Volume 1, Chapter 373 – Aftermath

Yunhai City Public Security Bureau, interrogation room.

Two policewomen sat behind the table and opened their notebooks.

“Name.”

“Shi Lan.”

“Sex.”

“Female.”

“Age.”

“…”

“Sixteen.”

“Place of origin.”

“I don’t have one.”

“…”

“Please describe what happened at the scene…”

…

Outside the interrogation room, Qi Pingxia sat on a bench, her thoughts somewhat tangled.

She had already finished taking the statement of the other girl, and her family had come and taken her home.

The girl was clearly in an unstable state. She was only willing to say her age and name. As for what had happened at the crime scene, she refused to say a single word.

Qi Pingxia did not want to press a girl who had already suffered harm too hard, so she could only let her go home.

“Captain Qi, this is the coroner’s autopsy report.”

A police officer jogged over and handed her a report.

“Thanks.”

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Qi Pingxia took the report and opened it.

[Yunhai City Public Security Bureau Autopsy Pathology Report]

[1. Case: Kidnapping. Fatality caused during hostage self-defense.]

[2. External examination: One male corpse. Height 169 cm. Bruising at the temple. Sixteen penetrating wounds to the chest.]

[3. Internal examination: The lungs were pierced, with heavy internal bleeding. The aorta on the left side of the heart was severed. No other abnormalities.]

[4. Conclusion: The temple had previously sustained a heavy blow. Cause of death was multiple sharp-force penetrations to the chest, resulting in excessive blood loss and death. Time of death…]

[1. Case: Kidnapping. Fatality caused during hostage self-defense.]

[2. External examination: One male corpse. Height 173 cm. Depression in the back of the skull. One penetrating wound to the back.]

[3. Internal examination: The rear cranial bone was fractured. The heart and lungs were completely pierced through. No other abnormalities.]

[4. Conclusion: Rendered unconscious by a blunt-force blow, then instantly killed by a single sharp-force strike piercing the heart and lungs. Time of death…]

…

Qi Pingxia skimmed through the file at a glance and let out a soft breath. The first body was still within reason, but the second clearly carried some suspicion of intentional homicide, and the method had been extremely practiced.

It was not so easy to drive a blade through a person’s heart from the back. At the very least, there would usually be some deviation.

From the autopsy report alone, it was obvious that the two corpses had very clearly died at the hands of two completely different people.

Click.

The door to the interrogation room opened, and a policewoman carrying the written statement walked out. When she saw Qi Pingxia, she greeted her.

“Can I take a look at the statement?”

“Sure. It’s a pretty troublesome situation.”

Qi Pingxia reached out and took it.

After a while, Qi Pingxia closed the statement and handed it back.

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“Shi Lan…”

Remembering Shi Lan’s calm expression when they first met, Qi Pingxia rubbed her brow.

“This really is difficult.”

She stood, pushed open the interrogation room door, and smiled at Shi Lan, who was sitting in the chair.

“Hungry? I’ll take you to get something to eat.”

…

Across from the Public Security Bureau was a noodle shop with a history of more than thirty years. It had stayed open from the days when most people still rode bicycles to work all the way up to the present.

The storefront had grown from small to large, and the menu on the signboard had gone from plain noodles and little wontons to a dazzling assortment of snacks.

“Officer Qi, you’re here. The usual?”

Qi Pingxia had just stepped into the noodle shop holding Shi Lan’s hand when an auntie who was clearing bowls and chopsticks came over to greet them.

Since it was not mealtime, there were not many customers in the shop.

“Mm. And add one more bowl of beef noodles and one order of pan-fried dumplings.”

“Alright, come sit over here.”

Not long after they sat down, two bowls of beef noodles and two plates of pan-fried dumplings were set on the table.

“The braised beef here is second to none. Old Wei’s noodle-making skills are the best in all of Yunhai City.”

Having been busy since the middle of the night until now, Qi Pingxia was clearly starving. Shi Lan had only just started eating when Qi Pingxia had already wiped out both the noodles and the dumplings.

Leaning on the table with her chin resting on one hand, Qi Pingxia watched Shi Lan slurp noodles, a faint smile at her lips.

“Take your time. There’s more if you need it.”

“That other girl already finished her statement. Her family came and took her home.”

Shi Lan’s chopsticks paused slightly. She looked up at the policewoman in front of her, then lowered her head and went on eating.

“You were overseas before this. Did you ever learn any self-defense?”

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More than self-defense, what Qi Pingxia actually wanted to ask about was killing techniques.

Shi Lan bit through the noodles in her mouth and shook her head. Her memories of overseas had already grown blurry. The only thing she clearly remembered was what happened after she boarded the ship.

Sometimes, even she was startled by the things she did. It felt like an instinct, something she simply ought to do.

Even though she had killed someone not long ago, her heart was still utterly calm. The emotional turbulence she should have had had vanished without a trace.

“Those two men didn’t both die because of you, did they?”

Shi Lan kept her head down and ate her noodles as if she had not heard.

“Your situation is rather unusual.”

Qi Pingxia leaned back in her chair, looking somewhat tired.

Even if they were scum who deserved to be hacked to pieces, the one who punished them should still be the law.

“You’re undocumented, and you entered the country illegally as a stowaway. You do not belong to any country in this world, so naturally you are not protected by our laws either…”

The law was meant to protect the rights and interests of citizens, but Shi Lan was not a citizen. That made things difficult.

“But don’t worry. I’ll do my best to help you. After all, this was a kidnapping case, and you’re still a minor. Out of humanitarian concern, no one should make things too hard for you.”

Shi Lan slurped down the last mouthful of noodles and set down her chopsticks.

“Thank you. You’re a good person.”

“I’m just a police officer.”

Qi Pingxia smiled, unable to resist reaching out and ruffling Shi Lan’s hair.

“You’re a good person too.”

…

Public Security Bureau, archives room.

“Sister Qi, the lab results are back. There really were the fingerprints of the other girl on the knife handle…”

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“This matter ends here. There’s no need to investigate any further.”

Qi Pingxia took the file pouch, cut the officer off, and carefully placed it into the archive cabinet for sealed storage.

“This… understood.”

…

Shi Lan stayed on at the Public Security Bureau. The room was very clean and tidy, just a bit too quiet.

She had not been in the room for long before someone came to see her.

It was Zhang Guang.

There were dark circles under Zhang Guang’s eyes, and his eyes were bloodshot. He had clearly not rested well.

“I’m sorry, Guang-ge. I caused you trouble.”

“What are you apologizing for? If it were me, I’d have chopped off those bastards’ heads too!”

Zhang Guang was clearly angry, but not because of Shi Lan.

“Eat and drink what you should, and don’t be scared. I’ll help you find a lawyer. There shouldn’t be any major problem.”

“Since I decided to keep you back then, naturally I have to take responsibility for you.”

After leaving those words behind, Zhang Guang turned and left.

Not long after, Xiao Teng came as well, but Shi Lan did not see him.

…

“Hey, little girl, we meet again.”

By evening, a somewhat familiar greeting sounded from outside the room.

Shi Lan looked up. Hao Fei was standing at the door, silver bracelets around his wrists, cupping his fists to her in greeting.

“I’m sorry. Once I get out, if I get the chance, I’ll make it up to you properly.”