Translator: RogueKat | Editor: RogueKat
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Investigators from the Kangyang District Police Station? My cousin's workplace, looking for me?
Zhang Yuanqing's heart instinctively trembled. He was about to sneak to the bedroom door to eavesdrop but suddenly remembered something. He opened his phone and deleted the chat and call records related to Brother Bing.
Then he folded the letter Brother Bing wrote to him and put it under the flowerpot on the windowsill.
Only then did he feel at ease to open a crack and secretly observed the situation.
From the entrance came his grandmother's voice, not answering but instead asking: "What are you looking him for?"
She did not invite the investigators inside but blocked the doorway.
"We need to ask him something. Here are our credentials."
The speaker was a girl with a sexy voice.
Grandma's gaze paused briefly on the documents, and then she frowned and made way.
Zhang Yuanqing timely opened the door and scrutinized the investigator who entered the living room.
The lead investigator was dressed in a black suit, paired with a white shirt and black waistcoat, and held a black wooden cane in his hand. He had a thin and clear face and sported a small mustache. His hair was expertly slicked straight back.
The investigator's British style and small mustache made people think of the gentlemen who returned from the Republic of China era.
On the left of the returnee-looking gentleman was a young and beautiful female investigator, with well-defined facial features and seemingly of mixed heritage. She has a smiling expression with watery, lively eyes.
She was approximately 175cm tall and had legs comparable to those of a supermodel. Dressed in formal attire, her shirt tucked into the waistline of her pants, accentuates her slender waist and curvy chest, showing off a professional and sophisticated look.
The last investigator, with a dull expression, wore black-framed glasses and slightly disheveled hair, looking like an engineer.
"I'm Zhang Yuanqing. What can I help you with?"
While Zhang Yuanqing scrutinizes them, the investigators were also sizing up the young man.
The mixed-race female investigator flashed a smile and said: "We are investigators from the Kangyang District Police Station. We have some questions for you and we hope you can cooperate with our investigation."
"Okay..."
Zhang Yuanqing led them to sit on the sofa in the living room. Grandma poured three glasses of water for the investigators and then looked at her grandson with a puzzled expression.
She couldn't imagine why her outgoing and friendly grandson, whom she had raised alone, would need investigators from the police station to come and ask questions.
The young investigator with messy hair and dull eyes took out a small notebook and pen and unscrewed the cap.
The man with the slicked-back hair sat on the sofa, leaning on his cane. He then asked seriously: "Do you know Lei Yibing?"
As expected, they came for Brother Bing's matter so quickly…
Zhang Yuanqing truthfully answered: "We've been friends since we were kids. Why are you suddenly asking about him?"
A perplexing thought crossed his mind. His cousin was the captain of the second team in the Kangyang District Police Station, and as the three investigators had come to visit him, they must have already investigated his family background.
It was only logical that if they knew they were visiting the family member of the captain of the second team, and they were all colleagues, they would have at least given a heads-up or exchanged pleasantries. But these bureaucrats didn't seem to grasp even the most basic social etiquette.
His cousin hadn't made any inquiries or movements, which meant that he was unaware of the investigators' visit. He would have at least called to inform him if he had known, even if he couldn't accompany them.
"Oh, childhood friends!"
The man lightly tapped his polished leather shoe and spoke slowly: "Here's the thing, Lei Yibing is missing. The Police Station in Hangcheng City, of Jiangnan Province, contacted us to say that a package was sent out on the morning before he disappeared, and it was addressed to you."
He fixed Zhang Yuanqing with a deep and piercing gaze that seemed to see through his soul. "Is that so?"
Zhang Yuanqing's face betrayed a mix of shock and confusion: "Missing? How could that be..."
The engineer-looking guy who was taking notes interrupted with a reminder: "You only need to answer with a yes or no."
"Yes, just now, I received a package, but there was no sender's name written on it. I was wondering who sent me the package," Zhang Yuanqing nodded with a heavy expression.
There was no use denying this matter. Since the police station can track the delivery, it's even easier for them to check the surveillance footage of the residential area.
The man with the slicked-back hair nodded and asked: "What is inside the package? Please answer truthfully, as this is a very important clue for us."
The grandmother beside him let out a relieved sigh, but couldn't help but worry about Lei Yibing. Despite having moved away years ago, he was still someone she had watched grow up.
Zhang Yuanqing replied: "There is nothing in the package, it's empty."
"Empty?" The man with the slicked-back hair narrowed his eyes, his gaze seemed to be able to see through people's hearts as he scrutinized Zhang Yuanqing.
Although I lied, the missing black card is as good as empty. I'm not afraid of you checking...
Zhang Yuanqing didn't dodge and looked sincerely at him, saying: "When I opened the package, I found it was empty, with only shockproof air cushions. By the way, the package is still in my room. You're welcome to take a look if you don't believe me."
If the disappearance of Brother Bing was what he suspected, he must keep it secret for now and explain everything when his cousin finishes work and comes home.
This kind of possible risky matter is naturally the safest to discuss with one's own family.
The man with the slicked-back hair gestured at his female subordinate with his eyes.
She smiled and entered the room. Shortly after, she returned to the living room and nodded slightly to her companions.
The man with the slicked-back hair pondered for a moment and said: "If it's convenient, we'd like to inspect your room and computer. Also, please let me see your phone."
It's okay to check the computer, but please don't open the browsing history or the study materials on the hard drive... Zhang Yuanqing thought in his heart while he unlocked his phone screen calmly and handed it over.
The man with the slicked-back hair took the phone, while the female investigator re-entered the room.
With one hand holding the phone, the man scrolled a few times with his thumb, then returned it to Zhang Yuanqing and patiently waited.
After around 10 minutes or so, the female investigator with long legs walked out. This time, she shook her head.
The man with the slicked-back hair nodded slightly and said gently: "Thank you for your cooperation. We won't disturb you anymore."
Zhang Yuanqing quickly asked: "Can I ask about Lei Yibing's situation?"
He did this both out of genuine concern and to cover up his lie. It would have been too suspicious if he didn't inquire about his missing childhood friend's whereabouts.
The man with the slicked-back hair patiently replied: "Lei Yibing went missing in the dormitory. The hallway surveillance cameras did not capture him leaving. According to one of his roommates, he saw Lei Yibing sleeping in his bed when he got up to use the bathroom that night."
"When they woke up in the morning, he was gone. After 24 hours of unsuccessful attempts to reach them, their counselor notified the school, which promptly contacted the authorities.”
"If you want more detailed information, you should call the local police station"
It seemed that what Uncle Lei had said was true. It appeared that the local police had made little to no progress in the case. Or perhaps this person didn't want to disclose anything to me…
Zhang Yuanqing nodded and replied: "I understand."
The man with the slicked-back hair led his two subordinates towards the door, but stopped halfway, and turned around, saying: "If you come across any clues, please notify us immediately and do not withhold any information."
As Zhang Yuanqing was about to nod, he heard him say with a meaningful smile: "Otherwise, the next one to disappear could be you."
The next one to disappear would be me.
What does he mean by that? Is he threatening me? Is he suggesting that I'll vanish into thin air like Brother Bing if I don't hand over the black card?
But come to think of it, what's the deal with that card? It just disappeared into thin air... I wouldn't be able to hand it over even if I wanted to.
"Thanks for the heads up!"
He returned a nonchalant smile.
Anyway, let's wait for my cousin to come back from work before we discuss it.
Brother Bing definitely doesn't want the card to fall into the hands of the Police Department. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent it to him.
Besides, as childhood best friends, he believed that Brother Bing wouldn't deceive him.
Grandma on the side had a dark face and said coldly: "See Yourself out."
What's wrong with this person? Cursing her grandson out of the blue?
The man with the slicked-back hair smiled and took out a business card from the left pocket of his suit, handing it over. "Feel free to contact me if you need anything."
After Zhang Yuanqing took the card, he led his two subordinates and left.
"How did Bing disappear? Sigh, later I'll go check on Bing's mother," Grandma said worriedly after the others left.
The two families used to be neighbors and had known each other for more than a decade, so there was still some affection between them.
Zhang Yuanqing's face was weary as he spoke to his grandmother. "Grandma, I didn't sleep well last night. I'll go rest in my room first. If I haven't woken up by noon, don't bother calling me."
"If Grandpa comes back, please tell him about this and ask him to contact Uncle Lei."
Last night, he stayed up until two or three in the morning playing with his aunt. Then because of the recurrence of his old illness early in the morning so he already lacked sleep. Then while already being sleep-deprived, he had to exerted himself mentally trying to find the black card that Brother Bing sent him.
Now his brain was exhausted and dizzy.
After getting a nod from his grandma, Zhang Yuanqing went back to his room.
He closed the door, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
……
Sitting on the soft leather seat in the black car, Li Dongze leaned his cane with a gold-inlaid handle against the side of the chair and held a tall wine glass in his palm, swaying the crimson liquid inside.
"Guan Ya, did you find anything in the room just now?"
He turned his head and looked at the mixed-race beauty sitting next to him.
Guan Ya lazily leaned on the soft chair, her slender thighs tightly closed, and her delicate face looked serious as she said: "I found something significant."
"Speak," Li Dongze said solemnly.
The engineer-looking guy sitting in the back seat also looked up from his phone and glanced over.
Guan Ya spoke with a solemn tone: "That kid has a thing for mature women in black stockings. His study materials are all about mature women, but his trash bin is so clean. It doesn't make sense."
“He has a wide social circle and is a member of various groups, but he only actively participates in gaming and LSP* groups. He has even set up message blocking for all other groups. In his room, apart from a gaming console, there are no entertainment items, which suggests that this guy's actual personality is a bit reclusive... By the way, Captain, do you know what LSP means?"
*TLN: LSP group would be something like an adult images group 😉
As the mixed-race beauty struck a pose mimicking masturbation, her two companions looked puzzled.
Li Dongze quickly raised his hand and interrupted her, expressing his frustration: "Oh my god, I feel like kicking your ass with my boot. I am trying to discuss serious matters with you, why are you bringing up such irrelevant and vulgar topics? I have already warned you many times not to behave like a hooligan or make lewd jokes. Your behavior is unprofessional and lacks decorum."
The tall and beautiful woman was not afraid of her angry boss at all and smiled: "Don't be so boring. Appropriate jokes can help liven up the atmosphere."
She slowly put away her smile and continued: "I didn't find anything suspicious on his computer, but I found a letter from Lei Yibing under the potted plant on the windowsill. Lei Yibing did send him something, most likely a character card, but I don't know what class it is."
Li Dongze was silent for a few seconds and closed his eyes to rest: "Come back again tomorrow, if he hasn't disappeared."
