Good and Evil Chapter 95: Initial Investigation of the Case

When Xu Lang stepped out of Room 502, he saw Ning Yanran chatting with Jin Enpei. It was not their first time meeting; during the Case 810 investigation, everyone from the Lang Ge Detective Agency had assisted the police in cracking the case. Therefore, although Ning Yanran was somewhat surprised to see Jin Enpei, she was not overly astonished.

After Xu Lang exited the crime scene, Ning Yanran and Jin Enpei ceased their conversation. Ning Yanran looked at Xu Lang with a mixture of happiness and helplessness—happiness to see him after such a long time, and helplessness because every time they met, it meant a crime had occurred. Judging by Xu Lang's heavy expression and the scent of blood wafting from the room, she knew it was likely another homicide. As she felt this resignation, she recalled a casual remark once made by Zhang Lei: that Xu Lang was a grim reaper, and death followed wherever he went. At the time, Ning Yanran had dismissed it as a joke, but since arriving in S City, everything she experienced seemed linked to Xu Lang, forcing her to admit that he was indeed synonymous with death.

Before Xu Lang emerged, Ning Yanran had already gathered a brief overview from Jin Enpei, learning that Xu Lang had arrived due to a case handled by his agency. She wanted to ask for details, but the smell of blood told her it was not the time. She led the Second Criminal Investigation Team into the room.

Once inside, they quickly discovered the body of the victim, Tian Yang, in the study. They proceeded to cordon off the scene and begin their forensic work. Xu Lang and Jin Enpei remained, as they were the first on the scene and Xu Lang was the one who reported the crime. Since the case involved the detective agency, they would eventually need to go to the police station to provide statements.

With the culprit in the Song Yongde case having confessed, the investigation was clear; the remainder involved the tedious work of gathering evidence and verifying his claims. Since the Second Criminal Investigation Team was constantly juggling various cases, Ning Yanran assigned the primary investigation of the Song case to Zhang Lei, with local officers assisting.

As the police cars arrived at the Mingwan Residential Complex with sirens wailing and lights flashing, they immediately drew a crowd of onlookers from the five residential buildings. To the average citizen, the arrival of so many police vehicles spelled trouble. The property management staff also gathered, waiting for the police to emerge.

Following standard procedure, the forensic team photographed the scene, the medical examiner performed a preliminary examination, and the trace evidence team conducted a thorough sweep before the body was transported to the morgue.

Half an hour later, Tian Yang’s body, covered by a white sheet, was carried out of Unit 3. Onlookers whispered and pointed, a sight the veteran officers had long grown accustomed to. After the body was removed, Ning Yanran stepped out, leaving Li Lei and Zhao Hua to continue the scene investigation and conduct neighborhood interviews. She then took Xu Lang and Jin Enpei back to the Public Security Bureau.

The members of the Second Criminal Investigation Team were destined to face one, or perhaps several, sleepless nights. Upon arrival at the bureau, the body was taken to the morgue, where Medical Examiner Ye Xuefei began the autopsy. Meanwhile, Xu Lang and Jin Enpei went through the formal process of giving their statements.

After hearing their account, Ning Yanran was stunned. In her years of police work, she had never heard of such a bizarre case. A tragic car accident a year ago, a "resurrected" instant messenger account six months later, unexplained messages, tampered photos, the strange image the victim received before death, the pristine state of the crime scene, and the peculiar lifestyle within the victim's home—everything pointed toward something uncanny, perhaps even supernatural.

Ning Yanran knew that Xu Lang and Jin Enpei were not suspects. She knew the nature of their agency well, and the timeline did not align; Xu Lang had arrived on the scene two hours after the estimated time of death.

The first step in any murder investigation is identifying the victim. However, the scene yielded no identification. Ning Yanran turned to the property management, who identified the deceased as Tian Yang, a tenant who had lived there for over two years. With his information in hand, they could finally begin their investigation.

It was nearly 1:00 AM by the time Xu Lang and Jin Enpei finished their statements. Exhausted and hungry, they decided to grab a late-night meal at a barbecue restaurant near the station before heading home.

Shortly after they sat down, Ning Yanran appeared and joined them.

The three ordered food and beer, naturally gravitating toward the topic of the murder. Xu Lang remained silent, lost in thought, while Jin Enpei quietly observed him. She had studied psychology and took a keen interest in human behavior, but even after spending time at the agency, she found Xu Lang inscrutable.

Ning Yanran, having known Xu Lang for over three months, sensed his contemplative state. "Xu Lang," she asked, "did you find something at the scene?"

Jin Enpei looked up, curious. Xu Lang set down his glass and spoke slowly: "Clean. Eerie. Strange."

"What do you mean?" Ning Yanran asked.

Xu Lang took a sip of his cold beer, shivering slightly in the night air. "The scene was exceptionally clean. The victim sat at his desk, a kitchen knife in his chest, dead in quietude. His face held no expression; it was eerie."

Ning Yanran nodded in agreement, having seen it herself. "And what about 'strange'?"

"Did you notice the layout of the room?" Xu Lang asked.

Ning Yanran recalled the scene. Indeed, there were oddities. First, the murder weapon was a kitchen knife missing from the victim's own set. Second, the bathroom contained two sets of toiletries—a couple's set—despite Tian Yang living alone and never bringing anyone home. Even more bizarrely, there were feminine hygiene products in the bathroom, which made no sense for a bachelor. Third, while only men's shoes were in the entryway, women's shoes and clothes were hidden in a bedroom cabinet, along with a vanity covered by a white sheet. Fourth, and most strangely, despite these signs of a woman's presence, the forensic team found only Tian Yang’s fingerprints and biological samples in the entire apartment.

It was a case that felt unsettlingly supernatural.

"What are your thoughts, Xu Lang?" Ning Yanran asked.

Xu Lang paused, took another drink, and replied flatly, "No thoughts."

Ning Yanran was left speechless, frustrated by his brevity. Sensing her disappointment, Xu Lang continued, "I am not a god; I am human. I was the first on the scene, but that is all. Solving a case requires evidence, not just speculation. Aside from a corpse, I know nothing."

His logic was unassailable. Ning Yanran sighed, downed her cold beer, and shivered, complaining about the temperature of the drink. Jin Enpei chuckled, finding the dynamic between the two amusing.

After the meal, they parted ways. Back at home, Xu Lang sat on his sofa, smoking, feeling that something was still off. He closed his eyes and replayed every detail. He recalled that in his conversations with Jin Enpei, Tian Yang had repeatedly mentioned his first love, Duan Yiling, who had died in a tragic car accident a year ago.

If everything was tied to the deceased Duan Yiling, then the investigation had to start with her.

As he stood up to close the curtains, Xu Lang suddenly felt as though he were being watched. He acted calmly, pulling out his phone as if to make a call, but instead activated the camera. He panned it across the night sky toward the building opposite. On the roof, he caught a glimpse of a red dot—a laser sight.

The dot vanished instantly. Xu Lang lowered his phone, closed the curtains, and walked into his bedroom.