Chapter 1: Wang Yueche m****r Case

He was kneeling in a pool of blood, desperately trying to wake a quickly stiffening corpse when he was alerted by the sudden sound of footsteps.

He picked up the pistol from the pool of blood and pointed it at the person coming towards him, screaming, “I’ll kill you!”

No matter how many times he pressed the trigger, the rounds didn’t budge. The approaching figure mockingly spoke, "Haha, what a scene! The Great Detective Song Lang, actually killing his superior and partner with his very own hands! I can't wait to see the headlines in the newspapers tomorrow!"

Rage welled up in Song Lang’s chest, ready to erupt at a moment’s notice. He threw down his gun and rushed towards the criminal that had cornered him. Before Song Lang could even get within reaching distance, the other party suddenly pulled out an iron pipe from behind them and smashed it against Song Lang’s head. Song Lang dropped to the ground, fresh blood drenching his temples.

The mysterious person dropped the iron pipe onto the floor, the sound crisp and piercing to the ear.

"Listen up, from now on, the Great Detective Song Lang will disappear forever. If I so much as get a whiff of your trail after this, I will hunt you down and strip you of everything that you cherish once more!" The unknown figure then laughed and disappeared into the darkness...

Chen Shi jolted awake. In the rear-view mirror, he saw a face that was drenched in sweat, and he felt like his appearance resembled that of a stranger. Even though he would gladly trade his entire life to forget his past, that blood-stained, tainted night would repeatedly appear in his dreams, tormenting him.

He took out a pack of cigarettes from the glove box and shook it, only to find that the packet was already empty, so he threw it back into the glovebox with annoyance.

Damn, I’ve worked up a sweat again. Although it was the beginning of Autumn, ol’ Autumn was truly unforgiving. When the seasons are changing, if you don’t pay attention to the changes in weather, you’ll catch a cold. Us drivers are in a profession where we don’t have the freedom and luxury to stay in bed for a couple of days.

He glanced at the clock and noticed that it was already two in the morning, almost time to return home and take a hot shower before getting some sleep.

There was a beep from Chen Shi’s phone, notifying him of a new request. The passenger who ordered his services was a kilometer away.

He looked at the passenger’s desired destination and noticed that it was en-route to his house. Getting to return home while also making enough money to buy some skewers, why not? He clicked to confirm the order in a practiced manner, then started the car.

A feminine figure emerged in front of the headlights, so Chen Shi vainly ran a hand through his messy hair that was all over the place.

A pair of slender and beautiful snow-white legs elegantly stepped towards the back seat and opened the door. The beauty bent down to enter, and Chen Shi’s eyes watched her through the rear-view mirror, glancing down... Hmm, she’s at least a D.

“Where are we going, beautiful?”

“Don’t speak such useless drivel. Didn’t the order already say that we need to go to the Feng ZhiLin Hotel?!”

The beauty bluntly complained.

After the car started, the beauty took out a pack of cigarettes from her bag. Chen Shi extended two fingers towards her, and discourteously declared, “Come on, I forgot to buy cigarettes, and the craving is really hard to bear.”

The only answer he got was the disdainful look that she shot at him before the beauty rolled her eyes and put the cigarettes back.

“I’ll say!” Chen Shi continued to make conversation when there was nothing more to be said, “You’re going to the hotel alone late into the night, and your boyfriend isn’t coming to pick you up? That’s too irresponsible!”

“I’m just going to see a friend!”

“Ah, the classic go-to answer. In the night, it wouldn’t be good if you were to encounter a bad person.”

“A bad person?” The beauty sneered, “It’s not like the words “bad guy” are going to be written on their faces!”

“That’s not necessarily true. I’m not bullshitting you, if there truly were a m****rer that came into my car, I would be able to tell nine times out of ten what their true disposition was.”

“Oh? Why don’t you tell me what a m****rer looks like then?”

“Oh, m****rers? They generally have shifty eyes, have an alert demeanor, and are especially sensitive and irritable. Often, they will avoid talking about their circumstances.”

The beauty snorted, “You make it sound like you have prior experience with this.”

Feeling as if they’ve been chatting for some time now, Chen Shi thickened his skin and asked, “Let’s add each other on WeChat, beautiful!”

“Say what?”

“Just trying to get to know you, why are you acting so guarded?”

“Sorry, I don’t feel like there’s a need to get to know people like you.”

“Alright, alright, pretend I didn’t say anything,” Chen Shi skilfully retracted his advancing troops.

After some silence, the beauty pulled out a phone from her bag and glanced at Chen Shi using the rear-view mirror. Then she typed out a message on her phone. “Honey, this driver won’t stop talking. So irritating!”

“On the morning of September 11th, around a hundred meters from the bridge on Xi Anfu Road, a female body was found next to the river. The deceased was around 25 years old, possessed a slender frame, and had an aesthetically pleasing face. The clothes of the deceased were damaged and torn, and rope marks were left on her neck. The preliminary report prepared by the coroner identified that the cause of death was strangulation from behind. The woman also had sexual activity prior to her death. We then found the satchel that the deceased was carrying around three hundred meters downstream. It contained her ID, phone, and other personal items. Upon investigation, it can be confirmed that the 1,000 Yuan[2] of cash that the deceased was carrying has been taken. The mobile phone could not be turned on after getting soaked in the river. After it was repaired, the last two messages sent by the deceased to her boyfriend were uncovered. The first message was as follows, “Honey, this driver won’t stop talking. So irritating!” The second message found stated, “Just got off, and I think there’s someone following me.” The police visited the deceased’s boyfriend, who confirmed that he had received the two aforementioned texts. Currently, we are trying to contact the Wang Yueche platform to investigate the personal situation of the driver.

After the Captain of the Criminal Investigation Unit, Lin Qiupu, used a calm tone to read out the case details, those that were silently listening to his speech began to stir.

“Is it another Wang Yueche driver m****r case?”

“Is the quality of Wang Yueche drivers so bad nowadays? I think this shady platform that allows such drivers to be employed should just be banned.”

“Don’t blindly jump to conclusions just yet. Currently, there is no evidence to indicate that the m****rer is the driver.”

“Using the time of death to infer, the incident happened around three in the morning, and the traffic around the bridge was scarce, so the likelihood of the m****rer being the driver is very high!”

Lin Qiupu knocked his hand down on the table a few times, and his subordinates immediately quieted down. Lin Qiupu continued, “Wang Yueche, r**e, m****r, and a young female. Less than a month after the last Wang Yueche homicide, I did not expect that these words would once again appear in a case file. Once the case is exposed to the public, there will be an enormous social impact, so the superiors are placing great importance and special attention on this case. They’ve ordered us to solve this case as soon as possible. I will hold off the pressure from the higher-ups and the media. The case will be investigated as normal. As such, all vacations over the next two days are canceled. If you usually sleep for seven hours, you’ll sleep for five hours now. Fight for results within the next forty-eight hours! Does everyone have confidence that they will be able to bring about results?”

Typically, these words would be very harsh and strict. However, when they came from Lin Qiupu, they brought with them a compelling and calm aura. Many female police officers who watched the cool and collected Lin Qiupu make his speech had stars in their eyes.

As for the male officers, they could only look on at their lovesick female colleagues and sigh. Comparing yourself to others will lead to the death of any joy in your life.

“We have confidence!” The members of the unit answered in harmony.

“Good, then I’ll assign the tasks. Xiao Qi, take people to re-examine the areas of the crime scene…”

The officers left the meeting room in quick succession. Lin Qiupu was packing up the case files when he suddenly noticed a gaze behind him. His hands paused briefly, then carried on organizing his materials. Without turning his head around, he asked, “You’re still not leaving?”

“Why do you always assign me to irrelevant and unimportant tasks like surveying the deceased’s interpersonal relationships?!” The female officer asked with an aggressive tone.

“Irrelevant and unimportant? To me, nothing is irrelevant and unimportant. Every task is a necessary component of the investigation. You only need to obey the order!”

“Hmph, what you say sure sounds good. It’s the same thing every time. All the dangerous and difficult tasks never get assigned to me. Will I always be the clueless little girl who will never grow up in your eyes? Lin Qiupu, I trained at the police academy for four years to become a successful police officer, not to just come out and leisurely experience life!”

 Lin Qiupu finally turned around, meeting her eyes full of questions. His expression softened. “Sister, I…”

“Captain Lin!” The female officer suddenly raised her voice, “Is it appropriate to address someone in such an intimate manner within the station?”

She walked to the door and stopped in her tracks briefly, “Brother, I will make you recognize my merits through the contributions I make in this case!”

Watching her back as she left, Lin Qiupu’s face showed a bitter smile.

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Lin Dongxue went down to the underground garage out of habit, reminding her that her car was getting repairs done at the mechanics. Two weeks ago, she crashed her car while she was chasing after a suspect. She violated over a dozen traffic rules in a single breath, so all her points were deducted from her license. She also received severe disciplinary action as she disobeyed orders by acting as she did.

Annoyed by the memory, she started walking outside, when all of a sudden, a car honked at her. A police sedan slowed down and rolled up beside her. A smiling face emerged behind the window, which was being slowly rolled down, “Dongxue, I’ll give you a ride!”

“No need!” Lin Dongxue bluntly refused.

“Fighting with your older brother again?” Based on her tone and expression, the clever Xu Xiaodong accurately guessed what her situation was, “Why are you acting so unhappy? The criminal investigation unit’s captain is your brother by blood. Others can’t even hope to develop such a close relationship with the captain, no matter how much they yearn for it. If I were you, I’d be smiling, even in my dreams.”

Lin Dongxue suddenly stopped and raised her brows, yelling, “In everyone’s eyes, I am just the captain’s little sister. Nobody has ever thought of me as just Lin Dongxue. If you want to be his sister so badly, then go ahead. I wouldn’t long for this position in a million years!” With that, she hastened her pace and left the garage.

“I only casually spoke about it. What about the conversation made her so angry?” Xu Xiaodong scratched his head in confusion.

After passing a few intersections, Lin Dongxue calculated that she was not at risk of running into Xu Xiaodong again, as she had avoided his usual route when leaving the precinct. Lin Dongxue took out her phone and called for a Wang Yueche. The driver seemed to accept the order within seconds, but after waiting for five minutes, the car icon on the map still hadn’t moved. Lin Dongxue dialed the driver, “What’s going on? I’ve stood here for five minutes already!”

The driver answered unapologetically, “Sorry, beautiful; I’m in a bit of a situation here. Would you mind walking over?”

“Forget it. I’m going to call for another car!”

“No, no, I’ll give you a 20% discount, okay? Do you see a beef stew restaurant across the road?”

“I can see it. What about it?”

“There’s a little alley next to it. You’ll be able to see me once you cross the street.”

“So troublesome!”

Lin Dongxue hung up and crossed the street, and walked into the alleyway. Initially, she had thought that the “situation” the driver spoke of would be a traffic jam, but there were barely any cars around. There was an uncle on the side who was washing a car, using a hose dragged from a nearby kitchen of a restaurant.

It was a red Changan Eado[1]. Lin Dongxue verified the license plate and confirmed that this was the Wang Yueche which was meant to pick her up.

Lin Dongxue walked over and crossed her arms as she stood next to the driver. The driver was completely oblivious, and complained as he washed the car, “This damn sparrow could have pooped anywhere else, but it just had to poop on my beloved car!”

Lin Dongxue coughed dramatically, and the driver turned around and smiled, “Oh, you’ve arrived? Step right in!”

Lin Dongxue stared him down angrily, “This is the situation that you were going on about? I waited five whole minutes on the side of the road, yet you were here washing your car so leisurely?”

“Don’t be so petty. It was only five minutes.”

“You say it so casually. Even if you were to have wasted just one second of someone else’s time, let alone five minutes, would you be able to compensate for that one second?”

The driver turned around, wearing a sleek smile fitting a middle-aged man who’d walked through countless experiences in his life on his face. Combined with a pair of stern eyes, he argued, “If you must say it that way, then I’ll have to undergo a little theoretical exchange with you. From the place you were originally standing to our present location, it was merely a straight line with a distance of fifty meters. However, if I were to drive, I would have had to go around the block, meaning I would require at least ten minutes to get to you. From this perspective, I didn’t waste five of your minutes. Instead of costing you time, I saved you five minutes. With regards to the car wash, it’s because I’m a clean freak. There were bird droppings on the windshield, and since I get very uncomfortable when looking at it, it could cause an accident because I wouldn’t be able to focus with the droppings in front of me. Would you not say that it’s better to wash the car in order to provide better service or to just continue with these hazards?”

“Hmph, all these excuses.” Lin Dongxue snorted, “Even if what you say is true, why didn’t you take the initiative to call me earlier instead of causing me to wait for five whole minutes?”

“That was my fault. I just so happened to be using my phone at the time. My mother had cerebral thrombosis and had just finished her surgery to remove the blood clots, so the doctor gave me a call. Wouldn’t you say that’s a call that I had to pick up?”

Lin Dongxue was speechless, “Okay, I get it, I get it. Stop playing the sympathy cards and just start the car already!”

Sitting in the back seat, Lin Dongxue saw the name “Chen Shi” on the license displayed. Chen Shi adjusted the rear-view mirror a little, and a pair of shifty eyes fell on Lin Dongxue’s chest area. He opened his mouth and asked, “Where are we going, beautiful?”

“Are you retarded? Did you not look at the address when you took the order?”

“Sorry, I used to drive a taxi, so it’s a habit of mine to ask whoever gets into the car… Just some small talk, but it’s all just useless banter either way.”

“Who would want to chat with you? Don’t flatter yourself!”

After a period of silent driving, Lin Dongxue noticed that there were a pair of leering eyes focused on her, making her very unhappy. She patted the shoulder of the driver’s seat, “Watch the road, alright? Stop being such a pervert.”

“I’m not staring at you. I’m currently observing you.”

Lin Dongxue breathed out a laugh, “What exactly are you observing?”

“There’s an internal fire within your liver. Are you finding that you have insomnia as of late, morning bitterness in the mouth, and a white tongue?”

“Y-you know Chinese medicine?!”

“I know a few things here and there,” Chen Shi smiled and took out a pack of cigarettes from the glove box.

“Hey, don’t smoke in the car! Don’t you have any manners?”

“I just wanted to see how many were left, or is that not allowed?” Chen Shi shook the packet and threw it back inside the glovebox, “What type of work do you do, beautiful?”

“None of your business! Just drive the car!”

“You’re a police officer, right?”

Lin Dongxue was shocked. She checked her body from head to toe. I’m wearing casual clothes, so could he possibly have seen my gun? Impossible! The gun was hidden behind her jacket the whole time, and the gun belt was also hidden very well.

The talkative driver chattered to himself without any prompting, “Occupations leave a mark on people. The way you look at people is unlike that of common folk. The look in your eyes is usually present in those working in law enforcement.”

“So, why did you guess that I was a police officer out of any law enforcement profession?”

Chen Shi smiled, “The place where you got into the car is two streets away from the police station. It also just so happened that a few police cars drove out. Hey, can you divulge a little information on what kind of case you guys are currently investigating?”

Originally, Lin Dongxue didn’t want to tell the truth. Even so, she decided to use this opportunity to retaliate back against this know-it-all, so she boasted, “The Wang Yueche driver homicide!”

Chen Shi replied without a hint of amazement, “Oh, really? If you need me to cooperate in any way, give me a buzz. Oh, yeah. Will there be a reward if we provide informative leads?”

“You have a lead?”

“Not currently, but if there’s a generous reward, I could go and investigate a little myself.”

“Ha, you make it sound like you can actually investigate cases or something.”

“It’s just cracking a case; it simply requires a little luck. Maybe I’ll be fortuitous today!”

His words made Lin Dongxue very unhappy. She wanted to argue but stopped when her phone rang. A WeChat notification popped up, informing her that Xu Xiaodong added her into a group chat. Every time there was a new case, he would set up a group chat to exchange information and be up-to-date on any progress.

Xu Xiaodong excitedly informed everyone, “I found out who the Wang Yueche driver was on that day!”

Lin Dongxue showed a face of disdain. What a show-off!

A long message appeared in the chat, “Chen Shi, male, 36 years old, a citizen of Wu’An City, driven for 15 years, his license plate number is…”

Lin Dongxue looked up and saw the dopey smile on the photo of the license displayed. Suddenly, sweat trickled down her back as she pulled out her gun in a panic and pointed it at Chen Shi’s head, “I order you to stop the car immediately!”

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After a few seconds of silence, Chen Shi glanced at the rear-view mirror indifferently and asked, “What’s up?”

“I told you to stop the car! Didn’t you hear me?!”

“Look, do you think I can just spontaneously stop in the middle of the road? We have to go past the intersection coming up before I do anything!”

“Stop the car! Stop right now!” Lin Dongxue was severely dissatisfied with the other party’s indifferent attitude. He was clearly the m****r suspect, yet he seemed so apathetic about the current situation. In response to his words, she kicked the driver’s seat.

Aside from her nervousness and fear, she also felt a little excited. This situation was God helping her by placing the suspect right in front of her. With this, she finally had a sliver of hope of gaining recognition for her skills and merits.

The slightest change on her face was observed by the sharp eyes looking back at her from the rear-view mirror. Chen Shi casually reasoned, “When you looked at your phone just then, your attitude changed dramatically. It seems that you guys must have made a mistake and think that I’m a m****r suspect.”

“Made a mistake? That isn’t for you to decide. Now, come back to the station with me!”

“I’ll point out three flaws for you.”

“What?!” Lin Dongxue doubted her ears for a second. Was this guy retarded?

“Firstly, when you first found out that your driver was the suspect, you should have immediately contacted your colleagues and reported your current location to them while simultaneously trying your best to secure the suspect. Secondly, who are you trying to scare with a gun that still has the safety on? Thirdly, threatening someone with a gun in a moving car is extremely irrational. Let’s say I was to…”

Without waiting for Lin Dongxue to react, Chen Shi abruptly slammed his foot on the brake. The sudden force caused Lin Dongxue to hit her head on the back of the driver’s seat, letting the gun slip from her hand.

She lifted her head, only to see the black muzzle of her gun pointed directly at her face. Situated behind the weapon was Chen Shi’s ridiculing gaze, “See? It was a breeze to put you in your place. Even if I were to kill you now, your colleagues wouldn’t even know. You lack experience, young one!”

“You… What do you plan on doing?!” Lin Dongxue was so scared that her words caught in her throat. She tried to grab her phone in a panic, but couldn’t find it anywhere.

Chen Shi turned the gun around and handed it back to her, “I was only pointing out some of the shortcomings in your actions.”

Lin Dongxue didn’t know what to do, as she couldn’t believe that the suspect had just given the gun back without putting up a fuss. Chen Shi warned, “Don’t point that damn gun at me again. You need to be careful of accidentally discharging the firearm. Doesn’t everything work out if I just come back to the station with you?”

“Stupid cunt, are you trying to die?!” The disgruntled driver behind them cursed angrily, leaning on the steering wheel to produce a harsh and sharp noise from the horn.

Chen Shi stuck his hand out the window and gave the other driver the middle finger before he started the car again.

Lin Dongxue rubbed her aching head, completely dumbfounded. As a suspect, this person was abnormally calm.

“Hmm, the road back to the station is relatively blocked with traffic. Can I take a little detour?” Chen Shi asked.

Lin Dongxue coordinated her thoughts, “Don’t play tricks!”

Chen Shi smiled, “What about the order? I’ll confirm this added fee for the new route first!”

“Do as you please!”

Lin Dongxue found her phone underneath the seat and saw that Xu Xiaodong had sent another message, “Fuck, we really wouldn’t have known unless we checked, but when I found out, it actually scared me a bit. This guy’s rap sheet is super thick. He used to be part of a gang and has been charged with assault, extortion, and kidnapping. In one fight, the other party was even left in a vegetative state because of him. He was sentenced with inflicting serious harm and had to serve a ten-year prison sentence. Wang Yueche’s employee background check is too slack, to the point where even a person like him could become a driver. It’s scary just thinking about these types of people driving unaccompanied female passengers around the city at night.”

So that’s how it is, this guy is an experienced old fox. No wonder he’s so calm.

Lin Dongxue gave herself a very reasonable and logical answer. She quickly typed out a message and sent it, “I am currently in the suspect’s car. I have ordered him to drive back to the station. It would be convenient if the officers present at the station could respond and take over.”

The group chat immediately exploded. “No way!” “Miss Lin won the top prize!” “Could something like that even happen? Just bumping into a suspect like that, what a life of good fortune!” and “Report your location, do not expose your identity, and don’t do anything that would aggravate the suspect. Try your best to stay on his good side, but for now, buy time!”

Lin Dongxue’s brother, Lin Qiupu, was the one who sent the last message. Lin Dongxue sent out her current location.

After the car turned the corner, it suddenly stopped. Chen Shi opened the door and rushed out like a mad dog. Lin Dongxue was very scared. I should have expected that he wouldn’t be an honest guy! She could only blame herself for lowering her guard.

“Stop right there!” Lin Dongxue yelled as she chased after him.

Chen Shi was able to run at an incredible pace, and Lin Dongxue, who was wearing leather sandals, was thoroughly outmatched. This street was extremely hectic, with people continually hurrying about. Firing a gun willy-nilly in this situation would cause chaos and, not to mention, would definitely be on tomorrow’s headlines.

Lin Dongxue was only able to run for a few steps before her right sandal failed her and snapped at the heel. She kicked off her shoes in annoyance, and despite the ground hurting the soles of her feet, she gritted her teeth and continued the chase.

The crowd gave way, and Lin Dongxue saw a young man running for dear life in front of Chen Shi. When the distance between the two narrowed to less than two meters, Chen Shi pounced and shoved the man onto the ground. Chen Shi grabbed a woman’s bag from the man’s hands.

Chen Shi took out a cable tie from his pocket and bound the young man’s hands together behind his back. The people around the area slowly gathered around the two and praised Chen Shi’s unrelenting spirit at the sight of injustice.

Lin Dongxue was flabbergasted. He suddenly rushed out of his car just to stop a thief?

A middle-aged lady came out from the crowd and cried, “Thank you so much, brother! This is the money I struggled really hard to raise for my mother’s medical fees. If that money were stolen, I honestly would have no idea what to do.”

Chen Shi handed the bag over to the lady, “Remember to stay alert; this is a heavily populated area.”

“Thank you, thank you!” The lady took out a stack of banknotes and handed them over to Chen Shi to show her gratitude.

Chen Shi roughly took three or four sheets from the stack and said, “These are enough. 10,000 is too much; I can’t accept that.”

After the lady called the police, Chen Shi turned around and left. Lin Dongxue remarked, “If you’re going to do a good deed, then do it. There was no need to collect money from her. And here I thought that you were noble and selfless!”

“Being noble and being selfless is not the same thing. I think that it’s actually bizarre if there’s unlimited altruistic behavior. Besides, receiving a small reward not only made me happy, but it ensures that the other party won’t feel like they owe me.”

Lin Dongxue was speechless and changed the topic, “Say, you’re only a driver, yet you were such a risk all by yourself. Aren’t you afraid that people will come back to retaliate and take revenge on you?”

“Fear over these local hoodlums is mostly due to ordinary people overthinking it. After all, mice are scared of humans to begin with.”

“Thinking about it, you needn’t be afraid of revenge, since you need to enter the imperial palace either way, m****r suspect Chen!”

Chen Shi didn’t respond to her words, and looked down at her bare feet, “What happened to your shoes?”

Lin Dongxue went back to look for her shoes, but the sandals had been taken away long ago by a homeless recycler. The soles of her feet were worn and painful. She acted tough and informed Chen Shi, “It’s nothing you need to worry about!”

Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue’s hand and led her to a shoe store nearby. Lin Dongxue shook his hand away, “What are you doing, tugging me along as if we’re familiar with one another?!”

Chen Shi ignored her and nudged her shoulder along, saying, “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Lin Dongxue was quite uncomfortable being taken to buy shoes by an unfamiliar man. He casually picked out a decent pair of sneakers. When it was time to pay, she announced, “Let me do it myself!” When she reached into her pocket, however, she realized that she had left her phone in the car.

“Let’s just say that I’m lending you the money,” Chen Shi smiled and threw the reward that he had received earlier on the table.

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