Suspicion
The sound of footsteps mingled and came from upstairs. The person in black swiftly hid in a cluttered utility room filled with cleaning tools. They wiped the sweat from their forehead, pressed the tiny microphone on their collar, and gasped for breath heavily.
“Keep her busy for ten minutes!”
The footsteps drew nearer, and Song Yuhang, holding her gun alongside several detectives, advanced in a tactical formation.
The person in black pressed against the wall, gripping tightly onto a black mechanical rod. They struggled to regulate their breath, swallowed hard, and from the back of their head to the tip of their toes, their body tensed into a straight line. The rod was poised in their hand, their entire demeanor resembling a coiled and ready wild beast.
The footsteps were just inches away. Silently, they counted: one, two, three…
Song Yuhang’s hand gripped the doorknob, and the fragile wooden door creaked softly under their touch. In that instant, the person in black felt their knuckles, clutching the mechanical rod, turn white.
With a gentle movement of their feet, they were about to burst out and escape, when suddenly, a few gunshots rang out from outside the door.
“There they are! Don’t let them get away!” Several detectives fired their guns as they chased after them.
The black figure leaped directly from the corner of the staircase, landing on the first floor.
The slightly ajar wooden door faintly revealed a glimmer of light, and the footsteps outside the door faded away.
The person in black slumped, sliding down along the wall, emitting a few suppressed coughs from their throat. A trace of a smile appeared at the corner of their lips, and there were faint red marks left on the back of their hand.
Damn, it was quite impressive that they could push them to this extent.
Glancing at their wristwatch, they realized time was running short. They couldn’t afford any more delay. Bracing themselves with the mechanical rod, they stood up, removed their wind cap, shed the inconspicuous clothes, and picked up a few dirty cleaning uniforms from the utility room. They put on the attire and smeared some mud on their face. With a transformed appearance, they confidently walked out.
“Go in groups, encircle from the sides.” Several plainclothes officers who were squatting downstairs rushed forward when they saw someone coming out, wielding their electric batons. The person in black was skilled; they twisted one person’s wrist, seized their arm, and swiftly delivered a knee strike. The knee was one of the toughest parts of the human body. With the force equivalent to a heavy blow, the pain surged through the person’s organs and abdomen.
The plainclothes officer spat out blood and was sent flying on the spot!
Another plainclothes officer lunged forward, aiming a blow straight at the back of their head, intending to render them powerless on the spot.
The person in black grabbed the shoulder of the person in front of them and executed a mid-air flying kick, a move quite similar to the one they used to kick Song Yuhang upstairs earlier.
If it weren’t for the detective instinctively using their electric baton to block, their jaw would have been shattered by the kick. Despite that, they still staggered back several steps, their eardrums buzzing. A mouthful of bloodied broken teeth was coughed out.
The pitch-black barrel of a gun was aimed at them. Song Yuhang slightly tightened the trigger, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off.
This person in black possessed even more agile and domineering skills than the one just moments ago. The former individual’s skills were indeed exceptional, but they couldn’t be described as domineering.
Having engaged in a fight with them before, they understood that the knee strike required not only quick reflexes and excellent core strength but also a considerable amount of force to send a burly person standing at around six feet and weighing over two hundred pounds flying. The person from a moment ago lacked in strength despite their agility; otherwise, if they had delivered that same kick, Song Yuhang wouldn’t be standing here now.
Furthermore, the person who had escaped earlier was clearly injured, yet this person moved with agility in their legs and feet. They easily evaded the well-trained detectives surrounding them, almost as if they were playing around, showing no urgency to flee.
Alarm bells rang loudly in Song Yuhang’s mind as she holstered her gun and lunged forward, shouting, “Capture them alive!”
The person seemed to sense something. They used a recently captured detective, pushing them back, and in the span of a few steps, slipped through the encirclement. Amid the hail of bullets that followed, they weaved left and right, executed evasive maneuvers close to the ground, and rolled, narrowly avoiding the bullets grazing their ears.
Ahead stood a two-meter-tall enclosing wall. The person in black seized a tree branch for leverage, propelling themselves upward with force, and with one hand firmly grasping the top of the wall. The branch they had just pulled snapped into fragments upon being struck by bullets.
The person in black didn’t hesitate. With a powerful push of their legs and a quick climb with their arms, they hoisted themselves over the wall, causing sparks to fly as bullets hit the shattered tiles.
When Song Yuhang led her team outside in pursuit, the bustling street was filled with people, but the person had vanished without a trace.
Feeling a bit restless, she paced back and forth for a few rounds, ultimately unable to resist slamming her fist against a utility pole.
Her shoulder-length hair, tied up earlier, had been noticed and remembered by someone. The loose strands at her forehead were pinned back with a hairpin, revealing a smooth, round forehead and a pair of fiery red eyes.
She almost gritted her teeth as she spoke, “Call Forensic Doctor Lin. Ask her what… the… hell… is going on.”
*****
“I’m sorry, the phone you have dialed is currently not being answered…”
The mobile screen placed by the pillow went dark and then lit up again, repeatedly cycling through this pattern. The receiver continued to emit the cold, automated notification tone.
Duan Cheng hung up the phone, his expression growing somewhat anxious. He couldn’t comprehend how Forensic Doctor Lin had become a suspect involved in this case. After all, two people had died suddenly, and the accusations weren’t trivial.
“Captain Song, no… no one’s answering…”
“Who else is still in the forensics unit?”
The scene had already been cordoned off; the police tape extended to the ground floor of the building unit, and the flashing police lights accentuated that face, making it appear even more austere and cold.
Duan Cheng quickly called Zheng Chengrui while dialing the number, saying, “Old Zheng… Is Old Zheng there? Ask him to take a look.”
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Song Yuhang responded with a faint “Hmm,” and added, “Bring a few more people.”
Bring a few more people… What does that mean?
Duan Cheng didn’t dare to speculate further. The call was quickly connected, and as Zheng Chengrui was listening, a chicken leg he was holding dropped onto the keyboard with a “clatter.”
A group of detectives hurriedly strode through the corridor, heading directly to the duty room. Zheng Chengrui cleared his throat and knocked on the door, “Forensic Doctor Lin, Forensic Doctor Lin, are you there?”
The room was quiet, with no one answering his call.
The chubby officer swallowed nervously, stepped back, and let another detective knock on the door. Still, there was no response.
Several of them exchanged glances. The chubby officer stepped back, preparing to force the door open. Just then, Lin Yan appeared in the corridor, carrying a basin in her hands and a towel hanging around her neck. Water dripped from her wet hair as she stood there in a tank top and shorts.
It seemed like she had just returned from the shower room near the autopsy area.
Her expression turned a bit sour. “Well, what’s this big group of people gathered here for?”
The chubby officer, in the process of extending his leg to kick the door, quickly pulled it back as if struck by lightning, and plastered a fawning smile on his face. “No… no… Captain Song is looking for you.”
Lin Yan gestured for them to make way, stepping through the middle. She tucked the basin under the bed and reached beside the pillow for her phone. An unsigned number flashed on the screen.
She pressed the answer button.
Song Yuhang’s voice carried an iciness that seemed to have persisted for millennia, with a hint of gritted teeth if one listened carefully.
“Li Shiping is dead.”
*****
The air conditioning inside the room was set very low, and as soon as Lin Yan entered, she shivered from the cold. The footprints for scene investigation had already been laid out to avoid disrupting the area. Sun Xiangming lay face down on the ground, and a syringe had fallen beside him.
Li Shiping lay nearby, blood stains lingering around her lips, and her hand clutched a phone tightly.
Forensic work was already in progress.
Wearing gloves, she approached Sun Xiangming’s body. Together with Duan Cheng, they turned him over. Due to the stiffness of the body, it took some effort.
Lin Yan handed the investigation light to someone else and gently tilted his chin with her right hand. Under the light, a small needle hole was visibly present on his neck.
Fang Xin picked up the syringe that had fallen on the ground, placed it into an evidence bag, and handed it to her. “Preliminary analysis indicates that only one person’s fingerprints are on this. We’ll need to conduct a fingerprint comparison back at the bureau to determine the specific individual.”
Song Yuhang took it over and examined it closely for a while, but her peripheral vision landed on the other person.
The look in those eyes was indescribably icy, piercing, and carried a trace of disgust.
The person under scrutiny pried open Sun Xiangming’s mouth, removed their mask, and slightly bent down, leaving Duan Cheng dumbfounded. He thought she was about to engage in an intimate interaction with the deceased.
“Lin… Forensic Doctor Lin…”
Lin Yan indeed crouched low, one hand supporting herself on the ground, noses nearly touching. She lightly sniffed, seemingly uncertain, and bent down again, repeating the process.
A bitter almond smell.
After confirming it several times, she finally straightened up. “Death from central respiratory failure caused by cyanide poisoning, whether from organic or inorganic cyanides, will require further autopsy to confirm.”
Her words were directed at Song Yuhang, though the other person seemed completely indifferent.
Song Yuhang pulled aside the window curtains. The outside sky remained dim. She exerted force to push the window, but it didn’t budge. It was welded shut, indicating that a third person present couldn’t have climbed in through the window.
She returned to the doorway.
The traces of the struggle were mainly concentrated near the entrance. The door lock remained intact, and there were compressed marks on the side of the door. Gently touching it with gloved fingers caused some wood chips to fall.
She instructed the team to take photos and collect samples.
Since the door lock was undamaged, it indicated that this person didn’t force their way in. They knew Sun Xiangming and Li Shiping, and perhaps it was Li Shiping who willingly opened the door for them.
Why would that be?
Was Li Shiping not afraid because it was the police who had come?
Or had she known beforehand that the person would come?
Song Yuhang’s gaze shifted to glance over. Lin Yan was crouched on the ground, performing a preliminary autopsy on Li Shiping. Most of her alluring face was obscured by a mask, and her hair was neatly tucked under her hat, revealing a slender and fair nape of the neck.
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She walked over with long strides.
An abrupt shadow fell in front, blocking the light from the investigation lamp.
Lin Yan impatiently raised her gaze. “Move aside, can’t you see you’re blocking the light?”
Song Yuhang stared into her eyes, her gaze profound as if she wanted to uncover a flower on her face.
The intensity of her gaze made Lin Yan’s skin prickle. She forced herself to remain composed, her eyes containing a hint of teasing.
“What’s this, Captain Song has taken an interest in me too? I wouldn’t mind, after all, there’s nothing better than dumplings when it comes to food, and nothing more entertaining than a sister-in-law, don’t you think?”
Fang Xin cleared her throat, turning her face away and tugging at Duan Cheng’s clothes.
Duan Cheng still held a magnifying glass in his hand, observing the deceased’s oral cavity, when he was suddenly pulled away by someone tugging at his collar.
“Ah… Ah, I haven’t finished looking…”
“You can continue later!”
As their eyes met, Song Yuhang crouched down, seemingly intimately wrapping her arm around her shoulder. Only she knew the amount of force she used.
Lin Yan winced from the pain of her grip; her bones felt like they were about to shatter. Yet, she couldn’t retreat, nor could she retaliate.
Just like that night, they leaned in closely, whispering in each other’s ears.
“Li Shiping is dead,” she practically ground her teeth as she spoke.
Lin Yan gestured towards the body in front of them, her expression slightly innocent. “I know, didn’t I come here for this matter?”
“Ding Xue is dead, Sun Xiangming is dead too. They’re all dead. Are you satisfied now?”
Her slightly cool lips almost touched her own ear.
Lin Yan turned her head, and if it weren’t for the mask between them, she would have almost received a close, heated kiss.
She looked into the nonchalant hazel eyes of the person before her and casually said, “What do I have to be happy about? I just wanted to get a little more sleep.”
Her expression was calm, with no trace of unnecessary evasion in her brows or at the corners of her eyes.
Dealing with someone like Lin Yan was much more challenging than Sun Xiangming.
Song Yuhang still held her shoulder firmly, unmoving, as she gazed into those deep black pupils.
Inside, it was empty and desolate, with only her own reflection.
She also chuckled, “Forensic Doctor Lin has a great mindset if she can still fall asleep. Did you hear the cries of Sun Xiangming’s parents and daughter downstairs? White-haired parents send off black-haired children, both parents lost in childhood, long nights with many dreams, an empty hell, and demons in the human world. I hope Forensic Doctor Lin can sleep well every night.”
She spoke casually, leaning in once again, her voice lowered, carrying a hint of seduction.
Her warmth gently brushed against Lin Yan’s earlobe.
Lin Yan moved slightly, but Song Yuhang didn’t allow her to evade. Her lips were almost brushing against her ear, tracing the elegant curve as they moved towards her neck.
She gently sniffed, as if sighing, “Forensic Doctor Lin’s perfume today is quite unique. I’ll remember that.”
“Team Leader Song, the crowd interviews around the area—” Someone walked over with paper and pen. Song Yuhang released her, stood up, and walked over, as if nothing had happened.
Lin Yan lowered her gaze slightly, adjusted her shoulder that had been pinched sore, and her thin lips parted to utter a few words: “Damn it, teasing me.”
She noted this debt, and sooner or later, she would settle the score with interest.
As she looked at Ding Xue’s blood-drained face before her, Lin Yan’s attention briefly shifted. She reached out to take the phone from her chest, but her own phone started ringing.
She gently sniffed, as if sighing, “Forensic Doctor Lin’s perfume today is quite unique. I’ll remember that.”
“Team Leader Song, the crowd interviews around the area—” Someone walked over with paper and pen. Song Yuhang released her, stood up, and walked over, as if nothing had happened.
Lin Yan lowered her gaze slightly, adjusted her shoulder that had been pinched sore, and her thin lips parted to utter a few words: “Damn it, teasing me.”
She noted this debt, and sooner or later, she would settle the score with interest.
As she looked at Ding Xue’s blood-drained face before her, Lin Yan’s attention briefly shifted. She reached out to take the phone from her chest, but her own phone started ringing.
She removed her gloves and walked to the side to answer the phone, “Hello?”
After hearing a few words from the other end, her expression changed dramatically. She took off her cap and rushed outside.
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Song Yuhang reached out to stop her, “What are you doing?!”
Lin Yan forcefully tugged at her collar, pushing her aside, “Move, don’t stop me, or we’ll have a problem!”
In those eyes that had always held mockery, disdain, coldness, or sarcasm, there was an unexpected hint of panic.
In the time it took for Song Yuhang to come back to her senses, Lin Yan had already released her and dashed away. She rushed downstairs and immediately hailed a taxi.
“Driver, go to the Tai’an Mental Hospital.”
She buckled her seatbelt, her expression filled with anxiety. As the car slowly left the residential area, the body bag was also being lowered from upstairs.
Upon seeing the body bag, the two elderly individuals collapsed to the ground, wailing loudly.
In Mrs. Ding’s arms, she held Ding Ya as the child cried loudly, extending her arms to reach for her father. While holding her back, she wiped away a tear.
Song Yuhang looked up at the sky as a light drizzle began to fall again. She recalled the time she had visited Li Shiping’s home and the smile on her face when she talked about Ding Xue.
“She was an excellent teacher, a kind person, very gentle, knowledgeable and reasonable. She treated her students equally…”
Even though she had passed away, even though she was no longer here, it seemed that loving someone meant that no matter when or where you thought of them, a warm smile would unconsciously spread across your face.
Her gaze followed the departing car of Lin Yan, the faint echoes of the miniature microphone hung in her ears.
“Are you still following?”
Song Yuhang lowered her voice, “Yes, let’s follow. She’s cunning, be cautious.”