S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 3: Chapter 18

The Magic Killer 18 - Liberation

“I want to eat an apple.” Zhao Zhen leaned back against the sofa of the luxury single-patient room, crossing one leg over the other.

Little Bai Chi glared at him, picked up an apple, and handed it over.

“Peel it~~~” Zhao Zhen cast a glance at the round, plump apple, feeling that it bore a striking resemblance to Bai Chi.

Bai Chi looked at the apple, then shot another glare at Zhao Zhen: “The skin... has nutrients.”

Zhao Zhen thought about it for a moment and nodded: “Then cut it into small pieces~~~”

Little Bai Chi gnashed his teeth, picked up a knife, and imagined the apple was Zhao Zhen as he brought the blade down with a vicious chop, chopping again and again~~~

The sight sent cold chills creeping down Zhao Zhen's back: “Um, Chichi, I want to eat apple slices, not applesauce~~~”

“Don't call me that!” Bai Chi tossed the apple chunks into a plate and shoved it toward him.

“Ah~~~” Instead of taking the plate, Zhao Zhen opened his mouth wide, expecting Bai Chi to feed him.

Bai Chi froze for a brief second~~~ Every single thing this man did—kissing his forehead last time, stroking his hair, and now acting like he needed to be fed—felt so deeply familiar...

He speared a piece of apple with a toothpick and carefully poked it into Zhao Zhen's mouth.

Zhao Zhen chewed the apple with an expression of utter satisfaction.

Bai Chi began to observe him closely~~~ He really did look somewhat alike.

“More.” Zhao Zhen opened his mouth once again.

Bai Chi speared another piece and extended it forward. Because his mind was wandering, he was a fraction slow in pulling his hand back. Whether intentional or accidental, Zhao Zhen closed his mouth and accidentally took Bai Chi's fingertip right in with the fruit.

“Eek!” Feeling the warm, wet sensation against his fingertip, Bai Chi dropped the toothpick in a start and leaped backward.

“What's wrong?” Zhao Zhen feigned innocence. “Keep going, I haven't had enough yet.”

“You—” With a blushing face, Bai Chi carefully scrutinized Zhao Zhen, noting his completely nonchalant expression—was it just a coincidence? Was he being overly sensitive?

The kind-hearted and naive little Bai Chi decided he was being a bit unreasonable. After a moment of self-reflection, he picked up the plate again and resumed feeding Zhao Zhen.

“Aren't you tired sitting like that?” Zhao Zhen amusedly watched Bai Chi sitting as far away as possible, stretching his arm out to the max just to feed him. “Why don't you sit a little closer? What are you afraid of, it's not like I bite?!” Tianlai Novel Network

Noticing the teasing smirk playing on Zhao Zhen's lips, Bai Chi immediately shifted right next to him. “Who's afraid?!”

“That's more like it~~~” Zhao Zhen chuckled, sliding a bit closer himself. While Bai Chi lowered his head to spear another apple piece, Zhao Zhen leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his forehead...

Bai Chi slapped a hand over his forehead and glared fiercely at Zhao Zhen: “Are you out of your mind?! Why did you kiss me?!”

“Because you're cute~~~” Zhao Zhen raised his uninjured hand and gently lifted Bai Chi's chin.

Bai Chi batted his hand away with a slap: “You're... crazy! You are not allowed to kiss there!”

“Oh~~~” Zhao Zhen nodded. “Then I'll kiss somewhere else~~~” With those words, he leaned down and planted a kiss straight on Bai Chi's lips.

Bai Chi's eyes widened in horror as he stared at Zhao Zhen inches from his face, his pupils involuntarily crossing toward each other.

“Haha~~~” Seeing Bai Chi looking simultaneously startled, stunned, and cross-eyed, Zhao Zhen burst into a loud laugh.

Right at that moment, the door clicked open... Zhao Zhen's manager, Qin Bi, appeared in the doorway. Caught in an awkward spot where entering felt wrong and leaving felt awkward, he could only offer an apologetic smile~~~

Bai Chi's complexion turned deathly pale before instantly flushing crimson—redder and redder, spreading to his ears~~~ his neck~~~ his fingertips~~~

Zhao Zhen laughed even harder, figuring that at the rate this little fellow was going, even his backside was probably blushing red.

With a swift swoosh, Bai Chi sprang to his feet, slammed the plate in his hand right against Zhao Zhen's face, and stormed toward the door in a furious huff, bolting out at top speed.

Zhang Long, stationed by the doorway, looked puzzled. “Little Bai Chi~~~ Where are you off to?”

Naturally, Bai Chi didn't pay him any mind and just kept running full tilt, leaving Zhang Long to hurry and give chase.

Arriving downstairs by the hospital entrance, Zhang Long found Bai Chi standing by a trash can, savagely stomping on a discarded packaging bag while muttering curses: “Stinking cockroach, dead cockroach, I'm going to squash you to death!!!”

Treading cautiously, Zhang Long walked over. “Umm, are you alright?”

After huffing and puffing a few more breaths, Bai Chi pouted his lips and looked up at Zhang Long with an aggrieved expression. “I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to go back to the police station.”

Zhang Long blinked in a daze for three seconds straight before nodding vigorously. “Okay!~~~ Okay!~~~” Wiping away imaginary drool as he fished out his car keys, he thought to himself, So cute, so ridiculously cute~~~

“Finished laughing yet?” Qin Bi shook his head as he looked at Zhao Zhen. “How could you even bear to tease a kid like that?!”

“Don't you think he's a lot of fun?” Zhao Zhen chuckled as he picked the apple chunks off his clothes.

Qin Bi inspected his arm. “I already asked the doctor. He needs at least two months of rest.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Zhao Zhen remained silent as he toyed idly with a knife resting on the table.

“Do you have any idea how much those hands of yours are worth?!” Qin Bi's expression hardened into strict seriousness. “Getting shot once wasn't enough, you had to go and get yourself stabbed on top of that?!”

Zhao Zhen picked up his jacket from the sofa, threw it over his shoulders, and stood up to head out.

“Where do you think you're going?!” Qin Bi asked anxiously.

“Just going out for a stroll,” Zhao Zhen replied nonchalantly.

“The doctor said you need proper rest! Zhen... Zhen!” Despite being called after repeatedly, Zhao Zhen didn't look back once as he strode right out of the ward.

Returning to the S.C.I. office, Bai Chi felt as though even the air inside was wonderfully refreshing.

Jiang Ping gestured for him to keep his voice down and pointed toward Zhan Zhao's office.

Peeking inside, Bai Chi saw Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao leaning their heads together, slumped over the sofa and fast asleep.

“Why is your face so red?!” Jiang Ping asked Bai Chi with a puzzled expression.

“N—No reason~~~” Bai Chi shook his head. Seeing the two figures resting on the sofa instantly brought back the memory of seeing them kiss inside the car last time~~~ His heart fluttered in a flurry of panic.

By the following morning, everyone was in high spirits~~~ Too many events had transpired over the past couple of days, but fortunately, major progress had been made. The next step was to conduct further interrogations of the suspects and sort out the details of the case.

Just as Bai Yutang was about to call everyone in for a meeting, Lu Fang pushed the door open and announced, “Little Bai, we've got a lead.”

“What kind of lead?!” Bai Yutang asked, momentarily bewildered.

“Didn't you ask me to look into An Qingyao and Tong Ming the other day?” Lu Fang explained. “Since we couldn't find them domestically, I checked their immigration and emigration records. They went to the United States five years ago and never returned. However, Tong Ming suddenly flew back to the country a month ago, and I managed to get in touch with him just now...”

“What did you say?” Zhan Zhao interrupted Lu Fang from the side. “Are you saying An Qingyao and Tong Ming aren't dead?!”

“Huh?!” Lu Fang was momentarily stunned as well. “No, they aren't~~~”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged glances, both rendered temporarily speechless. “What about Li Xu?” Zhan Zhao pressed Lu Fang urgently. “Can you check on her?! The real Li Xu from back then!”

“Oh~~~ I'll have people look into it right away~~~” Having rarely seen Zhan Zhao look so agitated, Lu Fang hurried out of the room.

Around midday, Lu Fang rushed back in. “Found her. She's in City H.”

“She's still in the country?!” Bai Yutang exclaimed in surprise.

“Right,” Lu Fang said. “Also, Tong Ming just called to say he's willing to turn himself in and confess to the true facts of what happened back then... Which means we can proceed to arrest Li Xu and An Qingyao.”

“Hold on a second~~~” Jiang Ping interjected abruptly. “If that's the case, Xu Jiaqing didn't actually do anything... Then why would she confess to the crimes?!”

Zhan Zhao snapped his head up, dashed back into his office to pull a photograph out of a desk folder, and sprinted out the door.

Completely baffled by his sudden dash, Bai Yutang hurried after him. “Cat, what's going on?!”

“It's just a hypothesis, but I need Xu Jiaqing to confirm it!” Without breaking stride, Zhan Zhao ran swiftly toward the interrogation rooms and pushed the door open.

Xu Jiaqing sat quietly inside, waiting. For her, the next course of action was simply awaiting judgment and the end of her life~~~ She held no regrets, because if she hadn't sought vengeance, her entire existence would have been consumed by hatred; since she had exacted her revenge, she was ready to bear the rightful consequences.

Zhan Zhao's sudden intrusion caught her somewhat off guard.

Placing the photograph on the table, Zhan Zhao slid it across to Xu Jiaqing: “‘Hatred must be settled with hatred’—was that what he told you?!”

Glancing down at the picture, Xu Jiaqing nodded. “Though my revenge had nothing to do with him; he's just my numerology consultant.”

By this point, Bai Yutang had also rushed into the room. Lowering his gaze at Xu Jiaqing's words, he recognized the man in the photograph instantly as Zhao Jue.

“How long have you been consulting him?” Zhan Zhao inquired.

“For over three years. That day at the cemetery, after I overheard Tong Ming's confession, I was completely torn and didn't know whether I should seek revenge. Later on, a friend happened to invite me to accompany her to see a numerology master, and that's how we met.”

“When you say you heard Tong Ming's confession, when was that?” Zhan Zhao pressed further.

“Three... three years ago~~~” Xu Jiaqing replied.

“How did you kill them?” Zhan Zhao sighed, pulled up a chair to sit down, and looked straight into Xu Jiaqing's eyes. “Give me the details!”

“I...” Xu Jiaqing paused in thought, a trace of confusion flashing across her gaze. “I...”

“You only remember the fact that you killed them, but you don't recall the actual process, do you?” Zhan Zhao put away the photograph. “Did you know that Tong Ming only returned to the country a month ago and had been living abroad prior to that? The incident where he went to your sister's gravesite to confess and happened to be overheard by you must have taken place very recently.”

“W—What... I~~~” Frowning deeply, Xu Jiaqing tapped her own forehead. “I can't remember clearly~~~”

Zhan Zhao removed his wristwatch and held it right before Xu Jiaqing's eyes. “Now, fix your gaze on this watch and imagine time reversing, going back by one hour~~~”

Following Zhan Zhao's instructions, Xu Jiaqing stared down at the timepiece and began to retrace her memories.

“Now back by a day... a week... a month...” Guiding her slowly step by step, Zhan Zhao noticed her expression growing increasingly hazy, and he gently tapped a finger against her forehead~~~

“Ah~~~” Xu Jiaqing snapped her head up. “I... I remember now... That's right, that's right~~~ I... I went to see him a month ago... and he said some things to me...”

Observing the shift in Xu Jiaqing's demeanor, Bai Yutang pulled up a chair as well. “And then, when you woke up, you found yourself embedded in this plan, believing you had already killed Li Xu, An Qingyao, and Tong Ming, and preparing to impersonate Li Xu to execute the next phase. What did you do after that?”

“After that, I... I used Li Xu's identity to rent an apartment with someone else,” Xu Jiaqing recalled. “I got in touch with the others from back then... and then...”

“And then, you introduced Kong Liping to this numerology master, didn't you?!” Zhan Zhao finished. Seeing Xu Jiaqing nod, he continued: “Then you were attacked, which disrupted your plan, and you were placed under surveillance. But Shen Ling ended up dying anyway, leaving only Shen Qian. So, yesterday, you went out to complete your final act of vengeance, didn't you?!”

Xu Jiaqing nodded: “Yes, but...”

“That's right,” Bai Yutang unlocked her handcuffs with a key. “Aside from introducing Kong Liping to the numerology master, you didn't do a single thing.”

“Then... I...” Xu Jiaqing asked in bewilderment, “I got justice for my sister...”

Zhan Zhao stood up. “Zhang Zhenzhen is dead, Kong Liping is dead, Shen Ling is dead, and Shen Qian is critically injured and completely disgraced. Tong Ming has already stated his intent to turn himself in, and neither Li Xu nor An Qingyao will escape the reach of the law. If this is what you call revenge, I think the conclusion is more than tragic enough.”

Bai Yutang sneered: “This was a gift presented to you by your numerology master. Your hands didn't touch a single drop of blood, yet you achieved the perfect revenge. Starting today, you should finally be liberated~~~”

“I... liberated...” Xu Jiaqing stared at the two men in utter disbelief. “I don't have to carry the burden of hatred anymore~~~”

“Indeed,” Zhan Zhao nodded. “You no longer carry the weight of hatred, but you will have to carry something else instead.”

“Something else?” Xu Jiaqing looked perplexed.

“Chen Yu and Qi Le nearly lost their lives saving you, and Chen Yu is still lying in a hospital bed right now,” Bai Yutang said expressionlessly. “Kong Liping's one-year-old child has been orphaned from this day forward. Then there's Kong Cheng—though we don't know what drove him to seek vengeance, he genuinely ended up killing two people for you or your sister. And~~~ let's not forget the most innocent victim of all, Sun Qian!”

“I... then what am I supposed to carry? Guilt? Remorse...” Xu Jiaqing looked lost and utterly confused. “Why did it turn out like this?”

Zhan Zhao shook his head. “Your current state is identical to that of the people who murdered your sister back then. The burden you must carry isn't merely guilt or remorse, but the hatred others hold toward you—that is the true meaning behind the phrase, 'Hatred must be settled with hatred.'”

Emerging from the interrogation room upon Zhan Zhao's request, Bai Yutang drove him to a specific destination—the City S Public Cemetery.

Leaning against a small headstone, a man sat reading a book, softly reciting the words aloud as though reading a bedtime story.

Lifting his head, he looked at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang as they approached.

Zhan Zhao looked down at Zhao Jue sitting before the gravestone. The book in his hands was The Little Prince, while the headstone behind him bore the image of a young, innocent face—Sun Qian.

“She was outside your calculations, wasn't she?” Zhan Zhao asked.

With a touch of lingering regret, Zhao Jue stroked the photograph on the headstone. “No one can calculate every single variable~~~ There will always be things that catch us off guard~~~” With those words, he stood up, patted Zhan Zhao on the shoulder, and remarked, “That's why humans are the most amusing creatures of all.”

Placing the book down in front of the gravestone, he turned to leave. As he brushed past Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, he tossed out a final remark: “You'd better hurry and catch the demon before I do. If I catch him first... who knows, there might be an even bigger surprise waiting for you~~~” With that, he walked away.

Zhan Zhao stooped to pick up the copy of The Little Prince left on the ground, offered a wry, helpless smile, and asked Bai Yutang, “Little Bai, do you remember watching the stage adaptation of The Little Prince when we were kids?”

Bai Yutang took the book from him. “I do.”

“Then do you remember why the aviator started telling the story in the first place?” Zhan Zhao continued.

“...Because he felt lonely; in the world of adults, he couldn't find a single person he could truly talk to—adults are far too pragmatic,” Bai Yutang answered, looking at Zhan Zhao. “Cat, what did you infer from this?”

“I think he's trying to tell us...” Zhan Zhao paused for a moment, gazing off in the direction Zhao Jue had departed. “Why Sun Qian was chosen—demons are entirely untethered from reality, which means his next target... is still a child.”