S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 5: Chapter 11

The Doppelganger Killer 11 - Luo Wen's Entrustment

After the two of them emerged from the archives room, Bai Yutang tracked down Xu Qing and asked him to contact Han Zhang to dig into Luo Wen's background.

Checking the time, it was already two in the morning. Because far too many things had happened today and too many questions lingered in their minds, neither of them felt even a shred of sleepiness.

"Cat, fancy going out for a midnight snack?" Bai Yutang grabbed his jacket. "I'm starving."

"Oh, I'm coming! I'm starving too." Zhan Zhao dropped his files and chased right after Bai Yutang out of the office.

Once downstairs, the two didn't take a car, choosing instead to stroll along leisurely on foot.

"Bai, where do you want to go?" Zhan Zhao asked, puzzled, when he noticed Bai Yutang walking past all the usual spots they frequented without showing any intention of stopping.

"Cat, how about we go to the night market and eat at a street stall?"

"Ohh~~~ You want to go rummaging through those crowds of punks to fish for information, huh?" Zhan Zhao took two steps forward and threw an arm around Bai Yutang's shoulder. "What is it you're hoping to find out?"

Bai Yutang glanced at the paw resting on his shoulder. "Luo Wen was mixed up in that district for so many years. It's impossible for him not to have a few friends there, right?"

"True, and with so many gang bosses dying off recently, there are bound to be plenty of people talking about it." Zhan Zhao nodded. Seeing the bustling night market just ahead, he made to charge forward, only to be yanked back by the collar by Bai Yutang. "Hold on, you can't go looking like that."

Zhan Zhao looked confused. "What's wrong with how I look?"

"Heh..." Bai Yutang chuckled, reached out to untie Zhan Zhao's tie, stuffed it into his pocket, unbuttoned his shirt collar, loosened his suit buttons, and finally ruffled his hair with a hand. "There, that's better."

Zhan Zhao inspected himself, then looked up with a cheeky grin to fixate on Bai Yutang's hair.

"What are you trying to do?" Bai Yutang felt his scalp tingle under that gaze and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "There's nothing wrong with how I look."

"Your hair~~~" Zhan Zhao reached out a paw, itching to grab Bai Yutang's hair. "It's not decadent enough!"

Bai Yutang hurriedly dodged out of the way and bolted, and just like that, the two of them—one running, one chasing—charged right into the night market.

As far as night markets went, two or three in the morning was prime business hours. The people browsing weren't all so-called punks; the vast majority were nearby couples or students sneaking out of school, boys and girls alike. Young people simply had too much surplus energy, and in their eyes, wasting prime time on sleeping was a downright shame.

Once inside the night market, the two realized that the probability of actually finding clues about Luo Wen here was practically zero. With stalls and people as far as the eye could see, where on earth were they supposed to look?!

After wandering around for half an hour, apart from ending up holding two large bags of food bought by Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang had gained zero information and his stomach was still empty. For someone with severe cleanliness habits, walking and eating at the same time was practically torture—he would've preferred to just take a bullet instead.

Meanwhile, Zhan Zhao was currently locked in combat with a box of takoyaki, eating with relish and even remembering to remind Bai Yutang that his OCD and germophobia could totally be cured through hypnotherapy.

After walking a few more steps, Bai Yutang abruptly stopped in his tracks, staring at a shop nearby. Zhan Zhao followed his line of sight and instantly understood what he was looking at. It was a plush toy shop filled with stuffed dolls of every color, and among them was a uniquely styled plush bear—the exact same one they had seen earlier in Luo Yang's house.

Bai Yutang seemed somewhat hesitant.

"There's a lead." Zhan Zhao lifted his foot, intending to walk right in, but Bai Yutang grabbed him back. "Cat, what if someone else bought it for him?"

Zhan Zhao smiled slightly. "This bear doesn't look all that high-end. All the other, much nicer toys were left on the floor by him, and only that bear was on his bed. Kids usually keep the most important toy on their bed; the ones they sleep hugging are always the ones given by the person they love the most."

Upon entering the shop, a young clerk hurried over, looked Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang up and down, and asked, "What are you looking to buy?"

Instead of answering, Zhan Zhao walked straight over and plucked the bear off the shelf. "This is the same as Yangyang's old one. We finally found it."

Bai Yutang said to the clerk, "How much? Help me wrap it up, I'm giving it to a friend."

"Got it." The clerk took the bear, slipped it into a plastic bag, and asked, "Is this kind of bag okay? How old is your friend?"

"Seven or eight years old, a boy." Zhan Zhao looked at the bag. It was a type of cellophane printed with colorful cartoon patterns, and nearby sat a stack of others with different designs. He asked Bai Yutang with some difficulty, "What kind of paper was the original one wrapped in again?"

Bai Yutang shook his head. "Don't remember."

"You guys bought one before?" the clerk asked tentatively.

"A friend bought one before... but he's gone now." Zhan Zhao said it with a casual yet somewhat forlorn tone. "This one is for his son. The original one got lost."

"That... is your Yangyang named Luo Yang by any chance?" The clerk hesitated for a moment before asking.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged glances, surprise flashing across both their faces simultaneously. "You know him?"

Seeing the two of them move in perfect unison, the clerk laughed and nodded.

"Don't tell me the original one was bought at your shop too?" Bai Yutang asked.

"Mm... Brother Wen bought it for his son." The clerk nodded, looking somewhat saddened, and pulled out a sheet of yellow cellophane patterned with little ducks to wrap it in. "It was this one."

"You knew Luo Wen?" Zhan Zhao asked, and just as he wanted to continue, he heard the clerk ask, "You two are cops, aren't you?"

Both of them froze simultaneously, momentarily not knowing how to react.

The clerk laughed. "Brother Wen taught me how to spot a cop." With that, she looked up at the two of them. "He said if someone talks to you while constantly observing your expressions, they're either trying to hit on you or they're a cop."

"Cough, cough~~~" Bai Yutang let out a cough, suppressed a smile, and turned his head to look outside, while Zhan Zhao's face flushed red. As a master psychologist, he had actually been seen right through by a seventeen or eighteen-year-old clerk—what a blow to his dignity.

Noticing their awkwardness, the clerk handed the wrapped bear to Zhan Zhao. "My name is Xi, and I'm very close with Brother Wen. Are you guys investigating him?"

"He's... already dead." Bai Yutang fell silent for a moment before telling Xi, "We're investigating who killed him."

Upon hearing this, Xi was stunned for a moment before nodding. "Go ahead and ask. As long as it helps avenge him, I'll tell you anything."

"You were friends with him?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Mm." Xi nodded. "Brother Wen really loved his son and always came by to buy little trinkets. He was different from the people around here."

"Different how?" Zhan Zhao asked with curiosity.

"Anyway, just looking at him once made you feel he was different." Xi smiled. "Just like you guys... you can tell at a glance that you aren't the same kind of people as them."

"Do you know who Luo Yang's mother is?" Bai Yutang asked her.

"Yangyang isn't Brother Wen's biological son." Xi blinked and said, "Brother Wen found him abandoned and raised him up to this size."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged a knowing look—as expected.

"How much do you know about Luo Wen's death?"

Xi bit her lower lip and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I honestly don't know the specifics, but Brother Wen came to my place before he died. He gave me something, telling me to hand it over if I ever met a trustworthy, good police officer—on the condition that they agreed to one term."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were greatly surprised; tonight's midnight snack run was turning out to be an incredible jackpot. They hurriedly asked, "Agree to what condition?"

Xi smiled. "Adopt Yangyang and raise him well."

As soon as those words left her mouth, both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang froze. They stared at each other once more, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"When Brother Wen gave me that thing..." Xi continued before either of them could speak, "he knew he might not have much time left, and the thing he worried about most was Yangyang. The stuff on this thumb drive is a massive secret, and it can also protect Yangyang's life."

"I agree." Zhan Zhao spoke up first.

"Cat?" Bai Yutang couldn't help but tug at his sleeve. "This isn't a joke."

"What's the big deal?" Zhan Zhao asked. "Besides, we have a house and money, raising a kid isn't that much work. He's already so big, we don't even need to breastfeed him."

Bai Yutang pulled him aside. "He's a child, not a cat or a dog. You have to take responsibility..." He stopped abruptly mid-sentence, stared at Zhan Zhao for a moment, and asked, "What did you just say?"

Zhan Zhao blinked. "He's already so big, we don't even need to breastfeed him."

"No..." Bai Yutang waved a hand. "The part before that."

"Raising a kid isn't that much work." Zhan Zhao muttered, his face involuntarily turning a bit red.

Bai Yutang curved his lips into a smile. "And the part before that?"

...Pursing his lips and glaring at him, Zhan Zhao muttered anyway, "We have a house and money."

"'We'?" Bai Yutang repeated.

"Mm~~~" Zhan Zhao nodded. "We." Then he added, "Luo Yang is a smart kid, and he has certain psychological issues that need treatment. When we're busy, we can just leave him with Mom and Dad... They already love kids anyway..."

Bai Yutang nodded to cut him off, a smile on his face. "Alright, we'll raise him!" Turning back around, Bai Yutang pulled out his credentials and showed them to Xi. "We agree to adopt him and raise him to adulthood."

Xi took Bai Yutang's credentials, glanced at them, handed them back, walked over to pull down the rolling shutter of the shop, and motioned for the two of them to follow her into the back room.

The room behind the wall was clearly Xi's bedroom, and the furnishings inside were very simple—just a bed, a computer, and a few cabinets.

Xi pulled a box out of her wardrobe and said, "This is what Brother Wen gave me. Inside is also Luo Yang's adoption paperwork; he had already gotten everything prepared."

Bai Yutang took the box, opened it, and saw a folded document inside along with a USB flash drive.

"Have you watched it?" Bai Yutang took out the drive and asked.

Xi shook her head. "I didn't dare watch it, but right now, I really want to."

"Why do you want to watch it now?" Zhan Zhao was puzzled, finding this young woman's psychological shifts quite fascinating.

"I didn't dare look before because I was afraid of finding out who harmed Brother Wen while lacking the ability to help him get revenge." With that, she looked at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang. "Now I know there are people capable of avenging him, so I want to see who the person that harmed him actually is."

Hearing Xi's words, the two exchanged a smile. This girl was truly extraordinary. After turning on her computer, Bai Yutang plugged in the flash drive, revealing a single video file inside.

Clicking play—a nighttime scene appeared on the screen, looking like a dimly lit alley.

The video had no sound. After a moment, a person appeared in the frame, very young and dressed in exaggerated clothing, looking like a punk.

He staggered into the middle of the frame and suddenly stopped, as if he had spotted something. Then, his mouth moved as if speaking—though what he was saying was inaudible. Mid-sentence, an expression of sheer terror suddenly crossed the punk's face, and he took a step backward. In the next instant, a jolt—a gunshot struck his forehead, and he crashed backward onto the ground.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang's eyes widened. This method—it was the Midnight Punisher!

Shortly after, another figure stepped into the frame, holding a gun. He walked right up to the punk's corpse and looked down at it.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both stared with wide eyes. This person—they knew him!

That individual kicked the corpse a few times, then threw his head back and burst into loud laughter. Although there was no audio, the distorted, twisted face still made it clear just how happy his laughter was.

As Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao stared at the person in the video, a chill ran down their spines. If not for the identical appearance and build, they hardly would have recognized him, but there was zero chance they could mistake this face—it was Lan Chenglin!

Stepping outside, hugging the bear Xi had given them, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang headed back toward the police station. Bai Yutang called Bao Zheng, telling him it was an absolute emergency and urging him to hurry back to the station.

Rushing back into the headquarters, the two bypassed the SI department entirely and barged straight into Bao Zheng's office.

Having just rushed over from the dorms, Bao Zheng found himself looking at one clutching a bear and the other holding a bag of takeout food, leaving him torn between laughter and tears. "Go on a date or something?"

The two looked at each other, their faces instantly turning crimson red.

Bao Zheng shut the office door. "What's this huge emergency? Did you come to request marriage leave?"

"Pfft..." Bai Yutang had been thirsty from running and had just taken a gulp of water, but caught completely off guard, he spat it right out, coughing violently.

Seeing the two of them looking like a pair of boiled lobsters, Bao Zheng's anger at having his sleep interrupted subsided just a fraction. "What is it?!"

Bai Yutang reached out and handed the flash drive over.

Bao Zheng took it, opened his computer with a skeptical look, plugged in the drive, and clicked on the video... His brow furrowed, and he let out a sigh.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang watched Bao Zheng, noticing that he showed no signs of shock after finishing it. Could it be that he had known all along?

After a brief silence, Bao Zheng rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "I only figured out he was connected to this case... I never expected there was yet another layer hidden inside it."

The two froze. Zhan Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Chief Bao? You wouldn't let us get involved because you were actually teaming up with Interpol to use Lan Chenglin as an angle to crack the case, right?"

Bao Zheng nodded, offering a faint smile, and raised a hand to make the gesture the two of them found most irritating—Shhh~~~