Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 166
After a while, Xiao Zhao finally spoke, trying to sound calm, but his voice trembled slightly.
“Could it be due to the lighting or camera angle?”
Dong Zhi glanced at him. “You already know the answer, why deceive yourself?”
Upon close examination, a faint shadow could be seen from the potted plant beside Deng Bin, but Deng Bin himself cast none. Xiao Zhao remained silent.
Chang Qing suddenly said, “I’ve seen that Deng Bin before. There was nothing wrong with him.”
Dong Zhi nodded to Xiao Zhao. “Captain Yin’s intuition and experience are indeed impressive; this case indeed requires the involvement of the Special Administration Bureau.”
Looking at Dong Zhi, Chang Qing, and Kan Chaosheng, Xiao Zhao felt a mix of unease. A youth even younger than him, a child, and an outsider who joined halfway seemed an unlikely trio to handle this. He hesitated. “Director Dong, should we get more backup?”
Dong Zhi grinned. “Do I seem untrustworthy?”
Xiao Zhao laughed awkwardly. “That’s not what I meant…”
Dong Zhi patted him. “Don’t worry, my master got held up in Beijing. He’ll join us soon.”
The title ‘master’ sounded reassuring. Xiao Zhao felt a weight lift off his chest. Kan Chaosheng, however, grew tense, rapidly processing whether he had made any mistakes recently. Dong Zhi, reading his expression, said, “You let Deng Po see Meika’s true form on the train, didn’t you?”
Kan Chaosheng defended, “Meika was at its smallest size and I covered it with a blanket! That incident was unavoidable!”
Dong Zhi: “Then you revealed your identity to Deng Po.”
Kan Chaosheng: “That was to capture human traffickers; I was doing a good deed!”
Dong Zhi: “And then you got caught by Chang Qing, requiring my rescue. Chang Qing even discovered your true form.”
Kan Chaosheng: …
Chang Qing added, “In short, you’re unprofessional.”
At this time, Captain Yin then approached, asking Dong Zhi if they should inspect Su Huan’s body.
Dong Zhi pointed at the guidebook and told Xiao Zhao, “We’ll have another look at this book when my master arrives. Don’t pack it away yet.”
Xiao Zhao nodded. “Understood.”
Chang Qing inquired, “Can I stay to examine the book a bit more?”
Dong Zhi asked, “Found something?”
Chang Qing shook his head. “I feel there’s more to this book. Maybe there’s something to discover.”
The two locked eyes, sensing hidden secrets, but neither revealed more. Dong Zhi agreed to Chang Qing’s request but instructed Kan Chaosheng and Xiao Zhao to assist and, implicitly, to keep an eye on him. Once Dong Zhi left, Chang Qing began perusing the peculiar illustration book.
Though there wasn’t much to see. Dong Zhi had flipped through it multiple times, each page blank without exception. Chang Qing felt there was a key—a catalyst—within the book. Su Huan may have acquired this key, revealing the book’s secrets, leading to her murder.
But what was the secret? He ran his fingers across the book’s unique texture, deep in thought.
Dong Zhi followed Captain Yin to the identification center. Su Huan’s body was once again taken out from the freezer. The forensic expert in charge was a young, professional woman, showing no discomfort while examining the corpse. Seeing Captain Yin, she looked slightly impatient, probably tired of repeatedly explaining her findings.
Dong Zhi didn’t trouble her further, “Dr. Chen, we’ll examine it ourselves for now.”
Dr. Chen blinked. “You don’t need an overview?”
Dong Zhi smiled. “Not for now.”
Captain Yin introduced. “This is a colleague from our affiliated department. Due to the case requirements, he’s here. You can go on with your work; we’ll handle this.”
Hearing him speak in such a mysterious manner, Dr. Chen slightly curled her lips beneath her mask, assuming Dong Zhi was here for an official inspection from a higher department. Captain Yin, out of courtesy, probably felt obligated to bring him here. As for Dong Zhi looking so young, she speculated that he might have some influential backing or connections that allowed him to be promoted quickly, a phenomenon not too uncommon.
She wasn’t in a rush to leave and stood to the side, arms crossed, watching them examine the body.
To her surprise, Dong Zhi, who appeared as if he had just graduated not long ago, didn’t bat an eye when facing the body that had been frozen for a while and bore a somewhat horrific look. He even bent down closer to the corpse’s head, as if he wanted to kiss it.
Although Su Huan was a beauty in life, one that even the rich second-generation Deng Bin found stunning, her body was now rigid and discolored, with post-mortem lividity showing. Seeing his action, Dr. Chen’s complexion slightly changed, almost as if he wanted to desecrate the body.
But Dong Zhi’s expression was solemn and absolutely serious, making Dr. Chen immediately discard that thought.
When she saw him bend down again to inspect the body’s chest, she couldn’t help but say, “There are two fatal wounds on her. One is in the heart. When we found the body, her heart was missing. It seemed as if someone had gouged it out and then yanked it away, and the wound is jagged…”
“Not from a blade.” Dong Zhi interrupted.
Dr. Chen raised an eyebrow. “Are you a forensic expert too?”
Dong Zhi: “I’m not.”
Dr. Chen: “Then you shouldn’t have interrupted me.”
Dong Zhi smiled. “Sorry.”
Dr. Chen pursed her lips. “Indeed, the wound doesn’t seem to be from a sharp weapon. It’s as if it was torn open by some animal’s claw and then forcibly removed.”
This made it even stranger, as both surveillance and the scene suggested this theory was impossible.
As Dong Zhi straightened up, Captain Yin, with a hint of expectation, asked, “How is it?”
His reaction was also odd, making Dr. Chen give him a few more glances.
Dong Zhi: “There’s no demonic qi, so it’s not a demon. But it could be a spirit. As of now, I can’t confirm. From my perspective, Deng Bin is indeed not the culprit. However, my opinion can’t serve as evidence. You should still proceed according to your protocols.”
Dr. Chen: ??? What the hell are you talking about?
Yet, surprisingly, Captain Yin seemed to understand and even looked a bit disappointed.
“All right, but thank you anyway. At least you’ve pointed us in a new direction.”
Dong Zhi: “It would be best if you could find out who had contact with that book before Su Huan and who brought it to the library. That’s the key. If it indeed was a spirit, the murder might not be due to any grudge. It could be random selection.”
Captain Yin sighed. “The problem is we can’t trace the origin of the book. The library has no record. We’re comparing it with donations or purchase channels, but it takes time.”
Dr. Chen was utterly confused. Every word they spoke was in Chinese, but when combined, she couldn’t understand at all.
While Captain Yin and Dong Zhi were talking, Dr. Chen suddenly noticed a slight tremble in the shadow beneath Captain Yin’s feet.
The room’s lighting was strong, casting distinct shadows on the floor. Depending on the light’s angle, the shadows sometimes stretched long and sometimes overlapped with the person’s figure. But the shadow under Captain Yin seemed restless, and when he had his back to it, it even moved its fingers.
As Dr. Chen’s gaze darted between the shadow and Captain Yin, she realized the shadow moved its fingers, but Captain Yin stood still, making no movements.
Even though it was daylight outside, she felt her mouth dry up and her limbs go weak, as if she’d been soaking in hot water for too long. Yet, her limbs were also icy and stiff, and her heart was racing uncontrollably.
“Yin…”
Hearing Dr. Chen’s weak voice, Captain Yin turned around, puzzled. “What’s wrong? Dr. Chen, you look pale.”
She was speechless because, as Captain Yin moved, his shadow remained still, seemingly back to normal. However, even though Dong Zhi was facing them, the shadow behind him slightly turned its head, looking in Dr. Chen’s direction.
“Your shadow!” she finally exclaimed.
Dong Zhi’s expression changed instantly, from casual to sharp and focused. Dr. Chen suddenly realized he might have noticed the anomaly long ago but hadn’t shown any sign of it.
She had barely finished speaking when she saw Dong Zhi swiftly dodge and then leap up, propelling himself off the wall and returning to his original position. His speed was so fast that Dr. Chen couldn’t even register it, much less describe the series of movements in a split second. The shadow, seeming just as caught off guard as she was, was struck by talisman fire, releasing a shrieking sound that hurt her eardrums.
Instinctively covering her ears, Dr. Chen realized it was of no use. The sound seemed to penetrate every barrier. She felt dizzy and lost her balance, collapsing backward. The sound of shattering glass surrounded her as she saw the black shadow, rather than being destroyed by the flame, emerge from the floor, taking on a three-dimensional form as it lunged at Dong Zhi.
Captain Yin, with his extensive experience, was more composed than she was. Facing this unimaginable situation, he quickly drew his gun and fired at the shadow.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots echoed. All hit the shadow, but to no effect. The bullets lodged into the wall behind it.
The shadow let out a creepy laugh, suddenly expanding several times its size, and lunged at Dong Zhi as if to swallow him whole. But Dong Zhi stood firm. He flung his sword case into the air, pressed a button, and caught the sword that sprung out. With a swift move, he sliced through the shadow. The sinister laughter ceased, and the glint of the sword obliterated the shadow entirely.
People from outside, drawn by the noise, rushed in. Even though it was a day off, the commotion had surely alerted the few on duty. They looked in disbelief at the bullet holes in the wall, shattered windows, and the trio inside the room, almost assuming a shooting had just taken place.
Gasping for breath, Captain Yin identified himself, dispersed the crowd, and called his team to clean up.
Dr. Chen, still on the floor, stared at Dong Zhi, unable to snap out of her shock until he offered his hand to help her up.
“Need a hand?”
Without a word, she took his hand and stood up, feeling her legs trembling.
“Can you explain what just happened?”
Dong Zhi blinked. “Do you have gloves? The kind you use for examining bodies?”
Regaining her composure, Dr. Chen handed him a clean pair. Dong Zhi wore them and carefully probed the chest cavity of Su Huan’s body. After a moment, he pulled out a thin black strand.
“Is that hair?” Dr. Chen leaned in for a closer look.
“More like fur,” Dong Zhi said. “Used to control the Shadow Ghost.”
Seeing their confusion, he elaborated, “That black shadow, called a Shadow Ghost, is a type of demon. It’s not very powerful, but it can change its shape. When controlled, it can be manipulated like a puppet to do anything.”
Captain Yin asked, “Including murder?”
Dong Zhi replied, “Perhaps. But the one controlling the Shadow Ghost is the real culprit.”
He then reassured them, “But there’s no more danger here, rest assured.”
Initially, he thought this would be a simple case. Now it seemed more complicated.
Of course, no matter how challenging, it wouldn’t be harder to deal with than Mara. He has even braved the depths of hell, so this case in front of him is just a minor puzzle.
The phone rang, and Dong Zhi picked it up, speaking briefly. His expression transformed from serious to relaxed in an instant. Yet throughout, he exuded an air of composed confidence, as if no challenge was beyond him.
Dr. Chen should have been astounded by the unbelievable scene she’d just witnessed. However, she was so distracted that she didn’t even have time to indulge her own curiosity. Seeing Dong Zhi about to leave, she hastily said, “Director Dong!”
Dong Zhi turned back to her, and Dr. Chen cleared her throat. “Could I possibly have your contact information? There might be opportunities for collaboration in the future.”
She spoke earnestly, but Captain Yin, being experienced in such matters, could immediately discern her underlying intentions.
Dr. Chen was a renowned beauty within the city’s judiciary system, with countless admirers, so a woman of her caliber always had the luxury of choice. After dismissing so many suitors, who would have thought she’d find her interest piqued now?
Dong Zhi smiled. “If you need anything, contact Captain Yin. He knows how to reach me.”
To her astonishment, Dr. Chen found herself encountering a man who seemed immune to her charms—a man whose phone number she couldn’t even obtain. Then she heard Dong Zhi say, “I need to pick up my girlfriend. I’ll leave things here for both of you.”
Captain Yin knew that Dong Zhi was actually going to pick up his master, not a girlfriend. Recognizing that Dong Zhi wasn’t interested in Dr. Chen and was using this as an excuse, he just nodded. “Go ahead!”
After Dong Zhi left, a downcast Dr. Chen asked Captain Yin, “Why are all the good men taken? Am I always a step behind?”
Barely stifling his laughter, Captain Yin jokingly replied, “It just means others have a faster investment eye than you!”
Dr. Chen sighed deeply.
Instead of heading to the airport, Dong Zhi went straight to the agreed-upon hotel. Long Shen had already checked in and was waiting for him in the hotel lobby.
Among the crowd, Dong Zhi’s eyes instantly found Long Shen. Sensing Dong Zhi’s gaze, Long Shen looked up, their eyes meeting.
Dong Zhi hastened his steps to greet him.
“Dong…Ge?” A voice nearby uttered uncertainly.
Turning his head in the direction of the voice, Dong Zhi saw a familiar face. He was puzzled for a few seconds, but quickly remembered. “…Zhang Xing?”
The author has something to say:
PS: Zhang Xing is the girl who was with Dong Zhi at the beginning of the story, up on Changbai Mountain.
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