S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 5: Chapter 27

The Doppelganger Killer 27 - Exterminating Rats

On the third day of Zhan Zhao's hospitalization, early in the morning, Jiang Ping rushed into the hospital looking flustered and hurried.

"How did it go?" Bai Yutang asked.

"I brought everything Dr. Zhan asked for!" Jiang Ping said as he pulled a laptop out of his bag. While booting it up, he continued, "The roster of all logistics personnel in the police department is right here."

"Big Brother, why do you need the list of the police department's logistics staff?" Bai Chi asked, looking puzzled, while Yangyang curiously stood on tiptoes to peer at the display screen.

Zhan Zhao beckoned to Luo Wen, who was sitting on the sofa. "Brother Luo, come take a look."

Luo Wen didn't understand what Zhan Zhao wanted him to see, but he still walked over to the front.

Jiang Ping brought up the registration form containing all the logistics personnel.

Zhan Zhao flipped down through the photographs one by one until he reached a specific image, at which point he heard Luo Wen let out a sharp gasp.

"What is it?" Bai Yutang stepped forward to look, seeing a photograph of a man in his fifties who looked somewhat familiar.

"-1-11," Luo Wen murmured softly after a long pause. "He... he's actually in the police department."

"You're saying he's -1-11?" Bai Chi asked, quite astonished. Stepping closer to look, he abruptly realized that despite the differing angles, it was indeed the exact same person from the video left behind by Jie Jie.

"Cat... how did you know he was in the logistics department?" Bai Yutang asked, puzzled.

Zhan Zhao pulled up the man's personnel file on the screen. The name column listed "Du She," and his position was listed as: "Cleaner, internal building, length of service: six years."

"That's impossible!" Bai Yutang frowned. "I don't have the slightest impression of him. How could he have worked in the police department for six years?"

"Probably because his appearance and persona change slightly every time he shows up," Zhan Zhao smiled faintly. "And don't forget, there are some places he wants to go where he doesn't necessarily have to take the ordinary corridors..."

Everyone present felt a creeping chill run down their spines as they simultaneously recalled the revenge-obsessed phantom who hid in the attic to spy on his enemies in Edogawa Rampo's novel The White-Haired Demon.

"Are you saying... he's been right beside us all this time?" Bai Yutang began to quietly retrace events in his mind: indeed, from the very beginning of this case to its entire progression, right down to the recent series of events involving Zhan Zhao's kidnapping, the timing had always been meticulously precise—as if someone had been tailing their every move throughout the entire case.

"Bai, have someone check with the logistics department to see if this person named 'Du She' has already handed in his resignation?" Zhan Zhao reminded Bai Yutang.

Bai Yutang dialed the police station, having Ma Han personally go down to the logistics office to ask around. He instructed Ma Han to be sharp, chat people up, and dig up any gossip or information related to this Du She.

"Du She... Du She..." Luo Wen repeated the name a few times under his breath before murmuring flatly, "Venomous snake..."

"Cat, what on earth is going on here?" Bai Yutang pulled a chair up beside Zhan Zhao's bed and asked.

"I've thought a lot about this. If it weren't for Lan Chenglin's personal grudge during this case, Yangyang and I probably would have been snatched away successfully," Zhan Zhao explained slowly to everyone. "It felt like stepping into a prepared trap. But if this was indeed a trap, that means right from the moment of Jie Jie's hypnosis, it was all an elaborate hoax."

Everyone nodded in succession. In fact, from the very beginning, they had all considered whether something had gone wrong during the hypnosis session, wondering how else they could have fallen for the trick.

"When a person is under deep hypnosis, it is impossible for them to lie to deceive the hypnotist," Zhan Zhao stated earnestly. "Jie Jie is intellectually impaired; he has no capacity to make subjective judgments on his own. But getting someone like that to pull off an act of deception is extremely difficult because he lacks logical reasoning and cannot effectively handle sudden, unexpected variables. His physical execution is strong, but his cognitive ability is weak."

"In other words, the hypnosis was successful, and the intelligence extracted from Jie Jie's mouth was genuine," Bai Yutang nodded. "However, the window of time in which Bao Ju and the rest of us decided to launch this operation was a mere ten minutes. The only people who knew the details were the few of us. If anyone else wanted to know the plan, there was only one possible avenue..."

"Eavesdropping!" Everyone spoke in unison. At the time they made their decision, that person must have been lurking nearby, perhaps crouching right above them in the massive central air conditioning ducts... utilizing that horrifying bone-shrinking art of his.

"And then there's the rescue of Lan Chenglin!" Zhan Zhao continued. "Lan Chenglin had been locked up in the precinct's holding cell. Without outside assistance, the notion of him overpowering prison guards and escaping entirely on his own strength is out of the question."

"If Du She suddenly dropped down from above and teamed up with him..." Bai Chi nodded repeatedly. "Ah, right! That's the only possible explanation!"

"My guess is that his original intention that day wasn't necessarily to eavesdrop on our operation plans, but rather to rescue Jie Jie," Zhan Zhao rubbed his chin gently. "Overhearing our operational scheme was purely a matter of coincidence."

"You're saying he went to rescue Jie Jie?" Bai Yutang mused. "That's entirely possible. But he didn't expect that you would hypnotize Jie Jie and extract the exact coordinates, leading us to uproot Taber's entire stronghold. So he had no choice but to abandon Jie Jie for the moment and tip off Taber's people instead. On top of that, he discovered you weren't coming with us, so he quickly laid down this trap to seize the opportunity to kidnap you and Yangyang first."

"Lan Chenglin hates us, and his arrogant temperament makes him impossible to control. If they needed someone to carry out a kidnapping, he wasn't the optimal candidate!" Zhan Zhao went on. "The very fact that they turned to him anyway proves how rushed this operation was; he had no choice but to grab whoever was closest at hand."

"Lan Chenglin had just escaped from the police station, so everyone assumed he would flee far away. Instead, he hid right under our noses in the vicinity," Bai Yutang frowned. "This Du She possesses meticulous cunning alongside abnormal physical capabilities. He's going to be a formidable adversary!"

"Actually, what worries me the most isn't him..." Zhan Zhao seemed slightly hesitant. Everyone turned their gaze toward him just as Jiang Ping's laptop emitted a series of beeping chimes.

"It's a video call from Ma Han's end." Jiang Ping clicked to open the feed. "Looks like there's news."

"Chief!" The display screen flickered to life, revealing Ma Han and Gongsun holding a stack of documents.

"How did it go?" Bai Yutang asked.

"I just made a trip over there. This guy named Du She did indeed submit his resignation two days ago," Ma Han reported. "I asked the logistics supervisor about him. They call him 'Honest Du' around the office; he's usually very unassuming and a bit of a pushover, which is why other workers always badger him to swap shifts."

"Who has he swapped shifts with?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Quite a few people." Ma Han flipped through the pages of his notes. "However, I noticed that he traded shifts most frequently with the parking garage attendants."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao exchanged glances—could it be that he was the one who planted that photograph in the car as well?

"Does he have children? More than one, perhaps?" Zhan Zhao suddenly inquired.

Looking somewhat surprised, Ma Han nodded. "According to accounts, this guy is pretty easy-going and frequently brings several different children around. Whenever people asked, he'd just claim they were kids from various relatives' families."

"As expected..." Zhan Zhao let out a sigh, leaning back against the pillow behind him.

"Cat, what is it?" Bai Yutang asked with a hint of concern.

Frowning, Zhan Zhao asked, "Do you still have that photograph with you?"

Bai Yutang took out the photograph and handed it to Zhan Zhao.

"I mentioned this before: the handwriting on the back of this photo was written by a child..." Zhan Zhao said in a low voice.

"A child?" A wave of ominous foreboding washed over everyone.

"Think about it: the real -1-11 is only one person, which means there are only two individuals in this world blessed with such extraordinary capabilities—Luo Wen and Du She... So where did Jie Jie come from?"

"A product of later cultivation..." Bai Yutang's expression turned grim. "The experiments are still ongoing?"

Zhan Zhao nodded, and the room fell into a heavy silence.

"Ahem..." On the display screen, Gongsun cleared his throat lightly, drawing everyone's attention back to the monitor.

"I ran a series of physiological examinations on Jie Jie," Gongsun said, opening a file in his hands. "His bodily functions are undergoing rapid, severe degeneration."

"Degeneration?" Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged a puzzled look.

"His internal organ functions are entirely chaotic, and his bone density is approaching that of someone over seventy years old..." Gongsun raised his head. "I previously ran corresponding health checks on Luo Wen as well, and his condition shows no such anomalies; his physical state matches what is appropriate for his actual age."

"What's going on here?" Everyone looked at one another in dismay.

"It's probably due to accelerated shortcut methods... most likely!" Gongsun closed the folder and explained, "It's comparable to an ordinary person trying to lose thirty pounds over the course of several years—that won't disrupt their health. But if someone forcibly sheds thirty pounds in just a few days, it will cause severe, irreversible harm to their physical well-being. Furthermore, any physiological function that violates the natural structural design of the human body is inherently self-destructive."

"So the experiments shifted their focus from adults to children..." Bai Chi's face drained of color. "But if this business is tied to Taber..."

"Exactly!" Gongsun nodded. "I suspect that targeting children appeals to those obsessed with the pure research side of things—it's technology development, laying groundwork for the future. But for a pragmatic pragmatist like Taber, utility is king! If there's a method that can turn adult operatives into obedient, combat-ready killing machines in a remarkably short span of time, he truly stands to turn the tables on everyone."

"Yet Jie Jie clearly succeeded on a physiological level while failing completely on a psychological one!" Bai Yutang stated coldly. "That's why they're trying to kidnap the Cat!"

"Then again, Leonard also wanted Jie Jie..." Zhan Zhao looked at Bai Yutang. "Do you still remember the person sitting inside his car?"

Bai Yutang nodded. In truth, both he and Zhan Zhao harbored a strong, lingering suspicion that the person sitting inside that vehicle was none other than Zhao Jue...

"Gongsun," Bai Yutang suddenly turned his attention back to the screen. "Do you remember the batch of data on murdered thugs I had you compile a few days ago?"

Gongsun nodded.

"Help me cross-reference and analyze it. See if the ones killed by gunshot wounds... share any categorical patterns."

"Categorical patterns?" Gongsun paused to think, then nodded in sudden comprehension. "Ah~~ I see. Are you suspecting that this so-called 'Night Punisher' might actually be multiple people? Even though they all hit the head, the individual execution styles and techniques might differ?"

Bai Yutang nodded. "Right! Every shooter has distinct habits regarding firing distance, execution technique, and personal style!"

"I can help with that!" Ma Han volunteered. "Though the workload is going to be massive!"

"Let's get it done as fast as possible!" Gongsun leaned closer to the camera lens, instructing Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, "Both of you patients need to focus on proper rest. Leave everything else to us."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao nodded, and Gongsun terminated the video feed.

Immediately afterward, Bai Yutang placed a call to Bao Zheng, briefing him roughly on the case developments and the infiltration of the police logistics department by an operative.

Upon hanging up the phone, Bao Zheng immediately issued orders for a thorough investigation of the logistics division, an inspection of all ventilation shafts with subsequent sealing of entry points, a review of all surveillance footage, and the issuance of a nationwide arrest warrant for Du She.

Seeing Bai Yutang finish his call, Zhan Zhao raised his head to look at him. "Bai, do you get the feeling that this 'Night Punisher' persona is nothing more than a smokescreen?"

Bai Yutang nodded. "I suspect those murdered thugs were nothing more than hunting prey used to train and test the killing capabilities of those experimental subjects!"

"Using human beings as test subjects, starting all the way from childhood..." Luo Wen, who had remained silent for a long time, shook his head. "That certainly bears the unmistakable hallmark of this kind of experiment."

"Cat, do you already have a plan in mind?" Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao.

Without speaking, Zhan Zhao gave a slight nod. He drew out his smartphone and began flipping through his contact list.

After rapidly typing and sending out a text message, Zhan Zhao put his phone away and murmured, "I do indeed have a method."

"What is it?" Everyone asked in unison.

Zhan Zhao smiled faintly. "However, it requires someone else's assistance."

After a prolonged silence, Bai Yutang asked, "Zhao Jue?"

Instead of answering directly, Zhan Zhao posed a counter-question: "Do you know what the most effective method for exterminating rats is?"

"Exterminating rats?" Bai Chi looked somewhat lost, struggling to keep pace with Zhan Zhao's train of thought.

"First, catch the most lethal and aggressive rat, tightly plug up its anus, and stuff it relentlessly with food. Right before it's about to burst from overeating, release it back into the rat nest... and it will tear every single other rat in the nest to pieces!" A raspy yet smiling voice drifted in from the doorway.

Unconsciously, everyone turned their gazes toward the entrance to find a figure stepping into the room. A cascade of long hair was tied back behind his head, and he looked at Zhan Zhao with an amused expression, gently shaking the phone in his hand as if waving a greeting—it was Zhao Jue.

"It's you?" Bai Chi blurted out in pleasant surprise.

"You know him?" Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao stared at Bai Chi in astonishment.

"I—" Before Bai Chi could reply, Zhao Jue had already strolled forward. He raised a hand and familiarly ruffled Bai Chi's hair, planted a quick kiss on his forehead, and then turned his gaze to Zhan Zhao. "When dealing with rats, naturally you have to use the rats themselves."

No one spoke. Instead, they cast bizarre, complex expressions toward the doorway. Turning his head back, Zhao Jue caught sight of Zhao Zhen standing at the entrance, glaring at him with a frown and an icy, terrifying gaze.

Finding the atmosphere thoroughly bizarre, Bai Yutang glanced over at Zhan Zhao—what on earth was happening here?

Zhan Zhao arched an eyebrow at him—no idea, but the situation seemed deeply complicated.

Withdrawing his hand, Zhao Jue smiled at Zhao Zhen. "My, you've grown up so much..."

Maintaining a stony silence for a beat, Zhao Zhen backed out of the doorway and turned on his heel to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" Feeling bewildered, Bai Chi looked back and forth between Zhao Jue and the others before ultimately chasing after Zhao Zhen.

Seeing Bai Chi vanish down the hall in the blink of an eye, Zhao Jue shrugged and winked at Zhan Zhao. "Looks like I played that joke a bit too hard."

"Cut the chatter and let's get started immediately!" Zhan Zhao declared, kicking off the blanket to swing his legs out of bed. He picked up his clothes and headed into the washroom to change out of his hospital gown.

"Cat?" Bai Yutang frowned.

"Bai, we're heading back to the precinct. There's no time to waste!"

Ultimately, Bai Yutang nodded in agreement and reached for his car keys.

Zhao Jue descended the stairs alongside the group, glancing back and forth between Zhan Zhao and the bandages wrapped around Bai Yutang's hand. His expression darkened, and he rubbed his chin as if plotting something sinister. Nearby, Yangyang stared at him with curious eyes, silently guessing just how old this handsome uncle might be. As he watched, Zhao Jue lowered his head and offered him a faint smile.

For some inexplicable reason, Yangyang found that smile rather frightening and instinctively drifted closer to Luo Wen's side.

Luo Wen lifted a hand to scoop Yangyang up into his arms, casting a chilling glare at Zhao Jue.

Looking helpless, Zhao Jue let out a sigh, trotted forward to sling an arm companionfully over Bai Yutang's shoulder, and whined in a spoiled tone, "Why does everyone hate me?"

Bai Yutang reached out and swatted Zhao Jue's arm off his shoulder, stating coldly, "I hate you too."

Acting as though throwing a petty tantrum, Zhao Jue retorted, "Well, I couldn't care less! Every single person with the last name Bai hates me, so I hate everyone with the last name Bai too!" With a theatrical huff, he spun on his heel, rounded the corner toward another vehicle parked by the roadside, and waved goodbye to Zhan Zhao over his shoulder. "I'll go ahead to the precinct and wait for you."