Hints at GL - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

A gap had been opened at the top of the entire glass window, letting in the cool scent of the outdoors.

Su Yuan had casually slipped on a tank top and a pair of short shorts, leaving her slender legs exposed. “…You wear this,” she handed Zhong Ning a long shirt, which happened to be long enough to cover her hips.

Zhong Ning had just finished dressing and was preparing to get out of bed when her legs suddenly felt weak, nearly causing her to kneel onto the carpet.

Su Yuan quickly supported her, her fine brows slightly knit. “What’s wrong? A cramp?” She didn’t think of anything else as she leaned down to wrap her arms around Zhong Ning’s soft waist.

“…It’s nothing.”

Zhong Ning bit her lip in embarrassment. It wasn’t a cramp at all. Although her body felt heavy for some reason, they clearly hadn’t done any “exercise” last night, so why were her legs so sore?

She couldn’t explain it herself, and the current posture was far too intimate. Su Yuan’s thin top felt almost as if she were wearing nothing at all, making Zhong Ning feel quite uneasy. “You… let go of me. I can stand steady on my own.”

“It’s fine, just sit on the bed.”

Su Yuan’s mind was clearly still on the matter from earlier. She spoke softly, “I’ll go grab the laptop.”

Before long, Su Yuan sat down beside her and opened the link sent by Alex. “Is it this news story?” She slid her fingertip slowly across the page; the words were harrowing to read.

“A bizarre murder occurred yesterday in Camden Passage. Two Japanese shopkeepers were found stabbed in their own store.”

Su Yuan’s brow furrowed, her mood turning heavy.

“The incident occurred around 12:30 AM. The glass on the shop door was smashed by an unknown object. Preliminary estimates suggest the murderer broke in to kill them. The shopkeepers were a Japanese couple in their fifties; the husband died at the scene, while the wife is currently in emergency care.”

Attached below was a photo of the scene. From the image, it appeared the killer had indeed broken in through the front door.

Zhong Ning couldn’t help but grab Su Yuan’s hand; she felt she couldn’t look anymore.

“According to data provided by the police, there was still a small flow of pedestrians on the surrounding streets at the time. Throughout the entire process from the killer breaking in to the murder, two people who claimed to be standing near the shop said they heard absolutely nothing and saw absolutely nothing. When they noticed something, it was only because they found the shop door smashed. Upon checking, they found the couple lying on the ground, seemingly attacked only a few minutes prior, both still having a breath of life. However, from start to finish, neither witness saw any sign of the killer.”

After finishing the news report, both fell into a cryptic silence.

In an instant, they both seemed to understand, yet neither was willing to voice the truth, as if saying it would mean all their efforts had been in vain. After a long time, Zhong Ning bit her lip. “Anna, was this done by Theo?”

It seemed that other than this, there could be no other reason.

Su Yuan pressed her hand to her forehead, her brow knit tight. “No, I feel like something is wrong.”

Zhong Ning couldn’t help but continue, “Other than a Time-Stoppper, is there anyone else in this world who can kill someone so silently?” She didn’t know why Su Yuan was still hesitating. She took her phone and was the first to dial Theo’s number.

She waited for a long time, but no one answered.

This felt like yet another announcement. Su Yuan, however, was still frowning. “No, I feel like if it were him, there would be no need to strike now.” Despite him being the most suspicious person, Su Yuan couldn’t figure it out. Feeling frustrated, she instructed again, “Try emailing him. Tell him what’s happening.”

Zhong Ning didn’t know what was wrong with Su Yuan. The fact that the call wouldn’t go through already explained many problems. Was she simply unable to accept reality?

Just then, Su Yuan’s phone rang again. It was an unknown local number. Su Yuan glanced at Zhong Ning and frowned as she answered. “Yes, this is she.” As she listened, Su Yuan’s expression shifted slightly. “Sorry, one moment.”

She turned on the speakerphone for Zhong Ning to hear. It was an unfamiliar British man. “I am Officer John from the Islington District. We’ve just reviewed the CCTV footage and saw that you and another young lady visited this shop yesterday, leaving around 18:00. Is that correct?”

Su Yuan replied with a frown, “Yes, we didn’t stay long.”

The other man’s voice remained steady. “Right. I’m sorry, we are currently conducting a screening and may need the cooperation of you two.” He paused, his voice rising slightly. “I’m not sure if the other lady is with you, but if she is, could you both please find time to come to the police station to assist us with our investigation?”

Su Yuan didn’t agree immediately. “Why is our assistance needed for the investigation?”

The officer politely apologized first. “Perhaps I didn’t explain clearly just now. We haven’t identified a suspect. We are merely doing some preliminary investigative work regarding discovered physical evidence. If you’re too busy, we can send officers over. Are there any other questions?”

Su Yuan seemed to let out a soft sigh and confirmed the location with the officer. “Oh, certainly not at Scotland Yard. Please come to the district police station. I will send you the postcode shortly…”

They spoke for a while longer before the call finally ended.

Zhong Ning looked at Su Yuan, her heart heavy. “Do you think if we tell the police this case is related to superpowers, they’ll believe us?”

Su Yuan looked at her, a hint of a helpless smile on her lips. “If it were me, I wouldn’t believe it.”

Islington Police Station

A female officer led the two of them into an office and gestured kindly for them to sit. “John will be here shortly. Please wait a moment.”

Zhong Ning tugged on Su Yuan’s sleeve, just about to say something.

“I still think it’s better not to tell them,” Su Yuan seemed to know exactly what she was thinking and directly vetoed the idea. “They won’t believe it. There’s no benefit to you if ordinary people find out about this kind of thing.”

“Hide what we can,” Su Yuan sighed.

Soon, a tall male officer pushed open the door and entered. He looked to be around thirty, wearing a black uniform and holding a notebook. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

After shaking hands with them very politely, he cut straight to the chase. “I am Officer John of this district. I assume you two are already aware of the situation. Around midnight early this morning, a murder occurred in the shop you visited last night.”

John crossed his hands on the desk, his voice lowering slightly at this point. “One of the Japanese shopkeepers died at the scene. The other is still in emergency care. We just received news from the hospital that she is, fortunately, out of danger.”

Seeing that neither Zhong Ning nor Su Yuan appeared overly shocked, he nodded. “Good, it seems you’ve already seen the news. Then I won’t waste any time.” He opened his notebook, preparing to begin the questioning.

Just then, a crisp knock came from the door.

The group turned to see a lean female officer push open the door. “John, do you mind if I join?” She looked about thirty-five, in a black police uniform with two Bath stars on her epaulettes—clearly two ranks higher than the male officer.

“Oh, of course not.” John stood up and smiled at her. “Freda, it would be my oversight not to include you in a case like this.”

The woman called Freda closed the door softly, her deep gaze sweeping over Zhong Ning and Su Yuan. “So, is this one of those people?” she asked John with a look as she sat down.

John nodded. “That’s right. I called them in separately.”

For some reason, Zhong Ning felt the words sounded stranger the more she heard them. “One of those people?” Why did it sound as if she and Su Yuan had already been placed on a suspect list?

Freda clearly saw the confused expression on Zhong Ning’s face but simply sat to the side. “John, you go ahead and ask. I’ll observe.”

“No problem. Right, I forgot to have you fill out some information.”

John handed over two forms and picked up his pen again. “Please fill out these two forms. Did you bring your passports?” He saw both nod. “Here’s the thing: the reason we specifically called you to the station today is that CCTV footage captured you.”

“But it wasn’t the CCTV inside the shop, it was the CCTV at the mouth of the alley.”

“Mhm?” Su Yuan looked at him in confusion.

John tapped his notebook lightly and explained patiently, “Because the CCTV inside the shop has no records for that day. By the time we arrived, everything had been completely wiped. Both CCTVs in the entire shop, upstairs and downstairs, have no records for that day.”

Zhong Ning instinctively looked at Su Yuan, not knowing what kind of expression to make.

“So, you did indeed go to that shop that day. Why did you go?”

John’s question was very blunt, stopping just short of saying it outright: We all know that place is hard to find. If you were just casually strolling, there would be no need to go there.

“We were interested in it, of course. Could there be any other reason?” Su Yuan smiled shallowly, without a hint of hesitation.

Zhong Ning was so nervous her palms were sweating. Was it really okay for Su Yuan to answer like that?