Criminal Investigation Notes

Lu Junchi and Su Hui came down from upstairs and returned to the car. Lu Junchi turned his head and asked Su Hui, “Do you think Moonlight is related to our current case, the Fine Sand Case?”

Su Hui gazed ahead and whispered, “Currently, there isn’t much evidence…”

Everything was just his speculation, like playing a game in a maze. Most people couldn’t get it right on the first try and would inevitably veer off the wrong path. As long as they turned back in time, they could still complete the game quickly.

He had to constantly evaluate and ensure that he didn’t deviate from the right direction.

Lu Junchi continued, “Do we need to spend more effort searching for Moonlight?”

Su Hui rubbed his temple with his finger and said tiredly, “Let’s wait until this case is over. The time is too tight now.”

Lu Junchi said, “Alright, after the Fine Sand Case is concluded…”

The purpose of their investigation was to inquire about Moonlight’s conclusions regarding the Fine Sand Case and seek his assistance in solving the current case. Since Moonlight wasn’t around, they needed to redirect their focus and address the pressing issues left by Song Lan’en.

Su Hui nodded and leaned back on the car seat, feeling a bit exhausted. He looked out of the window, where everything was blurry, and faintly visible were the ever-changing colors of streetlights and neon signs in the late night.

Everyone has their own destiny, and Moonlight has been gone for six months.

Before unraveling the puzzles left by Moonlight, if they were to search for him now without careful consideration, even with the use of manpower and resources, they might achieve little success.

Two years had passed, and Moonlight might no longer be the person he once knew. He could have evolved and assimilated into the darkness, becoming a dangerous individual. So, rushing to find him might lead them into crisis and traps.

It was also possible that Moonlight had left that environment and regressed to being an ordinary person. Perhaps he just left home to seek a change of scenery or went on a trip, hence bidding farewell to the landlord.

There was also the possibility that he remained like the initial scribe under Yu Yan, still preserving his inner beliefs and focusing on those dark matters.

Looking at the positive side, Moonlight was smart enough to discern danger in his life and leave in advance. Looking at the negative side, he might have encountered an unforeseen event and fallen silent in some corner of the world.

Regardless of the outcome, it would require time and manpower to investigate.

Although Moonlight wasn’t a conventional “good” person, he had once been a police officer and a scribe. He was somewhat biased, rebellious, and non-traditional. But Su Hui was uncertain whether he would become a complete villain.

Just like he was unaware of the truth behind the past case, he didn’t know for sure if Moonlight was currently an enemy or a friend.

Since Moonlight left a book for him and carefully concealed information, there should be some clues within it.

When he arrived home at night, it was already past 8 o’clock. Su Hui changed his clothes and took a shower.

Lu Junchi packed a few clothes into his backpack. In the next two days, his subordinates might stay near the headquarters. As a leader, he always led by example and actively prepared for battle.

Late at night, Lu Junchi said to Su Hui, “The new director at the headquarters just approved Song Lan’en’s arrest warrant and instructed all criminal investigation teams and sub-bureaus to treat this case as a major one. We might be busy in the next few days, and I might have to stay at the headquarters. You’re an advisor, and your health is not good. If you want to go home and rest, I’ll arrange for someone to pick you up.”

Su Hui replied, “There’s no need for anything special. If you’re staying there, give me a room as well.” He turned his head towards Lu Junchi and said, “If you don’t need to avoid suspicion, we can stay together.”

“Naturally, it would be more convenient to have one room for discussing the case with Advisor Su overnight,” Lu Junchi quickly agreed.

Su Hui looked at the materials in front of him and said, “Moonlight is not here. Tonight, I want to stay up late to review and analyze, hoping to differentiate Song Lan’en’s associates.”

Currently, the most urgent matter was the Fine Sand case. They had to find this man and his associates by any means necessary.

He had originally thought of taking a shortcut and finding an assistant, but now that Moonlight wasn’t here, he had to review all the facts himself.

Lu Junchi asked, “Is there anything I can do to help you?” He walked over and habitually touched Su Hui’s forehead. His temperature was normal now, but Lu Junchi was worried about him. It seemed like he would develop a fever every time he stayed up late.

Su Hui asked, “Has the information on Song Lan’en been compiled?”

Lu Junchi replied, “Qiao Ze is working on the compilation.”

“If it’s done, send me a copy as well,” Su Hui said, handing the Poetry collection he obtained from Moonlight to Lu Junchi. “Take a look at this Poetry collection first. Perhaps there is some information in it that can help us with the current situation.”

Lu Junchi took the Poetry collection and started flipping through it. He had seen many case files before, but this Poetry collection was something he had never seen. He carefully examined it, making sure each page had no creases or marks.

The Poetry collection was thick, but the line spacing was wide, and there were not many words. In about two hours, he had skimmed through it.

Lu Junchi found that one page always seemed to be slightly pressed down when he read the book.

Meanwhile, Su Hui sat still for two hours. Finally, he raised his head and rubbed his temples. His vision was not good, and halfway through the analysis, he started feeling dizzy.

“Take a break,” Lu Junchi quickly went to heat up a glass of milk for him. “How’s the progress?”

Su Hui took the milk and said, “I categorized the previous cases according to different individuals, and I’ve almost identified the corresponding case numbers for each person.” Then he took a sip of milk. “What about you? Any discoveries?”

Lu Junchi reported honestly, “I just found that one page has deeper creases.”

Su Hui said, “Read the contents to me.”

He couldn’t focus all his attention on the Fine Sand case all the time, as it would actually slow down his efficiency.

Lu Junchi opened the book to page 372, which featured the poem “Fire” by Spanish Poet Alejandro. He lowered his gaze and recited it to Su Hui:

“All fires carry passion.

But their brilliance is solitary!

Look at how pure the flames rise, licking the sky.

Meanwhile, all the birds fly.

They fly for it, don’t let us burn!

But what about humans? They never care.

Unbounded by your constraints.

Fire, oh fire, it’s here.

Radiance, innocence lies within.

Humans: never yet born.”

This poem is not long. Lu Junchi read it once, his voice pleasant and slightly magnetic.

The poem is somewhat obscure and difficult to understand. It speaks about the relationship between humans and fire.

Su Hui focused, drinking his milk sip by sip. He had seen this poem before, but it hadn’t stirred much in him at that time. Now, hearing it again, he felt a sense of enlightenment, although most of it was fragmented, not enough to decipher the puzzle.

Lu Junchi closed the Poetry collection and asked, “Do you think there might be any hidden information in this poem?”

After finishing his milk, Su Hui propped his chin with his finger and said, “In the understanding of many scholars, fire is the origin of everything. Arsonists are an expression of antisocial personality. Fire represents power, evil, rebellion, destruction, and death. In some stories, fire is a symbol of Satan…”

In the blink of an eye, his gaze became hazy as he looked out into the darkness outside the window. It was as if he was piercing through time and space, engaging in a conversation with Yao Fei.

Over the past two years, Yao Fei had left the police force, gaining more freedom and the ability to act covertly. He could do things that police officers couldn’t.

Su Hui asked, “On which page is this poem?”

Lu Junchi answered, “Page 372.”

Su Hui had no particular impression of that number, and it seemed that the answer wasn’t hidden within it.

His eyes narrowed as he recalled, “When I was at the headquarters, I knew there was a case Moonlight was obsessed with, wanting to uncover the truth within it.”

At that time, the Profiling Division had privileges. During the year-end review, they could report cases they believed had issues and request a re-examination.

Moonlight always reported that particular case, even though the response was always the same.

But he never gave up, persevering against all odds.

Lu Junchi asked, “Which case?”

Su Hui’s eyelashes fluttered lightly as he looked at Lu Junchi by his side. Whether it was his imagination or not, he always felt that Lu Junchi’s appearance resembled that person in some way. Perhaps it was the curve of the eyebrows, the straight nose, or the face shape…

To the point that sometimes when he spoke to Lu Junchi, he would be reminded of that person.

“The case of Yu Yan’s death.”

“But isn’t the killer already dead?” Lu Junchi furrowed his brow.

That case had occurred before he arrived in Huadu. He had also looked through the case files but hadn’t found any clues.

Su Hui clasped his hands together, his slender fingers interlaced. “That’s what most people think, but Yao Fei has always insisted that Yu Yan was murdered, and that person was just a scapegoat killer.”

Lu Junchi furrowed his brow and asked, “What do you think?”

Su Hui replied, “I didn’t experience this myself, so I can’t confirm why Yu Yan was killed.”

“There were eyewitnesses to Yu Yan’s death, but the killer died soon after without leaving any testimony. There is no evidence regarding further investigation and clues. The leaders naturally ignored it, treating everything as his imagination.”

The killer received a lengthy sentence due to his connection with Yu Yan. He seemed to have a legitimate reason for killing her.

If there really was someone pulling the strings behind the scenes, how did they manipulate the killer to commit murder, and why did they want Yu Yan dead?

Moonlight kept requesting a reinvestigation of this case, but after numerous attempts, all the leaders regarded it as an unreasonable fuss.

Lu Junchi said, “Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you. Yu Yan and I share a relationship—he’s my mother’s younger brother.”

This was the first time Su Hui heard about this, and he was somewhat surprised. He didn’t know what to say for a moment. After mentioning Yu Yan’s case, he softly said, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Many people at the headquarters don’t know about it either, and you didn’t have any ill intentions. Although I have looked through his case files since I arrived at the headquarters, I haven’t found many doubts.” Lu Junchi paused for a moment and continued, “Moonlight’s real name is Yao Fei… I always feel like that name sounds familiar.”

Su Hui asked, “Do you also know him?”

Lu Junchi turned his head and pondered for a moment. “It seems like my uncle used to sponsor a few financially challenged students, and that name seems to be one of them…”

Su Hui understood, “No wonder he acts so radical but always respects his teachers.”

Lu Junchi nodded, “I’ll double-check when I have some free time.”

The small talk ended, and Su Hui coughed a few times before handing the empty milk cup to Lu Junchi. “I still need to study the files for a while longer. Tonight, I hope to gather some basic information.”

Lu Junchi said, “No matter how late it is, I’ll accompany you.”

Su Hui had been considering whether to persuade him to go to sleep, but upon hearing these words, his heart warmed.

He looked down at the case files in his hands. It seemed like he was getting closer and closer to the truth.

Late at night, on a street corner in the southern part of Huadu City, despite the late hour, the streets were still bustling with traffic.

Four people sat in a barbecue shop on the side of the street, with a row of empty beer bottles and a pile of randomly placed pliers nearby.

They appeared to be four ordinary people having a gathering, but their ages and identities were completely different.

Among the four, there was a middle-aged woman who took good care of herself, an elderly man in his fifties, a young man with long hair, and a man with peach blossom eyes who was smoking a cigarette.

“I truly am nostalgic for those past times. That period was the happiest time of my life, so I’ve been searching for you these past two years… Now, to celebrate your regained freedom, I’ve been collecting materials for a long time. Let’s make a grand commemoration this time.” Among the four people, the oldest man spoke with a slightly slurred speech due to drinking too much.

The young man with long hair sitting in the corner had tied up his hair and held a glass of wine, smiling faintly without saying a word.

If one paid attention to the social news, they would discover that the young man before their eyes was the Class A fugitive recently announced by the police—Song Lan’en.

But the people on the street seemed oblivious to this fact; they just regarded these individuals as ordinary people in their daily lives.

“Ah, if I hadn’t persistently searched for you and had a stroke of luck, we wouldn’t have found you at all. Why didn’t you kill that woman earlier or find a way to inform us? Then you could have regained your freedom,” the old man spoke brazenly, intoxicated by alcohol.

In his view, such an escape plan required a great deal of effort and time.

The woman beside him glared at him, motioning for him to keep quiet, and then spoke, “Stop blabbering. The boss must have had another plan in mind.”

“But isn’t everything going smoothly now?” Song Lan’en took a sip of beer and said, “Although it’s been a bit troublesome.”

The old man asked hoarsely, “Boss, I’ve been gathering so many materials for you. How many days do we need for the fireworks this time?”

Song Lan’en extended three fingers.

“Alright, three days from now,” the old man exclaimed excitedly.

The man who had been silent all along took a puff of his cigarette, opened his peach blossom eyes, blew out smoke rings, and patted the shoulder of the woman next to him. He leaned close to her ear and said, “You better be bolder this time and not waste the fireworks.”

The woman’s thoughts were hit right on target, and she snorted, seemingly unable to bear the smoke-filled table. She turned her head to the side.

Most people in the city had already entered the realm of dreams, unaware of the impending danger that was about to descend.

Three days, just three days. Three days later, perhaps the entire city would plunge into hell.