S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 4 Chapter 66

Ghost Ship Murderer 30 – Stormy Sea

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It was only when Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang rushed to the Lin family's residence that they realised the seriousness of the matter.

In order to prevent Lin Ruo from slipping away again, and of course for his son's safety, Lin Qianci had arranged for a dozen or so specially trained bodyguards to keep him safe.

Everyone in the house was there that night, just in different rooms, but the alarm system didn't go off. No one knew what had happened until the butler went to bring Lin Ruo a snack, only to find the door to the young master's room open, with a corpse at the door, and scrambled to tell Lin Qianci.

Lin Qianci immediately called Bao Zheng for help.

Gongsun examined the body and frowned, "It was a gunshot."

"But we didn't hear a gunshot..." the butler couldn't understand it, and felt dreadful when he thought about it.

"There may have been a silencer. The question is..." Bai Yutang walked over to the window and looked, "there's an alarm system, how did the person get up here?

The lights in the Lin house were bright and the view was good, and it was almost impossible for a large group of people to sneak in.

"Head." Over the intercom, a message came from Ma Han and Zhao Hu who had gone to check the security system at the entrance, "The security system has been compromised, and the technique is very professional."

"It was done by an expert... All the previous attacks were to kill Lin Ruo, why did they want to capture him alive this time?" Bai Yutang didn't quite understand.

"Hmm..." Zhan Zhao couldn't figure it out either.

"Will Chengji be in danger?" Father Lin was usually in great spirits, with a successful entrepreneur's demeanour, but now his whole figure was so haggard that he seemed to have aged instantly... Lin Ruo was his only son and the pride of his life, if anything happened to him, it would be unimaginable.

Zhan Zhao suddenly stared at Lin Qianci.

Their eyes met, and Lin Qianci froze.

Zhan Zhao asked, "Uncle, can you think of anyone who might harm Lin Ruo?"

"Uh, I..." Lin Qianci shook his head blankly.

"I'm not asking you to think of evidence or someone you caught red handed." Zhan Zhao said, "All parents have some intuition, who is the first person you think of when something happens to Lin Ruo?"

"Han Wei."

Before Lin Qianci could say anything, Mrs. Lin suddenly interjected.

Lin Qianci looked at his wife.

Mrs. Lin was a talented woman in a famous family, she was usually dignified and elegant, she was very gentle, with a sense of compassion that had never hurt a blade of grass.

Zhan Zhao looked at her, "You guys are against Lin Ruo and Han Wei's relationship, aren't you?"

Both parents nodded their heads at the same time.

"Why? Because of the class difference?"

"Of course not!" Lin Qianci hurriedly shook his head.

"Then why are you opposed to them interacting?" Bai Yutang wondered.

"Do you think Han Wei is interested in Lin Ruo?" Zhan Zhao asked tentatively.

Father Lin continued to shake his head, "I'm aware of Chengji's circumstances, there are not few men and women who are interested in him. He handles it very well on his own, so I've never interfered."

"Then why?"

"Intuition." Father Lin was helpless, "I have seen a lot of people, lived a whole lifetime, what big wind and waves have I not seen. Han Wei, this young man, is very refined, very modest, very gentle, very harmless... but I do not know why, when I see him, I always feel that he will change Chengji, and I feel very uneasy when I see him."

Mother Lin nodded, "When Chengji first brought him to meet with us, I was scared, I always felt that there seemed to be something wrong with this young man. Afterwards, when I spoke to my husband, surprisingly we both felt the same way."

Bai Yutang nodded and told Luo Tian to go to the hospital to find Han Wei.

Zhan Zhao asked Father Lin and Mother Lin in detail about some things regarding Han Wei, while the rest of SCI investigated the scene for clues, and Gongsun and Ma Xin did a preliminary autopsy.

And Zhao Jue, with his hands in his pockets, stood in front of the painting Lin Ruo had painted in the living room, tilting his face to admire it.

"I heard it was painted by Lin Ruo." Bai Chi walked up to Zhao Jue and also tilted his head to look at the painting.

Zhao Jue turned his face, looked at Xiao Bai Chi, and asked with a smile, "What? Are you worried about Lin Ruo?"

Bai Chi nodded, a little embarrassed, "He reminds me of Zhen."

"Are they similar?" Zhao Jue wondered.

"Yes." Bai Chi nodded, "There are such people in this world, who seem to be good at everything they want to do, and are smart, good looking, born well, good hearted, and what everyone wants, but they don't seem to care, and they prefer something that everyone thinks doesn't match them... or someone. "

Zhao Jue stared at Bai Chi for a while, then padded over and gave him a kiss on the head, "Who says you're not a good match for him? It's that idiot who doesn't deserve you, you can look at it as if he's found a treasure."

Bai Chi rubbed his forehead and muttered, "Nonsense," then went to the side to continue looking for clues.

Zhao Jue touched his nose and raised his eyes to look at the painting once more.

Zhan Zhao had also heard the conversation between Zhao Jue and Bai Chi and seemed to be thinking about it, as he walked over and stood beside him, looking up at the painting.

The two stood silently in front of the painting, looking at the same painting with the same expression, that is, without any expression. The two pairs of beautiful eyes, each with its own characteristics, reflected the stormy waves in the painting.

Bai Yutang walked over and stood next to the two, "Can you two provide some useful clues, now is not the time to pose."

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue looked back at Bai Yutang together, "Have you ever felt inferior?"

Bai Yutang frowned, "What?"

"Inferiority." Once again, Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue spoke together.

Bai Yutang looked at the sky, "No."

"Sure enough." The two nodded silently, and once again tilted their faces up, continuing to look at the painting.

"Hey." Bai Yutang snapped his fingers in front of the two men's eyes, "Any clue as to who kidnapped Lin Ruo and if he's in danger?"

"Hmm..." Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue's movements were very synchronised, it seemed that just now the two of them were not considering the issue of Lin Ruo's safety at all, but something else. This time, their thoughts were pulled back and after three seconds of consideration, they shook their heads, "Not yet."

Bai Yutang held his forehead, and at that moment, his phone rang.

Bai Yutang answered and it was Luo Tian calling, giving the group the news – Han Wei had left the hospital on his own and his whereabouts were unknown.

Bai Yutang frowned, "He can walk now? Isn't he still in physiotherapy?"

"Qin Ou and I watched the surveillance footage from the hallway and he walked on his own, with slightly awkward movements, but later on, the more he walked, the smoother his movement became." Luo Tian replied, "He left as soon as it got dark. After leaving the hospital, he walked into an alleyway on foot and we lost track of him."

Bai Yutang frowned and told Luo Tian to inform everyone to look for Han Wei.

"Is that even possible? He was lying in bed for eight years, and as soon as he recovered, he immediately got up and left..." Bai Yutang frowned at Zhan Zhao, "Could he have woken up a long time ago?"

"There are so many people watching in the hospital, how is it possible?" Zhan Zhao shook his head, "If he fell asleep, he could not have controlled himself to be motionless like someone in a coma, unless..."

"Unless what?" Bai Yutang saw that Lin Ruo's parents were dying of anxiety, and patted Zhan Zhao, which meant – You're keeping me guessing to take care of the old man, if he has a heart attack, I don't know whether or not there is nitroglycerin.

Zhan Zhao said in a low voice, "I'm not keeping you guessing, I just haven't figured it all out yet."

"So what about now, have you figured it out?" Bai Yutang urged him.

"Almost." Zhan Zhao poked Bai Yutang, "Let's go."

"Where?"

"To the sea." Zhan Zhao grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him away.

The SCI crowd was uncertain, but they followed anyway.

After the crowd gathered back at the police station, they got fully equipped and returned to the Emilia fully armed, bringing with them the young girl in the white dress from the ship, who Zhao Jue had just made cry.

She had been crying for a while, but after Bai Chi had brought her a cup of milk tea to coax her, she stopped crying. She drank the milk tea and ate two pieces of cake, as if she had a sweet tooth.

Everyone wondered if they should put handcuffs on her. She was an innocent and lean young girl with big eyes, very well-behaved and pitiful, and seemed to be a bit malnourished.

Ma Xin tried washing her face with a hot towel, and she cooperated, obediently staying by Zhao Jue's side, obedient like a lost puppy that had finally found its owner.

Zhan Zhao looked at Zhao Jue with some suspicion.

Zhao Jue smiled faintly and reached out, gently touching the girl's head, and the young girl immediately leaned against his arm in a very receptive manner, meekly keeping quiet.

Zhao Hu didn't quite believe it and asked Ma Han in a low voice, "She can kill people? I don't believe that."

Ma Han also found it unbelievable.

Zhao Jue reached out, pointed to an iron pipe that was the thickness of a bowl to one side, squatted down and whispered something to the young girl.

The crowd couldn't quite understand it, it was probably German, as it sounded a bit like that tone.

The young girl reached out and grabbed the water pipe, and when she smashed it, the pipe bent.

This time, even Luo Tian was a bit dumbfounded, looking in amazement at the young girl who was so powerful that she made you feel frightened, how could it be?!

Zhao Hu opened his mouth wide and went to try. The pipe simply could not be bent. This strength was too terrifying, wasn't it? Especially with the young girl's slender arms, was she eating spinach?

Bai Yutang frowned at the girl and asked Zhao Jue, "Who is she?"

Zhao Jue picked up one side of his mouth and smiled, but did not speak.

Zhan Zhao pulled Bai Yutang, "Let's talk about it later, let's get to business first."

"You give me directions instead." Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao helplessly. This time, their brain waves weren't working, Bai Yutang really couldn't figure out what Zhan Zhao had discovered and how to save Lin Ruo.

"There are some things you really don't understand." Zhan Zhao patted Bai Yutang's shoulder, "Didn't I ask you earlier, have you ever felt inferior?"

Bai Yutang was puzzled – Where did that come from?

"Call Stephen." Zhan Zhao said, "Tell him that Lin Ruo is missing, that he was violently kidnapped, and ask him if he has any clues."

Bai Yutang did as he was told.

After Stephen heard about it, he was silent for a while before saying, "I don't know."

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao in surprise – Weren't Stephen and Lin Ruo very good friends? Why was he so indifferent?

Zhan Zhao gestured for Bai Yutang to continue – Sure enough, Stephen changed the subject, "Have you finished checking my ship?"

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao nodded and mouthed – Give him back his ship!

Bai Yutang had no choice but to tell Stephen, "It was a misunderstanding, the inspection has been completed, and no dangerous goods or contraband were found on board."

Stephen was dissatisfied, "You guys have wasted a lot of my time, and I can't stand looking at Lin Ruo." After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Bai Yutang frowned at Zhan Zhao, "And then?"

"And then wait." Zhan Zhao pointed to the hatch that led to the Emilia inside the ship.

Everyone recoiled a little at the thought of the bizarre Emilia, but had no choice but to descend into the ship.

Zhan Zhao told Zhao Zhen and Bai Chi to stay up top, restore the ship to its original appearance and then leave the ship to go find Bao Zheng.

Zhao Zhen did as he was told and after restoring the ship, he took Bai Chi and left, leaving only Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang, Zhao Jue, the young girl, Luo Tian, Qin Ou, Ma Han and Zhao Hu in the cabin.

It wasn't difficult to solve the mechanism of the Emilia, using a few bullets to jam the main some of the key positions, the corridors in the ship would not shift.

The young girl pulled Zhao Jue and ran to the room with the lunch box, which seemed to be her room. She took out a notebook from the drawer and sat down to play go with Zhao Jue.

Qin Ou took out an iron box that Jiang Ping had given him before leaving, opened it and found that inside was a communication system with a superb signal, as well as a positioning system and another system that seemed to be a simple radar signal display. Is the Emilia equipped with radar above? The coordinate course and everything was clear.

Apart from Jiang Ping, Qin Ou was the most proficient in the operation of electronic equipment, and he quickly connected with Jiang Ping. It turned out that Jiang Ping and Bao Zheng were both at the port, together with the marine police, ready to go.

The crowd didn't really understand what they were going to do when everything was ready, and Zhan Zhao just gestured – Wait.

Zhao Jue and the young girl were having a good time playing go, and the young girl was surprisingly lively.

Bai Yutang was a little puzzled and asked Zhan Zhao, "Do these two know each other?"

Zhan Zhao crossed his arms, "Not exactly, but she should be Blue Doll."

"Then isn't she the real Emilia?" Bai Yutang was surprised, "Back then..."

"Blue Doll is just a code name, the finished products developed by Project Blue are all called Blue Doll, she may not be the one from back then."

As Bai Yutang was puzzled, the ground suddenly shifted and Zhao Hu stumbled.

"Huh?" Ma Han looked around and asked, "Am I imagining things?"

"No." Zhan Zhao calmly shook his head.

"The boat moved?!" Luo Tian frowned, "Who's driving the boat?"

"Stephen... and his group." Zhan Zhao gave a tip to the young girl who was scratching her head and couldn't think of what to do next, and she immediately drew dots happily, blocking Zhao Jue's nearly connected four dots. Zhan Zhao nodded, the young girl had an average intelligence, she wasn't stupid, but she was naive.

"Where is Stephan sailing to?" Zhao Hu asked.

"I'm not sure where he is going." Zhan Zhao almost made the crowd vomit blood with one sentence.

"But he can lead us to Lin Ruo." Zhan Zhao was certain, and asked Zhao Jue, "Isn't that right?"

Zhao Jue nodded, "Yes."

Everyone looked back at Bai Yutang in unison, completely baffled.

Bai Yutang frowned and stared at Zhan Zhao for a moment before suddenly saying, "I understand."

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue both laughed.

"Captain." Zhao Hu was relieved that someone who could speak a human language understood, so he immediately tugged on Bai Yutang, "Translate it into Chinese."

The others nodded.

Bai Yutang said, "In that painting of Lin Ruo's, apart from the stormy sea, there is also the sky, and there are stars in the sky. There is no signature at the bottom, but there is a date... so the latitude and longitude coordinates can be deduced."

Everyone was slightly stunned.

"That might be the location of the sea where Lin Ruo first encountered the Emilia, and Stephen should be able to work out the exact location by the position of the stars and the time of year." Bai Yutang looked at the young girl sitting at the table playing go with Zhao Jue, "So that's what's going on."

"This isn't human language!" Zhao Hu urged, "Be more human, vernacular language not literary language thank you!"

Bai Yutang looked at him and said, "I have never felt inferior, neither has Father Lin or Mother Lin. Most people who have never felt inferior don't know awe because they are omnipotent and have never been powerless. Lin Ruo has seen the sea swallow his friends, he has seen Emilia and the ghost ship, he is a proud son of the heaven yet he is powerless and deeply in awe. That painting, it shows his feeling of inferiority to the stormy waves, so what he can see, Father Lin and Mother Lin cannot."

Everyone hollered, "Please explain it in Chinese!"

Bai Yutang laughed, "The parents' intuition may not be accurate either, because their perspective of thinking is fundamentally different."

......

"Win!"

At this point, the young girl suddenly gave a cheerful shout. It turned out that she had won against Zhao Jue in a game of go.

Zhao Jue smiled and stroked her head, giving her chocolate as a reward, while leisurely saying, "Those surnamed Bai, they are just annoying!"

......

In the distance, several marine police boats and speedboats were ready.

Bao Zheng took his binoculars and watched Stephen and the others quietly board the ship before the Emilia left the dock silently and sailed into the darkness of the ocean.

Bao Zheng put down the binoculars and asked the man beside him, "Is it really going to be okay?"

The man beside him leaned against the helm of the ship and smoked, nodding, "Mhmm."

"Are you sure?"

"Yutang is with them, it'll be fine." These words were uttered by a person with a nearly identical profile to that of Bai Yutang, and Bao Zheng subconsciously shook his head.

Bao Zheng sighed and turned to the head of the marine police unit that was cooperating with the operation, "Proceed according to what was planned beforehand."

‿︵‿︵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: June 25, 2023 by Angel

Edited: July 7, 2023 by Angel