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Chapter 39: An immoral tragedy can arouse people’s joy of talking, laughing, and discussing.
Qin Ge immediately became alert when he heard this, “Sucking blood from the living?”
Xie Zijing kicked Francisco and turned to Qin Ge, smiling, “Don’t mind him; he’s just talking nonsense.”
Qin Ge looked serious: “Our country prohibits the feeding of blood from the living by vampires. Don’t you just need to register at the Crisis Management Office and receive a sufficient amount of synthetic blood plasma every month?”
Francisco knew he had said the wrong thing and quickly changed the subject with a smile, “Are you here for some business too? I’ve been here for days and haven’t run into that leader.”
He showed two bottles of wine and two cigarettes from his backpack to the two.
Xie Zijing asked, “…Where did you learn this?”
Francisco replied, “It’s something Cantonese people do.”
Xie Zijing asked, “Who are you trying to give it to? They don’t accept items from strangers now; you might get in trouble.”
Qin Ge was still full of doubt, so Xie Zijing pulled him aside and explained.
According to the “Dawn Agreement” signed by 126 countries worldwide, vampires can register and apply for regular supplies of synthetic blood plasma provided by the country while operating or traveling in these countries. However, the taste and quality of synthetic blood plasma are not satisfying for picky vampires. As a result, an illegal blood plasma market began to flourish. Unfortunately, artificial blood plasma could never compare to the taste of fresh human blood, so many vampires took risks to find willing humans to provide blood for them.
“Francisco is quite particular about taste,” Xie Zijing said. “He’s a French student who came here. During his first year, he couldn’t adapt to Chinese synthetic blood plasma and dropped to less than 40 kilograms. But despite being thin, he didn’t die, and his appetite got stronger. He used dating apps to find a few…”
Qin Ge was left in shock.
“It’s consensual, and the other party is also willing to let him feed on them. After feeding, they get very excited.”
Qin Ge said, “Please stop talking.”
Xie Zijing continued, “Francisco’s dream is to taste all the major Chinese cuisines. It seems Cantonese cuisine doesn’t suit his taste.”
Qin Ge was sweating profusely and whispered, “This is illegal!”
Xie Zijing also spoke quietly, “Our country doesn’t have specific laws concerning vampires. It’s only a regulation that forbids live blood extraction. If they are caught, they might face fines and detention. As long as it doesn’t result in fatalities, no one can do much about it.”
Qin Ge asked, “No one can do much about it?”
While they were talking quietly, Francisco suddenly stood up and walked toward a person who was coming out from inside.
“Vice Secretary Cai,” he beamed, approaching and shaking hands with Cai Yi.
Cai Yi remained composed, and he scrutinized Francisco and asked, “Who are you?”
Francisco replied, “Just a small token of goodwill…”
He unzipped his backpack, and Cai Yi’s secretary immediately stepped forward, half-blocking Francisco from Cai Yi. With a smile, the secretary stopped Francisco’s actions and quickly closed the zipper.
“If you want to do something, first get a queue number from the machine,” the secretary said, “Follow the order and the rules.”
Vice Secretary Cai walked around the two and continued to leave the area. Francisco, with quick reflexes, swiftly ran ahead of him, blocking his way again, “Vice Secretary Cai, we’ve met before.”
Cai Yi had to stop, “I remember… You’re that vampire.”
“Bloodkin, Bloodkin,” Francisco spoke fluent Mandarin with a wide smile, “Vampiredoesn’t sound good.”
With a beaming face, he pulled out a document from a compartment in his backpack and insisted on handing it to Cai Yi.
It was a report from the International Vampire Alliance proposing the establishment of a Chinese-alliance, spanning over a hundred pages.
“No need to give it to me,” Cai Yi interrupted Francisco, pushing the report back into his hand. “Give up. China will not establish an alliance for vampires.”
Francisco, disgruntled, exclaimed, “Why not?”
Cai Yi replied, “Because vampires have no origin in China. One of the principles of our special human management in our country is not to engage in any activities related to special humans from outside our country. Currently, there are fewer than ten registered vampires in the country, and none of them are Chinese. China has no reason to establish such an alliance, granting you political status and power. You can operate within the country, but don’t think you can get away with anything. We are closely monitoring cases of live blood extraction. You’d better remind your companions to drink your synthetic blood plasma properly and not stretch their hands too far.”
Cai Yi delivered a speech-like statement, then turned and walked away confidently. His secretary followed closely behind, and as he was leaving, he glanced at Qin Ge and Xie Zijing, who had briefly nodded in acknowledgment since they had met in the hospital earlier.
Francisco’s face alternated between red and white, and he turned to Xie Zijing, shouting, “I hate that guy! He’s depriving us of our rights to self-governance!”
Xie Zijing said, “I do too. He’s trying to take my partner away.”
Qin Ge asked, “…Who is your partner?”
Xie Zijing shrugged, grinning. At this moment, Qin Ge’s number was called, and he urged Qin Ge to go get his paperwork stamped. When Qin Ge finished his business and returned, he saw Xie Zijing and Francisco chatting outside the Crisis Management Office. They seemed to be talking about something amusing.
Qin Ge suddenly felt a strange sense of novelty toward Xie Zijing.
After Xie Zijing came to the Crisis Management Office, his social circle had become unexpectedly small. Besides mingling with a few colleagues from the physiological adjustment department, he hadn’t reached out to any of his old friends or former schoolmates. Within the Crisis Management Office, he was constantly chasing after others’ spiritual bodies. However, Xie Zijing did have friends, and during the time when Qin Ge couldn’t participate, Xie Zijing wasn’t an invisible person.
Xie Zijing’s cheerful demeanor infected Qin Ge, causing his somewhat negative first impression of Francisco to slightly change. “Let’s go,” Qin Ge said, “We’ve already submitted the documents to the window; we don’t need to deliver them ourselves.”
Xie Zijing knew that Qin Ge disliked behaving in an authoritative manner while working and preferred to complete tasks quickly, so he nodded in agreement.
“What were you talking about?” Qin Ge asked.
“We were just discussing our teachers,” Francisco smiled. “Xie and I aren’t from the same college, nor do we have the same advisor. But I know his advisor Lu really likes him, and they’re quite close.”
Qin Ge looked at Xie Zijing, “I see.”
Xie Zijing, as if not wanting to dwell on the subject of Lu Qinglai, pushed Francisco playfully, “Let’s go. I’ll treat you to a meal. I’ll help you take a look at your report.”
Francisco became excited, “Great!”
“The Special Management Committee has forwarded us an investigation request,” the chief of the Criminal Investigation Division told the group leaders at the meeting. “It’s about vampires operating in the country and conducting blood extractions out of the living.”
The division chief glanced at Lei Chi, and Lei Chi immediately put on a serious expression, “We have a lot of work.”
The division chief replied, “You’re always involved in a lot of work.”
In the end, the case didn’t land on Lei Chi’s desk. After the meeting, the division head inquired about the progress of the case involving the half-zombified human, which had already been ongoing for a week. It was expected to yield some results by now.
Lei Chi shook his head, “We haven’t found anything yet.”
He could only assign manpower to investigate during breaks in their other work. The request for assistance sent to the local police station still hadn’t been accepted, as they continued to use the lack of a zombie virus vaccine as their excuse for refusal.
On the day when Wang Zheng’s parents left home, it was the first thunderstorm of May. Most of the surveillance cameras in Fuxingsan Village were quite old, with several of them damaged, and on that day, the rain was so heavy that the video footage from the cameras was intermittent and, in some cases, couldn’t even capture clear images of people.
In the midst of the pouring rain, the only scene captured by the surveillance cameras was that of two figures shakily carrying suitcases as they exited the community.
After careful examination, Wang Zheng confirmed that these two individuals were indeed his parents.
No nearby jurisdictions had received any reports of unidentified elderly people injured, unconscious, or waiting for identification of a deceased body. Additionally, there was no information about them purchasing tickets with their identification at train stations or airports. Their cell phones hadn’t been used at all. It was as if they had disappeared completely after leaving home.
Back in the office, Lei Chi sat at his desk, slowly stretching his body. There was a jar of candy on his desk, and he absentmindedly grabbed one and then took a few more, placing them in his backpack for future use.
Xiao Liu rushed into the office from outside, drenched in sweat, “The air conditioning in the car is broken again, Captain. When will it be fixed?”
Lei Chi, with a piece of candy on his tongue, rolled it around between his teeth, making a faint clicking sound, “Take a break; I’ll report to the higher-ups.”
However, Xiao Liu didn’t leave and stood by Lei Chi’s desk with a strange expression, “Captain, this is our last day of investigation. We’ve discovered some strange things.”
He handed his notebook to Lei Chi.
Over the past week, Xiao Liu and his team have visited many neighbors in Wang Zheng’s vicinity and shops along the streets to try to trace the movements of the two elderly people. Unexpectedly, they unearthed some information related to Wang Zheng.
“Wang Zheng’s parents had a big problem with him,” Xiao Liu summarized. “They’ve told several neighbors that they’d rather leave Wang Zheng and start a new life together.”
Wang Zheng’s parents had sold their house in the city center to make every effort to treat Wang Zheng during the early stages of infection with the zombie virus. But now, they seemed to resent him? Lei Chi had his doubts and quickly opened the notebook.
The source of the conflict was the reason Wang Zheng had become infected with the zombie virus.
Officially, Wang Zheng had been infected when he visited a client and was attacked by a semi-zombified individual who had gone mad due to the zombie virus invading the brain. This incident had made it into the news, with reports on various media platforms, including the internet, television, and print media. In a few reports, there was a mention of the special profession of this “client.”
“… Prostitution?” Lei Chi quickly found the news report in the database.
Wang Zheng’s client was a sex worker. She had a 16-year-old daughter who, after being infected with the zombie virus, had been staying at home, unable to attend school. Wang Zheng had visited her many times and had sold her a water purifier. However, because her residence was in an older community, the installation of the water purifier hadn’t gone smoothly, and it frequently had issues, requiring Wang Zheng’s assistance from time to time.
Rumors began to circulate from there. At first, it was just casual gossip. During leisure moments, when a few people gathered, unable to find other topics of conversation, they would make a few jokes. It didn’t seem to carry any deeper meaning.
But later, the rumors took a darker turn. Someone speculated, “He must have contracted the virus after fooling around with that zombie.”
This speculation immediately ignited the otherwise dull and uninteresting idle chatter, and it quickly spread like wildfire in Fuxingsan Village. It seemed as if everyone knew about it. Wang Zheng had a peculiar interest that he was involved in with that “client.” According to these rumors, it was this interest that had led to his infection, and he was not worthy of sympathy.
Wang Zheng’s family had moved far away to escape the gossip and the emotions that had surrounded them. They didn’t need any of it, whether it was disdain or sympathy. Little did they know that the rumors would only escalate in intensity after they left Fuxingsan Village.
The two elderly people tried to explain, but nobody paid attention. Compared to a pure tragedy, an immoral tragedy seemed to be more enticing for people to talk about and speculate about.
Wang Zheng rarely left home, and it was during an inexplicable argument that he learned how he had been talked about to such an extent. His parents were furious, blaming each other, and all the blame eventually fell on Wang Zheng: Why didn’t you have any self-respect? Why didn’t you protect yourself? Why weren’t you more cautious? Why did you work at that company? Why didn’t you think of your parents? Why…
According to the neighbors, the argument was very frightening, and people from upstairs, downstairs, and all around could hear the various shouting and things being thrown in Wang Zheng’s home. The next day, the couple left their home and, when faced with greetings from others, couldn’t lift their heads.
“Oh, we know. People like this tend to slowly turn into zombies. His mind isn’t clear, and he’s likely to become violent,” a neighbor told Xiao Liu. “We’ve been consoling them, telling them not to be afraid. If things get really bad, they can send Wang Zheng to that special human hospital for people with mental issues. Anyone with an abnormal mind goes there, we know.”
The conflicts between Wang Zheng and his parents continued to escalate. Through idle chatter between the old folks and neighbors, it became clear that Wang Zheng was now refusing to even speak to his parents. On the day of the big argument, it wasn’t Wang Zheng who had thrown things; he had only been crying. But with his gaunt and wrinkled face, crying looked disgusting, no matter how hard he tried. People’s imaginations filled in the scenes they couldn’t see, and they speculated, “Crocodile tears.”
Lei Chi: “How long has this situation been going on?”
Xiao Liu replied, “At least half a year. In the last three months, the two elderly people mentioned to their neighbors that they wanted to send Wang Zheng to 267.”
“But Wang Zheng’s condition has been well controlled, right?” When he visited Wang Zheng’s home, he learned that Wang Zheng had been working and was no longer leaving the house on his own initiative. He operated an online store with friends, and the business was doing well, enough to cover his monthly medication and living expenses.
Xiao Liu shrugged, “Wang Zheng’s self-care abilities are quite poor; he doesn’t even know how to cook. Once his parents leave, he definitely won’t be able to manage.”
Lei Chi thought for a moment and said, “Let’s not jump to conclusions too quickly. Do you have any tasks this afternoon? I’ll go with you to find Wang Zheng’s friend.”
To Lei Chi’s surprise, Wang Zheng’s friend, Xie Shaoqian, also lived in Fuxingsan Village. Xie Shaoqian ran a physical store selling electronic accessories, and his business was doing well. He had also registered an online store, which Wang Zheng helped manage.
“I got to know Wang Zheng after he moved here,” Xie Shaoqian said. “Wang Zheng is an honest person and doesn’t beat around the bush. Although I run a business, it’s a small-scale operation, and reliable partners are more trustworthy.”
Xie Shaoqian was a plump man who wore round glasses, and he briefly explained his relationship with Wang Zheng.
“Do you know Wang Zheng’s parents?”
“Yes,” Xie Shaoqian replied. “Aunt and Uncle used to come to my store to pick up medication.”
Lei Chi was taken aback, “Medication?”
Xie Shaoqian said, “Daxing is too far from Shunyi. I go back to the city center several times a month, and when I go back, I would pick up Wang Zheng’s medication from 267th Hospital or the Disease Control Center, and Aunt and Uncle would come to my store to pick it up.”
This information surprised Lei Chi and Xiao Liu. They exchanged a glance, and Xiao Liu asked, “How long have you been picking up the medication?”
Xie Shaoqian replied, “Almost a year, I think? I can’t remember exactly; it’s just a small effort on my part.”
Lei Chi nodded, and while Xiao Liu asked Xie Shaoqian for some basic information, Lei Chi began to examine his shop.
There was a security camera outside the shop, facing the entrance and the sidewalk in front of the shop.
Lei Chi’s heart skipped a beat: this was the direction the two elderly people from Wang Zheng’s neighborhood took after leaving their home. The surveillance cameras in this area were either broken or their recordings were disrupted due to the heavy rain that day, making it difficult to see anything.
“Xie Shaoqian, can your store’s camera be used?” Lei Chi asked, “Can it capture distant views, and is the quality good?”
“It can be used.” Xie Shaoqian quickly put on a businessman’s smile and began explaining the capabilities of his surveillance camera to Lei Chi.
After listening for a while, Lei Chi nodded and said, “Alright, retrieve the surveillance footage from ten days ago, specifically on the day with heavy rain.”
Xie Shaoqian hesitated for a moment.
Lei Chi asked, “What’s the matter?”
Xie Shaoqian replied, “Unfortunately, my surveillance system only retains footage for seven days. If you had come a bit earlier, it would have been available.”
Lei Chi simply acknowledged this with a “hmm” and didn’t press further.
As they left Xie Shaoqian’s shop, Xiao Liu had a hesitant expression.
Lei Chi asked, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Xiao Liu: “Xie Shaoqian gave evasive answers, which was strange. I asked him about the impression Wang Zheng’s parents had of him, but he started talking about how he has a good relationship with the whole family and even mentioned a bunch of things about how Wang Zheng gets along with his parents.”
Lei Chi: “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Xiao Liu: “It’s a good thing. If you just listen to him, it sounds like Wang Zheng and his parents have an excellent relationship, and he also has a great relationship with Wang Zheng’s family.”
Lei Chi pondered for a moment, then looked at the surveillance camera outside the convenience store. It was identical to the one in front of Xie Shaoqian’s door. He walked into the store and asked the idle clerk, “Which company installed this camera? How long is the surveillance footage saved?”
The clerk told him that the surveillance system was installed through a unified purchase and could save footage for one month.
Xiao Liu quickly checked the company’s name, and the legal representative was Xie Shaoqian.
“He’s lying,” Lei Chi said to Xiao Liu. “I pressured him too quickly, and he couldn’t come up with a better excuse, so he resorted to a poorly thought-out lie. Investigate Xie Shaoqian immediately.”
At the Crisis Management Office, they began the selection process for the quarterly outstanding employees, and the evaluation forms were distributed to everyone. The adjustment department had been relatively quiet for a few days, and they finally had something to discuss.
Each person could only fill out one form, and they could even nominate themselves. Bai Xiaoyuan didn’t hesitate and wrote “Qin Ge” on his form.
She leaned over to look at Tang Cuo’s form, and it also had “Qin Ge” written on it.
“I’m going to vote for Qin Ge. Let all my friends vote for you,” Bai Xiaoyuan chuckled. “The prize money for this quarter is two thousand, and that’s enough for a nice meal.”
Qin Ge was currently holding a book called “New Perspectives on Maritime Studies” and casually nodded.
Bai Xiaoyuan then looked at Xie Zijing’s form.
“… Xie Zijing, why didn’t you write Qin Ge?” Bai Xiaoyuan was extremely surprised. “Why did you write Lei Chi instead?”
Xie Zijing replied, “Captain Lei is very outstanding.”
Bai Xiaoyuan said, “Isn’t Qin Ge outstanding? Our department is small, and it’s already challenging to compete with people from other departments. If you don’t vote for Qin Ge, he’ll only have three votes now!”
Qin Ge looked up from his book. “Two votes. I also voted for Lei Chi. Lei Chi can treat us to a meal once he gets the bonus.”
Bai Xiaoyuan said, “…”
Tang Cuo said, “Then I’ll change too…”
Bai Xiaoyuan angrily exclaimed, “No! Write Qin Ge!”
Tang Cuo had to put down his pen.
After work, Xie Zijing lingered by Qin Ge’s side and refused to leave. His phone kept ringing with voice messages, all in an incomprehensible foreign language.
“Ma Yun wants to stay at my place,” he told Qin Ge. “He was originally staying with the people from Cantonese, but he got into a fight with them because of his pimple issue and got kicked out.”
Qin Ge suddenly realized that he was talking about that handsome vampire with a face full of pimples.
“Then where are you staying?”
“At your place.”
Qin Ge felt something wasn’t right. “Wait a minute…”
Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo picked up their bags and left, each giving the two of them a meaningful smile before they vanished.
Qin Ge felt very awkward, and just as he was about to reiterate his principles to Xie Zijing, Xie Zijing moved closer and nuzzled his cheek. “I want to pet the rabbit.”
Qin Ge said, “Petting the rabbit is the same as allowing me to patrol your ‘sea area.'”
Xie Zijing: “Yes.”
Qin Ge was taken aback. “Really?”
Only now did Qin Ge notice how serious Xie Zijing’s expression had become.
“You can enter my ‘sea area,” Xie Zijing said, looking at Qin Ge. “Qin Ge, I want to tell you a secret.”
Qin Ge asked, “What is it?”
Xie Zijing’s breathing became rapid, and he couldn’t maintain eye contact with Qin Ge, instead, he looked into the empty office. Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo had just been here, encouraging their respective spiritual bodies to fight. However, the lively atmosphere had disappeared, as if the spiritual bodies had vanished completely.
Xie Zijing pressed his chest, feeling his heart beating strongly.
A few nights ago, Francisco came over to Xie Zijing’s place, and the two of them drank while reminiscing about the past. Xie Zijing mentioned Qin Ge, saying that he had reconciled with him. Francisco, however, was completely surprised and said, “When did you date Qin Ge?”
Xie Zijing had never seriously thought about, or perhaps didn’t let himself think about the fact that he and Qin Ge had once dated. The truth had to be laid out in front of him.
Francisco was his roommate, and even he didn’t know who Xie Zijing had previously dated. When Xie Zijing was in college, Qin Ge was still in high school. By the time Qin Ge joined the Bureau of Talent Planning, Xie Zijing had moved to the Western Office. Their lives were completely separate. They had only met once in the past, but it had never continued.
Xie Zijing told Francisco, “There must have been something, but I can’t remember it.”
He could still remember Francisco’s expression. The golden-haired vampire looked at him with the pity of an elder, gently patting Xie Zijing’s hand. “Xie, you need to sober up.”
Qin Ge’s voice brought Xie Zijing’s attention back. “What secret do you want to tell me?”
“My past,” Xie Zijing said, holding Qin Ge’s hand. He then realized that his fingers were trembling slightly. “But it’s related to you, to Bai Xiaoyuan, and to Tang Cuo.”
Qin Ge tightened his grip on Xie Zijing’s hand. “What?”
Strange emotions were churning inside Xie Zijing’s heart. They occupied all his consciousness at this moment, flooding his mind with a profound sadness.
“We’ve met before, Qin Ge,” Xie Zijing said as if he needed to prove something, enunciating each word clearly. “You gave me a bouquet of flowers.”
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