The Police Bureau's Suspicions

The wooden building had long since deteriorated. No sooner had Qin Siyang left than the entire structure went up in flames.

The raging fire was impossible to put out.

By the time the Fire Department arrived, all they could do was helplessly watch the flames consume everything.

In half an hour, the thirty- or forty-year-old wooden building, a witness to the years before and after the Apocalypse, was reduced to ashes.

Searching through the ashes, the firefighters eventually discovered a charred corpse with a fire-blackened knife still embedded in it. They immediately contacted the Police Bureau.

Upon receiving the report, the Police Bureau immediately dispatched officers to the scene.

Inspector Olof was once again leading the team.

Olof kicked a blackened timber that was still standing. It cracked under his foot and broke into pieces.

Surveying the area, he shook his head.

"Fires like this seem to be getting pretty common lately."

Roylena said, "Yes. As more people learn about my [Scent Seeker] sequence, they realize that fire is the only way to completely erase the scent they leave behind. That makes criminals especially fond of using fire when they commit crimes."

"Criminals? This fire wasn't an accident? You've already had your team examine the scene?"

"Yes, Inspector Olof. There's a charred corpse among the ashes, with a knife in his chest and his hands still bound behind his back. He was probably murdered."

"Take me to him."

"All right."

Both were Sequence Ability Users, with physical capabilities far beyond those of ordinary people. They kicked aside charred planks along the way and reached Liu Dazhi's unrecognizable corpse.

Olof crouched down, took out a cigar, clipped its end with a small pair of scissors, then lit it against a piece of wood still burning nearby.

He took a puff, then examined the corpse closely.

"On the surface, he does appear to have been tied up and then stabbed straight through the chest. Give me a pair of gloves."

An officer beside him handed Olof a pair of white gloves.

With the cigar clenched between his teeth, he pulled on the white gloves and began manipulating Liu Dazhi's corpse.

"This man's jaw is broken. Looks like he was struck by something heavy. Any leads?"

The officer beside him shook his head. "No. The fire destroyed a lot of the evidence. Judging by the damage to his bones, it looks like he was hit with a baseball bat."

"This is a poor neighborhood. You don't see many baseball bats here. Even if someone had one, it would've been wooden. That means we won't be able to find the weapon either."

Olof nodded, finding the officer's analysis reasonable.

"Do any of the neighbors know anything?"

"Yes. The victim's name was Liu Dazhi. He worked as an attendant at a nearby internet cafe. The crime probably took place between seven twenty and seven twenty-five. Before the fire, his neighbors all heard someone knock on his door and tell him to throw away the trash outside it. There seems to have been an argument."

"Based on the timeline, that person was probably the one who entered Liu Dazhi's home, killed him, and robbed the place."

"Do we know what that person looked like?"

The officer shook his head. "Nobody saw him. It was too early, and most people weren't awake yet. The people who heard Liu Dazhi arguing were all up early for work."

Olof offered no response. He lowered his eyes in thought, then asked:

"Was Liu Dazhi the best-off person in this building?"

"No. Two women in this building worked at a cosmetics factory, and both earned more than Liu Dazhi. They both had phones. They were the ones who called the Fire Department and brought the fire engines here."

"Were they married?"

"One was married. The other lived alone."

After hearing that, Olof shook his head. "Let's not classify this case as a home-invasion robbery just yet."

"Why?"

Olof didn't answer immediately. Narrowing his eyes, he took two more puffs of his cigar. "If this was a home-invasion robbery, why not rob the single woman who worked at the cosmetics factory instead of Liu Dazhi, an ordinary internet cafe attendant?"

"Well... maybe it was a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

"Spur of the moment? It doesn't look that way. First he started an argument to get Liu Dazhi to open the door. Only then did he go inside, kill him, rob him, and set the fire. His methods were practiced, and his target was specific."

"If it were a spur-of-the-moment decision, he would've waited here, grabbed whoever came out alone, then taken their keys and robbed their home."

Roylena asked, "Inspector Olof, are you saying someone wanted Liu Dazhi dead?"

"I'm only saying it's very possible. We'll have to investigate further to know the details. By the way, you said he worked at an internet cafe?"

"That's right."

Olof glanced around. "Someone who can run an internet cafe this close to the edge of the Safe Zone probably isn't an ordinary resident with a simple background. Let's go talk to him. We might learn something."

Wang Defa was sitting around in the internet cafe when Olof and the others arrived.

"Oh, officers, what brings you to my little internet cafe? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Wang Defa wore a respectful expression, but inwardly he wondered which of his deeds someone had exposed to bring the police here.

Running an internet cafe here, he had done plenty of things in legal gray areas. Any one of them coming to light would be enough to earn him a few miserable years at the Police Bureau.

"Our visit has nothing to do with you. We just want to ask you about someone."

"Who would that be, officers?"

"Liu Dazhi. You know him, right?"

"Oh, he's our attendant. He's at home resting today. Do you need him for something? He doesn't have a phone or a computer, so I can't contact him. You might have to come back tomorrow."

Olof shook his head. "No, we're not looking for Liu Dazhi. We're here to see you. Liu Dazhi was murdered this morning."

"Murdered?" Wang Defa's eyes widened. "He's just a fat shut-in. Why would anyone kill him?"

Wang Defa's surprise didn't seem feigned to Olof, who asked, "Do you know if he's offended anyone recently?"

Wang Defa looked utterly confused. "He's an attendant. All he does is take payments and start up computers. Who could he offend? Even if he did offend someone, who would kill him?"

He had spoken to Qin Siyang about Liu Dazhi that very morning, but instinctively dismissed the possibility that a Sequence Ability User would go to the trouble of killing a fat, shut-in attendant.

Olof continued, "Our examination of the scene suggests his home was broken into and robbed. Do you have any leads on that?"

"Sir, home-invasion robberies are about killing people for money. What leads could I possibly give you?"

Olof thought Wang Defa probably wasn't a suspect, but still asked, "Have you been at the internet cafe all day?"

"Yeah, the whole time. You can ask the customers here. They can all vouch for me."

"That's right. Boss Wang's been here the whole time."

"Yeah, I can confirm that too. If Liu Dazhi's dead, it definitely had nothing to do with Boss Wang."

"Boss Wang, didn't someone come looking for you this morning? I remember you stepped out for a bit."

A young man with a face full of pockmarks spoke with a smile.

Wang Defa frowned, recognizing him as someone he had scolded before for failing to pay his internet fees.

He hadn't expected the brat to trip him up in front of the police today!

Wang Defa narrowed his eyes at the young man, thinking about how to teach him a lesson.

After hearing the pockmarked young man's words, Olof asked, "Wang Defa, is what he said true?"

"It is." Wang Defa wasn't concerned. As far as he was concerned, Liu Dazhi's death certainly had nothing to do with Qin Siyang.

"Who came to see you, when did they arrive, and how long were you gone?"

"It's all a little hazy now. Ah, I don't know why my head hurts so much. I can't remember a thing. Just ask that pockmarked young man. He probably remembers better than I do."

This time, Wang Defa was no longer so eager to answer Olof's questions. Instead, he feigned a headache to dodge the subject.

It was an undeniable fact that Liu Dazhi's death had nothing to do with him. A little cooperation was more than enough.

Yet this White-Haired Inspector actually wanted to pry into his private affairs. Didn't he know what it meant to run an internet cafe in a slum? Any one of his private dealings would be more than a mere Inspector could handle. How could he casually talk about them?!

Olof looked at Wang Defa's face, his expression turning displeased.

Wang Defa pretended to clutch his head, leaving one eye visible between his hands as he stared coldly at Olof in unmistakable warning.

Olof knew Wang Defa had complicated connections. Without evidence, he couldn't push him too hard.

More importantly, no matter how he looked at it, Wang Defa seemed to have nothing to do with Liu Dazhi's death.

So he approached the pockmarked young man. "Do you remember when the owner left and how long he was gone?"

The young man's eyes shifted. "He left around seven and was gone for about an hour! Didn't you just say Liu Dazhi was dead? Maybe he did it!"

"Bullshit!" someone beside the pockmarked young man said. "Boss Wang started my computer after seven. He was here the whole time I was here. How could he have been gone for an hour?!"

The pockmarked young man curled his lip. "Then I must've remembered wrong."

Behind the counter, Wang Defa clenched his fists. This pockmarked young man was getting far too bold. He must have mistaken him for an ordinary internet cafe owner.

After the other customer's intervention, Olof asked him, "What time did you start your session? May I take a look?"

The man checked his login information and said, "Seven thirteen."

"All right. Thank you."

The fire had started around seven twenty. Wang Defa hadn't had time to commit the crime.

Olof glanced at Wang Defa, who clearly had no intention of cooperating further. "Boss Wang, if you come across any leads, please contact us."

"See yourselves out."

Wang Defa couldn't be bothered to speak with Olof and the others any longer.

Olof left with his officers.

"Inspector Olof, there's something wrong with that internet cafe owner," Roylena suggested beside him.

"Of course there is." Olof lit another cigar. "But his problems aren't something you can investigate. Until I return to the Sigma District, neither can I."

"But..."

"No buts. Roylena, don't be curious about everything. Focus only on the cases that have already happened. That's my advice to you, and I hope you'll remember it."

Roylena looked into Olof's deep gaze and nodded.

After Olof and the others left, Wang Defa took out his phone, went into the storeroom, and made a call.

"Hey, Old Snake. It's me. Got time right now? Help me take someone out."

"Yeah, same price as before. Don't worry. Nobody who comes to my internet cafe is a decent person. Even if you killed them all, the Police Bureau wouldn't trace it back to you..."