Investigation

Chapter 39: Investigation

Bai Yanliang had not expected to hear such a claim from Officer Wang.

"The time of the crime was 7:05, but we received the distress call from that assistant instructor surnamed Li at 6:30." Officer Wang's brows were locked in a deep frown; this case was permeated with strangeness at every turn.

That assistant instructor seemed to have known his fate well in advance—the time, the location, and even the method of the assault.

But... why did he choose not to run?

Furthermore, despite choosing to call the police, he had remained obediently in the assistant instructor's office at 7:00, going nowhere, and had not mentioned the matter to anyone other than the criminal police.

What exactly was he worried about?

Could it be... that there was a pair of eyes inside the Polytechnic Affiliated Hospital monitoring his every move? Did it make the assistant instructor feel that no one could be trusted?

Bai Yanliang stood up and walked to the office window, looking out.

This was the ground floor, and from the window, one could only see the empty sports field.

Officer Wang had been keeping a close eye on Bai Yanliang's every move. Yang Wanlong had said over the phone that the cases he had solved over the past few years had all, to some extent, benefited from Bai Yanliang's help. He was a smart man, but... one needed to be cautious.

Just then, Officer Wang's cell phone suddenly rang.

Everyone's gaze turned toward him instinctively.

"Mm, I understand."

Officer Wang responded twice before hanging up, his expression growing increasingly grave.

"Li Degang is dead."

"His throat was pierced, and blood was aspirated into his lungs from his trachea. He suffocated to death."

Officer Wang's voice was heard clearly by the several hospital administrators standing on the periphery, and they could not help but turn pale.

What kind of deep-seated hatred could that student have had for Li Degang to require such a violent and vicious method?

As for Yang Yiyi, a student at the Polytechnic Affiliated Hospital who was full of interest in police work, her face also turned deathly pale upon hearing the confirmation of death.

Everything seems simple when one is a bystander, but the moment one participates even slightly, the feeling is entirely different.

Especially... when thinking about the bizarre murder that had occurred in this very office.

Until they left the scene, Yang Yiyi's mood remained very low.

Bai Yanliang walked in front, not paying her much attention; he was busy contemplating this strange case.

There were many suspicious points at present.

A victim who knew they were about to be harmed, and a perpetrator with strange emotions and immense strength.

Although humans can indeed perform feats they usually cannot when adrenaline is secreted in large quantities, that was no reason for a group of security guards to be completely unable to restrain him.

Bai Yanliang was interested in this case and had taken the initiative to come and see it for this very reason.

This matter was very similar to the case in Yang Wanlong's childhood memories; perhaps... it also had some connection to the affairs of Yanren.

"Yang Yiyi."

Bai Yanliang suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked at Yang Yiyi, who had been silent since just a moment ago.

"You should head back first."

Yang Yiyi raised her head and looked into Bai Yanliang's eyes; she felt that she might have been underestimated.

But strangely, she did not see any emotion in those eyes. On the contrary, Bai Yanliang's attitude was very gentle, yet... she could feel a dead silence overflowing from his very bones.

This feeling made her afraid to look into Bai Yanliang's eyes for too long; she always felt... they did not look like the eyes of a living person.

"Where... where are you going?"

She mustered the courage to ask.

"The perpetrator's home."

Yang Yiyi's eyes brightened, and just as she was about to say she wanted to go too, a trace of fear rose in her heart.

She didn't dare... go to the home of the student who had committed murder.

Noticing this thought, Yang Yiyi bit her lip hard, suddenly lowered her head to look at her toes, and whispered, "Hey, am I... really useless?"

Bai Yanliang was silent for a moment, then reached out his hand.

He ruffled the hair of this Polytechnic Affiliated Hospital student and said with a smile, "There are very few miracles in this world that happen 'all at once.' In study, work, love, and even life itself, we cannot achieve everything in one step. You might not be capable now, but as long as there is a next time, and a time after that—as long as our lives have not ended—we can constantly refresh the number of times we clash with hardship and adversity. When that time comes, you will find that because of your little bits of persistence each time, your life has become completely different."

Yang Yiyi shook her head in dissatisfaction, shaking off Bai Yanliang's hand. At the same time, she looked into his eyes again. This time, she still could not see any warmth in those eyes, but she saw a sincerity that made her heart flutter with panic.

"So, it is enough for you to study hard and maintain a little bit of progress for now." Bai Yanliang withdrew his hand. The student, who was full of longing for the police profession, finally felt a bit better, though she grumpily tidied her ruffled hair, glaring at Bai Yanliang from time to time.

He had not lied, but he had not told the whole truth either.

In fact, some people are born unable to do certain things; humans are born... unequal.

In the afternoon, Bai Yanliang followed Officer Wang to Hao Bowen's home.

Hao Bowen was the boy who had committed the assault.

His family background was not bad; this was evident from the residential environment of the apartment complex.

The person who opened the door for Bai Yanliang and Officer Wang was a middle-aged man with a grim expression. After letting them in, the father didn't say a word, merely sitting on the sofa and smoking incessantly, one cigarette after another.

Hao Bowen's mother stood beside the two men, tears streaming down her face as she kept repeating that Hao Bowen was an obedient and sensible child. She insisted he would never do such a thing and that there must be some mistake.

Officer Wang helplessly tried to comfort Hao Bowen's mother, while Bai Yanliang took the opportunity to slip into Hao Bowen's bedroom.

The moment he stepped inside, Bai Yanliang felt something was strange.

It was simple: it was too tidy.

Books arranged in perfect order, pristine walls, a quilt folded into a sharp, blocky shape, and a floor cleaned until it was spotless.

Bai Yanliang knocked on the doorframe, his voice drawing everyone's attention.

"Excuse me, has anyone cleaned Hao Bowen's room?"

Hao Bowen's mother began to cry again. She shook her head, biting her lip as she said, "No... Bowen always cleaned it himself. He is such a sensible child..."

Bai Yanliang nodded and asked nothing further.

This bedroom went beyond the level of mild cleanliness; it felt more like... a near-pathological demand for order?

Everything was placed precisely and correctly, exactly where it was supposed to be.

As it appeared for now, Hao Bowen was an extremely self-disciplined person.

His room had no computer, no mobile phone, and even the style of his desk lamp was quite old-fashioned.

Bai Yanliang flipped through Hao Bowen's books and discovered that, aside from textbooks, they were all very common, ordinary reading materials.

Hao Bowen seemed to have a strong interest in drawing; among his extracurricular books were several art textbooks, and the signs of wear on them were noticeably greater.

But... Bai Yanliang searched the entire bedroom and couldn't find a single one of his drawings.

Where were his paintings?