S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 2: Chapter 6

The Killer Training Camp 06: Probability 

The culinary skills of Mother Bai and Mother Zhan are absolutely world-class! Because they had been so busy lately, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao had been surviving on fast food, and the delicious meal had them practically wagging their tails in delight. It was divine!

Bai Yutang was helping Zhan Zhao pick up food while they ate, and Zhan Zhao was busy picking out the things he didn't like from his plate and tossing them into Bai Yutang's bowl.

"No mushrooms!"

"Pick-y Cat!"

"No carrots either!"

"Vitamins!"

"Then eat them yourself!"

"I hate carrots the most!"

"You’re allowed to be picky but I’m not?"

The two of them continued to bicker just like that while they ate. The elders of the Zhan and Bai families were clearly used to it and went about their own meals, chatting away.

Bai Chi stared blankly at these two idol-tier police elites, shocked that they would still argue over food while eating, to the point that he almost forgot how to eat his own dinner.

After they had their fill, the group sat down to chat.

Five minutes later, Bai Yutang couldn't sit still anymore. He took a moment to slip into the bedroom, and a moment later, he emerged with a basketball. "Cat! Let's go!"

Zhan Zhao also felt too full and uncomfortably stuffed, so he asked Bai Chi, who was sitting on the sofa looking rather restrained, "Do you want to come with us?"

Bai Chi was slightly surprised but immediately felt a flicker of joy, following Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang out the door.

Bai Yutang dribbled the ball as he walked forward. Zhan Zhao stretched lazily behind him, while Bai Chi carefully followed at the very back.

There was a public basketball court in the residential complex. There was no one around at night, but the overhead floodlights kept the entire court brightly lit.

Bai Yutang walked into the chain-link-fenced court and began shooting hoops on his own.

Zhan Zhao sat down on the concrete steps that served as an outdoor bleacher, watching Bai Yutang shoot, and couldn't help but be reminded of his college days.

"Are... are you not going to play?" Bai Chi sat down beside Zhan Zhao and asked in a small voice.

Zhan Zhao laughed: "Doing intense exercise within half an hour of a meal causes appendicitis!"

"Then... then Bai..."

Zhan Zhao looked at Bai Chi with amusement. "That rat had his appendix removed a long time ago! It was because he played ball right after eating."

"Oh～～" Bai Chi nodded.

"You seem very afraid of him?" Zhan Zhao asked him.

"..." Bai Chi's face turned red. "He... that day, he took my bullets."

"Hmm?" Zhan Zhao was confused.

"It was... the time I forgot to take the safety off." Bai Chi hesitated. "Did he... did he say I wasn't qualified to use... a gun?"

Zhan Zhao watched him with a smile for a while and then said, "Do your family members often bring up that you have a cousin like him?"

"Yeah." Bai Chi nodded. "They, they often want me to... be like him."

"And then, when you met him for the first time that day, did you feel that the gap between you and him was too far?" Zhan Zhao said with great interest. "Did you feel that being like him was impossible?"

"Yeah!!" Bai Chi nodded very seriously. "I... I barely graduated from police academy... I'm... I'm just not capable..."

Zhan Zhao waved his hand: "Don't worry about it! Being unable to fight and being unable to shoot doesn't mean you can't be a police officer!"

"............" Bai Chi looked up at Zhan Zhao in astonishment. "Are there... police like that?"

Zhan Zhao chuckled, pointed at his own nose, and said, "Why wouldn't there be? There’s one right here!"

"You... you?" Bai Chi's mouth fell open. "How is that possible?"

"Except for exams, I've never fired a single shot." Zhan Zhao looked up at the moon in the sky and said, "I have astigmatism, too. Looking at it, it seems like there are four moons flashing and flickering!"

"Hehe..." Bai Chi was finally amused and began to relax. "But, you're still so famous. Everyone says you're a genius."

"Actually, the day Xiao Bai removed your bullets, it wasn't to say you weren't fit to use a gun."

"Then... then why?" Clearly, this question had been bothering Bai Chi for a long time.

"He is basically just an amoeba!" Zhan Zhao whispered. "You can't overcomplicate him!"

In the distance, Bai Yutang let out a massive sneeze.

"A... amoeba??" Bai Chi’s eyes widened.

"A low-level, single-celled organism!! If he thought you weren't fit to use a gun, he would have told you directly!"

"Then... why?"

Zhan Zhao smiled and said, "He just felt your state of mind at the time wasn't suitable for holding a gun."

"Is... is that so?"

"Hey～～～～" Bai Yutang dribbled the ball in the distance. "That’s enough, right? You two should come out and get some exercise too! Stinky cat, if you eat until you're full and don't move, be careful about growing a gut!!"

Zhan Zhao shot him an eye-roll.

"He has such great stamina. In the blink of an eye, he’s thrown sixty shots without even catching his breath." Bai Chi said with yearning. "I can't even hit ten!"

"What did you say just now?" Zhan Zhao turned to look at him in surprise.

"???" Bai Chi was puzzled.

"Xiao Bai!" Zhan Zhao shouted to Bai Yutang. "How many shots did you make when you called us just now?"

"Huh?" Bai Yutang picked up the ball and walked over dribbling. "About sixty, I guess."

Zhan Zhao turned to look at the now-nervous Bai Chi. "You were counting while you were talking to me?"

"No... no, I just... it had a rhythm, I just divided the total time by it..." Bai Chi stammered to explain.

Zhan Zhao thought for a moment, looked down, found a small stone, and began drawing circles and crosses on the concrete steps.

Bai Yutang had already reached his back: "What are you doing?"

Looking at the random circles and crosses on the ground, Zhan Zhao excitedly handed the stone to Bai Chi and said, "Based on this pattern, draw five more symbols!"

Bai Chi was baffled but obediently looked down at the symbols. Almost without even a second of thought, Bai Chi drew several more crosses and circles behind the sequence.

"Hah～～～" Zhan Zhao gasped.

"Cat, what kind of trick are you playing?" Bai Yutang curiously leaned in to look at the symbols on the ground.

"The Edward Standard Test!" Zhan Zhao said with some excitement. "Do you know that your cousin's IQ is over 170!!"

"What is the concept of 170?" Bai Yutang was puzzled.

"Normal is 80, smart is 100, Marie Curie was 150, and Einstein was 160!!" Zhan Zhao said, "If he had studied physics back in the day, he might have been even more accomplished than Hawking!!"

Bai Yutang blinked, then laughed and patted Bai Chi on the shoulder: "Good lad! You have promise; you definitely weren't adopted!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Zhan Zhao kicked him hard: "What are you saying!!"

"Dead cat!" Bai Yutang dribbled the ball and headed toward the center of the court. "Come out and play one-on-one once you've rested enough! I'm going to beat you until you’re left with nothing!!"

Zhan Zhao took off his jacket, threw it on the bleachers, and called Bai Chi to join him, only to see him standing blankly in place, his face turning bright red. "I... I really didn't disgrace... the Bai family?"

Zhan Zhao laughed: "To be a good police officer, you don't necessarily need a gun!" As he said this, he pointed to his own head. "You have the best weapon God could have given you!!" Having finished, he rolled up his shirt sleeves and ran over to Bai Yutang to steal the ball. "White Rat! Your days of arrogance are over!!"

"Cat! You fouled!"

"Who says?!"

"You're running while holding the ball, that’s not a foul?!"

"Hmph!"

"Hey! Are you playing soccer??"

"Goal!"

"You dead cat, do you even know the rules??"

"I am the rules!"

...

The three of them goofed around until after nine. In reality, it was the two older brothers, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, making a scene, while Bai Chi, the younger brother, helped pick up the ball...

Dididdi～～～

Bai Yutang's phone suddenly rang.

"Hello?" Bai Yutang answered. "What?!... We're coming right now!"

"What's wrong?" Zhan Zhao saw Bai Yutang's grave expression.

"Qi Le is in trouble."

"What?" Zhan Zhao was shocked. "How is she?"

Bai Yutang shook his head. "Don't worry. Fortunately, I had Zhao Hu follow her today. She was attacked with a knife while buying hydrocarbon powder on 'Neon Street'. Zhao Hu saved her, but the attacker got away."

"Attacked with a knife?" Zhan Zhao was full of confusion.

Bai Yutang put away the ball and threw the jacket to Zhan Zhao: "Qi Le is hurt, but she refuses to go to the hospital. Hu Zi is bringing her back to the S.C.I. for Gongsun to bandage her up first."

"Then let's go quickly!" Zhan Zhao put on his jacket and followed Bai Yutang out.

"Here!" Bai Yutang threw the ball to Bai Chi: "You head back first; we have urgent business."

"Ah～～～" Bai Chi hugged the ball, ran forward a few steps, gathered his courage, and shouted loudly: "I... I want to go too."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Bai Chi was startled himself. This was the first time in his life he had ever spoken so loudly. He hung his head in embarrassment.

Bai Yutang was slightly stunned. He turned to look at Zhan Zhao and gave him a thumbs-up, meaning, "Not bad, Cat, you cured his autism in half an hour!"

Zhan Zhao gave him a V-sign, "I’m an expert after all!!"

"Let's go." Bai Yutang said these two words to Bai Chi, and he and Zhan Zhao walked briskly toward the car downstairs.

It took Bai Chi a moment to react, but he realized Bai Yutang was letting him come along, so he hurriedly took off running.

Inside the S.C.I. office at police headquarters.

Qi Le was wrapped in a blanket given to her by Zhao Hu, sitting in a chair, shaking slightly. Blood was still seeping from the knife wound on her upper left arm.

Gongsun walked in with a medical kit and handed Qi Le a cup of hot tea: "Don't be afraid, I’ll take care of your wound."

Qi Le shuddered, looked up at Gongsun with some terror, and then nodded.

Gongsun gently examined her arm; the wound wasn't very serious but still required stitches. Taking out alcohol, gauze, and other supplies, Gongsun began to treat Qi Le's wound.

Qi Le acted as if she couldn't feel any pain. Gongsun frowned, sensing something strange.

Zhao Hu stood to the side, his expression looking awful. Seeing Gongsun look up at him, he took a packet of powder from his pocket and showed it to him.

Gongsun gasped. He thought to himself, how old is this girl? And she's on drugs? And the way she is right now...

Just as he was thinking this, he saw Qi Le suddenly begin to shake violently, her facial expressions gradually twisting.

"Oh no!" Gongsun cried out. "She's going into withdrawal!"

"Ah～～～～" Qi Le stood up abruptly. Gongsun tried to grab her, but Qi Le's strength at that moment was terrifyingly great, and she violently shoved him away.

Gongsun stumbled backward, only to feel a pair of familiar hands behind him catch him in time.

"Bai..." Gongsun turned his head to find Bai Jintang standing behind him, seemingly having arrived out of nowhere.

"I saw you hadn't come home so late, so I came to check." Bai Jintang steadied Gongsun and looked up, his expression complex as he watched Qi Le, who was being held in the chair by Zhao Hu and struggling with all her might, disregarding everything.

The Ding twins, who had come with Bai Jintang, had already rushed forward. One pulled out a blanket, wrapped Qi Le in the chair, and the other found rope to tie the tightly-bundled Qi Le to the chair, while Zhao Hu used the full force of his body to keep the chair pressed down.

Qi Le struggled painfully, twisting her body with all her might, screaming heart-wrenchingly, and begging everyone to give her drugs...

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao had just stepped out of the elevator when they heard the shrill, miserable cries.

Looking at the chaos in the S.C.I. office and the wretched state of Qi Le, who was stuck between life and death in her agony, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao stood to the side with tight lips, their chests feeling suffocated.

Bai Chi stood at the door, watching everything with horror, not daring to take a step forward.

As time ticked away second by second, Qi Le gradually calmed down, and the entire police station fell silent. No one was more familiar with this type of screaming than the police—unless they were in the throes of drug withdrawal, no one could scream so miserably...

Zhao Hu sat slumped in the chair behind him, exhausted, gasping for air. Ding Zhaohui loosened the bindings on Qi Le, wrapped her well in the blanket, and carried her to a wider reclining chair to let her sleep more comfortably.

Everyone in the S.C.I. was silent for a moment. Bai Yutang asked Zhao Hu: "What's the specific situation?"

Zhao Hu scratched his head and said: "I just got to M University in the afternoon when I saw that girl leave the school on her own. She took a taxi to Neon Street. I thought it was strange—why would a female college student go to a place like Neon Street?—so I followed her closely. Later, I saw her buy something from a street hoodlum. I’ve seen that kid before; he specializes in selling hydrocarbon powder."

Zhao Hu let out a long breath and continued: "Just at that moment, I saw a kid in a black hoodie creeping up behind her, his hand behind his back, holding a watermelon knife that long. Once I saw he was heading straight for Qi Le, I rushed up. Unfortunately, that kid was very alert and ran off in the blink of an eye. I didn't dare leave the girl alone, so I had to bring her back first."

"What about his appearance?"

Zhao Hu shook his head: "This guy didn't just wear a hoodie; he was also wearing a ski mask. I heard a while ago that recently in red-light districts like Neon Street, people of unknown identity have been frequently attacking prostitutes and girls. I didn't expect Qi Le to run into it this time!"

Bai Yutang frowned, "Is it really that much of a coincidence, catching Qi Le exactly?"

Zhan Zhao also shook his head: "Very strange. We just went to see Qi Le today, and something happens tonight?"

"It... it's unlikely to be a coincidence." Bai Chi, who had walked in at some point, whispered.

"What do you mean?" Zhan Zhao looked at him.

Bai Chi looked at Zhan Zhao, hesitated, and said timidly: "Taking one month as an example, the probability of you going to find someone today is 1/30. In a university with at least 10,000 students, the probability of you finding her is 1/10,000. The probability of her going out tonight is 1/30. If there are ten such drug trafficking cases happening simultaneously, the probability is 1/10. The probability of the perpetrator going out to commit a crime today is 1/30. In other words, the probability that the two things are a complete coincidence is one in ten billion, infinitely approaching zero. Therefore, the possibility that the two cases are completely unrelated is..."

Bai Chi’s voice grew quieter and quieter because he realized that everyone in the room was looking at him with astonishment.

"Who is this kid?" Bai Jintang suddenly asked Bai Yutang.

Bai Yutang smiled and said: "A brother from our family, Third Uncle Bai Feng's son, named Bai Chi."

"Oh～～" Bai Jintang stroked his chin with interest and said: "Are you sure he wasn't adopted?"

…………

Zhan Zhao helplessly glanced at the two brothers—truly worthy of being blood brothers!

"Zhao Hu, go to the Major Crimes Unit and get all the relevant data on this assault case. We’ll combine them for investigation."

"Yes!" Zhao Hu ran downstairs.

"Hey! Little Cousin!" Bai Yutang called out to Bai Chi, who was looking terrified and trying to hide behind Zhan Zhao. "Do you want to transfer to the S.C.I.?"

...?!... What... Bai Chi widened his eyes in disbelief.

Bai Yutang considered it and said: "You're on loan for this case! If you perform well, I'll have you transferred! However..." Bai Yutang added, "only in a clerical capacity!"

In the darkness, I see a scene that leaves me astonished. Two groups of people use all their might to roll enormous, heavy, round objects, rushing toward each other and colliding head-on. One side curses, "Why do you refuse to give up?" The other side counters, "Why do you let go and discard?"

The pain of the heavy objects colliding makes both sides let out astonishing wails. But no matter how painful and exhausted they are, the attacks between them cannot stop.

Light the gasoline in my hand, throw it into the dense crowd, listen to the screaming, and laugh wildly.

Waving the long knife in my hand, watching the silver light flash and the blood spray... mumbling in my mouth: "Only you can save them! Only you can save them!..."

Over and over again, unable to stop.