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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 00: The Mystery of the Alley (Sixteen)
"The old lady in that bathroom, she heard something bad. In reality, nothing happened; she just came once and then never returned. Before Bao Hui's incident, she even reminded her to come back early. Perhaps Bao Hui didn't want to go back so soon, maybe because her husband's cruel treatment had hurt her. So instead of wrapping things up early with others, she ended up here and met her demise."
"Do you think Bao Hui would commit suicide?"
"How could she not? If I were in her shoes, with a vicious husband and mother-in-law, and unable to receive proper treatment due to illness, my first thought would be death. But before dying, I would definitely want to vent my frustrations. How to do that becomes a bit tricky."
"That makes sense. If Bao Hui wanted revenge on Zheng Kai, even if it meant her own death, she might want him to suffer in prison to find some balance."
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."
As Qin Jian and I were analyzing the situation, we suddenly noticed the workers becoming frantic. One of them shouted, "Not good! There's something in the broken concrete!" Just as they began to dismantle the bathroom area, a crowd of passersby and vendors started to gather around.
A significant number of people had gathered; at first glance, when they heard the workers had found something, they assumed it was some treasure and rushed over. Fortunately, Qin Jian had the foresight to deploy personnel to secure the scene, leaving only one entrance and exit.
The onlookers could only tiptoe outside the crowd to catch a glimpse. Watching was futile; they couldn't see anything at all.
This was for the best; it wouldn't hinder our work.
When the workers discovered something in the concrete, Qin Jian and I sensed the gravity of the situation and sent them away. Only Qin Jian and I remained at the scene. The bustling old man who had been running around came over just in time; we instructed him to block the entrance to prevent anyone from entering.
The area where the concrete was broken was on the west wall, specifically where we entered and turned right, adjacent to the partition wall of the women's restroom. Qin Jian and I stared in shock at a curled-up corpse embedded in the concrete below. The position of the body was one of extreme agony; its bones were severely fractured and misaligned, resembling exactly what I had seen in my vision inside the car.
Seeing this made my heart tremble.
"It really is..." Qin Jian pulled out his phone, preparing to contact headquarters.
I reached out, my trembling hand extending toward the curled-up corpse. Just as my fingers brushed against it, a hoarse, aged voice warned, "Mind Your Own Business." A chill ran down my spine; I was determined to meddle in this affair.
The discovery of a body in the restroom's foundation led to an immediate lockdown on Fruit Street. Vehicles were prohibited from passing, and pedestrians were barred from entering.
I glanced around for Liao Granny, but she had already packed up and left without me noticing. The other vendors hurriedly gathered their things amidst various suspicions. Of course, the Street Office would handle any losses they incurred today.
Soon after, the Criminal Investigation Team arrived, encircling the curled corpse. It resembled a cocoon, a pupa encased in concrete. Perhaps he had still been alive when the concrete was poured; the dislocated jaw suggested that it had happened at that moment.
The forensic expert examined his mouth, which was filled with concrete. The time of death remained uncertain; everything depended on transporting the body to the Station for a thorough examination to determine the facts.
As they loaded the complete human form, still encased in concrete, into the vehicle, I felt as if the corpse was glaring at me with hatred.
Qin Jian and I were also heading back to the station to assist in uncovering the source and true identity of the body. Only I knew how Bao Hui's case related to this corpse.
"Ma Qi, you're incredible," Qin Jian said excitedly, my suggestion having led him to another success.
"See? Let's hope nothing else happens." I genuinely worried about Liao Granny; I had a feeling something was about to go wrong.
"You're being overly cautious; what's bothering you?"
I got into the car. I didn't want to deal with this kind of situation either.
Qin Jian noticed several tickets stuck on the windshield. He peeled them off and found they were all fines. He picked up his phone and immediately called a friend who managed this street, only to be told that his friend had been transferred long ago and no longer worked there.
Just as Qin Jian was making his call, two Patrol Officers approached us.
He walked up to us, pulled out a notebook, and expressionlessly asked, "Are you the owner of this vehicle?" While they were questioning me, Qin Jian was crouched down inspecting the tires. He noticed one of them was slightly flat and suspected it had been deflated.
"I'm sorry, this is a City Bureau vehicle, and we are on official business."
The other party clearly didn't believe my words and bluntly extended his hand. "Identification."
"Lao Qin, don't bother checking; someone is asking for your ID."
Hearing me call out, Qin Jian stood up and muttered something I couldn't catch. He didn't pull out his identification but instead walked directly up to the two Patrol Officers. "We're handling a matter here; please understand. There will be plenty of opportunities for cooperation in the future."
The two Patrol Officers exchanged glances but remained unconvinced, insisting on seeing our IDs.
With a sigh, Qin Jian had no choice but to take out his identification and hand it over to them. "Take a good look; there can be fakes."
The Patrol Officers were genuinely surprised to find that they were dealing with City Bureau personnel. After examining the IDs, they quickly withdrew the ticket and smiled. "Oh, it's you guys. No need for a ticket; you can go."
However, at that moment, Qin Jian showed no intention of leaving immediately. He pulled out his wallet and took out three red bills. "Fines are acceptable, but let's waive the points. Consider this my introduction to both of you."
"Well, that's not appropriate. I have to handle this according to regulations. Special circumstances require special treatment; we need to cooperate to create a good environment."
"Take it; we still have things to do, so we won't hold you up." Qin Jian stuffed the money into the officer's hand, started the car, and drove off in three minutes.
"Those two really have no sense," I muttered.
"It was just about half a wheel's worth. We were in a hurry earlier and didn't notice the center point, which is why those two took the opportunity to make an easy profit."
"Fines need to be submitted, right?"
"Of course. Just watch, once the holidays come, their supervision will definitely tighten. If you're not careful, you'll get caught; after all, this is their source of bonuses..."
"How could it not be?"
"Unwritten rules. It's fine to talk about it, but I don't want to."
Qin Jian hesitated for a moment before bringing up the case of the concrete body in the bathroom. "How about a deep experience?"
"You old fool, are you satisfied only if you get someone killed?" I snapped back, feeling frustrated. Even Wang Laozi wouldn't acknowledge it. Now, my mood was extremely low; I felt restless and couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen.
I thought about it from every angle but couldn't come up with a reason, so I decided not to dwell on it. I would just wait for the autopsy report on the body later.
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