S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 5: Chapter 12
The Doppelganger Killer 12 - Ferocity
Early the next morning, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao were woken up on the sofa by Gongsun. When the two of them sat up, their eyes were barely open, plastered with hazy, sleepy expressions.
Gongsun looked at them, caught between laughter and tears. "What on earth were you two up to last night? Look at those dark circles."
"Sigh... Don't even ask." Bai Yutang shook his head, stretched his sore neck, and turned to look at Zhan Zhao, only to find him still sitting there in a daze, clearly not yet awake.
Bai Yutang instantly snapped to his senses and reached out to pinch Zhan Zhao's nose. Zhan Zhao remained blank and unresponsive. Finding it amusing, Gongsun also reached out to poke Zhan Zhao's cheek. Zhan Zhao blinked, still completely out of it.
"How fascinating. Not a cat anymore, turned into a panda instead?" Gongsun looked at Bai Yutang, bewildered. "How did he end up like this?"
"He's still asleep," Bai Yutang said in a soft voice.
There are many types of morning grumpiness; some are irritable, while others are docile. If Gongsun was the classic textbook example of irritable morning grumpiness, then Zhan Zhao was the representative of the docile type. As long as he hadn't slept enough and was forcefully dragged awake, he would enter a state of utter daze for a period of time. During this phase, no matter how you bullied him, he would remain groggy and entirely devoid of any self-defense capabilities. Bai Yutang had figured this out long ago, which was why he woke up so early every morning. However, this state only lasted briefly; if you were still bullying him by the time he completely woke up, you had better be prepared to get scratched.
However, Bai Yutang wasn't fully awake either this morning, so he just kept pinching and poking away until he lost track of time. Gradually, Zhan Zhao's eyes began to clear up. Realizing that Bai Yutang was currently pinching his cheek, he slowly turned his head.
"Cat, you awake?" Bai Yutang asked with a smile, only to watch Zhan Zhao offer a faint grin and, without any warning, let out an "Achoo"—wait, no, an "Ah-wu!"—and bite down hard on his finger.
"Ah~~ Hisss..." Bai Yutang hurriedly yanked his finger back, rubbing it while shouting, "Cat, do you have rabies or something? That hurts like hell!"
Sensing that the situation was turning south, Gongsun bolted away in a flash, leaving not even a shadow behind. Zhan Zhao shook his head, let out a yawn, turned to glare at Bai Yutang who was still massaging his finger on the side, and muttered, "Damn rat, serves you right for trying to ambush me." With that, he stood up and strolled sluggishly toward the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.
Helpless, Bai Yutang gave chase.
Bai Chi stepped out of the car, clutching a stack of breakfast items as he rushed eagerly toward the police station. Because someone was almost always on duty at the SI department, bringing extra breakfast in the morning meant it would definitely get eaten, so Bai Chi had developed the habit of buying a few extra portions every morning. If the SI crew didn't eat them, he could always share them with colleagues in other departments. Ever since Bai Chi joined, the SI unit's approachability within the police station had increased quite a bit. In the past, other departments kept a respectful distance from the SI team. On one hand, these people were all so-called elites, creating a sense of distance; on the other hand, from the captain down to the members, they all belonged to the quiet type, each looking effortlessly cool. They were undeniably mysterious and formidable, but simply far too unsociable. Bai Chi was different, though. He frequently ran around to various departments to fetch documents, sometimes even helping people run errands or bringing back snacks, completely lacking any temper and possessing a slightly ditzy charm. Gradually, when people from other departments saw the SI folks, they would stop to chat for a bit, and once the ice was broken, they realized they weren't so hard to get along with after all—especially since they were all peers of the same generation and in the same line of work. Because of this, Bao Zheng had even specially praised Bai Chi, calling him a once-in-a-century miracle born to the Bai family and declaring that the ancestors of the Bai family must have displayed their divine presence with blue smoke rising from the ancestral graves.
As he ran up to the entrance of the police station, Bai Chi spotted a child standing right in front of the massive front doors. The boy was looking up at the towering rooftop, then down at a business card in his hand, looking rather hesitant.
"Little buddy, are you looking for someone?" Bai Chi trotted forward a couple of steps with his breakfast bundle. Perhaps because he looked entirely devoid of any threatening aura, the child didn't show any defensive posture, simply nodding and showing him the business card in his hand.
Bai Chi looked down and saw it was Zhan Zhao's business card, then sized up the boy. He looked to be around six or seven years old, somewhat thin, but appeared very healthy with an athletic build and a bronze complexion. Taking a closer look at his facial features, Bai Chi realized the child was exceptionally good-looking—not just cute, but possessing a striking handsomeness rarely seen at that age, though his expression carried a maturity that didn't belong to his years.
"Are you looking for Dr. Zhan? I share an office with him, you know. Shall I take you there?" Bai Chi tried his best to make himself look as amiable and approachable as possible, even offering a basket of steamed buns. "Have you had breakfast yet?"
The child standing before Bai Chi was none other than Luo Yang, who had run over to find Zhan Zhao. Looking at this big-eyed, baby-faced, short "big brother," Luo Yang couldn't help asking, "Are you... also a police officer?"
"Yeah." Bai Chi nodded excitedly.
"Um..." Luo Yang looked at the breakfast. "I've already eaten breakfast... Are you... even an adult?"
"..." Bai Chi felt as though a basin of ice water had been dumped straight over his head from midair, his heart instantly turning freezing cold.
Noticing the severely battered expression on the person before him, Luo Yang wondered if he had said something wrong, so he quickly reached out to pat his arm and said, "You... don't look that small either."
"Really?" Bai Chi stopped drawing circles on the floor with his finger and looked up at him hopefully.
Luo Yang genuinely wanted to reach out and pat his head, watching those watery eyes and imagining a tail wagging endlessly behind him. Man, he thought, the police really come in all sorts of breeds.
"Right, you're looking for Dr. Zhan, right? Come on, follow me." Bai Chi reached out to grab Luo Yang's hand, but Luo Yang suddenly stiffened, staring straight ahead with wide eyes as if he had spotted something, before turning on his heel and bolting.
"Hey..." Bai Chi took a few steps after him. "Little buddy? Little buddy..." But in the blink of an eye, Luo Yang had already vanished without a trace.
"How strange." Bai Chi scratched his head in confusion and turned to head back inside, when he was abruptly bumped into by someone rushing out at a brisk pace.
"Oof." Bai Chi staggered, dropping everything in his hands to the ground. Rubbing his shoulder, Bai Chi bent down to pick up his things, wondering what on earth was wrong with everyone this early in the morning. He paused to think—the person who had just collided with him looked somewhat familiar. Wasn't that the vice captain of the Anti-Gang Task Force? What was his name again... Yu something, it seemed.
Carrying his breakfast out of the elevator, he ran straight into Zhan Zhao coming out of the washroom. "Big bro..." Bai Chi started, but before he could finish, Zhan Zhao lunged forward like a striking arrow. "Chichi, I want those steamed buns!"
"Here, have the soybean milk too." Bai Chi handed the breakfast over to Zhan Zhao, adding, "Big bro, there was a little buddy downstairs just now who seemed like he wanted to find you."
"Really? Was he very tan? Where is he?" Zhan Zhao abandoned his breakfast and immediately questioned Bai Chi.
"I was going to bring him up, but he suddenly just ran off by himself... Big bro? Where are you going?" Before Bai Chi could even finish his sentence, Zhan Zhao shoved the breakfast back into his hands and sprinted off.
"What's going on here?" Jiang Ping asked, stepping out to collect his breakfast as he watched Zhan Zhao tear away at a dead run. "Is Dr. Zhan doing his morning cardio?"
"Here, take these!" Bai Chi shoved the pile of food into Jiang Ping's hands, spun around, and hurried after Zhan Zhao.
"Hey~~~" Jiang Ping stared at the pastries in his hands. "I can't possibly eat all of this!"
Just then, Bai Yutang also emerged from the washroom. "What's going on?"
"No idea. Dr. Zhan ran off, and then Bai Chi ran off too..." Before he could finish, Jiang Ping watched Bai Yutang charge straight into the stairwell as well. Remaining silent for a long moment, Jiang Ping picked up a steamed bun, took a bite, and muttered, "And now the boss has run off too," before turning back into his office.
Zhan Zhao rushed out of the police station, scanned his surroundings, and after a brief moment of thought, sprinted toward the alley across the street.
Bai Chi, catching up to the ground floor, watched Zhan Zhao cross the street and dive into the alley, and hurriedly chased after him.
As Zhan Zhao entered the alley, he walked forward while listening closely. A crumpled card on the ground near the corner caught his attention. He walked over and picked it up—it was his very own business card.
Right then, the sound of a man shouting angrily drifted over from not far away. Zhan Zhao rushed forward, running another couple of steps before his eyes widened at the sight of a man pinning a child to the ground. The pinned child was none other than Luo Yang. His hands and the corners of his mouth were stained with blood, and the man's arm was mangled and bloody, clearly having been bitten. Luo Yang was an extraordinarily ferocious child, and subduing him was no easy task—it was obvious the man had suffered for it. However, Zhan Zhao could see that the man had completely lost his temper; pinning Luo Yang down with one hand, he drew a dagger with the other and raised it to strike...
Drawing his gun now was already too late. Zhan Zhao bellowed at the top of his lungs, "What the hell are you doing?!"
The man was clearly startled, his movement freezing for a split second. Seizing the opening, Zhan Zhao charged forward and slammed hard into him, knocking him off. As the man tumbled away, Zhan Zhao finally got a clear look at him: the person he had knocked off was none other than Anti-Gang Task Force police officer and Vice Captain Yu Qingyan.
Upon seeing Zhan Zhao, Yu Qingyan was stunned for a moment, but immediately reached for his holster to draw his gun.
Instinctively shielding Luo Yang behind him, Zhan Zhao watched as Yu Qingyan raised his weapon to aim. Suddenly, a figure burst violently in from the side, slamming into Yu Qingyan and knocking him flying—the handgun clattered to the pavement with a sharp slap. It was Bai Chi!
After plowing into Yu Qingyan, Bai Chi tumbled aside as well. As Yu Qingyan scrambled to flip over and get back to his feet, Zhan Zhao suddenly saw Luo Yang dart out from behind him. Gripping half a brick in his hand, the boy brought it down in a vicious arc, smashing it squarely against Yu Qingyan's head.
"Ah~~" Yu Qingyan let out a miserable shriek, half his face instantly covered in blood, but Luo Yang immediately followed up with a vicious kick straight to his knee. With another cry of agony, Yu Qingyan buckled onto his knees, and Luo Yang raised the brick to smash him across the head a second time, flooring the nearly six-foot-tall grown man completely. Following that, Luo Yang lunged forward and locked his hands tightly around Yu Qingyan's throat.
"Ugh... Ugh..." Injured and incapable of fighting back, Yu Qingyan never in his wildest dreams imagined a child could be this ruthless and possess this much raw strength. Luo Yang choked Yu Qingyan's neck with a death grip, his eyes wide open and completely devoid of any other expression. No matter how the man thrashing beneath him struggled, he refused to let go, and soon Yu Qingyan's eyes began to roll back.
Zhan Zhao and Bai Chi stood frozen in sheer shock. This level of physical action far exceeded the capabilities of a seven-year-old child; it was like some young, ferocious beast. Zhan Zhao could guarantee that even during his angriest moments as a child, Bai Yutang had never been this vicious.
Both of them momentarily forgot how to react, until a slightly leisurely voice drifted in from beside them: "No wonder Chenå©• claimed this kid was something else. He really is ruthless enough."
That snapped Zhan Zhao back to reality. Turning his head, he saw that Bai Yutang had arrived at some point and was standing off to the side, watching the scene unfold.
"You—and you're just standing there watching!" Zhan Zhao glared at him, then looked at the two figures on the ground. If they didn't separate them right now, Yu Qingyan's life was genuinely going to end here.
Bai Yutang smiled faintly, stepped forward, reached out to grab Luo Yang by the collar, and hauled him straight up into the air. Luo Yang's gaze turned hostile as he whipped his head around to glare fiercely at Bai Yutang, only to find Bai Yutang staring right back down at him. For some inexplicable reason, Luo Yang slowly began to calm down.
After Bai Yutang set him down on the ground, Luo Yang glanced at Yu Qingyan—who was lying nearby, turning purple in the face, gasping for air, and bleeding from the head—then lowered his gaze slightly, slumping his shoulders as if feeling somewhat deflated and perhaps a little regretful.
Zhan Zhao could tell that Luo Yang already possessed mild tendencies toward violence. More accurately, however, Luo Yang's violent streaks were innate, ingrained deep in his bones rather than formed later in life. If he truly suffered from a mental impairment, his actions wouldn't be this calm and methodical. The dejected air he was currently displaying stemmed from the moral codes and behavioral rules Luo Wen had instilled in him, which had always served as an effective leash to keep him in check. It was just that the moment his life was threatened, that dormant potential would still erupt... making him as dangerous as a lethal weapon.
Bai Yutang looked down at the dejected Luo Yang, smiled, crouched to pat his head, and said, "Not bad at all. You didn't just save yourself; you also saved two useless cops who only know how to use their brains."
Zhan Zhao and Bai Chi felt their eyelids twitch. Exchanging a glance, they shared a tacit urge to crouch in a corner and draw circles—that was a massive blow to their self-esteem.
Luo Yang lifted his head with some hesitation, looking at Bai Yutang with a hint of puzzlement in his eyes.
"Taking down a guy many times your size with your bare hands is no simple feat. You can't pull it off unless you're ruthless enough." Bai Yutang glanced at the brick on the ground and said, "Next time you use a brick to bash someone, remember to aim for the front—that way they're instantly incapacitated. Hitting the back of the head or the temples can easily kill someone, and hitting the face doesn't put them down reliably while hurting like hell!"
Luo Yang thought about it for a moment and nodded.
Zhan Zhao genuinely wanted to pick up that brick and smack Bai Yutang with it. What kind of nonsense was he teaching a kid?! Yet beside him, Bai Chi was stroking his chin in deep contemplation. "So that's how it works."
"And another thing!" Bai Yutang pointed a finger right at Luo Yang. "To subdue someone, you don't necessarily have to kill them. A throat choke is the least efficient method. You can smash their face or dislocate their limbs, and if you're still not venting enough steam, you can pound away at their stomach repeatedly—just don't kill them!" At this, he paused, locked eyes with Luo Yang, and said word for word, "Remember, feeling angry is not wrong, and venting your anger is not wrong either. The only thing that's wrong is failing to properly control yourself! You control your anger, and you win; anger controls you, and you lose!" With that, he arched an eyebrow. "Got it?"
Luo Yang stared at Bai Yutang with wide eyes, then nodded heavily. "Got it!"