Forensic Forensic - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Luo Jianan’s flanks were bruised, and he hissed in pain as Qi Ming rubbed the medicine onto them. Luckily, there was no one else in the forensic department, so his cries weren’t embarrassing. Chen Fei hadn’t scolded him when he’d called him out earlier, simply waving Qi Ming to take him down to tend to his wounds. His mouth was punctured with several broken pieces from his teeth, and even after rinsing it with a whole bottle of mineral water, he still coughed up bl00d. Qi Ming brought a spray bottle and tried to spray it into his mouth, but Luo Jianan covered his mouth and shook his head.

“It won’t kill you.” Qi Ming shook the bottle a few times to mix the liquid. He forcibly pried Luo Jianan’s hands away and pinched his cheeks to force him open his mouth. “This is a physical treatment. The polymer particles will form a protective film on the wound.”

Having his mouth sprayed with polymer material made Luo Jianan feel even more uncomfortable than when he’d eaten the ashes.

“I know you’re angry, but aren’t you afraid he’ll complain?” Qi Ming asked as he washed his hands.

“Submit a letter? Who’ll answer it?” Luo Jianan’s mouth was swollen, making his tongue look a bit large.

It took Qi Ming a moment to realize he was referring to “Complaint? Who’ll answer it?” He shook his head and said, “It’s much easier for that kind of person to mess with you than it is for you to mess with him.”

“I’m afraid of him?”

“Okay, stop talking.” Qi Ming pulled a box of ice cubes from the refrigerator, scooped out two and stuffed them into Luo Jianan’s mouth. “Hold them in, the swelling will go away after a while.”

Qi Ming’s cool fingers brushed across his face, red and swollen from the injury. Luo Jianan instinctively sought the coolness and pressed Qi Ming’s hand against his cheek. Qi Ming was startled, but seeing Luo Jianan’s expression of enjoyment with his eyes closed, he didn’t pull his hand away.

Only when his palm grew slightly warm did Qi Ming whisper, “Have you had enough ice?”

Luo Jianan’s eyes suddenly opened, and he frantically let go, sliding the chair back a short distance. He opened his mouth to speak, but the ice cube fell out, and he quickly bent down to pick it up. Qi Ming, observing his bewildered expression, pulled out a tissue and handed it to him.

Swallowing the ice cube, which had melted into a tiny piece in his mouth, Luo Jianan said sheepishly, “I didn’t…mean to hold your hand…it was just cool…it felt good…”

Qi Ming rinsed his hands again, shook off the water droplets, and walked over, pressing his hand against Luo Jianan’s face. “I’ll cool you down again. I’ll pack you an ice pack to take to the office later.”

Qi Ming’s fingers were cold, but Luo Jianan’s face only grew hotter.

————————

Tan Xiaoguang couldn’t name the woman who could provide an alibi, so Chen Fei decided to detain him for forty-eight hours. Although there was no evidence to accuse Tan Xiaoguang of murder, everyone in the police station who knew him hoped to see him back in prison, even if it was just a temporary cell.

“Tan Xiaoguang showed some mercy,” Miao Hong commented on the injuries on her apprentice’s face. Tan Xiaoguang had been her senior in the police academy, and she knew his strength well.

“I only used a third of my strength,” Luo Jianan scoffed, pressing the ice pack and turning to look at Miao Hong. “Master, why is Tan Xiaoguang in jail?”

“He tortured a prisoner to death.” Miao Hong shook her head regretfully.

Luo Jianan was stunned. “No, how long had he been doing that? Didn’t he know you shouldn’t go to a place where you could kill someone?”

“Tan Xiaoguang’s team leader at the time died at the hands of that man. While beating someone, he locked the door to the interrogation room and pinned the handle with the back of a chair, refusing to let anyone in. He finally broke it open with a battering ram.”

“Fvck…” Luo Jianan couldn’t help but feel a little awe for Tan Xiaoguang. “How could such a loyal man defect to Jinshan?”

“One theory is that he was wrongfully imprisoned and unwilling to accept his fate.” Miao Hong picked up her thermos and began her “Sister Hong Storytelling” mode. “The prisoner didn’t die at the time, but died two days later in the detention center. The autopsy showed the cause of death was massive intracranial hemorrhage. Zhuang Yu’s confession, recorded by the Internal Investigations Office, said he entered the interrogation room and saw Tan Xiaoguang slamming the prisoner against the wall, but everyone else claimed they didn’t notice.”

“I’m not surprised Team Leader Zhuang is so ‘upright,'” Luo Jianan snorted.

Miao Hong nodded and continued, “Some also say the prisoner was murdered by someone hired by his superiors. However, no injury assessment report was issued when he was escorted from the police station to the detention center, and the forensic doctor couldn’t determine the time period when the brain injury occurred. Therefore, the finger of blame is pointed directly at Tan Xiaoguang. He was convicted of manslaughter at the first trial, but he appealed and the second trial upheld the original verdict. It’s unknown what he went through in prison, but upon his release, he joined Jinshan. His joining the Narcotics Division significantly hindered its work, to the point that his former colleagues are filled with hatred at the mere mention of him.”

“Is Tan Xiaoguang determined to go all out against his former employer?”

“Possibly, and if it weren’t for Zhuang Yu’s confession… At most, he’ll be stripped of his uniform, but he won’t go to jail.” Miao Hong took a sip of water. “He and Zhuang Yu are classmates. They’ve been close since their police cadet days. They didn’t expect to be stabbed at a critical moment.”

“No wonder Team Leader Zhuang came to break up the fight just now. He must still feel a little guilty towards Tan Xiaoguang, right?” Luo Jianan rested his chin on his hand, thinking. “Team Leader Zhuang shouldn’t be a police officer. With his personality, he should be a prosecutor. He’s too pragmatic.”

“Zhuang Yu’s father is the Chief Prosecutor.”

“I see. It’s genetic.”

As he spoke, Luo Jianan saw through the window a red sports car parked in front of the Municipal Bureau. Chris, who had been clinging to Qi Ming, was getting out of the driver’s seat. Without waiting for the guard to come out to chase him away, Luo Jianan darted out of the office.

Miao Hong was stunned—what was going on? Someone injured was running faster than someone healthy?

————————

“Hey! You can’t park here!” Luo Jianan walked towards Chris.

Chris opened his arms and said, “Let’s go now. Wait until Qi comes out.”

Damn, he speaks Chinese really well. Luo Jianan stopped—he couldn’t go any further. If he did, he’d have to look up to talk to someone. “Is this your car?” he asked.

“Rented.” Chris smiled and held out his hand. “Chris Heyman.”

Eel?

“Luo Jianan.” Out of politeness, Luo Jianan extended his hand for a light handshake.

“Ah, Qi mentioned you.” Chris nodded. “Hello. Nice to meet you. Thank you for your guidance.”

Brother, did you forget we met a few hours ago? Luo Jianan raised an eyebrow slightly. Oh, yes, foreigners have a face-blindness problem when it comes to Asians.

“Are you… injured?” Noticing the bruises on Luo Jianan’s face, Chris raised his hand and gestured. “Are you a police officer catching a thief?”

Luo Jianan’s eyes hardened. “I’m catching a murderer.”

Chris blinked. Luo Jianan spoke too quickly for him to understand.

“Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at the hotel?” Qi Ming’s voice came from behind. Luo Jianan didn’t understand what Qi Ming was saying; he was speaking French.

The two men stood there, chattering in French, and Luo Jianan was completely bewildered. Just then, the security guard came out and demanded Chris move the car immediately.

“Right away. Excuse me, this is my friend.” After greeting the security guard, Qi Ming turned to Luo Jianan and said, “There’s an ice tray in the freezer. Remember to apply a cold compress for another half hour before you go to bed, so your swelling won’t be too severe tomorrow morning.”

“I said I’d pick you up,” Luo Jianan muttered.

Before Qi Ming could reply, Chris raised his large hand, clasped Qi Ming’s shoulder, and said, “No need to pick him up. I’ll take him.”

Hey, foreigner, just talk nicely. What the hell does being so touchy-feely mean?

Watching Qi Ming get into the car and the stylish red sports car roar away, Luo Jianan’s heart sank like a heavy weight.

After taking the blame for Luo Jianan’s actions with the director, Chen Fei walked into the office, knocked on Zhao Pingsheng’s desk, and asked, “What were those girls looking at just now? They were all gathered by the corridor window.”

Zhao Pingsheng slowly unfolded the newspaper, not even raising his eyelids.

“Why bother looking at them? Just look at me.”

————————

After work, Luo Jianan had packed up and was about to leave when Shangguan Yunfei knocked on the door, saying that the SIM card in the phone found at the scene had been copied, and the deceased’s call records could be retrieved. The phone was found in a pile of sand at the crime scene during the forensic investigation. It was probably thrown from the deceased’s pocket when he fell. Although it was not damaged, the motherboard was burned by the heavy water ingress, and the SIM card chip was damaged due to a short circuit, making it impossible to read. It took the technical department two days to copy the contents.

The deceased’s phone calls were extremely frequent, and Luo Jianan only looked at the calls from the day of the crime, especially the last few, which were all made from the same phone. Yunfei entered the number into her computer but couldn’t find any user information. Although the real-name registration system for mobile phone numbers has been enforced for a long time, some slip through the cracks. Luo Jianan asked Yunfei to continue checking the sales records for that number range and found that the number was one of the SIM cards purchased in bulk by a company called Guanghua Entertainment Media Co., Ltd.

“This is a company that runs performing arts events, registered in this city.” Yunfei printed out the information and hurriedly grabbed her bag to leave. “Brother Nan, I’m leaving work first. I bought tickets for the 8 o’clock concert.”

Luo Jianan laughed at her, “How old are you, still chasing stars like a little girl?”

“Do you think everyone is like you, prematurely aged and completely clueless about trending news?” Shangguan Yunfei gave him a disdainful look.

“You’re really wronging me. I watch variety shows.”

“Okay, enough talking. See you tomorrow.”

Watching Shangguan Yunfei dart out of the office like a bird, Luo Jianan shook his head and continued to highlight the printed information. This phone number made over thirty calls to Zhou Daguo’s phone over ten days. Each call lasted less than ten seconds, essentially hanging up after a few words. Based on this, Luo Jianan concluded that the owner of this number was probably looking to buy something from Zhou Daguo.

Before alerting the enemy, he thought, he’d go check out the company tomorrow morning.

The wind picked up again on the way home, and it looked like rain was coming. Luo Jiannan was stuck at several red lights, feeling a bit irritated. His cheek, where Tan Xiaoguang had hit him, felt slightly hot, reminding him of Qi Ming’s cool fingers against him at the Forensic Medical Examiner’s Office.

The coolness was pleasant, and the faint scent of disinfectant lingered on his breath.

Only when a horn honked from behind did Luo Jianan realize he’d been keeping his eyes closed. He brushed his cheek, turned on his turn signal, and, as usual, glanced in the rearview mirror—a red sports car parked on the side of the road. Luo Jianan had a photographic memory for license plates; he was absolutely certain this was the car Chris had rented.

Brushing the rear car’s front end to merge into the turnaround lane, Luo Jianan ignored the voices cursing from the rear window. After merging four lanes, he parked next to Chris’s car and walked toward the restaurant. This was a Japanese restaurant, one Luo Jianan had been to before; the prices were high and the food was excellent.

The waiter at the door asked if he had a reservation, and Luo Jianan simply said, “Looking for someone,” and went in. The main hall was packed. He searched around but couldn’t find Qi Ming and Chris, so he went from private room to private room. Just as he was about to push open the last door, he suddenly realized something: Luo Jianan, are you fucking crazy? What the hell are you doing!?

Pulling his hand back, Luo Jianan was about to leave when the door suddenly opened from the inside. Qi Ming had come out to get the food ready, but he didn’t expect to see Luo Jianan at the door.

The two stared at each other in a stalemate for a moment. Qi Ming asked, “What are you doing here?”

Thunder rumbled outside, and Luo Jianan’s Adam’s apple rolled as he said—

“I’m here to bring you an umbrella.”