Good and Evil Chapter Thirty-Five: The Corpse in the Public Restroom

Good and evil in the human heart are not innate; they are shaped step by step by one’s experiences.

“Why are you all staring at me? Can’t I go to a bar to relax?” Xu Lang raised his head, looking at the three of them with puzzlement.

The three exchanged glances, but none of them shook their heads or said anything.

Lu Ye looked at Xu Lang and asked, “Then what time did you go to the public restroom?”

Without hesitation, Xu Lang replied, “Eight twenty-five.”

“You remember the time that clearly?” Ning Yanran asked curiously.

Wu Yong and Lu Ye also looked at Xu Lang, intrigued.

Xu Lang took out his phone, pulled up the message he had sent to Allen, and pointed at the time. “I went to the bathroom right after sending this text, so I remember it very clearly.”

Lu Ye took Xu Lang’s phone, glanced at the time stamp, and nodded—sure enough, it was sent at 8:25. But as he scrolled through, he saw the messages Allen had sent to Xu Lang. Lu Ye’s expression instantly darkened. He glared fiercely at Xu Lang, then handed the phone back.

Xu Lang rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed.

Noticing this, Ning Yanran’s curiosity was piqued. Just as Xu Lang reached for his phone, she snatched it away.

After reading the steamy messages, Ning Yanran’s cheeks flushed. She tossed the phone back to Xu Lang, looking at him with disdain. “Xu Lang, I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person. Disgusting.”

Xu Lang was speechless, a look of utter helplessness on his face. He hadn’t sent any of those messages; they were all from Allen. He hadn’t replied to a single one—what did it have to do with him?

Just as Xu Lang was about to explain, Lu Ye coughed and said, “Let’s get back to the case.”

Wu Yong didn’t know what Lu Ye and Ning Yanran had seen on Xu Lang’s phone, but it couldn’t be anything good, judging by their reactions. Still, Wu Yong wasn’t interested in that right now. What weighed on him was how to crack the case as soon as possible. The murder had happened more than half a month ago, and they hadn’t made any progress. The pressure was mounting.

Wu Yong took out a stack of files and placed them on the table. “Here’s the information on all five cases. Take a look.”

Lu Ye shot a glance at the thick pile, frowning. “Just tell us the details. We can read the files later.”

“Alright, I’ll get straight to it.” Wu Yong began. “On June 10th, at five in the morning, we received a report. The body of Pi Ruyu was found in a public restroom on Caihua Road. Here she is.” He picked up a photo from the table—that of the victim, sitting on the toilet with her head bowed.

“The deceased is Pi Ruyu, the proprietress of a general store on Caihua Road. She was thirty-four, a local, divorced, and childless. According to the coroner’s report, her time of death was estimated between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. on June 10th.”

Wu Yong then produced a second photo, showing another victim lying in a wash trough. “On June 15th, at six in the morning, we received another report. In a public restroom on Mingxi Road, the body of Yu Xinying was found.”

“Yu Xinying, female, sixteen years old, a first-year high school student, local resident. Her family lives near Mingxi Road. According to her parents, she said she was going to a classmate’s house to study that night but never came home. The next day, her parents contacted several classmates and found out she hadn’t been to any of their homes. They then reported her missing.”

“On June 23rd, at midnight, a female body was discovered in a public restroom on Fangxi Road. The victim’s identity is still unknown.”

“On June 28th, at three in the morning, we received another report. A male body was found in a public restroom on Changyang Road. His identity is also yet to be determined.”

“And finally, on July 6th, at five thirty this morning, another report was made. The body of a woman was found in a public restroom on Baima Road. Her identity is still under investigation.”

After Wu Yong finished, Xu Lang frowned and asked, “So only two victims have had their identities confirmed?”

Hearing the dissatisfaction in Xu Lang’s voice, Wu Yong frowned, his face darkening as he suppressed his anger. “We’ve conducted extensive interviews with all residents, hotels, and inns near the scenes, but no one has seen these victims before.”

“Besides the bodies, did you find any other clues at the scenes?”

“Apart from the bodies, there was a symbol drawn in the victim’s blood on the walls at each scene.”

“What symbol?” Xu Lang asked.

Wu Yong sifted through the stack of photos, pulling out five. On each, three capital letters appeared: ‘S.U.E.’

“Sue? What does that mean?” Ning Yanran looked at the photos, puzzled.

Wu Yong shook his head. “We don’t know. We haven’t figured out what these letters represent.”

Xu Lang studied the letters in silence for a long time.

Seeing Xu Lang’s reticence, Lu Ye looked to Wu Yong and asked, “Any other leads? Were the victims assaulted? Was anything stolen?”

“Of the five victims, except for the male, the other four showed no signs of assault before death. All personal belongings were found at the scene—nothing was missing.”

Lu Ye nodded and turned to Xu Lang. “Xu Lang, do you have anything to add?”

Xu Lang shook his head, setting the photos down. “Not yet. I need to see the bodies first.”

Lu Ye nodded, then stood up and addressed the three. “In that case, I’m officially forming the ‘610 Major Crimes Task Force’ now. Xu Lang, you’re the team leader. Wu Yong and Ning Yanran, you’re deputy leaders. I’m giving you ten days—solve the case within that time, or you can all go home and farm.”

Xu Lang had no objections. He cared little for the title of team leader; what he wanted now was to get to the morgue and examine the bodies.

Wu Yong felt relieved when the task force was officially established, but when he heard that Xu Lang would be the leader and Ning Yanran would also join, his face darkened considerably. He glanced at Xu Lang, then at Ning Yanran, and finally turned to Lu Ye. “Chief, this case has always been handled by the First Criminal Investigation Team. Isn’t it inappropriate to have the Second Team involved as well?”

Lu Ye looked at Wu Yong and asked, “What’s inappropriate? If your team can guarantee to solve the case alone within ten days, I won’t let the Second Team participate.”

Wu Yong opened his mouth as if to protest, but ultimately said nothing.

“Anything else? If not, get out there and get to work.” Lu Ye stood up.

The three rose to their feet, preparing to leave.

“Xu Lang, stay a moment.”

Just as Xu Lang was about to head straight for the morgue, Lu Ye called him back.

Wu Yong and Ning Yanran exchanged baffled glances, not sure why Xu Lang was being kept behind, but they didn’t linger and left the office together.

After the two had gone, Lu Ye looked at Xu Lang. “Sit down. Why are you standing?”

Xu Lang was puzzled—what could Lu Ye want?

But Lu Ye didn’t beat around the bush. He looked at Xu Lang and asked, “Are you really not coming back to work?”

Xu Lang had thought Lu Ye had something important to say, but it was just this. He shook his head. “I’m fine as I am. Why should I come back?”

Lu Ye sighed, hesitating. Xu Lang noticed and asked, “What is it? Did you call me back for something important?”

Lu Ye shook his head, scooted closer, and patted Xu Lang on the shoulder. “I’m getting old, almost ready to retire. I’ve been looking for someone to carry on after I’m gone, so…”

“Hold it, old man. You’re still young—no way you’re retiring so soon. Anyway, I’m off to the morgue to look at the bodies and get started on the case.”

With that, Xu Lang didn’t wait for Lu Ye to say anything more. He got up and left the office.

Lu Ye watched Xu Lang dash out, faster than a rabbit, and shook his head, sighing with a wry smile.

After leaving Lu Ye’s office, Xu Lang found Wu Yong and Ning Yanran waiting for him outside.

Ning Yanran asked, “What did the chief say to you?”

“Nothing,” Xu Lang replied.

“No way,” Ning Yanran said, clearly not believing him.

Xu Lang rolled his eyes at her. “Believe it or not—it’s up to you.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

“Where are you going? Aren’t you coming to the case analysis meeting?” Ning Yanran called after him.

“You start without me. I’ll be there soon,” Xu Lang replied, already some distance away.

Wu Yong and Ning Yanran exchanged helpless glances. To be honest, Wu Yong really didn’t want Xu Lang involved in this operation, but the First Team hadn’t made any headway, and the killer kept on murdering—he was under tremendous pressure. That’s why he sought help from Lu Ye, but hadn't expected that not only would Lu Ye bring in Ning Yanran and the Second Team, but also Xu Lang. Especially upon learning that Xu Lang was now a consultant for the bureau, Wu Yong felt a complicated mix of emotions. Still, feelings aside, the ‘610 Major Crimes Task Force’ was now formed, and there was nothing he could do but hope the case would be solved soon—so Xu Lang would leave. He truly didn’t want to work with Xu Lang.

Since Xu Lang had gone to the morgue, Wu Yong and Ning Yanran each returned to their respective teams to summon their people for a meeting.

When Wu Yong told the First Team about the formation of the ‘610 Major Crimes Task Force,’ everyone was pleased at first. But as soon as they learned the Second Team would also participate, they were indignant.

“Captain, we’ve been working this case for so long. Why bring the Second Team in? Isn’t this just letting them steal the credit?”

“Yeah, Captain! Xu Lang isn’t even a cop anymore, so why is he the leader? We discovered the case first—shouldn’t the leader be one of us?”

“Exactly! Why should Xu Lang be the team leader?”

...

The First Team erupted in protest, all indignant for Wu Yong.

“Enough!” Wu Yong slammed his hand on the table, shouting.

Instantly, the room fell silent. No one dared speak, but their faces were filled with anger.

“If you’re done complaining, get your materials ready for the meeting.”

With that, Wu Yong grabbed his files and went to the conference room.

The rest of the First Team, seeing their captain’s anger, didn’t dare say more. They quietly gathered their things and headed to the meeting.

When they arrived, the Second Team was already there, greeting them with smiles. The First Team, however, wore grim expressions as they sat down opposite Zhao Hua and his group, the two sides facing off across the table.

The Second Team had recently cracked two major cases in a row. The First Team knew this and, alongside their admiration, there was envy—who didn’t want to solve a case and earn praise from above? But the fact that this case remained unsolved wasn’t entirely their fault, which only added to their frustration.