S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 189

Special Files – Witches 36 – Ability

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Zhan Zhao looked at his phone in confusion, he still couldn't quite understand the situation.

After reading the note, Bai Ye said to Zhan Zhao, "I'll contact you once I find him."

With that, Bai Ye hung up.

Bai Yutang and Gongsun both asked Zhan Zhao what had happened.

Zhan Zhao replied, "According to Bai Ye, Zhao Jue left a note and ran away from home."

Bai Yutang found it baffling. "Where would a retired old man run off to?"

Zhan Zhao was equally dissatisfied. "Bao Sir still expects us to follow his orders to catch the seventh generation, yet he himself has run off, it's ridiculous!"

"When did he run away?" Gongsun asked curiously.

Zhan Zhao shrugged. "Bai Ye said he didn't know."

Gongsun blinked and asked, "Don't they sleep together?"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both froze. They exchanged a look and fell into deep thought. "Well..."

At the villa, Bai Ye hung up the phone and walked over to check the windows.

All the windows in the room were closed. He opened one and looked out… Below was a garden, with many flower seedlings planted in the flower bed along the wall. If Zhao Jue had climbed out the window, he would have stepped on the seedlings... but there weren't any footprints in the flower bed. Clearly, Zhao Jue hadn't climbed out the window.

Moreover, Bai Ye found it strange. Who would stop him if he wanted to leave? Why sneak away?

Taking out his phone, Bai Ye intended to check the surveillance footage, but after a moment, he felt something was off... There seemed to be another breathing sound in the room...

Putting his phone away, Bai Ye thought for a moment, then quickly walked to the bedside and squatted down.

He saw a sleeping bag under the bed.

Bai Ye was speechless. He reached out and pulled the sleeping bag out... Zhao Jue, wearing an eye mask, was sound asleep inside.

Bai Ye removed his eye mask, took out his phone, and took a photo of Zhao Jue, who was yawning and crawling out of the sleeping bag, and sent it to Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao, Gongsun and Bai Yutang were already in Bai Yutang's car, heading to the hotel where the Bai Group was hosting a celebration banquet. Seeing the photo, Zhan Zhao looked to the sky and rolled his eyes.

Bai Yutang asked, "Found him?"

"Under the bed," Zhan Zhao bristled.

"Why fake a disappearance?" Gongsun was puzzled.

"Probably playing tricks on Bai Ye," Zhan Zhao said disdainfully. He wanted to complain about Zhao Jue but, on second thought, seemed to realise something and rubbed his chin, letting out an "Oh."

Gongsun and Bai Yutang both asked, "What now?"

"Maybe we were too presumptive," Zhan Zhao muttered to himself.

"Presumptive about what?"

"Xiao Yumi is a seventh-generation baby, a finished product," Zhan Zhao asked Gongsun, "From a doctor's perspective, is it easier to advance the onset of someone's heart disease or to cure it?"

The question stumped Gongsun. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's like asking whether it's easier to find a hundred pounds on the ground or earn it... If there's money on the ground, of course, it's easier to pick it up. But most of the time, there's no money on the ground. If someone has a congenital disease, from a genetic modification perspective, rather than inducing the disease to manifest earlier, altering the genes through selective breeding so the child is born without the congenital disease... should be easier, or more feasible."

Gongsun quickly understood what Zhan Zhao meant by being presumptive. "We were a bit too hasty... Just like no one knows if a child will have superpowers when they grow up, you can't tell if a baby is a seventh-generation just by looking at them. Maybe Xiao Yumi is just an ordinary baby with congenital heart disease, marked with a string of numbers and a symbol. It just so happens that we were investigating the seventh generation, the child was handed over to us, and someone tried to murder the child at the hospital... so we assumed the child was a seventh-generation experimental subject."

"To know if this child is really seventh-generation, we'll have to wait until she grows up," Zhan Zhao said as he dialled Zhao Jue's number again.

This time, it connected.

On the other end, Zhao Jue was having breakfast. "Kitty."

"What did you find?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Zhao Jue sent the data he had received yesterday to Zhan Zhao. "I previously took a blood sample from Xiao Yumi and gave it to Fu Ying for analysis. It turns out, she's just an ordinary child with congenital heart disease."

Zhan Zhao frowned, as expected...

Bai Yutang couldn't decide if he was relieved or slightly disappointed. "So, Xiao Yumi is a fake seventh generation? If we cure her illness, she'll be an ordinary person?"

Zhan Zhao nodded.

"Why disguise the child as a seventh-generation and send her to Xu Lie then?" Gongsun asked. "Going to such lengths, could it be to lure someone out?"

Bai Yutang thought it was possible. "That fake doctor had a criminal record. He clearly was hired for this job but said nothing, pretending to be mentally ill the whole time."

Gongsun was annoyed. "Using that trick?"

He glanced at Zhan Zhao. "Split him when you have time! Or let Zhao Jue do it!"

Zhan Zhao thought it was a good idea and asked Zhao Jue if he was going to the Bai Group.

Zhao Jue said he'd go after breakfast.

After hanging up, they continued analysing. Gongsun was curious, "Who would they go to such lengths to lure out? Su Feifei?"

"Su Feifei went to see Xiao Yumi with Xu Lie on a whim, but the fake doctor was pre-arranged to steal the child. He only threw the child out of the window after being chased. It seems... Su Feifei wasn't the target," Zhan Zhao shook his head. "Su Feifei's split personality emerged when she went to the Shen family's basement. The day she appeared to rescue Xiao Yumi, it seemed like it was Shen Yan's personality."

"Speaking of split personalities," Gongsun asked a question he had wanted to ask for many years, "Can it be faked?"

"It's not impossible..." Zhan Zhao's answer was surprising.

"Fool both you and Zhao Jue?" Bai Yutang found it hard to believe.

"Relying on what? Acting skills?" Gongsun thought it might be similar to an actor playing multiple roles.

"Of course it's not just acting; there's a difference between real and fake..." Zhan Zhao said, then made an ambiguous sound. "Could Zhao Jue's performance art have this layer of meaning?"

Bai Yutang and Gongsun didn't understand.

"If Bai Ye was looking for someone, could they hide under the bed?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Bai Yutang and Gongsun thought about it. "Apart from Zhao Jue, it would be difficult for anyone else... Zhao Jue has hidden for a long time before, and Bai Ye couldn't find him anywhere. This probably isn't the first time he's done it."

"You have to be capable to deceive," Zhan Zhao explained. "For instance, if Yutang walked out of the kitchen with a box and said he made a cake, everyone would believe it. On the contrary, if I walked out with a box saying I made a cake, no one would believe it."

Bai Yutang and Gongsun frowned. "Are you suggesting Su Feifei has the ability for split personalities?"

"I've seen some experimental plans left by the organisation back then, split personalities were once considered a direction," Zhan Zhao pointed to his head. "Our brains have many unexplored functions, some only used in special circumstances, functions most people never utilise in their lifetime. The formation of split personalities is very similar. The brain creates a personality intending to help the main body, and it's somewhat useful. Moreover, humans aren't constant creatures, they're very changeable. 'Like a different person' is a common occurrence. Split personality becomes a psychological disorder because it's uncontrollable. Many psychological issues are troubling because they're uncontrollable. If controllable, they become abilities."

"Abilities..." Bai Yutang drove into the Bai Group's underground garage, marvelling. "If someone had such an ability, it would indeed be convenient."

"But it seems very difficult," Gongsun imagined. "Because between personalities, as long as they're not controlling the body, they have no memory, right?"

"That problem isn't hard to solve. You need a skilled manager and a small habit," Zhan Zhao said, opening the car door. "Keep a diary. As long as each personality records their actions well, no mistakes will occur."

"What if one personality doesn't cooperate..." Bai Yutang walked into the elevator with Zhan Zhao and Gongsun. Though he was teasing, he suddenly recalled something. "Earlier, didn't the 'aunt' managing Su Feifei's personalities mention that 'Shen Yan doesn't cooperate'?"

Zhan Zhao smiled. "Ding Ying told Guan Yi that a seventh-generation test subject had gone out of control, a child only five or six years old..."

Bai Yutang and Gongsun looked at Zhan Zhao in shock. "Are you saying the out-of-control seventh-generation isn't a whole person, but a personality?"

"The Shen family's youngest daughter is that age. Shen Xin's ex-wife, Wang Hua, also mentioned that the Shen family has a genetic predisposition for split personalities. Shen Yan inherited the personality of the Shen family's youngest daughter, who is five or six years old," Zhan Zhao explained. "A five-year-old child can't harm anyone due to physical limitations, but a five-year-old personality is different..."

"So, Su Feifei is also a seventh-generation test subject?!" Bai Yutang and Gongsun were now completely confused.

"The focus of the seventh-generation issue isn't really Su Feifei," Zhan Zhao waved his hand. "The crucial clue to the seventh-generation that Ding Ying gave Zhao Jue is the witch's painting, indicating that it's either Che Dongming or the Leapfrog Killer. Since the Leapfrog Killer isn't seventh-generation... it must be Che Dongming."

Gongsun and Bai Yutang were bewildered. "Didn't Che Dongming die five years ago?"

After asking, they exchanged glances – Another five years?

As they were talking, the elevator chimed and the doors opened.

Ahead, the banquet hall sounded lively, with waiters pushing food carts by.

Several security guards lined the corridor. Seeing the elevator doors open, they all looked over nervously, but relaxed upon seeing the three of them.

A sign standing at the banquet hall entrance listed the day's schedule, including the celebration banquet and press conference... and mentioned needing a work pass to enter the banquet hall.

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao – Could they get in without a work pass?

Zhan Zhao gestured to Gongsun – What do you need a work pass for when you have Gongsun?

Sure enough, the security guards hurried over to open the door for Gongsun.

The three entered the banquet hall, which wasn't crowded, it was mostly film crew members.

Su Feifei, Xu Lie, Tony, the director and the screenwriter each had their own table for media interviews.

Other crew members were drinking and chatting, while the twins were mingling, socialising easily with everyone.

Xiao Ding saw Zhan Zhao and the others and came over with a drink. "So early? The celebration banquet isn't until lunch."

Bai Yutang took a USB drive Jiang Ping had given him and said he was going to the surveillance room.

Xiao Ding had the security chief at the door take him to the surveillance room.

Gongsun seized the opportunity to run to the top floor to find Bai Jintang.

Zhan Zhao strolled around the banquet hall, observing everyone's expressions and behaviour.

Just then, the elevator doors opened again, and Zhao Jue and Bai Ye arrived.

Zhao Jue sauntered into the banquet hall, immediately catching Zhan Zhao's eye – Didn't you disappear? Only dogs crawl under beds!

Zhao Jue grinned mischievously – Wasn't it a clue for you?

Zhan Zhao looked at the sky – Making it unnecessarily complicated.

As they silently spat at each other, their eyes soon fixed on the same person.

‿︵‿︵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 24, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 23, 2024 by Soojin