S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 3 Chapter 77

Lucky Murderer 07 - Descendents

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"So can we go to the main chamber inside and see?" Bai Yutang asked the team leader.

"Oh... this, we can't get in." The team leader shook his head, "We haven't even started to discover the main chamber yet."

"When will it be opened?" Bai Yutang was anxious, "Can you do it by tomorrow?"

"Oh, our excavation plan is a three-step process. The first step is to sort out and excavate in this auxiliary chamber, which will take about a week, and then next month, we may excavate another auxiliary chamber, but of course, that's if there's not a lot of written material to extract here. As for when the main chamber will be excavated, we'll have to wait for notification from the higher-ups."

As the team leader spoke, he saw the mouths of Bai Yutang and the rest of the SCI crowd open wide.

"No way, we still have to wait for the notification, or could you just ask now?" Zhan Zhao negotiated with the leader, "It's better to do this sooner rather than later, if it's any later, the murderer will have destroyed the evidence and escaped!"

"Well… I can't make the decision, besides, this archaeological excavation has to be done in a step-by-step manner, it can't be that rough! It will hurt the precious artefacts, we are not tomb robbers." The team leader thought about it, "However, you can go and find out if there are any robber holes nearby."

“Robber holes?" Bai Yutang froze, holding his chin in thought.

Zhan Zhao whispered to him, "Those people pretending to be stone statues here are most likely related to those diagrams left behind by Boss Lian back then. However, if we find the robber hole, then that means they've probably already found it, and the diagram or whatever has most likely been stolen."

“But ah, having said that, it's not that easy to get into the tomb, we haven't even thought of how to get in yet." The team leader interrupted Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao.

"You don't know how to get in?" The crowd wondered.

"This tomb is a rare underground tomb, not in the shape of an inverted bucket but in the shape of a square bucket. If Boss Lian hadn't found this place back then with the guidance of a diagram, he might not have been able to discover this tomb. Besides, let me show you something else!" With that, the team leader beckoned to the crowd, gesturing for everyone to go over and look, "Look, it's a whole stone."

Bai Yutang reached out and pushed the stone door, "This one is heavy!"

"Look here." The team leader squatted down and pointed to the ground to show them.

The crowd looked down and saw that the ground beneath the boulder was cracked!

"This is..."

"The thousand catty gate." The team leader smiled faintly, "As long as this boulder is placed, those outside won't be able to get in, and those inside won't be able to get out! If Boss Lian really entered, there are only two possibilities!” (Angel: A catty is around 1.3 pounds, so a thousand catties is around 1,300 pounds or 590 kg.)

"Either get trapped inside, or dig a hole and escape?" Zhan Zhao shook his head, "It's not that easy to escape, is it?"

"That's right." The team leader rubbed his hands, "This is a major discovery, I'm writing a novel these days, tsk!"

The crowd laughed, but were a little helpless.

“Then... how do we get in?" Bai Chi was a little disappointed. He wanted to get in there and have a look more than anything. There had better be just a few things left of Boss Lian inside and no bones! This would mean that the legend had fled, perhaps to take refuge with his lover. After all, it was not easy to survive in those days of beacon fire, and Boss Lian had done enough; he had gone through so many dangers for the sake of others and not himself. Bai Chi had a strong feeling that Old Lian must not have died! A good man is rewarded, right?

After hearing the team leader's words, Zhan Zhan and Bai Yutang were at their wits' end. The SCI crowd spread out and looked around for robber holes.

However, the most significant difference between an underground tomb and an above-ground tomb was that there could be no robber holes, and if there were, they would have to be dug on flat ground, so wouldn't it become a sinkhole?

The crowd circled several times and still did not find anything, but it was slightly reassuring... In short, no matter who those murderers are, they can't touch those diagrams if they can't dig into the ground, which means they won't come back if their purpose is not reached. It’s better to keep watch at this time.

......

Therefore, Bai Yutang told Ai Hu to deploy some police officers to take turns to keep an eye on the area and report immediately if anyone was found wandering around. The rest of the team took statements from all the archaeological team members at the scene and also investigated their resumes and identities so that the possibility of an inside job could be ruled out.

After the arrangements were made, the group went back to the SCI office.

"Hoo..." Bai Yutang returned to his office and just wanted to sit down and catch his breath. His butt had just touched the couch when he heard two voices ring out from outside, "Dad!"

"Dad!"

When he looked up, he saw Luo Yang and Xiao Yi, who had finished school, rushing in with their school bags on their backs, one by one, jumping on Luo Tian and Qin Ou.

Bai Yutang scratched his head and looked at Lisbon on the sofa and Zhao Zhen who had come to pick up Bai Chi; Bai Jintang who had come to the door, waiting for Gongsun to examine the corpse; and Qi Le and Chen Jiayi who were gossiping with Ma Xin at the forensic room's door, waiting for Zhao Hu and Ma Han to leave work... plus the two brats in the office who were hugging their dads...

Jiang Ping was playing a game; Zhao Hu and Ma Han seemed to be preparing to buy a property recently and were looking at house hunting websites; Zhang Long was getting married to his childhood sweetheart and was preparing to order the wedding wine; Wang Chao's son was going to primary school and was asking Luo Yang and the others about the good and bad schools.

Bai Chi was on the sidelines with a blender oohing and aahing and stirring fruit, and was watching it with a book in his hand. The door to the forensic room suddenly opened and Gongsun came wandering out nibbling on a piece of black rice cake with the autopsy report in his hand before Bai Jintang wrapped his arms around him and put on a graphic performance.

Bai Yutang took a deep breath and turned to look at his side.

Zhan Zhao was sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a piece of Oreo in his mouth and holding a notebook, next to Xiao Sizi, who was typing his academic report in a crackling manner. QQ chirped twice and when he clicked on the dialog box, it was Mother Zhan reminding him that it was cold and he should change his sheet and get a blanket at night, otherwise he would catch a cold!

Zhan Zhao sent an emoji of a busy cat to her – I know~

Bai Yutang silently went back to his office, closed the door, shut the blinds, folded his hands, tilted his face and thought silently – God, give me some psycho killers, let these people have something to do! We're not worthy of the taxpayers' money!

As he was going crazy, he heard someone outside shouting, "Xiao Bai!"

Bai Yutang heard Zhan Zhao's voice, adjusted his facial expression, put on a gentle smile and opened the door to peek out, smiling and asking, "What is it?"

“Bao Sir is looking for us." Zhan Zhao put down his notebook, stuffed the rest of the Oreo into his mouth, and waved the phone at him, touching and wiping the dark chocolate crumbs off the corner of his mouth as he did so.

"Oh." Bai Yutang walked out, thinking to himself that God had blessed them with a strange case or a great calamity!

At the door of Bao Zheng's office, Zhan Zhao knocked on the door and heard Bao Zheng inside saying "Please come in."

Zhan Zhao wanted to push the door in but was pulled by Bai Yutang, who reached out and wiped the cookie crumbs from the corner of his mouth, grabbed his wrist and shook it, then dabbed some saliva and washed his face, in the same manner as Luban.

Zhan Zhao kicked him, and Bai Yutang hurriedly ducked inside.

Thus, Bao Zheng raised his head and saw Bai Yutang flashing in with a smile on his face, and Zhan Zhao wiping his mouth and kicking after him.

"Ahem, you're here?" Bao Zheng nodded at the chairs in front of the two men, gesturing - sit.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao glanced at each other. Bao Zheng usually gave brief instructions while they stood and listened, but today he took the initiative to let them sit, could it be – there was really a big case?

"I have listened to your report on this case, and just now, the inspection team talked to the higher authorities about the situation. The excavation of the main chamber will still take a long time, and it is estimated that they cannot cooperate with our investigation. They can't just blow up the grave, right?"

"The excavation of the main chamber is related to those burial maps, which are very precious ancient relics." Zhan Zhao thought for a moment, "But to be honest, it's not directly related to catching the murderer this time."

"Bao Sir, there are many doubts about this case, and although the dead one is a psychopath…" Bai Yutang was afraid that Bao Zheng would cancel the case this time and that there would be nothing more to do other than nestle in his office and grow mushrooms, or simply move to live at the firing range.

"I know." Bao Zheng waved his hand, "I am not trying to stop you from investigating this case, but I want to give you a clue."

"What's the clue?" Zhan Zhan and Bai Yutang looked at each other.

"This man." Bao Zheng said, taking out a newspaper and handing it over to Zhan Zhan and Bai Yutang to read. They saw that the newspaper featured news of the great food philanthropist Lian Tongli donating to some charity project again.

"This man is often in the newspaper." Bai Yutang asked, "Mostly charity news, not a great benefactor... What? Is there a problem?"

"You guys need to stop looking like everyone has a problem and just relax." Bao Zheng shook his head, "Lian Tongli was an old friend of mine back then, I saved him once by chance when I used to be a police officer. There are some things I may not have mentioned to you guys, and he never told everyone. However, I'm quite close friends with him, so I know some of his family background... his grandfather was Boss Lian."

"Ha?!" Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both looked at Bao Zheng with wide eyes, "Really?"

Bao Zheng laughed, "This kid has a rich family background, but from his grandfather, word has come down that he is not allowed to steal chickens and dogs in the future, he has to do the right thing and be charitable.”

"Oh..." Zhan Zhao took the newspaper and looked at it carefully, "No wonder the family is so well-off, it turns out to have such an origin."

"Lian Tongli's grandfather, Boss Lian, lived until he was eighty-seven before he died." Bao Zheng smiled, "So whatever is in the grave, there will not be the body of Boss Lian."

“I see." Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were both a little surprised that this had ended well.

"What a small world." Bai Yutang nodded his head.

"It's not small, he was the one who approached me first, we haven't been in touch for years." Bao Zheng said, turning on the recorded phone call and letting the two listen.

They heard the clear voices of the conversation come through.

“Bao Zheng?" The other party had a low baritone voice which was very mature and civilised, and must be in his fifties or sixties in age.

"Yes, who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Lian Tongli."

Hearing this, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang noticed that Bao Zheng hesitated slightly, and then it suddenly dawned on him, "Oh… haha, Old Lian ah."

"You still remember me ah?"

"How could I not remember, we used to swim together when we were kids."

…...

"Come on, you! Is being a cop making you paranoid?" Lian Tongli was stunned for a moment and then replied with some irritation, "Are you testing me? I have a middle ear infection and I've never been in the water in my life! I don't even have a bathtub at home, what's the point of swimming?"

At this point, Bao Zheng finally dropped his guard and smiled, "Alas, work demands it, so be considerate, it's been a long time."

"I wouldn't have come to bother you if there was nothing wrong." Lian Tongli sighed softly, "I'm not going to be polite to you Old Bao, I'm in some trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Bao Zheng's voice became serious.

"Do you remember what I told you about my grandfather back then?"

"I remember." Bao Zheng nodded, "The great grave robber, Boss Lian."

"I've been receiving a lot of threatening letters and threatening phone calls lately, asking me to hand over things!"

"What?" Bao Zheng was startled, "When did this happen?"

"Just the past month or two." Lian Tongli was a little exasperated, "The other party is telling me to hand over the diagrams, sometimes they try to extort money from me, all in all it's very annoying!"

"How did you deal with it?"

"I ignored them all!" The tone of Lian Tongli's speech seemed to be that of a man who was rightly serious, "But in the last few days, they started threatening to kidnap my youngest son. As you may have heard, my wife has just given birth to my precious little boy, my fourth child." Lian Tongli said with some helplessness, "He is now my most precious baby, you have to find someone to help me."

"Okay, hold on, I'll send the team member in charge of this case right away." After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Bao Zheng turned off the recording, looked up at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, and asked, "What do you think?"

Bai Yutang raised an eyebrow at Zhan Zhao, who only said, "Such a coincidence?"

"Whatever the coincidence, either the other side found out about it, or there's something inside. Anyway, I said I'd send someone over, you two are free to go and have a look, you might find a clue.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao readily agreed, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Taking the address Bao Zheng gave them and leaving the room, Zhan Zhao asked Bai Yutang, "What do you think?"

"Well... there is indeed a bit of a coincidence..." Bai Yutang put away the address and winked at Zhan Zhao, "It's not bad to pay a visit to the descendant of that Boss Lian, there might be an unexpected surprise!"

‿︵‿︵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: April 4, 2022 by Angel