S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 5: Chapter 25

The Doppelganger Killer 25 - Fire

Luoyang was awakened by the sound of flowing water. Opening his eyes, he found himself lying flat on his back on the ground beneath a very high blue vaulted ceiling, reminiscent of an old-style industrial workshop.

His neck ached slightly—truly a long-lost sensation. Luoyang inexplicably felt that it was all too real, judging that it must have hurt excruciatingly despite him only registering a mild twinge.

He tried to sit up, but realized his hands were bound tightly behind him. Struggling with all his might for a couple of times, he found he couldn't break free; the bindings were remarkably secure.

Yangyang turned his head, attempting to prop himself up sideways, but froze the moment he caught sight of the person lying beside him.

"Uncle Zhan?" Luoyang inched closer and found Zhan Zhao's eyes squeezed tightly shut.

After calling out to him a few times without eliciting the slightest sign of awakening, a wave of fear gripped Luoyang's heart. He leaned in close to listen and discovered that both Zhan Zhao's heartbeat and breathing were exceedingly faint.

"Heh..." A light chuckle suddenly echoed from behind him.

Luoyang snapped his head around to see a figure standing not far away, holding an empty iron drum. Luoyang recognized it instantly as a gasoline drum. At the same time, he caught the heavy, pungent odor of gasoline lingering in the air. Turning his gaze around, he realized this was some sort of paint workshop space surrounded by numerous cardboard boxes... And the person who had just tossed the drum aside with a loud clatter was none other than Lan Chenglin.

"What—what did you do to Uncle Zhan?" Luoyang glared at Lan Chenglin with burning eyes, frantically rubbing his bound hands together in a desperate bid to tear the ropes apart.

"Heh..." Lan Chenglin chuckled and shook his head. "Kid, have you ever heard of succinylcholine?"

Confusion flickered across Luoyang's face.

"Succinylcholine is a heavily restricted and highly lethal poison. Used in small doses, it acts as a muscle relaxant; used in large doses, it's instant death." The smile on Lan Chenglin's face widened.

"You..." Fear clawed at Luoyang. He scrambled backward to brush against Zhan Zhao with his head, only to find the man still completely unresponsive.

"I sprayed some on him." Lan Chenglin pulled out a lighter, a look of exhilaration dancing across his features. "Do you know who the two people I hate most in this entire world are?"

Luoyang kept his eyes locked on the lighter in the man's hand, his mind racing with the thought that the moment he sparked it...

"One is Lu Wen, and the other is Bai Yutang!" Lan Chenglin hissed through clenched teeth. "Lu Wen is already dead, but even in death, he still tries to ruin me!" Breathing heavily from the surge of agitation, he continued, "As for Bai Yutang... if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have ended up in such a damnably miserable state!"

With a sharp click, he flicked the lighter open and burst into loud laughter. "Bai Yutang will probably be here before long... Zhan Zhao has already been pumped full of muscle relaxants. The moment he breathes in thick smoke, he's guaranteed to die!"

K

As Luoyang's face drained of all color, he heard Lan Chenglin press on, "Originally, I was only told to deliver the two of you here. But I've changed my mind. Just imagining Bai Yutang watching Zhan Zhao die right before his eyes fills me with indescribable joy!"

With those words, he retreated backward, ducking behind the rolling metal security shutter. Raising his hand, he tossed the lighter forward. In an instant, a tongue of flames leaped up, and the raging fire spread swiftly along the trails of gasoline, ringing Zhan Zhao and Luoyang within a blazing perimeter. Laughing maniacally, Lan Chenglin yanked the security shutter down with a sharp crash.

…………

Fearing he would alert the target, Zhao Zhen hadn't dared to tail them too closely. Catching sight of the taxi turning into a sprawling industrial complex from afar, he parked his car outside while keeping the telephone line open so Bai Yutang could relay his location.

Pushing open the car door, Zhao Zhen let Lisbon out, only to see the dog immediately staring intently toward the rear. Zhao Zhen turned his head as well, his jaw dropping in shock as Bai Yutang's vehicle came barreling into the compound like a flying bullet.

"Where is he?" Bai Yutang leaped out of the car. Terrified by the terrifying pallor of his face, Zhao Zhen pointed toward the factory buildings. "Inside. This place is huge, but Lisbon should be able to track them." With that, he patted Lisbon's head. Before Zhao Zhen could issue another command, Lisbon darted straight into the workshop, with Bai Yutang hot on his heels.

Zhao Zhen wanted to give chase, but caught sight of several police cruisers streaming into the gates from a distance.

"Where's my older brother?" Bai Chi tumbled out of a car, his voice trembling with a frantic, tear-rimmed urgency.

At a loss for words, Zhao Zhen simply pointed toward the interior, signaling everyone to rush in together.

Led by Lisbon, Bai Yutang zigzagged through the factory grounds. However, because the area was littered with piles of discarded old tires, Lisbon seemed to lose its bearings for a moment, spinning around in circles while letting out anxious, low growls.

Regaining his composure amidst the panic, Bai Yutang strode over, grabbed Lisbon's massive head, and murmured, "Calm down. Everything depends on you now. Focus and use your senses!"

Lisbon halted its rumbling growls and gradually settled down. Suddenly, it whipped its head around, locking its gaze on a distant spot.

Following the dog's line of sight, Bai Yutang saw thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the roof of a workshop in the distance.

Leaving no room for hesitation, Bai Yutang sprinted toward that building at a dead run.

The fire was spreading at an alarming rate. Moments later, Bai Chi and the others caught sight of it from afar. As they closed in on the burning workshop, they arrived just in time to see Bai Yutang use a triangular steel beam to shatter a window, hurling himself headfirst into the blazing inferno. Lisbon bolted right in after him.

"Older Brother!" Bai Chi cried out, staring at the structure now completely engulfed in roaring flames. Members of the Special Investigation team rushed forward to charge in, only to be blocked by the tactical squad members. "Going in now is just going to get in the way..."

Before the words finished echoing, the very window Bai Yutang had just dived through was completely choked off by a wall of violent flames.

Zhao Zhen whipped out his phone to dial for an ambulance and fire truck, while everyone else kept their eyes glued to the burning building.

Seconds ticked by like eternity. To those waiting outside, it felt as though the fire were scorching their very hearts, making everyone forget how to breathe.

Right then, a thunderous bang rang out as a chair thrown from the opposite window shattered the glass. Lisbon vaulted out of the opening, with Luoyang clinging desperately to its back, the very tip of the dog's tail ablaze. Just as everyone's hearts leaped into their throats, Bai Yutang burst through the window as well, clutching an unconscious Zhan Zhao in his arms.

A collective gasp of horror escaped the Special Investigation team as they noticed Bai Yutang's arm was on fire.

Ma Han and the others rushed over, tearing off their jackets to beat out the flames, only to realize something was terribly wrong with Bai Yutang. Ignoring everyone completely, he set to work with the frantic intensity of a madman, administering chest compressions and artificial respiration to Zhan Zhao. It was only then that the others realized Zhan Zhao had stopped breathing entirely.

"Succinylcholine!" Luoyang screamed out, retaining enough clarity of mind to warn them. "Lan Chenglin made Uncle Zhan inhale succinylcholine."

A cold chill washed over everyone present—the cruelty of this trap was utterly vicious.

Whether driven mad by panic or pushed past the edge of reason, Bai Yutang displayed zero reaction to anything around him. He simply repeated the cycle of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation over and over again, chanting "Cat" like a broken prayer.

A faint smell of burning hung heavy in the air, emanating from the severe, widespread burns covering Bai Yutang's arm. Yet as precious time slowly slipped away, Zhan Zhao still showed no signs of breathing. Hope began to wane, chilling the hearts of everyone present bit by bit, until Bai Chi finally squatted on the ground and burst into tears.

Just as the wail of an approaching ambulance pierced the distance, Zhan Zhao let out a sudden, faint cough.

Every single person on the scene would likely agree they had never heard a sound as exquisitely beautiful as that cough in their entire lives.

"Cat?" Bai Yutang gently patted Zhan Zhao's cheek. Although Zhan Zhao's consciousness remained hazy as he coughed twice more, he was breathing again... Only then did tears finally spill from Bai Yutang's eyes, though his face bloomed with the brilliant smile of someone who had just cheated the grave.

Paramedics swiftly rushed forward to load Zhan Zhao, Luoyang, and Bai Yutang into the ambulance, with Bai Chi scrambling aboard to accompany them to the hospital. Fire engines arrived on the scene simultaneously, and firefighters immediately set to work dousing the flames. Desperate to reach the hospital, the rest of the Special Investigation team piled back into their vehicles and tailed the ambulance.

Zhao Zhen, however, remained rooted to the spot, still lost in a trance with the harrowing image of Bai Yutang desperately performing chest compressions replaying in his mind. Right at that moment, Lisbon let out a sudden, deep growl, staring fixedly toward the rear of the workshop.

A thought crossing his mind, Zhao Zhen tucked his hands into his pockets and slipped around to the back of the building alongside Lisbon. There, he spotted a disheveled figure peering sneakily toward the burning site.

Flashing a silencing gesture to Lisbon, who quieted down obediently, Zhao Zhen approached the stranger without a sound and watched him intently.

The man was monitoring the chaos of the fire, his expression laced with lingering unease.

After a moment of thought, Zhao Zhen glided right up behind him and barked sharply, "Lan Chenglin!"

The man jumped in sheer terror, whipping around. The raw panic in his eyes confirmed to Zhao Zhen that he had caught his man.

"Who are you?" Lan Chenglin glared at Zhao Zhen in defensive alarm. "A cop?"

Zhao Zhen shrugged and shook his head. At that moment, Lisbon emerged from the shadows, sitting down right beside Zhao Zhen. Seeing the massive white African lion, the color drained completely from Lan Chenglin's face.

"What do you want?" Lan Chenglin reached for the gun at his waist, but before he could even raise it to aim, Zhao Zhen flicked his wrist. A throwing knife flashed through the air and pinned the back of Lan Chenglin's hand firmly to the wall.

"Aah..." A blood-curdling shriek of agony ripped from Lan Chenglin's throat as his gun clattered to the ground. Clasping his wounded hand, he slid down against the wall. "Are you dragging me to the police station?"

Zhao Zhen shook his head.

"You... are you one of his men?" Fear distorted Lan Chenglin's features further.

Finding the reaction amusing, Zhao Zhen shook his head once more.

"Who, exactly, are you?" Lan Chenglin stared up at him fixedly.

"Normally, I couldn't care less about meddling in other people's business," Zhao Zhen stroked his chin, speaking almost to himself. "Still, I've lived this long, and I've never seen a man look that devastated. If Zhan Zhao had actually died... I shudder to think what Bai Yutang might have done."

Pausing there, Zhao Zhen looked deep into Lan Chenglin's eyes. "Just a moment ago, your face wore a look of pure, unadulterated satisfaction."

Lan Chenglin stayed silent. He felt as though the person standing before him looked like a normal human being, yet possessed something deeply unsettling.

"That look of satisfaction of yours really rubbed me the wrong way," Zhao Zhen smiled as he pulled out his phone. "So, I figured I'd like to experience some satisfaction of my own."

"What... what are you planning to do?" A sense of dread washed over Lan Chenglin.

"I want to teach you a lesson—that should make me feel quite satisfied," Zhao Zhen tapped his chin lightly with the phone. "On the other hand, you seem to know quite a lot of secrets. We probably need to squeeze some intel out of you to help the Special Investigation team wrap up this case."

Lan Chenglin's eyes widened in horror as he struggled to comprehend what was happening.

"Therefore... I figured there's someone who would probably be very interested in meeting you." With those words, he placed a call.

Once the line connected, Zhao Zhen said with a pleasant smile, "Hello, put me through to Bai Jingtang..."

……

Lan Chenglin tried to make a break for it, but Lisbon simply sat beside him, watching him with golden eyes. The moment he twitched, a bone-shaking lion's roar echoed in his ears, freezing him in place.

Ten minutes later, a sleek black sedan pulled up behind Zhao Zhen. The doors swung open, and the twins stepped out.

"Big Brother went straight to the hospital. If you hadn't called, he wouldn't even have known—Yutang probably tried to keep him out of the loop," Ding Zhaolan said as he walked up and nodded respectfully toward Zhao Zhen. "Big Brother asked me to pass along a message: thank you for saving his two younger brothers. If there's ever anything we can do to help, just say the word."

Zhao Zhen nodded, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "That sounds like a fair deal."

Ding Zhaohui lacked his brother's restraint; his eyes had already locked onto the cowering Lan Chenglin on the ground. Striding forward, the first thing Zhaohui did was strap a gag-like muzzle securely over Lan Chenglin's mouth, preventing him from parting his jaws.

Giving the captive's cheek a light pat, Zhaohui chuckled. "A little later on, you're going to wish you didn't have this thing on..." Bending down to murmur close to his ear, his voice dropped to an icy chill. "Without it, you might be tempted to bite off your own tongue for an early release... Don't worry, I'll make sure you're well taken care of."

Dragging the frantically head-shaking Lan Chenglin toward the car, Ding Zhaolan offered Zhao Zhen one more nod of gratitude before they climbed inside and sped away into the distance.

Zhao Zhen loosened the collar of his shirt, glanced down at Lisbon, and chuckled, "That was indeed quite satisfying, wasn't it?"

……………………

Inside the hospital, the sterile smell of antiseptic solutions never failed to lift spirits. In a private ward, Bai Yutang sat by the bedside with his left hand swathed in thick layers of gauze, fixing his gaze on Zhan Zhao, who lay sleeping peacefully beneath an oxygen mask.

It was only when the doctor emerged from the emergency room to inform him that Zhan Zhao was completely out of danger and would be discharged after a couple of days of quiet recovery that Bai Yutang felt his own soul flood back into his body. The very next second, a searing, bone-deep pain flared up all along his left arm. Lifting the limb, he couldn't help laughing ruefully at the massive patch of severe burns.

Reaching out, he wrapped his fingers around Zhan Zhao's hand, which lay outside the blanket. Feeling its warm pulse, an overwhelming wave of profound contentment washed over him. The doctor had urged him repeatedly to take painkillers, but he refused; those pills always brought a haze of dizziness, and he wanted a crystal-clear mind when Zhan Zhao woke up, fiery pain in his arm notwithstanding.

Sitting there in quiet vigilance, watching the contours of Zhan Zhao's face, the hours quietly melted away. Night yielded to dawn, and the world grew bright once more. Finally, those long, thick eyelashes began to flutter, and Zhan Zhao slowly blinked open his eyes, casting a hazy, disoriented gaze toward him.

Bai Yutang didn't make an overly dramatic fuss. Instead, acting just like any normal morning wake-up, he reached out to pinch Zhan Zhao's cheek with a gentle smile. "Cat, you're awake?"

Zhan Zhao blinked a few times and tried to speak, only to discover the oxygen mask strapped across his face, prompting a helpless look in his eyes.

Reaching forward, Bai Yutang gently peeled the oxygen mask away and leaned in close. "What's on your mind?"

"Yangyang..."

"He's fine." Bai Yutang smiled, nodding toward a corner where Luoyang was curled up asleep on a sofa. "He stood watch over you all night and only managed to fall asleep just now."

Nodding with palpable relief, Zhan Zhao murmured in a low, weak voice, "I've figured it out. The whole case, from beginning to end..."

Bai Yutang nodded, leaning in to press a kiss against his forehead. "You can figure it out later—just tell me all about it then."

Zhan Zhao chuckled. "Alright... but you need to cook for me first. I'm starving."

"Mmm." Bai Yutang reached out to gently smooth back Zhan Zhao's slightly rumpled hair. "Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll make it for you."