Old-fashioned renovation
The vehicle took a back road back to the apartment, where Cheng Xiangwu was able to clean up the bloodstains on her body and thoroughly treat her wounds. Xiao Fu asked questions and drew pictures on the side, while Goulson, who didn't know where to put his hands, was assigned the important task of buying lunch.
The washing machine is operating normally.
"I can't send or receive messages inside the building, but the signal is normal," Cheng Xiangwu said, preparing to disinfect the wound on her waist. When she lifted the simple gauze, she pulled up some skin and flesh, along with the charred part.
After leaving, she checked her phone messages. Xiao Fu said he noticed Lin Che'an had returned to the vicinity of the Southern Community, so he changed the plan and let her take action directly. Although the process was different, the goal was still achieved.
“The magnetic field anomaly is likely the same phenomenon that occurred when the cloaked figure appeared and disappeared. In fact, the two cannot be discussed separately.” As he spoke, Xiao Fu handed the other person a newly opened bottle of alcohol, watching the liquid evaporate on the skin and mix with the bloodstains.
This was bad news, Cheng Xiangwu thought. If the people who killed Qin Zixi also wanted to kill her, then she wouldn't be able to breathe a sigh of relief about "achieving her goal," but would have to prepare to work overtime to clean up the mess.
"If that's the case, why didn't that thing pull out a gun last night?" she asked, picking up a cotton ball and disinfecting her neck and shoulders in front of the mirror, keeping the smell of blood on her body at a level that couldn't be smelled unless you got close.
“Firearms are killing machines, so the target of this being’s actions was not to kill people.” Little F said, flipping through a few pages of his notes. “Now I can give you my testimony directly. It wasn’t an act of murder, but an act of hunting. The suicide theory can also be refuted. The purpose of this being’s actions was for those heads, or rather, souls.”
There's nothing that can be done if a person dies without their head.
"A head?" Cheng Xiangwu skipped over the soul he didn't understand.
“In my previous case, the victim’s head wasn’t found at the scene, and considering the psychological trauma of the person who provided that scene photo, the total weight of the body in the Senhu No. 2 Middle School case should also be missing about 650 kilograms.” Xiao Fu said, flipping his notebook back to the latest progress.
Cheng Xiang paused for a moment, recalling that she had previously considered dismembering Qin Zixi's body, but now it seemed that this action would expose her own knowledge and, consequently, her identity.
“That would make things interesting,” Little Franz said with a laugh, not denying that he did it on purpose.
"...So you came to me for this reason." Cheng Xiangwu applied medicine to her wound, and the area she applied quickly turned cold. "You want to drag me into this case and see how things develop."
The part that most needed to be cleaned up was right in front of him, and Cheng Xiangwu looked up.
“I admit that’s part of what I want to see too,” Little Franz nodded. “Want to express your opinion?”
Indeed, Cheng Xiangwu stared at the other person's smiling face and swiftly threw the blood-stained gauze he had just removed onto the other person's face.
Seeing the other person frantically ripping off the blood-stained cloth stuck to their face and hair, Cheng Xiangwu felt a little relieved by their ugly expression.
My phone vibrated; there was a message from Zhou Mi.
“Just now, a guy in a suit who looked all high and mighty came out of the neighborhood and asked me if I had seen you, Sister Xiangxiang, but he wouldn’t say anything when I asked him.”
Cheng Xiangwu was taken aback, and typed with one hand, "Can you remember what kind of person he was?"
Zhou Mi answered quickly, "She's about the same age as you, Sister Xiangxiang, but she has a really sour face. She's the kind of person who'll stand behind the big boss and curse him out on his behalf!"
"That's quite a vivid profile," Little F nodded. "They must have come looking for you while we were out. Can you remember which acquaintance they were?"
Cheng Xiangwu didn't know such a person. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "I don't know such a person. Xiao Mi, you shouldn't talk to strangers either. This person is very suspicious."
Zhou Mi typed at lightning speed, "I also think that guy is acting all mysterious and doesn't seem like a good person! And I feel like there are more suspicious people around here lately. It's quite interesting, but Xiangxiang, you should be careful when you go out."
"Mm," Cheng Xiangwu replied, adding a thumbs-up emoji.
A GIF of a spinning cat was sent over from the other end, reminding Cheng Xiangwu of the tabby cat that suddenly attacked him.
“That is indeed a problem.” Little F tapped his pen. “Cats are creatures that are inseparable from mystery, but it’s impossible for every cat in your area to have this special ability.”
"Could it be that someone tamed it?" Cheng Xiangwu speculated.
“Cats aren’t creatures that can be deprived of their autonomy; I’m more inclined to suspect they have internal communication mechanisms,” Little Fran said, flipping through his notebook again. “Or perhaps they have a meeting place, a time, resources…”
Watching the person in front of her exile herself into her thoughts, Cheng Xiangwu bandaged the wound she had treated, calculating like managing an electronic farm. The wound on her side would be better by tomorrow morning, but the wound on her shoulder and neck was a bit deep, so she had to be careful when sleeping these few days, and also when braiding her hair in the morning.
“Although that car isn’t registered in our name, we’ve been getting caught on camera every time it enters or leaves the neighborhood these past few days,” Cheng Xiangwu said while bandaging her wound. “The same goes for Qin Zixi’s case; if this continues, those out-of-town police will come knocking on our door sooner or later.”
“Law enforcement officers are indeed a problem, but they can also be seen as organic and environmentally friendly materials.” Little F said thoughtfully, “In your judgment, what was the purpose of the person who struck up a conversation with you in the car?”
"They probably want to know if what happened last night is related to us, and also to monitor my movements as much as possible, not to interfere," Cheng Xiangwu said after thinking for a moment. "That's not a frontline worker."
"I have to say that coming to you is a kind of frontline mission," Xiao Fu said.
“Then you’ll move to the front line in my house yourself,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
"Look at what you're saying," Little Fu said with a smug smile.
"So those out-of-town police and dogs are planning to treat me as a suspect?" Cheng Xiangwu frowned. She hadn't had time to deal with the bullet casing. Although her biometric information was easy to handle, who knew if something unexpected might happen.
“Don’t rush to put yourself in opposition to a group. A group is only a valuable hypothetical enemy when things are ambiguous.” Xiao Fu shook his pen. “The individual is the threat that is updated in real time. And haven’t we already obtained some information that we can trade with Miss Xie Wuchang?”
"You mean those cats?" Cheng Xiangwu didn't think the other party could accept this elusive answer. "Putting aside the fact that cats can't be caught, Xie Wuchang is clearly not the one with decision-making power in their team. If she were, she wouldn't have come here first."
Clearly, her hypothesis was not seen as a valuable objective by the team as a whole, which is one of the reasons why she chose to collaborate with the two.
“But isn’t the team just about taking many people with similar goals to the same station and then letting them get off and walk to their destination? They use the same ticket, but mostly for different people.” Xiao Fu insisted on his point of view. “Miss Xie Wuchang is obviously not an isolated case in that line, and the same goes for that person who struck up a conversation.”
“But not everyone is motivated to cooperate with us,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “So we shouldn’t have too much overlap with that group in terms of investigative operations; they’re troublesome.”
"Is the Five Spices Assassin starting to worry about his identity?" Little Fu asked with a smile.
“I’m not worried about you until you’re deported.” Cheng Xiangwu said honestly. Her company’s level of protection for personal information is among the best in the industry, but taking the initiative to contact law enforcement, especially criminal police officers with clear objectives, is almost a gamble for her.
"...So you're so confident that you simply refuse to move forward? That's really annoying about you," Little Fran said with dissatisfaction.
"Just bear with it." Cheng Xiangwu remained unmoved.
“Then you’ll have to put up with my communication preferences,” Xiao Fu said.
"I'm back!" Golson pushed open the door and came in, carrying two family buckets.
Lunchtime!
"In any case, gathering information is part of my duty, and I'll go and hear their opinions." Little Fu said, getting up to prepare tea for lunch, the black tea canister rustling softly.
"You'd better just listen. If you really start talking, you won't have any identification to show," Cheng Xiangwu reminded him, getting up to clear the table.
"What's wrong? Why are you arguing?" Gao Ersen put down the plastic bag and ran to take the plate from Cheng Xiangwu's hand. "Sister, sit down. Don't move, I'll do it."
"Look who can't even hold a plate properly?" Little F said with a sneer.
“At least I won’t smash plates,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
Lunch ended abruptly, with Little Fer expressing a serious critique of processed foods. After lunch, Golson went to hang the clothes from the washing machine on the balcony. Fur-collared coats, joggers, shirts, vests, gloves, plaid shirts, cotton-linen shorts, and socks of different colors and materials swayed in the semi-open space, proclaiming the family's uncompromising attitude towards fashion.
The most important thing after the meal was to change the tires and license plate of the car. Cheng Xiangwu had called the local flower shop in advance. When she went downstairs to throw away the trash after the meal, she saw several large wooden boxes next to her black car. She called Xiao Fu to come down and open the car door to help her. After using the jack to lift the car, she put on a raincoat and crawled inside.
Although she doesn't drive, her job often requires her to remove tires from other people's cars. The loading and unloading process is similar, and after doing one thing a lot, she automatically understands the other. It's nothing more than strength, skill, and observation of the owner's perspective, not much different from beheading.
The not-too-old tires that have been replaced are stuffed into a box, and once pushed to the designated spot, a kind-hearted shopkeeper will appear and take them away.
Then Xiao Fu drove off in his car with the new prosthetic leg, and as the trunk disappeared around the corner of the main gate of the residential area, Cheng Xiangwu also prepared to set off to find Zhou Yan.
"Should I avoid this?" Golson asked on the bus.
"Sister Yanzi is a very nice person," Cheng Xiangwu said.
“No, aren’t you here to talk about serious business?” Golson gestured as he asked. “I can find a place to sit.”
"Listen if you want to hear it." Cheng Xiangwu didn't care much about privacy. Since Gao Ersen couldn't extricate himself from this matter, knowing more would prevent any unexpected situations from happening and her knowing nothing.
“Oh!” Golson nodded. “Then I want to hear it.”
Shechao Hotel officially opened in the early 21st century and has undergone several renovations, both large and small. It is a non-chain private hotel with a classic color scheme located on a street in the city where hotels are concentrated. The hotel, with its low-saturation warm orange brick walls, is built on a slope. The first floor, which opens at the corner of the street, serves as the hotel owner's office, while the check-in area and guest elevator are located on the second floor and above.
The boss's office is indicated by a sign hanging outside the heavy wooden door. It says that outsiders are not refused entry without knocking, and the reason can be seen by pushing the door open.
At the bright and clean entrance hall, there is a rectangular bar with a warm walnut wood base and marble top. Next to it, small red velvet stools with walnut wood frames are lined up on the red carpet. At the corner of the bar, there is a plaster bust with long arms and a warm-colored lampshade on its head, as well as a bottle of spirits with flowers in it.
The bar counter, about a hand's width high, is the home of a bartender, barista, and perhaps even a milk tea maker. Various syrups rest on the inner counter, their colors mingling with the sunlight to create a festive glow, occasionally staining the marble surface. Further inside, next to a glass-door refrigerator with a calendar hanging on it, stands a striking wall-mounted walnut wood wine cabinet with constantly lit internal LED strips. Depending on the angle, glimpses of the glass bottles' patterns and remaining contents are visible from within. Further to the side is a majestic fully automatic coffee machine topped with a coffee bean hopper, and next to the sink are various stainless steel bartending tools stacked upside down.
And things like test tubes, beakers, and alcohol lamps that inexplicably appeared on the bar without any prior notice.
At this time, the boss's office bar had not yet officially opened for business. The stage with the microphone was still covered by a red curtain, and the green and cherry red fabric sofas were not occupied. However, the record player was still running because the boss was watching it from the side.
"Sister Yanzi," Cheng Xiangwu called out to the familiar person sitting by the window.
"Xiao Wu!" Zhou Yan closed her laptop and placed it on the windowsill, smiling as she walked towards Cheng Xiangwu. "I heard from Xiaomi that you were back, and I was thinking of taking you two out to eat sometime, but I didn't expect you to come looking for me so soon."
The woman walking towards us was in her early forties. She wore a beige cotton-linen shirt without a tie, and her suspenders held up her suit trousers. The cuffs were neatly rolled up above her elbows, and a few strands of her hair, which was styled in a bun, occasionally fell in front of her eyes. She had smile lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth, and even when she wasn't smiling, she looked like a kind person. She frowned slightly when she noticed the bandages on Cheng Xiangwu's shoulders and neck.
Zhou Yan met Cheng Xiangwu's parents after Wuxianglou opened. She didn't know much about the older generation, but she remembered that she often did her homework at the bar counter, which had been renovated several times but was fortunate enough not to be replaced, when she was a child. Similarly, Zhou Mi often did her homework at the reception tea table in the lobby of Wuxianglou. Over time, the two became familiar with the bosses of their respective areas.
In Cheng Xiangwu's memory, Zhou Yan was an adult who always had something new in her hands, and this could be seen from every corner of the boss's office. She just didn't know what new thing she was tinkering with recently.
"Oh dear, there's a kid here." Zhou Yan approached and saw Gorson looking around suspiciously behind Cheng Xiangwu. She smiled, took a chocolate ball from behind the bar, and bent down to hand it to her. "High school student? Little sister, who are you?"
"Hello, Sister Yanzi! My name is Gao Ersen." Gao Ersen accepted the chocolate ball generously. "I've been staying at Sister Xiangxiang's house recently, so I guess, uh."
“Their parents haven’t had time lately, so I came back to help out,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
"Hi Gao, oh my, you've gotten so thin! You need to take better care of yourself, Xiao Wu." Zhou Yan greeted him with a smile. "Why aren't you at school at this hour? Oh, you must be from No. 2 Middle School. You're on holiday right now. You should enjoy this rare vacation that high school students have to live."
"Um..." Gorson was a little embarrassed, his face flushed.
"It's been so long since I've seen you. You've grown quite a bit taller, but you haven't changed much." Zhou Yan patted Cheng Xiangwu on the shoulder and asked, "What happened to this injury?"
"I accidentally injured myself before," Cheng Xiangwu said vaguely, feeling inexplicably guilty that she couldn't lie here.
"...So careless?" Zhou Yan sighed, then laughed. "Have a seat first, Xiao Gao. What would you like to drink? Juice? Coke?"
"Please give me some juice, thank you, Sister Yanzi!" Gao Ersen replied quickly.
"What a spirited child," Zhou Yan smiled.
The three of them sat down on the sofa chairs by the window. The velvet striped fabric sank in just the right amount. Three glasses sat on the wooden coffee table: a coffee, a cola, and an orange juice, all with matching brown straight tubes.
"Your timing for coming back is really perfect; Senhu has been much more lively than usual lately," Zhou Yan said.
“Yes,” Cheng Xiangwu replied. She was thinking about how to ask the question. She had already prepared her answer, but now that she was actually sitting in front of the other person, she felt inexplicably guilty, as if she had committed a crime as soon as she returned home after not going home for many years.
“It’s not just the city center.” Zhou Yan paused. “Have you been out and about these past few days? I heard from Xiaomi that you’re with a foreigner, which is quite rare. As a local, you should take her sightseeing.”
“Yes, she does travel around.” Cheng Xiang nodded. “Her name is Xiao Fu. I met her in another city before.”
"That name sounds quite local. You'll have to bring it over so I can meet it later." Zhou Yan said, taking a sip of coffee. "It's rare to see you with friends. It's a pity Xiaobai isn't here; she hasn't been back for a long time."
Cheng Xiangwu had no recollection of the person whose name he referred to; just hearing it made him sound like a dog.
Seeing her expression, Zhou Yan understood that she didn't remember this person at all, and said helplessly, "You two used to spend a lot of time together when you were little. After she went to school, you basically never saw each other again. You'll definitely remember her when you see her someday."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiangwu realized that this person must be a former classmate. However, at this point, she had almost completely forgotten the faces in all her graduation photos from elementary, middle, and high school, let alone their names. She didn't remember having any close friends in the past, and whoever it was, she probably wouldn't have anything to say to them now.
"Hmm." Cheng Xiangwu didn't say anything, just nodded, then looked up again, "Actually, I came here to ask about some things from the past."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan put down her coffee, leaned back, and the shoulder strap bent forward, creating an opening.
“That’s quite a rare thing,” she said. “Ask Xiao Wu, what’s it about?”
"Is it about that fire? Are all the people involved still alive?" Cheng Xiang asked.
After the question was answered, violin music filled a short gap in the vocals.
"That was a long time ago, Xiao Wu." Zhou Yan's voice trailed off as she looked at Cheng Xiangwu and asked, "You've never asked about this before, what suddenly caught your attention?"
“Qin Zixi was recently released from prison. I think there was a problem with his sentence back then,” Cheng Xiangwu said, offering a pre-prepared excuse.
"There's a problem, so you only came back after he was released from prison?" Zhou Yan smiled. "Xiao Wu, you have to tell your sister Yan the truth."
“…I’m sorry.” Cheng Xiangwu lowered her head guiltily.
“You’ve always had a stern face, but it’s very obvious when you’re hiding something,” Zhou Yan said gently, letting it go. “I was the witness back then.”
This really surprised Cheng Xiangwu, as she remembered that the witness stand in court was empty back then.
"The first trial was quick. Based on the circumstances of negligent arson and surrender, Qin Zixi only needed to pay compensation and serve four years in prison. Later, the lawyer dragged you into a second trial. I gave testimony proving that there were absolutely no ignition points near the crime scene, and that the street surveillance footage showed Qin Zixi running away immediately after the fire started. He didn't call the fire department or intend to stay and wait to be arrested, which led to the later outcome." Zhou Yan looked out the window as she recalled the past. The street was filled with people moving leisurely, and the sunlight was dappling through it. "I didn't appear in court in person because the lawyer was very confident about the outcome, saying that he wanted to avoid any retaliation allegations."
“…And this too, thank you, I didn’t know that,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
“Back then, the prosecutor found a team of teenagers who were interning at the municipal hospital to do psychological counseling for you. They said you might have serious psychological problems and didn’t want you to go to court. Later, based on your performance, they said you had avoidance trauma and wanted to blame the lawyer who forced you to run around.” Zhou Yan sighed again as she said this. “Actually, we were worried that you might have such a problem. You didn’t say anything at the time. The doctor said you might have had a concussion after falling from the third floor.”
Golson was so surprised that he developed a double chin.
Cheng Xiangwu knew some of this, after all, even though she no longer lived in that building, she hadn't moved too far, and the people around her were still the same group, maintaining the same attitude.
Poor thing, poor thing, this child is so pitiful.
The weakened senses are a consequence of the fire smoke and concussion; the reduced emotional expression is a result of psychological trauma; and a person's journey to another city is out of necessity.
But Cheng Xiangwu knew that wasn't the case. Her behavior and actions stemmed entirely from her own personality. Long before she turned fifteen, she had always been someone who didn't have much to say about most things. Not to mention that she went out to work to earn money. The average salary level in Senhu City was about the same as that of civil servants. People who looked at housing prices would laugh out loud because they were actually placed in the same category.
“I should have at least said I was fine,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “It sounded like I was trying to comfort you, but I really was fine at the time.”
Having experienced the shock of a concussion that could knock out a tooth, she knew that the dizziness she felt after rolling down was just from the rotation, similar to the feeling of being unable to stand after frantically turning the steering wheel in a carousel.
“After all, our Xiao Wu is a strong kid.” Zhou Yan smiled. “He’s been healthy and strong since he was little. He could carry two boxes of milk home from the supermarket when he was in elementary school.”
“After all, I only have two hands,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
After Zhou Yan laughed for a while, Cheng Xiangwu asked again, "Are those police officers, prosecutors, and lawyers from back then still around?"
“The firefighters put out the fire before the police came to collect evidence. I asked some questions at the scene, but they didn’t know much. The prosecutor was from a neighboring city and didn’t follow up on the matter afterward.” Zhou Yan paused here before continuing, “That lawyer was actually still dissatisfied with the result after the second trial. She said it was obvious that Qin Zixi was just a scapegoat and that she would give you an explanation and was prepared to continue the investigation.”
The overexposed, shadeless road from her memory reappeared, and she still couldn't see the backs of those who had come before her.
"And then?" Cheng Xiang asked Zhou Yan, who had suddenly stopped. Later, she never received the "explanation," but something must have happened in between.
“She…” Zhou Yan hesitated, “She encountered some problems and stopped investigating.”
She looked at Cheng Xiangwu, just as she had watched the child who called her "sister" board the train to another city years ago.
"Sister Yanzi, can't I know about what happened?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.
Zhou Yan glanced at Gorson and smiled, "That's right, you're not children anymore."
Golson was somewhat puzzled.
“That lawyer later stayed in Senhu City and ran for mayor,” Zhou Yan said. “Her name is Gu Wanqiu. If you’ve been watching the local news lately, you’ll have seen her.”
Gorsen was shocked. She quickly reviewed a large number of political dramas in her mind, and Gu Wanqiu's image switched between the dark hand that forcibly silenced those in the know and the lawyer who colluded with evil forces after being corrupted by darkness.
"If I go to her now, will she be willing to talk to me?" Cheng Xiang asked without much hope.
“…Xiao Wu, if you want to know what happened back then, I can tell you everything. Just don’t go looking for her.” Zhou Yan’s smile vanished, and the smile lines on her kind face became more stern. “You can guess why she gave up the investigation, can’t you? Thirteen years have passed, and I can’t recognize her now. She’s not happy to recognize me either.”
As she finished speaking, Zhou Yan let out a soft sigh.
Can time really change a person this much? Cheng Xiangwu didn't know.
“Actually, we all know there are a lot of strange things in that incident.” Zhou Yan frowned and continued, “Brother Du can tell how long the fish in the water can live just by listening, so how could he not hear the fire downstairs? Sister Song can smell other people’s colds, so how could she not smell the smoke in her own house? I told her all my suspicions and collected the testimonies from the neighbors, and gave them to that big lawyer who said ‘Leave it to me,’ so that she can give you and everyone else an explanation.”
Cheng Song, Cheng Xiangwu's mother; Du Ke, Cheng Xiangwu's father.
"But then, Gu Wanqiu suddenly came to me one night, apologizing like a dead dog, saying she wouldn't investigate anymore and asked me to pass on the message." Zhou Yan sneered, but then slowly sighed, "Not long after this happened, no one mentioned it again."
The water boiled and started bubbling. If it kept boiling like this, it would dry out and then become a raging fire.
“Actually, we didn’t blame her too much back then. We couldn’t do it, and there was nothing we could do. She wasn’t even as old as you are now back then, but she should have apologized to you instead of coming to me and asking me to pass on the message,” Zhou Yan said. “As for you, you haven’t come back many times over the years. It’s too late to go to her now, and it’s not appropriate anymore.”
In her remarks, Zhou Yan did not express too many negative comments about Gu Wanqiu's political career. She had some reservations, but they were not directed at the mayor's position.
"Why?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.
“…Because I know she’s doing something very strange, something that ordinary people can’t understand, but it’s very dangerous.” Zhou Yan said, then looked out the window at the street that hadn’t changed much in the past ten years, while her hotel had been renovated several times.
Upon hearing this, Gorson raised his head, glanced at Zhou Yan, and then quickly lowered his head again.
“…I see,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
“That’s right.” Zhou Yan nodded. “Don’t delve too deeply into it, and don’t get involved in dangerous things. How many days are you going to stay this time? Have a meal with us before you leave.”
In fact, Cheng Xiangwu had no intention of delving into her past, but the strange events that occurred in Senhu City were inextricably linked to this matter and Gu Wanqiu, so she had no choice but to get involved.
"I'll be going back in mid-July. I'll come to see you before I leave." Cheng Xiang nodded.
"...What about nodding at the first part?" Zhou Yan looked at Cheng Xiangwu. "Xiao Wu, this level of dishonesty is useless."
Cheng Xiangwu silently lowered her head, and suddenly her eyes met those of a cat that had silently slipped into the chat room. A long, fat tabby orange cat stood there smugly, its chest fur fluffy white.
Thanks to what she saw and heard that morning, she now has a new perspective on cats.
"Officer," Zhou Yan called out, and the cat stepped over onto the carpet, leaped onto her sofa armrest, curled its tail, and its orange fur automatically blended into the orange wooden armrest.
"Officer?" Cheng Xiangwu realized that this was the orange cat's name. "It belongs to Sister Yanzi?"
“It’s a stray cat, but I took it to get dewormed and checked out. It’s perfectly healthy.” Zhou Yan rubbed the cat’s head. “I saw it last month. It was always running around the city, like it was on patrol, so I called it Officer.”
Last month, Cheng Xiangwu realized that this was the time after the Senhu No. 2 Middle School incident.
“At the beginning of the month, I saw a few of its other friends, but less than a week later, it was the only one coming to eat.” Zhou Yan scratched the cat’s chest fur again, but the police officer didn’t react, looking quite honest.
The more she listened, the more suspicious it seemed. Cheng Xiangwu tentatively asked, "Among those friends, is there a very strong tabby cat?"
"You've seen Xiao Wu before?" Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. "There's also a black cat with white paws. I remember seeing it often around my house. I never imagined they were friends."
There were also acquaintances.
“…I really didn’t expect that.” Cheng Xiangwu said as she stood up and cautiously reached out to touch the cat.
The person and the cat stared at each other when suddenly the phone vibrated, and the cat darted away.
The person took out their phone; the caller was F.
"It ran away, and I haven't fed it yet," Zhou Yan said regretfully.
Cheng Xiangwu didn't say anything, but took her phone to the window and answered the call.
"You—" She was interrupted before she could even ask.
“A lawyer,” said Little Franz. “I need legal aid.”
Thanks to what she witnessed a few minutes ago, Cheng Xiangwu now has a new perspective on the legal profession.
“…What?” she asked.
“I believe I have never done anything harmful to public order, but your country’s law enforcement officers have arbitrarily identified me as a suspicious person. I think this is a very serious form of discrimination, and I need legal aid,” Xiao Fu said, word by word.
A noisy discussion came from the background on the other end of the speaker.
"I see." Cheng Xiangwu almost laughed. "You got arrested by those policemen?"
“…I believe arrest is a verb with subjective connotations. There are indeed law enforcement officers who want to get my confession. According to Miranda’s statement, I now need a lawyer present to prevent this from escalating into torture.” Little Franz’s voice was flat.
"...Alright, where are you?" Cheng Xiangwu sighed and asked.
Xiao Fu gave an address, located near the Southern Community, and the whole story became clear in an instant.
"I'll be there as soon as possible," Cheng Xiangwu said, and then hung up the phone.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Yan asked. "Is it your foreign friend?"
“Yes, she got into an argument with the police.” Cheng Xiang nodded. “I’ll go over there and ask you to let Sen Sen stay with you for a while, Sister Yanzi.”
"It's nothing." Zhou Yan paused, then asked, "Xiao Wu, are you sure you want to go find Gu Wanqiu?"
"Hmm," Cheng Xiangwu said, guessing that the person might also be waiting for her.
“Alright.” Zhou Yan smiled. “That mayor is very difficult to meet, so I can’t help you with that.”
"Don't worry about it, I'll give it a try. If I don't see him, that's fine too." Cheng Xiangwu shook her head. "I have to go."
“…That’s good. Be careful on the road.” Zhou Yan waved goodbye to Cheng Xiangwu, then looked at Gao Ersen, “Little Gao, do you want to play some video games?”
"Yes, yes, yes!" The high school student, who hadn't touched electronic devices for a month, was overjoyed. "Thank you, Sister Yanzi."
After leaving the house, Cheng Xiang hailed a taxi and went straight to her destination.
Most of the taxis in Moriho City are white, and they are actually operated in cooperation between the transportation business of White White Co., Ltd. and the government's public transportation department. There is always a smell of disinfectant mixed with the smoke from the air conditioning inside the car.
The destination wasn't the local police station, but rather a fast food restaurant out of nowhere. Cheng Xiangwu was certainly not a lawyer, but she did have a lawyer's badge on her identification. However, one shouldn't expect any relevant professional knowledge from this fake ID holder.
The car sped past a precious little glass building and turned into a street mixed with bungalows, shops, and residential areas. Under Cheng Xiangwu's direction, the driver energetically took shortcuts, passing an open-air fruit market and a street full of snacks, before stopping beside a roadside barrier in a commercial plaza within a residential area. Cheng Xiangwu got out of the car and entered the commercial area, taking the elevator to the second floor. As soon as she smelled the fried food, she saw a group of overly conspicuous people sitting in the fast food restaurant.
Four of them formed a circle around Xiao Fu in the middle. Cheng Xiangwu thought that at most she would encounter obstacles when she needed to go to the toilet, since she could still drink tea in that situation.
Across from the tea connoisseur at the fast food restaurant sat a curly-haired young woman with furrowed brows. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes closed, seemingly resting. Her shoulders were quite broad. Cheng Xiangwu had assumed that her colleague, who could lift a car with her bare hands, had the broadest shoulders in Asia, but this jacket she was wearing today had certainly broadened her horizons.
Her intuition told her that this was Xie Wuchang's reliable captain, Han Lingfeng.
Xie Wuchang herself sat leaning against the table, her expression hidden behind large black sunglasses, successfully achieving the effect she wanted. At that table sat another person typing on a laptop, sitting properly in a chair, but with a slight hunchback. As she typed, she looked up, revealing dark circles under her eyes the same width and color as her eyebrows, glanced at the phone standing on the table, said something, and Xie Wuchang replied with a shrug.
Behind the tea drinkers, Lin Che'an turned his head to look at Cheng Xiangwu, smiled gently, and waved.
Cheng Xiang nodded five times and pushed open the door to go inside.
The counter staff remained quiet, and no other customers disturbed the atmosphere.
"A lawyer?" The man with squinted dark circles under his eyes looked Cheng Xiangwu up and down with suspicion. Xie Wuchang also looked over, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
"Lawyer." Cheng Xiangwu said, taking out her ID to show her, and sat down next to Xiao Fu.
The person with lowered eyes opened them, their sharp gaze flickered for a moment, then was quickly and discreetly withdrawn.
“I am Han Lingfeng, the criminal investigation team leader in charge of investigating cases related to Senhu City. During the on-site investigation of the shooting scene, this woman who declined to give her name tried to eavesdrop on our conversation. I questioned her about this behavior, but she refused to answer or show her identification.” Han Lingfeng sat up straight, his gaze sliding from Xiao Fu to Cheng Xiangwu, scrutinizing her. “Now that the lawyer is here, you can answer our questions now.”
Han Lingfeng, aged 40, is a first-level police inspector.
“I’ve repeated myself many times about answering questions. It’s your own problem if you’re unwilling to give testimony. You should know that my fee as an advisor is not something you can afford.” Little F looked up. “Am I right, Miss Xie Wuchang?”
Xie Wuchang, aged 27, was appointed as a third-level police superintendent.
"...You mean those remarks were your answer?" The young man with dark circles under his eyes frowned and turned his head. "To be honest, under normal circumstances, your answers would be considered a provocation against law enforcement. If you're going to say those things to appease us even with a lawyer present, you might as well contact the embassy to resolve your identity issue as soon as possible, ma'am."
“Miss Jiang Ling, the main reason for the problem with my identity lies in the loopholes in your country’s logistics system, a point I explained to you in the previous section.” Xiao Fu shrugged.
Jiang Ling, aged 30, was appointed as a first-class police superintendent.
"But if you won't even give your name, it's understandable that they suspect you have problems in that area," Lin Che'an's voice came from behind, still gentle.
Lin Che'an, aged 33, serves as a psychological counselor and assessor at the Municipal Public Security Bureau.
"Just call me Xiao Fu." Xiao Fu introduced himself with a smile. "Let's keep our age a secret for now. I'm an occultist and anomaly investigator, and I've also been working as a driver recently."
"I am Cheng Xiangwu," Cheng Xiangwu said appropriately, "and I am her lawyer."
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