Chapter 27: Advisor and Informant

Earlier than leaving work, Cheng Zesheng remembered He Wei’s phrases. Pondering for some time, he finally determined to make copies of the inspection experiences and proof pictures. As for the precise proof, he didn’t wish to danger bringing it to He Wei’s world, as that might result in important penalties.

All through the day, Jiang Tan appeared listless. After work, he didn’t go dwelling. Sporting his white coat, he stood behind Cheng Zesheng and softly requested, “Why haven’t you left but?”

The photocopy room was darkish, with solely the 2 of them inside. The hallway gentle slanted in diagonally, and Jiang Tan stood within the backlight, his white coat billowing, exuding a considerably eerie appeal. Cheng Zesheng was startled and rotated to complain, “What are you doing? Standing silently behind me like this, making an attempt to scare me?”

“To scare you,” Jiang Tan glanced on the photocopier, “Why did you personally come to make copies of the supplies? Didn’t you’ve gotten a junior assistant for that?”

“I’m not such as you, at all times delegating all the things to your disciples. Wait till Xiao Liu can’t take it anymore and quits. Let’s see who will nonetheless make you wolfberry tea.”

Jiang Tan wasn’t within the temper to banter with him. Seeing that the supplies popping out of the photocopier had been all associated to the case experiences, he curiously requested, “What are you copying these for? Planning to point out them to your grasp and ask for his recommendation?”

“…Mhm,” Cheng Zesheng nodded vaguely. He neatly organized the printed contents and put the unique paperwork again. Jiang Tan had been ready for him all this whereas, feeling pissed off and wanting to ask him for a drink to lighten the temper, discovering solace in alcohol.

With loads of time left, Cheng Zesheng agreed. They went to a barbecue restaurant they typically frequented, ordering a big plate of grilled fish, some meat, and greens, after which Jiang Tan requested for 5 skewers of grilled lamb kidneys. He even inquired if Cheng Zesheng wished just a few skewers too.

As Cheng Zesheng poured beer, he casually teased, “Aren’t you losing cash by ordering lamb kidneys? Even for those who’re wholesome, there’s nobody to understand it.”

“Hey, as you probably have somebody to understand yours. That face of yours is only a waste!” Jiang Tan playfully introduced the beer bottle near Cheng Zesheng’s lips, “Have you learnt how individuals used to speak about you again at school? ‘Both an ice-cold man or homosexual.’ Inform me truthfully, are you actually not enthusiastic about stunning girls?”

Cheng Zesheng sneered, “Then why would you dare to ask me out? What if I behave inappropriately after I’m drunk? You’ll be the primary one to endure.”

Forensic Physician Jiang mentioned with dedication, “Ha, I’ve been figuring out currently. Take off my shirt, and also you’ll see my eight-pack abs!”

“I don’t imagine it. Take it off proper right here and now.” Cheng Zesheng tapped the beer bottle and mentioned, “You probably have it, I’ll drink; if not, you drink.”

“…” Jiang, who wished to drown his sorrows in alcohol, hesitated.

As they ate and chatted, they prevented discussing the case and centered on life matters. Jiang Tan’s fundamental topics revolved across the struggles of being single: “Why don’t I’ve a girlfriend but?”, “How can I get a girlfriend?”, “What sort of girlfriend ought to I search for?” Confronted with these questions, Cheng Zesheng summed it up with a single phrase, “How would I do know?”

…Jiang Tan felt he couldn’t fathom it both. What was the purpose of speaking to this cussed straight man? He may as nicely discover Liu Renyu, his junior disciple, who was affected person and obedient. Jiang Tan may even inquire about what sort of women he appreciated and may think about introducing him to a junior schoolmate.

Round 9 o’clock, Cheng Zesheng ready to go away. Jiang Tan hadn’t had his fill of drinks but and requested why he was leaving so early. Cheng Zesheng talked about he had one thing to take care of however didn’t go into particulars.

Jiang Tan propped up his cheek, his eyes dazed, his cheeks rosy: “Are you going to fulfill Captain Yan? Visiting hours ought to be over by now, proper?”

“No, I made plans with somebody.” Cheng Zesheng stood up, on the point of settle the invoice, when Jiang Tan grabbed his arm. He noticed Jiang Tan’s eyes gentle up as he stared at Cheng Zesheng, asking eagerly, “Is there one thing happening? Are you courting somebody?!”

“…Courting somebody? It’s a couple of case.” Cheng Zesheng got here up with a extra applicable clarification, “I, um, employed a guide—somebody with first rate experience.”

Jiang Tan’s face fell disappointedly. “High quality, let’s go then.” All he ever did was work on instances. His rules had been shaken right now. He wasn’t even up for dealing with instances, not to mention the common work.

As Cheng Zesheng settled the invoice, he seen the restaurant had began serving crayfish and determined to pack some to take again. After having eaten He Wei’s pan-fried dumplings final time, treating him to a few kilos of crayfish this time ought to be thought of honest, proper?

They unfold out a map on the espresso desk, and He Wei was finding out Cheng Zhenqing’s current actions. He had already met with the native police station this afternoon and organized a survey below the pretext of family registration checks. Tomorrow, he deliberate to go to the small highway the place Cheng Zhenqing was final seen, hoping to search out some clues.

After 9:30 p.m., the sound of the door lock lastly echoed via the home. He Wei perked up his ears, listening rigorously as if he might hear the rustling friction, just like the sound of plastic luggage. Step by step, he caught a faint scent of spiciness and freshness, each numbing and aromatic, stimulating his style and scent.

It was the aroma of crayfish.

Not understanding the place He Wei was, Cheng Zesheng casually positioned the crayfish on the desk and pulled out a chair as a sign, indicating that it was time for a late-night snack.

Because the chair was pulled out, a field of packaged thirteen-spice crayfish appeared on the desk. Though the packaging was tightly sealed, it couldn’t forestall the tantalizing perfume from wafting out. It was like a seductive magnificence mendacity on the desk, engaging He Wei to come back and unwrap her.

Subconsciously, He Wei’s Adam’s apple bobbed, however he didn’t attain out to the touch the meals. As an alternative, he took out a notepad and calmly wrote to Cheng Zesheng, explaining that he was allergic and couldn’t eat it, thanking him for the gesture.

Cheng Zesheng recalled the genetic sequencing outcomes he had obtained right now. He Wei right here had allergic reactions, and it was fairly regular for a scenario like this to happen. Though crayfish weren’t seafood, they contained varied varieties of international proteins. For people with allergic reactions, they may nonetheless set off allergic reactions.

Cheng Zesheng: [Let’s forget about this time. Next time, I’ll bring back some lamb hotpot for you. It’s a signature dish from a famous restaurant.]

He Wei: [Allergic.]

Cheng Zesheng: [Then how about some Dongshan Roast Goose? There’s a branch nearby.]

He Wei: [Allergic.]

“…” Cheng Zesheng fell silent. What does this man even eat? Was there something he wasn’t allergic to?

He Wei had undergone an allergy supply screening a very long time in the past, producing an extended listing of things he couldn’t eat, together with many frequent meals. He had develop into accustomed to merely observing with out with the ability to eat. The field of crayfish remained unopened, sitting on the espresso desk in the lounge. They each moved to the kitchen, feeling unfortunate that even their fridge appeared to have turned towards them. They couldn’t have predicted a day when it might play the position of a whiteboard.

Cheng Zesheng took out the photocopied paperwork and positioned them on the countertop. He Wei had initially ready tweezers, anxious that if he touched the unique experiences, he may by accident take all of them and never be capable of return them to Cheng Zesheng. Nevertheless, he seen that every one the paperwork on the cupboard had been photocopies, which happy him. He then reached out and picked them up.

Throughout the stack of paperwork had been discipline investigation experiences, hint proof experiences, post-mortem experiences, in addition to crime scene diagrams and photographic proof. The structure of the diagram was just like what Cheng Zesheng had drawn earlier, with the physique positioned close to the couch near the doorway.

He Wei meticulously learn via the sphere investigation report and seen the road that talked about “couch shifted by 0.5cm.” His eyes widened, and he picked up the corresponding scene picture for verification.

One after the other, the colour photocopies introduced the decorations and preparations throughout the Fulong Mountain Mansion. The crime scene right here was nearly equivalent to the scene that they had surveyed earlier. This was the second occasion He Wei knew of the place the scenes overlapped in parallel worlds, following the 404 Residence incident.

After a second, he used a marker to jot down on the fridge door: [Was there any detection of gunpowder residue at the scene?]

Gunpowder residue? Cheng Zesheng was puzzled. The sufferer had been strangled, not shot. There have been no bullet impacts, bullet casings, or shells on the scene, so how might there be gunpowder residue?

One other line of textual content appeared on the graceful floor of the fridge door: [In your case, the sofa’s position also shifted by 0.5cm. It was speculated that there was a struggle between someone at the scene and the killer, leading to the shift in the sofa’s position. There were also extremely trace amounts of gunpowder residue on the sofa.]

Cheng Zesheng was shocked, rapidly asking He Wei: [Are you suspecting a connection between these two crime scenes?]

[Yes.]

He Wei thought for a second after which wrote: [I’ll bring your case materials tomorrow, and you’ll understand.]

Such hypothesis wasn’t baseless; in spite of everything, each of their parallel counterparts had died inside this mansion. It sounded mysterious, laden with a sure form of connection. Cheng Zesheng determined to go to the scene once more with Cheng Aiyue tomorrow to test whether or not there have been any gunpowder traces.

If there have been certainly gunpowder residue, then the mansion is likely to be a nexus between the 2 worlds. The 2 homicide instances might be associated, and the mastermind behind the killings of their parallel selves may very nicely be the identical individual.

Because it wasn’t too early, they first attended to their night duties and determined to have interaction in a short change round midnight. By now, that they had grown accustomed to having an unseen neighbor in the home. They even established an order for showering, leaving a notice on the door if one among them wished to bathe first, making certain the opposite individual understood.

On the stroke of midnight, Cheng Zesheng and He Wei returned to the lounge; the identical time, and in the identical place, not even altering the chairs.

“I primarily wish to ask about your brother, his pursuits, hobbies, and day by day habits. Please give me detailed data.” 

“Is my demise associated to my brother?” Cheng Zesheng felt this query was relatively awkward. He Wei replied, “I’m unsure for the time being, however he’s a suspect. He’s additionally wished for unlawful possession of weapons. Even when it’s not associated to the homicide, he nonetheless must be apprehended.”

“My brother is an anti-drug officer. What’s his position in that world? And the way did he find yourself with unlawful weapons?” Cheng Zesheng inquired.

“I’m unsure, however you two brothers are fairly succesful,” He Wei fished out a cigarette field from his pocket, shook one out, and held it between his lips. “To suppose you guys even arrange an armory. That’s the biggest case of hid firearms we’ve cracked in Shengzhou Metropolis over the previous few years.”

“…,” Cheng Zesheng mentally sighed. It appeared like those that relied on their seems didn’t have a promising future. He was, in spite of everything, a police officer right here, serving the individuals. But, on this different world, had he develop into a prison?

Because the cigarette was lit, a wisp of blue smoke spiraled up. Instantly, Cheng Zesheng caught a faint whiff of smoke from a well-known model—one thing he would smoke throughout gatherings or high-pressure instances to perk himself up.

“Marlboro?”

“You smoke this model too?”

“Yeah, the popping beads are fairly good.”

He Wei glanced on the cigarette in his hand, and in that second, a wierd sensation overcame him—it was as if his reference to Cheng Zesheng was deepening.

Together with the scent of crayfish he had sensed when the opposite social gathering entered the door, and the scent of cigarettes now, olfactory recollections had been among the many most enduring. The 2 parallel universes gave the impression to be regularly merging and deepening, nearly unconsciously.

—

The particular job drive’s small staff gathered collectively, with a map of Shang’an District unfold out on the desk. He Wei held a pen and circled just a few places, saying, “Wu Xiaolei, Xiao Xia, take two groups and deal with these two gyms within the Dahua Constructing and Shunhe Street, the audio retailer in Pingju Sq., the Fulong Grocery store—preserve a detailed watch on these locations.”

“Xiaoxiao, go together with the officers from Shunhe Road Police Station for the family registration investigation. ErHu, go together with her and defend Xiaoxiao. In case you discover the suspect, don’t act impulsively. Guarantee he’s not carrying any dangerous weapons earlier than taking motion. If something appears uncommon, don’t startle him and look forward to backup.”

“Chong Zhen, go ask Youqing for a set of proof assortment instruments. Include me to that alley.”

He Wei folded the map, saying, “Chief Zheng talked to me a few days in the past. Cheng Zesheng’s case must be progressed rapidly. We don’t have a breakthrough but. If we are able to catch Cheng Zhenqing, it would unravel plenty of mysteries. Everybody, work a bit tougher and convey him in as quickly as attainable.”

The individuals within the room all responded in unison and went their separate methods. He Wei set off with Chongzhen, who requested, “Are the locations you organized dependable?”

“Except one thing surprising occurs, they need to be dependable.” These had been the places he had circled primarily based on Cheng Zesheng’s description. Though he didn’t know if Cheng Zhenqing on this world would have the identical hobbies and habits, they didn’t have a lot details about this world’s Cheng Zhenqing. It was higher to belief Cheng Zesheng’s insights.

“Hey, you look so assured. The place did you get this data from?” ChongZhen’s eyes shifted. “Did your outdated contacts present this?”

“Not them, it’s another person,” He Wei chuckled. “A newly developed informant. They’ve been extraordinarily useful with this case.”