S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 6 Chapter 15

The Card Murderer 15 – Superpowers

---

"Bad rumours? What kind of bad rumours?" Zhan Zhao asked curiously.

Mingdi said, "I interviewed his former teachers, classmates, and the police officers involved in solving this case."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both looked at him in confusion – You actually managed to interview all of them?

Mingdi didn't seem to think there was anything unusual about it and simply stated that everyone was easy to talk to.

Zhan Zhao began to take an interest in Mingdi – Being outgoing was one thing, but being able to interview so many people at once was a skill in itself. Even the police were willing to discuss an unsolved case with a high school student?

"Although schoolyard ghost stories and urban legends spread widely among students and cause a stir online, those who genuinely care about the missing girl's whereabouts, such as her family, friends, and the police investigating the case, don't believe she was taken to another world by some vengeful spirit... Everyone was focused on the possibility of abduction and murder. If there is a victim, then there must be a suspect. Initially, the main suspects were the girl's admirers, particularly those who could freely enter and leave the school without arousing suspicion and who were familiar with the campus surveillance system."

Bai Yutang felt that there was nothing wrong with this investigative approach.

"The girl's family even hired a private investigator. In the end, both the police and the private investigator compiled a list of potential suspects, and one of them was Pei Xiu," Mingdi continued. "Logically speaking, Pei Xiu had no real connection with the girl, but before her disappearance, she had received multiple messages from Pei Xiu urging her not to take on the role. His words were intense, and the two even argued."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were puzzled. "Wasn't the casting decided by Pei Xiu?"

Mingdi shook his head. "There were three candidates for the role, and everyone voted. The girl was the most beautiful and the most popular, so she was chosen. But in reality, Pei Xiu strongly opposed her playing the lead. The protagonist in his script was an ordinary girl, plain, insecure, even bullied and ridiculed at school. Having the school beauty take on the role completely undermined its credibility... Yet, the girl was determined to play the role."

Bai Yutang was puzzled. "Didn't she say she was terrified after seeing the ghostly figure? Why didn't she quit the role?"

"Although it was just a school festival drama performance, it was said that many celebrities and professionals would be attending the school festival. The school festival play was a must-see event, and every year, those chosen to perform in it would receive numerous audition invitations, it was an excellent opportunity," Mingdi explained. "And besides, that girl suspected that Pei Xiu was deliberately trying to scare her into quitting the role. At the time, the students split into different factions and argued endlessly..."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang found it incredible – Wasn't this just a school festival performance, is it really that competitive? It felt like something worthy of a full-length drama series.

"On top of that, another rumour started spreading back then," Mingdi continued. "I don't know where the rumour originated, but people were saying that the reason Pei Xiu went abroad for his studies was that a murder case had occurred around him when he was in school here, and that it was also related to one of his scripts."

"What kind of fatal screenwriter plot is this..." Zhan Zhao found it rather absurd.

"Did the police investigate him?" Bai Yutang felt that as long as this wasn't some supernatural case, there might really be something off.

"The police investigated, but Pei Xiu's family is extremely wealthy. His father hired a very powerful lawyer and even issued a press release, claiming that Pei Xiu had transferred schools due to the grief of losing his mother and that he had also been a victim of school bullying... The police and the school had no solid evidence, and after facing public criticism, they didn't dare investigate him further. Right at that moment, he graduated from high school and returned to the country."

"So do you think Pei Xiu is suspicious?" Zhan Zhao asked Mingdi.

"Aside from all the rumours I heard about him during school, I've seen him a few times since returning to the country," Mingdi said with a frown. "Twice at publishing events, once at a colleague's wedding, and the strangest time was at a gym."

"A gym?" Zhan Zhao was baffled – Aren't they all in the publishing industry? Why are they lifting weights? Is it because they can't hold a pen or type on a keyboard?

Bai Yutang silently glanced at Zhan Zhao – Cat... you should exercise a little too.

Zhan Zhao turned his head away, pretending not to notice – Cats don't need to take the initiative to exercise. Even if they lie around all day, they're still at the peak of evolution among quadrupeds!

"Xu Lie gave me a VIP card for Bai Group's Fitness Club," Mingdi said. "I go there to work out sometimes."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were speechless – Is S City just that small, or do all these people somehow know each other?

"You know Xu Lie?" Zhan Zhao was curious about how they knew each other. Had Lin Ruo introduced them?

"I had a novel adapted into a film, and Xu Lie starred in it. Bai Group's studio produced it..." Mingdi looked at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang in confusion – That film was a massive hit, a box office champion. Have they not seen it?

"I even recommended a few perfect dating spots to Xu Lie. A'Lie said I was way more useful than those so-called 'psychology experts' and gave me a gym membership as a thank-you gift."

Zhan Zhao turned to look at Bai Yutang – Are the psychology experts us?

Bai Yutang asked him to remove the word "us."

"After meeting Pei Xiu at the gym, did anything happen?" Bai Yutang was still more focused on Pei Xiu.

"Nothing specific, we just exchanged greetings," Mingdi said. "Pei Xiu was stronger than he looked."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang didn't quite understand what he meant – Stronger?

"I think modern people go to the gym for two main reasons: one is for health, the other is for aesthetics," Mingdi said with a hint of exasperation. "I doubt many people work out with the goal of punching a bull to death, right? Of course, aside from those in certain professions."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang thought about it and found it quite reasonable...

"You think he's training to increase his combat ability?" Bai Yutang asked.

Mingdi nodded. "His emotional state during workouts was different from others. I don't think he was exercising to look good or for health."

At that moment, a young forensic officer approached to collect Mingdi's fingerprints and DNA samples. Since both he and Lao Chen had come into contact with the body, and since Lao Chen was often in this area, he would probably have left some biological information, so they needed to collect biological samples for elimination purposes.

Mingdi obediently pressed his fingerprint. Not far away by the car, Lao Chen was also giving his sample.

Bai Yutang watched Lao Chen for a moment before suddenly asking Mingdi, "Have you ever suspected Lao Chen?"

Zhan Zhao heard this and turned to look at Mingdi as well.

Mingdi didn't shy away from the question. He thought about it seriously for a moment before saying, "If it weren't for Xiao Youzi, I would suspect him."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both asked, "Why?"

Mingdi glanced at Lao Chen in the distance and sighed. "A man like him can't bear to lose his daughter twice. This time, he will make sure to accompany her growing up, he won't do anything reckless."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang instinctively looked toward Luo Tian and Qin Ou, who were helping Gongsun and Ma Xin transport the corpse... It was indeed a convincing reason.

What was the most precious thing in the world? A second chance! 

......

After the scene was cleared, everyone headed home. Mingdi took Lao Chen back, while the forensics and the medical examination teams returned to the SCI office with Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang. By now, it was already the early hours of the morning. Going home to sleep was out of the question, they could only rest for a while in the break room.

On the way back, Zhan Zhao called Lin Ruo.

It was still lively on Lin Ruo's end. Zhan Zhao glanced at the time... As expected, these people never slept.

Lin Ruo was surprised to see Zhan Zhao calling.

Zhan Zhao said he wanted to ask him about someone.

Lin Ruo was probably playing a game, the background was filled with the sound of game effects.

Lin Ruo carried the phone into the kitchen to grab a drink while asking Zhan Zhao, "Who do you want to ask about?"

"Are you familiar with Mingdi Yang?"

"Yeah," Lin Ruo said quickly. "Why? Did he get into trouble? You've definitely got the wrong guy!"

"You're saying Mingdi would never commit a crime?" Zhan Zhao asked Lin Ruo.

"Ai, he wouldn't hurt anyone," Lin Ruo said with certainty.

"Do you have a convincing reason?"

"It's not because he's got good morals or a kind heart or anything like that... It's literally because he can't hurt anyone!" Lin Ruo then gave what sounded like a rather absurd explanation. "That guy has a special ability!"

Zhan Zhao silently switched on the speakerphone, sensing that this conversation was about to become interesting, something Bai Yutang needed to hear too.

Bai Yutang was driving when he heard Zhan Zhao ask Lin Ruo, "You're saying Mingdi has a special ability?"

Bai Yutang frowned – First, there were ghost sightings, and now there are superpowers? Is there anyone normal left in this case?

"You should be an expert on this," Lin Ruo laughed. "Mingdi has an extraordinary capacity for empathy."

"A hyper-empath?" Zhan Zhao was slightly taken aback. He stroked his chin and asked, "Has he been diagnosed?"

"Mm-hmm!" Lin Ruo confirmed. "He's been like this since he was a kid, when others were in pain, he felt pain, and when others were happy, he felt happy, so he could never hurt anyone, because hurting others would be the same as hurting himself. That's why we often have him assess people, and he's always spot-on. He even warned me to be wary of certain people around me, like my maid... I didn't take it seriously at the time, though. But because of this condition, he used to cry over stray cats and dogs on the street all the time as a child, and he couldn't even visit hospitals. It got better as he grew up, though, and thanks to this ability, he became incredibly socially adept, he can make friends with anyone."

After hanging up, Zhan Zhao lightly tapped his phone against his chin and muttered, "A rare case indeed..." 

"Cat, what exactly is a hyper-empath?" Bai Yutang understood what empathy was, but this was the first time he had heard of an extreme version of it. "Is it just a saint complex?"

Zhan Zhao was amused by Bai Yutang and waved a hand. "That's a common misconception, empathy isn't the same as sympathy. A person with excessive sympathy might have a saint complex, but empathy is a completely different concept. And honestly, it does seem a bit like a superpower... No wonder he can interview so many people. His novels might not be logically airtight, but the emotional depth is certainly engaging."

Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao to explain further.

"In fact, to put it simply, an extreme level of empathy is the direct opposite of antisocial personality disorder. A person with antisocial traits can't perceive the emotions of others at all, whereas a hyper-empath can pick up on even the subtlest emotional shifts and feel them as if they were their own. For example, imagine an antisocial individual attacking a victim with a hammer. No matter how much the victim screams, begs, or cries out in pain, the attacker feels nothing and continues swinging until the victim is dead. A hyper-empath, on the other hand, could accidentally prick someone with a needle, and if that person so much as winces or furrows their brow... the hyper-empath would feel the same stabbing pain in their own body. They might even instinctively mirror the same pained expression. They would immediately pull the needle away, apologise, and do everything they could to soothe the other person's discomfort."

"Hyper-empaths are fascinating," Zhan Zhao continued. He had never encountered a real-life case before, but he had read plenty of relevant information. "Think about it, someone like that would always love what you love, hate what you hate, instantly notice any emotional fluctuations, and respond with either comfort or encouragement. Whatever they say or do will always align perfectly with you. Even if you don't say a word, they'd know exactly what you need..."

Bai Yutang nodded, now understanding. "That really does sound like a superpower."

After thinking about it, Bai Yutang asked, "Then what would happen if a hyper-empath met someone with antisocial personality disorder?" 

Zhan Zhao looked at Bai Yutang with a smile. "You're actually asking a very advanced psychology question! Isn't psychology interesting?"

Bai Yutang smiled – Psychology is alright, but not as interesting as you.

"If a hyper-empath encountered someone extremely dangerous... they would also be able to feel that person's indifference or malicious intent. They would immediately leave and keep their distance."

"So is that why Mingdi didn't want Gao Min to mention Pei Xiu?"

Zhan Zhao considered it and nodded. "That's very possible."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

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: March 24, 2025 by Angel

Edited: May 19, 2025 by Soojin