Please be aware that a content warning has been placed in the first chapter due to themes explored in this chapter. I sincerely apologise for only placing a warning now.
Here’s the warning:
Content Warning: This novel contains scenes and themes related to police work, violence, death, and forensic investigations. Readers should be aware that the content may include graphic descriptions, crime scenes, and situations that may be distressing. Please exercise caution and consider your personal comfort levels while reading. It is recommended for mature audiences who can engage with such content. If you find any of these themes distressing, please proceed with discretion or seek alternative reading material that better suits your preferences.
This chapter contains death, suicide, implied sexual violence, and implied drowning.
Rejection
“Captain Song, we found out that there was no beef in the Shuren Middle School’s dinner recipe today, and when we asked Wu Wei’s homeroom teacher, he didn’t eat in the school cafeteria; he left right after school.”
An investigator handed her a sheet, which was today’s menu from Shuren Middle School, and indeed, there was no beef dish listed. So, who did he have dinner with?
After looking at it, Song Yuhang handed it to Lin Yan, then stood up and went over to the cybersecurity team member. “Check the surveillance videos near Shuren Middle School.”
The time Wu Wei left was precisely at the end of the school day, and the area outside the school was bustling with cars and people.
Everyone was trying to see clearly, and someone said, “Captain Song, could he have left by climbing the wall?”
Song Yuhang decisively refuted, “If he took leave, he could have walked openly without needing to climb any walls.”
Lin Yan lightly chuckled at this, making the other person lose face.
Song Yuhang rolled her eyes lightly and gestured for her not to speak out of turn.
Lin Yan shrugged and joined the crowd, still wearing her coat. She said to Song Yuhang, “If we can’t find the person, let’s check the car. Shuren Middle School is not close to the crime scene by the city wall, and without transportation, it would take a while to get there.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Yuhang pointed at the screen. “Zoom in and look at that car.”
An inconspicuous Santana was parked on the roadside with its door open. A student in a school uniform was about to get in. Although it was just a silhouette, Song Yuhang still recognized him from his backpack – it was indeed Wu Wei.
Due to the angle, the front part of the license plate was obscured, but she could barely make out the last two digits, which were 8 and 7.
“Check the surveillance videos at major intersection crossroads in the urban areas, and pay attention to the black Santana with license plate ending in 8 and 7. Also, contact the traffic management bureau and request them to provide us with information on the owner of the local black Santana.”
With this command, the operations room bustled with activity: some members went online to bait, others checked surveillance footage, and some made calls to collaborate with other departments.
Song Yuhang holstered her handgun at her waist and said, “Field team, come with me. Let’s go to the crime scene and find eyewitnesses.”
Lin Yan blended into the crowd and started to move along with them but was soon pulled out by someone.
Song Yuhang lowered her voice and asked, “I’m on a mission; what are you doing here?”
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Lin Yan held onto her arm, her smile warm, and her eyes filled with emotion. “I’m following you, according to our three rules: no quarreling, no causing a scene, and no losing temper.”
With so many people around, Song Yuhang couldn’t publicly shake her off and didn’t want to embarrass her. Besides, looking at that beautiful face, she couldn’t bring herself to be too harsh. She chuckled.
“You keep darting here and there. With so many people, I don’t have the time to keep an eye on you.”
Lin Yan’s response ignited her anger once more. She shook off Song Yuhang’s hand and said, “Do you think I’m just dead weight?”
“I don’t… I…” Song Yuhang’s words trailed off, but Lin Yan had already turned and walked away, heading straight for the police car.
“What nonsense rules! Even if I have to go, can you find clues without me?!”
It seemed like she had a particular interest in this case, perhaps related to that person, Chu Nan?
Song Yuhang watched her depart, deep in thought, but she didn’t stop her and appeared somewhat resigned.
“Duan Cheng, you should go too, follow Lin Jie.”
* * *
The group went along the street, knocking on store doors and inquiring.
“Have you seen this person?”
“No, haven’t seen them.”
“No, don’t remember.”
“Who’s that?”
“Police, have you seen this person?”
“No, haven’t seen them,” the shop owner said, slamming the door shut with a thud and muttering, “This is the middle of the night, disturbing people’s peaceful sleep.”
Song Yuhang sighed and, holding the photo, moved on to the next store.
* * *
“The news said they wouldn’t kill again, right? Why— ” The woman pointed at the newspaper on the table, her voice sharp.
— An unidentified male corpse was found by the city wall, suspected to be a high school senior student, who jumped into the river due to excessive stress.
The headline was quite eye-catching, but the content was quite ordinary.
At the very bottom, there was a recent update stating that the police had initiated an investigation into a series of suicide cases.
The woman interviewed in the newspaper had shoulder-length hair, sharp eyebrows, starry eyes, well-defined features, and two horizontal stripes on her shoulder.
The speaker was completely covered in a black robe, and their face and expression were not visible. They reached out and took the newspaper, saying, “He wanted to die on his own; I just gave him an opportunity. No one’s to blame.”
“These past two years have been too frequent. The police have started investigating. Stop now!” The woman’s voice carried a hint of pleading.
The person sitting across from her coldly snorted, saying, “Stop? Impossible. I’ve already selected the next candidate.”
Fear appeared on the woman’s face as she pointed at him and stepped back, “You… you want to…”
The figure in the black robe chuckled, revealing half of a gaunt chin, “Yes, that’s right. She’s a very lovely girl, and I’ve already obtained her blood type. It perfectly meets the requirements.”
“No! You can’t! This time… I absolutely won’t… won’t help you again!” The woman gasped for breath as she stepped back. But as soon as she finished speaking, someone grabbed her by the throat.
A massive body pressed down on her, and the man exuded a foul, decayed odor that hadn’t seen the light of day for years. The hand gripping her had wrinkled, chicken-like skin with brown spots.
The woman struggled, coughed, and slapped at his hand, while a hint of madness flickered in the man’s eyes.
He enjoyed watching people struggle on the brink of death, finding it much more sincere than those fake masked smiles.
The hand around her neck gradually applied more pressure, and the woman’s legs kicked aimlessly in the air, her eyes rolling back.
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“Creak—” The door to the inner room made a noise.
The man seemed to startle and turned to look. Through the crack in the door, a pair of jet-black, emotionless eyes were visible.
* * *
Bai Ling finished her night shift, locked up the shop, and was about to head home when she heard footsteps in the distance.
She quickened her pace, keeping her head down, knowing that she was just a hundred meters away from the street corner where there would be a police patrol car.
The person behind her also increased their speed, and the streetlight cast the shadow of a well-built man.
Bai Ling’s heart raced, and she started running. The person behind her also quickened their steps. When a scream got stuck in her throat, the man and she stumbled past each other.
It was just a drunkard.
Bai Ling breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could feel too happy, a dark figure darted out from a nearby alley and covered her mouth, dragging her into the darkness.
“Mmm…” Bai Ling struggled, and the person slapped her hard a few times.
“Damn it, you wretch. I wonder why you rejected me. It turns out you’ve latched onto a wealthy one.”
The man said with a sinister tone, his hair in small braids. He was the same man who danced with Lin Yan at Lin Ge’s birthday party.
“What are you standing around for?! Help, get in here, help me hold her down…” The man unbuckled his belt. “If we can’t have the big one, we’ll settle for the little one. Hehe, still…”
The sound was drowned out by the weak, stifled crying.
“Someone’s coming, let’s go, go, go.” Several young men finished, pulled up their pants, and scattered.
Bai Ling lay on the cold ground, looking up at the pitch-black sky, tears flowing unconsciously, her spirit crushed.
It wasn’t until a drop of water fell on her forehead that she moved her stiff fingers.
It was raining.
A shadow fell in front of her, and someone held an umbrella over her. The man crouched down and helped her adjust her torn clothes.
Bai Ling looked at the familiar face, and it seemed to restore some of her awareness. She choked back her tears and called out, “Uncle…”
The man didn’t say anything; he simply helped her up from the ground.
Upon the first touch of his warmth, Bai Ling seemed to find solace and nestled into his arms like a weary bird returning home, crying softly.
An invisible smile tugged at the corners of the man’s lips. “Sleep now. It’ll be better once you’re asleep. The White Whale will bring you happiness.”
Whether it was due to her extreme fatigue or some other reason, as the man gently patted her back, drowsiness like she had never felt before washed over her.
Bai Ling’s head tilted, and she wanted to say something more, but she had already fallen into his arms.
* * *
The car was parked on the side of the road, and outside, the rain started to pour, making a pitter-patter sound on the car roof.
Lin Yan had her feet up on the dashboard, peeling edamame beans, and humming an unfamiliar English song.
Duan Cheng was tasked with watching over her, glancing at her while busy responding to various forum posts.
Lin Yan glanced at him, “Is this fishing for law enforcement working?”
“Who knows? It’s like a blind cat encountering a dead mouse,” Duan Cheng replied, eyeing her delicious-looking snack and swallowing hard. “Don’t laugh, but when you look at it, there are so many people thinking about suicide every day.”
Lin Yan pushed her late-night snack a bit farther away, “Other people posting might actually have a chance to find the killer, but for someone like you, it’s better to forget about it.”
He was accustomed to her sarcastic remarks, so it didn’t bother him.
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Duan Cheng forced a smile, “Actually, I didn’t think I could find the killer either. I was just purely curious…”
Lin Yan sat with her back to him, and her hand, in the middle of peeling edamame, paused when she heard his question.
“During the meeting the other day, it seemed like Forensic Doctor Lin was quite knowledgeable in this area. Why not give it a try?”
“If both the deceased and the prime suspect communicated through a single online connection, then why wasn’t his phone found at the crime scene?”
Duan Cheng was left puzzled by her question, but Lin Yan had already opened the car door and stepped out.
The location wasn’t far from the crime scene, and the rain had caused the river water to rise rapidly, almost flooding the banks.
Lin Yan descended from the riverbank.
Duan Cheng pushed aside the willow branches swaying in the rain and followed her, wading through the rain with each step.
“Forensic Doctor Lin, Lin Jie! Come back quickly!”
Lin Yan pushed through the grass along the bank, retraced her steps, but still found nothing.
She gritted her teeth and looked out at the dark, unfathomable water.
As soon as Duan Cheng’s voice trailed off, he heard a splashing sound.
“Oh my god!” When he stumbled over, there was no one left by the bank.
The rain intensified, and the autumn rain felt bone-chilling as it soaked through their clothes.
Duan Cheng shouted again, “Lin Jie, Forensic Doctor Lin…”
His voice echoed in the pitch-black night.
Duan Cheng’s hands and feet were freezing. Shivering, he pulled out his phone and started calling Song Yuhang. “Hey, Captain Song…”
Song Yuhang had rushed back on her police motorcycle, and after hanging her helmet on the handlebars, she vaulted over the guardrail. She grabbed Duan Cheng and demanded, “Where is she?! Didn’t I tell you to watch her?!”
Duan Cheng, drenched from the ongoing rain and rattled by the consecutive shocks caused by Lin Yan, was left trembling all over. He pointed at the water’s surface and stammered, “She… she jumped in… I couldn’t stop her in time…”
Song Yuhang turned to look, and raindrops splashing onto the water’s surface created ripples, occasionally pushing waves toward the shore.
This wasn’t the first time someone had drowned in the moat, and nobody knew what was happening beneath the surface. It seemed calm, but it was treacherous.
She felt like her body’s warmth had been extinguished by the rain, and in the confusion, she heard her own teeth chattering.
“How long has it been?”
Duan Cheng glanced at his watch and was on the verge of tears. “F-f-five minutes…”
i feel angry and helpless