S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 6 Chapter 1

The Card Murderer 01 – Campground

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On the highway leading out of S City, a silver-grey compact SUV was exiting the toll station.

Inside the car sat a man and a woman, both appearing to be in their thirties.

The man, who was driving, had a head of black curly hair and was dressed in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.

The woman in the passenger seat had shoulder-length, straight reddish-brown hair. She was wearing a white sweater and jeans, along with a pair of red-framed glasses, and was checking the navigation on her phone.

"Turn right at the intersection ahead," the woman pointed down the road.

The man followed her directions, turning right off the highway onto a winding mountain road.

The road was full of potholes, so the man slowed down, driving cautiously. As he did, he asked the woman beside him, "Are you sure we're on the right track?"

"The navigation says to go this way," the woman sounded somewhat irritable as she rolled down the window to let the wind in.

"Is it over there?" The man gestured forward.

Up ahead, a tunnel came into view, with the word "Bird" displayed at the entrance.

"Ah, yes!" The woman nodded. "Go through the tunnel, then drive another five hundred metres."

As the woman spoke, she retrieved a notebook from her bag.

It was a black leather-bound planner, already half-filled.

The woman flipped to a specific page and pointed at a written address, as if double-checking the details.

After passing through the tunnel, the car slowed down. Beyond it lay a forested area, and they continued along a narrow road flanked by dense trees.

The woods on either side were dense. Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting shifting patches of light across the car's windscreen.

They hadn't driven far before a parking lot came into view ahead.

On a gentle dirt slope beside the mountain, several vehicles were parked.

Beyond the parking lot was a campground on the outskirts of S City.

The campground was divided into two sections: the lower area consisted of a vast open plain filled with numerous tents, while the upper area extended up the mountainside, where a few villas were scattered.

After parking, the two of them retrieved their suitcases from the trunk and headed towards a small café at the entrance of the campground to check in.

Inside the café, a few customers were sipping coffee. A middle-aged man, who introduced himself as the campground manager, greeted them. "Do you have a reservation?"

The man nodded and gave a phone number.

The manager entered the number into the computer, and soon, the reservation details appeared on the screen: the man was called Zhang Yuancheng, and the woman was called Liu Jing.

After verifying their identities, the manager asked, "You've booked the honeymoon villa at the top of the mountain for two nights?"

"That's right." The man named Zhang Yuancheng nodded.

Meanwhile, the woman named Liu Jing simply sat on one of the suitcases behind him, scrolling through her phone.

The manager glanced at the two of them but made no comment as he proceeded with the check-in.

It was peak camping season, and this campground was particularly popular, a well-known social media hotspot. The villas were even harder to book and came at a steep price.

The honeymoon villas were typically occupied by newlywed couples, whom the manager had seen plenty of, and they were usually very affectionate. But today's pair seemed odd, they weren't interacting at all... were they in the middle of an argument?

Gossip was gossip, but the manager couldn't care less. After completing the check-in process, he handed the couple two sets of keys with their villa number and instructed a staff member to escort them to their room.

Dragging their suitcases, the two followed the staff member up the mountain.

Partway there, Liu Jing's phone rang.

She answered the call, listened for a moment, and then replied irritably, "Mom, just leave it alone, we'll handle it. Yes, yes, I know."

She ended the call somewhat impatiently.

Zhang Yuancheng, having overheard, turned back to ask, "Is it about marriage counselling again?"

"Tsk, it's so annoying." Liu Jing's tone remained exasperated. "It seems like someone introduced her to some psychologist."

Zhang Yuancheng chuckled.

The staff member unlocked the villa door and led them inside, giving them a brief rundown of the campground's meal times and available activities. He also reminded them not to enter the forest at the back alone, as it was easy to get lost.

After finishing the introduction, the staff member stepped outside. As he was closing the door, he heard Liu Jing ask Zhang Yuancheng, "When is the lawyer arriving?"

"Tomorrow."

"Then we'll sign the divorce papers tomorrow."

......

The staff member shut the door and hurried off, only to run into a colleague. The two of them started chatting as they walked away.

"Hey, that couple who rented the villa, guess why they're here?"

"Why? An affair?"

"They're here to get divorced!"

"Huh? Renting a honeymoon villa to get divorced?"

"There are all kinds of people...."

......

At a hotel ballroom in S City's central district, a magazine company was hosting a reception to celebrate its success.

Among the crowd, a woman who looked troubled hung up her phone. With a slightly embarrassed expression, she turned to a sharp-looking young woman beside her and sighed, "Xiao Gao, Jing Jing still wants the divorce. You went through the trouble of introducing such a brilliant psychologist to me... Ai..."

The pretty young woman next to her, addressed as Xiao Gao, quickly shook her head, gritting her teeth as she muttered, "Brilliant, yes... Reliable, not so much..."

As she spoke, she picked up a glass of wine from the table and downed it in one go, before motioning to a waiter for another.

This "Xiao Gao" was named Gao Min, an editor at S Magazine, and also Zhan Zhao's editor.

The woman beside her was her colleague and close friend, Liu Jing's mother, the magazine's art editor.

Zhang Yuancheng, Liu Jing, and Gao Min had all been university classmates. Gao Min had watched the couple fall in love and get married, always thinking they were doing well. But recently, for some reason, they had started arguing about divorce.

Liu Jing's mother had noticed that her daughter hadn't been in the best mental state lately. As a forward-thinking woman, she had seen plenty of TV dramas suggesting that couples with marital issues should seek marriage counselling, so she had been asking around for a good psychologist.

At the mention of psychologists, Gao Min had naturally thought of Zhan Zhao...

And at the thought of Zhan Zhao, Gao Min downed her second glass of wine and resolved to have a third.

Other editors greeted her as they passed by, "Min Min'ah, when is Dr. Zhan writing his next book?" 

"By the way, has he submitted his manuscript yet?"

"I heard the manuscript has been delayed for over six months?"

"Wow, Min Min really has it tough..."

Just then, a wave of applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

At the front, the host excitedly introduced the guest of honour, bestselling author Mingdi Yang.

As they spoke, a tall, handsome young man appeared on stage, waving at the applauding audience before accepting a bouquet personally delivered by the president of the magazine.

Mingdi Yang was a renowned bestselling novelist and screenwriter. His latest detective novel had topped the bestseller list, and both its film and stage adaptations were currently in production. As a mixed-race author with striking looks and a charming, humorous personality, he frequently appeared on talk shows and variety programmes, making him incredibly popular and one of the biggest names of the moment.

Guests at the event eagerly congratulated Mingdi and his editor, Lao Chen.

"Wow! Is Mingdi the most handsome writer ever?"

"Super handsome!"

"Have you read his books?"

"They're brilliant! And he's so prolific!"

"It's rumoured he made more money than some celebrities last year!"

"Lao Chen finally found a treasure!"

"Who knew writers could be this good-looking these days?"

Outside the crowd, Gao Min continued sipping her drink, muttering to herself – Yeah, a hardworking, handsome writer is truly rare these days, some handsome guys delay writing for six whole months! There's always another case, always another excuse, never willing to write the next book!

......

"Achoo..."

At Zhao Jue's villa, two loungers were set up by the koi pond. Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue were each lying on one, both wearing headphones and "listening to music."

Zhan Zhao suddenly sneezed and sat up, having felt a sudden chill. He quickly grabbed a blanket and draped it over himself.

Zhao Jue took off his headphones and asked, "Do you feel sleepy?"

"Not at all." Zhan Zhao shook his head, taking off the headphones.

"Strange, this track works wonders on cats and dogs, but it has no effect on humans." Zhao Jue picked up his laptop and asked Zhan Zhao, "Should I add some wind and rain sounds?"

Zhan Zhao sipped his lemon tea and suggested, "Try adding a rhythmic sound..."

Behind them, in an open area of the garden, Bai Ye and Bai Yutang were assembling a flying device, while Mia, holding an apple in her mouth, adjusted the flight parameters for them.

It was Sunday, and the SCI team was off duty.

Ever since they had solved their last case, there hadn't been any major crimes in S City for a while.

The team had returned from a vacation on an island, and after some time off, they were all in good spirits.

Zhan Zhao had some free time recently. It just so happened that Zhao Jue was researching the effects of sound on people's psychology, and he was also very interested, so the two had been experimenting together.

Ever since Bai Yutang discovered Bai Ye's obsession with "flying toys," he would rush over to join whenever he heard that Bai Ye had bought something new.

Buzz, buzz...

Zhan Zhao was in the middle of discussing with Zhao Jue whether dog barks or cat meows were more unsettling when his phone suddenly started vibrating non-stop, it seemed as if someone was bombarding him with messages.

Somewhat puzzled, Zhan Zhao took out his phone... and saw his editor's large profile picture flashing on the screen.

"Handsome guy! Get up and write your book!"

"There haven't been any perverted serial killers in the news lately!"

"If you're so free, why aren't you writing?"

"Didn't you say you went on vacation? Didn't you go to some island?"

"Why not write a murder mystery set on an island?"

"Hurry up and write a new book!"

"If you won't write a new one, at least finish the old manuscript!"

......

Zhan Zhao held his phone and stared at it for a while before turning to Zhao Jue. "Instead of adding wind sounds, try adding the sound of a vibrating phone."

After Zhao Jue made the adjustment, the two lay back down with their headphones on.

"Oh? This seems to have some effect."

"Right?"

"This buzzing noise makes me feel sleepy!"

"I told you, whenever she rushes me for a manuscript, I just want to sleep."

"Should we try adding the sound of a keyboard typing next?"

"Great suggestion!"

......

What had been a sunny afternoon turned into a stormy night as strong winds suddenly picked up. The thick clouds in the sky flickered with flashes of blue lightning, signalling an imminent downpour.

After leaving Zhao Jue's villa, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang stopped by the SCI office to pick up some documents.

They parked in the underground garage and went upstairs together, and heard a series of muffled rumbles outside, the thunder had started.

......

At the campground villa, Liu Jing, who had spent the entire afternoon catching up on her illustrations, fell asleep leaning on the sofa.

Suddenly, she was jolted awake by a violent knocking at the door.

Liu Jing's eyes snapped open. She found that it was already dark outside, and the wind outside was so strong it was bending the trees back and forth.

Coming out of the room, Liu Jing wrapped a shawl around herself and glanced downstairs... The lights were off.

Just then, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Zhang Yuancheng, telling her to wait at the café next to the parking lot, he had something to give her.

Liu Jing headed downstairs suspiciously and found the villa's front door wide open. Zhang Yuancheng was nowhere to be seen.

"What's this? So mysterious..." Liu Jing grabbed her keys and locked the door on her way out, then made her way down the mountain, through the campground, and to the café.

There weren't many people in the café, with only a few staff members preparing the evening meals.

Liu Jing found a sofa and sat down but couldn't see Zhang Yuancheng anywhere. She sent him a message. "I'm here. Where are you?"

A reply came almost instantly. "Wait for me. I'll be right there."

Liu Jing sat in the café, bored, playing on her phone while waiting.

......

In the SCI office, Zhan Zhao retrieved the documents.

Just as the two were about to turn off the lights and leave, they suddenly... heard footsteps.

The sound came from the stairwell at the end of the corridor... very slow.

Zhan Zhao also heard it and thought that this sound was more "frightening" than a cat's meow or a dog's bark.

Bai Yutang looked down to the darkened end of the corridor. It was the weekend, and several floors of the building were closed, but the police station was never completely empty. Had someone come upstairs...

However, by this time, the sky was completely dark, and the footsteps sounded irregular, tap... tap tap... thud.

The two moved towards the stairwell when, all of a sudden, there was a muffled thud, as if something had slammed into the emergency exit door.

......

At the campground café, Liu Jing, who had been waiting for nearly half an hour, lost her patience and asked Zhang Yuancheng how much longer it would take.

But after sending several messages in a row, she received no response.

"Unbelievable!" Liu Jing gave up on waiting. She put away her phone, left the café, and started walking back.

By the time she reached the foot of the mountain, it had started to rain.

Feeling that nothing was going her way today, Liu Jing pulled her shawl over her head and hurried up the mountain. She took out her keys to unlock the door... but her steps suddenly halted.

The villa door was wide open...

Liu Jing stared at it suspiciously. She was certain she had locked the door when she left... Had Zhang Yuancheng come back? But why hadn't he turned on the lights?

......

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao reached the emergency exit door.

The door was closed, and the stairwell was dimly lit. Through the glass panel on the upper half of the door, they could see that there was no one behind it...

Just as they were wondering what had caused the noise, suddenly...

Smack, a hand slammed against the glass.

"Wa!" Zhan Zhao leapt back in fright.

Even Bai Yutang was momentarily stunned, this scene was straight out of a horror film...

The two looked closer, and a human face appeared behind the hand, with messy long black hair... Still a horror film.

Zhan Zhao squinted at it for a moment, tilting his head. "This female ghost looks kind of familiar..."

Bai Yutang quickly opened the door and was immediately hit by the overwhelming stench of alcohol.

"Editor Gao?!" Zhan Zhao stared speechlessly at Gao Min who was drunkenly lumped against the emergency exit door.

Gao Min held one high heel in her hand while pointing at the two with the other. "Handsome guys..."

Bai Yutang was speechless, and he and Zhan Zhao helped her up. The moment she stood, however, Gao Min gagged.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were shocked, and immediately dragged her towards the nearest washroom.

......

"Yuancheng?"

Liu Jing walked to the door to the villa, hesitating for a moment before calling out.

The villa was eerily quiet. No one answered from the darkness inside.

"Are you trying to play a prank?" Liu Jing felt uneasy and called out from the doorway, "Stop messing around!"

But after calling twice, there was still no response.

Liu Jing pulled out her phone and dialled Zhang Yuancheng's number.

A few seconds later, the muffled sound of a vibrating phone ringtone echoed from inside the villa.

Liu Jing's anger flared. She walked inside and switched on the living room lights...

Roughly thirty seconds later, a sharp, ear-piercing scream rang out from the villa.

People who had been enjoying the peaceful night in the campground emerged from their tents, looking up towards the mountain. 

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Welcome to volume 6! For this volume, I am going to continue the same upload schedule, but will pause the double Friday upload for now. I just finished my last round of exams (finally!) and am starting full-time employment soon, so I want to see what I can manage before bringing double uploads back.

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: March 3, 2025 by Angel

Edited: March 4, 2025 by Angel