S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 3: Chapter 8

The Magic Killer 08 - Kidnapping  

Qile's single text message reading "Save me" practically scared half the life out of Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao. If Li Xu had been an eyewitness back then, she was very likely to become the target of a murder just like Zhang Zhenzhen... and since Qile happened to live with her, she was at a high risk of being implicated.

Bai Yutang slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, flooring it to 200 kilometers per hour as he flew toward Qile's residence like lightning.

Arriving at the entrance of the apartment building, he quickly jumped out and rushed inside. Everything looked normal. He was immensely grateful that when he dropped them off the other day, he seemed to have heard Chen Yu mention that they lived on the top floor. He sprinted up the stairs at a dead run.

This was an old-style apartment building, quite run-down and only five stories high. Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao pulled out their guns as they ran.

Just as they reached the fifth floor, Bai Yutang frowned—there was the scent of blood in the air...

Room 503's front door stood wide open, and extremely faint sounds of groaning drifted out from within.

The two of them rushed inside without hesitation to find Chen Yu collapsed in a pool of blood. She was curled up, and a slash wound on her lower abdomen was still actively welling blood.

"Chen Yu..." Zhan Zhao drew in a sharp breath and hurried forward to roll her over, pressing his hands against the continuously bleeding wound.

Bai Yutang pulled out his phone to call the S.C.I. team and an ambulance.

"Lele..." Chen Yu suddenly grabbed Zhan Zhao's hand, whispering weakly, "That person... wants to kill... Sister Li... Lele took her... and fled... He chased after them..."

Zhan Zhao immediately looked up at Bai Yutang. "Yutang!"

Bai Yutang turned around and bolted out the door.

"Quickly save... save..." Chen Yu's consciousness seemed to be gradually fading.

Seeing her face grow paler and paler as if she was about to slip into unconsciousness, Zhan Zhao urged, "Chen Yu, hang in there! Don't fall asleep!"

"Mmm..." Chen Yu nodded, fighting hard to keep her heavy eyelids open.

Soon, chaotic footsteps echoed from the doorway. Zhao Hu and the others arrived with medical personnel, loaded Chen Yu onto a stretcher, and rushed straight downstairs, while Wang Chao accompanied her to the hospital.

"Qile and Li Xu still haven't been found!" Zhan Zhao said. "Everyone split up to search. Keep an eye out for hiding spots; they might be concealed somewhere."

"Understood~~" The team members scattered in all directions.

Standing in front of the building, Zhan Zhao swept his gaze around, trying his best to simulate Qile's mindset at the time... Qile was a smart young girl, so she would likely have run toward a crowded area.

To the left was a pedestrian street resembling a food alley. It wasn't very crowded during the day, but it was still livelier than the main avenues on the other two sides—Zhan Zhao strode quickly toward the pedestrian street.

Chen Yu had said she was carrying Li Xu as she fled... which meant Li Xu's mobility wouldn't be very convenient—there were two nearby street corners... Qile was left-handed, so if she was supporting someone, turning right would be more convenient—he walked into the alley on the right.

It was a rather filthy little alley, with trash piled on both sides, discarded cardboard boxes, garbage cans, and torn plastic tarps...

She had sent a text message instead of daring to make a phone call, which indicated she was hiding in a spot where she could easily be discovered—Zhan Zhao's gaze landed on a cardboard box covered by a plastic tarp. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be trembling slightly...

"Qile? ...Qile, I'm Zhan Zhao!" He walked slowly toward the plastic tarp.

"Qile..."

A corner of the plastic tarp was lifted back, and Qile poked her head out. Looking up with trembling apprehension, she recognized Zhan Zhao, her mouth dropping open as she called out in a shaking voice, "Officer Zhan..."

Zhan Zhao helped her pull back the tarp and saw Li Xu lying unconscious beside Qile. He reached out to check her pulse and let out a sigh of relief.

He reached down and pulled her out from the filthy pile of garbage. "It's all right now... Don't be afraid..."

"Mmm..." Qile nodded, but just as she wanted to speak, she stared in sudden terror toward the mouth of the alley. "Ah!"

Zhan Zhao whipped his head around to see a figure rushing rapidly toward them from the alley entrance, clad in a black hoodie and holding a bloodstained knife.

Reaching for his gun, Zhan Zhao saw that the person was already less than ten steps away, and instinctively pulled Qile behind him.

Just then, a white figure lunged down from the low roof beside them—it was Bai Yutang.

The assailant was tackled straight to the ground by Bai Yutang, the knife in his hand dropping onto the pavement. Before he could even scramble back up, Bai Yutang grabbed him by the collar and hurled him violently against the wall. "Ugh..."

The brutal impact wrung a sharp cry of agony from him. Bai Yutang pinned him down, gripped the back of his hoodie, pulled the hood down, spun him around, and asked Qile, "Is this him?"

"It's him!" Qile nodded, pointing straight at the man. "That's him!"

Bai Yutang pulled out a pair of handcuffs, wrenched the man's hands behind his back, and cuffed him.

"Chief!" In the distance, Zhao Hu and the others had also rushed over.

Bai Yutang handed the captive over to them. "Take him back!"

Xu Qing and Zhang Long stepped forward, hoisted the unconscious Li Xu between them, and headed toward the police cruiser.

"How is Xiaoyu?!" Qile asked anxiously, tugging at Zhan Zhao.

"She's badly hurt and has already been sent to the hospital," Zhan Zhao said.

Swallowing back her tears and glaring with bitter hatred at the man being hauled away by Zhao Hu, Qile marched right up, raised her foot, and delivered a vicious kick straight between the man's legs.

"Yaaah~~~" The man let out a shrill shriek of excruciating pain, collapsing to his knees and curling up into a tight ball.

Everyone present couldn't help wincing... With that kick, that bastard's lower body was probably permanently out of commission... This girl was vicious.

Seeming to have vented some of her pent-up frustration, Qile turned back to look at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang. "Thank you both. I want to go be with Xiaoyu."

Seeing Qile in this state, the two men couldn't help feeling a pang of sorrow. It was just like this when they told her Qilei was dead—she had wanted to cry, yet fought desperately to hold it back.

"Zhao Hu, go with Qile. Keep an eye on her while Cat and I take this bastard back for interrogation!" Bai Yutang took the prisoner over from Zhao Hu.

"Got it." Zhao Hu nodded and rushed off to the hospital with Qile.

Bai Yutang shoved the captive forward. "What's your name?" he asked as they walked toward the police car.

"...Wei Yong..." the man replied with abnormal calm and placidity.

……？！…… What?

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged a look of utter astonishment. "Why did you want to kill Li Xu?!"

Wei Yong's eyes were lifeless as he flatly answered, "Because she deserves to die!"

……………………

The Shen Group's casino was named Paradise World, and its entire architectural structure resembled a luxury cruise liner. The nature of its business was euphemistically called a casino, featuring large banquet halls and hotel lodging, but its core function was, in reality, the gambling den situated right in the center.

Zhao Zhen brought Bai Chi and Ma Han onto that "ship." The scale of the casino was no less grand than a legitimate Las Vegas gambling house... Ma Han frowned, thinking to himself how on earth Shen Qian managed to evade the Commercial Crime Investigation Division while raking in dirty money like this.

Bai Chi rarely encountered such a scene and felt slightly nervous, while Zhao Zhen maintained a completely nonchalant expression.

"Chichi~~~" Two voices, identical in pitch and tone, chimed in as the Ding family twins suddenly appeared at Bai Chi's side, throwing their arms around his shoulders from left and right.

"Ah~~~ Big Brother Ding, Second Brother Ding." Bai Chi obediently greeted them.

"Be a good boy~~~" Big Ding and Little Ding hugged him tight, rubbing against him. "You came to play too? Minors aren't allowed in here, you know~~~"

"I'm... an adult!" Bai Chi retorted. Glancing left and right, he whispered to the twins, "Don't mess around with me... I, I'm on a mission."

"Oh~~~" The twins instantly perked up. "Is it that maggot surnamed Shen?? Has he been breaking the law?"

"Shh~~~" Bai Chi glared at them. "How is it you guys... where's the eldest brother?"

"The boss gets sick to his stomach just hearing that maggot's name. He didn't even look at the invitation card before dispatching the two of us here~~~" Big Ding waved a finger.

"Exactly, besides, he's got a more important mission!" Little Ding said with a hint of mystery. "He has to take care of our sister-in-law~~~"

"Sister-in-law??" Bai Chi's eyes widened in surprise. "Did Big Brother get married? I haven't heard anything about this..."

"Heh heh~~~" The twins exchanged mysterious grins.

"Let's put that aside for now!" The two of them successfully hijacked Bai Chi, steering him toward a gaming table. "Chichi, do you want to play?"

"I don't know how..." Bai Chi was about to refuse when he heard Zhaohui whisper in his ear, "If you want to investigate Shen Qian, your best bet is to attract his attention first... Since he's having his grand opening today, why don't you win enough to bankrupt him? With scum like this, the less money they have, the less evil they can do!"

"Really?" Bai Chi nodded. "Then I understand~~~"

Walking up to the roulette wheel, Bai Chi started putting his all-purpose little brain to work... calculating at lightning speed.

Zhao Zhen stared in utter shock as Bai Chi accurately hit the winning bet on the seventh consecutive spin of the wheel. Within an hour... the little guy had won a million dollars in a single hour~~~ Of course, the initial ten-thousand-dollar stake had been provided by the Ding twins, meaning Bai Chi was essentially winning money for them—yet Zhao Zhen was still thoroughly awestruck. Ever since they were kids, he had always thought Bai Chi was somewhat lacking in the brains department, right up until this very moment. But now, Zhao Zhen was certain... this brain was definitely not something an ordinary human should possess~~~ Another question popped into his head—why on earth did he ever choose to become a police officer? He'd be much better suited building nuclear missiles~~~

Unaccustomed to such rowdy hustle and bustle, Ma Han stepped out of the casino. The fresh outdoor air made him feel a lot better... He truly couldn't understand why so many people preferred abandoning the crisp outdoors to hole up in such a turbid, noisy space.

This high-end casino seemed to be packed with people everywhere, and Ma Han walked all the way into the parking garage before finally finding some quiet.

He sat down on the elevated platform at the edge of the parking lot, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.

This parking garage was a multi-level rotary structure, and he was on the top tier. Sitting here and gazing outward offered a magnificent view.

Chen Jiayi stepped out of her car, lifted her gaze, and spotted Ma Han smoking on the distant platform.

From a purely feminine perspective, this man possessed a strong sense of attraction. Chen Jiayi simply decided to stroll slowly toward him, observing him closely as she walked. Short black leather jacket, black jeans, extremely cropped, tousled hair; his build appeared lean and wiry rather than overly bulky, and his facial contours were deep-set without being abrupt... Sitting quietly there with a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Chen Jiayi felt a twinge of regret that she hadn't brought her camera along. The man before her carried a very distinctive aura; standing amidst a crowd, you'd hardly pick him out, but when he was by himself, he was terribly easy to remember...

Appraising him as she reached his side, she asked while pulling out a pack of cigarettes, "Got a light?"

Ma Han had actually noticed someone watching him long ago, but he really wasn't inclined to bother. Turning his head to see Chen Jiayi holding a cigarette, a faint flicker of surprise crossed his mind... He recognized this person. He had previously reviewed her file: Fang Jing was her manager, Chen Jiayi was a contracted actress under Bai Jingtang's company, and she seemed to be quite famous nowadays.

He pulled out his lighter, handed it over to her, and turned his gaze back to the scenery.

Chen Jiayi lit her cigarette and smiled. "Am I less interesting to look at than the scenery?"

"...?..." Ma Han frowned, looking at her in bewilderment, completely missing her implication.

Chen Jiayi was thoroughly satisfied with his reaction; that furrowed brow looked rather sexy.

"My name is Chen Jiayi," she introduced herself. "And you?"

Ma Han felt a headache coming on. He had simply wanted to find a quiet spot to lie low for a while before having to keep tabs on Shen Qian during the opening ceremony tonight~~~

"Are you mute?" Chen Jiayi asked with a smile. "A beauty takes the initiative to greet you, and you give her the cold shoulder? Aren't you a bit too cool?"

Ma Han hopped down from the high platform, reached out to retrieve his lighter from Chen Jiayi's hand, glanced around, and asked, "Where's the beauty?" With that, he offered a faint smirk and turned to walk away.

……！……

Having debuted for so long, Chen Jiayi had probably never been ignored like this before, and the guy even had the nerve to claim she wasn't a beauty?!

"Hey! Stop right there!" Just as she was about to give chase, the screech of harsh car brakes rang out, immediately followed by a woman's piercing scream.

The two of them whipped their heads around to see a white van parked right in the middle of the road, with two men wearing black ski masks dragging a screaming woman toward the vehicle.

"What do you think you're doing?! Let her go!" A man in a tailored suit lay sprawled on the ground, bleeding from the face after clearly taking a few punches just moments before.

Before Chen Jiayi could even cry out, Ma Han had already sprinted forward.

Instead of rushing directly to rescue the woman, he darted in front of the van, slammed his elbow hard against the driver's side window to deliver a brutal blow, and reached in to yank out the ignition keys.

With a casual flick, he tossed the keys over the edge of the upper deck and smiled at the two masked men. "Planning on carrying her away on your shoulders?"

The sudden turn of events caught the two men completely off guard, leaving them standing frozen in place. Ma Han tucked his hands into his pockets as he strolled back, tossing out nonchalantly, "Let her go. Security will be here in a minute at most, so you'd better run while you still can."

The men dropped the woman they were holding and bolted away.

The man who had been sitting on the ground scrambled up hastily and rushed over to support the visibly traumatized woman. "Shen Ling, are you alright?"

Ma Han froze in his tracks—Shen Ling?

As he stood there lost in intense thought, Chen Jiayi unceremoniously strode up to him, grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, pulled him close, and planted a kiss straight on his cheek. "Good grief... you are way too cool!”