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墨書 Inktalez
According to the blurry display on the surveillance, Huang Yajie had walked into an alley. Yan Junde drove us here. As we looked around, we saw rows of bungalows, with alleys crisscrossing like capillaries in a human body. It was unclear whether Huang Yajie had exited from the other side after entering.
It was uncertain whether this area was poorly planned or if these structures were illegal constructions. Many bungalows faced different directions, and overall, their specifications varied greatly, giving off a chaotic impression. We entered the alley that Huang Yajie had gone into and observed closely; there were only three households in this alley, all with their doors shut tight, leaving us unaware of what was happening inside.
"What should we do now?" Yan Junde asked. "Should we knock on each door?"
I shook my head and pointed towards a window, urging everyone to look into one of the bungalows. The door to this bungalow was locked, and there was no one inside, but something inside caught my eye and filled me with excitement. The others followed my gaze and saw several pieces of women's underwear casually placed on the sofa in the living room. Mary frowned and asked, "Brother Shao, is this what you wanted to show us?"
"I didn't ask you to look at that," I replied. "I meant the thing next to it! Do you see that red piece of clothing?"
Mary shrugged and said, "That's just an ordinary tracksuit."
"No, that's a school uniform," I stated firmly. "When we visited Huang Yajie's school, many students wore that type of tracksuit. Even if it's not their school's uniform, it must belong to some club's uniform. Mary, find out immediately who owns this bungalow."
Soon enough, through our inquiries and Mary's research, we quickly identified the owner of the house. She was a middle-aged woman in her forties. We introduced ourselves, and she hurriedly said, "Is something wrong? This has nothing to do with me! I've rented this place out for half a year already; I have proof!"
We looked at her documents and confirmed that the bungalow had indeed been rented out long ago with all proper procedures in place. We asked her to unlock the door, and several of us entered the bungalow. The space wasn't large but was divided neatly: one room with a living area plus a kitchen and bathroom. The rent was quite affordable at seven hundred yuan per month, excluding utilities.
The woman explained that the reason so many bungalows were built here was due to its proximity to the university town—less than an hour's drive away. Therefore, almost all these bungalows were rented out to students from the university town; very few were occupied by owners themselves. Students typically spent their days at school and returned to their rented rooms after classes; couples often shared rentals.
As she spoke animatedly, she added some exaggerated details about how sometimes ten or more young men and women would be in one room together. I quickly interrupted her while observing the interior of this bungalow. The sofa was cluttered with underwear, and the tracksuit lay nearby. As I approached, a sour odor hit me; it seemed like it hadn't been cleaned in ages.
I asked, "Are the two bungalows next door also rented by students?"
The woman replied, "Yes, I built those two as well. They were previously rented by senior students; their lease just expired recently. I'm not sure if they renewed it yet; they haven't been rented out again as of now. But it won't be long; I've noticed that after a month or two into the semester is usually peak rental season—it's almost that time again. Interestingly enough, when couples rent places, it's usually the girls who inquire while the guys tend to be shy about it."
I felt exasperated; this woman could talk endlessly—she would have made a great comedian.
I walked into the bedroom where there was a double bed and a large wardrobe. I asked, "Are these furniture pieces yours?"
She nodded enthusiastically and said, "Yes! With so many bungalows here, there's fierce competition; you can't get by without some furniture! This is just how a perfectly competitive market works; if someone monopolized it..."
I got used to ignoring her chatter and continued my observations instead. Huang Yajie had entered this alley, and since no one lived in the two adjacent bungalows, this must be where she stayed. I opened the wardrobe only to be hit by an unpleasant smell; there were no jackets inside—just piles of socks and underwear that likely hadn't been washed since they were worn.
Mary pinched her nose and remarked, "This girl really doesn't take care of herself..."
At that moment, the middle-aged woman chimed in almost simultaneously: "Boys are like that too..."
We all stared wide-eyed, and the woman seemed confused about the situation. She muttered, "I rented this place to a guy. We agreed not to allow subletting; this goes against market rules. Everyone here is trustworthy. I swear, he’s really a guy... And with his appearance, there’s no way he has a girlfriend."
We remained silent, simply letting her take a look at the things in the closet. The woman leaned in to see, and the wardrobe was filled with women's socks and underwear. She exclaimed, "Damn it, this kid is actually a pervert! I misjudged him; I thought he looked decent, but who would have thought... Truly, people have changed; morals are declining."
"Let's call him over right now," I said.
Huang Yajie arrived at a place that wasn’t even his rented apartment; the tenant here was actually a guy. The turn of events surprised us—this place was filled with women’s lingerie. Could it belong to Huang Yajie? What could this heartthrob possibly be hoarding these clothes for?
The middle-aged woman said, "I called him and told him I wanted to reduce the rent. On the phone, he sounded as happy as a child. He doesn’t seem to realize how rare such good fortune is. He said he’d be here within an hour..."
Mary sighed, "Auntie, you really know your stuff; you speak so eloquently."
"Of course! The last person who rented from me studied economics..."
About an hour later, there was indeed a knock at the door. We opened it to find Captain Jiang standing there, and we exchanged glances. Captain Jiang said, "I didn’t expect you all to get here before me... What have you discovered?" I shrugged and shared the Special Investigation Team's findings with him. Captain Jiang nodded and then said, "In exchange, we found out that Yajie had previously been involved with a thug from society. This thug disappeared two weeks ago; I'll send you the details."
While we were talking, a student-like figure approached the door. Looking through the window, I realized I had seen this tenant before—he was the one who had been sneaking glances at us when we checked Huang Yajie's dormitory. Upon seeing so many people here, he turned and ran.
Captain Jiang was standing at the door; seeing this, he immediately dashed out and tackled the student to the ground. In no time, handcuffs were on him. The whole sequence of actions was fluid and impressive.
Yan Junde couldn’t help but exclaim, "What great skills!"
Captain Jiang pressed the student down and said, "Of course! I’ve heard you’re the national Sanda champion; once this case is over, I must challenge you." Yan Junde cupped his hands and replied, "I generally don’t fight women..."
"Are you looking down on women?" Captain Jiang asked.
I quickly stepped in to stop them and said, "Now is not the time for chatting. Once this case is resolved, I'll arrange for you both to have a proper sparring match. Right now, our main task is to interrogate this student; this is a suitable venue."
I didn’t believe that this student was a killer. Turning someone into canned meat isn’t as simple as just dismembering them; it requires a factory workshop. A person who rushed over for a hundred-dollar rent reduction doesn’t seem like a killer at all. However, this student definitely had some unresolved connection with Huang Yajie that needed thorough questioning.
We set up the living room as an impromptu interrogation room, with Captain Jiang conducting the questioning. The student trembled as if he were standing naked in the Arctic. Captain Jiang asked, "What’s your name?"
"Lu... Lu Yifa," the student stammered.
"Why did you run when you saw us?" Captain Jiang asked. "Didn’t you see the police car at the alley? You knew we were police; why run?"
Lu Yifa replied, "There were too many of you! How was I supposed to know what you were here for..."
Captain Jiang slammed her hand on the table, startling me. She said, "From now on, you must answer my questions honestly. Otherwise, you should know the consequences. Do you know Huang Yajie?"
"I do, I do," Lu Yifa replied. "She is my classmate."
Captain Jiang nodded and continued, "Now, tell me, whose socks and underwear are in this room? What were they used for?"
At this question from Captain Jiang, Lu Yifa's face immediately turned crimson. He fidgeted uncomfortably, as if Captain Jiang had struck a nerve deep within him. No matter how much Captain Jiang pressed or tempted him, Lu Yifa remained tight-lipped and refused to speak. This only fueled Captain Jiang's frustration as she said, "Take him back to the station."
Just as I was about to intervene, Juan Juan spoke up, "Wait, I have something to ask him."
Captain Jiang glanced at Juan Juan and nodded. Juan Juan looked around at everyone before walking over to Lu Yifa, leaning down to whisper something in his ear. After a moment, Juan Juan raised her head. Lu Yifa looked at us with a complex expression and nodded before saying, "I can share my story, but I have one request."
"You dare to make a request?" Captain Jiang replied sharply. "Cooperating with the police is every citizen's duty, do you understand?"
I quickly grabbed Captain Jiang's arm and said to Lu Yifa, "As long as your request isn't unreasonable, we can agree to it."
Lu Yifa nodded and said, "I can only tell this sister."
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