Chapter 10: The Case is Solved, the Killer is...

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Watching the woman kneeling before him, her black-and-white hair in disarray as she clutched the corpse beneath its white shroud and wailed, Chang Erbing straightened his collar and said solemnly, “Rest assured. We will apprehend the murderer as quickly as possible.”

Before he could finish, the woman interrupted him.

The word “murderer” struck a nerve. She suddenly seized Chang Erbing by the trouser leg and asked in a trembling voice, “Who killed my child? Why? She was only sixteen!”

Chang Erbing glanced around at the teachers and students gathered to watch. They seemed to have stopped breathing, waiting for him to reveal the answer.

“From the clues at the scene, we have identified the murderer as Zheng Hang. Two days ago, she lured Wang Wei into the warehouse and brutally killed her.”

Grief darkened Chang Erbing’s face as he deliberately concealed the matter of the evil ritual and continued in a grave voice, “Teachers and students, if any of you have seen Zheng Hang recently or been in contact with her, report it to the constabulary immediately.”

The crowd erupted at once, but before long, the confident voices of the clever ones could be heard.

“I knew it. What were the odds of two people disappearing at the same time? It had to be…”

“When they carried out only one body just now, I already guessed it. I thought, tsk tsk, could it be… And sure enough, I was right…”

“…”

Feng Mu pressed his lips together and instinctively tugged at his schoolbag strap. A strange feeling arose in his heart.

He thought, “Although I disguised the scene to make it look like someone had been framed, these constables solved the case far too quickly. That’s a little irresponsible… isn’t it?”

Then he reconsidered. “Wait, no. Zheng Hang really did kill Wang Wei. How were the constables irresponsible? Clearly, they possess eyes sharper than an eagle’s and solve cases like divine judges.”

“You’re talking nonsense!”

Suddenly, a thunderous roar exploded across the courtyard. More than a dozen burly men in short sleeves shoved their way through the crowd. With a dark expression, Zheng Si strode up to Chang Erbing, his cold voice rasping through clenched teeth.

“My son could never have killed anyone.”

His expression was vicious. One of his eyes was artificial, set inside a glass sphere, and it stared at Chang Erbing without a trace of light, like the eye of a corpse.

Chang Erbing’s breath caught. He felt as though he had been targeted by a venomous snake, and a chill crept up the back of his head.

Li Shang emerged from the warehouse, pulled Chang Erbing aside, and blew a smoke ring straight into Zheng Si’s face without the slightest courtesy. He said contemptuously, “You claim your son didn’t kill anyone, but I think you’re hiding him. Who do you suppose everyone will believe— you, or me and the constabulary?”

The veins on Zheng Si’s forehead bulged. He was about to retort when someone behind him tugged at his arm.

He turned and glared, only to find himself facing a sea of suspicious, disgusted, furious, and fearful eyes.

With that villainous face of his, surrounded by a pack of tattooed thugs, he claimed that his son had not killed anyone. Who would believe him? The eyes of the crowd were not blind.

“Give me back my daughter’s life!”

Wang Wei’s mother suddenly lurched to her feet and threw herself at Zheng Si like a madwoman.

A feral look twisted Zheng Si’s eyes. The muscles along his back suddenly bulged and rolled toward his arm like a monstrous growth. He was just about to swing when the man behind him seized him and held him fast.

Li Shang remained where he was. His gaze passed over Zheng Si to the man standing behind him, and his brows drew together slightly.

Ma Bin was thin, with delicate, almost feminine features. He looked nothing like a gang member, and among the group of thugs he stood out as entirely out of place.

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He clung tightly to Zheng Si, avoiding the latter’s savage gaze while signaling discreetly to one of the underlings beside him with the corner of his eye.

The underling clenched his teeth and hurried forward. His broad, fanlike palm struck Wang Wei’s mother across the face.

Blood mixed with several broken teeth and flew through the air. Wang Wei’s mother toppled headfirst to the ground and fell silent, whether dead or alive no one could tell.

Only then did Li Shang belatedly take half a step forward. His hand curled into a claw, seized the assailant’s arm, and with a twist and a wrench, tore it clean off.

He casually tossed the severed arm onto the ground, not even sparing a glance for the man kneeling there, clutching his shoulder and howling in agony.

Li Shang shook his hand, flinging away the blood and scraps of flesh caught between his fingers. They spattered across Zheng Si’s face.

Only then did he say coldly, “You dare commit violence in front of the constabulary? You’re looking for death!”

Zheng Si’s eyelid twitched. He had always prided himself on his own brutality, but the constable before him was every bit as ruthless—perhaps even more so.

And he had official authority behind him.

Zheng Si’s anger sobered by several degrees. He cast a glance at Ma Bin.

Only then did Ma Bin release him. He stepped around Zheng Si and walked over to Li Shang.

Before Zheng Si could seize upon the incident and make trouble, Ma Bin promptly took a packet of tissues from his pocket and held it out, adopting a conciliatory tone.

“The underling has no brains and acted on impulse. He made a mistake. The constabulary may take him back and discipline him. As for the medical expenses of the deceased’s mother, the Azure Wolf Gang will cover them.”

With that, Ma Bin retreated two steps, picked up the severed arm from the ground, dusted it off, and tucked it into the underling’s arms. In a gentle voice, he comforted him, “Don’t be afraid. Once you’re inside, reform yourself properly. The gang will take care of your parents.”

The howling stopped abruptly. The underling stood there with the severed arm in his embrace, his face ashen.

After the Azure Wolf Gang departed, Li Shang leisurely carried the unconscious woman to the hospital. The man with the severed arm received no such treatment. His wound was wrapped in a few layers of gauze, and he was hauled back to the constabulary under guard.

Hidden among the crowd, Feng Mu watched the Azure Wolf Gang leave. His gaze lingered discreetly on Zheng Si and Ma Bin for a moment.

“A savage wolf and a treacherous fox,” he thought.

“And a vicious tiger that devours people without even spitting out the bones.”

Feng Mu withdrew his gaze and finally looked toward Li Shang, who was extinguishing his cigarette with his fingers.

As though sensing something, Li Shang suddenly raised his head and scanned the crowd. Feng Mu lowered his own head without betraying the slightest sign.

Although a constable from the constabulary lived in his home, strictly speaking, Feng Mu was not unfamiliar with the place. In reality, however, today was the first time he had witnessed with his own eyes how the constabulary handled a case.

His understanding of this world grew deeper.

“Dark. It’s truly too dark. Every one of them is cruel and black-hearted, and every one of them is dangerous. I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot let them set their sights on me.”

Feng Mu exhaled, and his thoughts suddenly wandered.

“Does Feng Juoping handle cases in the same way?”

…

In the afternoon, the school bell rang.

The students reluctantly returned to their classrooms. Unremarkable as ever, Feng Mu slipped out of the crowd and entered the academic affairs office.

Now that the body had been discovered and the case classified as murder, he had no reason to keep lingering at the school.

Less than three minutes later, he emerged from the office and stuffed the thin graduation certificate—more accurately, the withdrawal approval form—into the top of his schoolbag.

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Pushing his bicycle, Feng Mu left the campus. He stopped to glance at the plaque bearing the name of No. 47 High School, his emotions tangled.

“In my previous life, I may not have attended a top-tier university, but at least I completed a full-time graduate degree. Who would have thought that in this life, I wouldn’t even finish high school before being driven out through the gates? Heh…”

He was not reminiscing about No. 47 High School. He had never felt much attachment to his alma mater. He was mourning himself—the version of himself who had once lived within an ivory tower.

He would never see that life again.

With his back to the school gates, Feng Mu gave the bicycle two running pushes, mounted it, and pedaled downhill. He passed the district government offices, the hardware store, and the constabulary…

Creak.

The bicycle came to a halt. Its slanted shadow, cast across the ground, merged with the black smoke that never dispersed from the crematory chimney and continually settled back upon the earth.

At the entrance to the crematory, Wang Jian, wearing a thick mask, slipped his phone back into his pocket and waved at Feng Mu.

Before the screen had even gone dark, the conversation displayed a string of read messages:

[04:04

Feng Mu: I didn’t notice the messages in the group earlier. Congratulations on getting a job at the crematory. It’ll be tiring, but at least you’ll be able to earn enough to eat.

Feng Mu: I’m out of luck. My father favors my little sister and doesn’t care about me at all. After I withdraw from school, I don’t even know where I’ll find a way to make a living.

Feng Mu: Hey, is the crematory still hiring? I’m going to process my withdrawal tomorrow. When I’m done, can I come by and take a look at your place?

09:27

Wang Jian: Just woke up.

Wang Jian: Two workers who burned the calamity corpses left the plant last month. I took one of their positions, and there happens to be one opening left. Are you interested?

13:27

Feng Mu: Someone died at school. It was terrifying.

Wang Jian: ???

Wang Jian: What happened? Tell me everything.

Feng Mu: They carried a corpse out of an abandoned warehouse. It’s too complicated to explain in a few words. I’ll tell you everything this afternoon.

Wang Jian: All right. I’ll wait for you at the entrance to the crematory.

17:11

Feng Mu: I’m here.]