Chapter 9: The Corpse Room 9  

“Holy shit, what could those two be talking about? Look at Team Leader Zhang’s expression—are they gonna throw down?” Jiang Bing instantly snapped awake, rolling the thin jacket draped over him into a bundle and clutching it to his chest. His massive frame curled up as he silently darted to the door like a cat, peering through the crack Yan Yu hadn’t fully closed behind him.  

Peng Yishan followed suit, jerking his chin at Luo Qi on the way.  

Luo Qi got the hint and promptly turned off the music. However, he showed no interest in eavesdropping, simply leaning back in his chair with a look of utter bewilderment at the two grown men squatting like martial artists at the door.  

His confusion didn’t last long before he returned to tinkering with the three computers in front of him.  

Curious, Ye Zhu circled behind him. The screens flickered rapidly, pages flashing by too quickly for her to make out before they changed again.  

Definitely a genius, she concluded internally. Then again, geniuses were bound to have interests that ordinary people couldn’t comprehend.  

“Brother Peng! Get off me…” Jiang Bing squirmed uncomfortably beneath the weight at the door, grumbling.  

“You’re young and strong as an ox. Can’t handle an old man leaning on you for a bit?” Peng Yishan made no move to lift his elbow, even adjusting his position for maximum comfort.  

As the two bickered, Ye Zhu approached. Sensing her presence, Jiang Bing and Peng Yishan immediately straightened up, politely shuffling aside to make room for her.  

Ye Zhu could only offer them a grateful smile.  

Just then, Zhang Hao’s voice rose sharply outside: “Yan Yu, what the hell do you mean by this?”  

A few seconds later, Yan Yu’s calm, measured response followed: “Team Leader Zhang, what do *you* mean by that?”  

“This serial disappearance case is under your Special Investigation Unit’s jurisdiction now. Instead of continuing the investigation into the second victim’s death in Wenzhuang Village, instead of following that lead, you’re digging into some truck driver’s accidental death? Meanwhile, Zhao Hu’s team stumbles onto actual clues about the disappearances while confiscating stolen goods. You trying to swoop in and take credit?” Zhang Hao’s tone grew increasingly heated.  

Damn it all! He’d resisted pressure from the bureau to withhold cooperation from the investigation unit, never expecting they’d set a trap for him to walk right into.  

How underhanded!  

“Team Leader Zhang, your Special Task Force has been on this serial disappearance case for two months now, right?” Yan Yu sidestepped the question, his tone casual.  

“Over two months!” Zhang Hao thrust two fingers in the air, grinding his molars audibly, his expression sour as if convinced the “kid” opposite him was mocking him.  

“Don’t get cocky. Your Special Investigation Unit just happened to show up at the right time. Even if you hadn’t come, the victim in Wenzhuang Village would’ve been discovered eventually. Given enough time, our Special Task Force would’ve cracked this case!” His voice dripped with resentment, clinging to the delusion that the investigation unit had merely gotten lucky—arriving at the Fenghhe City Public Security Bureau and stumbling onto a new lead before they’d even settled in.

Yan Yu let out a light chuckle. “What’s there to be proud of? Proud that after two months of hard work on the case, all the credit for solving it goes to our investigation unit while your Special Task Force gets nothing?”

The corridor fell into complete silence after his words.

Ye Zhu’s expression suddenly became quite animated. From their earlier exchange, she’d already sensed something unusual. Combined with the strange reactions between Jiang Bing and Yan Yu on their way to Huang Jingguo’s Gaoxing Logistics, she was almost certain that Yan Yu had no intention of stealing their thunder. On the contrary, he welcomed the Special Task Force’s participation.

It was a good intention, but why couldn’t this man express himself properly? If this continued, wouldn’t the conversation completely break down?

She could even faintly hear Zhang Hao’s heavy breathing. It wasn’t hard to imagine the man was red-faced with anger, probably wanting to tear Yan Yu apart with his bare hands.

“Yan Yu! You damn—” Just as expected, Zhang Hao exploded. He lunged forward, reaching for the collar of the man standing opposite him.

“Team Leader Zhang! Team Leader Zhang!” In her panic, Ye Zhu shoved aside Jiang Bing and Peng Yishan, who were still watching with great interest, and rushed out.

She precisely positioned herself between the two men, bending slightly to firmly block Zhang Hao’s charge while urgently pleading, “Team Leader Zhang, please calm down! Team Leader Yan didn’t mean it that way!”

The conference room door was wide open, leaving the remaining three inside staring dumbfounded at the slightly ridiculous scene in the corridor. The petite young woman, despite her small frame, had actually managed to wrap her arms around the waist of the fully enraged, burly man and hold him back.

Despite the stark difference in their sizes, Ye Zhu showed no sign of strain on her face. She even managed to push the man back several steps. Only when she was sure there was enough safe distance between them did she stop.

Zhang Hao, still boiling with anger, didn’t even notice anything unusual. After being pushed back, his mind cleared slightly, but he continued to glare furiously at the young woman who had released his waist. Pointing at Yan Yu by the window, he roared, “Ye Zhu! Whose side are you on? You’ve only been transferred for two days, and you’re already siding with them?”

“Team Leader Zhang, I’m innocent!” Ye Zhu lowered her voice and then winked meaningfully behind him. “Please don’t act impulsively. No matter how infuriating he is, you can’t resort to violence, right? You’re a seasoned detective—shouldn’t you know better?”

If a conflict really broke out, given Yan Yu’s cunning and provoking nature, Zhang Hao would undoubtedly be the one facing disciplinary action or even suspension. There was no doubt about it.

“…” Zhang Hao finally cooled down completely. He glanced back and saw that many people from various offices had gathered in the corridor, all looking their way in confusion.

They had almost become a spectacle.

“And Team Leader Yan really didn’t mean it that way. What he wanted to say was that the Special Investigation Unit never intended to exclude our Special Task Force from the start. If the case is successfully solved, they never planned to take all the credit. Couldn’t the investigation unit have discovered the same clues in Wenzhuang Village that Huzi did?” Ye Zhu quickly explained in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Hearing this, Zhang Hao’s expression turned complicated, and he shot a suspicious glance at Yan Yu.

“You think this guy could be so kind-hearted?”

“Team Leader Zhang?” Ye Zhu tugged at his sleeve and gestured toward the window with her eyes.

“Ahem…” Zhang Hao awkwardly cleared his throat, stepping past her as he spoke, “…Are you suggesting our task force should join this investigation?”

This was the best possible outcome. After all, their team had been working this case for so long—being forced to abandon it would leave anyone frustrated.

“Given Team Leader Zhang’s earlier outburst, I assumed you weren’t interested?” Yan Yu raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

“Look, Team Leader Yan, could you just say what you mean next time?” Zhang Hao felt like he was having a heart attack.

Yan Yu looked genuinely puzzled: “Was I unclear? Or did my approach somehow mislead you?”

From a short distance away, Ye Zhu lifted a hand to her forehead in exasperation. She couldn’t fathom how this Special Investigation Unit had survived this long, operating across counties and cities with such an attitude. It was nothing short of a miracle they hadn’t been beaten to death.

Well, probably only because they reported directly to the Ministry of Public Security. Otherwise, they’d have been crushed long ago.

“…” Zhang Hao was speechless. Still, this was good news, so he couldn’t be bothered to argue further. “Alright, Team Leader Yan, how should we divide the tasks?”

“We’ll hold a meeting later to discuss the details.” This time, Yan Yu answered straightforwardly.

“Fine.” Zhang Hao nodded. He considered extending a hand in goodwill but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to do it. With another nod, he turned and left.

Once the area finally settled into calm, Jiang Bing and Peng Yishan leaned against opposite sides of the conference room doorframe. Jiang Bing even whistled in approval. “Ye Zhu, you’ve got some serious strength.”

They’d known she was strong before, but nothing compared to the sheer spectacle of what just happened. Zhang Hao was a well-trained detective with above-average physical ability—yet in his rage, not only had she stopped him, but she’d also forced him back step by step. Damn impressive.

Under everyone’s gaze, Ye Zhu shifted uncomfortably. Being praised for her strength as a woman wasn’t exactly something to be proud of, was it?

Noticing her discomfort, Peng Yishan smacked Jiang Bing upside the head. As the younger man blinked in confusion, Peng spoke up, “Why don’t you praise Comrade Ye for her perceptiveness instead? Despite the short time we’ve worked together, she’s already managed to fully grasp and accurately interpret Team Leader Yan’s intentions. That’s no easy feat!”

“Yeah, Brother Peng, you’re right. Outstanding! Absolutely outstanding!”

After their little performance, both men turned their gazes toward Yan Yu across the hallway, their expressions half-smirking, half-something Ye Zhu couldn’t quite decipher.

Yan Yu shot them a warning glare. “Jiang Bing, if you’re not planning to sleep, go help Luo Qi with his work. If this case isn’t solved within the week, do you think the unit’s reputation can take it?”

“I’ll sleep, I’ll sleep!” Jiang Bing raised his hands in surrender, grumbling as he turned back to his chair. He threw his jacket over himself, closed his eyes, and pretended to doze off.

Peng Yishan sighed dramatically and shuffled back inside, picking up his thermos before plopping down beside Luo Qi. But instead of helping right away, he glanced toward the door and called out, “Where are you two off to?”

“Interrogate Qian Bin,” Yan Yu replied casually, taking a step forward the next second. As he passed by Ye Zhu, he merely shot her a glance as usual.

Ye Zhu sadly realized that after enduring repeated ‘torments,’ she had more or less adapted to the man’s way of doing things and his attitude. Before her brain could even react, her feet had already made the decision subconsciously. By the time she came to her senses, she was already trailing closely behind him, heading toward the elevator.

“Hey… men and women working together makes the job easier.”

From behind, the words drifted out through the still-open conference room door, followed by the muffled laughter of a few grown men.

Ye Zhu’s face was the picture of despair upon hearing this.

I’m exhausted, absolutely exhausted! QAQ

……

Downstairs in the interrogation room at the city bureau.

Qian Bin had been left alone in the room for two or three hours, shouting to no avail, with no one answering his cries. Finally, after much anxiety, he saw the soundproof door being pushed open, only to find a man and a woman entering like two statues. For over ten minutes, there wasn’t a single movement.

Though he prided himself on being sharp and clever, his temperament couldn’t stand this kind of atmosphere. Unable to bear it any longer, he finally spoke up: “Officers, if you’re not going to ask or say anything, why don’t we all just go home and find our moms?”

His tone was flippant, his face grinning.

Ye Zhu glanced sideways—just as she expected, Yan Yu showed no reaction. She rolled her eyes discreetly and resigned herself to playing the ‘good cop.’

Taking a deep breath, she adjusted her expression and raised her hand, slamming it down hard on the interrogation table!

BANG!

A deafening crash, louder than anyone could have imagined, reverberated through the room. Upon closer inspection, the steel tabletop was even trembling.

If Qian Bin hadn’t been restrained, he would have jumped three feet in the air by now.

Even Yan Yu, who usually remained expressionless during interrogations, reflexively jerked the documents in his hand and was now looking up at her in surprise.

Ye Zhu: …

Oops.