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Chapter 53: “Why was the Black Battalion established?”
“Ling Siyuan, 44 years old, divorced, semi-zombified human, owner of the Atlantis Bar in District 011 of the capital.”
The projector displayed photos of Ling Siyuan when he was alive and postmortem images taken at the scene.
Ling Siyuan’s cause of death was a broken neck. He didn’t have the chance to call for help and died instantly.
Because there were stairs at the scene and no signs of struggle on Ling Siyuan’s body, it looked very much like an accidental death from falling down the stairs. Semi-zombified humans, infected by the virus, gradually experience bone fragility and hollowness, making them highly prone to fractures. If Ling Siyuan had fallen from a height on the stairs, he could have died as a result.
The images on the projector changed, showing Ling Siyuan’s back.
He was a semi-zombified person who had been taking medication to suppress the virus’s activity for a long time. His skin had become wrinkled all over, with little muscle on his back, and the skin against his bones was discolored with black and yellow hues.
There was a very clear bruise mark on his back.
“In addition to the bruising on his back, Ling Siyuan’s hair at the back of his head was torn off, his scalp was torn, and there were fresh blood spots on his scalp,” Lei Chi said. “We and the forensic team conducted a scene simulation and reconstructed the scene of Ling Siyuan’s attack. He was controlled from behind with a knee pressing against his spine, and his head was forced back by pulling his hair before his neck was broken.”
Ling Siyuan had no other external injuries, and the staircase wasn’t short, indicating he didn’t fall from a height.
The murderer likely followed Ling Siyuan from behind and struck when he wasn’t paying attention.
The projector changed to show the basement of the Atlantis Bar.
“Ling Siyuan was attacked as he approached underground level,” Lei Chi circled the position where the body was found with a laser pointer. “The entrance to the basement is a safety passage, much brighter than the basement itself. When someone opens the entrance while people are moving in the basement, except for the bottom few steps, the entire staircase will be illuminated. Therefore, regardless of who enters the basement, Ling Siyuan would have noticed immediately.”
But he didn’t resist and had his back to the murderer.
The murderer closely followed Ling Siyuan downstairs, possibly even agreeing to go to the basement for drinks together. Ling Siyuan was completely unprepared and was directly attacked.
“This is murder,” Lei Chi said. “The perpetrator is likely someone Ling Siyuan knew.”
The first vampire who reported the incident and other patrons of the bar had been taken back to Crisis Management, while the remaining guests were not allowed to leave the bar and were undergoing questioning.
Lei Chi concluded the meeting and prepared to interrogate the vampire. Xiao Liu rubbed his eyes. “Captain Lei, the forensic team seems to be very efficient this time.”
“The crime scene of a semi-zombified human may contain highly infectious viruses. The forensic team initiated Level 1 protection and expedited the evidence collection process,” Lei Chi said. “I’m somewhat impressed.”
Xiao Liu: “But why is it us again? We just solved a case related to semi-zombified individuals.”
“Team 1 has three cases, team 2 has four, and team 3 only has two, but both are major cases—one involving murder, the other a transnational kidnapping of a rare spiritual guide. They’re not much better off than us,” Lei Chi reassured him. “Don’t worry, you’ll definitely get some time off.”
Xiao Liu: “You said the same thing last year.”
Lei Chi pretended not to hear.
He pushed open the door to the interrogation room, and the golden-haired vampire sitting inside seemed startled, almost jumping out of his chair as if he had been startled by a loud noise.
The suspect was a foreign acquaintance, which could be a big or small issue, but generally, it tended to be minor. Lei Chi scrutinized Francisco and asked, “What’s your name?”
Francisco looked at the two young men with yellow skin in front of him, trying to seek recognition, and replied loudly, “Jack Ma!”
Lei Chi: “…”
Xiao Liu: “Are you sober now, sir?”
Francisco: “I’m not drunk.”
Lei Chi: “Then give us another name.”
Francisco was fluent in Chinese, which made Lei Chi slightly relieved. At least both parties could communicate freely without needing a dedicated translator. He reminded the vampire, “Do you need a lawyer?”
“No, I don’t,” Francisco shook his head, his soft golden hair swaying under the light. “I didn’t kill anyone.”
Lei Chi remained noncommittal. Xiao Liu glanced at the basic information Francisco had filled out when he entered Crisis Management and noticed that he had missed one item.
“You must fill in a contact person,” Xiao Liu reminded him, “or we’ll contact the embassy directly.”
“No need, no need, no need…” Francisco said repeatedly. After taking the pen and paper from Xiao Liu, he pondered for a moment before making a request, “Can you bring my phone and wallet? I can’t remember my friends’ numbers.”
Xiao Liu fetched them for him, standing by as Francisco wrote. After a while, he raised his eyebrows, looking astonishedly at Lei Chi.
Lei Chi: “?”
Xiao Liu silently mouthed: Xie, Zi, Jing.
Since the last team-building event, most of the Criminal Investigation Department members had been impressed by the formidable sentinel with a lion from the Psychological Adjustment Department. Lei Chi nodded, thinking this would facilitate communication.
After finishing writing Xie Zijing’s name and phone number, Francisco saw there was space for another contact. He thought for a moment and asked Xiao Liu, “Can I write a leader? Like your special human leader, do Chinese people value such relationships?”
Xiao Liu could clearly smell the alcohol on him and see his slightly unfocused blue eyes when he was tipsy. “…As long as they are contacts you know and are familiar with, you can write them. Don’t think about anything else.”
From his wallet, Francisco took out a business card and with careful, neat strokes, like a primary school student, wrote down Cai Yi’s name and contact number.
The next day, Cai Yi came to Crisis Management for his appointment with Qin Ge. His first task was to go to the Criminal Investigation Department and explain that he had no relationship with Francisco. He requested that they remove his name from the vampire’s “contact person” list and refrain from calling him again. If there were any issues, they could contact the embassy or the department responsible for special humans abroad.
Just as he stepped out of the Criminal Investigation Department, he immediately saw Xie Zijing walking towards him, and the two exchanged glances.
Xie Zijing had a negative impression of Cai Yi, especially after learning that Cai Yi had once cared about Qin Ge’s partner issue. When they met, Xie Zijing’s face immediately displayed wary hostility. “What are you here for?”
Cai Yi’s glance at him was not friendly, filled with sarcasm and disdain, and he didn’t answer the question, brushing past Xie Zijing’s shoulder and heading straight for the elevator.
Xie Zijing was there to pick up Francisco. Francisco’s activities in the bar had all been captured by surveillance cameras. When Ling Siyuan died, Francisco was shouting Meng Yu’s name along with the crowd, eliminating suspicion. Exhausted after spending the night at the Criminal Investigation Department, Francisco hurriedly washed his face in the restroom and came out to see Xie Zijing looking anxious.
“Hurry to the restroom,” he said.
Xie Zijing urged him on, pulling him towards the safe passage. The elevator Cai Yi took stopped on the first floor, and the two of them panted as they ran to the first floor. Xie Zijing just caught sight of Cai Yi’s figure disappearing through the side door.
He was surprised: Cai Yi was heading to the Psychological Adjustment Department.
Back in the department, Cai Yi was in the hallway talking with Qin Ge. When Xie Zijing and Francisco entered, both conversations came to a halt. Xie Zijing, full of suspicion, squinted at Cai Yi, “Want to fight again? Haven’t I scratched your lizard enough yet?”
“It’s not a lizard,” Cai Yi corrected, “it’s a Komodo dragon.”
Xie Zijing sneered. He couldn’t be impolite to Cai Yi in front of Qin Ge, so he stood by Qin Ge’s side, waiting for the conversation to resume.
“Then you go ahead and wait for me,” Qin Ge said to Cai Yi. “I’ll be upstairs in about ten minutes.”
Cai Yi left politely. Xie Zijing wondered, “Upstairs? What for?”
“I’m going to do a ‘sea area’ patrol for him,” Qin Ge explained. “Since the incident with Cai Mingyue, Cai Yi’s ‘sea area’ hasn’t been calm. He’s from a single-parent family, and he and Cai Mingyue were very close. He really needs some relief.”
Xie Zijing was extremely displeased. “Let him find someone else.”
“He was going to find Lu Qinglai, but I stopped him,” Qin Ge looked at Xie Zijing. “Xie Zijing, this is my job.”
Xie Zijing pursed his lips tightly and went into his office. After Qin Ge finished dealing with his emails, he left. Since Crisis Management didn’t provide him with a dedicated adjustment studio, Qin Ge suggested Cai Yi use Gao Tianyue’s office. His invitation to Crisis Management and the recommendation of Gao Tianyue’s office were both self-serving. Perhaps after this patrol, the Psychological Adjustment Department could have a complete and improved adjustment studio.
Francisco hadn’t even had breakfast yet. He took a little from the tables of the three people in front of him. He had met Tang Cuo before but had never met Bai Xiaoyuan. Upon seeing Bai Xiaoyuan, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He quickly swallowed his dumplings and said, “You must be the most beautiful girl in Crisis Management, right?”
Bai Xiaoyuan enthusiastically stuffed the whole bag of sliced bread she hadn’t eaten into his arms. “How did you know!”
Francisco replied, “I knew it the moment I saw you. But how could there be such a bad god in the world?”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “…Huh?”
Francisco continued, “He has never allowed me to encounter anyone as beautiful as you in my life.”
Bai Xiaoyuan was almost dizzy with joy, and Tang Cuo was dumbfounded.
Xie Zijing said, “Comrade Bai Xiaoyuan, can you have some self-awareness?”
“Don’t wake me up! Let me dream!” Bai Xiaoyuan laughed happily. “Vampire comrade, you’re really good at pleasing girls.”
“I’m kindred. And I’m better at pleasing boys…” Francisco said with a grin.
Bai Xiaoyuan: “…”
The golden-haired vampire grinned, revealing a half piece of leek stuck between his teeth.
After Qin Ge completed the “sea area” patrol and counseling for Cai Yi, Cai Yi indeed felt much more relaxed. He said he would continue to come to Qin Ge for “sea area” patrols. Gao Tianyue frowned immediately, “Do I have to lend my office every time? I’m very busy too.”
Cai Yi replied, “Indeed, it’s inconvenient for Director Gao. How about Director Gao arrange a dedicated adjustment room for Qin Ge?”
Qin Ge remained calm on the surface, but inside, he was jumping with joy at the thought of it all falling into place.
When Qin Ge returned to the Psychological Adjustment Department near the end of the workday, he found only Tang Cuo and Bai Xiaoyuan there. Xie Zijing and Francisco were nowhere to be seen.
“Xie Zijing said he was going to treat him, and took him out for lunch,” Tang Cuo informed.
Qin Ge nodded, turned around, and saw Tang Cuo looking at his phone in a daze. “What’s wrong with him?” Qin Ge asked Bai Xiaoyuan, “Is there something wrong with your archival work?
“No,” Bai Xiaoyuan scratched her ear and whispered, “It’s about what the vampire just said, there’s been a murder at a bar in the Wangdu district, and the owner is gone.”
Qin Ge was startled. He asked Tang Cuo urgently, “Atlantis?”
“…Hmm.” Tang Cuo was worried, “It’s the boss who Meng Yu said was working as a bartender at the bar that day.”
Qin Ge never expected trouble after meeting Ling Siyuan just once. He immediately remembered that Ling Siyuan was one of the four leaders of the Black Battalion in the Wangdu district. His death could lead to unforeseen serious consequences. “How’s the investigation going now?”
“Lei Chi’s team took over the investigation, but the vampires can’t possibly know the specific progress now,” Tang Cuo grabbed his phone, “that place is still too complicated.”
He made a call and walked out. Bai Xiaoyuan looked at Qin Ge, “Have you been to the bars in the Wangdu district? Can you take me next time?”
Xie Zijing originally wanted to take Francisco to a Western restaurant, but the golden-haired vampire insisted on having Chinese food. In the end, the two of them walked into a hot pot restaurant on a scorching day.
No matter the weather or the season, Chongqing hot pot restaurants were always bustling. Francisco’s sensitive sense of smell made him uncomfortable with the smell of chili and Sichuan peppercorns, so he ended up ordering a split pot hot pot. “I can’t eat randomly, otherwise I won’t be able to taste the pure flavor of human blood,” he justified. “Kindred are discerning gourmets.”
Xie Zijing retorted, “If you don’t eat spicy food, what else can you eat at a Chongqing hot pot restaurant?”
Francisco replied, “Xie, you’re discriminating.”
The two of them ordered a bunch of meats, and Francisco frowned at the duck intestines and pig brains Xie Zijing ordered. “I’ve never dared to try them.”
Xie Zijing snorted, “You’re afraid to eat these and still call yourself a gourmet?”
After taking a few bites of beef, Francisco carefully asked him amidst the steaming hot pot, “Are you feeling upset?”
Xie Zijing knew he had been a bit sharp with his words. He poked at a piece of red sugar cake for a while before saying, “It’s not because of you.”
When the Criminal Investigation Department called Xie Zijing at four in the morning, Francisco knew it must have disturbed Xie Zijing’s sleep. And he also knew that Xie Zijing had been having trouble sleeping. Francisco couldn’t help but be surprised, “Not because of me?”
What made Xie Zijing unhappy was Qin Ge.
He knew his jealousy and resentment were unreasonable: Qin Ge was just doing his job by patrolling the “sea area” with Cai Yi, which didn’t imply any development between them.
It was Cai Yi’s curiosity about Qin Ge that filled Xie Zijing with displeasure and concern. Qin Ge didn’t understand his unhappiness, which made Xie Zijing feel both ugly and angry at Qin Ge’s dullness.
After listening, Francisco looked at Xie Zijing in silence. His principle was simple: if there’s blood, he’d suck; if there’s no blood, he’d go hungry. And to ensure the purity of the family bloodline, he never harbored thoughts like “living forever with this person” while sucking blood.
Compared to encouraging friends to bravely enter into love, Francisco was better at pouring cold water. After all, his life was too long. What ordinary people called “eternity” was just a long sleep for him, not worth much effort.
“Do you really have such deep feelings for Qin after knowing each other for only a few months?” Francisco said, “It’s unbelievable. I think it’s more of an illusion than love.”
Xie Zijing: “… What nonsense are you talking about?”
Francisco lowered his voice, “Xie, you told me before that you thought you had feelings for Qin, but now you realize it didn’t exist. It was something someone else implanted in your mind. Since it was an illusion back then, why can’t it be an illusion now? Your deep affection for Qin may also be the result of suggestion.”
Xie Zijing fell silent.
“In fact, there is no love between you,” Francisco said seriously, “just meeting needs or comforting each other.”
Xie Zijing: “Let’s go Dutch for this meal, I don’t want to treat you anymore.”
Francisco: “No… wait! Listen to me. First, I don’t have cash on me, and second… Are you sure he has feelings for you, not just pity or sympathy, but genuine love?”
Xie Zijing: “Forget about going Dutch, you treat me.”
Francisco: “…”
He shut up reluctantly and dumped all the beef and lamb into his clear broth pot.
After a while, Xie Zijing reluctantly spoke up.
“He remembers me too,” he said slowly while dipping his chopsticks into the dipping sauce, “When he and Tang Cuo were still working in the archives, they often saw the annual summaries and assessment materials sent up by the Western Office. It’s not an exaggeration to say that every year had my name on it. He even asked other people in the archives who Xie Zijing was and why he was so capable.”
Francisco noticed that Xie Zijing had been gloomy for most of the day, yet he was smiling now.
Xie Zijing thought to himself, so that’s how it is. Before he and Qin Ge truly got to know each other, they had already left an impression on each other. It was a small impression, but enough to make Qin Ge feel favorable towards him even before formally meeting him.
“He said he liked me in my ‘sea area,'” Xie Zijing added, “He was very sincere.”
Francisco lowered his head and observed the ice powder seriously, ignoring him.
Xie Zijing: “Let me treat you for this meal.”
Francisco: “Is this what they call a false alarm? Can this idiom be used like this?”
Xie Zijing generously helped him pick up some meat.
With so many good things happening suddenly, Xie Zijing couldn’t help but feel skeptical. He dared not believe it. However, he decided to apologize sincerely to Qin Ge tonight, and he would do whatever Qin Ge wanted.
The night after the homicide at the Atlantis Bar, a large number of semi-zombified individuals gathered in the Wangdu District, surrounding the bar. They were confronted by an even larger group of underground people.
Upon receiving the report, Lei Chi rushed to the scene and exerted a lot of effort to calm down the angry and grieving semi-zombified individuals.
There have always been many conflicts between underground and semi-zombified individuals. To outsiders, both were special humans, so what was there to argue about? Discrimination, ridicule, and mutual fighting between the two made no sense to those who didn’t know the inside story.
But in reality, the biggest conflict between underground and semi-zombified individuals centered around the rights to survival and work.
Due to being infected with the petrification virus, the underground people gradually became brittle throughout their entire bodies if the virus wasn’t successfully contained. Before the petrification virus vaccine was developed, underground people were considered outcasts almost from the day they appeared. In order to protect themselves and isolate themselves from others, they had to live in relatively closed and differentially pressurized underground depths to suppress the rapid reproduction of the petrification virus.
Shortly afterward, semi-zombified individuals appeared. Underground people initially thought they were their own kind: after all, both were very miserable and “misery” was a necessary condition for companionship. However, they soon discovered, to their surprise, that the biggest difference between semi-zombified individuals and themselves was that semi-zombified people could walk on the surface, enjoying the sunshine and rain.
They could even organize demonstrations, protesting social injustices and loudly demanding more rights, such as education, employment, and the right to choose marriage and family.
Soon, employment terms for semi-zombified individuals were drafted, granting them the same employment rights as ordinary people, and allowing them to openly use their skills and knowledge to work and earn a living.
This was a huge blow to the vast majority of underground peoples who could only rely on welfare: semi-zombified individuals were not their kind after all, and the other side was an outcast, and moreover, a much better-off outcast than themselves.
Semi-zombified individuals are more deeply involved in various social activities than underground people, facing far more numerous and complex problems than underground people could imagine. Faced with the disdain, insults, and accusations of underground peoples, semi-zombified people felt deeply aggrieved: not long ago, they were allies, but now they scorned each other for gaining a little more, and such friendship was fundamentally false.
Conflicts arose as a result. Many scholars were enthusiastic about researching the conflicts between underground and semi-zombified individuals, and the years of disputes between the two groups had nurtured many experts in sociology, anthropology, and psychology.
The Wangdu District housed a large number of underground people, while the surface was mainly inhabited by semi-zombified individuals. The two largest special human groups in the Wangdu District became collectively angry due to Ling Siyuan’s death: semi-zombified individuals believed that Ling Siyuan should not have allowed someone as peculiar as Meng Yu to enter and leave the Atlantis Bar from the beginning. Meng Yu was the leader of the underground people and a friend of Ling Siyuan, making him the prime suspect. The underground people mocked the semi-zombified individuals for their incompetence in handling matters, accusing them of blaming innocent people for their leader’s death. Amidst the clamor, they even loudly stated things like “Atlantis relies entirely on Meng Yu’s support, and the Black Battalion belongs to Meng Yu.”
Lei Chi and others, wearing extremely thick protective suits, entered the Wangdu District and calmed the dispute, causing the crowd to disperse. Lei Chi was drenched from head to toe as if he had taken a bath with his clothes on.
The Atlantis Bar closed its doors, with Meng Yu and a few waiters still inside. They only dared to open the door after all the semi-zombified individuals and underground people had left. Lei Chi greeted Meng Yu and was about to step inside the bar when his ears twitched.
There was moonlight tonight.
On the rooftop opposite the Atlantis Bar, two black figures stood silently, vaguely discernible as a man and a woman. Lei Chi squinted and suddenly recognized one of them.
“Xia Chun?”
The two figures jumped down from the rooftop one after the other, with graceful postures and steady landings. “You recognized me?” the woman called Xia Chun smiled and said, “Long time no see.”
With introductions made to Lei Chi, she turned to introduce the man behind her.
“Lei Chi, from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Crisis Management Office, and also the president of our Werewolf Association. We used to play together a lot when we were kids,” Xia Chun said, “Bian Han, one of the Four Leaders of the Black Battalion, and also a Sentinel.”
Bian Han nodded in greeting.
Lei Chi: “Since both the leader of the werewolves and the sentinel guides are here, why didn’t you maintain order?”
“Werewolves and sentinel guides combined are not as numerous as the semi-zombified individuals. How can we maintain order?” Xia Chun sat down in the bar, crossing her legs, “Is there something you want to ask us? First, I want to declare that Meng Yu absolutely could not have killed anyone, let alone kill Ling Siyuan.”
Lei Chi: “We have already investigated Meng Yu’s whereabouts. When Ling Siyuan died, he was performing.”
Lei Chi looked at the three leaders in front of him, signaling for Xiao Liu to start recording.
“There’s a question I couldn’t find reliable and detailed records for in the data,” he asked. “Why was the Black Battalion established?”
Xia Chun looked at Bian Han: “Let the Sentinel answer this question. The great chaos back then was caused by your Sentinel guides.”
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