Chaos erupted inside the barbecue restaurant. At the tables near the entrance, people witnessed blood gushing from the owner's chest, screams filled the air, and most of them ran out in terror.
But some people, not wanting to miss out on the excitement, tried desperately to squeeze into the crowd after someone shouted that someone had been murdered, holding up their phones to take pictures and videos.
The two people involved, the barbecue restaurant owner, staggered a couple of steps while holding onto the table, and finally couldn't hold on and fell backward to the ground, which startled the surrounding area and caused screams again.
In the chaos, Pudding's owner had his hat knocked off by someone, revealing a head of very short hair and his eyebrows and eyes that had been hidden by the low brim of the hat.
She gripped a blood-dripping dagger in both hands, the blade trembling so violently that it shook. Her eyes were fixed on the man leaning against the table leg, panting, burning with fury.
Pudding barked at the barbecue restaurant owner right in front of her, but apart from Ruan Bei and the others, no one could see this loyal dog protecting its master.
"It's you... cough cough... hahahaha, you're back... your eyes really are healed..."
The barbecue restaurant owner coughed up blood. He was about to say something more when the girl with the knife seemed to be provoked and yelled, "Go to hell! Go to hell!" She then stabbed the man with the knife again.
"No!" Ruan Bei rushed forward and grabbed her arm, but Qin Gu slapped her wrist, causing her to lose her grip on the knife and drop it to the ground. Qin Gu then kicked her away.
Her first stab was so unexpected that Ruan Bei didn't have time to react.
Regardless of what the barbecue man had done in the past, even if Ruan Bei now had a very bad feeling, Pudding's owner had committed a crime in public, gambling with his future.
She's so young, and she's finally regained her sight. She still has a bright future ahead of her. Why should she ruin herself for such a wicked person?
Even if one wants revenge, there are other ways; it's not worth risking one's own life.
The first stab has already been made and can't be taken back. Fortunately, the person is still alive. The consequences of attempted murder and completed murder are vastly different.
With the pudding owner's knife gone, she became a thin, frail woman, and the onlookers dared to make a move.
Ruan Bei called out, "Is there a doctor? Come and take a look!"
Even if this man is going to die, we can't let him die now. If he dies now, Pudding's owner will be finished too.
Immediately, someone outside responded, saying they were from the medical school, and that the onlookers should make way so they could come in and see the injury.
Some "righteous passersby" wanted to rush over and attack the "murderer," but Qin Gu stopped them.
Pudding's owner struggled but couldn't break free. Looking at the knife that had been kicked away and the grinning man, she closed her eyes in despair.
Pudding whimpered and nestled against its owner's leg, barking at Qin Gu a few times. Niu Niu walked to Ruan Bei's side and whispered, "Pudding is asking, why do we help bad people, brother, why?"
In front of everyone, Ruan Bei couldn't answer Niu Niu's question. He sighed and advised the owner of the pudding, "Girl, what grudge do you have? Let's call the police. If you stab him like this and he dies, won't you have to pay with your life too? Is it worth it?"
The young girl gave a bitter smile, opened her mouth, but said nothing in the end; her bright black eyes were filled with deathly stillness.
The medical student who was let in rushed in full of enthusiasm, but when he saw the injured person, he was at a loss and sweated profusely.
Fortunately, someone called the police as soon as the incident occurred, and there are always police posts on duty in the university town, so the police arrived quickly.
The onlookers chattered excitedly, eager to report the situation to the police officers, leaving the officers feeling overwhelmed.
Fortunately, the suspect and the victim were clearly identified. They handcuffed Pudding's owner, and Pudding and Niu Niu had to stay far away from the police from the moment they entered.
Pudding let out a low whimper and tried again and again to get closer to its owner, but to no avail.
Niu Niu hugged it and comforted it: "Pudding, don't be afraid. My brother isn't a bad person. He will definitely help that older sister."
Just then, the ambulance arrived. Before being put on the stretcher, Ruan Bei saw the man grilling meat stick out his tongue and lick Pudding's big mouth, his smile unrestrained and perverted.
Ruan Bei shuddered from disgust. The policeman who was holding the girl's arm behind his back saw it, frowned, and unconsciously loosened his grip a little.
That expression was truly perverted and disgusting; many onlookers saw it. Looking at the girl being arrested by the police, some of their thoughts began to change.
The police needed to summon eyewitnesses, and Ruan Bei and Qin Gu, as those who intervened and witnessed the entire process, were asked to give statements.
Of course, even if the police hadn't made that request, Ruan Bei would have had to go and see. The girl was clearly innocent, and Pudding was watching from the side; he couldn't just ignore it.
Besides the two of them, there was also the young couple who were closest to them waiting for their change, and the waiter in the store. All five of them, along with the owner of the pudding, were taken into the police car.
Before leaving, Ruan Bei glanced at the charred meat skewers on the grill and had a sudden idea. He raised his hand and said, "Officer, I want to report this restaurant. There's something wrong with the meat."
The case of intentional homicide will definitely be filed. The stabbing by the pudding owner ruined things, but no matter what the final verdict is, let's first smear the barbecue guy's reputation.
There were still many onlookers who hadn't left. Upon hearing what Ruan Bei said, many of them clutched their stomachs in shock, clearly having been customers of this barbecue restaurant.
The police officer stopped and raised an eyebrow at him: "How did you know?"
Ruan Bei hesitated for a moment. He had never eaten at this restaurant before. He said a friend told him about it, but he really didn't know anyone he knew who had eaten there.
"He smelled it." Qin Gu solemnly tried to smooth things over for Ruan Bei: "His family owns a restaurant, and he's been used to the smell of all kinds of meat since he was a child. He felt that this meat smelled wrong."
“Yes!” Ruan Bei immediately chimed in, “I could smell it, like… like this.”
Ruan Bei pointed to the raw meat skewers waiting to be grilled under the grill. They were sprinkled with marinade and looked very tempting.
"This sign says it's beef skewers and lamb skewers, right? I can guarantee that this is definitely not beef or lamb, nor is it pork."
If it's pork, everyone eats it, and locals won't say there's anything wrong with the meat.
"It's not chicken or rabbit meat either," a customer who had eaten the skewers in the crowd confirmed.
"It can't be duck meat, it doesn't look like it at all."
"What kind of meat is that?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's dead rat meat?"
"Stop talking, I just finished eating, I feel like throwing up..."
Pudding's owner, who had been keeping her head down and silent, let out a cold laugh. The policeman holding her glanced at her and said loudly, "Alright, stop making wild guesses."
He made a phone call, leaving a colleague to stay there and wait for someone to come and collect the meat for inspection.
Food safety issues should actually fall under the jurisdiction of the food and drug administration department, but now that a criminal case has been involved and the meat in the store has been found to be problematic, this might be the clue.
Ruan Bei and Qin Gu got into the police car, while Niu Niu and Pudding were left behind.
They were taken to the police station, where the suspect and several witnesses got out of the car. Just then, a group of people came out of the police station, led by a policeman in his thirties with a sharp and capable demeanor.
They happened to see someone getting out of a police car, and out of professional courtesy, they all looked over, especially the handcuffed criminal suspect, who received special attention.
However, while the others glanced at him and moved on, the leader stopped when he caught sight of Qin Gu in the crowd.
"Captain?" the accompanying police officer asked, puzzled.
Shen Linpeng waved his hand: "You guys go back first, I have something to do."
The two policemen who brought Ruan Bei and the others also noticed Shen Linpeng's unusual behavior after he looked at their group and stopped to wait for him to come over.
"Captain Shen, is there something you need?"
Shen Linpeng glanced at the composed bigwig in the crowd and pulled down his hat brim: "It's nothing, just ran into an acquaintance and said hello."
The two policemen turned to look at the group of witnesses behind them, but no one came forward to claim any familiar faces.
Shen Linpeng smirked and walked directly up to Qin Gu: "Classmate Qin, long time no see."
Qin Gu's expression remained calm: "It has been quite a long time, but we've only met once, so we can't really be considered acquaintances."
Shen Linpeng choked, wisely ceasing his argument about whether the two were actually close, and instead asked, "What's this...?"
Qin Guyi said righteously, "I act bravely for what is right."
The two policemen in front quietly added, "Eyewitness, here to give a statement."
Shen Linpeng nodded: "Let's go." He then led the way toward the police station.
Ruan Bei leaned closer to Qin Gu and asked in a low voice, "Who is he? Do you know him?"
Qin Gu also whispered to him, "Tong Hanming."
As soon as he mentioned it, Ruan Bei understood. It was the case of the murder of his relative that he had been busy reviewing at the time, and he had gone to run around to investigate.
The two police officers who were actually handling the case looked at each other, their curiosity almost overflowing. That was the captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. At his age, he was able to sit in this position entirely because of his outstanding case-handling ability.
The case doesn't seem complicated; it's just a case of intentional homicide, whether it was attempted or not depends on whether the victim survived after being taken to the hospital.
As for other hidden circumstances, they might only affect the sentencing at most, so why did they attract Captain Shen's attention? Wasn't he supposed to be busy with a case involving the trafficking of women and children?
I can't understand why Captain Shen would tolerate such a rude young student.
Filled with questions, the group entered the police station. A policeman holding a folder saw Shen Linpeng and asked curiously, "Captain Shen, why are you back? Is there anything else?"
Shen Linpeng glanced back and nodded: "There is something."
"Do you need to see the director? I'll go and tell him."
"I can go by myself." Shen Linpeng went to the director's office, while Ruan Bei and the others were taken away for separate questioning.
Regarding the case, the five witnesses gave similar accounts, except that the waiter was too far away and his view was blocked, so he did not see the incident.
Qin Gu was sitting with his back to the door at the time and didn't see it, but the other three witnessed the whole process.
Especially the couple, they were too close, and they watched helplessly as the knife went in, was pulled out, and blood gushed out.
The girl was still in shock and kept saying how horrible it was while giving her statement. She also mentioned that when she was in the police car, she chose the seat furthest away from Pudding's owner.
Finally, the police asked them to leave their phone number, saying they would contact them again if anything happened, and then they were allowed to leave.
But Ruan Bei didn't want to leave; he hadn't figured out what was going on with Pudding's owner yet.
Seeing him frowning, Qin Gu whispered to comfort him, "It's alright, someone will come to help soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Linpeng appeared. He looked at Ruan Bei, who was standing very close to Qin Gu, and then turned his gaze to Qin Gu: "She won't say anything."
Qin Gu raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Officer, what are you talking about? Which 'her'?"
Shen Linpeng continued, "You're not just a witness. You know her, or rather, you know her on one side, but you're not close."
He paused, then raised his chin and pointed at Ruan Bei: "You're familiar with him, and he's very worried about that girl."
Ruan Bei: "..." Sorry, Kunkun, I'm dragging everyone down...
"Fine, what do you want me to do?" Qin Gu shrugged and stopped being stubborn.
"Do me a favor."
He didn't say what he would help with, but it was probably related to the case, and he wanted to use his metaphysical methods.
But it shouldn't be a case under their jurisdiction. His Special Affairs Bureau credentials need to be inspected next year, and he still has two cases to handle. He's been keeping an eye out for any easy-to-solve ghost-related cases in the neighborhood, but there haven't been any.
"What's in it for me?" He brazenly asked the police officer for a bribe in the police station. A passing policeman coughed a few times and turned to look at them several times.
Shen Linpeng didn't care. He had already witnessed Qin Gu's temper and methods; his abilities were as great as his temper.
Since we're going to use them, we shouldn't care about their temper. As long as they can solve the case, we'll let them do whatever they want. Captain Shen is very open-minded.
"Doing things that violate the law and principles is unacceptable." He stated his bottom line first.
Qin Gu nudged Ruan Bei, who quickly said, "Can we follow up on that case?"
If you want to help Pudding's owner, you should at least know her current situation so that you can give Pudding an explanation when you go back.
“Okay, but you can’t tell any outsiders about anything related to the case.” Shen Linpeng agreed immediately. In principle, this was a bit against the rules, but Qin Gu was also considered a semi-official.
“Okay,” Ruan Bei and Qin Gu agreed in unison.
Shen Linpeng then led them to the interrogation room, saying as they walked, "It's good for you to go and see. She refuses to say anything and is very uncooperative, which is very disadvantageous for her."
They followed Shen Linpeng to the outside of the interrogation room, where one of the officers conducting the interrogation was the police officer who had been present at the time, and another, an older officer, was in charge of the interrogation.
Another policeman who arrived, along with two younger officers, watched from outside. When they saw Ruan Bei and Qin Gu, they seemed a little surprised, but since Shen Linpeng had brought them, they only greeted Shen Linpeng and said nothing else.
In the interrogation room, two police officers questioned the suspect about the case. Pudding's owner kept his head down, just as Shen Linpeng had said, and remained silent.
No matter how the two policemen questioned her, she wouldn't open her mouth.
Ruan Bei was getting anxious. If things continued like this, even if the barbecue man survived, she wouldn't defend herself at all and would remain passive. Wouldn't she just be waiting for the barbecue man to get back at her and give her a harsher sentence?
"Do you have her information?" Shen Linpeng suddenly asked.
"Yes, yes." The young policewoman next to him immediately handed him the folder she was holding.
Shen Linpeng opened it and looked at it. Ruan Bei, standing next to him, also stole a few glances.
Pudding's owner is named Yueyuan, 25 years old, and an orphan...
Just reading the first few lines made Ruan Bei feel a little sad. Alone and without any ties, so he risked his life for revenge?
Shen Linpeng read it quickly, and after finishing, he closed the folder and handed it back to the policewoman: "Why don't you let me try?"
The policewoman was taken aback, then exclaimed with delight, "I'll tell my master right away."
She went in, whispered a few words to the old policeman, and soon Shen Linpeng went in instead.
After Shen Linpeng sat down, regardless of the girl's reaction, he fired off questions like a machine gun: "You used to be blind. A year ago, you received a cornea donated by a kind person and had the opportunity to regain your sight. But the first thing you did after your eyes were healed was to kill someone. Do you think you've done right by the person who donated your cornea?"
Le Yuan was instantly stumped by his question.
Her eyes were bloodshot, her thin body trembled slightly, and her hands were tightly clasped together.
After a long while, she finally managed to calm down, her voice trembling: "I...I registered to donate my body..."
Shen Linpeng: "..."
Has he even made arrangements for his funeral? Police officers dread encountering suspects like this: unattached, unafraid of death, unwilling to talk or not, and extremely uncooperative.
Ruan Bei was stunned when he heard this outside. Miss Le Yuan was really going all out!
When Shen Linpeng asked again, Le Yuan remained silent. No matter what he said, whether he mentioned Le Yuan's parents or asked about her grudge with Zhang Gulin—the barbecue man—Le Yuan kept her mouth shut and refused to say anything.
Shen Linpeng didn't waste any more time and sent in another policeman.
“If you want to help her, you have to persuade him to speak up,” Shen Linpeng said as soon as he came out.
Shen Linpeng was involved in the Tong Hanming case, so he must have known about the existence of ghosts, but there were other police officers nearby.
Ruan Bei said vaguely, "I can only say it to her alone, and she might not believe it. I can't prove it here."
Shen Linpeng instantly understood, raising an eyebrow in surprise: "It's related to...that thing?"
Qin Gu nodded, patted Ruan Bei on the shoulder, and introduced him: "This is my junior brother."
Shen Linpeng glanced at Ruan Bei a few more times, thinking to himself that this guy seemed to have a much better temper than his senior brother, and wondered if he could be tricked into coming to the police station.
"How old are you? Are you in college? Have you ever thought about becoming a policeman?"
Ruan Bei: "...?"
"Don't even think about it. He's already in college, Jinda University. And once he graduates, he'll be just like me."
Shen Linpeng felt it was necessary to submit another report to his superiors. After the Tong Hanming case, as an insider, he gradually learned about some of the relevant information about the Special Affairs Bureau.
In his opinion, the people in the Special Affairs Bureau are too lax. With such a good investigative force, even if it's not a mystical case, the success rate of solving ordinary cases would be greatly improved with their help. What a great thing.
But they only handle cases related to metaphysics, so how many can they possibly handle? This guy in front of me is clearly quite capable, but I heard he's only solved one case in two years... Isn't that a waste?
"It didn't say you couldn't be police officers, right?" Shen Linpeng persisted. "Jinda University is great. You can graduate and work at the police station as a specially appointed officer. The salary and benefits won't be low."
Although I was excited to receive the police officer's warm invitation, but...
"But I majored in literature and civil service."
"Wenxiu?"
"Cultural Relics Identification and Restoration".
Shen Linpeng was momentarily confused. There was such a major? Was it for a cultured person? That didn't seem like a good fit for the police force…
“Literature cultivation…literature cultivation is fine too.” Shen Linpeng was determined and didn’t want to let go. He was originally craving Ruan Bei and Qin Gu’s metaphysical skills. What they studied in university didn’t matter much.
The young police officers standing nearby looked completely bewildered. What was wrong with Captain Shen? He started talking to people like he was playing a game of charades, and now he was inviting a student whose major was clearly unrelated to the police station to work.
Are these specially hired personnel? Is this kid going to the police station to appraise cultural relics?
"Alright, Captain Shen, my Xiao Bei isn't an adult yet, so there's no point in trying to fool him."
"Who's fooling me..."
"Let's get down to business." Qin Gu gestured towards the tense interrogation room. "Do you need our help? If not, we're going back to school."
Shen Linpeng said, "You can help persuade them, but..."
He pointed to the surveillance camera: "It will record video."
Qin Gu didn't care. The Special Affairs Bureau's certificate was extremely useful in official institutions. His identity was there, and even if it was recorded, it would either be destroyed or sealed with the file. However, it was still inappropriate to let too many people know about it.
He thought it and said it, so Shen Linpeng said, "Then I'll go and tell the director."
Shen Linpeng was very efficient and quickly brought over a middle-aged man with a square face. He looked at Ruan Bei and Qin Gu with some suspicion, but ultimately said nothing.
The interrogation room was cleared out, leaving only the old policeman who had participated in the interrogation and the policewoman carrying the folder. The case had been transferred to the old policeman, who was now in charge of it.
They were all standing outside, letting Ruan Bei and Qin Gu into the interrogation room.
Upon seeing the two newcomers, Yueyuan finally showed a surprised expression, but it quickly disappeared.
"I met a dog today. It's a guide dog named Pudding." This was Ruan Bei's first sentence after sitting down.
Le Yuan's eyes widened suddenly. She was about to speak when she remembered something, gave a cold laugh, and fell silent.
Ruan Bei didn't know anything about interrogation. Judging from Le Yuan's appearance, she was clearly avenging Pudding. If he wasn't mistaken, it was that bastard Zhang Gulin who killed Pudding.
In his opinion, that bastard deserves to die.
Don't say that a dog's life is less valuable than a human's. In Ruan Bei's opinion, a guide dog's life is much more valuable than that bastard's.
Is a dog that bullies a blind person because it can't see her and kills her even human?
However, now is not the time to condemn Zhang Gulin. We need to cheer Le Yuan up, encourage her to cooperate, and reduce her sentence.
"I know you don't believe me, your pudding is dead, but if a person dies, they can become a ghost, and so can a dog..."
Despite the look of disbelief from Yue Yuan, Ruan Bei bravely continued, "I'm telling the truth. Didn't you notice that Zhang Gulin is lame? It was Pudding who bit him. Ghosts have a hard time hurting people; it must have been biting him for a long time..."
"You're talking nonsense!" Le Yuan retorted loudly, "Pudding never bites anyone. It's a guide dog, it won't bite!"
"I know, I know. Pudding was a good dog, but it's turned into a ghost. It's not surprising that it wants revenge."
Le Yuan snorted coldly: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Qin Gu grew impatient: "Take her out and let her see her dog with her own eyes, then everything will be solved."
Ruan Bei sighed: "Didn't you say the Eye-Opening Talisman was almost gone?"
"I'll draw more when I run out." The Yin Qi Talisman had consumed too much of his energy, and his stock of Eye-Opening Talismans was running low.
"Alright then, go ask Captain Shen if we can take people out."
"Captain Shen, what are they..." The director was now very embarrassed. He suspected that Shen Linpeng had lost his mind. What kind of ghosts and spirits were they? They were socialist successors raised under the red flag, people's police. How could they believe in such superstitious things?
Shen Linpeng didn't seem to care much: "I know what you're trying to say. I used to think the same way you did, before I saw a ghost."
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