Upside Down Grocery Shop - Chapter 6

“Su Ran, you owe me an explanation!” Xiao Ling shouted.

“Why are you saying that?” Su Ran leaned back. “I’m just an ordinary store owner, a poor one at that.”

Xiao Ling stared fiercely at the road ahead, wishing she could devour him whole. “I saw what happened that night!”

“Mm?” Su Ran looked at her. “What night are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb with me! The night you chopped off that black bear’s paw,” Xiao Ling said, her voice icy. “And who was that person who suddenly appeared? Where is that huge black bear now? Do you know, there’s been another victim! If you’d just told me sooner, this could have been prevented!”

Su Ran looked at her calmly. “Xiao Ling, what ‘person who suddenly appeared,’ what ‘huge black bear’—I have no idea what you’re talking about. Even if you told a judge all this, as a police officer, wouldn’t they think you’re babbling nonsense?”

“Su Ran!” Xiao Ling shouted, slamming on the brakes and pulling over. “Are you just going to sit back and wait for a third victim before you’re satisfied?”

Su Ran fell silent.

“I know it was you who sent me to that circus on purpose,” Xiao Ling glared at him. “I’m not stupid. There’s no one else here. You asked me out because you want to tell me the truth, right?”

Su Ran looked at her, then handed her a photo. “Help me find out everything that’s happened to this man in the past year. As for the rest, don’t worry about it. In the end, I’ll give you an answer.”

“I don’t need any answer!” Xiao Ling was getting anxious. ” Su Ran, I’m asking you as a police officer—what on earth is going on?”

Su Ran looked her in the eye. “I asked you here as a friend, Xiao Ling. If you want to ask as a cop, then all I can do is be a law-abiding citizen.”

“This is obstruction of justice!”

“I’m saving your life!” Su Ran said sternly.

Xiao Ling was stunned into silence.

Su Ran took a deep breath, calming himself. “Xiao Ling, some things are beyond your understanding. You can’t get involved in this. Just find this man; I think it will help you understand those two bodies.”

Su Ran got out of the car, tapped on the door, and gestured for her to go.

Xiao Ling gave him one last look, words stuck in her throat, then drove off.

Standing there, hands in his pockets, Su Ran stepped into the middle of the road.

Three black cars zoomed toward him, but even seeing him standing in the way, they didn’t slow down. The man in the lead car spoke into his mic, “Unit One, keep pursuing that car. Units Two and Three, capture Su Ran.”

“Yes, sir!”

The first car sped forward, trying to swerve around Su Ran.

Su Ran smirked and waved his hand. Instantly, the first car flipped 720 degrees, billowing smoke, landing upside down on the roadside.

The second and third cars screeched to a stop, and ten men climbed out, eyeing Su Ran warily.

One man, the apparent leader, stepped forward. ” Su Ran, are you seriously declaring yourself our enemy?”

Su Ran chuckled. “Enemy? Ha! You all aren’t even qualified to be enemies of us Upside Down Grocery Shop people. I’ve gotten involved in this now. What, you think you can cut in?”

“You broke the rules first!” the man shouted, glancing around at the desolate, unopened road. Clearly, Su Ran had brought them here on purpose. “You’re the one dragging ordinary people into this!”

“That’s right, it was me. I broke the rules. So what?” Su Ran said, with a defiant grin. “I, Su Ran, will give everyone an answer in the end. But until this matter is cleared up, if any of you dare meddle, you’ll end up just like that car.”

With a flash of icy light in his eyes, Su Ran clenched his fist, and the three cars were crushed into scrap metal in an instant!

Everyone was dumbstruck. They’d heard that the Upside Down Grocery Shop had only one person in it, but that this one person wasn’t to be trifled with. They used to think it was laughable—they weren’t just any ordinary folks, after all. But now, it was clear that if Su Ran wanted, he could kill them all on the spot!

Su Ran gave them a cold look, turned around, and said, “Deliver my message back.”

” Su Ran,” the leader wasn’t giving up, trying to pursue him.

“Get lost!” With a furious shout, the man was flung into the wreckage, coughing blood and fainting on the spot.

The rest could only stand back, watching as Su Ran took out a black umbrella and disappeared.

When Xiao Ling returned, she immediately started digging into everything about the man in the photo. She had seen this man before—the very one who had suddenly appeared that night.

His name was Zhang Haisheng, forty years old, a local, an ordinary company worker with a gentle nature, a loving wife, and a cute daughter. By all accounts, a happy family.

Su Ran wanted her to find out everything that had happened to this man over the past year, and that was no easy task. But with the case at a dead end, this was the only lead they had.

Xiao Liu walked up. “Captain, I just got back from Dr. Zhang. They identified the second body—it’s Li Haiqing, thirty-seven, a housewife, and lives at Happiness Garden, xx. Her husband’s Zhang Haisheng, also forty. They have a…”

“A daughter.”

“Huh? Captain, how did you know?” Xiao Liu was puzzled. He was supposed to be the first to know this information.

“Never mind, continue,” Xiao Ling said, but she felt a growing unease, even fear.

“Alright. Their daughter, Zhang Tingting, goes to the First Elementary School in the city,” Xiao Liu finished. “That’s about all we have for now. Officer Xiao Zhang and the team have gone to Zhang Haisheng’s house and Tingting’s school. I just don’t understand it—his wife’s dead, and he didn’t come to claim the body or even file a report. What kind of husband is that?”

Xiao Ling frowned. “Xiao Liu, tell Xiao Zhang and the team to bring in Zhang Haisheng immediately if they see him—quickly!”

Xiao Ling and Xiao Liu rushed out of the station.

“Captain, what’s going on?” Xiao Liu had never seen her in this tense. “Does this mean Zhang Haisheng is involved in his wife’s death? But wasn’t Li Haiqing killed by a bear?”

“Have they found the daughter?” Xiao Ling asked.

“No word yet, but someone’s already checking at the school. We should have news soon.”

Xiao Ling went silent, focusing on the road, taking a deep breath.

Her phone rang. “Captain, the First Elementary School confirmed it— Zhang Tingting hasn’t shown up for days. The school tried contacting the family, but no one responded. A teacher even went to the house, but there was no answer.”

“Missing?” Xiao Liu was puzzled. “What’s going on?”

“Go meet up with Xiao Zhang’s team at Zhang Haisheng’s house!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Soon, a call came from Officer Xiao Zhang. “Captain, we broke in— Zhang Haisheng isn’t home!”

Xiao Ling pondered. “Alright, come back then.”

“Captain, something’s off about Zhang Haisheng. His wife’s dead, his daughter’s missing, and now he’s gone too. What’s going on?”

“Xiao Liu, head back. I don’t care what it takes; dig up every detail about Zhang Haisheng from the past year. Every single thing!”

“A year? Got it!”

Xiao Ling got out of the car. “Head back. I have other things to handle.”