Mystery Hunter

Translator: Ca5 Editor: MadHatter

Wang Chao peered out the window at the crowded street outside, but Jiang He was nowhere to be seen.

Wang Chao’s heart pulsed with emotion. Jiang He was truly a man of the wind, he walked away as soon as the case was closed. Nevertheless, Jiang He had conned him out of three hundred RMB before departing, causing Wang Chao to be furious. As long as Wang Chao checked it, he would know which police station Jiang He worked for, notwithstanding. He will definitely make Jiang He invite him to dinner.

So, where exactly was he?

The man in question was currently at the entrance to Chengshun Street.

Jiang He took a taxi directly here after exiting the Public Security Branch.

At this point, Jiang He raised his head with his eyes scanning something like a scanner.

Jiang He discovered this after a period of observation.

This is a camera, Jiang He confirmed with a satisfied nod.

He was standing in the same spot where Li Weiyi had been not long ago.

This road led Jiang He to Li Weiyi’s dwelling. Jiang He lifted his head without glancing at his feet the entire time. The astonished drivers repeatedly cursed Jiang He to death as he passed by their cars driving on the highway a few times. Jiang He, on the other hand, appeared to be able to automatically filter these noises. Neither could he hear the drivers’ voices nor the sound of cars honking at the moment.

The standard monitoring range angle for cameras would be about 120 degrees. Jiang He raised his head to mentally record all the cameras he could see, and his mind began to visualize at the same time. Because of Jiang He’s illness, he was able to record all of the camera’s positions without much effort, and he would never forget it.

Jiang He’s brain devised a reasonable route to avoid the camera’s surveillance range. He was staring up at the camera the entire time, having already arrived at the community where Li Weiyi resided as he skilfully steered clear of all the cameras. Jiang He thought about the path he had taken and was stunned to learn that the camera wouldn’t be able to light up the entire length of the wall’s base.

It was a scorching summer day, and there was a 70% chance that pedestrians will walk down the same road as Jiang He because it was the option that will keep them the coolest.

This implied that Li Weiyi might not have intentionally avoided the camera if he had returned.

“Let it go, let it go.”.

A voice could be heard near Jiang He.

When Jiang He opened his eyes and turned to face the sound, he saw a sanitation worker.

It was by that point that Jiang He realized he was standing next to a row of trash cans.

Even though it was already after seven in the evening, the sky was not yet dark and the sun was still far to the west, emitting waste heat.

It was still sweltering outside, so a heavy rain right now would be welcome.

As they loaded garbage trucks with buckets of garbage, the sanitation workers perspired profusely.

“I’m good, I’ll toss away huge bouquets of roses even if they’re fresh. They are worthless to me.”

“Going home and gifting it to your wife would make her happy.”

One sanitation worker said to another.

“My wife surely doesn’t want it, she must say that I don’t want to be serious all day, and I always create these things, rather than let her reprimand me, I may as well don’t give it.”

“Women are deceitful creatures, you know. They may criticise you on the surface, but deep down they care about you.”

“Really?”

“Why would I lie to you? This is how all women are. You’re simply too young to see right through it. Your wife will be delighted to have that bouquet..”

Jiang He gradually receded as the two of them continued to talk while they were dumping the garbage.

Jiang He, though, remembered that the small card on the rose read: Ruili Flower shop after clearly hearing the two people’s conversation.

Only five women have spoken with Jianghe more than 10 times in his life so far, apart from love affairs and marriages.

On the other hand, Jiang He was puzzled as to why two people would desire a romance. He reasoned that doing experiments would be more engaging than confronting and spending a lot of time with another individual. If it was just a direct expression of sexual desire, it worked the same through the hand.

It is possible that these people’s lives are too monotonous to base their lives on getting along with others, Jiang He believed so.

He entered the security room while pondering these questions.

To be honest, the well-connected escape route will undoubtedly draw a lot of thieves for “business” if this open community loses its security guards.

Three or four people were inside the security room when Jiang He opened the door; they were playing cards, drinking, and watching TV.

Jiang He took a look at these people and immediately recognized the previous security captain.

The security captain stood there for a long time before realizing the one in front of him was Jiang He.

“Oh, you’re that police officer.”

The security captain inquired, “Officer, how is the situation?”

“Did you find out who killed him?”

“No, not yet. What happened to the second guard?” Jiang He observed a security guard trembling under a blanket by the side and asked.

“The security captain waved his hand and remarked, “It’s nothing, he’s just terrified.”

Everyone in the neighbourhood was aware that there had been deaths in that structure.

“Isn’t everything outside going haywire? It is said that Wu Guifeng was possessed by demonic spirits and cut out her own heart after slashing her daughter-in-law numerous times and nearly dismembering her.”

The security guard’s captain said adamantly: “The door was shut, and the chamber is alleged to be bleeding. This person died in vain, hence she cannot be reborn. When she transforms into a ghost, she is waiting to be reborn.”

“This is total nonsense,” Jiang He said to the trembling second guard. “It’s not like you haven’t seen the body. What’s the big deal about it? And what separates humans from other animals in essence? If they witness a caterpillar getting crushed on the road, most individuals will experience nausea rather than fear. Isn’t this the carcass of a chicken on your table? How come you’re not afraid?”

Jiang He was perplexed why people weren’t frightened when seeing the carcasses of other animals; they may even want to drool.

However, the majority of people felt horrified when they encountered human corpses.

They were obviously living creatures in this world; some of them were even larger than humans.

“You are right, but how come you’re here now? You definitely don’t reside here,” the second guard stated to Jiang He.

“I will live here from now on,” declared Jiang He.

“What?”

The security captain wasn’t certain what was going on.

“I mean, from today on, I will live in Li Weiyi’s house, which is also the home of He Huijuan and Wu Guifeng,” Jiang He explained.

“You… are you insane?”

Hearing Jiang He’s words, the second guard answered, “You don’t understand. Elderly ladies in our culture regularly tell me that it is possible for the soul of a person to return at any moment seven days after they die. It is more likely to transform into a ghost and come back to drag people if there is animosity. Are you sure about what you are attempting to do?”

“Based on my knowledge, the chance of there being no ghosts in this world is as high as 99.99%, and it is essentially assured that there are no ghosts,” Jiang He said with a shake of his head. “And if there are ghosts and spirits in the world, there is a 0.01% chance that there are ghosts and spirits in the previous life and the afterlife.”

“In other words, once someone dies, they will be granted another life, and it will continue to cycle back and forth. Ghosts will always be present. What is there to be terrified of?” Jiang He gave the second guard a serious look.

“Easy for you to say. But I’m still afraid,” said the second guard.

Jiang He was perplexed. In truth, the unknown was what pushed all creatures in the globe into dread. Fear will always be there until haven’t experienced it once, and it won’t be altered by a few words from others.

“The door lock is broken, so you can walk right in.”

“Li Weiyi’s neighbours moved away likewise out of fear,” remarked the security captain. “They didn’t say when they would return after departing this afternoon. If you’re looking into a case or whatever, you may enter straight away.”

Jiang He said with a nod, “I have two more requests for your assistance.”

The security guard nodded before saying, “Just speak up, comrade police officer, and we’ll see what we can do. This person is no longer alive.”

“This is two hundred RMB,” Jiang He responded, withdrawing two hundred RMB from his pocket. “You’re now in charge of providing me with meals while I’m staying at Li Weiyi’s home. I’m not a picky eater, so you can buy whatever you want.”

While accepting the money, the security captain was also conscious that this police officer would be staying at Li Weiyi’s house for an extended period of time.

The security captain nodded and asked, “Would you like to drink some wine and smoke or something?”

“I don’t smoke or drink, so just send me three meals a day with beverages,” Jiang He said, waving his hand.

“No worries.”

“You mentioned it to me before; is it frequent to have thieves coming in here?” Jiang He inquired.

The security captain nodded, explaining, “There are significantly fewer thieves as a result of the work of our security team. According to estimates, hundreds of local families will suffer without us.”

“Does anyone have a record?”

Jiang He inquired once more.

“Some are recorded,” replied the security captain, nodding and shaking his head. “We didn’t record everything since some individuals contact the police when they lose something, so there’s no purpose in maintaining duplicate data. You should be able to locate them at the nearest police station.”

“How many do you have here? “Jiang He asked.

After turning around, the security guard removed a small box from the bottom of a bunk bed. He opened the small box and flipped it inside out before taking out a small book: “It’s written in this book. It’s most likely seven or eight families.”

Jiang He took out his notebook and examined the record.

The victims’ families were not in the same building, and the floors were fairly dispersed, with one stolen on the sixth floor.

“How did the thief manage to get to the sixth floor?” asked Jiang He.

The security captain stated: “Simply via the stairs. There aren’t many homes in the neighbourhood with anti-theft doors. If the door isn’t secured with a simple lock, the thief can essentially open it. I also recommend that everyone install an anti-theft door to ensure their safety. But the residents are all elderly, and who cares if they didn’t steal it from their own door?”

Jiang He exited the security room while perusing the record book.

The second guard pondered in his thoughts, “How can such a brave person exist in the world?” as he stared at Jiang He’s back and the progressively getting darker sky.