Chapter 61 The Crime Scene

The Paranormal Bureau's vehicle looked just like an armored cash-in-transit van on the street, except for the lettering on the side, which read:

Paranormal Events
Research and Investigation Bureau
PIB

An Mingshan and I got into the vehicle, which was remarkably badass. I switched on the rotating beacon light and sped all the way, reaching the entrance of the Suan Yi Residence in just a few minutes. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw Liu Shan, Lv Donghua, Liu Wei, Liu Yiyi, and Wu Siling. Seeing us walk in, Liu Wei said, "I'm sorry, Brother Li called me back."

Liu Shan said, "How could you let Weiwei do such a dangerous job?"

I replied, "There's no time to discuss this now. Fatty, An'an, Lingling, you are coming with me to the headquarters of Hongyi Group! An'an, get the gear!" An Mingshan picked up the wheeled suitcase from last time, and the four of us headed out. However, the remaining three insisted on coming along as well, each with their own reasons:

Liu Wei's reason was that as a journalist, she needed to gather firsthand information.
Liu Yiyi's reason was that she was, after all, the heiress of Hongyi Group, and she needed to check things out since something had happened to her family business.
Lv Donghua's reason was that he was my second-in-command, the Deputy Director of the Special Investigation Division, and also a forensic pathologist, so he needed to perform an autopsy.

I had no choice but to let them get into the back of the vehicle and accompany me to the scene, on the condition that their actions strictly followed my commands.

In the afternoon, at the lobby of the Hongyi Group headquarters.

The seven of us arrived together at the crime scene, which was sealed off so tightly not even a drop of water could leak through. We squeezed through the crowd and were about to cross the police cordon when several police officers blocked us. An Mingshan and I took off our coats, revealing the bulletproof vests underneath. The front of the vests bore the traditional Chinese characters for "Paranormal," while the back (matching the vehicle) displayed the simplified characters for:

Paranormal Events
Research and Investigation Bureau
P I B

I presented my credentials and stated, "I am Li Shucheng, Director of the Special Investigation Division of the Paranormal Bureau. Our department now has the authority to take over this case." Following my lead, An Mingshan, Liu Shan, Lv Donghua, and Wu Siling also produced their credentials. Just as I was observing the crime scene, someone recognized Liu Yiyi! Less than two minutes later, Liu Yiyi's parents, the chairman of Hongyi Group and his wife, rushed over.

Upon seeing Liu Yiyi, her father exclaimed, "You damn girl, where have you been all this time?"

Lv Donghua chimed in, "Hey, old man, show some respect when talking to my girlfriend! Watch out, or I'll beat you up!"

I whispered into his ear, "Watch your mouth, that's Liu Daoyuan, the CEO here and your future father-in-law."

Lv Donghua instantly changed his tune and said, "Hello, Chairman Liu. My name is Lv Donghua, and I'm the investigator in charge of this case."

Liu Yiyi retorted, "You two only care about doing business; when have you ever considered my feelings?"

I intervened, "Alright, alright, let's talk about the case! Officers, could you please brief us on how the incident occurred?"

Officer A handed over a folder and said, "Here is the case file. You can look it over at your leisure." I took the file and learned that the deceased was named Sun Wei, 43 years old. The cause of death was a row of bite marks on his neck, and his bodily fluids had been drained by some unknown organism or device. The time of death was estimated to be around 3:00 a.m. yesterday, and the location was right here in the lobby of the Hongyi Group headquarters...

Upon reading this, Liu Yiyi said flatly, "He was that playboy."

I asked, "Where is the body?"

Officer B replied, "It was taken away by the coroner."

I instructed, "Dong, go with this officer to the coroner's office to personally examine the body and compile an autopsy report for me. I need to know what exactly caused the injuries on him."

Lv Donghua responded, "Yes! But..." He glanced at Liu Yiyi as he spoke.

Sensing his hesitation, An Mingshan said, "It's fine. With us here, they wouldn't dare do anything to her." After An Mingshan said this, Lv Donghua and the police officer got into a police cruiser.

I surveyed the scene, but it yielded no valuable clues—any that might have existed had already been taken away by the police who arrived earlier. Fortunately, however, An Mingshan discovered a single hair at the scene. I asked Wu Siling to take the hair back to the Paranormal Bureau for laboratory testing to see if it could identify the perpetrator. Liu Wei had plenty of material to write about this time; I watched as she photographed the entire scene without missing a single spot. Liu Shan, on the other hand, had a leisurely time chatting with the people outside the police cordon and quietly slipping them money. I disapproved of his behavior, but An Mingshan thought nothing of it. She reminded me that some intelligence had to be provided by informants, while other information had to be bought with money. Therefore, Liu Shan's methods were not entirely unacceptable at times, and she advised me to learn from him and be adaptable.

Just then, a call came from the Paranormal Bureau. Wu Siling's news left me utterly shocked: 13 pairs of chromosomes from that hair matched the chromosome profile of Liu Shan recorded in the Paranormal Bureau, indicating that the hair belonged to a brother of Liu Shan. I instructed her to report this matter immediately to the Director and to make sure no one else found out, especially Liu Shan. This meant that the hair belonged to Liu Shan's elder brother—the very hero I had admired so much back in the day. I never imagined that after his death, his body would be refined into a jiangshi to harm people. Yet, I believed that heaven is fair, and sooner or later, his deeds would face the righteous judgment of the law.

Reader Q&A.

Q: Mr. Author, are you a person with a good temper?
A: Very good, at least I consider it to be so. In my daily interactions, I always try my best to avoid conflicts with others. If someone offends me, as long as it's not too excessive, I will forgive them. Some people call me cowardly, but I consider it magnanimity. However, if someone crosses the line, I will take necessary measures. This is also to show others that while we are magnanimous, we are not without our bottom lines. Once that line is crossed, we are not ones to be trifled with either!