S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 3 Chapter 60

Ghost Murderer 28 - Tips for a Romantic Gift

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When Bai Jintang's car came to a stop, Gongsun looked around, and the scene before him was somewhat familiar – on one side was the road, and on the other was the small restaurant that had been damaged by the taxi when he and Bai Jintang were attacked last time.

"We're here." Bai Jintang opened the car door and pulled Gongsun out.

Gongsun followed him out of the car, obviously still having some lingering concerns about the restaurant.

"It's fine, it's all been cleared up." Bai Jintang pulled Gongsun inside, "There are also bodyguards nearby that Xiao Ding and the others have arranged to covertly protect us, everything will be fine.

Gongsun finally nodded, took Bai Jintang's hand, and walked with him into the small restaurant that was sealed with yellow tape. It was like a nightmare for him that he never wanted to enter again… 

The restaurant was still in a mess. The police case had not yet been resolved, and Bai Jintang was injured and had not had time to deal with it, so it was still in the same messy state of that day.

Curious, Gongsun asked Bai Jintang, "Is this where the gift was hidden?"

"En, I had wanted to give it to you that day." Bai Jintang nodded and led him around the tables and chairs to walk inside.

Gongsun, on the other hand, was subconsciously looking back at the road outside as he stepped over the rubble, afraid that some car would burst in again. Seeing that he was nervous, Bai Jintang felt somewhat helpless… A lot of things have suddenly happened recently, and Gongsun has been taking care of him without any rest at all, so the high level of nervousness has caused such an anxious look, and he needs to be allowed to rest for a while.

After walking to the end of the restaurant, there was only a bar left in front of them.

Bai Jintang walked over, reached out, and fumbled a bit, taking a box out from behind the bar… The box was shaped like a small coffin, wrapped in delicate kraft paper.

"Oh..." Gongsun understood; it turned out that Bai Jintang was going to give him wine. There was no need to ask, it was definitely very expensive.

But on second thought, it didn't seem quite right, because the wine Bai Jintang had had him drink that night was already very good… Why gift wine on purpose? Their wedding anniversary means a lot to them, so Bai Jintang would have gotten something more interesting, right?

Gongsun was pondering when Bai Jintang looked at him, "Open it and take a look."

Nodding, Gongsun unwrapped the paper box... and saw that inside was an exquisite black wooden box with a gothic pattern carved into it, with the crucifix medallion he liked in the middle.

Looking at Bai Jintang with some curiosity, Bai Jintang merely gestured for him to continue unwrapping it and take a look.

Gongsun opened the box and inside there was a layer of cloth… A hard object was wrapped in cloth, which should not be wine, as the weight is different.

Putting the object on the table, Gongsun carefully removed the cloth wrap… only to see that inside was a small pocket-sized coffin… or rather, it was more like a mirror made to look like a coffin, which could illuminate him and Bai Jintang in an unusually delicate manner.

"Eh?!" Gongsun felt strange, "Giving me a mirror? Is there any special meaning?" He asked, picking it up and looking at it, wrinkling his nose, "It's in the shape of a coffin, oh, do you really want to put us both in the same grave?"

Bai Jintang couldn't help but laugh and whispered, "Look at it more carefully.”

Gongsun did not understand, but he reached out, gently touched the mirror's surface… and suddenly…

He didn't know what happened to the mirror, but it actually changed, slowly becoming transparent… It became a real crystal coffin, and inside the coffin, two pocket-sized crystal white skeletons were lying opposite each other. The two skeletons were beautifully and exquisitely detailed, even the tiniest of fingers were clear. The fingers were clasped together, and on the ring fingers of the left hands, there was the same ring.

Gongsun's mouth opened wide in surprise when he heard Bai Jintang say, "Made in proportion to our skeletons through isometric reduction" (Angel: There was a longer term here for what it was based off of and it was super scientific sounding, but I could find no genuine research as to what it was, so I simplified it to something that probably makes sense.)

"En... I can see that." Gongsun pointed at Bai Jintang's skull, "Your skull has been injured, so there's some slight depression here, and your elbow was once fractured, so there's a thicker periosteum here."

Bai Jintang raised an eyebrow and reached out to hold Gongsun's chin, "I can't believe you even remember the appearance of my bones so well, eh?"

Gongsun smiled, "That's right, not only the bones, but also the muscles, blood vessels, and internal organs, I would know you even if you were turned into ashes!"

Bai Jintang smiled and spoke slightly apologetically, "It's a pity that it was delivered late, I wanted to surprise you. I've been behaving badly these past few days, haven't I? "

"Well..." Gongsun rubbed his chin and said, "barely, just a passing grade."

Bai Jintang was helpless, he lowered his head and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Gongsun laughed, looked at the coffin and saw that it had turned into a mirror again, and was surprised "How did that happen?"

"It’s thermosensitive." Bai Jintang said, "When the glass senses heat, it will change and the scene below will be displayed. You can also use pictures or videos, but I think it's better to have a real skeleton. After we die, our ashes will be mixed together and poured into this coffin, which is resistant to pressure, and will be buried in a deep sea cemetery... Even if humanity is destroyed, we will still be there!"

Gongsun couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "You are really crazy."

Bai Jintang was slightly pleased, "Of course."

"What's the skeleton made of?" Gongsun thought it looked like frosted glass.

"White crystal." Bai Jintang said, "It has our hair in it…"

Gongsun looked closer, raised his eyes, and looked at Bai Jintang, "What a perverted love!"

Bai Jintang raised his eyebrows, "So it suits you."

Gongsun raised the corners of his mouth, "En…", and reached out, wrapping his arms around his neck, "The more perverted, the more I like it!"

Bai Jintang froze... Gongsun had never said "like" to him except for the night of the wedding...

"Ce..." Looking down at Gongsun once again, Bai Jintang suddenly had a feeling of being reunited after a long time, especially after the entanglements he had just experienced. He was originally angry about what happened, but after seeing Gongsun... he felt as if those were not so important anymore. As he said, it did not matter what happened before, what was most worth cherishing was the precious memories of these three years.

Gongsun moved up and took the initiative to kiss the corner of his mouth, saying seriously, "Don't let them harm you again! If anyone dares to do anything to you again, you will fight back, do you understand? Even if he is your biological parent!"

Bai Jintang laughed, "So unfilial?"

"If you won't do it, then I will!" Gongsun raised his eyes, "If anyone dares to touch my people, I'll turn my face and not recognize them either!” (Angel: Turn face and not recognize people is an idiom that refers to those who are ruthless and unrighteous.)

Bai Jintang was stunned for a long time after hearing this, then laughed like he had never laughed before.

The atmosphere between the two of them was getting better. Gongsun tilted his face and put his hands around his neck, while Bai Jintang held his back and looked down at his eyebrows.

"The gift is so special, it doesn't look like you can buy it here.”

"Well, I was watching a technology exhibition the other day," Bai Jintang smiled, "I happened to see it so I had one custom made… I’ve waited in line for a little over half a year."

"So attentive?"

Bai Jintang smiled, "Are you satisfied?"

"Satisfied." Gongsun nodded and lightly tapped Bai Jintang's nose with his finger, "Do you want a reward?"

Bai Jintang was both surprised and delighted, and blood instantly surged through his veins. His biggest loss over the past few days was actually the fact that he had not done it a lot, a lot, a lot! After thinking about it, he hurriedly had to take Gongsun to the top floor of the hotel where the two often went...

"Ah!"

But just when Bai Jintang was in the middle of his excitement, he suddenly heard Gongsun shout out.

Bai Jintang jumped and turned his face to look around, thinking that Gongsun had found some kind of danger. When he saw that there was nothing, he turned back to Gongsun and said somewhat helplessly, "Ce, don't scare people at a time like this... If you freak out, it's something that will affect you for the rest of your life."

“That’s not it!" Gongsun held up the coffin and said excitedly, "I know how the ghost appeared!"

"Huh?" Bai Jintang was confused.

Gongsun's eyes shone, "I also know who wants to harm you and why!"

Seeing his excited face, Bai Jintang really wanted to carry him away and throw him straight into a plane to fly to Easter Island for a two-person world completely free of cases, murders, and secrets!

… Unfortunately, Gongsun was already pulling him out the door, "Go! Let's get back to SCI!"

Bai Jintang sighed silently and followed Gongsun out, thinking, 'What's the point of looking for a murderer to solve a case? You've put the brakes on when the fire is burning, it's worse than being dead.’ It's a pity that he cherishes Gongsun so much, and Bai Jintang, despite his coldness, was quite gentle with his loved one. In Gongsun’s words, he is a gentle lover who suppresses all kinds of impatience at all times. Of course, the roughness of the first time made Bai Jintang deeply guilty, so he was particularly submissive to Gongsun, almost obeying his every word. However... to outsiders, he is still the same unapproachable Bai Jintang.

After getting into the car, Bai Jintang started the car. When Gongsun saw his wilted expression, he said, "This time it's very urgent. Don't rush, your reward will be saved for tonight."

Bai Jintang's spirits lifted, "Just for tonight, huh?"

Gongsun looked at the gift in his hand and said, "Well... seeing as you prepared the gift with so much care, I will reward you for a few more days... I also want to have a break, how about a solo holiday to Easter Island? "

Bai Jintang's heart blossomed, Gongsun's words mean that he can do it every day during their vacation… He hurriedly put the car into drive and rushed to SCI.

……

At the SCI office, everyone was there.

Zhao Zhen was not there, saying that the group should research first. He went to prepare some things, and Luo Tian accompanied him.

"Boss, do you have any clues?" Zhao Hu shook the information in his hand, "We've investigated a lot, and the statements of the drivers who didn't die have come in too! There are quite a few clues."

Bai Yutang nodded, "Let's sort out the case first, and then take our time."

Everyone nodded.

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao – These clues are too messy, you explain it, use Chinese.

Zhan Zhao glanced at Bai Yutang.

At the same time, the door was pushed open and Ma Xin and Lu Fang both came in. When the crowd saw Lu Fang, they knew that maybe this case involved a lot. (Angel: This sentence just abruptly ended with 'a lot', and I'm not sure if there's supposed to be more to it or not …)

"Let's begin." Bai Yutang nodded to Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao didn't have any papers in front of him, as he generally didn't like to use a pen when thinking about things. Two people from SCI never use a pen and paper when organising clues and thoughts – Zhan Zhao and Bai Chi, because their heads were better than their hands.

Zhan Zhao looked at the group and said, "The key to handling this case is to strip the clues first! So let's do some stripped-down reasoning!"

The group perked up their ears and listened – stripped-down reasoning?! The approach this time was new.

"First, let's establish how many cases there are in total!" Zhan Zhao smiled and said, "First, the case of the ghost killer creating a traffic accident! Second, the case of Zhao Zhen being threatened! Third, the case of the ghost setting fires! Fourth, the blackout! Fifth, the bomb threat! Sixth, the Yuan Lin case! Seventh, the Li Ying case! Eighth, the Chen Mi kidnapping case."

The group looked at each other in disbelief. No wonder they were clueless and confused, this time the case was more complicated than every other one in the past, it was actually eight cases entwined together. It seemed that they really had to let Zhan Zhao first strip the clues one by one before the clouds would open up and the moon would be clear.

"First, let's sort all the clues of this case according to the individual cases, how many clues there are in each case, one by one, creating a web of relationships! Those who have clues to add, add them when we talk about suspicions and key points!"

Everyone nodded. Although this case was complicated, Zhan Zhao's method was clear and straightforward!

"First of all, the first case, the case of the taxi driver being attacked by a ghost." Zhan Zhao said, looking at Jiang Ping on the side and asking him to elaborate.

"Okay." Jiang Ping sorted out the information and said, "This case happened because Boss and Dr. Zhan were on the road when they encountered an accident. The driver said that a ghost disturbed him, which coincided with the recent popular case of the Ghost Killer, and then the case of the Ghost Killer came to our attention."

Zhan Zhao nodded and said, "Here's the first suspicion!"

At this point, Ma Xin took a large whiteboard and drew a simple timeline of events and time progression in black pen, with the case and clue points written in blue pen and the suspicious points written in red pen.

"Xin Xin, this is good! It's clear enough" Bai Chi clapped his hands and the group nodded.

Ma Xin smiled and continued to record.

"The suspicion is why it just so happened that Cat and I ran into them." Bai Yutang sat beside Zhan Zhao and analysed the case with him. They had discussed all of this before and they already knew it well.

"Very suspicious indeed." Lu Fang nodded, "And I called and asked the taxi company, the rental desk had a record that the car was hailed before it was driven there. The strangest thing is that the invoice for the car was found... It was driven a long, long way and the taxi fare was over three hundred."

"Three hundred?!" The group was a little puzzled.

"Spend that much, circling the city, huh?" Ma Han was a bit puzzled and asked Lu Fang “Where did the guests call the car?"

"The gym. In fact, it's very close to where Xiao Bai and the others were hit, it's on the way to the police station." Lu Fang smiled and handed a drawing to Bai Yutang, "Look!"

When Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang took the drawing and looked at it, they saw that it was the route map recorded by the car's navigator.

"It's going around in circles!" Zhan Zhao was surprised, "Just circling in place!"

Bai Yutang also frowned, "So... that person was waiting for us?!"

Zhan Zhao nodded his head, and everyone felt that was the case.

“Uh," Qin Ou suddenly asked, “so, that ghost appearance can be controlled?"

The group looked at him.

"Yes!" Zhao Hu said, "Wouldn't it just appear whenever it was told to?"

At this moment, they heard the door being pushed open with a bang, and everyone was startled. They all turned and saw that it was Gongsun and Bai Jintang.

"Phew…” Startled, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

"Gongsun, Brother?" Bai Yutang asked, "What…"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Gongsun holding up a coffin-shaped mirror, saying, "I got it! How the ghost materialised."

As soon as his words fell, they saw Zhao Zhen walking in from the door behind them, saying, "The props are all ready. Although we don't know what kind of team the other side is... the phenomenon of the ghost can be recreated for you to see."

Everyone stood up.

After Gongsun heard Zhao Zhen's words, he immediately handed him the mirror and reached out to touch it… The thermal device immediately showed the scene below.

"Oh!" Zhao Zhen suddenly realised something, "I wondered how an amateur magician could have a team as professional as mine, it turns out they had such great props!"

"Can it really be recreated?" Bai Chi asked as he ran over.

"En." Zhao Zhen smiled and said to Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, "Would you like to interrupt your meeting for a moment to see some magic?! The ghosts are here!"

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked at each other and nodded together, "Yes!"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

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

Translated: February 1, 2022