23. Serious Interaction With The Mysterious Man

On a scorching summer day, the man stood there in a casual suit, not a drop of sweat on his forehead, seemingly unaffected by the heat.

“Greetings, Clan Leader Gu,” he introduced himself, “I am Zhong Lishu from the Supernatural Control Centre.”

Qiu Rong remained vigilant, but he didn’t leave the man’s hand hanging in the air. He extended his hand and shook it briefly.

Qiu Rong felt as if he had touched a block of ice.

Zhong Lishu’s smile deepened.

He withdrew his hand and took out an identification card from his suit pocket, handing it to Qiu Rong.

Just as the man had introduced himself, it was indeed an identification card from the Supernatural Control Centre, belonging to Zhong Lishu.

Normally, official personnel identification cards would indicate the department and the individual’s race, but Zhong Lishu’s card had all those fields blank, and the man made no attempt to explain.

The card had specific patterns and was covered with a small illusion to prevent ordinary people from seeing the information on it.

Qiu Rong confirmed that the identification card was genuine.

“Someone like Mr. Zhongli, I should have heard of before,” Qiu Rong closed the card and returned it to Zhong Lishu.

In response to Qiu Rong’s probing, Zhong Lishu smiled mysteriously, “Clan Leader Gu, let’s just say I’m an unofficial member of the Supernatural Control Centre.”

“I suppose Clan Leader Gu has also come for the recent cases,” Zhong Lishu said.

With his identity exposed here, Qiu Rong had nothing to deny and simply nodded.

Zhong Lishu extended an invitation, “I happen to be going to the crime scene. Would Clan Leader Gu like to join me?”

It would take some time to reapply to enter the special investigation team, and today Qiu Rong wanted to try once again near the crime scene to see if he could sense any abnormal energy fluctuations.

From the photo he saw yesterday, apart from the decomposition of the body, the crime scene was too clean, with no trace of anything extraneous. Qiu Rong still suspected that the perpetrator had no physical form or possessed teleportation abilities.

Using this ability would inevitably leave behind energy fluctuations, so being able to confirm it by going to the scene naturally would be the best.

Standing on the street, the sunlight felt piercing. As they entered the old residential building, the staircase appeared dim due to its architectural design, exuding a faint sense of eeriness.

Zhong Lishu covered his face and coughed lightly, his lips pale, as if climbing a few flights of stairs was a struggle.

They climbed another flight of stairs, and without Zhong Lishu needing to stop, Qiu Rong could tell that the household in front of him was the one belonging to the couple in the news.

Various sticky notes were pasted on the security door, and the yellowing walls nearby had not escaped the fate of being scribbled on with crayons.

Disturbing words occupied this household, some blaming the wife for being irresponsible, while others blamed them for their misfortune.

After all, it was a house where someone had died, and now with the condition at the front entrance, Qiu Rong initially thought that no one would be home. However, Zhong Lishu stepped forward and knocked on the door.

There was a moment of silence in the staircase, and the door on the inside cracked open. Zhong Lishu took out another identification card from his suit pocket, not from the Supernatural Control Centre this time, but a different one.

He spoke to the timid woman behind the door, “I’m Zhong Lishu, the detective from the municipal public security bureau who contacted you before.”

Qiu Rong glanced sideways and saw the police badge with a photo attached in the person’s hand, suddenly becoming suspicious.

Could this be a scammer with a forged police identification?

Hearing Zhong Lishu claim to be from the public security bureau, Liu Li didn’t scrutinize further and directly opened the security door.

Qiu Rong followed behind Zhong Lishu and entered, immediately detecting a strong smell of disinfectant.

The entrance hall faced the living room, where the body was lying in the photo, but now there was no trace of it.

There weren’t many things in the house, as if it had been tidied up. The desk and floor were spotless, and there were a few bottles of disinfectant spray on the cabinet near the entrance.

“Officer Zhong and this young officer, please have a seat,” Liu Li smoothed her disheveled hair and nervously said, “Let me pour you some water.”

Zhong Lishu didn’t correct her when she called him by the wrong surname, and Qiu Rong didn’t deny that he wasn’t a police officer.

The two of them entered the living room, and suddenly, Qiu Rong’s footsteps paused.

He had found it, a faint residual energy line.

Withdrawing his gaze from the floor, Qiu Rong and Zhong Lishu sat on the living room sofa.

Liu Li put down the water glasses and brought a small stool, sitting on the other side of the coffee table, anxiously twisting her fingers. “I’ve already told you everything I know. I don’t know what else to say today…?”

Zhong Lishu spoke gently, “No need to be nervous. We just want to confirm some details with you again.”

“Earlier, you mentioned that Dong Dazhi has been frequently going to the chess and card room and coming back drunk. Do you remember when he started going to the chess and card room more often?” Zhong Lishu pulled out a small notebook from somewhere, making it look quite professional.

Liu Li didn’t have to recall for too long and said, “It was this month. Before that, he would only go to the chess and card room once or twice a week. But starting about two weeks ago, he started going there every day and would stay for a long time. Sometimes, he wouldn’t come back at all.”

“Besides suddenly going to play cards every day, did he have any other unusual behavior? Or did you notice anything out of the ordinary?” Seeing Liu Li hesitating, Zhong Lishu added, “We are investigating that chess and card room, suspecting that they are involved in illegal drug trafficking.”

“Say whatever comes to your mind. Any abnormalities that occurred in his daily life, anything different from usual. For example… Did Dong Dazhi experience a sudden decrease in energy or anything of the sort? You can mention anything.”

Upon hearing the phrase “decrease in energy,” Qiu Rong glanced at Zhong Lishu.

“His recent mental state was very poor,” Liu Li nodded affirmatively. “I think it might be related to him going to the chess and card room. Dong Dazhi has always had a habit of gambling at the poker table, but during this period, he became obsessed with it as if he had gone crazy. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to gambling and even claimed that he would soon strike it rich. I reminded him twice that gambling involves winning and losing, and one cannot always win. But he didn’t listen and even… beat me up. After that, I stopped advising him.”

“Why was he so convinced that he would become wealthy? Did he mention any reasons?” Zhong Lishu asked.

Liu Li was about to shake her head but then looked at Zhong Lishu, recalling his earlier mention of the chess and card room being involved in drug trafficking. She hesitated for a moment and said, “He mentioned it once when he was drunk… He said that… his dreams are real, that the people in his dreams didn’t deceive him, and he really is going to achieve great success…”

Qiu Rong’s pupils contracted slightly, and Zhong Lishu’s pen paused for a moment. Liu Li awkwardly rubbed her leg, preparing to skip this topic, but after Zhong Lishu finished jotting down a note, he said, “This information is very useful. Can you remember anything else?”

Liu Li bit her lip and decided to reveal everything she had sensed during this period with her intuition. “Sometimes he would talk to himself, and he often talked in his sleep at night. The strangest thing is that his appetite suddenly became very large recently… On the day of the incident, we had a dispute because we ran out of alcohol at home, and I didn’t go to buy more. He also complained that the food I cooked was too little, and he couldn’t eat enough.”

“But usually, I would save the leftovers from the previous day’s meals and the lunch for my daughter. That night, Dong Dazhi ate all of it by himself, along with drinking so much alcohol. He even said he was hungry.”

“Also, I don’t know if it’s because of excessive drinking, but Dong Dazhi’s body seems to have become weaker than before. I could never overpower him before, but that day he was pushed to the ground by me and couldn’t stand up for a while… At that time, I was in a hurry to take my daughter away, so I didn’t think much about it. But now, when I look back, it seems off.”

Liu Li asked uncertainly, “Is that chess and card room… involved in drug trafficking? Could Dong Dazhi be experiencing hallucinations due to drug use?”

“We are still investigating the specific situation,” Zhong Lishu replied.

Afterwards, Zhong Lishu asked a few more questions, and Liu Li answered them carefully. When Qiu Rong realized that they had covered most of the topics, he asked, “Do you mind if I take a look around the house?”

Liu Li shook her head and said, “It’s fine, you can look around… I’ve already tidied up everything, and I didn’t notice any suspicious items. There might not be much to find.”

“It’s okay.” Qiu Rong stood up and, under Zhong Lishu’s gaze, entered the bedroom.

The house had two bedrooms and a living room. The master bedroom appeared more messy, and as soon as Qiu Rong opened the door, he felt a stronger energy fluctuation inside than in the living room. He walked around the room and tried to draw a few strokes on one of the walls with his finger.

Not sensing any feedback, he gave up.

The other small bedroom seemed to be the daughter’s room. The belongings in the room had been mostly packed, and there were two suitcases in the corner.

After Zhong Lishu and Liu Li finished their conversation, they also entered the small bedroom. Liu Li, seeing Qiu Rong examining the suitcases, proactively explained, “I’m planning to take my daughter to live in another city.”

Liu Li spoke as if she were explaining to Qiu Rong and, at the same time, reaffirming her own determination by telling someone else. Qiu Rong didn’t interrupt her.

She said, “After the incident, my mother-in-law caused such a scene, but my parents wouldn’t let me return home, and my workplace dismissed me. I didn’t have the courage to step into this place again before. We could only stay in a hotel with my daughter. Later, I thought, since there is no place for me in City A anymore, why not leave with my daughter? The two of us can rely on each other, and who says we can’t live on.”

Back in the living room, Zhong Lishu and Qiu Rong bid farewell before leaving.

Before leaving, Qiu Rong turned back to look at Liu Li, who was seeing them off at the door, and said, “When you and your daughter live outside from now on, don’t easily open the door to strangers, especially unfamiliar men. It’s not safe.”

“If they show identification, remember to carefully confirm it first.”

Zhong Lishu raised an eyebrow and looked unexpectedly at Qiu Rong. Liu Li was momentarily stunned, her eyes slightly reddened, and she nodded, saying, “I will remember that. Thank you for the reminder, Officer.”

As they walked out of the building, Qiu Rong asked, “Is there really something wrong with the chess and card room?”

Zhong Lishu shook his head and said, “Only gambling, we haven’t found anything else yet. Just now, I was giving Liu Li a direction to consider. If there’s no basis, she might choose not to mention many details.”

Qiu Rong nodded, realizing that information such as dreams and increased appetite could easily be overlooked.

“By the way, what did you sense inside?” Zhong Lishu suddenly asked.

Qiu Rong raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “You didn’t feel anything?”

Zhong Lishu smiled helplessly and said, “I can’t perceive subtle changes.”

The two of them slowly walked towards the end of the alley. Qiu Rong still had doubts about Zhong Lishu’s identity, but considering that he had just been taken to meet Liu Li and learned a lot of information, he was honest and said, “I can’t be certain, but I can sense energy fluctuations in the living room and the master bedroom. The fluctuations are stronger in the master bedroom, suggesting that the perpetrator may have stayed there for a longer period of time.”

“Can we use tracking techniques to investigate?” Zhong Lishu asked.

Qiu Rong’s heightened alertness, which he hadn’t let go of, suddenly surged. 

Qiu Rong had an innate talent for healing, but he had also attempted to learn some techniques. His father had left behind many books on techniques, and some techniques could be used by people with abilities other than technique talents, including tracking techniques.

Very few people knew about this, and Qiu Rong casually said, “I’m not good at techniques.”

“That’s a pity,” Zhong Lishu said meaningfully, looking at Qiu Rong. “Your father’s techniques were very powerful.”

Qiu Rong frowned, feeling the same creepy sensation he had felt two hours ago when Zhong Lishu suddenly appeared behind him. He asked, “Do you know my father?”

“I’ve met him a few times.” As they walked out of the alley, Qiu Rong saw a white Hongqi sedan parked by the roadside. Zhong Lishu said, “Actually, even if we didn’t meet today, I would have wanted to meet you in the near future.”

“I’ve heard about the multiple reports from the Werewolf Clan against the Vampire Clan.” Zhong Lishu walked towards the back seat of the Hongqi, looking at Qiu Rong. “Clan Leader Gu, do you mind telling me the detailed reasons?”

Author’s Note:

No chapter with Mr. Yan today. QAQ

Yan Ling: Thanks for the invitation. I’m currently dozing off in the Special Management Bureau’s meeting room.