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墨書 Inktalez
I waited downstairs for a while and soon saw Big Yellow and Xiao Mo Ya coming down together. This pair seemed to have become a couple, I thought to myself, but I still greeted them and asked, "What are you doing downstairs? Should I head back or will you continue looking for clues?" Big Yellow rarely blushed, but he turned to Xiao Mo Ya and said, "Why don't you go upstairs and keep Swallow company? I still need to look for clues with Old Wang." Women in love are the most obedient, and sure enough, Xiao Mo Ya nodded and went upstairs obediently.
"What should we do downstairs?" I asked again. This trip truly felt like planting flowers that wouldn't bloom while unintentional efforts bore fruit; we found no clues but succeeded in matchmaking! Well, I was just a bystander. Big Yellow looked equally perplexed; perhaps the sudden surprise left him a bit at a loss.
"Old Wang, I think you're quite impressive. Can you help me see if there are any more clues around?"
"Don't start with that. I'm not a police officer; I haven't studied criminal investigation or scene examination." Suddenly, something clicked in my mind.
Big Yellow scratched his head. "But sometimes your words, your insights, and your imagination are quite admirable."
I smiled and said to Big Yellow, "Stop with the flattery. I just thought of something. For the scene examination, could you take me to Liu Team's place? You've been there often, so you're familiar with the situation. Think carefully on the way if there's anything unusual."
Big Yellow seemed at a loss as well; he probably considered this suggestion a last-ditch effort. We headed out and caught a taxi to Liu Team's home. During the ride, we didn't talk much; Big Yellow was likely recalling the specific details from when he examined the scene, while I reflected on the fragility of life. For instance, Liu Team had been full of life not long ago, and now he was gone.
We arrived at the area where Liu Team lived without exchanging a word. After getting out of the car, Big Yellow led the way as we walked into the neighborhood. It was quiet since it wasn't close to the main road, with several buildings scattered around of varying heights. Liu Team lived in one of the inner buildings on the third floor.
Big Yellow had a key; he gently peeled off the seal and opened the door. A foul odor rushed out to greet us—a mix of mildew, smoke, and rotting garbage. It seemed that Liu Team, being a bachelor, didn't care much about his living conditions. Big Yellow turned back helplessly and said, "To preserve the scene, we basically didn't touch any of the furnishings inside. The windows weren't opened for ventilation either; he was always like this—quite casual about hygiene, only cleaning up every few weeks with help from a cleaning service."
Big Yellow casually pulled a plastic bag from his pocket and handed it to me. I nodded in understanding, putting on shoe covers and gloves before starting to walk around and observe.
The apartment had two rooms and one living room. Since it was a bachelor pad, there were very few pieces of furniture—just a washing machine in the bathroom and a refrigerator in the kitchen; everything else was bare. The washing machine and refrigerator were empty as well; it seemed Liu Team often ate out or at work.
In the living room, there was just a television set, a Changsha brand appliance, and a water dispenser. I frowned; it really was quite simple. Looking into the bedroom only deepened my disappointment—there was just a bed and a large wardrobe filled with miscellaneous clothes. Nothing particularly stood out there either. Big Yellow whispered beside me, "I've checked all this before; these are all Liu Team's clothes—nothing unusual."
I thought for a moment and asked Big Yellow, "What about the study? Is that where Liu Team hung himself?" "Yes," he replied. "Let's go take a look."
I followed Big Yellow into Liu Team's study. A computer desk was positioned on the left side as we entered, with a bookshelf next to it; there was no other furniture besides that. The door leading to the balcony was closed. Big Yellow spoke softly, "Liu Team committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling fan—he stood on a chair and then kicked it away."
I approached the computer desk where many movie DVDs were scattered about haphazardly; some were even still sealed. I powered on the computer while Big Yellow explained, "We've checked the computer too; Liu Team wasn't very tech-savvy—he didn't go online or play games, so it wasn't connected to the internet. The computer is filled with movies and music but nothing particularly noteworthy."
Ignoring Big Yellow's comments, I continued to operate the mouse casually in hopes of discovering something useful. To my disappointment, opening documents revealed very simple records—all movies and music based on their extensions. "Looks like there's nothing special here," I muttered to myself.
“Big Yellow,” I thought for a moment and asked, “Do Liu's parents know about this?”
“I haven’t dared to tell them yet. I called yesterday, and his mother answered. His father has been hospitalized for surgery recently. The Department Leader wants to wait until everything is settled and until his father's surgery is over before going to his hometown personally.”
“Surgery? Does Liu know about this situation?”
“He should know. Liu is very filial; he calls home every week to check on his parents. We checked his call records, and he has been in touch with them frequently during this time. However, he hasn’t mentioned this to us, and on the surface, I can’t tell that he’s troubled; he always acts carefree.”
I pondered, “Since he’s such a good son, isn’t it a bit unusual that he hasn’t taken leave to go home when something happened in the family?”
“Oh, it’s because of the case we’re working on together. Liu insisted during the case analysis meeting that no one is allowed to take leave. We’ve made some progress, and he said if we solve the case, everyone can take a break together.”
“I see.” Suddenly, an idea struck me. “What case are you working on?”
“The Robbery Homicide Case. Recently, a girl was murdered during a robbery. It seems the Black Cab Driver acted on impulse.”
“I see. Has Liu found any leads?” Big Yellow was unusually cooperative today; I suspected it was either because of a romantic interest or a strong desire to uncover the truth.
“At the progress report meeting, he found a lead—apparently a witness—but he’s been following up on this lead alone; none of us have been involved.”
“With Dai Liu gone, who is handling the case now? You?”
“Me? I don’t have that kind of qualification! It’s Old Li who’s in charge—a senior Old Comrade—steady and reliable.”
“Big Yellow, could you find that lead and check it out? I feel it might be useful for us.”
“Alright, let’s head out first.” Once outside, we reached the street where Big Yellow called Old Li and then found a restaurant to solve our lunch problem. While eating and waiting, I understood why Old Li didn’t respond immediately; many internal matters require reporting, approval, and coordination.
As we were finishing our Rice Noodles, Big Yellow’s phone rang. I guessed it was Old Li calling. He quickly finished what was in his bowl and waited for Big Yellow.
I only heard Big Yellow say a few "I understand, thank you, Lao Li," before hanging up the phone. I glanced at Big Yellow, who confirmed, "There is indeed a witness who saw Black Cab Driver take the girl away. Lao Li has already sent someone to inquire and take notes. We can go there now."
Big Yellow provided an address, which I recognized as the Library Center in the city center. I quickly settled the bill, and we took a taxi to that location.
Following the text message from Lao Li, Big Yellow led me to a video store next to the Library Center. "This is the place; the store Boss is named Yang, and he was the only witness at that time." As we spoke, we entered the shop.
"What can I do for you two?" A short, chubby young man approached us, his face dotted with acne, giving off an endearing vibe.
"I'm looking for your Boss, Yang." Big Yellow resumed his usual serious demeanor.
"That's me! What do you need? Wholesale DVDs?" The young man, Yang, replied with a cheerful smile.
"Police! We need to ask you some questions and verify some information. We hope you can cooperate with us." Big Yellow displayed his badge while I watched from the side.
"More police? Is this going to ruin my business?" Yang's expression turned gloomy. "We've had several groups of police come this month."
"Cooperating with police investigations is a civic duty," Big Yellow stated calmly.
"Alright, alright. I'll tell you everything, but please hurry up. It’s about to rain heavily; I'm almost closing up. A girl passed by my store..." Big Yellow interrupted Yang's mechanical recounting. "Not that. Did a police officer like this one come to find you?" He pulled out a photo of Liu Team to show him.
"I've seen him! He was among the first batch of police officers!" I noticed a flicker of hesitation cross Yang's honest face for some reason.
"What did he talk to you about?"
"He just asked me what I saw," Yang replied with another goofy smile, exuding an innocent charm.
I interjected, "How did this officer find you?"
"You both asked the same question," the chubby man grinned widely. "I couldn't avoid that officer; he took one of our promotional posters from the store, so I told him everything he wanted to know."
I turned and saw a promotional stand outside filled with posters that passersby could freely take. It seemed that the victim must have casually grabbed one of those posters while passing by, which is how Dai Liu found it at the scene and followed it here.
With nothing more to say, I began wandering around the store with my hands behind my back while Big Yellow remained silent. The remaining chubby man stood awkwardly in place, unsure of what to do next.
The audio store was not large, only about twenty square meters, but it was well-decorated. At the entrance, there were listening stations with speakers and headphones, and a standing air conditioner. The shelves were filled with a lot of merchandise, neatly arranged in three rows, all looking quite new.
"Boss Yang, you haven't been open for long, huh? Everything here looks brand new."
"Yeah. Just three months."
"It's a bustling area; the rent must be expensive. The decor is nice too. It must have cost quite a bit to get started?"
"About four to six hundred thousand. Oh, no, thirty to forty thousand would be enough."
"You’re quite the young entrepreneur! You look like you’re just over twenty. It’s impressive that you’ve opened such a high-end store at your age. Your family must be well-off," I said casually as I browsed around.
"It's friends who helped out."
"You manage such a big store all by yourself?"
"Uh, yeah, it’s just me." I slowly walked up to him. "The air conditioning isn't working well; you're sweating, Yang."
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