints mixed together.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s two? Take a closer look.¡±


    Xiang Yang squatted on the other side, carefully observing the shoe prints. He looked up at the footprints coming from the door. It was obvious that the two walked in together. They first turned to the balcony on the right. After reaching the center of the living room, one of the footprints was discontinued. At a distance of about one meter, the shoe prints became messy and complicated, but the overlapping parts were all the same shoe prints.


    ¡°According to your thinking, if these were only one person¡¯s and there was no fighting, in this case, how should such a complicated stampede be created?¡±


    Xiang Yang answered cautiously: ¡°¡­Dancing?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng stroked the top of his head and said, ¡°Come on, you dance for me to see. There is only half of the shoe print here. Was the victim dancing a swan dance?¡±


    Xiang Yang was very embarrassed and smiled at Cheng Zesheng: ¡°Deputy Captain Cheng, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°The length of this group of shoe prints is 28 cm, so the barefoot length should be about 25 cm. The ratio of normal people¡¯s feet to height is 1:7. It is estimated that the height of the owner of the shoe prints is about 175~179, and the shoe prints are also consistent with the sneakers on the victim¡¯s feet.¡± Cheng Zesheng pointed to the area with his hand and said, ¡°This area has all the same footprints, but if you look closely, among them on the right side, there is a small front-half footprint and an entire shoe print just behind it. The small half of the shoe print has a deep toe, and the letter A becomes shallower backward. Guess, under what circumstances, such a footprint will be formed?¡±


    ¡°The front is deep and the back is shallow¡­the back half is blocked by something.¡± Xiang Yang opened his eyes wide, ¡°The victim¡¯s back heel stepped on another person¡¯s foot?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you didn¡¯t say you stepped on your own feet or ask me why I couldn¡¯t create this effect myself, lest I really want Chief Huang to send you back to the police academy for rebuilding.¡± Cheng Zesheng sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as stepping on something. Take a closer look ahead, less than half a meter away; what¡¯s unusual?¡±


    Xiang Yang looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that there was a nearly circular piece of the floor there that was unusually bright, which looked very abrupt on the dusty floor; it was obvious that something had been placed on it. The position of the spot was in a straight line with the shoe print. Xiang Yang was thinking about what would have been placed there at that time; the shape was irregular, and the straight line distance was no more than half a meter¡­


    Suddenly, his leg was swept by Cheng Zesheng, and he was caught off guard and knelt on the ground. Xiang Yang let out a soft cry, turned back to look at the Vice-Captain in grievance, and was about to say, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that there would be physical punishment¡±, but suddenly a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind. He looked down at his knees and said in surprise: ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng! I got it! The victim knelt down, and the irregular circle is the knee print!¡±


    ¡°According to the information you already know, how dare you say that there were only two people at the scene?¡± Cheng Zesheng pulled him up, ¡°Come and rebuild the scene.¡±


    ¡°There were three people at the scene¡­ at least three! The victim was where we were standing, fighting with one of the murdered, and was strangled by a hemp rope by the other one from behind.¡± Xiang Yang walked around behind Cheng Zesheng, pretending to have a hemp rope around his neck. ¡°Then, in order to speed up the death of the victim, the murderer forced him to kneel down, forming a height difference, and strangled the victim to death¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions so quickly. He definitely wasn¡¯t strangled here; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have moved to the sofa.¡± Cheng Zesheng patted him on the back, ¡°The most important thing is to watch the scene carefully. If you see the same shoe print, don¡¯t judge so quickly that it was of one person. Now tell me, what are the general signs of the murderer obtained from the footprints?¡±


    Xiang Yang speculated: ¡°The height and weight of the victim were similar to the murderer, and the shoes they wore were also the same, AJ11 North Carolina blue. They should be the same age, and maybe they have the same hobbies¡­ It is very likely that they are close friends or siblings.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng stroked his hair again: ¡°Catch the clues and investigate. We must not let go of any possibility when investigating the case. Sometimes some clues that are not marginal are the key to solving the case. You can¡¯t become a god of reasoning just by watching a few episodes of Conan, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Xiang Yang gave a military salute and ran away diligently. Le Zhengkai had been leaning on the stairs admiring it for a long time, and his stomach ached from laughing: ¡°Xiang Yang is so unlucky to have a tyrant master like you. I laugh for a long time every time I see you training apprentices.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng took off his gloves. He was responsible, but who told Bureau Huang to stuff this kid, who had just graduated from the police academy, into his hands?


    ¡°But this scene is really strange.¡± Le Zhengkai rested his chin, pointing to the shoe print that was discontinued from the middle of the living room, and the complicated shoe print that Cheng Zesheng taught Xiang Yang to analyze just now, ¡°Zesheng, tell me thoughtfully, how many people do you suspect there were at the scene?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng compared a number, Le Zhengkai nodded, and the two agreed with each other.


    ¡°This case is not simple. I have a hunch that something different may be found, which may be beyond our understanding.¡± Cheng Zesheng threw the gloves into a plastic bag that was uniformly destroyed. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the bureau first. You can check the surrounding area yourself. If not, use a police dog.¡±


    Le Zhengkai told him to leave at ease and handed the scene over to him; he should just hurry back and dissect the corpse with Forensic Doctor Jiang.

 CH 9

    Chapter 9: Might be a peer


    When He Wei returned to the bureau, it was already dawn. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s family came to identify the body. His father was in Canada and had already booked the fastest flight ticket to come back. Only his mother, Ding Xiang, had been running around with her son, accompanying him on a concert tour. Now seeing her son¡¯s dead body before her eyes, Ding Xiang collapsed, throwing herself on the corpse and refusing to let go.


    Today¡¯s city bureau was more lively than usual. The major media got the news from nowhere and squatted at the door together. He Wei opened the blinds, saw the crowd downstairs, and sighed: ¡°The pressure is too high now; should we deal with them?¡±


    ¡°The deceased was a celebrity and was shot dead, which has a negative social impact. There must be instructions from above.¡± Zheng Furui held a thermos in one hand and touched half of the top of his shiny head, ¡°There is also media staring. These people who play with pens are not easy to deal with; if we do something wrong, they will immediately start to pass judgment.¡±


    He Wei smiled: ¡°You still have a sense of humor. Okay, I¡¯ll investigate the case first, and if you have any ¡®instructions¡¯, you can just issue them.¡±


    After finishing speaking, he was about to leave the chief¡¯s office but was stopped by Zheng Furui: ¡°Hey, Xiao He, there is one more important matter.¡±


    When He Wei turned his head. Zheng Furui opened the drawer, took out a key, and threw it over. He Wei reached out to catch it and saw 404 written on it with a water pen. Zheng Furui unscrewed the thermos cup and took a sip: ¡°This is the key to the new apartment; you should know the address, right? Next to the New City Plaza, it is called ¡®Future Domain¡¯. ¡°


    ¡°The house prices there are not cheap; why are you willing to build a dormitory for us?¡± He Wei shook the key, ¡°There are no other floors? This number sounds unlucky.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who doesn¡¯t believe this the most?¡± Zheng Furui smiled, ¡°That building is a small high-rise building with seven floors. I went to see it. The 4th floor is neither high nor low, with adequate lighting without dampness. Almost all the buildings next to it are given to the people on the provincial government¡¯s side. I was able to win this for you because of my reputation.¡±


    ¡°And the normal allocation is two people in one apartment. I know you like cleanliness and quietness; that¡¯s why I have given you an apartment for one person. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    He Wei laughed out loud, nodded, and said yes. He was just joking. He was definitely not picky, and he didn¡¯t care where he lived.


    Zheng Furui asked him to move there within two days. The original dorm room had to be vacated; there were still people waiting to live there. He Wei didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry: ¡°Lao Zheng, I haven¡¯t solved the case at hand; how can I have time to move? Why don¡¯t you find someone to help me move my things there? I don¡¯t have anything to bring, just the basketball and the gaming console can¡¯t be left behind.¡±


    ¡°My boy, I have arranged a new house for you. You didn¡¯t even say thank you and are still depending on me to move things.¡± Zheng Furui waved his hand, ¡°All right, all right, spring is the season of high crimes, and your criminal investigation team has been so busy recently. As a leader, I must fully understand!¡±


    He Wei thanked the leader three times for his meticulous care and then pointed downstairs, implying that the leader should send the public relations department to deal with it and that reporters were in the way of investigating the case and their hands were tied.


    The crying in the morgue finally stopped, and Ding Xiang went through the formalities of identifying the body and was taken to the reception room to rest. She was crying out of breath, and a female police officer was comforting her. When she saw He Wei walking in, she greeted him, ¡°Captain He.¡±


    When Ding Xiang heard this address, she immediately raised her head, stared at He Wei with red eyes, and threw herself on the ground with a ¡°plop¡±.


    ¡°Unit Captain, I beg you to find the murderer as soon as possible. Find out the truth and avenge my son!¡±


    He Wei hurriedly helped her up: ¡°Please get up quickly. Fighting crime is what we should do. The chief just talked to me about it. Our criminal investigation unit will definitely do our best in this case.¡±


    ¡°I only had this son, and it was hard to raise him up. I haven¡¯t even seen him start a family yet, and in a blink of an eye, Yin and Yang are separated¡­¡± Ding Xiang¡¯s tears rolled down, drop by drop. She took out a handkerchief to wipe them and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Our family child was good-looking, had a good temper, and was gentle and polite. God has no eyes, letting him go ahead of us at a young age. I want to go down to accompany him. My life is meaningless now.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Cheng, the dead are gone, and the living is still here. The most urgent thing is to find a way to solve the case.¡± He Wei poured a glass of water and handed it over, ¡°Can you talk to me about Cheng Zesheng¡¯s recent whereabouts?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Du Ruanlan sat on a chair, holding a small piece of square mousse cake in her hand, chewing and tasting it slowly. There was an album in front of her with dazzling pictures of all kinds of corpses; she was looking at it as she ate. This is not their ¡°Illustrated Book of Corpse Changes¡± textbook of forensic medicine, but an illustrated book made by Du Ruanlan for many years of practice. It would be revised every year, adding pictures of corpses from new cases that had been handled.


    The door was pushed open, and He Wei walked in: ¡°Lan-Jie, sorry to bother you while you¡¯re admiring corpses, but when shall we start?¡±


    ¡°When I finish eating, there are still two bites left.¡± Du Ruanlan pointed to the dissection table behind her, ¡°You change your outfit first, then go there and wait.¡±


    Luo Ying poked her head out from the small door connected to the dissection room: ¡°Captain He, since you are here, do you still need me to take notes?¡±


    He Wei picked up a blue protective suit from the hook and put it on: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not here to be a spectator, and I can¡¯t make a record for Lan-Jie.¡±


    Luo Ying came out of the small door with a voice recorder, pen, and paper and smiled shyly: ¡°Captain He, you are very good at everything. I heard that there was a special situation in the past. Now you can do everything from dissection to investigation. One person can form a whole criminal investigation team.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, A-Wei rose from the lowest level of the police station and grew up among the people. What has he never seen or done?¡± Du Ruanlan finished the last bite of cake and threw the box into the trash can, ¡°Now that the technology is advanced and the auxiliary equipment for investigation is advancing with the times, the new batch of police officers all have technical knowledge greater than practical experience, and the police force also requires a meticulous division of labor and specialization in one area. Where can you cultivate a panacea like him that can work anywhere?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that exaggerated.¡± He Wei said indifferently, putting on a mask, ¡°This only shows that technical talents are becoming more and more perfect, which is a good thing. Individuals cannot match the strength of the collective, after all. It sounds much more powerful and awesome when all in one person¡¯s hands, but in reality, one mistake and  everything will be a mess.¡±


    Du Ruanlan gave Luo Ying a meaningful glance. Did you see it? With this awareness, he still worked so hard to investigate the case. If he went to pursue an official career, what would Chief Zheng do?


    After paying attention, the dissection officially began. The white cloth was lifted, revealing Cheng Zesheng¡¯s handsome face, which looked even paler under the cold light. To say that a person was good-looking was an understatement. Even if he turned into a corpse, it was still a corpse that would not make people feel frightened but pity.


    ¡°The deceased Cheng Zesheng, male, 29 years old, 185 cm in height, 68 kg in weight, healthy limbs, normal nutritional status¡­¡±


    In the dissection room, there was only Luo Ying¡¯s voice talking into the voice recorder. Du Ruanlan squeezed Cheng Zesheng¡¯s arm to the palm of his hand, carefully touched a few knuckles, and suddenly looked up at He Wei: ¡°He is a pianist, right?¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    ¡°Under normal circumstances, long-term piano practice will lead to slightly rounder fingertips, thicker distal phalanges, thicker palms, and a slight outward turning of the little finger.¡± Du Ruanlan raised Cheng Zesheng¡¯s well-defined hand, ¡°His fingertips are thin, and there is no thickening of the flesh caused by long-term tapping of the keys. What has changed is the middle knuckle of the index finger and the proximal knuckle of the thumb, and there are also friction marks on the palm near the thumb and between the thumb and forefinger.¡±


    He Wei reached out and groped for Cheng Zesheng¡¯s cold hand, touched his forearm along the palm of his hand, and pinched it: ¡°It is true, his arms are stronger, and the nails are also cut very clean. You mean, his hand does not conform to the characteristics of someone who has played the piano for a long time?¡±


    ¡°This is just my personal opinion. It does not rule out the possibility that, in some cases, long-term piano practice will not cause finger changes. Just like the high school student I dissected last time, she has practiced piano for ten years, and her fingers are still slender and white and can be used as a hand model.¡±


    He Wei nodded and turned to look at Luo Ying: ¡°Xiao Luo, record it.¡±


    Luo Ying took the camera to take pictures and then hurried to make records. Du Ruanlan took a cotton swab to examine. He Wei was curious: ¡°Now men also have to do these checks?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the times are different, and men and women are the same. In the past, only female deceased were examined for s*xual assault. Since last year, male deceased will also be examined in this regard.¡±


    He Wei smiled: ¡°Does that mean we men have successfully protested?¡±


    ¡°When the government promulgates a protection law on male s*xual abuse, the protest will be considered a success.¡± Du Ruanlan pointed at He Wei with a scalpel and said, ¡°Especially good-looking men, they are more in danger, so be careful.¡±


    After the physical examination was over, Du Ruanlan picked up the scalpel and finally got to the point. The cold and bright blade sliced ??open the skin on the chest. He Wei rarely avoided his sight, and for the first time, a strange feeling appeared in his heart after seeing Cheng Zesheng¡¯s corpse, making him feel regretful, unbearable, and a little uncomfortable.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Don¡¯t dare to look at the dissection?¡± Du Ruanlan moved smoothly and skillfully. She had already taken out the bullet, rinsed it, and put it into the tray. He Wei picked up the bullet with tweezers, and the cold light came down from above, reflecting the sharp, cold light unique to metal.


    ¡°9 mm, jujube-shaped bullet with full metal armor, lead-steel composite bullet core, old friend.¡± He Wei put the bullet aside, ¡°DAP92-type bullet.¡±


    Du Ruanlan raised her eyebrows: ¡°You recognized it at a glance?¡±


    ¡°This kind of ammunition is used in our bureau. Even if I don¡¯t see it every day, it has been loaded many times.¡± He Wei put the tray on the table, ¡°If you think my deduction is not accurate, just go and test it. Lan-Jie, if I guess correctly, the murderer may be a colleague.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    He Wei was eating dinner alone in the cafeteria, when suddenly his shoulders were heavy, Chong Zhen¡¯s face appeared, and he asked mysteriously, ¡°Hey, Lao He, I heard that the gun used to kill that person is a Type-92; is it true?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure if it¡¯s Type-92 or 92G, it depends on the analysis results of the technical department.¡± He Wei sized him up, focusing on the leaf above his head, ¡°¡­you walked all the way with this?¡±


    Chong Zhen was stunned, obviously not understanding what he meant. Following He Wei¡¯s gaze, Chong Zhen stretched out his hand to touch it, then picked off the leaves and immediately cursed: ¡°Those little bastards, they didn¡¯t say anything when they saw it. They made me look bad. I¡¯ll peel off their skins after I get back! No wonder the door was opened! When I met the policewoman from the public relations department, she smiled at me like a flower!¡±


    ¡°Maybe she really likes you.¡± He Wei suppressed a smile, picked up the bowl, and pretended to drink soup. Chong Zhen sat down beside him and poked his arm: ¡°Tell me the truth; do you suspect that an insider did it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I feel, and I¡¯m going to apply for a gun inspection. There are only a few Type-92 and 92Gs in the city, and the inspection is not too troublesome.¡±


    ¡°What if it¡¯s not from our Shengzhou city?¡±


    ¡°Then continue to investigate.¡± He Wei shrugged, ¡°This is an important clue. If the gun can be identified, it will be much easier to find the person.¡±


    Chongzhen stretched his waist and put his legs on the stool: ¡°It has nothing to do with the local police station anyway. What was popularized there is still Type-64 and the women¡¯s unit. Didn¡¯t they also try using the 9mm police revolver a few years ago? Still a pit compared to Type-92.¡±


    ¡°There is no choice, even if it¡¯s a pit. Although the cartridge will get stuck and break the firing pin, this time it killed someone with one shot, didn¡¯t it?¡± He Wei put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth, ¡°¡±If you think Type-92 is unsuitable, you can apply to Chief Zheng to buy a batch of Glocks from overseas. If you succeed, the entire police force will support you.¡±


    Chongzhen was not fooled, but he let it go, and the funds for handling the case are tight, so why not buy a gun? I didn¡¯t hear the economic detectives always complaining that undercover players have to pay for the entry fee out of the team¡¯s own pocket, so he didn¡¯t look for this bad luck.


    ¡°By the way, I got the apartment, and Chief Zheng notified me to move.¡±


    Chong Zhen¡¯s expression gradually became excited, and He Wei poured cold water on him: ¡°But I¡¯ll live alone. I won¡¯t serve you who throw socks around in the house like it¡¯s a pig¡¯s nest.¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t stand you who want to clean up the house when you have time!¡±

 CH 10

    Chapter 10: Twin brothers


    Cheng Zesheng returned to the City Bureau. As soon as he entered the main office, someone came to report that the family members of the deceased found in the mansion had come to identify the body.


    ¡°It¡¯s just in time. I just have a question to ask his family, where are they now?¡±


    The subordinates showed Cheng Zesheng the way, and the family member had already come out of the morgue and was going through the formalities. Cheng Zesheng rushed to the forensic department with strides and saw a man in a suit bending over to sign. He walked over and said, ¡°Are you the family member of the deceased? I¡¯ll take your few minutes¡ª¡±


    The man turned his head, revealing a familiar face he had seen in the mansion. The only difference was that the face in front of him was ruddy, fuller, and more lively, and the color of the eyes was light and full of spirit. In an instant, allowing people to have the illusion that the corpse had been dragged back to be resurrected again.


    Cheng Zesheng was stunned, and Jiang Tan appeared behind him like a ghost holding coffee: ¡°Surprise. This is the brother of the deceased; they are twins.¡±


    The man had already turned to face Cheng Zesheng: ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°I want to ask you about your brother¡¯s situation.¡± Cheng Zesheng glanced at his signature, ¡°He Lu, right? You really look alike.¡±


    He Lu didn¡¯t speak and looked back at the morgue. Cheng Zesheng looked at He Lu carefully, as if his eyes were searchlights. He and He Wei were similar in size and almost identical in appearance, as if they were carved out of the same mold. The only difference that could be seen at a glance was that there was a small tear mole under the corner of He Lu¡¯s right eye, while He Wei¡¯s face was clean. It was estimated that most people around him used this to distinguish the brothers, who were very similar in appearance.


    Apart from Cheng Zesheng being surprised by the extremely high degree of similarity in physical appearance, He Lu¡¯s reaction was the most surprising thing. It was said that the relationship between twins was extraordinary, especially between identical twins. There was even telepathy between them, and if one of them died, the other would be in pain. Even if this was an exaggeration, the grief that should be felt was inevitable.


    But He Lu¡¯s attitude was very cold. He didn¡¯t even frown and said lightly: ¡°What do you want to ask me?¡±


    ¡°Some basic information about your brother¡¯s personality and preferences¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He Lu quickly interrupted him, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about He Wei. Why don¡¯t you ask his colleagues in the company? I think they will know more than me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Cheng Zesheng questioned, ¡°Are you really brothers?¡±


    ¡°It is in the legal sense, but I don¡¯t want to admit it.¡± He Lu raised his wrist and looked at his watch, ¡°I¡¯m going to leave first; there¡¯s a meeting in the afternoon.¡±


    After finishing speaking, he didn¡¯t care whether Cheng Zesheng agreed or not; he just passed by and left. Jiang Tan gave a thumbs up to his back: ¡°Jeez, I haven¡¯t seen a person who signed the body recognition procedure like a million-dollar contract in three years.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng frowned, feeling that there was something wrong with He Lu. What kind of reason made him so indifferent toward his own biological brother? Even identifying the dead body seemed to be a formality, and he even came here in time before the meeting, as if he was doing some commissioned work.


    Liu Renyu came in with a thermos cup: ¡°Teacher, the chrysanthemum wolfberry tea you want.¡±


    ¡°!¡± Jiang Tan snatched the thermos away as if his tail was burnt, glared at Cheng Zesheng, and acted preemptively, ¡°Recently, I¡¯ve been staying up late, and my health is not good. This is just for good health! It has nothing to do with age!¡±


    Cheng Zesheng was still thinking about He Lu¡¯s question when he was suddenly interrupted. He raised his head with a puzzled expression, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just soaking wolfberry berries in a thermos? What¡¯s wrong with admitting it? Middle-aged people understand it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Section Chief Jiang unscrewed the cup and took a big gulp of wolfberry berry tea, a must for middle-aged men, to cultivate his body and mind. He refused to swear.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Jiang Tan and Liu Renyu were working in the dissecting room, while Cheng Zesheng watched and helped to take notes. Jiang Tan inspected He Wei¡¯s right hand: ¡°Zesheng, here is an important clue.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng walked over to take a look and found that there was a light pink translucent substance in the manicured and rounded nails. He picked it out with a toothpick and found that it was skin tissue.


    ¡°Seeing that even a slight piece of flesh was caught, this is definitely not his own.¡± Jiang Tan packed the skin tissue and handed it to Liu Renyu. ¡°After the end, send it for inspection and make a DNA fingerprint as soon as possible.¡±


    The cold air in the autopsy room was broken by a ringing bell. The master and apprentice stared at Cheng Zesheng together, and Jiang Tan pulled off his mask: ¡°You are disturbing the mood of the forensic doctor and affecting the accuracy of the autopsy.¡±


    ¡°You are so professional, a knife in Jiangnan; how can you be disturbed by a phone call.¡± Cheng Zesheng took out his mobile phone and gestured to him, ¡°It¡¯s Chief Huang. I will go to listen to the instructions of the leader, you guys continue.¡±


    When he came to the corridor, as soon as the phone was connected, Chief Huang asked in a low voice, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°In the Bureau,¡± Cheng Zesheng paused, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Come to my office.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng pondered. He didn¡¯t seem to have done anything to offend Chief Huang recently, so he could go to that old fox¡¯s den. In less than two minutes, he was already standing outside the chief¡¯s office and knocking on the door. After getting the answer, he opened the door and went in.


    Huang Zhanwei was tasting tea, and the assistant stood aside: ¡°Captain Cheng, please sit down.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll just stand. Just tell me what the matter is, Chief Huang.¡± According to past experience, sitting down was definitely not a good thing, and pouring a cup of tea meant it was over and the in-depth leadership education would begin.


    ¡°Then stand still.¡± Huang Zhanwei spoke to his assistant, ¡°Xiao Chen, the new dormitory has already started to be allocated. In the past two days, I have screened the applications handed over to me. With such a tight resource, we must hurry up and first  fulfill the needs of the comrades in the bureau.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng sat down, ¡°Chief Huang, you can chat as long as you want today. I will chat with you as if I don¡¯t have a case to investigate.¡±


    Huang Zhanwei glared at him and put the teacup on the table with a bang: ¡°Little bastard, do you think I want to chat with you? The people from the provincial department came again today; it seems that your time is running out.¡±


    ¡°Are you asking me to serve as a vase for the provincial government?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what did you say? You can join the criminal investigation team of the Provincial Department,¡± Huang Zhanwei¡¯s voice suddenly became weak, ¡°By the way, I will also work part-time in the external mission of the Public Relations Division.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a vase? After I go there, I¡¯ve got to put the cart before the horse 1 My main task is to receive the visitors, and I don¡¯t have anything to do with the investigation.¡± Cheng Zesheng raised his legs and said, ¡°I¡¯ve rejected them three or five times, and they still don¡¯t give up. Is it true that some leader¡¯s daughter has taken a fancy to me?¡±


    Huang Zhanwei put on a fierce face and told him not to talk nonsense. The leader wanted to promote him because he liked his talent. Who knew that there were people like this in the world who didn¡¯t want to get promoted and raise their salary to go into an official career, but they just liked to work hard from morning to night and deal with criminals?


    Cheng Zesheng just happened to be focused on it. Because of his face, his ability to handle cases had been questioned. When he first joined the bureau, the public relations department always wanted to poach people and planned to transfer him to support the outside world. Cheng Zesheng firmly refused and just stayed in the criminal investigation team, rushing to the front when encountering important cases, just to let others see that he, Cheng Zesheng, was not a coward who relied on his face to make a living.


    A few years later, Cheng Zesheng managed to make some achievements, relying on his own strength to take the position of deputy head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Municipal Bureau, but the provincial department came to poach people again, and he refused to go even more. It was better to hand over the resignation and quit rather then going to the provincial department to be a vase.


    ¡°Hey¡­ you think I don¡¯t know what you think? Isn¡¯t this matter about going back?¡± Huang Zhanwei handed the teacup to the assistant to refill it. He looked at Cheng Zesheng and said, ¡°Zesheng, to be honest, your father really hopes that you can be transferred to the public relations department, so you don¡¯t have to charge forward. He already has lost a son, so he can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Hearing that he mentioned his brother, who had been dead for several years, Cheng Zesheng stood up with a ¡°swipe¡± and said, ¡°Chief Huang, don¡¯t persuade me. My brother was beaten to death by drug dealers. He died for the country and died well. Back then, I went to be a criminal investigator, and he went to anti-drug. We both made an oath that neither of us would shrink back halfway. My dad didn¡¯t understand; you should understand?¡±


    Huang Zhanwei opened his mouth, but he didn¡¯t know how to answer for a while. Cheng Zesheng brushed off the non-existent dust on the sofa and walked quickly to the door: ¡°I still have a case to investigate. Next time don¡¯t invite me to drink tea. If you really want me to come down from the front line, it¡¯s better to simply order me to take off my police uniform.¡±


    He almost slammed the door open. There were not many in the city bureau who dared to slam the door on Chief Huang, and Cheng Zesheng was one of them. Looking at his back, Huang Zhanwei seemed to see Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s vigor again. These two boys were really brothers; they walked with their backs straight, like a beautiful javelin, and they even looked 90% similar when they lost their temper.


    When Cheng Zesheng was halfway out, Huang Zhanwei came back to his senses and quickly stopped him: ¡°Hey! Come back! Or your house will be gone?!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the application not approved yet?¡± Cheng Zesheng held the door frame with one hand and finally turned his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s for others!¡± Huang Zhanwei took out a key from the drawer and threw it over, saying, ¡°Yours is ready. I know you have had conflicts with your father and have wanted to move out for a long time. But I also promised Lao Cheng that I¡¯d try my best to watch over you, and won¡¯t let you end up like your brother.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng caught the key and was overwhelmed with surprise. The anger that he had just simmered disappeared instantly: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take it out earlier? If you had said that the new dorm has been settled, I can sit here and listen to your nagging for as long as you want.¡±


    Huang Zhanwei waved his hand straight and drove him to handle the case, so as not to get angry. Cheng Zesheng turned the key in his hand and went back to the big office. Le Zhengkai was looking at the photos taken at the scene, and when he looked up, he saw a smug expression on his face: ¡°What¡¯s so good?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng slapped the key on the table: ¡°Did you see it? I got it.¡±


    ¡°That single apartment in Future Domain?¡±


    ¡°Or else.¡±


    Le Zhengkai was amazed: ¡°You using a backdoor like this is not good. You¡¯re a local and have a house and a car, so you should be ashamed to apply for a dormitory. The most important thing is that it was approved. I want to report and expose the favoritism of Chief Huang.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it. I really thought that Lao Huang would not approve. He just mentioned my brother¡¯s matter in the office, and I changed my expression on the spot. It was quite ugly.¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing was Cheng Zesheng¡¯s reverse scale. He didn¡¯t think about that matter himself, let alone mention it to outsiders. The main reason was that when his brother¡¯s body was found on the China-Myanmar border, he was tortured so badly by drug dealers that it was almost hard to see the human appearance, and after he was transported back, Cheng Zesheng went crazy.


    Therefore, as brothers, they were connected by blood. When they saw the other party¡¯s corpse in front of them, how could they be so indifferent and act as if nothing had happened?


    Cheng Zesheng thought of He Lu again. Ke Dongrui and Xiang Yang came back and handed over the social relationship information they had investigated. He Wei¡¯s social relationship was very simple. He was introverted, had few friends, and did not live with his parents and younger brother. Instead, he lived alone in a small apartment. A simple page was his entire life trajectory.


    Cheng Zesheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration and raised his head: ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a good relationship with his family; is it because of his sexual orientation?¡±


    Xiang Yang scratched his short hair: ¡°His parents and colleagues didn¡¯t mention this¡­¡±


    Cheng Zesheng pointed to a place name on the investigation report: ¡°This place appears to be a music bar, but it is actually a gay bar. Everyone in the circle knows it.¡±


    The office fell silent for a moment.


    Cheng Zesheng was stared at by these strange and curious eyes and got goosebumps, especially from Xiang Yang and Le Zhengkai, who seemed hesitant to speak and put on expressions as if they wanted to ask something.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Cheng Zesheng rolled the materials into a stick and beat them over the heads. ¡°A few years ago, I arrested people there! Did you forget it all? What kind of brains do you have?!¡±


    Le Zhengkai suddenly realized: ¡°Oh, it seems that there is indeed a case. Zesheng, I have misunderstood you, and I am guilty.¡±


    Xiang Yang, who had just joined the team, held the top of his head in grievance. He didn¡¯t participate in that action either, so he was quite innocent in this matter.

 CH 11

    Chapter 11: Not simple pianist


    Once the case of Cheng Zesheng being shot was revealed, it really caused an uproar in society.


    He had a handsome appearance, unique attainments in music, and a gentle personality. He was popular in the circle and had a good reputation. Upon hearing the news of his death, not only the fans cried heart-rendingly, but friends in the circle also reposted their condolences one by one. The whole network was immersed in grief for a while, and the topic was trending in the hot search.


    Not only was the cordon at the scene of the crime not dismantled but another patrol team was sent to guard it. As soon as the report came out, fans flocked to the old mansion to pay their respects, and journalists also frequented it. Fulong Mountain was bustling, and the remote mountains and wild ridges that were usually unattended became crowded with people.


    Hu Songkai held the coffee in his hand and complained: ¡°That place is chaotic; the crowd is so big that the police cars can¡¯t even drive up! 80% of them are little girls, crying like pear blossoms in the rain. In comparison, our Xiaoxiao¡¯s tears are lighter than a feather. She can still persist in handling cases; she is a strong woman.¡±


    He Wei was looking at the photos of the scene and raised his head: ¡°Isn¡¯t Fulong Mountain a scenic spot? Extend the cordon outward; the radius should be at least ten meters. Don¡¯t let them get close to destroy the scene.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying this now; it was expanded a long time ago! Even though the road up the mountain has been sealed, it still doesn¡¯t work. They found another way to climb up from the mountain road.¡± Hu Songkai shook his head, ¡°They are so powerful. They even forced their way up the back mountain. The Forestry Bureau would go crazy sooner or later.¡±


    Xia Liang popped up: ¡°Didn¡¯t Lu Xun have a saying that there is no way in the world, but if there are many people walking, it becomes a way?¡±


    He Wei grabbed him by the neck and asked him how the technical department¡¯s appraisal was going and whether the gun was determined. Xia Liang nodded quickly: ¡°It¡¯s determined; it¡¯s Type-92, and I¡¯ve brought back the autopsy report from Lan-Jie by the way.¡±


    He handed over the two reports in his hand, and He Wei flipped through them. The time of death was determined to be between 3:00 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. on April 14th. According to the penetration force of the bullet, the blind tube wound, and the analysis of the shooting residue, the shooting distance was within 10 meters and was vertical. Although the bullet was not found after searching for a long time at the scene, some gunpowder residues were extracted within a certain range of the living room. The arc circle formed by the connection line could roughly determine the approximate location of the shooting.


    He Wei closed the report and handed it to Hu Songkai: ¡°Go to reconstruct the scene. I¡¯ll be there in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Just me?¡± Hu Songkai looked around the office and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Chong Zhen? That guy didn¡¯t show up all day; did he miss work?¡±


    ¡°Running outside, do you want to change with him?¡± He Wei picked up his coat, ¡°Next time, you two can do a rock-paper-scissor; whoever wins will pick the job.¡±


    Hu Songkai shut up when he heard the word running outside. What he disliked the most was dealing with people. He couldn¡¯t ask for any useful information. There was a reason he was kicked out of the pre-trial team back then.


    ¡°Xiao Xia, follow your Bother ErHu to learn.¡± He Wei patted Xia Liang on the back and said, ¡°You have to study hard, and when you come back, write a report on how to reconstruct the shooting scene.¡±


    Hu Songkai led Xia Liang, and they took two colleagues to the mansion together. He Wei was already sitting in the jeep and sent a message to Chong Zhen, asking where he was now.


    Suddenly, a black shadow flashed across the rearview mirror. He Wei raised his head subconsciously and lowered the window to look left and right. The open-air parking lot was empty, and he was the only one who poked his head out of the car and looked around. Another black shadow passed by, and a bird flew past his eyes with fluttering wings and landed on the opposite railing. He smiled and started the engine. If one did too many cases, there would be sequelae, and one would be suspicious of everything.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Chong Zhen went to the victim¡¯s residence today. Cheng Zesheng had been living in Canada since he was a child. He returned to China a few years ago and bought a garden villa in the east of Shengzhou City. But he was the only one living in this villa. The servants come three times a week, and his mother occasionally comes to stay for a few days. Cheng Zesheng was alone on the night of the incident, and no one knew why he went to that mansion.


    ¡°I took a general look at his home. The cultural people are just different from our realm. There is nothing but books, all literary works. The three walls of the study are bookcases, which made me dizzy.¡± Chong Zhen took out a notebook, ¡°I found this in the drawer. He likes to write songs, and these are all simple notation.¡±


    He Wei took it over and flipped through it, and he found that it was indeed some numbered musical notation, with high and low pitches and long and short notes marked on them. There was a leaf used as a bookmark in the book, and the numbered notation on that page only had one line. It seemed that the fresh inspiration had not had time to complete the creation, and the person had passed away.


    Pushing open the door of the study room on the second floor, the bookshelves placed against the walls on three sides were very eye-catching. Walking into it was like stepping into a library. He Wei scanned them roughly and found that they were all literary classics and music-related books, each of which was properly preserved, either covered with a frosted book film or wrapped in a beautiful cover, with a sticker on the spine, which was the title of the book handwritten by Cheng Zesheng. The characters were like the person, gentle and graceful.


    He Wei took out a few books at random, each of which had traces of interpretation, and even marked sentences that were worth remembering. Chong Zhen leaned over: ¡°Did you see it? This is the standard literary and artistic youth. I have a headache reading all the books in your cabinet. Now I meet an even more exaggerated one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing to have some ink in your belly.¡± He Wei squatted down, and his eyes fell on the bottom row of the bookshelves. This row contained the classic Chinese studies ¡°Siku Quanshu¡°, ¡°Zizhi Tongjian¡°, and other sets was neatly placed together. His eyes flashed, and he took out the brick book with ¡°Guiguzi¡± written on the spine, turned a few pages, and frowned.


    This was not some strategist¡¯s wisdom conspiracy theory, but diagrams of various types of guns! Chong Zhen squatted down and took a look: ¡°Hey, it¡¯s all dry goods. If you don¡¯t have professional needs in China, you can¡¯t buy it, right?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that it¡¯s all in English?¡± He Wei opened the cover, and the cover had already exposed the real body of this ¡°Guiguzi¡±. This was a book that introduced the detailed structure of guns. He Wei handed the book to Chong Zhen: ¡°Literary youth, huh?¡±


    Chong Zhen was embarrassed: ¡°Damn, how would I know that he would be so cunning to hide something like this? How did you know there was a problem?¡±


    He Wei didn¡¯t say anything and continued to pick out a few more books. He opened the cover and saw that they were also books related to firearms. Chong Zhen touched a copy of ¡°Siku Quanshu¡±, immediately closed it, and put it back in its original place. It seemed that he had encountered a real book of classical Chinese culture.


    After reading a few books, He Wei also has a good understanding of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s hidden hobbies. He remembered that Du Ruanlan had examined his hands during the autopsy, and the characteristics described at the time were quite consistent with the situation of often holding a gun. The friction marks on the index finger and the tiger¡¯s mouth were probably gun calluses.


    ¡°Cheng Zesheng was not as simple as he appeared on the surface. He was interested in guns. He had lived in Canada before, and he must have some collections.¡± He Wei stood up and groped the edge of the bookshelf, saying, ¡°Chong Zhen, come here. Look around to see if there is a secret door.¡±


    Chong Zhen and He Wei searched separately, trying to remove even the bookshelf, carefully knocking every corner of the wall. It was a pity that there was nothing special about the study room except those books. He Wei rubbed his chin: ¡°Let¡¯s go to another room. I think we¡¯ll definitely find surprises.¡±


    The upper and lower floors of this villa were more than 200 square meters, and all the rooms on the second floor have been searched. Chong Zhen and He Wei met at the stairs and shook their heads. Not to mention real guns, they didn¡¯t even see a toy gun.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs.¡±


    The two of them rummaged through boxes and cabinets downstairs again. He Wei was digging out the seam of the sofa with his hand, and suddenly he found a thin silver necklace with an oval-shaped colored gold pendant underneath. He opened it and found a photo of Cheng Zesheng with a man. The man¡¯s eyebrows and eyes were very similar to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s, and his face was also handsome, so they might be related by blood.


    ¡°Did Cheng Zesheng¡¯s mother say that he is an only child?¡±


    Chong Zhen nodded, glanced at the photo, and was surprised: ¡°He has a brother? His social relationship doesn¡¯t have this at all.¡±


    ¡°Try to find a way to find out about their family¡¯s situation in Canada and whether they have abandoned the other child. The two are very close, so they should have a good relationship.¡± He Wei took out a zip lock bag from his pocket, put the necklace in it, and Chong Zhen used his imagination: ¡°Doesn¡¯t this happen often in TV dramas? Brothers who have been separated for many years recognize each other. They both thought that there was no barrier between them. Who knew that the one who was abandoned had always been resentful? Hey! This is reasonable, and the case has been solved. Ah!¡±


    He Wei went to dig out another sofa, didn¡¯t bother to blame him, and complained ruthlessly: ¡°Xiao Xia spends all day in Conan, and you are brainwashed by TV dramas all day; you two are dead.¡±


    Half an hour later, after searching every corner downstairs, Chong Zhen slumped on the sofa: ¡°This kid may be just talking on paper. Laozi is tired enough to have a dry mouth.¡±


    He Wei opened the back door of the villa: ¡°There is also a garage over there.¡±


    ¡°Here, the key is on the table; go and open it.¡±


    He Wei picked up the key and went to the garage alone. After the shutter door was opened, a car was parked inside. He Wei touched the front of the car, and there was already a thin layer of dust; apparently, it had been parked here for a while.


    Car supplies were stacked in the corner of the garage, and there was a huge poster on the wall. The owner of the poster was the handsome and gentle Cheng Zesheng. He Wei stood in front of the poster, staring at Cheng Zesheng¡¯s smiling face, always feeling a sense of disobedience.


    This kind of poster was usually placed outside in lightbox advertisements, shopping malls, and TV towers, but Cheng Zesheng hung it in his home. Was it necessary to be so narcissistic? And it was still a garage, so one could only see it when one drove and parked. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to hang it in the living room?


    He walked over and knocked on the wall, groping here and there. ¡°Tap¡±, the sound was hollow and dull. He Wei cheered up and knocked along the four corners to determine what was hidden behind; it might be a door.


    He Wei stood on the stool and took off the poster. Sure enough, there was a slit visible to the naked eye on the wall, but it couldn¡¯t be pushed open. There was no keyhole in the wall, and the switch had to be found. Chong Zhen was called over again and couldn¡¯t help being surprised when he saw this secret door: ¡°There really is?!¡±


    ¡°Look for the switch. Let¡¯s find a way to turn it on, you on the left and I on the right.¡±


    The two continued to search separately. Chong Zhen removed the pile of car repair supplies and shouted angrily: ¡°Found it!¡±


    There was a smooth touchpad next to the socket near the corner, and Chongzhen touched it: ¡°Fingerprint lock.¡±


    He Wei called Zheng Youqing and asked her to make a set of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s fingerprint film, all ten fingers. In less than an hour, Zheng Youqing, in a white dress, carried her necessary evidence box and poked her head at the garage door: ¡°Unit Captain He, I¡¯m here.¡±


    Chong Zhen pinched out his cigarette: ¡°It¡¯s over. A-Wei and I were bored and bet on which foot you would step in first, and the bet is tonight¡¯s dinner.¡±


    Zheng Youqing looked down to see that both of her feet were outside and smiled: ¡°Brother Chong, which foot are you betting on?¡±


    ¡°Right foot.¡±


    Zheng Youqing smiled, raised her left foot, and stepped into the garage.


    ¡°¡­You can¡¯t hide your favoritism, ah. All right, I accepted the loss.¡± Chong Zhen cupped his hands. He Wei coughed lightly and signaled Zheng Youqing to bring the fingerprint film.


    When they tried the third one, the fingerprint film of the right index finger, there was a crisp ¡°click¡± sound in the garage, and He Wei put his hand against the hidden door and pushed a crack open with a little force.


    The structure behind the secret door was simple, with only one concrete staircase leading to the basement. He Wei took out a flashlight and walked in front, and Chong Zhen followed behind, leaving Zheng Youqing on top. If there was any danger, she would not be implicated.


    After walking down a section of long stairs, there was another door, but this door was much simpler. He Wei pressed the handrail and gently pushed it open, accompanied by creaking sounds, as if slowly unfolding an unknown picture scroll.


    Chong Zhen was stunned at the door, already dumbfounded.


    ¡°¡­Is it illegal to build an armory in the basement?¡±

 CH 12

    Chapter 12: Impossible Crime


    He Wei might be gay, which was never mentioned during the investigation by Xiang Yang and Ke Dongrui. Including his parents, they didn¡¯t mention any related information. When they asked why He Wei didn¡¯t live at home, his parents simply said that the child had grown up and had his own ideas, and they couldn¡¯t control his decision to move out.


    However, Cheng Zesheng was certain that He Lu, He Wei¡¯s younger brother, knew something. He believed that He Lu¡¯s reaction to his brother¡¯s death might be related to this aspect, so he wanted to investigate it further. Yang Xiang looked at Cheng Zesheng curiously and asked, ¡°Vice-Captain, do you think He Wei¡¯s death is related to his younger brother? But his brother was out of town attending a meeting in the past two days and couldn¡¯t have committed the crime.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that He Lu killed him. We can¡¯t rule out the possibility of someone hiring a hitman or instigating the murder,¡± Cheng Zesheng replied, holding He Wei¡¯s information. ¡°The social connections of the victim can be summarized on a single sheet of paper, and we can count the number of acquaintances around him on our fingers. There are very few breakthrough points, so we can¡¯t overlook any possibilities.¡±


    Cheng Aiyue stood at the office door and knocked, saying, ¡°Vice-Captain, here¡¯s the trace inspection report of the crime scene.¡±


    Xiang Yang eagerly fetched it, and Cheng Zesheng asked, ¡°Has the analysis of the skin tissue come out?¡±


    ¡°Boss, Xiao Liu just brought the samples. They need to be extracted, separated, and compared. It¡¯s not as fast as making coffee,¡± Xiang Yang replied.


    Cheng Zesheng opened the report and read two pages, frowning. ¡°Are all the fingerprints found at the scene his? Including the ones on the murder weapon?¡±


    Cheng Meiyue nodded, ¡°Yes, including the skin cells found in the gaps of the hemp rope. They were all carefully examined and determined to be his DNA, with no signs of another person.¡±


    The report included a labeled diagram depicting each fingerprint found on the murder weapon, the hemp rope, clearly. Cheng Zesheng handed the picture to Xiang Yang and said, ¡°Take a look. All the fingerprints on this are from the same person. If we rule out self-strangulation, how could this be explained?¡±


    Realizing that Cheng Zesheng was about to teach him again, Le Zhengkai leaned forward with interest, while Ke Dongrui sat down. Cheng Aiyue left, as she needed to expedite the examination of the skin tissue so that Cheng Zesheng wouldn¡¯t have to rush again.


    Xiang Yang became instantly nervous. Based on the labeled positions of the fingerprints in the picture, he clenched his fists and gestured back and forth, expressing his thoughts, ¡°If we assume that he was killed by someone, the killer would have held his hand and strangled him¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t hold up,¡± Cheng Zesheng interrupted him. ¡°If that was the method used, there would be compression marks on his finger joints and the back of his hand. If the killer had enough strength, it could even cause bone fractures. But his hands were clean, except for the skin tissue left from struggling and fighting on his fingertips; there¡¯s nothing unusual.¡±


    Xiang Yang¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°The killer wore gloves throughout the entire process, strangled the victim first, and then gave him the rope to hold, leaving fingerprints.¡±


    ¡°Why would the killer make the victim hold it?¡±


    ¡°¡­To make us, the police, think it was self-strangulation?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, after death, muscle tension disappears; the whole body relaxes and becomes limp, unable to leave such clear and distinct fingerprints. Including the skin tissue on the hemp rope, those are all marks that can only be produced by exerting force with bare hands.¡± Cheng Zesheng pointed to a photo of the corpse among the scene pictures spread out on the table. ¡°Secondly, there¡¯s the deviation in fingerprint positioning. Try holding a rope with this hand gesture and see what kind of fingerprint pattern it leaves.¡±


    Le Zhengkai smiled mischievously. ¡°Xiao Xiang Yang, the rope was held in the hand. If the killer wanted to create the illusion of self-strangulation, why would he take it off? He could just put it directly around the neck to avoid suspicion.¡±


    Ke Dongrui sighed, ¡°The killer obviously didn¡¯t want to hide or conceal anything. They killed openly and boldly, so I don¡¯t think gloves were used.¡±


    Xiang Yang looked at the three senior detectives, his hands nervously twisting together. He strained his mind and squeezed out an idea, ¡°Could they have used fingerprint film?¡±


    ¡°Starting to let your imagination run wild?¡± Cheng Zesheng tapped his head with the report, ¡°Do you have any other reasonable explanations?¡±


    Xiang Yang shook his head. Since he started working with Cheng Zesheng, he felt like he had wasted several years studying at the police academy. His knowledge seemed useless when faced with complex cases. Cheng Zesheng gave him the materials and asked him to look closely at the rope in the evidence room and then go to observe the body carefully in the forensic department. Jiang Tan¡¯s autopsy should probably not be finished yet, so he could catch up with the exciting parts by going there now.


    Xiang Yang wore a pained expression as if he were about to face execution. Ke Dongrui closed the files and focused on investigating He Lu, while Cheng Zesheng asked Le Zhengkai, ¡°Have you been to the victim¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°I just came back from there. He lived in a small, rented house. The door lock was intact, and there were no signs of disturbance inside. His bank cards and valuable belongings were all there,¡± Le Zhengkai replied. ¡°I feel like the method used in this case is too strange. Let¡¯s try searching the bar. We might find some unexpected leads.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the bar, and you go back to the crime scene with the team again,¡± Cheng Zesheng said, picking up the car keys. ¡°Search it thoroughly once more, and don¡¯t miss anything.¡±


    ¡°Earlier, you didn¡¯t clarify things for your apprentice. Did you realize that based on the evidence we have, the crime scene you speculated about is not plausible?¡± Le Zhengkai suddenly approached, lowering his voice. ¡°Zesheng, do you believe in ghosts in this world?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in ghosts. I only believe in people causing trouble.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Avenoir was a music bar located at 36 Xu¡¯an Road. The bar operated from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., but after 8:00 p.m., it became a gathering place for men who loved men. A few years ago, Cheng Zesheng apprehended a suspect who couldn¡¯t control his desires and even dared to have a one-night stand in the bar¡¯s restroom while on the run.


    The decor and style of this bar were different from typical entertainment venues. Many bars liked to ignite the atmosphere with loud and noisy music, hiding all the dirt and grime behind punk and rock. However, Avenoir lacked an ambiguous dance floor, a magical and hazy crystal ball, or even a DJ spinning records. The only background music in the venue was soft, giving it a distinct artistic flavor.


    As Cheng Zesheng pushed open the door, all sorts of eyes turned toward him; some in curiosity, some in admiration, and some in appreciation and intrigue. He was dressed in a simple black shirt and faded jeans, a modest and low-key outfit that should have blended in with the crowd. But good looks couldn¡¯t go unnoticed. As soon as he sat at the bar counter, it was as if a spotlight was shining on him, making wherever he was a stage.


    ¡°Hey handsome, you look new here. Is it your first time?¡± The bartender wiped a highball glass with a smile. ¡°What would you like to drink?¡±


    ¡°Soda water.¡± Cheng Zesheng surveyed the place. ¡°Where¡¯s your boss?¡±


    ¡°Our boss usually arrives after 10:00 p.m.,¡± the bartender pushed the menu toward him. ¡°Would you like to have some snacks? We have a discount of 20% off for the current promotion.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng raised his wrist and checked the time. It was already 10:00 p.m., with just a little over an hour left. He didn¡¯t have time to waste here for so long. He was about to disclose his identity when someone sat beside him. ¡°Can you get this gentleman a Mojito, please?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­,¡± Cheng Zesheng coldly refused, ¡°No need, we don¡¯t know each other; save it for your lover.¡±


    The man hesitated for a few seconds, and before he could connect the rejection to the recent hit song, suddenly, he became interested and placed his hand on Cheng Zesheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Drinking soda water here is boring. Order whatever you want, my treat.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng felt disgusted but didn¡¯t rush to drive away the slick-looking man. Instead, he took out a photo of He Wei. ¡°Do you know this person?¡±


    The man casually replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡± Cheng Zesheng nodded. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re of no concern. Get lost.¡±


    ¡°Why? Is he your boyfriend?¡± The man¡¯s tone was full of implications. ¡°Not many people who come out to play develop genuine feelings. I hope you¡¯re not being fooled.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    The man snapped his fingers and asked the bartender to make a Long Island Iced Tea for Cheng Zesheng. His voice became low, and his tone became ambiguous and sultry: ¡°Fast romance is the norm these days; it¡¯s all about physical desires and not genuine emotions¡­¡±


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s gaze glided from the glass of Long Island Iced Tea to the man¡¯s face. He understood perfectly well that it was a tacit suggestion, implying, ¡®Drink my drink and come with me tonight¡¯. Cheng Zesheng extended his well-defined fingers and tapped the rim of the glass, causing a glimmer of delight to flicker in the man¡¯s eyes. Suddenly, he heard Cheng Zesheng ask, ¡°Have you chosen a place?¡±


    ¡°Anywhere you want to go.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Cheng Zesheng nonchalantly pulled out his police badge and casually tossed it onto the bar counter. ¡°Let¡¯s go here then; I¡¯m familiar with it.¡±


    The man¡¯s face immediately turned sour as he scrutinized Cheng Zesheng. He never expected him to be a police officer. The difference between the image of a police uncle and Cheng Zesheng was too great. With his looks and figure, he could easily be mistaken for an internet celebrity or model.


    The man forced a smile and sulkily moved away. The bartender was also dumbfounded. Cheng Zesheng put away his identification and asked again, ¡°Does your boss arrive after 10:00 p.m.?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll call him right away. Please wait a moment.¡±


    In less than half an hour, a man dressed in a beige windbreaker and with a gentle and jade-like appearance appeared. ¡°Officer Cheng, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it has been a while. About two years, right?¡± Cheng Zesheng pointed upstairs. ¡°Let¡¯s find a place; there are too many people and prying eyes here.¡±


    The bar owner, Lian Jingyuan, instructed someone to bring tea and led the way until they reached the second floor. He was curious about why Officer Cheng had sought him out today.


    ¡°Do you know He Wei?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan nodded. ¡°He was my senior in college.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± Cheng Zesheng pulled out a chair. ¡°Strangled to death. I came to ask you for some information regarding him.¡±


    After sitting down, Cheng Zesheng looked up, only to find Lian Jingyuan frozen in place, motionless. His fair cheeks turned pale, and he asked in a soft voice, ¡°When did it happen?¡±


    ¡°On the night of the 14th.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Lian Jingyuan clenched his lips firmly and spoke resolutely, ¡°He came to the bar to see me that night around 1:00 a.m.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Jiang Tan was already preparing to go to bed when he received a call from Cheng Zesheng. ¡°There was no alcohol in He Wei¡¯s stomach?¡±


    ¡°No, his last meal was rice. Doesn¡¯t the report mention it?¡± Jiang Tan was confused. ¡°Can¡¯t I detect whether he had been drinking or not? After all, I¡¯ve been a forensic expert for ten years!¡±


    Cheng Zesheng persisted, ¡°What about blood tests? Are you sure there was no alcohol?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re questioning my professional competence?¡± Jiang Tan said, bewildered. ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t determine if someone has been drinking? I¡¯ve been a forensic doctor for ten years!¡±


    Cheng Zesheng wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°What about the time of death? According to your report, it was around 3 a.m. Could there be a possibility of miscalculation?¡±


    ¡°!¡± Jiang Tan sat up abruptly, startled. ¡°Cheng Zesheng, I¡¯m angry! You¡¯re really insulting my abilities. There was no air conditioning or ice present at the crime scene, and there were no measures taken on the body that could affect the time of death. I guarantee, based on my ten years of experience, that I didn¡¯t make a mistake!¡±


    ¡°Beep, beep.¡± The other person hung up the call.


    ¡°Damn, what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Jiang Tan slammed the phone down and went to sleep in frustration.


    Cheng Zesheng carefully read through the autopsy report from beginning to end, as well as the report on the skin tissue. The DNA comparison confirmed that it was indeed He Wei¡¯s DNA, but there were no matching scratch marks anywhere on his body.


    He slowly closed the report, and Lian Jingyuan¡¯s words still echoed in his mind.


    ¡°He came to the bar drunk at the time. He was feeling down and upset. We talked for a while, and he left around 3:00 a.m. I remember it very clearly.¡±


    According to Lian Jingyuan¡¯s testimony, there was no way He Wei could have been killed at the mansion, regardless of any unexpected deviations in the time of death or Lian Jingyuan¡¯s memory. But what about the crime scene reconstruction?


    In the morning, while Cheng Zesheng was refuting Xiang Yang¡¯s arguments, he was also speculating about the crime scene. The ligature marks on He Wei¡¯s neck only had one loop and no knot. The killer would have needed to put forth their full strength for a swift and precise act to ensure a fatal outcome. Therefore, the marks on the rope reflected the true nature of the crime, leaving behind fingerprint imprints that were both unblemished and unhidden.


    However, the test results indicated that they all belonged to He Wei. This was the reason why Cheng Zesheng had been unable to reconstruct the crime scene effectively. Based on this evidence, the only image that came to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s mind was that He Wei had strangled himself from behind. That¡¯s why Cheng Zesheng instructed Le Zhengkai to revisit the crime scene and try to find other evidence that could refute this idea.


    It was an impossible crime.


    Cheng Zesheng leaned back, his back against the small sofa, and looked up at the ceiling.


    There must be some evidence that they haven¡¯t been found yet. In this world, there is no such thing as an impossible crime.

 CH 13

    Chapter 13: The Third Person


    This basement might not be large, but it was filled with a dazzling array of firearms. Handguns, rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns, and more, were all neatly categorized and hung on the walls, each with its own matching gun holster. Like Cheng Zesheng¡¯s books, they were meticulously protected. Every gun barrel was free of any rust, shining silver, or sleek black, resembling valiant knights ready for battle at any moment.


    In a cabinet, various boxes of ammunition were displayed, including some highly lethal and inhumane specialty rounds, such as Dum-dum bullets and glass bullets. It was no exaggeration to call this a weapons arsenal, and it was fully equipped with both common and rare ammunition.


    ¡°AK series, Browning series, Glock series, Beretta series¡­ Damn, I haven¡¯t even seen some of these models before. And there¡¯s an abundance of ammunition. Is he planning his own armed uprising?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the uprising, but he certainly has money,¡± He Wei remarked. His gaze swept across the guns, and he took down the Desert Eagle from the wall. ¡°Here you go. Weren¡¯t you longing to hold a Desert Eagle in your lifetime? Your wish is granted.¡±


    Chong Zhen held the Desert Eagle in his hand, feeling its weight, but it wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy him. He even thought about firing a few rounds to experience the handling. He Wei walked to the opposite side of the wall, noticing a conspicuous empty space just above an NP22. Among the vast collection of guns on the wall, this spot stood out with its obvious absence.


    However, not all of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s guns were labeled with their models, and He Wei didn¡¯t know which one had disappeared. He had a faint feeling that it might be Type 92, the one that caused Cheng Zesheng¡¯s death. On the side of the armory, there was a small door, which He Wei pushed open, revealing another hidden gem ¨C a small shooting range. It had two shooting positions without an observation hall or moving targets. The protective measures were rudimentary, probably only for self-entertainment.


    The ventilation in the basement was poor, despite the presence of an exhaust fan. Even after opening the door, a faint smell of gunpowder lingered in the air. Chong Zhen estimated the distance from the shooting position to the target at approximately 25 meters, which happened to meet the requirements for shooting tests.


    The earmuffs and protective goggles of the first shooting position were casually placed on the table, accompanied by a detachable high-end silencer. Chong Zhen picked it up. ¡°A detachable high-end silencer. No wonder there have been no neighbor complaints in the area.¡±


    ¡°Not all guns can be fitted with it, including the Type 92,¡± He Wei pointed to the ceiling. ¡°The walls and ceiling have definitely been soundproofed. Handgun shots aren¡¯t that loud to begin with, unlike rifles. Besides, this is still a basement. If the noise were to reach upstairs, it would probably be similar to the sounds of a car repair.¡±


    The ground at the shooting position was scattered with several spent casings. He Wei crouched down, picked one up, and noticed brown rust spots forming on it. He lightly sniffed it near his nose and detected a faint residual gas odor. He said, ¡°These casings were fired at least three days ago. Judging by the quantity, at least one box has been emptied. Let¡¯s have Zheng Youqing come down and take them all for examination.¡±


    Chong Zhen also picked up a casing. ¡°9mm? Could the firearm used to shoot the victim be the same?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to compare them,¡± He Wei replied, looking at the moving target several meters away. The bullet holes were clearly visible, concentrated near the center, and overlapping. Chong Zhen went to retrieve the projectile and asked, ¡°Hey, Lao He, do you think your shooting skills can match this?¡±


    ¡°The distance isn¡¯t enough. Let¡¯s talk about it when it¡¯s over 30 meters.¡±


    ¡°Look at you, so proud. Are you the great sharpshooter?¡±


    Zheng Youqing entered the small shooting range, marveling along the way. ¡°Impressive. Are all those guns collected by Cheng Zesheng?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it. Isn¡¯t it crazy that he dug up his own basement and filled it with these?¡± Chong Zhen shook his head. ¡°At first, I thought he was just a weak literary youth, but now it seems he¡¯s a terrorist sitting on a stockpile of weapons.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Qing, when you examined Cheng Zesheng¡¯s clothing, how was the distribution of gunpowder residue?¡± He Wei asked.


    ¡°I have the data on my computer. The majority of the residue was concentrated around the wound, with a small amount splattered on the shoulders and waist.¡±


    He Wei looked at the bullet and casing placed in evidence bags, lost in thought. In the autopsy report, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s hands only had trace amounts of gunpowder, and it couldn¡¯t be ruled out that it was residue transferred from touching his clothing. Du Ruanlan didn¡¯t state a conclusion about him firing a gun before his death, indicating that she also believed the detected residue wasn¡¯t sufficient to make such a determination.


    But gunpowder residue could also be easily removed deliberately. There was a third person present at the scene, right beside Cheng Zesheng. It was highly likely that they arranged Cheng Zesheng¡¯s body neatly as well.


    After packaging the casings and bullets, Zheng Youqing took photos and collected fingerprints. Her evidence kit, carried with her at all times, was like a small treasure chest that could produce anything. Chong Zhen leaned against the wall, looking at the room full of guns, feeling regretful. ¡°These are all good guns, and many of the models are discontinued and rare. It¡¯s a shame they¡¯ll be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do? Not report it? Take up his mantle and start a rebellion?¡± He Wei patted his shoulder. ¡°According to Article 128 of the Criminal Law, the illegal possession or concealment of firearms and ammunition, in serious circumstances, carries a sentence of no less than three years and no more than seven years. I think you¡¯re aiming for the people¡¯s democratic dictatorship.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, not even going to consider it?¡± Chong Zhen picked up the Desert Eagle on the table. ¡°A good gun, truly a good gun. It¡¯s a pity, such a pity.¡±


    While he lamented, He Wei had already called Zheng Furui to report. Zheng Furui was also shocked and surprised. He never expected that this pianist would have collected over a hundred guns at home. It was the largest seizure of illegal firearms in recent years during the crackdown on crime and elimination of evil in Shengzhou City.


    Based on He Wei¡¯s speculation, Cheng Zesheng had been collecting firearms for more than just a year or two, perhaps even when he was in Canada. If it was merely a hobby, He Wei could only marvel at the man¡¯s fanaticism for weapons. As for how he managed to smuggle so many guns into the country, that would require a thorough investigation of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s complex network of relationships.


    In any case, He Wei had a premonition that this case would be a major undertaking and not easily resolved. Now that they had discovered an armory, the motive for Cheng Zesheng¡¯s murder became even more complex. Zheng Furui decided to establish a special task force and appointed He Wei as the team leader to investigate this homicide and provide an explanation to society and the people.


    ¡°Make a list of the personnel you need, and I¡¯ll make the arrangements,¡± Zheng Furui paused. ¡°Also, you haven¡¯t returned to the dormitory for two days, right? Your things have been moved out. If you need to sleep, go to your new place.¡±


    The chief¡¯s efficiency was impressive. He Wei sighed, knowing that his journey to the bureau would now take at least half an hour.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    As Hu Songkai had said, the abandoned mansion on Fulong Mountain was becoming a tourist attraction. Despite the police officers¡¯ warnings, some stubborn fans insisted on visiting and constantly inquired about the progress of the case. The officers couldn¡¯t do much about them and could only do their best to guard the area.


    The car stopped on the slope, and He Wei and Chong Zhen ascended the mountain together. On the way, they encountered a group of fans who came to pay tribute to their idol. They were told that they couldn¡¯t go through the main road as it was blocked by the police, so they had to take a smaller path.


    He Wei smiled and followed behind them, climbing Fulong Mountain through the path they had carved out. Chong Zhen walked ahead, chatting with the fans along the way, discussing Cheng Zesheng. He had thick skin and a smooth tongue, disguising himself as a fan. He could engage in conversation, answering any questions thrown his way, appearing genuine without revealing anything.


    ¡°Zesheng was really super warm. During last year¡¯s birthday party, it was pouring rain and he was trapped at an airport abroad and couldn¡¯t come back. But he still live-streamed and played a piano piece to celebrate his birthday with his fans. He¡¯s really a great person, gentle and handsome. Why did he suddenly leave like this¡­¡±


    The young girl¡¯s eyes welled up with tears as she spoke, and it affected several other fans who also shed tears. Chong Zhen had to lower his head and pretend to wipe his eyes. He Wei followed behind, appearing much more indifferent, his face expressionless as he pondered the case.


    The mountain road was steep, and the girl holding flowers slipped on the gravel. Instinctively, He Wei reached out and steadied her. Their eyes met, and there was a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes. After regaining her balance, she whispered a thank you, occasionally stealing glances at He Wei when he wasn¡¯t looking.


    Chong Zhen pulled He Wei aside and whispered, ¡°Look at you, trying to pick up girls while on a case.¡±


    He Wei looked puzzled, wondering what he was talking about. Did helping others become a problem now?


    The fans placed their flowers outside the police cordon and took turns bowing before reluctantly leaving the mountain. The girl who had just been helped by He Wei stood at the back and discreetly tugged at his coat sleeve. ¡°Thank you for your help earlier.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°May I ask, were you friends with Cheng Zesheng?¡±


    He Wei turned his head to look at her, clearly not understanding why she would ask such a question. The girl covered half of her face with her hand and whispered, ¡°I bumped into you guys on the street. Just a hint for you, the vending machine.¡±


    He Wei¡¯s eyelid twitched, and the girl observed his expression. A hint of disappointment appeared on her pretty face. ¡°If you can¡¯t remember, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    After the people left, Chong Zhen nudged He Wei¡¯s arm. ¡°Hey, what did that girl say to you?¡±


    ¡°She said¡­ that Zesheng and I knew each other.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chong Zhen wasn¡¯t surprised. He shrugged. ¡°Maybe she mistook you for He Lu? Their advertising company and the entertainment industry have some overlap. When you have time, ask He Lu about it.¡±


    He Wei had the same thought, so he neither admitted nor denied it earlier. He and Chong Zhen entered the mansion once again. Thanks to the efforts of Hu Songkai and Xia Liang, an arched shooting area had been marked, and the shooting point was determined. The elder and the youngster were probably just finishing their work and were now sitting together, eating popsicles.


    Xia Liang was a well-behaved and sensible boy. When he saw He Wei, he immediately stood up. Hu Songkai, the seasoned veteran, was more shameless than Chong Zhen. He waved his claws in a casual manner, indicating for Xia Liang to explain to them. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to greet them himself.


    ¡°Captain He, based on our analysis, we believe that the shooting position is near the entrance here. The range and span of the scattered gunpowder residue are large, and even the sofa has been contaminated. So we speculate that the killer may have clashed or fought with someone on the sofa.¡±


    ¡°There are no obvious signs of a struggle.¡± He Wei ran his hand over the sofa. ¡°And this is genuine leather; fingerprints can be easily removed.¡±


    ¡°Really! Captain He, believe me!¡± Xia Liang pulled him down and crouched. ¡°Look, there¡¯s a slight shift in the sofa¡¯s legs. I shone a light inside, and the dust impressions deviated by 0.5 centimeters.¡±


    He Wei shone his flashlight as instructed and indeed saw that the sofa had been moved, just as Xia Liang had described. He smiled and ruffled Xia Liang¡¯s hair. ¡°Young people indeed have sharp eyes.¡±


    Xia Liang chuckled, and Chong Zhen remembered the glass bead. ¡°That glass bead was found under the sofa. It¡¯s highly likely that it was dropped by the killer. Have the forensic results come out?¡±


    ¡°Not that quickly. They were delayed by the earlier identification of the firearm types. They brought back another batch of bullet heads and casings today. The forensic team is working overtime without rest.¡± He Wei ran his hand over the traces left by the movement of the sofa legs. ¡°Based on this speculation, this third person may not have been in a cooperative relationship with the killer but rather on Cheng Zesheng¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also possible that they killed Cheng Zesheng because of a disagreement over splitting the spoils. They each wanted to keep the guns for themselves,¡± Chong Zhen snapped his fingers. ¡°Another breakthrough in the case.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s no need to fight here. They could have gone back to the basement to settle it. It has ample space, better concealment, and the body is less likely to be discovered,¡± He Wei focused on the traces of the crime scene that had been cleaned up around the body. ¡°Although this place is also fairly hidden, students still come here to explore¨C¡°


    His words abruptly halted as he stood up and observed the villa entrance not far away. After a moment, he asked, ¡°Xia Liang, when you were taking statements, did you ask why they came here to explore?¡±


    ¡°Ah? At that time, they said they saw someone posting an exploration challenge on a website, and there was a cash prize for completing it. I often see such posts too¡­¡±


    ¡°Find out when that exploration challenge was posted and who posted it.¡± He Wei walked to the area that had been trampled into a mess, and a gleam flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°There might be footprints preserved within that area, amidst the footprints left by the students.¡±

 CH 14

    Chapter 14: Victim Differences


    Among the evidence brought back from the mansion, one thing was missing, an item that people in the information society can¡¯t live without ¨C a mobile phone. It¡¯s not that it wasn¡¯t found, but when it was found, the screen was damaged and unable to boot. It was handed over to a technician in the technical investigation department who is proficient in electronic products for repair.


    At this moment, late at night, the office of the technical investigation department was illuminated by a single light. Cheng Zesheng leaned against the door frame, lightly tapping his fingers on the door, making a crisp sound.


    At the desk with the light on, the man looked up and saw Cheng Zesheng, greeting him, ¡°Cheng-ge, you¡¯re here so late?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been working overtime to help us with the forensic data recovery. I feel bad about leaving before you.¡± Cheng Zesheng walked in with a cup of coffee. ¡°How¡¯s it going, Xiao Chen?¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not done yet. I¡¯ve been squeezing in some time these past few days. As you know, I¡¯ve been assisting Team Leader Bai from the Economic Investigation Division with a money laundering case. There are several underground gambling establishments involved, and we¡¯re monitoring their communications. Each team is responsible for one location, and we¡¯ve been rotating shifts for a week now!¡± Xiao Chen¡¯s desk was cluttered with cellphone components. ¡°Today happens to be my turn to go back and rest, so I hurried back to the bureau to repair the phone.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard,¡± Cheng Zesheng handed him the coffee. ¡°It¡¯s from the cafeteria, don¡¯t mind it. Once I finish my case, I¡¯ll treat you to a coffee at a cafe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Cheng-ge.¡± Xiao Chen grinned and plugged in the stirrer. ¡°This will perk me up. Don¡¯t worry, even if the phone can¡¯t be turned on, it¡¯s okay as long as we can read the font chip. I just downloaded the necessary software, so once I connect it to the computer, it should be fine.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng pulled up a chair and sat down, engaging in small talk with Xiao Chen about their recent work and office gossip. After tinkering for a while, Xiao Chen placed the font chip on the device to extract the image and recover the data. He snapped his fingers and said, ¡°Cheng-ge, come and take a look. We can find anything you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°Are all the records there?¡± Cheng Zesheng leaned over, looking at the screen. ¡°Mainly the call logs, messages, and records from communication apps. Pull them up for me to see.¡±


    ¡°The call logs are here,¡± Xiao Chen opened a folder, ¡°but the contacts couldn¡¯t be matched, so all I can see are the phone numbers.¡±


    ¡°Just having the numbers is enough. Can we search them now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have a rich online system now. We can even retrieve registration information. It¡¯s not like before when we had to go to the service providers.¡± Xiao Chen opened an internal software and entered the phone number. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s a disconnected number.¡±


    Going through the exported communication numbers, they found that all of them were disconnected.


    Xiao Chen felt puzzled and looked up at Cheng Zesheng, only to find his brows furrowed and his handsome face clouded with worry. Cheng Zesheng whispered, ¡°Take a look at the exported messages and chat app records.¡±


    One by one, Xiao Chen opened the files and realized that all the exported data was gibberish. He plugged and unplugged the font chip a few times, confirming that the reading was fine, but the exported data was incorrect. He stared at the font chip, muttering to himself, ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense. If it¡¯s damaged, it shouldn¡¯t be readable at all¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng remained silent and clicked on the ¡°Photo¡± folder. Inside the entire folder, there was only one photo. After opening it, there was only one line of musical notation written on it.


    1 7 5 2 3 5 1 2 6 5 2 1


    Among them, there are semi-brackets connecting 1 and 7, and 6 and 5. There are underlines connecting 2 and 3, 1 and 2, and 2 and 1. There are dots above the two 5s. Cheng Zesheng rubbed his chin. He was naturally tone-deaf and couldn¡¯t figure out what this was supposed to represent.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? Was the deceased someone who played music?¡± Xiao Chen asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll ask someone who understands music tomorrow.¡± Cheng Zesheng glanced through all the files, confirming that apart from this photo and a bunch of disconnected numbers, there wasn¡¯t anything valuable on the font chip.


    Promising to help restore the data but not having accomplished it yet, Xiao Chen scratched his short hair awkwardly. ¡°Cheng-ge, let me keep this chip for now. I¡¯ll study it further. Electronic stuff can be unpredictable. Maybe it¡¯ll work fine in a couple of days, and those disconnected numbers might be a data issue.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng patted his shoulder. ¡°No rush, no rush. I feel guilty about bothering you to help me. It would be great if you could recover it, but if you can¡¯t, don¡¯t stress about it. We¡¯re in the criminal investigation field, and our predecessors solved cases even without this high-tech stuff in the past, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    Today, all the news they found was unfavorable. Cheng Zesheng drove, pondering the seemingly uncomplicated but heavily shrouded case. It was just one person who died, but as they investigated, one mystery after another emerged. The key was that the evidence they had couldn¡¯t even convince them; how could they convince anyone else?


    His car entered the military compound. The sentry at the gate, recognizing the license plate, saluted and let him through. Cheng Zesheng quietly entered his home, afraid of waking his parents. But as soon as he closed the door, a deep voice sounded from the darkness, ¡°Back already?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± Cheng Zesheng flicked on the lights. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re still awake?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been away for several days. I was afraid Xiao Huang would bring me a wooden box.¡±


    ¡°¡­Here we go again.¡± Cheng Zesheng looked up and saw a family photo hanging on the wall. He and Cheng Zhenqing stood shoulder to shoulder, both wearing formal police uniforms, their young faces radiating youthful vitality.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pressure me to go to the Provincial Department. I won¡¯t go,¡± Cheng Zesheng casually changed his shoes and entered the house. ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ll be moving to the dormitory in a couple of days. It¡¯s closer to the bureau than our home.¡±


    After saying that, he couldn¡¯t be bothered to look at his father¡¯s expression and went upstairs to sleep.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    In a cramped and small office, Cheng Zesheng and Xiang Yang, flanked by a security guard, were waiting to access the surveillance footage from April 13th to 14th.


    He Wei¡¯s rented house was located in the old city district, a small residential area built in the 1990s with no dedicated property management. The concept of surveillance was nonexistent. It was only last year, when the local government responded to the call for comprehensive renovation and allocated funds, that surveillance cameras were installed in various old residential areas, and even a security booth was set up.


    However, in this small residential area, there was only one camera installed at each entrance, with a total of three cameras. There were no other cameras in the neighborhood. Therefore, they could only determine when He Wei entered the residential area, but whether he returned home or not was unknown.


    In the colored surveillance footage, the first time He Wei was seen was on the evening of the 13th, around 6 o¡¯clock, when he returned home from work, carrying groceries. The second time he appeared was around 9 o¡¯clock in the evening, when he changed into casual clothes and left the house. Then the footage was fast-forwarded, and at around midnight, He Wei appeared on the screen again. He had returned.


    He walked slowly, swaying as if truly intoxicated, and stopped near a tree, fumbling in his pocket for something. At that moment, He Wei suddenly looked up, his perfectly symmetrical face directly facing the camera, and his eyes unexpectedly became sharp, devoid of any drunkenness.


    Cheng Zesheng quickly pressed the pause button and zoomed in on the image. The low-quality camera didn¡¯t provide a clear picture, and when zoomed in, the facial features became a collection of pixelated contours. Cheng Zesheng then reduced the image and took out his phone, comparing it repeatedly with the photo of the deceased. Finally, he said, ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Xiang Yang stared at the screen and the phone for a long time but couldn¡¯t discern any difference. Seeking guidance with humility, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Everything from head to toe is wrong. The colors of the shirts are the same, but one has striped cuffs and collars while the other doesn¡¯t. The belt buckles on the pants are of different styles. Even the shoe styles are wrong. Though they both have a blue and white color scheme, one is the AJ11 North Carolina Blue, and the other is the AJ11 Blue Snakeskin, with a snakeskin pattern on the upper.¡± Cheng Zesheng placed the photo next to the surveillance image. ¡°Can you see it now?¡±


    Xiang Yang rubbed his eyes and stared at it for a long time, nodding in a dazed manner. ¡°¡­It seems so.¡±


    ¡°Not ¡®seems so,¡¯ it is so.¡±


    Xiangyang¡¯s eyes were glued to the screen, almost bulging out. ¡°I can¡¯t see if there¡¯s a mole below his eyes, but it¡¯s unlikely to be He Lu. He has a solid alibi, as he was resting in a hotel out of town with colleagues during that time period.¡±


    ¡°I am indeed suspecting if this person is He Wei, but I haven¡¯t suspected him to be He Lu.¡±


    Xiang Yang looked confused once again. What did that mean? Vice-Captain Cheng¡¯s words were becoming increasingly profound and inscrutable, and Xiang Yang was struggling to understand his reasoning. He cautiously asked, ¡°Is it also possible that he went out for a while and changed his clothes?¡±


    ¡°Then it becomes intriguing why he would go out.¡± Cheng Zesheng looked at the security guard. ¡°Apart from the main gate, are there any other entrances or exits in your residential area?¡±


    ¡°Near the South Gate, there¡¯s a damaged railing behind which is a vegetable market. Many elderly people find it convenient to sneak out from that railing to buy groceries.¡±


    The security guard led them to the location, and they saw a constant flow of people using this exit. Even if there were any valuable clues, they would have been destroyed long ago. Xiang Yang observed the road and noticed that two liquor stores had surveillance cameras installed. If He Wei had walked out of here, there was a possibility of capturing him on camera.


    Cheng Zesheng assigned Xiang Yang to check the surveillance footage one by one, while he took the keys and went to He Wei¡¯s rented house. This small rental apartment, measuring only thirty square meters, was He Wei¡¯s home. It consisted of one bedroom and one living room, with yellowed walls and some cracks in the ceiling. However, the interior of the room was clean and tidy; it was old but not dilapidated.


    Cheng Zesheng walked around the rental apartment, and although it was small, it had everything one needed. Even in the cramped kitchen, there was a coffee machine and a milk frother. This indicated that, despite living in a humble dwelling, He Wei led a somewhat bourgeois lifestyle.


    Considering that his colleagues had already searched the place once, Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t expect to find anything valuable. He noticed that He Wei had a narrow circle of interests and social connections. His introverted personality was evident from the books on his shelf and in his drawers. He seemed to bury himself in books and kept his sexual orientation hidden, with none of his parents or friends having any knowledge about it.


    However, he frequently visited Avenoir, and Cheng Zesheng suspected that it had something to do with Lian Jingyuan. But as Lian Jingyuan had mentioned, He Wei was very principled, and most of the time, people came to the bar to chat with him. There were often individuals interested in having an intimate encounter, but He Wei rejected all advances, leading one to suspect he might be sexually averse.


    Cheng Zesheng continued his search, opening each drawer of the desk. He didn¡¯t find any books related to music but discovered several medications instead. It seemed more like the possessions of a health-conscious individual than an artist. He retrieved the numeric musical notations he had saved on his phone and compared the handwriting with He Wei¡¯s books. They seemed to be written by two different people, particularly the number ¡°5.¡± He Wei habitually connected the digits, making it resemble an ¡°8¡± if one didn¡¯t look closely.


    He put away his phone and continued exploring He Wei¡¯s home. Opening the wardrobe, he found that the clothes were not only monotonous in style but also limited to black, white, and gray. It was as if he wanted to metaphorically convey that his work mood was like attending a funeral. In the shoe cabinet, among several rows of black, white, and gray shoes, two pairs of colorful sneakers stood out. One pair had a combination of light green and bright yellow, while the other pair had deep blue and dark red colors.


    Cheng Zesheng took out the shoes and observed them for a few seconds, concluding that they were definitely given to him by someone else. Moreover, He Wei didn¡¯t seem to like this style and color, as they appeared almost unused. These two pairs of shoes were no different from brand-new ones. Cheng Zesheng instantly thought of the North Carolina Blue shoes. Such a vibrant color must have been a gift from someone else, and He Wei had specifically chosen to wear them when going out. Who was he going to meet?


    As he crouched on the floor, lost in thought, his phone suddenly rang. It was Xiang Yang calling. ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, we have footage of He Wei at the liquor store. He came to buy cigarettes. But based on what you¡¯ve said, it¡¯s possible that he¡¯s not the ¡®He Wei.¡¯ He¡¯s still wearing the Blue Snakeskin shoes.¡±


    ¡°You said he came to buy cigarettes?¡± Cheng Zesheng stood up abruptly and returned to the desk, pulling open the third drawer and taking out a bottle of budesonide-formoterol inhalation powder.


    ¡°Xiang Yang, ask the store owner if He Wei frequently buys cigarettes.¡±


    Xiang Yang inquired with the store owner from the other end and answered after a moment, ¡°He says it¡¯s the first time he saw He Wei buying cigarettes. Usually, he buys beer.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Cheng Zesheng clenched the medication bottle in his hand. ¡°He has allergic asthma, so he definitely wouldn¡¯t be smoking.¡±

 CH 15

    Chapter 15: Future Domain 404


    He Wei parked his car near the Future Domain in an open-air parking lot. Chong Zhen got out of the car and whistled, ¡°Hey, not bad at all. The government¡¯s taste in design has improved.¡±


    The building had an overall exterior of smoky blue, with milky-white stripes distributed at different levels. On the side, there were alternating star-shaped decorative lights, which complemented the starry night sky. He Wei took just a quick glance before putting his hands in his pockets and walking inside. Chong Zhen followed him, still praising, ¡°No wonder everyone is rushing to apply for this place. The exterior is really nice, much more modern than the dorms at the bureau. Our building is all dull gray, and with that huge police emblem hanging, it¡¯s no wonder people don¡¯t think it¡¯s a dorm. They say it looks more like a detention center, and I can¡¯t help but feel the same way.¡±


    ¡°Just stop making things up. I¡¯ve been living there for so many years and have never felt that way.¡±


    ¡°How can you compare? Besides dealing with cases, have you ever managed anything else? You didn¡¯t even move into your own place.¡±


    The two stepped into the Future Domain together. On the ground floor, there was a reception desk, but currently, no one was on duty. Perhaps the allocation of the new apartments hadn¡¯t been fully finalized, as only a few people had moved in. From the outside, they had seen that only two or three units had their lights on.


    Once inside the elevator, He Wei¡¯s first impression of the new apartment was positive: ¡°Not bad, the elevator is fast, no slow crawling like a snail. It reaches the fourth floor in the blink of an eye.¡±


    Exiting the elevator, the corridor meandered like an office building. Apartment 404 was located at the far end after making a right turn. He Wei took out his key and opened the door. Upon entering, there was a faint smell of paint and wood. He had heard that after the installation was completed, they had to ventilate the apartments for half a year to dissipate the formaldehyde. However, since the windows and doors were usually closed, the new house smell wasn¡¯t easy to get rid of completely.


    After turning on the lights, they noticed three large bags piled up on the floor. He Wei went to open the windows for ventilation while Chong Zhen explored the apartment. The entire place, spanning about 60 square meters over two floors, had a layout typical of a single-person apartment. The first floor had a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Going up a wooden staircase, the second floor had two small bedrooms. Indeed, it was designed like a bachelor¡¯s pad. The best part was that everything was already furnished. In their line of work, there were many single men in their late thirties, and quite a few were saving money to buy a house in the southern city. If they could get their hands on such a small apartment, with a bit of decoration, it could be turned into a marital home.


    ¡°So, is Lao Zheng showing favoritism towards you, giving you a separate apartment? Is he planning for you and Youqing to become a couple and live together?¡±


    He Wei rolled up his sleeves and rolled his eyes, ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true. You guys talk as if it¡¯s real. Would Lao Zheng really let his daughter live in a dormitory? You¡¯re overthinking it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that we¡¯re overthinking it. Youqing¡¯s intentions are pretty clear. I refuse to believe she sees you only as an older brother.¡± Chong Zhen also took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. ¡°The two rooms upstairs, one on the left and one on the right, with doors facing each other. Which one will you take?¡±


    ¡°Which one is closer to the staircase?¡±


    Chong Zhen understood and took one bag in each hand, heading upstairs. He Wei¡¯s belongings were minimal: clothes, bedding, daily necessities, two electronic devices¡ªa laptop and a handheld gaming console¡ªand a basketball. It took only half an hour for him and Chong Zhen to organize everything. He Wei fetched a bucket of water to clean up the apartment while Chong Zhen opted out, as he was never good at doing household chores.


    ¡°The balcony is nice too, without iron railings. You can see the stars very clearly.¡±


    ¡°The furniture seems to be fully furnished¡ªthere¡¯s even a sofa and coffee table. I wonder if every room has this kind of setup. How much did the bureau have to pay for the renovation and furniture?¡±


    He Wei wiped the coffee table and glanced at Chong Zhen, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s free? Initially, Lao Zheng said we could either bring our own furniture or they¡¯d help us furnish the place after the renovation. I found it troublesome, so I paid for it and saved myself the hassle.¡±


    Chong Zhen understood and looked up at the quartz clock in the center of the living room, laughing, ¡°Ah, this is also your request for the furnishings? Can¡¯t it have a bit more of a youthful vibe? It looks like something an old man would have.¡±


    He Wei also looked up and saw the round quartz clock hanging above the TV on the opposite wall. The dial was deep blue with bright yellow numbers, and the color scheme was fine, but the brass pendulum below gave the clock a sense of the Republican era. It was exactly nine o¡¯clock, and as the pendulum swung, a piano melody played and then stopped.


    ¡°It even has a chiming feature on the hour?¡± Chong Zhen stood on a chair, observing for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s quite high-end, and there¡¯s a USB port at the back so you can change the chiming music anytime.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He Wei replied casually, handing over a basin. ¡°Get a new one.¡±


    He put down the towel and walked to the balcony, looking up at the night sky with twinkling stars and a bright moon. Tomorrow would also be a clear day. Unfortunately, the case wasn¡¯t clear enough yet. He took the time to tidy up the apartment and considered it a place to rest, but he didn¡¯t know when he¡¯d have the chance to come back again.


    After changing three basins of water and thoroughly cleaning all the furniture and ceramic floor tiles, He Wei held the mop and finally showed a satisfied smile. Chong Zhen shook his head in amazement; his obsession with cleanliness was really terrifying. Why bother mopping everything so spotlessly? Was it for vanity?


    ¡°Thanks. Let¡¯s head back. I¡¯ll treat you some other day,¡± He Wei instructed, ¡°Tomorrow, let¡¯s go visit Cheng Zesheng¡¯s parents and investigate his situation in Canada.¡± He thought for a moment and added, ¡°Also, if there¡¯s any news about the man in the group photo, inform me immediately.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    During lunch break, Yun Xiaoxiao was slumped on her desk. Xia Liang walked over quietly and looked at her pale face and tired expression. She asked softly, ¡°Xiaoxiao, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Yun Xiaoxiao lifted her head and rubbed her eyes, ¡°Just didn¡¯t sleep well. If I don¡¯t have to work overtime on weekends, I¡¯ll sleep all day.¡±


    Lately, she had been feeling down because of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s murder. The concert tickets she had bought were lying next to her computer. Although the organizers had started processing refunds, she couldn¡¯t bear to give them up and intended to keep them as a permanent memento.


    Zheng Youqing appeared at the door, holding a folder and a cup of milk tea. Yun Xiaoxiao waved at her, ¡°Youqing! Are you looking for Captain? He¡¯ll be back at two.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m here to see you.¡± Zheng Youqing blushed slightly as she placed the milk tea on the table. ¡°I brought this for you.¡±


    ¡°You truly are an angel, Youqing!¡± Yun Xiaoxiao inserted a straw and took a sip. ¡°Is this full sugar?¡±


    Zheng Youqing blinked, ¡°Yes, I saw you looking gloomy all the time, so I thought having some sugar might improve your mood.¡± After saying that, she reached out and pinched Yun Xiaoxiao¡¯s cheek, ¡°And, it¡¯s almost time for your physical examination. I feel like they might ask you to gain weight again.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao sighed. She couldn¡¯t really be blamed. Back in police school, her weight used to start with a ¡°9,¡± but since joining the criminal investigation team, it had been steadily declining, and she often received instructions to improve her nutrition and gain weight during physical exams. This showed just how tough working in criminal investigation was. While others strolled on the streets, she was at crime scenes; while others went shopping, she examined bodies; while others sang, she took statements¡­ In short, her youthful beauty had been forced to endure a face full of weariness.


    ¡°Unfortunately, not only am I single, but even my dream husband is dead. My life is pitiful and unpredictable.¡± Yun Xiaoxiao sighed, propping her cheeks. Xia Liang lightly coughed, ¡°Don¡¯t look so far ahead; there might be good things around you.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao and Zheng Youqing both stared at him. Zheng Youqing smiled and remained silent, while it took Yun Xiaoxiao a while to react, widening her eyes in astonishment, ¡°Are you crazy? Captain is the kind of man who¡¯s hard to approach. Only Youqing, possess the spirit of Sisyphus.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xia Liang returned to his seat, feeling awkward.


    Before two o¡¯clock, He Wei and Hu Songkai rushed in, asking about the progress of the exploration mission.


    Xia Liang promptly raised his hand, ¡°We found it! It was posted at 4 p.m. on the 14th, and the request was to go to Fulong Mountain Mansion after 3 a.m. on the 15th, with the entire process documented. The reward is up to 50,000 RMB.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao opened the record, ¡°According to Lu Zhihua, the captain of the exploration team, they received an invitation email and, seeing the location was in our city and the reward was high, they decided to go together at night. On their way up the mountain, they encountered no one. When they arrived at their destination, the gates of the mansion were unlocked. After they entered, even before they could turn on their cameras, a team member discovered the body. They were all frightened and immediately called the police.¡±


    ¡°Let me see the exploration mission.¡± He Wei stood behind Xia Liang, and the latter opened the webpage, explaining, ¡°This website specializes in the supernatural as its selling point. People can upload various videos related to the supernatural for identification or participate in various offline adventure games. One of its special features is posting ¡®exploration missions¡¯ where they pay others to explore certain places, catering to the curiosity of those who want to explore haunted places but don¡¯t dare to do it alone. However, the rewards are usually several hundred to several thousand RMB, and a reward as high as 50,000 RMB is rare on this website.¡±


    They opened the exploration mission, and a pair of blood-red eyes filled the entire screen. Lines of dark blue text floated, resembling dancing will-o¡¯-the-wisps on the screen. Hu Songkai leaned in, ¡°It¡¯s pretty scary, a few people with heart conditions might get scared to death.¡±


    ¡°Who dares to watch this with a heart condition?¡± After He Wei checked the exploration mission, he clicked on the ID of the poster. The profile had no avatar or information, with zero posts, and one discussion; obviously a new account.


    ¡°This person posted the reward on the 14th afternoon and sent an invitation to Lu Zhihua¡¯s team. It just so happened that they found the body upon arrival, not something that can be easily dismissed as a coincidence.¡± He Wei rested his hand on Xia Liang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Can you trace the IP address? It¡¯s the quickest way.¡±


    Xia Liang met He Wei¡¯s intense gaze and nodded in understanding. ¡°Got it!¡±


    Zheng Youqing came over today to submit the messy shoe prints for identification. After comparison, the shoe prints not only included ten students but also two other types of shoe patterns, all of which intermingled and overlapped, making it difficult to extract the full shoe prints.


    However, it could be confirmed that one of them belonged to the deceased, Cheng Zesheng. A quarter of the diagonal pattern perfectly matched. As for the other pattern, only parts of the sole and the toe could be extracted, and the middle part of the shoe size couldn¡¯t be determined, but the length suggested it was around size 41, and based on the fragmented pattern, it was identified as a sports shoe. No other information could be gleaned from the partial shoe prints.


    He Wei flipped through the report with interest. ¡°Very clever.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao, Zheng Youqing, and Xia Liang all stared at him curiously. Hu Songkai sat down with his legs raised, ¡°What you¡¯re saying, Captain, is that this person is willing to leave clues, but they¡¯re all visible yet impossible to make precise deductions from. For example, they could have destroyed the reaction of Prussian blue in the splattered blood at the crime scene, but they chose not to. And the footprints¡ªthey could¡¯ve erased them, or even committed the crime wearing shoe covers, which would¡¯ve been more convenient, right?¡±


    Xia Liang glanced at He Wei, sticking out his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s like they¡¯re sending a challenge to our police force, daring us with such nerve, yet they don¡¯t dare to directly confront our true capabilities! How come they don¡¯t dare to leave fingerprints on that marble?¡±


    Zheng Youqing shook her head with regret, ¡°We checked just this morning. There are Cheng Zesheng¡¯s fingerprints, but not suspects¡¯.¡±


    Xia Liang spread his hands and sighed, ¡°They are trying to be mysterious but don¡¯t dare to go all the way. Do we really expect to draw them out with such half-hearted efforts? Does their behavior inspire any resonance in us?¡±


    ¡°From a different perspective, it¡¯s still a challenge. Don¡¯t you expect the process of unraveling the mystery?¡± He Wei said nonchalantly.


    ¡°¡­¡± Xia Liang, Yun Xiaoxiao, and Hu Songkai stared at his half-smiling ¡°twisted¡± expression, sensing both anticipation and a hint of excitement. They fell silent, one after another.


    We don¡¯t expect it. We truly can¡¯t resonate with it.

 CH 16

    Chapter 16: Two lives of the same person


    Cheng Zesheng drove back to the bureau with the medical records and medication he found at He Wei¡¯s house. He called the team that went to search and coldly reprimanded them, ¡°What kind of work are you doing? You didn¡¯t even find something this important?!¡±


    The lead officer, Xiao Fan, looked innocent and said, ¡°Vice-Captain, please calm down. We were focusing on investigating clues related to the case and didn¡¯t pay attention to these details¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this unrelated to the case? It¡¯s highly relevant!¡± Cheng Zesheng slammed the asthma inhaler on the table. ¡°We can¡¯t even be sure of the identity of the victim!¡±


    Xiao Fan and a few colleagues behind him looked at each other, unable to help asking, ¡°Vice-Captain, what does that mean? Isn¡¯t the victim He Wei?¡±


    Xiang Yang stood aside, struggling to explain, ¡°It might be him, or it might not be. It¡¯s difficult to say for sure at the moment.¡±


    He was also partially in the dark and felt confused. Although these things proved that He Wei had a long history of asthma, it was still unreasonable to conclude that he was not the same person just because of buying cigarettes once, right? When he questioned Cheng Zesheng about this, Cheng Zesheng responded with an ambiguous word: ¡°intuition.¡±


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t waste time. Go to the hospital for an investigation immediately.¡± Cheng Zesheng distributed the medical records and reports to Xiao Fan¡¯s team. ¡°All of He Wei¡¯s medical records and reports are from this top-tier hospital. Question all the doctors who wrote the medical records and issued the reports, and make sure to find out whether he had asthma or not.¡±


    He then took out a blood test report and said, ¡°This report was done the day before He Wei¡¯s murder, not long ago. Go to the hospital and find out if the blood samples are still there, and bring them back if they are.¡±


    Everyone started working separately. Cheng Zesheng rubbed his forehead and spread the crime scene photos on the table. He opened his phone and compared them to the photos taken today from the surveillance footage. Without careful observation, nothing could be found, but upon closer comparison, he noticed differences in the attire during the three different time periods: He Wei leaving home at 9 o¡¯clock, returning at midnight, and being murdered at the mansion. Although the overall colors were similar and the styles were not drastically different, there were still some discernible variations in small details. It was like playing a spot-the-difference game, where each of the three pictures had its own distinct points, and it required patient scrutiny.


    One person changing clothes three times in just a few hours seemed difficult to understand no matter how you looked at it. Even more puzzling was He Wei¡¯s medical history. Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t see any indications of asthma in the autopsy report. It wasn¡¯t that Jiang Tan couldn¡¯t find it; it was that his body didn¡¯t show any signs of this condition.


    No one knew where He Wei went after 9 o¡¯clock. His figure disappeared from the surveillance at the overpass. His social circle was small, and he didn¡¯t go to the only gay bar to find his only friend, nor did he have a boyfriend. He rarely contacted his family. Where could someone like him go?


    As for the footage of his return at midnight, others might not be able to tell if he changed his clothes, but Cheng Zesheng felt like he was looking at a completely different person. He prided himself on his insight and had plenty of experience in criminal investigations. He had developed a keen sense of detecting lies based on subtle facial expressions. Therefore, when he saw He Wei¡¯s walking posture, body language, and eyes, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s intuition told him that the person now was fundamentally different from the previous He Wei.


    Considering the inexplicable crime scene, this thought became even more deeply rooted. At this moment, he wished it was He Lu impersonating He Wei, and the stack of examination reports from the hospital did not belong to He Wei. Otherwise, he would encounter a scientific impasse that couldn¡¯t be explained.


    When he was feeling frustrated, his phone rang. It was from Xie Wenxi, who was his naughty childhood friend.


    ¡°I heard from Uncle Cheng that you¡¯re running away from home? Where are you staying? How¡¯s the new place?¡±


    ¡°At the dormitory in the bureau. I haven¡¯t visited it yet.¡± Cheng Zesheng realized that he hadn¡¯t even gone to see his new place in the Future Domain. He said he was moving out, but what if it was an empty space without even a place to sleep?


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect. I¡¯m near the municipal bureau. Let¡¯s have a meal together and then go to your new dormitory.¡±


    ¡°No need, I¡¯m busy lately.¡± Cheng Zesheng immediately declined. He didn¡¯t want to have a meal with Xie Wenxi, a troublesome girl who worked as a journalist and often came to him for information.


    But Cheng Zesheng was good at keeping secrets and wasn¡¯t swayed by beauty. Often, Xie Wenxi would leave empty-handed and come back in a couple of days. If it weren¡¯t for their families living next door to each other and their fathers working in the same military region, crossing paths frequently, Cheng Zesheng would have distanced himself from this fierce woman long ago.


    He looked at his watch and realized it was almost time to finish work. He picked up his car keys and headed to the Future Domain.


    Following the navigation, he drove for less than half an hour before reaching the Future Domain. Cheng Zesheng got out of the car and first examined the overall appearance, which was quite good. It was much better than the old dormitory at the bureau, shiny and bright.


    After entering the dormitory, Cheng Zesheng went to the 4th floor and looked for room 404. Room 404 was located at the end of the hallway. Upon opening the door, he was greeted by a clean and tidy dormitory. The floor tiles were spotless, and the coffee table gleamed. Cheng Zesheng was surprised and felt that Chief Huang had treated him well. Not only were the furniture arranged, but everything was also kept so clean. He realized that he shouldn¡¯t lose his temper when Chief Huang talked to him next time. It was better to be lenient with people.


    The floor was so clean that Cheng Zesheng felt embarrassed to step on it with his shoes on. He found a bag of disposable shoe covers in the shoe cabinet and put on two of them. He went up the stairs and saw two rooms. Surprisingly, the room near the stairs couldn¡¯t be opened, so Cheng Zesheng shrugged and turned the handle of the door across from it.


    He had heard that the new dormitories were shared by two people, so there might be a roommate living together? Chief Huang didn¡¯t explicitly mention it, but Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t mind. He didn¡¯t have a bad temper and was generally easy to get along with as long as someone didn¡¯t touch his sore spots.


    Returning to the living room, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s eyes were immediately drawn to the quartz clock hanging on the wall. The entire apartment, from the decor to the furniture, followed a modern minimalist style, except for this clock, which seemed out of place. The brass pendulum swung back and forth, and it played music at the hour, giving it a retro yet trendy feel.


    Forget it, it wasn¡¯t something he prepared himself. He didn¡¯t spend much time at home anyway, mostly at the bureau. There was no need to pay attention to a clock.


    Satisfied with the tour of the new dormitory, Cheng Zesheng left contentedly and planned to go home to pack his belongings that evening.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The next morning, Xiao Fan hurriedly returned to the bureau. The blood samples from He Wei¡¯s hospital examination had been brought back and sent to the forensic department. Cheng Zesheng asked about the progress of the investigation, and Xiao Fan nodded, saying, ¡°It¡¯s true. The head of the Respiratory Department at the People¡¯s Hospital is very familiar with He Wei. He has been seeing him for nearly ten years.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s He Wei and not He Lu?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s definitely He Wei. The head physician also knows about his twin brother, He Lu. He used to help pick up medication for He Wei. The two have completely different temperaments and personalities. You can recognize them at a glance.¡±


    ¡°So He Lu used to help He Wei pick up medication?¡± Cheng Zesheng rubbed his chin. ¡°That suggests their relationship as brothers was quite good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. The head physician only mentioned that he hasn¡¯t seen He Lu in recent years. It¡¯s always been He Wei coming alone, sometimes accompanied by another man who wears glasses and has a gentle appearance.¡±


    This description matched Lian Jingyuan, indicating that his relationship with He Wei was not ordinary. However, Lian Jingyuan insisted that they were just good friends, senior and junior brothers. Cheng Zesheng had specifically observed him, and his expression didn¡¯t seem like he was lying.


    After the blood test results came out, Cheng Aiyue personally delivered them. Cheng Zesheng glanced at them, his face turned serious, and he took the materials and headed straight to the forensic department. ¡°Xiao Tanzi! Come out quickly!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here! Why are you shouting so loudly?!¡± The door to the autopsy room opened slightly, revealing half of Jiang Tan¡¯s face, his expression gloomy. ¡°Call me Forensic Doctor Jiang or Director Jiang¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you absolutely certain about the results of He Wei¡¯s autopsy?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Jiang Tan opened the door with a bang. ¡°Cheng Zesheng, you¡¯ve gone too far! I told you a few days ago, with my ten years of professional expertise, there¡¯s no possibility of error!¡±


    ¡°He had asthma.¡± Cheng Zesheng handed over He Wei¡¯s lung CT scan and blood test results. Jiang Tan flipped through them, gradually becoming astonished. He quickly rushed back into the autopsy room, tightly closing the door and not allowing anyone inside.


    Cheng Zesheng sat outside, feeling restless. Liu Renyu handed him a glass of water. ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, take a rest for a while. The teacher should come out soon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll come out and deliver bad news to me.¡± Cheng Zesheng pinched his temples. ¡°Given Jiang Tan¡¯s professional level, the likelihood of an error is extremely low. The direction of this case is becoming even more perplexing.¡±


    Liu Renyu sat down beside him and smiled. ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, do you believe that there are many unexplainable phenomena in this world?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng looked at him. ¡°Are you talking about ghosts?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility, but not necessarily,¡± Liu Renyu pushed his glasses. ¡°In science fiction movies, we often see that in a four-dimensional spacetime, different versions of ourselves can meet, creating a strange sensation.¡±


    ¡°¡­I believe in science.¡±


    ¡°It is scientifically plausible, including higher-dimensional worlds and organisms. Our current civilization just can¡¯t explore them yet.¡± Liu Renyu took out his phone and showed Cheng Zesheng a poster. ¡°This science fiction movie will be released next month. If Vice-Captain Cheng is interested, you can go watch it.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng glanced at it but didn¡¯t say anything. The door of the autopsy room opened, and Jiang Tan came out with a grim face. ¡°It¡¯s impossible!¡±


    Cheng Zesheng stood up, and Jiang Tan slammed the medical records and reports on the table. ¡°The body inside, the tar residue on the surface of the lungs suggests a smoking history of at least five years! But there¡¯s no smooth muscle hyperplasia in the airway, no bronchial dilation, and no pathological changes in the entire respiratory system. Asthma doesn¡¯t exist!¡±


    ¡°Then how do you explain his blood test results? The total IgE is several times higher than the normal range, indicating allergic asthma, and the DNA match was confirmed!¡±


    The irritable forensic doctor, Jiang Tan, was almost losing his temper. ¡°How should I know?! All I can say is that the body inside is He Wei, but I can¡¯t be 100% certain if the blood test report belongs to him. It could also be his brother¡¯s. Twin DNA is the same. Let¡¯s do genetic sequencing and check for methylation differences to narrow it down!¡±


    Cheng Zesheng felt a throbbing pain in his temples. The evidence found in this case already had some inconsistencies with logic, and now it was even more exaggerated. The person might not even be the right one, making him feel overwhelmed and truly lost in a labyrinth.


    ¡°¡­Then let¡¯s find He Lu and obtain a sample.¡± Cheng Zesheng pointed at the medical records and reports on the table. ¡°Jiang Tan, re-examine He Wei¡¯s body carefully and mark any unconventional findings, don¡¯t miss anything.¡±


    What else could Jiang Tan do? He had to fill the hole he dug himself. He didn¡¯t mind, but disturbing the deceased again made him feel a little uneasy.


    Liu Renyu took out He Wei¡¯s autopsy report from the cabinet and asked, ¡°Teacher, genetic sequencing is troublesome and complex, with a massive engineering project. Do you think it¡¯s necessary?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s necessary.¡± Jiang Tan answered firmly. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that the same person can have two different bodies and completely different life experiences.¡±

 CH 17

    Chapter 17: Unpleasant ¡°first meeting¡±


    During the special task force meeting, Chong Zhen handed over the investigation results to He Wei. After briefly reviewing the information, He Wei discovered that Cheng Zesheng was not the only child; he had an elder brother named Cheng Zhenqing, who was four years older but was abducted at a young age. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s parents searched for two years but couldn¡¯t find any leads, so they eventually had Cheng Zesheng.


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s lost elder brother was named Cheng Zhenqing. After his son was abducted, Ding Xiang felt that the name was not appropriate, as it implied that clear water had no fish. Hence, when their second son was born, they named him ¡°Zesheng¡± to express their wishes for blessings and grace. Chong Zhen showed the family photo from the necklace to Cheng¡¯s parents, and Ding Xiang couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. She saw the resemblance between the man in the picture and Cheng Zesheng, evoking a sense of maternal affection.


    They believed this must be their eldest son, but they couldn¡¯t fathom why he didn¡¯t acknowledge them and only went to find Cheng Zesheng. Moreover, Cheng Zesheng had kept this matter hidden and never mentioned his brother. If the police hadn¡¯t asked about it, Ding Xiang thought she would never see her eldest son in this lifetime.


    Regarding the collection of firearms, Cheng¡¯s parents were at a loss and couldn¡¯t understand why their son would do such a thing. Cheng Zesheng had been obedient and well-behaved since childhood, and he had never bought a gun, even in Canada, where gun ownership is allowed. Yet, upon returning to China, he set up an arsenal. It was beyond their imagination as parents.


    ¡°Basically, that¡¯s the situation. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s parents are clueless. They not only have no idea where Cheng Zhenqing is but also want our police to help find their son.¡± Chong Zhen sighed, ¡°We are also at a loss. At the moment, we¡¯re not even sure if Cheng Zhenqing really exists. Nobody around Cheng Zesheng has ever seen him, including his closest assistant and agent; they don¡¯t recognize him at all.¡±


    ¡°He does exist, and the guns found in the basement have extracted the fingerprints of other people. Moreover, as long as someone lives here, it¡¯s impossible to erase all traces,¡± said He Wei, putting down the documents. ¡°That¡¯s also where I think the suspect is smart. Instead of trying to erase the traces completely, they made them unidentifiable.¡±


    ¡°Now the focus is on finding Cheng Zhenqing?¡± asked Yun Xiaoxiao.


    ¡°Chong Zhen, I¡¯ll leave that to you. Make a copy of the photo and conduct an investigation within a five-kilometer radius of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s home,¡± He Wei said, taking a sip from his teacup. ¡°Finding people is one aspect, but other suspicious points are crucial too, like how Cheng Zesheng appeared at the mansion. He didn¡¯t drive, and there were no surveillance cameras capturing him walking there for all those days. It¡¯s very suspicious.¡±


    ¡°There are indeed many suspicious aspects, like the third party being completely absent and the murderer¡¯s whereabouts unknown. I even suspect his brother might be the killer.¡±


    After Hu Songkai¡¯s remark, several members of the task force at the meeting nodded, feeling that the deduction was highly likely. Wu Xiaolei, who was transferred from the neighboring anti-drug squad, asked, ¡°According to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s parents¡¯ testimony, Cheng Zesheng should have no knowledge of firearms, so the weapons cache is unrelated to him?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Cheng Zesheng knew how to use a gun,¡± He Wei flipped open the identification report brought by the technical team earlier this morning. ¡°The examination results for the spent casings and bullets found in the basement are out. They were fired from the same Type 92 pistol as the bullet retrieved from Cheng Zesheng¡¯s body. Furthermore, his fingerprints were detected on the casings. I believe he fired all those rounds.¡±


    ¡°But the murderer¡¯s behavior is strange. Why did they only take the casings and leave the bullet?¡± Chong Zhen asked.


    ¡°Probably¡­ they couldn¡¯t easily find the bullet inside the body? Sometimes, it requires X-rays to detect them,¡± Yun Xiaoxiao said.


    Xia Liang tilted his head, ¡°Not enough time? Fear of being seen?¡±


    Wu Xiaolei speculated, ¡°Or perhaps they were afraid and didn¡¯t dare to dig them out.¡±


    He Wei pondered, tapping his pen on the desk. No, none of these explanations seem right. If the murderer took the casings and left the gun behind, it suggests they didn¡¯t want to be caught by the police. But not disposing of the bullet would leave more straightforward rifling marks for comparison.


    If the murderer was the one who issued that expedition order, then starting from Cheng Zesheng¡¯s time of death, they had plenty of time to handle the bullet. Even if it was difficult to find, considering the bullet hit his chest, they could have patiently searched by dissecting the tissues. Timidity could also be ruled out. In He Wei¡¯s mind, this was a thoughtful killer, fully capable of handling the crime scene perfectly. But there must be a reason why they didn¡¯t do it.


    ¡°I definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to dig it out,¡± Xia Liang shook her head, ¡°Besides, he was a handsome guy, and having a big blood hole in his chest would ruin his beauty.¡±


    Suddenly, He Wei raised his head, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I wouldn¡¯t dare?¡±


    ¡°The next sentence.¡±


    ¡°He was a handsome guy, and having a big blood hole in his chest would ruin his beauty?¡±


    He Wei found Cheng Zesheng¡¯s autopsy report and flipped to the external examination section. Phrases like ¡°neatly trimmed nails,¡± ¡°no splatter bloodstains on the face,¡± and ¡°clothing intact with no signs of a struggle¡± caught his eye, and an idea suddenly struck him.


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of unwillingness; it was a matter of not having the heart to do it.


    Their thinking had been fixed, assuming that whoever manipulated the crime scene to cover up the truth must be the murderer. But they had overlooked the presence of a third person who meticulously groomed Cheng Zesheng, even helping to trim his nails. Their relationship was extraordinary, and for some special reason, they had no choice but to assist the murderer in manipulating the crime scene.


    Who was this third person? A young male, around 180 cm tall, with a strong psychological resilience, adept at concealing the truth, and perhaps with homosexual tendencies, paying great attention to appearance¡­


    Not enough information; there¡¯s still too little to go on. The more He Wei thought about it, the deeper he furrowed his brows. He had been handling cases for many years, and this wasn¡¯t the most complicated one, but it was the first time he couldn¡¯t get a complete profile of the suspects present at the scene.


    ¡ª¡ª


    The sky was already dark, and two more days had passed at the bureau. He Wei closed the case file, intending to go home, take a shower, and change clothes.


    As the car stopped at the entrance of Future Domain, He Wei looked up and noticed that only a few houses still had their lights on. He felt that it was quite nice this way ¨C peaceful, without anyone disturbing it. However, as soon as he opened his front door, he sensed something unusual.


    The first thing he noticed were the two unpacked shoe covers on the shoe cabinet at the entrance. He remembered it clearly; he had left them there last time and hadn¡¯t taken them out at all. There was also some dust on the floor of the hallway, revealing a wavy shoe print.


    After taking photos with his phone, He Wei put on plastic gloves from his pocket and also unpacked two shoe covers from the shoe cabinet, trying not to disturb the shoe print as he walked into the living room, treating his home like a crime scene.


    He first checked the windows on the balcony and found no signs of forced entry. Then he opened the door, but there were no fingerprints on the doorknob either. Based on the situation at the scene, He Wei could deduce that the suspect had entered using a key. In a typical case, he would suspect someone familiar with the victim.


    In the living room, kitchen, and bathroom, all the furniture remained in place without any changes. He Wei went upstairs to the second floor, walked to his bedroom door, and finally found an indistinct fingerprint on the handrail. He hurried downstairs, grabbed a roll of tape, carefully covered the fingerprint, and then gently peeled it off. The fingerprint appeared clear on the tape, showing the pattern of a right loop, indicating it was from the right thumb.


    After extracting the fingerprint, He Wei finally used his key to unlock the door. As soon as he pushed it open, he concluded that the intruder had not entered this room; they had only glanced inside and closed the door again.


    There was one more room across the hall. He Wei stood at the doorway, suddenly feeling a strange sensation. He gripped the handrail, pressed down on the lock, and slowly pushed the door open. It had been a long time since his heart had raced like this, as if it were his first time at a crime scene, performing an autopsy, or firing a gun ¨C all that nervousness returning.


    But there was nothing inside.


    He Wei was taken aback, facing this empty room. It took him a while before a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he stepped back and closed the door. Perhaps working on so many cases had made him hypersensitive, and he wondered what he had been expecting just now for no reason.


    Nothing seemed to be missing from the house; the person had gone in and out like a tourist. He Wei couldn¡¯t fathom who would dare to break into the police dormitory, and he couldn¡¯t understand the purpose of this visit. The intruder didn¡¯t even enter his room. Although there wasn¡¯t anything valuable in the house, they could have taken his laptop after breaking the lock to at least cover their travel expenses.


    It was getting late, and He Wei couldn¡¯t dwell on this anymore. He needed to focus on more important matters. He prepared a packet of instant noodles, planning to take a shower and eat before heading back to the bureau to have the fingerprint analyzed.


    In the bathroom, He Wei turned on the showerhead. The soundproofing of the frosted glass door was excellent, to the extent that even the sound of the door opening at the entrance was drowned out by the running water, and no other noise could be heard inside.


    Tonight, Cheng Zesheng was moving out. He entered the apartment carrying a travel suitcase and heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom, assuming that his ¡°neighbor¡± had arrived first. Since the neighbor was taking a shower, it wouldn¡¯t be convenient to greet them now. He dragged his luggage and noticed a bowl of instant noodles on the coffee table with a fork stuck into the packaging, and the aroma of braised beef noodles wafting out from the gaps.


    Cheng Zesheng picked up the bowl and looked at it. His neighbor seemed to have a similar taste; they both liked eating this kind of original-flavored braised beef noodles. He wondered which colleague from the police department it was. They must be quite busy, having instant noodles for dinner.


    He put down the noodles and went upstairs to pack his belongings. As He Wei finished drying his hair and walked into the living room, he immediately noticed that the dinner on the coffee table had disappeared.


    Narrowing his eyes, He Wei quickly walked to the entrance, finding new traces on the floor, circular imprints that resembled the wheels of a suitcase. He looked around the living room, then proceeded to the staircase and began to climb the stairs, step by step.


    He Wei first opened the door to his own room, finding nothing unusual. Then he pushed open the door to the room across the hall ¨C still nothing, just emptiness. There was only a bed, a table, and a wardrobe in the room. However, he noticed that the window, which had been closed earlier, was now half-open, allowing the gentle breeze of early summer to drift in.


    Cheng Zesheng was in the midst of folding clothes when suddenly the door seemed to be blown open by a strong gust of wind. His immediate reaction was to turn around and look at the window. It couldn¡¯t be the wind; even if it were, it should have been the wind coming from outside.


    He walked to the door and glanced outside, but his neighbor hadn¡¯t come up, and there was no one at the door. He couldn¡¯t figure out why the door had opened just now. Cheng Zesheng shrugged, closed the door again, and continued organizing his clothes.


    *Clap.* The door behind him closed, and He Wei turned around, glancing at the half-opened window. Could the wind be strong enough to close the door like that?


    He examined the room carefully. The wardrobe had been closed before, but now it was open halfway. He Wei stroked his chin, trying to piece together the scene in his mind: someone had come in with luggage and started unpacking clothes, just like he had done on the day he moved in, sitting on the floor sorting things out.


    But there was nothing here. Clearly, someone had entered, yet he couldn¡¯t find a trace of that person.


    He Wei took out his phone, switched to video mode, and started recording the room. Sometimes, electronic eyes could capture more than human eyes. As Cheng Zesheng stood up and walked past He Wei, the camera screen briefly flashed a shadow, and in the blink of an eye, everything returned to normal.


    The door behind them opened again.


    Cheng Zesheng went downstairs as the sound of running water in the bathroom ceased. His neighbor had already finished showering, but the bowl of instant noodles on the coffee table was still there. It had been soaked for too long, and the soup had been fully absorbed by the noodles, turning them soft and clumpy.


    Where was the person? They hadn¡¯t come to eat the noodles after they were done. Cheng Zesheng stood at the bottom of the stairs and shouted upstairs, ¡°Hey! Your instant noodles will go bad if you don¡¯t eat them soon!¡±


    No response.


    He called again, but there was still no answer. Cheng Zesheng sat back on the couch, assuming the neighbor might have been called for a last-minute assignment. He often faced such situations himself ¨C whenever a call came, he would drop whatever he was doing and prioritize the task at hand.


    After confirming that the neighbor wasn¡¯t really home, Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t eat dinner either. He decided to just have the instant noodles himself. When the neighbor returned, he would let them know he had done it to avoid waste.


    He Wei came downstairs, feeling a heavy cloud of doubt after spending so long upstairs with no results. He sat down on the couch, the uncertainty weighing on his mind.


    His stomach growled again, causing his brows to furrow in frustration. The fact that the neighbor wasn¡¯t around was one thing, but what about the instant noodles?


    One person was slurping noodles on the couch, and the other propped his chin, brows deeply furrowed, forming a stark contrast.


    Though they were just a seat apart, they couldn¡¯t perceive each other¡¯s presence at all.

 CH 18

    Chapter 18: You Can Hear It


    Du Ruanlan locked the door of the forensic department and passed by the criminal investigation section, where she noticed Captain He Wei in his office, munching on cookies while watching a documentary about solving cases. She knocked on the window, and He Wei looked up. Du Ruanlan smiled at him and pushed the door open, walking in.


    ¡°Off work already?¡±


    ¡°I just finished my shift. And you¡¯re back to work again?¡± She inserted her hands into her white lab coat. ¡°Didn¡¯t even have time to eat after showering at home? You¡¯re so dedicated.¡±


    He Wei looked embarrassed and stammered, ¡°¡­I got robbed.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Instant noodles; they were stolen,¡± He swallowed the dry cookies, ¡°from my place.¡±


    Du Ruanlan became intrigued. It was hard to fathom how the Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division at the city bureau could have things stolen from his police dormitory.


    But He Wei¡¯s expression clearly said, ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡± She leaned over, half of her body resting on the desk, and supported her cheek with her hand. ¡°I¡¯m genuinely curious. Who dares to target you, Captain He? Any leads?¡±


    ¡°Fingerprints, I handed them over to the forensics team.¡± He hurried back to the bureau to submit the fingerprints, which was why he couldn¡¯t get dinner.


    ¡°Oh, then solving the case should be a matter of minutes,¡± Du Ruanlan said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a bag of bread. ¡°Here, have this. It¡¯s better than cookies.¡±


    After thanking Du Ruanlan and saving himself from making another trip to the convenience store, He Wei continued his investigation while munching on the bread. The strange occurrences at his home didn¡¯t seem to affect his mood, and he focused on his work as usual.


    At the same time, Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t return to the bureau; he went to Avenoir instead. He had already contacted Lian Jingyuan in advance, and upon arriving, Lian Jingyuan had prepared a Scorpio Palace cocktail, waiting for Cheng Zesheng¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°Officer Cheng, is there anything else I can help you with this time?¡± Lian Jingyuan pushed the cocktail toward him. ¡°I¡¯ll share everything I know.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng glanced at the beautifully colored cocktail. ¡°Thanks, but I don¡¯t drink during investigations. Does He Wei have asthma?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan nodded. ¡°Yes, he had it since university.¡±


    ¡°Does he smoke?¡±


    ¡°No, he has always led a disciplined and restrained life. At most, he¡¯d have a beer or a cocktail, and he¡¯d stop there. As for smoking¡­¡± Lian Jingyuan chuckled, his gentle eyes shimmering, ¡°He knows about his asthma and has never touched cigarettes.¡±


    Indeed. Cheng Zesheng nodded and asked, ¡°I heard from He Wei¡¯s attending physician that he and his brother, He Lu, used to have a good relationship. Why did their relationship turn sour?¡±


    Talking about this matter, Lian Jingyuan seemed a bit awkward, ¡°¡­It¡¯s a bit complicated. Let me explain. It¡¯s partly my fault as well. He Lu never believed that his brother, He Wei, was gay. He thought that being around me for so long corrupted him. He asked his brother and me to stop seeing each other, but his brother didn¡¯t listen. He continued to frequent gay bars, which made He Lu feel embarrassed and disgusted by his brother¡¯s behavior. So, he cut off contact with him, and they haven¡¯t communicated for several years.¡±


    ¡°I see. It seems like he came to identify the body during a break in the meeting.¡±


    Lian Jingyuan sighed. He Lu¡¯s temperament was entirely different from He Wei¡¯s. When he found out that his brother liked men, he caused a scene at a gay bar a few times. Later, seeing that his brother remained ¡°unrepentant¡±, He Lu grew disheartened and grew colder toward him. He avoided meeting him whenever possible, and after a few years, they became complete strangers.


    Cheng Zesheng took note and continued to ask, ¡°On that night when He Wei came to see you, did you notice anything different from usual?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan rested his index finger on his delicately shaped chin, seemingly recalling the details. After a moment, he spoke slowly, ¡°If there was something different, it should be his whole demeanor. From his eyes to his aura, he appeared entirely different from the calm and quiet person I know. That night, he sat across from me, emanating a certain aura of oppression, even though he didn¡¯t say a word while drinking silently.¡±


    After he spoke, it surprised me even more. For a moment, I even doubted if this person was He Wei, considering the vast difference in their way of speaking and tone.¡± Lian Jingyuan lifted his Negroni and took a sip, ¡°In the past, when we chatted, I was usually the one taking the initiative, but that day was completely the opposite. I was practically answering his questions, completely led by him.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng asked about the content of their conversation, and Lian Jingyuan mentioned that the main topic was He Wei¡¯s heartbreak and how he couldn¡¯t find a way to win back the person he liked, hence drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Lian Jingyuan was surprised because he had never heard He Wei express interest in anyone before, nor did he understand why he would be heartbroken out of the blue.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t found any evidence of him having intimate contact with anyone, so I wanted to ask if you know where he might go between 9 p.m. and 12 a.m.,¡± Cheng Zesheng said.


    Lian Jingyuan pondered for a few seconds, wearing a bitter smile. ¡°I really can¡¯t imagine. He Wei¡¯s life is too monotonous, and his personality isn¡¯t one to easily change his routines. So, besides coming to my place or going home at night, I can¡¯t think of any other places he might go.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng observed the changes in Lian Jingyuan¡¯s facial expressions. His eyes were like cameras, capturing every subtle detail of Lian Jingyuan¡¯s expressions¡ª the curvature of his lips, the number of blinks, the intensity of his frown, and so on, all possible indicators of whether he was telling the truth. Unfortunately, in Cheng Zesheng¡¯s eyes, Lian Jingyuan not only showed no signs of deception but also seemed sincere. If he was lying, then his mental resilience must be extraordinarily strong, and he could outperform even the best actors.


    ¡°By the way, do you know what this means?¡± Cheng Zesheng took out his phone and showed the sheet music image found in He Wei¡¯s phone. ¡°We discovered this there. Could it have any special meaning?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan stared at the music sheet for a while, then stood up and invited Cheng Zesheng to follow him inside the room, where there was a piano. Playing it might provide some inspiration.


    They went to the boss¡¯s resting room, and Lian Jingyuan unveiled a creamy-white piano from under a black cloth. Cheng Zesheng asked, ¡°Can you play?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan nodded. He had learned for many years, and his parents hoped he would become a music teacher, but he ended up becoming the owner of a gay bar. He looked at the music sheet and played a small section of the tune. Cheng Zesheng had no talent in this area and was merely listening like a ¡°fool at a concert.¡± Lian Jingyuan played it again and shook his head, saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t belong to any classical piece, and I haven¡¯t heard it before. Should we record it and try to match it in a music database?¡±


    As there wasn¡¯t a better option, Cheng Zesheng agreed, asking him to play it once more. After recording, Lian Jingyuan closed the piano. ¡°I¡¯ve played it a few times, and I just don¡¯t feel like it¡¯s a musical score, nor does it sound pleasant.¡±


    ¡°At first, I suspected it could be a password, but after trying several methods, none of them worked.¡±


    ¡°Like the ones in the movies, like Morse code?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng explained, ¡°Usually, musical scores using Morse code represent the relationships between dots and dashes with dynamics and lengths of notes. But this music sheet, when decoded using this method, doesn¡¯t reveal anything. I¡¯ve tried every possible code but with no results.¡±


    Lian Jingyuan was not knowledgeable about these specialized fields. He was just a bar owner and didn¡¯t possess a Sherlock Holmes-like mind, so he couldn¡¯t be of much help. Cheng Zesheng, on the other hand, was thankful for the thorough information he obtained from Lian Jingyuan and for helping with the music sheet. Having such cooperative civilians made the police feel relieved.


    As Cheng Zesheng was leaving, he suddenly asked, ¡°You said He Wei was different that day. Did you ever suspect He Lu?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan replied calmly, ¡°No, he couldn¡¯t possibly pretend to be He Wei.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Officer Cheng, it¡¯s really hard for someone with an outgoing and emotionally expressive personality to hide anything. On the contrary, people like Senior, who are reserved, calm, and silent, are the ones that no one can figure out what they¡¯re hiding.¡± Lian Jingyuan smiled, ¡°A cup filled with water will spill out no matter how small the stones you put in it are, but a cup filled with stones can easily accommodate even more water; that¡¯s the point.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    He Lu opened his mouth as the personnel from the police technical team collected his oral swab. After Cheng Aiyue finished swiping the cotton swab around his mouth, finished the collection, and placed the swab into an evidence box, He Lu asked if they needed to draw blood and rolled up his shirt sleeves.


    ¡°No need for a blood draw, just leave your fingerprints,¡± Cheng Zesheng said, holding his arms crossed.


    Without hesitation, He Lu extended both hands, being quite cooperative and straightforward. Cheng Zesheng stood by with his arms crossed as He Lu provided all ten fingerprints. He stood up and sneered, ¡°If you have time to investigate me, the real culprit must have already fled.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste words. Who¡¯s the culprit? Just because you said it, should I believe you? Are you Sherlock Holmes or Hercules?¡±


    He Lu¡¯s expression changed, and he asked Cheng Aiyue, ¡°Can I complain to the Public Relations Department about this attitude of yours in handling the case?¡±


    Cheng Aiyue replied with a fake smile, ¡°Go downstairs, take the first turn to the right, and you¡¯ll find it. We won¡¯t see you off. But be aware that any complaints will be investigated. As a colleague present at the scene, I didn¡¯t perceive any issues with Vice-Captain Cheng¡¯s attitude.¡±


    He Lu sneered again, glancing at Cheng Zesheng with disdain. ¡°With someone like you, it¡¯s no wonder you can¡¯t solve the case and resort to these tactics. Is the police department that desperate for personnel?¡±


    He Lu sneered again, glancing at Cheng Zesheng with disdain, ¡°With looks like yours, it¡¯s no wonder you can¡¯t solve cases and resort to playing politics. Is there anyone worthwhile left in your police force?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng: ¡°¡­¡±


    Cheng Aiyue: ¡°¡­¡±


    After the sampling was done, He Lu had to leave early to catch his flight. Annoyed, Cheng Aiyue said, ¡°What kind of person is he? Such a waste of a face. I really want to punch him.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng also felt disgusted. Ever since their first encounter, he had had a bad impression of He Lu. He was like a prickly hedgehog, rolling around and hurting everyone, launching indiscriminate attacks. Cheng Zesheng had a brother too, and if his brother acted like He Lu, he would have knocked him down and made him search for his teeth all over the floor.


    As for this case, Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t suspect He Lu. The reason they took his DNA was to solve another mystery. Jiang Tan had already applied to conduct genetic sequencing for the twins, and several colleagues from the forensic department were working tirelessly under the leadership of the department head, taking part in this enormous project.


    He couldn¡¯t tell He Lu that the police were currently suspecting that the body in the morgue might not be his brother. That would not only be difficult to explain, but also potentially create chaos. So, it was best to treat him as a suspect and follow the proper procedures.


    In the evening, Cheng Zesheng deliberately went to the supermarket, bought all the essential items, and also got a bucket of braised beef noodles. After returning to his apartment, the busy neighbor hadn¡¯t come back yet. Cheng Zesheng placed the instant noodles on the coffee table as a thank-you gesture for last night¡¯s dinner.


    Tonight, He Wei also came back specifically. He had initially planned to stay at the bureau, but he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the intruder who broke into the conference room. He decided to return to the future domain to see if that person might come again.


    Sure enough, as soon as he opened the door, there were shoe prints on the floor again. He Wei took photos to preserve the evidence. He walked into the living room and saw a bucket of noodles on the coffee table. He picked it up and checked the kitchen to make sure it wasn¡¯t his own stash but an extra bucket of instant noodles.


    What¡¯s going on? Was this an apology for yesterday? Did someone come back specifically to return it?


    He Wei returned to the living room, contemplating the bucket of noodles. Suddenly, there was another noise from the kitchen¡ªthe refrigerator door opened, and a short beep sounded.


    He Wei quickly walked in, but the kitchen was still empty. The refrigerator¡¯s display was lit, indicating that the door had just been closed. He had checked it just before, but now, the milk and sandwiches were gone.


    ¡°¡­¡± He Wei¡¯s face turned unpleasant, and he clenched his fist, immediately taking out his phone to call the technical team, requesting them to prepare a high-resolution, full-color camera to install it tomorrow.


    Meanwhile, Cheng Zesheng hummed a tune, inserting a straw into the milk and taking a bite of the sandwich while leisurely reading the reports.


    His neighbor was really kind, with a fridge full of food. It was embarrassing to keep eating someone else¡¯s food, so tomorrow, he would buy some supplies to replenish it.

 CH 19

    Chapter 19: Better to believe it exists


    ¡°Captain He, do you think this will work?¡±


    A technical investigation colleague fiddled with the computer and pushed the screen toward He Wei, saying, ¡°The living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and stairwell are all equipped with these miniature cameras. If you don¡¯t look carefully, you won¡¯t notice them. We set the video to be saved for seven days. Is that okay?¡±


    He Wei nodded. Seven days would be enough for him to crack this trick of pretending to be a ghost. He patted his colleague¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Thanks. Let your Captain Nie know that I appreciate the cooperation. We¡¯ll use the equipment responsibly and return it soon; it won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re joking, Captain He. The Criminal Investigation Department needs the assistance of the Technical Investigation Department, and of course, we¡¯ll gladly help. Captain Nie instructed us that helping Captain He is the most important thing.¡±


    After he left, He Wei walked around the building, checking all the corners where these miniature cameras were discreetly installed. He believed that even the food thief wouldn¡¯t have the time to search for them. As long as the cameras captured the culprit, he was confident in apprehending the person.


    Back at the police station, He Wei went to the Technical Department, where Zheng Youqing was just about to find him. She stood by the door with documents in her arms, tilting her head and looking sweet like the girl next door.


    ¡°Captain He, is it that serious? Calling in the technical investigators and all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t have time to keep an eye on my home all the time, so I asked the tech team to install a few cameras,¡± He Wei said, his gaze falling on the report in her hands. ¡°Have you got any results from the fingerprint analysis?¡±


    ¡°I was just about to talk to you about that.¡± Zheng Youqing waved him in. He Wei followed her into the lab, where she picked up a piece of tape with tweezers and handed it to him. ¡°Here, this is what you gave me.¡±


    He Wei took the tweezers and carefully inspected the tape, unable to help but ask, ¡°Where are the fingerprints?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. When you brought it in, I was in the middle of another identification process, so I put it in the evidence box first. After half an hour, I went to retrieve it, but there was only an empty piece of tape with no fingerprints at all.¡±


    A strange feeling arose in He Wei¡¯s heart. He immediately took out his phone and checked the photos he had taken of the shoe prints. As expected, the entrance floor in the photos was clean and spotless, with no shoe prints whatsoever.


    How could this be? He Wei furrowed his brows, and Zheng Youqing waved her hand in front of him, sounding somewhat uneasy. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t worry; evidence can be lost under certain improper storage conditions. Next time you have fingerprints, let me know, and I won¡¯t lose them.¡±


    No, it was not that simple. This was different from evidence loss. He Wei knew it, but he didn¡¯t tell her about the supernatural events that happened in his dormitory. It wouldn¡¯t be good to scare the young girl.


    Lately, luck hasn¡¯t been on his side. Besides the perplexing case he was handling, there was now an additional troublesome matter to deal with.


    ¡ª


    The owner of the mansion on Fulong Mountain has been contacted. He had surgery out of town and was discharged yesterday. As soon as he returned to Shengzhou City today, he came to the police station to cooperate with the investigation.


    ¡°Name.¡±


    ¡°Xia Liang.¡±


    ¡°Age.¡±


    ¡°24.¡±


    Ke Dongrui scrutinized the young man and asked, ¡°How did the mansion end up registered under your name? Did your family give it to you?¡±


    ¡°My grandfather bought it from the British when he was young. He only has me as his grandson, and a couple of years ago, he left it to me as an inheritance.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s given to you, why has such a large house been empty all this time?¡± Ke Dongrui looked through the documents. ¡°According to our investigation, you are still renting a house in the city, and the area is less than one-fifth of the mansion¡¯s size.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to live inside, but I dare not,¡± Xia Liang said with innocent, round eyes. ¡°I used to live there when I was a child, but later our whole family moved to the city. There are unclean things in the mansion. My father wanted to put it up for sale, but my grandfather wouldn¡¯t allow it. Now someone died there, and it¡¯s really become a haunted house.¡±


    ¡°Unclean things?¡± Ke Dongrui¡¯s pen paused. ¡°You mean it¡¯s haunted?¡±


    Xia Liang¡¯s expression immediately became exaggerated as he vividly described the strange occurrences. Things disappearing inexplicably in the house, hearing voices at night, and sometimes even seeing figures at the staircase¡­ In short, his examples matched scenes from typical horror haunted house stories.


    Ke Dongrui was skeptical, feeling that the young man¡¯s words weren¡¯t reliable, but she recorded everything truthfully. She took out a photo of He Wei and asked, ¡°Do you know this person?¡±


    Xia Liang shook his head, saying he had never seen him before. Ke Dongrui remained silent, and in her investigation of their social connections, she found no link between these two individuals. It seemed that He Wei¡¯s death had nothing to do with the mansion; the killer probably chose the place because it was unoccupied.


    After the routine questioning was over, Xia Liang confirmed and signed the transcript, and Ke Dongrui escorted him out. As they were leaving, they bumped into Cheng Zesheng walking towards them. Xia Liang stopped in his tracks and stared at Cheng Zesheng¡¯s back. Ke Dongrui asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. That guy we just talked to is really good-looking. I feel like I¡¯ve seen him in a dream.¡±


    Ke Dongrui laughed, ¡°You¡¯re a man, Captain Cheng wouldn¡¯t want to be a man¡¯s ¡®dream lover.''¡±


    Xia Liang scratched the back of his head, ¡°His surname is Cheng? In my dream, he seemed to have the same surname. But hey, I was a cop in it, hehe¡­¡±


    Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t just return from being outside; he was packing his things to go out. He drove to the Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, bought a basket of fruits on the way, and secretly brought a pack of cigarettes, hidden in the fruit basket.


    On the fourth floor of the inpatient department was the surgical ward. Cheng Zesheng carried the fruit basket and found the familiar bed. Before he entered the room, he heard someone inside giving an educational talk. He stood outside the door, waiting until the family cadre¡¯s guidance was over before knocking on the door.


    The person who opened the door was a middle-aged woman who saw Cheng Zesheng with a smile. ¡°Zesheng, how come you have time to come over?¡± She called out, ¡°Old man! Stop pretending to sleep, Zesheng is here!¡±


    ¡°Shimu1 must be joking. No matter how busy I am, I have to come and see Master.¡±


    The middle-aged man lying on the hospital bed suddenly sat up, but unfortunately, his leg was in a cast, making it difficult for him to move. Otherwise, he would have made a graceful movement like a carp leaping up. His wife kept nagging at him, saying he pretended to sleep whenever she scolded him, but when someone else came, he immediately became energetic. Clearly, he didn¡¯t take his wife seriously.


    This man with his leg in a cast was Yan Minglang, the head of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Shengzhou City Bureau. He was Cheng Zesheng¡¯s mentor, and Cheng Zesheng had been following him closely since entering the city bureau, considered a well-trained and devoted disciple. Yan Minglang was in his fifties, a few years away from retirement, but his body no longer allowed him to be on the front lines. Especially after he accidentally suffered a comminuted fracture in his right leg while chasing a suspect two months ago, his recovery had not been smooth due to his age, and he hadn¡¯t been discharged yet.


    Every day, Yan Minglang¡¯s wife tirelessly came to the hospital to take care of him. She earnestly advised him to retire and hand over the heavy burden of the team to the young and capable Cheng Zesheng. Yan Minglang had discussed this with Chief Huang before, and they both had the same idea. However, Chief Huang suggested that he shouldn¡¯t rush to unload the responsibilities so quickly. He should receive some support first, but since Yan Minglang¡¯s health hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet, most of the authority in the Criminal Investigation Division had already fallen into the hands of Vice Captain Cheng Zesheng.


    While his wife went to the water room with a water bottle, Yan Minglang glanced at the fruit basket. ¡°You, young fellow, lack sincerity. Don¡¯t you understand what your master needs?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng looked outside the door to make sure his master¡¯s wife was far away, then whispered to the fruit basket, ¡°I¡¯m here. Keep it well hidden. I¡¯m involved in smuggling, and if I get caught, I¡¯ll be severely sentenced.¡±


    Yan Minglang reached out and felt the hard cigarette box, immediately showing a happy smile. He praised Cheng Zesheng for being resourceful and quickly hid the cigarette box under the pillow. The two of them discussed the case, and Cheng Zesheng mentioned the strange things he encountered recently, seeking the analysis of his experienced mentor.


    ¡°You mean the victim¡¯s identity and many pieces of information don¡¯t match with the dead bodies?¡±


    ¡°The discrepancy is too significant, yet there¡¯s the same face, the same fingerprints, and the same DNA; it¡¯s truly bizarre.¡±


    ¡°In our line of work, we believe in science, but as we handle more cases, we are bound to encounter some unscientific things,¡± Yan Minglang rubbed his chin. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? Right after graduating from the police academy, I followed an experienced colleague to investigate a homicide case. It happened over thirty years ago when a butcher killed his wife, but we couldn¡¯t find the body anywhere. We couldn¡¯t prosecute the butcher without evidence and had to let him go.¡±


    ¡°After he returned home, he happily slaughtered the pigs and cooked a large pot of food for his six-year-old son. That night, the boy started vomiting and having diarrhea, and he had a high fever. He babbled, saying, ¡®Mom is calling from the soup pot, and he ate his Mom.¡¯ Later, the experienced colleague took the team to carefully inspect the pigsty and finally found a finger in a pile of swill. That¡¯s when we realized this man had fed his wife¡¯s body to the pigs.¡±


    ¡°Afterward, the butcher admitted to the murder, but he couldn¡¯t understand how his son knew about it. At the time of the murder, his son was sent to his grandmother¡¯s house in another city and wasn¡¯t even present. So, you see, it¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it? If it weren¡¯t for the ¡®dream communication,¡¯ we might never have solved that case, and it would remain an unsolved mystery.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng nodded, ¡°I understand there might be such a possibility, but the case I¡¯m currently handling is quite different from any I¡¯ve encountered before. Master, I won¡¯t hide it from you. Based on the scene reconstruction and the biological traces on the evidence, the conclusion we arrived at is that the victim strangled himself. But is that even possible? How could a person have such skills?¡±


    ¡°Zesheng, there are so many things in this world that science finds difficult to explain. Since there is a chain of evidence supporting your doubts, keep investigating, and you¡¯ll eventually find an explanation.¡±


    After leaving the hospital, Cheng Zesheng passed by a supermarket and remembered to buy some emergency food reserves to avoid his neighbors thinking he was freeloading, which could lead to awkward situations. He bought a bunch of vacuum-packed cooked food, frozen food, and dairy products, filling a large bag.


    When he got home, Cheng Zesheng stuffed the food into the refrigerator, filling both the freezer and the fridge. He thought for a moment and decided to leave a note on the fridge.


    [Feel free to eat whatever, no need to be polite.]


    The signature at the end was just one word ¨C ¡°Cheng.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Lately, He Wei has been returning home diligently in the evenings, which surprised Chong Zhen. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You¡¯ve been going home for three days in a row. Are you hiding a secret lover in your luxury apartment?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He Wei motioned for him to get in the car, taking him to see who was hiding there.


    ¡°I never expected this, never! Even you, Lao He, have these romantic thoughts. Even a steel tree can bloom.¡± Chong Zhen spoke leisurely, ¡°Come on, tell me what kind of girl you¡¯ve been seeing? Your buddy will give her a once-over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be scared to death,¡± He Wei smirked. ¡°Love between a person and a ghost is impossible.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Chong Zhen didn¡¯t believe him, so he followed He Wei back to room 404. After opening the door, He Wei crouched down to examine the traces at the entrance and whispered, ¡°Someone has been here.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Chong Zhen asked.


    He Wei took out his phone and smiled at Chong Zhen. ¡°Watch this magic trick.¡±


    He asked Chong Zhen to watch the shoeprints at the door and then took a photo with his phone, confirming if he had captured it. Then, the two of them stepped outside, and he opened the image again, but now the floor appeared entirely clean and white, without a single footprint.


    ¡°¡­Damn!¡± Chong Zhen squeezed out the word through his teeth. ¡°What software did you use to edit that?¡±


    ¡°No editing, that¡¯s how I took the photo. The evidence we previously collected also vanished when we brought it back to the station,¡± He Wei opened the door and said calmly, ¡°Currently, I don¡¯t know the reason, so I installed the cameras to figure out what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Chong Zhen felt a chill and got goosebumps all over his body.


    After He Wei went inside, he checked the whole house, walked into the kitchen, and noticed the note stuck on it, causing his pupils to contract.


    He opened the fridge, and it was filled to the brim with a wide variety of food, several times more than what had been stolen a few days ago. He Wei looked at the note in his hand, and the surname ¡°Cheng¡± had been on his mind too much recently. The font on the note looked increasingly familiar.


    ¡°Chong Zhen, go back to the station and bring the notebook we took from Cheng Zesheng!¡±


    Chong Zhen hurriedly agreed, grabbed the car keys, and left as quickly as he could.


    He Wei opened the notebook and began watching the surveillance footage. During the day, the house was empty, but around 7 p.m., an hour before he returned, the door opened.


    As if someone had opened it, the security door remained open for just two seconds before closing by itself. Although he couldn¡¯t see anyone, He Wei could simulate the scene of someone entering. He switched the surveillance to the kitchen, and the footage seemed to be affected by electromagnetic interference, showing ripples and slight shaking. In the blink of an eye, there was already another note on the fridge.


    ¡°¡­¡± He Wei picked up the new note, staring at the words written on it.


    He never believed in ghosts, but the various events that had happened in the past few days had been breaking the boundaries of his understanding, forcing him to question the truths of science.


    Chong Zhen came back, gasping for breath. He Wei opened the notebook and compared the handwriting with the note, observing the writing habits. Though he wasn¡¯t an expert in handwriting analysis, in general, he could be 80% sure, and that would be close enough to the actual result.


    ¡°¡­ This note might have been written by Cheng Zesheng.¡±

 CH 20

    Chapter 20: Invisible ¡°Neighbours¡±


    In the quiet atmosphere of Future Domain 404 Apartment, a gust of wind blew in from the balcony, causing Chong Zhen¡¯s goosebumps to intensify.


    ¡°L-Lao He, don¡¯t scare me like that! Cheng Zesheng is still lying in the autopsy room! How could it be him who wrote the note?¡±


    He Wei beckoned to him, ¡°Come and see for yourself. When he writes the character ¡®Ø¯¡¯, he likes to add a tail to it, and the connections between strokes are also very similar. Isn¡¯t the character ¡®Æø¡¯ identical?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to look. This is copied handwriting, for sure!¡± Chong Zhen shook his head vigorously, ¡°The person who left the note is malicious and cunning. They know we¡¯re investigating this case, so they¡¯re pretending to be a ghost to scare you off and make you give up!¡±


    He Wei didn¡¯t respond. He thought about the surveillance footage just now; it didn¡¯t seem manipulated. If this was the original note, there was indeed a mysterious force within Apartment 404. Combined with the various phenomena before, it felt as if he was living under the same roof as an ¡°invisible neighbor.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking, Lao He? Say something! Your silence is giving me the creeps.¡±


    After a moment, He Wei spoke slowly, ¡°¡­Not thinking much, I¡¯ll find out what¡¯s really going on.¡±


    Chong Zhen reached out and touched He Wei¡¯s forehead, saying, ¡°I see a dark spot on your forehead. How about going to the temple to pray? We often deal with cases involving unjustly deceased people. It wouldn¡¯t be good if you got possessed by something dirty.¡±


    He Wei felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation. He didn¡¯t pay much attention to Chong Zhen¡¯s suggestion. Chong Zhen grabbed his arm and earnestly said, ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t dismiss it. Believe it or not, I used to be just as skeptical about ghosts and gods. A few years ago, I fell seriously ill, had no strength in my body, and had a fever every day without a clear cause. Later, my grandmother got me a protective amulet from a temple. Then I got better! You saw this with your own eyes; it¡¯s a true story!¡±


    ¡°¡­I think your recovery was probably due to adjusting to the different climate and environment in the southwest. After returning, your body naturally recovered.¡±


    Chong Zhen was anxious; why was this guy so stubborn? It was better to believe than to disbelieve. Even if there were no deities, there might be something that could not be explained.


    He Wei had an indifferent attitude. In his eyes, human nature was far more sinister than ghosts. If it truly was Cheng Zesheng¡¯s spirit following him, He Wei believed he was seeking help to avenge his grievances, not to harm him.


    After Chong Zhen left, He Wei carefully reviewed the surveillance footage again. He noticed that whenever there was electromagnetic interference, the screen would shake, and the items in the room would change slightly in the next moment. For example, the position of the cushion on the sofa, the sudden appearance of a sausage bag on the coffee table, the bathroom faucet opening and closing by itself, and so on. Using his imagination, He Wei could easily envision the normal daily life of a man, as if he were in his own home, casual and unrestricted.


    He stared at the note and contemplated it for a long time. He retrieved a pen from a drawer on the coffee table and added a question below the note.


    [Who are you?]


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The testing of the DNA methylation differences in twin siblings was still ongoing. Jiang Tan submitted the report from the second autopsy, which was half as long as the previous one.


    ¡°I¡¯ve thoroughly examined him from head to toe, including any injuries he suffered during his lifetime and possible illnesses he might have had. Anything that showed up in his body tissues is recorded here. Take a look.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± Cheng Zesheng opened the report, while Jiang Tan sat opposite, arms crossed. ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter, but I can¡¯t shake the guilt about the deceased. I told him if he wanted answers, he should come to you. It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t believe in my skills that I had to dissect the body all over again.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe in your skills, but you¡¯re aware of the strange occurrences. If there¡¯s a logical explanation, why bother with genetic sequencing?¡±


    Jiang Tan opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t find any words. After this unprecedentedly detailed autopsy, he had to admit that there was a vast disparity between the information they had about He Wei and what lay before them. According to the data they had, He Wei was a weak and asthmatic office worker with a decade-long history of asthma, leading a quiet and uneventful life. However, the information gleaned from the body indicated that he was robust and had been engaging in regular physical activity. There were more than five old scars on his lower back, legs, and back, ranging from knife wounds to gunshot wounds to sports-related injuries. This left Jiang Tan astonished; the physical attributes were almost on par with those of an active-duty soldier.


    Liu Renyu was recording the details on the side. As time passed, Jiang Tan furrowed his brows and became increasingly silent. He was simply relaying his thoughts into the voice recorder, evidently unable to provide a reasonable explanation for these bizarre occurrences, opting to retreat into silence.


    If this wasn¡¯t He Wei, it would be a different story, but the DNA and fingerprints all matched perfectly, leading to the conclusion that it was the same person. The most likely scenario was that He Wei presented himself as an office worker on the surface but engaged in some high-risk activities in secret. Similar to Cheng Zesheng, who spent years on the frontlines, he must have developed such a good physique.


    Jiang Tan shared this inference with Cheng Zesheng, who stroked his chin and asked in response, ¡°Xiao Tanzi, how likely do you think this possibility is?¡±


    ¡°How would I know? I¡¯m only responsible for the autopsy. Solving the case is your domain, Vice Captain Cheng.¡± Jiang Tan leaned closer suddenly, ¡°Hey, have you considered another perspective?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the two brothers. They might have switched identities many years ago¡ªHe Lu became He Wei, and He Wei became He Lu. It¡¯s always been He Wei who went to the hospital, but it¡¯s He Lu who died. Do you get what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had that suspicion, but we¡¯ll have to wait for the results of the genetic sequencing to confirm it. The blood samples we brought back from the hospital should also be cross-referenced. Don¡¯t forget about that.¡±


    The case had reached a standstill, with no significant progress in the peripheral investigation. It was truly baffling ¨C He Wei had gone out at 9 p.m. that night and seemed to have disappeared into thin air. His residence was in the old city area, which was complex both in terms of location and personnel. The exhaustive search was ongoing, but it hadn¡¯t yielded any useful leads for the case.


    The team in charge of the case wore grim expressions. Cheng Zesheng, recognizing the late hour, uncommonly decided against overtime and instructed everyone to go home and do what they needed to do, with plans to revisit the scene the next day. Le Zhengkai and Cheng Zesheng walked together, chatting about the new dormitory. Le Zhengkai asked, ¡°How¡¯s the new neighbor?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t met them yet, but they seem nice. Quite tidy ¨C my place is spotless every time I come back home.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I was afraid your quick temper wouldn¡¯t hold up and you¡¯d resort to violence over a few words.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng was speechless, and he playfully punched Le Zhengkai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Am I really that kind of person? Stop making things up.¡±


    Upon arriving home, Cheng Zesheng opened the door and changed his shoes in the hallway. He Wei was sitting on the couch when he noticed the door opening and slowly stood up.


    He watched the door swing open and then shut, exactly as he had seen in the surveillance footage ¨C as if someone was wearing Harry Potter¡¯s invisibility cloak, boldly opening the door and entering.


    Holding his breath, He Wei carefully distinguished the different sounds in the apartment. Shortly after, the door upstairs opened, and He Wei walked to the stairwell and looked up. He imagined a man coming down the stairs with light, quick steps, but where he would go next remained unknown.


    Cheng Zesheng took his clothes off and went into the bathroom, only to find an unfamiliar bottle of shower gel on the shelf. He picked it up, unscrewed the cap, and a burst of peach scent wafted out, far more pleasant than the fragrance of the soap he usually used.


    Tsk tsk, who would have thought that the neighbor would have such preferences? Well, people are entitled to their likes, and it¡¯s better to mind one¡¯s own business for a peaceful life.


    The sound of water echoed from the bathroom. He Wei squinted his eyes and walked over, gently opening the bathroom¡¯s outer door. The shower area was designed with wet and dry separation to protect the floor. There was also a frosted glass door. At this moment, He Wei saw only the shower faucet running with hot water, flowing out in a gush.


    He stepped inside. The frosted glass door had double sliding doors, and he slid open the side near the showerhead, leaving a small gap. He reached inside and turned off the mixer valve.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Cheng Zesheng raised his head. Why did the water stop?


    He looked down and saw that the mixer valve was turned off. He probably accidentally bumped into it while turning around to get the soap, so he lifted his hand to open it again.


    This time, He Wei watched with his own eyes as the mixer valve was mysteriously turned on by an invisible force. He furrowed his brows, puzzled but not afraid. If it really was Cheng Zesheng, then even in death, he was wasting water and electricity at his place. Feeling rather annoyed, He Wei headed to the kitchen, opened the cabinet, and turned off the main water valve.


    Cheng Zesheng looked up again, puzzled by the fact that the water had stopped once more.


    The mixer valve was open, and the only explanation for this was a water supply cut. Thankfully, he had finished his shower quickly and was mostly done. Otherwise, being covered in soap suds would have been uncomfortable and embarrassing.


    He stepped out of the bathroom, put on a T-shirt and shorts, dried his hair, and headed to the kitchen to address his dinner situation.


    Droplets of water on the floor and wet shoeprints led He Wei to follow these traces all the way to the kitchen, stopping in front of the refrigerator.


    With a towel draped around his neck, Cheng Zesheng noticed the note on the refrigerator was gone, indicating that his roommate had seen it and taken it. As his hand touched the refrigerator door, but before he had a chance to open it, he witnessed the refrigerator door slowly pulling itself open right in front of him, accompanied by the sound of the door opening chime.


    Cheng Zesheng froze, noting that the angle at which the refrigerator door opened was perfectly aligned for someone to take food. A few seconds later, the door closed again, as if nothing had happened.


    In that brief moment, he felt as if he heard an extremely faint breath brush past his ear. Reflexively taking a step back, he exclaimed, ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±


    Unfortunately, the kitchen was empty except for Cheng Zesheng. He stared at the refrigerator, questioning what had just happened. Could his work-related stress really cause him to experience such illusions?


    He walked over, his throat tight, and his hand abruptly pulled open the refrigerator door. He scanned the contents from top to bottom, left to right, and found nothing missing. It was truly odd ¨C had he just been mistaken?


    ¡°Don¡¯t freak yourself out.¡± Cheng Zesheng grabbed a can of cold beer and pressed it against his forehead to cool down. Then, he took out a box of instant noodles and placed it in the microwave before leaving the kitchen and returning to the living room.


    He Wei stood with his arms crossed, watching the instant noodles rotate in the microwave and then glancing at the refrigerator. Did that darn ghost not notice the note? Or did he see it and just not care to respond?


    ¡°Ding.¡± Expressionless, He Wei opened the microwave, took out the steaming hot noodles, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and went to the living room to eat.


    Cheng Zesheng was engrossed in watching a soccer match on his phone, but when he heard that the noodles were ready, he went to the kitchen and was dumbfounded once again.


    The microwave was empty, his instant noodles were gone. In the blink of an eye, how had they vanished?


    Cheng Zesheng searched the small kitchen, but it was only a few square meters in size. Yet, the bowl of noodles had disappeared into thin air.


    Recalling the earlier supernatural events, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s heart raced with unease. In nearly thirty years of his life, he had never encountered something so bizarre. Suddenly, he remembered Jiang Tan mentioning dissecting the body again and saying, ¡°If he wants answers, go find you.¡± The scene unfolding in his home was starting to resemble the supernatural scenes from those horror movies, wasn¡¯t it?


    However, he was a skeptic by nature. Angrily, he took out a cup of instant noodles, added water, carried it to the living room, and stared at it without blinking.


    When He Wei turned his head, he noticed a cup of instant noodles, the braised beef flavor, on the coffee table. His brows furrowed even deeper. This was outrageously bold. The noodles were his, too. Had they been taken without his consent?


    He freed up one hand to pick up the cup of instant noodles. Just then, the clock on the wall struck 9 o¡¯clock sharp, and a piano melody played, marking the exact hour.


    Both of them looked up at the wall clock simultaneously. After the chime, Cheng Zesheng lowered his head, and his pupils contracted sharply. He stood up with a ¡°whoosh.¡±


    Where were the noodles?! How could they just vanish like that?!


    He went to the balcony and then to the entrance to check the locks, making sure no one had entered or left. The most bizarre thing was that he had been staring right at them the whole time. Yet, with just a momentary glance away, the noodles disappeared.


    When he returned, there was a note on the coffee table ¨C


    [Don¡¯t touch what I¡¯ve bought.]


    The signature at the bottom was just one character, ¡°He.¡±

 CH 21

    Chapter 21: Confrontation


    Recently, Cheng Zesheng had encountered two individuals with the surname ¡°He.¡± One was He Lu, who always wore a sour expression and complained at the slightest issue. The other was He Wei, lying in the cold morgue; when he would be cremated was uncertain.


    However, now facing supernatural events at home and receiving these warning-laden notes, even though Cheng Zesheng had weathered many storms, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a shiver down his spine, his mind buzzing with memories of classic horror films from Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch what I bought.¡± Just a few simple words convey a strong sense of resentment. Cheng Zesheng felt a bit innocent ¨C after all, he bought that box of instant noodles, and he didn¡¯t even eat any!


    He had always assumed that the instant noodles were bought by a neighbor he had never met. Now, he had two guesses: either the neighbor was a ghost, or the neighbor was playing tricks.


    As a firm materialist and atheist, Cheng Zesheng, without hesitation, believed in the latter. He speculated that perhaps because he didn¡¯t greet the neighbor the first two times he ate their food, the neighbor got angry and decided to scare him. The automatic opening of the fridge door might be due to some programmed setting, and the instant noodles could have been hidden somewhere, taken by someone while he was distracted.


    With this thought, Cheng Zesheng suddenly felt that his reasoning was sound. He was quite self-aware that not greeting before eating was indeed his problem. Any conflicts could be resolved through a proper conversation. At worst, he could treat the neighbor and let them order whatever they liked.


    He Wei was watching the surveillance footage in his room, expecting electromagnetic signal interference. As anticipated, the note that was placed on the coffee table had disappeared. He rubbed his chin, suspecting that the restless spirit had taken it. What would he do now? Would he continue to be audacious and cause chaos at home, or would he retreat and call it quits?


    Knock, knock, a crisp knocking sound came from the door. He Wei didn¡¯t immediately get up to check. This was the bedroom door, and there was no peephole. Opening the door recklessly might expose him to an unknown danger.


    Cheng Zesheng cleared his throat and said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Cheng Zesheng. Could you please open the door?¡±


    There was no response from the room. Cheng Zesheng continued, ¡°Were you the one who took the instant noodles and fried noodles just now? I apologize for not greeting you earlier and for taking your food without permission. Here¡¯s what we can do: you open the door, and we can have a proper conversation. I¡¯ll apologize to you in person.¡±


    Still, there was only silence in the room.


    He Wei kept staring at the door. The knocking had happened just once and then stopped. Five minutes passed. Was the person still at the door, or had they left already?


    After waiting for a full five minutes, with the neighbor not making any sound, Cheng Zesheng pressed his ear against the door. After a moment, his brow furrowed. The person was truly not in the room.


    With a sense of confusion, he headed downstairs and dialed Huang Zhanwei¡¯s number on his phone.


    ¡°Chief Huang, it¡¯s me, Cheng Zesheng. Can you tell me which department my roommate belongs to? Could you please give me their contact number?¡±


    Upon hearing Chief Huang¡¯s response, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s heart sank, and he subconsciously gripped his phone tighter.


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Who arranged a roommate for you? Didn¡¯t I tell you that the dormitory was assigned for you alone?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    Cheng Zesheng held two hairpins, inserted them into the lock, and began manipulating them. He had learned this technique from his mentor. In the criminal investigation, being adept at a variety of skills was essential. While it might be used to break into criminals¡¯ homes, in his case, it helped him better understand the modus operandi, making it easier to identify suspects¡¯ methods.


    Upon confirming that there was indeed no neighbor, Cheng Zesheng breathed a sigh of relief. He had to lean towards his initial assumption, the first one he considered. But Cheng Zesheng wasn¡¯t the type to be easily frightened. As a skilled and capable Vice-Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division at the local police bureau, his first reaction to unusual situations wasn¡¯t to flee but to pragmatically seek solutions.


    After ending the call, he stuffed the note into his coat pocket, donned plastic gloves, and retrieved tools from a small box he carried. He equipped himself with tools necessary for bypassing locks, a skill he had mastered. Returning to the ¡°neighbor¡¯s¡± door, he intended to enter and find out what was really going on.


    However, he was unaware that there was only one door separating He Wei and himself. With an emotionless expression, Captain He stared at the door lock. Upon hearing a crisp ¡°click¡± sound, he quickly twisted the cylindrical knob and re-locked the door.


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s momentary triumph was extinguished as quickly as it had ignited. The door was locked again in an instant, and there was a strong possibility that the suspect was hiding inside.


    This news was both nerve-wracking and thrilling. Cheng Zesheng attempted it again, this time holding the doorknob as he attempted to unlock it. But He Wei reacted even faster, pressing his knee against the door and ruthlessly re-locking it.


    ¡°¡­,¡± Cheng Zesheng stood up, speaking to himself and seemingly to the person inside the room, ¡°If you¡¯re good at scaring people, then have the guts to open the door.¡±


    He Wei crouched down, peering out through the gap in the door. There was nothing outside. He knew he didn¡¯t possess any ¡°yin and yang eyes¡± to see spirits, so he couldn¡¯t determine whether the person was still outside the door.


    As seconds ticked by, He Wei contemplated for a while, eventually overcome by curiosity. His intense desire to understand what was happening got the better of him. He reluctantly twisted the lock, slowly opened the door, and stared at the void of empty air outside.


    Meanwhile, Cheng Zesheng was considering whether he should force his way in when, by some miracle, the door opened on its own. There was no suspect at the door. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s initial instinct was that the person might be hiding behind the door. He used the two hairpins he had used to pick the lock, now turned into concealed weapons known as ¡°palm needles,¡± and slipped them between his fingers.


    He gripped the door with one hand, sliding into the room while positioning his right arm in a defensive stance. Unexpectedly, there was no one behind the door. More accurately, there were no signs of habitation in the entire room.


    The room¡¯s layout mirrored his own: a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk. Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t dare to relax just yet. He opened each wardrobe door, checked under the bed, and pulled open the window to examine the outside. He was certain that there were no traces of human activity, intensifying his sense of unease.


    Meanwhile, He Wei stood at the door, silently witnessing the supernatural phenomenon unfolding before his eyes. He knew Cheng Zesheng had entered because the wardrobe doors were being opened one by one, the drawers beneath the bed were pulled open, and even the window was pushed open halfway. The sequence of movements felt somewhat familiar, resembling the order in which he conducted his own crime scene investigations.


    Cheng Zesheng closed the window. There were no climbing aids on the exterior wall of this bedroom, not even pipes. If someone were to leave through here, they wouldn¡¯t find a foothold.


    Rather than believing someone had left, Cheng Zesheng was more inclined to think that he was still inside the house. Perhaps using some mechanism to divert his attention and make him leave the room, before swiftly moving to another hiding place.


    He once again surveyed the room, sighing in frustration. He had thought he had gained a good neighbor, but it turned out he had attracted someone who played tricks. Tonight had been quite the ordeal. If he managed to catch the person, they would spend a good ten days to half a month in detention, that was for sure.


    Cheng Zesheng closed the door and proceeded to inspect his own room once again. With his small flashlight in hand, he began his examination from the foyer, leaving no corner untouched. By the bathroom sink, Cheng Zesheng picked up a strand of hair. It was brownish in color and had a soft texture, clearly not his own. He immediately placed it in a ziplock bag that he had temporarily repurposed as evidence storage.


    Shining the flashlight onto the kitchen¡¯s storage cabinet, an unusual reflection caught his eye. Cheng Zesheng stared at the cabinet handle. It was made of metal, with two symmetrical round sections of tea-colored glass at the bottom. However, one of them¡­ he squinted and leaned in for a closer look, his surprise evident: it was a miniature camera!


    This was a new dormitory assigned by the bureau. The fact that there was a hidden camera here made Cheng Zesheng wonder who was monitoring his every move ¨C was it Chief Huang or his father?


    The thought of this possibility kindled a burning anger within Cheng Zesheng. He searched the entire house and found a total of five hidden cameras. Using a pointed knife, he expertly removed the camera disguised as glass. The device was no larger than his pinky finger and bore a code, far from being a cheap product on the market. It appeared to be internally developed within their police system.


    Cheng Zesheng worked skillfully, dismantling all five cameras and neatly arranging them on the table. He took pictures and sent them to Huang Zhanwei.


    Finally emerging from his room, He Wei had lost the signal for the surveillance footage on his computer. He hadn¡¯t expected that a deceased person could be several times shrewder than the living. He managed to locate and dismantle all the discreetly positioned cameras. Even if his current colleagues had come, it would have taken them a lot more effort to find them all. Yet he had accomplished this feat within a short time frame, showcasing impressive skill.


    It was now the middle of the night, and Chief Huang, being older, had likely gone to sleep and hadn¡¯t responded to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s messages. Cheng Zesheng then sent the pictures to Xiao Chen from the technical department, asking if the batch of miniature cameras came from their department.


    Chen responded: [¡°? Where are the cameras? Cheng-ge, why did you send me a picture of an empty table?¡±]


    Perplexed, Cheng Zesheng opened the images and indeed saw five black miniature cameras arranged side by side on the table. However, after sending the pictures to Chen, the image showed nothing but an empty coffee table.


    Cheng Zesheng was taken aback. He immediately called Chen, setting aside the supernatural events for a moment, and inquired, ¡°Has your forensic team recently distributed a batch of miniature cameras with the prefix ¡®SZQ¡¯ in their serial numbers?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Cheng, how did you know? We just received that batch last week! We haven¡¯t even announced it publicly yet.¡±


    ¡°Never mind how I know. Did anyone come to collect them? Did Chief Huang ask you for any?¡±


    Chen quickly replied, ¡°No, this batch is a new product developed internally. We haven¡¯t even tested its performance yet. How could we have distributed it to others?¡±


    The hour and minute hands of the quartz clock aligned, pointing at the number ¡°12,¡± and the piano chime struck at the exact time.


    As the piano chime rang, invisible ripples spread throughout the apartment, as if calm waters were disturbed by a slight breeze, creating ripples.


    He Wei stood on the staircase, feeling that something was off. The midnight chime was different from before. Typically, at this hour, he would either be at the bureau or already asleep. This was the first time he had heard the midnight chime, and it wasn¡¯t pleasant. The melody was casual and absentminded, unlike the usual hourly chimes.


    Cheng Zesheng also noticed it. The tune was somewhat familiar, and in an instant, he realized that it was the same melody that was on He Wei¡¯s phone! It was the musical notation that Lian Jingyuan had played multiple times, unintentionally leaving a lasting impression on Cheng Zesheng despite his lack of musical talent.


    ¡°Cheng-ge, what do you want by calling me so late? It¡¯s in the middle of the night¡­¡± Xiao Chen yawned on the other end of the call.


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Cheng Zesheng replied as he tiptoed to the quartz clock, lifting the clock face to reveal a USB port on the back. ¡°Xiao Chen, could you come over tomorrow? I need you to take a look at something.¡±


    He Wei suddenly raised his head, staring in the direction of the quartz clock, his eyes widening.


    He had heard it.


    A deep and distinct male voice, in the eerie stillness of the night, was unusually clear. The clock¡¯s face had been lifted at an angle, as if someone were standing there and examining it. The voice didn¡¯t sound like one muttering to oneself; it was more like a phone call with someone.


    ¡°¡­Cheng Zesheng?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng froze, slowly turning around. There was nothing behind him, but at that moment, his name had been called out by a slightly cold voice.


    ¡°Is it Cheng Zesheng? Answer me.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng slowly lowered his phone. This time, not only was there a voice, but he also heard the sound of footsteps drawing nearer, steadily approaching his side.


    Warm breath reached his ears with each inhale and exhale. Judging by the clarity of the breathing sounds, the distance between the two was less than ten centimeters.


    Cheng Zesheng had never been this nervous before. In the past, he had faced guns pointed at his forehead without losing his composure, even managing to curse casually. But at this moment, his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest, and the adrenaline was surging within him. He pinched his wrist hard, forcing himself to stay calm. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°He Wei.¡±


    Captain He pulled out a chair, sat down, faced the empty space, and adopted the tone of an interrogator. ¡°Tell me, what are you doing in my house?¡±

 CH 22

    Chapter 22: Initial Trial Record of the Deceased Cheng Zesheng


    Cheng Zesheng stood in the living room of Apartment 404; his emotions at this moment were complex and difficult to describe.


    Across from him, an empty chair was placed, and an invisible person who introduced himself as ¡°He Wei¡± assumed an interrogative tone, ¡°So, tell me, what are you doing in my house?¡±


    Despite the eerie scene that was incomprehensible to ordinary people, Cheng Zesheng not only didn¡¯t feel intimidated but quickly calmed down. He retorted, ¡°This is my home as well; I haven¡¯t asked you what you¡¯re doing here.¡±


    ¡°Your home? Haha,¡± He Wei sneered, propped up his legs, and pointed to another chair, ¡°Why don¡¯t you grab a seat as well, and we can chat?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng crossed his arms, looked down at the empty chair, and said, ¡°Why should I have to comply just because you¡¯re making a request? Are you my boss or my father?¡±


    ¡°When you emphasized ¡®as well¡¯ in your previous assertion, it indicated subconsciously that you acknowledge my ownership of this apartment. Since we¡¯re both curious about each other¡¯s intentions, why not have a conversation?¡± He Wei said lightly, ¡°As for whether you want to consider me your boss or your father, feel free; I don¡¯t mind either.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng encountered this kind of shrewd person for the first time, someone who could exploit any opportunity and keep pushing. The information described He Wei as reserved and introverted, but this ¡°He Wei¡± was eloquent, never holding back with words. Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t bother paying it any mind; he wasn¡¯t afraid of such tactics. So he fetched another chair and placed it across from the invisible figure.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s officially begin our conversation,¡± He Wei took out a pocket-sized notepad from his pocket, then retrieved a pen, uncapped it with his teeth, and just as he wrote down the words ¡°Suspect Interview,¡± he felt that the phrasing wasn¡¯t appropriate, so he crossed it out and rewrote, ¡°Initial Trial Record of the Deceased Cheng Zesheng.¡±


    ¡°Name.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you already know it?¡±


    ¡°Gender.¡±


    ¡°¡­Female, can you believe that?¡±


    He Wei reminded as he wrote, ¡°Watch your attitude; these are all formalities.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng rolled his eyes, feeling perplexed, ¡°Are we having a conversation or are you interrogating a suspect?¡±


    ¡°Is there a difference?¡± He Wei looked up, ¡°You, a suspect¡ªor rather, someone who¡¯s not quite alive or dead¡ªcame to my house, disturbing my normal life. I¡¯ve caught you on the spot; shouldn¡¯t I properly question you?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng folded his arms, not wanting to show any weakness as he retorted, ¡°Are you mistaken? I said it before, this is my home. The morgue and the urn are where you belong. Even in death, your soul isn¡¯t at peace, and you¡¯re here to urge me to solve a case?¡±


    Solve a case? He Wei frowned, seizing onto a crucial piece of information, ¡°Say that again, what¡¯s wrong with me?¡±


    Just a moment ago, he was pressing hard, and now he¡¯s pretending to have amnesia? But as Cheng Zesheng thought it over, he had heard of some superstitious beliefs. Some individuals who met an untimely death might lose their memories as spirits, unaware of their own demise. Hence, they would continue lingering in the human world. Right now, He Wei fit this description in his eyes, like a lost soul without a place to go, only able to return with him.


    Even though Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t want to admit the existence of ghosts, the fact spoke louder than the argument. He was sitting here, genuinely communicating with an unseen spirit. Why hadn¡¯t he suspected a recording or a remote speaker? Come on, that was a ridiculous notion. If he couldn¡¯t discern something like that, what was the point of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s role as a team Vice-Captain?


    So he pulled the chair closer, leaning forward, and told He Wei, ¡°You died. You died on the 14th.¡±


    The breath of air hit his face, and He Wei frowned. His character was reserved and cold, and he had never been in such close contact with anyone, let alone someone who was supposed to be a ghost. He pushed forward, expecting resistance, but only encountered emptiness and loneliness. He had to use the tips of his toes to slide the chair backward a step.


    ¡°Just speak, but don¡¯t get so close.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng was speechless. He couldn¡¯t see He Wei, so how could he gauge the specific distance? Moreover, they were both men; even if their orientations were different, did it really need to be this sensitive?


    He Wei, however, was intrigued by what he said. Why would Cheng Zesheng assume he was the deceased? And the death date was the 14th, the same as his time of death.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s me?¡± He Wei asked.


    ¡°I had a tiny suspicion it might be your brother, but now I¡¯m a hundred percent sure,¡± Cheng Zesheng replied. If even souls were brought into the matter, how could he be mistaken?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to know about my brother,¡± He Wei said, holding the pen and continuing to ask, ¡°How did I die?¡±


    ¡°Mechanical asphyxiation.¡±


    ¡°Hanged, strangled, throttled, or another method?¡±


    ¡°Strangled.¡±


    ¡°What was the murder weapon?¡±


    ¡°A hemp rope,¡± Cheng Zesheng caught on, ¡°Why are you using the language of interrogating a case again? Are you begging me to tell you? Can you be a bit more polite?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already being polite. Please cooperate with my work,¡± He Wei looked at the record, ¡°Where was the body found? Were there any witnesses? What¡¯s the evidence at the scene?¡±


    ¡°In a mansion at Fulong Mountain. You won¡¯t gain anything from knowing the rest.¡± Cheng Zesheng¡¯s implication was actually, ¡°You know so much; why don¡¯t you go reincarnate?¡±


    Hearing that he ¡°died¡± in the Mansion at Fulong Moutain, He Wei was taken aback and almost blurted out, ¡°You also died there.¡± But he hadn¡¯t finished asking what he wanted to ask, so he continued to lead the conversation, ¡°It seems like you¡¯re quite familiar with my death incident.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m investigating your case; otherwise, how would you have gotten entangled with me and followed me here?¡±


    The living room became eerily quiet in an instant.


    Cheng Zesheng keenly sensed that this silence was unlike any other, as even He Wei¡¯s breathing had disappeared. He looked up at the quartz clock; there were still a few minutes left until 12:30. He had arrived so abruptly, and now he had left just as mysteriously.


    As He Wei sat in the chair and asked, ¡°Are you a police officer?¡± Cheng Zesheng fell silent, and the tranquil night gradually spread, covering the living room once again.


    Cheng Zesheng stood up, tore a page from the back of the notepad, and wrote two words before leaving it on the coffee table.


    ¡¾Continued Tomorrow¡¿


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Cheng Zesheng walked into the city bureau with heavy dark circles under his eyes. He ran into Liu Yan from the Economic Investigation Department, who grabbed his arm, saying, ¡°Hey handsome, there¡¯s a day off tomorrow, are you coming to the gathering¡­ Oh, what¡¯s wrong? You look so worn out. Your Criminal Investigation Department hasn¡¯t been involved in any major cases recently, right?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s face appeared pale and lifeless, as if he had crawled out from a grave. He responded, ¡°Insomnia, staying up late. If you have something to say, just say it.¡±


    ¡°I already told you! It¡¯s a holiday gathering, organized by our superiors. Lots of beautiful police ladies will be there, a chance to solve our long-standing single status,¡± Liu Yan persisted.


    Cheng Zesheng wasn¡¯t interested at all and waved it off. Liu Yan wouldn¡¯t let go, saying, ¡°What plans do you have for tomorrow? If you¡¯re free, come join us and liven up the atmosphere. You¡¯re not just representing your Criminal Investigation Department, you¡¯re also the face of our entire city bureau!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng brushed off his hand, ¡°I have something to do, I have an appointment with a psychologist.¡±


    ¡°Damn, is the pressure in your Criminal Investigation unit so high that you¡¯re going to see a psychologist?¡± Liu Yan let go of him and smoothed out his ruffled sleeve, ¡°Go on, buddy. If you are sick, you have to take medicine, you can¡¯t stop taking medicine. Don¡¯t let it get serious.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng couldn¡¯t be bothered with him, so he didn¡¯t return to his office but turned towards the office of the Chief of the city bureau. He barged in without knocking. The assistant was in the middle of making tea for Chief Huang, and he got a startle, ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even knock, do you think this is a restaurant or a hotel?¡± Chief Huang Zhanwei scowled, took off his reading glasses, and folded up his newspaper. ¡°You came at the right time, sit down, I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with the cameras?¡± Cheng Zesheng asked ahead of time, ¡°Did my dad have them installed?¡±


    ¡°What cameras? Who would dare to install cameras in a police dormitory? Even if it¡¯s an investigation by the disciplinary committee, they wouldn¡¯t resort to such underhanded methods,¡± Chief Huang slammed the table, ¡°Furthermore, do you really have such a big issue with your dad? He¡¯s a Chief of Staff, does he need to go to such lengths to install cameras to monitor you?!¡±


    ¡°But there really are cameras in my dorm, five of them!¡± Cheng Zesheng was all fired up and reached into his pocket, intending to present the evidence. But to his surprise, after rummaging around, all he found in his pocket were car keys, identification, and an empty bag. He had definitely put five small cameras in there this morning, and the bag had been tightly sealed. But now, the contents had disappeared!


    Cheng Zesheng stared at the empty bag, after the bizarre events of last night, there was nothing that could really rile him up anymore. He calmly tossed the empty bag into the trash bin and smiled at Huang Zhanwei, ¡°A misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chief Huang clenched the tea cup with five fingers, as if he was about to hurl it, but when he met Cheng Zesheng¡¯s exhausted eyes, he stopped himself. ¡°Zesheng, something¡¯s not right with you. You asked me about a roommate last night and now about the cameras this morning. Did something go wrong over there?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Cheng Zesheng casually shrugged, feigning nonchalance, ¡°Just discovered some thieves were around yesterday. The management is really lax; they can even steal into the police dormitory.¡±


    Chief Huang took a sip of tea and informed Cheng Zesheng that the new dormitory had just been assigned and people were gradually moving in. Once everyone had settled, the cleaning and security staff would be provided. Besides, after all these years of being a police officer, could thieves really succeed? He might as well take off his police uniform and open a stall.


    He had wanted to talk about the case with  Cheng Zesheng today. He had heard from Yan Minglang that it was quite tricky. Now that he saw Cheng Zesheng¡¯s appearance, well, it really did seem quite tricky.


    ¡°How¡¯s the case at Mount Fulong Mansion progressing?¡± Chief Huang inquired.


    Cheng Zesheng began his report, using official language, talking about how things were not yet clear, pending further investigation. Chief Huang urged him to tell the truth; they were colleagues, so what couldn¡¯t be said between them? Even if Cheng Zesheng had said, ¡°Chief Huang, I can¡¯t handle this case,¡± it wouldn¡¯t be embarrassing.


    An assistant brought a freshly brewed cup of floral tea for Cheng Zesheng. He held the teacup with both hands and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve made an appointment with a psychologist.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He raised his head, looked seriously at Huang Zhanwei, and said, ¡°Because I saw the ghost of the deceased.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    He Wei returned to the police station in a good mood.


    As he walked into his office with breakfast from the downstairs convenience store, looking energetic with a slight smile, Chong Zhen approached him, curious about what good news he had encountered. In the process, he grabbed a steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth.


    ¡°You better not ask, if I tell you, you might be scared to death.¡±


    Chong Zhen took a big bite of the thin-skinned, well-filled pork bun. ¡°In that case, you better not say it. I don¡¯t want to hear ghost stories.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t tell you a ghost story. I¡¯ll tell you an urban legend instead.¡± He Wei propped up his cheek with one hand and held a cup of soy milk in the other. ¡°Hey, do you believe there might be two of me in this world?¡±


    ¡°Two of you?¡± Chong Zhen rolled his eyes. ¡°One of you is already enough! Now you¡¯re saying there are two? Has God really left no way for us to survive?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt, let me get to the point.¡± He Wei picked up two pens, holding one up, ¡°One me is the current head of the Criminal Investigation Division, He Wei,¡± he held up the other pen, ¡°The other me had already died on 14th, strangled to death.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. You must have gotten confused. Don¡¯t you have a brother who looks just like you? Mixing them up is normal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ruled out, the dead person is me.¡± He Wei¡¯s hand instinctively touched his neck. ¡°Strangled with a hemp rope, causing mechanical asphyxiation, the body was found at the same mansion. Doesn¡¯t it sound quite peculiar?¡±


    He Wei smiled faintly. ¡°Perhaps in the eyes of some dead people, I am the deceased. The ¡®me¡¯ you saw might not be the real me, but the one who should have died.¡±


    ¡­Chong Zhen suddenly found his bun not so appetizing anymore. He put it down slowly and said, ¡°¡­Damn, ruining breakfast with these urban legends so early in the morning. Who came up with this? Whoever it is, they¡¯ve messed up my appetite.¡±


    He Wei burst into laughter, patted Chong Zhen¡¯s shoulder, and left him the remaining breakfast.


    At that moment, Xia Liang poked his head in from the door, looking like he had something to say. He waved Xia Liang over, and like a rabbit, Xia Liang hopped in, saying, ¡°Report! We¡¯ve found the exact location of the IP address for the account that issued the expedition order!¡±

 CH 23.1

    Chapter 23.1: Parallel Worlds


    The team members of the special task force gathered around Xia Liang¡¯s seat. Xia Liang enthusiastically explained the decryption process, ¡°It¡¯s really troublesome. The person used a proxy server, and it¡¯s not just an ordinary one; it¡¯s a highly anonymous one! I had the tech investigation team identify the owner of this proxy server, and they¡¯re not in our city; they¡¯re quite far away. Luckily, the logs were preserved, and I filtered through the data center¡­¡±


    He Wei placed his hand on Xia Liang¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Impressive work. Where¡¯s the exact location?¡±


    Xia Liang opened a folder, ¡°It¡¯s here, No. 56 Fuzuo Road. I found out it¡¯s a cybercaf¨¦. With this kind of setup, the website logs only show public IPs. If we want to trace which computer, we need to look at the internal network¡¯s IP address.¡±


    ¡°Knowing the location is enough.¡± He Wei grabbed his coat with one hand. ¡°Xiao Xia, ErHu, come with me.¡±


    As they got into the jeep, Xia Liang noticed the genuine leather seats in the back were almost worn out like canvas seats. He said, ¡°Captain He, do we need to replace the seats? The lining is almost showing.¡±


    ¡°If we need to replace them, we¡¯ll have to go through the logistics department. There¡¯s no point in talking to Captain He about this. It¡¯s government property.¡± Hu Songkai looked at the worn interior and shook his head, ¡°Is this old guy still from the Special Police team two years ago? They¡¯re all driving luxury Mercedes-Benz cars, so why do we have to rely on this old Jeep to travel around?¡±


    ¡°Just having a car is good enough. Don¡¯t be so picky.¡± He Wei inserted the key into the ignition and started the engine. ¡°Chong Zhen wants a new gun every day, and you¡¯re complaining about wanting a new car. Why don¡¯t you two go and report to Lao Zheng? Don¡¯t drag me into this.¡±


    Hu Songkai glanced back at Xia Liang and gestured with his eyes. See that? This is our Captain He, always so indifferent to the world, just going with the flow. He bears the pain and tears in silence, swallowing them all.


    ¡°Seriously, it¡¯s better to get a new car than a new gun. Criminals these days are driving supercars. If we follow them in a beat-up jeep, we¡¯ll lose them after just two streets!¡±


    He Wei griped while steering the wheel, ¡°Come on, how many people are actually driving supercars? In the entire last year, I only saw one r*pist driving a stolen Porsche. But somehow, everyone here seems to be driving Bugattis now.¡±


    ¡°Listen to Captain He¡¯s nonchalant tone, ¡®just a Porsche,¡¯ yeah, you¡¯ve got the right to be disdainful. We all understand.¡± Hu Songkai arched his hand in a mock salute.


    Xia Liang¡¯s big round eyes darted between the two senior officers, and he quietly asked Hu Songkai, ¡°ErHu-ge, does Captain He really have¡­ this?¡± He joined his index finger, middle finger, and thumb together, mimicking the classic money-counting gesture.


    Before Hu Songkai could say anything, He Wei had already slammed on the brakes, and the jeep came to a stop at a red light at the intersection.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense with kids.¡±


    Hu Songkai was taken aback, ¡°¡­Nonsense?¡±


    Xia Liang was stunned, ¡°¡­Kid?¡±


    Forty minutes later, the three of them arrived at the ¡°Leijing Cybercaf¨¦ .¡± Along the way, He Wei had an oddly familiar feeling about the street scenery, but it wasn¡¯t until he saw the massive art sculpture in the city square that he remembered how close he was to a friend¡¯s house. He hadn¡¯t been here much, usually taking a different route, but this time he followed the navigation and ended up feeling a bit disoriented.


    Leijing Cybercaf¨¦ had two floors. Its interior was more upscale and sophisticated compared to typical Internet cafes, featuring a lobby, individual booths, and private rooms. As a result, the hourly internet fees were about 3 to 5 yuan more expensive than regular internet cafes. Despite this, the cafe was bustling with business, and even on weekdays, the first floor was usually filled with young men and women pouring their passion into online games.


    He Wei¡¯s task was to review the surveillance footage from the 14th and determine the computer from which the exploration order was issued. The former was easy to retrieve, but the latter would take some time. Xia Liang was at the reception desk, systematically checking the web browsing logs of each computer. However, if someone used incognito mode or deleted their records, the process would become more complicated¡ªlike unraveling Russian nesting dolls.


    The network administrator pulled up the surveillance footage, and He Wei asked the cafe owner, ¡°Was there a lot of people on the 14th?¡±


    ¡°It was about the same as today. Our weekday customer flow is quite steady here.¡±


    ¡°Did you see any unfamiliar faces? Or any customers with unusual behavior?¡±


    The cafe owner called over the cashier girl and asked her to think about any unfamiliar customers from the afternoon of the 14th. The girl¡¯s eyes darted around as she said, ¡°I remember now. There was a tall customer wearing a mask and sunglasses, all covered up. He didn¡¯t even take them off indoors. I thought he might be a celebrity, but then I saw his ID and didn¡¯t recognize him.¡±


    After retrieving the surveillance footage from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on the 14th, He Wei asked the girl to identify the person. The video was fast-forwarded to 3:35 p.m., showing a tall man in black clothing entering the cafe. He stood at the front desk and requested a computer.


    ¡°That¡¯s him!¡±


    Hu Songkai asked the network administrator to check the registered identity information. A minute later, the network administrator looked up and said, ¡°The name is ¡®Lian Jingyuan.¡¯ Lian as in ¡®connected,¡¯ Jing as in ¡®scenery,¡¯ and Yuan as in ¡®abyss.''¡±


    He Wei was taken aback and stared at the surveillance footage intently. After registering as ¡°Lian Jingyuan,¡± the man retrieved his ID and then looked up at the camera in the upper right corner.


    Although the mask and sunglasses covered most of the man¡¯s face, He Wei only took a glance and came to the conclusion, ¡°It¡¯s not him; someone is using the ID.¡±


    Hu Songkai leaned against the counter, surprised, ¡°How did you figure that out?!¡± Even with his face mostly covered, you could tell it¡¯s not the same as the ID? What kind of perception is that? It¡¯s almost eerie.


    ¡°I know Lian Jingyuan,¡± He Wei stood up, no longer looking at the surveillance footage, ¡°He was my high school classmate. He lives nearby.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    During the lunch break, Xiao Chen came to the Criminal Investigation Department office. When Cheng Zesheng spotted him, he beckoned him over.


    Xiao Chen hurried into the office, closing the door behind him and attempting to pull down the venetian blinds. Cheng Zesheng stopped him, ¡°Drawing the blinds down would only make people suspicious. What¡¯s going on? Your tech investigation team isn¡¯t the secret service. Are they not allowing you access to the equipment?¡±


    ¡°The key is that this is a new product, and our Captain Qiu doesn¡¯t allow it to be taken out!¡± Xiao Chen spoke cautiously and took out a small black micro-camera from his pocket, ¡°It¡¯s this one, the SQZ model you mentioned. Its performance is still being tested.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng picked up the micro-camera and examined it closely. It was indeed identical to the batch he had seen last night. It was a shame that those five had disappeared; otherwise, he could have had the tech investigation team examine them to find out where they were leaked from.


    ¡°Cheng-ge, what did you want me to come here and see?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng remembered that he had initially asked him to look at a quartz clock. However, considering the supernatural occurrences in his apartment, he didn¡¯t want to scare Xiao Chen away. He changed the topic casually, ¡°How¡¯s He Wei¡¯s phone repair going?¡±


    Xiao Chen shook his head repeatedly, ¡°I really tried my best. I exported the contact list several times, but they¡¯re all empty numbers. The font chip is probably damaged beyond repair.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng nodded, ¡°Alright, if it can¡¯t be fixed, then it can¡¯t be helped. You¡¯ve done your best.¡±


    Xiao Chen tucked the micro-camera away and sneaked back. Le Zhengkai had been waiting at the door all this time and teased, ¡°What did you make him do? So secretive.¡±


    ¡°Nothing, just checking out the new toy from the tech investigation team.¡± Cheng Zesheng massaged his temple and took a sip of the herbal tea he received from Chief Huang. Lately, he¡¯d been prone to headaches. It seemed he should start brewing wolfberries in his thermos cup¡ªjust a mid-life necessity.


    In the afternoon, Cheng Zesheng led a team of people along with two police dogs to revisit the crime scene.


    The security perimeter around Mount Fulong had not been removed. Cheng Zesheng wore shoe covers and gloves as he entered the crime scene mansion. The progress of the case was still unclear. Since they couldn¡¯t find useful clues from He Wei¡¯s social connections, they needed to start from the scene again. They would carefully search once more, hoping for unexpected discoveries.


    The team split up, with three members and the police dogs searching the mountain and four members staying in the villa, conducting a more detailed search than before.


    At the time of the crime, there were only two types of shoeprints. However, it was deduced that there were at least three people involved. Examining the shoeprints again, Le Zhengkai suddenly asked, ¡°The sole patterns of ¡®Blue Snake¡¯ and ¡®North Carolina Blue¡¯ shoes are different. According to the surveillance, He Wei was wearing ¡®Blue Snake¡¯ shoes when he left the residential area. Why aren¡¯t there imprints from those shoes here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the strange points, isn¡¯t it? Didn¡¯t I tell you before? With my intuition, I don¡¯t believe those two He Weis are the same person. It¡¯s possible they didn¡¯t even come to the mansion,¡± Cheng Zesheng speculated. ¡°Or maybe the shoeprints were deliberately removed. After all, leaving only one type of shoeprint makes it easier to confuse things.¡±


    ¡°Could he have switched shoes halfway?¡±


    Xiang Yang¡¯s voice suddenly interjected, and Cheng Zesheng and Le Zhengkai both looked up, their gazes filled with bewilderment.


    Cheng Zesheng: ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the night.¡±


    Le Zhengkai: ¡°Desolate mountain and wilderness.¡±


    Xiang Yang: ¡°?¡±


    Cheng Aiyue suppressed a laugh, patting Xian Yang¡¯s back. ¡°What they mean is that your inference doesn¡¯t hold up. Alright, alright, silly child, go busy yourself with something else. If you don¡¯t leave soon, Vice-Captain Cheng might want to send you back for retraining.¡±


    Xiang Yang looked baffled. Why did he even consider such a possibility? What if he was really carrying a spare pair of shoes?


    Cheng Zesheng observed the footprints in the living room and pulled out the photos taken during the initial forensics. After comparing them one by one, he finally spotted something unusual.


    ¡°Get me a magnifying glass.¡±


    Le Zhengkai handed over the magnifying glass, and Cheng Zesheng focused on the upper half of the footprint. ¡°A-Kai, look at the middle part of that footprint. Check the third row of patterns on the right front sole. Is there a very subtle bulge on the upper right?¡±


    Le Zhengkai practically lay on the ground, observing the remaining footprint, and shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Take a look at this, see if you can figure out what might have caused it.¡±


    Le Zhengkai walked over, took the magnifying glass, and examined the shoe pattern. The subtle bulge wasn¡¯t apparent even under the magnifying glass, requiring keen observation to notice it. Cheng Zesheng asked Cheng Aiyue for a notepad and a pen, and he drew the shape of the circle pattern. Le Zhengkai frowned, ¡°Something got stuck in it?¡±


    ¡°Seems like a pebble, wedged in a crevice.¡± Cheng Zesheng stood up. ¡°Aiyue, did He Wei¡¯s shoes have small pebbles stuck in the soles?¡±


    Cheng Aiyue shook her head. He Wei¡¯s shoes had mud on them, but there wasn¡¯t anything difficult to deal with left behind.


    Le Zhengkai looked surprised. ¡°¡­Could it be that the person standing here wasn¡¯t He Wei?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s possible, but also not.¡± Cheng Zesheng took off his gloves. ¡°Well, it¡¯s better now. It¡¯s highly likely there were four people. Our initial consensus when we first came here seems to be quite accurate.¡±


    Listening nearby, Xiang Yang posed a soul-searching question, ¡°¡­Why couldn¡¯t it be that after he walked over there, the pebble fell out?¡±


    ¡°Do you wash your shoes regularly?¡±


    Xiang Yang shook his head in confusion.


    Le Zhengkai affectionately ruffled his short hair. ¡°You¡¯ll know once you wash them once in a while.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    After sifting through for over half an hour, Xia Liang finally found the computer terminal used to log in to the website: B046, the terminal used by the man to surf the internet.


    The seat for B046 was in the rear booths, out of view from the corridor where the camera was positioned. They could only see him walking in that direction. The network administrator confirmed that the man in black indeed sat at that terminal, but he only stayed for a short time, about ten minutes before logging off.


    They made a copy of the surveillance footage and left. Hu Songkai and Xia Liang conducted a further investigation in the vicinity to trace the man¡¯s route to the Cybercaf¨¦. He Wei stood at the entrance of the cafe, looking back at the several tall buildings several hundred meters away. The building complex was named ¡°Huyue Xingchen (Lake Moon and Stars)¡± because the seven artificial ponds in the community were arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper constellation. His classmate Lian Jingyuan lived there; he had moved there two years ago.


    That person was near Lian Jingyuan¡¯s residence and used his ID to access the internet. Could it be that he was acquainted with Lian Jingyuan?


    He Wei took out his phone and dialed a number, but it went straight to voicemail. He checked the time and realized that Lian Jingyuan might be in class at the moment, so he sent him a message, asking him to call back after he was done.


    ¡°Lao He, come over here.¡± Hu Songkai stood at the intersection near a convenience store and waved to He Wei. ¡°This store captured something!¡±


    He Wei stared at the screen as the convenience store¡¯s surveillance indeed captured the man in black walking past the front entrance. He seemed to have come from the other side of the road. Hu Songkai called over Xia Liang, preparing to investigate the other side. However, He Wei stopped them, replayed the surveillance footage, paused it, then zoomed in. He looked briefly up briefly at the shops across the street and pointed to a flower shop on the right. ¡°He came from the right side; start the investigation from there.¡±


    Hu Songkai was puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s your reasoning?¡±


    He Wei didn¡¯t bother explaining. He pointed at the surveillance footage. Hu Songkai stared at it for a while, still looking confused. But Xia Liang gradually widened his eyes and said, ¡°There¡­ seems to be something on him, something white.¡±


    Hu Songkai turned back to the footage, and after a moment, he exclaimed at He Wei, ¡°Damn, how keen are your eyes? It¡¯s all pixelated, and you can still figure it out?!¡±


    The surveillance only showed the man in black for a brief two seconds, and due to the counter¡¯s obstruction, only the upper body was visible. But it was precisely the exposed forearm that brushed against the fine white powder. In contrast, the flower shop across the street had a table set up outside with a bunch of freshly arranged roses, each petal evenly dusted with silver powder. In the radiant sunlight, the powder sparkled with a delicate gleam.


    Hu Songkai wasn¡¯t giving up, ¡°Why not consider that it¡¯s flour? There¡¯s also a dumpling shop across the street.¡±


    He Wei reached into his cigarette box and shook one out, placing it in his mouth. ¡°Does your flour reflect light?¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± Hu Songkai was utterly defeated. He had nothing to say to flour reflecting light. Xia Liang¡¯s eyes had turned into stars. Impressive! He truly deserved his reputation as the legendary Captain He, who could single-handedly form a criminal investigation team!


    Starting from the flower shop, they indeed found surveillance footage of the man shortly after walking a few steps. As they continued, they eventually lost track of his whereabouts at a crossroads. He Wei looked at the elegant entrance of the community across the street and pondered: there was a strong possibility that he entered ¡°Huyue Xingchen.¡± It seemed necessary to have a proper conversation with Lian Jingyuan.


    As the sun set, the three members of the criminal investigation team headed home. Lian Jingyuan also replied to his message, saying he was attending an academic seminar out of town and would be back at school for classes tomorrow afternoon. He Wei didn¡¯t explicitly mention the reason for wanting to meet him. He simply replied with a ¡°Got it¡± and didn¡¯t set a specific time.


    In the Future Domain complex, many residents had already moved in. He Wei encountered a colleague in the lobby, helping them carry a cabinet into the elevator. He lent a hand and struck up a casual conversation. The colleague thanked him and asked which floor he lived on. He Wei mentioned the fourth floor. The colleague envied him, mentioning that the fourth floor had the ideal balance between floor level and lighting. He¡¯d initially requested the fourth floor in his application, but they assigned him the top floor instead. He pointed out how troublesome it was to move things up and down.


    He Wei smiled and, once he reached the fourth floor, slipped out of the elevator through a small gap beside the wardrobe. He had become familiar with the path home. After turning a corner, he suddenly came face-to-face with a face he knew all too well, and he was momentarily stunned.


    ¡°Ge,¡± He Wei¡¯s younger brother, He Lu, leaned against the wall, rubbing his neck. ¡°Why did you take so long to come back? I¡¯ve been waiting for you for half an hour.¡±

 CH 23.2

    Chapter 23.2: Parallel Worlds


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± He Wei gestured for his younger brother to sit down and went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. ¡°How did you know I live here?¡±


    He Lu shrugged. It was simple¡ªhe had called their mother, and she had inquired with Chief Zheng, which led him to He Wei¡¯s address. He looked around the new apartment and sincerely admired it. ¡°It¡¯s really nice. Much bigger than the old dorm room.¡±


    He Wei chuckled. ¡°You still find it nice? Someone who sleeps in a luxurious mansion every day.¡±


    He Lu retorted bluntly, ¡°That¡¯s because you refuse to go back home. Mom complains to me all the time, that she¡¯s alone in that big house every day and wakes up feeling anxious in the middle of the night.¡±


    The two brothers exchanged smiles, the atmosphere light and pleasant. He Wei refilled his tea cup and got to the point, ¡°What brought you here today?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, just that we haven¡¯t met since the New Year. I wanted to check in and see how you¡¯ve been¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest.¡±


    He Lu rubbed his nose and lowered his head, seemingly struggling to express himself, ¡°Ge, in mid-June, there¡¯s the Northern Aquarid meteor shower. There will be shooting stars, and the radiant point will be at the zenith during the night¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait. You know that telling me all this is something I won¡¯t understand.¡± He Wei interrupted him. ¡°You want me to make an appointment with Lian Jingyuan, right? Just call him directly to make plans.¡±


    He Lu hesitated, ¡°I do want to, but last time I tried to set something up with him, he didn¡¯t agree, so I thought maybe I could¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re backing down? No wonder you haven¡¯t even confessed yet.¡± He Wei¡¯s hand rested on his shoulder. ¡°Why not break the usual routine? Just go to his school or his place and kidnap him. He¡¯s defenseless against you. Whether you take him to the mountains or to the observatory, it¡¯s all up to you.¡±


    He Lu¡¯s face suddenly turned red, and he didn¡¯t know where to put his hands and feet. He stammered, ¡°No, no, that won¡¯t work.¡± Doing something like that would surely make Jingyuan angry, and he couldn¡¯t bear the thought of being ignored by him.


    He Wei sighed and ruffled his younger brother¡¯s hair. Despite being identical twins, their personalities were quite different. He Lu was always cautious in his actions, especially when it came to matters of the heart. He had liked Jingyuan since their student days, and after all these years, there had been no progress. The war of resistance only lasted for eight years, and he had been secretly in love for almost ten years.


    ¡°Then if you want me to help set up a meeting with him, what should we do if it doesn¡¯t work out?¡±


    ¡°It will,¡± He Lu said earnestly. ¡°You¡¯re better at talking than I am.¡±


    He Wei considered persuading his brother to give it a try, but He Lu had a firm grip on his arm, imploring him for this one favor. He felt quite helpless, to the point of seeking his brother¡¯s help when he normally wouldn¡¯t want to inconvenience anyone.


    ¡°Alright, I have some business to discuss with him anyway.¡± He Wei checked the calendar and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. ¡°You¡¯re something else. Making plans for June already. What¡¯s the rush? If he doesn¡¯t agree, do you plan on freeing up time to slowly work on it?¡±


    With his thoughts completely seen through, He Lu grew embarrassed, keeping his head down and remaining silent. He Wei understood his younger brother the best and didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for him. He patted his shoulder, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll try to help, but if I manage to set up the meeting, you need to behave well. Don¡¯t procrastinate. If it¡¯s time to confess, confess, got it?¡±


    He Lu clearly hesitated at this suggestion, and he mumbled without a clear response. He Wei asked if he had eaten and that he was going to make fried dumplings, but He Lu quickly declined. He had a dinner appointment with the manager of a media company waiting for him.


    The two brothers were accustomed to each other¡¯s busy schedules. He Wei didn¡¯t insist and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. ¡°A-Lu, do you know Cheng Zesheng?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know him. We¡¯ve worked together before.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s your relationship?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, just regular friends.¡± He Lu sat at the entrance, changing his shoes, and looked up. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have remembered if you didn¡¯t mention it. Wasn¡¯t he killed recently? Have they caught the murderer?¡±


    He Wei stared into his eyes, gauging his expression and demeanor to make sure he wasn¡¯t lying or hiding anything, before slowly shaking his head. ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a lot of the girls at our company liked him. Some even went to Fulong Mountain to offer flowers.¡± He Lu stood by the door, seeming a bit worried. He reminded his brother once again, ¡°Ge, about that meteor shower¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll definitely help you out, alright?¡± He Wei made a gesture. ¡°We¡¯ll get in touch when the time comes.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    That night, Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t return to Future Domain 404. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t want to or was afraid to, but because he made a call to his mother and was asked to come back home. He couldn¡¯t go back anymore.


    ¡°Zesheng, don¡¯t worry. Tomorrow


    Mom¡¯ll go to the temple. I¡¯ll get some protective amulets for you to wear. They¡¯ll keep you safe,¡± Ding Xiang said worriedly, ¡°We have a peach tree in the backyard. I¡¯ll go pick a peach branch and bring it back to hang on your door.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng was speechless. ¡°Mom, did you hear this from Chief Huang?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you see, you moved out without even leaving a phone number. If it weren¡¯t for Lao Huang updating us on your situation, I wouldn¡¯t have known you were investigating a case involving ghosts!¡± Ding Xiang exclaimed.


    ¡°Mom, let me explain. It¡¯s just a misunderstanding,¡± Cheng Zesheng sighed. He had mentioned it as a joke in the office, hadn¡¯t he? He didn¡¯t encounter any ghosts; it was just a lack of sleep from working late. How could Lao Huang spread the news so quickly, and why did it reach his parents?


    The chief of staff, Father Cheng, sat on the sofa with a stern expression. Aunt Zhang served tea, and he took a sip. ¡°You¡¯ve only been living on your own for a short while, and there¡¯s already trouble? Move back.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng felt even more helpless. He wanted to facepalm. Why did he even mention the ghost story in front of Huang Zhanwei? Now his mom wanted to take him to the temple, and his dad wanted him to move back home. It was all too much to handle.


    ¡°I told you it¡¯s a misunderstanding. I was just joking with Lao Huang in the morning. I¡¯m doing fine there, everything¡¯s alright,¡± Cheng Zesheng reassured his mother with a hug and quickly found an excuse to escape. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m okay. Don¡¯t worry. I have to leave now; I have a meeting tonight.¡±


    ¡°What meeting do you have tonight? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an internal meeting at the Criminal Investigation Department. Do I need to report that to you?¡±


    ¡°Lao Huang said the case is still unresolved. Sleep at home tonight and spend time with your mom.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because the case is unresolved that we need to have a meeting to discuss it, brainstorm ideas, and hopefully bring the case to a clear resolution.¡±


    The conversation between father and son was tense, and Ding Xiang quickly intervened, giving Cheng Zesheng a meaningful look, signaling him not to argue further. Cheng Zesheng felt frustrated. He was trapped. Even if he had agreed to stay away, if he didn¡¯t go back now, he¡¯d be seen as cowardly, unreliable, and afraid of ghosts.


    ¡°Mom, I really have something to attend to tonight. I¡¯ll come back and stay with you for a couple of days next week, I promise.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng picked up his coat and car keys, heading towards the door. But before he reached the door, he heard a cry of ¡°Aiyo, aiyo¡± behind him. He turned around to see his mom, who had been looking fine just moments ago, clutching her chest and collapsing onto the couch. Acting like a seasoned actress, she portrayed a heart attack quite vividly. Meanwhile, his father sat there, puffing his mustache and glaring at him with eyes that felt like daggers¡ªfull of anger.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tonight, it seemed certain that he wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the apartment.


    He Wei read until midnight, the house was quiet, and Cheng Zesheng boldly stood him up by becoming invisible.


    Heh. Closing the book, He Wu couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡°A man¡¯s mouth is a deceitful ghost.¡±


    ¡ª


    On Saturday afternoon, in a lecture hall at Dongli University of Science and Technology, Lian Jingyuan¡¯s class was about ¡°Parallel Quantum Universes,¡± covering the concepts of multiple universes.


    ¡°When we imagine quantum multiverses, we¡¯re faced with the possibility that, like the protagonist in Larry Niven¡¯s short story ¡®All the Myriad Ways,¡¯ our parallel selves in different quantum universes might possess the exact same genetic code. However, at crucial moments throughout our long lives, opportunities, choices, and the driving force of dreams might lead us down different paths, guiding us along distinct life trajectories and routes.¡±


    A student in the audience raised their hand, asking, ¡°Teacher Lian, does that mean I can never become a millionaire in this lifetime, but another version of me in a different quantum universe might already own a Rolls-Royce?¡±


    Laughter rippled through the classroom, and Lian Jingyuan smiled gently. ¡°There¡¯s that possibility, but I think you¡¯re still in school. It¡¯s not wise to label yourself at such a youthful age. Just as you fantasize about another version of you in a multiverse being wealthy and influential, perhaps that version is also wondering if the you here was already living in a mansion.¡±


    Another student raised their hand, asking, ¡°Teacher Lian, if one day I could meet my parallel self, could we become friends?¡±


    ¡°If that opportunity ever arises, my advice would be to avoid it.¡± Lian Jingyuan wrote the word ¡°avoid¡± on the blackboard, leaning on the podium. ¡°I assume everyone is familiar with the butterfly effect? A tiny butterfly flapping its wings might trigger a tornado in a distant location. The same principle applies here. If you view your life trajectory in four-dimensional spacetime, it¡¯s like a roll of videotape, with each moment in time as a frame. If you insert scenes from another videotape into it, what kind of movie will it play?¡±


    ¡°Definitely something strange.¡±


    ¡°Probably gibberish?¡±


    ¡°The course of life would undoubtedly change completely.¡±


    Lian Jingyuan¡¯s lips curled into a slight smile, ¡°It would become chaotic. And our universe is a strict teacher; it wouldn¡¯t allow such disorderly chapters.¡±


    The bell signaling the end of the class rang right on time, and students reluctantly left the classroom, clutching their books. Lian Jingyuan was tidying up his teaching materials when he lifted his head and saw a man standing up at the back of the classroom, slowly clapping his hands.


    ¡°For the first time, I¡¯ve listened to your lecture attentively, and it¡¯s really good. No wonder even an elective course like this is packed.¡±


    Lian Jingyuan pushed up his glasses, ¡°If I had known you were in the audience, I might have made mistakes during the lecture.¡±


    He Wei slid his hands into his pants pocket, dressed casually in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. He looked like he was in his early twenties, blending in perfectly among the college students. He walked from the back rows towards Lian Jingyuan, who held a book in his hands, and raised his wrist to check the time. ¡°Can you accompany me somewhere?¡±


    ¡°An appointment?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I want to introduce you to my little sweetheart.¡±


    Lian Jingyuan drove the car, heading south in the city. After about fifteen minutes, he stopped in front of a pet hospital. It was then that He Wei realized his ¡°little sweetheart¡± was actually a cat¡ªa Ragdoll named Stephen, named in honor of the late physicist Stephen Hawking.


    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t expect you to even relate cat names to science. Why not call it Schr?dinger?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan held Stephen in his arms, stroking its soft fur. ¡°Stephen is easier to remember.¡±


    The two chatted about cats along the way. He Wei held the cat in his arms, and Stephen obediently lay in his embrace, occasionally nuzzling his arm affectionately. He Wei chuckled, ¡°It seems like it¡¯s not afraid of me at all.¡±


    ¡°Ragdolls have gentle personalities and are very easy to bond with humans.¡± Lian Jingyuan steered the wheel. ¡°Did you need something from me? Where are we headed?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to your place, we¡¯re almost there.¡±


    The pet hospital wasn¡¯t far from Huyue Xingchen. Conveniently passing by the Leijing Internet Cafe on Fuzuo Road, He Wei rapped on the car window, ¡°How about stopping by the Internet cafe? Do you have your ID with you?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan looked a bit embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s really unfortunate. I lost my ID card a while ago and I¡¯m currently in the process of getting a replacement.¡± He glanced again at Stephen, who was peacefully asleep in He Wei¡¯s arms. ¡°I even have it with me.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so careless that you even lost your ID card?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan smiled wryly. It wasn¡¯t just the ID card he lost; a few credit cards were gone too. He had to make multiple trips to the bank, causing a lot of trouble.


    He Wei scratched under Stephen¡¯s chin, realizing that this matter was likely unrelated to Lian Jingyuan. He was probably an innocent victim who had his ID card stolen for someone else¡¯s scheme.


    Lian Jingyuan¡¯s apartment was on the seventeenth floor. Perhaps due to the height, it was exceptionally quiet inside, devoid of any noise. Coupled with the well-insulated double-layered glass, not even the slightest breeze could make its way in.


    Having been in the apartment for half a month, Stephen knew where the comfortable sleeping spots were. It elegantly walked to the windowsill and basked in the sunlight. He Wei received the cup of honeysuckle tea that Lian Jingyuan had brewed. ¡°You¡¯re incredible, knowing that I¡¯ve been feeling exhausted recently because of the case.¡±


    ¡°I noticed a bit of redness around your eyes.¡± Lian Jingyuan sat down across from him, resting his chin on his hand. ¡°What do you want to ask me?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to chat with you casually. You were a prodigy since childhood, skipping grades to be in the same class with us when you were a few years younger. Whenever our classmates didn¡¯t understand something, they¡¯d ask you.¡±


    Lian Jingyuan told him to stop teasing. Skipping grades was his parents¡¯ idea, and it was quite intimidating and pressurizing for him to attend classes with kids several years older. Besides, being a child prodigy didn¡¯t necessarily translate to success in adulthood. Despite winning numerous awards, he hadn¡¯t even made it to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and ended up as an average teacher.


    He Wei took a sip of tea and nearly spat out, ¡°You call it being ¡®average and unremarkable? You¡¯re not even that old, and you¡¯re already supervising graduate students. What more do you want?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan smiled without saying a word. He Wei didn¡¯t waste any time and got to the point. ¡°I¡¯ve encountered some things lately that I can¡¯t understand, and I wanted to ask you about them.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Choosing his words carefully, He Wei began, ¡°I live in a new apartment where I¡¯m the only resident, but I sense traces of another person¡¯s presence. I can¡¯t bring out any evidence related to him from the apartment. It¡¯s really strange. Doors suddenly open, the shower turns on by itself in the bathroom, and things appear on the coffee table for no reason¡­ Also, that day, I even heard his voice.¡±


    Lian Jingyuan¡¯s gaze remained fixed on He Wei¡¯s face as he observed his expression. After a while, he spoke, ¡°A-Wei, I¡¯ve always been involved in theoretical research and have never encountered real phenomena. If what you¡¯re saying is true, it might be a point of interaction between you two in two parallel universes.¡±


    ¡°A point of interaction?¡±


    ¡°Parallel universes can be divided into two types: those that possibly exist within the same spatial framework and those that possibly exist within the same temporal framework. You and your ¡®roommate¡¯ can discuss the time and place of your lives to deduce which situation it might be.¡±


    Holding the cup of honeysuckle tea, He Wei said, ¡°He mentioned a location that actually exists here, and in his world, I¡¯m already dead. Does this make sense scientifically?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan chuckled and shook his head. ¡°If you¡¯re asking me if it¡¯s scientifically valid, all I can tell you is that from a theoretical perspective, another version of you in a different universe with an entirely different life trajectory is definitely possible. Did you attend my lecture today? The one who died isn¡¯t you, but rather a parallel individual with the same genetic makeup as you.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not me, I¡¯m just curious,¡± He Wei continued, ¡°But why can¡¯t I bring anything belonging to him out from that interaction point?¡±


    ¡°Your meeting only exists at that interaction point. Beyond that point, they¡¯re still two separate worlds,¡± Lian Jingyuan picked up two ribbons from the tray used for gifts, tying them together in a knot, ¡°These two ropes only intersect at this one point. The atomic structures of the two parallel universes can remain stable here. Once you move away from it, multiple factors can cause the structure to collapse. Unless there¡¯s some external force that can create a complete loop between the two parallel universes, then the atomic structure can remain stable even when leaving the interaction point.¡±


    He Wei listened, finding it a bit mystifying. All of this was way beyond his understanding, and he realized that his younger brother He Lu could probably chat about this topic easily. For the sake of having a common topic to discuss with Lian Jingyuan, He Lu had put in so much effort to study astronomy and geography, delving into numerous scientific books.


    Thinking about his younger brother, He Wei cleared his throat and naturally shifted the conversation, ¡°By the way, there¡¯s a meteor shower in June from a certain constellation. Are you interested in heading up to the mountains to watch it?¡±


    ¡°Which meteor shower are you talking about? Is it the Perseid meteor shower from the Northern Aquarids on the 16th?¡± Lian Jingyuan couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly. ¡°Why did you suddenly think of asking me to go watch this? Not investigating cases anymore?¡±


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not me. A-Lu was too embarrassed to ask you, so he sent me instead.¡±


    Upon hearing He Lu¡¯s name, Lian Jingyuan nodded, his smile becoming softer. Seizing the opportunity, He Wei added, ¡°I¡¯ll take it as you agree then. He¡¯ll contact you when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, alright, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Seeing that it was getting late, He Wei didn¡¯t intend to continue bothering him and prepared to leave. Stepping down from the windowsill, Stephen nuzzled against He Wei¡¯s leg, emitting a delicate and gentle meow.


    ¡°It really seems to like me.¡± He Wei rubbed Stephen¡¯s head. ¡°Next time I visit you, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t come empty-handed.¡±

 CH 24

    Chapter 24: Addicted to eating for free?


    ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, here are the test results. Your mental and psychological states are both healthy without any issues.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I won¡¯t develop schizophrenia and imagine someone talking to me?¡± Cheng Zesheng took the folded form, not understanding the graphs and curves but knowing that the scores from the test were all within the normal range.


    Consultant Hong nodded, stating that under normal mental conditions, one wouldn¡¯t have delusions. Delusions and hallucinations only arise when there are organic or functional mental disorders in the brain.


    Cheng Zesheng had always believed that his mental state was fine and never considered He Wei¡¯s presence to be his imagination. But in the spirit of a thorough investigation, all possibilities needed to be ruled out. That¡¯s why he consulted a psychologist to confirm his mental and psychological health. He wanted to ensure that the supernatural events at home and He Wei¡¯s appearances were both genuine and objectively present.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed Vice-Captain Cheng has been under some stress lately. It might help to take oral Oryzanol, Vitamin B1, and B12 for adjustment,¡± Consultant Hong kindly suggested.


    ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯ve gotten used to it,¡± Cheng Zesheng said as he collected the form. Before leaving, he discussed with Consultant Hong not to share the detailed conversation and test contents with Chief Huang. Consultant Hong complied and destroyed the interview records in front of him.


    After leaving the consultation room, Cheng Zesheng went to the hospital to help his mother get her prescription. Ding Xiang, having decades of stage performance experience from the cultural troupe, was thorough in her acting. She didn¡¯t show any signs of heartache and remained bedridden. She wrote a list for her son, asking him to get the medication and groceries and also come back home for dinner.


    Cheng Zesheng could only do as he was told; he had to follow Ding Xiang¡¯s instructions. In the past, his older brother used to handle everything for their parents, but since Cheng Zhenqing sacrificed his life for the country, the responsibility of taking care of their parents fell on Cheng Zesheng¡¯s shoulders. Between family matters, national affairs, and worldly matters, family matters came first. If the family wasn¡¯t at peace, he couldn¡¯t focus on his work either.


    After bidding farewell to Lian Jingyuan, He Wei slowly walked to the west gate of the community. Suddenly, he remembered something and changed direction, heading toward the property building.


    After showing his identification, He Wei requested access to the surveillance footage of the community¡¯s four gates between 3 and 4 p.m. on the 14th. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t find any footage of the man in black entering or leaving. The property manager asked, ¡°Officer, is there anything else we can assist you with?¡±


    After a moment of contemplation, He Wei shook his head slowly, thanked them, and left the property building. Standing at the community entrance, he observed the shops and people at the crossroads. All these streets had been investigated yesterday, but there was still no surveillance footage of that man. As the sky grew darker, a small alley was nestled between two tall buildings across the street. The setting sun hung low in the alley, its warm glow piercing the eyes and gradually tinting them red.


    Suddenly, He Wei felt a sense of familiarity with this scene. As if at some point he had stood at this intersection, gazing at the sunset. This phenomenon of experiencing something ¡°familiar¡± is scientifically termed ¡°d¨¦j¨¤ vu.¡± Most explanations tend to lean towards errors in memory or scenes that appeared in dreams. He Wei had experienced this before, but this time, the sensation was somewhat unique.


    At that moment, it was almost as if there should have been someone beside him, standing shoulder to shoulder.


    Who could it be?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    As the evening lights came on, He Wei returned to Future Domain 404. Upon opening the door, the sight before him left him utterly shocked.


    The house was covered in yellow paper talismans, dozens of them, both inside and outside, from the living room to the entrance. Something unusual was also above his head. He looked up and saw a copper coin sword, about the size of a palm, hanging in the center of the door lintel with a red string.


    ¡°¡­¡± He Wei tilted his head to avoid the coin sword, then looked down to see a pile of ashes on the ground, as if remnants of burned talisman papers and pomelo leaves.


    Was this about ghost hunting? He Wei tore a piece of yellow paper from the shoe cabinet. On it was a talisman drawn with cinnabar, resembling the kind used to suppress zombies in old Hong Kong movies. The strokes were powerful and vigorous, quite skillfully done.


    He walked to the staircase, and the yellow paper talisman continued up the stairs. Even the upper floor was not spared. Upstairs, the door of the opposite apartment was tied with a peach wood branch by a red string, and a palm-sized bagua mirror was affixed to the door lintel.


    At first, He Wei felt a bit frustrated, but upon seeing this scene, he burst out laughing. What a mess all of this was! Did Cheng Zesheng truly consider him a ghost?


    Initially, he had thought the other party was a wrongly deceased spirit, but after listening to Lian Jingyuan¡¯s explanation, he had a sudden realization. He understood that he and this ¡°Cheng Zesheng¡± were in two parallel worlds. So, the case he had mentioned might indeed be a real one from that world.


    Moreover, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s identity intrigued him. Based on his tone, they seemed like fellow investigators. Could it be that it was really so coincidental that they were investigating each other¡¯s murder cases in different worlds?


    He Wei looked at the yellow paper talismans that filled the room and sighed helplessly. The house was in a mess, but luckily, it was the weekend; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have had time to clean it up.


    Meanwhile, Cheng Zesheng was rushing back to his apartment in a state of panic. He had heard that his mother intentionally kept him away and had asked a master to perform a ¡°ritual¡± at home to drive away the vengeful spirit. He was astonished and forgot about eating. He grabbed his keys and hurried back, his heart filled with anxiety: Please don¡¯t let He Wei see any of this. He would surely mock and criticize mercilessly.


    Unfortunately, it was too late. Cheng Zesheng opened the door to his apartment, only to find it clean and spotless, with a stack of yellow paper talismans neatly arranged on the coffee table. They were weighed down by the coin sword and the bagua mirror, with a peach wood branch placed beside them.


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng could already imagine the exaggerated scene that had been in his apartment. With such a thick stack of talismans, you¡¯d need to plaster them densely from top to bottom to use them all, right?


    The glass door leading to the kitchen was closed, and the exhaust fan was roaring loudly. Cheng Zesheng was taken aback. It seemed like the money spent on inviting the Taoist priest was in vain. Wasn¡¯t He Wei supposed to have left? He was still in the kitchen, making something.


    Out of politeness, Cheng Zesheng thought it necessary to explain the situation, so he opened the door slightly and said, ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Smack!¡± The half-frosted glass door he had just opened was abruptly shut again, catching him off guard.


    ¡°¡­?¡± Cheng Zesheng was a bit confused. Was he angry?


    He Wei was busy making fried dumplings in the kitchen. Despite the loud noise from the exhaust fan, he didn¡¯t notice Cheng Zesheng entering the apartment. He only realized it when the kitchen door opened. Since the kitchen was filled with cooking fumes, he didn¡¯t want them to spread and discolor the walls in the living room. Quickly, he pulled the door shut, deciding to deal with whatever it was after he was done making the dumplings.


    Meanwhile, Cheng Zesheng was pacing back and forth in the living room. While he had indeed wished that He Wei would move on before yesterday, the involvement of his parents had completely changed the situation. It was akin to childhood when two kids were fighting, and if one suddenly called their parents, what was the point of fighting anymore? It was like slapping oneself in the face.


    He felt just like that now, uneasy and restless. What do angry ghosts usually do? Were there any experts on Zhihu1 or Baidu2 who could provide a professional answer?


    He Wei turned off the exhaust fan, scooped out the golden-brown dumplings onto a plate, and carried them to the living room. He then went back to the kitchen to prepare the dipping sauce.


    Cheng Zesheng was still pondering how small the temper of this male ghost might be when, in the blink of an eye, a plate of dumplings appeared on the table, and the noise from the exhaust fan stopped.


    Cheng Zesheng was puzzled again. Was this¡­ made for him?


    ¡°He Wei, are you there?¡±


    The living room was quiet. Cheng Zesheng waited for three minutes, but there was no response from He Wei. The plate of dumplings was sitting on the table, emitting a tantalizing aroma and enticing his appetite.


    Subconsciously, Cheng Zesheng reached up and touched his face. While he had always been aware that his handsome looks had an impressive impact on people of all ages and genders, he never expected it to work on ghosts too. It was as if he had gained some strange new knowledge.


    Was it made for him? Otherwise, given He Wei¡¯s personality, anything he didn¡¯t want to be touched would have been declared off-limits already. The golden-brown dumplings looked adorable and appetizing. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s senses demanded that the ready-made offering be quickly consumed.


    With little internal struggle, Cheng Zesheng quickly picked up a dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth. As he swallowed, he felt a bit guilty, as if he were stealing something. The house was quiet, and He Wei seemed to have disappeared somewhere. Perhaps he was standing right beside the table, watching Cheng Zesheng¡¯s every move.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m eating it,¡± Cheng Zesheng called out as he went to the kitchen to get a pair of chopsticks.


    In the kitchen, He Wei was busy studying the ingredients for the dipping sauce. The reason he hadn¡¯t come out for a while was that he was searching for ingredients that were both delicious and safe for him to eat. His allergies were quite severe, so he always carefully studied ingredient labels before consuming anything. Over time, this habit had led him to become proficient at cooking for himself. He was allergic to most commercially available sauces that contained bean paste, so he preferred to make his own sauce, which was more reassuring.


    Cheng Zesheng was enjoying the dumplings, eating them two at a time. He couldn¡¯t help but admit that He Wei¡¯s culinary skills were impressive. Even though they were frozen dumplings, frying them required a certain level of skill. He knew that if he had been the one cooking, the dumpling wrappers wouldn¡¯t have turned out this crispy.


    Cheng Zesheng was becoming increasingly curious about He Wei. What was his purpose for coming to his house? He was helping with cleaning and cooking, acting like a housekeeper. If he could come home to freshly cooked meals instead of eating instant noodles, then maybe keeping He Wei around wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea.


    As this thought crossed his mind, Cheng Zesheng was taken aback and coughed forcefully a few times. He put down his chopsticks, realizing that while others might keep spirits for wealth or power, he was essentially keeping a male ghost to do house chores. The concept was terrifying and bizarre.


    After spending a few minutes, He Wei finally managed to prepare a plate of fragrant garlic-sesame-spicy sauce. Happily walking out, he saw that three dumplings were left on the plate.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He Wei was furious.


    Cheng Zesheng was about to head upstairs when suddenly a chill ran down his spine. He felt a gust of cold wind, and the kitchen door shut again with a loud ¡°smack!¡± This time, the sound was so intense that it made Cheng Zesheng¡¯s heart race.


    Quickly realizing he had done something wrong again, he thought about it and found nothing wrong with his actions. Who said he couldn¡¯t take a stroll outside and come back to eat once the food was ready?


    He Wei, expressionless, opened the refrigerator, took out frozen fried dumplings, poured some oil, and placed them in the frying pan.


    It was rare for He Wei to lose his temper with anyone. Faced with someone he couldn¡¯t see, someone he couldn¡¯t hit or scold, and with all his frustration contained within, he had no choice but to digest it himself.


    Though they had only spent a short week together, He Wei could clearly feel the stark contrast between the Cheng Zesheng from the other world and the piano virtuoso in this world. Here, he was a refined and gentle artist. But on the other side? He was shamelessly sponging off others, almost reaching the level of that shameless Chong Zhen.


    After fifteen minutes, the pan-fried dumplings were ready. He Wei didn¡¯t intend to take them out; he planned to eat them in the kitchen. Holding a pair of chopsticks in one hand and the dish of chili oil in the other, he carried the pan-fried dumplings and turned around, only to find a note stuck on the glass door.


    [I¡¯m sorry.]


    He Wei couldn¡¯t be bothered with it. He just wanted to fill his stomach quickly; there were important matters to attend to later.


    After a while, He Wei emerged from the kitchen, removed the note, and heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. He pushed the door open directly.


    Cheng Zesheng was washing his hair. He peered through the mist-covered glass door formed by the showerhead and saw words slowly appear on the foggy glass.


    [After you¡¯re done showering, come to the living room. I need to talk to you.]

 CH 25

    Chapter 25: Information Exchange


    He Wei sat near the armrest of the sofa, supporting his forehead with his hand, busy with work. It was rare for him to have an evening to relax and read a book. His legs were crossed, and a book titled ¡°Forensic Toxicology¡± was placed before him. This book had been borrowed from Du Ruanlan after a poisoning case last month. He had been too busy to flip through it and had only read less than a third of it so far.


    A series of wet footprints gradually approached the sofa. He Wei glanced and decided to set a rule: after taking a shower, slippers must be dried in the bathroom, and no water was allowed to be brought into the living room.


    Also, his shower gel had been missing for days. It was probably taken by Cheng Zesheng without permission. Although He Wei didn¡¯t like the scent¡ªtoo strong and sweet¡ªit was a gift from his mother, so he had to keep it there.


    Cheng Zesheng wore a racerback and had a towel around his neck. He knew He Wei was in the room but couldn¡¯t pinpoint his exact location just yet.


    It was getting late, and they were here for business. He Wei closed the book he was reading and placed a bookmark on the page. ¡°Cheng Zesheng, can you hear me?¡±


    At the same time, Cheng Zesheng also spoke, ¡°Thank you for the dinner. Did you contact me to discuss your case?¡±


    Neither side received a response.


    He Wei¡¯s hand rested on the back of his neck, speculating about the conditions required to trigger the conversation. It was like a horror game he had played before, guiding the protagonist to solve puzzles in a maze-like house. To progress the plot, one needed to find hint items and solve the triggering conditions. He was now with the ¡°hint item,¡± yet he hadn¡¯t unlocked the puzzle of how to initiate the conversation.


    Cheng Zesheng stroked his chin, looking up at the quartz clock. The chimes rang at midnight. They suddenly heard each other¡¯s voices. Was it necessary to be at that specific time or triggered by a certain piano melody?


    Baffled, Cheng Zesheng walked over and touched the back of the quartz clock, adjusting the time to one minute before midnight. His eyes were fixed on the hesitating second hand. The three hands overlapped, and the distinctive piano melody for that moment played.


    He Wei abruptly looked up, even stood up. The music lasted only a few seconds before ending. He tentatively inquired, ¡°Cheng Zesheng? Can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°He Wei?¡±


    Still, there was no response from either side.


    It seemed the timing was crucial. They would have to try again at midnight to see if their speculated triggering conditions were accurate.


    He Wei had the same idea, speculating that at a fixed time, there would be special anomalies in this parallel world¡¯s nodes, allowing people living in both worlds to briefly intersect.


    Cheng Zesheng adjusted the time on his watch, then went upstairs to fetch some paper and a pen. He sat on the sofa, communicating with He Wei through written notes as their current means of interaction.


    He was in the midst of explaining a series of misunderstandings, from the memorial ceremony to accidentally eating the pan-fried dumplings. Before he could finish, He Wei¡¯s note appeared, with more content than usual, highlighting three main points.


    [1. I am not a ghost.]


    [2. Both you and I exist in reality, in parallel worlds.]


    [3. You also died, shot to death.]


    Cheng Zesheng held the densely filled notepaper, focusing on the terms ¡°parallel worlds¡± and ¡°shot to death.¡± He had heard of the parallel world before and seen science fiction movies related to it, but he never thought he would have the opportunity to experience it firsthand. Although he remained somewhat skeptical of He Wei¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t come up with a more reasonable explanation for now, so he decided to temporarily treat it as such.


    As for him also ¡°dying¡± there, by gunshot no less, Cheng Zesheng was intrigued. He circled ¡°shot to death¡± and asked about the time of death, the location of the incident, and the autopsy results.


    He placed the note back on the table, but He Wei didn¡¯t pick it up. Another note appeared out of thin air on the table:


    [You saw the note; do you have any thoughts?]


    Cheng Zesheng frowned, observing the note left by He Wei and then glancing at the notebook in his hand. An idea formed in his mind. He tore off the previously written note, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the wastebasket.


    He Wei twirled the pen in his hand, noticing Cheng Zesheng¡¯s lack of movement. What was he thinking? Shocked into speechlessness?


    Finally, a differently colored sheet of paper appeared on the table, bearing Cheng Zesheng¡¯s handwriting.


    [I replied to your note on your paper, but you can¡¯t receive it. Wait a moment; I¡¯ll step out for a bit and be back soon.]


    Before He Wei could finish reading, the front door opened and closed again. Cheng Zesheng had already left.


    He held the information Cheng Zesheng conveyed and rapidly pondered the reason. Cheng Zesheng took away his note, and he couldn¡¯t receive it on the same sheet but could on a different one. It was as if this medium had a uniqueness to it¡ªonce Cheng Zesheng touched it, it would vanish from He Wei¡¯s sight, rendering it invisible to him.


    He Wei wandered around the apartment, observing the 404 unit where they both lived. The furniture and appliances were all set up before they moved in. Cheng Zesheng touched these things every day, yet they remained intact in the apartment. Cheng Zesheng lived here, but his personal belongings were not visible in the upstairs room. Still, the groceries he bought could fill the refrigerator, including the yellow paper talisman that appeared in the living room today¡­


    Click, the crisp sound of unlocking echoed as Cheng Zesheng returned. He carried a bag containing two markers and went straight to the kitchen. Glancing at the spotless refrigerator door, he took out one of the markers, tried writing a few words on it, then wiped it clean with a cloth, leaving it as pristine as new.


    Perfect, he could use it as a whiteboard.


    Knock, knock, came the delicate sound from the kitchen¡¯s glass door.


    Just in time, saving him the trouble of figuring out how to call the other person over. Cheng Zesheng used a marker to write on the refrigerator: [Is there a pen on the countertop? Can you see it?]


    He Wei picked up the other marker, standing in front of the refrigerator, and replied under the black letters: [Yes, I can.]


    Cheng Zesheng: [According to my theory, the furniture and appliances were there before I moved in. We can both touch them, but personal belongings disappear when the other person takes them.]


    He Wei: [Instant noodles and fried dumplings vanish when you touch them. The yellow paper talismans I touched were placed on the table; can you still see them?]


    Cheng Zesheng wrote a series of ellipses, awkwardly explaining to He Wei that he didn¡¯t put that talisman there; his mother had come over in the afternoon.


    With his arms crossed, He Wei realized that Cheng Zesheng could still see the yellow paper talisman even after it passed through his hands. This indicated that objects from a third party weren¡¯t subject to the resistance rule of object exchange. This was truly remarkable. Could this magical exchange rule have been designed specifically for the two of them?


    The refrigerator door was already half-filled with writing, and Cheng Zesheng picked up the cloth to clean it. Finally, they found a method of continuous communication. It was much more convenient than using notes. Not only could they see previous records, but they also didn¡¯t waste paper¡ªintuitive and environmentally friendly.


    The subsequent communication became much smoother. He Wei briefly summarized their current situation, outlining the knowledge acquired from Lian Jingyuan. He made Cheng Zesheng understand that they existed in two parallel universes, intersecting only here. Once they left, they would continue living in their own unaffected worlds.


    Cheng Zesheng couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He didn¡¯t believe in ghosts in this world, yet he was taken aback by unknown science. The idea of conversing with someone from another world left him with mixed feelings, as if he were talking to an extraterrestrial being.


    Through their discussion, they came to realize that they both lived in the city of Shengzhou. The general structure of the city¡¯s buildings was similar, but there were differences in the details. For example, next to the police university where He Wei graduated, there was a well-established noodle shop that had been operating for twenty years. However, in Cheng Zesheng¡¯s world, that location was occupied by a bookstore.


    Interestingly, the abandoned mansion on Fulong Mountain existed in both worlds, with only slight differences in furnishings and details. This place seemed to be the most similar location they both knew of.


    [Are you really a police officer?] He Wei raised a question.


    Cheng Zesheng counter-questioned: (Are you really in the Criminal Investigation Division?]


    [Same modes of identification?]


    [Two kinds: Two types, the same identification as a whole, and the same identification as a part.]


    After Cheng Zesheng answered, he took over the questioning: [The shape and characteristics of blood splatter?]


    [Long strip shape; one end is enlarged and the other end is thin and long, often with a trailing tail, and the tip indicates the direction of blood spraying.  Most of them are arranged radially. If the blood volume is large or the direction is vertical, blood stains can usually be seen below. To give you a complete analysis, this side of the refrigerator door won¡¯t be enough.]


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t need to know more. Such a solid knowledge base, even fellow professionals might not have it.


    After exchanging information, the two learned that they both worked at the city¡¯s Criminal Investigation Division. One was the Captain of a division, while the other was the Vice-Captain. However, their respective colleagues and even the chief of the city¡¯s police department were different. Could they still expect the leadership to be similar?


    In their detailed conversation, numerous differences of this sort emerged. In the two parallel worlds, the passage of time was the same, and there were certain differences in locations and characters, yet they existed within a certain framework. If you were to draw a comparison, these two parallel universes were like two paintings being created simultaneously. They shared the same canvas and theme, but different artists used different styles. The characters and details presented also had variations.


    Especially the identities they held in each other¡¯s parallel worlds. When Cheng Zesheng heard that he was a famous celebrity with countless fans due to his appearance, he couldn¡¯t believe it. What was this? He hated it when people approached him just because of his looks. How come on that side, he was actually making a living from it? Truly lacking ambition.


    He Wei didn¡¯t think much about his parallel self being an ordinary company employee. He casually commented, ¡°That¡¯s really wasting talent,¡± leaving Cheng Zesheng speechless.


    The cleaning cloth that had served as their makeshift blackboard in the kitchen had turned black from absorbing too much ink. Cheng Zesheng grabbed another cloth, and suddenly, a piano melody echoed in the living room. He was surprised¡ªwas it already midnight?


    They had been exchanging messages, completely unaware that several hours had passed by so quickly. As the piano notes ended, Cheng Zesheng instinctively sensed a presence in the kitchen, very close. The soft, rhythmic sound of breathing reached his ears.


    ¡°I¡¯ve written more tonight than my entire case report.¡±


    He Wei¡¯s low and somewhat cold voice reverberated in the kitchen. Cheng Zesheng leaned against the cabinet, shaking his hand, ¡°Who hasn¡¯t? I¡¯m almost catching up to the time when I was punished to copy books as a kid.¡±


    After the extended period of communication earlier, despite not being able to see each other, hearing the other¡¯s voice at that moment brought about an inexplicable sense of reassurance. It was a peculiar feeling, as if having taken a heart-calming pill. All previous deductions and conclusions had been accurate. Once the midnight chime rang, that person would appear on the other side.


    ¡°Enough chit-chat. Tell me about the case details,¡± He Wei glanced at the time, realizing the true urgency. ¡°Get to the important parts. I¡¯ll analyze how I died.¡±

 CH 26

    Chapter 26: Gene Sequencing


    He Wei and Cheng Zesheng sat together in the living room, just like the last time. Two chairs were facing each other, and from an outsider¡¯s perspective, they appeared to be talking to thin air, amusing themselves.


    Cheng Zesheng drew a schematic diagram indicating the shoe prints and the positions of the bodies. He then marked out which ones belonged to the victims and which ones belonged to the third party. After passing the diagram to He Wei, he looked at it and became momentarily puzzled: ¡°What do 1 and 2 mean for the shoe prints near the living room?¡±


    ¡°Based on the distribution of the shoe prints, 1 is the murderer¡¯s, and 2 is the victim¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°But they are the same. The murderer and the victim have similar heights and weights, and they¡¯re even wearing the same shoes. It¡¯s more likely that they¡¯re friends or relatives. What about this side? What does 3 mean?¡±


    ¡°Number 3 is what we found during the previous scene investigation. There was a small stone embedded in the circular tread pattern on the sole of the shoe. Neither number 1 nor number 2 had it, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So you deduce that there were four people at the scene, but three of them left identical footprints.¡± He Wei smiled faintly. ¡°Is that how capable this He Wei is? Can even create shadow clones?¡±


    From his tone, Cheng Zesheng could clearly sense a hint of mockery. He furrowed his brows, ¡°Do you think I want to believe that? Leaving biological evidence on the murder weapon that couldn¡¯t possibly have been caused, and the autopsy results are even more bizarre. That He Wei has a ten-year history of allergic asthma, but the bronchi of the body not only had no lesions but also showed evidence of smoking for at least five years.¡±


    ¡°Do the DNA and fingerprints match? Are you sure it¡¯s him?¡± He Wei rubbed his chin. ¡°Have you investigated my younger brother? He¡¯s my identical twin, so we have the same DNA.¡±


    ¡°We investigated long ago. Even the forensic experts in our bureau couldn¡¯t believe such a bizarre case and suspected they had the wrong person. We¡¯ve already taken samples from your younger brother for genetic sequencing.¡± Cheng Zesheng shook his head with a sigh. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we got it wrong. The fingerprints match, and there are no two completely identical leaves in the world. In cases involving twins, fingerprints often provide more evidence than DNA.¡±


    Since the beginning of the case, Cheng Zesheng had been suspecting that the deceased He Wei and the He Wei they were investigating were two different people. He had always been skeptical of the idea that one person could have two bodies, but now that parallel worlds were even appearing, what couldn¡¯t be possible? After all, there was a He Wei sitting right there.


    ¡°Do you smoke?¡± he asked.


    He Wei smiled, ¡°Why? Are you suspecting that the deceased in your world is me? Then who¡¯s talking to you now?¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± Cheng Zesheng murmured, ¡°I¡¯m not sure either; it¡¯s just a hunch.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have enough information about this case, so I don¡¯t have any leads at the moment.¡± He Wei suggested, ¡°Bring the forensic and autopsy reports and the physical evidence back tomorrow. I¡¯ll study them carefully.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Show them to you?¡± Cheng Zesheng¡¯s voice clearly held hesitation.


    ¡°Why not? We¡¯re not working in the same place, and even if I see them, I won¡¯t leak any information. Maybe I can help you solve the case more quickly.¡± He Wei paused for a moment. ¡°Besides, the one who died is a parallel version of me. I want to see if there¡¯s anything wrong with my own report.¡±


    ¡°No, the issue isn¡¯t there,¡± Cheng Zesheng reminded him, ¡°If I bring the physical evidence back and you touch it, where else can I find it?¡±


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t mentioned it, I wouldn¡¯t have remembered. What about the surveillance cameras?¡± He Wei questioned Cheng Zesheng, ¡°You took them down, and now they are gone. How am I supposed to give them back to the tech team?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng was surprised, ¡°You set them up?!¡± So he had really misunderstood his father. Luckily, he hadn¡¯t confronted him in a weird tone when he got home. It would have caused a big scene for no reason.


    He Wei sneered, continuing to ask about the cameras¡¯ whereabouts. Cheng Zesheng gently told him that he had taken them back to the office last week, intending to take them to the tech team to identify the model. However, they disappeared once he took them out, and the chances of retrieving them were slim.


    ¡°Not just slim, but impossible,¡± He Wei pinched his forehead, sounding helpless. ¡°The atomic structure of the things that don¡¯t belong to this world would collapse if taken out of the node. I can¡¯t even take your fingerprints out, let alone the cameras.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng tried to change the subject, ¡°You¡¯ve had your share of the case; it should be my turn now.¡±


    ¡°Your case isn¡¯t that mysterious. There¡¯s no evidence pointing to an impossible crime at the moment. But the killer and the third suspect present at the scene are both very clever, leaving almost no traces. Oh, by the way, do you also have a brother over there?¡±


    ¡°¡­He¡¯s dead,¡± Cheng Zesheng¡¯s voice suddenly dropped, ¡°He died at the hands of drug traffickers; it¡¯s been several years.¡±


    A brief silence fell in the living room. He Wei had intended to dig for information about Cheng Zhenqing, but hearing the somber tone and low spirits in his voice, he changed his mind as the words reached his lips: ¡°My condolences.¡±


    As soon as those words were uttered, the atmosphere in the living room suddenly changed. The deep silence of the night enveloped them. He Wei glanced up, and this time, the time was 12:30, a few minutes later than last time.


    The conversation came to an end.


    ¡ª¡ª


    After a few days of surveying and visiting around Cheng Zesheng¡¯s residence, Chong Zhen returned with good news: they had finally found information related to Cheng Zhenqing. They confirmed that this person was in Shengzhou City and had indeed been active in the vicinity.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy. One team pulled out all the cameras and stored surveillance within a five-kilometer radius for investigation, while another team went around showing his photo, and we got nothing after three days,¡± Chong Zhen twisted open a bottle of mineral water and took a big gulp, wiping his mouth, ¡°It wasn¡¯t until the night before last that an elderly lady who collects garbage mentioned she had seen Cheng Zhenqing. She had dropped several drink bottles while carrying them, and he helped pick them up for her.¡±


    Wu Xiaolei continued, ¡°This guy really knows how to hide. He rarely goes out, and he¡¯s extremely cautious when he does. He always wears a mask, only revealing his eyes. Where were we supposed to find him? It was that day when he took off his mask to spit out gum, and coincidentally, he saw the old lady drop her bottle. He reached out and helped her, showing his face to her.¡±


    ¡°After that, we re-checked the surveillance according to the elderly lady¡¯s description of his height and build, and we did find a few images of Cheng Zhenqing caught on camera,¡± Chong Zhen unfolded a folded map and said, ¡°The points marked on it are the locations captured by the surveillance. After connecting the dots, I roughly outlined the activity area. But finding the person is still not easy. Most of that area is residential buildings. Unless we knock on every door, it¡¯s hard to find him.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao blinked her big, watery eyes, ¡°You can coordinate with the local police station and check the household registration.¡±


    He Wei looked at the map, the range outlined with a black pen covering four communities, a large supermarket, a comprehensive shopping mall, and even a school and two commercial streets. He asked, ¡°Where was Cheng Zhenqing last seen? And what was he wearing?¡±


    Chong Zhen anticipated that He Wei would ask this, so he had already copied that segment of the surveillance and stored it on his phone. In the video, a tall and lean man stood at a crossroads, wearing a black mask, a black windbreaker, and khaki casual pants. The crossroads on the opposite side had a green light, but he didn¡¯t cross. He waited until the light turned red before turning right onto the pedestrian path and entering an alley.


    ¡°There are only two old grocery stores in that alley and no surveillance. There¡¯s also another fork in the road behind, I think he chose that path to avoid surveillance.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao leaned in, curious, ¡°If he wanted to take the other path, why did he stand there for so long?¡±


    Wu Xiaolei speculated, ¡°Maybe he hadn¡¯t decided on the route yet?¡±


    ¡°I think he was looking at something. He lifted his head for a few seconds,¡± Chong Zhen said.


    Hu Songkai was lounging on the side, thinking that this kind of matter should be left for Lao He to investigate. Those eyes of his were too sharp; he must have pried the Sun Wukong¡¯s discerning eyes and put them on himself.


    Sure enough, He Wei enlarged and zoomed in on the surveillance footage several times, then turned to Yun Xiaoxiao and asked, ¡°Xiaoxiao, did Cheng Zesheng have a branded watch in his endorsement?¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao nodded quickly and took out her phone, ¡°Yes, yes, there is! That poster looked so cool! I took a picture of it when I saw it on the street.¡±


    He Wei glanced at the screens of both phones, and then concluded, ¡°He was looking at Cheng Zesheng.¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡± Wu Xiaolei looked bewildered, and He Wei sighed. With a swipe of his fingers, he enlarged the video, placed it on the table, and got up to make tea.


    Chong Zhen and Wu Xiaolei were glued to their phones. Chong Zhen made a meaningful sound first, ¡°Oh, I see now. As expected of Lao He. I have to admit your skills are impressive.¡±


    Wu Xiaolei grabbed Chong Zhen¡¯s arm, ¡°Chong-ge, how did you figure it out?¡±


    ¡°You see, there¡¯s an edge on this video, showing a glimpse of the cuff of a gray suit and the edge of a gold watch, right? Now compare it with the poster Xiaoxiao took. Isn¡¯t it exactly the same?¡±


    Wu Xiaolei widened his eyes, ¡°¡­That¡¯s a shirt and a watch?¡± He thought those blurry white, yellow, and gray shapes were an advertisement for cold medicine!


    Chong Zhen gave him a regretful look, and Hu Songkai smirked, ¡°Hey, your Captain Heng doesn¡¯t have this skill, right? Why not come to our Criminal Investigation Division? We have plenty for you to learn.¡±


    Wu Xiaolei stared at He Wei¡¯s well-proportioned figure, and his eyes unknowingly carried a hint of admiration. He Wei brewed his tea, completely unaware that he had unintentionally gained a fan from the Anti-Drug Division.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Liu Renyu came to find Cheng Zesheng, and Professor Jiang asked him to go to the Forensic Department.


    Walking side by side, they discussed Jiang Tan. Liu Renyu shook his head and said, ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, Professor Jiang¡¯s mood is very bad. I suggest you not ask too much for now. Wait until his mood calms down before talking.¡±


    ¡°¡­Really? Can it be that bad?¡±


    Liu Renyu¡¯s expression grew serious, and he nodded his chin a couple of times as if emphasizing the severity of the situation. Cheng Zesheng understood, he already had an idea of the outcome. He suddenly thought, if he were to tell Jiang Tan that there was another living He Wei in the house, would it scare him senseless?


    ¡°By the way, what was the name of the science fiction movie you mentioned that¡¯s going to be released?¡± Cheng Zesheng asked.


    ¡°Triassic Chronicles.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that about the dinosaur era?¡±


    Liu Renyu chuckled and shook his head, ¡°The reason it¡¯s called that is because the movie involves three overlapping timelines. The original work has received good reviews. Vice-Captain Cheng, you might consider watching it.¡±


    The two of them had already arrived at the Forensic Department. Jiang Tan sat behind his desk, holding a thermos cup, his eyes fixed on the test reports. The door opened, and Jiang Tan¡¯s eyelids lifted slightly. In a lifeless tone, he said, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can tell from your expression that the situation isn¡¯t optimistic. Tell me, I¡¯ve prepared myself mentally.¡±


    Jiang Tan first picked up a report, ¡°This is the result of the DNA methylation difference test between He Lu and He Wei. In the sample DNA building blocks, there are 47 different loci. Analyzed using the Illumina 450K methylation chip, He Wei¡¯s sample contains the AHRR1 and F2RL32 genes, which He Lu doesn¡¯t; there are also significant differences in the two CpG loci3 in the COMT promoter region. The detailed content is all in this report, and it can essentially completely distinguish between these MZ twins (monozygotic twins).¡±


    Continuing, Jiang Tan picked up another report, ¡°This one is the DNA methylation difference test for He Wei and the blood sample brought back from the hospital. It used the same DNA building blocks, and unexpectedly, these two DNA samples also have differences in 15 loci. Although both carry allergenic genes, one allergy pathway is related to IgE and the other to IgG.¡± He picked up the third report, ¡°The sequencing results of the hospital¡¯s blood sample and He Lu¡¯s sample show differences in 56 loci. Do you know what this represents?¡±


    ¡°¡­Go on.¡±


    Jiang Tan took a deep breath, ¡°This represents that the three samples come from three different individuals. He Lu¡¯s sample has significant differences in DNA methylation from the body and the hospital¡¯s blood sample, ruling out the possibility of being from the same individual; the DNA profiling of the body and the hospital¡¯s blood sample is nearly identical. In general, with a test of 23 loci, we can conclude that they come from the same person, but there is still a methylation difference. Excluding the chimerism4 that might occur in hybrids and considering the contradictory conditions shown within the body, I can only conclude that these are also two different individuals.¡±


    Although Cheng Zesheng was mentally prepared, holding the actual results still felt quite heavy in his hands. It seemed that anything related to He Wei was distorting the normal rules of science to some extent.


    Jiang Tan seemed to release a breath he had been holding, collapsing into a chair, his baby face drooping, ¡°Crazy, it¡¯s crazy¡­ The same person actually has two different genetic traits. If I hadn¡¯t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn¡¯t believe that something like this could happen in my entire life.¡±

 CH 27

    Chapter 27: Consultant and Informant


    Before leaving work, Cheng Zesheng remembered He Wei¡¯s words. Pondering for a while, he eventually decided to make copies of the inspection reports and evidence photos. As for the actual evidence, he didn¡¯t want to risk bringing it to He Wei¡¯s world, as that could lead to significant consequences.


    Throughout the day, Jiang Tan appeared listless. After work, he didn¡¯t go home. Wearing his white coat, he stood behind Cheng Zesheng and softly asked, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡±


    The photocopy room was dark, with only the two of them inside. The hallway light slanted in diagonally, and Jiang Tan stood in the backlight, his white coat billowing, exuding a somewhat eerie charm. Cheng Zesheng was startled and turned around to complain, ¡°What are you doing? Standing silently behind me like this, trying to scare me?¡±


    ¡°To scare you,¡± Jiang Tan glanced at the photocopier, ¡°Why did you personally come to make copies of the materials? Didn¡¯t you have a junior assistant for that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not like you, always delegating everything to your disciples. Wait until Xiao Liu can¡¯t take it anymore and quits. Let¡¯s see who will still make you wolfberry tea.¡±


    Jiang Tan wasn¡¯t in the mood to banter with him. Seeing that the materials coming out of the photocopier were all related to the case reports, he curiously asked, ¡°What are you copying these for? Planning to show them to your master and ask for his advice?¡±


    ¡°¡­Mhm,¡± Cheng Zesheng nodded vaguely. He neatly arranged the printed contents and put the original documents back. Jiang Tan had been waiting for him all this while, feeling frustrated and wanting to invite him for a drink to lighten the mood, finding solace in alcohol.


    With plenty of time left, Cheng Zesheng agreed. They went to a barbecue restaurant they often frequented, ordering a large plate of grilled fish, some meat, and vegetables, and then Jiang Tan asked for five skewers of grilled lamb kidneys. He even inquired if Cheng Zesheng wanted a few skewers too.


    As Cheng Zesheng poured beer, he casually teased, ¡°Aren¡¯t you wasting money by ordering lamb kidneys? Even if you¡¯re healthy, there¡¯s no one to appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, as if you have someone to appreciate yours. That face of yours is just a waste!¡± Jiang Tan playfully brought the beer bottle close to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s lips, ¡°Do you know how people used to talk about you back in school? ¡®Either an ice-cold guy or gay.¡¯ Tell me honestly, are you really not interested in beautiful women?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng sneered, ¡°Then why would you dare to invite me out? What if I behave inappropriately when I¡¯m drunk? You¡¯ll be the first one to suffer.¡±


    Forensic Doctor Jiang said with determination, ¡°Ha, I¡¯ve been working out lately. Take off my shirt, and you¡¯ll see my eight-pack abs!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. Take it off right here and now.¡± Cheng Zesheng tapped the beer bottle and said, ¡°If you have it, I¡¯ll drink; if not, you drink.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Jiang, who wanted to drown his sorrows in alcohol, hesitated.


    As they ate and chatted, they avoided discussing the case and focused on life topics. Jiang Tan¡¯s main subjects revolved around the struggles of being single: ¡°Why don¡¯t I have a girlfriend yet?¡±, ¡°How can I get a girlfriend?¡±, ¡°What kind of girlfriend should I look for?¡± Faced with these questions, Cheng Zesheng summed it up with a single phrase, ¡°How would I know?¡±


    ¡­Jiang Tan felt he couldn¡¯t fathom it either. What was the point of talking to this stubborn straight guy? He might as well find Liu Renyu, his junior disciple, who was patient and obedient. Jiang Tan might even inquire about what type of girls he liked and might consider introducing him to a junior schoolmate.


    Around nine o¡¯clock, Cheng Zesheng prepared to leave. Jiang Tan hadn¡¯t had his fill of drinks yet and asked why he was leaving so early. Cheng Zesheng mentioned he had something to attend to but didn¡¯t go into details.


    Jiang Tan propped up his cheek, his eyes dazed, his cheeks rosy: ¡°Are you going to meet Captain Yan? Visiting hours should be over by now, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I made plans with someone.¡± Cheng Zesheng stood up, getting ready to settle the bill, when Jiang Tan grabbed his arm. He saw Jiang Tan¡¯s eyes light up as he stared at Cheng Zesheng, asking eagerly, ¡°Is there something going on? Are you dating someone?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Dating someone? It¡¯s about a case.¡± Cheng Zesheng came up with a more appropriate explanation, ¡°I, um, hired a consultant¡ªsomeone with decent expertise.¡±


    Jiang Tan¡¯s face fell disappointedly. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go then.¡± All he ever did was work on cases. His principles were shaken today. He wasn¡¯t even up for handling cases, let alone the regular work.


    As Cheng Zesheng settled the bill, he noticed the restaurant had started serving crayfish and decided to pack some to take back. After having eaten He Wei¡¯s pan-fried dumplings last time, treating him to three pounds of crayfish this time should be considered fair, right?


    They spread out a map on the coffee table, and He Wei was studying Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s recent activities. He had already met with the local police station this afternoon and arranged a survey under the pretext of household registration checks. Tomorrow, he planned to visit the small road where Cheng Zhenqing was last seen, hoping to find some clues.


    After 9:30 p.m., the sound of the door lock finally echoed through the house. He Wei perked up his ears, listening carefully as if he could hear the rustling friction, like the sound of plastic bags. Gradually, he caught a faint scent of spiciness and freshness, both numbing and fragrant, stimulating his taste and smell.


    It was the aroma of crayfish.


    Not knowing where He Wei was, Cheng Zesheng casually placed the crayfish on the table and pulled out a chair as a signal, indicating that it was time for a late-night snack.


    As the chair was pulled out, a box of packaged thirteen-spice crayfish appeared on the table. Although the packaging was tightly sealed, it couldn¡¯t prevent the tantalizing fragrance from wafting out. It was like a seductive beauty lying on the table, enticing He Wei to come and unwrap her.


    Subconsciously, He Wei¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed, but he didn¡¯t reach out to touch the food. Instead, he took out a notepad and calmly wrote to Cheng Zesheng, explaining that he was allergic and couldn¡¯t eat it, thanking him for the gesture.


    Cheng Zesheng recalled the genetic sequencing results he had obtained today. He Wei here had allergies, and it was quite normal for a situation like this to occur. Although crayfish weren¡¯t seafood, they contained various types of foreign proteins. For individuals with allergies, they could still trigger allergic reactions.


    Cheng Zesheng: [Let¡¯s forget about this time. Next time, I¡¯ll bring back some lamb hotpot for you. It¡¯s a signature dish from a famous restaurant.]


    He Wei: [Allergic.]


    Cheng Zesheng: [Then how about some Dongshan Roast Goose? There¡¯s a branch nearby.]


    He Wei: [Allergic.]


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng fell silent. What does this guy even eat? Was there anything he wasn¡¯t allergic to?


    He Wei had undergone an allergy source screening a long time ago, producing a long list of items he couldn¡¯t consume, including many common foods. He had become accustomed to merely observing without being able to eat. The box of crayfish remained unopened, sitting on the coffee table in the living room. They both moved to the kitchen, feeling unlucky that even their refrigerator seemed to have turned against them. They couldn¡¯t have predicted a day when it would play the role of a whiteboard.


    Cheng Zesheng took out the photocopied documents and placed them on the countertop. He Wei had initially prepared tweezers, worried that if he touched the original reports, he might accidentally take them all and not be able to return them to Cheng Zesheng. However, he noticed that all the documents on the cabinet were photocopies, which pleased him. He then reached out and picked them up.


    Within the stack of documents were field investigation reports, trace evidence reports, autopsy reports, as well as crime scene diagrams and photographic evidence. The layout of the diagram was similar to what Cheng Zesheng had drawn earlier, with the body positioned near the sofa close to the entrance.


    He Wei meticulously read through the field investigation report and noticed the line that mentioned ¡°sofa shifted by 0.5cm.¡± His eyes widened, and he picked up the corresponding scene photo for verification.


    One by one, the color photocopies presented the decorations and arrangements within the Fulong Mountain Mansion. The crime scene here was almost identical to the scene they had surveyed earlier. This was the second instance He Wei knew of where the scenes overlapped in parallel worlds, following the 404 Apartment incident.


    After a moment, he used a marker to write on the refrigerator door: [Was there any detection of gunpowder residue at the scene?]


    Gunpowder residue? Cheng Zesheng was puzzled. The victim had been strangled, not shot. There were no bullet impacts, bullet casings, or shells at the scene, so how could there be gunpowder residue?


    Another line of text appeared on the smooth surface of the refrigerator door: [In your case, the sofa¡¯s position also shifted by 0.5cm. It was speculated that there was a struggle between someone at the scene and the killer, leading to the shift in the sofa¡¯s position. There were also extremely trace amounts of gunpowder residue on the sofa.]


    Cheng Zesheng was stunned, quickly asking He Wei: [Are you suspecting a connection between these two crime scenes?]


    [Yes.]


    He Wei thought for a moment and then wrote: [I¡¯ll bring your case materials tomorrow, and you¡¯ll understand.]


    Such speculation wasn¡¯t baseless; after all, both of their parallel counterparts had died within this mansion. It sounded mysterious, laden with a certain kind of connection. Cheng Zesheng decided to visit the scene again with Cheng Aiyue tomorrow to check whether there were any gunpowder traces.


    If there were indeed gunpowder residue, then the mansion might be a nexus between the two worlds. The two murder cases could be related, and the mastermind behind the killings of their parallel selves might very well be the same person.


    As it wasn¡¯t too early, they first attended to their evening tasks and decided to engage in a brief exchange around midnight. By now, they had grown accustomed to having an unseen neighbor in the house. They even established an order for showering, leaving a note on the door if one of them wanted to shower first, ensuring the other person understood.


    At the stroke of midnight, Cheng Zesheng and He Wei returned to the living room; the same time, and in the same place, not even changing the chairs.


    ¡°I mainly want to ask about your brother, his interests, hobbies, and daily habits. Please give me detailed information.¡±


    ¡°Is my death related to my brother?¡± Cheng Zesheng felt this question was rather awkward. He Wei replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure at the moment, but he¡¯s a suspect. He¡¯s also wanted for illegal possession of weapons. Even if it¡¯s not related to the murder, he still needs to be apprehended.¡±


    ¡°My brother is an anti-drug officer. What¡¯s his role in that world? And how did he end up with illegal weapons?¡± Cheng Zesheng inquired.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but you two brothers are quite capable,¡± He Wei fished out a cigarette box from his pocket, shook one out, and held it between his lips. ¡°To think you guys even set up an armory. That¡¯s the largest case of concealed firearms we¡¯ve cracked in Shengzhou City over the past few years.¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± Cheng Zesheng mentally sighed. It seemed like those who relied on their looks didn¡¯t have a promising future. He was, after all, a police officer here, serving the people. Yet, in this other world, had he become a criminal?


    As the cigarette was lit, a wisp of blue smoke spiraled up. Suddenly, Cheng Zesheng caught a faint whiff of smoke from a familiar brand¡ªsomething he would smoke during gatherings or high-pressure cases to perk himself up.


    ¡°Marlboro?¡±


    ¡°You smoke this brand too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the popping beads are quite good.¡±


    He Wei glanced at the cigarette in his hand, and in that moment, a strange sensation overcame him¡ªit was as if his connection with Cheng Zesheng was deepening.


    Including the smell of crayfish he had sensed when the other party entered the door, and the scent of cigarettes now, olfactory memories were among the most enduring. The two parallel universes seemed to be gradually merging and deepening, almost unconsciously.


    ¡ª


    The special task force¡¯s small team gathered together, with a map of Shang¡¯an District spread out on the table. He Wei held a pen and circled a few locations, saying, ¡°Wu Xiaolei, Xiao Xia, take two teams and focus on these two gyms in the Dahua Building and Shunhe Road, the audio store in Pingju Square, the Fulong Supermarket¡ªkeep a close watch on these places.¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, go with the officers from Shunhe Street Police Station for the household registration investigation. ErHu, go with her and protect Xiaoxiao. If you find the suspect, don¡¯t act impulsively. Ensure he¡¯s not carrying any harmful weapons before taking action. If anything seems unusual, don¡¯t startle him and wait for backup.¡±


    ¡°Chong Zhen, go ask Youqing for a set of evidence collection tools. Come with me to that alley.¡±


    He Wei folded the map, saying, ¡°Chief Zheng talked to me a couple of days ago. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s case needs to be progressed quickly. We don¡¯t have a breakthrough yet. If we can catch Cheng Zhenqing, it might unravel a lot of mysteries. Everyone, work a bit harder and bring him in as soon as possible.¡±


    The people in the room all responded in unison and went their separate ways. He Wei set off with Chongzhen, who asked, ¡°Are the places you arranged reliable?¡±


    ¡°Unless something unexpected happens, they should be reliable.¡± These were the locations he had circled based on Cheng Zesheng¡¯s description. Although he didn¡¯t know if Cheng Zhenqing in this world would have the same hobbies and habits, they didn¡¯t have much information about this world¡¯s Cheng Zhenqing. It was better to trust Cheng Zesheng¡¯s insights.


    ¡°Hey, you look so confident. Where did you get this information from?¡± ChongZhen¡¯s eyes shifted. ¡°Did your old contacts provide this?¡±


    ¡°Not them, it¡¯s someone else,¡± He Wei chuckled. ¡°A newly developed informant. They¡¯ve been extremely helpful with this case.¡±

 CH 28

    Chapter 28: Exposed


    Cheng Aiyue carried a piece of evidence box while Xiang Yang followed behind, and together with Cheng Zesheng, they once again arrived at this mansion hidden deep within the secluded mountains.


    They were all dressed in the required three-piece ensemble for entry. Curiously, Cheng Aiyue asked, ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, why did you suddenly decide to look for gunpowder residue ?¡±


    Xiang Yang also looked on curiously, and Cheng Zesheng cleared his throat lightly. ¡°A friend I consulted with made the speculation.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, oh my, even the handsome Chengbis seeking outside help? How rare and unusual,¡± Cheng Aiyue raised an eyebrow and smiled. ¡°You know, among us at the bureau, your unofficial nickname is ¡®Heartless (Tie Shou)¡¯ from ¡®The Four.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t accept any friendliness and never ask for help; truly heartless.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t want to talk nonsense, so he pointed at the sofa. ¡°The focus is on that. Both the seams and the lining have been thoroughly examined.¡±


    The work began, with Xiang Yang standing by holding a small screen, and Cheng Aiyue holding a portable microscope, moving it over the surface of the sofa.


    ¡°It¡¯s all just dust, bacteria, thread-like cotton fibers, stains¡­ Tsk, this sofa is so dirty, it¡¯s giving me goosebumps.¡± Cheng Aiyue gave a slight smile toward Yang. ¡°Hey kiddo, do you want me to increase the magnification so you can see how dust mites move?¡±


    Xiang Yang¡¯s scalp tingled, and he quickly refused. He thought about those unseen little bugs, his hair standing on end. Sometimes, not knowing certain things makes them easier to ignore.


    ¡°Huh? There are gray-black particles here. Handsome, lend a hand and lift up the lining,¡± Cheng Aiyue said.


    Cheng Zesheng lifted up a square sofa cushion, and Cheng Aiyue knelt on the sofa, sweeping the microscope lens through the seams. The gray-black particles were inconspicuous among the dust, but under high magnification, they exhibited a markedly different solid state from the dust.


    ¡°The distribution is mainly concentrated on the surface of the sofa, with a few residual particles falling into the crevices. The color and shape resemble unburned gunpowder particles. To be sure, we need to extract them and analyze their composition in the lab.¡±


    Cheng Aiyue, the professional forensic investigator, looked convinced, so at least 80% of it could be confirmed as gunpowder residue. Xiang Yang was amazed, ¡°There really are traces! Vice-Captain Cheng, who is your friend? They¡¯re so skilled.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m curious too.¡± Cheng Aiyue took out the electrostatic adsorber to extract the residue. ¡°How did he manage to deduce this? There¡¯s no sign of firearms at the scene. Who could have thought of this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t answer. He couldn¡¯t possibly tell them that there had been a shooting incident in the neighboring world, right? He could only urge them to finish up quickly and bring the samples back to the lab for composition analysis.


    Currently, there was only the possibility of two parallel worlds¡¯ crime scenes overlapping. Everything depended on the composition spectrum coming out and then comparing it with the report from He Wei¡¯s side to confirm if it was the same type of substance before any conclusions could be drawn.


    ¡°By the way, was He Wei¡¯s clothing tested for gunpowder residue?¡±


    Cheng Aiyue shook her head. ¡°No, his shirt was clean. If we had found any gunpowder particles, we would have told you a long time ago.¡±


    In He Wei¡¯s autopsy report, there was also no indication of residual gunpowder components, gun oil, or metal fragments on his hands. Cheng Zesheng believed Jiang Tan wouldn¡¯t overlook such details. The secondary autopsy was meticulous, even discovering injuries He Wei had sustained to his ankle when he was a child. Needless to say, they would have noticed such obvious traces.


    If the crime scenes from the two worlds were indeed related, then what role did the deceased He Wei play in the shooting case?


    With the extraction of the gunshot residue from the sofa completed, Cheng Zesheng and the others carefully examined the corners and crevices of the living room. They found only a few sparse particles of gunpowder and metal fragments. Following their trajectory, they led to one of the overlapping shoeprints in the living room.


    Apart from these residues, there was no trace of the shooting case anywhere else in the mansion. This included the courtyard and the backyard. The police dogs had searched twice, their sense of smell was much more developed than that of humans, yet they still hadn¡¯t found any relevant clues.


    ¡°Will the composition analysis be ready tonight?¡± Cheng Zesheng asked.


    ¡°Boss, look at the time. I¡¯ve mentioned this before, making coffee doesn¡¯t happen this quickly either,¡± Cheng Aiyue took off her gloves and complained. ¡°Why don¡¯t I give you the lab? Let¡¯s see how long you can tinker around.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Cheng Zesheng tossed his plastic gloves into the recycling bag. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll be working overtime tonight. Thanks for your hard work.¡±


    Cheng Aiyue¡¯s facial expression changed, and the curse that was about to come out of her mouth took a turn. She snorted and said, ¡°I understand. Rest assured, as long as the report is ready, I¡¯ll make the presentation even if it¡¯s the early hours of the morning!¡±


    Cheng Zesheng was indifferent. He was staying up late now, so what¡¯s early morning? He was still discussing the case with that ¡°friend¡± in the early hours.


    ¡ª¡ª


    He Wei and Chong Zhen stood at the crossroads. Across from them was a shopping mall, with a large LCD screen displaying the advertisements in turn.


    They waited for five minutes before seeing the endorsement of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s wristwatch, which made Chong Zhen even more inclined to agree with He Wei¡¯s speculation. Initially, Cheng Zhenqing had been ready to leave directly, but the advertisement happened to play Cheng Zesheng¡¯s part, causing them to pause for a few seconds before leaving after it ended.


    He Wei looked up at the screen and remarked calmly, ¡°Although those two brothers didn¡¯t grow up together, their bond is strong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, during his ¡®hide and seek¡¯ phase, apart from necessities, he rarely stepped out. Yet, he stayed on the street for so long just to watch his younger brother¡¯s advertisement.¡±


    He Wei smiled and said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand this, since you¡¯re an only child.¡±


    Chong Zhen¡¯s teeth were almost sour. Isn¡¯t it just having a younger brother? Whether there was a reason to bring it up or not, he casually mentioned it as if he was showing off,


    It was no wonder, He Wei had always been indifferent toward romantic relationships, had only a handful of friends, and cherished family above all else. He grew up with his mother, while his younger brother was with their father after their parents divorced. Despite growing up in different environments, their bond as brothers hadn¡¯t faded but rather intensified due to the distance between them.


    They followed the path Cheng Zhenqing had taken and arrived at the narrow alley. Two grocery stores sat at either end of the alley, tended by elderly, white-haired individuals who wore reading glasses as they perused newspapers, hardly noticing people passing by. They only looked up when someone came for business.


    He Wei observed the sparsely populated little crossroads. Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s chosen route was indeed accurate. This street lacked traffic lights, and both horizontal and vertical roads had no surveillance cameras. One had to walk a hundred meters to reach the busier main road. Moreover, there were two small gates leading to residential compounds, adding further complexity to Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s possible routes. He could have exited from three different intersections, possibly entered a compound and left from another gate, or even just lived in the area and headed straight home.


    ¡°After I came to check it out last time, I realized Cheng Zhenqing is really crafty,¡± Chong Zhen looked around, ¡°Look at this. How many intersections like this, where it¡¯s completely open, can you find now? There isn¡¯t even a surveillance camera around, and I¡¯m amazed as well.¡±


    ¡°Then you have to report the situation to the traffic department and urban management. The surveillance coverage is inadequate, allowing criminals to take advantage,¡± He Wei casually added, pointing at both sides of the street, ¡°Where do you think he went?¡±


    ¡°Where did he go? Let¡¯s go this way,¡± Chong Zhen casually pointed to the left.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s this way,¡± He Wei walked in the direction to the right, with Chong Zhen following. ¡°What¡¯s your reasoning?¡±


    He Wei smiled but didn¡¯t answer immediately. He waited until they reached the next intersection. Chong Zhen looked up and saw a gym on the opposite building, the very one that He Wei had asked him to focus on. He suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, ¡°Darn it! How did I forget? I was the one who gave you the map!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I can solve cases in three days while you take a week,¡± He Wei¡¯s smile was composed. ¡°And remember when we were at Cheng Zesheng¡¯s house last time? You asked me how I knew the book was suspicious?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because the thickness of that ¡®Guiguzi¡¯ book was off. I have a copy of it at home as well.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chong Zhen sighed and shook his head. Well, losing to He Wei was just the norm, wasn¡¯t it? Since this man entered the city bureau, he hadn¡¯t had any unsolved cases in his hands. Even Conan would have to kneel before him, after all, Chong Zhen hadn¡¯t seen Conan perform an autopsy, but He Wei was a master at it.


    Two colleagues were sitting in a car, keeping an eye on this gym. Chong Zhen instructed them to move farther away or come inside and sit at the caf¨¦ across the street. How could they be so careless? Didn¡¯t they notice that their car was the only one parked on this street? It was as if they were afraid people won¡¯t know they were tailing someone.


    He Wei went upstairs to the gym, showed his ID, and asked at the front desk while holding Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s photo, ¡°Have you seen him?¡±


    The front desk stared at the photo for a long time, then apologized with a smile, ¡°It seems not.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s over 1.8 meters tall, slim, and usually wears sunglasses and a mask. Have you had a customer like that in the gym?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s someone like that, but he¡¯s not a customer. He came to see our trainer, Ding.¡± The front desk picked up a walkie-talkie. ¡°Xiao Meng, have teacher Ding come to the front desk; someone¡¯s looking for him.¡±


    Five minutes later, a muscular man with a crew cut and wearing shorts and a racerback came out. He Wei raised the ID in his hand slightly. ¡°Sorry to bother you. Just a few questions, and it¡¯ll be over soon.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    While Chong Zhen finished smoking downstairs, He Wei came down. He patted Chong Zhen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Have you bought the map?¡±


    ¡°Done asking so quickly?¡± Chong Zhen took out the map from his pocket.  He Wei pulled out a pen and added a few points on the map. Chong Zhen glanced down. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°He used a fake identity named ¡®Ma Guangming.¡¯ He had known the personal trainer here for about half a year. The trainer mentioned they had drinks together and sparred a few times, but they haven¡¯t seen him this month. His phone is off, and he¡¯s not responding on WeChat either.¡± He Wei drew lines extending from these points, eventually intersecting at a single point: the Walnut Grove residential area.


    Chong Zhen had already taken out his phone, dialed a number, and asked him and Yun Xiaoxiao to go directly to investigate the Hutaoli community and investigate a person named ¡°Ma Guangming¡±.


    After hanging up the phone, Chongzhen sighed. ¡°You coming here is always effective. We¡¯ve narrowed the search to one community.¡±


    He Wei put the map away and cautioned him not to celebrate too soon. A considerable amount of time has passed since the crime. It wasn¡¯t clear whether Cheng Zhenqing had moved during this time. The revelation of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s death would undoubtedly be made public, and if Cheng Zhenqing had the foresight, he could have escaped abroad.


    Chong Zhen rubbed his chin, lost in thought for a few seconds, and then said resolutely, ¡°No, he won¡¯t. He definitely won¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°The bond between those two brothers is strong. With Cheng Zesheng dead, he won¡¯t just disappear.¡±

 CH 29

    Chapter 29: Floded Time and Space


    Cheng Zesheng brought back a portion of chestnut duck wings. Can he still be allergic to common poultry such as chicken, duck, fish, and meat? If he can¡¯t eat these, it would be incredibly pitiful and inhumane. What joy is there in life?


    Upon returning home, he looked up and noticed a freestanding whiteboard next to the TV in the living room, similar to the kind they use for meetings in the office. There were whiteboard erasers, whiteboard markers, and magnetic stickers below it. It seemed that the refrigerator door could finally return to its original purpose and wouldn¡¯t have to double as a writing board anymore.


    Cheng Zesheng placed the chestnut duck on the table, standing in front of the whiteboard, hesitating and not daring to touch it. According to the rules they had deduced for the exchange of items, if they touched things brought back by each other, those things would be transferred to their own worlds. So, if Cheng Zesheng touched the whiteboard that He Wei had bought, He Wei probably wouldn¡¯t be able to see it. The refrigerator door was still more effective in that regard.


    He Wei came downstairs and immediately noticed the takeout on the table. The aroma was trapped within the bag, but it couldn¡¯t hide its enticing scent. It was the kind of scent he could enjoy.


    Cheng Zesheng heard the sound of the plastic bag rustling as it was opened, so he walked over and passed a small note: ¡°Can you eat this?¡±


    By the time he received the note, He Wei had already picked up a soft and sweet chestnut and put it in his mouth. He couldn¡¯t write conveniently, so he used chopsticks to make three strokes on the table, paused, then made another stroke, followed by a tap and another stroke.


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng was speechless. Why use Morse code for something as simple as eating?


    Comparing the Morse code chart, the signals He Wei sent spelled out the letters ¡°OK.¡± Realizing that he wasn¡¯t allergic, Cheng Zesheng felt relieved. He went to the kitchen, heated up the remaining crayfish in the fridge, and sat across from He Wei. One was eating chestnut duck wings, while the other was nibbling on thirteen-spice crayfish.


    He Wei slowly gnawed on the duck¡¯s wing. He knew Cheng Zesheng was on the other side because the aroma of the crayfish with thirteen spices was truly irresistible. He freed one hand and used chopsticks to tap out Morse code on the table. Cheng Zesheng understood the message and was once again speechless.


    He Wei said, ¡°It¡¯s too fragrant, let¡¯s change places.¡±


    Who was supposed to change places? It was definitely him. Cheng Zesheng had initially intended to stay put, thinking that He Wei wouldn¡¯t be able to do much to him if he just sat there. But considering that he couldn¡¯t satisfy his appetite with the tantalizing aroma around him, he felt a bit pitiful. He obediently picked up the small crayfish and moved to the sofa area.


    The scent of the small crayfish wafted away, and the box appeared on the coffee table. He Wei¡¯s lips curled up slightly, quiet obedient.


    Half an hour later, He Wei wiped his hands clean, feeling content. He had never tasted chestnut duck wings this delicious¡ªsweet chestnuts and well-flavored duck wings. He wondered if they had this restaurant on their side. He decided to ask Cheng Zesheng later, when he had the chance.


    The table was now clean, and He Wei rolled up his sleeves, ready to do some chores and tidy up the house.


    This was one of the reasons why Cheng Zesheng could tolerate living under the same roof with an unseen neighbor like He Wei. He Wei was a clean freak; whenever he had free time, he would do chores around the house. He would mop the floor until it was spotless, making it look as pristine as a model home in a sales office. Moreover, he never demanded Cheng Zesheng¡¯s help. Instead, he set some rules, like not allowing wet slippers in the living room and making sure no leftover dishes were left in the kitchen.


    Cheng Zesheng had always suspected if He Wei was a Virgo due to his cleanliness habits. After checking the information, he realized He Wei¡¯s birthday was in January, making him a Capricorn. This revelation seemed quite reasonable to Cheng Zesheng. Being a hygiene-conscious Capricorn, it was fortunate that they didn¡¯t meet in person; otherwise, they might have ended up arguing over such minor issues.


    He Wei¡¯s cleaning routine was straightforward¡ªtop to bottom, from the living room to the kitchen. When he finished tidying the upstairs rooms, including Cheng Zesheng¡¯s room, he came downstairs with a cloth and noticed the remaining small crayfish were unfinished, with their shells haphazardly piled on the coffee table, which annoyed him.


    Walking over to take a look, he found there were only a few left in the box. Decisively, he reached out, cleaned up the crayfish shells, and swept them into the trash bin with swift and efficient movements.


    Cheng Zesheng was simply looking at his phone, contemplating changing the video program. When he looked up again, the box and crayfish were nowhere to be seen.


    ¡­Well, he had almost finished eating anyway, and it¡¯s not like he would be heartbroken over not finishing them. Cheng Zesheng wiped his hands and felt a bit awkward having the neighbor do all the housework alone. With good intentions, he wrote a note asking if he needed help.


    He Wei replied promptly: ¡°You can mop the floor.¡±


    As the cleaning neared its end, only the mopping was left. Since someone was willing to help, why not?


    He Wei went upstairs and tapped out a Morse code message on the wooden staircase railing with his fingers. He informed Cheng Zesheng that he needed to use the bathroom first and would be taking a shower soon.


    During He Wei¡¯s shower time, Cheng Zesheng mopped the entire house. Looking at the glossy, newly-shined ceramic tile floor that gleamed in the light, he felt a significant sense of accomplishment. He had rarely done household chores from childhood to adulthood, and voluntarily offered to help was even rarer. Occasionally doing it made him surprisingly content.


    The ¡°swoosh¡± of the shower glass door opening was followed by He Wei slipping slightly as he stepped out, quickly grabbing onto the door to steady himself. When people are startled, their heartbeats instinctively quicken. This happened to He Wei; his heart seemed to have jumped into his throat due to the sudden fright.


    The ceramic tiles throughout the living room reflected light to the point of glossiness. He Wei¡¯s lips twitched, suspecting that maybe he hadn¡¯t slipped by accident. He wondered if Cheng Zesheng deliberately mopped the tiles so wetly to make him fall.


    Helpless, He Wei had to get another dry mop and redo the areas that were obviously watermarked and overly shiny.


    Cheng Zesheng sat on the sofa, eagerly anticipating He Wei¡¯s praise. The bathroom door had already closed and opened fifteen minutes ago; why wasn¡¯t there any movement yet?


    In just three seconds, the small note that Cheng Zesheng was hoping for appeared.


    [Don¡¯t mop the floor in the future; you¡¯re not suited for it.]


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After they had each finished their respective tasks, it was already past ten o¡¯clock, and it was time for the case analysis.


    He Wei held a stack of documents and began by placing individual photos and photocopies on the whiteboard using magnetic stickers. With a whiteboard marker in hand, he meticulously wrote down the tangential ideas and speculations sparked by the materials. It was as if he were conducting a case analysis with a specialized team.


    He had bought this whiteboard in the afternoon with Chong Zhen¡¯s help and set it up at home. It was considered an item brought in by Chong Zhen. This idea was born out of necessity. Since they belonged to different worlds and were limited by the rules of item exchange, items purchased by others were exceptions. Both of them could touch and interact with those items, and they wouldn¡¯t disappear.


    Chong Zhen was surprised and couldn¡¯t fathom why He Wei wanted a whiteboard at home. He suggested he should work overtime at the office, where there were plenty of whiteboards. He also mentioned that they had blackboards if the whiteboards were all taken.


    He Wei told him not to waste words; it had its purpose. Chong Zhen persistently asked what the purpose was, only to receive a cold smile from He Wei. ¡°To chat with Cheng Zesheng.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Chong Zhen¡¯s body was covered in goosebumps, and without hesitation, he pulled out money, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll buy it, I¡¯ll buy it.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng came downstairs, holding a small notebook and wearing a pair of frameless reading glasses. He looked like he had come to attend a lecture. The whiteboard was densely filled with content. Cheng Zesheng pushed up his glasses and carefully read the information written on it.


    [The whiteboard and materials can be touched, but not the photos. They¡¯re original documents.]


    These were the first few words at the top of the board, followed by the formal heading: ¡°Case Analysis of the Deceased Cheng Zesheng.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± After an entire evening, Cheng Zesheng was left speechless for the third time. He didn¡¯t describe him as ¡°the deceased He Wei¡±, right? Seeing his name juxtaposed with the words ¡°deceased¡± did feel strange.


    On the other hand, He Wei didn¡¯t share the same sentiment. The one who died on his side was indeed Cheng Zesheng, but the pianist Cheng Zesheng. How else could he describe it? Was he supposed to write ¡°Analysis of the Death of Cheng Zesheng #1¡±?


    What made Cheng Zesheng feel even more peculiar were the photos of the deceased¡¯s body. The man, who looked just like him, had a pale complexion and a hole in his chest. The body was shown from various angles, depicting the condition of the deceased beauty in a vivid and detailed manner.


    Underneath the photos of the body were pictures of the crime scene. The mansion where the shooting took place was exactly the same as the scene he had surveyed. The shattered glass windows were identical in shape. The body of ¡°Cheng Zesheng¡± was also in the living room, and at first glance, the position of the footprints in the crime scene matched closely with their own scene. Looking at the autopsy report, an idea started to form in Cheng Zesheng¡¯s mind.


    He asked He Wei to take out the photocopies of the crime scene photos he had brought back yesterday and placed them beside the photos of the body. He Wei complied, attaching the photo of the ¡°He Wei¡± body and the images of the two sets of footprints below. Cheng Zesheng stroked his chin, calculated the distance based on both sides¡¯ crime scene reports, and gradually widened his eyes.


    Could it be¡­ He quickly checked the time of death and found that both deaths were estimated within the same time frame¡ªbetween 3:00 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest, and he dropped his pen on the floor.


    ¡°Snap!¡± The crisp sound echoed conspicuously in the silent apartment. He Wei heard it too, but he had no time to pay attention because, at that moment, he was furrowing his brows, realizing the gravity of the situation.


    [You¡¯ve figured it out, haven¡¯t you?]


    [Yeah.]


    They stared at the positions of the footprints and the bodies, both silent, seemingly finally understanding who the elusive third party that was always untraceable might be.


    According to the crime scene data from both sides, the body of ¡°Cheng Zesheng¡± was found close to the broken footprints discovered in the living room on Cheng Zesheng¡¯s side, the distance between them being less than a meter. The body of ¡°He Wei,¡± on the other hand, was located near the group of footprints found at the entrance on He Wei¡¯s side, the distance between them being less than half a meter.


    Several minutes passed, and Cheng Zesheng finally picked up his pen again, slowly writing on the whiteboard: [In the first set of broken footprints, there¡¯s an unknown shoeprint that might be mine.]


    As he wrote these words, his throat felt dry. He thought it was too abrupt and bizarre, yet upon careful consideration, he found that there was a trace to follow, something that made sense.


    The corner of He Wei¡¯s lips curled into a rare bitter smile as he gazed at the group of footprints and the body of his parallel self. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the incredible incredibility of it all.


    When they had extracted Cheng Zesheng¡¯s footprints along with an unidentified set from that group of footprints, he had always believed that there was a third party present with Cheng Zesheng, someone who had cleaned up the scene, leaving everything spotless, including the body. However, he couldn¡¯t understand why they hadn¡¯t done anything about the bloodstains.


    Now he realized, it might not solely have been the work of a third party; the uniqueness of that mansion¡¯s environment played a role in this scene as well.


    Now that the details of both sides¡¯ cases were clearly laid out, both of them felt a sense of confusion. The traces of their respective scenes seemed to have become intertwined and chaotic.


    In an instant, He Wei felt a touch of perplexity. Was this a test by the god of deduction or some sort of magic within the universe¡¯s spacetime?


    [There is no third party; the third party is ourselves.]


    He Wei put down his pen, sat on the sofa, and pressed his forehead with his fingers, remaining silent for a long time.


    On that night, it was unknown what kind of story unfolded, causing the two separate time-space dimensions within that mansion to somehow fold and overlap.

 CH 30

    Chapter 30: Separation of Evidence


    After realizing the possibility of spatial folding within the mansion, He Wei and Cheng Zesheng had to reexamine the evidence they held in their hands. They needed to determine which pieces of evidence truly belonged to their case and which ones might have seeped in from another world due to the folding phenomenon.


    ¡°Do you think these two cases occurred simultaneously or separately?¡± He Wei asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a high probability that they are interconnected,¡± Cheng Zesheng pointed out the similarities in two separate autopsy reports, showing multiple points of convergence. According to his analysis, the shooting case likely happened first, followed by the strangling case. He erased a section on paper and sketched a simplified crime scene, placing the bodies and traces from both worlds into it. ¡°You see, if this were one crime scene, the reconstructed scenario suggests that the perpetrator killed Cheng Zesheng first, then engaged in a struggle with He Wei before killing him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the logical progression, but there are some crucial aspects we haven¡¯t figured out yet,¡± He Wei circled two sets of shoeprints with a pen, raising a question. ¡°For instance, are these shoeprints truly indicative of two individuals entering and leaving the scene at the same time, or did they each enter and exit separately in their respective worlds, with the shoeprints overlapping to create a false impression? This is essential; it has a decisive impact on determining the number of individuals present at the scene.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng picked up the photo of shoeprints with the embedded stone and compared it to the incomplete shoe prints extracted from the group of shoe prints on He Wei¡¯s side. He noticed that while the shapes and sizes of the shoe prints matched, the incomplete ones didn¡¯t have the embedded stone, while they clearly aligned with the deceased He Wei¡¯s shoe prints.


    ¡°The footprints on your side might have permeated into my crime scene,¡± Cheng Zesheng suggested.


    He Wei remained silent, maintaining a skeptical attitude.


    Cheng Zesheng circled a cluster of disordered shoeprints that shared the same pattern, saying, ¡°These are obvious signs of a struggle, and it belong to my case. They can help reconstruct the complete movement sequence between the perpetrator and the victim. It¡¯s not the result of overlapping infiltration.¡±


    ¡°Currently, only this piece is certain; the rest can¡¯t be conclusively determined,¡± He Wei drew a stick figure next to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s body, ¡°There are some gaps in the blood spatter patterns around Cheng Zesheng¡¯s body after he was shot. I initially suspected the presence of a third person nearby, blocking the blood spatters. Now, we can¡¯t be sure if there really was a person standing there, or if your version of He Wei happened to be in that position, acting as a transparent obstacle, causing the gaps in the blood spatters.¡±


    ¡°I still lean towards the existence of a third person rather than the folding effect,¡± Cheng Zesheng compared the shoeprint with the embedded stone to the others, ¡°This one was discovered later in my case. At the time, I deduced it might be a fourth person at the scene. However, if we consider it from your perspective, it could be that he and Cheng Zesheng entered the mansion together, and he was by his side when Cheng Zesheng was shot.¡±


    ¡°Following your line of thought, wouldn¡¯t it be more logical for the ¡®me¡¯ from this world to enter with Cheng Zesheng?¡± He Wei chuckled and shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Do you know what I was doing when he died? I was still working on another haunted case. I had just apprehended a suspect when I received a call in the middle of the night, reporting a homicide at the mansion.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t doubt He Wei, but he knew that He Wei had a twin brother, and this fact couldn¡¯t be overlooked. On his side, there was no established time for He Lu¡¯s involvement in the case, leaving room for the possibility that He Lu from the other side might have been responsible. Given He Lu¡¯s connection to Cheng Zesheng, it wasn¡¯t implausible that they entered the mansion together.


    He Wei fell silent, shaking his head slowly. ¡°A-Lu wouldn¡¯t do that. I know him. He can¡¯t lie to me. He wouldn¡¯t be able to hide something like this.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng wasn¡¯t familiar with the He Lu from He Wei¡¯s world, but the He Lu on his side was rather straightforward ¨C their common trait seemed to be an inability to hide emotions or secrets; everything showed on their faces.


    Tonight, the worldviews of these two adept investigators were once again shattered. Their original thought processes were torn apart, requiring complete reassembly. Unsolved mysteries piled up one after another, and with the introduction of another world, the situation became even more intricate.


    It was clear that the mansion was a focal point, but the mysterious force behind it allowed certain traces from both worlds to fold and infiltrate. Moreover, the evidence that left the mansion didn¡¯t disintegrate in the atomic structure like the situation in 404 and the situation was much more stable.


    After pondering for a moment, He Wei snapped his fingers. ¡°Tomorrow night at 12 o¡¯clock, I¡¯ll go to the mansion, and you should come too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is the nature of that place the same as here? How do you know if we can communicate?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because we don¡¯t know that we need to verify it,¡± He Wei stood up, closed his notebook, and placed the pen back in its original spot. ¡°If the mansion¡¯s state is even more stable than this one, who knows, you might even be visible.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    At the Hutaoli Community, Yun Xiaoxiao and a police officer from Shunhe Street Police Station knocked on the door of Unit 203 in Building 32.


    The man who answered the door was wearing a tank top and shorts, his hair in a messy style, and his eyes barely opened from sleepiness. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Registering residency, please cooperate,¡± the police officer entered the apartment, followed by Yun Xiaoxiao holding a registration book, while Hu Songkai stood at the doorway like a guardian deity.


    The man took out his ID card for registration. The police officer asked, ¡°Are you the owner of the property?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m renting the place.¡±


    ¡°Do you live alone?¡±


    ¡°I have a roommate, but he hasn¡¯t been back for a while, and he hasn¡¯t terminated the lease either. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao looked up. ¡°What¡¯s the name of your roommate?¡±


    ¡°Ma Guangming, I think? It should be that.¡± The man yawned. ¡°We haven¡¯t talked much. I¡¯m on the day shift, and he¡¯s always out at night. We hardly ever cross paths.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he works night shifts, right?¡± the police officer remarked.


    ¡°Who knows, really? That guy seems not to need to work. Someone¡¯s probably supporting him.¡± The man suddenly became enthusiastic, winking, ¡°Tall and thin, really handsome, like a celebrity. I even suspect he¡¯s in that line of work.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao pretended to be clueless. ¡°Which line of work?¡±


    ¡°That one! They call it ¡®Nulang¡®1 in Japan, and here it¡¯s a ¡®duck¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I remember. I have a friend who said they often see a handsome guy in nearby bars, with a charismatic and charming presence. Incredibly good-looking.¡± Yun Xiaoxiao timely pulled out her phone and displayed the photo. The man looked at it and immediately exclaimed, ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s him! I knew he wasn¡¯t a decent person. He must be going to bars to attract wealthy women.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao smiled, then glanced back at Hu Songkai, exchanging a look. They had found the right person!


    ¡°Where¡¯s the bathroom?¡± Hu Songkai asked.


    The man gestured inside, and Hu Songkai nodded, giving Yun Xiaoxiao a signal to continue the conversation while he went in to take a look.


    Using the excuse of needing to use the restroom, Hu Songkai entered the room opposite the man¡¯s bedroom. He gently turned the doorknob, and a musty smell, built up from days of being sealed, wafted out. This indicated that Cheng Zhenqing hadn¡¯t been living here for at least half a month.


    Compared to the messiness of the man with messy hair, Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s room was relatively tidy. There weren¡¯t many clothes in the wardrobe, as if a batch had been packed and taken away. Presumably, after Cheng Zesheng¡¯s incident, he had a premonition that the police would eventually find him. So, he had found a temporary place to lay low.


    Several pamphlets were placed on the table, and Hu Songkai pocketed all of them. Opening a drawer, he found a few philosophy-related books, and beneath them was a thick dictionary. Hu Songkai absentmindedly flipped through the dictionary, causing a few photos to fall out. They were all pictures of Cheng Zhenqing and Cheng Zesheng together, with a foreign backdrop. The flagpole in the background displayed the Canadian maple leaf flag.


    Hu Songkai took the photos with him as well. After searching the room thoroughly, he came out. Yun Xiaoxiao was still chatting with the man. Hu Songkai signaled to her to leave first.


    Leaving Building 32, Yun Xiaoxiao hurriedly asked, ¡°ErHu-ge, did you find any clues?¡±


    Hu Songkai pulled out the photos and pamphlets from his pocket, saying, ¡°The guy indeed hasn¡¯t been here for a while. Take these back and have Lao He analyze them. He can calculate where he might be.¡±


    ¡°Calculate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lao He made the calculation, and all the criminals are done for.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    He Wei was in his office, with crime scene photos pinned on a whiteboard. He added the information he had obtained from Cheng Zesheng, fitting the scattered puzzle pieces into their rightful places, making the scene instantly more coherent.


    ¡°What are you studying? I¡¯ve seen you stuck here for quite a while,¡± Chong Zhen walked in, handing him a bottle of soda along the way.


    ¡°It¡¯s the mansion crime scene. I received some crucial information yesterday. We need to overturn and rebuild the case.¡±


    ¡°Is it from that informant again? Hey, what¡¯s this? Where did these shoeprints come from?¡± Chong Zhen pointed at the color photocopy.


    He Wei twisted open the soda and tapped the whiteboard with his index finger. ¡°Tell me, doesn¡¯t the scene look much clearer and more complete now?¡±


    Chong Zhen rubbed his chin, becoming more fascinated the longer he looked. ¡°The elusive third party we¡¯ve been unable to find clues about. Now it seems that Cheng Zesheng went in with that someone, and he was also present during the shooting. But where did these shoe prints come from? Were they photographed at the scene?¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± He Wei beckoned with a curled finger. ¡°How about joining me for a visit to the mansion tonight?¡±


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t we do it during the day?¡±


    He Wei shook his head. His first priority was undoubtedly experimenting with the time related to the apartment¡¯s node. If it didn¡¯t work out, he could try a different time later.


    ¡°Then you have to tell me what we¡¯re going to do there,¡± Chong Zhen asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to find Cheng Zesheng.¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± Chong Zhen stood up, took hold of He Wei¡¯s hand, and earnestly advised, ¡°Lao He, listen to me. You should go to a temple, burn some incense, and ask for a protective charm. Dealing with cases is one thing, but being all mystical and superstitious all the time is quite unnerving.¡±


    He Wei knocked his hand away and said bluntly. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine. Just tell me whether you¡¯re coming or not.¡±


    Chong Zhen was torn. Going to the crime scene for an investigation was one thing, but summoning spirits seemed to be crossing a line, right? Did they really need to find a professional medium or Taoist priest? What if they actually summoned something? The two of them wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go ask Lan-jie. She¡¯d probably be happy to come along and see what¡¯s going on¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s wrong with you? Lan-jie is a delicate woman. Do you have the heart to put her through that?¡± Chong Zhen grabbed He Wei¡¯s collar, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go. But don¡¯t bother Lan-jie. I¡¯m a bit jealous, you know. If you keep looking for her, I¡¯ll be jealous.¡±


    He Wei was caught in his grip, stumbled a bit, and almost fell to the ground. He instinctively grabbed onto Chong Zhen¡¯s clothes and furrowed his brows. ¡°Stop using force when you talk. If you keep this up, I¡¯ll report you for harassment.¡±


    ¡°As long as you stop bothering Lan-jie, I¡¯ll accept being accused of harassment.¡±


    As they were joking around, Zheng Youqing happened to be standing at the doorway, holding coffee and mousse cake for He Wei. Seeing their actions, her eyes shimmered with surprise.


    Chong Zhen quickly released He Wei, raising his hands to show his innocence.


    ¡°Youqing, there¡¯s a misunderstanding. I was just saying I¡¯m jealous of Lan-jie. Lao He has a good relationship with her, and I don¡¯t feel comfortable about it. I warned him to keep his distance from Lan-jie¡­¡± Chong Zhen explained, halfway through realizing that his words sounded strange, so he rephrased, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t have any intentions towards Lao He. He¡¯s a grown man, and he¡¯s also a bit of a germophobe, right¡­¡±


    Zheng Youqing intentionally huffed, ¡°No need to explain. Love rival.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 CH 31

    Chapter 31: [HELLO] [Hello]


    In the dead of night, with a bright moon hanging in the black night sky, a jeep stopped at the intersection of Fulong Mountain. Chong Zhen and He Wei climbed the mountain road for ten minutes and arrived at the mansion.


    As the days since Cheng Zesheng¡¯s passing grew longer, the number of fans coming to the mountain to mourn gradually decreased. However, there were still those who couldn¡¯t forget, treating this place as Cheng Zesheng¡¯s resting place. Every day, they would place a bouquet of flowers here and pray for him.


    They stood outside the cordon and saw a bunch of delicate and beautiful lilies placed quietly there. The blooming flowers were still adorned with dew, indicating that they had been placed there only in the evening. Chong Zhen exclaimed, ¡°Being a celebrity is great. Look at this, so many people take turns to remember. If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t even want to be reincarnated.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t have that kind of fate.¡± He Wei bent over, picked up the card inserted in the lilies, turned it over, and saw two lines of elegant handwriting. The top line read, ¡°HELLO.9th,¡± and the next line was signed, ¡°Wei Youdie.¡±


    ¡°Look at the dates on the back. The girl is really persistent, keeping up with fresh flowers for nine days in a row,¡± Chongzhen speculated, stroking his chin. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s like setting up a spiritual practice? You have to offer flowers continuously for forty-nine days to count?¡±


    How could He Wei know? He inserted the card back and arranged the lilies. A beam of light shone through, causing He Wei to squint his eyes. A patrolling police officer holding a flashlight approached.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just come here like this. It¡¯s a crime scene. Leave quickly.¡±


    He Wei and Chong Zhen exchanged glances. Chong Zhen cleared his throat lightly, ¡°We¡¯re from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Shengzhou Municipal Bureau.¡±


    The young patrol officer had just been assigned to patrol duty at the scene a couple of days ago and hadn¡¯t encountered anyone from the city¡¯s criminal investigation team. Seeing them in plain clothes, showing up here in the middle of the night, their motives seemed suspicious. He sternly said, ¡°Please show your ID.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, it¡¯s just the ID, right?¡± Chong Zhen reached into his pocket, felt around, and then slapped his forehead. ¡°Damn, I left it in the jacket I wore during the day!¡±


    He Wei¡¯s pocket was also empty because he had absentmindedly left the ID in the car when he took out the lighter earlier, and he didn¡¯t remember to grab it when they got out of the car.


    Now things were getting worse; the young patrol officer regarded them even more suspiciously. Chong Zhen tried to reason with a pleasant tone, ¡°Comrade, which precinct are you from? We¡¯re colleagues. Our IDs are in the car. Going down and coming back up will only take twenty minutes, and it¡¯ll save us all some time and efficiency.¡±


    The young patrol officer remained firm, ¡°If you can¡¯t produce your IDs, you can¡¯t enter. Go down the mountain quickly!¡±


    Chong Zhen couldn¡¯t help but think, why was this kid so responsible? He was about to say a few more words, but He Wei stopped him. With a sharp look, He Wei scanned the patrol officer from head to toe, smiled slightly, and then began to use his skills.


    ¡°Comrade, are you in a bad mood because your marriage proposal failed?¡±


    The patrol officer blinked and furrowed his brows, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, don¡¯t try to get close!¡±


    He Wei acted as if he didn¡¯t hear, ¡°Let me guess again. You bought a ring, reserved a candlelit dinner, and even got a luxury brand lipstick as a gift for your girlfriend. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t like it. She picked up her bag and left on the spot, which led to your unsuccessful proposal. You ended up eating alone. You¡¯re on night duty, so you couldn¡¯t make amends with your girlfriend. You must be quite frustrated, right?¡±


    The patrol officer looked bewildered and blurted out, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. The cuffs of your uniform are stained with black pepper sauce, and the white spot on your chest is likely from salad or mushroom soup. However, your demeanor doesn¡¯t seem to favor a bourgeois lifestyle. You must have chosen the Western restaurant for someone else, considering the high prices. Even if your girlfriend left in anger, you wouldn¡¯t want to waste the meal and end up eating it alone. The purpose of your visit to the Western restaurant is in your pants pocket, a square box, just the right size for a ring.¡±


    ¡°As for the reason for the argument¡­¡± He Wei raised his right hand and pointed at the back of his hand. ¡°That red mark on your hand is probably lipstick that you didn¡¯t wipe off cleanly after trying it on. You tried several shades and ended up choosing the one your girlfriend dislikes the most. No wonder you felt wronged. Did you just go to make up with her on the phone? Your phone is still in your hand. Comrade, even though I¡¯ve never been in a romantic relationship, I know that ¡®pink neon¡¯ is not a color most girls can handle. Remember, don¡¯t buy that shade in the future.¡±


    The patrol officer¡¯s nose tingled, and a wave of sadness washed over him. ¡°How do you even know this?¡±


    ¡°Because when you were wiping the lipstick, you accidentally smudged another uniform cuff.¡±


    Chong Zhen beamed triumphantly, see that? This is our Captain He with sharp eyes, whatever details you hide can¡¯t escape his gaze!


    He Wei lifted the cordon. ¡°Alright, you can continue with your phone call. We¡¯ll go in for a while and come out soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ wait!¡± The young patrol officer jumped up. ¡°Don¡¯t think that acting like Conan will work! Show me your IDs!¡±


    He Wei: ¡°¡­¡±


    Chong Zhen: ¡°¡­¡±


    Fifteen minutes later, Chong Zhen returned, panting, and thrust the identification right in front of the patrol officer¡¯s eyes. ¡°Take a good look! Captain of the Shengzhou Municipal Criminal Investigation Division! Official level! I¡¯m exhausted from going back and forth. Why is this kid so stubborn?¡±


    The patrol officer looked at the IDs, saluted the two, and gestured with a ¡°please¡± motion. He Wei tucked the ID into his pocket, lifted the cordon, and Chong Zhen went inside, commenting, ¡°Why didn¡¯t they give you a high-level deputy position? It would be even more intimidating.¡±


    He Wei sneered, ¡°If I get promoted to Deputy Chief at my age, do you want to make Lao Zheng step down or have me subjected to dictatorship?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not young anymore. Look at those prominent characters in novels. They become police chiefs by the age of 25! You also have the face of a male lead. Why are you so lacking in ambition?¡±


    He Wei couldn¡¯t be bothered to respond. He raised his watch to check the time. With that little commotion with the young patrol officer, time passed quickly. Only ten minutes remain until midnight.


    Just as midnight approached, Cheng Zesheng also arrived at the mansion. The mountain was eerily quiet. The stout patrol officer was dozing off in a chair, completely unaware of anyone approaching.


    Since the patrol officer was asleep, Cheng Zesheng decided not to disturb him. He stepped inside the cordon. He instinctively pulled out a pair of plastic gloves from his pocket and was about to put them on when he realized that he wasn¡¯t here for the crime scene investigation today, so he didn¡¯t need them at all.


    Cheng Zesheng stared at his wristwatch. As the clock struck twelve, he pushed open the mansion door and entered this eerie crime scene.


    Simultaneously, He Wei muttered to himself, ¡°Time¡¯s up.¡±


    He pushed open the creaking door, and a thin line of light tore through the darkness, disrupting the mansion¡¯s tranquility.


    ¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Tap,tap,¡± the sound of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s footsteps echoed in the living room as he looked around, his ears alert for any other sounds. Unfortunately, there was nothing ¨C the mansion was extremely quiet, offering only echoes in response.


    Once He Wei entered, he called out, ¡°Cheng Zesheng!¡±


    Chong Zhen rubbed his arms, and goosebumps started to form.


    ¡°Cheng Zesheng!¡± He Wei took a couple of steps forward. ¡°Can you hear me?¡±


    The echoes of He Wei¡¯s voice reverberated through the spacious mansion, but apart from that, there was no other sound.


    ¡°He Wei, are you there?¡± Cheng Zesheng also asked, but unfortunately, there was still only his own voice echoing back. He suddenly remembered something, and he casually picked up a round stone carving from a pillar and let it roll along the ground.


    The stone carving rolled to Chong Zhen¡¯s feet, and he looked down, puzzled: ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    He Wei keenly noticed that the round stone carving that was just on the pillar they passed had disappeared. He whispered, ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±


    Chong Zhen was startled: ¡°Don¡¯t scare me. I only have one protective amulet. If I tear it in half to give you a piece, it might lose its power.¡±


    ¡°Cheng Zesheng, can you hear me?¡±


    After another inquiry, He Wei confirmed that Cheng Zesheng couldn¡¯t hear them. So, he took out a notepad and wrote two words on a piece of paper, sticking it onto the round stone carving before placing it back where it was.


    Cheng Zesheng noticed the round stone carving returning, this time with a familiar note attached: [I¡¯m here.]


    Just two simple words instantly lightened Cheng Zesheng¡¯s mood, dispelling the initial heaviness he felt upon entering. This place was different from his apartment; even though the evidence he took outside wouldn¡¯t collapse and disappear, he couldn¡¯t hear He Wei¡¯s voice.


    He Wei and Chong Zhen aimlessly wandered through the mansion, with Chong Zhen occasionally asking, ¡°Is there any progress?¡± He Wei responded half-heartedly, ¡°Almost there, almost there,¡± while waiting for a response from Cheng Zesheng.


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s note was quite lengthy. He explained to He Wei that he couldn¡¯t hear any sounds there, but he could see the notes. He wasn¡¯t sure what triggered the ability to communicate. He speculated that it might have something to do with the clock, possibly the lack of the piano melody. That could be the reason they couldn¡¯t converse smoothly.


    Chong Zhen saw the countless notes and was thoroughly frightened, ¡°¡­Damn it! It¡¯s actually here! L-La-Lao He Wei, take it easy, don¡¯t mess with supernatural games like this!¡±


    He Wei was both amused and exasperated. He draped his arm over Chongzhen¡¯s shoulder and patted his face, saying, ¡°You¡¯re so tall and formidable-looking, yet you¡¯re this easily scared. What supernatural game? Do you know about parallel worlds?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Chong Zhen replied firmly, ¡°I¡¯m an idealist. I believe there¡¯s only one.¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re truly something.¡±


    He Wei released him and walked towards the balcony, looking up at the bright moon outside. Stars were twinkling in the night sky, far more numerous and brighter than those visible in the city. The air was fresh with a hint of chilliness, invigorating his mind.


    Tonight¡¯s experiment ended in failure. They hadn¡¯t discovered the penetration patterns of the folded space. He thought there might be a chance to see Cheng Zesheng, but he couldn¡¯t even hear his voice. How could he expect to see him?


    He rubbed his neck absentmindedly, and suddenly, his movement halted. He looked down unintentionally, his actions freezing.


    Through the transparent glass, a reflection appeared ¨C besides the furnishings of the mansion and Chong Zhen leaning against the stairs, there was also a tall figure wearing a light blue shirt and a black windbreaker draped over his arm, standing in the living room.


    He Wei¡¯s heartbeat accelerated abruptly, and he slowly turned his head. His gaze fell only on Chong Zhen and the familiar d¨¦cor, but the spot where the man appeared was empty.


    ¡°¡­ Chong Zhen,¡± He Wei¡¯s throat felt dry, ¡°come over here.¡±


    Chong Zhen walked over as requested, standing beside He Wei. He Wei raised his chin slightly and asked, ¡°The reflection in the glass, what do you see?¡±


    Chong Zhen stared at the reflection with a confused expression on his face. ¡°¡­Besides you and me, what else?¡±


    ¡°Look more closely.¡±


    ¡°I did look closely. It¡¯s just you and me, and there are a few pillars behind us, a sofa¡­ and that¡¯s it.¡±


    Chong Zhen couldn¡¯t see.


    After He Wei realized this, he patted Chong Zhen¡¯s shoulder with feigned ease, saying it was nothing, just a casual question. Chong Zhen, feeling suspicious and uneasy, found a corner to smoke.


    He Wei stared at the reflection in the glass, his index finger curling up as he lightly tapped the glass twice.


    ¡°Tap, tap.¡±


    With keen hearing, the man immediately turned around. His finely sculpted face entered He Wei¡¯s line of sight, his expressive black eyes enhancing his already handsome features, making him unforgettable.


    Sure enough, a living person looks better. He Wei¡¯s lips curled into a smile.


    Cheng Zesheng turned his head and looked in the direction of the balcony. Where was he?


    Step by step, he walked over, noticing the extra reflection on the glass. He was astonished and unconsciously quickened his pace.


    In the glass¡¯s reflection, a face with delicate and gentle features and calm eyebrows and eyes appeared. Unlike the stiffness of He Lu¡¯s expression, these features, although the same, had a gentle quality when illuminated by the moonlight, radiating an inexplicable warmth.


    Seeing him approach, He Wei exhaled, creating a mist on the glass. His hand moved within the mist, writing stroke by stroke. When Cheng Zesheng stood behind him, he had just finished the final stroke.


    [HELLO]


    A gentle smile filled his eyes. Cheng Zesheng stood slightly to the right behind He Wei. Comparing their heights, it was clear that he was a few centimeters taller. He raised his hand, hovering it in the air, and in the reflection, that hand was resting on He Wei¡¯s shoulder.


    Cheng Zesheng lowered his head and silently whispered a greeting into He Wei¡¯s ear.


    [Hello.]

 CH 32

    Chapter 32: Rest is not active


    There were four pamphlets on the table, advertising a hotel, a supermarket, a pharmacy, and an English learning institution. Alongside them was a stack of photos. He Wei crossed his arms, while the members of the special task force stared eagerly at him, waiting for Captain He to begin the discussion.


    With a slight lift of his eyes, He Wei noticed the awkward scene and said, ¡°What¡¯s with those looks?¡±


    ¡°Captain, do you know where Cheng Zhenqing went?¡± Yun Xiaoxiao asked.


    ¡°Where do you think he went?¡± He Wei¡¯s gaze swept across the people present. ¡°Let¡¯s all share our thoughts. We¡¯re all on the same team, and brainstorming is essential for solving the case.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± If we had any ideas, we would have gone to arrest him already, Captain He.


    ¡°Kids have flexible thinking, and their brains need to get moving,¡± Chong Zhen patted Xia Liang on the back of her head. ¡°Come on, Edogawa Xia Liang, show us what you¡¯ve got. Let us witness the power of over seven hundred episodes of anime.¡±


    ¡°Chong-ge, please don¡¯t put me at gunpoint like that,¡± Xia Liang nearly cried. ¡°I¡¯ve looked at the map, and these places aren¡¯t even close to each other. Could it be that he just picked up the pamphlets on the street and casually left them at home?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility.¡± He Wei turned to Hu Songkai. ¡°ErHu, the items were brought back by you. Do you have any thoughts?¡±


    ¡°I feel like he might have gone to a hotel. He¡¯s on the run, and if he has no place to sleep, he would need to find a place to rest.¡±


    ¡°The surveillance is tight now. Nearly all hotels require ID registration, whether with real information or a fake identity. The moment it¡¯s uploaded to the network, it¡¯s exposed. Cheng Zhenqing wouldn¡¯t take such a risk,¡± He Wei¡¯s gaze met Wu Xiaolei¡¯s. ¡°Xiaolei, where do you think we should go?¡±


    ¡°Huh? I, I don¡¯t really have any good ideas. Normally, we just follow Captain Heng¡¯s task assignments.¡± Wu Xiaolei scratched his head apologetically.


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. What if Captain Heng isn¡¯t around one day? Then wouldn¡¯t you be clueless?¡± He Wei coaxed gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Anything related to the case is worth saying. Having ideas is a good thing.¡±


    Wu Xiaolei felt troubled. The most convenient technique for locating a suspect was through mobile phone signal tracking. However, the number obtained from the private trainer had been turned off for some time, and the base station hadn¡¯t received any information. The final location was near the Hutaoli Community, but it was almost useless. The pamphlets further added to the confusion; the shops mentioned were scattered all over the place, and they couldn¡¯t narrow down a specific area.


    He had been seconded to the Criminal Investigation Division, supposedly to assist, but in reality, Heng Luzhou sent him to learn. According to Captain Heng, any supernatural being would be exposed when faced with He Wei¡¯s methods. Their job was to do legwork and investigations, leaving the thinking to He Wei.


    Every time Wu Xiaolei watched He Wei examine a piece of evidence and quickly deduce a conclusion, his admiration for He Wei grew stronger. But when it came to trying it himself, he encountered numerous difficulties. His mind became a mess, like walking into a maze without an exit.


    ¡°Are you all racking your brains trying to figure out which one of these places he might have gone to?¡± He Wei picked up the leaflets and shook them. ¡°Many times, you can¡¯t just look at the surface. There¡¯s a lot of information printed on these colorful pamphlets, and what we need to do is extract the useful elements from within.¡±


    Everyone at the table listened attentively. He Wei took out the pharmacy pamphlet and handed it to Yun Xiaoxiao. He instructed each of them to take a careful look and emphasized not to just focus on the surface information but to be good at spotting unnoticed details.


    Taking advantage of the break, He Wei made tea. The cup was filled with honeysuckle tea, the same kind that Jingyuan had given him the last time they met. Once you reach thirty, you start paying attention to your health. Back in the day, He Wei could come back from a run in the summer and pour ice water over his head, but with age catching up, he couldn¡¯t afford such extravagance anymore.


    As the pamphlet passed from Yun Xiaoxiao to Xia Liang, it had already been through the hands of three people. Hu Songkai admitted defeat voluntarily, giving himself the label of ¡°Erquan Yingyue1Performer.¡± Chong Zhen scolded him for being without ambition, giving up on himself, saying, ¡®Look at Chong-ge.


    With a cup of tea in hand, He Wei seemed quite amused. After staring at the pamphlet for a few seconds, Chong Zhen suddenly slapped it on the table, pointing his index finger at the building behind the pharmacy. ¡°Go check that area. He might be hiding in that office building.¡±


    Xia Liang covered his face, uncomfortably interjecting, ¡°Chong-ge, this building¡­ it¡¯s photoshopped.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He Wei couldn¡¯t hold back and burst into laughter. Chong Zhen¡¯s face turned ugly, wanting to execute Xia Liang on the spot. Little brat, don¡¯t you care about your brother¡¯s face? Can¡¯t you sabotage the plan after the audience disperses?


    Xia Liang picked up the pamphlet, scrutinizing it thoroughly. He didn¡¯t miss a single word and found nothing unusual. It wasn¡¯t until he lifted it up and held it against the overhead fluorescent light that the thin, shiny coated paper revealed something. Xia Liang asked in confusion, ¡°Huh? There seems to be a mark here.¡±


    Everyone looked up together. Just below the elaborate red lantern in one corner of the pamphlet, there was an imprint that seemed to have been left by writing above the pamphlet. Chong Zhen patted Xia Liang on the back, saying, ¡°Your eyes really are sharp!¡±


    He Wei saw that the secret of the pamphlets had finally been discovered. The sight of these people looking up at the sky, engrossed in their thoughts, was so picturesque that he couldn¡¯t bear to look directly at them. So he walked over and took the pamphlet down. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to discern from this angle. Haven¡¯t you learned physics? It¡¯s the principle of light refraction.¡±


    He rolled the section with the imprint downward and held it up to the light. Everyone focused their gaze, and they saw a series of numbers.


    ¡°The medium on which something was written might have a thickness, causing the imprint to be less visible. The middle and last digits aren¡¯t clear; it could be 5 or 9, or maybe 8 or 7. Try them all and make the call to find out where it is.¡± He Wei closed his cup. ¡°Also, what about the man who issued the adventure notice?¡±


    Hu Songkai waved his hand, signaling not to ask, because asking would only yield the answer that his whereabouts were unknown.


    Wu Xiaolei¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Captain He, could that man and Cheng Zhenqing be the same person?¡±


    ¡°The features do bear some resemblance, but Hutaoli and Fuxin Road are half the city apart. Besides, he picked up my classmate¡¯s ID. So, I think the person who issued the adventure notice might be near Huyue Xingchen.¡± He Wei smiled. ¡°However, your hypothesis is also possible. You¡¯re showing promise. Let¡¯s first bring Cheng Zhenqing in; it could resolve a lot of issues.¡±


    Wu Xiaolei¡¯s spirits lifted. ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After the meeting, Huang Zhanwei called Cheng Zesheng over to his office.


    Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t know what tricks this old fox was up to, so he asked cautiously, ¡°Chief Huang, what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing much, just asking how you¡¯ve been lately.¡± Huang Zhanwei sat beside Cheng Zesheng, his gaze was full of kindness. ¡°Zesheng, if you encounter any difficulties, don¡¯t keep them to yourself. It¡¯s not good for your health.¡±


    ¡°Chief Huang, thank you for your concern,¡± Cheng Zesheng looked at his smile, feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, as if a weasel were wishing a happy new year to a chicken. He put on a polite smile. ¡°Is there anything else? If not, I¡¯ll head back.¡±


    ¡°Actually, there is,¡± Huang Zhanwei grabbed his arm. ¡°Zesheng, you¡¯ve been working diligently since you joined the Municipal Bureau. Seven years have flown by in a blink, and you haven¡¯t taken any vacations, right?¡±


    His assistant chimed in, ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng has indeed worked hard. I¡¯ve checked the attendance records. Vice-Captain Cheng has accumulated nearly a month of annual leave.¡±


    ¡°A month? That¡¯s quite a while. Since it¡¯s piling up and can¡¯t be used as cash, why not take a break?¡± Huang Zhanwei chuckled, his small eyes narrowing. ¡°It¡¯s a good time to relax. Talk to your parents; maybe join a tour group for a trip?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng shook his head. ¡°Not for now. I still have ongoing cases, and my master is in the hospital. If I take time off, who will handle them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. You can delegate the work to your colleagues. Our Municipal Bureau always squeezes you¡­ Let you investigate all the cases, that¡¯s not appropriate.¡± Huang Zhanwei stood up, pulled out a leave form from the drawer, and handed it over. ¡°Here, fill it out on the spot. I¡¯ll sign it right away. Just hand over your work and take a break.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng stood up, quickly walked over, and held onto Huang Zhanwei¡¯s hand. ¡°Lao Huang, is this a vacation or a suspension? Just tell me straight. Don¡¯t wait until I come back carefree from a trip and find out I¡¯ve lost my job.¡± An even worse scenario could be getting transferred directly to the Provincial Department.


    Huang Zhanwei looked surprised. What was wrong with this kid? While others were crying out for a vacation, he was refusing one that was being offered willingly. Was he out of his mind?


    Cheng Zesheng let out a cold hum. When someone was being kind for no reason, there had to be an ulterior motive. The Public Security Bureau had always been understaffed, and during meetings, they often reassured officers that the police were here for the people, and for every extra day they worked, society became safer. But now they were making him, the backbone of the Criminal Investigation Division, take annual leave? Wasn¡¯t that basically implying that something was going to go wrong? Did they think his eyes were holes used for exhaling?


    ¡°Chief Huang, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a work-related mistake or some other issue that requires a suspension for reflection. But whatever it is, I, Cheng Zesheng, can say with a clear conscience that I haven¡¯t done anything wrong. If you¡¯re not at ease, you can directly report it to the Disciplinary Committee for investigation.¡±


    Huang Zhanwei was getting anxious. He was genuinely trying to do Cheng Zesheng a favor by giving him a vacation. Why was this kid so stubborn? Was he cut from the same cloth as his brother? Advising him didn¡¯t seem to have any effect.


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s attitude was firm. He didn¡¯t want a vacation; he wanted to continue working on the case. Forcing him to take a vacation was out of the question unless they wanted to directly suspend him.


    ¡°¡­¡± Huang Zhanwei paced around the office with his hands behind his back. He suddenly stopped and angrily said, ¡°Cheng Zesheng, it looks like you¡¯ve been possessed by a spirit!¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Cheng Zesheng looked puzzled. His assistant brought over a cup of tea for the director and explained, ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, Chief Huang is genuinely concerned about you. You¡¯ve been under a lot of mental stress recently, and your state¡­ seems a bit off. It might be a good idea to rest at home for a while. Maybe have Mrs. Cheng take you to a temple to burn some incense and dispel evil spirits.¡±


    Finally, Cheng Zesheng understood what was happening. So, they suspected he was haunted? He exploded, ¡°Lao Huang, I already told you last time that I was just joking! Why can¡¯t you take a joke? And now you¡¯re not only telling my mom but also forcing me to take a vacation. Have I been possessed by something? As a police officer, I¡¯m filled with righteousness. What kind of evil spirit would dare come near me?¡±


    Huang Zhanwei slapped the table. ¡°Then tell me, why were you living together with someone, undergoing psychological evaluations, and showing up at the crime scene in the middle of the night, calling the victim¡¯s name? What were you doing? Summoning spirits?¡±


    ¡°¡­ How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I know a lot!¡± Huang Zhanwei was getting exasperated. He chugged down a cup of tea and handed the cup to his assistant. Cheng Zesheng fell silent for a long time before taking a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s have a proper conversation. It¡¯s not that I have a problem; it¡¯s the case itself that has significant issues. But I¡¯ve made some progress now, and I¡¯ll do my best to solve it. You can rest assured. Forget about taking leave; I¡¯ll save that for my wedding.¡±


    Huang Zhanwei¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Have you set a date?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have a partner.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Huang Zhanwei pointed at Cheng Zesheng, left speechless by the unexpected response. His assistant quickly brought another cup of tea, trying to calm the director down, reassuring him that Vice-Captain Cheng seemed to be in good spirits and that there was no need to worry too much.


    Feeling refreshed, Cheng Zesheng returned to his office. When Le Zhengkai saw the barely concealed smile at the corner of his mouth, he knew that Cheng Zesheng had successfully teased Lao Huang again. If Cheng Zesheng spent a few more years in the Municipal Bureau, Huang Zhanwei might transform from the Mediterranean Sea into a venerable master.


    ¡°Lao Huang, always making a fuss over nothing. He thinks I¡¯ve been possessed and insists on making me take a vacation.¡± Cheng Zesheng complained without restraint, ¡°What era is this? Can¡¯t we have a bit of a spirit that advocates science?¡±


    He didn¡¯t realize that his own presence was already quite unscientific, especially in the eyes of someone like He Wei, who had turned extraordinary into something ordinary.


    Last night, he had caught a glimpse of He Wei through the mirror, which put him in a good mood. On the way back in the evening with Le Zhengkai, they passed by a braised food shop. Cheng Zesheng went in and bought fried chicken feet, crispy pork rinds, and chicken wing tips. Le Zhengkai was surprised, ¡°You¡¯ve already had dinner, and you can still eat all this?¡±


    ¡°Buying it for someone else.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Le Zhengkai raised an eyebrow with a mischievous smile and nudged Cheng Zesheng¡¯s arm. ¡°That consultant? You have a good relationship with them.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t deny it, and Le Zhengkai continued prying, ¡°Is it a guy or a girl? What do they look like?¡±


    ¡°You still remember He Wei, right? Just imagine his face, and you¡¯ll get the idea.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Le Zhengkai¡¯s mind conjured up the image of a pale and lifeless face, and he pushed Cheng Zesheng. ¡°You¡¯re crazy. I really think you¡¯ve been possessed.¡±

 CH 33

    Chapter 33: You are the only Cheng Zesheng I know


    Cheng Zesheng brought back the composition analysis table of the gunpowder residue. After analyzing the composition of the gunpowder residue and comparing it with the reference from He Wei, it was confirmed that the components were the same. This provides strong evidence for the theory of space-time folding and infiltration.


    If previously it was just their speculation, now they could be certain that the evidence from both scenes indeed needed to be reattributed. They have to find out what belongs to each other to solve the case sooner.


    The last time they separated the shoe prints, only a part was divided. The assumption was that the shoe prints with embedded stone patterns belonged to He Wei, while the remaining ones belonged to Cheng Zesheng. The separation of the evidence was relatively clear; there was no overlapping of physical evidence between the two scenes. It was easy to determine which evidence belonged to the other side.


    He Wei held a box with the treasure in his hand, eating with relish. He saw a cellphone image in a transparent evidence bag, picked up a pen, and wrote: [Is this He Wei¡¯s?]


    [Yes, it¡¯s broken. There¡¯s no useful information, and only one image is intact.]


    Cheng Zesheng took out his phone and opened the saved music sheet image, placing it on the tea table. The phone appeared before his eyes, and He Wei looked down, suddenly frozen, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.


    The diary found at pianist Cheng Zesheng¡¯s house had been brought to the station, but  He Wei¡¯s memory was excellent, and he could recall things instantly. After a few seconds of reminiscing, he told Cheng Zesheng that this was something written by another version of him.


    Cheng Zesheng was taken aback: [Are you saying that this phone belongs to the Cheng Zesheng on your side?]


    [I can¡¯t be certain, as we haven¡¯t found Cheng Zesheng¡¯s phone. I suspected Cheng Zhenqing took it at the time, but now I realize it might have infiltrated over to your side.]


    Cheng Zesheng looked at the simplified scene diagram and marked the location where the phone dropped: [It¡¯s quite a distance from Cheng Zesheng. Did the killer kick it over here during a struggle with He Wei?]


    [No matter how it got there, the content inside was written by Cheng Zesheng. That much is certain.]


    He Wei glanced at the phone before continuing to write: [Impressive, even your parallel selves have the same phone as you.]


    Cheng Zesheng picks up his own phone, realizing he didn¡¯t pay attention to the model and color during evidence collection. After all, there were only a few major smartphone brands on the market, like Hua X and Apple X, etc. It was not surprising that at least two out of ten people on the street would be using the same model.


    When they initially found the phone, there were no fingerprints on it. However, since it was near He Wei, it was naturally categorized as physical evidence. But the sheet music inside was written by Cheng Zesheng. It was definitely a piece of evidence that came through the folded space from the other side. No wonder the traced numbers were all disconnected; it¡¯s because they didn¡¯t belong to this world. If a call could be connected, then that would be truly supernatural.


    The physical evidence image from the phone was attributed to He Wei. He Wei wrote down the musical note he just saw on the whiteboard, his index finger resting under his chin as he contemplated the potential special meaning of this particular excerpted musical note.


    Cheng Zesheng felt it was time to let him know, so he drew an arrow on the music note, pointing to a circular dial.


    He Wei looked up at the quartz clock and instantly grasped the connection¡ªit was piano music. He had learned to play an instrument for a while when he was younger¡ªnot the piano¡ªbut he had some musical sense. The tones in the music note could be pieced together, revealing that it was not the usual hourly chime melody but rather the section for 12 o¡¯clock.


    To be honest, that musical segment wasn¡¯t pleasing to the ear, and He Wei didn¡¯t understand why it would be set like this. He thought it might have been a factory-set sound to differentiate the hours. Even though he had a diary with various musical notes, this unfinished composition had escaped his notice until Cheng Zesheng pointed it out.


    [I can¡¯t find any matching music here. Perhaps it¡¯s not a song but some kind of code.]


    Seeing the words on the whiteboard, He Wei¡¯s first thought was of Morse code. However, Cheng Zesheng quickly informed him that they¡¯d tried various codes, and none of them had yielded useful information. Perhaps it was not a commonly used type of code but rather a self-created form of secret language.


    He Wei also attempted to decode it, but after fifteen minutes, he gave up. Like Cheng Zesheng, the internationally recognized codes didn¡¯t fit, and the more obscure ones didn¡¯t work either. Perhaps they truly need Cheng Zesheng himself to come back from the other side to fully understand and explain it.


    As for why this piece of music had become the bridge connecting the two parallel worlds, it remained a baffling mystery. He had been speculating that the inability to communicate in the mansion yesterday might have been due to the lack of piano music as a guide. Since they¡¯d discovered this key, it was worth trying it out the next time they were in the mansion; after all, practice leads to true understanding.


    Recently, due to the need to organize the case details and the peculiar nature of communication between the two worlds only being possible after midnight, their morning routines have been getting progressively later. However, they were both quite conscientious and made sure to finish everything before 12 o¡¯clock, as the ¡°audio conference¡± after that is even more crucial.


    But today, they have obviously exceeded the time limit. Cheng Zesheng noticed that it was only five minutes away from midnight and rushed to take a shower. He Wei wasn¡¯t in a hurry and studied the photos on the whiteboard. There was one seemingly insignificant piece of evidence left at the scene¡ªa glass marble.


    This item bore Cheng Zesheng¡¯s fingerprints, indicating that it should have fallen out of Cheng Zesheng and rolled under the couch. However, observing the layout between the two bodies, He Wei felt that this marble was more likely to have fallen from the deceased version of himself.


    He Wei rubbed his forehead in frustration and gave a wry smile. This case was truly not something an ordinary person could handle. He prided himself on having a fast-thinking mind, but in the face of such a bizarre event, there were still many aspects he barely comprehended.


    The doorbell rang, and He Wei went to answer it. The food delivery had arrived.


    ¡°Hello, this is your food delivery. If it¡¯s convenient, please open the app¡­¡±


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s voice interjects, ¡°He Wei, lower the temperature on the water heater!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± He Wei replied, then looked back at the delivery guy. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°¡­ If you¡¯re satisfied, please give a five-star rating.¡± The delivery guy looked utterly baffled; the room was eerily quiet, and he was wondering who he was talking to.


    He Wei remained completely oblivious to anything amiss. After closing the door, he went to adjust the water heater and then placed the food on the table, waiting for Cheng Zesheng.


    Five minutes later, Cheng Zesheng emerged with a misty aura around him. As he went to open the door, he remembered He Wei¡¯s peculiar rule and stepped back to the bathroom mat, tapping his shoes to dry the soles.


    When he came out, he noticed the food on the table and curiously asked, ¡°You¡¯re eating at this hour?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a late-night snack. If you treat me to a meal, I should reciprocate,¡± He Wei said leisurely. ¡°Give it a try, this place¡¯s stir-fried rice noodles are really delicious.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Damn¡ªHe Wei¡ª what delicious?


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s mind is a jumble of conflicted thoughts. He Wei¡¯s slightly husky yet cool voice repeated, ¡°Stir-fried rice noodles, you¡¯ve never had them?¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± Cheng Zesheng¡¯s hand touched the bag. He noticed the food had disappeared and jotted down a note: Any financial transaction that involved him would result in his interaction with the item causing it to disappear, even if someone else delivered it.


    Thankfully, the money on the whiteboard wasn¡¯t handed over to Chong Zhen, or he¡¯d have to buy another one.


    Cheng Zesheng opened the bag and unintentionally caught sight of the message left on top: ¡°Name: He Wei, Address: Future Domain 404.¡± Below that was a phone number. He opened the box, and the tantalizing aroma wafted into his nose. As he took his chopsticks and began to eat, a fleeting sensation crossed his mind, an almost ethereal thought that slipped through his grasp before he could fully comprehend it.


    He Wei and Cheng Zesheng engage in casual chatter, discussing their meeting from yesterday and mentioning the presence of a friend at the scene. He asked Cheng Zesheng if he saw the friend in the mirror.


    ¡°No, it was just you,¡± Cheng Zesheng replied.


    He Wei nodded. ¡°He can¡¯t see you; I guess you probably can¡¯t see him either. Next time, bring the clock along and come again. Bring a friend with you. Let¡¯s test whether we can hear sounds when there¡¯s piano music.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng ate half of the rice noodles, being mindful not to eat too much before bedtime. He covered the box, tied the bag shut, and his gaze drifted over the food receipt. He shivered suddenly, finally realizing what that fleeting thought was.


    He Wei¡¯s phone number was one of the disconnected numbers that were extracted from Cheng Zesheng¡¯s phone.


    If that phone really belonged to pianist Cheng Zesheng, based on the current evidence, it was unlikely that He Wei doesn¡¯t know him. Even if they were not intimately connected, appearing in the contact list would mean they were not strangers.


    He Wei propped his legs up, leaning against the sofa as he continued flipping through the book on ¡°Forensic Toxicology.¡± Cheng Zesheng approaches and speaks in a low voice, ¡°He Wei.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Identifying He Wei¡¯s precise location, Cheng Zesheng bent down, his hands gripping the back of the sofa chair. He Wei instinctively felt a sense of pressure, as if a shadow had cast over him, enveloping and enclosing him in its grip.


    The air carries a faint, cool scent of mint shampoo, intermingled with the rhythm of breathing¡ªeach inhale and exhale existing within an ambiguous proximity.


    ¡°You and Cheng Zesheng really don¡¯t know each other?¡±


    One could almost imagine the furrowed brow and the feigned seriousness in his expression at this moment.


    He spoke casually, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know him. The only Cheng Zesheng I know is you.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    Two of the numbers extracted from the pamphlet were unclear. After several attempts at combinations, they finally pinpointed the correct direction.


    The person behind this number was a professional locksmith named Yang. As long as the price was right, he could open any lock swiftly and steadily. Within the locksmith industry, he was known as ¡°Yang the Ghostly Locksmith.¡± Upon contacting him, they learn that some time ago, a young man had asked him to open a dial-type combination lock at the Fusheng Jinlong Garden. The offered price was quite high.


    Yang the Ghostly Locksmith felt something was off once he arrived. The house was still in its original state, untouched and uninhabited. The man didn¡¯t want the main door¡¯s lock opened; he wanted the lock to the basement opened. Yang sensed ill intentions and wasn¡¯t initially inclined to help with this lock. However, the man doubled the price, tempting Yang, who then reluctantly agreed to assist.


    This particular combination lock was a custom product from overseas, distinct from the cheap locks that were commonly available. Yang the Ghostly Locksmith couldn¡¯t crack it even after an hour of trying. The thought of failing on the spot caused him to break out in a cold sweat.


    The man wasn¡¯t in a hurry, nor did he pressure Yang. He even allowed Yang to return and come up with a solution. The down payment the man had given wasn¡¯t reclaimed. Yang, rather than feeling relieved, became more suspicious. He kept a close eye on the man and discreetly took a photo of him. The money given by the man was left untouched, a precaution in case things went awry in the future.


    The structure of the combination lock was complex, and Yang the Ghostly Locksmith nearly tarnished his reputation before luckily managing to crack it. The man added an additional five hundred yuan as a gesture of gratitude. Yang didn¡¯t linger, swiftly collecting the money and returning. He glanced at the slightly ajar door, only seeing half a staircase leading downward.


    After confirming the photo with Yang the Ghostly Locksmith, Yun Xiaoxiao indeed identified the man as Cheng Zhenqing, down to the exact clothing he wore.


    When Chong Zhen heard the words ¡°basement,¡± his scalp tingled with unease. ¡°Damn, he better not have an armory down there, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He doesn¡¯t even have the key himself, which means not even Cheng Zhenqing knows what¡¯s inside. But he knows it¡¯s very valuable and that it can help him get out of trouble, so he was willing to take the risk and find someone to open it.¡±


    Standing up, He Wei closed the files. ¡°Go and get your gun and police equipment. Let¡¯s meet at the parking lot by the east gate downstairs. We¡¯ll aim to bring Cheng Zhenqing in today!¡±

 CH 34

    Chapter 34: Arrest


    Fusheng Jinlong Garden was also a villa area in this city, but its positioning was clearly different from the celebrity-rich area where Cheng Zesheng resided. This difference was evident from the security management, reflecting different social strata. Most of the residents here were elderly people, and the villa next to Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s residence was surrounded by two elderly households. The villas come with backyards where vegetables like bok choy, rapeseed, and chives were being grown, creating a lush and thriving scene.


    ¡°The neighbor¡¯s villa has been unoccupied for a while, but I occasionally saw two young men visit. Now it has become a frequent occurrence, and I¡¯ve even seen him at our doorstep in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Is it him?¡± Chong Zhenqing played back the footage captured from the surveillance camera. The elderly person squinted, took a while, and then nodded. ¡°It should be, the build is similar, but he wears a mask covering his face, so I haven¡¯t seen his features.¡±


    ¡°Does he come back in the morning and then leave again?¡±


    The elderly person shook their head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. His villa is located at the far end, so if someone leaves, they have to pass by our gate. I¡¯ve been picking vegetables in the yard and haven¡¯t seen him leave.¡±


    Hu Songkai and Xia Liang cautiously explored outside the villa. Xia Liang held a toolbox and was gently held by Hu Songkai at the shoulder, crouching against the wall. He felt a bit disappointed and softly pleaded, ¡°ErHu-ge, I also want to participate in the investigation!¡±


    ¡°Young man, don¡¯t wander around. You¡¯re a technical talent. I¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s time to pick the lock.¡±


    Hu Songkai was skilled at terrain surveying and could handle various physical challenges. He looked through the window and saw that the house was empty, but it wasn¡¯t as extreme as Yang the Ghostly Locksmith had described. It was slightly better than a raw house, at least with painted walls and installed doors, and the balcony¡¯s French windows had curtains. After circling the house, and determining that there was no one inside through a few windows, Hu Songkai looked up at the second floor. He secured his gun on his belt, climbed the air conditioning unit, and smoothly hopped onto the balcony.


    Similarly, the second floor was empty, and a visible layer of dust had accumulated on the floor. Hu Songkai crouched on the balcony and reported quietly into his radio, ¡°Lao He, there is no one inside. We¡¯re not sure about the basement yet. Should we go in and take a look?¡±


    He Wei was currently reviewing the surveillance footage of the entrance and the road. Chong Zhenqing¡¯s voice came through, ¡°The neighbor said that Cheng Zhenqing returned in the morning and didn¡¯t leave again. I¡¯ve persuaded a few neighboring residents to a safe location, and the area has been cleared.¡±


    Since no one was inside the house, Cheng Zhenqing was highly likely to be in the basement. In theory, he wouldn¡¯t know that the police had pinpointed his exact location; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have returned to the house in the morning.


    ¡°ErHu, Chong Zhen, Xia Liang, you guys go open the door. Don¡¯t open the basement door yet; wait for me to get there. Wu Xiaolei, you and your team stay on the perimeter.¡± He Wei patted Yun Xiaoxiao¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Xiaoxiao, you stay in the car and monitor the situation. If you notice anything unusual, report it immediately.¡±


    He opened the car door and briskly walked along the path toward the two-story villa that was surrounded by the team. Xia Liang opened his toolbox and took out Yang the Ghostly Locksmith¡¯s handcrafted gadget, which was reputed to be capable of unlocking any smart lock in the world. Hu Songkai stood at the door, and Chong Zhen was positioned near the window that seemed easiest for escape. With the setup complete, Hu Songkai nodded at Xia Liang, who connected the coil to the smart lock port and pressed the switch.


    In just five seconds, the smart lock system rebooted, and the door lock was released. Xia Liang acted cautiously, slowly pushing the door open. With a ¡°whoosh¡±, a bullet came through the wind.


    ¡°Xiao Xia!¡± Hu Songkai grabbed Xia Liang and pulled him back. While they were wearing bulletproof vests, their arms were still vulnerable. The incoming bullet pierced Xia Liang¡¯s upper right arm, staining his uniform sleeve a deep red.


    ¡°Damn it! He found us!¡± Hu Songkai held onto Xia Liang¡¯s wound and called out to Chong Zhen, ¡°Lao Chong! Xia Liang¡¯s injured. Quickly find a way to get him out!¡±


    In pain, Xia Liang¡¯s face turned pale, and beads of cold sweat started forming on his forehead. Trembling, he managed to say, ¡°W-window, window¡­¡±


    His words were barely out when, accompanied by a loud crash, the window glass where Chong Zhen was standing was shattered. Chong Zhen shielded his head with his arm, his hair and back covered in glass fragments. Despite minor injuries, glass shards fell away to reveal a pair of eyes peering in from the windowsill.


    Two shots followed in quick succession, but Chong Zhen ducked and rolled to the side. Hu Songkai yelled into the radio, urging the perimeter team to call an ambulance quickly; Xia Liang was on the verge of passing out!


    He Wei practically sprinted over, followed by four colleagues. They quickly brought Xia Liang out. Wu Xiaolei rushed in with a bulletproof shield, and amidst his bloodied hand, Hu Songkai expressed frustration and regret, saying, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I didn¡¯t notice he was hiding inside the house. The silencer on his gun¡ªI should have realized he fired from behind the balcony curtains. Damn it, if Xia Liang¡¯s arm is ruined, I¡¯ll cut off his damn hands!¡±


    ¡°I never expected him to take the initiative like that. Everyone, be cautious.¡± He Wei took the bulletproof shield from Wu Xiaolei and instructed him to continue guarding the perimeter. Slowly, he opened the door and entered, gun in hand and maintaining high vigilance. Chong Zhen also climbed in through the window, scanning the surroundings. Surprisingly, there was no one in the living room.


    According to Yang the Ghostly Locksmith¡¯s information, there was a hidden door leading to the basement, located within the storage room. All three of them suspected that Cheng Zhenqing had headed to the basement after firing his gun. He Wei pressed against the wall, his hand on the door, signaling to Chong Zhen. Chong Zhen nodded and exchanged nods with Hu Songkai. Each of them positioned themselves on opposite sides, guns aimed at the slowly opening wooden door.


    The storage room was eerily quiet. He Wei glanced around, walked in, and felt along the wall until he found the hidden door. The complex combination lock, previously broken by Yang the Ghostly Locksmith, was now useless. He Wei instructed Hu Songkai to stay above and guard, while he and Chong Zhen descended into the basement. They carefully navigated the cement stairs until the basement¡¯s layout unfolded before their eyes.


    It was quite small, with dim lighting, allowing them to see almost to the end with just a glance. It couldn¡¯t compare to the armory in Cheng Zesheng¡¯s home. There was a recliner, a thin blanket, and a few takeout boxes, indicating that this had likely been Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s recent accommodation. Several bullet casings lay scattered on the table, and there was a safe on the floor. Most importantly, there was even a back door!


    ¡°This guy definitely left through the back door!¡± Chong Zhen picked up the radio. ¡°Perimeter control, pay attention! The suspect is armed and has already left! He used the back door!¡±


    He Wei opened the back door and followed the dim, narrow corridor outside. To his surprise, he emerged next to the garage, just a few meters away from the villa. This was a manually dug tunnel that extended beyond the perimeter of their surveillance.


    ¡°Captain! I¡¯ve seen Cheng Zhenqing!¡± Yun Xiaoxiao¡¯s voice came through the radio. ¡°He¡¯s on a bicycle heading towards the west gate. I¡¯ll go intercept him!¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, don¡¯t get out of the car!¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao probably didn¡¯t hear, as the sound of an engine starting came through the radio. He Wei¡¯s brow furrowed deeply. He instructed Wu Xiaolei to split the team into two groups¡ªone to evacuate the crowd and the other to support Yun Xiaoxiao. There were several bicycles next to the garage. He grabbed one, hopped on, and rode towards the west gate.


    With this underground tunnel, Cheng Zhenqing could have easily escaped if he had discovered them earlier. Instead, he chose a gunfight, which wasn¡¯t the most sensible choice, and wasted valuable time for escape. Why did he do that?


    The Fusheng Jinlong Garden community was large, and the path to the west gate was winding. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t many pedestrians on the road, and Yun Xiaoxiao pressed the accelerator harder. Even though Cheng Zhenqing was on a bicycle, the Jeep was faster. With quick acceleration, the jeep pulled alongside Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s bicycle. Yun Xiaoxiao lowered her window and shouted, ¡°Cheng Zhenqing! I¡¯m a police officer! Stop immediately!¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing turned his head, revealing a somewhat similar handsome face to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s. He smiled faintly at Yun Xiaoxiao, ¡°Beauty! I don¡¯t want to kill anyone. Don¡¯t follow me.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao was furious. After just hearing about Xia Liang¡¯s injury, she was both shocked and angered. How could this criminal, who had shot so skillfully and directly, have the nerve to say he didn¡¯t want to kill anyone? Gritting her teeth, she pressed the accelerator to the floor, and the Jeep surged forward with a ¡°zoom.¡± She violently turned the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes. The screeching of tires filled the air as the jeep came to a stop, blocking Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s path.


    Yun Xiaoxiao got out of the car and raised her gun, pointing it at Cheng Zhenqing. ¡°Stop immediately! Surrender now, or I¡¯ll shoot!¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing smiled again, let out a whistle, waved at her, then changed direction and rode towards a small park within the community.


    ¡°Hey, come back!¡± Yun Xiaoxiao holstered her gun, turned, and grabbed the radio in the car. ¡°Wu Xiaolei! He¡¯s heading toward the park. There are many elderly people there. Stop him!¡±


    He Wei also heard the radio transmission. He braked abruptly and raised his index finger to his forehead, recalling the panoramic map of the community he had seen in the security room.


    After a moment, he twisted the handlebars and rode in the opposite direction of the small park, heading towards the east gate. Chong Zhen, who had caught up, looked puzzled. ¡°Hey! Lao He, where are you going? The nearest gate to the park is the south gate!¡±


    After entering the small park, Cheng Zhenqing took a shortcut, riding straight across the grass, much to the chagrin of the maintenance workers trimming the vegetation. Cheng Zhenqing waved at them, ¡°Sorry, guys!¡±


    With a smirk on his lips, he had just crossed a path and would soon reach the east gate. However, out of nowhere, a bicycle came speeding in from the side. Cheng Zhenqing braked abruptly, and their wheels collided.


    He Wei had already thrown his bike aside when the collision was imminent. He lunged towards Cheng Zhenqing. Caught off guard, Cheng Zhenqing found his throat being gripped, and they tumbled into the grass. He Wei tackled him from behind, pulling out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. However, he was struck by an elbow in his chest and couldn¡¯t help but grunt.


    Cheng Zhenqing grabbed He Wei¡¯s arm and reached for his joints. He Wei guessed his intention and bent his knee to brace against Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s back. He freed his arm, grabbed Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s other arm, and twisted it behind his back.


    ¡°Skilled in martial arts? You even know about joint locks.¡±


    Pinned to the ground in the grass, Cheng Zhenqing turned his head to look at He Wei, a strange glint in his eyes as he smiled. ¡°Officer He, we meet again.¡±


    Again? He Wei remained composed, about to handcuff the suspect. Unexpectedly, Cheng Zhenqing gathered strength and performed a swift movement, flipping He Wei onto his back. Simultaneously, he pulled out a gun from his pocket. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to kill anyone, but I can¡¯t let you capture me either. Give me a way out?¡±


    He Wei stared at him coldly, stood up from the ground, and walked step by step toward Cheng Zhenqing. ¡°No matter what you say, I¡¯m taking you back. If you have the guts, go ahead and shoot.¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing subconsciously turned his head, and a gust of wind swept by. He felt a sharp elbow collide with his right cheek, leaving him dizzy and his vision blurry from the stinging pain. At the same time, the gun he held was snatched away. This time, He Wei was the one holding the gun against his temple, his index finger resting on the trigger, his tone casual. ¡°Don¡¯t test my patience. You only released the safety catch just now, but I¡¯ve disengaged both safety mechanisms. Make any move, and you know the consequences.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s peripheral vision caught Chong Zhen, who had arrived on a bike. He sighed helplessly. ¡°Officer He, using tactics against me, huh?¡±


    ¡°All is fair in war.¡±


    Seeing that He Wei had successfully restrained the suspect, Chong Zhen rode up from a distance. He threw his bike aside, took out handcuffs, and secured Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s hands. Colleagues continued to arrive, and Cheng Zhenqing was escorted to the car. Yun Xiaoxiao was still annoyed, glaring at him.


    Cheng Zhenqing shrugged. ¡°Beauty, don¡¯t keep staring at me. It wouldn¡¯t be good if you fell for me.¡±


    ¡°You heartless murderer! Cheng Zesheng was so gentle¡ªhow can you be his brother?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing blinked, a wry smile forming. He didn¡¯t offer any further explanations.

 CH 35

    Chapter 35: He and ¡°He¡±


    After discovering the gunpowder residue at the scene, the team¡¯s investigators further complicated their speculation about the nature of the case. During their discussions in the meeting, they threw out various imaginative ideas, taking wild guesses that ranged from the bizarre to the supernatural. They even speculated whether He Wei might be connected to some kind of arms group or military faction, leaking high-level secrets, and that¡¯s why he was mysteriously assassinated.


    ¡°¡­ ¡± Cheng Zesheng felt a headache, unsure of how to tell them that it wasn¡¯t that way at all and that they were overthinking it. There was indeed a shooting incident at the scene, but it was from another world entirely. They couldn¡¯t investigate that, so they could temporarily set aside considerations of gunpowder residue.


    Le Zhengkai sat beside him and whispered softly, ¡°They¡¯ve become very motivated suddenly. They always enjoy investigating big cases.¡±


    ¡°But we still need to let them investigate to some extent,¡± Cheng Zesheng replied with a tilted head, whispering, ¡°They¡¯ve completely gone in the wrong direction. They¡¯re all fixated on the possibility of a concealed shooting incident.¡±


    A colleague asked, ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, you were the one who discovered the gunshot evidence at the scene. Could you share your thoughts on our next steps?¡±


    Everyone fell silent, attentively awaiting Cheng Zesheng¡¯s insights. He cleared his throat and stood up, presenting the graph of the gunpowder residue analysis. ¡°My suggestion is to¡ªdisregard this. Keep focusing on tracing He Wei¡¯s recent activities. Don¡¯t lose sight of the key direction.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡± The group exchanged puzzled glances and hushed whispers, doubting Cheng Zesheng¡¯s judgment. Zhao Yu from the second team raised his hand, ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, we feel that the information about the gunpowder residue is important. How about starting by investigating the manufacturer? See where it was made. Maybe we could uncover more.¡±


    ¡°I think that makes sense. The leads in this case have been cut off for so long, and now we finally have a breakthrough. We can¡¯t let it slip away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and there¡¯s also something odd about He Wei¡¯s body. Isn¡¯t his genetic makeup different? Let¡¯s explore this avenue. He might have been used as a test subject by some arms group, involved in illicit biological experiments that led to these genetic anomalies.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Some criminals like to conduct experiments on human bodies. I have a feeling we might reel in a big fish. This line of investigation is worth pursuing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng pinched his brow, deciding to remain silent. It was understandable that they would think that way, but the crucial point was that Cheng Zesheng knew the truth but couldn¡¯t refute their speculations. If he were to reveal the story of parallel worlds and the other version of He Wei, he would likely become the first Vice-Captain in the history of the Shengzhou City Bureau to be officially recorded as suffering from ¡°neurological disorder¡± due to ¡°excessive stress.¡±


    This feeling of not being able to speak out was incredibly uncomfortable. Despite Cheng Zesheng¡¯s hint that they didn¡¯t need to dig deeper, public sentiment was strong, and helplessly, he could only let Zhao Yu¡¯s Second Team investigate the lead regarding the gunpowder residue manufacturer. He carefully chose his words, suggesting without outright saying, leaving no room for further probing.


    Zhao Yu and the others were enthusiastic, ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll surely bring back unexpected results!¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, give it your best shot and do a good job.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    He Lu visited the police station again, inquiring about He Wei¡¯s case and when the body could be cremated and buried. His parents didn¡¯t want their son to keep lying in the cold morgue, especially his mother, who had been having dreams of her eldest son holding his arm and saying, ¡°It¡¯s so cold.¡± She would wake up in tears.


    ¡°There are still many uncertainties in He Wei¡¯s case. As family members, shouldn¡¯t you want the murderer to be caught as soon as possible? Why are you in such a hurry to cremate his body?¡± Cheng Zesheng narrowed his eyes, ¡°Or is it that you¡¯re afraid we might find something unfavorable to you on the body?¡±


    ¡°What am I afraid of?! I didn¡¯t kill anyone!¡± He Lu¡¯s voice grew louder, ¡°You always suspect me. Show me the evidence! What was the point of taking my DNA for genetic testing last time? Did you find evidence of me being the murderer?!¡±


    Jiang Tan stood beside them, his ears aching from He Lu¡¯s shouting, and he was quite annoyed, ¡°You¡¯re so loud! Are you really acting like this as a younger brother? Does your attitude toward your older brother¡¯s death not bother your parents at all?!¡±


    ¡°What does our family¡¯s business have to do with you guys? Investigate your cases and stay out of our family¡¯s affairs!¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Jiang Tan couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He clenched his fists and muttered, ¡°Zesheng, give him the body back! Since the autopsy report is on record, there¡¯s no use keeping it. It¡¯s just wasting electricity!¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡± Cheng Zesheng signaled to Jiang Tan, asking him not to bother arguing with someone like this. Over the years, they had encountered all sorts of relatives of victims. People with He Lu¡¯s impatient and impolite temperament were not uncommon at all.


    Liu Renyu walked out of the small office, holding a beaker containing a small piece of bloody organ tissue, and asked Jiang Tan, ¡°Professor, should we send this for toxicity testing now?¡±


    For a few seconds, a fleeting look of confusion crossed Jiang Tan¡¯s youthful face as he saw the meaningful smile on Liu Renyu¡¯s face. He immediately played along, ¡°Ah¡­ yes, let¡¯s do it now. Take this gentleman with you to submit the sample. This way, he won¡¯t keep crying and shouting for his brother here.¡±


    ¡°¡­Where are you taking me?¡± He Lu frowned, staring at the beaker in Jiang Tan¡¯s hand. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Liu Renyu approached, lifting the beaker and placing it in front of He Lu, smiling gently, ¡°It¡¯s your brother¡¯s liver tissue.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He Lu¡¯s complexion turned pale and unsightly. He took a step back in fright, his stomach churning. He covered his mouth and quickly ran out.


    Jiang Tan burst into laughter. Look at him, acting all tough and domineering with the living, but scared out of his wits by a piece of internal organ tissue. If he didn¡¯t speak more respectfully next time, he might just lock him up in the mortuary!


    Cheng Zesheng, on the other hand, was puzzled, staring at the beaker. ¡°Doing the toxicity test at this point?¡± He hadn¡¯t thought of it during the previous two autopsies?


    ¡°Of course not. We¡¯ve thoroughly examined He Wei¡¯s body. The toxicity test was already conducted during the initial autopsy,¡± Liu Renyu placed the beaker on the table. ¡°He was making too much noise, and I could hear him clearly inside. It was affecting my work on organizing files, so I scared him a bit.¡±


    ¡°What about this piece of tissue¡ª¡±


    Jiang Tan rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s pig liver, can¡¯t you tell? I bought it this morning. I plan to make a dish called ¡®Heart and Liver Sweetheart¡¯ with pig heart tonight. Do you want to join in?¡±


    ¡°¡­No, thanks,¡± Cheng Zesheng stiffly shook his head. He wouldn¡¯t dare touch Jiang Chief¡¯s ¡°Heart and Liver Sweetheart.¡±


    Jiang Tan huffed. If he didn¡¯t want to, then fine, no good food for him. Crossing his arms, he curiously asked, ¡°Hey, seriously, I¡¯ve done two rounds of examination on He Wei¡¯s body, and there¡¯s been nothing significant found. Why didn¡¯t you let them take the body away?¡±


    ¡°Just not fond of him. I guess if he takes his brother¡¯s body, he might even crush his brother¡¯s ashes.¡±


    Upon careful consideration, Jiang Tan realized there was some truth in it. However, the storage time limit was nearing its end, and by then, they would still have to ask the victim¡¯s family to complete the necessary procedures, or their police institution would hand the body over to the funeral home.


    Unspoken by Cheng Zesheng was his personal intention¡ªhe didn¡¯t want to see He Wei confined to that cramped little box.


    ¡ª


    At night, Avenoir.


    Before Cheng Zesheng was a glass of soda water again. The bartender stuck out their tongue, feeling that this Sir was restrained and dull. Anyone who dated him would surely die of boredom.


    However, their boss didn¡¯t share the same sentiment. The police had come over for investigations time and time again. Instead of getting annoyed, they were patient and cooperative. The two of them chose a booth and whispered to each other in the corner.


    ¡°Senior has a reserved personality, is unwilling to socialize, and has only a handful of people he likes.¡± Lian Jingyuan supported his cheek with his hand, raising one finger. ¡°During university, there was only one person, and it was just a vague crush. It ended without any progress after that person emigrated. So, that night, when I witnessed his emotional outbreak for the first time, I was genuinely shocked and couldn¡¯t believe it.¡±


    Subconsciously, Cheng Zesheng had already made a distinction between the later appearance of ¡°He Wei¡± and the victim He Wei, treating them as two different individuals. But he couldn¡¯t figure out who this extra ¡°He Wei¡± might be. The He Wei from his world was already deceased, while the one from that world was still alive and well. Could there really be a third parallel universe?


    As soon as he thought of this possibility, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s scalp tingled. If a third parallel universe existed, it would mean they had a third version of their lives. What kind of life would the Cheng Zesheng from that universe lead? He didn¡¯t want to imagine it at all and couldn¡¯t dare to.


    ¡°Did he mention the breakup to you? Did he say who the person was and the reason behind it?¡±


    ¡°Officer Cheng, I answered this before. He didn¡¯t mention anyone. Most of the time, Senior would drown his sorrows with alcohol. He didn¡¯t say much, and even when he did speak, he blamed his failed relationships on fate,¡± Lian Jingyuan spread his hands, giving a bitter smile. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand. A person¡¯s emotions are within their own control, something they need to strive for themselves. So why would he blame the world for not giving him a chance?¡±


    ¡°¡­Blame the world for not giving him a chance?¡± Cheng Zesheng paused, detecting a different layer of meaning. Last time, he had taken these statements from Lian Jingyuan as the melodramatic words of a jilted lover. Now that he thought about it, maybe everything He Wei had said was true. Could it be that some uncontrollable factors from another parallel world were truly hindering him?


    ¡°You find it strange too, don¡¯t you? This isn¡¯t the kind of thing Senior would usually say during your investigations.¡± Lian Jingyuan gave a faint smile. ¡°Officer Cheng, allow me to babble for a moment. I¡¯ve always felt that Senior didn¡¯t die. I don¡¯t know why, but I have a sensation that his death isn¡¯t real, as if he¡¯s still alive somewhere.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s index finger traced circles around the rim of his glass. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke, ¡°What if I told you that He Wei is indeed leading a good life, but he¡¯s not your senior? Would you believe me?¡±


    ¡°I would.¡± Lian Jingyuan gazed out at the lights beyond the window. The warm glow within the booth enhanced the tenderness and charm of his face. He softly continued, ¡°The world is full of wonders. The last time he came to see me, the aura and feeling he exuded weren¡¯t those of the He Wei I knew. Yet, I strangely enjoyed that composed self-assurance, which brought an unprecedented sense of comfort.¡±


    The atmosphere within the booth grew even more silent. Realizing the lateness of the hour, Cheng Zesheng stood up, preparing to bid farewell. He had urgent matters to attend to and couldn¡¯t linger.


    As Lian Jingyuan walked his guest to the exit, he stood by the roadside and watched Cheng Zesheng open his car door. Suddenly, he called out, ¡°Officer Cheng!¡±


    Cheng Zesheng turned around. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The day Senior left, I also escorted him to the door, and he said something to me.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng looked at him, and Lian Jingyuan lowered his voice, speaking slowly and deliberately, his tone becoming deep and cold:


    ¡°He said, Since there is no encounter, there will be no beginning, so I can only find a way to create an encounter¡¯.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s body tensed, and goosebumps spread across his arms.


    This tone and feeling were imitating the demeanor of He Wei.

 CH 36

    Chapter 36: Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s first trial


    Xia Liang was sent to the hospital, where the bullet was promptly removed. Luckily, there was no damage to the tendons or bones, and there wouldn¡¯t be any lasting effects. A period of rest was needed for a full recovery. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief except for Chief Zheng, who had a stern face. He slammed his cup onto the desk with a loud ¡°bang,¡± causing the tension that had just eased among a few individuals to resurface.


    Zheng Furui¡¯s gaze scanned from left to right across each face. He was about to speak when He Wei stepped forward voluntarily, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I didn¡¯t command the operation well this time, and the investigation was inadequate, leading to a colleague getting hurt during the operation. I¡¯ll submit a report in two days and take full responsibility for any consequences.¡±


    Hu Songkai stood up, ¡°Chief Zheng, it has nothing to do with Lao He.  It was me who said the room was empty and went to open the door with Xiao Xia. Lao He told me many times to pay attention to safety, but I was careless and gave the suspect an opportunity. I¡¯ll take the blame.¡±


    Chong Zhen also stood up, ¡°Xiao Xia is fine too. Getting injured while dealing with criminals is normal. Chief Zheng, you don¡¯t need to be so hard. At least we caught the suspect.¡±


    Zheng Furui looked at these three veteran members of the team with his hands behind his back, ¡°Did I say I¡¯m going to hold anyone accountable? Why are all of you jumping out in a hurry, looking for trouble?¡±


    Their stares conveyed a similar message: We can tell from your expression that you¡¯re planning to lay blame, but we¡¯re admitting our mistakes voluntarily. Let¡¯s just let it go.


    ¡°But it¡¯s true that this operation was rushed. You should have thoroughly investigated the enemy¡¯s background before planning. He Wei, I¡¯ve always valued your stability and precise decision-making. Why were you so impatient this time? You even let the criminals take the initiative,¡± Zheng Furui walked to the window and glanced at the reporters waiting downstairs for interviews. ¡°I¡¯ve said it many times, the media has been watching this case closely. Everything needs to be handled carefully. They won¡¯t care about how hard we work overtime in the office to gather evidence, but if something goes wrong, there will be voices blaming the police for incompetence.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao and the others were full of complaints but dared not speak out. It was because the media had been watching and the case had been stagnant that they wanted to catch Cheng Zhenqing quickly for a breakthrough. In this age of information and advanced technology, no news can be kept hidden. He Wei made a snap decision back then to avoid delaying the investigation and giving Cheng Zhenqing a chance to escape.


    However, He Wei couldn¡¯t escape the blame for Xia Liang¡¯s injury, so he listened silently to what Zheng Furui said, without a word of excuse. Zheng Furui looked at He Wei and sighed secretly in his heart. He Wei was a rare talent, exceptionally capable, and had a calm and steady personality. Over the years at the city bureau, he cracked several major cases, earning both personal and collective honors. Both the city bureau and the provincial leadership held him in high regard and had high expectations. A small mistake might not matter much to an average person, but when it came to He Wei, it was magnified several times over. Even the smallest issues were scrutinized by countless pairs of eyes.


    Being in a prominent position also made He Wei a target for others¡¯ attention. Zheng Furui had promoted him with caution, hoping he would smoothly ascend the ranks without making any mistakes that would give others an opportunity to shine.


    ¡°Alright, Xiao Xia is safe and sound, I won¡¯t investigate this matter any further. But He Wei, remember, you can¡¯t be careless in the future. You¡¯re leading a unit now, with so many people under you, you have to take on your responsibilities.¡±


    He Wei nodded, taking the advice to heart. After Chief Zheng left, Yun Xiaoxiao rested her chin on her hands, ¡°Our captain really had it rough, getting scolded for no reason.¡±


    ¡°Well, when you¡¯re a leader, you either take the blame or pass it on. Lao He got the shorter end of the stick, falling into the former category,¡± Hu Songkai said, rubbing his hands. Despite washing them multiple times, he could still faintly smell the bloody scent that belonged to Xia Liang. He continued, ¡°It¡¯s all that guy¡¯s fault. Damn it, he thinks he¡¯s the king just because he has a few lousy guns? Bring him out, I¡¯ll interrogate him!¡±


    Chong Zhen cleared his throat, reminding them to use appropriate language and contribute to a harmonious society. Thankfully, Hu Songkai had joined the police force; otherwise, his language on the streets might have made him ¡°ErHu-dage.¡±


    ¡°Since ErHu volunteered, let him do the interrogation.¡± He Wei smiled at Hu Songkai, ¡°I¡¯ll inform the pre-interrogation team. Today, we¡¯ll give ¡®Saw-mouthed Gourd¡¯ a chance to showcase his skills.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Hu Songkai hesitated, regretting his bravado. What did he know about pre-interrogation techniques? He was just letting off steam because of Xia Liang¡¯s injury.


    ¡°Anyway, we have the official arrest, and there¡¯s no time limit. Just take your time with the questioning,¡± Chong Zhen patted Hu Songkai on the shoulder. ¡°ErHu, I believe in you. You¡¯ll definitely make that criminal cry!¡±


    Half an hour later ¡ª


    He Wei and the others were observing outside the interrogation room, watching as Cheng Zhenqing teased and provoked Hu Songkai to the point of frustration, storming out of the room: ¡°Damn it! This guy is a complete rascal! Not a single truthful word came out of his mouth, he kept going in circles. It¡¯s been half an hour wasted!¡±


    He Wei crossed his arms and called over two specialists in pre-interrogation to continue questioning Cheng Zhenqing.


    ¡°Name.¡±


    ¡°Cheng Zhenqing.¡±


    ¡°Age.¡±


    ¡°33.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your occupation?¡±


    ¡°Foreign or domestic?¡±


    ¡°Answer both.¡±


    ¡°Abroad, I was a sniper; in China, I¡¯m an unemployed drifter.¡±


    ¡°You were a sniper?¡± The pre-interrogator checked the records. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were washing dishes in Canada before?¡±


    ¡°Well, I washed dishes on the side while being a sniper. They don¡¯t conflict.¡±


    ¡°You probably used dishwashing as a cover for being a sniper? You shot and injured our colleague without hesitation, though.¡±


    ¡°Come on, I calculated it well. If he didn¡¯t move, the bullet would have grazed his hair,¡± Cheng Zhenqing sighed, his tone tinged with a hint of grievance. ¡°I really didn¡¯t intend to hurt anyone; I just wanted to scare him.¡±


    Behind the one-way mirrored glass, Hu Songkai was about to jump up. ¡°See! Not a single truthful word! If it were in the past, he would¡¯ve been thrown into an interrogation room and beaten up!¡±


    He Wei, arms crossed, remained calm. He picked up the gooseneck microphone and said, ¡°Ask him about the people he killed as a sniper.¡±


    The interrogator heard through his earpiece and asked, ¡°Since you claim to be a sniper, tell us, who have you killed?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s expression noticeably changed. He clenched and then released his hands, and after a moment, he burst into laughter. ¡°Officer, you actually believed I was a sniper? Oh, I just said that casually.¡±


    The interrogator furrowed his brows. ¡°Cheng Zhenqing, do you know where you are? Mind your attitude!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, serious and cooperative, I¡¯ll fully assist with the investigation. But I was really washing dishes in Canada. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can check.¡±


    The following questions yielded answers similar to what Hu Songkai had asked. Cheng Zhenqing and Cheng Zesheng had reunited three years ago, and Cheng Zesheng had returned to China to develop his career, with Cheng Zhenqing following suit. While Cheng Zesheng liked guns, he was too timid to actually use them, so Cheng Zhenqing helped his brother collect firearms abroad and then smuggled them back to China. Unintentionally, they had set up an armory in the basement.


    As for his brother¡¯s death, Cheng Zhenqing had no idea. Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t have enemies, and he couldn¡¯t fathom who would want him dead. After the armory was exposed, Cheng Zhenqing had plenty of time to flee back to Canada, but he stayed here to find his brother¡¯s killer.


    ¡°Ask him for the safe code in the basement of Fusheng Jinlong Garden.¡± He Wei said.


    After the pre-interrogator asked, Cheng Zhenqing suddenly turned his head, staring at the mirrored glass wall. He knew that this one-way mirrored glass made it impossible for the people inside to see the outside, but they all felt as if Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s eyes had seen through it, with a focus on He Wei.


    ¡°85553113.¡±


    Chong Zhen noted it down and went to open the safe they had brought back. He Wei instructed the pre-interrogator to continue asking about Cheng Zesheng¡¯s information. Cheng Zhenqing spoke about his brother¡¯s matters fluently and in a relaxed state, as if he wasn¡¯t a detained suspect, but rather having a casual chat with a friend.


    After a while, Chong Zhen returned, holding a leather envelope with a neatly sealed flap that hadn¡¯t been opened before. Hu Songkai handed him a utility knife, and just as He Wei was about to cut it open, he heard Cheng Zhenqing ask, ¡°Officer He is outside, right? Did you get that envelope?¡±


    ¡°I suggest Officer He not open it right now; the timing isn¡¯t right.¡± Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s hands were handcuffed to the table, but his fingers were restless and casual, moving absentmindedly. ¡°You might want to wait until we¡¯re done chatting, then decide whether you want to open it.¡±


    He Wei hesitated with the utility knife in his hand, and Hu Songkai was getting anxious on the side, ¡°Lao He! Why are you listening to his nonsense? He¡¯s just being cryptic!¡±


    Not really. He Wei¡¯s eyes were involuntarily fixed on Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s fingers. His index and middle fingers seemed to be randomly moving, yet there was a distinct rhythm, including the pauses, that felt quite familiar¡ªinternational Morse code. Anyone attentive enough should be able to decipher it.


    1, 2. 12.


    After tapping it out, his wrist turned slightly, and the glint from the glass dial reflected and vanished.


    He Wei realized¡ªit was 12 o¡¯clock.


    He crumpled the envelope a bit; the content inside was somewhat rigidly shaped and sized like a photo. 12 o¡¯clock? Midnight?


    After pondering for a few seconds, He Wei put the utility knife down. Hu Songkai and Chong Zhen were astonished, ¡°You¡¯re not opening it? Maybe there¡¯s a key clue to solving the murder inside!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, there¡¯s something off about Cheng Zhenqing.¡± He Wei stared at the man in the interrogation room, appearing content. Something had felt off since his arrest. He could have fled smoothly, but he seemed intentionally elusive, only to be captured in the end. Looking back on it, it was as if he didn¡¯t want the process of his capture to seem too straightforward, so he cooperated enthusiastically.


    As for the interrogation just now, at least 80% of it was true, but for the remaining 20% of falsehoods, He Wei needed to speak to him directly to identify them.


    He Wei stood up. ¡°Take Cheng Zhenqing back, let him rest well, and I¡¯ll take over the interrogation tonight.¡±


    ¡ª


    Xia Liang was sitting in the hospital room, his arm suspended, and Yun Xiaoxiao was feeding him dinner.


    He Wei walked in carrying fruit and chuckled at the scene, saying, ¡°Xiao Xia, every cloud has a silver lining.¡±


    Xia Liang smiled shyly and explained, ¡°My arm is injured, I can¡¯t use my left hand to eat, so I¡¯m bothering Xiaoxiao.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao was quite generous in her response, ¡°I¡¯m the only one in the bureau with nothing to do. Your parents are out of town, so taking care of you is like working overtime.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xia Liang looked at her, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you¡¯re worried about me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m worried about you. We¡¯re all on the same team, so if you¡¯re hurt, we¡¯re all concerned.¡±


    Xia Liang¡¯s injured arm was nothing compared to the fact that his heart had shattered into pieces after Yun Xiaoxiao¡¯s confession.


    Seeing from the sidelines often gave clearer insights. Even someone as emotionally detached as He Wei could tell how tough Xia Liang had it. He took out an apple and asked Xiaoxiao to wash it. After she left, He Wei sat down and said, ¡°You can¡¯t go on like this. Be more bold. If you like her, you should say it. Xiaoxiao is a good girl. If you miss this chance, you might regret it.¡±


    Xia Liang wore a distressed expression, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m being subtle here. It¡¯s pretty obvious! Is she truly oblivious or pretending to be?¡±


    ¡°Based on my observation, she might genuinely not understand.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xia Liang sighed deeply. Why was the path of love so difficult?


    He Wei had to return to the office, only staying for five more minutes. Yun Xiaoxiao came out holding an apple, handed it to Xia Liang, and then pulled He Wei aside to speak quietly.


    ¡°Captain, Yuqing knows you¡¯re working late, so she¡¯s preparing dessert. Remember to find her when you go back.¡±


    He Wei felt puzzled, ¡°Couldn¡¯t she just come to the office directly?¡± He paused, ¡°I don¡¯t like sweet things.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao fretted, ¡°Captain, why are you so oblivious? Can¡¯t you take the initiative for once? Instead of always letting the girls make the first move?¡±


    He Wei was both amused and exasperated. He had no interest in Zheng Yuqing, but others didn¡¯t know that. He had turned down her confession two years ago. However, Zheng Yuqing hadn¡¯t given up since then. He couldn¡¯t be too unfeeling, so he maintained a passive stance in their interactions, treating her purely as a colleague.


    He Wei glanced back at Xia Liang and dropped a hint, ¡°Don¡¯t accuse me of being oblivious. Take some time to self-reflect.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao was left baffled. Self-reflect? Was the incident from the afternoon, where Xia Liang almost fell, about to be revealed?

 CH 37

    Chapter 37: Real You


    At around 11:00, only He Wei and Chong Zhen were left working overtime in the city bureau.


    ¡°Send someone to bring Cheng Zhenqing over.¡±


    Chong Zhen yawned, ¡°Does it have to be at this time? It¡¯s late at night, and I¡¯m afraid I might fall asleep while interrogating him.¡±


    ¡°You can sleep if you want; I¡¯ll handle the interrogation.¡± He Wei originally didn¡¯t plan for it to be this late, but he had received a hint from Cheng Zhenqing earlier, so he deliberately scheduled the interrogation for this time to see what tricks he was up to.


    Before long, Cheng Zhenqing was brought in. He showed no signs of sleepiness and appeared quite alert. He even greeted He Wei, ¡°Officer He, still working overtime? You¡¯re really putting in the effort.¡±


    ¡°Just used to it.¡± He Wei and Chong Zhen entered the interrogation room one after the other. After Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s hands were handcuffed, the interrogation officially began.


    He Wei glanced through the afternoon¡¯s interrogation records, skipped some of the formalities, and went straight to the point, ¡°How did you come to know Cheng Zesheng?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Does this have anything to do with my brother¡¯s case? That was years ago.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing shrugged and told him that three years ago while washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant in Canada, he accidentally met Cheng Zesheng. They felt a strange sense of familiarity with each other due to their similar appearances. They took a paternity test and confirmed they were indeed brothers, so they recognized each other.


    ¡°Why did you keep it a secret from your parents?¡±


    He Wei¡¯s tone was cold, and he asked questions that Cheng Zhenqing didn¡¯t want to answer. Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡°I¡¯m not close to them.¡±


    ¡°Did Cheng Zesheng willingly join in the concealment?¡±


    ¡°No, he was actually excited and wanted to tell our parents. It was I who asked him not to say anything. Zesheng listened to me a lot.¡±


    He Wei continued to review the transcript and suddenly asked, ¡°Can your younger brother use a gun?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you teach him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How long did it take him to learn?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s very clever and learned quickly, regardless of what it was. He even bought books and studied gun disassembly and assembly on his own. About three months, and he became quite skilled.¡±


    He Wei glanced at Cheng Zhenqing and turned to the next page of the transcript, ¡°How did you smuggle the guns into the country?¡±


    ¡°At this point, is this related to the case? Why don¡¯t you ask about what I was doing on the day Cheng Zesheng had the accident?¡±


    He Wei¡¯s attitude remained cold and unaffected, ¡°Right now, I¡¯m the one asking questions. The initiative is in my hands, and you don¡¯t have the option to choose.¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing shook his head with a bitter smile, ¡°Officer He, you really give me different surprises every time.¡±


    He Wei¡¯s eyelid twitched, but he didn¡¯t pay it any mind. He continued, ¡°Where were you on the 14th afternoon?¡±


    ¡°I was at Fusheng Jinlong Garden. I was there the whole afternoon and evening, and I left the next morning.¡±


    ¡°Who can confirm that?¡±


    ¡°The old man next door. I even greeted him. I had to pass by their house when I left. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask him if he saw me leave that day.¡±


    He Wei reminded him that everyone knew about the back door, and it was easy to avoid the old man¡¯s gaze. Everyone was experienced; there was no need to play these fancy tricks. If he has something to say, say it clearly.


    Cheng Zhenqing protested that he was really at Fusheng Jinlong Garden, but why was it that no one believed the truth?


    Chong Zhen leaned on his hand and yawned, and He Wei nudged his arm, ¡°Make yourself some coffee. There¡¯s a dessert from Youqing in the fridge. Go replenish your energy and perk up.¡±


    ¡°Can you handle this on your own?¡± Chong Zhen¡¯s question felt redundant the moment it left his lips. Could He Wei not handle it? Could he really make Cheng Zhenqing lose his temper?


    After Chong Zhen left, He Wei turned off the audio and video recording, and after coming back in, he walked up to Cheng Zhenqing and looked down at him, ¡°Have we met before?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing smiled without saying a word. He Wei continued, ¡°When we caught you, you said ¡®meeting again,¡¯ and just now you mentioned ¡®every time.¡¯ I¡¯m curious, where does this tone of familiarity come from?¡±


    ¡°Guess, and guess in a more specific direction. Under what circumstances would I have met you?¡±


    He Wei recalled the incident with Cheng Zesheng¡¯s fans mistaking him for being friends with Cheng Zesheng. He said, ¡°You must have mistaken me. That was my twin brother.¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. If it weren¡¯t for his hands being cuffed, he might have even pounded the table.


    ¡°Officer He, seriously, you¡¯re much more interesting than your cold appearance suggests.¡± Cheng Zhenqing stifled his laughter and sighed in resignation, ¡°Some things are complex and mysterious. I can¡¯t tell you now, but you¡¯ll understand on your own in the future.¡±


    ¡°You can tell me now.¡± He Wei gestured toward the glass, ¡°I¡¯ve turned off the recording and video. Only the two of us know what¡¯s being said.¡±


    ¡°Forget it; I¡¯ll tell you, but it won¡¯t have much effect.¡± Cheng Zhenqing leaned back in his chair lazily, ¡°Since the surveillance is off, you can choose three questions from the transcript and ask them again. I¡¯ll answer truthfully.¡±


    He Wei sneered, ¡°According to you, were all the questions I asked before pointless?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t malign me, Officer He. You clearly know I haven¡¯t lied much. If you¡¯re not going to ask, I might as well go back to sleep.¡±


    He Wei squinted his eyes. He had never encountered a suspect who always held the upper hand like this. Moreover, He Wei could also tell that he was not easily swayed by either hard or soft approaches. Even with his eyes closed, he could still talk his way out of situations, making it impossible to pin him down.


    He Wei retrieved the transcript, flipped through it, and asked, ¡°First question, who were the people you killed as a sniper?¡±


    ¡°¡­Drug traffickers.¡±


    He Wei was surprised, and he saw that Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s brows were furrowed, his hands clenched into fists, and an expression that seemed to be gnashing his teeth, as if he wanted to tear them apart.


    ¡°You seem to really hate drug traffickers,¡± He Wei remarked.


    Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s tone turned hard and cold, ¡°They are brutal, inhuman, and destroy human decency. After being in contact with them, all I want is to kill them swiftly.¡±


    He Wei¡¯s mind stirred, and he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Using a key, he unlocked the handcuffs on Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s right hand and shook out a cigarette, handing it over.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Cheng Zhenqing took the cigarette, first squeezed it from end to end, then waved it near his nose before saying, ¡°Do you have a light?¡±


    He Wei handed him a lighter, his expression becoming complicated. With a click, Cheng Zhenqing lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, and smiled, ¡°Keep asking; there are still two more questions.¡±


    ¡°Why did you only recognize Cheng Zesheng and not look for your parents?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ It¡¯s really hard to explain. To sum it up in three words: not familiar enough.¡±


    ¡°One last question.¡± He Wei leaned on the table, lowered his head, and spoke in a hushed tone that only the two of them could hear.


    ¡°Were you previously¡ªan anti-drug officer?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    At three in the morning, He Wei returned home, exhausted. He had been engrossed in his work before, not feeling much, but as he relaxed now, that elbow strike he received from apprehending Cheng Zhenqing started to make itself known. A heavy feeling settled in his chest, and even breathing pulled at his muscles in a faint ache.


    He hadn¡¯t come back the day before, and there was takeout on the table that looked like Cheng Zesheng¡¯s order. But he didn¡¯t have much of an appetite now. The main issue was his discomfort; he just wanted to go to his room, apply some ointment, and get some rest.


    After heading upstairs, He Wei stood at his door, glancing at Cheng Zesheng¡¯s door. He¡¯s probably asleep by now, right? Maybe it¡¯s best not to knock and disturb him. Some questions could wait until tomorrow.


    However, Cheng Zesheng had already woken up when he heard the neighboring door open. Tonight, he had ordered shredded chicken for dinner, and after a whole night without He Wei returning, he figured he was working late at the bureau. So, he left the shredded chicken on the table, hoping He Wei would find it upon his return.


    For some reason, without a short conversation with He Wei or any interaction, the night felt exceptionally long. He tossed and turned in bed and only managed to fall asleep around one in the morning. His sleep wasn¡¯t deep, and when he heard the sound of the lock on the opposite door, he instantly woke up.


    Cheng Zesheng quickly got up and went to knock on He Wei¡¯s door. After a short while, the door slowly opened. The room was dark without any lights on, and a pungent scent of Yunnan Baiyao ointment lingered in the air.


    ¡°Are you injured?¡± Cheng Zesheng flicked the light switch on, but then remembered the time was off. He Wei wouldn¡¯t be able to hear his voice.


    He Wei was quite speechless. He was exhausted, planning to apply the ointment and head to bed. Cheng Zesheng turned on the lights, flooding the room with brightness. How was he supposed to sleep now?


    [Are you injured?]


    There was a note on the bed, and He Wei put down the Yunnan Baiyao ointment. He tore off a piece of paper and replied: [Yeah. Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?]


    Cheng Zesheng found it even harder to sleep now.


    Though it was common for them as detectives to suffer from bruises and injuries, as ¡°roommates,¡± it didn¡¯t seem right to turn a blind eye. Cheng Zesheng thought for a moment, tore off another piece of paper, and asked where He Wei was injured and which criminal managed to hurt him.


    Seated at the edge of the bed, He Wei¡¯s upper body was bare, rubbing the black and purple bruise on his chest. He picked up a pen and replied briefly with just two words: [Your brother.]


    Cheng Zesheng was initially stunned, but soon remembered that his brother from the neighboring world was still alive and was even a fugitive criminal. He couldn¡¯t fathom the scenario where Cheng Zhenqing and He Wei would come to blows; after all, in his heart, his brother only dealt ruthlessly with criminals, and he had never seen him use force against his colleagues.


    [Where are you hurt? Is it serious?]


    [Chest, elbow¡ªluckily no bones were broken.]


    Cheng Zesheng followed the scent of the Yunnan Baiyao ointment to its source. He stared at the empty bed, where He Wei had been, possibly still holding the ointment and rubbing away the accumulated blood.


    The overhead light flickered twice and suddenly went out.


    Both He Wei and Cheng Zesheng looked up simultaneously. He Wei attempted to turn the light back on, but after trying a few times, it became apparent that something unfortunate had happened¡ªthe power was out.


    Well, now there was no need to pass notes anymore. They should each go to their own rooms, and sleep in their respective beds.


    Cheng Zesheng also stood at the doorway, checking the switch. The sounds in the air gradually became more complex. Besides his breathing, there was an additional faint sound of breathing.


    He Wei¡¯s senses were sharp, and he had already sensed the presence. He felt surprised, not by the fact that someone was behind him but by how much time had passed and he was still able to hear Cheng Zesheng¡¯s voice.


    And¡ªthis was just too close.


    He Wei furrowed his brow and instinctively pushed; this time his finger didn¡¯t touch the thin air but the soft fabric of a T-shirt and a warm chest. His heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly turned around, only to have his wrist caught again. The warmth transmitted through the skin-to-skin contact was undeniable, confirming that there was a living person standing behind him.


    ¡°Cheng Zesheng¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s warm breath nearly brushed He Wei¡¯s cheek as he spoke in a low voice, ¡°If you move forward just a bit more, we¡¯ll almost kiss.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng was also nervous. He hadn¡¯t expected to actually touch the real He Wei. The wrist he held was cold and smooth, but the palpitation of the pulse was real, thumping against his chest, beat after beat.


    ¡°¡­¡± What kind of nonsense was he spouting? He Wei shook off the hand and stepped back in the opposite direction, and at that moment, the room suddenly brightened up¡ªthe power was back on.


    No one else was there; the room held only him.


    Cheng Zesheng stared at his palm, dazed. The warmth lingered on his fingertips; it was the human body temperature.


    He couldn¡¯t be mistaken. He had indeed just touched He Wei.

 CH 38

    Chapter 38: Accidental Discovery


    After the class ended, Liang Jingyuan was surrounded by a group of students asking questions. He was very popular at the school. Many students who might not be interested in the profound subject of cosmology were eager to sign up for his classes because, with his handsome and gentle demeanor, Professor Liang could make them excited to explore the mysteries of the universe together.


    Just as he pushed open the office door, a shadow flew toward him. Liang Jingyuan instinctively reached out and caught it¡ªit was a toy mouse.


    ¡°Give it to Stephen.¡± He Wei reclined on a small rocking chair, tossing a multicolored jute ball up and down in his hand. ¡°Is it a male or female cat? There are many nice decorations at the pet store that it can wear for photos.¡±


    Liang Jingyuan walked in, smiling, ¡°Don¡¯t bother; Stephen doesn¡¯t like those things. But the toy you got could suit his taste.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ve got some canned food here.¡± He Wei had a small bag by his feet, filled with items he had just bought from a pet store. Liang Jingyuan accepted the items and asked, ¡°Why are you coming to see me again so soon?¡±


    ¡°I have something to discuss with you. Otherwise, did you think I¡¯d invite you to shopping and movies?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely off the table.¡± Liang Jingyuan took out a bag of chrysanthemum hawthorn tea, brewed it, and handed it to He Wei. ¡°You don¡¯t look too good. Been staying up late recently?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been okay. I stayed up late last night interrogating a suspect, feeling a bit tired.¡±


    Liang Jingyuan circled behind He Wei, placing his hands against his cheeks with four fingers and pressing his thumbs on the center of his head. ¡°This is the Baihui acupoint. If you¡¯re tired, press it yourself. It can help alleviate fatigue.¡±


    His technique was skillful. He applied just the right pressure, making the scalp and acupoints feel remarkably comfortable. He Wei closed his eyes and exclaimed, ¡°You really seem to know everything.¡±


    Liang Jingyuan looked down at him, his eyes shimmering with a gentle affection that radiated from the depths of his heart.


    The friendship between him and He Wei had always been in a very stable state. They didn¡¯t contact each other often, sometimes going half a year without meeting due to busy schedules. Yet, with just one phone call and the sound of each other¡¯s voices, the familiar connection never changed. It was a rapport cultivated over many years.


    Because of this, formalities between them were a waste of time. When He Wei needed something, he sometimes didn¡¯t even bother with greetings; he would just come over. Liang Jingyuan had a private office, and he left a spare key for He Wei. If he came back after class and found the door slightly ajar, he knew He Wei must have dropped by.


    Five minutes later, He Wei stretched lazily. Thanks to Liang Jingyuan¡¯s skillful hands, his previously groggy mind was now much clearer. Liang Jingyuan pulled out a chair and sat across from him. He Wei finally got to the point, ¡°Do you remember the question I asked you last time? About parallel worlds.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Has something even more unusual happened?¡±


    He Wei extended his right hand, his eyes showing a hint of confusion. ¡°¡­I encountered him.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t slept much that night because, after tangibly encountering Cheng Zesheng, his mind was in chaos. Various whimsical ideas popped up, keeping his brain excited and active, making it impossible for him to fall asleep.


    ¡°A few days ago, in a different place, I saw him through the glass. And tonight, in my room, during a power outage, I distinctly felt his presence behind me. Even though it wasn¡¯t the time we could communicate, I actually encountered him, a living, breathing person.¡±


    ¡°Though it was a very short time, probably just a few seconds, it completely confirmed for me that another Cheng Zesheng exists in reality, with flesh and blood, living under the same roof as me.¡±


    Liang Jingyuan propped his chin and noticed a detail, ¡°The power outage happened at that time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the lights dimmed for a moment. By the time the power came back on, he had disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it wasn¡¯t a power outage but rather a form of magnetic field interference.¡± Liang Jingyuan speculated, pressing his index finger against his chin. ¡°When you noticed the anomalies at home through the surveillance, the screen shaking might have been due to magnetic interference as well. In wormhole theory, the wormhole¡¯s opening and closing are extremely unpredictable, making it impossible to traverse. But since you were able to touch Cheng Zesheng, it means that shortcuts in space are accessible to ordinary people. And it¡¯s possible that, being at a node, the conditions for traversing each other¡¯s worlds have been relaxed, turning implausible miracles into gradual possibilities.¡±


    He Wei only had a superficial understanding of these theories. From his perspective, his contact with Cheng Zesheng was deepening continuously. The reason for this deepening phenomenon was still unclear. He didn¡¯t know if it was due to the natural passage of time that caused the two worlds to slowly merge or if certain external factors were causing an increased penetration of space, allowing him not only to hear Cheng Zesheng¡¯s voice but also to physically encounter him.


    ¡°The merging of parallel worlds is not within my field of knowledge, and there¡¯s very little research done on this topic. It¡¯s an imaginative hypothesis that¡¯s hard to calculate or measure using existing formulas. Aside from the three laws of the universe, there are also three taboos: time machines, spatial shortcuts, and faster-than-light travel. All of these are prohibited by a normal universe, so your experiences are impossible in any field of cosmological research.¡±


    He Wei also didn¡¯t understand why he would be the one to encounter such a bizarre event¡ªa highly unusual murder case that led to an incredible story. He had encountered so many victims, yet only this one had come into his world, making him deeply feel that a force beyond scientific understanding was at play in a world that upheld science.


    ¡°Since even you can¡¯t provide answers, I¡¯m even more puzzled. I¡¯ll just take things one step at a time.¡± He Wei asked again, ¡°Then¡ªAbout resurrection through borrowing a corpse, is that possible?¡±


    Liang Jingyuan helplessly smiled, ¡°A-Wei, you should go to professionals for questions like that¡ªlike mediums or spiritual practitioners.¡±


    He Wei shrugged. Seeing that there was still time, he patted Liang Jingyuan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°How about dinner tonight?¡±


    Unexpectedly, Liang Jingyuan gave a faint smile and pointed at his watch, ¡°Some other time, I¡¯ve made plans.¡±


    This was the first time He Wei¡¯s proactive invitation had been declined. He suddenly realized, ¡°Oh¡ªso my little brother won¡¯t have a chance, huh?¡±


    Liang Jingyuan continued to smile, ¡°I¡¯ll be there on the 16th.¡±


    He Wei couldn¡¯t control matters of the heart either. He could only sigh at how uncooperative He Lu was, always hiding his crush. Now, every tear of his that would fall would be the water he had let into his brain at that time.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    In the afternoon, Cheng Zesheng went to Nanxiangshan Cemetery, bringing flowers and a pack of cigarettes, to visit his brother.


    Anti-drug officers were different from regular police. After sacrificing their lives, they couldn¡¯t have grand memorial services draped in the national flag, receiving condolences from the entire nation. Their ashes could only be quietly returned, known only to their families and police superiors. No one else would know that a hero had carried the weight of the bright future of society and finally sacrificed himself.


    The reason for such caution was to ensure the safety of the families of the anti-drug officers to the greatest extent possible. According to regulations, even after they sacrificed their lives, their graves couldn¡¯t be marked with tombstones. This was to prevent deranged drug dealers from targeting their families during memorials. Cheng Zhenqing had anticipated this day from early on. His confrontation with the drug trafficking gangs was bound to be a life-and-death battle. Therefore, from the beginning, there was no name ¡°Cheng Zhenqing¡± in the police files. His photo was associated with the identity ¡°Ma Guangming.¡±


    Three years ago, when Cheng Zesheng went to the Cjina-Mayanmar border and saw his brother¡¯s body, he almost went mad. Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s chest had been cut open in three places with six holes, and he had multiple fractures all over his body. His fingernails had been completely pulled out, and his hand bones had been smashed bit by bit with a small hammer. Because he was a sniper, these hands were the object of the drug dealers¡¯ deep hatred, so he had been tortured into an almost unrecognizable form.


    After a forensic autopsy, the conclusion drawn was that all these punishments were carried out while Cheng Zhenqing was conscious. To ensure maximum enjoyment, the drug dealers injected him with high-purity heroin. The dosage was not lethal, but enough to keep him awake. After enduring dozens of hours of hellish torment, Cheng Zhenqing was finally able to find release.


    Cheng Zesheng couldn¡¯t bring himself to tell his parents. He quietly brought his brother¡¯s ashes back, wrapped in a red flag. He couldn¡¯t bury him in the Martyrs Cemetery either. In the end, he chose a spot in the public cemetery on Nanxiang Mountain. His entire file was under an assumed identity, and all the merits he obtained were unrelated to the name ¡°Cheng Zhenqing.¡± Only this gravestone finally allowed him to reclaim his true identity.


    Every year on the Winter Solstice, the Ghost Festival, and the Qingming Festival, these three significant days, Cheng Zesheng would visit his brother, with a bouquet of flowers and a pack of cigarettes. The routine never changed. Today was a bit of an exception¡ªthe Ghost Festival was still a bit away, and Qingming had already passed. Cheng Zesheng would visit again later; he just wanted to chat with his brother today.


    ¡°Brother, our shared aspiration was to become good police officers, so how did you end up becoming a criminal over there?¡± Cheng Zesheng unpacked the cigarette pack, pinching it from end to end, giving it a whiff at the tip of his nose, and finally lighting it up and placing it in front of the gravestone.


    This was his brother¡¯s unique way of smoking. Cheng Zhenqing dealt with drugs every day and encountered many drug dealers who mixed drugs with tobacco, getting innocent people addicted. So, when Cheng Zhenqing received a cigarette, he would carefully inspect it with his hands, then smell its aroma, making sure it was safe before he lit it. This habit never changed, even in death.


    ¡°The police officer who caught your parallel world version is quite impressive. But he died in our world. What¡¯s strange is that I¡¯m investigating his case, and yet, we were living together.¡± Cheng Zesheng looked at his brother¡¯s black and white photograph. ¡°I met him yesterday; it felt very surreal. Brother, do you think there will come a day when I can see the complete him at home?¡±


    The Nanxiang Mountain Cemetery was sparsely populated. It wasn¡¯t a day for tomb-sweeping, and this particular area was completely deserted. Cheng Zesheng noticed that the gold paint on the gravestone had peeled off in a few places, so he headed to the management office to find a craftsman who could touch up the paint.


    ¡°That spot on the hill is a feng shui treasure, but the price is higher than elsewhere. Mr. He, have you thought it through?¡±


    ¡°I want to go up and take a look. Please show me the way.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng was about to enter the management office when he heard a familiar voice. He quickly retracted his steps and dodged to the side.


    The tall and upright figure was strikingly familiar. He had seen him just a couple of days ago when he was urgently arranging for his brother¡¯s cremation and burial. It seemed that he was truly in a hurry, having come to buy a burial plot.


    They went through the back door to the hill to inspect the burial site. Cheng Zesheng walked in, and the person in charge greeted him, ¡°Officer Cheng, is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°My brother¡¯s gravestone has lost its color. Can you arrange for someone to touch it up?¡± Cheng Zesheng looked at the back door and asked, ¡°Is that person here to buy a burial plot?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. He¡¯s come for the second time today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I heard something about a feng shui treasure spot on the hill. Is it the most luxurious villa area up there? It must be quite expensive, and even a single plot would cost a lot.¡±


    The person in charge nodded, ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s correct. With that large piece of land, buying a double plot is more cost-effective than buying a single one. The gentleman who just came was interested in purchasing a double plot.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng was taken aback, ¡°A double plot?¡±


    He Wei also didn¡¯t have someone to be buried with. Why would he be buying a double plot?


    Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind and disappeared. Cheng Zesheng grabbed the person in charge, ¡°Did he mention on whose behalf he was buying it?¡±


    ¡°His significant other, I believe. Otherwise, why would he be buying a couple¡¯s plot? They¡¯re surely planning to be buried together in a hundred years.¡±


    He Lu descended from the hill, expressing his satisfaction with the feng shui and overall environment. He informed the person in charge that he would bring the death certificate tomorrow and would choose the building on the upper part.


    He went to the parking lot with the key, but unexpectedly, someone stopped him. When he took a closer look, it was actually Cheng Zesheng.


    He Lu sneered, ¡°Officer Cheng, what are you doing here? Did you come to tell me I can retrieve the body for cremation?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng ignored his sarcastic tone and appraised him with folded arms. His gaze was a mix of complex and unspeakable emotions. The more he looked, the more unbelievable it became. He Lu had concealed himself so well that he hadn¡¯t noticed a thing.


    ¡°I used to think you disliked He Wei so much, but now I realize that you¡ª¡± Cheng Zesheng found it difficult to articulate, ¡°¡­you actually have feelings for your brother.¡±


    He Lu froze for a moment, as if someone had stepped on his tail. He rushed over and grabbed Cheng Zesheng¡¯s collar, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?! Like He Wei? Are you crazy?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng pushed him away, ¡°You¡¯re going to be buried together; what other explanation is there?¡±


    ¡°Did you¡­ eavesdrop on our conversation?!¡± He Lu¡¯s face turned pale. He usually wasn¡¯t one to hold back in his words, but at this moment, his thoughts were a mess, and he couldn¡¯t manage to say a word.


    ¡°So, you hate out of love, right? It¡¯s unethical to develop feelings for your brother, so you feign hatred to suppress those emotions.¡±


    He Lu remained silent for a long time. With each passing second, he struggled internally. Finally, he gave up resisting, his body lightening as he leaned against the nearby sedan.


    ¡°If he had agreed to me, I would have never hated him.¡± He Lu covered half his face, his smile bitter. ¡°He obviously likes men; anyone is fine for him, so why can¡¯t it be me?¡±

 CH 39

    Chapter 39: Between Brothers


    In the interrogation room, He Lu sat behind a single desk, facing Le Zhengkai and Ke Dongrui.


    Half an hour ago, Cheng Zesheng brought He Lu back, arranging for an impromptu interrogation. The team members were puzzled. Hadn¡¯t they already investigated He Lu earlier? There was no motive or timing for the crime. Although he and He Wei were brothers, their relationship had deteriorated to the point that prying into it wouldn¡¯t yield any useful information.


    ¡°That night, I actually came back. I knew he was going for a reexamination and wanted to ask if his asthma had improved. But I was afraid he wouldn¡¯t tell the truth. Our relationship as brothers has worsened over the years. Sometimes he would avoid me and not answer my calls. There were even a few times when I went to find him, and he wouldn¡¯t even go home, staying at Lian Jingyuan¡¯s place.¡±


    The corner of He Lu¡¯s lips curled up, tinged with a hint of disdain. ¡°What kind of person can Lian Jingyuan be? In college, he was promoting homos*xuality, and after graduation, he opened a gay bar, hanging out with all sorts of people. If it weren¡¯t for him, He Wei would have stayed obediently by my side, never leaving.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng frowned. This man¡¯s need for control was overpowering. In his mindset, He Wei was like a puppet, with strings manipulated by him. Every behavior and thought should be under his control. He probably never regarded He Wei as a ¡°brother¡± and naturally treated him as an accessory, aiming to saturate every corner of He Wei¡¯s life with this intense possessiveness.


    Perhaps He Wei¡¯s introverted nature and reticence weren¡¯t innate, but had developed over the years due to He Lu¡¯s constant presence, cutting off his avenues of communication and gradually forcing him into the state of a man who shrank away in crowds, unable to lift his head. He had to rely on He Lu, stay by his brother¡¯s side, held in the name of ¡°protection¡± and ¡°love,¡± unable to escape.


    ¡°When did you realize your feelings for He Wei? Was it after he was ¡®influenced¡¯ by Lian Jingyuan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly at that time. Encouraged by Lian Jingyuan, he gathered the courage to come out to our family. Mom and Dad were speechless with shock, and I couldn¡¯t believe he would make such a move. I was angry, furious, and unwilling. At first, I attributed all of this to his abnormal orientation, making me, his younger brother, lose face. But later, I realized¡­¡± He Lu¡¯s hands gestured open and closed, his voice becoming low and gentle, carrying a touch of tenderness, ¡°I wanted him.¡±


    ¡°He could like men, but that man had to be me. With that thought in mind, one evening I confronted him. He was terrified, like a startled rabbit.¡± He Lu looked up, sighing softly under the cold light above, ¡°He begged me not to be so crazy, that he could consider anyone else but me.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng and Ke Dongrui exchanged glances. They were used to He Lu¡¯s arrogant and domineering demeanor, but suddenly encountering this destitute and helpless side felt a bit uncomfortable. Cheng Zesheng continued, ¡°What happened after that? Did you become enemies and stop contacting each other?¡±


    He Lu nodded candidly. Indeed, he had outwardly displayed how repulsed he was by having a homosexual brother, but only He Wei knew that his true anger stemmed from wanting what he couldn¡¯t have. To suppress the taboo and restless beast within him, He Lu tried not to get too close to his brother. But he still wanted to know about He Wei, whether it was causing a scene at a bar or engaging in a tit-for-tat humiliation¡ªit was all about finding a way to assert his presence.


    After sorting out the taboo emotions between the twin brothers, it was time to address his alibi.


    ¡°In the past, you mentioned that you were in Shengzhou City from the night of the 13th to the night of the 14th. But according to your colleagues¡¯ testimonies, you were with them the whole time. Did they provide false testimony for you?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be considered false testimony. They also don¡¯t know whether I was in the room the whole time. On the night of the 13th, I claimed to be sick and went back to rest. After slipping out, I drove a car that wasn¡¯t mine. No colleagues noticed that I had left Anshui City.¡±


    Anshui City was in Lin Province, and if you took the highway, it was less than a three-hour drive back to Shengzhou City. If he had left at 5 o¡¯clock, he would have arrived in Shengzhou City around 8 o¡¯clock, and He Wei had left his home at 9 o¡¯clock.


    ¡°He went to see you?¡±


    He Lu nodded. ¡°I called him to meet me and told him that if he didn¡¯t come to see me, I would tell their company leaders about his homosexuality.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng was speechless. Was this guy insane? Was this how you treated someone you liked, by tormenting and bullying them like this?


    No wonder they couldn¡¯t trace who He Wei went to meet that night. It turned out he went to meet this hidden brother. He probably got into He Lu¡¯s car after crossing the bridge and was then driven to an unknown location within the city.


    ¡°Where did you take He Wei?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to take him to a house I bought, a villa in the suburban area. I ran out of gas around Changpan Road, so I went to a nearby gas station to refuel. He sat obediently in the back seat, behaving like an elementary school student, and he answered my questions seriously, not hiding anything. But then¡­¡± He Lu¡¯s eyes darkened, and he gritted his teeth, ¡°While the car door wasn¡¯t locked, he opened it, got out, and ran away.¡±


    ¡°I immediately chased after him. The fog was heavy that day, and in just a few seconds, his figure disappeared into the fog. I couldn¡¯t see him anymore.¡± He Lu clenched his fist, ¡°He has asthma, and his physical fitness is poor. He couldn¡¯t have run far, but he just disappeared, really disappeared¡­¡±


    He grabbed his short hair in front of his forehead, his expression pained. ¡°I searched for him for a long time and couldn¡¯t find him. I didn¡¯t know where he had gone. In the end, I could only regretfully drive back. After dawn, I received a call that He Wei was dead.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what time he disappeared?¡±


    ¡°It was probably before 11 o¡¯clock. I was just focused on finding him and didn¡¯t have time to look at the clock.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng noted the time. According to the surveillance records, ¡°He Wei¡± returned at 12 o¡¯clock, and it seemed that the timeline matched, but obviously, the person had switched places.


    Ke Dongrui stopped recording and whispered to Cheng Zesheng, ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, I think he might have mental issues. If he truly loved He Wei as much as he said, why didn¡¯t he react when identifying the body?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng nodded and asked, ¡°He Lu, I can see that you don¡¯t seem to like your brother that much. Why did you show such an indifferent attitude even when seeing his body?¡±


    He Lu stared coldly at Cheng Zesheng. ¡°Because that wasn¡¯t He Wei.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng and he locked eyes, his brows furrowing. He Lu continued, ¡°I¡¯m too familiar with him. The moment I saw the body, it felt off. Although the body¡¯s build and face were identical, it wasn¡¯t He Wei.¡±


    No wonder his attitude was so detached when identifying the body. It turns out he didn¡¯t believe for a moment that his own brother was dead, so he didn¡¯t bother wasting time.


    Ke Dongrui typed every word of the testimony into the computer, looking at him as if he were observing a n*cked lunatic.


    Cheng Zesheng twirled the pen in his hand, following his words as he asked further, ¡°Since you¡¯re saying that person wasn¡¯t your brother, who is the deceased we found?¡±


    He Lu shook his head, indicating that he wasn¡¯t sure, but he was certain that the body wasn¡¯t his brother¡¯s. When he saw the body, he didn¡¯t feel grief in his heart; there was even a trace of relief. His thought at that moment was: There¡¯s already a dead person here, so no one would bother looking for the real He Wei. If that were the case, if he found He Wei and He Wei had already become a ¡°corpse¡± on record, he wouldn¡¯t have a way to return to his previous life. He would have to stay by He Lu¡¯s side, nurtured like a pet, without a chance to escape.


    ¡°¡­¡± Ke Dongrui rubbed the goosebumps on her arm and muttered under her breath, ¡°Crazy.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m crazy? Hahaha!¡± He Lu overheard and burst into laughter, his hearty laughter echoing in the interrogation room. Ke Dongrui knocked on the table as a warning, ¡°Maintain discipline, we¡¯re still in the middle of an interrogation!¡±


    He Lu¡¯s laughter gradually subsided, and his smile faded. He lowered his head, as if speaking to Cheng Zesheng and having an internal dialogue with himself.


    ¡°You won¡¯t understand, how precious it is to hold onto something you couldn¡¯t have for so long.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Today, it was He Wei who waited for Cheng Zesheng at home. He lay on the couch reading ¡°Forensic Toxicology¡± and accidentally dozed off. When he woke up and glanced at the clock, it was already 11 o¡¯clock.


    It seemed that Cheng Zesheng wouldn¡¯t be coming back tonight.


    He Wei got up, stretched, and decided to take a shower before going to bed. Lately, both of them had been quite busy, and he hadn¡¯t had a chance to talk to Cheng Zesheng about his brother.


    Last night in the interrogation room, He Wei asked Cheng Zhenqing if he used to be an anti-drug officer. His expression was strange, and before Cheng Zhenqing could respond, Chong Zhen had entered. Chong Zhen noticed that the video and audio were both turned off. He pulled He Wei out and quietly asked what he was up to.


    He Wei only said to play it safe and gather information, but he didn¡¯t tell Chong Zhen what kind of information he was seeking, fearing that it might frighten him.


    Cheng Zhenqing was taken back inside, and as he passed by, he gave He Wei a meaningful look. Of course, He Wei understood that Cheng Zhenqing wasn¡¯t ordinary; he held a big secret. He began to speculate about the supernatural aspects of resurrection by borrowing a body, beginning with the way he saw Cheng Zhenqing smoke.


    It was something Cheng Zesheng had inadvertently revealed¡ªhis brother¡¯s unique habit. It had almost become a natural movement. By the time the cigarette was in his hand, his fingers were involuntarily tapping it.


    Because of this, He Wei wanted to learn more about Cheng Zhenqing from Cheng Zesheng. It could be a breakthrough in the next round of interrogation. And that envelope, He Wei hadn¡¯t opened it yet. He planned to listen to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s opinion and let him judge what might be inside.


    Since they couldn¡¯t meet face to face, leaving a note was the only way. After He Wei finished his shower, he wrote a long note and stuck it on the table, waiting for Cheng Zesheng to provide a detailed response.


    Cheng Zesheng wasn¡¯t avoiding going home; he simply couldn¡¯t go home. Because of He Lu¡¯s testimony, he and Le Zhengkai had driven to the gas station overnight. Following the route instructed by He Lu, they turned onto Changpan Road and indeed spotted the 24-hour operational gas station.


    The surveillance footage was retrieved. During the refueling, the rear car door suddenly opened, and a figure rushed out and darted toward the back alley of the gas station. Immediately after, another figure emerged from the driver¡¯s seat and gave chase. The two figures vanished from the surveillance footage, leaving the gas station attendants standing still with the fuel pump, obviously startled by this person¡¯s behavior of abandoning the car.


    About half an hour later, He Lu returned, paid for the gas, and drove away.


    ¡°Do you remember the precondition he mentioned when talking about He Wei¡¯s disappearance?¡±


    Le Zhengkai thought back carefully, recalling that He Lu¡¯s first words were, ¡°It was foggy that day.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng flipped through Weibo for a while, opened a video, and handed it to Chongzhen. ¡°This is footage from the night of the 13th. Someone used an astronomical telescope to observe the phenomenon. A supernova exploded. Can you see it clearly?¡±


    In the video, a dazzling white light flashed across the circular night sky, illuminating everything around it. The cluster of white lights continued to twinkle, alternating between brightness and darkness, resembling the most mischievous eyes in the night sky.


    ¡°What does this supernova explosion have to do with the appearance of fog?¡± Le Zhengkai asked.


    ¡°Optical telescopes have high requirements for observation sites and weather conditions. Fog can reduce the amount of light entering the telescope, making it difficult to see the stars.¡± Cheng Zesheng put away his phone with a look of disdain, asking, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t you learn this in high school?¡±


    Le Zhengkai felt wronged. Who studies this in high school? But Cheng Zesheng¡¯s message was clear. He was trying to tell him that there was no fog that night.


    Le Zhengkai observed the terrain. Behind the gas station, there was only one road, and it was a dead-end. The exit was on the other side, and the surveillance footage clearly showed them running in that direction. He Lu¡¯s fabricated lie about fog appearing and He Wei disappearing was simply too clumsy.


    It was precisely because this lie had no finesse and was easily exposed that Cheng Zesheng felt that He Lu was telling the truth. Moreover, based on his behavior and the time recorded by the toll station on the highway, his suspicion of being the perpetrator could be largely ruled out.


    ¡°Hey, do you think this scenario would look familiar if it were at a train station?¡± Le Zhengkai pointed to the high wall, ¡°Pushing luggage and crashing into it, whoosh, congratulations, you¡¯ve arrived at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng rubbed his chin, murmuring to himself, ¡°Perhaps it really is a passage through.¡±


    Assuming this was a suddenly opened spatial tunnel, the authentic He Wei of this world had disappeared, but who was it that returned? Whose version of He Wei had come back?

 CH 40

    Chapter 40: Dream at Night


    Upon hearing the news that Cheng Zhenqing had been located and arrested, Ding Xiang made a special trip to the police station, hoping to see him in person.


    Clutching a handkerchief in her hand, her feelings were a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Her impression of her eldest son was stuck in his infancy, his tender and childish little face. Now, over thirty years have passed. Would she still be able to recognize him?


    Two figures were walking down the corridor toward her. Ding Xiang stood up, watching as a tall man approached. His face bore some resemblance to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s, and tears streamed down her face in an instant.


    ¡°It¡¯s him; I can¡¯t be wrong¡­ It¡¯s Zhenqing¡­¡±


    Upon seeing Ding Xiang, Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s emotions visibly fluctuated. He stammered, and his voice trembled slightly, ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    Ding Xiang rushed forward and hugged Cheng Zhenqing, unable to speak through her tears. ¡°You¡¯ve been away for so long. Why didn¡¯t you reveal yourself to us? I looked for you for four years. I was so disheartened that I gave birth to Zesheng, and I never expected to see you again in my lifetime¡­¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing lowered his head, using one hand to comfortingly stroke Ding Xiang¡¯s back. He softly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, truly sorry.¡±


    He Wei stood to the side, and from his vantage point, he could see Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s lowered eyelashes sticking together and his eye sockets slightly damp.


    Although the reunion of mother and son was heartwarming, Cheng Zhenqing was still a suspect under criminal detention. During this period, visits from family members were not allowed. Being able to have this brief meeting was already a luxury. Ding Xiang wiped her tears, pulled He Wei aside, and anxiously inquired, ¡°Officer He, how many years might Zhenqing be sentenced to for this situation?¡±


    ¡°Cheng Zhenqing is suspected of crimes including illegal possession of weapons, intentional harm, and smuggling firearms and ammunition. We still need to investigate whether his actions are related to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s death.¡± He Wei¡¯s hand lightly rested on Ding Xiang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Mrs. Cheng, you should go back for now. If we need your cooperation further, we will inform you separately.¡±


    After hesitating for a long time, Ding Xiang nodded. Just before leaving, her swollen eyes gazed intently at He Wei.


    ¡°Officer He, believe me, Zhenqing would never harm Zesheng. When I held him just now, I sensed an overwhelming sadness and helplessness in him. I think he can¡¯t accept Zesheng¡¯s death any more than I can.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After Cheng Zesheng returned home, he found a note on the table. He Wei had listed several questions. If he answered them seriously, it would take up an entire A4 page.


    So when He Wei came home that evening, the note on the table had been replaced with an A4 sheet of paper filled with content covering a full page, even detailing things like how old Cheng Zhenqing was when he stopped wetting the bed.


    The kitchen¡¯s exhaust fan was on, and a fragrant aroma of meat wafted out. He Wei walked to the kitchen entrance and saw that the gas stove was on. A piece of steak lay on a frying pan, with the side facing up showing streaks of blood, while the other side sizzled and spat oil, its edges turning golden brown.


    ¡°¡­¡± If this fire didn¡¯t burn, it would be quite strange.


    Looking to the right, the refrigerator door was open. Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t know what he was doing, but an adult like him was in the kitchen and wasn¡¯t even paying attention to the fire.


    He Wei walked in, turned down the flame, and then used a pair of chopsticks to flip the steak. Cheng Zesheng was looking for black pepper sauce when he suddenly turned around. He Wei was in the house?


    Not only had He Wei come in, but he was also helping him fry the steak.


    Cheng Zesheng pulled out the mayonnaise that had been stuffed in the compartment of the door, only to find the black pepper sauce hidden behind it. It was a sachet of sauce, and Cheng Zesheng tore one open and put it on the counter. In the blink of an eye, the sachet was gone, and the aroma of the black pepper steak filled the air, making one¡¯s mouth water.


    With the steak cooked, He Wei turned off the flame and switched off the exhaust fan. He left the kitchen directly. If he plated it himself, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s steak would be gone.


    He Wei took some clothes and went to take a shower, while Cheng Zesheng sat in the living room happily enjoying his steak. Having such a capable cohabitant was great¡ªable to handle both the formalities and the kitchen, solve cases, and catch criminals; there was nothing they couldn¡¯t do.


    After finishing his meal, Cheng Zesheng washed the plates and put them back. Passing by the bathroom, he noticed that He Wei hadn¡¯t finished showering yet. He stopped in his tracks, recalling a time when He Wei wrote on the glass. With a thought in mind, Cheng Zesheng decided to follow suit and show his gratitude for the dinner He Wei had made.


    Opening the bathroom door, Cheng Zesheng looked up and was utterly shocked.


    In the misty and otherworldly shower, there was a semi-transparent naked figure of a man. His body was slender, and his skin glistened with a pearl-like sheen after being soaked in water. At that moment, he was tilting his head back with his eyes closed, water droplets hitting his cheeks and sliding down his delicate jawline to his collarbone and then down to his chest¡­


    ¡°Bang!¡± Cheng Zesheng hurriedly shut the door and dashed out. His handsome face turned red to the roots of his ears. He rushed to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and grabbed a can of ice-cold cola to chug down.


    He Wei opened his eyes and looked toward the trembling door. What was Cheng Zesheng doing coming in?


    And, did he suddenly grow a tail or something? He didn¡¯t even properly close the door on his way out.


    Cheng Zesheng downed half the can of cola, wiped his mouth, and finally managed to calm his racing heart. He felt annoyed with himself¡ªwhat was he getting all worked up for? He had seen plenty of naked men in bathhouses before; none of them made him feel like he was having a heart attack.


    But then, Cheng Zesheng froze. He recalled a very serious issue¡ªhe had just clearly seen He Wei.


    It wasn¡¯t his reflection in the glass; he had seen him in full clarity right in front of him.


    With this realization, Cheng Zesheng rushed back and opened the bathroom door. Yet, the bathroom was empty, the sound of water had stopped, and only the damp water marks on the floor and the lingering scent of shampoo remained as evidence of a bath taken.


    Gone.


    Cheng Zesheng felt regretful. He had finally had a chance to see him, and he didn¡¯t cherish it. Although the circumstances were unusual just now, a simple greeting would have sufficed. It was a missed opportunity.


    He Wei hadn¡¯t left the bathroom yet; he was still there, drying his hair. He glanced at the wet marks on the floor and saw two imprints of slippers behind him¡ªCheng Zesheng was standing there.


    What was this guy trying to do? He barged in twice; couldn¡¯t whatever he wanted to say wait until he was done showering and out?


    Little did he know that he had missed an unexpected encounter with Cheng Zesheng just moments ago. Although their chances to meet were extremely precious, under such circumstances, He Wei might have only said two words.


    Get out.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°I want to show you something (tell you something).¡±


    Both of them spoke at the same time, and they both paused. Cheng Zesheng asked, ¡°What do you want to show me?¡±


    ¡°An envelope, found it from your brother. There¡¯s something inside that looks like photographs, but I can¡¯t be sure.¡±


    A parchment envelope appeared on the coffee table, but Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t reach out to take it. Instead, he asked, ¡°¡­ How am I supposed to judge? I can¡¯t touch it.¡±


    ¡°What do you think your brother would put in a safe?¡± He Wei countered.


    ¡°Probably something very important, perhaps related to that other Cheng Zesheng. After all, he¡¯s suspected of smuggling. It¡¯s likely that these could be photos of transactions involving the mastermind behind the crimes.¡±


    He Wei hesitated, pondering whether to tell Cheng Zesheng that the Cheng Zhenqing they apprehended could possibly be his brother. Considering various reactions, this speculation was highly plausible. Cheng Zhenqing also possessed information that they didn¡¯t know about. Perhaps he had connections to both parallel worlds.


    Cheng Zesheng was also struggling, debating whether to inform He Wei about the progress of this side¡¯s case. While they had agreed to share their case details, the unexpected twists and turns were beyond their expectations. Sharing this information with He Wei might also shock him.


    ¡°What did you want to tell me?¡± He Wei asked.


    ¡°Um¡­ you should be mentally prepared first. What you¡¯re about to hear might be disturbing.¡±


    ¡°Just say whatever you want.¡±


    And then, Cheng Zesheng spilled out all the crazy actions and thoughts of He Lu, every detail of it.


    ¡°¡­,¡± He Wei fell silent, suddenly realizing that the gentle and sincere younger brother beside him was like an angel, in stark contrast to the one next door, who was just paranoid and controlling.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. He isn¡¯t here in your world anyway. You don¡¯t need to accept him,¡± Cheng Zesheng comforted. ¡°He¡¯s your parallel counterpart¡¯s brother. It has nothing to do with you, and you don¡¯t need to worry about him.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, he¡¯s not here with me.¡± He Wei said coldly.


    Cheng Zesheng felt a surge of killing intent for a moment; even the breeze blowing in from the balcony seemed to carry a murderous scent. The audacity of He Lu over there was probably because he hadn¡¯t experienced the beatings from his older brother next door. If he had grown up beside Officer He, he would likely have become well-behaved and not dared to step out of line.


    ¡°Over there, He Wei disappeared, and another body appeared. You suspect the existence of another parallel universe?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng spread his hands, ¡°Then how else can you explain it? You are standing right here, and it¡¯s the third He Wei who died.¡±


    ¡°But¡ªit doesn¡¯t add up. If the He Wei over there belongs to the third universe, then where do you fit in?¡± He Wei furrowed his brows. ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that our relationship is reciprocal? You¡¯re investigating my case, and I¡¯m investigating yours. Both parallel versions of us died in each other¡¯s worlds. If there¡¯s an extra He Wei, where is the other Cheng Zesheng?¡±


    He stood up and drew a relationship chart on the whiteboard, saying, ¡°If that¡¯s the third universe¡¯s He Wei, then the one who died here wouldn¡¯t be pianist Cheng Zesheng, but another unknown version of you. If Employee He Wei disappears, then the disappearance of Pianist Cheng Zesheng also makes sense, right?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng remembered the reactions of Lian Jingyuan and He Lu. They both firmly believed that He Wei hadn¡¯t died and was living well somewhere. If that was the case, then He Wei and Cheng Zesheng had fallen into the time-space rift together, not dying but trapped without escape.


    ¡°I feel like this is too unscientific,¡± Cheng Zesheng rubbed his forehead.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s more scientific to talk to the air like we¡¯re doing now?¡± He Wei rolled his eyes.


    ¡°¡­,¡± He Tianluo (Snail) was great in everything, but he was just too sharp-tongued. If only he could be a bit gentler, he¡¯d be even more likable.


    Cheng Zesheng had a fleeting thought, ¡°Daydreaming when awake, dreaming at night,¡± and the gentle He Tianluo had indeed entered his dream.


    In the dream, He Wei sat inside an open giant shell, wearing ancient clothing that perfectly suited the image of a field snail. However, this attire was as thin as a veil, revealing his well-proportioned figure and fair, translucent skin. He arched an eyebrow, showing a shy and bashful smile, ¡°Master, besides being able to do laundry and cook, I can also warm your bed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Warm my bed?¡± Cheng Zesheng¡¯s tongue tied in knots, but He Wei had already grabbed him, and they both fell into the shell. His hands hooked around Cheng Zesheng¡¯s neck, gently brushing against his shoulder. Cheng Zesheng felt dry-mouthed and tongue-tied, being subjected to such advances from another man. Instead of feeling disgusted, he found his heart and thoughts stirred with a sense of desire.


    Passion and desire intertwined, like turbulent clouds and rain; in the warmth of the hibiscus-covered bed, they spent a passionate spring night together.


    Cheng Zesheng opened his sleepy eyes, his mind foggy and muddled. His thoughts were overwhelmed by the sound of He Wei calling him ¡°Master.¡±


    Sitting up, he discovered his underwear was cold and damp at the front.


    He was done for.

 CH 41

    Chapter 41: Rebirth


    After the investigation, the police found a photo album in He Lu¡¯s residence, filled with photos related to He Wei. The front pages contained pictures of the two brothers together, while the later pages were all individual photos of He Wei. These photos were taken at various locations and times, clearly indicating that they were taken without his knowledge.


    Cheng Zesheng tossed the photos onto the table: ¡°Did you hire a private detective to follow He Wei?¡±


    He Lu admitted to it, but he explained that it happened several years ago. After the fallout between the two brothers, He Wei moved out to live on his own, and He Lu couldn¡¯t keep track of his brother¡¯s whereabouts. Frustrated and anxious, He Lu secretly hired a private detective to monitor his brother¡¯s every move.


    Later, he realized that He Wei¡¯s life remained as mundane as before, and he wasn¡¯t making any questionable friends other than Lian Jingyuan. So He Lu discontinued this invasive behavior.


    ¡°¡­He¡¯s your brother, not your possession. You don¡¯t truly care for him in the real sense; it¡¯s just possessiveness,¡± Cheng Zesheng said, pointing at the photos with his index finger. ¡°What you did hurt not only your brother but also your parents. Have you thought about that?¡±


    When he mentioned his parents, He Lu suddenly looked up: ¡°¡­Are you going to tell them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about what I want; it¡¯s a requirement according to the law. Family members must be informed. You are a major suspect in He Wei¡¯s case. Until we thoroughly investigate, you can¡¯t leave,¡± Cheng Zesheng asked Ke Dongrui, ¡°Have his family members arrived?¡±


    ¡°They should be arriving soon.¡±


    He Lu widened his eyes, his emotions fluctuating greatly, struggling to stand up: ¡°Why do you have to tell them?! My dad has a heart condition, and my mom has high blood pressure; do you want to kill them?!¡±


    Ke Dongrui retorted angrily, ¡°When you were doing all these things, did you ever consider your parents¡¯ feelings?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to interfere!¡± He Lu exclaimed in frustration, clenching his fists. ¡°And, I didn¡¯t kill He Wei! Why are you detaining me?! Let me go, I want a lawyer!¡±


    Cheng Zesheng raised his chin in response, fine, get him a lawyer. He didn¡¯t believe He Lu was the culprit, but what he did to He Wei was disturbing. Keeping him in custody for a few more days would be a lesson.


    Five minutes later, Xiang Yang reported that He Lu¡¯s mother, Ye Lanlan, had arrived.


    He Lu¡¯s face turned pale in an instant, and his hands that were cuffed together trembled slightly. He bit his lower lip and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t want her to see me. Aren¡¯t family visits prohibited during criminal detention? I don¡¯t want to see her.¡±


    ¡°Official visits are indeed not allowed, but just a brief meeting isn¡¯t so strict,¡± Cheng Zesheng instructed. ¡°Xiang Yang, take him back.¡±


    In the narrow corridor, He Lu spotted a figure in a cheongsam standing there from a distance. He hesitated to move forward, turned to go back, but was stopped: ¡°He Lu!¡±


    He Lu¡¯s shoulders tensed, and the hurried footsteps of high heels echoed behind him. His arm was grabbed, and Ye Lanlan questioned, ¡°Is what the police said true? Did you really take your brother away before he had the accident?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± He Lu¡¯s lips twitched slightly. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t ask; it¡¯s all true.¡±


    ¡°Slap!¡± A resounding slap landed on He Lu¡¯s right cheek. Ye Lanlan trembled all over, mustering all her strength to scold, ¡°Beast! How could you¡­ How could you treat A-Wei like this? He was your brother! You were blood brothers!¡±


    He Lu gently touched his swollen and fiery cheek, and after a while, he whispered, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him being my brother, I wouldn¡¯t have had to endure this for so long.¡±


    This sentence was like adding fuel to the fire, completely shattering Ye Lanlan¡¯s spirit. She collapsed onto a chair and cried bitterly.


    ¡°¡­Mom, take care of yourself and Dad.¡±


    Ye Lanlan watched He Lu¡¯s retreating figure with teary eyes. The elder son had died, and the second son had been detained by the police. Why did their ordinary little family have to suffer such a disaster?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    In the next interrogation of Cheng Zhenqing, it wasn¡¯t He Wei conducting the questioning but Wu Xiaolei and Yun Xiaoxiao. Cheng Zhenqing still had that air of being in control, with five out of ten of his statements infuriating enough to make people jump with anger. He even raised an eyebrow and watched with an air of nonchalance, as if he was enjoying a show.


    ¡°The owner of Fusheng Jinlong Garden¡¯ is Cheng Zesheng. Why were you frequently entering and leaving?¡± Wu Xiaolei asked.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s the house my younger brother bought for me. Is there a problem with me coming and going?¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s your house, why didn¡¯t you have the password and key to the basement and instead have to call a locksmith?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing quickly explained, ¡°You can¡¯t put it that way. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t have them; it¡¯s just that the password was recently changed, and I forgot it. The keys are all with Zesheng. His house has been sealed by you guys, so if I want to go back in, I have to get someone to unlock it.¡±


    ¡°When was the last time you met?¡± Wu Xiaolei asked.


    ¡°On the 11th. He asked me to think about how to decorate the house, including what to do with the basement. When I left, I absentmindedly handed him the keys and forgot to take them back.¡±


    Chong Zhen pointed at Cheng Zhenqing: ¡°This guy¡¯s lying! The old man next door said he only saw him coming later on. Cheng Zesheng wasn¡¯t with him at all!¡±


    ¡°He only said he met with Cheng Zesheng, not where they went.¡± He Wei picked up the microphone. ¡°Xiaolei, ask him about his renovation plans. He said he thought about them for a few days; let him chat with us about it.¡±


    After Wu Xiaolei¡¯s questioning, Cheng Zhenqing first hesitated, then started talking non-stop like a machine gun: ¡°I planned for a simple style, white walls, gray floors, black and white furniture. I wanted to put a bookshelf behind the sofa, separating the dining room from the living room and making the kitchen semi-open. I was thinking of putting a small, narrow table outside, using it as a bar¡­¡±


    Listening to him, He Wei¡¯s mind went to the description Cheng Zesheng wrote about his brother¡¯s residence. After buying the house, Cheng Zhenqing had lived outside, with white walls, gray floors, a living room bookshelf, and a semi-open kitchen¡ªall of this matched what Cheng Zesheng described.


    Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s tone was composed and skilled, not at all like a vague plan in his mind but rather like reciting a complete decorating blueprint. And this well-furnished house was the one he lived in before, his home in another world.


    ¡°Officer, do you need to hear more details? I can even provide the brand of the bathroom supplies and the model numbers of the household appliances.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Wu Xiaolei was embarrassed, glancing at the one-way mirror. Cheng Zhenqing laughed, ¡°Officer He, if you want to ask me something, it¡¯s best to come in person. The young officer here is inexperienced; I¡¯m afraid if we keep asking, he won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡±


    As expected, He Wei let Wu Xiaolei and Yun Xiaoxiao come out again and let everyone go eat while he conducted the interrogation. Chong Zhen prepared to go in and take notes but was stopped by He Wei: ¡°You go eat too. Didn¡¯t we say the curry chicken from the place across the street was delicious last time? Bring me some.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to interrogate him alone?¡± Chong Zhen tugged at his sleeve and whispered, ¡°Are you planning on using unconventional methods? Even so, you can¡¯t do it at the bureau. Take him to the police station this afternoon; they have more tools there, and it¡¯s more discreet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He Wei furrowed his brows, ¡°What unconventional methods? Your words just revealed your intentions. You¡¯re not cut out to be a cop; you¡¯re just a thug.¡±


    ¡°Then are you really planning to interrogate him alone? That¡¯s not in accordance with regulations either.¡±


    He Wei smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so rigid. Although we all follow the rules, special circumstances require special treatment.¡± He looked around at the colleagues he saw every day, asking, ¡°Or should I say, do I need to report to Chief Zheng right after I go in?¡±


    The three of them shook their heads in unison, including Wu Xiaolei. His admiration for He Wei was like the never-ending flow of a mighty river. Sometimes he even felt the urge to transfer to the Criminal Investigation Division, how could he ever betray Captain He?


    The interrogation room had been cleared. Just like last time, He Wei turned off all recording devices. When Cheng Zhenqing saw him enter, he smiled, ¡°Officer He, what would you like to talk about today?¡±


    He Wei closed the door and said calmly, ¡°Nothing much, just chatting about your past.¡±


    He took a chair and sat across from Cheng Zhenqing, getting straight to the point: ¡°Why did you only recognize Cheng Zesheng as your brother three years ago?¡±


    ¡°We only met three years ago, I didn¡¯t know I had a younger brother before that¡­¡±


    ¡°Cheng Zhenqing, there are things you know, and things I know. There¡¯s no need to beat around the bush.¡± He Wei locked eyes with him. ¡°Because three years ago¡ªwasn¡¯t that when you came from there? January 17th, right? Your death anniversary.¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s smile gradually faded as he recalled the unforgettable memory. He had been tied to an electric chair, his hands covered in blood, every joint in his body screaming in pain. A scar-faced man from the drug cartel held his hair, forcing him to lift his head, and asked in a mix of Burmese and Mandarin where his accomplices were hiding.


    His vision blurred with blood, his body alternated between hot and cold, and he experienced waves of hallucinations. Cheng Zhenqing knew he didn¡¯t have much time left. Swallowing hard, he cursed in Burmese, which angered the scar-faced man. He raised a Burmese knife and stabbed it into Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s chest. The knife struck his heart perfectly. Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s brow twitched slightly, but the corners of his lips trembled into a distorted smile.


    Finally, he was free.


    Was it really so?


    Cheng Zhenqing opened his eyes again, this time in a dirty alley in Toronto. The cold wind was biting, but he was only wearing a thin shirt and lying face down in the snow. The air he breathed felt like a knife piercing his lungs, and his hands, feet, and joints were numb from the cold. Cheng Zhenqing suddenly coughed, coughing up a mouthful of blood.


    But he still managed to get up, covered in bruises and cuts, presumably beaten and then abandoned in this alley. The freezing weather, unfamiliar street scenes, and bright red maple leaf flag were all far from the blood-soaked drug den. Cheng Zhenqing hugged himself and walked up to a storefront window. He saw his reflection in the glass. Despite the bruised and swollen face, the eyes and brows were familiar.


    All of this made Cheng Zhenqing feel curious. At first, he thought it was all a dream, but later he realized the dream was actually reality. He was in Toronto, Canada, and named Millor, which sounded similar to ¡°Mirror¡± at first. He lived in the slums as a street thug. Today, like every day, he was caught stealing something, beaten, and left abandoned on the street like a discarded doll.


    Cheng Zhenqing gradually realized he had unknowingly arrived in a parallel world. Perhaps he was also near death here, so at the moment he perished in the other world, God gave him a chance to be reborn and start a new life.


    Canada was too unfamiliar for him; he didn¡¯t know French, and his English wasn¡¯t great either. He managed to find a job washing dishes. However, not long after, he discovered the elegantly dressed Cheng Zesheng, and he was overjoyed. He couldn¡¯t wait to recognize him.


    Although the Cheng Zesheng of this world was far different in character from his previous brother, for Cheng Zhenqing, they were still the same person, blood-related brothers. The love for him was the same.


    Life after rebirth was far from drug dealers and gunfights¡ªa life he had once yearned for but couldn¡¯t attain. Cheng Zhenqing thought he could continue like this forever, until April 14th, when Cheng Zesheng died, starting another nightmare.


    ¡°Cheng Zhenqing, I¡¯ve encountered a lot of bizarre things recently, so I¡¯m not surprised by your situation either.¡± He Wei whispered, ¡°What puzzles me are the motives behind some of your peculiar actions. On that day, you could have escaped. Why did you let us catch you again?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing lowered his head, clenched his fists, and slowly tightened them.


    ¡°Some things can¡¯t be easily changed. They¡¯re like a complete script, and reckless alterations will only lead to a worse ending.¡± Cheng Zhenqing looked up, giving He Wei a helpless smile. ¡°I can¡¯t unravel this situation, but I only have that one brother. Please don¡¯t involve him; I¡¯m begging you.¡±

 CH 42

    Chapter 42: Can you warm the bed?


    The investigation into the gunpowder residue, as envisioned by Cheng Zesheng, yielded no results. The detectives from Team 2 went out enthusiastically but returned disheartened. It was evident at the meeting that their morale had taken a hit. Cheng Zesheng reiterated his advice to them not to continue wasting time on this lead and suggested that they could be better off inspecting other cases.


    Perhaps this case was so complex that even the heavens couldn¡¯t bear to watch. The city bureau had been relatively calm recently, with no major cases reported from the grassroots police stations. While many prefectural-level police units were focused on providing guidance, the effectiveness depended on the leadership. People like Cheng Zesheng were the kind who would become anxious if they saw others struggling with investigations they couldn¡¯t crack.


    ¡°Now we need to focus on investigating He Lu. I suspect he deliberately fabricated the story of He Wei¡¯s disappearance and deceived us by saying he had driven back. In reality, the one who drove back wasn¡¯t him; he found someone else to do it while he stayed here and killed He Wei,¡± Zhao Yu said.


    ¡°That¡¯s highly unlikely. The surveillance footage from the toll station shows a 90% similarity in the facial comparison, so it¡¯s most likely He Lu,¡± Le Zhengkai countered as he pushed the comparison images forward.


    ¡°But it¡¯s also possible that he went through the toll station and then turned back on the national highway. This He Lu is like a madman. Look at his testimony; he even refused to believe that the deceased was his brother. If it¡¯s not his brother, then who could it be? Even if there¡¯s a genetic discrepancy, it¡¯s impossible to completely change a person, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng cleared his throat. ¡°Let¡¯s just consider it as his rambling.¡±


    Regarding the genetic sequencing, only Cheng Zesheng, Jiang Tan, and Liu Renyu knew the precise results, and even Chief Huang and Yan Minglang were kept in the dark. The others had only partial knowledge, understanding that something was off with the body and the genetic testing, but without the specifics. This matter was never discussed again after the initial meeting and was left unresolved.


    The reason for keeping it under wraps was that Cheng Zesheng knew all too well the panic that would ensue once those three assessment reports were brought to light. The police archives were full of unsolved mysteries, many of them veering into the supernatural realm. However, those occurred decades ago, in an era where DNA technology and surveillance capabilities weren¡¯t as advanced as they are now. What was once unexplainable now had scientific explanations, and criminals trying to deceive with supernatural claims faced more significant challenges.


    But in He Wei¡¯s case, the advanced genetic sequencing technology had determined that the victim and the body were two individuals with different life trajectories. This would undoubtedly have substantial implications, and revealing them could lead to severe consequences. An inadvertent leak could turn midnight into a discussion of the supernatural.


    Thus, the fewer people who know this secret, the better. Jiang Tan¡¯s worldview was shattered and took several days to piece back together. Liu Renyu seemed indifferent, as he was accustomed to science fiction literature and movies. Cheng Zesheng, on the other hand, accepted it calmly; he had a He Wei at home, and the illogical was a norm in his eyes.


    From Cheng Zesheng¡¯s perspective, the main goal was to solve the case and apprehend the culprit as soon as possible. The worst outcome would be if they couldn¡¯t even catch the perpetrator, turning it into an unsolved case.


    After the meeting adjourned, Le Zhengkai privately inquired about the body¡¯s situation. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s response was evasive, shifting the blame to Jiang Tan, claiming that Director Jiang was researching it and would soon provide results. He urged them to be patient.


    Le Zhengkai nodded, sighing, ¡°It¡¯s really tough. It¡¯s been years since we encountered such a mind-boggling case. Have you figured out how He Wei went missing?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng shook his head. He did have an idea, but it was too bizarre to share. If he were to share, it would only be with He Wei himself, who would surely understand.


    Thinking of He Wei now, an image of He Tianluo wearing a translucent long dress and offering to warm his bed appeared in Cheng Zesheng¡¯s mind. The image was gentle, sweet, and alluring. His face turned slightly red, and he touched his nose, feeling his heart rate increase.


    Le Zhengkai observed his expression and exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Oh, what¡¯s with you? You¡¯re blushing so much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play innocent. You¡¯ve been acting unusually lately, and I have good reason to suspect you¡¯re up to something.¡± Le Zhengkai playfully bumped his arm against Cheng Zesheng¡¯s chest, saying, ¡°Hurry up, confess for leniency, go home for a date; resist strictly, work overtime during the holidays.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng pushed away his hand, ¡°There¡¯s really nothing. By the way, where did you buy that Hainanese chicken combo you said was delicious last time?¡±


    ¡°At Liuzhou Road, it¡¯s quite a distance, half the city away. Are you going?¡±


    ¡°Half the city is manageable. I can drive pretty fast.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Le Zhengkai was surprised. For whom would he run half the city to buy something for? This didn¡¯t seem like someone who wasn¡¯t in love.


    Cheng Zesheng was still calculating what time to go to Liuzhou Road to avoid traffic. He hadn¡¯t noticed that his excessive attentiveness toward He Wei had already skewed in a different direction.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    He Wei left the office at 7 o¡¯clock, preoccupied all the way as he pondered over Cheng Zesheng¡¯s words.


    ¡°Don¡¯t involve him in this.¡± This ¡°him¡± naturally referred to Cheng Zesheng. But what did ¡°involve him in this¡± mean? Did it mean that Cheng Zesheng would have a chance to enter his world?


    Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t want to elaborate much, deflecting any further questions and not providing direct answers. When it came to the murder case, Cheng Zesheng emphasized that he was not the killer. Although he didn¡¯t have an alibi, there wouldn¡¯t be concrete evidence proving he had been present at the scene.


    Based on He Wei¡¯s years of experience in handling cases, Cheng Zesheng wasn¡¯t likely the culprit. When talking about Cheng Zesheng, He Wei felt a sense of helplessness more than anything else. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s death was seen by He Wei not as a tragedy or shock, but as regret and self-blame.


    An emotion of being unable to save.


    He wanted to save Cheng Zesheng, but he was powerless. He could only watch him die. Following the so-called ¡°script,¡± he had to play out these expected scenes and segments. Even with his brother¡¯s death, he was still powerless.


    After parking the car, He Wei looked up and saw the lights on at home. Cheng Zesheng was back.


    Although this was an invisible cohabitant, with increasing time spent together, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s presence had become more distinct. Traces of another person¡¯s life were everywhere in his own life. He Wei had grown accustomed to seeing the bathroom light on and then going to do something else, only coming down to take a shower later. He had also grown accustomed to coming home after two days to find the place a bit messy, which he would dutifully tidy up despite any annoyance. Moreover, he had become accustomed to another deep and melodious voice appearing after midnight, discussing the case with him.


    It only takes 21 days to form a habit, and they hadn¡¯t been living together for that long. However, He Wei felt that Cheng Zesheng¡¯s presence was becoming overwhelmingly strong and occupying a certain part of his life.


    Cheng Zesheng was in the living room, exercising his arm strength with dumbbells, when the door suddenly opened. He quickly set the dumbbells down and rushed to the doorway, only to pause. What could he do at the doorway when he couldn¡¯t see anyone?


    He Wei stood in the foyer, his shoes not even changed yet. What was that sound just now? A muffled noise, like a heavy object hitting the ground. Did Cheng Zesheng throw a shot put in the room?


    Cheng Zesheng stood there for a moment, somewhat irritated, and then returned. He Wei walked in, saw the takeout on the table, and immediately guessed that he had brought it for him. The packaging contained two types of Hainanese chicken, accompanied by four types of sauce¡ªred chili, green chives, black soy sauce, and yellow ginger paste.


    He Wei took off his coat and hung it on a chair. He had passed by a fried chicken shop on his way back and couldn¡¯t resist buying something to tide him over. He wasn¡¯t very hungry now that he was back. So he wrote a note, calling Cheng Zesheng to join him for the meal.


    Following the exchange rules, as long as he didn¡¯t touch them, things that belonged to Cheng Zesheng wouldn¡¯t appear in his area. Over time, he had also figured out certain patterns, allowing Cheng Zesheng to unwrap the packaging, open the boxes, and he would take the chopsticks to pick up the food, ensuring the entire meal wouldn¡¯t disappear.


    Cheng Zesheng, who had just exercised and was covered in a light sweat, opened the packaging, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and sat across from He Wei to enjoy the Hainanese chicken. He Wei had a keen sense of smell and detected a faint smell of sweat in the air, mixed with the scent of pheromones. It was like a male creature was showing off his strength.


    He Wei furrowed his brows. Did Cheng Zesheng exercise before? Was that heavy and muffled sound just now from a weightlifting session?


    He Wei stared at his own hand, realizing that he usually didn¡¯t intentionally exercise during downtime. After all, his regular work involved a lot of moving around and chasing criminals. Climbing walls and trees often gave him enough exercise, so there was no need for additional effort. He hadn¡¯t expected Cheng Zesheng to come home from work and start lifting dumbbells. Did this indicate Cheng Zesheng¡¯s excessive energy, or was he implying that the work at the Criminal Investigation Division was so relaxed that he had time to exercise at home?


    It¡¯s possible that Cheng Zesheng mostly does guidance work. He pondered this thought in his mind.


    Under the encirclement of two grown men, the takeout containers were emptied quickly. Cheng Zesheng noticed that the outermost packaging bag had disappeared and guessed that He Wei had taken it. He subconsciously tried to stop him, saying, ¡°Let me clean up.¡±


    He Wei paused in his actions, looking up at the quartz clock. It wasn¡¯t even 9 o¡¯clock yet. Was he having auditory hallucinations, or did he genuinely hear Cheng Zesheng¡¯s voice?


    To verify this, He Wei asked softly, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng also froze, looking up at the clock and voicing the same question as He Wei.


    ¡°I said, I¡¯ll clean up. Can you hear me?¡± Cheng Zesheng asked.


    ¡°¡­Mm.¡±


    Both of them fell into silence. Had the permeation between these two worlds started to disregard the rules of time?


    ¡°It¡¯s quite nice like this, not needing to stay up late to analyze the case. I haven¡¯t been sleeping well lately and have been getting easily irritated.¡±


    ¡°Who hasn¡¯t?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng cleaned up the takeout and then retrieved the clothes he had washed an hour earlier to hang them on the balcony. The glass sliding door of the balcony acted as a mirror at night due to its transparency, clearly reflecting the scene inside the room. A man with refined features and a calm temperament sat on the couch with his legs crossed, playing a handheld game console.


    Cheng Zesheng stood in front of the balcony with the basin in his hands, dazed. ¡°¡­ He Wei.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Come over here.¡±


    He Wei saved his game and stood up, walking towards the balcony. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s nervous throat moved as he watched He Wei approach. Their figures almost overlapped when He Wei arrived in front of him.


    He Wei extended his hand, sliding his index finger on the glass, sketching a silhouette that didn¡¯t belong to this world. His gaze focused on Cheng Zesheng¡¯s well-built arms, visible beneath his sleeveless T-shirt, and a hint of jealousy surfaced in his heart.


    Cheng Zesheng, on the other hand, was fixated on He Wei¡¯s face, seemingly lost in thought. Though He Wei¡¯s fingers were sliding on the glass, Cheng Zesheng felt as if there were genuine hands teasing him, the fingertips icy cold yet igniting a fire wherever they touched.


    Almost unconsciously, Cheng Zesheng asked, ¡°Can you warm the bed?¡±


    In a somewhat absent-minded manner, He Wei replied, ¡°Don¡¯t you have an electric blanket?¡±


    ¡°¡­Pretend I didn¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°Oh, if you don¡¯t have one, you can buy it.¡±

 CH 43

    Chapter 43: Lian Jingyuan


    After spending a week in the hospital, Xia Liang was discharged and returned home with his arm in a sling. Colleagues from the special task force came to pick him up, bringing flowers, nutritional supplements, and gifts from Zheng Youqing, who was representing the provincial department at a meeting.


    Xia Liang was in good spirits, having spent his days in the hospital eating and sleeping. His complexion had become rosy, and even his angular chin had rounded out. After being discharged, he continued to live in his old dormitory without Yun Xiaoxiao to take care of him. He had to do everything by himself.


    ¡°Are you really letting him stay in the dormitory? With his arm in a sling, he¡¯ll have trouble even eating. Can he manage on his own?¡± Chong Zhen questioned.


    Hu Songkai felt guilty for not taking better care of Xia Liang and immediately suggested, ¡°Why not have Xia Xia stay with me? My house might be small, but I have everything, and Gege can take care of you.¡±


    Chong Zhen protested with disdain, ¡°You? Forget it. While Xiao Xia is recovering, he needs a clean and comfortable environment. Last time I visited your place as a guest, how long has it been since you took down and washed those curtains? They¡¯ve turned from white to black.¡±


    Hu Songkai retorted, ¡°Look at you! You¡¯ve even stuffed socks under your pillow, making it as wrinkled as dried vegetables!¡±


    Wu Xiaolei felt awkward, but Yun Xiaoxiao remained unfazed ¨C she was already accustomed to the distinct lifestyles of their two senior colleagues. For the sake of the reputation of the criminal investigation team, someone needed to step forward now to prove that middle-aged men weren¡¯t all slovenly uncles, that there could be refined and elegant mature charm.


    ¡°Let Lao He take care of Xiao Xia.¡± Chong Zhen suggested.


    ¡°Yes, Lao He is obsessed with cleanliness. His house is cleaner than a hospital room.¡± Hu Songkai agreed.


    All eyes turned to He Wei. He Wei gave a faint smile, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work right now.¡±


    Chong Zhen slung his arm over He Wei¡¯s shoulder, ¡°What¡¯s the problem? You live alone, and you have a spare room, don¡¯t you? Xiao Xia is all grown up now; he doesn¡¯t need you to hold his hand. Just some support would do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for that reason,¡± He Wei paused, ¡°My place isn¡¯t convenient; someone is already staying there.¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    Everyone was surprised, and Yun Xiaoxiao quickly caught Zheng Youqing¡¯s shoulder, becoming her strong mental support.


    Noticing their puzzled looks, He Wei explained, ¡°It¡¯s not a partner, just a friend.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Everyone looked at He Wei with obvious disbelief. Over the years, He Wei had earned a reputation not just within the criminal investigation team but across the entire police bureau for being ¡°emotionally distant.¡± Here, ¡°emotionally distant¡± didn¡¯t refer to physiological issues but rather his personality. He had no interest in romance, and even his ordinary interpersonal relationships were quite bland. Aside from a few friends on the team, hardly anyone could establish a connection with him.


    In essence, it was incredibly hard to get close to He Wei. Invite him to dinner, he¡¯s allergic to many foods; ask him to go karaoke or to a bar, he¡¯s not interested, preferring to read at home; buy him gifts, he¡¯s too polite, saying he doesn¡¯t lack anything; introduce him to beautiful women, please, Zheng Youqing isn¡¯t even resolved yet, and there¡¯s more coming.


    Hence, most paths to He Wei were blocked. He also had a slight touch of OCD, so most people couldn¡¯t get close to him, let alone live with him.


    ¡°It¡¯s really not a partner, just a friend from out of town.¡± He Wei explained again.


    Chong Zhen patted his back, ¡°We get it, we get it! Just a friend, we completely understand! No misunderstandings here!¡±


    Scratching his head, Xia Liang interjected, ¡°Chong-ge, ErHu-ge, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. I can manage on my own. It¡¯s not a severe injury, and the bureau has given me extended sick leave. If I¡¯m not even on duty, what¡¯s not possible?¡±


    Chong Zhen and Hu Songkai came up with various eccentric ideas, planning to find Xia Liang a bodyguard caretaker. Xia Liang was taken aback and quickly stopped their crazy suggestions, mustering the strength to lift his bandaged arm. He almost resorted to doing push-ups to prove his strength.


    Rubbing his chin, He Wei spoke softly, ¡°You could come to my place if you want.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your friend already living there? Wouldn¡¯t Xiao Xia be a bother?¡± A bother to you and your ¡°friend¡¯s¡± quality time.


    He Wei smiled faintly, ¡°It¡¯s not a dormitory; it¡¯s my home.¡±


    Chong Zhen suddenly realized this, displaying an incredulous expression. He Wei had already made up his mind; he let Xia Liang into the car and headed to his home. His mother was always complaining about the house being too quiet without anyone around ¨C having the lively Xia Liang around would surely add some excitement.


    Standing outside the electronic gate of the row of villas, Xia Liang¡¯s only thought was, ¡°Oh my god.¡± The butler came to open the door, and He Wei patted him on the back, ¡°Go inside.¡±


    ¡°Captain-Captain He, is this your house?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise?¡± He Wei led Xia Liang inside and turned to the butler, saying, ¡°Uncle Qin, this is my colleague from work. He¡¯ll be staying here temporarily. Please take care of him.¡±


    Uncle Qin immediately arranged for a room to be prepared, had servants place Xia Liang¡¯s luggage, and asked with a warm smile, ¡°Young Master, may I ask for your surname?¡±


    ¡°Xia, my surname is Xia.¡± He was scared to death.


    He Wei reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, treat this place as your own home. I¡¯ve talked to my mother; you don¡¯t need to worry about food, clothing, or expenses. You don¡¯t need to do anything; just focus on recovering. And when you have free time, chat with my mom. She enjoys traditional Chinese studies; there are several books on the bookshelf in the study. You can read to her.¡±


    Xia Liang nodded quickly, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely keep Auntie company and read stories to her!¡±


    ¡°If you need anything, just give me a call. Oh, and,¡± He Wei thought for a moment and reminded, ¡°If you see someone who looks exactly like me, dresses in suits, and has a mild temperament, blushing often, don¡¯t assume I¡¯ve changed my ways.¡±


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°My twin brother. He has a teardrop mole below his eye. Just don¡¯t mistake him for me.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After three interrogations and repeated questioning, He Lu had provided all the information he could. The differences between his previous statements and his current ones weren¡¯t significant, making his testimony credible. During the initial investigation, several of He Lu¡¯s colleagues testified on his behalf, insisting they were all out of town for a meeting and thus he couldn¡¯t have committed the crime. As a result, the hotel surveillance footage was never investigated. This time, they visited Anshui City specifically for that purpose. The surveillance footage showed He Lu leaving the hotel on the evening of the 13th, returning around 2:30 a.m. on the 14th. Coupled with highway toll booth footage, it was enough to prove He Lu¡¯s innocence.


    Ke Dongrui¡¯s expression displayed clear disappointment. ¡°It really has nothing to do with him. He didn¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true; he didn¡¯t lie. Aren¡¯t you satisfied?¡± Cheng Zesheng asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not satisfied. This man is too despicable. If I were He Wei, I¡¯d want to take him even if I were a ghost.¡± Ke Dongrui clenched her fist.


    Xiang Yang was driving, goosebumps appearing on his arm, and his neck shrank. Ke Dongrui asked, ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, does that mean we¡¯ll have to release him when we go back?¡±


    ¡°No rush. Our fieldwork and investigation need to be meticulous and thorough, leaving no important information overlooked. We need to re-investigate all his colleagues and friends, ensuring nothing is omitted. Understand?¡±


    Ke Dongrui¡¯s eyes lit up with understanding, nodding, ¡°Right, to clear his name, we definitely need to gather evidence diligently and meticulously, leaving no stone unturned. It¡¯s okay if it takes ten days or half a month.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng crossed his arms, looking earnest. ¡°Exactly, we must have the spirit of serving the people.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xiang Yang rubbed his hands, his goosebumps getting worse.


    On a rainy night in Shengzhou City, Cheng Zesheng received an invitation from Lian Jingyuan to meet at a caf¨¦.


    Cheng Zesheng opened the menu and casually asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t we going to your bar?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan propped his chin up and smiled, ¡°Can¡¯t go there. Officer Cheng, your image and demeanor are too striking. Many customers at the bar have been asking me for your contact information.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not gay.¡± Cheng Zesheng closed the menu, handed it to the waiter, and said, ¡°Just a cup of black tea, please.¡±


    Lian Jingyuan ordered a caramel coffee. The sound of the stirring spoon clinking against the porcelain cup mixed with the soft rain outside. His fingers were fair and slender, with rounded and neat nails. The smooth nail surface had a pearl-like hue, and these hands were like a work of art, easily captivating all attention.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with asking me out today?¡± Cheng Zesheng asked as he picked up his black tea.


    ¡°I heard that He Lu has been arrested. Is it true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s involved in the death of He Wei. We¡¯re investigating.¡±


    Lian Jingyuan lowered his eyes for a moment before smiling, ¡°Officer Cheng, He Lu¡¯s feelings for He Wei were too domineering. With his extreme personality, he¡¯s capable of anything.¡±


    ¡°You know?¡± Cheng Zesheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell me from the beginning that He Lu had issues?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lian Jingyuan smiled helplessly, ¡°Their brotherly matters, I couldn¡¯t interfere. Plus, I promised my senior not to tell anyone. And I believe with Officer Cheng¡¯s wisdom, you¡¯ll definitely uncover the connection between them.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng chuckled, feeling that Lian Jingyuan was acting strange. The topic of today¡¯s meeting was peculiar; he wasn¡¯t a gossip-loving person. Yet he was inquiring about He Lu. Could these two have some hidden conspiracy or connection?


    The sound of the spoon clinking against the porcelain cup was harmonious and pleasing. Lian Jingyuan added a sugar cube, using his thumb and index finger to hold the white porcelain spoon, continuing to stir. The rain outside intensified, creating a symphony of sounds¡ªthe clinking of the spoon, the pattering of the raindrops against the window¡ªand for a moment, it was difficult to distinguish which sound was crisper, the stirring of the coffee or the rain on the glass.


    ¡°Officer Cheng, He Wei was my senior. He was controlled and oppressed by his younger brother, forced to shut himself off from his emotions. For He Lu¡¯s death, he will have to pay a certain price. He is guilty, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng felt as though he was in a 360-degree surround sound music venue. Lian Jingyuan¡¯s voice became distant and elongated, ethereal and vague. His words reverberated in his ears, leaving only a few fragmented words:


    He Lu¡­ is guilty.


    Just as Cheng Zesheng was about to nod, his heart skipped a beat twice. He was suddenly alarmed; a shock ran through him, and tiny beads of sweat formed on the tip of his nose.


    No, something¡¯s not right. He Lu didn¡¯t commit murder; he¡¯s innocent.


    ¡°Officer Cheng, think carefully. Are there really no loopholes in the evidence you¡¯ve gathered from He Lu? There must be some; as long as you can find a tiny flaw, He Lu won¡¯t escape¡­¡±


    Cheng Zesheng suddenly grabbed Lian Jingyuan¡¯s hand. The crisp, clinking sound of the spoon abruptly stopped.


    Lian Jingyuan wasn¡¯t flustered. He stared at Cheng Zesheng calmly. Cheng Zesheng put his caramel coffee aside, took out a tissue, and wiped the tiny beads of sweat from the tip of his nose. He composedly said, ¡°Boss Lian, while I may not like He Lu, I won¡¯t disregard fairness, ignore evidence, and send him to court. Your actions are obstructing judicial fairness, do you realize that?¡±


    ¡°To achieve this level of psychological manipulation is quite impressive. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve also taken courses in hypnosis during my time at the police academy. It¡¯s not so easy for me to fall into such a trap.¡± He glanced outside the window and then back at the coffee cup. ¡°I finally understand why you wanted to meet me on a rainy day.¡±


    Lian Jingyuan remained silent, not embarrassed or ashamed after being exposed. Instead, he was surprisingly calm as he said, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. He Lu isn¡¯t a murderer, he¡¯s a much more sinister soul manipulator. Even if his brother¡¯s death isn¡¯t directly related to him, he must still take responsibility for his brother¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so persistent? You¡¯re willing to resort to hypnosis to have me send He Lu to prison¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng looked surprised. ¡°Did you like He Wei too?¡±


    Lian Jingyuan gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and spoke softly after a while, ¡°I just think my senior was pitiable. Why did the person he once loved immigrate? Because He Lu injured him and threatened that if he appeared by He Wei¡¯s side again, he would pay an even greater price.¡±


    ¡°After that incident, He Wei didn¡¯t dare to love anyone and couldn¡¯t resist his brother. He could only endure in silence.¡± Lian Jingyuan lowered his head, covering his eyes with his elegant hand. ¡°Pitiable, he was truly pitiable. If my senior could have had the same momentum as his final appearance to break free from He Lu¡¯s shadow, I wouldn¡¯t have considered using your hand to eliminate him.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng handed over a piece of paper.


    ¡°I¡¯ll treat today¡¯s matter as if it never happened. While I understand your intentions well, He Lu truly didn¡¯t commit murder, and we don¡¯t have the right to convict him.¡± Cheng Zesheng placed the coffee in front of him. ¡°In the future, let¡¯s meet at your bar for anything. I¡¯m afraid I might pay a heavy price if I¡¯m not careful.¡±

 CH 44

    Chapter 44: Situation


    ¡°Last night, it rained heavily, and you didn¡¯t come back all night.¡±


    Facing He Wei¡¯s retelling, Cheng Zesheng was a bit confused. He cautiously asked, ¡°¡­Were you worried?¡±


    Last night, after meeting Lian Jingyuan and returning home, he was naturally asked to stay for the night by his mother, so he didn¡¯t have a chance to greet He Wei. If he had known that He Wei was waiting for him and worried, he would have rushed back even if it was raining knives outside.


    He Wei looked up, but unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t see each other. Otherwise, Cheng Zesheng would definitely have appreciated his expression of indifference. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. I wanted to discuss the case with you. Worried about what? You failing to cross the tribulation?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± This was the nth time Cheng Zesheng felt the impulse to shut He Wei¡¯s mouth.


    How could someone who appeared so calm and gentle be so irritating with every word? They probably didn¡¯t let him do interviews outside, did they? Maybe he could drive leaders and journalists crazy off-camera.


    He Wei was completely unaware that Cheng Zesheng needed a book titled ¡°The Art of Communication.¡± As he wiped the whiteboard, he said, ¡°I was waiting for you to come back last night because I wanted to tell you some very important news.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    After cleaning the whiteboard, He Wei pinned up the transcript of Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s statement, highlighting a few lines of key content. Cheng Zesheng quickly scanned the text and gradually became astonished. He snatched the transcript over, his eyes fixed on the familiar signature below the content.


    He Wei had anticipated that he would grab the transcript uncontrollably. Fortunately, he had made multiple copies, so he found another one and stuck it up. He said, ¡°Can you guess? We¡¯ve caught the real identity of the person we apprehended, Cheng Zhenqing.¡±


    ¡°¡­My brother.¡± Cheng Zesheng¡¯s voice was dry and hoarse, his hands trembling slightly as he stared at the signature underneath the transcript. ¡°He really is my brother, it¡¯s really him!¡±


    In an instant, emotions that had been missing for three years surged forth. Memories flashed through his mind, including the last time he saw Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s body, holding his ashes at the cemetery, and locking away all memories related to him. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s eyes grew slightly warm, and he quickly closed them, suppressing his emotions. He didn¡¯t want to show He Wei such an embarrassing side.


    Before his surging emotions could settle, He Wei poured cold water on the situation. ¡°Even though he used to be a police officer, after his reincarnation, he engaged in illegal activities, injured colleagues, broke the law, and committed more serious crimes.¡±


    ¡°Please investigate properly before jumping to conclusions. I believe my brother must have had his reasons.¡± Cheng Zesheng wanted to defend his brother, but he couldn¡¯t find a justification. While Cheng Zhenqing was alive, his sense of justice was much stronger than Cheng Zesheng¡¯s. However, after his rebirth, he took a completely different path, which was unexpected. Faced with these changes, Cheng Zesheng couldn¡¯t pass judgment. He hadn¡¯t experienced such a painful death, so he had no right to comment on his brother¡¯s journey. However, deep down, he always believed that his brother must have been driven to this path out of necessity, not out of deliberate self-destruction.


    People who stand by and give advice without experiencing it themselves are the ones who can easily encourage others to be virtuous. Some things are only understood when experienced firsthand. Forgiveness is much harder than it seems. Perhaps certain obstacles in one¡¯s heart are never overcome.


    A black line divided the whiteboard into two sections: on the left was He Wei¡¯s scene, and on the right was Cheng Zesheng¡¯s scene. He was writing about the progress of his own case, circling several important points. ¡°Currently, there are many doubts about your case. For instance, where were you on the night of the 13th, and how did you get to the mansion?¡±


    ¡°Not me, it¡¯s Cheng Zesheng,¡± Officer Cheng protested.


    ¡°Oh, Cheng Zesheng,¡± He Wei immediately corrected himself. ¡°Should I give you guys some code names? You can be Cheng 1, he can be Cheng 2?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng went along with it, ¡°Then I¡¯ll assign you some ranks on my end. You can be He 1, the missing one can be He 2, and the deceased one can be He 3. How about that?¡±


    He Wei didn¡¯t bother with the nonsense and accepted this arrangement to avoid confusion. He continued to organize, ¡°Based on the current clues at the scene, because of the time-space folding, a third party is provisionally labeled as ¡®me.¡¯ But why ¡®I¡¯ appeared there is still unknown. Without sufficient evidence, I have reason to attribute all traces of a third party to the result of time-space folding.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s this marble, which has your fingerprints on it, but judging by its position, it seems more likely to have rolled out from ¡®He 3¡¯ on your side. I can¡¯t figure out the significance of this piece of evidence, so I¡¯m maintaining skepticism about its true identity for now.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng retorted, ¡°It must be from your side; I don¡¯t even know the ¡®you¡¯ from this side.¡±


    He Wei chuckled, as if he actually knew Cheng Zesheng from this side.


    Cheng Zesheng hesitated to speak. He still harbored doubts about He Wei¡¯s number appearing on the cell phone of pianist Cheng Zesheng. He Wei was confident, didn¡¯t know Cheng Zesheng, and had no reason to lie. So what did the appearance of this number imply?


    ¡°After confirming the firearm and Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s connection, we¡¯ve determined that it¡¯s the type-92 that went missing from the basement armory. Currently, we don¡¯t know whether the murderer still has the weapon on them or if it has been discarded somewhere. Finding the murderer is key to finding the murder weapon.¡±


    ¡°Students went to the mansion late at night due to an exploration order, which led to the discovery of the body. The issuer of the exploration order has remained elusive. I suspect they¡¯re hiding in the residential complex where my classmate lives. However, there¡¯s no footage of them there. If they used a car for entry and exit, we¡¯d need to investigate the records of all vehicles entering and exiting Huyue Xingchen, which is essentially a lead that¡¯s currently cut off.¡±


    ¡°The members of the task force suspect that Cheng Zhenqing and the issuer are the same person. After comparing surveillance footage from various angles, this possibility hasn¡¯t been ruled out. But whether the issuer and the murderer are the same person or part of a group is still unclear and requires further investigation.¡±


    ¡°After capturing Cheng Zhenqing, during questioning about certain abnormal behaviors, he explained it as ¡®the script can¡¯t be changed.¡¯ He didn¡¯t specify the nature of the script, but it seemed like he was hinting at a massive conspiracy. There¡¯s also an envelope in the safe; he said the timing isn¡¯t right, and I haven¡¯t opened it yet, so I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s inside the photos.¡±


    ¡°There are a few remaining questions, such as what ¡®He 2¡¯ was doing that evening and how he got to the mansion. Compared to earlier points, these are relatively minor issues. Solving them should become much easier once we identify the murderer.¡±


    He Wei neatly organized all these case doubts, listing them out one by one, which made things considerably clearer. Compared to He Wei¡¯s death case, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s case didn¡¯t have as much mysteriousness, but had all single-chain evidence, scattered and messy, impossible to piece together. These pieces of evidence seemed unrelated, but if a key piece could be found, everything could be naturally connected, forming a chain of evidence.


    Unfortunately, what was missing was the crucial link: traces of the murderer. Throughout the entire case, there was no mention of clues about the murderer. Those vague traces that were initially unclear and thought to be due to the effects of time-space folding have been ruled out. Now, the situation was even worse¡ªthere were no traces of the murderer at all. The criminal had become completely invisible.


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s gaze swept over the musical notation by chance, and he unintentionally saw the safe password provided by Cheng Zhenqing. He froze for a moment, his gaze moving up and down the two rows of numbers, and he exclaimed, ¡°These two are the same set of numbers!¡±


    He Wei was drawn in by his words and immediately compared the musical notes with the safe password. 85553113, adding 1 and 7 equals 8; 2 and 3 equals 5; 1 and 2 equals 3; 6 and 5 equals 11; 2 and 1 equals 3. The password was formed by adding the numbers from the musical notes. He Wei realized the significant look Cheng Zhenqing had given when providing the password during the interrogation. He realized, Cheng Zhenqing knew, that he clearly understood the special and necessary nature of these musical notes, which was why he had transformed them into a password as a subtle hint.


    He Wei furrowed his brows. The melody of this musical notation was the chime of the quartz clock on the wall. Was it Cheng Zesheng who created it and it was subsequently made, or did it exist long before and was noted down by Cheng Zesheng?


    And why did it become the chime at the special time of midnight? It was quite intriguing. He Wei had called the manufacturer to inquire and found out that this was set later through a USB insertion. But who could have foreseen all of this and arranged it before they moved in?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°The password for the safe, does it have any special meaning?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing pretended not to remember. He Wei took Cheng Zesheng¡¯s notebook, flipped to that page, and pointed at it. ¡°Does it jog your memory?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing glanced at it and shrugged. ¡°Oh, that? I happened to come across this musical notation and used it as the password.¡±


    ¡°When did Cheng Zesheng write this? And why didn¡¯t he finish it?¡±


    ¡°How would I know? It was already there when I saw it. Zesheng didn¡¯t finish writing it; perhaps he didn¡¯t treat it as a song but rather as a hidden code to create. Officer He, many things are not as complicated as we think. They¡¯re actually quite simple once you understand them.¡±


    He Wei closed the notebook. It seemed asking Cheng Zhenqing wasn¡¯t very productive. He could only answer so much, not because he didn¡¯t know but because he couldn¡¯t answer. He crossed his arms and looked down at Cheng Zhenqing. ¡°You said the timing isn¡¯t right for the envelope. When will it be the right time to open it?¡±


    ¡°That depends on you, Officer He. When this game truly begins, opening it will reveal a lot.¡±


    The concept of the ¡°game¡± was mentioned once again. He Wei bent down slightly and spoke with a voice only the two of them could hear. ¡°You were reborn, but I wasn¡¯t. I¡¯ve always lived in this world. What kind of game do I need to experience?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing chuckled, his smile helpless and melancholic. ¡°You¡¯re imagining it too positively. This has nothing to do with the starting point of life; it¡¯s all about the endpoint. From the moment you met my brother, you were destined to be unable to escape this game.¡±


    He Wei pondered deeply, his voice even lower. ¡°Then just tell me, based on your experience, what should I do?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing furrowed his brows, hesitated, and after a moment, his lips pressed into a line as he shook his head. ¡°If your ideas have been changed too much, the outcome will only be the worst result.¡±


    He Wei remained silent for a few seconds, then straightened his body. ¡°Alright, if you can¡¯t tell me, I won¡¯t force you. Lastly, your brother asked me to ask you, why did you have to turn to crime?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing was taken aback, then lowered his head and slowly clenched his hands. ¡°¡­This can¡¯t be considered a crime. It¡¯s very likely that my kindness and compassion could lead to an irreparable upheaval.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already died once. There¡¯s nothing in this life that can¡¯t be gambled on. Everything I¡¯m gambling on is to save my brother.¡±

 CH 45

    Chapter 45: What the hell?


    As time passed, the attention on the Cheng Zesheng case remained unrelenting. Following the arrest of Cheng Zhenqing, certain media outlets began to unleash their imaginations, crafting elaborate narratives. Privately, they concluded that Cheng Zhenqing was the perpetrator behind Cheng Zesheng¡¯s murder. Riding the coattails of this notion, marketing accounts jumped on the bandwagon, vying to showcase the most outstanding literary prowess. They concocted a story that vividly portrayed a strife-ridden relationship between the two brothers, meticulously detailing Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s motives and methods for the crime, creating a seamless and utterly convincing narrative.


    ¡°He asked to meet Cheng Zesheng at the mansion, but once Cheng Zesheng arrived, his seemingly friendly brother unexpectedly aimed a gun at him. As that shot rang out, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s blood was warm, but his heart turned cold.¡± Clicking his tongue in disapproval, they said, ¡°Why aren¡¯t they writing novels? We haven¡¯t even disclosed any evidence of Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s presence at the scene. Where are they getting these claims?¡±


    Chong Zhen closed the magazine in his hands.


    Hu Songkai opened Weibo and exclaimed, ¡°What is this? Take a look at this marketing account called ¡®Jianghu Insights.¡¯ They¡¯ve written an article titled ¡®Feuding Brothers of the Cheng Family Due to Love.¡¯ In this piece, they depict the two brothers as bitter enemies fighting over a woman. This enigmatic woman is present throughout the story, yet her name is never mentioned. Who can one even reason with about such a scenario?¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao, her face scrunched up in frustration, exclaimed, ¡°Let¡¯s report this! It¡¯s all fabrication. Our public security department hasn¡¯t released anything, and yet they¡¯re already solving the case out there.¡±


    Zheng Youqing comforted her, patting her back. ¡°Isn¡¯t the public relations division managed by Mo-Jie on behalf of the city bureau? Ask her to issue an official statement in the name of the bureau, stating that the case is still under investigation and that those spreading rumors will face legal consequences. That should rein in those media outlets.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao wrapped her arms around Zheng Youqing¡¯s shoulders, coquettishly calling, ¡°Youqing is the best.¡± Zheng Youqing smiled, patting her hair, playing the role of a beautiful and kind-hearted elder sister.


    In the office of the bureau chief, Zheng Furui stood with his hands behind his back. After He Wei finished briefing him on the case¡¯s progress, Zheng Furui glanced at the stack of files on his desk and said, ¡°So, we can¡¯t conclusively link Cheng Zhenqing to Cheng Zesheng¡¯s case, right?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t completely rule out his suspicion. Chief Zheng, based on my instincts, I don¡¯t think Cheng Zhenqing would have killed Cheng Zesheng. We don¡¯t have direct evidence placing him at the scene, nor can we prove his involvement in Cheng Zesheng¡¯s murder.¡±


    ¡°What about the incident at the armory? He can¡¯t escape that, right? And the intentional injury charges.¡± Zheng Furui flipped through Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s file and pointed at his photo. ¡°If the evidence is solid, we can send it to the court. We can¡¯t let nearly half a month pass without showing any progress.¡±


    He Wei remained silent. He clearly understood Zheng Furui¡¯s pressure. The last time Xia Liang was injured, it triggered a torrent of criticism from the media. Zheng Furui¡¯s recent visit to the provincial headquarters probably didn¡¯t go well either. If it weren¡¯t for the principle of presumption of innocence they were now following, Cheng Zhenqing could have been sent to court based solely on an unverifiable alibi.


    ¡°Chief Zheng, I think we should hold off for now. There are many things about Cheng Zhenqing that I can¡¯t figure out. He has crucial connections to Cheng Zesheng, and I¡¯m having trouble understanding it all. Could you please keep the pressure off for a little longer?¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± Zheng Furui stared, his eyes wide. ¡°And you¡¯re still smiling!¡±


    He Wei nodded, replacing the old tea leaves in his cup and brewing a fresh pot. Zheng Furui was reluctant to drink, but the cup was forcefully handed to him. He couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°You really aren¡¯t cut out to be a leader!¡±


    He Wei nodded repeatedly, that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s why leaders must have you in charge, right? Even if he was promoted to Division Captain, investigating cases was still his duty. It was really hard to get used to giving guidance with both hands free.


    Blowing on the foam of his tea, Zheng Furui said, ¡°By the way, there¡¯s a serial murder case over in Haijing. The suspect fled to our Shengzhou city. The request for a collaborative investigation has been approved, and the team is on its way. You¡¯ll need to handle it when they arrive.¡±


    ¡°Their side is a coastal city. Why would a fugitive not choose to escape by sea and instead come inland to our city?¡±


    Zheng Furui waved his hand, ¡°Maybe they wanted to continue their crime spree, who knows? The person coming is also someone you know well. Two workaholics working together have a good chat.¡±


    Familiar face? Just as He Wei was puzzled, the door was knocked, and the colleagues from Haijing City who came to investigate the case arrived.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    With Zheng Furui¡¯s permission, the wooden door was pushed open, and He Wei turned around to see three individuals entering. The one leading the group was wearing a neat navy blue uniform. His features were rigid and cold, and his poker face was solemn. After making eye contact with He Wei, his dark eyes subtly shifted.


    ¡°Long time no see,¡± He Wei smiled, ¡°You¡¯re still the same, not changed at all, Lin Heyu.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    In the Criminal Investigation Division office, the three newcomers from the Haijing City Bureau¡¯s Criminal Investigation Unit came from the first team. Lin Heyu, the leader, was the team captain and He Wei¡¯s fellow classmate from the police school. After graduating, he returned to his hometown of Haijing City to work. The last time they had seen each other was at a university classmate¡¯s wedding, making it about five years since their last meeting.


    During their school days, both He Wei and Lin Heyu were prominent figures. They formed a connection through a shooting competition and deepened their rivalry through a martial arts contest. They finally had a falling out during a practical exercise when, during a hostage rescue simulation, the two ¡°SWAT¡± members actually ended up fighting each other, leaving the hostages and the ¡°criminals¡± bewildered.


    There¡¯s a kind of friendship in the world that arises under the premise of not really liking each other. Because of personal reasons that disrupted the exercise, He Wei and Lin Heyu were put in solitary confinement for a day. Inside, another fierce battle took place, and when they were released, they both had bruises on their faces. But instead of animosity, they shook hands and made peace.


    The reason Lin Heyu didn¡¯t like He Wei was simple: He Wei was frail and vulnerable. During their time at school, He Wei had the image of a delicate and charming young man with rosy lips and white teeth. He looked genteel and refined, and his background was highlighted by the fact that his mother was a famous entrepreneur. This kind of upbringing made it seem like all his achievements were earned through connections.


    Initially, He Wei didn¡¯t hold any particular feelings of like or dislike towards Lin Heyu. His demeanor was indifferent, treating everyone equally. However, sensing Lin Heyu¡¯s strong animosity, he thought, Alright, I accept your challenge. With youthful fervor, he was ready to engage without any hesitation.


    Inside the confinement room, the two sparred to showcase their strengths. Once emotions were stirred, they never had any disputes outside. Instead, they collaborated and participated in numerous competitions, achieving remarkable results. Due to their contrasting appearances¡ªHe Wei fair and refined, Lin Heyu robust and resolute¡ªthey were jokingly referred to as the ¡°Black and White Duo¡± by their fellow alumni.


    ¡°This is Captain Lin Heyu from the Haijing City Bureau, along with his colleagues Zou Bin and Wen Huabei. Our main task is to assist them in apprehending the suspect behind the serial murder case. We¡¯ll have a meeting at 8 a.m. tomorrow to familiarize ourselves with the case. No one should be late.¡±


    He Wei patted Lin Heyu¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Lao Zheng handed you over to me so I could welcome you. How about you come with me tonight?¡±


    Without saying a word, Lin Heyu picked up his bag, silently accepting He Wei¡¯s suggestion.


    Leaving the office one after the other, Yun Xiaoxiao discreetly whispered in Zheng Youqing¡¯s ear, ¡°This Captain Lin seems really serious, I haven¡¯t seen him smile since he came in.¡±


    ¡°He also doesn¡¯t seem to talk much. Once he greets you, he goes silent,¡± Zheng Youqing whispered back. ¡°But he¡¯s on good terms with Captain He. I heard they were classmates at the police academy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. If he gets along well with our captain, then any kind of personality isn¡¯t that surprising.¡±


    He Wei took Lin Heyu to a Jiangnan-style restaurant. Lin Heyu was from the northern regions and hadn¡¯t spent much time in the south. So, it was a rare opportunity, and He Wei wanted to treat him to some local specialties. He Wei wasn¡¯t exactly talkative, but compared to Lin Heyu, he was more inclined to be labeled as a ¡°chatterbox.¡± This was how he had always been ¨C a person of few words, emphasizing actions over words. Just like tonight, when He Wei invited him to dinner, Lin Heyu excused himself to the restroom and returned after settling the bill.


    ¡°¡­ How am I supposed to save face now?¡± He Wei was somewhat helpless. ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll have to treat you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    The two of them walked side by side toward the parking lot. Suddenly, Lin Heyu asked, ¡°How have you been lately?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good, just dealing with cases day in and day out.¡± He Wei responded casually. ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°Not great.¡±


    He Wei stopped and looked at him. Lin Heyu¡¯s brows furrowed into two thick lines. ¡°I seem to have forgotten someone very important.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Snap,¡± the chandelier in Apartment 404 flicked on, instantly illuminating the room. He Wei gestured for Lin Heyu to take a seat and went to the kitchen to pour some water.


    Standing in the living room, Lin Heyu noticed the whiteboard across the room. It displayed case analysis with codes like ¡°He 3,¡± ¡°Cheng 2,¡± and others that he couldn¡¯t decipher. There were two different handwriting styles on the board, clearly belonging to two different individuals.


    ¡°My place isn¡¯t very peaceful, haunted you could say. Don¡¯t be surprised if you see anything supernatural later,¡± He Wei said as he handed over a glass of water.


    Lin Heyu remained unruffled, responding with a cold ¡°Oh.¡±


    He Wei cracked open a cold beer and sat down beside Lin Heyu. Lin Heyu gestured towards the whiteboard and asked, ¡°Details about the case?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re a bit unusual. Even if I tell you, you probably won¡¯t believe it.¡±


    Lin Heyu remained silent for a few seconds before nodding. ¡°I believe you.¡±


    He Wei didn¡¯t make a big deal out of it. Just then, Ye Lanlan called him, and he gestured to the balcony to take the call. Lin Heyu sat in the living room, his head slightly bowed. At that moment, the security door opened on its own with a creak and then closed again after a moment.


    It was as if¡­ someone had entered. Lin Heyu¡¯s almond-shaped eyes narrowed.


    Downstairs, Cheng Zesheng saw the lights on and excitedly came up with a plate of spicy chicken feet. ¡°He Wei, guess what I brought you?¡±


    With no response in the room, Cheng Zesheng shrugged. This darned node had this drawback ¡ª the transparent time wasn¡¯t stable. Apart from midnight, there was no discernible pattern during the other times. If you heard something, you heard it; shouting your lungs out wouldn¡¯t help.


    Following his usual routine, he placed the takeout on the table and went upstairs to his room. Lin Heyu stared at the extra box of takeout on the table, glanced at He Wei still on the balcony making a call, and fell into contemplation.


    He didn¡¯t reach out to touch the bag, intending to ask He Wei about it directly later. Finishing the water in his cup, Lin Heyu headed to the kitchen to refill it. The water bottle contained only hot water. He opened the fridge, checking if there was any chilled water.


    Humming a tune, Cheng Zesheng came downstairs, and the takeout was still there. He Wei wasn¡¯t home, or had he not noticed it?


    As he passed by the kitchen, he noticed the fridge door was open. In this home, the only one who would open the fridge was He Wei. He approached, subconsciously reaching toward the fridge door. His fingertips brushed against warm skin as he did.


    Lin Heyu suddenly turned around, looking behind him. The area was empty, but just a moment ago, he distinctly felt a hand brushing past him ¨C dry and warm, like a man¡¯s hand.


    Cheng Zesheng stared at his own hand, still trying to process: What just happened? He didn¡¯t see He Wei, but he touched him?


    This space-time node was becoming increasingly bizarre.


    After finishing his call, He Wei came back from the balcony, and Lin Heyu stepped out of the kitchen. He called out to him, ¡°Is your place haunted by a ghost?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Touched my waist.¡±

 CH 46

    Chapter 46: Serial Murder


    Lin Heyu was touched on the waist by Cheng Zesheng.


    Why would he touch there? Why did he touch the waist?


    He Wei looked past him toward the kitchen. Cheng Zesheng was probably inside and might not have realized he had just encountered a stranger. After all, without He Wei¡¯s explanation, Cheng Zesheng wouldn¡¯t know there was a guest in the house.


    Cheng Zesheng also came out from the kitchen and happened to be standing just to the right and behind Lin Heyu. He was wondering why He Wei was acting so strangely today¡ªno words, no taking of things¡ªwas he throwing a tantrum?


    Now, the three of them were positioned in an obtuse-angled triangle. He Wei and Lin Heyu couldn¡¯t see Cheng Zesheng, and Cheng Zesheng couldn¡¯t see the two people in the house either. However, it seemed that they were all aware of each other¡¯s presence, and they stood there, none of them taking a step forward.


    Finally, He Wei broke the silence and told Lin Heyu not to misunderstand. The ghosts in his house were very proper and would never ¡°intentionally¡± do something like this.


    ¡°It really touched me,¡± Lin Heyu said calmly and innocently. A nearly 1.9-meter tall, wheat-skinned northern guy was now advocating for his not-so-valuable waist.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he definitely doesn¡¯t know he touched you.¡±


    Lin Heyu keenly perceived the hidden meaning in this statement: ¡°He thought he was touching you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He Wei quickly denied, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then who was it?¡±


    ¡°No one, it¡¯s just that it wasn¡¯t intentional.¡± He Wei changed the subject, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±


    Lin Heyu shook his head. Perhaps because there were ¡°mysterious friends¡± around him as well, he wasn¡¯t surprised by what seemed like ¡°haunting¡± phenomena. But what was even more bizarre about He Wei was that, even without the most basic conditions of sound being met, he could still make physical contact with others without their noticing.


    What he didn¡¯t know was that He Wei and Cheng Zesheng had indeed initially communicated through sound. However, as the infiltration of the two parallel worlds deepened, the nature of the node began to change. Now, they didn¡¯t have to wait until midnight to hear each other¡¯s voices. With a bit more attention, they could see each other for a few seconds and, if lucky, even touch each other.


    Today, the node had developed a new magical state: they could directly interact with each other¡¯s worlds without seeing or hearing them.


    He Wei rubbed his temple, feeling that this node was like an emotionally unstable child. It would let them meet when it was in a good mood, not allow them to hear each other when it was not, and occasionally play some small pranks. The adorable moments were always so fleeting, which was quite distressing.


    ¡°It¡¯s a small matter; don¡¯t mind it,¡± Lin Heyu said, inserting his index finger into the ring pull and opening the cold cola. He returned to the sofa and sat down, leaving He Wei somewhat baffled. Wasn¡¯t he the one who kept emphasizing that he had been touched inappropriately by a lecher? Why was he suddenly so nonchalant, as if it didn¡¯t matter anymore?


    Cheng Zesheng also didn¡¯t know what had happened, so he shrugged and went to take a shower. Lin Heyu heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom, and his gaze became meaningful. He Wei remained unfazed, ¡°He¡¯s just clean, and he knows I¡¯m a bit of a clean freak. That¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    Lin Heyu didn¡¯t respond. After a while, he asked softly, ¡°You two get along well?¡±


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s alright. He¡¯s a good person.¡± He Wei opened a package on the table and took out some spicy chicken feet, ¡°He often brings things back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice,¡± Lin Heyu nodded and then remembered something, ¡°Does he know you have allergies?¡±


    ¡°He knows. He only buys things I can eat.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he probably likes you.¡±


    He Wei¡¯s motion of picking up a chicken foot paused, and he reached out to touch Lin Heyu¡¯s forehead, ¡°Are you sick? You¡¯re talking nonsense. He¡¯s a guy, not a ghost from a romantic story.¡±


    Lin Heyu fell silent again. After sitting for a while and realizing it wasn¡¯t early, he said he should go back to the guest house and rest early. He had to conduct surveillance and apprehend people the next day.


    He Wei walked him to the door. Just as the door closed, he heard wet footsteps behind him, and a damp mist spread. He turned around, only to bump right into Cheng Zesheng.


    This time, it was a definite all-around collision. Cheng Zesheng was wearing shorts and had his upper body bare, drying his hair. Seeing the door open, he walked toward the entrance to take a look. Unexpectedly, he suddenly encountered someone and collided with them. Cheng Zesheng instinctively grabbed his arm, and only then did he realize it was He Wei.


    ¡°Did you go out?¡± Cheng Zesheng asked.


    ¡°No, I was sending a friend,¡± He Wei replied with a slight frown. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s body carried the warmth of the bathroom¡¯s steam along with the scent of shampoo, enveloping them both. They were almost pressed together, the proximity too close, close enough to make him feel uncomfortable all over, his heart and temples thudding.


    Cheng Zesheng was momentarily taken aback, realizing that someone had come to the house. He immediately thought of the peculiar incident in the kitchen earlier. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the person I bumped into just now you?¡±


    ¡°Well, my friend.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s other hand rested on He Wei¡¯s waist, and he nonchalantly rubbed against it. It did seem like it wasn¡¯t him¡ªthe touch was different. He Wei¡¯s waist was softer and more flexible, and it felt better to the touch.


    ¡°¡­¡± He Wei lifted his elbow, freeing himself from Cheng Zesheng¡¯s hand, and stepped back a pace. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Just as Cheng Zesheng got distracted, He Wei disappeared.


    What did your friend say? Say it before disappearing.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The series of murders in Haijing City occurred in October of last year and in April of this year. The victims were both women, aged 21 and 24. One was a student, the other a stand-in actress. Despite their clothes being intact upon death, autopsies revealed signs of s*xual assault, with letters written on their chests using lipstick¡ªan ¡°L¡± on one and a ¡°V¡± on the other. Additionally, luxury brand items were found in their clothing and bags. As a result, this serial killer was dubbed as the ¡°LV Killer.¡±


    Leading the investigation was Lin Heyu, the chief of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Haijing City Public Security Bureau. Initially, this case wasn¡¯t his. When the first murder occurred in October of last year, it hadn¡¯t been reported by the sub-bureau, and the city bureau hadn¡¯t received any information either. It wasn¡¯t until the second murder in April of this year, with a similar modus operandi, that the two cases were linked and forwarded to the city bureau for handling.


    Upon receiving the case files, Lin Heyu began re-evaluating the evidence based on the common characteristics of the two victims and the evidence collected from the crime scenes. Following the investigation, a suspect named Zhao Shen, a former KTV waiter, was identified. However, Zhao Shen had left his job by the end of April, and when the police arrived at his home, only his girlfriend was there, saying he had left in a hurry a week ago, taking a high-speed train to Shengzhou City.


    Through investigation, it was discovered that Zhao Shen had a cousin named Zhao Yang living in Shengzhou City who sold tiles in a decorative materials market. The Division Captain speculated that Zhao Shen might have gone to seek refuge with his relative to evade police pursuit. As a result, Lin Heyu was dispatched with two colleagues to Shengzhou City, aiming to apprehend Zhao Shen as quickly as possible.


    Zhao Shen had fled Haijing City at the end of April, and nearly ten days had passed since then. Based on the timeline, if he had gone to his cousin Zhao Yang, the two would have already met, arranged a place to stay, and settled in. He Wei led a team to follow Lin Heyu and conduct investigations near Zhao Yang¡¯s home, and they also questioned Zhao Yang himself. The results were surprising:


    Zhao Shen hadn¡¯t come looking for him. He had indeed sent a message saying he was coming to Shengzhou City to visit and asking if he could stay at his place. Zhao Yang had readily agreed, even tidying up the room. However, days went by with no sign of Zhao Shen. His phone was off, and he never arrived.


    Lin Heyu immediately started reviewing the surveillance footage from the high-speed rail station. Amidst the bustling crowd, he spotted Zhao Shen leaving the station with a bag. However, once he left the square, his trail vanished. Hotels and accommodations now have strict management; even guesthouses require ID registration. After checking the records of various hotels, inns, and lodges in Shengzhou City, there was no record of Zhao Shen staying at any of them. There was a good chance he was staying with an acquaintance.


    But who could this acquaintance be? A person who grew up in Haijing City, had only been to Shengzhou City a few times, and wasn¡¯t familiar with the area. In his state of fleeing, who could he trust more than his cousin?


    ¡°Perhaps he guessed that the police would find Zhao Yang, so he didn¡¯t dare to go to him,¡± Zou Bin suggested.


    ¡°If he had really thought of that, he wouldn¡¯t have come to Shengzhou City,¡± He Wei said as he watched the surveillance footage, replaying it a few times. ¡°He did send a message, indeed contacting someone, but not his cousin Zhao Yang.¡±


    ¡°Reporting to his girlfriend?¡± Yun Xiaoxiao guessed.


    Lin Heyu denied that assumption because after Zhao Shen¡¯s escape, the mobile phones of his parents, including his girlfriend, were all monitored, and they hadn¡¯t received any messages from Zhao Shen to this day.


    ¡°Did you check the taxi companies?¡± He Wei asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the process of checking. It happened to coincide with the May Day holiday rush, and the passenger flow was exceptionally high, so the investigation will take some time,¡± Hu Songkai said.


    Lin Heyu stared at the surveillance footage. The high-speed rail station wasn¡¯t a new one; it was the old ¡°Shengzhou Station,¡± the first to be constructed in Shengzhou City. The surveillance equipment here wasn¡¯t as advanced or abundant as at the later-built South Station. The cameras¡¯ positions weren¡¯t as extensive. Zhao Shen¡¯s final appearance in the footage was when he left the square carrying a small brown luggage bag. The cameras at the exits hadn¡¯t captured his image, indicating he might have gone straight to the basement floor to hail a taxi or been picked up by someone.


    ¡°So, are you saying we have to investigate all the vehicles that entered and exited the train station that day?¡± Chongzhen exclaimed in surprise. ¡°How long will that take? It¡¯ll be next month before we¡¯re done with all of them, right?¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t have a specific target, this kind of investigation would indeed be time-consuming and exhausting, and there¡¯s no guarantee of results.¡± He Wei mused, stroking his chin as he meticulously reviewed the footage frame by frame. After Zhao Shen exited the station, he followed the crowd to the square, holding his phone in one hand and incessantly typing with his thumb, as if texting. When he reached the exit of the square, he suddenly raised his phone, shook it a couple of times, and then walked out of the camera¡¯s view, disappearing.


    He Wei rewound the footage and watched it again, freezing the frame on that scene. He asked, ¡°What do modern people fear the most when going out?¡±


    ¡°Forgetting their wallet?¡±


    ¡°Losing their keys?¡±


    Lin Heyu was momentarily stunned, then immediately instructed Wen Huaibei to lead a team to check the shops around the square.


    He Wei chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re quick to react.¡±


    Lin Heyu didn¡¯t take pleasure in his praise, as this detail had been spotted by those poisonous eyes of He Wei first. His insight was too terrifying; back in college, He Wei¡¯s perceptiveness had impressed Lin Heyu, and over the years, it had become even more uncanny and frightening.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think of it next time.¡± Lin Heyu said.


    The colleagues in the office were still puzzled. Why did he suddenly go check the shops? What were these two talking about?


    Yun Xiaoxiao was curious and asked, ¡°Captain, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Once you figure out the answer to what modern people fear the most when going out, you¡¯ll understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m most afraid of forgetting my phone¡­¡± Yun Xiaoxiao mumbled.


    Chong Zhen had a sudden realization and slapped his thigh, ¡°His phone must have run out of battery!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zou Bin was still lost. How did they deduce that his phone had run out of battery?


    Hu Songkai wore a knowing expression as if to say, ¡°Can¡¯t you see? We couldn¡¯t see it either. We have to ask the sharp-eyed Lao He.¡±


    Lin Heyu, who had been silent, pointed at the screen. ¡°His phone¡¯s screen is black. It¡¯s turned off automatically.¡±

 CH 47

    Chapter 47: Can¡¯t


    After visiting the stores outside the high-speed railway station square, they finally found Zhao Shen¡¯s trail in a Shaanxi noodle shop on the food street. The police showed the owner Zhao Shen¡¯s photo, and the owner immediately remembered a customer who had come a few days ago with an accent from another region. He had rented a shared power bank using a QR code in the shop, but when he finished eating, the power bank malfunctioned during the return process. The deposit wasn¡¯t returned successfully, leaving a strong impression on the owner.


    ¡°That day, we spent quite a while troubleshooting. He was in a hurry to leave, saying he had urgent matters and couldn¡¯t delay. I had no choice but to lend him the deposit first. We didn¡¯t even calculate the money for the noodles. On top of that, I even gave him a few tens of yuan. The vendor for the power banks still hasn¡¯t sorted out the issue. This transaction has been quite troublesome,¡± the shop owner complained.


    Wen Huaibei asked, ¡°Did he mention anything about the urgent matter or where he was headed?¡±


    The owner shook his head, saying, ¡°Not really, but he seemed to have plans with someone. He answered a call and said he would be there soon after finishing his meal.¡±


    ¡°Which way did he go?¡±


    The owner pointed in a direction, toward the exit of the food street. The food street was a tunnel-like structure, fully enclosed on both sides, with surveillance cameras at both ends. Regardless of which exit he took, he should have been captured on camera. Strangely though, there was no sign of Zhao Shen.


    Wen Huaibei asked nearby shopkeepers about Zhao Shen using his photo, but their responses were all variations of ¡°don¡¯t remember, no impression,¡± including the small shops around the food street. They all claimed to have never seen this person.


    With the lead interrupting, Wen Huaibei had no choice but to report the situation truthfully to Captain Lin and leave it for him to investigate.


    As He Wei and Lin Heyu were about to set off to find Zhao Yang, they received a call from Wen Huaibei. They changed directions and headed to the high-speed railway station. Upon arriving at the food street, they found Wen Huaibei sitting by the entrance of a 24-hour self-service bank, looking dejected. When he saw He Wei and Lin Heyu, his eyes displayed a mixture of unease and tension.


    ¡°Why the gloomy expression?¡±


    Upon hearing He Wei¡¯s question, Wen Huaibei cautiously glanced at Lin Heyu and said, ¡°I¡­ I really can¡¯t find him. I have no idea how he disappeared.¡±


    The two new team members who had come along with Lin Heyu were relatively inexperienced in the criminal investigation unit. The directive from higher-ups was for Lin Heyu to take them out to gain some experience. As for how long it would take to solve the case, there was no need to worry much¡ªafter all, Lin Heyu was a capable person, and in addition, there was He Wei at the Sengzhuo City Bureau. With these two working together, they would surely crack the case in no time.


    Thus, when they couldn¡¯t find the suspect¡¯s trace, Lin Heyu didn¡¯t show any sign of blame. Everything has a process, especially criminal investigation work. While theoretical knowledge is rich, it can¡¯t match the accumulation of practical experience. This was the epitome of ¡°practice makes perfect.¡± Lin Heyu had transitioned from a fresh graduate to his current age, and he was naturally not very talkative. He usually refrained from criticizing newcomers to avoid undermining their confidence. So why were the newcomers so afraid of him?


    Wen Huaibei was genuinely fearful. Captain Lin had always been serious and taciturn, and when he was silent, nobody knew what he was thinking. It was mostly because of his stern appearance. If it were Captain He with his fair and gentle face, Wen Huaibei¡¯s courage would have been at least half as large as it was now.


    He Wei noticed this and reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t be disheartened. Losing track of the suspect isn¡¯t the main issue. What matters is figuring out how to find him again.¡±


    Although Lin Heyu hadn¡¯t spoken, he reached out and patted Wen Huaibei¡¯s shoulder, indicating his stance. Touched by this gesture, Wen Huaibei led them to check the surveillance footage together: ¡°I¡¯ve watched the footage from the exits for the whole day. I even looked at the entrance footage, but there¡¯s still no trace of him.¡±


    Sitting together, Lin Heyu and He Wei stared at the surveillance footage, and after a few minutes, they had an answer.


    ¡°So crude!¡± the two of them exclaimed simultaneously, both sounding disgusted.


    ¡°Did he think that changing clothes would make him unrecognizable? And he didn¡¯t even take off the watch on his wrist,¡± He Wei criticized.


    ¡°Yeah, he didn¡¯t even change his shoes. His disguise doesn¡¯t even meet the passing grade,¡± Lin Heyu commented.


    ¡°He thought wearing a hat would do the trick, but you can tell it¡¯s him just from his back.¡±


    ¡°His gait is a bit duck-footed, very recognizable.¡±


    Wen Huaibei filtered their remarks through his mind and exclaimed, ¡°He changed his clothes?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he was wearing a blue shirt and white pants before, but now he¡¯s in black clothes and jeans. The bag in his hand¡­¡± He Wei looked for a couple of seconds and drew a conclusion, ¡°He turned the lining inside out to use it; you can see the loose threads.¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± Wen Huaibei covered his face, feeling like he must be blind.


    ¡°After his disguise, he blended in with the crowd of backpackers, making it hard to spot him. Next time you¡¯re looking for someone, don¡¯t just focus on their face and clothes. Pay attention to their walking posture and habits. These things are developed over a long time and are easy to reveal,¡± He Wei laughed and teased, along with Lin Heyu. The younger team member was quite endearing.


    Zhao Shen thought his disguise was a success. After leaving the food street, he bought a charger and then took the subway. He switched from Line 3 to the S line and got off at Puyu Road, turning into Dangshui Village.


    This journey took at least an hour. Dangshui Village was a combination of urban and rural areas in Shengzhuo City. On one side were newly erected high-rise public housing buildings, while on the other side, reeds swayed in the wind. It was completely different from the usual scenery. Due to the government¡¯s development of public housing, the original villagers had long moved away. The houses were in various states of disrepair, with only the Xinglin Garden public housing complex still inhabited.


    However, whether Zhao Shen went inside or not, no one knew. After all, the facilities here were not fully completed yet. Along the street, let alone surveillance cameras, there were hardly any streetlights.


    The sky had turned dark, and a Jeep was parked by the side of the road. He Wei looked up at the over thirty-story public housing building. Only a few scattered lights indicated that some people had moved in. He asked, ¡°What do you think is the likelihood of him being here?¡±


    Lin Heyu shook his head. ¡°Not very high. There are only a few households living here, so the chances of being discovered during an investigation are too high. It¡¯s better for him to hide in the city where there¡¯s a higher population density and more people moving around, making it less likely for him to be found.¡±


    He Wei looked around at the desolation. Behind the reed marsh was a lake. Going out along the small path on the right led to another village, while heading up to the south would take them to Longwang Mountain. Zhao Shen had quite a variety of routes to choose from.


    The day had been spent in constant motion, but there was still no specific news about Zhao Shen. When they returned, Lin Heyu was in a bad mood, his brows furrowed, and his face as dark as Yama, the King of Hell. He Wei playfully kicked his leg with the tip of his foot. ¡°Hey, control that expression of yours. We have a young lady on our team, and you¡¯re scaring her half to tears.¡±


    The only ¡°young lady¡± in the team lifted her head, looking bewildered. What did she get scared by? She had been watching the news the whole time and hadn¡¯t paid any attention to Captain Lin¡¯s expression!


    Lin Heyu stood up, not saying anything more. Tomorrow, he would go to the neighboring village first. If they couldn¡¯t find anything there, he would head up the mountain. He refused to believe that Zhao Shen could be hiding underground.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Cheng Zesheng arrived home earlier that day, with He Wei returning a step later. This time, he purposefully didn¡¯t speak first. What if He Wei had brought his friend along again? That would be quite awkward.


    He Wei also noticed that, although the lights in the house were on, there was no sound whatsoever. Normally, Cheng Zesheng would make some noise at home, giving He Wei a sense of where he was in the apartment. However, today was eerily quiet, as if the house was completely empty.


    ¡°Cheng Zesheng?¡±


    There was no response from inside the house. He Wei wasn¡¯t sure if the internet connection was down or if Cheng Zesheng was genuinely not home.


    As Cheng Zesheng watched the door close, he stood in the living room, feeling extremely conflicted. He really wanted to ask He Wei if he was alone or if his friend had come along. Would a small note suddenly appear on the table and scare him?


    Clearly, he had forgotten that the spicy chicken feet that appeared out of nowhere last night had already succeeded in scaring him.


    The door to the upstairs room opened and closed, and after a while, the bathroom door opened, the light came on, and the sound of water from the showerhead started.


    He Wei had gone to take a shower.


    Cheng Zesheng couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed his friend hadn¡¯t come after all. Otherwise, how could he be so carefree about taking a shower?


    However, as soon as he heard the sound of water from the bathroom, Cheng Zesheng remembered the ¡°Tianluo Snail Bathing¡± images he had seen before. His heartbeat couldn¡¯t help but speed up. He took a deep breath, took out the dumbbells from behind the couch, and began exercising his body, closing his eyes to clear his mind and focus on counting.


    But even after counting to 50, his mind still couldn¡¯t settle. Cheng Zesheng put down the dumbbells, supported himself with his hands on the floor, and assumed the standard push-up position.


    It still didn¡¯t seem to be effective. This was Cheng Zesheng¡¯s impression after doing 20 push-ups. He hugged his head with both hands and started doing frog jumps.


    After completing this set of exercises, he was covered in sweat. The sound of water from the bathroom finally stopped. Cheng Zesheng sighed in relief, suddenly wondering why he had put himself through all this.


    He Wei blow-dried his hair until it was half dry, and when he came out, there still wasn¡¯t any sound in the house. He felt puzzled. Was Cheng Zesheng working overtime tonight?


    If he wasn¡¯t home, that was one thing, but He Wei had wanted to vent about the suspect¡¯s boring change of clothes during his escape.


    He Wei sat on the sofa, reading a book, while Cheng Zesheng sat on the floor, calming his breathing. Time passed by, and suddenly, a phone ringtone broke the silence.


    Both Cheng Zesheng and He Wei looked up simultaneously. Cheng Zesheng slowly crawled out from behind the sofa, peeking around to see a dark head.


    Completely unaware that Cheng Zesheng was behind him, He Wei reached for his phone on the sofa and answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Why did you contact me? Are you back from your business trip?¡± He Wei¡¯s tone instantly softened, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m at home, just took a shower. Are you coming over?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s convenient, I¡¯m the only one at home. If you come, you can stay overnight.¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± Cheng Zesheng felt annoyed. Who was he talking to with such a cheerful tone?


    The call seemed to be going fine, and then suddenly an arm snaked around from behind the sofa and picked up He Wei¡¯s phone. He Wei turned around, and Cheng Zesheng glanced at the screen. Oh, it was He Lu. He handed the phone back to He Wei, gesturing for him to continue the call.


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s your exact address? I¡¯ll use navigation to get a ride.¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± He Wei glanced at the arm resting on his shoulder and told He Lu, ¡°You don¡¯t have to come. I have a friend over.¡±


    He Lu found it strange. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be an issue. He can sleep in another room, and I can share a bed with you.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng overheard, and his expression turned surprised. He instinctively grabbed He Wei¡¯s shoulder, leaned in close, and whispered in his ear:


    No¡ªcan¡¯t.


    ¡°¡­,¡± He Wei also didn¡¯t understand why it couldn¡¯t be. He and He Lu had grown up together, even sharing a bed when they came back home from college. Why couldn¡¯t they share a bed now?


    ¡°Don¡¯t come tonight; I¡¯ll invite you over to be a guest next time.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng looked at He Wei¡¯s profile. From this angle, he could clearly see that He Wei¡¯s eyelashes were long, thick, and naturally curled. His earlobe wasn¡¯t large, but it was round and full and a lovely shade of pink.


    Cheng Zesheng discreetly reached out and gently pinched it. It was like he had triggered some kind of peculiar switch. He Wei¡¯s entire ear immediately flushed red, with a patch of red spreading down his cheeks, making the fair skin even rosier.


    So good-looking.

 CH 48

    Chapter 48: Limited contact


    In He Wei¡¯s more than thirty years of life, apart from He Lu, this was the first time that he had been in such close proximity to someone that was not exceeding five centimeters. It was also the first time he had someone discover a sensitive spot¡ªhis earlobe. When Cheng Zesheng¡¯s hand lightly rubbed against his earlobe, he felt as though his whole body had been electrified, and a burning sensation spread from his earlobe to his entire ear.


    Almost instinctively, He Wei went into attack mode, grabbing onto Cheng Zesheng¡¯s wrist. Cheng Zesheng looked up, their eyes locking. He Wei¡¯s gaze was calm and indifferent, yet Cheng Zesheng sensed a hint of hostility penetrating his pores. In the next second, his hand was twisted, and pain shot from his wrist bones to his fingertips.


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng frowned, feeling like his fingers were being bent backward. Another hand pressed down on He Wei¡¯s hand, with the thumb on the back of the hand and the other four fingers gripping the palm, lightly brushing the fingertips against the center of the palm. Seizing the moment when He Wei raised his hand, Cheng Zesheng used force to fold the hand and trap it within his palm.


    ¡°Angry?¡±


    He Wei faintly smiled, as if preparing to launch a powerful attack.


    Cheng Zesheng was taken aback by this punch. After dodging, he immediately distanced himself by half a meter. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    He Wei stood up and rubbed his wrists. ¡°What else?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng was still a bit puzzled. Could pinching an earlobe really provoke such a reaction? He propped himself up on the couch¡¯s backrest with one hand and leaned over, grabbing He Wei¡¯s hand. He brought it confidently to his own face. ¡°Here, you can pinch me too. There¡¯s no need to be so angry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He Wei narrowed his eyes and unreservedly pinched onto the delicate cartilage of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s ear. He applied more force, causing Cheng Zesheng¡¯s handsome face to twist in pain. ¡°Hisss¡ªYou! If you accidentally pull it off, you better take responsibility!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it if it comes off.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng, without hesitation, embraced He Wei and both of them fell onto the couch together. He pinned He Wei beneath him. Cheng Zesheng¡¯s ear had already slipped free from He Wei¡¯s grasp, and it flushed and hot, probably having been pinched too hard. Cheng Zesheng held both of He Wei¡¯s wrists together and pressed them against his chest, preventing any movement. He asked, ¡°Hey, has anyone ever told you that you have a bad temper?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Wei struggled against the hold, realizing he couldn¡¯t break free. Cheng Zesheng not only had strength but also applied some sort of grappling technique. He gave a cold smile, bent his knees, and aimed for Cheng Zesheng¡¯s abdomen. Although Cheng Zesheng detected his intention, it was too late, and he took the knee strike head-on.


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng lowered his head. He Wei¡¯s hands had slipped free, and he pushed Cheng Zesheng¡¯s shoulder to move him aside.


    Cheng Zesheng sat on the floor, his head still lowered, maintaining silence. He Wei straightened his disheveled shirt. Just as he wondered if Cheng Zesheng had been rendered speechless, he finally heard Cheng Zesheng¡¯s quiet voice, ¡°If I became impotent, you¡¯d really have to take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I avoided the vital points,¡± He Wei said with an expression that seemed to say, ¡°Don¡¯t try to trick me.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng sighed, rubbing his injured abdomen. He had used quite a bit of force; even if they weren¡¯t friends, they were still roommates, right?


    After all this playful banter, He Wei¡¯s interest in discussing the case had completely waned. By chance, He Wei glanced at the time and suddenly realized: Cheng Zesheng had been present for much longer than usual, nearing five minutes already.


    Seizing the opportunity while he was still there, He Wei wanted to confirm some of the intriguing speculations in his mind. He stood up and asked Cheng Zesheng to join him on the balcony.


    Cheng Zesheng sat cross-legged on the floor. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m hurt? Can¡¯t get up.¡±


    He Wei rolled his eyes, suspecting that this man was not just three years younger than him but ten. Playful yet petty. He reached out, and in the span of a second, Cheng Zesheng went from thinking, ¡°I won¡¯t back down if you don¡¯t admit your mistake,¡± to standing up, holding He Wei¡¯s hand, as if nothing had happened.


    The two of them went to the balcony together. He Wei leaned on the railing, asking Cheng Zesheng to describe the buildings he could see.


    ¡°Across the street is the Goldman Sachs office building. Downstairs, there¡¯s a bun shop, a liquor store, a small supermarket, and Heping Park. What¡¯s up?¡±


    In He Wei¡¯s eyes, across the street was the New City Plaza; there were dry goods stores, clothing shops, and a convenience store downstairs, and the area Cheng Zesheng called a park was actually a construction site for the second phase of the New City Plaza.


    ¡°Come here.¡± He Wei tugged Cheng Zesheng¡¯s arm again and led him to the entrance. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go out together.¡±


    ¡°But if you go out¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng¡¯s words halted abruptly as he suddenly understood what He Wei wanted to do. He put on his slippers, gripped the handle of the security door, and after pushing the door open, just as He Wei stepped out, he seemed to walk into a mirror, disappearing without a trace.


    He Wei turned to look at the open door; his home was empty, devoid of Cheng Zesheng¡¯s figure.


    Cheng Zesheng also stepped outside. The corridor was empty; only the harsh white light and cold walls remained. A colleague returning saw him at the doorway and waved to greet him.


    There was no He Wei here, and there wouldn¡¯t be.


    Back inside their home, Cheng Zesheng lifted his head, and He Wei stood by the entrance, arms crossed, still wearing that aloof expression but with a touch of melancholy in his brows.


    ¡°As expected,¡± He Wei said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Cheng Zesheng nodded.


    Once again, silence fell between them. The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy and stifling, and their breath seemed to carry a sense of constraint.


    Perhaps due to their recent frequent interactions, they had developed a sense that the other person was genuinely present by their side. But the reality wasn¡¯t so; their ¡°reality¡± existed only within a limited time and space, confined within a predetermined dimension.


    Although they could communicate, chat, and even touch each other, they still existed in two separate worlds. Only at this node could they prove each other¡¯s existence, even though once they stepped out of this door, the traces of the other would disappear without a trace.


    A limited interaction that shouldn¡¯t have existed.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Zou Bin and Yun Xiaoxiao split into two teams to investigate several villages connected to Dangshui Village. The results were disappointing; hardly anyone had seen Zhao Shen, and there was no impression of him at all. These villages were at the border of two provinces, with the other province just across a river. Zou Bin even suspected that Zhao Shen might have escaped to the neighboring province.


    However, if he truly wanted to go to the neighboring province, he wouldn¡¯t have chosen the roundabout route through Shengzhou City. After all, Shengzhou City was the provincial capital, sprawling with people and strict governance. If he happened to be caught here, it would be due to his lack of intelligence. Thus, Lin Heyu was confident that he hadn¡¯t left Shengzhou City, and he was likely still somewhere near Dangshui Village.


    The Xinglin Garden residential area had only a few households that had moved in, as it had been completed earlier this year. Most residents were either still decorating or waiting for the surrounding facilities to be completed before moving in. Those who did live there were mostly elderly, taking buses into the city in the morning to buy groceries and leisurely returning in the afternoon. Those with good physical health could even hike up Longwang Mountain, making the place an excellent way to pass the time.


    After checking on these elderly residents, it was confirmed that they hadn¡¯t seen Zhao Shen, and he hadn¡¯t been in Xinglin Garden either. Lin Heyu shifted his focus to Longwang Mountain and brought in two K9 units to search the mountain.


    Despite their grand efforts, they didn¡¯t find Zhao Shen but unexpectedly caught three other fugitive suspects. One was ragged, having lived in a cave on the mountain for several months, afraid to come down, and having survived on wild vegetables, wild chickens, and rabbits. Another had just fled into the mountains, planning to lay low for a few days, and escaped to the neighboring province. The most unfortunate was the one who had fled into the mountains the previous night, only to be apprehended by the police today. He thought the police were after him and, panicked, tumbled down the slope, breaking his leg.


    Longwang Mountain wasn¡¯t large, and they searched both marked and unmarked paths, yet still, they couldn¡¯t find any trace of Zhao Shen. Since his arrival in Dangshui Village, it was as if he evaporated on the spot, disappearing completely.


    Lin Heyu stood with arms crossed, staring at the spread-out investigation file on the table. He asked Yun Xiaoxiao to make some tea from his cabinet, the kind that calms nerves.


    Zou Bin and Wen Huabei whispered, then made up their minds and stood up to request, ¡°Captain Lin, can we continue investigating within the city? What if he¡¯s taken a bus back into the city again?¡±


    ¡°Right, we should check all the train and bus stations. What if he¡¯s left Shengzhou City?¡±


    Lin Heyu fell silent. Hei We took up a pen, circling Dangshui Village on the map. ¡°I¡¯m curious; why did he choose to come here and not somewhere else?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he thought it would be safer the more remote it is?¡± Zou Bin guessed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, he had an appointment with someone. That person must have arranged for him to go to Dangshui Village,¡± He Wei picked up Zhao Shen¡¯s file, flipping through it. ¡°Being unfamiliar with the area, yet able to find someone to help him escape to such a remote location, it¡¯s not easy for a fugitive to achieve that.¡±


    Lin Heyu stood up, asking He Wei, ¡°Shall we go together?¡±


    He Wei placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°If we ask now, there will certainly be all sorts of excuses. Let Zou Bin and the others go first to check whether there are any properties under his name in Dangshui Village.¡±


    Before Zou Bin and Wen Huabei could ask who to check on, Yun Xiaoxiao approached with a cup of honeysuckle tea. ¡°Captain, who are we checking on?¡±


    Lin Heyu pointed his index finger at the ¡°relatives¡± column: ¡°Zhao Yang.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After a thorough investigation, it was found that there were no properties owned by Zhao Yang in Dangshui Village. However, his grandmother¡¯s house had been demolished three years ago, and the distributed houses were in Xinglin Garden. This significantly increased the suspicion that Zhao Yang was harboring a fugitive. When questioned again, Zhao Yang still claimed innocence. He even invited the police officers to his home for inspection, where they found it still under construction with no signs of habitation.


    Zou Bin pressed, ¡°How else would he have come to Dangshui Village if not through you?¡±


    Zhao Yang pleaded, ¡°Officers, I really don¡¯t know. I never told him about the house demolition. We never discussed it.¡±


    ¡°Zhao Yang, you better cooperate with our work. If you confess now, we¡¯ll count it as your voluntary statement. If we find out that you¡¯re sheltering Zhao Shen, it¡¯s harboring a fugitive!¡±


    Zhao Yang repeated the same statement. He hadn¡¯t been in contact with Zhao Shen. When they checked his call records, he was in business and received numerous customer calls every day, but there were no calls resembling Zhao Shen¡¯s.


    Lin Heyu and He Wei made a trip to the decoration city. As they wandered around, they stopped in front of a store selling flooring. The shop owner greeted them, ¡°Young man, are you renovating your home? We just got a batch of oak flooring that has amazing colors. Come in and take a look!¡±


    He Wei took it seriously and walked into the store. He looked through the oak flooring that the shop owner recommended, then asked for Lin Heyu¡¯s opinion. Lin Heyu shook his head with a sullen expression, his eyes glancing at the shop across the street. He Wei said, ¡°You want to go for tiles instead of flooring? Sure, tiles are easier to maintain.¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s at the shop across the street,¡± Lin Heyu said.


    The shop owner immediately beckoned them over, ¡°The owner of the shop across is out, left me in charge. You¡¯re looking for tiles, right? Come, let me take you there.¡±


    He Wei and Lin Heyu followed her. He Wei casually browsed the tiles, listing various demands. He wanted simple patterns, light colors, a hard and crack-resistant material, and no reflective surfaces. The shop owner was quite enthusiastic, showing them sample tiles and providing non-stop explanations. When it came to discussing prices, He Wei negotiated, and the shop owner offered a sincerely business-friendly price. He Wei chuckled, ¡°You can make these decisions, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have a good relationship with Xiao Zhao. I often help him sell things. I¡¯m also in business, so I wouldn¡¯t let him suffer losses.¡±


    ¡°But if he¡¯s often not here, why keep the shop open?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that he¡¯s been out a lot lately. Seems like he¡¯s dating someone.¡±


    ¡°Dating to the point of neglecting the shop, huh?¡± He Wei chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s the passionate early stages of a relationship, you know. He has to pamper her.¡± The shop owner held onto He Wei¡¯s arm. ¡°Are you still interested in the flooring? If you need a lot, I can talk to Xiao Zhao and give you a good price.¡±


    He Wei asked Lin Heyu, ¡°Hey, what do you think?¡±


    Lin Heyu shook his head. He smiled at the shop owner and said, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss it further when we get back. Thanks a lot, boss.¡±


    The shop owner nodded, her gaze shifting between He Wei and Lin Heyu, a peculiar glint in her eyes. These two young men were quite extraordinary. They came to the decoration city to pick out things together like a couple. The two of them¡ªtsk tsk, modern young people are really open-minded.


    Leaving the decoration city, He Wei lit a cigarette. ¡°Talking about girlfriends, huh? Quite a coincidence.¡±


    Lin Heyu¡¯s tone was grave. ¡°For a few days with him.¡±

 CH 49

    Chapter 49: Ordinary Roommate


    Fortune can sometimes turn into misfortune, and misfortune can¡¯t always be avoided.


    Cheng Zesheng hadn¡¯t seen Xie Wenxi for a month. Just as he left the police station, he was stopped by a short-haired beauty in jeans and sneakers. She said, ¡°Hey handsome, would you mind if I flirted with you a bit?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not interested,¡± Cheng Zesheng pointed to Jiang Tan beside him, ¡°You can flirt with him if you want.¡±


    Jiang Tan looked forlorn. He wouldn¡¯t mind being flirted with, but it was a pity that the pretty lady¡¯s words were hurtful. The phrase ¡°He¡¯s even more in need of a boyfriend than I am¡± had come from Xie Wenxi¡¯s mouth.


    Xie Wenxi was ambitious and busy with work. She was turning thirty the next year and still didn¡¯t have a partner. Starting three years ago, her mother had been arranging blind dates for her. However, every ¡°high-quality husband¡± candidate that Xie Wenxi encountered was turned away by various means. Her ace in the hole was Cheng Zesheng ¡ª  she would make him pose as her boyfriend, and the strategy had always worked like a charm.


    Today was no different. Mrs. Xie arranged for her to meet an engineer. As soon as Xie Wenxi got off work, she went to find Cheng Zesheng and dragged him to a restaurant, using him to fend off the competition.


    The engineer, appearing composed and refined, noticed the sudden appearance of a competitor. Finding his face annoyingly good-looking, he had mentally categorized Cheng Zesheng as an insignificant freeloader. His tone unintentionally carried a sense of superiority as he inquired, ¡°May I ask what your occupation is? Is it stable? Does it have prospects?¡±


    ¡°A police officer.¡± Cheng Zesheng flashed his credentials. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not illegal, it¡¯s stable. As for prospects, it depends on how many criminals I catch.¡±


    The engineer was taken aback, coming up with a quick excuse to leave in a hurry. As he departed, he stole a glance at Cheng Zesheng, seemingly unable to comprehend how this police uncle had a face that could belong to a romantic drama character.


    Xie Wenxi was in fits of laughter, pounding the table. ¡°Oh my, you pulled out your police badge, and he turned green instantly! It was more spectacular than the Sichuan opera¡¯s face-changing. I bet he initially thought your eyes were on top of your head and probably mistook you for some eight-line model.¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± Cheng Zesheng was speechless. ¡°Please don¡¯t look for me for this kind of thing in the future.¡±


    Xie Wenxi shrugged, saying she had no choice. Unlike Cheng Zesheng, she couldn¡¯t move out. Her parents even checked up on her during business trips. She propped her cheek on her hand and poked Cheng Zesheng¡¯s hand. ¡°Hey, I heard from Auntie Cheng last time that there are ghosts in your dorm. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, so I told you not to go. I wouldn¡¯t be responsible if you got scared to death.¡±


    Xie Wenxi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I want to go, I want to go! It¡¯ll provide great material for my creations!¡±


    Cheng Zesheng found her enthusiasm annoying. ¡°Alright, alright, it¡¯s not haunted. You¡¯re just listening to my mom¡¯s nonsense. I do have a friend living with me now.¡±


    Xie Wenxi was even more surprised and asked if he was in a romantic relationship. Cheng Zesheng paused and shook his head. ¡°Nothing special, just roommates.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your relationship like? With your personality and temper, it¡¯s not easy for you to get along with others.¡±


    When temperament was mentioned, Cheng Zesheng had something to say. ¡°Compared to him, I¡¯m actually pretty easygoing. A couple of days ago, I didn¡¯t even do anything serious; I just pinched his ear a bit, and he nearly started a fight with me over it¡­¡±


    ¡°What, what?¡± Xie Wenxi seized on the important detail. ¡°You pinched someone¡¯s ear? Is it a guy or a girl?¡±


    ¡°¡­Can I even have a female roommate?¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡± Xie Wenxi crossed her arms, her round eyes wide with astonishment. ¡°Zesheng, you don¡¯t actually like him, do you? Doing such gay-ish things.¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡± Cheng Zesheng was equally baffled. ¡°Gay-ish? What are you talking about? I just saw that his earlobes were round and pink, so I wanted to see how they felt¡ª¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Xie Wenxi swore outright, shaking her head in disbelief. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for almost thirty years, and I never realized you were gay. All those girls who passed you love letters in middle and high school must have been blind¡­ Wait, there were signs, weren¡¯t there? From childhood until now, you were the only one who said I wasn¡¯t good-looking. Truly, a gay person¡¯s aesthetics are different from a normal guy¡¯s.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng couldn¡¯t put into words how messed up he felt. Why was everything he did being interpreted as gay? Okay, so he did wash his underwear the morning after dreaming of He Wei, but those were just dreams, unrelated to reality. At least when he was facing He Wei, he didn¡¯t have any of these dirty thoughts.


    ¡°No need to explain, I know you well enough.¡± Xie Wenxi rolled her eyes. ¡°Pinching someone¡¯s ear, do you also think hugging and cuddling are normal?¡±


    ¡°¡­You know about that too?¡±


    ¡°Wow, you really hugged him?!¡± Xie Wenxi urged, ¡°Quick, quick, show me what your boyfriend looks like.¡±


    Under Xie Wenxi¡¯s persistent questioning, Cheng Zesheng could only open his phone and show her He Wei¡¯s ID photo. Xie Wenxi glanced at it and froze, then reached out to touch his forehead. ¡°Zesheng, being gay is no big deal, but you should also like someone who¡¯s alive.¡±


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s no fun; I won¡¯t show you. You¡¯re just trying to trick me with a dead person¡¯s photo.¡± Xie Wenxi stood up, holding her bag. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. You¡¯ve hurt my self-esteem.¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± Cheng Zesheng looked at the photo on his phone. Well, he was alive, wasn¡¯t he? He was living and active in his house.


    Unfortunately, only he knew that.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Since they needed to track Zhao Yang, they couldn¡¯t use familiar faces that had interrogated him before. It was more appropriate to use people like Lin Heyu and He Wei, whom Zhao Yang hadn¡¯t met before.


    They pretended to be customers buying tiles, coming in every two days. This time, they brought along Du Ruanlan as well. Yun Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t impersonate Lin Heyu¡¯s girlfriend; their auras clashed. On the other hand, Du Ruanlan, standing beside Lin Heyu with her 1.7-meter height and commanding aura, created a stunning couple. People around them couldn¡¯t help but be envious of their looks.


    Chong Zhen sighed in the background, complaining that they didn¡¯t let him in on the action. It was a rare opportunity to pretend to be a couple with Lan-jie; just look at him, a single dog who had been suffering unrequited love for years.


    Zhao Yang was in the shop, and three customers walked in, one of them a couple. Zhao Yang guessed they were here for marital home decor and enthusiastically recommended model rooms for them to consider. Du Ruanlan linked her arm through Lin Heyu¡¯s, displaying a wife-like manner. She critiqued colors, and styles, and even expressed concerns about the baby slipping. He Wei suppressed a smile, discovering for the first time that Ruanlan was quite a performer.


    It was almost mealtime when they arrived. Zhao Yang checked his watch and rubbed his hands apologetically. ¡°Dear customers, have you decided? I¡¯m really sorry; I need to step out for a moment. If you stay here and take your time to look around, feel free to call me if you have any questions.¡±


    Zhao Yang called out, ¡°Wang-jie! Can you watch the store for me?¡±


    The owner of the shop selling flooring on the opposite side came over, noticing the two young people and finding them familiar. She smiled and said, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back again. Are you bringing your wife this time?¡± She turned to Zhao Yang. ¡°No worries, you go ahead. These two young men were my guests last time.¡±


    Lin Heyu glanced at He Wei indifferently, and He Wei nodded. Once Zhao Yang left, the owner¡¯s attention was all on the young couple. He Wei used the opportunity to slip away and follow Zhao Yang.


    It was said that Zhao Yang usually commuted on an electric scooter, but recently he had been driving a car to work. This suggested that he was going to places far away. Additionally, according to the shop owner¡¯s words, whenever he left, he wouldn¡¯t return until after 2 p.m. There were even times when he didn¡¯t come back for the whole afternoon, and he¡¯d call her to lock up the shop.


    He Wei was driving, following the white Chevrolet at a safe distance. Zhao Yang hadn¡¯t noticed, first going to a shopping mall. He Wei followed him out of the car, puzzled to see that he was buying¡­ lipstick.


    Going to meet his cousin and buy lipstick? He Wei wondered, continuing to tail Zhao Yang.


    After half an hour of driving, the Chevrolet stopped at an old residential area. It parked in an alley, and Zhao Yang got out and walked toward a building. He Wei watched him go up. He reached the third floor and knocked on the door of 302. A woman with long hair answered, calling him ¡°Yang-ge¡± and welcoming him in. He Wei frowned. Could it really be his girlfriend?


    Zhao Yang didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of coming back down soon. He Wei messaged this information to Lin Heyu and continued waiting downstairs. There was a convenience store across the street, and He Wei went to buy cigarettes. An elderly man was looking after the shop. He Wei asked if they had a charger, as his phone was out of battery. The man looked and found that his grandson¡¯s phone had the same port. He cheerfully fetched an extension cord and plugged it in to charge He Wei¡¯s phone.


    He Wei sat on a small stool, striking up a conversation with the old man. The old man had lived in the neighborhood for over thirty years and knew everyone well. He pointed at the building opposite and said, ¡°My cousin lives there.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°302.¡±


    The old man immediately remembered, ¡°Oh, oh, you mean the Zhao family? Haven¡¯t they moved out a long time ago? Bought a new house. Your cousin is Zhao Yang?¡±


    He Wei nodded. ¡°Yes, he just went upstairs. Didn¡¯t you see him, Grandpa?¡±


    The old man waved his hand. He was old, his eyes weren¡¯t good, and he couldn¡¯t see clearly who was who from three meters away. He Wei opened a cigarette and lit it with a one-yuan lighter he bought from the old man. ¡°Even though Uncle Zhao¡¯s family moved out, my cousin arranged for his girlfriend to live here. He pampers her a lot, hardly ever letting her leave the house. He drives from Hongxing Decoration City every day just to bring her food.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s far. Which girl on the third floor?¡± The old man thought for a while, then slapped his thigh. ¡°I remember now. A couple of nights ago, she came here to buy shampoo, forgot her phone at home, and didn¡¯t have any cash with her.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, it was too late that day. My cousin didn¡¯t want her to drive at night, so he let her buy it herself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, she said she lived on the third floor; the one next to the window, it must be her.¡±


    He Wei continued chatting with the old man, smoking a cigarette, and getting a rough idea of the situation. After a while, Zhao Yang came downstairs, and He Wei followed him again, back to the decoration city.


    For three consecutive days, Zhao Yang visited his ¡°girlfriend.¡± He brought her clothes one day and cosmetics the next, being exceedingly attentive. Lin Heyu frowned with his thick eyebrows. ¡°Is she really his girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. If she¡¯s really his girlfriend, why doesn¡¯t she come over to his place? He¡¯s not married, and he doesn¡¯t live with his parents.¡± He Wei rubbed his chin. ¡°So, Xiaoxiao, get a red armband from the community office tomorrow and go register for family planning.¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao was taken aback, ¡°¡­Do I really look like a middle-aged woman?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a beautiful young girl with pure genes. Sacrifice a bit for the case. Don¡¯t wear makeup tomorrow. Your natural beauty would put others to shame, and makeup would be overkill.¡±


    Unintentionally praised, Yun Xiaoxiao happily dialed the street¡¯s number. Chong Zhen and Hu Songkai teased, ¡°I told you he can flirt with girls, and he will be exposed if he is not careful..¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, no wonder all the pretty girls like him.¡±


    The next day, Yun Xiaoxiao wore a simple blue shirt and black pants, with a red armband on her arm, and went to knock on the door of 302. Accompanying her on this visit was Wen Huabei. As the door opened, they were greeted by a young and beautiful face.


    ¡°Hello, who are you looking for?¡±


    Yun Xiaoxiao held a notebook. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re from Baota Street, here to register for family planning.¡±


    Wen Huabei was extremely surprised, widening his eyes. After Yun Xiaoxiao went in, he quietly called Lin Heyu.


    ¡°Captain Lin, the person living here is Qiao Ruofei, Zhao Shen¡¯s girlfriend!¡±

 CH 50

    Chapter 50: Fugitive Girlfriend


    In the investigation report provided by Lin Heyu, the information about Zhao Shen¡¯s girlfriend was brief: Qiao Ruofei, female, 26-year-old saleswoman at a cosmetics company. She had lived with Zhao Shen for two years, they had a good relationship, and they planned to get married next year.


    Zhao Shen¡¯s parents had met Qiao Ruofei and had a favorable impression of the fair-skinned, big-eyed girl. They had arranged for both sets of parents to meet in the next half year to finalize the marriage. Unexpectedly, a sudden turn of events occurred, and their son became a murderer and went into hiding.


    Upon learning that Zhao Yang¡¯s so-called ¡°girlfriend¡± was Qiao Ruofei, Lin Heyu immediately contacted colleagues on Haijing¡¯s side to investigate when Qiao Ruofei left Haijing. Soon, his colleagues provided a response: After the police investigation concluded, Qiao Ruofei left Haijing City on a business trip, and her destination was Ye Cit. Surprisingly, she ended up in Shengzhou.


    ¡°Why did she come to Shengzhou City?¡± Zou Bin was puzzled. ¡°Is she here to find Zhao Shen?¡±


    He Wei nodded, considering the possibility.


    ¡°But Zhao Shen is a fugitive! He¡¯s even killed two people. Wouldn¡¯t she be afraid?¡±


    ¡°If you have the time, you can learn about ¡®criminal adoration syndrome.¡¯ It¡¯s often reported abroad. Some serial killers receive love letters in prison, many from women of all walks of life, including intellectuals. If Qiao Ruofei has this psychological inclination and also harbors a desire to rescue, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to come to find Zhao Shen.¡± He Wei looked at Lin Heyu. ¡°What¡¯s your take on this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite possible, but her relationship with Zhao Yang¡ª¡± Lin Heyu¡¯s gaze was meaningful, ¡°We can¡¯t rule out the possibility that she¡¯s here for Zhao Yang.¡±


    He Wei said it¡¯s simple; observing for a few more days will reveal the truth. Qiao Ruofei might know where Zhao Shen is, so let¡¯s not tip her off.


    Yun Xiaoxiao emerged from the room and shook her head at Wen Huabei. She had carefully observed during the registration, and there were only traces of Qiao Ruofei living in the room. There was no sign of Zhao Shen hiding here.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean Zhao Shen wouldn¡¯t contact Qiao Ruofei. It was highly likely that he would come quietly during the night. So, Lin Heyu arranged for Zou Bin and Wen Huabei to keep watch downstairs in the old residential area, closely monitoring Qiao Ruofei¡¯s every move. If they noticed anything suspicious, they were to report it immediately.


    At the same time, Zhao Yang¡¯s side was also tailing her. After a few days, the results were disappointing: Zhao Yang had a routine of going back and forth between home, the store, and the old residential area. Qiao Ruofei hardly left her home, and no one else came to visit her except for Zhao Yang.


    ¡°Why do you think he comes over every day and stays for a few hours? What¡¯s he doing?¡± Zou Bin asked while munching on bread. Wen Huabei rubbed his sore neck and asked in return, ¡°Two unmarried people in the same room, what do you think they might be up to?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to doubt it; they definitely have something going on,¡± Zou Bin said, tapping his chin with his index finger in a classic detective pose. ¡°I suspect Zhao Shen might have been killed, and they teamed up to do it.¡±


    ¡°Is that really necessary? Zhao Shen was a fugitive to begin with. If he¡¯s caught, wouldn¡¯t they just be openly together?¡± Wen Huabei questioned.


    Zou Bin scratched the back of his head, his eyes shifting as he continued, ¡°Zhao Shen might not have trusted them. After he came to Shengzhou, he might have hidden himself. They¡¯re trying to bait him out, make him angry about being cuckolded, and get him to come to them. Then they can send him back behind bars and live together freely.¡±


    ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t that deserve a ¡®Good Citizen Award¡¯ for them?¡± Wen Huabei sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on our own jobs, keep a close watch, and not pretend to be Sherlock Holmes and Watson here.¡±


    The phone rang, and when Zou Bin answered it, his eyes lit up. He grabbed Wen Huabei and stood up, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Captain Lin wants us to bring this lovey-dovey couple back to the bureau!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    During the lunch break, the atmosphere in the Criminal Investigation Division office was quieter. People were drowsy from the heat, and some officers were napping on their desks, while others were on their phones. A head popped in through the door, and someone called out, ¡°Hey! Xia Liang!¡±


    This shout woke up those who were napping, and Xia Liang chuckled as he walked in. One of his arms was in a sling, and in the other hand, he carried a bag of cold drinks. He had come to visit his hardworking colleagues.


    Everyone gathered around him, and Chong Zhen walked over, tousling Xia Liang¡¯s short hair. ¡°Kid, how¡¯s your arm? Your recovery speed is slow. It¡¯s been quite a while, why is your arm still in a sling?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Xia, don¡¯t listen to him. A gunshot wound isn¡¯t like a scraped knee. Can it heal in just three to five days?¡± Hu Songkai rolled his eyes and slung his arm around Xia Liang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How are you doing at Captain He¡¯s place? Is his standard of living okay? His family¡¯s living conditions are decent, right?¡±


    Xia Liang nodded incessantly. It was simply fantastic there, almost to the point where he had forgotten his own name. He was called ¡°young master¡± all day long, with meals brought up by servants to his room and daily offerings of chicken, duck, fish, and all kinds of fresh seafood, all prepared by renowned chefs. They were so delicious that he wished he could swallow his own tongue. In the evenings, he received medicinal soups and various supplements, rotated every few days to help heal his wounds. After another month of such care, he might become unable to take care of himself.


    ¡°¡­¡± Chong Zhen unwrapped an ice cream popsicle and took a big bite. ¡°Such extravagant indulgence!¡±


    ¡°From frugality to extravagance is easy, from extravagance to frugality is hard!¡± Hu Songkai twisted open a bottle of cola and accidentally sprayed himself.


    Two attractive women from the pre-trial team were enthusiastically chatting with Xia Liang, asking about Captain He¡¯s home. They had heard rumors that Chief He¡¯s family background was unusual, but he was so low-key in his demeanor that no one in the department really knew if the rumors were true or not.


    Xia Liang casually said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, not too exaggerated. It¡¯s probably a few hundred square meters upstairs and downstairs combined. You can hear echoes when you talk indoors, and there are so many rooms that I often get lost. Remember the mansion case from last month? It¡¯s about half the size of that mansion.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chong Zhen sighed in frustration, ¡°Look at you, so proud and complacent!¡±


    Xia Liang instantly broke the illusion, grabbing onto Chong Zhen¡¯s shoulder and exclaiming, ¡°Oh my, what good karma did I accumulate in my past life? I used to dream about living in a mansion, and now I¡¯m actually living in one! Captain He is truly amazing. I¡¯m starting to believe more and more that his diligent case-solving is purely driven by interest. Our salaries wouldn¡¯t even be enough to hire a servant in his house!¡±


    ¡°Is that for real?! Captain He has the perfect male god image!¡±


    ¡°They always said Captain He lived in the department dorms because of financial difficulties. Now I realize he¡¯s actually experiencing life!¡±


    The group chattered away, and just then, the protagonist of the topic entered and singled out a few people. ¡°Chong Zhen, Da Wei, and Ke Bo come to the interrogation room. Move quickly.¡±


    The selected individuals immediately sprang into action. He Wei spotted Xia Liang amidst the crowd and smiled. ¡°Xiao Xia, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been away from the group for too long, feeling a bit nostalgic. I took a break to come see everyone.¡±


    He Wei observed him and nodded. ¡°Not bad; you¡¯ve put on some weight. Are you getting along well with my mom?¡±


    Xia Liang quickly nodded. Auntie was really great, treating him like a son. Even when there were company meetings, she would call to ask if he had eaten and what he wanted to eat, then instruct the chef accordingly. His biological mom wasn¡¯t even this caring.


    ¡°That¡¯s good then. My younger brother and I have been away from home a lot, and she¡¯s been lonely for a while.¡± He Wei patted Xia Liang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xia Liang flashed his two prominent front teeth in a smile. ¡°Auntie really misses you guys and often talks about you. Captain He, next time you come home, don¡¯t rush to leave. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to have dinner before heading back, right?¡±


    He Wei stared at him. ¡°I haven¡¯t been home lately.¡±


    ¡°Oh? But a couple of days ago, someone came to tidy up the clothes¡­¡±


    ¡°That was probably He Lu, silly kid.¡± He Wei ruffled his hair. ¡°Alright, I have things to attend to. You should head back early.¡±


    After He Wei left, Xia Liang tilted his head in contemplation. ¡°Huh? Did I see wrong? But I did call him ¡®Captain He,¡¯ and he turned around and smiled at me.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When the police knocked on the door of Room 302, Zhao Yang and Qiao Ruofei were flustered. They were disheveled, their clothes were in disarray, and even their belts weren¡¯t fastened. Wen Huabei and Zou Bin exchanged glances: Well, they had arrived just in time for a caught-in-the-act situation, interrupting something.


    The two of them were brought in for separate interrogations at the police station. Qiao Ruofei was tight-lipped, sitting behind the interrogation table, cautiously looking at the two police officers in front of her. Especially one of them, who was the ¡°neighborhood committee young lady¡± who had come a few days ago for family planning registration.


    ¡°Name.¡±


    ¡°Q-Qiao, Qiao Ruofei.¡±


    ¡°Age.¡±


    ¡°26.¡±


    ¡°Where is your household registration?¡±


    ¡°In Haijing City.¡±


    ¡°Why did you come to Shengzhou City? Are you here to find Zhao Shen? Where is he?¡±


    Facing the police¡¯s questioning, Qiao Ruofei¡¯s gaze dodged around, and she lowered her head, portraying an image of fragility and helplessness. Cloud Xiaoxiao slammed her pen down. ¡°Speak up!¡±


    Zou Bin was taken aback by her sternness and muttered quietly outside the interrogation room, ¡°She¡¯s surprisingly fierce.¡±


    Qiao Ruofei was startled too, with tears quickly welling up. Choking back her emotions, she said, ¡°I-I¡¯m worried about Zhao Shen¡­¡±


    According to her statement, Zhao Shen had arranged to contact her once he found a safe place. But he disappeared without a trace. Qiao Ruofei had also tried reaching out to Zhao Yang, who was searching for his cousin. Anxious and concerned, she had come to Shengzhou City alone.


    After arriving in Shengzhou City, Zhao Yang had arranged for Qiao Ruofei to stay in his parents¡¯ old house for the time being. He promised to help her find Zhao Shen. Afraid of revealing her whereabouts and being discovered by the police, Qiao Ruofei hardly left the house and even had her meals delivered by Zhao Yang.


    ¡°You think he came here on vacation? And you actually came to find him? He¡¯s a fugitive!¡± Wen Huabei, who was taking notes, felt speechless. Qiao Ruofei shook her head, tears welling up in her large eyes. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s a murderer. He might have been framed!¡±


    Wen Huabei walked over, slamming a report in front of her. ¡°This is from April this year, DNA extracted from the s*men of the female victim, Deng Wan. It perfectly matches the DNA from the cigarette butt we found in your rented apartment! We¡¯ve also conducted a paternity test with Zhao Shen¡¯s parents, confirming that it¡¯s his DNA. How can you still believe he didn¡¯t commit murder?¡±


    Qiao Ruofei dared not look at the evidence, her expression full of anguish. ¡°Even if¡­ even if he killed someone, I still love him.¡±


    ¡°You love him? Then how come you¡¯re with Zhao Yang now?¡± Cloud Xiaoxiao tapped her pen on the table. ¡°Zhao Shen left not too long ago, and you¡¯ve only been in Shengzhou City for about ten days, right? How did you so quickly end up cohabitating with his cousin? Or is it that you already had something going on between you before?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it; it¡¯s because¡­ It¡¯s because I¡¯m really worried about Zhao Shen, and he comforted me¡­¡± Qiao Ruofei weakly defended.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve fallen for someone else, just admit it outright. Don¡¯t come up with such grandiose excuses.¡±


    ¡°I really haven¡¯t!¡± Qiao Ruofei clenched her hands, her frail body trembling lightly. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this. It¡¯s all because of Zhao Yang¡­¡±


    ¡°He said he would tell me where Zhao Shen is if I obeyed him.¡±

 CH 51

    Chapter 51: ¡°Do you like me?¡±


    He Wei, Lin Heyu, and Hu Songkai were all observing the entire interrogation process of Zhao Yang through a one-way glass.


    Zhao Yang sat behind the interrogation table, looking somewhat impatient. ¡°Officers, how many times have you questioned me already? And now you¡¯ve brought me to the police station for no apparent reason. I¡¯m a law-abiding citizen.¡±


    ¡°For no apparent reason? If you¡¯re honest, why would we bring you in?¡± Chong Zhen tapped his index finger on the table. ¡°Confession earns leniency; resistance earns severity!¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, I really don¡¯t know where Zhao Shen is! We haven¡¯t seen each other since he came to Shengzhou City. Why won¡¯t you believe me?!¡±


    He Wei held the microphone and said, ¡°Ask him about Qiao Ruofei.¡±


    ¡°And you claim not to know, but you know how to use that excuse to get someone¡¯s girlfriend into bed?!¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡± Ke Bo, who was recording, silently edited the words a bit to make the transcript sound less vulgar.


    Zhao Yang¡¯s expression changed. He shuffled his neck and muttered softly, ¡°I-I was just trying to delay things¡­ She looked pretty, and I couldn¡¯t help myself¡­¡±


    ¡°So you made it up? Keep making, and using delaying tactics? Do you think girls are fools? Do you think anyone would willingly get involved with you just because you blabbered a bit?¡± Chong Zhen threw the pen on the ground and said, ¡°I advise you to confess quickly. I have a short temper. If I turn off the video and audio recording and lock the door, you¡¯ll have a tough time!¡±


    Hu Songkai nudged He Wei¡¯s arm. ¡°Isn¡¯t Lao Chong going a bit overboard? What if someone complains about us intimidating and using torture? That would be a mess.¡±


    He Wei didn¡¯t say anything; his eyes were fixed on Zhao Yang. Perhaps Chong Zhen¡¯s air of menace was too strong, as Zhao Yang seemed genuinely frightened. His gaze wandered around, his expression hesitant, as if he were hiding something.


    Lin Heyu stood up, walked in, and whispered something in Chong Zhen¡¯s ear. After he came out, Chong Zhen immediately said, ¡°Qiao Ruofei has already confessed! You¡¯ve been refusing to hand over Zhao Shen all along. She reported to us, suspecting you killed Zhao Shen!¡±


    Zhao Yang turned pale with fright. He shouted, ¡°Officers! This is a mistake! Even if you gave me ten times the courage, I wouldn¡¯t dare to kill anyone! I¡­ I¡¯ll tell you the truth; don¡¯t listen to that woman¡¯s nonsense. She¡¯s framing me!¡±


    Zhao Yang spilled everything, saying that at the end of April when Zhao Shen suddenly wanted to come, he knew something was up. But as cousins, they had a good relationship, and he wouldn¡¯t let him die without help. On the day Zhao Shen arrived, he contacted Zhao Yang with a different number. Zhao Yang told him to go to Dangshui Village and even anticipated that the police might check the surveillance, so he advised Zhao Shen to disguise himself before coming over.


    Originally, Zhao Yang planned to arrange for Zhao Shen to stay in the house his grandmother had just acquired, hiding for a while. Later, he intended to get him a fake ID and help him leave the country. However, when he went to the designated location to find Zhao Shen, he couldn¡¯t locate him. He drove around the area and called him, but his phone was off. They completely lost contact, and he genuinely didn¡¯t know where Zhao Shen had gone.


    A few days later, Qiao Ruofei came to ask about Zhao Shen¡¯s whereabouts. Zhao Yang answered truthfully that he hadn¡¯t seen him and hadn¡¯t received any messages. Unexpectedly, she came all the way to Shengzhou City, tears streaming down her face, looking pitiful. Zhao Yang¡¯s heart stirred, and he comforted Qiao Ruofei, telling her he would help find Zhao Shen. He even sent himself messages from another number, pretending they were from Zhao Shen, to deceive her.


    In this way, Qiao Ruofei obediently followed his lead and got involved with Zhao Yang, believing she could find her boyfriend. She didn¡¯t realize she had been deceived the whole time.


    ¡°Officers, that¡¯s the true story. I really don¡¯t know where Zhao Shen is. Look at me, I wouldn¡¯t even dare to kill a chicken, let alone a person!¡± Zhao Yang regretfully started his self-critique. ¡°I¡¯m despicable, I¡¯m at fault. I never should have deceived an innocent woman. Just please don¡¯t think I¡¯m a murderer!¡±


    He Wei and Lin Heyu sat together. After observing for a while, Lin Heyu said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be lying.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it seems that Zhao Shen indeed called him before, and they arranged to meet at Dangshui Village, but they never crossed paths,¡± He Wei said.


    After a while, Chong Zhen came out holding a piece of paper, which contained the new number for Zhao Shen provided by Zhao Yang. Lin Heyu asked someone to check the recent activity of this number. Chong Zhen came out of the room, his voice hoarse from shouting. He took a sip of water, then asked, ¡°Hey, Captain Lin, does that girl next door really suspect Zhao Yang of murder?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± He Wei chuckled, ¡°He never went over there, so how would he know what¡¯s happening on the other side?¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡± Chong Zhen gestured with his hand, implying that everything was understood without words.


    After asking enough questions, He Wei checked the time and instructed them to take Zhao Yang back for the night and continue questioning him the next morning. He stood up, picked up his coat, and Chong Zhen asked, ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Home,¡± He Wei pointed to his watch, ¡°Are you addicted to overtime?¡±


    ¡°¡­Shouldn¡¯t that line be directed at you?¡± Chong Zhen teased, ¡°In the past, in such a situation, you¡¯d definitely drag the suspect out of bed for another round of questioning at night, to show them who¡¯s tougher.¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself; he¡¯s not even a suspect, let alone a criminal. Be careful of complaints.¡± He Wei didn¡¯t waste any more words and prepared to head home. Lin Heyu was going out to grab some food, and they went downstairs together.


    He Wei accompanied Lin Heyu for a bit before Lin Heyu rested his hand on the car window, gazing at the scenery outside. He casually asked, ¡°You¡¯ve been going home so often these days; is it because you¡¯ve got a family now?¡±


    ¡°What family?¡± He Wei was puzzled by the question, ¡°Who did I get a family with?¡±


    ¡°The pervert at home.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡°


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    If He Wei had a case on hand, it wasn¡¯t uncommon for him to not return to the dorm for several days. Sometimes, to change clothes, he would make a quick trip back, but it would only take the time for a shower, and he would be back at the police station within half an hour.


    However, with the addition of Cheng Zesheng to his home, He Wei found himself subconsciously returning home at a fixed time every night. He would try to avoid overtime if possible. He probably hadn¡¯t realized it himself, but over the past month, his overtime hours had significantly decreased, to the point that Zheng Youqing couldn¡¯t even find a chance to bring him late-night snacks.


    Lin Heyu¡¯s words today brought this to his attention, describing it as ¡°getting a family¡±. He Wei didn¡¯t take it seriously at first, but when he got home and took a shower while lying on the couch reading a book, he realized that there might indeed be a hint of truth in that description.


    Perhaps it was because Cheng Zesheng¡¯s presence was somewhat unique, and people were always curious about strange occurrences. In He Wei¡¯s view, Cheng Zesheng was something of a ¡°strange occurrence¡±. Every time he spoke to him or even just encountered him, he felt a strange sensation.


    Moreover, lately, their interactions have become increasingly frequent. He was seeing Cheng Zesheng more and more often. Sometimes, he even got the feeling that he should see Cheng Zesheng as soon as he opened the door, an illusion that this person was just waiting for him.


    Wanting to see him was perhaps due to a mix of curiosity and amusement. He Wei mused.


    Cheng Zesheng has also been busy with a new case these days. It was a murder case disguised as a traffic accident, with the victim being a woman who had been involved in an affair. All evidence pointed to the man who had been taking care of her, but Cheng Zesheng felt that it wasn¡¯t that simple. He was currently re-evaluating the evidence from the beginning, looking for any overlooked details.


    He had been so engrossed in his work at the station that he lost track of time. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was already ten o¡¯clock. He clapped his hands together. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s continue tomorrow. Let¡¯s head back for now.¡±


    Cheng Aiyue, holding a magnifying glass, exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Am I hearing this right? Vice-Captain Cheng is actually not working overtime and sending me home to rest?¡±


    ¡°¡­You might have misheard; stay and continue screening.¡±


    ¡°Please, because of a leader like you, I¡¯m turning from a young girl into a middle-aged woman.¡± Cheng Aiyue quickly packed up her equipment, afraid that Cheng Zesheng might change his mind and keep her in the lab.


    Cheng Zesheng, adorned in shimmering stars, returned to the Future Domain. He noticed that He Wei had been coming back frequently, almost every three to five days. It was uncertain whether he would return today. He seemed more dedicated and devoted to his work than Cheng Zesheng himself, often spending nights at the bureau.


    With a ¡°click,¡± as the anti-theft door swung open, even though the house was quiet, the living room light was on, indicating that He Wei had returned. Cheng Zesheng entered, took off his coat, and was about to casually throw it onto the sofa when his arm froze mid-air, still holding the coat, as he stood there in astonishment.


    He Wei was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, a book resting on his chest. It wasn¡¯t ¡°Forensic Toxicology,¡± but ¡°Journey Under the Midnight Sun.¡± Cheng Zesheng occasionally indulged in suspenseful detective novels, and coincidentally, he had a complete collection of Keigo Higashino¡¯s works. The first time he discovered this shared interest with He Wei, a hint of joy surfaced within him.


    He Wei appeared to be asleep, one hand resting on the book while the other lay on his abdomen. His breathing was steady. He wore loose home clothes¡ªa gray round-neck T-shirt and white shorts. His legs, which rarely saw sunlight, were fair and slender. The lamplight on his skin made it almost gleam white.


    At this moment, he was relaxed on the sofa, his left leg slightly bent in a very casually relaxed sleeping posture.


    A sleeping beauty.


    These three words popped into Cheng Zesheng¡¯s mind, and he froze for three seconds before leaning down as if enchanted.


    The distance between them kept narrowing, and just as Cheng Zesheng¡¯s lips were about to touch He Wei¡¯s forehead, He Wei suddenly opened his eyes. His pair of black eyes were cold and sharp, fixed on Cheng Zesheng above him.


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s breath caught. He had one hand bracing against the back of the sofa chair. The angle of his lean was unmistakably that of someone about to awaken a sleeping beauty with a kiss. No excuse could cover up the intention behind it.


    The living room was filled with an overwhelming sense of awkwardness, and He Wei¡¯s voice was chilly and deep, like a bucket of cold water being poured over Cheng Zesheng¡¯s head.


    ¡°You want to kiss me?¡±


    Pierced by that direct question, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s face turned slightly red, ¡°Ah¡ªno.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you trying to do?¡± He Wei¡¯s lips curled slightly, his tone mocking. ¡°Are you planning to give me CPR in case I faint?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±, Cheng Zesheng acted decisively. His right hand slid into He Wei¡¯s soft hair, cradling the back of his head, and he leaned down to kiss him.


    As his lips touched the soft and slightly cool ones beneath, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s mind exploded, and a big question replayed incessantly in his head¡ªCheng Zesheng, what are you doing???


    Another thought flashed at the speed of light: how should he explain things after the kiss?


    In just a matter of two seconds, his mind had waged a war within itself. The brief and light kiss ended, and he straightened up as if nothing had happened. His face carried an expression that seemed to say, ¡°I¡¯ve kissed you, so what can you do about it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±, He Wei touched his lips with his hand. The stolen first kiss didn¡¯t cause much turmoil in his heart. Instead, he found himself captivated by the novel sensation of being kissed.


    His lips were so warm, as if holding a blazing fire within.


    Cheng Zesheng feigned calmness and casually mentioned that he would go grab some clothes for a shower. He added that they could discuss the case if He Wei was still around later.


    He quickened his pace toward the staircase. He Wei finally spoke up: ¡°Do you like me?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s entire body tensed up, once again caught in a mental struggle.


    Who would do such a thing to a man if they didn¡¯t have some sort of affection?


    What he told Xie Wenxi was the truth ¨C He Wei was just a regular roommate. However, after seeing He Wei today, Cheng Zesheng¡¯s mind started to entertain inappropriate thoughts. In that instant, He Wei was no longer ordinary.


    Being all talk and no action, what kind of man was he? Cheng Zesheng gritted his teeth, having already made up his mind to boldly admit his feelings, embracing the path of being openly gay. But He Wei threw a bucket of icy water on him.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not like me. Given our circumstances, there won¡¯t be any outcome.¡±

 CH 52

    Chapter 52: Champagne Rose


    Cheng Zesheng had a stern expression on his face, holding a mineral water bottle he had brought back from the scene of the accident. It was precisely this mineral water bottle that led Cheng Zesheng to conclude that this was not just an ordinary traffic accident but a murder case.


    His gaze was sharp, his expression serious. Xiang Yang stood by, observing cautiously. Cheng Aiyue signaled to the child, calling him over so as not to disturb Vice-Captain Cheng¡¯s search for loopholes.


    In fact, what made Cheng Zesheng furrow his brow and ponder was not just the simple case, but He Wei¡¯s words. Before he had a chance to express his feelings, he had already been struck out. He Wei wasn¡¯t like those gentle and beautiful, he didn¡¯t play nice; he handed over a blade, straightforward and direct.


    It truly hit deep and without mercy.


    With this face, Cheng Zesheng attracted the admiration of many boys and girls during his student days. After joining the police force, many policewomen¡¯s hearts were secretly given to him. He even rescued hostages during missions, yet people didn¡¯t send him banners of upholding society; instead, they offered themselves as a reward.


    But Cheng Zesheng remained unmoved. Over the years, his heart hadn¡¯t been swayed by anyone. And now, investigating a case, he found himself drawn to a ¡°dead person,¡± only to be clearly rejected by them. This feeling was truly disheartening.


    ¡°Weird,¡± Cheng Zesheng¡¯s low voice sounded, ¡°Why can¡¯t they be together?¡±


    Even though he and He Wei were from different worlds, as long as there was this connection, wasn¡¯t that enough? Many couples only had their own worlds after returning home from work. Their situation wasn¡¯t so different.


    Cheng Aiyue and Xiang Yang exchanged glances, saying in unison, ¡°Because that man has a wife!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng put down the mineral water bottle, ¡°It¡¯s not about this case. I¡¯m asking you, if there¡¯s someone who lives under the same roof as you, cleans up the house, cooks, and even lets you get close without resistance, does that person have feelings for you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they must. They even let you get close.¡± Cheng Aiyue smirked mischievously. ¡°Vice-Captain Cheng, who did you get close to?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng ignored her and continued, ¡°But that person doesn¡¯t want to be with you. They won¡¯t even give you a chance to confess. They directly reject you, citing geographical reasons. If it were you, could you accept it in your heart?¡±


    Xiang Yang was a bit puzzled, ¡°Isn¡¯t it cohabitation? Why a long-distance relationship?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng nodded. A long-distance relationship couldn¡¯t encompass it all; it was an otherworldly romance.


    Cheng Aiyue tiptoed, barely placing her arm on Cheng Zesheng¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m not the one saying this, but you must have done something to upset them, so they¡¯re deliberately making things difficult for you. Here¡¯s what you do: buy a bouquet of roses, arrange a candlelit dinner, and in that romantic atmosphere, confess. Your success rate will skyrocket.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng was skeptical, ¡°¡­Will that work?¡±


    ¡°Enough nonsense! Most women have hearts filled with romantic fantasies. Blame it on you straight guys who don¡¯t get the vibe.¡± Cheng Aiyue pointed at Cheng Zesheng¡¯s face. ¡°Your looks alone should do the trick. Besides, your face is quite striking. Believe me, no one can resist it.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng felt like this approach might be riskier with He Wei. Given He Wei¡¯s cold personality, a candlelit dinner might receive a cold response, like: allergic, can¡¯t eat. You couldn¡¯t really predict his reaction; who knew if he was really allergic?


    Flowers might not work either. It might be more effective to just set a stack of crime-related books on the table. That might appeal to him more.


    Xiang Yang, curious but wary of prying, asked Cheng Zesheng to end the workday. Cheng Zesheng removed his gloves. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap it up. Put things back where they belong.¡±


    Cheng Aiyue was baffled and grabbed him. ¡°Are you serious? Love has made you lose your mind to the point where you¡¯re ignoring the case?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s ignoring the case?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we about to leave now?¡± Cheng Aiyue pointed at the evidence spread on the table. ¡°You said we were going to reexamine it to find loopholes. But now, without any results, you¡¯re just abandoning it. Which girl managed to bewitch you like this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng gestured at the mineral water bottle. ¡°The fingerprint position is wrong. The hand gesture to hold the bottle looks normal, but try using a needle to inject something at this position.¡±


    Xiang Yang immediately tried and realized that if he held the mineral water bottle exactly as indicated by the fingerprint position, it was impossible for a pinhole to appear where it should. He exclaimed, ¡°Someone framed him deliberately, leaving his fingerprints on the mineral water bottle!¡±


    ¡°It might be his friend. We did find evidence that he had ill intentions towards the deceased.¡± Cheng Aiyue speculated.


    Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t quite agree and instead instructed Xiang Yang to investigate the suspect¡¯s wife, a weak and unsuspecting woman who had been deceived by her husband.


    Before leaving the lab, Cheng Zesheng cleared his throat. ¡°Um¡­ does giving flowers really work?¡±


    ¡°Give it a try. It¡¯s a last-ditch effort. Anyway, you¡¯ve been rejected already, so there¡¯s nothing to lose.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After investigation, it was discovered that after arriving in Shengzhou City and making a call to his cousin, Zhao Shen¡¯s phone had been turned off. There were no communication records with Qiao Ruofei before that either. However, with so many modern social apps, even if they didn¡¯t use phone numbers, they could communicate online through other apps. All of Qiao Ruofei¡¯s social apps were checked, proving she hadn¡¯t been in contact with Zhao Shen. After Zhao Shen arrived in Shengzhou City, he seemed to vanish into thin air.


    The allotted time for cooperation in the investigation had ended, and Qiao Ruofei and Zhao Yang were released. Upon learning that Zhao Yang had been deceiving her all along, Qiao Ruofei went crazy when they met, hitting and kicking him wildly. The officers quickly restrained her, but she scratched Zhao Yang¡¯s face in the process. Annoyed, he was about to lash out, but a stern glare from Chong Zhen made him shut up.


    Yun Xiaoxiao intended to arrange for Qiao Ruofei to return to Haijing, but Qiao Ruofei stubbornly shook her head, refusing to go back. She wanted to find Zhao Shen. She moved out of Zhao Yang¡¯s place and found a small inn to stay in. Hearing that Zhao Shen went missing near Dangshui Village, she visited there intermittently, asking the local residents and exploring the mountain. In the eyes of many, she was acting foolishly in the name of love.


    Twenty-two days had passed since Zhao Shen¡¯s escape to Shengzhou City. The end of the month was approaching, and there was still no news of the suspect. The arrest warrant had been issued long ago, and the police had also posted a reward notice on various platforms. They offered a reward of 100,000 yuan to anyone providing significant information leading to the direct capture of Zhao Shen, hoping to leverage the power of the masses to uncover his whereabouts.


    ¡°Where do you think he could be hiding?¡± Lin Heyu stood on the balcony, holding a can of beer. He Wei rested his elbow on the railing and said, ¡°I feel like he hasn¡¯t gone far, probably still in the vicinity of Dangshui Village. His social and financial accounts haven¡¯t been active for all these days. If no one is helping him, then unless¡ª¡±


    ¡°Unless he¡¯s already dead,¡± Lin Heyu said nonchalantly.


    He Wei had considered that possibility too, but the evidence they had didn¡¯t point to anyone wanting to take his life. He thought about the slow progress in Cheng Zesheng¡¯s case. According to He Lu¡¯s testimony, He Wei disappeared right in front of him, and the body that appeared later wasn¡¯t He Wei. The current situation with Zhao Shen was quite similar to his own disappearance, suggesting he might have fallen into some sort of space-time rift.


    ¡°He might have time-traveled,¡± He Wei joked, and surprisingly, Lin Heyu didn¡¯t deny it. He nodded in agreement, ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    The two exchanged a smile. It was better to stay grounded; reality rarely aligns with such scientific notions.


    ¡°Your roommate isn¡¯t coming back tonight?¡± Lin Heyu looked back at the entrance.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± He Wei shrugged. He wasn¡¯t familiar with Cheng Zesheng¡¯s work schedule. He had been waiting for him to return that day, hoping to discuss the case, but an accident happened. Later, when He Wei returned to his room, they hadn¡¯t spoken again.


    He Wei wondered if Cheng Zesheng was avoiding him due to being rejected or if he genuinely had a busy workload, causing him to return less frequently. They hadn¡¯t crossed paths these past few days, and He Wei actually felt okay with that. It might be good to let Cheng Zesheng cool off, to prevent him from harboring unrealistic fantasies.


    He Wei¡¯s indifferent expression was interpreted by Lin Heyu as a sign of conflict. As someone who had been through similar situations, Lin Heyu advised, ¡°Relationships like these are hard to come by; you should treasure them. You might regret it later if you lose them.¡±


    ¡°You seem experienced,¡± He Wei raised an eyebrow. ¡°I kept forgetting to ask you ¨C how were you able to interact with my invisible roommate?¡±


    After the experiments in the mansion, Chong Zhen couldn¡¯t sense Cheng Zesheng¡¯s presence, so He Wei deduced that, apart from him, others couldn¡¯t understand the peculiarities of parallel worlds. However, Lin Heyu not only sensed Cheng Zesheng but could also physically touch him, shattering He Wei¡¯s understanding once again.


    ¡°It might be because I¡¯ve had similar experiences. I¡¯ll tell you something eerie, but don¡¯t get spooked.¡± Lin Heyu smiled and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve been to another world.¡±


    ¡°Another? Another parallel world?¡±


    Lin Heyu shook his head; he wasn¡¯t sure, and he didn¡¯t know how he got there. All he remembered was waking up with a strong conviction to find someone. Despite the early morning light, he went mountain climbing. However, the sky grew increasingly dark, and the day turned as black as ink, with thunderstorms rolling in.


    As if guided by some unseen force, he sought refuge in a wooden cabin to escape the rain. Coincidentally, there was a suspected criminal hiding there. After a struggle, he managed to subdue the suspect. At that moment, someone else entered the cabin. In that moment of eye contact, he recognized that it was the person he was searching for.


    However, that person had no recollection of his existence.


    Taken back to the unfamiliar police station, wearing an unfamiliar uniform, Lin Heyu was brought in to cooperate with the investigation. He had been trailing behind that person, and in the blink of an eye, the rain cleared up and a group of tourists appeared, their laughter and chatter drifting by. Bright sunlight shone from above, and the people around looked at Lin Heyu strangely, as if they couldn¡¯t understand why a completely drenched man would appear on such a sunny day.


    Lin Heyu kept this incident hidden in his heart, not telling anyone. He had held onto the determination to find that person, but as time passed, he forgot a little bit every day. Until the serial murders happened, he had completely forgotten the person¡¯s name and appearance, and all memories related to him had vanished.


    ¡°I know he¡¯s important, but I forgot who he is,¡± Lin Heyu said with a bitter smile, shaking his head gently. ¡°I used to write about him. When I opened my notebook, it was all blank. I can¡¯t find him anymore.¡±


    ¡°You started gradually losing your memory after you met him? Your experience seems even more bizarre than mine,¡± He Wei patted his shoulder. ¡°Maybe you have a special constitution; you can even go to another world. No wonder you can interact with Cheng Zesheng.¡±


    ¡°Cheng Zesheng? The pianist?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the one you met is not him. He¡¯s in the same profession as us.¡±


    As they were discussing Cheng Zesheng, the security door at the entrance opened. He Wei and Lin Heyu both turned their heads simultaneously, hearing rustling noises and faint, ethereal humming.


    The connection between the nodes was becoming clearer. Now, it seemed that as long as they stepped into this place, they could sense each other¡¯s presence.


    ¡°He Wei, are you here?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ yeah, on the balcony, and¡ª¡±


    Just as He Wei was about to mention that Lin Heyu was also there, Lin Heyu gripped his arm and gave it a squeeze, silencing him.


    Lin Heyu put his index finger to his lips, then pointed toward Cheng Zesheng¡¯s location, playfully winking.


    He Wei fell silent, feeling that trouble was brewing.


    Cheng Zesheng stood in the living room. Although he couldn¡¯t see where the person was, he could imagine how they were leaning against the balcony railing. His heart suddenly raced, and he nervously fiddled with the gift he had brought.


    ¡°That day, I acted impulsively, but I don¡¯t regret what I did. It¡¯s my true feelings.¡± Cheng Zesheng sounded a bit uneasy as he placed the item he was holding on the coffee table. ¡°Don¡¯t rush to make a decision either. Take your time to think about it.¡±


    In the blink of an eye, something appeared on the clean and tidy coffee table.


    A delicately packaged, slowly blossoming champagne rose.

 CH 53

    Chapter 53: Clue


    A champagne-colored rose lay quietly on the coffee table, its emerald stems wrapped in transparent plastic paper. Several baby¡¯s breath flowers were arranged around the blossom, standing out like stars in the sky, making it a unique and solitary showpiece.


    With a slight frown, He Wei wasn¡¯t a stranger to receiving confessions, but it was the first time he had been confessed to in front of friends.


    He glanced at Lin Heyu; evidently, this old classmate wasn¡¯t as steady and sincere as he appeared. His lips were held in a restrained position, as if he were suppressing a burst of laughter.


    Cheng Zesheng had really put aside his pride to achieve this point. Expressing tender and affectionate feelings was truly difficult, and the words had already reached this stage. He believed He Wei could understand the meaning he was trying to convey.


    The innocent, handsome guy clearly didn¡¯t know that there was a glaring third wheel at this confession scene. Lin Heyu didn¡¯t want to be the bad guy either, so he gestured to He Wei: Go ahead and accept.


    He Wei couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay attention to him, blaming him for making a scene. Otherwise, if Cheng Zesheng knew there were others present, he wouldn¡¯t have impulsively confessed, no matter what.


    ¡°I¡¯m allergic to pollen.¡± He Wei said.


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng fell silent. He never anticipated this twist.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. Treat it like it doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Cheng Zesheng picked up the champagne rose and casually tossed it into the trash bin. ¡°I won¡¯t buy flowers again in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, aren¡¯t you going to get your clothes for a shower?¡± At this moment, He Wei just wanted to quickly get Cheng Zesheng to leave. Only when he left would Lin Heyu¡¯s presence not be discovered. Otherwise, what was originally a movie for two suddenly gained an unexpected third character with a name, skyrocketing the awkwardness level.


    ¡°No rush. You¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng cleared his throat. ¡°What did you want to say?¡±


    ¡°What I wanted to say was already said the other day.¡± He Wei rubbed his forehead. ¡°You can go take a shower, and we can talk about the case if you have time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Zesheng sighed. Fine, he¡¯d go.


    Hearing the sound of the door upstairs closing, He Wei hurriedly pulled Lin Heyu towards the entrance. ¡°Had enough of making fun? Can you leave now?¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Heyu¡¯s smile faded, and he earnestly said, ¡°It¡¯s not a joke. I¡¯m also advising you to think it over and not regret it later.¡±


    After he left, He Wei returned to the living room and inadvertently caught sight of the champagne rose slanted in the trash bin. His claim of a pollen allergy was just an excuse; although he had a predisposition to allergies, he didn¡¯t have that particular type of allergy.


    He Wei hesitated for a moment, then slowly bent down and picked up the discarded symbol of affection from the trash bin.


    The champagne rose is the national flower of Bulgaria. Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t a true rose but a type of hybrid rose. One of its meanings was ¡°solely devoted to you.¡± Don¡¯t ask why He Wei knew this; it was from a case he had been involved in where the suspect had killed his girlfriend and left a champagne rose in her mouth.


    Sounds from the staircase indicated that Cheng Zesheng was coming downstairs. He had just heard the sound of the security door and asked, ¡°Did someone come?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± He Wei fabricated an excuse, ¡°just taking out the trash.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng glanced at the trash bin, but the flower inside was gone.


    He had no idea that He Wei was standing right in front of him, holding that champagne rose. At this moment, he felt like he had made a terrible move. If he had known, he shouldn¡¯t have listened to Cheng Aiyue about what kind of flowers to give. Not only did his confession fail, but he also made a mess of things.


    He Wei turned the rose in his hand. ¡°Cheng Zesheng, are you serious?¡±


    Cheng Zesheng didn¡¯t hesitate for a second. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m serious.¡±


    He Wei lowered his eyelids, and his long, thick lashes cast shadows on his nose. The subtle and elegant fragrance of the rose wafted through the air, and he faintly understood why many women enjoyed receiving this reproductive organ of a plant.


    He went upstairs alone and casually placed the champagne rose in the pen holder on the table. Adding a bit of greenery to the room wouldn¡¯t make it look so dull.


    Cheng Zesheng stood at the foot of the stairs, looking up. Was this the end of it?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Xia Liang arrived at the police station once again, his arm no longer in a sling, but rather wrapped in bandages. At first glance, his right hand seemed to be sealing some miraculous power. This time, he brought macarons as treats. He heard that they were made by Captain He¡¯s family¡¯s master baker. Everyone rushed over and quickly devoured the colorful sweets.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Xiaoxiao?¡± Xia Liang looked around, becoming a bit anxious as he hadn¡¯t seen his crush during his two visits to the station. Beside him was a small bag containing a mille-feuille cake he had bought specifically for Yun Xiaoxiao. Ke Bo stretched his neck to take a look and teased, ¡°Xiao Xia, look at you. Your favoritism is so obvious!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! Is Xia Liang pursuing you? Why would you be treated specially?¡± A colleague pushed Ke Bo playfully.


    Xia Liang interrupted their banter. ¡°Just tell me, where is Xiaoxiao?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Xiaoxiao went to see the suspect¡¯s girlfriend. Building relationships with girls is easier. Xiaoxiao helps her buy daily necessities and often consoles her,¡± another colleague explained.


    ¡°Qiao Ruofei? Hasn¡¯t she returned to Haijing?¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s still infatuated, refusing to give up on her boyfriend. Xiaoxiao tried to persuade her to go back, but it¡¯s been quite a struggle, and she hasn¡¯t succeeded yet.¡±


    Xia Liang was completely puzzled by what he was hearing and didn¡¯t understand how Yun Xiaoxiao could be in contact with a suspect¡¯s girlfriend. Only after his colleague explained did he realize that Qiao Ruofei had been interrogated by Yun Xiaoxiao. After being released, she refused to leave and kept hanging around the village. The fair and beautiful girl had become emotionally drained and haggard within a few days. Feeling sorry for her, Yun Xiaoxiao suggested contacting her family in Haijing to bring her back.


    However, Qiao Ruofei¡¯s family repeatedly declined, unwilling to come. Her parents had advised her to cut ties with Zhao Shen after his incident, but unexpectedly, Qiao Ruofei had gone to Shengzhou City on her own. The story of the ¡°devoted girlfriend¡± spread through the media, and her parents were incredibly embarrassed. They even considered cutting ties with her, let alone bringing her back.


    Qiao Ruofei was an adult with self-consciousness, and as long as her actions didn¡¯t pose a threat to society, no one had the right to forcibly interfere. One day, when Yun Xiaoxiao left the police station, she saw Qiao Ruofei standing at the entrance, looking dazed and desperate. A sense of duty as a police officer surged within her. After taking her back, she patiently consoled her. Over time, Qiao Ruofei started reaching out to Yun Xiao Xiao whenever she needed help, gradually building a rapport.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± Xia Liang nodded. He probably wouldn¡¯t see Yun Xiaoxiao today. He asked his colleagues to remember to give her the cake.


    When He Wei returned to the station, a call came in from the detention center. Cheng Zhenqing was strongly demanding to see Captain He, claiming to have significant clues to offer.


    ¡°Who is this Cheng Zhenqing?¡± Lin Heyu asked.


    ¡°Cheng Zesheng¡¯s brother. He¡¯s a bit special. How do I explain it to you¡­ it¡¯s like ¡®borrowing a dead body to come back to life¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­,¡± Lin Heyu warned in a hushed tone, ¡°Focus on science.¡±


    He Wei waved his hand. In their current situation, what was there to talk about science?


    In the interrogation room, He Wei and Lin Heyu interrogated Cheng Zhenqing simultaneously. His mental state seemed fine, and he even asked He Wei for a cigarette.


    He Wei didn¡¯t restrain his hands and let him casually hold the cigarette. Cheng Zhenqing pointed at Lin Heyu. ¡°Officer Lin?¡±


    ¡°You know him too?¡± He Wei chuckled. ¡°Seems like you know quite a bit. If you¡¯re providing some clues, have you remembered who might have killed your brother?¡±


    Cheng Zhenqing shook his head, exhaling a wisp of smoke. ¡°I know that the current case you¡¯re dealing with isn¡¯t this one, right? The suspect hasn¡¯t been found yet, am I correct?¡±


    Lin Heyu squinted his slender eyes, studying Cheng Zhenqing. He Wei wasn¡¯t particularly surprised. He absentmindedly twirled a pen in his hand. ¡°So, the clue you want to provide is related to him? Go on, tell us.¡±


    ¡°The lake.¡±


    He Wei was taken aback for a moment, then remembered the lake behind Dangshui Village. He stood up abruptly. ¡°¡­Are you being serious?¡±


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s true or not, Officer He, won¡¯t you know if you go and see?¡± Cheng Zhenqing supported his forehead with his right hand, sounding relaxed. ¡°You must have had this speculation before, right? Go and verify it.¡±


    Lin Heyu stood up too and asked in a deep voice, ¡°How do you know about this?¡±


    ¡°It was purely accidental. I don¡¯t even know when it started, but somehow it became my role to tip you off.¡± Cheng Zhenqing glanced at the clock. ¡°Oh dear, it¡¯s getting late. I should go back now. Officers, solve the case quickly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He Wei and Lin Heyu watched Cheng Zhenqing leave the interrogation room on his own and told the detained officer, ¡°We¡¯re done talking. Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    The officer was puzzled, only understanding when He Wei came out and told him to take the man back. They gradually walked away. Lin Heyu looked at Cheng Zhenqing¡¯s departing figure. ¡°Can we trust what he said?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t waste our time for no reason.¡± He Wei¡¯s hand rested on Lin Heyu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Arrange for someone to search the lake. Zhao Shen might actually be in there.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The lake in Dangshui Village was called Dangshui Lake and was about 600 meters long and 10 meters wide, with an elliptical shape. Originally, farmlands and houses were scattered along its banks. The local villagers used the lake¡¯s water for irrigation. The village was named after the lake.


    Later, due to land requisition and demolition by the government, Dangshui Village was almost emptied out. Dangshui Lake was planned to be transformed into a park for recreational activities for the surrounding residents. However, construction hadn¡¯t begun yet. The surroundings were desolate, with only vast reeds swaying in the wind, giving the scene a bleak and desolate appearance.


    At this moment, three police cars were parked by the lakeside path, and villagers from the neighboring village had gathered to watch. Qiao Ruofei received the news and rushed to the scene, gripping Yun Xiaoxiao¡¯s arm with unease.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, is Zhao Shen really here? Is he?¡± Qiao Ruofei¡¯s voice trembled softly. Yun Xiaoxiao patted her hand to comfort her, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. We might not have any results yet.¡±


    The search team divided into four areas, but even after an hour, they found nothing. Qiao Ruofei¡¯s nerves eased slightly, and Yun Xiaoxiao asked her to sit down nearby. The sun was scorching, and she didn¡¯t want her to suffer from heatstroke. Qiao Ruofei shook her head, her eyes fixed on the lake¡¯s surface, afraid to miss a moment.


    ¡°With the current temperature and water temperature, considering the time Zhao Shen went missing, if he¡¯s in the lake, he should have floated up by now,¡± Lin Heyu handed a cold drink to He Wei. ¡°If he¡¯s in the lake, he¡¯s likely weighed down by something heavy or stuck in a place preventing him from floating.¡±


    He Wei observed Dangshui Lake. Water plants were distributed along the banks, with a lotus pond to the east and a vast expanse of tall reeds to the west. The road they had driven on was shielded by the shimmering lake and the waving reeds.


    A salvage boat glided into the reeds. After about fifteen minutes, someone on the boat suddenly shouted, ¡°Captain He! We found something here!¡±


    He Wei and Lin Heyu walked over together. Two members of the salvage team jumped into the water, pushing aside the reeds taller than a person. After a while, they turned back and shouted, ¡°We found it! There¡¯s a body here!¡±


    Villagers gathered by the roadside to watch the commotion. If it weren¡¯t for the officers blocking the way, they might have crowded closer. Yun Xiaoxiao felt a sharp pain in her arm and lowered her head to find Qiao Ruofei gripping her upper arm tightly. Qiao Ruofei was so nervous that her knuckles were turning white, and her hands were trembling slightly. The pain she felt was from Qiao Ruofei¡¯s nails lightly digging into her flesh.


    As the police retrieved the body, her breaths became heavier, and her eyes widened like copper bells, afraid to miss a second. Several minutes later, a body was lifted onto the shore, accompanied by a suitcase that was dragged out. Qiao Ruofei¡¯s pupils contracted, and she took a shaky step backward. Yun Xiaoxiao supported her, saying, ¡°Sit down and rest for a moment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him, it¡¯s really him. I remember the clothes he¡¯s wearing¡­¡±


    Qiao Ruofei¡¯s mental state collapsed. She lowered her head, covering her face as she cried in pain.


    He Wei looked at the highly decomposed body and instructed, ¡°Call Lan-Jie and tell her to start the examination.¡±

 CH 54

    Chapter 54: Too different


    A crime suspect who had been under constant pursuit had finally been found, but unfortunately, he had already turned into a corpse submerged in water for several days. His face had been partially consumed by shrimp and crabs in the waters of the lake, rendering his appearance unrecognizable.


    Due to the advanced state of decomposition, the skin had taken on a putrid color, and facial features were missing, making it impossible to determine the true identity at the moment. However, based on the identification documents found on the body, there was a 95% likelihood that it was Zhao Shen. To completely confirm the identity, DNA and fingerprint analysis would still be required.


    Qiao Ruofei cried out and tried to rush over, but she was stopped by Yun Xiaoxiao, who forcefully made her sit under a tree. Although Qiao Ruofei was taller than Yun Xiaoxiao, she was much weaker in strength. Yun Xiaoxiao managed to restrain her, and Qiao Ruofei could only sob and cry while holding her face.


    He Wei was observing a travel suitcase. When he opened it, there were no clothes inside, only stones. The hands and feet of the corpse were chained, and connected to the handle of the suitcase. Both the corpse and the suitcase had sunk into the lake together. While the body would resurface in a few days due to the decomposition process, the weight of the sinking objects and the cover of the reed marshes meant that it went unnoticed for over a dozen days.


    Before this, He Wei and Lin Heyu had speculated that Zhao Shen might have been killed, but they hadn¡¯t suspected this lake. If not for Cheng Zhenqing, they might have taken a detour.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have committed suicide out of fear,¡± Lin Heyu said, holding a damp charger in his hand. ¡°Why would a person planning to kill themselves buy a charger?¡±


    He Wei squatted down, ¡°Certainly not. Otherwise, he could have ended his life in Haijing. Why take such a long journey to Shengzhou? Sightseeing?¡±


    Lin Heyu¡¯s hand reached into another pocket and pulled out a folded strip of adhesive tape.


    ¡°A band-aid?¡± He Wei opened the band-aid, noticing a stained mark on the medicinal gauze in the center. He immediately called Zheng Youqing over.


    Holding the band-aid, Zheng Youqing examined it. ¡°Looks like the bloodstain has been diluted. After prolonged immersion in this type of lake water and exposure to severe pollution, I¡¯m not sure if we can still extract DNA.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take it back and try.¡± He Wei instructed a colleague to fetch an evidence bag and placed the band-aid inside. ¡°It was in his pocket, but it might not necessarily belong to him.¡±


    Lin Heyu went through all the pockets of the body from top to bottom and shook his head at He Wei, indicating that there was no valuable evidence left.


    ¡°The body has been submerged in water for too long. Besides the presence of postmortem submersion lines, which can demonstrate that the vital reactions prior to entering the water, have largely disappeared, we need to take it back for autopsy and perform diatom testing.¡± Du Ruanlan said as she stood up, looking at the shimmering lake surface. She instructed Luo Ying, ¡°Collect water samples, sediment, and the piece of reed connected to the body.¡±


    She took off her mask, and He Wei smiled. ¡°Lan-jie, it looks like you¡¯ll be working hard again tonight.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem, it¡¯s my job. Are you two coming?¡± Du Ruanlan smiled. ¡°With handsome guys around, my work efficiency is higher.¡±


    Without Du Ruanlan having to say a word, they would be involved in Zhao Shen¡¯s autopsy. Both of them were well aware that he had been murdered. However, the area was remote, lacking surveillance cameras, and there were no eyewitnesses. Frequent rainfall during this period washed away almost all valuable evidence along the shore. They could only hope that the autopsy would uncover some clues about the killer.


    The group felt a mix of relief and concern. They were relieved that Zhao Shen had finally been found, but concerned that it had brought another unknown assailant into the picture. Du Ruanlan changed into her autopsy gear, and He Wei and Lin Heyu joined her, along with Chong Zhen.


    ¡°Why did you call me? I¡¯m an amateur when it comes to autopsies.¡±


    ¡°I need you to handle something.¡± He Wei went in first, with Chong Zhen following. They entered the autopsy room, where Du Ruanlan was carefully removing the skin tissue that had slipped off the hands of the body. She placed it on a tray, and Luo Ying handed it to Chong Zhen.


    ¡°¡­¡± Chong Zhen looked at the ¡°drowned gloves¡± in the tray and then at He Wei, his tone helpless. ¡°Is it like last time? Do you want me to stick my hand in and take fingerprints?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise? Just treat it like wearing gloves.¡±


    With Du Ruanlan right there, Chong Zhen couldn¡¯t say much and could only use his eyes to express his annoyance at He Wei. Ignoring his gaze, He Wei instructed him to make sure every finger¡¯s fingerprint was pressed clearly and distinctly, making it easy to recognize.


    Based on the degree of decomposition, combined with the local water and air temperature, Du Ruanlan estimated the time of death to be between 23 to 25 days ago, matching the time when Zhao Shen had arrived in Shengzhou. It was highly likely that he had been murdered shortly after entering Dangshui Village and thrown into the cold lake water.


    ¡°There are no signs of external injury or internal bleeding on his head, and there¡¯s no evidence of struggling after entering the water. It¡¯s highly possible that he was drugged into unconsciousness. We need to take a blood sample for toxicology testing.¡± Du Ruanlan reached out, and Luo Ying handed her a syringe. Du Ruanlan lowered her head, then suddenly turned the body¡¯s head, revealing the damaged right ear tissue. She examined it closely and beckoned, ¡°He Wei, come here. Does this look like a needle mark?¡±


    He Wei walked over and observed, then shook his head with a wry smile after a moment. ¡°Lan-jie, you¡¯re still more professional than me. I can¡¯t make that judgment.¡±


    ¡°If I could make accurate judgments, I wouldn¡¯t be calling you. There¡¯s a high probability that it could be from an injection causing unconsciousness.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible that the drugs caused death, and then the body was disposed of?¡± Lin Heyu asked.


    ¡°The likelihood of entering the water while alive is higher. Although many post-mortem reactions that indicate life have disappeared, look at the contrast in color between the left and right ventricles and endocardium. Do the right ventricle and endocardium appear darker than the left heart?¡± Du Ruanlan pointed at the dissected heart with her surgical scalpel. ¡°This is due to inhaling fluid while drowning, which dilutes the blood in the left heart through the pulmonary veins, reducing the blood concentration. On the other hand, water-related lung emphysema occurs during drowning, leading to disorders in the pulmonary circulation and severe congestion in the right heart. As the body decomposes, differences in coloring between the two heart chambers become more apparent due to the presence of hemoglobin, myoglobin, and other decomposition products.¡±


    ¡°I was considering taking it back for diatom testing at first, but if the toxicology test comes back positive, indicating the presence of substances that induce unconsciousness, the diatom test results wouldn¡¯t be a decisive factor.¡± Du Ruanlan sighed.


    Lin Heyu nodded. ¡°Administering drugs to induce unconsciousness without external injuries suggests that the perpetrator was someone familiar to him. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t a hasty killing. The planning was meticulous. The assailant struck after Zhao Shen arrived in Dangshui Village. Few people venture there at night, making the murder nearly undetectable.¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the tip-off, we might not have thought to search that lake for quite some time,¡± He Wei sighed.


    ¡°How much reward is the informant expecting?¡± Du Ruanlan asked casually.


    He Wei and Lin Heyu exchanged glances. They hadn¡¯t told anyone that the clue was provided by Cheng Zhenqing. After all, his bizarre story was hard to believe, and the police were primarily focused on a scientific approach. They didn¡¯t want to create any sensational news stories.


    The cold surgical scalpel sliced through the stomach, revealing stomach contents that were no longer recognizable. Du Ruanlan used forceps to manipulate them, extracting a white, gooey, sticky substance.


    ¡°It¡¯s not food; it¡¯s more like fabric.¡± Du Ruanlan held the object with her forceps and spread it out on an empty section of the dissection table. As they gradually flattened it out, the three of them lowered their heads and felt puzzled.


    ¡°A face mask?¡± He Wei frowned. ¡°How did he swallow something like this?¡±


    ¡°Moreover, why would he eat this?¡± Lin Heyu pondered. ¡°Pica?¡±


    Du Ruanlan examined the face mask carefully and shook her head. ¡°Non-woven fabric, nothing else.¡±


    Luo Ying, who had been recording, interjected, ¡°I thought of a joke. It¡¯s about a man who takes a few pieces of peppermint candy from his wife¡¯s makeup drawer. After dinner, he offers one to his business partner. As they¡¯re chewing, both of them pull out a face, hahaha¡­¡±


    He chuckled a few times, realizing that the three people at the dissection table were staring at him. He quickly suppressed his laughter.


    ¡°Then what happened?¡± He Wei asked. ¡°Why would peppermint candy turn into a face?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s individual packaged face masks.¡± Luo Ying cautiously asked, ¡°You guys¡ªdon¡¯t know about these things?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The four of them worked overtime through the night, and by the time they left the autopsy room, dawn was breaking. He Wei and Lin Heyu reeked of the stench of the cadaver. Having been exposed to it for so long, they couldn¡¯t sense it themselves. When they encountered their colleagues on duty outside, the strange expressions on their colleagues¡¯ faces made it clear that they were quite ¡°fragrant¡± at the moment.


    He Wei lifted his arm and took a whiff, his expression unchanged. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s much better than the body in a travel bag from the summer two years ago.¡±


    Lin Heyu agreed, ¡°Yeah, not as intense as the body we pulled out of the septic tank last year.¡±


    However, that didn¡¯t mean He Wei didn¡¯t want to return home and take a hot shower, changing into clean clothes. When he got home, he headed straight to the bathroom, pushed open the frosted glass door, and found a half-naked Cheng Zesheng inside, seemingly in the process of undressing.


    ¡°¡­¡± He Wei¡¯s expression remained neutral, his eyes not shifting, ¡°Why are you taking a morning shower?¡±


    ¡°I was too tired when I got back last night and forgot.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hurry up.¡± He Wei rubbed his forehead and retreated. Cheng Zesheng swiftly followed, grabbing his arm. Catching a whiff of that familiar yet nauseating smell, he asked, ¡°Is the suspect dead?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, soaked in the lake for over 20 days, feeding the lobsters and crabs well.¡± He Wei evaded his hand, ¡°Stay away from me a bit; the smell of the cadaver might cling to you.¡±


    Cheng Zesheng hardly cared about that. He had seen numerous crime scenes before; the waterways of the Yangtze River basin were abundant, and between July and August, floating corpses were discovered every few days. Even the Giant Buddha statue had become a common sight. The pungent smell that hit the nose when the abdomen was cut open during an autopsy was overwhelming. Compared to that, the odor on He Wei¡¯s body was nothing to Officer Cheng, who had been through it all.


    ¡°You go ahead and shower,¡± Cheng Zesheng appeased, ¡°Take your time; I¡¯ll cut a lemon for you. When you¡¯re washing your hair, squeeze a bit of it. It works really well as a deodorant.¡±


    He Wei glanced at Cheng Zesheng¡¯s bare upper body and waved his hand, saying, ¡°You go first; I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ together?¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡°


    The sound of water echoed from the bathroom. Cheng Zesheng turned to look at the glass door, remembering He Wei¡¯s pink-tipped ears. He joyfully went to the kitchen to cut the lemon. After preparing it, he walked into the bathroom, pretending to be a decent person who averted his gaze and covered his eyes. He Wei, on the other hand, didn¡¯t care and let Cheng Zesheng place the lemon on the counter. He was free to go.


    This time, He Wei¡¯s shower took unusually long, until his fingers and toes were wrinkled. But it couldn¡¯t be helped. Either don¡¯t shower at all or shower thoroughly. When He Wei finished his first wash, he still detected the smell of decay in his hair. He opened the mixer valve again and started from the top.


    He emerged from the bathroom with a cloud of steam, his black hair dripping wet with water droplets. Cheng Zesheng walked over, placing his hand on He Wei¡¯s shoulder, and leaned in with his nose, saying, ¡°Mhm, much better.¡±


    ¡°Lemon is quite effective,¡± He Wei paused, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just say it with your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want me to do¡ª¡± He Wei¡¯s words were cut off abruptly as Cheng Zesheng lifted his face and held it, their gazes locking as their chins rose.


    Cheng Zesheng¡¯s dark pupils gleamed with a touch of light, and he had a brimming smile on his lips as he drew closer.


    Then, with a gentle touch, he kissed emptiness and loneliness. Cheng Zesheng froze, staring at his empty hands in astonishment.


    He Wei snapped back to reality and realized that Cheng Zesheng had disappeared. He looked around the room, concluding with a single thought: the time was up.


    Cheng Zesheng, annoyed, marched off to take his shower, cursing the unromantic timing in his mind.


    He Wei leisurely dried his hair, his lips curving into a half-smile. Eventually, unable to contain himself, he sat on the couch, hunching over with suppressed laughter.