[02/19, 17:46, Nanyi City Bureau]
That evening, Lin Heyu and his team arrived at Nanyi City Bureau. Having given prior notice, the key members of the Nanyi criminal investigation team were still on duty, waiting to exchange case details. The team leader was Sheng Guoning, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, appearing heroic and around the same age as Lin Heyu but much more lively. Seeing his colleagues arrive, he quickly asked a young officer to make some hot tea.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Go ahead.”
“We lost him.”
“…” Lin Heyu held his tea cup, finally understanding the warm welcome.
“This was really an accident,” Sheng Guoning said seriously, “We had people tailing the Volkswagen, setting up roadblocks along the way, forcing it onto a single path. The car headed towards the suburbs, and as it was exiting the overpass, it suddenly changed lanes…”
“Come on, lost him just because it changed lanes?” Yuan Maoqiu looked disdainful.
“Sigh, let me finish!” Sheng Guoning continued, “Our people tried to follow the lane change, but a Chevrolet and a small truck collided right in front of us, blocking our car as if it were planned.”
“Tsk, you don’t think that was planned, right? Driving without listening to traffic reports?” Yuan Maoqiu ridiculed.
Round-faced policewoman Shen Ruirui explained, “It wasn’t our oversight. The accident happened right in front of us, and the driver Xiao Li was scared. If he had stepped on the gas a bit more, it would have been a chain collision.”
“So Xiao Li reported the situation, and we found it suspicious,” said Yan Runping from the pretrial team, “If that accident wasn’t related to him, he’s incredibly lucky. With such luck, why bother with kidnapping? Why not buy a lottery ticket?”
Lin Heyu held his tea cup and asked the key question, “Were there any other roadblocks set up?”
“There were. After missing the ramp, Xiao Li immediately contacted the traffic police to set up a roadblock on the necessary route, but we still didn’t catch him,” Sheng Guoning spread his hands, “I had someone go to the traffic control bureau to get the surveillance footage. We’ll analyze it together later.”
Lin Heyu remained silent. He always showed no emotion, but even without showing any feelings, he seemed angry. Yan Runping whispered to Sheng Guoning, “See, it’s him, the most difficult one to deal with.”
Sheng Guoning was puzzled. He had classmates in Haijing, and Lin Heyu was indeed as rumored, a cold-faced enforcer. Normally, Sheng Guoning would avoid someone with this attitude, but they had lost the person. Five million, it was real money, not a small amount.
“Great, I even promised the family of the kidnapping victim that we would get their money back,” Yuan Maoqiu shook his head and sighed. Shen Ruirui asked curiously, “Why didn’t you detain the person on the spot? How did he manage to make it to Nanyi?”
Lin Heyu finally spoke, “There are hidden circumstances, possibly more crimes to follow.”
Yuan Maoqiu recounted the quarry bomb incident in detail, and everyone gasped. Yan Runping’s hand trembled, “It’s best to root them all out. Explosions are terrifying. We can’t afford another incident like this in Nanyi…”
Lin Heyu’s gaze shifted over. Sheng Guoning coughed lightly, “Captain Lin, don’t worry. The person was lost in Nanyi, and we can’t shirk the responsibility. We’ll do our best to catch him.”
“Catching them is just the start; we’ll make them spill everything,” Shen Ruirui patted Yan Runping’s back, “Our bureau’s iron mouth, famous for pretrial interrogations.”
Lin Heyu, with over a decade in this field, understood that losing someone in unexpected situations was common. Police officers were human too, not the omnipotent figures depicted in dramas. Every case faced various challenges, and the process was tough, as long as the end result was good.
The office phone rang. A young officer picked up, said a few words, and looked up, “Captain Sheng, that girl came to deliver a banner again.”
“What girl?”
“The one you heroically saved from a pervert on the bus.”
Sheng Guoning’s expression instantly changed, beaming with joy. “Oh, her! Such a small thing, yet she brought a banner. I’ll go down for a bit.”
About twenty minutes later, Sheng Guoning returned, holding a rolled-up banner, smiling broadly. Yuan Maoqiu whispered, “That girl must be really pretty.”
Lin Heyu glanced at him, his eyes seemed to say, “You have experience with this, don’t you?”
Sheng Guoning put the banner away, and Yan Runping teased, “Hey, not hanging it up? Admiring it privately?”
“It was given to me personally. I’ll hang it in my office later.”
“I bet you want to hang it at home.”
Shen Ruirui covered her mouth and laughed, “Captain Sheng must have taken a liking to her. I’ve seen her, she’s really pretty, so fresh and lovely.”
Sheng Guoning blushed, “Don’t say that, we’re still at the bureau, watch the influence!”
Yuan Maoqiu nudged Lin Heyu’s arm, looking smug, “I told you so.”
They were working overtime, and the team sent to the traffic control bureau hadn’t returned yet. They were all waiting for updates. Shen Ruirui took a video call. Her nephew, who was staying with her recently, asked when she would be back. Shen Ruirui looked apologetic, “Sorry, Auntie has to work overtime today, there’s a task.”
“Oh, I guessed that,” the middle school boy with glasses said, holding up a lunchbox, “Dinner is ready, almost at the city bureau.”
“Wow! You’re amazing! Auntie loves you!”
In less than ten minutes, a handsome and gentle-looking boy walked through the open office door. Shen Ruirui immediately went over, “A-Xue! You’re here!”
“Don’t call me that, it’s so girly.” The boy put down the lunchbox, “Don’t need to wash, just remember to bring it back.”
Yan Runping sighed, “Ruirui, you’re exploiting Yu Xue. He brings you meals so often that the security guards downstairs know him.”
Yu Xue? Lin Heyu looked at the boy. He was slender, and his facial features hadn’t fully developed yet, but there was a hint of future handsomeness.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this Yu Xue should be one of Yi Shi’s colleagues.
———
[11/28, 08:21, Nanyi City’s Changlong Garden]
Yi Shi returned home. Aunt Lin was sitting on the balcony picking vegetables, “Finished your morning run?”
“Yeah, didn’t run for long.”
“Well, it’s still exercise, unlike An’an, who never wakes up early except for school.” Aunt Lin wiped her hands, “Go wake him up, it’s getting late.”
Yi Shi knocked on Sheng Yu’an’s door, “Sheng Yu’an, time to get up.”
After knocking several times without a response, Yi Shi, always efficient, directly opened the door and walked in. Sheng Yu’an was sleeping soundly on the bed, completely undisturbed by the knocking.
“Sheng Yu’an.”
The person on the bed remained motionless.
Yi Shi grabbed the edges of the quilt with both hands and pulled hard. The previously clung-to quilt instantly left Sheng Yu’an’s body, and the cold air invaded, waking Sheng Yu’an up. He was startled to see Yi Shi standing by the bed, “Brother! How did you get in?!”
“Get up.”
Yi Shi let go of the quilt, and Sheng Yu’an immediately hugged it tightly, looking like a shy girl despite being 1.9 meters tall, “I-I sleep naked…”
“Oh.” Yi Shi showed no expression, uninterested in seeing more. He noticed the bare arms and threw the clothes from the chair onto the bed, “Three minutes, come out for breakfast.”
After saying that, he left the room, closing the door behind him, and inside, Sheng Yu’an could be heard scrambling to get up.
In less than three minutes, Sheng Yu’an came out with messy hair, his tone slightly complaining, “Mom, it’s so early… I have a match this afternoon.”
“Your brother has already finished his morning run, look at you, sleeping till now.”
“I can’t compare to my brother…” Sheng Yu’an scratched the back of his head, “Where is he?”
Aunt Lin was still picking vegetables and hadn’t noticed where Yi Shi went. Five minutes later, Yi Shi came out of his room, having changed out of his workout clothes and packed some clothes in a small sports bag, ready to go to the city bureau and return to Haijing.
“Brother, you’re leaving now?”
Yi Shi nodded. Sheng Yu’an looked disappointed, “I wanted to take you to the stadium to watch the championship this afternoon.”
“I’ll watch the broadcast if I have time. Good luck.”
Aunt Lin wiped her hands and handed him a bag, “Inside are some freshly cooked dishes from this morning, take them with you. You’ve lost weight again this time.”
Yi Shi took the bag, feeling a subtle touch of warmth in his heart. Aunt Lin treated him so well, making him feel protected and cared for. Perhaps, as Yu Xue had said, he shouldn’t be so distant from his family. He smiled, “I’ll stay for a while after the case is over.”
“Great!” Aunt Lin beamed and hugged him before sending him off.
After getting the documents, Yi Shi followed Yu Xue’s instructions to the forensic department. This floor was usually quiet, with few visitors unless dealing with matters related to bodies.
From a distance, he saw a man standing in the corridor, elbow resting on the windowsill, smoking a cigarette while holding a phone. The man wore a blood-stained white coat, pants rolled up unevenly, exuding a rugged charm. No need to ask, it was undoubtedly the head of the forensic department, Qi Wenyu.
“…Nothing much, if you’re not coming back, what am I doing at home? Just came to the bureau to work overtime.”
“Oh, you still remember? No gifts for my birthday, but I have to prepare something for you while you’re away.”
“I’m just saying. That kid is coming this afternoon?” Qi Wenyu looked up, “Hey, he’s already here!”
He waved at Yi Shi, who approached, catching a strong whiff of smoke and instinctively stepping back. Qi Wenyu frowned, “Why are you backing away? Don’t think I don’t know, running out halfway through meetings to smoke, that’s you, right?”
“…” Yi Shi looked at him calmly, “Who said that?”
“Just ask around.”
“No.” Yi Shi’s tone was cold, “Give me the stuff, I’m in a hurry to go back.”
Qi Wenyu stroked the stubble on his chin, finding this kid hard to tease, how boring. He told Yi Shi to wait, went into the lab to fetch a bag, and handed it over, “Take this, personally deliver it to your Captain Yu, it’s very important!”
Yi Shi looked up and glanced at the room from which he had just come out — the autopsy room. The items he was holding suddenly seemed eerie, as they were likely evidence such as internal organs or skin tissue.
Around 4 PM, Yi Shi returned to Haijing, parked the car at the hotel, and went to knock on Yu Xue’s door with the items in hand.
Shao Shiqing, who shared a room with Yu Xue, opened the door and smiled when he saw Yi Shi, “Back already?”
“Yeah.”
Yu Xue, sitting on a chair, waved him in. Yi Shi walked in, and Shao Siqing closed the door behind him.
“Did you stay at home last night?” Yu Xue asked.
Yi Shi nodded and handed over a kraft paper document bag and a bag, “Documents and evidence.”
“Evidence?” Yu Xue opened the bag and twitched his lips, “…Who told you this was evidence?”
“Isn’t it?” Yi Shi was puzzled, “I took it from the autopsy room.”
Shao Shiqing craned his neck to look inside, laughing uproariously and patting Yu Xue’s shoulder hard, “Oh man! Qi Wenyu is really something! Putting cookies in the autopsy room! Hahaha… Can you still eat them?”
“…” Yu Xue maintained a calm smile, seemingly accustomed to such antics. Yi Shi also didn’t understand why cookies would be placed in the autopsy room. Was it some kind of forensic quirk?
“He probably went into the autopsy room early in the morning to change clothes and left them there,” Yu Xue explained.
Shao Shiqing, half-lying on his bed, laughed so hard his stomach hurt, “Oh man… can’t handle this guy. Looking like a greasy, unkempt middle-aged man, yet he bakes cookies at home and then brings them to the blood-soaked autopsy room. It’s killing me!”
Yi Shi envisioned Qi Wenyu in a blood-stained white coat kneading dough at the kitchen counter, and a vein pulsed on his forehead. He didn’t feel well at all.
Yu Xue massaged his forehead, wondering if Surname Qi did it on purpose to retaliate for not being able to return home for his birthday due to a case.
After the joke subsided, Yi Shi steadied himself and said, “I know the answer to the code.”
Upon hearing something related to the case, Shao Shiqing put away his playful expression, and Yu Xue looked at Yi Shi approvingly, clearing the table, “Meeting time, Shiqing, call everyone over.”
Five minutes later, the Nanyi team members gathered in a standard hotel room of about ten square meters. After Yi Shi finished speaking, everyone looked incredulous. Ding Ju was dumbfounded, “…Can I ask, how did you figure this out?”
It was terrifying! The analysis was so outlandish; they had never heard of it!
Li Changsheng was also bewildered, “Is my IQ not fit for solving cases? Why does this riddle need to be reversed? What’s the reasoning?”
What reasoning? Yi Shi couldn’t explain. He couldn’t say it was because of Lin Heyu that he came to these conclusions, right?
Actually, after integrating all the information, he even suspected that the riddle was designed specifically for Lin Heyu. Only when it reached him did all the conjectures and explanations make sense and seem logical.
“No, Xiao Yi, your deduction this time is too far-fetched,” Shao Shiqing pointed at the “※” symbol, “You mentioned Lucky Clover, but there’s no such building in Haijing! It’s now the Jiade Office Building. If this truly existed, is the woman who delivered the letter predicting the future?”
“…Maybe it’s a planned development,” Yi Shi explained reluctantly, “We’ll know if the guess is right by tomorrow.”
“I still find it hard to understand. This is even more fantastical than Liu Chenyi’s botanical garden!”
“Yeah, I also feel my IQ isn’t up to solving cases. It’s like Yi Shi and I aren’t on the same level.”
“Regardless, the key is how to make Haijing’s people believe us,” Li Changsheng spread his hands, “We’re on their turf; we need their support for any action. If they don’t want to listen, we can’t even mobilize the bomb squad.”
This hit the nail on the head, and Yi Shi found himself in a difficult position. He had only thought about organizing an action to rescue people quickly, without realizing that the operation required Haijing’s participation. His teammates were skeptical of his reasoning, let alone the Haijing colleagues who already had issues with him.
Yu Xue, legs crossed, had remained silent, simply staring at Yi Shi. Yi Shi finally met his gaze, “Captain Yu, do you have any ideas?”
“First, you have to convince me,” Yu Xue smiled faintly, his gaze deep, “Yi Shi, I want to hear it directly. If you can say it, there are many ways to proceed.”
