Don't Think You Can Defy the Odds - Chapter 18

Old Zhang said that except for Little Blue, who would likely be ill for a while to recover after having a piece of his living soul bitten by the Wife, the others had basically returned to normal. He even took a photo in the hospital that looked like a tourist snapshot, with a truly peculiar composition.

In the foreground was a close-up of his large head; behind him stood a helpless-looking police officer guarding the door and Little Purple squatting by the entrance, wiping away tears. Inside the room, the weakened Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue were still in their hospital beds, listless but obediently undergoing physical examinations. For some reason, one glance at the scene made it feel so rowdy that it made one’s eyes ache.

Cui Renwang could not help but let out a laugh. Xie Chongyang shook his head. “These guys are barely considered loyal, but they completely disregard the law. To prevent them from doing anything bad next time, we really need to give them a proper legal education.”

“The tomb they dug this time cannot be called a cultural heritage site, and they did not manage to take anything, so they should be treated with leniency.”

“Mm.” Cui Renwang put away his phone. “Disturbing the peace of a grave has already earned them a lesson from a ghost. Breaking the law means earning a lesson from the law. It is only fair.” He looked at Xie Chongyang. “So, Captain Xie, can I go back to sleep now?”

“Of course,” Xie Chongyang said with a smile. “Do you need to report to me even for sleeping?”

Cui Renwang: “…”

“I suppose usually I do not.” He walked past Xie Chongyang and headed upstairs.

The matter had temporarily come to an end. Xie Chongyang returned home and collapsed onto his bed. Thinking about it carefully, today was only the first day of the Quantum Science and Technology Department’s establishment. Although the details of the case were a bit hazy, strictly from the perspective of efficiency, resolving a case in a single day was quite impressive. More importantly, he did not have to write the report; Old Zhang took full responsibility.

But even without having to summarize the case, Xie Chongyang habitually wrote a daily report in his head before sleeping. A ghostly face he had seen under the streetlight flashed through his mind again. The police officer, who never suffered from insomnia, stared at the ceiling and thought seriously for half a minute before finally reaching a conclusion.

It was likely a coincidence. It just so happened that the streetlight short-circuited, leaving a strange pattern on his retina. Because he had been hearing too much about ghosts and spirits lately, his subconscious thought it looked like a ghostly face. Psychological suggestion can affect the brain’s judgment; given the situation where they were chasing the missing Wife, it was reasonable for them to subconsciously associate the strange shape of the electric arc with a woman’s face.

Thinking carefully, and putting aside all the flowery appearances, the clues for the five-man group in this case were found through the public security system. Little Blue, who fainted by the roadside, was sent to the hospital by a helpful citizen, and the tomb-robbing thieves of the Five-Color Team all woke up in the hospital. Was this not all very scientific?

Xie Chongyang’s gaze was firm; he decided to continue implementing the spirit of materialism to the end. However, Cui Renwang seemed very concerned about where Little Blue had gone before he fainted. He should get a copy of the statement from the Chengnan police station later. But he also had a hunch that they might not be able to get much out of those people.

It would be better to keep checking the surveillance tomorrow. Starting from the time and location Little Blue was found and working backward, finding every frame of him captured by Fengcheng’s surveillance system during that period should allow him to reconstruct his entire movement trajectory in chronological order.

According to Cui Renwang and Old Zhang, going to the City God Temple in fifteen days might yield more clues. But Xie Chongyang did not intend to leave everything to them. Besides, a vague City God Temple did not sound as convincing as steady, reliable surveillance footage. He still had to rely on science. Thinking of this, Xie Chongyang closed his eyes peacefully and fell asleep without a burden.

The next day, Xie Chongyang arrived at work half an hour early as usual. He expected to face an empty office again, but to his surprise, Old Zhang was already sitting inside drinking tea as soon as he pushed open the door. That teacup looked a bit familiar, as if it had been swiped from Director Zhao’s office.

“Morning, Captain Xie,” Old Zhang said, blowing on the tea leaves and skillfully scrolling through his phone with one hand, greeting him with a smile.

Xie Chongyang was somewhat touched to finally see a team member at work. “Morning! Old Zhang, what time did you get here?”

“I arrived early this morning,” Old Zhang said, leaning back to look at his phone. “I am used to waking up early; I cannot sleep in.”

“There happened to be a few young people in the dormitory who have a habit of morning runs, so I joined them for a few laps. They even invited me to play ball at noon.”

Xie Chongyang could not help but laugh. “That is great. What are you looking at?”

“The news.” Old Zhang settled into a comfortable position. “How do you think I found that job yesterday?”

Xie Chongyang thought about his usual way of doing things and guessed, “Calculated it through divination?”

“How could that be?” Old Zhang said with a grin, showing him his phone. “I rely on the internet. Real-time switching between multiple social media platforms, clicking on ‘Local’ and ‘Real-time’ ensures first-hand information is all in my grasp! That day, I just scrolled to someone saying they caught a few tomb robbers possessed by ghosts, so I ran to Chengnan to check the situation.”

Xie Chongyang: “…”

He never expected it to be such a simple yet effective method as manual public opinion monitoring.

“Xiao Tao said she will write a system for me later that can grab keywords. If it finds keywords like ‘ghost,’ ‘apparition,’ ‘possessed,’ or ‘strange happenings,’ it will send them to me. Then I will not have to do the primary screening myself, which will save a lot of trouble.” Old Zhang waved his phone with a smile. “But since I am idle anyway, I will just look around more. I am telling you, big data is powerful nowadays. After looking at these things a lot, the software starts recommending them to me on its own!”

Xie Chongyang scratched his head. “Alright, you keep scrolling then. About the report”

“I finished writing it long ago,” Old Zhang said, swinging his legs. “Your Director Zhao said there were too many words and told me not to chat in the report next time. Tsk, I just wanted to write it as detailed as possible.”

Xie Chongyang: “…”

Half an hour later, Xiao Tao slipped into the office at the very last second before work started. When she saw Xie Chongyang, she visibly stiffened. She moved her feet while keeping her head down and greeted him in a small voice, “Hello, Captain Xie.”

“Morning! You came to work too?” Xie Chongyang was exceptionally surprised. “That is great!”

Xiao Tao had already moved to the front of the computer and sat down cautiously. She glanced at Xie Chongyang’s screen and quickly looked down. Xie Chongyang’s phone then rang; he found that Xiao Tao had sent a group order link in the chat: “Does the Captain or Old Zhang want coffee!” It was even accompanied by a very cute emoji.

Xie Chongyang turned to look over, and Xiao Tao shrank behind the computer, using the monitor to hide her head.

Old Zhang leaned against the back of his chair. “I am not drinking any; I have tea.”

Xie Chongyang smiled and decided to respect his team member’s personality traits by accepting the invitation to the group order. However, when he clicked in, he found that someone had already ordered a hazelnut latte. Looking at the avatar, it seemed to be Jiang Ding. He let out a laugh; it seemed Xiao Tao had managed to make a friend.

Captain Xie nodded with satisfaction and randomly ordered a cup to join the fun. Exiting the link, Xiao Tao placed the order quickly: “Received! I will go get it when it arrives! By the way, Captain, are you still checking the surveillance?”

“Yeah.” Xie Chongyang raised his head. “I want to confirm the route Little Blue took before he fainted. Did Xiao Cui not also wonder if he went there on purpose or by accident?”

Xiao Tao did not speak, but her message came back quickly: “Alright, leave this kind of work to me!”

“Hmm?” Old Zhang suddenly sat up. Xie Chongyang looked back, and Xiao Tao sent a “What is wrong” in the group.

Old Zhang clutched his phone. “Someone said their elderly relative had been missing for two days, and they finally found them, but their personality has changed drastically, as if they are a completely different person. It sounds like something is up. I will go take a look first.”

Xie Chongyang had already stood up. “I will go with you”

“No need, no need,” Old Zhang waved his hand. “There are more fake things like this than real ones. Before confirming it is real, there is no need for so many people to go. You stay behind! Besides, I agreed with the Chengnan police station that they should let us know once that case is finished. We might have to go there again today, so you wait for them to contact you.”

Xie Chongyang sat back down. “That works too.”

Old Zhang left in a hurry. Xie Chongyang tapped the table lightly and asked Xiao Tao again, “Do you think it is possible for us to have everyone at work today?”

Xiao Tao: “Not likely.”

Xie Chongyang felt deflated. “I suppose so.” He also felt that Cui Renwang did not seem like the type to obediently come to work.

Xiao Tao: “Old Zhang said the Boss used blood to draw a talisman yesterday. According to past practice, he will be weak for at least two or three days. Unless there is something special, he will not show up for the next few days.”

Xie Chongyang was startled. “Is it that serious?”

Xiao Tao’s phone rang once and was then cut off. “The takeout is here! I will go get it first!”

Xie Chongyang thought for a moment and made a phone call. “Hello, Mom, are you busy today? Ah, can you ask Dad to help me stew some pork rib soup? Also, what do people usually eat to replenish blood? Pork liver? Then help me buy some pork liver as well. No, it is not for me to replenish blood, it is for a colleague. No, they are not injured, just adjusting their body. Do not worry. You can just leave it in my kitchen; I will take my colleague back to eat after work. Yeah, I will heat it up myself then. Can you help me start the rice? That works too, thanks, Mom. You do not need to wait for me, I might not get off work exactly on time. Ah, you cannot reach the top of the cabinet at home? Do not look for a ladder, do not move. If there are no cases this weekend, I will come back to help wipe it. Invite my colleague for a meal? I have to ask if he is free. A male colleague! Do not overthink it!”

Xie Chongyang hung up the phone with Ms. Yao Kezhen, which was filled with warmth and a bit of gossip. Xiao Tao just happened to come in with the coffee, avoiding his gaze as she placed the iced Americano he ordered on the table. She then sat down and stared at the office door with a hint of nervousness.

Xie Chongyang was about to ask her what was wrong when Jiang Ding appeared at the office door. “I am here to get the coffee.”

“Yo!” Du Like followed behind her. “Captain Xie! I am here to join you!”

“Get out,” Xie Chongyang said with a huff, rolling his eyes.

Du Like looked around, sat on Xie Chongyang’s desk, and asked him, “Did our Comrade Xiao Cui not come to work today either?”

“No,” Xie Chongyang said with a helpless sigh, “but you cannot blame him. Yesterday he”

“Hey, do not care too much about these formalities,” Du Like said, patting his shoulder. “He is a special consultant after all; it is normal for him not to sit in the office. It is enough if he can arrive when he is needed.”

Xie Chongyang looked at him in shock. “What? You were not of this attitude yesterday!”

“Ahem, to be precise, that was yesterday morning,” Du Like said, turning his head away shyly. “Now, well, after eating his food, my mouth is short. People also ate the meal he bought yesterday.”

Xie Chongyang felt a bit nauseous. Jiang Ding looked back with a smile and explained, “Yesterday Cui Renwang ordered takeout for all of us. He ate until he was happy.”

Xie Chongyang felt frustrated. “Can you have some self-respect?”

Du Like opened his phone to show him the photo album. “Look at these dishes, an individual dinner from Fenghe Pavilion. Song even took the lunchbox back to use as a new year fruit tray! When has our overtime ever had such good treatment! Should I not show gratitude!” He lightly bumped Xie Chongyang and asked him, “Hey, we are eating at this standard here. You went on a mission with him. What did you eat? Confess, did you get corrupted by luxury behind our backs!”

Xie Chongyang was wordless. “He treated me to water.”

“What water?” Du Like narrowed his eyes. “Let me see the world.”

Xie Chongyang: “Water from a convenience store.”

Du Like was suspicious. “Huh? And then?”

Xie Chongyang: “And then I treated him to fried rice.”

Du Like had a strange expression. “What fried rice?”

“Just,” Xie Chongyang raised his hand, “the fried rice from the night market stalls at the City God Temple, the same place that sells meat skewers.”

Du Like leaned back in shock. “No way! You took that young master to eat at a roadside stall? Xie Chongyang, do you think you are the innocent female lead in some old-fashioned romance drama? Do you think you take the ethereal young master to eat at a roadside stall, and then he will think you are so poor, so different, and like you so much!”