Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 164
Just in case, Dong Zhi decided to bring Chang Qing along.
The latter remained relatively calm, not shouting or attempting any futile resistance.
Dong Zhi said to him, “Let us deal with this case first, then we will address your issue.”
Chang Qing nodded. “Fine, I want to see how you handle it.”
Captain Yin frowned, hesitant to speak. In the end, he didn’t stop Dong Zhi from bringing Chang Qing into the office.
In reality, while the Deng family was making efforts everywhere for Deng Bin, the police had also been investigating, and they had more leads than the Deng family knew.
The deceased, Su Huan, was Deng Bin’s wife. Her parents were small vendors in the market, supporting her education with their modest income. Unfortunately, Su Huan missed the college entrance exam cutoff by just one point. Considering her family’s financial situation, she didn’t retake the exam but instead took a job at a private company where she met Deng Bin.
Su Huan was very beautiful and had many suitors. However, Deng Bin stood out among them. After a passionate courtship, they naturally got together and married. After their wedding, the Deng family arranged for Su Huan to work in a library. She wasn’t satisfied with this job, feeling that the Deng family placed her there out of concern that she might embarrass them elsewhere. Deng Bin had taken her to a few banquets, where some looked down on her and made fun of her behind her back. The differences in their lifestyles led to more conflicts and eventually intense arguments.
“Su Huan’s social circle was simple—basically just home and the library. Occasionally, she would visit her parents on weekends. We investigated her relationships and found no enmity. As for Deng Bin, he doesn’t have an identical twin, so there’s no chance of impersonation. Moreover, even if someone tried to impersonate him, they couldn’t fake the fingerprints found on the murder weapon at the scene. Therefore, Deng Bin is indeed the prime suspect.”
Captain Yin concluded.
On hearing this, Deng Po’s father became anxious and wanted to speak, but he was pulled back by his son.
Normally, families weren’t allowed to attend criminal investigations. It was only at Dong Zhi’s request that Captain Yin made an exception. However, if they interrupted, they would surely be thrown out.
While Deng Po’s father was agitated, Deng Pp was more astute and timely stopped him.
On the other side, Dong Zhi asked, “Were there any discrepancies found?”
Captain Yin nodded. “There were no footprints from the murderer at the scene.”
Dong Zhi: “Can you be more specific?”
Captain Yin’s assistant said, “We inspected the scene and questioned the maid of Deng Bin’s house. We found out that the house was cleaned just before the murder. Before Deng Bin and Su Huan returned home, there were only footprints of the maid and Su Huan, no third person’s footprints. Even if the murderer entered without shoes, there were no footprints outside or inside the door.”
Dong Zhi understood.
Unless the murderer could fly, it’s impossible to leave no trace. But if the murderer could fly, why would they be careful about footprints but leave fingerprints?
Having been a detective for many years, Captain Yin had solved numerous cases, including some strange ones that were hard to explain. A decade ago, when he was still learning from his seniors, he heard about the existence of the Special Administration Bureau. Outsiders knew nothing about this mysterious department, while insiders rarely mentioned it. Calling them wasn’t easy, and once they were involved, they would take over the case. Captain Yin wouldn’t ask for their help unless absolutely necessary.
This time, since the investigation had hit a dead end, Captain Yin had no choice but to reluctantly request assistance from experts. However, Dong Zhi’s youth surprised him.
It was said that despite his young age, Director Dong’s rank was equivalent to that of a seasoned detective like himself. At first, Captain Yin was skeptical, but after seeing Dong Zhi subdue Chang Qing so easily, he was convinced.
“Did you find anything else?” Dong Zhi continued to inquire.
Captain Yin nodded. “Regarding Su Huan, we found that she rarely borrowed books from the library despite being a librarian. However, a week before the murder, she borrowed a book from the library, which has not been returned to date. We haven’t found that book in her home or at her workplace. Strangely, the book was donated to the library last year. Before Su Huan, only one person had borrowed it, named Huang Zai.”
Everyone from the Deng family was puzzled about the connection between a book and the murder, but Dong Zhi knew that Captain Yin must have a reason for bringing it up.
“Is this related to Huang Zai?”
Captain Yin shook his head. “Huang Zai is dead. He died six months ago in a car accident while jaywalking. The car was speeding and crushed him instantly.”
A chill ran through everyone present.
Captain Yin looked at the Deng family. “The book’s title is ‘Illustrated Guide’. We called you here to ask if any of you have seen that book.”
Deng Po’s parents exchanged glances and both said, “Never seen it. When we visited her home, we never saw Su Huan reading. She seemed to prefer playing on her phone, especially a game she recently downloaded.”
This was typical behavior for young people, and Su Huan was no exception.
It was as Captain Yin expected, but he still seemed slightly disappointed. At that moment, Deng Po said, “The last time I spoke to my uncle, he mentioned that Su Huan was constantly clutching a book and even took it to work. She barely played on her phone. I joked with him about her sudden change in behavior.”
Captain Yin’s eyes lit up. “Anything else?”
Deng Po thought for a moment. “Oh yes, my uncle also mentioned that she appeared to be in a daze while reading. She didn’t flip the pages for a long time, just stared at one page. He asked her about it once but got no response. They were having a cold war then, so he didn’t think much of it.”
Captain Yin probed further. “Did he notice the content on that page?”
Deng Po shook his head. “He didn’t mention it. I guess he didn’t really pay attention.”
Captain Yin took a deep breath, stood up, and shook their hands. “Thank you for your cooperation. Please ensure the confidentiality of our conversation today.”
Deng Po’s father urgently spoke up for his brother. “Officer, Deng Bin is innocent. I’ve watched him grow up, and I know he wouldn’t kill.”
Most families of suspects would believe their loved ones were innocent.
Captain Yin responded with a professional smile. “Rest assured, we’ll do our utmost to solve this case. We won’t accuse an innocent person nor miss a guilty one.”
Knowing that the police wouldn’t promise them anything at this stage, the Deng family left. Deng Po’s mother looked at Chang Qing and hesitated. “Can Mr. Chang Qing come with us?”
Dong Zhi replied with a smile, “Sorry, but he’s suspected of obstructing official duties and can’t leave with you. We will handle him lawfully. Given his actions, he might face a fine or administrative detention at most. Don’t worry.”
Chang Qing remained expressionless, as if Dong Zhi wasn’t talking about him.
After the Deng family left, Dong Zhi, Captain Yin, and Kan Chaosheng sat down again in the conference room.
Captain Yin motioned for his assistant to take Chang Qing away, but Chang Qing said, “I can help you solve the case.”
Dong Zhi raised an eyebrow.
Chang Qing continued, “I’ve been practicing in Taibai Mountain and am unaware of the customs outside. I didn’t know that monsters could roam freely, so I captured that snake.”
Kan Chaosheng bristled. “You’re the snake! Your whole family is made of snakes!”
Chang Qing replied indifferently, “Aren’t they both creatures that haven’t turned into dragons? Only when one becomes a real dragon are they not considered a monster.”
Recognizing that Dong Zhi was the one in charge, Chang Qing addressed him directly. “I can naturally see the true forms of some monsters. I’m sure I can be of assistance.”
Dong Zhi said, “But I doubt your ability. Clearly, I’m a human, yet you just claimed otherwise.”
Chang Qing looked at him with a puzzled expression. “I don’t know why, but there’s something odd about your aura. I can’t quite place it.”
Dong Zhi inquired, “Who is your master?”
Chang Qing gave him the name. “He has spent time at Qingniu Cave Taoist Temple and holds a Taoist certificate. You should be able to verify that.”
Dong Zhi turned to Kan Chaosheng. “Can you check it out?”
Kan Chaosheng replied, “Don’t you need me to keep an eye on him?”
Dong Zhi earnestly said, “No need. I feel that compared to him, your dwindling bonus is in greater peril.”
Kan Chaosheng: …
Captain Yin’s assistant followed Kan Chaosheng out, leaving three people in the conference room.
Dong Zhi felt it would be safer to keep Chang Qing close, so he addressed Captain Yin without sending Chang Qing out. “Did you discover any other clues earlier, but it was inconvenient to mention in front of the Deng family?”
Captain Yin replied, “Yes. Although Deng Bin was unaccounted for two hours during the time of the murder, when we arrested him at the club, he was calmly playing billiards with friends. His demeanor wasn’t consistent with someone who had just committed a murder, unless he has an extremely cold, antisocial personality. But his past behavior doesn’t support this. Also, the lie detector indicated multiple times that he was truthful, and even if it isn’t admissible as evidence, it’s still a reference.”
“Then there’s that book.” Captain Yin produced a series of photos taken from the library’s CCTV footage showing Su Huan putting the book in her bag. It took a lot of time and effort to find this particular frame.
After enlargement, the photos were still somewhat blurry, but you could roughly make out the characters on the cover.
“Other than the word for ‘Illustration’, it’s impossible to make out the other characters,” Captain Yin said. “In the library’s records, there’s only mention of these two words.”
“I know what those words are.”
Dong Zhi looked up solemnly. “This is ‘waste text’, a script for the dead and deities.”
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