The Sunday morning was bright and sunny.
Gao Da, who had spent a miserable night in his son's office regretting his refusal of Xiao Wu's offer to "squeeze in" at her dorm, got out of bed dejectedly.
Filled with anger, he decided to go to Gao Xiaofei's new home to drag Ping An out of bed. It turned out that at last night's dinner party, Fei Keqing and Gao Xiaofei had also invited Gao Da. However, Gao Da was engrossed in listening to Wu An's sister recount stories from their childhood and couldn't be moved even with an invitation from royalty. As the night grew late and Ping An still hadn't come down, he called. He learned from the groggy Su Tang that the three adults had gotten too drunk and couldn't possibly return home that night.
Gao Da, an old man, naturally didn't want to "squeeze in" at Gao Xiaofei's place. Meanwhile, the understanding Ms. Wu had also suggested he "squeeze in" at her dorm. But facing a romance that was just a thin veil away from an "ending-stage love affair," old Gao Da hesitated. After pretending to be a gentleman for a while, he fled in disappointment under Ms. Wu's extremely disappointed gaze.
He took the elevator to the 16th floor, intending to immediately shout for his son. However, he was startled by a group of police officers in the hallway.
"What's going on here?" Gao Da asked cautiously.
"Do you live here? Please step aside. There's been a murder!" a police officer said to Gao Da.
"Ah! No way!" Gao Da exclaimed in surprise.
"Do you live here?" the police officer asked again, seeing Gao Da wasn't leaving.
"Oh, I'm here to call someone. They live right across the hall!" Gao Da said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Uh, Gao Xiaofei from the Municipal Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment lives right across the hall!"
"Captain Gao from the Municipal Bureau? Oh, then you can go. Just be careful and stick to the wall!" the police officer instructed.
Gao Xiaofei's home was in disarray.
On the sofa, Ping An slept soundly, his bottom sticking up in the air. Gao Xiaofei snored, clutching a pillow.
In the bedroom, Su Tang embraced Fei Keqing, both sleeping soundly. Fei Keqing slept with her head thrown back, completely devoid of her usual elegance.
Last night, the three adults had a lively chat, finishing two cases of beer. Fei Keqing, still wanting more, opened a bottle of inferior red wine that the renovation contractor had given them when they were renovating the house. The outcome was, as expected, out of control. Poor Su Tang, despite being dead tired, had to arrange the sleeping positions for the three adults. After receiving Gao Da's call, Su Tang, too exhausted to stay awake, also fell asleep in her godmother's arms.
"Open up! Something's happened! Someone's dead!" Gao Da's loud voice boomed from outside the door.
Ping An was the first to wake up. After sleeping with his bottom sticking up all night, his thighs were numb and weak. He could only slump on the sofa and use an empty beer can to wake Gao Xiaofei to open the door.
"My goodness, young people, you really have no self-control. And you have a child here, to drink like this!" Gao Da said, frowning as he entered the house.
"What did you say just now? Who's dead?" Ping An asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Let's go take a look. The woman next door, oh, the one you met yesterday, the one named Huan An!" Gao Da said.
"At four o'clock this morning, a duty officer at the Heguyuan Industrial Road Police Station was sorting through mail and packages sent to the station. They found a USB drive in a package received on July 1st. Upon opening the USB drive, they discovered a video timestamped at 2:20 AM on June 28th. The filming method was strange; the initial footage clearly showed focus adjustments, as if it were shot with a telescope. The video depicted the entire process of a naked woman being strangled. After the woman was strangled, the perpetrator, wearing what appeared to be a black raincoat, stood on the balcony for a long time before the video ended. The duty officer recalled a malicious anonymous call received a few days prior and quickly reported it to the duty supervisor. Around 6 AM this morning, the duty supervisor led a team to inspect the residence. They found the door wouldn't open, so they forced entry and discovered the deceased..."
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Inside Huan An's home, Huan An, covered from head to toe with a white sheet, lay on the floor in front of the master bedroom bed in an extremely contorted position. Gao Xiaofei, who had rushed over to assess the situation, observed the scene carefully while listening to the report.
In the living room, after staring at a dead fish in the fish tank for a long time, Ping An suddenly said to Gao Xiaofei, "This kind of fish can live for a week in a fish tank without oxygen. But this one is dead too!"
"What time of death?" Gao Xiaofei ignored Ping An and anxiously asked the forensic doctor at the scene.
"Based on body temperature, the time of death is no more than six hours ago. The cause of death is mechanical asphyxiation!" the forensic doctor stated concisely.
"What about the timestamp on the video?" Gao Xiaofei turned to ask the duty supervisor of the police station.
"The video is timestamped June 28th, but it needs further examination. What if the killer is just trying to mislead us..." the duty supervisor said incredulously.
"Call the station and ask when the video file on the USB drive was created," Ping An interjected.
"Okay! I'll ask right away!" the duty supervisor immediately made a call.
"Report, the video file was created on the morning of June 28th," the duty supervisor said. "Furthermore, our people checked the video information, and the shooting time of the video is indeed June 28th. Actually..."
"Actually, you received that package on July 1st. The date on the tracking number can't be faked, right?" Ping An said.
"Yes, but if that's the case, then the body in front of us! Died less than six hours ago! And the package received! Was from over a week ago. This, this isn't a ghost, is it?" the duty supervisor exclaimed.
"Yeah, is this time travel after death?" Ping An mused, stroking his chin.
A brief and unpleasant encounter yesterday, and today, a dead body.
Eleven days in advance, not only was the crime known, but there was also video evidence, a deadly piece of proof.
Yet, the person only died eleven days later.
What was going on? Was there something wrong with the video? Or was there something wrong with Huan An during those eleven days? Who made the anonymous call? Who filmed the video? Was Huan An killed eleven days ago? But why did the body discovered today appear to have just died?
Could it be that Huan An wasn't killed eleven days ago, and then she came back to life? Why didn't she call the police? Was someone threatening her? What was the motive?
As the body was being carried away, Ping An stood rooted to the spot, lost in thought.
"Master, there's something I want to tell you," Su Tang suddenly tugged at her master's sleeve.
"Oh, what is it?" Ping An, interrupted, gently patted Su Tang's head.
"Do you remember why I came to this residential area?" Su Tang asked.
"You said it was for a dog?" Ping An looked at his disciple strangely, not understanding what she wanted to say.
"Master, this is what happened!" Su Tang briefly explained the situation of her commission, naturally mentioning the peculiar infrared rays.
"You mean you saw those infrared rays again at Xiao Fei's place last night?" Ping An asked.
"Yes! Not only did I see them, but I also basically pinpointed the direction they were coming from. If nothing unexpected happens, it's from those few units," Su Tang said, clenching her fist.
It turned out that after unexpectedly discovering the infrared rays the previous night, she had promptly located the unit. At that time, Su Tang had no idea what her master was specifically here for, nor that the woman next door would end up dead. It wasn't until the morning after the incident that she vaguely sensed something was amiss.
"Xiao Fei, Su Tang has a clue here. Can you arrange something?" After much thought, Ping An called Gao Xiaofei over upon hearing Su Tang's words.
"The case is currently with the Heguyuan District Bureau. Although I'm with the Municipal Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment, I can't overstep my authority. How about this, I'll talk to Director Qiao of the Heguyuan District Bureau first." Gao Xiaofei looked at Su Tang with some surprise after hearing Ping An's words and then went to find the person in charge of the case.
A moment later, a tall, thin man in a camouflage uniform and glasses accompanied Gao Xiaofei to Ping An.
"This is Cheng Jian, the captain of the Heguyuan District Criminal Investigation Brigade!" Gao Xiaofei introduced them. "This is Mr. Ping An, a senior consultant from the Municipal Bureau! And this is his disciple, Su Tang, the orphan of Director Su."
"It's an honor to meet you, Teacher Ping An!" Cheng Jian extended a large hand and shook Ping An's firmly.
"Hello Su Tang, your father and I were classmates in police academy. You can call me Uncle!" Cheng Jian said to Su Tang.
"Captain Cheng, as Xiao Fei has already told you the situation, Su Tang is my disciple, and I trust her findings. I wonder if it's possible..." Ping An said politely.
"Of course, I'll immediately arrange for my subordinates to conduct interviews. You can provide the suspected unit numbers." Cheng Jian then asked, "By the way, is Teacher Ping An interested in this case?"
"Interested? What do you mean?" Ping An asked.
"If Teacher Ping An is interested, it would be best to speak with our director. After all, our brigade is currently responsible for this case," Cheng Jian said somewhat awkwardly.
"Oh, that. I came to this residential area to report on a voyeurism case. I happened to stumble upon this incident. Since I have some clues, I will naturally report them to you. As for the case itself, I have not been invited by the public security department, so I will not actively investigate. After we verify my incompetent disciple's speculation, we will leave. We will absolutely not cause you any trouble," Ping An said politely.
"Alright, alright! Then you can go together!" Cheng Jian said, relieved.
Based on Su Tang's observations from the previous night, they had basically narrowed down the source of the infrared rays to two units on the 20th floor and two units on the 19th floor of Unit 2, and two units on the 20th floor and two units on the 19th floor of Unit 3 in Building C.
Under the guise of visiting neighbors, they investigated. The four units in Unit 2 of Building C posed no issues. Then, they went to Unit 3. They indeed found something in the west-facing unit on the 19th floor.
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"Report, we knocked on the door of Room 1901, Unit 3, Building C, but there was no answer. We called, but no one picked up. However, observing from a neighbor's unit, the air conditioning in this apartment has been running continuously..." a police officer leading the house-to-house inquiries said on the phone to Cheng Jian, in front of Gao Xiaofei and Ping An.
A short while later, Cheng Jian arrived at the apartment with a group of people.
"The homeowner is named Zhang Ziteng, male, 29 years old, single and living alone. He's a supervisor in the after-sales department of a wind power company, responsible for negotiating compensation business," Cheng Jian said after hearing the report, hesitating at the door.
"Teacher Ping An, what do you think?" Cheng Jian asked.
"The air conditioning has been on for at least one night. The balcony windows are closed, and the curtains are drawn. What do you think?" Ping An seemed a little displeased with Captain Cheng's overly slick demeanor.
"Heh heh, someone, open the door!" Cheng Jian said with an embarrassed smile, calling over a few people to open the door on the spot.
As the door opened, a blast of cold air from the air conditioner hit them, sending a shiver through everyone standing outside.
Entering the apartment, the living room was impeccably tidy. They opened the master bedroom door, and the bed was also spotless. Pushing open the door to the north-facing guest bedroom, they found a man hunched over the windowsill. Through a gap in the drawn curtains, a telescope was just peeking out.
As everyone stepped closer, they discovered the man's eyes were wide open, blood was flowing from his nostrils, and a pair of scissors were deeply embedded in the back of his neck!
The person had clearly been dead for a long time.
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"Don't be scared! Don't look!" Ping An held his disciple's hand, gently comforting her.
"This is big!" Gao Xiaofei said after observing closely. Without needing to look through the telescope, he could tell from the angle that this telescope was pointed directly at Wang Huan An's master bedroom.
Something big had happened! In the once peaceful residential area, two murders had occurred overnight.
The brigade's technical police began investigating the scene. The forensic doctor, who had just left, rushed back in a hurry.
Ping An held his disciple's small hand, waiting for Gao Da to drive them home.
"Are you leaving?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"Oh, are we supposed to stay at your place? Look at the crummy neighborhood you chose, you scared my precious disciple!" Ping An said.
"What about the case?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"What's it to me! It was already more than we should have interfered to help you find the second murder scene," Ping An said.
"Cheng Jian's face turned ashen! He just told me that you absolutely cannot leave!" Gao Xiaofei said helplessly.
"What! Are you suspecting my disciple now? Are you going to repeat the Niu Jian case again? Tell him, reporter Ping An doesn't have time!" As the car arrived, Ping An took Su Tang's hand and got in. Fei Keqing, already seated in the car, could barely watch.
"Xiao Fei, you'll stay at your mom's tonight!" Fei Keqing instructed.
"My mom's been upset with me lately because I didn't renovate the house the way she wanted. She's giving me the cold shoulder! I'm not going!" Gao Xiaofei said stubbornly.
"Fine! You come to my place tonight! Do you hear me? This case has nothing to do with you!" Fei Keqing said. "How unlucky. If you want to get married, stay away from this case!"
"What if I'm assigned to it by my superiors?" Gao Xiaofei said somewhat sheepishly.
"Then we'll talk then! This looks like a troublesome case, and you live in this neighborhood, what if! Right?" Fei Keqing said angrily.
"What do you mean?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"You idiot! Even Fei Keqing can see it. The murderer is likely from this neighborhood. What are you pretending not to know?" Ping An patted Gao Da's shoulder, and the car slowly drove away.
Watching the car drive away, Gao Xiaofei rubbed his mouth with a smug expression.
Hmm, I'll go stay at Fei Keqing's place.
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"Oh dear, why did Teacher Ping An leave?" Cheng Jian came running.
"They went home. This case isn't their concern," Gao Xiaofei said with a smile.
"We can't let them go! That person is amazing. With just a red infrared dot, they discovered the second murder scene, and it was their disciple who found it. My goodness, how capable must the master be!" Cheng Jian said, catching his breath. "I just reported to the bureau leaders, and they asked me to find a way to invite Teacher Ping An as a consultant. Captain Gao, give me some advice! Aren't you good friends?"
"I suggest you go to the Municipal Bureau and look for Director Xiang. He's not easily moved," Gao Xiaofei said.
"Did Teacher Ping An find anything else?" Cheng Jian asked.
"Can't say for sure!" Gao Xiaofei thought for a moment and said, "You should just follow the procedure and investigate the case first."
After the car left the residential area, Su Tang looked at her silent master and couldn't help but call out, "Master!"
"Don't talk, we'll talk about it when we get home!" Ping An said with his eyes closed, his tone serious.
The car drove into Ping An's home. Fei Keqing made a perfunctory remark and left. Gao Da parked the car, saying he still had to go back to the neighborhood to watch over his son's place, and drove away on his electric scooter.
Finally, only the master and disciple were left at home.
"Master, did you also see that red dot?" Su Tang asked anxiously after Gao Da had left.
"I saw it! Of course, I saw it!" Ping An stretched and prepared to go back to his bedroom to catch up on sleep.
"Master, then that red dot..." Su Tang, seeing her master about to sneak away, became anxious and quickly followed him into the bedroom.
"This case is too tricky. It might take months to solve. Be good, we're not getting involved in this case!" Ping An said, as if he had given up.
It turned out that after Ping An took Su Tang's hand out of Building C, the master and disciple almost simultaneously noticed a red dot on the ground. Although the red dot flashed by, it meant that someone had been watching everything with a telescope from a room in the building.
Su Tang saw the peculiarity, but Ping An saw the danger.
Therefore, he quickly drove everyone away from this place of trouble, deciding to stand by and watch.
"There, there, the police will solve the case. Let's have a good summer vacation. You don't have to go for tutoring today. Watch movies and play games at home. In the evening, Master will take you to eat Japanese food..." His comforting tone was gentle, but Ping An's eyes gradually became serious.
On July 9th, the Fengdian residential area experienced two consecutive murders, causing quite a stir in Heguyuan District and even throughout Hechuan City. Since the major case half a year ago, Hechuan City had been carrying out a "crackdown on crime" operation. Despite such high pressure, such cases occurred. The Hechuan Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, adopting a "zero tolerance" attitude, demanded a swift resolution. Facing public pressure, Xiang Wanfeng, the deputy director of the Hechuan Municipal Public Security Bureau in charge of criminal investigation, personally formed the "6.28" task force, drawing on key members of the Municipal Bureau's criminal investigation team, including Gao Xiaofei, and officially took over the case from the district bureau.
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For the past three days, Ping An continued to go to work as usual. However, for security reasons, he kept his young disciple close by.
"Master, it's no use for you to control me like this. I wouldn't touch those cases on my own. It's just that Jiaozi has been looking for me for days, and I promised to help her find her dog," Su Tang said aggrievedly, standing beside Ping An.
"Not a chance. Be good, and copy 'Jing Zhong Bao Guo' for me a hundred more times!" Ping An said, not looking up from his manuscript.
"Master, aren't you curious?" Su Tang provoked her master.
"Get lost!" Ping An said, still not looking up.
"Jiaozi is my only friend at school. Can I go see her?" Su Tang began to act cute.
"No!" Ping An was determined not to let Su Tang leave.
"If only my dad were alive. He was so understanding, he wouldn't treat me like this. I knew it, I'm just a pathetic person..." Seeing that her master was resolute, Su Tang played her ultimate card.
"Fine, fine! But I'll arrange for Hei Dou to accompany you!" Only Su Tang knew that Su Xia was a sore spot for Ping An. As long as she brought up her father, her master would agree to anything.
In fact, Su Tang was anxious to see Jiaozi for a reason. Jiaozi had mentioned in a recent phone call that she had woken up one night and was strolling on the terrace when she inadvertently saw a red dot on the wall of the terrace. She was planning to tell the police about it.
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"Don't tell the police. Even if you do, tell them quietly. Are you stupid? What if it's the murderer from the neighborhood? Aren't you afraid of being silenced? Wait for me, I'll be right there!" After ending the call outside the newspaper office, Su Tang anxiously waited for Hei Dou to pick her up.
Since being "dealt with," Hei Dou had refused Director Xiang's suggestion to transfer to logistics to keep his job. Instead, he had taken off his police uniform and returned to his father's butcher shop, dedicating himself to being a "second-generation butcher." Ping An, feeling remorseful, used his resources to introduce him to many big business opportunities.
When Boss Ping An had something to do, Hei Dou was naturally always available.
In Su Tang's anxious gaze, Hei Dou appeared before her in a pickup truck.
"Uncle Hei Dou!" Seeing Hei Dou, Su Tang's anxiety vanished, and she sweetly called out, getting into the pickup truck.
"What kind of trouble are you causing now? Giving your master a headache!" Hei Dou only spoke more when he was with Ping An and Su Tang.
"It's nothing, just helping a classmate with a small favor," Su Tang said.
"Let's not kid ourselves. The case in Fengdian residential area is already trending on hot search. You going to that neighborhood at this time, don't tell me it's not about the case!" Hei Dou exposed Su Tang's lie without hesitation. "Deal, we're only staying for a little while, and you have to be home before eight o'clock tonight!"
The Fengdian residential area, having experienced two murders, was no longer panicked by "small matters" like voyeurism. After all, murder was more chilling than voyeurism. When Su Tang arrived, it was just after work.
The property management security guard immediately recognized the little girl in the car as Detective Ping An's eldest disciple. Without needing to say anything, the electronic gate opened.
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"You can park anywhere in the courtyard!" the security guard said courteously.
The car was parked on an open space between Building C and Building B. Hei Dou reclined his seat and said to Su Tang, "You go up. It's 6:30 PM now. If you're not down by eight, I'll call your master. I'll not only say you're late but also tell him about the time you secretly went to the disco last time!"
A hard stone in a latrine, that's the kind of difficult person this is! This Hei Dou, ever since he became a butcher, listened to no one but his master.
"Okay!" Su Tang replied obediently and rushed into Unit 3.