S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 3: Chapter 11
The Magic Killer 11 - The Gambling Match
“Who did you see?” Bai Yutang asked again, finding it a bit hard to believe.
“Zhao Jue,” Zhan Zhao repeated seriously.
“...Cat...” Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao. “Zhao Jue is already dead.”
“We didn’t find the body, did we?” Zhan Zhao argued.
“You really saw him?”
“Mn!”
Bai Yutang glanced around, took out his phone, and dialed Ma Han’s number.
“Boss?” Ma Han answered the phone.
“Ma Han, are you at the precinct?”
“Yes.”
“Go to the security surveillance room right now, check the lobby’s security footage from the last ten minutes, and look for someone.”
“Alright, who am I looking for?” Ma Han strode briskly toward the exit.
“Zhao Jue.”
...Ma Han on the other end of the line was stunned for a long time before finally replying, “Alright.”
Hanging up the phone, Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao. “Whether it was Zhao Jue or not will be clear after checking the surveillance footage. But for now...”
“I understand.” Zhan Zhao nodded. “We need to focus on dealing with Shen Qian!”
The two walked toward the elevator. Bai Yutang suddenly asked, “Cat, Zhao Jue isn't dead—are you happy about this or not?!”
“Why ask that?” Zhan Zhao glanced at him sideways.
“You looked so surprised just now, almost panicked, but now you’ve calmed down... and there’s even a tiny bit of excitement~~~” Bai Yutang summarized.
Zhan Zhao found it amusing. “What on earth are you trying to say?”
“You’re really happy Zhao Jue isn't dead.” Bai Yutang quickly jumped to a conclusion.
The elevator doors opened, and Zhan Zhao nodded. “Indeed.”
An assistant led the two to the top-floor VIP room, where they found Shen Qian applying medicinal wine to his hands.
“Officer Bai certainly has some impressive moves.” Shen Qian rubbed his wrist, which was already beginning to swell, saying it half-jokingly.
Zhan Zhao glanced sideways at Bai Yutang—What did you do to him?
Bai Yutang blinked—Nothing much, just flicked it.
Zhan Zhao glared—You’re a police officer, why are you going around hitting people?
Bai Yutang looked dismissive—I didn’t hit a person. He’s lucky he hasn’t crossed paths with you yet, otherwise this young master would have crippled him.
Sideways glare—Violent mouse!
Equally sideways glare—Attention-seeking cat!!
Furious—Who did you say?!
Furious—Said you! (Please imagine the scene of a cat and a mouse, backs arched, fur standing on end, baring their teeth and hissing at each other while making growling sounds.)
“Ahem, ahem~~” Shen Qian coughed, interrupting the two’s “silent communication,” and asked with a smile, “The two of you came to find me. Is there something the matter?”
“Some official business,” Bai Yutang replied.
“Oh~~” Shen Qian nodded, gesturing for the two to sit down. “Official business? Regarding the murder case at my construction site?”
“Yes and no,” Bai Yutang smiled.
Shen Qian didn't seem particularly surprised. He casually unwrapped a deck of cards on the table and toyed with them in his hands. “How so?”
“Do you know a person named Kong Liping?” Zhan Zhao asked.
“Mn~~” Shen Qian thought for a moment. “The name sounds somewhat familiar, but I don't have any deep impression of her.”
“You should have just seen her last night.” Bai Yutang watched the cards Shen Qian was dealing out to him, looking slightly puzzled.
“I have to meet a lot of people every day. It’s impossible to remember them all.” Shen Qian finished dealing. “Care for a hand?”
“Between eleven last night and one o'clock this morning, you saw her.” Bai Yutang picked up the cards on the table and sorted them.
“I was busy all night with preparations for today's grand opening.” Shen Qian threw out a pair of Jacks.
“We have a witness who saw you together with her last night.” Bai Yutang threw out a pair of Queens.
A pair of Aces. Shen Qian smiled. “That’s not surprising.”
“How so?” Bai Yutang motioned for him to play.
“Like I just said, I met a lot of people last night because of the opening.” Shen Qian tossed out a heart straight from 6 to 10. He looked at the two cards left in his own hand, then at the seven cards in Bai Yutang’s hand. “Looks like I’m going to win.”
Bai Yutang smiled. “I still have seven cards. How are you so sure I don’t have a straight higher than yours?”
“Heh.” Shen Qian smiled. “Officer Bai must not play cards very often.” He pointed at the cards in Bai Yutang's hand as he spoke. “When novices play cards, they really like to sort them by type. Your seven cards: five are tilted slightly to the left, and two are tilted slightly to the right. Furthermore, out of the five on the left, two are shifted slightly higher. In other words, those five consist of three of a kind plus a pair, and the other two form another pair... So, you don't have a straight.”
Bai Yutang quietly listened to him finish, then shook his head. “You always feel like everything is within your plan, but in this world, there are always things that happen completely beyond your expectations.” With that, he pulled out those five cards, revealing a stunning spade straight from 10 to Ace. “In fact, from the beginning of our conversation until now, I never once mentioned that Kong Liping was a woman.”
Shen Qian’s expression shifted slightly, though he quickly regained his composure. “Anyone hearing that name would automatically assume it’s a woman’s, right?!”
Zhan Zhao, standing to the side, nodded. “True. For most people, if they heard that name and found it familiar, the very next question they'd ask is ‘male or female?’ Right?”
“Whew~~” Shen Qian tossed the two cards in his hand onto the table, raised his hands, and said, “I admit defeat, the two of you are formidable... I do know Kong Liping. That’s not a crime, is it?!”
“Your social standings are worlds apart, so why would you know her? Because of your younger sister's incident ten years ago?!” Bai Yutang went straight to the point.
Shen Qian seemed somewhat unable to cope, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. “My sister has nothing to do with this matter. Don't drag her into it.”
“Kong Liping is dead,” Zhan Zhao suddenly stated.
“What?!” Shen Qian was startled.
“Do you know Li Xu?” Bai Yutang asked.
After a brief hesitation, Shen Qian nodded.
“She was murdered, too,” Zhan Zhao said. Bai Yutang glanced at him, smiling without a word.
“Good lord... How could this happen?!” Shen Qian seemed somewhat disoriented. “Who killed them?!”
“Do you think the person who killed them is the same person?” Bai Yutang gazed intently at him. “Or rather, do you have any clues regarding the murderer?!”
“This isn't something that can be explained in a few words.” Shen Qian extinguished his cigarette. “I'll go get my sister. You can ask her—perhaps she'll know more clearly.”
“Mn.” Bai Yutang nodded, standing up. “Good idea! We’ll go with you.”
Shen Qian smiled. “Officer Bai is worried I might get my stories straight with her?”
“No,” Zhan Zhao shook his head. “You two are brother and sister. If you were going to get your stories straight, you would have done it long ago, wouldn't you?!”
“Right,” Bai Yutang continued. “You could have coordinated your stories ten years ago. No need to wait until now.”
“Heh.” Letting out a dry chuckle, Shen Qian turned and walked out.
Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao followed closely behind.
As they stepped out the door, Zhan Zhao glanced sideways at Bai Yutang and said softly, “Not bad, Whitey. That hand of cards was won brilliantly.”
Bai Yutang blinked at him. “And who taught me by fooling me so many times?! That’s called learning a lesson from every mishap~~~”