S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 4: Chapter 8

The Non-Human Killer 08 - Unknown Suspect 

When Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao returned to S.C.I., the moment they stepped out of the elevator, the door to the forensics room was pushed open with a loud bang. Zhao Hu rushed out and leaned against the wall, retching violently. Right behind him, Ma Han also walked out briskly; although he wasn't as wretchedly undone as Zhao Hu, his face was still deathly pale as he quickly lit a cigarette and took a deep, harsh drag.

"What's going on with you two?" Bai Yutang looked at them, puzzled.

"Gong... Gongsun... skinned him... and he used a saw... ugh..." Before Zhao Hu could finish his sentence, he turned and bolted straight toward the restroom. Ma Han frowned and rushed after him.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao exchanged glances and walked toward Gongsun's forensics room. Carefully pushing the door open, Bai Yutang peeked in, withdrew his head, closed the door, turned around, and headed back to the office... He felt immensely grateful that they hadn't finished the soup before coming back.

Walking into the S.C.I. office, they saw Bai Chi busy at work inside Zhan Zhao's office. Various documents were scattered all over the floor, and he was rapidly flipping through them. Zhao Zhen sat lounging in a sofa, watching Bai Chi with a smile.

Morris, the man who claimed he had important intelligence to provide, was sitting on a chair in the lounge area, staring blankly toward Zhan Zhao's office with a glazed expression, lost in thought.

"Chief!" Jiang Ping looked up and greeted the two as they entered.

Morris immediately stood up from the lounge area and walked over to them. "I have something very important to tell the police."

"What is it?" Bai Yutang asked.

"I know who the killer is!" Morris answered concisely.

As soon as those words left his mouth, everyone in the office—including Bai Chi and Zhao Zhen inside Zhan Zhao's office—stared at Morris in astonishment.

"...Let's talk in my office." After exchanging a glance, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao led Morris into the captain's office.

The three of them sat down on the sofa, and Zhan Zhao spoke first: "The killer you're referring to... whose murder are they responsible for?!"

After a brief moment of silence, Morris said, "Everyone's."

Bai Yutang smiled faintly. "You mean the person who killed all of them is the exact same person?!"

"That's right!"

"Who is it?" Zhan Zhao tapped his chin lightly, looking deeply intrigued.

"I don't know," Morris replied.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao exchanged glances and smiled. "Although this isn't an interrogation room, this is still a formal police inquiry. Isn't Mr. Morris taking this joke a bit too far?!"

"Uh... no," Morris waved his hands hastily. "I didn't mean to mess with you. I just mean that I know such a person exists, but I don't know his specific name."

"Then please describe the situation you understand in detail," Zhan Zhao said.

"First of all, I'd like everyone to listen to a cassette tape." Morris pulled a compact cassette tape from his jacket pocket. "This is a voice message recording from Tanaka's studio phone."

Bai Yutang frowned slightly. "We sent people to search Tanaka's studio long ago, and we didn't find any recorded messages."

"Heh..." Morris smiled and shook his head. "The studio you went to was merely a gimmick of Tanaka's used for showmanship. His real studio isn't there! Only I know where it is."

Zhan Zhao took the cassette tape, inserted it into the telephone console, and asked, "Why didn't you tell the police where his real studio was in the first place?!"

Morris shook his head with a troubled expression. "This was to protect Tanaka's reputation. His working methods were somewhat extreme, and he had rather morbid tastes. If it were made public, it would certainly ruin his reputation... But," Morris paused here, looking up at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, "after I listened to this tape, I felt something was amiss, so I asked Zhen to bring me here."

Zhan Zhao pressed the play button on the phone. First came a recording of Tanaka's voice: "I'm not home right now. Please leave a message after the beep, and I will get back to you as soon as possible." Immediately following was a single "beep" prompt, and then nearly three or four seconds of silence—though it was silent, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang could still hear faint breathing, as if the person holding the receiver on the other end was struggling to calm their emotions... More eerie still was that, despite being just a few simple breaths, it sounded rather terrifying.

When the breathing stopped, an electronic voice processed through a voice modulator said: "You people have gone too far and have already violated the sacredness of Tusi... You will suffer divine retribution." Right as the voice finished speaking, a click sounded, as though someone had picked up the phone. Then, Tanaka's terrified voice came through: "Spare me... I didn't mean to, spare me..." But from the opposite end, only a busy beep-beep tone replied.

That single dialogue was the entirety of the cassette tape. Zhan Zhao turned off the phone, took out the cassette tape, and placed it inside an evidence bag.

Bai Yutang fell silent in deep thought for a moment before asking Morris, "Do you think the person who made this phone call killed Tanaka and the others?"

"That's right!" Morris nodded.

"What is the reason that makes you suspicious?" Zhan Zhao looked at him. "Surely it's not just because of this tape?!"

After another prolonged silence, Morris sighed and said, "In fact, there really is such a person... Tanaka simply called him Tusi."

"Tusi?" Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao exchanged glances. "What kind of person is that? Have you ever seen him?"

Shaking his head, Morris said, "I only heard Tanaka mention him frequently."

Seeming to recall past experiences, Morris slowly began to recount: "Tanaka and I met during a travel photography trip. I excel at landscape photography, while Tanaka is skilled at portrait photography... Our interests were similar, and our skills complemented each other nicely, so we planned to collaborate on a series of photos. During our cooperation, I discovered a secret of Tanaka's... He was exceptionally good at capturing terrified expressions in people... Actually, photography technique is secondary; the key is how to make models display that kind of extreme, abnormal terror.

"In the beginning, he tried many methods—the ones I told you about—but the results were unsatisfactory, until he met a certain person..."

Morris paused, took a sip of water to calm himself slightly, and continued: "That person was called Tusi. He always communicated with Tanaka over the phone. Whenever Tanaka selected a model, he would transmit the relevant information of that model to him. Through casting a curse upon the models... he could make them experience hallucinations and reveal expressions of absolute terror—because of this, Tanaka's photographic works were so vivid and lifelike!"

"Using a curse to make people display terrified expressions?" Bai Yutang frowned. "That sounds rather absurd."

"It is indeed very strange!" Morris's emotions stirred slightly. "I didn't believe it at first either, but later on, he let me experience it firsthand!"

"Firsthand?" Zhan Zhao asked with keen interest. "You felt fear?!"

Morris stated, "It made one's scalp tingle to the bone, but afterward I couldn't remember what exactly I was afraid of... However, that feeling of dread remained, and I've never been able to forget it!"

"Is Tusi the person who made the phone call?" Bai Yutang asked. "Can you be certain?"

Morris nodded, then beat his head in frustration and said, "When it all boils down... I was actually the one who got Tanaka killed."

"...What?!" Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao stared at Morris in shock. "What do you mean by that?!"

"It's just that I thought this Tusi civilization was too fascinating... and incited Tanaka to photograph things related to the Tusi..." Morris let out a long sigh. "If he hadn't recklessly meddled with this taboo... he wouldn't have suffered divine retribution!!"

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao listened quietly as Morris finished speaking. After exchanging glances, they stood up and escorted Morris out.

Before heading out the door, Morris repeatedly urged, "Officers, you must believe in the existence of curses... This Tusi must be the killer!"

"We will investigate!" Bai Yutang nodded. "Thank you for providing this information... Also, I'd like to send people to search Tanaka's private studio. Can you tell us the address?!"

"Yes, yes!" Morris nodded eagerly. "I can take you there right now!"

Bai Yutang instructed Ma Han and Zhao Hu to go along with Morris, and then returned to his office with Zhan Zhao.

Ma Han and Zhao Hu went to get the car first. Meanwhile, in the hallway outside the office, Morris found Zhao Zhen and Bai Chi, who were currently at a standstill:

Zhao Zhen pulled on Bai Chi's arm: "I'll buy pork ribs on the way back. Come over for dinner."

Bai Chi glared at him: "What's the use of you buying pork ribs if I still have to cook them? I'm not going!"

"Why won't you?!" Zhao Zhen smiled. "Didn't we live together just fine before!"

"That was because your hand was injured!" Bai Chi continued to glare. "I had no choice back then! I still haven't made up with you!!"

"Zhen..." Morris spoke up, interrupting their exchange. He glanced at Bai Chi and then looked back at Zhao Zhen: "Let's go."

"You go on ahead." Zhao Zhen waved a hand at him. "I'll wait for him to finish work and leave together."

"Who wants you to wait?!" Bai Chi yanked his sleeve back. "I'm going home, I'm not going to your place!"

"Then fine, I'll go home with you, and Lisbon is coming too!"

"Then I'll be leaving first..." Interrupting their conversation once more, Morris stepped forward a few steps, pulled Zhao Zhen close, and kissed him on the cheek: "I'll look for you later." With that, he turned and left.

Zhao Zhen didn't seem to mind at all and resumed pestering Bai Chi: "I want to drink winter melon and pork rib soup."

Bai Chi watched Morris's receding figure, a sudden trace of oddness welling up in his heart... The way Morris had stared at Zhao Zhen just now, and the way he had looked at him... Turning back to look at Zhao Zhen, Bai Chi's face flushed slightly: "He... why did he just kiss you?"

Zhao Zhen was startled for a second before bursting into laughter. "Are you jealous?"

Bai Chi glared at him: "Speak... speak seriously!"

Zhao Zhen shrugged. "French people greet each other like that."

Bai Chi pouted. "He is, but you aren't..."

"I grew up in France," Zhao Zhen amusedly ruffled Bai Chi's hair. "I've known Morris since my time in France, too."

"I always feel..." Bai Chi thought for a moment, "he's a bit strange..."

Zhao Zhen stared at him for a long while before suddenly pulling him into an embrace. "Little thing, you're so adorable!"

"Ah~~~" Bai Chi let out a miserable shriek, flushed bright red, and shoved Zhao Zhen away. "If... if you dare pull anything like that again, I'll... I'll beat you up!"

Zhao Zhen refused to let him go: "I've been targeted by a dangerous person, how can you leave me to fend for myself... You're a police officer... How about this, starting from now, you protect my safety 24 hours a day..."

Struggling with all his might, Bai Chi broke free and bolted, running straight into Zhan Zhao's office, slamming the door shut, and burying himself in the piles of books and newspapers. After chuckling in the hallway for a moment, Zhao Zhen reined in his smile, frowned in deep thought, and strode over to the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the corridor to look down.

Downstairs, Morris had exited the police station and seemed to be waiting for Ma Han and Zhao Hu's car. He was standing right next to Bai Chi's car, staring intently down at that cute yellow Volkswagen Beetle.

Because it was too far away, it was impossible to see the expression on Morris's face, but...

Retreating back into the hallway, Zhao Zhen furrowed his brow even deeper, hurried into the restroom, cupped some water in his hands, and washed his face...

Inside Bai Yutang's office, Zhan Zhao was playing with a Rubik's cube on his desk.

"Well, Cat'er, we could say we have a suspect now!" Bai Yutang smiled. "What's your expert opinion? Is this Morris telling the truth or just spinning tales?!"

Zhan Zhao fell silent for a moment, then gave a cold laugh. "Worse than spinning tales..." He put the Rubik's cube down and looked at Bai Yutang. "What he did was entirely superfluous!"

At that moment, Zhang Long and Wang Chao returned.

Bai Yutang opened the office door and walked out. "How did it go?"

The two of them walked in looking dejected. Zhang Long shook his head. "That woman's name is Zhou Lu. She happened to go to Akasha for fortune-telling... After waking up in the hospital, she claims she doesn't remember a thing!" Catching his breath, he continued, "That Akasha is even more bizarre. She almost played away her own life and is still in there shouting about curses... I really give up on her."

"And what about Qu Yanming?" Bai Yutang pressed.

Wang Chao shrugged. "That kid isn't saying a single word."

"Not a word?" Zhan Zhao looked at Bai Yutang.

"Come to think of it, that kid is a tough nut to crack," Wang Chao added. "Extracting the bullet, resetting his shoulder... he didn't even let out a single groan."

"Did you bring him back?" Bai Yutang asked. Seeing Wang Chao nod, he said to Zhan Zhao, "Let's go, Cat'er, let's go interrogate him..."

"I don't think that will be necessary..." Just as Bai Yutang's words finished trailing off, the door to S.C.I. was pushed open as two people walked in.

Walking in front was Shang Luo, followed by a man in his thirties carrying a briefcase. Everyone in S.C.I. frowned the moment they saw them—the man accompanying Shang Luo was well known to every police officer: his name was Hu Lie, a star defense lawyer with an exceptionally high win rate. Notorious for being completely unscrupulous and doing whatever it took to win a case, he was the go-to legal counsel for many powerful elites.

Hu Lie was an old acquaintance of Bai Yutang and the others. He strolled up with practiced ease and smiled: "I am Qu Yanming's lawyer, and I request his release on bail."

Bai Yutang also smiled: "He committed armed assault, was caught red-handed at the scene with stolen evidence, and is implicated in multiple murders. Why would we release him?"

"Whether he did it or not is yet to be determined," Hu Lie said with a hint of smugness. "His actions might have been beyond the control of his conscious mind, and you don't have definitive proof linking him to the other cases either... Isn't your police department currently agonizing over whether these are cursed murders?"

"Heh..." Zhan Zhao couldn't help laughing. "Claiming he has dissociative identity disorder is still more convincing than a curse! If you want to prove he's mentally unstable, bring forth professional expert testimony. However, he looked plenty lucid to me."

"Oh~~" Hu Lie nodded at Zhan Zhao. "Dr. Zhan is quite right. Just as curses are certainly unscientific, the police department likewise has no evidence to prove that all of this wasn't caused by a curse... Since everything remains in question, I demand to take my client for a professional mental evaluation. If you wish to detain him, you must present my client's motive and evidence related to the case, otherwise I will apply for bail."

Hearing this, the faces of everyone in S.C.I. darkened. Before anyone could speak, a slow, unhurried voice sounded from the doorway: "If you want evidence, I can give it to you." Pushing the door open and walking in was Gongsun, still wearing his white lab coat.

Everyone's gaze focused on him. Gongsun walked forward carrying a thick stack of autopsy reports and handed them to Bai Yutang: "The autopsy results for Carlos, Tanaka, and Mo Ning are all out. They were all murdered by human hands; not a single one was caused by a curse. Qu Yanming is entirely culpable of murdering these people, and we have every right to detain him for investigation."

Zhan Zhao looked at Hu Lie and asked, "Attorney Hu, is a forensic autopsy report scientific enough for you?!"

Hu Lie glanced back at Shang Luo. Shang Luo's face remained expressionless as he turned to ask Gongsun: "Can you give me a detailed explanation?!"

Gongsun looked at him coldly and replied with a humorless smile: "I have no obligation to report to you. If you want to know, go home and watch television or wait for the police press conference." With that, he turned and walked away. Reaching the door, he paused to add, "Oh, right, if you want to collect that box-corpse artifact, you can safely display it at home, because there's no such thing as a curse whatsoever... If you don't dare keep it, remember to sell it to me. I'm quite interested." Having said that, he closed the door and left.

Bai Yutang closed the autopsy report, smiled at Shang Luo and Hu Lie, and said, "Gentlemen... the door is right there. We won't see you out..."