[Purposely making things difficult]
Back at the station, Zhou Wanxi’s body had already been transported to the morgue and autopsied. The medical examiner, Li Ming, was walking toward the Major Crimes Unit clutching the post-mortem report.
Seeing Fu Yirong at the door, Li Ming raised a hand in greeting and scanned the area behind him. “Where’s Officer Gu?”
“Out on a call,” Fu Yirong replied, glancing sideways at the paperwork. “Is the cause of death sorted?”
Li Ming gave the report a shake, the paper rustling sharply—a sound that made Fu Yirong’s heart tighten in anticipation.
“Let’s talk while we walk.” Li Ming led the way up the steps. Once the two men caught up, she began, “Time of death was between 8:00 and 10:00 last night. There were still undigested food particles in the stomach, and blood alcohol levels were quite high. She’d been drinking before she died.”
“And the cause?”
“The cranium hasn’t been recovered yet, so the definitive cause of death is pending. However, the internal organs show significant congestion, and increased negative pressure in the chest cavity led to pulmonary emphysema and ruptured blood vessels in the bronchial mucosa. We can conclude she died of mechanical asphyxiation.”
“…”
Even though he’d heard a nearly identical analysis earlier, Fu Yirong still found it staggering.
Lu Ting’an actually guessed correctly!
Noticing the silence, Li Ming paused. “Officer Fu, do you have a question?”
“No, none. Please continue, Dr. Li.”
Li Ming nodded. “The victim was sexually assaulted. There is tissue damage around the reproductive organs; the wound edges are neat with no vital reaction, and there are no signs of a struggle on the body. We can determine that the killer committed necrophilia after the murder.”
Fu Yirong turned to look at Lu Ting’an with an indescribably complex expression.
When a professional confirms every single one of your “guesses,” you can no longer write them off as blind luck. If someone can guess every point with that much precision, they might just be a natural-born detective.
Finally, Fu Yirong had to admit: Lu Ting’an actually had some real skill.
‘Isn’t he supposed to be a useless playboy?’
The three of them headed upstairs. Just as Lu Ting’an was about to peer into the Major Crimes Unit 1 office, a delighted shout erupted from behind him.
“Young Master Lu! You’re finally here!”
The voice was high-pitched, its trembling end-note catching the attention of several people; even the detectives inside the office looked out with curiosity.
Ah Hai scurried over to Lu Ting’an, looking like he might cry tears of joy. “Where have you been all morning? I was so worried I almost called the police!”
Lu Ting’an: “…”
Do you even hear yourself, Officer?
Ah Hai was a young man—short, thin, but with a bit of baby fat on his face. Wearing a pair of round, black-rimmed glasses, he looked honest to a fault, possessing a strange, inherent sense of comedy.
As the detectives trickled out of the office, Ah Hai shuffled to Lu Ting’an’s side and whispered, “Let me show you to your desk. Our Logistics office is in the back.”
Ah Hai was strictly following Lu Chenhu’s instructions to keep the young master away from dangerous people and things—especially creepy cases. Between Major Crimes and the headless corpse from this morning, things were getting way too intense; Ah Hai felt it was time to fulfill Boss Lu’s mission.
However, before he could lead him away, Fu Yirong spun around, leaving Lu Ting’an fully exposed to the scrutiny of the Major Crimes Unit.
“Everyone, let me introduce you. This is the newest member of our Major Crimes Logistics Team, Young Master Lu Ting’an. Let’s give him a warm round of applause!”
The officers: “…”
The name Lu Ting’an was practically legendary—for all the wrong reasons.
Aside from Li Ming, who spent her days dealing with corpses, everyone present had heard of this young master. Some had even seen him brawling in the streets; he once used a cigarette to burn a thug’s eyelid, nearly blinding the man. If Lu Chenhu didn’t have influence, Lu Ting’an would have been behind iron bars long ago.
Why would a professional troublemaker join their ranks? It made them fear for the future of the station.
No one clapped. No one welcomed him.
Fu Yirong was delighted by his colleagues’ reaction. He turned to Lu Ting’an with a provocative, smug look.
‘Are you angry? You must be livid.’ The “Young Master” who was pampered everywhere else was now being looked down upon at the station. He wanted Lu Ting’an to realize that a few bags of money couldn’t buy respect here, and being a detective required more than just a sharp tongue.
Fu Yirong waited for an outburst of rage or indignation. Only then could he feel vindicated and vent the frustration he’d been bottling up all morning.
To his surprise, Lu Ting’an was as calm as a pool of stagnant water. He looked perfectly composed, completely indifferent to their attitude.
Not only that, he began bossing people around with practiced ease. “Let’s go, Ah Hai. Back to the office.”
Ah Hai blinked his round eyes, looking from Fu Yirong to the rest of the unit. Then, with a loyal “Right away!”, he followed Lu Ting’an like a devoted lackey.
Fu Yirong: “…”
The sensation of throwing a full-power punch into a bale of cotton nearly choked him with irritation.
Once Lu Ting’an and Ah Hai disappeared into Logistics, the other detectives hooked their arms around Fu Yirong’s shoulders and dragged him into the office. “Hey, Rongzi [1] -zi: It’s a suffix added by friends/colleagues to sound friendly and casual. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1650462_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1650462_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, how did you end up coming back with him?”
Fu Yirong closed his eyes heavily. “Tomorrow, I’m booking an appointment with an eye doctor.”
“?”
Fu Yirong clenched his teeth. “The kid has a frame like a telephone pole—how did I not recognize him?!”
If he hadn’t been so meddlesome this morning and dragged the guy into the car, none of this would have happened. He had literally gone out of his way to find misery and searched for a scolding.
The other members of the Major Crimes Unit: “…”
“Forget it, let’s not talk about that buzzkill.” Fu Yirong strode into the office and downed a glass of water in one gulp. “You’ve all been to the scene at Pingnan Ridge by now. Find anything nearby?”
“We found a very faint footprint near the back door of the public toilet. There were traces of the victim’s blood around it.”
Hu Zhen pulled out a photograph, placed it on the table, and slid it toward Fu Yirong. “Based on the length of the print and the depth of the impression, we estimate the killer has a large stride and big feet. He’s likely over 175cm tall. Yangzi compared the tread pattern; it’s the most common type of cheap rain boot sold in Pingnan Ridge.”
Fu Yirong furrowed his brows. “Rain boots? Doesn’t that mean the circle of suspects just got even wider?”
Hu Zhen sighed. “More than that. This specific model has been on sale for years. Based on the friction between the print and the ground, Forensics concluded the soles are heavily worn. It’s an old pair.”
In other words, the footprint was of little use. No vendor would remember who had bought a pair of generic boots years ago.
The office fell into silence once more. Everyone felt the frustrating powerlessness of “trying to cook a meal without rice.” They all wanted to crack the case quickly, but the clues left for them were truly sparse.
Now, they could only hope that Officer Gu would bring back some vital information…
On the other side, Ah Hai timidly led Lu Ting’an to the breakroom. “Young Master Lu, would you like coffee or tea?”
Lu Ting’an grabbed a disposable cup himself. “Plain water is fine.” After filling the cup, he added, “You don’t need to be so formal with me. In terms of seniority, you’re my senior.”
Ah Hai was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. “I wouldn’t dare! What kind of senior am I? I just do the odd jobs around the station.”
Since Lu Ting’an was acting so approachable, Ah Hai’s fear diminished. He leaned in boldly and asked, “Young Master Lu, did you really go to the crime scene with Officer Gu?”
“Mm.”
Ah Hai’s eyes lit up, and his voice rose. “What was it like? To go to a scene with Captain Gu… Young Master Lu, you’re incredible!”
Lu Ting’an sized him up. “You seem very interested in crime scenes. If that’s the case, why not join the Major Crimes Unit?”
Ah Hai pushed up his glasses, his shoulders sagging. “Major Crimes isn’t a place you just join because you want to. Take Unit 1—every single one of them has a stack of merits to their name. Officer Gu goes without saying; he’s the most famous detective in Hong Kong. And you’ve met Officer Fu; he was assigned here shortly after Officer Gu became Captain. His physical stats are the best in the station—he’s never let a suspect slip away during a chase.”
“That older man with the square face you saw at the office door is Hu Zhen—Officer Hu. He’s been on the force for over twenty years; he’s seen more cases than we’ve eaten grains of salt. That very young guy with the baby face is Li Chongyang. He’s bold yet meticulous; despite his age, he’s got a real knack for interrogations.”
“There’s also a Madam still out at Pingnan Ridge who hasn’t come back yet. In short… Major Crimes isn’t a place for someone like me.”
Lu Ting’an chuckled and called him a coward.
No one is born destined for a specific career; it’s simply a matter of having a goal and working toward it. If one envies the members of Major Crimes but feels unworthy in their heart, they will remain just an admirer. Ultimately, it came down to being satisfied with the status quo and being unwilling to push oneself.
…
Around two in the afternoon, Lu Ting’an was “slack-off” in the lounge with a cup of warm water.
Hearing a commotion in the hallway, he stood up curiously to investigate. He happened to run into Li Ming, who looked troubled as she led a middle-aged couple toward him.
“What’s the situation?”
Seeing Lu Ting’an, Li Ming felt she had finally found a lifeline. “They’re the victim’s brother and sister-in-law. They’re clamoring to see the Inspector.”
Lu Ting’an answered honestly, “Didn’t the Inspector go to the welcome ceremony?”
Before Li Ming could reply, the middle-aged woman shouted shrilly, “Such a massive murder has happened! When is the police force going to find the killer? Even if our Wanxi wasn’t exactly a ‘pure and innocent’ woman, there still needs to be an explanation for her death! Are you just going to let the murderer go free?!”
Li Ming gave Lu Ting’an a look that said, ‘See what I mean?’ Were these really relatives? What kind of family member insults their own sister’s reputation right after her death?
Lu Ting’an ignored the woman and fixed his gaze on the man.
The man was Zhou Daqing. He was less than 170cm tall, with small eyes, a flat nose, and thick lips. Aside from “honest/simple,” there was almost no other word to describe this dull-looking man.
Genetics truly were a strange thing; such an ordinary man shared the same blood as the radiant Zhou Wanxi. Yet, the bloodshot eyes and the grief in Zhou Daqing’s expression were certainly genuine.
Lu Ting’an’s gaze slid down from Zhou Daqing’s mud-stained clothes, finally landing on the rain boots that reached up his calves.
His eyes suddenly flickered. “Mr. Zhou, what do you do for a living?”
References[+]