S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 5: Chapter 9

The Doppelganger Killer 09 - Impossible to Guard Against

"What?" Bai Jingtang jolted at the realization of Gongsun's unusual state. He sprang up from his chair and hurried over. "What's wrong?"

Gongsun's eyes were wide as he stared straight at Bai Jingtang standing right in front of him.

"I was just trying to fake being asleep to tease you... How on earth did you get so scared?" Reaching out, Bai Jingtang pulled Gongsun into his embrace and gently stroked his back. "What happened?"

For a long moment, Gongsun simply blinked, as if snapping back to reality, and looked at Bai Jingtang in bewilderment. "You... you didn't know? Right, of course you wouldn't know."

"What is it?" Bai Jingtang furrowed his brows slightly, trying to lead Gongsun over to the couch to sit down. Instead, Gongsun tilted his head and fixed his gaze on the swivel chair in the middle of the room, then glanced toward the wall nearby with an expression of profound confusion.

"That's impossible..." Gongsun shook his head, muttering to himself, "It shouldn't be possible..."

"What's impossible?" Bai Jingtang reached out to give Gongsun a gentle shake. "Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Withdrawing his gaze, Gongsun pushed Bai Jingtang back toward his desk chair. "Sit properly!"

Looking thoroughly mystified, Bai Jingtang sat back down and stared at Gongsun in incomprehension.

"The posture you had just now!"

Bai Jingtang nodded, leaning back once more to replicate the exact reclining posture he had held moments before. Immediately, a silhouette materialized against the wall behind him.

Gongsun picked up a marker from the desk and drew a line on the wall right where the hand of the shadow rested. He then told Bai Jingtang, "Now, maintain that same posture, but take away the tension in your legs."

Though completely at a loss as to what Gongsun was trying to achieve, Bai Jingtang complied. He consciously relaxed his feet... As the muscular tension faded, the swivel chair slowly rotated by a small margin. While subtle, the movement was unmistakable. Watching the angle of the shadow on the wall shift before his eyes, Gongsun let out a long breath. "So that's how it was."

Bai Jingtang rubbed his temples, stood up, and switched on the lights, instantly brightening the entire room. He walked over to Gongsun. "What on earth is going on?"

Putting the marker away, Gongsun explained, "In the case we've been investigating lately, the victim was found slumped in a chair exactly like this. He died in the middle of the night with a desk lamp turned on, casting a shadow on the wall behind him. That shadow had a gun in its hand, pinned right to the wall... I was so stupid. All of us assumed the killer had meticulously staged the entire scene in the middle of the night before fleeing, but that wasn't it at all."

"Why?" Bai Jingtang raised an eyebrow.

"Well, most people naturally assume a dead body weighs more than a living one, right?"

Bai Jingtang nodded. "In reality, the weight doesn't increase; it's simply that the body loses its capacity to support its own weight, making it feel heavier."

"Exactly!" Gongsun nodded. "When a person sits in a swivel chair—especially an adult—a crucial factor in keeping that chair balanced is the active support of their own legs. A dead person loses that supporting ability, and their corpse will eventually stiffen, among many other subtle physical changes. Naturally, a swivel chair is extremely sensitive to shifts in balance, even the slightest change in weight distribution... therefore."

"Therefore, the crime scene was staged long after death, once the body's condition had completely stabilized." Bai Jingtang said calmly.

"Right!" Gongsun nodded. "The killer might have even lingered around until just before we arrived at the scene, which is why the angle of that shadow was so precise!"

"I couldn't care less about some homicide case." Gazing at the enthusiastic look on Gongsun's face, Bai Jingtang asked instead, "Why were you panicking so much just now?"

Gongsun froze, looking around awkwardly before his eyes landed on the shattered wine bottle on the floor with a twinge of regret. "Oh no... it's all smashed..." With that, he made a move to clean it up.

"Were you afraid I was dead?" Bai Jingtang yanked Gongsun back into his arms. "Would you make that kind of face if I died?"

Frowning, Gongsun raised his foot to kick Bai Jingtang's shin. "How old are you, still pulling jokes like this?"

"I told you I was just pretending to sleep..." Bai Jingtang lowered his head to kiss Gongsun's temple. "It's just that you care about me too much... You looked like you were on the verge of a breakdown from fright."

"Don't flatter yourself!" Gongsun tried to break free, his face flushing red involuntarily. "Anyone would panic if they walked in on something like that!"

"Aren't you a forensic pathologist?" Bai Jingtang pressed relentlessly. "Since when are forensic pathologists scared of dead bodies?!"

"That's not—ah!" Before Gongsun could finish, Bai Jingtang swept him off his feet, hoisting him up with his feet dangling in the air, and carried him straight toward the bedroom. "What are you doing?! I have to work tomorrow!"

"I'm just carrying you inside." Bai Jingtang gently laid Gongsun down on the bed. "What does that have to do with whether you work tomorrow or not?"

"..." Gongsun's mouth opened slightly, and he glared at him. "What are you feeling so smug about?"

"Heh..." Bai Jingtang chuckled, leaning over to pin Gongsun beneath him. "Naturally I'm smug. Do you have any idea how happy I am? Just now, you looked like you were confessing your love to me."

"You're hallucinating. Let Zhan take a look at you—you've got delusions." Gongsun pushed against his chest. "Get off, you're heavy!"

"Don't be afraid." Bai Jingtang lowered his head to kiss Gongsun. "I'm not going to die. I will never let you make that kind of face again."

Gongsun fell silent, letting Bai Yutang kiss him.

"Aren't you going to put up a fight? Because I'm about to do whatever I want." Bai Jingtang unbuttoned his own tie.

"Don't push your luck!" Gongsun reached up to pinch his neck. "If I kill you right now, it counts as self-defense."

"How could you bear to let me die?" Bai Jingtang casually began unbuttoning Gongsun's shirt. "Be a good boy, I'll help you call in sick tomorrow..."

Looking at the bearded man in the surveillance frame pointed out by Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang instantly recognized him as the very person they had been searching for. "Was he just in here?"

Zhan Zhao switched the monitor back to the live feed and checked carefully—the man was no longer there.

"What's wrong with this guy?" Weiyong stepped forward and asked.

"Who is he?" Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao asked in unison.

"Uh... a rather peculiar customer," Weiyong said. "He comes here frequently, but he never steps into the ring to fight. He just watches."

"This isn't a place just anyone can wander into, is it?" Bai Yutang remarked. "You either have to be a brawler or come recommended by an insider."

Weiyong glanced at Chen Jie, as if silently asking for guidance.

"The officer asked you a question, so just speak honestly. There's nothing to hide," Chen Jie said, lighting another cigarette and blowing out a ring of smoke.

"Right, well, there are three ways to get in here. First is as a fighter, though fighters still need an insider's recommendation; second is as a regular with a membership card; and third is as a new guest brought along by an acquaintance."

"Then what about him? He's neither a fighter nor a member, which means he must have been brought by an acquaintance. Whose acquaintance is he?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"We all just call him Big Beard," Weiyong sighed and said. "He's Luowen's friend."

"Luowen? Any relation to the kid Luoyang from earlier?" Bai Yutang asked.

"He's Luoyang's old man, one of our brothers who passed away," Weiyong nodded. "He was a good guy."

"How did he die?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Gang turf war," Chen Jie answered indifferently. "Hacked to death by a mob of blades."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao exchanged glances in silence.

"That kid has what it takes," Chen Jie observed. "He'll amount to something when he grows up."

"You mean by continuing the cycle of gang warfare?" Bai Yutang shot back with a cold smirk.

"Hah..." Chen Jie smiled faintly. Snuffing out her cigarette, she said, "Coming here to help out was Yangyang's own choice... Besides, he goes to school during the day, and as long as he wants to study, we'll fund his way through university!"

Seeing the faint surprise on Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao's faces, Weiyong chuckled. "It's true. The most common thing the brothers ask him is 'Did you finish your homework?' He's a remarkable kid because he insists on working here himself; everyone's money is earned with their lives on the line, and he refuses to take handouts."

Bai Yutang nodded. "Did Big Beard have any contact with him?"

Weiyong shook his head. "I never saw it. He and Luowen probably weren't all that close, strictly speaking."

"Nothing more to ask. Take me to see Luoyang." With those words, Bai Yutang followed Weiyong toward the exit.

As he reached the doorway, Zhan Zhao suddenly paused, turned back to look at Chen Jie, and said, "Ordinary hallucinogenic substances have only temporary effects on adults, but their harm to children can be permanent."

Chen Jie froze, looking at Zhan Zhao as he offered a faint smile. "Excessive cruelty and premature maturity might make someone 'amount to something' in the underworld, but for a normal child, it's called a psychological disorder. If left to develop into adulthood, it could easily evolve into mania or severe violent tendencies!" With those words, he pulled the door shut and left.

After a long silence, Chen Jie instructed her subordinate, "From now on, don't let Yangyang into the club anymore! Tomorrow, take him to see a psychiatrist."

"Yes, Boss!"

Following Weiyong out of the basement via the back fire escape, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao emerged into an alley situated right behind the Dark Night Club.

The alley lacked streetlights, casting deep shadows across the ground where puddles caught the pale glow of the moon overhead. The surroundings were exceptionally quiet.

Weiyong walked up to a modest doorway and gave it a soft knock. "Yangyang? Yangyang, are you asleep?"

A moment later, footsteps sounded from within, followed by a sharp click as the door unlocked. Standing in the doorway was none other than Loach.

His face lit up with a welcoming smile upon seeing Weiyong, but the moment he caught sight of Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao standing behind him, the smile vanished, replaced by an expression of sharp wariness.

"Yangyang, these two uncles have a few questions for you. Be a good boy and answer them, alright?" Weiyong spoke in a remarkably gentle tone, completely devoid of the fierceness typical of an underworld boss, a sight that almost made Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang want to chuckle.

"..." After a brief pause, Yangyang nodded and stepped aside to let them enter the room.

The moment Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang stepped inside, they could immediately tell this child hadn't been raised in a completely loveless environment. On the contrary, the room was furnished with plenty of toys and books. The interior was decorated quite warmly, with food and daily necessities fully stocked—he simply insisted on smearing himself up like a literal loach.

"Uh... you guys chat, I'll go outside and smoke a cigarette." Weiyong pulled out a pack of cigarettes, walked out into the alley, and carefully pulled the door shut behind him.

Luoyang walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down, keeping a wary—or rather, hostile—gaze fixed on Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang.

"You're Luoyang?" Bai Yutang pulled up a chair and sat down.

Luoyang didn't answer right away. After a long moment, he stated, "You're police officers." The tone wasn't a question, but a flat statement of fact.

Zhan Zhao looked around the room, strolled over to the bookshelf, pulled out a volume, and started flipping through the pages.

"Don't touch my stuff!" Luoyang barked with a hint of ferocity.

"You don't like the police?" Zhan Zhao asked softly.

Luoyang stayed silent.

"But your father liked them, didn't he?" Zhan Zhao continued flipping through the book, paying no mind to Luoyang's startled gaze. "Your father desperately wanted you to break away from the underworld and have a bright, upright future. Because you spent too much time around underworld figures, you subconsciously developed a bias against the police, which is why your father wanted to show you that they were the ones who were wrong. He wanted you to see that your brand of justice didn't truly exist, and that the justice upheld by the police was the real justice belonging to this world. So, he bought you these books, letting you witness how crimes are solved. You thought it was fascinating, and gradually began to trust the police. Then, your father lost his life in a gang turf war. You went to the police for help, only to be mocked by them. They even told you your father died in vain, that he deserved it... after all, who told him to live a life of crime? The underworld isn't something the police manage. And so, you felt betrayed by the very police officers your father trusted, which is why you hate the cops. Am I right?"

Luoyang's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as he stared straight at Zhan Zhao. "How do you know that? Who are you?"

Zhan Zhao smiled faintly, pointed to the book titled Crime and Psychology in his hands, and chuckled, "I'm the author of this book."

Luoyang's jaw dropped in absolute shock. He looked back and forth between Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, unable to process what he was hearing.

Zhan Zhao walked over, sat down beside him, and said, "You hate the police and everything associated with them, yet you didn't throw this book away. Do you know what that kind of behavior signifies?"

"What does it signify?" Luoyang asked, utterly bewildered.

"It signifies that you've already reached an age where you can distinguish right from wrong," Zhan Zhao put the book down and said. "You know what is right and what is wrong; you're simply in too much pain to face it."

Luoyang sat in silence for a long time before lowering his head. In a very quiet voice, he spoke, "What do you want to know? Go ahead and ask."

Bai Yutang nodded at Zhan Zhao, raising an eyebrow—Cat, I take my hat off to you!

Zhan Zhao shot him a glare—just ask your questions already.

Bai Yutang looked back at Luoyang. "Big Beard! We want to know everything about him."

Just as the words left his mouth, a sharp bang of a gunshot echoed from outside the door. All three of them jolted in surprise. Bai Yutang sprang to his feet, drew his firearm, and gestured sharply to Zhan Zhao and Luoyang. Zhan Zhao pulled the terrified Luoyang into his arms and scrambled into the corner of the room. Slipping over to the doorway, Bai Yutang yanked the door open—only to find Weiyong lying facedown on the threshold... with a gunshot wound straight through his head.