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墨書 Inktalez
We shared the clues we had gathered with the Detective Captain, who shook his head and said, "In this city, nine out of ten people are Bosses. There are plenty who can afford to buy houses and keep mistresses. There are countless businesses; I really can't recall what kind of company this Tianyu is..."
I nodded and then turned to Mary, saying, "This task is up to you. I can't provide much more information. The person is likely between forty-five and fifty years old, a typical Boss type with a beer belly." After a moment of thought, I continued, "He should be trendy and fashionable, open to the ways of young people... that's about it."
"Did you find any clues?" I asked Juan Juan as I turned back.
Juan Juan nodded and said, "Some things are missing; we can roughly guess what she had in her handbag. First of all, her phone was definitely in the handbag."
The Detective Captain nodded and added, "We thought of that earlier and tried calling her phone, but it was always off."
"The wallet is missing," Juan Juan said from a woman's perspective. "It probably contained cosmetics and condoms." She pointed to the bedside table and said, "We found a box of unopened condoms inside; three were taken out. I think Sun Bikun went out to meet her lover."
I shook my head and replied, "No. Based on our previous deductions, this Boss wouldn't let Sun Bikun actively seek him out. For a man with a family and career, that would be too dangerous; he could easily ruin himself. I believe she was going to meet her boyfriend that night. Captain, find her boyfriend immediately to assist us in the investigation."
The Detective Captain nodded.
It was noon when we stepped outside and saw a lavish banquet being set up downstairs. The heat was rising in the distance, making everyone sweat profusely in the sweltering summer. The property manager remarked, "Ah, there are quite a few elderly residents in this community; most came from rural areas. Now that they’re wealthy enough to move into the city, they still carry that rural mindset. But as long as they can spend money to avoid disasters, that's good enough."
Real estate developers are naturally wealthy; this kind of banquet wouldn't even dent their profits if someone ate for a month straight. It was awkward for the police to encounter Taoists; I wasn't sure who should feel uncomfortable here. Yan Junde looked as if he had swallowed a fly and said, "Superstition! Who would have thought that police work could be snatched away by Taoists?"
The Detective Captain shook his head helplessly and said, "Let's just focus on our investigation..."
I chuckled and shook my head again, saying, "It's already noon; everyone has been busy for so long—aren't you hungry? Look at this feast laid out! The property management is footing the bill, right? We don't have to chip in..."
No one seemed in the mood to laugh; neither did I press the issue. I headed straight for where the Taoist priest was sitting. At that moment, he was talking with several older gentlemen. When he saw me sit down at the table, the others noticed my attire and didn't know what to say; the priest looked somewhat awkward.
I smiled and said, "Master Taoist, do you think there might be any evil spirits causing trouble in this community?"
The priest didn't expect a People's Police officer like me to engage him on such matters; he quickly replied, "Young man, I am a disciple of Zhang Tianshi..."
Mary stepped forward and asked, "Oh? Zhang Tianshi? Are you referring to the one from mainland China or Taiwan? Don't tell me you're from Longhu Mountain." Mary had always been interested in these mystical practices; she seemed quite knowledgeable about them. From her tone, it was clear she thought this so-called Taoist priest was just a fraud.
The long-haired man did not expect to encounter someone like Mary. He hurriedly continued, "I am a friend of the thirty-second disciple. Haha, from my perspective as an old Taoist, this neighborhood has bad feng shui; it is a place that gathers yin energy. A hundred years ago, it was a site for ancient tombs and corpses. Although it is currently the season of yang energy, the chill still penetrates to the bone! At the time of the evening dog hour, which is ruled by earth, metal, and wood, that kind-hearted woman lacks earth in her five elements. With her energy weak and entangled by resentment, she met her demise; it is all predetermined by fate."
Mary rolled her eyes and shot him a disdainful glance before moving to another table. The Taoist shook his head helplessly and said, "This kind-hearted woman has quite a personality... cough cough, but everyone need not panic. I have already been to the elevator and chased away the evil spirits..."
An elderly man spoke up, "I saw this with my own eyes. At that time, the Taoist placed a talisman on top of the elevator. The area where he placed it turned yellow, and a pungent smell emanated from it! Many people witnessed this. However, Taoist, if you only chased away the evil spirits, what will happen if they come back?"
The crowd murmured in agreement, their words filled with panic. I furrowed my brow and remained silent.
The Taoist continued, "Everyone need not be alarmed. I have come here to exorcise demons and restore peace to our neighborhood. As the saying goes, 'A man who sees death and does not save is no true man.' The righteous path in this world is fraught with hardships. There are endless matters of demon-slaying in this world; the universe will surely become clear! Today, I vow over wine that at the ugly hour tonight, I will set up a ritual under the flowerbed to eradicate evil spirits! Cheers!"
With that, the Taoist raised his wine bowl and drank heartily. I also lifted my bowl but only pretended to drink since we were not allowed to consume alcohol during work hours. The Taoist laughed and said, "Ah, I didn't expect you to be such a spirited person too! If you have nothing else to do tonight, come watch me catch ghosts. You have a handsome face; you must have a connection with our Taoist ways. It would be an honor to form a brotherhood with you and walk the world together to catch ghosts and exorcise demons. What do you think?"
I was taken aback by how quickly he changed after just one bowl of wine. I quickly replied, "No drinking while driving; drinking leads to tears for loved ones. No more talk about that; I have some matters to attend to. I will definitely come support you tonight. My apologies; see you later!"
"Yes, it should be like that," the old Taoist said. "Then let it be so. What a pity! Have you heard of Zheng Haomiao? He is my disciple... Back in the day, I slayed the white snake on Mangdang Mountain..."
It seemed that the old Taoist's drinking capacity was still lacking. I moved over to Juan Juan's table where Yan Junde said, "You can tell at a glance that this old Taoist is a fraud; why are you trying to get close to him? Just now Detective Captain took several people to investigate leads without even finishing their meal. Truly dedicated!"
Surprisingly, Mary did not refute Yan Junde's words this time but instead said, "What Dezi said is correct; this old Taoist is clearly a fraud. While I believe there are authentic Taoist practices in this world, they are certainly not represented by this old man. His ramblings are just nonsense; it's because of people like him that many think Taoism is just trickery and superstition!"
I nodded and replied, "Of course I can see that this old Taoist is a fraud too, but if real estate developers are willing to pay for it and the elderly enjoy it, then let them be happy. However, there was one detail earlier that struck me as odd; perhaps I'm just being suspicious. Anyway, since we have nothing else to do tonight, why not go watch Old Taoist perform his ghost-catching? Haha."
Everyone felt helpless at this point when Mary said seriously, "Team Leader, while you were talking with Old Taoist earlier, I found detailed information about that so-called Tianyu Company online. Tianyu refers to jade from heaven and borrows its name from Jia Baoyu in Dream of the Red Chamber; it's a company specializing in jade."
I nodded as Mary continued, "The chairman of Tianyu Company is named Yang Shuai; he is fifty-two years old this year. He is married; his wife is also a boss at another company. They have two sons and one daughter who are studying abroad. Just as I found this information out, Detective Captain took people to investigate."
"It seems Detective Captain is quite impatient," I remarked. "Since it's a company specializing in jade, could there be jade in her missing package?"
Not long after we returned to the police station, Detective Captain rushed back in excitement. He told us, "We have contacted Yang Shuai, the chairman of Tianyu Company. He is currently not in Shanghai but rather in the southwest region dealing with jade business. According to company personnel, he has been gone for over a week and knows nothing about Sun Bikun."
"Mm," I nodded in response.
"Detective Captain continued, 'We have contacted him, and he said he would return in a few hours.'
'Well, we need to figure out what exactly is in Sun Bikun's handbag,' I said to Detective Captain. 'Yang Shuai and Sun Bikun's boyfriend are the two key people in this case. By the way, how is Sun Bikun's boyfriend doing? Has he been brought to the station?'
'I assigned my officers to handle that, but I haven't received any updates yet,' Detective Captain replied, frowning. 'But it's been quite a while; it can't be that...' Before he could finish his sentence, his phone rang. He answered it, and I watched as his expression darkened.
He shouted angrily, 'You can't even handle such a small matter! Get back here and see me! Didn't I arrange everything properly when I gave the instructions before? I!' With that, Detective Captain abruptly hung up the phone, nearly shattering the screen in the process.
Then he looked at us with a hint of guilt and said, 'Sun Bikun's boyfriend, Zhao Yu, is missing.'
'They found Zhao Yu's residence but discovered that no one was home,' Detective Captain explained. 'They called Zhao Yu's phone, but it was turned off. After searching around and speaking with neighbors, they learned that Zhao Yu left home this morning and hasn't returned since; his whereabouts are unknown.'
I pressed my fingers against my temples and said, 'Zhao Yu seems to know something important. We need to launch a citywide search for him and request assistance from above if necessary. Tell them not to return yet; they should stay at the scene. We need to head to Zhao Yu's house right away.'
Detective Captain nodded.
A young man went hunting in the mountains with his grandfather and unexpectedly encountered Mouse Burning Incense and Wild Cat Worships at the Temple—statues made from human corpses. When he returned home late at night, his biological mother was chasing him with 'people,' all because of his grandfather's misdeeds towards her!"
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