S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 6 Chapter 42

The Card Murderer 42 – Two People

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Gao Min suddenly got excited and said she remembered something.

Liu Jing didn't understand what she was talking about and could only look at her in confusion.

"Something's not right!" Gao Min tapped her chin with her phone, mumbling to herself. "It seems a bit different... could it be two people?"

"Min Min?" Liu Jing looked at Gao Min with a hint of helplessness. "Obviously I'm the one with something wrong in my head, why do you look even more unwell than I do?"

"Uh..." Gao Min scratched her head and glanced at Auntie Liu, who was sitting at the bedside, smiling as she peeled an apple.

There were police officers stationed at the door for security, and Auntie Liu and Uncle Liu were both there.

After thinking for a moment, Gao Min stood up. "Jing Jing, I'm going to the police station."

Liu Jing nodded, and Auntie Liu told her to have a meal and go home to rest, there was no need to stay overnight.

Gao Min picked up her bag and said she'd be back soon, then hurriedly left the ward.

As she exited the hospital complex, Gao Min frowned and lowered her head, scrolling through the photo album on her phone, looking for the family photo taken at the publishing house. She ran straight into the parking building like that.

It seemed to be the peak time for medical check-ups at the hospital over the past few days, there were a lot of people. When Gao Min arrived earlier, she'd spent a long time looking for a parking space and had ended up in the third basement level of the parking garage.

When the elevator doors opened on B3, Gao Min stepped out and began looking for her car.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back cautiously.

Whether it was because the car park was so empty that sounds echoed, or it was just her imagination, Gao Min kept feeling as if there were other footsteps. When she walked, they sounded too, when she stopped, they also stopped.

Gao Min quickened her pace and rushed towards her car.

Just as she was about to open the door, something next to her car suddenly caught her attention...

The vehicle parked beside hers looked strikingly familiar. It was filled with all sorts of chibi-style Mingdi merchandise, and the number plate was only one digit off...

Gao Min looked at that car, then back at her own, and suddenly turned and bolted.

She ran while looking back, and saw that the rear door of her car had actually opened, and a white figure was crawling out from inside.

All the hairs on Gao Min's body stood on end. She kept running while frantically tapping at her phone...

She dashed to the elevator and frantically pressed the button for the upper floors, but unfortunately, both elevators were at the top level.

At that moment, the white figure in the distance flickered again. Gao Min clutched her bag vigilantly and stared in that direction.

Suddenly, someone tapped her on the back.

Gao Min was so frightened she nearly jumped out of her skin. She let out a scream and whipped around, stumbling back two steps.

Behind her stood a girl in a pink suit with a small backpack on her shoulders, it was Pei Wen.

Logically, with such a dramatic reaction from Gao Min, Pei Wen, who had tapped her from behind, ought to have been startled as well... but in reality, she wasn't.

Not only was Pei Wen unshaken, she appeared especially calm. The corners of her lips curled into a "cute" smile, and her voice was equally "sweet" as she asked Gao Min, "Sister Xiao Gao, where are you off to?"

......

Meanwhile, in the SCI office.

Everyone gathered behind Jiang Ping, staring at the screen showing the "restored" video footage.

In the footage, there was indeed someone, a woman in pyjamas, who entered Mingdi's home and sat on the sofa. Everyone recognised the woman; it was none other than the Pei family's youngest daughter, who was now frantically calling Mingdi – Pei Wen.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang had only just met Pei Wen not long ago, and it was hard for them to connect this eerie "female ghost" with that pink-clad fangirl.

Zhan Zhao was especially surprised. When they'd met earlier, he'd habitually assessed Pei Wen, but this person... she didn't seem like a dangerous type at all, had he misjudged her?

Everyone turned to look at Mingdi.

Mingdi was dumbfounded too. He even rubbed his eyes, finding it hard to believe.

Zhao Hu whispered to Ma Han, "Is this the legendary sasaeng?"

Ma Han thought for a moment and shook his head. "This kind is probably more like a death fan."

Hu Zi nodded repeatedly – Makes sense!

Mingdi stared at the screen for a while, then suddenly pointed to Pei Wen's hand and asked Jiang Ping, "Can you zoom in?"

Jiang Ping followed Mingdi's instructions, froze the frame, and zoomed in...

Mingdi was pointing at Pei Wen's right wrist.

It looked like there was a line... but fortunately, the equipment was high-resolution enough. Jiang Ping zoomed in until the image was clear, and everyone saw that it was actually a tattoo similar to Zhou Li's.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao both recalled the previous occasion when they had seen Pei Wen, Did that girl have a tattoo on her hand?

After thinking it over, both were certain she had not!

The accessories Pei Wen wore were all delicate and lightweight, no watches or chunky pieces that could have covered her wrist... There had been no tattoo on her hand!

To make sure they weren't mistaken, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both looked over at Mingdi.

Mingdi was frowning at the screen and shook his head. "She's not Pei Wen..."

"She isn't?" Everyone looked at the footage again – she looked exactly the same.

"Twin sister?" Gongsun asked.

Jiang Ping shook his head. "Pei Wen only has a younger brother."

Mingdi seemed to have figured something out, and at the same time seemed unable to work something else out. He stood there muttering to himself, "Not the same... Indeed not the same. How did I not notice before?"

Just as everyone was puzzled about what he meant, Zhan Zhao's phone chimed.

Zhan Zhao took one look and stood up.

He had just received a text from Gao Min with only two words – Help me!

"Something's wrong." Zhan Zhao showed the message to Bai Yutang.

"Gao Min's at the hospital?" Bai Yutang thought to himself, Could it be someone's gone to kill Liu Jing again? Impossible... there are so many guards posted outside the ward.

"Damn! Min Min saw it before too!" Mingdi suddenly sprang to his feet and bolted for the door.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao quickly followed. The others exchanged glances, and Ma Han and Zhao Hu also headed out after them.

Mingdi was determined to rush to the hospital, and Bai Yutang told him to get in his car. He started the engine and drove off towards the hospital.

While driving, he said to Zhan Zhao, "Call Uncle Ye, he should still be at the hospital with Tu Zi..."

When Zhan Zhao made the call, Bai Ye had already come downstairs and told Zhan Zhao that Zhao Jue had just called him. He'd already spoken to the officer in charge of security, and Gao Min had left the ward five minutes ago, saying she needed to go to the police station. He was heading to the parking garage to look for her now.

"Gao Min wanted to come to the police station?" Zhan Zhao frowned. "Did she say why?"

Bai Ye replied, apparently she had said something like, "I remember where I've seen it before."

After hanging up, Zhan Zhao heard Mingdi say, "Min Min must have remembered..."

"Remembered what?" Zhan Zhao turned to ask.

"Pei Wen, sometimes she gets rather strange," Mingdi said. "Sometimes she is perfectly normal, overenthusiastic, yes, but not really a problem. But other times she is elusive and comes across as very abnormal."

Zhan Zhao thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you think there are two of them? Identical in appearance?"

"It felt a little strange before. At first, I just assumed she was moody, temperamental. But thinking back now... the reason she seemed so elusive was because it was as if she could teleport." Mingdi saw that Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang didn't quite follow and explained, "Take the celebration banquet a few days ago for example, I'm certain I saw her on the ground floor, then I went up to the second floor to make a call, and when I hung up, she actually appeared at the stairway from the third floor to the second floor. After I went downstairs and turned around to grab a glass of wine, she was suddenly behind me again. Sometimes when she waves at me, it's with full, expressive emotion, but other times, it's like a soulless robot, just mechanically raising her hand, with a very strange smile on her face..."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both silently shook their heads – It sounds rather unsettling.

"That day at the banquet, I injured my hand," Mingdi said. "Later, Xiao Youzi put a bandage on it for me."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both nodded, they remembered that part.

"I noticed at the time that Pei Wen also had a scratch on her hand, also covered with a bandage..."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were slightly surprised – So it had actually been Pei Wen who'd had a bandage first, not her copying Mingdi because she was a fan!

"I didn't pay much attention at the time, because I'd noticed Min Min seemed a bit tipsy, so I stayed close to her, like a knight..."

Zhan Zhao silently glanced at him.

Mingdi looked perfectly righteous – It's dangerous for a girl to be drunk! What if someone takes advantage of her?

Zhan Zhao nodded at him – Exactly. Never mind that it was Gao Min who drunkenly swung her purse at someone and chased him all the way to the police station.

Mingdi sighed and went on, "Just when I was trying to stop Min Min from drinking more, Pei Wen suddenly appeared and took away a glass of wine. It only lasted a second... but I noticed what looked like a tattoo on her wrist. Min Min must've seen it too... but neither of us paid much attention at the time."

"Have you seen this tattoo anywhere else before?" Zhan Zhao asked Mingdi.

Mingdi thought for a moment, then nodded. "I think I have... in that villa!"

"The villa where Zhang Yuancheng was killed?"

Mingdi nodded. "That's right!"

......

Bai Ye entered the parking garage.

The hospital had heavy traffic, and this standalone multi-storey parking building had seven levels above ground and three below. Bai Ye stepped into the open elevator... and pressed the button for B3.

There were far more vehicles coming and going on the upper levels. If an attack were to happen, it would be easily noticed up there, whereas underground, it was much more likely that something could go wrong without being seen.

The elevator doors opened.

Bai Ye listened for any sound of movement... and at a glance, he saw something lying on the floor just outside the elevator.

Bai Ye walked over and picked it up, it was a car key.

He pressed the button on the key... and in the distance, the sound of a car unlocking could be heard.

Bai Ye followed the sound and found a car. The car looked rather strange, filled with lots of chibi-style trinkets, and the parking space next to it was empty.

......

In the inpatient building, inside Tu Zi's hospital room.

Tu Zi was asleep.

On the bay window beside the bed, Mia was playing a game.

Bai Ye had just gone out after receiving a call from Zhao Jue, Eleven had gone to get food, and the room was quiet...

At that moment, the door to the ward opened, and a nurse walked in holding a bag of medication. She hung the bag on the IV stand and began preparing to change Tu Zi's drip.

The nurse reached out to replace the needle in Tu Zi's wrist, but before she could touch the IV... Suddenly, a stuffed rabbit toy reached out and pressed down on her hand.

The nurse turned her head. Mia was standing next to her, holding a large stuffed rabbit.

The rabbit's soft paw was lifted, revealing a slender tattoo on the nurse's wrist underneath.

Suddenly, the nurse swung her arm...

The rabbit toy went flying...

‿︵‿︵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: May 2, 2025 by Angel

Edited: July 1, 2025 by Soojin