S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 4: Chapter 16
The Non-Human Killer 16 - Step by Step
"What is this?!" Zhan Zhao stared at the strange clip Bai Yutang was fastening onto his tie.
"It's a tie clip." Bai Yutang arched an eyebrow and straightened Zhan Zhao's jacket. "Mousie, how are you looking so thin lately? Even with a bulletproof vest on, you still look this slender?!"
"Mn~~~ I weighed myself yesterday, I'm three pounds lighter." Zhan Zhao glared resentfully at the tie clip. "Clips are such an eyesore!!!"
"This is already the best-looking one. It's got a micro-camera and a wire built right into it!" Bai Yutang tucked the tie into his jacket. "Have you been working too hard lately?"
"Not at all~~~" Zhan Zhao shook his head. "It's not like this is our first case..."
"Haven't you added a new form of physical labor to your routine recently compared to before?" Bai Yutang patted Zhan Zhao's lower back with a smile...
"You dead rat!!" Zhan Zhao raised his foot to stomp down hard. "It's mostly because the food hasn't been great lately! Tonight I'm having sweet and sour pork ribs!"
Bai Yutang fastened a watch onto his wrist. "There's a locator built into this watch, and pressing the button on the side will send out an alarm that I can receive on my end. Press it if anything happens!"
"Mn... what about those sweet and sour pork ribs..." Zhan Zhao checked himself in the mirror and confirmed everything looked fine.
"I'll make them for you when we get home." Bai Yutang shoved the micro Remington pistol into the holster strapped to Zhan Zhao's lower leg. "If Shang Luo dares to pull anything on you, just give him a full magazine!"
"Is that something a police officer is supposed to say?!" Zhan Zhao glared at him, then added, "When I press the watch to call you, you'd better come and beat him until his teeth are scattered all over the floor!"
"Deal! That's a plan!" Bai Yutang spun Zhan Zhao around twice, checked him over one last time to make sure there were no oversights, and finally said, "Mousie! Be careful!"
"Don't worry!" Zhan Zhao smiled with utter confidence.
"Big Bro!" Bai Chi poked his head in from the doorway, arms full of surveillance equipment. "Everything's ready." Catching sight of Bai Yutang's hands resting on either side of Zhan Zhao's arms, he blushed and instantly pulled his head back out. "I... I'll wait in the car..." With that, he scurried away in a rush.
The two of them in the locker room exchanged glances, completely baffled as to what Bai Chi was blushing about~~~~
After giving a few brief words of admonition and a final "be careful with everything," Bao Zheng saw the two of them out the door.
The operation was extremely tight. Zhan Zhao headed to the venue alone, while Bai Yutang and Bai Chi followed closely in one car, with Ma Han and Zhao Hu trailing behind in another to stand by in the shadows.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Zhan Zhao didn't ride along in Bai Yutang's vehicle, opting for a taxi instead.
The car arrived smoothly at the entrance of the International Hotel. Zhan Zhao stepped out and, guided by an usherette, walked into the elevator together.
Bai Chi opened his laptop and connected to the camera and microphone embedded in Zhan Zhao's tie clip. All signals were coming in clear, prompting him to praise, "Jiang Ping is truly amazing, managing to modify something like this and make it wireless and anti-interference."
Putting on his headphones, Bai Yutang listened as Zhan Zhao politely asked the usherette, "Is it the grand hall on the 13th floor?"
"Ah, yes." The usherette had spent the day greeting nothing but old men and middle-aged uncles, so when a young, handsome, and refined man like Zhan Zhao finally showed up, she was completely mesmerized. Coupled with his cheerful, friendly tone as he chatted with her, she instantly answered with overflowing enthusiasm.
The elevator stopped at the 13th floor in no time. After Zhan Zhao politely thanked the usherette, he stepped out of the elevator and walked inward.
Bai Yutang noticed the usherette looking utterly dazed, her voice sounding quite flustered over the feed, and ground his teeth—That bee-attracting, butterfly-luring cat!
Sitting right beside him, Bai Chi caught the mutterings under Bai Yutang's breath and turned bright red all over again.
Bai Yutang, however, paid it no mind, focusing intently on the screen to watch Zhan Zhao's next moves.
This was a small banquet hall holding roughly sixty or seventy people. Upon entering, Zhan Zhao naturally swept his gaze around the room, giving Bai Yutang and the others a detailed grasp of the venue's environment, general crowd flow, and window angles.
Zhan Zhao's arrival immediately drew the attention of quite a few people. In the psychological community—particularly within criminal psychology—Zhan Zhao held a remarkably prominent status. However, since he rarely attended psychological association events, most people had long heard of his reputation without ever getting to meet him in person. Rumor had it that he was exceptionally handsome, remarkably young, and gentle in demeanor... a rare prodigy in the field of psychology. Seeing him in the flesh today, he truly lived up to the legend...
"Ah, Dr. Zhan!" Lu Wen, the president of the psychological association, hurried over to greet him, shaking Zhan Zhao's hand with great warmth. "Welcome, welcome! I am so thrilled that you could make it tonight." With that, he turned around to introduce him to the crowd. "Everyone, this is the star of tonight's event, Dr. Zhan Zhao!"
Facing the probing gazes and words of praise, Zhan Zhao remained completely composed—or rather, he simply ignored them. With a gentlemanly smile, he acknowledged the crowd while scanning the room for any sign of Shang Luo... To his surprise, there was no trace of him~~~~
Zhan Zhao felt a twinge of puzzlement. Could he not be coming after all? If so, that really would throw a wrench in their plans.
Bai Yutang and Bai Chi were staring at the screen, anxious as well. Zhan Zhao was too busy fending off congratulatory guests and publishers to break away and search for Shang Luo.
"Bro, do you think Shang Luo found out you were going today, so he decided to avoid coming?" Bai Chi asked.
"..." Bai Yutang frowned. "Maybe... But he doesn't seem like the low-key type. The kid dared to openly challenge the police in the news; logically speaking, he wouldn't miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this. He should definitely show up!"
Just then, Zhan Zhao slipped away from the boisterous crowd, asked a waiter for a glass of champagne, and began walking toward the window area. Up on the stage, the president of the psychological association was giving a speech. Since this was a banquet-style awards ceremony, the atmosphere was quite relaxed. Zhan Zhao walked over to a well-ventilated spot by the window. He had already checked the angles from there; it offered a panoramic view of the entire room. Bai Yutang and Bai Chi eagerly scrutinized every single guest in attendance... Still no sign of Shang Luo, making them shake their heads in disappointment.
Feeling somewhat deflated, Zhan Zhao turned around, intending to leave, when someone walking past him bumped right into his shoulder, splashing a mouthful of champagne straight across his chest...
"Ah! I'm so sorry... I wasn't looking... My apologies, apologies!"
Zhan Zhao was startled by the sudden collision, instantly worrying whether the micro-machinery inside his tie clip might have been damaged by the champagne splashing directly onto it. But the moment he heard the voice, he froze. Zhan Zhao quickly straightened up, and on the screen, Bai Yutang and Bai Chi both watched as the person standing right before Zhan Zhao was revealed to be none other than Shang Luo.
"Oh my, if it isn't Dr. Zhan, what a coincidence!" Shang Luo said as he pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket to help Zhan Zhao wipe the wine stains off his tie.
"It's nothing," Zhan Zhao said smoothly while cleverly taking the handkerchief from Shang Luo's hand to dab at his own jacket and tie, thinking to himself that anything built by Jiang Ping would certainly hold up performance-wise...
"That's a very unique tie clip." Shang Luo suddenly remarked.
Zhan Zhao smiled. "Yeah... a gift from someone."
"A sweetheart?" Shang Luo asked with a smile. "Judging by that fond look on your face?"
"Mhm~~~" Zhan Zhao nodded openly. "My prospective wife, though she doesn't have much of an aesthetic sense~~~"
Bai Yutang heard the laughter of Ma Han and Zhao Hu coming through the intercom from the other car, grinding his teeth in frustration as he thought—You dead cat, you still don't miss a chance to take advantage of me with your words even now~~ So infuriating!
Meanwhile, Bai Chi's already flushed face grew a shade redder. He lowered his gaze to focus intently on the screen, his heart pounding away...
Noticing his awkward tension, Bai Yutang asked, "Bai Chi, are you feeling hot? You're sweating all over!"
"Huh?" Bai Chi blinked, hurriedly looking back down at the screen. "Um... it's really cold today... No, I mean it's not hot today... It's neither hot nor cold..."
In the end, Bai Yutang patted the stammering Bai Chi, who was biting his lower lip and staring blankly. "Never mind, I was just asking, you don't need to answer so seriously..."
After a long pause, Bai Chi let out a soft "Mn~~~".
Over the comms, Ma Han and Zhao Hu burst into another round of laughter~~~ Pushing Bai Yutang's buttons to the limit!!
"I'm truly sorry..." Shang Luo stared at the wine stain on Zhan Zhao's tie, looking apologetic. "Let me accompany you to the restroom to clean it up..."
Zhan Zhao nodded. "Alright."
With that, the two of them left the main hall and headed toward the restrooms.
Bai Yutang furrowed his brow, and Bai Chi grew tense as well. "Um, Shang Luo seemed to deliberately bump into him... Is it really okay to just follow him like that?"
"Don't worry..." Bai Yutang said aloud, "That cat is crafty as they come; nothing's going to happen to him." But his frown only deepened...
Shang Luo led Zhan Zhao out of the hall and toward the restrooms, casually striking up a conversation as if broaching any ordinary topic: "By the way, how is the case coming along?"
Zhan Zhao replied with equal nonchalance: "You mean the trunk corpse case?"
"That's right. Keeping something like that in your home is bound to feel a bit chilling..." Shang Luo chuckled a few times. "I really hope the truth comes to light soon."
"We'll do our utmost to crack the case," Zhan Zhao answered with a smile, watching as Shang Luo stepped forward to push open the restroom door for him. Zhan Zhao nodded politely and walked inside.
Standing before the sink, Zhan Zhao dampened the handkerchief in the water and asked Shang Luo, "How did a gentleman like Mr. Shang end up taking an interest in collecting things like trunk corpses?"
"Oh... I don't collect them out of personal hobby," Shang Luo shrugged helplessly. "I generally dabble in the antique trade, collecting whatever holds collection value. That trunk corpse has huge potential for appreciation, so I bought it."
"Is that so..." Zhan Zhao lowered his head, fished out his tie, and began wiping the wine stains with the damp handkerchief... As the camera angle shifted, Bai Yutang watched the faces of Zhan Zhao and Shang Luo on the screen. Zhan Zhao was focused on wiping his tie, while Shang Luo was staring intently right at Zhan Zhao. From that angle, anyone could guess he was gazing at the neck region...
Bai Chi could practically feel the atmospheric pressure above Bai Yutang's head turning increasingly gloomy, the air pressure plunging lower and lower~~~
"Is Dr. Zhan usually interested in collections?" Shang Luo asked.
"I am..." Zhan Zhao replied. "I like collecting artifacts related to indigenous civilizations, preferably those tied to mystical cultures."
"Well, I happen to have a few pieces in my collection at home that might suit your tastes." Shang Luo reached out to take the handkerchief from Zhan Zhao's hand, rinsed it in the water, and stepped closer to take over cleaning the tie for him. "Interested in coming over to take a look?"
"After the banquet?" A flicker of interest crossed Zhan Zhao's eyes. "What kind of pieces do you have?"
"Well... to be honest, my collection focuses primarily on human remains, mostly specialized corpses from various indigenous burial rites, along with some accessories and tribal totems."
"I'm interested!" Zhan Zhao appeared quite delighted. "Then let's head over right after the awards ceremony... Oh, hope I won't be intruding?"
"Not at all... I live alone anyway." Shang Luo tossed the damp handkerchief into the trash can, tucked the cleaned tie back inside Zhan Zhao's suit jacket, and straightened his clothes as he asked, "Though what about you? If you go back that late, won't that tasteless sweetheart of yours get upset?!"
Zhan Zhao smiled faintly. "It's fine... he's busy."
"Busy?" Shang Luo tossed the damp wipe into the bin. "Still busy this late at night?"
"Mn..." Zhan Zhao turned on the faucet to rinse his hands, chuckling, "He has to make sweet and sour pork ribs!"
Right beside him, Bai Yutang heard a loud gurgle from the back of Bai Chi's throat, looking like he was suffering through a mighty struggle between laughing and holding it in.
Over the radio, Ma Han and Zhao Hu chimed in: "Boss, we'd like to drop in for a free meal later~~~"
Bai Yutang gritted his teeth and sneered: "Sure! Which one of you two is making the ribs?!"
..........The voices on the other end instantly fell dead silent~~~~
Zhan Zhao and Shang Luo emerged from the restroom and proceeded through a brief awards ceremony back in the hall. Zhan Zhao delivered a short, poised speech, successfully charming the entire room of guests into a daze with his effortless elegance and charisma before leaving the venue alongside Shang Luo and stepping into the elevator.
"My car is down in the basement." Shang Luo pressed the button for Basement Level 1, but before he could say another word, he saw Zhan Zhao reach out and press the button for the 1st floor instead, saying, "I'll wait for you outside the main lobby... I want to catch some fresh air, it's really stuffy inside... By the way, are we heading in the same direction?"
"No problem..." Shang Luo nodded. "I don't live far, right along Riverside..."
Outside the building, Bai Yutang let out a chuckle. "That crafty cat, playing it so smart~~~" With that, he picked up the intercom and announced: "Ribs, ribs, the cat has deployed, the cat has deployed. Keep your eyes glued to the feed unless you want to be tossed in a stew."
..................After a long pause, Ma Han and Zhao Hu's voice came back over the line—"Ribs received~~~"