Chapter 80: Clues Emerge in the Surveillance Room

Captain Liu was taken aback and started to speak, “This...” But Master waved his hand and interrupted, “Let me put it this way: no matter how hard you investigate, you won’t find the reason. This case is beyond your abilities. How about I call Lin Fang directly, and you can ask him yourself?”

I could hear the implication in Master’s words. Clearly, he believed this was not an ordinary crime, but a supernatural one. The moment I entered, aside from the metallic tang of blood in the air, I sensed something unusual—Master had surely felt it as well.

Captain Liu’s face was clouded with unease. He hesitated, for in his eyes, we were merely Lin Fang’s friends, not police officers or detectives. By rights, this should be handled by the Criminal Police. Yet here we were, intent on taking over the case, and it was only natural for him to feel uncomfortable.

Master noticed Liu’s silence and shot me a look. I nodded, pulled out my phone, and called Lin Fang again. Soon, his voice came through on speaker. Liu was stunned when he recognized it. I said, “Chief Lin, we’d like to take over this case and need your department’s cooperation, but Captain Liu disagrees. What do you think?”

I addressed him as Chief Lin to give him face, since standing before me was the captain of the criminal squad. Lin Fang immediately replied, “Xuan, let Captain Liu take the call.”

I nodded nonchalantly and handed the phone to Liu. Lin Fang’s voice was direct: “Captain Liu, this is Lin Fang. You don’t have to handle this case. Just cooperate with them.”

Liu listened, looked at us unwillingly, but nodded without protest. “Understood, Chief Lin. I’ll do my best to assist them.”

Lin Fang grunted in acknowledgment. I took the phone back and said, “Get back to your work.” Then I hung up and looked at Captain Liu, but Master spoke first. “Then we’ll trouble you, Captain Liu.”

Liu forced a smile and waved his hand. “No trouble at all.”

Master nodded. “Let’s go to the community surveillance room first.”

Liu nodded again and led us to the surveillance room. On the way, he stole a glance at us and muttered softly, “Let’s see what you two can find that my whole squad can’t.”

Both Master and I heard him clearly, but we ignored his skepticism—we’d heard it all before. Master smiled faintly and paid him no mind. When we entered the monitoring room, a young officer was seated at the computer. He stood up and saluted upon seeing Liu. “Hello, Captain Liu!”

Liu nodded, gesturing at the computer. “Have you found anything suspicious?”

The officer shook his head, discouraged. But Master patted his shoulder and said, “Pull up the footage from the night before last up to yesterday morning.”

The young officer looked at Liu, who gave a slight nod. He sat back down and operated the mouse. Soon, the footage from the night before last appeared on the screen. Master dragged over a chair and stared intently at the screen. “Can you fast-forward?”

The officer nodded and increased the playback speed. Master watched carefully; I too watched the footage, seeing the corridor engulfed in darkness—there had been a power outage. Fortunately, the camera had night vision, so the images were clear. Master tapped the desk, “Faster.”

The officer sped it up again, but Master was still not satisfied. “Faster.”

The officer was left dumbfounded; the footage was already racing by. Even if someone walked down the corridor with a flashlight, they’d be gone in a flash.

“Can you go faster?”

“Faster still.”

“Keep going.”

Master urged repeatedly. The officer looked at him in disbelief, but Master was riveted to the barely perceptible images flashing by. Liu, standing nearby, was equally incredulous, muttering under his breath, “At that speed, who could see anything? Is he just showing off?”

I glanced at Liu, who quickly replaced his expression with an awkward smile. The images continued to fly by. After a while, Master suddenly called out, “Stop!”

The officer immediately paused the footage. Liu leaned in for a closer look but saw nothing unusual. Master smiled, pointing to the top of the screen. “Look here.”

We all turned our eyes to where he indicated. Liu leaned even closer, finally noticing something odd. “What’s that?” he asked, puzzled.

Master glanced at me, still smiling. “You all didn’t notice this before?”

Liu and the officer both shook their heads. At the top of the screen was a faint red blur, and the video had paused at just that moment. Master continued, “That’s the key to the case. I can’t believe you missed something so important.”

Liu smiled awkwardly, at a loss for words. Master pointed at the screen again. “Rewind a little and play it at normal speed.”

The young officer, stunned by Master’s ability to spot details at such high speed, could only nod mechanically, rewinding slightly and resetting the speed. Master said, “Watch carefully.”

With that, he stood up and moved aside. I joined him, sharing a knowing smile. Liu and the officer focused on the screen, and sure enough, right after that red blur flickered by, the woman in red whom Liu had previously mentioned appeared in front of apartment 4201.

Liu was speechless. His earlier skepticism had been completely swept away by Master’s performance. He stared at us as if we were strange beings, but Master and I showed no reaction, quietly observing. The footage sped through to the following morning, with no further anomalies.

Liu frowned at the monitor, then stepped aside, stroking his chin in thought. After a while, he turned to us, his attitude changed. “So, what was that shadow?”

Master chuckled, pointing at him. “Didn’t you already say it?”

Liu was stunned again, his mind still preoccupied with the images. Master walked to the door, opened it, and I followed. Master turned to Liu with a faint smile. “You were right. What you saw just now—was a ghost.”

With that, Master and I left the surveillance room, leaving Liu in utter shock. The young officer called his name several times before Liu finally snapped out of it.

Master walked toward the community gate, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. I asked, “Where to next, Master?”

He smiled, taking a drag. “To see the body.”

Simple as that. I was hardly surprised anymore—I’d grown used to it. Master turned and called back to the surveillance room, “Captain Liu, let’s go. There’s still work to do.”

Liu came running out, all smiles, eager as if to curry favor. “May I ask your name, sir?”

“Tan. Why?”

Liu shook Master’s hand. “Brother Tan, where to now?”

Master looked at Liu’s alternating cold and eager demeanor, gave me a wry smile, and I shrugged. Then Master cleared his throat. “Forensics department.”

“Great! Let’s go, Brother Tan,” Liu said cheerfully.

With Liu leading the way, we got into a police car. This was my second time in one—the first had been three years ago, after a fight with Lin Feng.

Liu drove himself, sirens blaring, speeding down the road. Before long, we arrived at the Criminal Police headquarters. After we got out, Liu, now very respectful, gestured for us to enter and led the way. I couldn’t figure out why his attitude had changed so drastically—it couldn’t be just Master’s actions earlier. There had to be something more, though I didn’t press it and simply followed him to forensics.

Inside, Liu asked, “Forensic Chen, is yesterday’s autopsy report ready?”

Dr. Chen, who was holding several reports, looked up and smiled. “It’s done, Captain Liu. I’m just reviewing it.”

He waved the reports, and Liu nodded, “Any findings?”

He flipped through the report, then handed it to Master. Dr. Chen nodded, “We can’t make any definitive conclusions yet. The cause of death is too bizarre. We’re still investigating further.”

Liu nodded, about to speak, but Master interjected, “Can we see the body?”

Dr. Chen was surprised, but seeing Liu’s look, he nodded and led us to the morgue. Like most, the morgue was on the basement level. As we descended, a chill set in—not surprising, since morgues are always cold.