S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 2 Chapter 88

Password Murderer 26 – Clue

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Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang drove to the door of Yanhe Tea Restaurant. The restaurant is not big, and the decorations are relatively simple. At first glance, it seems to be quite old. Because it was not time for dinner, there were not many people in the restaurant. There were only the waiters who were cleaning, and a middle-aged man sitting behind the counter, calculating his accounts.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang walked in, and the waiter took them to a seat near the window, and gave them a menu.

Bai Yutang didn’t look at the menu, but asked the waiter, “I heard that your chicken drumstick rice is very famous.”

“… Chicken drumstick rice?” The waiter seemed puzzled, “Sir, we don’t offer chicken drumstick rice on our menu.”

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao glanced at each other. At that moment, the boss, who was behind the counter, raised his head and smiled, “The chicken drumstick rice has been around for a long time…  Though it has not been sold for four or five years, haha.”

“That’s a pity.” Bai Yutang looked at the menu reluctantly, “Out friend is still thinking about it. He said that he had eaten it here while on a date.”

“Oh, they must be an old customer.” The boss cleaned up his things, and walked out from behind the counter, “I can actually make it for you now. It is fried rice with minced chicken, plus our Yanhe tea chicken drumsticks.” He then instructed the waiter, “Go and tell Old Man Liu that you want two orders of chicken drumstick rice, and he will know what to do.”

“Okay.” The waiter left.

The boss looked at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang with a smile, “My restaurant has been open for many years, and it has been a long time since someone mentioned chicken drumstick rice. I really miss it.”

“Boss, why don’t you sell it anymore?” Zhan Zhao asked curiously, “Everyone says it’s delicious.”

The boss smiled, “This is not a fixed dish. Several years ago, there was a group of students that came to my restaurant for dinner all the time. They liked to order fried rice with minced chicken and chicken drumsticks. I simply made them the chicken drumstick rice and sold it to them directly, saving me a few dishes. But then the group of students probably graduated, as they never came again, and the chicken drumstick rice left with them.”

“Boss, do you remember this group of students?” Bai Yutang asked.

"Uh..." The boss frowned and thought for a while, "I don't know their names. I think I can remember them if I see them, but it's been a long time, and I don't know what they look like now."

"Can you recognize these photos?" Bai Yutang took out the photos and spread them on the table for the boss to look at.

The boss looked down, a little hesitant, and raised his head to ask Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, “You two… Why are you asking me this?”

Bai Yutang took out his ID and showed it to him, "I want to ask you something."

The boss nodded as soon as he realized that they were police officers, “It turns out that you officers are investigating a case.” As he spoke, he moved a chair over and sat down, looking at the pictures carefully. He first picked out Hao Mo and Ye Ling, “These two were lovers and came here often. The woman was very lively, and the man was dull and didn’t talk. I remember it clearly.”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked at each other, nodded, and let the boss continue to identify them.

"These few have also been here." The boss took out the photos of Hao Mo's four roommates, and pointed to Zhang Hua, "This person also quarreled with that girl in my restaurant."

"Quarreled?" Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked at the boss in surprise, "Do you remember exactly what the quarrel was about?"

"Oh, I don't remember." The boss shook his head in embarrassment, "I remember that the arguing was fierce. Later, the girl's boyfriend got into a fight with this kid and knocked over a table, and I had to kick them out.”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nodded, a little puzzled, but they remembered that Ye Ling had also mentioned that Hao Mo's roommates did not approve of Hao Mo's relationship with her, so it is not impossible for them to have a quarrel.

"They’ve been here too." The boss picked up Qiao Weiming's photo, "There were also these few." His finger was pointing to the photos of Xu Zhong and the others.

"What about this person?" Zhan Zhao took out Liu Fang's photo.

"Hmm..." The boss looked at it for a long time and shook his head, "I have no impression of that one."

"What about him?" Then he took out a photo of the mute uncle.

“Oh my god, who is this?” The boss was startled, and shook his head repeatedly, “I’ve never seen them.”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were dumbfounded. The mute uncle was indeed crippled in the photo, so he asked, "Boss, it's possible that his hair is too messy, and his face is dark and dirty. Please look at it again carefully and try to remember.”

"Hmm..." The boss picked up the photo and looked at it again.

At that moment, a burst of aroma came out from the kitchen. The waiter came up with two large plates of fried rice, and put them in front of Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao, "Your chicken drumstick rice."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked down and immediately felt their appetites grow. Not to mention, this fried rice and these chicken drumsticks were really fragrant.

The boss laughed, "These chicken drumsticks and fried rice are the two most famous dishes here, and this is a smart way for the students to eat them together."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang picked up their chopsticks and spoons, and ate the chicken drumstick rice. The fried rice was fragrant and glutinous. The chicken drumsticks were very big, with crispy skin, tender meat, appropriate fat and thickness, and had some tea fragrance, which was very delicious.

"Boss, can you deliver takeout?" Zhan Zhao asked, "If the police station orders takeout in the future, we will call you for this."

“Of course.” The boss handed over his business card, and put down the photo of the mute uncle, “I remember now, this person came with them, but he didn’t have such messy hair or any scars on his face.”

“No scars?” Zhan Zhao and Bia Yutang looked at the boss in surprise, “Are you sure?”

The boss nodded, "But I remember the burns on his chin and neck. There was also a large burn on his body. I saw it when I was serving him a plate one day, it was so scary.”

“You said he doesn't have a scar on his face? Only the burn on his neck?" Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao were a little skeptical, because the burn on the mute uncle's face is not very obvious, but the scar is very clear, and it doesn’t seem to be fake.

"Well, officers, let me tell you this. I don't know if this person is that person, I only remember that there was another man who had dinner with those people. He had a burn from his chin to his neck… He was very burned, so I remember it very clearly."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nodded, and the boss went back to his seat after they finished talking.

“Who is that person?” Zhan Zhao gnawed on his chicken thigh, “If the mute uncle was with them, why didn’t Zhang Hua ever mention it?”

"Zhang Hua is not telling the truth." Bai Yutang said, "When he said that they went back to the dormitory on the night of the fire and the mute uncle was not there, it was already suspicious.”

"That said, Code 1, that is, the murderer, is likely to be the mute uncle?" Bai Yutang thought for a while, then asked, "Where did the scar on his face come from?"

Zhan Zhao shook his head and thought for a while, “Shall we go to Liu Fang after we eat? We can ask him about buying a living person a grave. They all concealed it, but Liu Fang looks the easiest to break.”

“Okay!” Bai Yutang ordered another soup, and the two finished their meal. After paying, they left.

“Officers!” As soon as the two got to the door, the boss chased after them, “There is one more thing, but I don’t know if it will help you.”

“What is it?” Bai Yutang asked.

"Oh, this person." The boss found Qiao Weiming's photo from the photos in Bai Yutang's briefcase, and said, "He came here two days ago and he brought a bunch of students with him."

"He came? Do you remember when and what they were talking about?" Zhan Zhao asked.

The boss shook his head, "It was just three or four days ago, but I didn't hear anything. I remember that there were a lot of books and materials on their tables, and those students called this person teacher."

Bai Yutang nodded, thanked the boss, and got into the car with Zhan Zhao.

"Qiao Weiming doesn’t teach." Zhan Zhao said, "Where can he be called a teacher?"

"Cat, what do your book fans call you?" Bai Yutang asked.

"Dr. Zhan...or Mr. Zhan." Zhan Zhao replied, "You mean, Qiao Weiming gathered some of his fans?"

Bai Yutang nodded, "The same occasion, the same gathering of young people... If the case of that year was really related to Qiao Weiming, I don't know if that disaster will happen again."

"It seems that if this case is not resolved, it will develop in an unmanageable direction." Zhan Zhao shook his head. "Let's go find Liu Fang, and when we go back, lets go through the clues again. Bai Chi and the others should find a lot when they go check Yedu Club.”

“En.” Bai Yutang nodded, "Don't forget that there is also the password that Gongsun mentioned. The only thing that has something to do with Qiao Weiming is this password."

……

In the high-rise apartment building that faced the Bai Group office, the table in the living room had the glasses and plates left over from a candlelight dinner. The red liquid in the wine glasses reflected the dim light of the living room, which seemed a bit extravagant. The door of the bedroom was hidden, and an ambiguous gasp that made people blush and their heartrate rise came from inside.

On the messy bed, the two naked bodies were entangled, and the light coming through the gap in the heavy curtains traced the two perfect bodies.

“Tired?” Bai Jintang looked at Gongsun, who was lying on his back on the bed with his eyes closed, panting slightly, “Would you like to continue?”

Gongsun shook his head lazily, and covered his head with a pillow, “I’m exhausted, I want to sleep.”

Bai Jintang laughed, turned over, and leaned against Gongsun, “After that assistant arrived, you are much freer than before.”

“En.” Gongsun nodded, resting in Bai Jintang’s arms, “Ma Xin is very capable.”

“Then why not hire a few more?” Bai Jintang asked, “How about you only go there one and a half days a week?”

Gongsun couldn’t laugh or cry, “Where can I find so many good forensic pathologists? There is a shortage of people in this industry across the country.”

Bai Jintang leaved over and kissed Gongsun’s forehead, “How is the case?”

“En… We’ve almost figured it out.” Gongsun stretched his body, “I have found a key clue, and there should also be progress from Xiao Zhao and Xiao Bai, so there should be results soon.”

While talking, the phone suddenly rang. Bai Jintang reached out to answer the phone, and a woman’s voice was heard, “Hello, is Dr. Gongsun there?”

Bai Jintang was taken aback for a moment. Why would they call Gongsun Dr. Gongsun? Thinking it must be his student, he handed the phone to Gongsun.

“Hello?” Gongsun answered the phone and asked, “Who is this?”

A woman's voice came from the phone, "Look out the window!"

Gongsun was taken aback, "Who are you?"

"Look out the window!" The female voice repeated again, and she hung up the phone.

“Odd.” Gongsun handed the phone to Bai Jintang and got up in his pajamas, "What window do they want me to look out of?" As he spoke, he walked over to draw back the curtains.

With a ‘swoosh’, the curtains were opened, and the dazzling light came in. Gongsun closed his eyes and suddenly felt Bai Jintang on the bed pulling his robe, pulling him back onto the bed.

At the same time, the window shattered with a ‘crash’.

Bai Jintang put his arms around Gongsun and rolled off the bed, and heard a few bangs behind him; it was the sound of bullets hitting the bed.

Gongsun just figured it out; someone wants to kill him. The woman on the phone brought him to the window so that someone on the roof of the opposite building could attack.

“Who have you offended recently?” Bai Jintang held Gongsun in his arms and reached for the phone on the bedside table.

Gongsun was confused, “No one, I haven’t scolded people for a long time.”

Bai Jintang shook his head and dialed the twins’ number, “Hey, there is someone on the roof that wants to shoot Gongsun. Let me see who it is.”

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

That's two cases in a row where someone tried to kill Gongsun...

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: May 10, 2021