A Psych Case Just Joined the Team Chapter 001

Bloodshed – 01

---

Prologue

Sin had stained the blade red, and behind him, an abyss opened, bottomless and vast.

——————————

It was four-thirty on the morning of October 10th, when Dang City was still shrouded in darkness. The night had yet to retreat, unwilling to let the city awaken, as if reluctant, or perhaps more like a rogue locked in a standoff with time. Out on the streets, a few scattered vehicles sped past, their wheels crunching over the fallen sycamore leaves, as though determined to crush the last trace of life clinging to them.

Yongle Street in Dang City had once been an old, time-worn street. Until the summer of the previous year, the kerbs on both sides had been lined with all sorts of snack stalls and night vendors before eight each evening, the bustle lasting until two or three in the morning before quiet was restored. But come last autumn, Yongle Street was absorbed into the city's redevelopment plans. Now, what met the eye was an asphalt road replacing the old street, once heavy with the scent of oil and smoke, now all buried beneath a layer of urban order. The former liveliness was gone. Aside from the occasional peddler on a tricycle passing by, there were only one or two sanitation workers sweeping the streets.

The bustle of life had always embedded itself silently into every corner of every city. Few ever paid attention to these mundane scenes, yet beneath the civilisation built of steel and concrete, life pressed on, undeterred.

Zhao Funian was going about his usual duties. He was responsible for cleaning this street, sweeping the fallen leaves at the roadside into neat piles with his bamboo broom, his movements skilled and efficient. Just then, Zhao Funian suddenly caught a whiff of an acrid stench... In his younger days, he had worked in sewage cleaning and had grown used to the pungent odour of wastewater. But this particular smell made his stomach churn. It reminded him of the scent from his childhood home when the rivers flooded, the bloated, rotting carcasses of drowned pigs.

Zhao Funian wiped his nose and instinctively tried to locate the source of the stench. Not far off, he spotted a manhole. A few days earlier, it had been cordoned off due to a blockage, and someone was supposed to come clear it today. As Zhao Funian approached for a closer look, the closer he got, the more overpowering the smell became...

——————————

Beep beep beep... Beep beep beep...

The room was filled with the relentless ringing of an alarm clock, determined not to stop until the person in bed was fully awake. After enduring a bombardment of noise, a hand finally reached out from under the duvet, fumbling to silence the damned source of the racket.

The world fell quiet in an instant.

The man slowly opened his eyes, his long lashes fluttering with lingering sleep as he stared at the ceiling... Ten seconds later, he finally overcame his morning grogginess, and the depth of his gaze returned to its usual indifference. For those unfamiliar with him, that indifferent look alone would be enough to make one think he was rather cold-hearted.

Climbing out of bed, he walked straight into the bathroom. Soon, a mist of steam clouded the glass door. A short while later, the man emerged, drying his hair. Beads of water slid down his chest, trailing along defined muscles and disappearing beyond the edge of the towel wrapped around his waist after tracing the perfect line of his torso...

Xing Zui, male, age confidential, occupation: captain of the criminal investigation team at the Dang City Police Station, loves sweets, single, sexual orientation...

Unknown.

Colleagues' evaluation of him thus far: So far, there hasn't been a case our captain couldn't crack or a woman he's ever fancied.

With ten years in the force behind him, Xing Zui had risen to the rank of captain, and there isn't a single person under his command who doesn't respect him. On top of that, he was blessed with good looks, not the cloying sort, but striking in a way that never wore thin.

Xing Zui often said to his subordinates: "If we can't crack the case, Dad will take you all to the sea."

Early that morning, just as he stepped into the station and hadn't even had time to sit down, a new case came in. Xing Zui immediately summoned his teammates. On the way out, one of them casually grabbed a bag of steamed buns from the desk and tucked it into his arms.

Xing Zui got into the passenger seat and spotted Fang Lai curled up in the back. Fang Lai wore a loose, light grey pullover hoodie, looking as though he wished he could bury himself entirely inside the hood.

Just then, Xie Xun, seated beside him, pulled a steaming bun from the bag in his lap and handed it to Fang Lai.

"You're all wilted this early in the morning, haven't had breakfast yet, right? Here, don't say your Brother Xie doesn't look after you."

Fang Lai kept his face buried in his hood, motionless, too lazy to respond. Xing Zui turned around swiftly, snatched the bun out of his hand and shoved it into his own mouth. With one cheek puffed out, he said, "Don't waste food if you're carsick."

Just then, someone got into the driver's seat, it was Cui Jingfeng, vice captain of the criminal investigation team, known to the team as Fengzi. Without a word, he stepped on the accelerator. Yongle Street was about twenty minutes from the police station. By the time the group arrived, the forensic department was already on site. It was now around 8:30 a.m., peak commuting hours, and a sparse crowd had gathered out of curiosity.

Xing Zui got out of the car and casually pulled a pair of latex gloves from his coat pocket. Glancing at the onlookers beyond the police cordon, most of whom appeared to be office workers, he gave a seemingly kind-hearted reminder:

"None of you need to be at work? Not worried about getting your wages docked?"

Sure enough, part of the crowd began to disperse. Xing Zui walked straight over to the body and crouched down, lifting the white sheet that covered it.

A nearby forensic examiner spoke up, "Though there are some external factors affecting the scene, based on the livor mortis, we estimate time of death to be around four days ago. There are multiple stab wounds on the body of the deceased, the exact cause of death will only be known after an autopsy is conducted."

Cui Jingfeng looked around and said, "The killer was probably someone from nearby who didn't have time to properly dispose of the body. While this area isn't exactly bustling, it's not that hidden either, leaving the body here makes it far too easy for the killer to be discovered."

Xing Zui examined the body for a while before standing up. "This isn't the primary crime scene. Fengzi, stay here and see if there are any other clues, Fang Lai, check if there have been any missing person reports recently. Dismissed."

Back at the station, Fang Lai ran the deceased's DNA through the database, but came up empty, no matches, making it impossible to identify the deceased for the time being. Fortunately, the day after the body was discovered, someone came to the station to file a report.

The person who reported the case was the deceased's wife. Upon confirmation, the deceased was identified as Lin Datong, aged thirty-two, an ordinary construction worker. According to his wife, he had left for work at six in the morning on October 7th and never returned.

Inside the interrogation room, Cui Jingfeng and Fang Lai sat side by side, both watching the plainly dressed woman opposite them. Her eyes were red and swollen, she clearly hadn't slept well for several days. Her name was Li Li, twenty-six years old, a worker at a garment factory.

Cui Jingfeng asked, "According to what you've said, Lin Datong went missing on October 7th, why are you only filing a report today?"

"My husband often goes out drinking and gambling with his co-workers, and sometimes he'll disappear for a day or two. I thought he'd gone off drinking and gambling again, so I didn't think much of it. But when he didn't come back for five days in a row, I got scared something had happened to him out there, so I came to the police. I didn't expect he really would..." As she spoke, Li Li lowered her head and wiped away a tear. Cui Jingfeng's gaze remained on her, catching sight of a few white hairs at the crown of her head.

Cui Jingfeng asked, "Did Lin Datong have any enemies?"

Li Li: "I'm not too sure."

Cui Jingfeng frowned. "Not sure? You don't seem to care much about your husband."

Li Li hadn't expected Cui Jingfeng to say this. She glanced up at him, then lowered her eyes again to the disposable cup in front of her. "He usually likes to drink, and when he comes back drunk after getting upset at the construction site, he hits me. I don't dare to ask him too many questions."

Normally, when a woman mentions domestic violence, there would at least be a hint of a desperate accusation or a touch of embarrassment about airing family troubles in public. However, Li Li's tone was unusually calm.

Beside her, Fang Lai, who had been taking notes, suddenly paused mid-sentence. After a few seconds, he resumed writing, adding two words to the page: alcohol abuse, domestic violence.

Just then, the phone in Cui Jingfeng's pocket vibrated. He took it out and glanced at the caller ID before answering.

Xing Zui stood in front of the surveillance monitor with one hand in his pocket and said to the person on the line, "Let her go."

After hanging up, Cui Jingfeng said, "Thank you for the information, you're free to go now. If we need your help with the investigation later, we'll come find you directly." With that, he stood up.

Li Li nodded, "Alright, I'll cooperate with the investigation."

After the interrogation ended, Fang Lai followed protocol and had Li Li sign the inventory list for Lin Datong's belongings. Just before Xing Zui switched off the recording, he noticed a particular detail on the screen.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

| 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: June 28, 2025 by Angel

Edited: May 14, 2026 by Angel