Chapter 20

Xu Yan lay on his bed, eyes closed, trying to rest, but he couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. His mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts. One moment he was thinking about Zhu Youxiang, whose mysterious background he couldn't figure out; the next, he was reliving the terrifying scene from last night, the menacing faces of the thugs, and the cold sensation of the sharp dagger pressed against his face. Various thoughts swirled in his head, making him shiver with a chill that ran through his body, and he couldn't sleep at all.

Finally, he got up, went to the window, and pulled back the curtains: the sky was indeed already light, the eastern horizon showing a pale white, and the paths in the residential area below were already bustling with people doing their morning exercises.

"It's morning already!"

Xu Yan remembered that although it was Sunday, he had a elective class scheduled for the first and second periods today. The name of the elective course was quite unusual, "Appreciation and Analysis of Science Fiction Literature." Xu Yan had chosen this course purely to earn credits, and he had never attended a single class before—rumor had it that the teacher never took attendance and never failed anyone in the final exam. As long as you selected the course, you were guaranteed two credits.

On previous Sundays, Xu Yan would sleep until noon, regardless of what science fiction or children's literature it was. But after the events of last night, he felt very insecure and wanted to be in a place with more people—so, he might as well go to class!

With his mind made up, Xu Yan washed up, put on some clothes, and left the house. The morning light was just rising, the air fresh, and walking in the warm sunlight, he felt his mood brighten and his spirits lifted. He walked briskly, greeting the neighbors he met along the way:

"Aunt Zhang, good morning! Going to buy groceries?"

"Uncle Li, good morning! Going to the park to practice your boxing again?"

"Xin Xin, where are you going so early? Oh, big brother is going to class. Do you want to come along? ——Hehe, Aunt Li, are you taking Xin Xin to a tutoring class?"

The residents of the neighborhood were all long-time residents, and they all knew Xu Yan, the polite and respectful college student tenant. They had a good impression of him and greeted him warmly. As Xu Yan walked to the entrance of the neighborhood, he suddenly felt nervous: at the entrance, several police officers wearing peaked caps were talking to the security guard on duty.

These police officers were very different from the community police officers who usually came to check household registrations or mediate domestic disputes. They were tall and imposing, with sharp eyes and serious expressions, and all of them had pistols on their hips. It was clear that they were either special police or detectives. They were asking the security guard serious questions and taking notes.

Seeing the police with guns, Xu Yan felt a sudden chill and almost couldn't move his legs. But he managed to keep his wits about him, knowing that he must not show any signs of guilt. He stopped like a curious onlooker, glanced at the police officers, and then walked past them as if nothing was wrong. Just as he was about to leave, one of the police officers called out to him: "Hey, you, stop."

At that moment, Xu Yan almost wet his pants!

His legs felt weak, but he forced himself to turn around calmly and said expressionlessly, "Officer, are you looking for me?"

The officer looked him over and smiled, "Hey, you're Xu... Xu Yan, right? I remember you, but you don't recognize me?"

As he spoke, he took off his hat, and Xu Yan recognized him as the young officer Liu Biyun he had met at the police station yesterday.

"It's Officer Liu, sorry, I didn't recognize you with the hat on. Um, is there something you need from me?"

Xu Yan cursed inwardly but managed to force a smile.

Liu Biyun laughed heartily, "Nothing much, just ran into an old acquaintance and wanted to say hello. You're from Shudu University, right? How come you live here?"

"Ah, just a greeting, huh? Damn, you almost scared me to death!" Xu Yan cursed inwardly but smiled, "Officer Liu, the dormitory at school is crowded, six people in one room. I couldn't stand it, so I moved out—does that break any laws?"

"Hehe, what laws? We police don't care about that."

Liu Biyun fanned himself with his hat and asked with a smile, "Xu Yan, you moved out, not just because the dormitory is small, right? Be honest with the government, how many girls have you brought back here, and how many innocent young girls have you corrupted?"

"Hehe, Officer, you're joking, I'm not that kind of person... Officer Liu, what brings you here so early? Is there any important task you can tell me about?"

Xu Yan pretended to be nervous and lowered his voice, "Officer, you're here with so many people. Could it be that there's a wanted murderer hiding in our neighborhood? If that's true, you should tell me, I won't come back for a few days and will stay in the school dormitory."

"Don't jump to conclusions, there aren't that many wanted criminals, nothing to worry about—by the way, do you live here? Which building and number?"

Xu Yan's heart skipped a beat, but he said calmly, "I live in Building 7, Room 403. What's the matter?"

"Oh, Building 7, Room 403... Did you hear any strange noises or sounds last night while you were sleeping?"

"Strange noises or sounds? Officer, last night, the couple next door was arguing loudly. Does that count?"

"Not that." Liu Biyun shook his head impatiently, "I mean, did you hear any unusual sounds—like helicopters or cranes or other heavy machinery?"

Xu Yan shook his head, "No—why would there be a helicopter flying over here?"

"Hmm, did you hear any sounds of fighting or screams, or any other unusual sounds?"

Xu Yan pretended to think for a moment and shook his head, "I didn't hear anything. Officer, what's going on?"

Liu Biyun shook his head, "Nothing much, it probably has nothing to do with your neighborhood. You're holding books, are you going to class? I won't keep you, go ahead."

"Ah, Officer Liu, I'll be going then—see you later."

Xu Yan waved and said goodbye to Liu Biyun before walking towards the entrance. He noticed that the police officers were all looking at him, and by the time he had exchanged a few words, his shirt was drenched in sweat. But he had to maintain his composure and walk calmly under their watchful eyes, which was an incredibly difficult task.

At this moment, Xu Yan didn't realize a fact: his fear of the police was completely unnecessary. Last night, it was Zhu Youxiang who had killed and disposed of the bodies. Zhu Youxiang had no personal connection to Xu Yan and had not been acting under his orders. Throughout the entire incident, Xu Yan had done nothing; he had only lain on the ground groaning due to excessive blood loss. Strictly speaking, Xu Yan didn't even qualify as an accomplice or an accessory.

Therefore, from a legal perspective, Xu Yan was completely innocent. If he had to be charged with anything, it would be for failing to report a crime or harboring a murderer. If Xu Yan had reported Zhu Youxiang to the police, he would have been completely exonerated.

Unfortunately, Xu Yan did not report her—or more accurately, the idea of "reporting" was not even in his mind. The young man had a simple and straightforward moral code.

"Xuan Yun killed to save me; how can I betray her?"

Growing up with the teachings of his parents, Xu Yan had always believed that a traitor was shameful. Betraying a companion to save oneself was a violation of moral boundaries, and if the person betrayed was a savior, it was unforgivable. In Xu Yan's view, ingratitude was not only an unforgivable act but also the most shameful crime in the world.

Often, the law is one thing, and morality is another. In Xu Yan's mind, since Zhu Youxiang was his companion and had killed to save him, he, as the beneficiary, also bore the same heavy responsibility. Attempting to shirk this responsibility was, in the young man's pure mind, immoral. Unconsciously, Xu Yan had already tied his fate to Zhu Youxiang's. He was even prepared for the worst: if the truth ever came out, he would rather go to jail himself than betray Zhu Youxiang.

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The police officers watched as Xu Yan's figure disappeared through the entrance. Another officer, with two bars and two stars on his shoulder, asked Liu Biyun, "Liu Zi, what's up? Is there something about this student?"

Liu Biyun shook his head, "Nothing much, just ran into an old acquaintance and asked a few questions. Liang Da, should we go to the neighborhood across the street and ask around? I know the security captain there."

"Sure, let's go while the night shift security is still on duty. They might have heard something."

The deputy chief of the criminal investigation team, Liang Ke, closed his notebook and thanked the security guard at the entrance. He said to Liu Biyun, "Liu Zi, you've done a lot of work for us. I heard you were on duty all day yesterday and should be off today, but you're helping us with this case."

"Hehe, Liang Da, don't be too polite. If anything, it's our station that's troubling you."

Liu Biyun led the way and said, "We received the alarm at around five last night, saying that bodies were found in the parking lot of Fengyuan Neighborhood. When I arrived, I saw five bodies lying there. I was stunned for a minute. In all my years on the force, I've never seen such a major case. Honestly, I'm grateful that your team from the division's criminal investigation unit is taking over. By the way, Liang Da, have you found anything at the scene?"

Technically, non-case handlers shouldn't inquire about the details, but Liu Biyun was a special case. He was a detective from the station and one of the first to arrive at the scene, so there was no point in hiding anything from him. Liang Da said, "The forensic and technical teams are still investigating, and the final conclusions aren't out yet. But I did take a preliminary look at the parking lot, and it's quite strange. The bodies appear to have fallen from a great height, but they are at least fifty meters away from the nearest building! It's really puzzling, Liu Zi, what do you think?"

"When we arrived and waited for you, we also took a preliminary look at the scene. The bodies looked like they had fallen from a great height. But the location doesn't make sense—the parking lot is on the left side of the road, the right side is the neighborhood's green belt, and the front is the motorcycle parking area. The nearest building is Building 5 of Fengyuan Neighborhood, which is more than fifty meters away. If they fell to their deaths, it would have to be from there, but that distance is too far. A five-story building couldn't cause a fifty-meter fall."

Liang Da shook his head, "It's impossible. Building 5 of Fengyuan Neighborhood is only five stories high, about twenty meters. It's not enough to cause such severe injuries. I've seen several suicide cases, and I have some experience. The injuries on these bodies suggest they fell from a building at least ten stories high, but there are no such buildings nearby."

"Liang Da, is it possible that the parking lot is not the first crime scene? They might have fallen to their deaths elsewhere and been moved here?"

"That would require specialized techniques to determine. But from my impression, the parking lot is likely the first scene. Look at the damage to the concrete, the Toyota and Buick cars that were crushed, the impact was extreme, as if they were hit by a cannon. The extent of the damage to the bodies and the blood splatter range couldn't have been caused by a fall from less than ten stories. Faking the scene to this extent is impossible—also, the residents nearby said they heard loud noises around two or three in the morning, though they didn't come out to check. I suspect these people might have fallen from a helicopter, which is why I asked Liu Zi to check if anyone heard unusual sounds."

Liu Biyun chuckled, "Fell from a helicopter? Liang Da, your imagination... Hehe, this is in our country, not in America where helicopters fly everywhere."

Liang Da didn't get upset and laughed, "I can't think of any other possibility. A case involving five deaths is too big for the division to handle alone. We're just assisting with securing the scene. Such a major case might be taken over by the city bureau, or even the provincial bureau or the ministry."

As he spoke, his phone rang. Liang Da apologized and stepped aside to take the call. When he returned, his expression was serious. He said, "I guess I have a jinx mouth. Liu Zi, the city bureau will definitely take over this case, and it might even involve the provincial bureau or the ministry."

"Liang Da, what happened?"

"At the scene, a gun was found on one of the bodies—this is serious. The city bureau will definitely form a special task force."

The other police officers were taken aback. In China, where civilian gun ownership is strictly prohibited, gun-related cases are taken very seriously. This case, involving five deaths, was already a major case that needed to be reported to the ministry. With the added element of a gun, it was certain to be a provincial-level case, and possibly even a ministry-level case.

The police officers felt the pressure of such a major case in their jurisdiction and lost their mood for joking. After checking the nearby neighborhoods, they hurried to the parking lot.