Stop Being a Black Lotus, Okay? - Chapter 15

The soft click of the door closing acted like a trigger. The last trace of warmth on Lu Min’s face vanished, replaced by a cold, nearly lethal focus. He strode toward the underground garage while fitting a miniature earpiece into place and pressing a speed-dial key.

“Old Chen,” he said, his voice as cold as ice over the encrypted channel. “Track a real-time location for me. I need the back alley of the Old Machine Tool Factory in the east district, near the abandoned Workshop Number 2. I also need movement data on all suspicious vehicles and personnel in that area within the last hour. I need it now.”

He offered no explanation, but the person on the other end was clearly accustomed to his style and responded briefly, “Understood. Give me five minutes.”

The black SUV merged into the flow of traffic. Lu Min gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed forward as the city blurred past the windows. His mind raced at high speeds, synthesizing details from the case in his past life with the newly acquired surveillance data to analyze the most probable paths and locations. Sunlight filtered through the window, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across his profile. Between his handsome brows sat a heavy stillness, the calm before a storm, and an absolute confidence that allowed for no failure.

“Brother Lu, we found Zhou Wei. She was exactly where your analysis suggested, in an abandoned factory building near your path.”

“Is she alright?”

“Physically, she is unharmed. However, she seems to be in a state of extreme shock. She is completely unresponsive and silent. We have already sent her to the hospital.”

Lu Min exhaled in relief. In this new life, he had actually managed to save the girl. He remembered the veteran detective in charge of Zhou Wei’s case in his past life, who had flipped through the files a thousand times, only to die without ever finding the culprit. Fortunately, in this life, things could still be changed.

“However, Brother Lu,” the officer continued, “we found a massive amount of high-velocity blood splatter at Zhou Wei’s house. The forensics team arrived and said it belongs to her father, Zhou Fu.”

Zhou Fu? Why was it Zhou Fu? In his previous life, Zhou Fu had not only survived, but he had also profited from his daughter’s tragedy. He had gained a fortune through public sympathy, remarried, and lived a blissful life. Why was he the victim this time? Despite the whirlwind of confusion in his mind, Lu Min’s voice remained calm. “Understood. I am on my way.”

The East District was a development zone, and the air was thick with dust. Lu Min frowned, swatting at the grime settling on his clothes.

“Lu Min, stop fussing. Here, take a tissue.” A teasing voice drifted from the side.

Lu Min looked up to see Chen Shen. His expression softened instantly as he took the tissue with a light chuckle. “Thanks, Old Chen.”

“Do not thank me yet. I brought your kid along too.”

Lu Min froze. He looked over to see Ying Yulian wearing a white plush hat and a fuzzy fleece jacket. Before the man could react, Ying Yulian lunged into Lu Min’s arms. Lu Min felt his hands sink into a mound of soft clouds. It felt less like holding a warm human being and more like holding a small, white rabbit wagging its tail.

The corners of Lu Min’s mouth quirked up involuntarily. He looked down just as Ying Yulian looked up. The edges of the boy’s beautiful eyes were flushed red, making him look exactly like a pitiful little bunny. The scolding Lu Min had prepared for the boy’s disobedience died in his throat. He gently brushed the boy’s reddened eyelids, feeling the lingering dampness of tears. His voice softened and dropped an octave. “Did I not tell you to wait for me at home? Why were you disobedient and followed me here?”

“Brother left without eating, and it is bad for your stomach. Therefore, I came to bring you food.” Ying Yulian blinked his long lashes, holding up a thermal lunch box.

Lu Min had left in such a hurry that Ying Yulian had been unable to catch him at the door. He had followed the address of Zhou Wei’s house from memory just to find him.

“Thank you. Just leave the food here.” Lu Min patted the boy’s hair guiltily. He glanced at the workers, the swirling dust, and the cordoned-off crime scene. This was no place for a child. “Wait here for a moment. I will ask one of the officers returning to the station to take you home later.”

Ying Yulian nodded obediently.

“Do not worry, these are all our people. Nothing will happen,” Chen Shen said, patting Lu Min’s shoulder before sliding a diary into his hand. “Based on the blood volume and evidence, the deceased is likely Zhou Fu, and the body was dismembered by the killer. We did some door-to-door inquiries nearby and found that this Zhou Fu was not a good person. He was involved in alcoholism, domestic violence, and brawling. Zhou Wei’s mother passed away early, so it was just the two of them. Do you think Zhou Wei could be the killer? Perhaps she could no longer take the abuse and struck back with a fatal blow.”

“You are suggesting a girl who is one hundred and sixty centimeters tall took down a nearly one hundred and eighty centimeter brute?” Lu Min looked at Chen Shen as if he were an idiot. “Zhou Fu was drinking alcohol, not sedatives.”

As he spoke, Lu Min flipped through the diary. Most of it was mundane school life, but he paused at the texture of the paper. He tilted it under the light, noticing irregular indentations. “Give me a pencil.”

Lu Min reached out habitually, but instead of the rough touch he expected, his palm met something soft and warm. The scent was not Chen Shen’s tobacco, but the familiar smell of his own body wash.

“It looks like someone is faster than me,” Chen Shen said with a helpless shrug.

Ying Yulian had been crouching nearby like a puppy afraid of disturbing its master, waiting for a chance to be useful. The moment Lu Min needed something, he had darted forward. If he had a tail, it would be wagging like a propeller at this moment. Seeing that the boy had crossed the police line to hand him the pencil, Lu Min’s brow furrowed. “Who let him in? Is a crime scene a place for a child to cause trouble?”

“I am sorry, Brother. I did not mean to.” Ying Yulian’s face went pale. He twisted the hem of his jacket, looking up with cautious eyes. He only wanted to be helpful and to be someone of value to Lu Min.

“Officer Fu, take him back behind the cordon.”

As the boy was led away, Lu Min shaded the paper with the pencil. The words emerged as a dense, repetitive scrawl of “Dad, go to hell” and “Animal.” It confirmed Zhou Wei’s immense resentment, yet she remained the wrong answer they had already ruled out. The man pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling exhausted. “Have you checked Zhou Wei’s interpersonal relationships?”

“In school, she is cheerful but only has superficial acquaintances. In the East District, she is incredibly dull. She basically never speaks to strangers unless she is buying alcohol for her father. In short, no one would risk going to prison to help this girl kill someone.”

“What about Zhou Fu’s relationships?”

“The people who have a grudge against him are too many to count. A drunken Zhou Fu was an undefeated fighter in the East District.” Chen Shen handed over a list of people who had been recorded by the police for having conflicts with Zhou Fu.

Lu Min sighed. “Then we will follow this list and conduct an investigation.”

By nightfall, the investigation had stalled. Despite the door-to-door inquiries, most people simply cursed Zhou Fu, saying the animal got what he deserved. There were very few useful leads. Under the dim streetlights of the East District, Lu Min sipped coffee while trying to pick out viable clues from the heap of information.

Chen Shen stretched and complained, “If only we had the perspective of the killer. Then we would know where Zhou Fu was taken and would not have to freeze out here looking for this notorious man.”

“We are police officers, not murderers. Naturally, we cannot understand that perspective. Just look at the clues; analysis is the most important thing,” Lu Min replied dryly. “Has Ying Yulian been sent home yet?”

“Not yet. It looks like everyone will be working here all night, so no one is heading back to the station,” Chen Shen replied.

Lu Min saw Ying Yulian approaching in his peripheral vision. He set down his coffee, touched the boy’s wind-chilled face, and pulled his hat down further. He breathed into his own palms to warm them before cupping the boy’s cheeks. “We will be here for a long time. I will book a room at a nearby hotel for you to rest. When I am done, I will take you home.”

He was interrupted by Ying Yulian’s quiet voice. “Brother, if I say that I know where Zhou Fu is, can I stay?”