S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 5: Chapter 31

The Doppelganger Killer 31 - A Temporary Conclusion (Case Closed)

Bai Yutang, Zhan Zhao, and Ouyang Chun watched as Taber and Jie Jie scrambled over the villa's perimeter wall, while Lu and Du She vanished from sight. Unable to worry about the others for the moment, the three men set off in hot pursuit of Taber.

Panicking and running without picking a direction, Taber and Jie Jie burst into the abandoned industrial warehouse. Taber barked at Jie Jie, "Stop them!"

Jie Jie's mind still appeared severely addled. With a wounded shoulder and a vacant, dazed expression, he obeyed Taber's command and planted himself right where he was, waiting for Bai Yutang and the others to arrive.

Without missing a beat, Taber spun around and bolted straight into the neatly stacked rows of shipping containers inside the warehouse.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang caught up to Jie Jie. Just as Ouyang Chun raised his weapon to fire, Zhan Zhao lifted a hand and motioned gently to Jie Jie.

Tilting his head in confusion, Jie Jie suddenly broke into a grin, trotted over obediently, and stood still in place.

Ouyang Chun looked at Zhan Zhao with a puzzled expression.

Before Zhan Zhao could say a thing, the sharp crack of a gunshot echoed from nearby.

Without a second thought, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao took off toward the sound.

Left standing in place and at a loss for what to do, Ouyang Chun quickly pulled out a pair of handcuffs to secure Jie Jie. Just as he prepared to give chase, a long, wailing police siren pierced the air in the distance, signaling the arrival of Bao Zheng's convoy.

Hesitating briefly, Ouyang Chun escorted Jie Jie back a few paces, clicked on a flashlight, and swept it back and forth through the air to signal the incoming reinforcements.

……

Following the sound of gunfire, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang tracked it down until they found themselves standing inside a vast, brilliantly illuminated workshop.

Exchanging a glance, the two men surged inside.

The interior of the warehouse was crammed with towering stacks of cardboard boxes. The moment they stepped in, a loud rustling sound erupted from atop the box stacks.

Frowning, Bai Yutang muttered, "Up top."

Seeing him holster his weapon and start scaling the stacks made Zhan Zhao feel rather anxious; Bai Yutang's hand was still wrapped in gauze. Just as he opened his mouth to tell him to be careful, a figure lunged downward from above with violent momentum.

The stacks of cardboard boxes stood at least ten meters high, yet the person leaped straight down with breathtaking agility. Upon landing, Zhan Zhao distinctly heard the muffled snap of bones—the man was undoubtedly injured.

The person who leaped down was none other than Du She. Without a pause, he raised his head, spotted Zhan Zhao standing not far away, and lunged forward like a striking beast.

"Cat, shoot!" The moment Bai Yutang's warning fell, Zhan Zhao raised his hand and fired a shot straight at Du She's shoulder...

Having never taken a human life before, Zhan Zhao held back instinctively, aiming for Du She's shoulder rather than a vital spot.

Struck by the bullet, Du She merely faltered for a fraction of a second before continuing his charge.

That microsecond of hesitation was all Bai Yutang needed to leap down from the boxes.

He tackled Du She to the ground. The moment Du She scrambled back up, Bai Yutang moved with terrifying speed; before his supporting foot even touched the floor, he delivered a flying side kick that sent Du She spinning through the air in a somersault.

Even devoid of physical pain, Du She couldn't withstand a beating of that caliber. Spitting a mouthful of blood onto the concrete, he glanced at Bai Yutang, dragged himself back up, and turned to flee.

He hadn't run far when a dark shadow plummeted from the stacked boxes above—it was Lu.

The left side of Lu's shoulder was stained completely crimson with blood, making the hearts of both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang tighten in alarm. With a ferocious collision, he slammed into Du She, sending him flying several meters until he crashed hard against a steel support pillar in the middle of the workshop with a sickening crunch.

Zhan Zhao winced as he saw Du She's right elbow joint snap completely through the skin—a gruesome sight.

Looking somewhat unhinged and preparing to charge again, Lu froze when Bai Yutang raised his service weapon, fired a warning shot into the ceiling, and shouted coldly, "Everyone, stop right there!"

Only then did Lu grind to a halt. His legs finally buckling under him, he dropped to one knee, unable to remain standing. Only then did Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang realize he was riddled with bullet wounds, blood gushing freely from multiple entry points.

"Lu, are you alright?" Zhan Zhao asked anxiously. Bleeding at that rate, he wouldn't even feel the pain before he bled dry.

"Heh heh heh..." Du She suddenly started laughing, his voice raspy and cracked. "It's not that easy to die... people like us don't die unless we're blown to smithereens, blasted until not even a speck of dust is left... don't you agree?" With that, he cast a glance at Lu.

"Don't move!" Bai Yutang leveled his gun at Du She. "You aren't running anywhere."

"Heh heh..." Du She chuckled again, drawing his hand out from behind his back to reveal a live hand grenade clutched in his palm.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged a grim look.

"Want to shoot me?" Du She smiled merrily. "Want to drag this monster down to hell with you?"

Bai Yutang stayed silent. Right at that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the workshop—the rest of the SI team had arrived.

"Don't come in!" Zhan Zhao called out over his shoulder.

Taking in the horrific scene inside, the incoming team members skidded to a halt in shock.

"Give it up," Zhan Zhao told Du She in an icy tone. "No matter how fast your reflexes are, you won't outrun a bullet."

"Do you dare take that gamble?" Du She laughed coldly. "I'm a monster. Even if you riddle my head with bullets, I can still move. The moment I detonate this right here..." He flicked a finger toward Lu standing nearby, "...he dies with me!"

Recognizing the grim reality of Du She's words, Zhan Zhao found himself trapped in a tense stalemate with no immediate solution.

Swiftly scanning the surroundings, Zhan Zhao's eyes lit up with a sudden idea. He offered a cold smile to Du She. "Your laboratory and all your subordinates are gone. What's the point of running away now?" While speaking, he kept his movements hidden from Du She, sneaking his hand behind his back to flash a series of hand signals to the team gathered at the doorway.

Catching Zhan Zhao's hand signals, Gongsun didn't wait for the others to react; he quietly scooped up Yangyang and slipped away from the group.

"Heh heh..." Du She chuckled. "Even if I die, I'm taking him with me." He glared at Lu. "We were destined to be together from the start—live together, die together..." His thumb had already slipped through the safety pin, needing only the slightest twitch to trigger the blast.

Lifting his gaze, Lu met his stare and offered a look of utter disdain. "Who's living and dying with you... I'm a successful specimen, while you're nothing more than a defective reject. I have a wonderful son—what do you have? That lunatic?!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Agitated, Du She snapped, "I'll die with you, we'll die—" With a final roar, he yanked the pin free and lunged toward Lu.

Bai Yutang pulled the trigger, planting a bullet squarely in Du She's chest. A fountain of blood erupted from Du She's mouth as the impact hurled his body violently backward.

"Run!" Grabbing Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang bolted toward the exit just as a deafening roar echoed through the room. The wall-high stacks of cardboard boxes behind Lu collapsed in an avalanche. The moment the cascading boxes buried Lu, the grenade in Du She's hand detonated...

A concussive shockwave ripped through the air. Bai Yutang threw Zhan Zhao to the floor, while the team members at the entrance threw themselves flat.

As the echoes of the blast faded, Bai Yutang lifted his head first to check on Zhan Zhao. Finding each other completely uninjured, the two bounded to their feet and sprinted back inside.

The entire stack of cardboard boxes had been scorched pitch-black, with multiple fires blazing across the debris.

Pelling away boxes in a frantic frenzy, Bai Yutang shouted at the top of his lungs, "Lu!"

Meanwhile, Zhan Zhao raised his gaze toward the upper sections of the uncollapsed box stacks and hollered, "Yangyang?"

A moment later, Luoyang poked his head out from atop a massive pile of boxes and looked down at Zhan Zhao. "Uncle Zhan... where's Uncle Big Beard?"

Earlier, Zhan Zhao's hand signals had directed everyone's attention to the ventilation shaft near the top of the boxes—a crawlspace only someone of Luoyang's size could squeeze through. Catching on instantly, Gongsun had led Luoyang outside, instructed him to enter through the vent, and told him to shove over the boxes from within, making sure to take cover behind the boxes flush against the wall.

Confirming that Luoyang was completely unharmed, Zhan Zhao let out a breath of relief. Turning around, he saw the rest of the SI crew swarming in to help Bai Yutang clear away the burning boxes, while Gongsun waited outside to prep the ambulance.

"Lu!" Bai Yutang finally unearthed Lu from beneath a mountain of cartons, pressing two fingers to his neck. "He's still breathing!"

Bai Yutang's words drew a collective sigh of relief from everyone present. Paramedics rushed in immediately, hoisting Lu onto a stretcher in a flurry of motion. Gongsun scrambled aboard the ambulance and turned to gesture for Luoyang to follow.

Luoyang cast a hesitating look at Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao ruffled the boy's hair and said gently, "Go on. He's your real dad."

Blinking in surprise, Luoyang processed the words for a brief second before putting his head down and scrambling aboard the ambulance.

As the ambulance sped away in a cloud of dust, Bai Yutang's memory snapped back into focus. He barked out orders, "Don't stand down! Spread out and search—we haven't caught Taber yet!"

……

Having fled in blind panic, Taber stumbled toward the rear of the industrial plant, relying on a contingency vehicle he had stashed there to make his escape.

Reaching the car and finding no sign of pursuers behind him, Taber let out a sigh of relief and reached into his pocket for the keys... He patted himself down—nothing!

A cold sweat broke out all over Taber's body. He frantically patted every pocket he had, coming up empty. Just as panic threatened to overwhelm him, a soft, amused chuckle echoed from behind him.

Whirling around in terror, Taber locked eyes with the figure standing right behind him, his eyes widening in the absolute certainty of his impending doom.

"Looking for this?" The person pulled a single key out of their pocket.

Stepping backward, Taber swallowed hard and stammered, "Where's the need... for such mercilessness?"

With a faint smile, the person stepped forward and held out the key. "Here, take it. Reach out and catch it."

With trembling fingers, Taber hesitantly reached out. In a blur of motion, the figure flashed past him with terrifying speed, a blade sweeping gracefully across Taber's throat. A thin red line materialized... parted... and a spray of arterial blood erupted into the air...

Taber's corpse collapsed into a lifeless heap on the ground. Sneering, the figure tossed the key onto the dead man's body and turned to leave.

Walking over to a black sedan parked far down the highway, the person opened the door, looked at the occupant inside with a smile, and said, "Don't worry, your two treasures are both safe."

"Hmph." The person turned their face away, their shoulder-length hair partially concealing the ambiguous, light pink marks lingering along their jaw and neck.

"Let's go." Shifting into gear and lighting a cigarette, the driver blew a cloud of smoke and chuckled, "You've waited this many years, what's a little longer? The time isn't right yet. Have a little patience..." With those words, they stepped on the gas and drove away into the night.

When Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang finally tracked down Taber, all they found was a corpse with a slit throat.

"Bai, could you pull off a move like that?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Squatting down to examine Taber's wounds, Bai Yutang gave a wry smile. "Do what? Use a key as a throat-slitting blade?"

"Looks like this is far from over," Zhan Zhao sighed, reaching out to pull him back to his feet.

"Well, at least today is over!" Bai Yutang chuckled, throwing an arm around Zhan Zhao's shoulder as they started back. "Cat, you almost got to play a father today, but I guess that went down the drain, huh?!"

Zhan Zhao laughed as well. "Right? I would've been the dad, and you would've been the mom!"

"Why the hell am I the mom?" Bai Yutang protested righteously. "No matter how you look at it, I'm the dad material!"

"The mom is the one who cooks, does the dishes, and washes the clothes!" Zhan Zhao argued with supreme confidence.

With a suggestive smirk, Bai Yutang sidled up close to him. "I won't bicker with you. Let's settle this in bed!"

"You dead rodent!" Once again, Zhan Zhao resorted to physical violence against the rat in broad daylight.

By the time they finished wrapping things up near midnight, Bai Yutang gave orders for the team to take the next day off for recovery, leaving the minor cleanup work for tomorrow. Everyone dispersed to their respective homes.

Upon stepping through his front door, Bai Chi found Lisbon waiting alone in the living room. Zhao Zhen was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a brief note stating that he had gone to help out at a friend's bar.

Recognizing the bar Zhao Zhen had mentioned—which he recalled as being rather rowdy—Bai Chi hesitated for a moment before picking up his keys, opening the door, and heading back out into the night.

The interior of the bar thrummed with a chaotic wall of noise. Having spent plenty of time frequenting clubs back in France, Zhao Zhen had struck up friendships with several nightlife owners. To accommodate his stage magic needs, he had formally learned professional bartending. For a magician behind the bar, the quality of the drink was secondary; the real attraction was the dazzling, flashy flair of his movements. With his naturally striking looks, Zhao Zhen instantly became the focal point of the entire venue the moment he stepped behind the counter.

When Bai Chi pushed his way into the bar, that was precisely the scene that greeted him: a dense crowd of patrons, both men and women, staring greedily at Zhao Zhen behind the bar with glowing eyes.

Ignited by a surge of unnameable annoyance, Bai Chi marched forward and stopped right in front of Zhao Zhen.

Turning his head, Zhao Zhen looked startled to see Bai Chi materialize out of nowhere before breaking into a wide grin. "Chi-chi, what brings you here? Is the case wrapped up?"

Fearing trouble, Zhao Zhen had kept his expression ice-cool all evening while mixing drinks, which had kept any overly bold admirers at bay. But the moment that dazzling smile bloomed on his face, Bai Chi heard a collective intake of breath from the crowd behind him, making his face darken by several shades.

"What's wrong? Why are you pulling such a long face?" Reaching out, Zhao Zhen pinched Bai Chi's cheek. "Case didn't go well?"

Swatting his hand away, Bai Chi bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Come home with me right now!"

Zhao Zhen froze, and the surrounding patrons instantly fell silent.

Oblivious to the sudden hush, Bai Chi pressed on, shouting, "You are not allowed to ever come back here again! If you do, I'm moving out! And I'm never cooking for you again!"

"Ooooh~~~~" Another collective gasp rippled through the crowd behind him—only this time, whereas the first gasp had been filled with pure awe, this one was dripping with utter disappointment.

Noticing the strange, weirdly amused looks directed at him by the onlookers, with several people even covering their mouths to stifle giggles, Bai Chi suddenly realized that his words carried a heavy double meaning.

"Uh... no, that's not..." Blushing furiously, Bai Chi stood with his mouth agape, completely at a loss for how to explain himself.

"Aiguya..." The bar owner—none other than Zhao Zhen's friend—walked over covering his mouth and gave Zhao Zhen a shove. "Oh dear, your baby is jealous. You better hurry home before you lose your meals for good..." With that, the owner gave a suggestive, lingering lick to his lips.

Flushed all the way to the roots of his hair, Bai Chi spun on his heel and bolted.

Legs long and stride fast, Zhao Zhen took off in hot pursuit... a brilliant, blinding smile plastered across his face.

……

With the SI team successfully wrapping up all loose ends for the case, yet another major criminal conspiracy had been shattered.

A rare stretch of leisurely days settled over the bureau. One afternoon, while the SI crew lounged around the office soaking up the sunlight and Zhan Zhao busied himself typing up the final case report, a knock rapped against the door as Bao Zheng stepped inside.

Every head lifted to look at Bao Zheng, and Bai Yutang asked, "Director Bao, another major case?"

Giving him a glare, Bao Zheng shook his head. "You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you? It's been only a few days—did you think major cases grew on trees?!"

Arched eyebrows and an unbothered yawn later, Bai Yutang stared at Bao Zheng as if asking—Then what are you here for?

A smile touched Bao Zheng's lips as he announced to the room, "I'm here to introduce you all to a new colleague."

Frowning, Bai Yutang asked, "Director Bao, how come I didn't get any advance notice about a personnel transfer?"

Zhan Zhao nodded in agreement. "We have the right to know and decide these things!"

Bao Zheng shot the pair an unamused look and drawled leisurely, "I guarantee you'll both be pleased, especially since you already know him." With that, he motioned toward the doorway.

Curious, everyone turned their gazes toward the entrance to see a figure stepping inside. Dressed in a clean, sharp denim jacket, he looked far less world-weary than before. Though in his early thirties, his head was still wrapped in a layer of gauze.

"Lu?!" Bai Yutang surged to his feet while the rest of the team exchanged stunned looks.

"Lu is a natural fit for police work," Bao Zheng said with a smile. "Consider this me finding you all a reliable hand. Bai Chi's been running field ops solo without a partner, so let's pair him up with Lu."

"Really?" Bai Chi bounced up from his chair in sheer delight.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao exchanged a glance, their faces breaking into bright smiles.

Just then, another small figure squeezed through the doorway behind Lu.

Everyone watched as Luoyang marched right up in front of Lu, planted his hands firmly on his hips, and announced loudly, "From now on, please take good care of us—and none of you are allowed to bully my dad!"

……

END OF PART ONE