Volume One: First Scroll
Deliverance
Little cutie, living must be painful, right? But it’s okay, I’ll help you find release.
While Lin Yan was sleeping fully clothed, the scavenger1 also arrived at today’s final stop: the entrance of a bar late at night. Many drunk people frequented this place, making it the easiest spot to find beer bottles, which were worth much more than plastic ones.
The girl waited crouched2 at the street corner for a while. She saw a drunk man place a beer bottle on the steps, then get up and stagger away.
She ran over, picked it up, emptied the remaining liquid inside, and was about to toss it into the basket on her back when her wrist was seized.
She looked up in terror. It was the same drunk man from before; he had returned at some point. Gripping her wrist, he pulled her up, pushing and shoving her against the wall. His mouth, reeking heavily of alcohol3, moved close to her face.
“Little sister… so pretty4… come… come have a couple of drinks with brother…”
“Get… get lost… If you don’t leave… I… I’ll call for help!” The girl was about to cry from panic, constantly pushing him with her hands, but the disparity in strength was too great. He managed to grope her quite a bit.
She cried and screamed for help, but the people lingering around the bar roared with laughter5.
The man grew bolder6, his hands roaming freely: “Little sister… come… come with brother, you’ll live the good life7…”
The girl bit her lower lip hard, turning her head aside as tears streamed down her face. Just as she prepared to bite her own tongue8, the weight on her suddenly lifted; the man had been shoved forcefully away.
The drunk staggered up from the ground, yelling: “F%ck… F%ck your mother… Who the hell are you… daring to hit me9…”
The man standing before her had a tall, broad-shouldered back. He wore an ordinary jacket and a peaked cap10. His expression was hidden in the darkness; only his voice could be heard, deep and somewhat hoarse.
“Scram.”
Only the lower half of his face, stubbly with a beard, was visible beneath the shadow of the peaked cap. The drunk swallowed, then, somewhat disbelievingly, lunged forward. He was quickly and efficiently11 flipped onto the ground, groaning and clutching his stomach.
The man picked up the beer bottle that had rolled onto the ground and walked towards her. The girl swallowed hard and backed away.
“Here.”
The footsteps stopped. A shadow fell over her. The outstretched arm was tightly muscled, and there seemed to be a tattoo on the inside of his wrist. The moonlight was faint and indistinct, making it impossible to clearly see the pattern.
The girl, still shaken, didn’t dare reach out to take it.
The man took a step back, placed the bottle on the ground, and turned to leave.
As if waking from a dream, the girl chased after him for a couple of steps: “Um… Th-thank you…”
The man’s steps paused, but he didn’t stop.
“Un… Uncle12…” she deliberated before calling out: “What… what’s your name? I… I’ll repay you…”
The man turned his head back. She thought she saw the corner of his lips under the peaked cap curve slightly. His voice was still hoarse.
“Call me Good Samaritan. We’ll meet again.”
Leaving this baffling13 sentence behind, he strode away. The girl stood stunned for a long moment before picking up the beer bottle and tossing it into her basket. Afraid of encountering another creep14, she hurried home.
“Meow—” The Good Samaritan, who hadn’t walked far, stopped and observed the cute cat. It was a little orange cat, looking like it had been stray for quite some time. Its fur was somewhat dirty, and it was emaciated15, lying weakly on the paving stones, meowing faintly.
The man bent down, picked up the poor little cat, and gently stroked its head. “Poor little thing, let me help you.”
The hand that had been holding the scruff of its neck circled its entire throat and suddenly tightened. The little cat struggled, letting out a piercing cry, its four paws flailing uselessly in the air until its tongue lolled out of its mouth and it completely ceased breathing. It had been strangled16 to death.
The man lifted it, kissed its already cooling forehead again and again, then gently put it down.
“Little cutie, living must be painful, right? But it’s okay, I helped you find release17.”
The space inside the car was cramped. The temperature had dropped sharply during the night. The engine wouldn’t start, and the air conditioning had stopped working. Lin Yan slept restlessly, her brow tightly furrowed even in sleep.
“Hey, Jie, did you get to the hospital?” Song Yuhang stood outside the car, talking on the phone.
Ji Jingxing, holding Xiao Wei in one arm while the doctor gave her an injection, listened to the phone: “We’re here… Thank you, Yuhang…”
“It’s nothing, glad you made it.” Hearing her say that, Song Yuhang felt relieved. She glanced towards the car; Lin Yan was still asleep.
“That person just now… was she your colleague?” Ji Jingxing had been rather frightened when two young people in suits knocked on her door late at night. Only after they mentioned Song Yuhang’s name and said they were sent by Miss to take them to the hospital did she half-believingly follow them downstairs with Xiao Wei. A Mercedes MPV18 was already waiting by the roadside.
Throughout the journey, the two young people and the driver were very polite to them, even helping to contact a pediatric specialist. Ji Jingxing still felt somewhat dazed, unable to process it all.
Since when did she know such wealthy and influential people?
Song Yuhang switched the phone to her other hand and replied softly, “Mhm, she’s my colleague. We came to the provincial capital for a case, the car broke down, stuck halfway…”
Ji Jingxing subtly breathed a sigh of relief. “It must be tough for you both, so late at night. Yuhang, please thank your colleague for me.”
Song Yuhang smiled slightly at this. “Okay. She’s quite blunt and outspoken19, don’t take what she said earlier to heart.”
Ji Jingxing nodded. The doctor asked for another blood test. She stood up holding Xiao Wei; it was time to end the call.
“Okay, well… be careful on the road.”
“Mhm, don’t worry, Jie. Let me know if anything changes with Xiao Wei. Goodbye.”
After hanging up, Song Yuhang opened the car door and got in. As the wind rushed in, Lin Yan instantly curled up, hugging her arms tighter. The clothes Song Yuhang had used to throw at her earlier had fallen onto the car floor.
Song Yuhang glanced back, stretched her arm to reach for it, but couldn’t grab it after several tries. She had to get out again, open the back door, and lean in slightly to pick it up for her.
Lin Yan was sleeping on her back, one hand tucked under her head, the other wrapped around herself. Her sleeping posture wasn’t very elegant; her tank top had ridden up, revealing her navel and toned V-cut abs20. One leg rested on the floor, pinning down the fallen clothes.
Song Yuhang was stuck, unsure whether to advance or retreat. Lin Yan whimpered softly again: “Cold…”
She thought for a moment, then leaned in anyway, intending to pull the jacket out. Halfway through pulling it, Lin Yan seemed to sense something, grunted impatiently twice, turned her face away, but pressed down even harder with her foot.
Song Yuhang mentally facepalmed21. She hadn’t brought a jacket herself, only wearing a short-sleeved shirt. If she gave it to Lin Yan, what would she wear?
Besides, Lin Yan was still recovering from a serious illness. Letting her freeze like this wasn’t right. What if she got sick again? After all, Song Yuhang was the one who brought her out here.
Song Yuhang pondered, her gaze falling on Lin Yan’s delicate ankle. In the moonlight, it seemed coated in a layer of glaze22, looking exquisite and captivating.
The thin strap of her high heel was loosely wrapped around it. Song Yuhang wanted to loosen it for her and pick up the clothes at the same time. With this thought, she reached out and grasped her ankle. It felt warm and smooth like fine mutton-fat jade23; she could barely hold onto it.
In the quiet atmosphere, their breaths mingled. Lin Yan slept soundly, but Song Yuhang felt an inexplicable sense of shame creeping into her heart, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have, touched something she shouldn’t have.
Song Yuhang quickly averted her gaze, secretly regulating her breathing, and bent down to pick up the clothes under Lin Yan’s foot. Lin Yan was already a light sleeper, not to mention Song Yuhang opening and closing the car door multiple times. Drowsily, she felt someone touching her leg and, without thinking, kicked out, striking Song Yuhang squarely on the knee.
Caught off guard, Song Yuhang took the full force of the kick. Her legs gave way, her body tilted, and she fell directly towards Lin Yan.
It was too late to prop herself up. The entire seat was occupied by Lin Yan. In her panic, she tried to brace herself against Lin Yan’s shoulder to avoid intimate contact, but who could control their strength and precision so well, especially in the pitch-dark night?
As her palm landed, she knew something was wrong; her fingers sank into softness. The sensation was too wonderful, sending a strange electric current instantly to the top of her head. She was paralyzed, forgetting to move.
Poor Lin Yan was hit so hard she was seeing stars24. Finally recovering, she slowly lowered her head, her gaze falling onto Song Yuhang’s hand. She gritted her teeth25.
“Song. Yu. Hang.”
Thump—Slap. Song Yuhang retreated from the car, clutching her face. Lin Yan had slapped her with both hands26, hitting both sides evenly. Her whole face stung hotly. Annoyed, she threw the jacket at Lin Yan and slammed the driver’s side door shut.
“My kindness is treated like dirt27.”
Lin Yan sat up slowly, draping the jacket over herself. “Captain Song, you should be glad you’re not a man. Otherwise, you’d be half-paralyzed28 by now.”
Song Yuhang snorted coldly and reached for the cigarettes Lin Yan had tossed in the storage box. Click. She lit one with the lighter. Fortunately, there was a seat between them, so Lin Yan couldn’t see the blush on her face.
“Oh, really? Forensic Doctor Lin is someone who dates five boyfriends simultaneously. Would she still care about this?”
Her tone was nonchalant. She opened the window, letting some cool night air drift in.
“Dating is dating, that’s based on mutual consent29. But out here in the middle of nowhere30, if Captain Song really wanted to do something to me, I’m afraid I’d be powerless to resist.”
Her voice was low, carrying a hint of lingering sleepiness. There was some rustling from the back seat; it was unclear what she was doing—tying her high heel straps or getting dressed. The very fact that it was unseen made it more suggestive.
Song Yuhang felt stifled. She didn’t dare turn around. The cigarette in her hand quickly burned down to her fingers. She stubbed it out in the ashtray before speaking.
“Is that the kind of person you think I am, Forensic Doctor Lin?”
Lin Yan propped her chin on her hand, looking over faintly, her eyes glistening31. “Who’s to say? After all, this isn’t the first time you’ve pulled at my clothes.”
Even without turning back, Song Yuhang knew that gaze was fixed firmly on her. She could imagine how alluring Lin Yan’s expression must be as she said this, and how feeble her own explanation sounded.
“That… that was an accident.”
Lin Yan giggled, “gege”32. More rustling from the back seat. She leaned over the front seat, tilting her head to look at Song Yuhang.
“Hey, don’t tell me you’re still a virgin33? Is it that hard to admit you have desires?”
This topic was too intense. Song Yuhang was no saint; she experienced the same physiological urges as any adult woman. She just usually vented excess energy through boxing or took care of it herself. Honestly, she had never thought she would one day discuss this topic so directly34 with someone. Moreover, thinking deeper along these lines sent a chill through her body, her blood running cold.
She lifted her eyes to meet Lin Yan’s gaze. “I do. But definitely not with women.”
Lin Yanwas stunned for a good while, then burst into even brighter laughter. “Did I say with women? Or perhaps…”
Her gaze flickered sideways, a playful smile touching her lips.
“The moment I mention desire, the first person Captain Song thinks of is…”
Before the “me” could leave her lips, Song Yuhang coldly threw out, “I’m going to fix the car,” and pushed the door open, giving Lin Yan no chance to finish.
Lin Yan watched her lift the hood, the smile on her lips deepening with meaning.
She yawned and lay back down again, thinking about how fun it was to tease Song Yuhang. But she didn’t expect that Song Yuhang’s earlier warning—that playing with fire would get her burned35—would later become a prophecy.
“Why are you only here now? There’s only half an hour left until the shift change.” The woman spoke as she opened a side door next to the passageway, avoiding the surveillance cameras in the corridor, and let the person in.
The man was tall and had to duck slightly. He carried a large travel bag on his back, his voice deep.
“No rush. Half an hour is enough.”
The body that should have been cremated lay quietly on the mortuary slab36 in the morgue37. The girl’s face was pale, devoid of color. She looked about ten years old, with a well-proportioned figure.
The man walked a circle around the mortuary slab, gazing almost obsessively at her remains. His fingers lightly brushed across the girl’s cold skin, every hair on his body trembling.
He couldn’t help but sigh: “Truly a work of art.”
“When can we get the DNA comparison results?”
Since homicide had already been ruled out for He Miao, the most important purpose of her and Lin Yan’s trip was to submit the biological samples for testing and to collect DNA from He Miao’s little maternal uncle-in-law for comparison.
During routine questioning, this man hadn’t tried to hide anything. He was small and thin, shrinking into the chair, holding a cup of tea. His hands were very rough, covered in scars large and small—clearly marks left from years of woodworking.
He displayed the nervousness typical of ordinary citizens when questioned by the police, so he hadn’t particularly caught Song Yuhang’s attention.
Moreover, he had an alibi. In the past three months, he had only returned home once, proven by a train ticket stub—arriving in the morning and leaving in the evening. At that time, He Miao was still at school.
He had no time to commit the crime.
“At least 24 hours.”
Song Yuhang nodded. “Okay, thank you for your trouble.”
“Not at all. Captain Song is a rare visitor. It’s rare for you to come to the provincial capital. Not going to catch up with Bureau Chief Zhao?”
She had been to the Binhai Provincial Public Security Department Criminal Investigation Detachment many times; they were all familiar faces.
Song Yuhang smiled slightly. “We’re on a case right now. Once we’re done, it won’t be too late to pay a visit to him38.”
After exchanging greetings with a few other acquaintances, she walked out of the hall and pressed the miniature microphone in her ear.
“He’s out.”
Lin Yan, who was reading a newspaper in front of a newsstand on the street corner, handed the money to the owner. “I’ll take this one.”
Saying this, she casually tucked the newspaper under her arm and followed the man ahead.
Lin Yan lowered her voice, her lips barely moving. “Didn’t you say he has an alibi? Why are we still following him?”
Song Yuhang stood by the street buying breakfast. “When He Miao’s death was mentioned, he wasn’t surprised at all, just as indifferent as Wang Xiuzhen. But when her pregnancy was mentioned, he seemed somewhat startled. A normal person would react for a moment and move on, but he kept rubbing his hands. That’s a typical self-soothing gesture.”
Lin Yan clicked her tongue39. “So I follow him, what are you going to do?”
Song Yuhang took a sip of the soy milk handed to her by the breakfast stall owner. “Me? I’m going to check out a few nearby markets where migrant workers gather.”
“So basically, I get stuck with all the legwork, is that it?”
Lin Yan listened to the sounds of “Selling baozi!”, “Steamed dumplings!”, “Fried dough sticks!” from Song Yuhang’s end, grinding her teeth40 in frustration.
Song Yuhang’s lips curved slightly. “You’re the one who insisted on coming. Follow the leader’s arrangements.”
Lin Yan almost cursed out loud.
The man walking ahead suddenly turned around. She spun, leaned against a nearby willow tree, instantly pulled out her phone from her pocket, and started talking loudly.
“Darling~~~”
The man scanned the area, saw no suspicious individuals following him, only a beautiful young woman talking on her phone in the crowd, seemingly chatting with her boyfriend, letting out laughs as clear as silver bells.
Her figure and appearance were exceptionally striking; the man couldn’t help but look a few extra times before turning and walking on.
Lin Yan instantly dropped the smile, thinking that the Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau should simultaneously award her the ‘Most Dedicated Officer of the Year’ and ‘Best Drama Queen41 of the Year’ awards.
Song Yuhang quietly listened to this exchange, finding it somewhat amusing. “See? This is why you’re the one doing the tailing.”
Firstly, in terms of appearance, Lin Yan was definitely much less threatening than her. Secondly, Lin Yan’s ability to adapt to situations was no weaker than hers.
Lin Yan gritted her teeth and continued walking forward. “You got me there42. Once this case is solved, we’ll settle this score properly, Officer Song.”
LP: Re-translated on April 03, 2025
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