S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 3: Chapter 17

The Magic Killer 17 - Hatred  

Watching the knife flash with a bone-chillingly cold gleam as it hurtled straight toward his neck, Bai Chi found himself unable to dodge—the back of his neck was gripped with practiced skill, making it impossible to break free~~~

His eyes widened in a daze as he suddenly saw a hand wrapped in gauze enter his field of vision—a burst of bloody crimson flashed forth~~~

The blade plunged straight into an arm, and the owner of that arm delivered a fierce elbow strike directly into the assailant holding Bai Chi.

A muffled grunt rang out. Bai Chi felt the hand clamped around the back of his neck loosen, and when he whipped around in a rush, he caught sight of someone wearing a black ski mask... Before he could even register the person's movements, he was yanked roughly to the side.

Following that bleeding arm punctured by the knife, Bai Chi's gaze landed upon Zhao Zhen's face, which was contorted with fury.

The person who had assaulted Bai Chi staggered back two paces, whirled around, and bolted down the stairs.

“Ah~~~” Bai Chi snapped back to his senses and made to give chase, but Zhao Zhen firmly grabbed his arm. “What are you chasing for?! Do you even have a gun?!”

“Uh...” Only then did Bai Chi remember that he was a desk-bound administrative officer and didn't carry a firearm~~~

“Forget it. Getting out of this alive is a win already.” Zhao Zhen released Bai Chi's arm, reached down to pull the knife out of his own arm, and turned it over to inspect it.

“You're bleeding~~~” Bai Chi panicked, running around in a flurry of confusion. What should he do? So much blood was pouring out~~~ Was he going to bleed to death?!

While Bai Chi's imagination ran wild, Zhao Zhen chuckled and ruffled his hair. “Are you alright?”

Shaking his head, Bai Chi suddenly gasped, “Ah!” Realizing what needed to be done, he blurted out, “Quick! Call a doctor!” With that, he turned and sprinted down the hall, shouting, “Doctor, doctor!” at the top of his lungs.

Before long, Zhao Zhen was informed by the physician that the bone had been injured—he needed a cast!

When Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang rushed to the hospital, the sight that greeted them was Bai Chi pacing frantically in circles outside the doorway.

“What happened?” Seeing the ashen pallor on Bai Chi's face, Zhan Zhao reached out to stroke his head with deep concern.

Bai Chi gave a succinct summary of the events that had just transpired, leaving both men frowning darkly upon hearing it.

“Did you see who the attacker was?” Bai Yutang asked.

“No,” Bai Chi shook his head. “He was wearing a ski mask, but judging by the groans he made, it sounded like a man.”

“Strange~~~” Zhan Zhao paced back and forth a few steps, murmuring to himself, “Why would anyone target Bai Chi? Could it be related to the ongoing case...”

“The knife is right here,” Bai Chi said, producing a blade sealed inside an evidentiary bag. “He was wearing gloves~~~ there probably aren't any fingerprints.”

Bai Yutang nodded and took the bag from him.

“Oh right, Big Brother, why did you guys come here? Do you have something to ask Zhao Zhen?” Bai Chi inquired with a puzzled expression.

“Oh... no,” Zhan Zhao shook his head. “We have other business to attend to.”

“You stay with Zhao Zhen for the time being,” Bai Yutang instructed. “He technically saved your life, so drop the childish temper and take good care of him.”

Hanging his head, Bai Chi stared down at the tips of his shoes, pouted his lips, and hesitated for a long, agonizing moment before muttering, “Oh~~~”

Shortly thereafter, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang departed, and before long, Zhang Long came barreling down the hall in a flurry of activity.

“Little Bai Chi, I heard someone attacked you?”

“Big Brother Zhang, what are you doing here?” Bai Chi asked, staring at him in astonishment.

“Oh, the captain assigned me to guard you twenty-four hours a day,” Zhang Long said, giving Bai Chi's shoulder a hearty pat. “Don't worry, don't worry, your safety is my responsibility!!”

“Wait, weren't you already stationed here at the hospital? How did you get here so fast~~~” Bai Chi found himself completely bewildered.

“That's right,” Zhang Long nodded. “I came to relieve Wang Chao. Li Xu is hospitalized right here, so we're responsible for protecting her. Zhao Hu is around too, though he's keeping watch over Qile and Chen Yu—that little girl Chen Yu has already regained consciousness. Ma Han is here as well, though he's currently out of commission as a patient.”

“Ma Han got hurt?” Bai Chi's eyes widened in fresh shock. “Is he alright?!”

“He's fine, he's fine!” Zhang Long waved a hand dismissively, leaned in close, and whispered, “He's got a beauty keeping him company; the kid's got quite a lucky streak with romance!!”

Down in the hospital's ground-floor parking lot, parked inside an unassuming jeep, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang kept their undivided attention locked onto the hospital's main entrance.

“Cat, do you really think she'll make a move?” Bai Yutang gripped the steering wheel and raised an eyebrow.

“She should~~~” Zhan Zhao blinked playfully. “This is her final step. Once she walks it, it's game over.”

“Sigh~~~” Bai Yutang slumped forward against the steering wheel. “Let's wrap this up quickly. The day after tomorrow is Christmas Eve~~~”

“You're talking nonsense again!” Zhan Zhao glared at him. “All you ever do is let your mind wander to random things!”

“Oh, right.” Bai Yutang produced a disc. “Let's find some time to watch this together.”

“What is it?” Zhan Zhao took the disc skeptically; it bore no label whatsoever~~~

“The Big and Little Dings lent it to me. They said it's sneaky footage of Big Brother and Gongsun—holding...” Before Bai Yutang could finish the word—

Crack~~~ With a sharp sound, the disc was snapped cleanly in half by an incensed Zhan Zhao.

“Hey~~~” Bai Yutang gasped. “Cat, that's a collector's edition! There was only one copy, and I hadn't made a backup yet~~~”

Brandishing the broken halves of the disc, Zhan Zhao pointed straight at Bai Yutang's nose. “White Mouse, let me make this crystal clear: you are forbidden from hanging out with the twins ever again. That's not socializing, that's being an accomplice!!”

Nursing his heartache over the ruined disc, Bai Yutang's hands trembled as he took it back. “I wonder if we can still use it if we glue it back together...”

“You weren't listening to a single word I said!” Zhan Zhao reached out, grabbed the collar of Bai Yutang's shirt, and shook him. “You crazy mouse, stop thinking about things like that...”

The bickering pair abruptly fell silent in unison, their eyes locking onto a figure stepping briskly out of the main entrance—she was coming! Catching sight of her climbing into a taxi, Bai Yutang immediately turned the ignition and tailed her.

“Cat, wanna guess where she's headed?” Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao as he maintained a leisurely distance behind the cab.

“To tie up loose ends with her final target, of course~~~” Zhan Zhao sighed and shook his head. “The final step of the plan.”

“This counts as the second thread. With this, the cold cases from back then will finally be put to rest,” Bai Yutang murmured with a faint smile. “Soon, we'll know the whole truth—every last bit of it!”

The taxi pulled to a halt in front of the Shen Corporation's parking garage. The passenger stepped out, glanced around cautiously, and slipped inside.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao parked their vehicle across the street, made a quick phone call, and then followed her into the garage on foot.

It was already the dead of night, leaving the parking garage empty and desolate save for a single white BMW parked right in the center. Leaning against the car door and smoking a cigarette was Shen Qian.

Noticing someone approach, Shen Qian gave a faint smile, tossed away his cigarette, and raised his head. “You're here, Li Xu~”

“Mn.” Though the lighting was dim, it was still easy to recognize that the person who had walked into the garage was none other than Li Xu.

Concealed behind a corner wall, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao watched the pair stationed in the middle of the garage from a distance, a chill settling over their hearts—not for any other reason than the sheer, sorrowful tragedy of human nature~~~

At this moment, Shen Qian was entirely devoid of the madness and explosive rage he had displayed earlier. Though thick gauze bound one of his hands, his expression remained vibrant and sharp, bearing zero resemblance to a man who had just lost his beloved younger sister.

Li Xu still wore her simple denim outfit, and her complexion remained poor, but her eyes lacked the lingering confusion she had exhibited back at the hospital~~~

“So only the two of us are left out of all the insiders from back then!” Shen Qian chuckled. “And since Kong Cheng has already been arrested, everything should be settled. Why do you still claim the real killer is someone else?”

“That's right~~~” Li Xu stated expressionlessly. “Kong Cheng killed Zhenzhen and Shen Ling, but he didn't kill Qingyao or Tong Ming.”

“What?” Shen Qian started in surprise. “Qingyao and Tong Ming are dead too?”

In the shadows afar, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged glances, thinking to themselves, No wonder our operatives reported finding no trace of An Qingyao and Tong Ming anywhere—they were already dead all along~~~

Li Xu nodded. “And next up, it's your turn~~~”

“Heh~~~” Shen Qian sneered. “What makes you so certain it's me? You were involved in what happened back then too~~~ For all I know, you might be next.”

“I won't be,” Li Xu shook her head. “Because Li Xu is already dead. The only one left now~~~ is you.”

“What?” Shen Qian straightened his posture, staring at Li Xu in perplexity. “Are you out of your mind? What do you mean Li Xu is already...” Catching on abruptly, Shen Qian stared at her in horror. “You... you aren't Li Xu?”

“Heh, heh, heh~~~” Li Xu's smile was dripping with bitter mockery. “I am not Li Xu~~~ I am Xu Jiaqing.”

“X-Xu Jiaqing~~~” Shen Qian froze on the spot, his brain struggling to process the revelation.

“Xu Jiali was my older sister~~~” As she spoke, Xu Jiaqing reached up, using the back of her hand to wipe aggressively across her face. The cosmetics smeared away, revealing facial features that were far cleaner and notably younger...

Bai Yutang shot Zhan Zhao a meaningful look—women truly were terrifying creatures!

“Heh~~~” Shen Qian rapidly regained his composure. “You think you can kill me? Keep dreaming!” With that, he drew a pistol, leveled it straight at Xu Jiaqing, and snarled, “You're the one who's going to die!”

“It doesn't matter~~~” Xu Jiaqing remained utterly unruffled. “Whether you die or I die, neither matters in the end. You still won't escape.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Shen Qian frowned.

“Back then, your little clique was doing drugs in the school locker room when my sister walked in and caught you. If she blew the whistle, all of you would've likely been expelled. So, high out of your minds on drugs, you all banded together and murdered her, staging the scene to look like the sensational magic circle murders of that era... Oh, and by the way, you weren't even a student, but you were the one who supplied the narcotics, which makes your crime far worse!”

“How do you know that?!” Shen Qian hissed, fixing his eyes on her.

Xu Jiaqing produced a pair of gloves, slipped them on, and continued in a measured tone, “Tong Ming was always eaten up with guilt. He used to visit my sister's grave regularly. As luck would have it, I happened to be standing behind her gravestone one day when he didn't see me, and he spilled the whole truth, confessing to repent on behalf of all of you and begging for her forgiveness...”

“That useless piece of trash!” Shen Qian spat out furiously.

“Right, he was trash,” Xu Jiaqing nodded. “That's why he deserved to die. An Qingyao and Li Xu were fools, so they deserved to die. Kong Liping was driven by bottomless greed, and Zhang Zhenzhen was a coward—they all deserved to die~~~ You are human scum, which makes you even more deserving of death.” With that, she reached into her denim jacket and pulled out a large watermelon cleaver.

“Y-You, don't do anything rash! You really think a knife is faster than my gun?!” Shen Qian raised his firearm, shouting menacingly.

“If you fire that gun, you'll bring the police running straight here~~~ I happen to be a key witness right now, and the police keep close tabs on my whereabouts at all times~~~” Li Xu stared at the razor-sharp edge of her blade, talking more to herself than him. “I've written down everything that happened back then and left it right beneath the pillow in my hospital room. If they realize I'm missing, they'll definitely find that letter—The President of the Shen Corporation is a murderer~~~ He sold drugs back in the day and built his empire on narcotics, slaughtered teenagers to cover up his crimes, and didn't even spare his own younger sister when she got in his way... Truly a magnificent story. Utter and eternal damnation is probably a far better fit for you than a clean death!”

At that exact moment, a chaotic wail of police sirens pierced the air outside. Shen Qian stiffened in shock, while Xu Jiaqing burst into a peal of chilling laughter. “They really do arrive right on time!”

“You maniac~~~ You absolute lunatic!” Frenzied, Shen Qian yanked open his car door, climbed into the driver's seat, and fired up the engine.

“Oh no!” Zhan Zhao panicked.

They watched as Shen Qian slammed his foot on the accelerator, intending to plow his car toward the exit. Xu Jiaqing took a step forward to block his path, prompting Shen Qian to scream, “Get the hell out of my way!” With that, he surged straight toward her at full speed.

Xu Jiaqing spread her arms wide, a look of ecstatic release washing over her face as she muttered to herself, “Hatred... must be settled with hatred~~~”

Hearing those words, Zhan Zhao froze for a fraction of a second... Right beside his ear, a gunshot echoed sharply—

The bullet fired by Bai Yutang struck the front tire of Shen Qian's vehicle. Traveling at high velocity, the car instantly lost balance, careened sideways into the air, barrel-rolled multiple times, and crashed heavily onto the ground.

A massive swarm of police officers flooded in from outside the garage. Throwing her head back in wild laughter, Xu Jiaqing docilely allowed the cuffs to be slipped onto her wrists, while Shen Qian was hauled out from the wreckage of the automobile, gravely injured.

Directing the surrounding personnel to handle the aftermath, Bai Yutang turned around and found Zhan Zhao standing frozen in place.

“Cat...” Bai Yutang reached out to give his shoulder a gentle tap. “Don't overthink it.”

Lifting his head, Zhan Zhao offered a soft smile as he looked at Bai Yutang. “What... are you thinking about it too?”

Speechless, Bai Yutang gave a slow nod. “‘Hatred must be settled with hatred’—that sounds an awful lot like that person's philosophy~~~ A single sentence is all it takes to turn someone into a demon—perhaps that's what they call a game.”

“Did you know that during the Middle Ages in England, there was an activity known as ‘beating the bounds’—no, ‘the quarry hunt’?” Shifting his gaze toward the busy police officers in the distance, Zhan Zhao spoke in a measured tone: “People would lock animals inside enclosures: rabbits, wolves, monkeys, bears, along with condemned prisoners... and force them to tear each other apart, using the survivor to rank the hierarchy of living creatures—the conclusion was that, regardless of the opponent, humans always occupy the highest tier~~~ Because humans are crueler than any beast in existence.”

Quietly listening to Zhan Zhao finish his words, Bai Yutang reached out and pulled him close, pressing him against his chest. He stroked his hair and murmured softly, “Cat, don't be too clear-eyed; it makes it too easy to feel sorrow... Don't dwell on such sorrowful thoughts. I prefer seeing you smile.”

Remaining silent, Zhan Zhao rested his head against the man's shoulder, surrendering himself to the gentle comfort of his voice—as though those words possessed the power to pierce through every shroud of darkness and summon the dawn.