Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Course of the Case

Beep, beep, beep—the call signal echoed, and before long, Lin Fang picked up, speaking first: “Master, my apologies, I was busy just now and didn’t hear the phone. Is there anything you need me to do?”
I nodded, glanced at the television behind me, and asked, “Was there a homicide in the Duoyuan Lake complex the night before last?”
“Master, how did you know about that?”
“Oh, I just saw it on TV. Have you confirmed a suspect?” I continued.
Lin Fang responded quietly to someone else on his end, then said, “We’ve been tracking a suspect, but…”
I paused. “But what?”
“Uh, Master, we’re still working to confirm the suspect, but we’ve already sent people to investigate. I have a lot of cases on my plate right now, so I’ve assigned the criminal investigation team to follow up. Master, is there something wrong with this case?”
I nodded. “We’re still working on it. Are you very busy right now?”
“Oh, not at all,” Lin Fang replied.
I shook my head, cutting him off, “Alright, I know you’re busy with other cases, so I won’t disturb you further.”
At that, I glanced at my master. He frowned, walked over, and said to me, “Ask that kid Lin Fang if we can go to the crime scene.”
I nodded, about to speak, but Lin Fang’s laughter came through the phone, “Of course, Senior, no problem.”
I shook my phone, signaling to my master, who grunted in acknowledgment and walked away. I said to Lin Fang, “That’s settled, then. Get back to your work.”
“Alright, Master. If you need anything, just call me.”
I nodded, hung up, and walked over to my master. “Master, is this really what you think?”

My master cast me a glance, picked up the car keys from beside him, and said, “What else? Four people dead—do you think an ordinary person could’ve done it? And didn’t you hear the host say there was a female witness at the scene? That means she must’ve seen the killer. So why didn’t the killer take her out too, but only the other four? Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
I was stunned, recalling the footage and the host’s summary I’d just seen on TV. In the video, a girl leaned wearily against a hospital bed, her eyes vacant—no matter how the police questioned her, even when her family came, she didn’t utter a word. If it was as my master suggested, then it was indeed strange. Most killers are thorough; why would one leave a witness behind? That would be exposing oneself.
Still, I hesitated, looking at my master. “Master, what if the killer overlooked her, or she just happened to be outside his line of sight and became an accidental witness? Have you considered that possibility?”
My master fell into thought at my words, shook his head after a while, and said, “Hard to say. Anyway, we’ve got nothing else to do today—let’s go have a look. If this really is a supernatural case, it’s not just about four lives.”
I nodded, following him out the door. Maybe some would call us busybodies, or say we had nothing better to do; the logic’s all the same. For those of us who move between the seams of society, cases involving deaths always spark a few more thoughts than most people would have. In the past three years, I’ve seen cases like this countless times, so my attitude is half belief, half doubt.
Soon, we arrived at the entrance of Duoyuan Lake complex. The residents had already been evacuated. I saw several officers guarding the main gate and turned to my master. “Master, quite the operation—everyone’s been moved out. Clearly, the police are taking this seriously.”
My master chuckled, “Of course. Four people dead in a quiet neighborhood—if the police didn’t evacuate them, the residents would’ve left on their own. Think about it: would you stay in a place where four people were murdered and the case isn’t solved? You’d get chills just thinking about it at night. So, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.”
I nodded and walked up with my master, only to be stopped by a policeman at the gate. “Sorry, this area is sealed off. No unauthorized entry.”
I was taken aback, as was my master. Had Lin Fang not informed them? I looked at my master, who said to the officer, “We’re friends of Director Lin. We’d like to go in and have a look. Please let us through.”
The policeman hesitated. “Please show your ID.”
My master handed over his ID. The officer glanced at it, then said, “I’m sorry, this is a serious case. Without a permit, we can’t allow anyone in. Please leave.”
With that, he made a polite gesture. He was at least courteous, and I didn’t want to make things difficult for him. I motioned him aside, but he stepped back warily, thinking I might attack. “We’re not criminals. Just come here, I want to talk to you.”
“If you have something to say, please say it here. I’m on duty and can’t leave my post. Thank you for understanding,” the officer replied.
I sighed, nodded helplessly, took out my phone, and called Lin Fang on speaker. After a moment, Lin Fang’s voice came through, and the officer looked at me, puzzled.
“Hello, Master, what is it?”
I looked at the officer and said into the phone, “We’re at the scene, but we’re being stopped. Please explain the situation to him.”
I handed the phone over. The officer took it, frowning, and after exchanging a few words, his expression changed several times as he looked at us again. “Yes, yes… Understood, Director Lin.”
He handed the phone back to me. I put it to my ear.
“Sorry, Master,” Lin Fang’s voice said. “This new officer doesn’t understand. I’ve just scolded him—he’ll take you in. If you need anything, just call me.”
I nodded, said okay, hung up, and looked at the officer, whose attitude changed completely. He forced a smile. “Sorry, gentlemen, I didn’t recognize who you were. Please follow me.”
Neither I nor my master blamed him further. He lifted the cordon, and we ducked under, the officer leading the way. We reached the fourth floor, outside unit 4201, guarded by two more officers. Seeing their colleague, they looked at us curiously. He grinned and exchanged a few words with them, and they stepped aside.
My master glanced at me, nodded, and followed the officer in. I went after them. The moment we entered, the thick stench of blood hit me, and I instinctively covered my nose. Several forensic experts and a high-ranking officer were inside.
The officer looked at us with surprise. Our escort whispered to him, and my master’s brows immediately furrowed, as if he’d discovered something. After hearing our escort, the officer’s expression relaxed into a smile as he came over to shake hands. “So you’re Director Lin’s friends. I’m Liu, captain of the criminal investigation team.”
I nodded, greeting him as Captain Liu. My master nodded as well, pointed at the bloodstains on the floor, and said directly, “Tell us about the case.”
He walked straight over, crouched down, and reached as if to touch the blood. A forensic expert stopped him. “Sorry, please don’t touch the crime scene.”
But before the forensic specialist finished, Captain Liu gave him a look. The specialist caught the hint, nodded awkwardly, and stepped aside. Liu walked over and began, “Yesterday morning, the neighborhood committee reported a homicide here. We responded at once. The victims were three men and one woman, preliminarily estimated to have died the night before last. The bodies have been sent to forensics; results aren’t in yet. We interviewed the neighbors—they said the power was out that night for repairs, so they went to bed early. We checked surveillance—no suspicious people entering or leaving. Only the fourth-floor corridor camera caught a woman in red. Strangely, our investigation into her revealed nothing. At eleven, she entered 4201 and never came out. We’ve listed her as the primary suspect, but now she seems to have vanished into thin air. We can’t find her anywhere.”
When he finished, I asked, “Have you ruled out crimes of passion or premeditated murder?”
“We’ve checked all of that—no leads. We’ve even held emergency meetings. Our preliminary conclusion is that the killer had no motive at all, which is the most troubling aspect,” Captain Liu said with a frown.
My master nodded, crouched, and resting one hand on his knee, said, “It’s not your fault.”
Captain Liu looked at him in confusion. My master continued, “Leave this matter to us. Just provide whatever resources and personnel we need.”
Liu was even more puzzled. “What do you mean by that? I don’t quite understand.”
He gave an awkward laugh. My master stood, looked at him and the forensic experts, and said, “It means you can’t handle this case. Leave it to us. If you have any questions, talk to Lin Fang.”