S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 1 Chapter 101

Shadow Murderer 09 – Hard to Guard Against

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"Ce?" Bai Jintang was startled by Gongsun's strange appearance, getting up from his chair and rushing over quickly, "What's wrong?”

Gongsun's eyes widened as he looked at Bai Jintang who rushed to him.

"I just wanted to pretend to be asleep to tease you... you, why are you scared like this?" Reaching out to take Gongsun into his arms, he gently stroked his back, "What happened?"

After a long time, Gongsun blinked as if he had woken up, and looked at Bai Jintang with some confusion, "You... you don't know? Right, you shouldn't know."

"What?" Bai Jintang frowned slightly and tried to pull Gongsun into the living room to sit down, but Gongsun suddenly cocked his head and stared at the swivel chair in the centre of the room, and then at the wall not far away with a confused look on his face.

"Impossible..." Gongsun shook his head and muttered to himself, "Impossible..."

"What's impossible?" Bai Jintang reached out and shook Gongsun, "Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"

Gongsun withdrew his eyes and pushed Bai Jintang to the edge of his chair, saying, "Sit down!"

Bai Jintang sat back down inexplicably and looked at Gongsun in confusion.

"The pose from earlier!"

Bai Jintang nodded and leaned back again, keeping the same position as when he had just been reclining, and his figure immediately appeared on the wall.

Gongsun took a marker from the table and drew a line on the wall where the human hand was. Then he said to Bai Jintang, "You, stay in the same position as before and release the strength from your legs."

Bai Jintang really did not understand what Gongsun wanted to do, but he did as he was told. He gently relaxed his legs... and as he released his strength, the swivel chair slowly turned at an angle, while it was not very obvious, it could still be seen. Gongsun looked at the change in the angle of the shadow on the wall in front of him and let out a long breath, saying, “I see."

Bai Jintang reached out and rubbed his temples, then stood up and turned on the light. The surroundings instantly brightened and he walked over to Gongsun, "What exactly is going on?"

Gongsun put away his pen and said, "In the case we are investigating recently, the deceased was slumped in a chair like this. He died in the middle of the night, there was a lamp on the table and there was a shadow on the wall behind him, and there was a gun in the shadow's hand, stuck to the wall... I'm so stupid, we all thought the murderer had set up the scene in the middle of the night before he left, but in fact it wasn't.

"Why?" Bai Jintang raised his eyebrows.

“People generally think the dead are heavier than the living, right?"

Bai Jintang nodded, "In fact, the weight isn't reduced, they just lose their own capacity to bear it, so they feel heavier."

"That's right!" Gongsun nodded, " When a person sits on a swivel chair, especially an adult, the important factor in keeping the balance of the swivel chair is the support of one's own feet. With a dead person, his support will be gone, and his corpse will be stiff, in short, there will be many subtle changes, and it is easy to change the orientation of the swivel chair, even if there is a little change in the strength... so."

"So, the scene was created long after the death, when the body's condition had stabilised." Bai Jintang said lightly.

"Right!" Gongsun nodded, "It's possible that the murderer waited until just before we got to the scene and was still there to ensure that the angle was so accurate!"

"I don't care about any murder case." Bai Jintang looked at the delighted-looking Gongsun in front of him and opened his mouth to ask, "Why were you so nervous just now?"

Gongsun froze, looked around somewhat embarrassed, and with a glance saw the broken wine bottle on the ground, and was a little distressed, "Yah~~ it's all broken..." He said, trying to walk over to clean it up.

"You're afraid I'll die?" Bai Jintang pulled Gongsun back with one hand, "Will you show an expression like the one you just had when I die?"

Gongsun frowned and lifted his foot to kick Bai Jintang's calf, "How old are you and you're still making jokes like this.”

"I said I was just pretending to sleep..." Bai Jintang lowered his head and kissed Gongsun's temples, "It's just that you're so worried about me... that you were scared to the point of collapse. “

"Don't get cocky!" Gongsun tried to break away, his face already unconsciously red, "Anyone who comes across this kind of thing will be scared!”

"Aren't you a forensic scientist?" Bai Jintang did not relent, "Forensic pathologists are still afraid of dead people?!”

"No... ah!" Gongsun was picked up by Bai Jintang with his feet dangling in the air and was carried into the bedroom, "What are you doing? I have to work tomorrow!”

"I'm just carrying you in." Bai Jintang put Gongsun gently on the bed, "What does it have to do with whether you're going to work tomorrow or not?"

"...... " Gongsun opened his mouth and glared at him, "What are you proud of?"

"Hehe..." Bai Jintang laughed and leaned over to press against Gongsun, "Of course I'm proud, you know how happy I am, just now it seemed like you were showing love to me."

"You're hallucinating, let Xiao Zhan show you, delusional." Gongsun pushed him, "Get up, it's heavy as hell!"

"Don't be afraid." Bai Jintang lowered his head and kissed Gongsun, "I won't die, I definitely won't let you make that kind of expression."

Gongsun didn't say anything, and allowed Bai Jintang to kiss him.

"Aren't you going to resist? I'm going to do whatever I want." Bai Jintang untied his tie.

"Don't go too far!" Gongsun reached out and pinched his neck, "I'd be defending myself if I killed you now."

"How can you let me die?" Bai Jintang took it upon himself to start untying Gongsun's shirt, "Be a good boy, I'll ask for leave for you tomorrow..."

............

Bai Yutang looked at the bearded man in the image that Zhan Zhao pointed out and instantly recognized that it was the one they had been looking for, "He was just there?"

Zhan Zhao switched to the live feed and looked closely at it, but the man was no longer there.

“What's wrong with this man?" Wei Yong asked as he stepped forward.

"Who is he?" Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao asked at the same time.

"Er... a very strange guest." Wei Yong said, "He comes often, but never makes a move, he just watches."

"You guys don't let just anyone in here, right?" Bai Yutang said, "Either he's a fighter or he was introduced by an acquaintance."

Wei Yong looked at Chen Jie, as if inquiring.

"If the officer asks you, just say it straight, there's nothing to hide." Chen Jie lit up a cigarette and exhaled smoke rings.

"Uh, there are three ways of getting in here. One is to be a fighter, but fighters are also referred by acquaintances; one is an acquaintance, all regulars who have a membership card; and then there are new guests brought in by acquaintances."

"And what about him? He's not a fighter nor a member, so he's brought in by an acquaintance, who's the acquaintance?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"We all call him Big Beard." Wei Yong sighed and said, "He's a friend of Luo Wen's."

"Luo Wen? Is there a connection with that child Luo Yang just now?" Bai Yutang asked.

"He's Luo Yang's dad, our dead brother." Wei Yong nodded, "A good man."

"How did he die?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Gang fight." Chen Jie said indifferently, "He was hacked to death by a random blade."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked at each other without saying anything.

"This child is a character." Chen Jie said, "He will be something when he grows up."

"You mean continuing the gang fights?" Bai Yutang sneered back at her.

"Hehe..." Chen Jie smiled faintly, "I like men like you." Stubbing out her cigarette, she said, "Coming here to help is Yang Yang's own choice... Also, he's studying during the day and we'll pay for his college education as long as he wants to!"

Seeing Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao slightly surprised, Wei Yong laughed, "It's true, the most common question the brothers ask when they see him is 'Have you done your homework?', they say he's a character because he's coming to work on his own, saying that everyone's money is earned in exchange for their lives and can't be taken for nothing."

Bai Yutang nodded and said, "So the bearded man has had contact with him?"

Wei Yong shook his head, "I haven't seen him, and I don't think he knew Luo Wen too well."

"There's nothing more to ask, please take us to meet Luo Yang." Bai Yutang finished and followed Wei Yong out the door.

When Zhan Zhao reached the door, he suddenly turned back to Chen Jie and said, "Normal hallucinogenic drugs have a temporary effect on adults, but the harm to children can be permanent."

Chen Jie was stunned and looked at Zhan Zhao, just to see him smiling faintly, "Being too cruel and precocious may be considered a personality for a gangster, but for a normal young child, it is called a mental illness, which may evolve into mania or severe violent tendencies when it develops into adulthood!" Having said that, he closed the door and left.

After a long time, Chen Jie turned back to her men and said, "Don't let Yang Yang in here again! Take him to see a psychiatrist tomorrow."

"Yes!"

..................

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao followed Wei Yong down the stairs from the back door and straight out of the basement to an alley behind Dark Night Kingdom club.

There were no street lights in the alleyway and it seemed a little dark, the water stains on the floor glistened in the moonlight overhead and it was unusually quiet all around.

Wei Yong walked up to a shack and knocked gently on the door, "Yang Yang? Is Yang Yang asleep?"

Shortly afterwards, footsteps were heard inside and the door opened with a click, and inside stood Little Loach.

When he saw Wei Yong, he was smiling, but when he saw Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao behind him, he stopped smiling and looked a bit wary.

"Yang Yang, these two uncles are going to ask you a few questions, will you be good and answer them?" Wei Yong spoke in a very kind tone, completely devoid of the fierceness of the little gangster. Watching this, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both wanted to laugh a little.

"......" After a short while, Luo Yang nodded and let the crowd into the room.

As soon as Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang stepped into the room, they felt that the boy was not surviving in a loveless environment, on the contrary, the room was filled with several toys and books, and the room was decorated in a cozy way, with a lot of food and supplies, it was just that he had made himself look like a little loach.

"Er... you guys talk, I'm going out for a smoke." Wei Yong took out his cigarette and walked outside, closing the door with his hand.

Luo Yang walked to the bed and sat down, looking at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang with some wariness, or rather disgust, in his eyes.

"You are Luo Yang?" Bai Yutang found a chair and sat down.

Luo Yang did not answer, and it took a long time before he said, "You are the police." His tone was not a question, but a faint statement.

Zhan Zhao looked around the room, walked over to the bookshelf, pulled out a book and flipped through it.

"Don't touch my stuff!" Luo Yang said rather fiercely.

"You don't like the police?" Zhan Zhao said softly.

Luo Yang did not say anything.

"But your father liked them, didn't he?" Zhan Zhao flipped through the book and ignored Luo Yang's astonished look as he continued, "Your father was determined to get you out of the underworld so you could have a brighter life. Because you've been with the underworld for so long, you're subconsciously a little prejudiced against the police, so your father wanted to tell you that you're actually the ones who are wrong, that your justice itself doesn't exist, and that what the police officers insist on is the real justice, the justice that belongs to the world. Then he bought you these books and showed you how to solve crimes, and you thought it was amazing, so you gradually started to believe in the police. Then your dad was killed in a gang fight and you went to the police, but they laughed at you, they even said that your dad died for nothing and deserved it... who told him to be a gangster, the underworld doesn't belong to the police... Then you felt that the police officers your dad trusted cheated you, so you hate the police, right?"

Luo Yang looked at Zhan Zhao with dumbfounded eyes, "How do you know? Who are you?"

Zhan Zhao smiled slightly as he pointed to the book《Crime and Psychology》in his hand, "The author of this book."

Luo Yang's mouth opened wide, somewhat in disbelief as he looked at Zhan Zhao and then at Bai Yutang.

Zhan Zhao walked over to him and sat down, saying, "You hate the police and everything related to the police, but you didn't throw this book away, do you know what this kind of behaviour means?"

"What does it mean?" Luo Yang asked, confused.

"It means that you have reached an age where you can tell right from wrong." Zhan Zhao put down the book and said, "You know what is right and what is wrong, you are just too sad, so you are not willing to face it."

Luo Yang was silent for a long time, then lowered his head and said in a low voice, "What do you want to know, just ask."

Bai Yutang nodded to Zhan Zhao and raised one eyebrow – Cat, I serve you! (Angel: 'I serve you’ or 我服你了 is used to express admiration.)

Zhan Zhao glared at him – Ask quickly.

Bai Yutang looked at Luo Yang and said, "Big Beard! We want to know about him."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a sudden ‘ping' came from outside the door, and the three of them were startled. Bai Yutang stood up, pulled out his gun and waved his hand at Zhan Zhao. Bai Yutang flashed to the door and pulled it open, and saw Wei Yong's body lying in the doorway... shot in the head.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Translated: November 11, 2022 by Angel

Edited: November 17, 2022 by Angel