Chapter 53 "The Deliveryman" - The Vanished One.
Still undecided about how long he would stay in this world, Jian Dieda looked at the suddenly chaotic lines connecting the crime-solving map.
As usual, the underworld wheel in the system background exudes a sense of religious ritual, while the home, Nanping Police Station, and Brother Jiu's Noodle Shop intersect and surround the community.
But Zhang Mei's text message brought him a turning point.
The panel now has two new locations.
The nearby Ma Daha public bathhouse and Nanping Junior High School have been illuminated and are now connected to Jian Dieda's workplace, Jiu Ge Noodle Shop.
If I'm not mistaken, his mother Zhang Mei in the script is definitely part of the clues, just like Xiang Xiang, Sun Dali, Lao Ji, and Zhong Yinghuai.
Speaking of Zhong Yinghuai, he has multiple alibis, which could actually eliminate him as a suspect.
But after searching for days, he couldn't find the body or the murderer. He only found a man with whom he turned gay... Jian Dieda began to feel that he was neglecting his duties and letting the body down.
Out of guilt, Jane asked the corpse how it was doing.
The Corpse Guy, who always provides clues every night, did not reply to him.
Even Jian Dieda's attempts to summon ghosts and foxes through incantations were ineffective.
He changed the channel again.
The bespectacled office worker in the system world, with his aloof narration, replied faster than anyone else: "Host, the corpse has chosen to remain silent tonight; it has not provided any clues."
Jian Dieda hurriedly asked why, could it be because he was attacked and the location service failed?
Narrator: "No."
Jane remained silent.
"Is it because I used inhumane magical artifacts? Did the Marshal Huang curse cause a butterfly effect?"
Before entering the Humane Path, Jane Dieda had read rulebook 3.1, which contained a game note that clearly stated that metaphysics should not be involved in case investigations.
Jian Dieda guessed that this was related to the Five Deficiencies and Three Shortcomings. Legend has it that there are five deficiencies in the human world: widowhood, orphanhood, loneliness, and disability, and three shortcomings: fortune, prosperity, and longevity.
These things may seem unrelated to the supernatural at first glance, but just like the law of conservation of energy, metaphysics can prevent ordinary people from accumulating much wealth in their lives. Having too much wealth will inevitably lead to trouble, requiring money to avert disaster. Furthermore, breaking taboos by forcibly changing one's name and frequently coming into contact with gods and ghosts makes one most susceptible to retribution.
However, this guess is also wrong.
Confused, Jian Dieda tentatively asked, "Is it because... I was involved in a scene that needs to be censored?"
This time, the narrator neither denied nor blamed Jian Dieda. The narrator simply reminded him of a key factor, which was also the worst-case scenario that Jian Dieda, who had just entered the cycle of humanity, had worried about.
"The current host's behavior has not triggered the system's punishment mechanism; only the corpse's death status has changed."
"..."
Did the murderer move the body?
The narrator provides an even more chilling hint: "No, its state of death is closer to decay."
Isn't that the same as destroying evidence of murder? Jian Dieda was suddenly jolted awake by the cold water, and looked out the noodle shop window with a chill down his spine.
Then, a piece of evidence completely unrelated to the previous case fell to the ground: a red moxibustion jar stained with bodily fluids from a corpse.
Based on his innate criminal investigation intuition, Jian Dieda grasped this key idea: the corpse's skin on its back appeared to have burns? Had it visited a nearby public bathhouse before its death?
The deliveryman unconsciously scratched his neck.
To correctly choose the enemy, it seems the only option is to continue to suspect every wolf; until the very end, it's really hard to say who the other player will be.
...
It was late at night. The stars and the moon were of no value to the two poor brothers in this old storefront, but they could hide under the covers, head to head, and chat about trivial things like buying groceries, buying seafood, and raising fish.
Like many young couples from other places who open shops on this street, their lives may seem stagnant, but they are rooted in the bottom of society and are filled with the hope of earning money to buy a house every day.
Zhong Yinghuai said, "Our shop doesn't have a private shower room, and we always use a basin to wash. I'm worried about your safety. Let's spend some money to go to a public bathroom tomorrow."
Jian Dieda thought about it, but then thought the price was too high: "No, Ninth Brother, it costs twenty yuan for two people to take a bath. Let's just take a bath in the shop."
"How do you do cupping to remove dampness and ward off evil spirits at the shop?" Zhong Yinghuai hugged him and smiled: "You're already feeling sorry for me over twenty yuan? You're already this virtuous before you're even married?"
"Yeah, it hurts. You've been a spendthrift for a long time now. My mom's coming tomorrow, and you're not allowed to give her any money. We haven't even gotten together yet..." Jian Dieda's voice trailed off.
"What are you saying!"
They were distanced from each other, and someone was so anxious that he almost strangled Jian Dieda, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to do it. He realized that Jian Xiaoshi was protecting his own shortcomings, so he could only try to persuade him further.
Zhong Yinghuai held his beloved Jian Xiaoshi in his arms tenderly and happily as dawn broke the next day, the day they were supposed to meet.
But early in the morning, he heard a guy with stiff, prickly hair whisper beside him, "Ninth Brother..."
"Hmm?" The handsome man's voice was soft and gentle, like someone who had just woken up.
He was unsurprisingly gentle today, propping up his arm slightly to reveal his mature and handsome face. His kisses on Jane were full of doting and patient affection, but Jane, after receiving the caress on his lips with her eyes closed, still felt itchy and had to whisper the truth to him.
"Ninth Brother...stop rubbing against me, you haven't shaved."
"..."
Jian Dieda looked at his fair chin and said, "Ninth Brother, it turns out you also have a sloppy side like an ordinary man. Your chin feels like a planer."
The atmosphere was ruined by Jian Dieda, and Zhong Yinghuai's eyelashes looked very unhappy. "Jian Xiaoshi, do you believe I'll use a real razor to give you a full trim?"
Jane Diedda: "..."
Zhong Yinghuai thought he had achieved the desired effect.
Jane Dieda surprised everyone again.
Little Blackie mustered his courage and used his unbrushed mouth to dab a little saliva on the boss's face.
"You won't."
The employee's kiss was deliberately made to make a slightly wet sound.
Boss Zhong was indeed bewildered by the kiss.
The man's expression looked like he was about to faint from happiness.
...
Ninth Brother's Noodle Shop has reopened.
Manually flipping over the "Open for Business" sign, Zhong Yinghuai dragged out some garbage from the kitchen and grabbed a shovel to help clean up the surrounding area.
After spending the night exploring new locations, Jian Dieda wanted to see what Zhang Mei meant by insurance.
After noon, Zhang Mei, who had promised to come see her son, did not show up.
After hanging up the phone, Zhong Yinghuai was furious. He couldn't understand how his own mother could be so fickle.
He patted Jian Dieda's head, put down his phone, and without saying another word, tied on an apron and made a pot of sweet potato dumplings for him.
He told Jian Dieda not to wait anymore, since Zhang Mei wasn't coming and he was closing the shop today, and he would cook something delicious for Jian Dieda.
As for sweet potato dumplings, the skin is made of sweet potato flour. Locals in Nanping like these glutinous, semi-transparent dumplings. Zhang Mei makes them every festival, and Jian Xiaoshi also loves to eat them. His favorite filling is the kind made by Zhong Yinghuai, which contains pork, mushrooms, carrots, and bok choy.
Several hours later, it got dark.
Two buddies with name tags appeared at the nearby 24-hour commercial bathhouse, which was bustling with activity.
Under their private booking, the place was completely empty, the walls stained with the grayish-yellow hue of time.
After rinsing his still-wet hair clean, Jian Dieda's chin was dripping with sweat as he laboriously reached behind Qingzhi's back to rub himself with sulfur soap.
But because of this, he was sticking his butt out under the tap.
With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, the boy's muscles were well-defined, his legs looked straight, and his cleft was like a slit in the sky, with the two sides taut and elastic.
Most people would have nosebleeds just looking at a figure like that.
With a loud crash, the room fell silent. Looking down, they saw that the boy's left foot had hit the washbasin, and he had also kicked the soap out of the cell.
Jane wiped her face, distracted from showering.
He noticed the water pipes at night as he tilted his head 30 degrees.
He opened his mouth and wiped his arms to hide his urge to go back to his tank top and shorts. It wasn't cold, but he wanted to put them back on.
Zhong Yinghuai and he looked at each other.
The back crease of a young boy can actually be whiter than a girl's; his skin must look great with soap.
He wanted to go up and smell it again to see if it smelled good.
It was so hot that day, even the thing inside his pants couldn't stand it.
He concealed his flushed face and also hid his slightly delayed movements.
Jian Dieda seemed to be being urged by the dormitory supervisor. The taciturn man grabbed a basin to pour over his head and then casually put on his clothes and pants to finish the job.
Zhong Yinghuai immediately looked at his back, which he hadn't seen enough of, and said, "Why are you staring at your feet?"
The employee, who was known for her reckless behavior, froze for a moment.
"Oh, I was picking up a bar of soap and it fell on the ground."
Jian Dieda gave Boss Zhong a perfunctory reply, his waterlogged eyes drooping and barely open.
Boss Zhong didn't think much of it. He helped pick up the soap and avoided looking between the young employee's legs.
Then he rinsed off the sulfur soap, casually put it on the shelf, and replaced it with a scented one. Jane rubbed her eyes, put her left arm over her right shoulder, and gestured for him to handle it.
"Ninth Brother, it itches, rub my left side."
Zhong Yinghuai turned his hands into a bath scrubbing tool.
After Jian Dieda steadied himself, he gripped the non-slip iron railing on the wall with one hand. The gaze from behind intensified the ambiguous atmosphere, and his palms were now a little warm.
The usual distance between the boss and his employees during conversations has become so close that they are practically face to face.
Jian Dieda held his breath, his back gradually turning pink, and Zhong Yinghuai's eyes also turned red.
He moved a little closer to the other person and started to move his hands as if he were scooping noodles.
"Honey, is my grip comfortable?"
“Okay,” Jian Dieda thanked him for coming to help, “Ninth Brother, I’ll go back and do your laundry.”
Boss Zhong's hand curved and touched the junior employee's back: "How can I let you wash clothes? You're so young."
Jane scratched her arm and neck: "We're like family."
Jane Dieda then remembered something: "Ever since my mother got pregnant, I've been washing clothes for my stepfather and sister."
Zhong Yinghuai raised his hand slightly, foam splashing from his head and feet. He went to Jian Dieda's neck, blew the small water droplets off his hair, and said, "Tell me, what exactly does your mother mean?"
Jian Dieda had only been here for two days, so how could he remember everything? He casually said, "Maybe my sister hasn't been found yet."
Zhong Yinghuai paused, his eyebrows shifting dramatically, and his face darkened with displeasure.
"I can't just ignore you. I have to find the person who smashed your head with a hammer. All that's left is for your mother to bring her ID card."
Zhong Yinghuai felt that his mind was too complicated tonight. He rubbed Jian Xiao's skin and flesh for about ten times. His palms, which were covered in foam, became increasingly strange. Finally, he couldn't help but pinch Xiao Heipi's lower back.
Jane looked at him, tossed him a towel, and arched her body to the left, saying, "All done."
On impulse, Zhong Yinghuai wanted to give it a try, so he bumped his waist at him and said, "Little Blackie, you can mess with me too. I'll let you touch me anywhere."
Jane stepped back, covering her chest: "No, and could you please stop calling me Little Blackie?"
Jian Dieda felt his back being forcefully bumped by the crutch of the person behind him.
"It's getting late. What if your mom comes again? Don't whine. I need to step up my game. Just bear with it."
Zhong Yinghuai's scrubbing hands were much stronger, and Jian Dieda was in excruciating pain. The bathhouse wasn't soundproof, so he endured it without daring to scream. Instead, he used his fingernails to scratch Zhong Yinghuai's back, leaving cat-claw-like marks on the man's otherwise fine skin.
Afterwards, without having found any clues, Jane went back with the man.
The automatic glass door was pushed open, revealing a flat-roofed commercial storefront with black and white brick tiles facing the street. A police car stopped briefly at the entrance of the residential area, and Zhong Yinghuai sensed something was amiss.
He went outside.
Jian Dieda looked up and simultaneously sent a message to Zhong Yinghuai via QQ, with the nickname 'Husband' in the chat box.
Jane Diedda: "..."
Now I finally understand why Zhong Yinghuai was laughing so smugly while holding his phone this morning. Jian Dieda skipped over the foolish thing someone did at his age and stared intently at the door: "Ninth Brother, why are the police here?"
Zhong's husband answered from the doorway.
The QQ avatars jump around in a pixelated style, and the old-fashioned chat boxes pop up with eerie green text, much like the nameless corpse's reappearances in the dead of night.
“A female student died nearby. They came to investigate, and it seems to be your sister’s school, Nanping Junior High School.”
When a major case occurs, the Nanping police will take to the streets. They post notices along the Fu'an residential area, the moat, and various schools, and go door-to-door to eliminate suspicious individuals.
Soon, the girl's parents received the letter. They set up a mourning tent with wreaths, made a scene, and even threatened to hang themselves. The student was in trouble, and the parents were mourning. For a time, everyone in Nanping was on edge.
That evening, Jian Dieda learned why Zhang Mei hadn't come: she and her stepfather had called the police that morning because her sister had truly disappeared completely.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Here I am!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:38:49 on November 28, 2023 and 23:29:25 on December 5, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Taiyin (36 bottles); kitay (20 bottles); Xifu Haitang (5 bottles); and the person who just happened to be there (1 bottle).
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com