S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 1 Chapter 120

Shadow Murderer 27 – Rodent Control

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On the third day of Zhan Zhao's hospitalisation, early in the morning, Jiang Ping arrived at the hospital in a blaze of glory.

"How is it?" Bai Yutang asked.

"I brought all the things Dr. Zhan asked me to find!" Jiang Ping said, before taking out his laptop from his bag and turning it on, "The list of all the police department's support staff is here."

"Brother, what do you need the list of the police station's support staff for?" Bai Chi was puzzled, and Luo Yang was curiously tiptoeing over to look at the display.

Zhan Zhao waved to Luo Tian who was sitting on the sofa, "Brother Luo, come and take a look."

Luo Tian did not understand what Zhan Zhao wanted him to look at, but still walked closer.

Jiang Ping pulled up the registration forms of all the support staff.

One by one, Zhan Zhao scrolled through the photos, and when he reached a certain one, he heard Luo Tian suck in a sharp breath of cold air.

"What's wrong?" Bai Yutang came forward to look, and saw that it was a picture of a man in his fifties, which looked somewhat familiar.

"2-12-11," Luo Tian said softly after a long time, "he... is actually in the police station."

"You said he was 2-12-11? "Bai Chi was quite surprised and looked closer before he realised with a jolt that although the angle was different, it was indeed the same person as the one in the video Chen Jie had left behind.

"Cat... how did you know he was a support staff of the police department?" Bai Yutang asked in confusion.

When Zhan Zhao clicked on the information of the person in the photo, he saw that the name box read 'Du She' and the job title was: 'Cleaning, building interior, working for six years.'

"Impossible!" Bai Yutang frowned, "I don't remember him at all, how could he have been in the police station for six years?"

"Because he looks different every time he appears, I guess." Zhan Zhao smiled faintly, "And don't forget, there are some places that he doesn't necessarily have to go through the normal passageway to get to..."

Everyone in the room felt chills rise up behind them, thinking in unison of the vengeful ghost who hid in the attic to spy on the actions of his enemies in the novel 'White-Hair Ghost' by Edogawa Ranpo.

"You mean... he's been by our side the whole time?" Bai Yutang began to think quietly: indeed, from the beginning of this case through the development of the whole case, and the recent series of events that led to Zhan Zhao's kidnapping, the timing was just right, as if someone had been watching the whole case.

"Xiao Bai, find someone to ask around in the logistics department to see if this person called 'Du She' has resigned?" Zhan Zhao alerted Bai Yutang.

Bai Yutang called the police station and told Ma Han to personally ask at the logistics department, instructing him to be resourceful and find someone to ask for some information related to this Du She.

"Du She... Du She..." Luo Tian repeatedly recited a few times, and finally said faintly, "Viper…" (Angel: the name Du She and the word for viper sound the same, just have different tones.)

"Cat, what is going on?" Bai Yutang asked as he pulled a chair and sat down next to Zhan Zhao's bed.

"I've thought a lot about this case. If it wasn't for Lan Chenglin's personal grudge, Yang Yang and I would have been taken away already." Zhan Zhao slowly explained to the crowd, "It feels like we've been caught in a trap, but if this is a trap, then that means that it was a scam from the start of Jie Jie's hypnosis."

The crowd nodded. In fact, everyone had considered from the beginning that something may have gone wrong with the hypnosis, otherwise how could they have fallen for the trick?

"It is impossible for a person to lie to deceive the hypnotist when they are deeply hypnotised." Zhan Zhao said seriously, "Jie Jie is a mentally unsound person who cannot make subjective judgments on his own, but it is very difficult to tell such a person to lie because he does not have the logical ability to respond effectively to sudden changes. He is strong in action but not in thought."

"In other words, the hypnosis was successful, and the message obtained from Jie Jie's mouth was true." Bai Yutang nodded, "However, we and Bao Sir decided on this operation with only ten minutes to spare, and the only people who knew about it were just the few of us. There was only one way for anyone else to know the contents…"

"Eavesdropping!" Everyone spoke in unison. The man would have been nearby when they made the decision, probably in the very large central air conditioning duct above their heads... using his creepy bone crushing skills.

"And Lan Chenglin was rescued!" Zhan Zhao continued, "Lan Chenglin had previously been locked up in the police station's holding cell and it was simply impossible for him to escape by killing the guards on his own without the help of outside forces."

"If it was Du She who suddenly entered from above and worked with him..." Bai Chi nodded repeatedly, "Yes, that's the only explanation!"

"I think that his intention that day might not have been to eavesdrop on our plan of action, but to save someone." Zhan Zhao gently rubbed his chin, "Hearing our plan of action just happened to be a coincidence."

"You mean, he went to save Jie Jie?" Bai Yutang said, "It's possible, but he didn't think you'd hypnotise Jie Jie and ask for clues, and that we'd be going after Taber's lair as well, so he had to give up on Jie Jie first and inform Taber and the others instead. On the other hand, he found out that you didn't go with us, so he set up a trap like this, ready to take advantage of the opportunity to capture you and Yang Yang first."

"Lan Chenglin hates us and has an arrogant temperament that is not easy to control, so he is not the best person to execute a kidnapping!" Zhan Zhao continued "The fact that he was approached proves that the plan was rushed and he could only find someone close by."

"Lan Chenglin just escaped from the police station. Everyone thought he would be hiding far away, so he hid nearby." Bai Yutang frowned, "This Du She is thoughtful and has special abilities, he's really not easy to deal with!"

"Actually, what I'm most worried about isn't this..." Zhan Zhao seemed a little hesitant, and everyone looked at him. At that moment, Jiang Ping's computer beeped.

"It's a video communication from Ma Han's end." Jiang Ping clicked on the screen, "There's probably news."

"Head!" The screen on the display showed Ma Han and Gongsun holding documents.

"Well?" Bai Yutang asked.

"I went there just now, and the one named Du She quit two days ago." Ma Han said, "I just asked the manager of the logistics department, and they said that this Du She, known as Du Laoshi, was usually very proper, even a bit foolish, so others often asked him to transfer shifts."

"Who has he transferred shifts with?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Quite a few." Ma Han took out the list and flipped through it, "But I noticed that he switched with the officers from the parking lot most often."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked at each other – could he have put that photo there?

"Does he have children, more than one?" Zhan Zhao suddenly asked.

Ma Han was a little surprised and nodded, "It is said that this man is quite easy-going, and from time to time he would bring a few different children with him. When asked, he would say that they were all relatives'."

"Sure enough..." Zhan Zhao sighed and leaned back on the pillow behind him.

"Cat, what's wrong?" Bai Yutang was a little worried.

Zhan Zhao frowned and said, "Do you still have that photo with you?"

Bai Yutang took out the photo and handed it to Zhan Zhao.

"As I said last time, the handwriting on the back of this photo was written by a child..." Zhan Zhao said in a low voice.

"A child?" Everyone had a bad feeling about this.

"Think about it, there's only one true 2-12-11, which means the only two people in this world with that kind of supernatural ability are Luo Tian and Du She... So where did Jie Jie come from?"

"Cultivated later in life..." Bai Yutang's face was grim, "The experiment is still going on?"

Zhan Zhao nodded, and the crowd fell silent.

"Ahem..." On the screen, Gongsun coughed softly, and everyone's attention moved back to the screen once again.

"I've done some systematic checks on Jie Jie." Gongsun opened a file in his hand, "His body is in rapid decline."

"Declining?" Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked at each other in disbelief.

"His internal organ functions are very disordered and his bone mass is close to that of someone over seventy..." Gongsun raised his head, "I did the corresponding examination on Luo Tian last time and his health condition was not like this, his system is what a person of his age should have."

"What's going on?" Everyone looked at each other.

"It's because it was sped up... probably!" Gongsun closed the document and said, "It's like how if the average person takes a few years to lose twenty pounds, it won't affect their health, but if they force themselves to lose twenty pounds in a few days, it will seriously jeopardise their health. Moreover, any function that goes against human physiology is harmful to us."

"So the experiment, turning from an adult to a child..." Bai Chi blushed furiously, "but, if this matter has anything to do with Taber..."

"That's right!" Gongsun nodded, "I think those who are interested in children are those who are intoxicated with experiments, which equates to technology development and preparation for the future. But for someone like Taber, practicality is the main thing! If there was a way to make an adult so obedient and combative in a short time, he could really turn the world upside down."

"But Jie Jie obviously succeeded physically, not mentally!" Bai Yutang said in a cold voice, "So they tried to kidnap Cat!"

"That day, Leonard also wanted Jie Jie..." Zhan Zhao looked at Bai Yutang, "Remember the man sitting in his car?"

Bai Yutang nodded. In fact, he and Zhan Zhao both had a strong feeling that the person sitting in that car was Zhao Jue...

"Gongsun," Bai Yutang suddenly turned his head to the display and said, "do you still remember the other day, the pile of information I put together about the gangster who was killed?"

Gongsun nodded.

"Help me sort it out and see if the shot... has any categorical characteristics."

"Categorical characteristics?" Gongsun thought for a moment and nodded with understanding, "Ah~~ I see, do you suspect that there were many of the so-called Dark Night Punisher, and although they were all shot in the head, perhaps each one had a different technique?"

Bai Yutang nodded, "Yes! Everyone has their own shooting distance, technique, and habits!"

"I can help with this!" Ma Han said, "But the work is rather immense!"

"We'll do it as soon as we can!" Gongsun came up to the display and instructed Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, "You two are wounded, rest well and leave everything to us."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao nodded as Gongsun switched off the display screen.

Afterwards, Bai Yutang immediately called Bao Zheng and told him a general description of the case and the fact that someone had infiltrated the police station's logistics department.

After Bao Zheng hung up the phone, he immediately ordered a thorough investigation of the logistics department, checked all the ventilation ducts, sealed off the entrances, checked all the surveillance cameras, and issued a nationwide wanted notice for Du She.

Seeing Bai Yutang hang up the phone, Zhan Zhao raised his head to look at him, "Xiao Bai, do you think that this Dark Night Punisher is simply a front?"

Bai Yutang nodded, "I think that maybe all those thugs that were killed were just prey used to train the killing abilities of those experiments!"

"Using people for experiments and training them from a young age?" Luo Tian, who hadn't spoken for a long time, shook his head, "It's really that style of experimentation."

"Cat, do you already have a plan?" Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao.

Without speaking, Zhan Zhao nodded gently and pulled out his phone, searching for a phone number.

After sending a quick text message, Zhan Zhao closed the phone and whispered, "I do have a solution."

"What?" Everyone asked.

Zhan Zhao smiled, "However, it requires someone's help."

There was a long silence before Bai Yutang asked, "Zhao Jue?"

Zhan Zhao did not answer, but instead asked, "Do you know what method of exterminating rats is the most effective?"

"Exterminating rats?" Bai Chi was somewhat unable to follow Zhan Zhao's train of thought.

"First catch the most lethal rat, then block its anus, feed it food frantically, and just when it's hanging on for dear life, let it go back into the rat hole... and he'll kill all the other rats in the hole!" A slightly hoarse but smiling voice came from the doorway.

Everyone looked towards the door in unison, and saw a person walking through the doorway with long hair tied behind his head. He was looking at Zhan Zhao with a smile on his face, and gently shook the hand holding his phone as if to greet him – Zhao Jue.

"It's you?" Bai Chi called out with some surprise.

"You know him?" Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao both looked at Bai Chi in surprise.

"I..." Before Bai Chi could answer, Zhao Jue had already walked in, raised his hand to naturally stroke Bai Chi's hair and kissed him on the forehead, turning his face to look at Zhan Zhao, "To deal with rats, it's natural to use the rats themselves."

The crowd did not say anything, but looked at the door with strange expressions. When Zhao Jue turned his head back, he saw Zhao Zhen, who had stood in the doorway at some point, frowning at him with frighteningly cold eyes.

Bai Yutang felt that the atmosphere was weird, so he looked at Zhan Zhao – What's the situation?

Zhan Zhao raised his eyebrows at him – I don't know, but the situation seemed complicated.

Zhao Jue withdrew his hand and smiled at Zhao Zhen, "You've grown so big..."

Zhao Zhen was silent for a moment, then turned around, exited the room and walked away.

"Ah, hey!" Bai Chi felt strange. He looked at Zhao Jue and then at Zhan Zhao and the others, and finally chased after him.

Seeing Bai Chi disappear in the blink of an eye, Zhao Jue shrugged his shoulders and winked at Zhan Zhao, "Looks like the joke's out of control."

"Stop talking nonsense, let's get started as soon as possible!" Zhan Zhao said, lifting the blanket and getting out of bed. He grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom to change out of his hospital gown.

"Cat?" Bai Yutang frowned.

"Xiao Bai, let's go back to the police station, there's no time to waste!"

Bai Yutang eventually nodded and picked up his car keys.

Zhao Jue went downstairs with the others, looking at Zhan Zhao and then at the gauze on Bai Yutang's hand, and his face turned ugly as he reached out and rubbed his chin, seemingly thinking of something. Luo Yang who was beside him kept looking at him curiously, speculating in his mind how old this good-looking uncle really was. As he was watching, he saw Zhao Jue lowering his head and smiling at him.

Inexplicably, Luo Yang felt that his smile was a bit scary and involuntarily leaned towards Luo Tian's side.

Luo Tian raised his hand, picked Luo Yang up and gave Zhao Jue a cold look.

Zhao Jue sighed and moved forward to put his hand on Bai Yutang's shoulder, as if to pout, "Why do they all hate me?"

Bai Yutang reached out and slapped away Zhao Jue's hand from his shoulder, saying in a cold voice, "I hate you too."

Zhao Jue seemed to be angry and said, "I don't care, all the ones surnamed Bai hate me, I hate the ones surnamed Bai too!" After saying that, he turned the corner and got into another car parked at the side of the road, waving his hand to Zhan Zhao, "I'll wait for you at the police station."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Translated: February 22, 2023 by Angel

Edited: March 11, 2023 by Angel