Good and Evil Chapter Twenty-Five: The Strange Neighborhood

Before any clues are found, solving a case is like being trapped in a pitch-black room. The moment even the slightest lead appears, it’s as if a beacon has been lit in the darkness.

After a long silence, Xu Lang finally spoke, but instead of analyzing the case, he turned to Lu Xing and said, “Based on the other rape and robbery incidents uncovered by Zhao Hua and his team during their interviews, review the surveillance footage from those time periods as well. If you spot any images of the perpetrator, save them for comparison.”

This time, Lu Xing didn’t complain; he simply nodded.

According to Zhao Hua’s team’s investigation, aside from the five cases previously reported, five additional incidents had been confirmed—one victim was assaulted three times by the perpetrator. All ten cases shared the same characteristic: after assaulting the victims, the assailant would always rob them. Whether the four cases on Factory West Road, the two on Factory East Road, or the four on Niwa Road, this feature was consistent.

There was another commonality: in nine of the ten cases, based on victim statements, the perpetrator bore a striking resemblance to a celebrity. In the four cases on Factory West Road, he looked like a popular idol. In the two on Factory East Road, he resembled a well-known TV star. The four incidents on Niwa Road involved a foreigner who looked very much like a Hollywood actor. Judging from their methods, it was likely the attackers on the three streets were not the same person—no one could have three different faces, one of which was that of a foreigner, not even with plastic surgery.

If these three assailants were not the same person, they were likely acting as a group. While robberies were sometimes committed by gangs, it was rare for sexual assaults to be carried out this way. Moreover, in these ten cases, Xu Lang observed that the crimes weren’t motivated by robbery, but by sexual assault—robbery was almost an afterthought. From this, several conclusions could be drawn:

First, the three, or at least three, perpetrators had no girlfriends or wives—in short, there were no women in their lives, and their physiological needs were unmet. If the thirty-year-old attacker was married, then his marital life must have been highly unsatisfactory.

Second, all three were physically strong, with considerable strength. They were not office workers or clerks, but instead laborers—possibly construction workers, thugs, or factory workers.

Third, based on surveillance footage and victims’ descriptions, the living standards of all three were low, evident in their clothing.

Thus, it could be concluded that this was a gang of at least three perpetrators—perhaps even a lone offender—who all worked manual jobs, lived modestly, and were frequently active at night on Factory West Road, Factory East Road, and Niwa Road. They had no girlfriends, or their marriages were unsatisfactory, and each bore a remarkable resemblance to a celebrity, especially the foreigner involved in the Niwa Road cases. This detail was crucial, but it also posed a problem: S City had a large floating population and a significant number of foreigners, which would make the investigation more complicated.

Xu Lang presented his analysis. After listening, Ning Yanran gave her orders: “Zhao Hua, Li Lei, Zhang Lei, continue canvassing the local residents near the crime scenes.”

“Just the three of us?” Zhang Lei objected immediately.

Ning Yanran shot him a glare. “If there aren’t enough of you, get help from the local precinct and patrol officers. Also, increase patrols on Factory West Road, Factory East Road, and Niwa Road. I don’t want to hear of any more victims being attacked.”

She turned to Zhang Lei. “Any more questions?”

He shook his head hastily. Since taking over this case from the precinct, Ning Yanran’s expression had been grim. He had no desire to make things worse for himself.

She then turned to Lu Xing. “Keep going as Xu Lang suggested—review the surveillance footage and make sure to identify the suspect’s physical characteristics. Understood?”

Lu Xing adjusted his glasses and nodded.

Finally, Ning Yanran looked at Xu Lang, who quickly waved his hands. “I’m not a member of the second investigative unit—I’ve already provided all the input I can. Now it’s up to you to solve the case and follow the leads.”

At this, Ning Yanran shot him a fierce look, but could only sigh and say, “Meeting adjourned.”

“Wait,” Xu Lang suddenly called out just as Ning Yanran was about to dismiss everyone. The others all turned to him, unsure what he wanted.

He looked at Ning Yanran. “How’s the investigation into the taxi, and Du Chun?”

At this, Ning Yanran slapped her forehead, almost forgetting these two crucial leads. She quickly turned to Zhao Hua.

Zhao Hua scratched his head. “We still haven’t located the taxi driver with license plate ending in 38, but I’ll keep looking. As for Du Chun…” He glanced at Xu Lang, implying that Xu Lang should know.

Ning Yanran was puzzled. Following Zhao Hua’s gaze, she looked at Xu Lang, who rubbed his nose and said, “Du Chun is currently dealing with his wife’s divorce lawsuit.”

“How do you know that?” Ning Yanran asked, curious.

He replied, “Because it was my detective agency that discovered his wife’s affair.”

“You run a detective agency too?” she asked in surprise.

Xu Lang gazed at her and said slowly, “You didn’t know?”

She shook her head, then glanced at the rest of the team, only to find everyone else wore an expression of ‘Of course I know—how do you not?’ Instantly, she felt isolated, turning back to glare at Xu Lang. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You never asked,” he replied, perfectly innocent.

“You… I… never mind, meeting dismissed.” She pointed at Xu Lang, then herself, finally waved her hand, grabbed her files, and left the room.

Seeing Ning Yanran bested by Xu Lang, everyone else looked as if they wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. It was torture to hold it in.

Xu Lang glanced at the wall clock. It was already past seven in the evening—time to get off work. He stood up and headed out.

“Lang-ge, where are you going? Take me with you!” Zhang Lei called after him.

“I’m going to eat shit, want to come?” Xu Lang’s voice echoed back.

The tense atmosphere dissolved at his words—everyone burst into laughter and began gathering their things to leave.

After leaving the police bureau, Xu Lang took a cab to Shu Yue’s place. He hadn’t seen her for a long time, ever since her last visit, and planned to check on her and perhaps get some therapy.

The car stopped outside Shu Yue’s apartment complex. Xu Lang paid the fare and entered the stairwell. The building had seven floors; Shu Yue lived on the fifth.

He cleared his throat, and the light in the stairwell on the first floor flickered on. Xu Lang entered and, as he reached the second floor, clapped his hands—the second floor’s light came on as well. But when he reached the third floor, no matter how much he coughed or clapped, the light refused to turn on. He had to make his way up in the dark. As he turned the corner to the fourth floor, a door on the third floor opened just a crack; a pair of eyes peered through the slit, watching toward the fourth floor.

Xu Lang sensed the gaze and spun around. In the darkness, he could only make out a pair of bright eyes and a mouthful of white teeth before—

Bang—the door slammed shut. At that moment, the third floor light, which had stubbornly refused to turn on, suddenly flickered to life, making Xu Lang squint reflexively.

That gaze felt familiar, as if he’d seen it somewhere before, but he couldn’t recall where.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought, and continued upstairs. The commotion had not only triggered the third floor light, but the upper floors’ lights as well. Xu Lang soon stood at Shu Yue’s door.

Ding-dong, ding-dong. He rang the bell, but after a long wait, no one answered. Puzzled, he thought, at this hour, Shu Yue should have been home—where could she have gone? Could she be asleep?

Xu Lang pressed his ear to the door, but heard nothing. Growing even more confused, he rang the bell again and listened, but still nothing inside.

Click. At that moment, a door behind him opened. An old, raspy voice startled him. “Who are you looking for?”

Xu Lang glanced at the door in front of him—no movement there. The voice had come from the apartment directly opposite. He turned to see the door open just a sliver, dim light spilling out. An elderly woman, stooped with age, one hand gripping the frame, the other tucked behind her back, peered at him with cloudy eyes.

Seeing she was an old woman, Xu Lang smiled politely. “Hello, Grandma. I’m the boyfriend of the girl who lives opposite you. My name is Xu Lang. Have you seen her come home?”

The old woman scrutinized him up and down for a long moment before rasping, “You say you’re the young lady’s boyfriend, but how come I’ve never seen you before?”

Xu Lang rubbed his nose, thinking, ‘You’ve never seen me, but I’ve never seen you either.’

It wasn’t really his fault. When Xu Lang worked in the second investigative unit, he was always busy, either at home or sleeping in the office, and rarely came to Shu Yue’s place. Usually, it was Shu Yue who visited him, bringing groceries, cooking, and doing his laundry. Otherwise, given how hard he worked, his place would become a mess of dirty clothes and socks. Probably every police officer lived like that.

“Grandma, I really am Shu Yue’s boyfriend—I just don’t come by often,” he explained again.

Still wary, she asked, “If you’re her boyfriend, why don’t you have a key? And what were you doing with your ear to the door? Are you a thief?”

Xu Lang was speechless—he didn’t think he looked that suspicious.

As he and the old woman were at an impasse, someone came up the stairs.

Shu Yue, carrying a bag of fruit, arrived and, seeing Xu Lang, asked, “Why are you here? Why didn’t you call first?”

Xu Lang pulled her over, put his arm around her waist, and said to the old woman, “See, Grandma? I really am her boyfriend—not a thief.”

The old woman ignored him and instead asked Shu Yue, “Young lady, is this really your boyfriend?”

Though she didn’t know what had transpired, Shu Yue nodded. “Yes, he’s my boyfriend. Why, Grandma Zhao?”

The old woman shook her head, said nothing more, and retreated inside, closing the door behind her. As she did, Xu Lang saw clearly that the hand she’d kept behind her back was clutching a kitchen knife—startling him all over again.