Chapter 8: The Homicide Case in Ping'an Residential District (2)

“Are there no men in the family? Is it a divorce or something else?” Wu Zui had seen his share of cases and wasn’t as easily shaken as Xiao Ke’ai. He glanced at her—she hadn’t even seen the bodies yet and was already on the verge of tears.

Lin Feng looked at Wu Zui and explained, “The neighbor next door said he’s never seen any men in the household. At least during the year since he moved in, it’s always been the two deceased living together.”

“Who reported the case?” Wu Zui asked Lin Feng.

“It was that neighbor I just mentioned. He works late. When he got home, he heard clattering noises from next door. He knocked on the door, and the sounds stopped. At first, he thought Liao Yan was cleaning, so he didn’t pay much attention. Later, he felt something was off—it was already quite late. He knocked again but got no response, so he called the police,” Lin Feng replied.

“And where’s that neighbor now?” Wu Zui pressed.

“He’s already been brought in for a statement and fingerprint screening,” Lin Feng answered.

“Then… check the victim’s background, see if there’s any acquaintance who’s male, and find out who the girl’s father is! After you bring the surveillance footage back, send it to me—I’ll review it myself. Tell Ming Rou-rou to hurry up. I need to see the forensic and trace reports as soon as possible!”

Wu Zui looked at the blood splattered across the room, certain that Liao Yan had fought fiercely. As for her daughter, she was likely killed after Liao Yan’s death.

“Alright,” Lin Feng said, then went to make some calls.

“Let’s go! We’ll have to pull an all-nighter tonight. Let’s finish our meal first—we can’t work on empty stomachs!” Wu Zui looked at Xiao Ke’ai, whose eyes were red, and dragged her out of the house.

If you cry, you’ll contaminate the crime scene!

Back in the car, the takeout food was already cold. Seeing the meal cheered Xiao Ke’ai up a bit. She quickly stopped Wu Zui from eating the cold dishes.

“Master, cold food is really bad for your health! And it’s disrespectful to the cuisine. Think of all the effort it took for the food to reach your table—you shouldn’t treat it that way!” Xiao Ke’ai snatched the crispy chicken from Wu Zui’s hand, puffing her cheeks indignantly.

“What now? You want to reheat everything? We’re working a case—by the time you finish reheating, the suspect could be long gone!” Wu Zui eyed her lack of professionalism, considering whether to kick her out as his apprentice to preserve his reputation.

“My house is just next to the City Detective Bureau. I can reheat the dishes while watching the surveillance footage! There’s a projector screen at home, and my laptop is much better than those outdated computers at the bureau—won’t affect the image quality at all!” Xiao Ke’ai, determined to eat hot food, volunteered to handle the surveillance review.

“I need to watch the footage myself!” Wu Zui frowned. Even if it’s just a shadow on the surveillance, he can observe the aura above their heads. If someone’s committed murder, the guilt won’t fade.

“Master, my behavioral logic is pretty good—I can help! Besides, eating hot food is good for you!” Xiao Ke’ai pleaded, shaking Wu Zui’s arm.

In the end, Xiao Ke’ai won again!

Wu Zui sighed, feeling exhausted. Having a female apprentice was truly a challenge! If she were a guy, he’d have kicked him for talking back! Hot food—she should be grateful to have food at all, why be picky!

Soon, Xiao Ke’ai led Wu Zui to a luxury apartment complex near the Detective Bureau called Emerald Pearl. After entering, they changed their shoes, and Xiao Ke’ai expertly tied on a pink apron before reheating the dishes.

“You seem quite skilled in the kitchen, Xiao Ke’ai,” Wu Zui couldn’t help but praise her as he watched her cook.

“Of course, Master! If it weren’t for cooking ruining my skin, I might’ve opened my own restaurant! Food, the internet, and solving cases are my three passions! That’s why solving cases while enjoying delicious food and watching surveillance footage is the best!” Xiao Ke’ai happily placed the four reheated dishes on the table.

What kind of twisted logic is this?

“Beep—” Wu Zui’s phone rang.

It was Lin Feng, sending over the surveillance footage through the internal network.

“All right, the footage is here. Let’s watch it together,” Wu Zui said, resigned to Xiao Ke’ai’s wide, eager eyes.

“Master, you’re amazing!” Xiao Ke’ai jumped up, cheering. She quickly set up her laptop, projecting the footage onto the screen on the other side of the dining room, and dimmed the lights.

The two ate while watching the surveillance.

Soon, the footage revealed a shady man in black climbing over the fence—unexpectedly caught by the half-broken camera. A wisp of black mist flickered above his head. Reviewing his memory, Wu Zui realized he was a thief.

The black aura hovered above him because he had once stolen someone’s life-saving money, causing a death. That crime was now his to bear.

“Master, this guy looks shifty—not a good person! Could he be the culprit?” Xiao Ke’ai, eating, tugged at Wu Zui’s sleeve with two fingers.

“He’s a habitual thief—unlikely to be a killer! But since we’ve spotted him, let Lin Feng bring him in. He needs a lesson—he’s healthy, why steal instead of working?” Wu Zui analyzed the footage while munching on a chicken drumstick.

Delicious!

“Good! I hate thieves! Who knows if they might steal someone’s life-saving money—that’s as bad as killing someone!” Xiao Ke’ai tapped the keyboard with her pinky, quickly updating Lin Feng on the situation.

Wu Zui hadn’t expected Xiao Ke’ai to guess right.

“Yeah, so let’s give him a deluxe fifteen-day package! He can reflect in there!” Wu Zui shrugged, smiling noncommittally.

“Mm-hmm!” Xiao Ke’ai nodded while popping a bamboo shoot into her mouth. Wu Zui eyed her figure and appetite, curious how she managed to eat so much without gaining weight.

“Master, what are you looking at?” Xiao Ke’ai touched the corner of her mouth, thinking she had food stuck, but found nothing, so she asked Wu Zui.

“Nothing,” Wu Zui quickly looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed, like a child caught misbehaving.

The meal was soon finished, and they focused on the footage. Wu Zui spotted several suspicious people, but all had gray auras.

Only murder produces a black aura—except for the thief who stole life-saving money, no one else had it. Yet one person caught Wu Zui’s attention: the aura above his head was white.

Not the pure white glow that Xiao Ke’ai had, but a deathly pale shade.

“I only wish to guard every moment of beauty…” Wu Zui’s phone rang—it was Lin Feng.

“Speak,” Wu Zui answered. Lin Feng knew his temperament—he hated being called during investigations as it interfered with his ability to read a suspect’s memories.

“Wu, headquarters says we’re not allowed to investigate further,” Lin Feng said, his tone low.

The mood instantly became tense. Xiao Ke’ai shrank back, unable to help but pull her neck in.

“…Trouble at the tycoon’s house, and I have to handle it when mercenaries are involved? Two women murdered at home, one of them just a schoolkid, and now I’m not allowed to investigate? Whose damn order is this? Give me a name!” Wu Zui exploded.

He’d stepped down from deputy bureau chief, and many current superiors were his former subordinates. As long as he was in the right, he feared no one.

“Wang Zhenggang. Director Wang said so himself,” Lin Feng replied after Wu Zui was done ranting.

Wang Zhenggang? I remember him as upright—one of the few with a golden aura. How could he give such an order? Has he been cursed?

“…Anything else? Where’s the victims’ forensic report? Any trace findings? Ignore Director Wang—I’ll speak to him myself! Tell Ming Rou-rou I want both reports in two hours!”

With that, Wu Zui hung up on Lin Feng for the first time, not giving him any courtesy.

Xiao Ke’ai had never seen Wu Zui lose his temper before—not even when she had nearly given him a fatal blow. Now, he seemed like a roaring lion, while she felt like a weak, pitiable rabbit.

“Master… are you alright?” Xiao Ke’ai curled up on her sofa, pulling at Wu Zui’s sleeve with her delicate fingers, whispering.

“I’m fine. Keep watching the footage—call me if you notice anything. I need to make a call,” Wu Zui said, calming himself, though his voice was still a bit hoarse.

Click.

Wu Zui walked to the balcony, closed the door, and made his call.

Watching him leave, Xiao Ke’ai breathed a sigh of relief—an angry Wu Zui was truly intimidating. She continued watching the footage, though her eyes kept wandering to the balcony.

On the balcony—

“Wang Zhenggang, what are you thinking? Drugged? Bribed? That’s two lives—how can you just say stop investigating?” Wu Zui unleashed his fury as soon as the call connected.

“Wu, calm down…”

“Call me by my full name—I’m not that familiar with you!” Wu Zui cut Wang Zhenggang off.

“Wu Zui, do I look like a corrupt detective who’d take money? You know about the current crackdown. Are you trying to get me killed? There’s a special reason I’m stopping the investigation—can’t you let me finish?”

Wang Zhenggang seemed used to Wu Zui’s temper and didn’t take offense, speaking gently.

“Special reason?... Informant? Undercover? Narcotics detective? Which one?” Wu Zui cooled off, thinking it through before asking.

“…Narcotics detective! The operation is at a crucial stage, and we’ve been laying the groundwork for a long time,” Wang Zhenggang replied, unsurprised that Wu Zui had figured it out.