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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Two: The Con Artist
The decor of this shop was quite peculiar. From the outside, it appeared to be a dilapidated little house that had not been maintained, with a weathered sign hanging above the door, its letters barely legible. However, inside, there were signs of careful renovation—like the wooden tables and chairs that had clearly been recently waxed, gleaming with a polished shine; the bar counter and wall-mounted liquor cabinet designed in a bar style; and the display case made from long iron strips, fixed in the corner behind the door.
The wooden tables and chairs resembled those found in many historical dramas—brick-red, intricately carved square tables paired with long wooden stools that were unstable enough to send one tumbling. The bar counter, however, was black, adorned with an array of quirky stickers. The liquor cabinet housed a mix of drinks from both East and West, with Erguotou placed beside whiskey. As for the display case, it looked hastily assembled, with some iron strips still bearing chunks of uncleaned cement.
The walls were roughly painted white, uneven and pockmarked, adorned with a shabby clock whose exposed parts hung precariously. Below it, the pendulum swung like a fish in its death throes, occasionally flailing as if reluctant to move. The back door connected to a corridor about two meters wide; from his current position, Xin Yi could see that on the left side near the back door was a bathroom suitable for bathing, while on the right side was likely the kitchen, obscured by a white curtain.
The entire interior felt like a chaotic patchwork puzzle, with each piece disconnected from the others and transitions so abrupt they resembled QR codes.
Fortunately, the scent inside was more comforting than that of the outside world; the smell of paper ash surprisingly did not permeate the space. Instead, the aroma of food filled the air—meat products cooked in rich sauces that could only produce such a robust flavor.
Xin Yi found himself somewhat fond of this smell; it was a reassuring presence.
He had specifically searched for this place on his way here. Many posts online praised the owner for their unique and efficient methods of operation, describing them as gentle and easy to talk to, never concerned about payment amounts while also being an excellent cook. Occasionally, there were some discordant voices complaining about the shop's remote location or difficulties in contacting the owner—minor grievances at best.
If he were unaware of Song Bunan's profession, Xin Yi would think he was adept at information trading. This feeling came inexplicably, seemingly based on the emotions conveyed through those bright and deep-set eyes during their earlier exchange. Opening a shop in such an isolated area and being hard to reach while still being able to assist others certainly aligned with some information traders' modus operandi.
What kind of method would such a person use to help Mighty Falcon investigate Old Otter's cause of death? Xin Yi mentally organized all the information he had gathered so far but found no evidence that Song Bunan had dealt with related issues. Why did the captain say to him that “he has what we need”?
“You're from Mighty Falcon, aren't you?” A neatly dressed individual stepped out with a faint smile, their voice notably gentle. “I apologize for the late hour; someone contacted me during the day saying they would come by to pick you up. Thank you for your patience.”
Under the light, Xin Yi finally got a clear look at this person’s appearance. They were not very tall—probably only around five foot seven—with messy black curls covering their head. Black-rimmed glasses obscured half their face; their skin was very fair, dotted with light brown freckles. Their clothing style was quite simple: an ordinary white T-shirt paired with jeans, giving them an appearance reminiscent of a student still in school. The discordant element was an earring shaped like a skull dangling from their left ear and tattoos extending from behind their ear down to their neck, stark black lines contrasting sharply against their pale skin.
"Don't you want to eat something? Even though it's already midnight." Seeing that he didn't respond, Song Bunan continued speaking and walked behind the bar to grab a bag. "I'll just tidy up a bit and then we can go. I apologize for not pouring you a glass of water earlier; I was in a hurry to take a shower."
As he spoke, a bottle of water appeared in front of Xin Yi. After receiving it, he watched as the person with the bag stood beside him and downed the entire bottle in one go. He hadn't intended to engage with Song Bunan, as he was merely there to pick someone up. From what he had heard earlier, it was clear that this person knew exactly why he was there.
He stepped out of the shop first and waited by the car for the others. It was then that he noticed a white paper lantern hanging just beneath the eaves at the entrance. The lantern featured a pattern of interlocking waves, and the candle inside seemed to emit a faint yellow-green glow.
When Song Bunan exited the shop, he didn't lock the door or turn off the lights inside. He walked briskly to the car, explaining—or perhaps talking to himself—that there would be more people coming soon, so they should just wait for now.
During the drive, neither of them spoke. The person in the back seat didn't play on their phone either; they simply sat quietly, gazing out at the scenery through the window. Yet, a smile remained on their face, deepening whenever their eyes met in the rearview mirror. That smile was genuine, radiating warmth, and paired with a face that could only be described as cute, it was like encountering a sweet candy.
Such a demeanor was rare among those from Mighty Falcon; most were hardened by life-and-death struggles, few coming from normal families, let alone having received any training in manners or kindness. They resembled a pack of wild beasts, forever focused on their mission to survive. But with Song Bunan, Xin Yi felt a sense of comfort akin to witnessing sunlight after a heavy winter snowfall. No matter how much he despised Song Bunan's line of work, he couldn't deny the joy that blossomed within him at that smile.
In posts Xin Yi had read about Song Bunan, someone had remarked that the shopkeeper resembled the small grass growing at the entrance—no matter how desolate or sorrowful life may be, when you see him smile at you, you start to believe you can overcome your own obstacles. Initially skeptical about such charm existing in someone, Xin Yi now found himself convinced.
Mighty Falcon's B Team had arranged to meet with the Zhang Family at an unfinished office building on the outskirts of town for a transaction. The building was located in a remote area and had been abandoned due to an accident during construction; its demolition costs were too high for anyone to bother with it, leaving it to decay into what resembled a dump for construction waste. Mighty Falcon didn't question why their employer chose such a place; they merely commented among themselves about how difficult it was to navigate.
The task was straightforward: locate the target item and meet at an agreed time and place for an exchange—money in one hand and goods in the other—without any issues expected. Old Otter set out from Mighty Falcon's headquarters with the item and arranged to meet his teammates at 8:30 AM before their 9:00 AM appointment with the Zhang Family. They planned to thoroughly clear any potential dangers from the site before their employer arrived.
However, while en route to their meeting point, they received word that the location had changed to Mighty Falcon's headquarters, sent by none other than Old Otter himself. After that message, they lost contact with him. After some delays verifying this information, they arrived on site at 8:40 AM only to find Old Otter dead and the item storage box missing.
Old Otter's body lay in the center of the unfinished building, surrounded only by his own traces. Neither his recording device nor any cameras around had captured anyone else being there. Strangely enough, when 9:00 AM came around, neither did the Zhang Family show up; when contacted by phone, they reported that their representative sent for the transaction had gone missing.
Now Old Otter's body rested in the morgue after being examined thoroughly; the conclusion drawn was that he died from sudden cardiac arrest rather than external forces. No one believed this result. Consequently, Team C was dispatched to investigate further—one group would search for the Zhang Family while another would look for Song Bunan.
"I have a small question," Song Bunan said as he followed Xin Yi to Mighty Falcon, heading straight for the body. The captain was already there, explaining the specifics of the situation while examining the corpse. Xin Yi stood nearby, puzzled as to why they needed to explain everything so clearly to this person. Wasn't he only responsible for investigating Old Otter's cause of death? As he pondered this, he heard Song Bunan continue, "Why did Team B, where Old Otter was, not go to the trading location together but split up instead?"
"They had just finished their previous mission, and Old Otter came back here to pick up the task box," the captain replied. Seeing Song Bunan's expression, it was clear he didn't believe this explanation, but he remained silent, continuing to examine Old Otter's body. Next to the autopsy report was a health check report from two weeks ago, which stated that Old Otter only had minor muscle issues.
The body had become soft; however, due to good preservation, there wasn't much change. Song Bunan meticulously inspected every part of the corpse before finally opening the eyes. The deceased's eyeballs resembled two frosted glass balls, obscuring any details. This scene clearly caught the Mighty Falcon captain off guard; she spoke in a low voice, questioning what was happening since this situation wasn't mentioned in the report.
"It just came out; according to the timeline, today is the third day since his death," Song Bunan responded calmly, as if it would be more concerning if this detail were absent. He removed his gloves and gestured for them to step outside.
"The Mighty Falcon's style is well-known in Rongcheng, so your visit to ask for my help must not have been decided by your local department," Song Bunan said with a smile as he sat in the conference room. However, this time there was a hint of amusement in his expression, and his scrutinizing gaze made him seem distant and less approachable.
The captain took a sip of tea and smiled back. "Yes, according to our local department's methods, we wouldn't have any contact with you. It was the higher-ups who instructed me to seek your assistance in investigating this case and said we need not concern ourselves with anything else—just cooperate. You've seen the body; do you have any insights?"
Xin Yi detected a sarcastic undertone in the captain's words and suddenly recalled how much more disdain his captain had for so-called supernatural matters than he did himself. He glanced at Song Bunan, whose smile deepened as if he were unfazed by the sarcasm. He simply pulled out a postcard from his pocket and handed it over with his usual gentle tone.
"I can't provide specific details right now; I need to verify some things before giving you a thorough explanation. During this time, I need to work alone; you don't need to worry about me. This is my business card; if I haven't contacted you within forty-eight hours, please come looking for me at today's address. By then, I will return with results."
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