CH 40

“How could anyone die inside a police station?” I pushed my way through the crowd, curious to see what was going on. As it turned out, an overloaded truck had lost control and crashed into the entrance of the police station. The scene was gruesome, with truck contaminants scattered everywhere.

“Hey! What are you doing? Get behind the barricade!” A police officer shouted at me.

“I was sent by Tie team leader. We’ve made some progress in the murder case at the Peace of Mind Inn,” I explained.

The officer looked at me skeptically but then made a call, and his attitude immediately changed. “Tie team leader wants you to come over right away.”

I nodded my head, realizing that Tie’s name carried some weight in the department. She was a skilled detective and a force to be reckoned with.

I arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department and, under the hostile stares of several police officers, made my way into Tie Ningxiang’s office room. She was carefully reviewing some case files, sporting a pair of glasses perched on her tall nose, giving her the air of a refined teacher.

“What are you doing here, pretending to act on my orders?” Tie Ningxiang kept her head down, still reviewing the files as she spoke.

“If I told you I just wanted to come see you, you wouldn’t believe me, would you?”

“Don’t try to butter me up.” Tie Ningxiang took off her glasses and pulled a pair of handcuffs out of her desk drawer, slamming them down on the table. “You’re interfering with official police business. If there’s a next time, I’ll have to detain you.”

Knowing Tie Ningxiang’s no-nonsense personality, I quickly moved next to her and said, “I’m just kidding. I know you’re busy with work, and I wanted to help you lighten the load a little.”

“Spit it out; I don’t have all day.”

“I have a crucial lead regarding the Peace of Mind Inn murder case,” I said, my lips curling into a smile. The bait was out, and I didn’t believe that Tie Ningxiang, who was always determined to solve the case, wouldn’t take the bait.

“What lead?”

“It’s about a two-faced Buddha statue. You might have seen it in the peace of mind lnn,” The two-faced Buddha was the link between the Peace of Mind Inn and New Shanghai High School, the two places where the live streams took place. Therefore, investigating the statue’s origin with the help of the police would greatly benefit me.

Tie Ningxiang nodded and took out five or six photos from the case files. “Yes, we found similar statues in the building during the investigation. But when we questioned the landlords, they said they weren’t Buddhist.”

“Lu Xing was commanded by the two-faced Buddha to commit the murders. Although I’m not sure if the two-faced Buddha refers to a person or an organization, wherever they exist, murders will occur,” I said.

“Have you discovered any new crime scenes in these past few days?” The intuition of a woman was already scary enough, let alone that of an excellent female police officer.

The incident of the mass deaths at the New Shanghai High School was too big of a matter, so I could only keep it as a secret in my heart for the time being. I shook my head silently, “The two-faced Buddha is very dangerous, so be careful when investigating it. If there’s something that bullets can’t handle, give me a call.”

“Something that bullets can’t handle? What is it?” she asked.

“I can’t explain it clearly, but such things do exist.” Having been hanging out with that half immortal and that Daoist master in the live streaming chatroom for a long time, I also learned to speak in an ambiguous tone.

Tie Ningxiang didn’t answer for a while. After a minute, she stood up, pulled the curtains shut, and walked up to me.

“Sister, you’re too close. It’s-It’s inappropriate.”

“At the Jiang family’s wedding, we sat together the whole time, and your behavior was very strange. Ever since you took out that large-screen phone, your demeanor has completely changed. Come clean: what did that phone contain that made you, a person with no money, power, or influence, dare to stand up against the Jiang family? Do they really have the kind of invisible yet existent things that you mentioned?”

I inwardly cursed at the situation. I didn’t expect Tie Ningxiang to observe me so closely.

“Give me an explanation, including Jiang Chen’s strange reaction later on. He only lightly tapped you, and yet he’s been lying in the hospital since then. I’m curious, how did you do it?”

“Senior sister, I…”

“Don’t call me senior sister. Right now, our identities are that of a police officer and a suspect.”

“Are you suspecting me?”

“I haven’t suspected you of anything, but you’ve hidden far too much from me!” Tie Ningxiang became forceful and didn’t seem like a gentle woman at all. I sat on a stool with a wry smile and said, “Telling you would only hurt you. Some things can be known, but once you know them, you can’t forget them.”

“The police represent the fairness and justice of society. If I stop pursuing the truth because I’m afraid of being hurt, then this city will never see the sunlight again!”

“That’s why I’m not suitable to be a police officer.” I lit a cigarette and still didn’t answer Tie Ningxiang’s question. Instead, I brought up another matter: “A few days ago, the young master of Qian Ding Pharmaceutical got into a car accident. I suspect it was a meticulously planned murder, and I want to take a look at the autopsy report.”

I smoked on my own while Tie Ningxiang looked at me like I was a defiant rogue who wasn’t afraid of being scolded. She slammed the chair hard and said, “I’ve had enough of your shamelessness.”

“Sister, I provided so many clues for you and even helped you reason things out. Maybe in the future…”

“The autopsy report is in the cabinet behind. You only have three minutes to read it. Hurry up and disappear from my sight!”

“Okay.”

After swiftly skimming through the report, I discovered that it was indeed him who had been driving under the influence of alcohol and caused a collision with a residential building after crashing through the guardrail.

“Why would someone who is allergic to alcohol get drunk?” I wondered.

With this question in mind, I left the criminal investigation department. As I stepped out, I spotted many police academy students in uniform standing at the entrance. Most of them had red and teary eyes, and a few girls were even crying.

“What’s going on? Was the deceased some substitute instructor at the police academy?”

The police officer who stopped me earlier knew that I was in contact with Tie Ningxiang and his tone became more courteous as he relayed the details: “The deceased is the security guard, Uncle Huang. He was in good health, and no one could have anticipated this tragic accident.”.”

“Why are police academy students here too? They look so sad?” I asked.

“You don’t know about this,” the police officer replied with a regretful tone. “Although Uncle Huang was over 60 years old, he was very interested in solving cases and mysteries. He often stood outside the first-floor entrance of the police academy to eavesdrop. The police academy couldn’t chase him away because of his age, so they arranged a special position for him and allowed him to attend classes with the students.”

“Are they considered classmates then?” I asked.

“Yes, Uncle Huang was a very warm person and was loved by the children. When they heard about his accident, the entire third years of class 2 stopped attending classes and came to see him for the last time,” the police officer explained.

“So, all of these people here are third years of class 2?”

“Yeah, I’ve been with him for three years now, and we’re about to graduate. A while ago, Uncle Huang used to joke with us and say that we shouldn’t call him Old Huang anymore, but rather Officer Huang.”

“Officer Huang? I don’t know why anyone would want to be a police officer. They have to wake up earlier than a rooster, sleep later than a chiken, and spend their awake time in constant worry,” I remarked.

“Regardless, in the hearts of all students, Uncle Huang will always be Officer Huang of the third year class 2,” the police officer replied.

“True, that’s a valid point,” I acknowledged as I was preparing to leave. However, before I could do so, I abruptly halted, placing my hands on the police officer’s shoulders, and inquired with a sense of urgency, “What did you just say?”

“I didn’t say anything,” the police officer responded.

“The last sentence! ‘Regardless, in the hearts of his students, Uncle Huang will always be…’”

“Officer Huang of the third year class 2. Yes, that’s him!” I exclaimed, my face turning scary as my pupils trembled violently.

“Do you know the old man?” asked the police officer.

Pushing the officer aside, I leapt over the barricade and ran frantically towards the inside.

“What’s wrong with him?” one of the officers asked.

“Someone just ran in! Stop him!” 

.

My eyes were bloodshot, and a growing suspicion was forming in my heart: “Please don’t let it be true, please don’t let it be true!”

The traffic police and police officers on duty attempted to stop me, but I paid them no heed. I was determined to confirm it with my own eyes, even if it meant having to confront and potentially fight against them.

“Get lost, all of you! Leave me alone!” I yelled, as I ran frantically within the isolation area.

Finally, I saw the old man. His skull was bleeding, and there was a huge hole in his stomach, but his chest was still rising and falling slightly.

“He’s not dead yet!” I rushed to the old man’s side. “You are Officer Huang of the third year class 2 from Peace of Mind Inn, right? You’ve seen my live stream, haven’t you?”

“Get this lunatic under control!” someone shouted.

Several police officers pressed me to the ground, and I watched in horror as the old man’s body stiffened and was slowly carried away by doctors. 

“First it was the girl who loves handsome and talented men, and now it’s Officer Huang of the third year class 2? Does everyone who watches my live stream have to die? Is this the meaning of the underworld show?”  

The punches that landed on me were heavy, but I couldn’t feel the pain. As I watched the ambulance drive away, a feeling of inexplicable guilt suddenly washed over me.