I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 217: Chapter 215: There’s a Big Problem with Zhang Bai

After leaving the meeting room, everyone said they were going to get some rest.

But in the end, no one did. They were all busy with the tasks at hand.

They finally got to sleep around three or four in the morning.

Su Miaoyi sorted through all the clues one more time until she was so exhausted she couldn’t move, and she fell asleep right there in her chair.

Zhuang Yanzheng, passing by her workstation, found someone’s jacket and draped it over her.

Sensing the movement, Su Miaoyi opened her eyes to glance at him before closing them again and drifting back to sleep.

As the sky began to lighten, Su Miaoyi woke up feeling a little cold, her neck and back stiff and uncomfortable.

The office area was completely silent, without a single sound.

Su Miaoyi got up, stretching her neck and back. Holding the unfamiliar jacket, she started toward the lounge.

Chu Xingrou was also asleep at her workstation. The lounge was probably occupied, so Su Miaoyi turned and headed to the pantry instead, hoping to warm up with some hot water.

As soon as she walked in, she saw Lu Zhishen making coffee.

"You’re awake?" Lu Zhishen asked.

"You’re awake too?" Su Miaoyi asked.

"Yeah." Lu Zhishen noted that her voice was hoarse again. "I wanted to take another look at the sketches."

"Not going back to sleep?" Su Miaoyi confirmed with him.

Lu Zhishen nodded.

Su Miaoyi filled a glass with hot water, and clutching it to her chest, she left the pantry and headed for his studio.

By the time Lu Zhishen entered the studio, Su Miaoyi was already asleep on the sofa, still clutching the glass of hot water.

Lu Zhishen turned off the air conditioner, then sat down in front of his drawing board.

After leaving the meeting last night, he had gone to see Kang Hong’s parents again and had them describe the third person who helped bury the body one more time.

So he now had four different sketches of the third person involved in burying Xie Lili.

He had only slept for a short while when something suddenly occurred to him, waking him with the intention of finishing the composite sketch.

Su Miaoyi had conked out on the sofa. Before long, she heard the soft SCRITCH-SCRATCH of a pencil on paper. The sound was hypnotic, and listening to it, she sank deeper into sleep.

The sun rose, and the sky gradually brightened.

Using the four sketches, Lu Zhishen finally created a composite of the subject’s face.

The person was wearing a mask, revealing only their eyes.

And those eyes...

Lu Zhishen got up and picked up the sketch of Zhang Bai from the table.

Clipped to the sketch was a photo that had been pulled from the system.

Lu Zhishen compared the two. He was certain it was the same person.

Zhang Bai was involved in burying the body.

This meant that Zhang Bai had been by Kang Hong’s side since university. More than a decade had passed, and not only was Zhang Bai still around, he had even helped him bury a body.

Lu Zhishen stood up and headed out, intending to find Zhuang Yanzheng.

He reached the doorway and had just opened the door when he heard a THUD from behind.

He turned back to see Su Miaoyi, having rolled off the sofa, sitting up on the floor with a dazed expression.

Lu Zhishen stared at her.

Su Miaoyi sat on the floor, looking up at Lu Zhishen. It took a few seconds for her to become fully awake. "I..."

She spoke, exasperatedly ruffling her hair. "I was dreaming I was beating up Kang Hong. I guess I got a little too into it."

Lu Zhishen: "..."

He walked back over and checked her face and forehead, worried she might have hit the coffee table. "Are you okay?"

Su Miaoyi got up and sat on the sofa. "I’m fine. Where were you going?"

"I finished the sketch of the third person described by Kang Hong’s parents," Lu Zhishen said.

Su Miaoyi looked at the sketch in his hand.

Lu Zhishen showed it to her.

Staring at the eyes, Su Miaoyi said, "Is this... Zhang Bai?"

"Yeah."

Su Miaoyi looked up at Lu Zhishen. "This means Zhang Bai is in big trouble. He was involved in burying the body. He might even have some kind of arrangement with Kang Hong."

"Yes."

Su Miaoyi stood up and walked out with Lu Zhishen. "I wonder if there’s any news from the Qin City police."

The two of them went to Zhuang Yanzheng’s office together.

Zhuang Yanzheng was asleep, leaning back in his chair with his legs propped up on his desk. Hearing the door open, he opened his eyes and looked toward the entrance. "What is it?"

Lu Zhishen told him about the sketch.

Zhuang Yanzheng stared at them, his sleep-fogged mind slowly processing the news.

"Any word from Qin City?" Su Miaoyi asked.

"Qin City contacted me." Zhuang Yanzheng lowered his legs. "That address on Zhang Bai’s file... a homeless man is living there."

"What?" Su Miaoyi sank into a chair.

"According to the man, the place had been empty for a long time, so he pried the door open and moved in. He’s been living there for over three years," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi and Lu Zhishen exchanged a look. "You really do see it all. Didn’t property management do anything?"

"It’s an old complex. They barely collect any management fees, so the property managers had no idea," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

"What about the neighbors? They didn’t know either?" Lu Zhishen asked.

"The neighbors knew. They said they thought the resident had fallen on hard times, so they’d occasionally bring him meals or some fruit," Zhuang Yanzheng said. "None of the neighbors have ever seen Zhang Bai. Not once."

"Has the homeless man’s identity been confirmed?" Su Miaoyi asked.

"He’s a Qin City local. He suffered a huge blow after his parents passed away and has been homeless for many years. He only moved into that apartment in the last three years," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi nodded. "Then what about Zhang Bai’s father?"

"We couldn’t reach him either. The father and son listed the same address in their files," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

"Couldn’t reach him either? I remember Zhang Bai’s father’s file said he owned a repair shop," Su Miaoyi said.

"That’s right. The police went to the repair shop. It was sold to someone else five years ago, and there’s been no information on his father since." Zhuang Yanzheng pinched the bridge of his nose. "We also found out that even though the shop was under his father’s name, he always hired people to run it. Zhang Bai’s father rarely ever showed his face."

Listening to him, Su Miaoyi fell silent for a moment, then began to run her hands through her hair in frustration. "How does it get more difficult the deeper we dig? How does a person just vanish without a trace? The more we investigate, the more people get involved."

She asked, "Does he have any other relatives?"

"The Qin City police said Zhang Bai has an aunt who lives abroad, but they haven’t been able to contact her either," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi fell completely silent.

"Because this whole thing is highly unusual, the Qin City police are investigating, and so are we," Zhuang Yanzheng said. "We’ll tackle it from every angle and intensify the investigation."

Su Miaoyi stopped messing with her hair and let out a soft sigh.

Zhuang Yanzheng glanced at her messy hair, then at his watch. "Go get some breakfast. After you eat, you two head to Jinghai Science and Technology University and ask about the time Xie Lili’s mother reported Kang Hong. Something about that case feels off to me."

"Okay."

"And fix yourself up before you go," Zhuang Yanzheng said, eyeing her hair. "Don’t go out looking like that and tell people you’re from my detective squad."

"You should shave your stubble. You’ve got some nerve talking," Su Miaoyi retorted.

Lu Zhishen said, "Neither of you has any room to talk."

The two of them looked him over, found nothing to criticize, and by mutual, unspoken agreement, fell silent.