Atavism - Chapter 8
"Explosive, absolutely explosive!" Yang Hua said mysteriously.
He has become the center of attention, and there are several more people surrounding him than yesterday.
"We managed to get some information out of them last night."
"Things became much easier once we got to the dinner table. He said the scene was unbelievable; even veteran detectives with decades of experience said they'd never seen anything like it."
"Speak up!" someone urged.
"Those mysterious people acted very quickly. Take the group at the train station, for example. Many of them have been fighting for over a decade and are ruthless characters who can draw their knives at will. Centipede even had a life on his hands, but they just couldn't see how the woman made her move. They said the mysterious woman wasn't carrying a weapon, but when the police examined their wounds, many of them were caused by extremely sharp weapons. It's impossible for her to do that with her bare hands."
"Isn't this a martial arts novel?" Lin Haiyin exclaimed in astonishment, her mouth agape.
"That's not all. Centipede bet the police that he jumped more than two meters high when he saw that man. If the warehouse ceiling hadn't been more than five meters high, he would have almost hit the ceiling. And one of his underlings slashed the man's back with a knife, without even tearing his clothes."
"Damn, the Heavenly Silkworm Robe?" Japanese soldier Tang stared in disbelief.
"At first, the criminal police thought it was nonsense, but later the forensic experts came out and concluded that the mysterious person's stride, judging from the footprints left on the ground, was definitely beyond the physical limits of ordinary people."
"Did he spit out any spider silk on his hands?"
I smacked Japanese soldier Tang on the head with my hand: "You really think there's a Spider-Man?"
Tang, the Japanese soldier, scratched his head with a bitter face: "Then what do you say it is?"
"Chinese Kung Fu, even foreigners know about it." Lin Haiyin asked Yang Hua excitedly, "Don't you think so?"
"In short, this matter is very complicated. The Municipal Public Security Bureau has set up a special task force, and it is said that the higher-ups are also trying to find capable people to solve this case. You see, this matter will soon be impossible to cover up. If he takes down a few more criminal dens, not only national media but also overseas media will flock to Shanghai. The Municipal Government will be in a bad position then. The people in the Municipal Public Security Bureau are having a harder time every day. Apart from shoe prints, they haven't collected a single fingerprint, but they have drawn a portrait of the suspect, and they might have to issue an arrest warrant. They are currently frantically analyzing the motive for the crime."
"The motive? Well, it's because some expert didn't like him and decided to take action." Liu Tang's words always make me want to punch him.
"Did you find anything from the analysis?" I asked.
"There are also theories about punishing evil and promoting good, revenge for past misdeeds, and gangs hiring experts to seize territory. But none of these are very tenable."
"Anyway, this is a satisfying story, and the people are happy to see the news reports. Now, there are far fewer beggars on any street. Although the police are having a headache, they can't be sure whether the crime rate is rising or falling."
Who's speaking? I turned around and saw that even Zong'er had come over.
"Hey, Teacher Zong," Yang Hua greeted him with a smile.
"I read your feature articles every day. You're a good kid, you have potential," Zong said with a smile.
Yang Hua made a small megaphone with his hand over his mouth and said softly, "Blue Head doesn't know, does he?"
Zong waved his hand and walked away with his back turned.
I was searching online for news like "Intense reshuffling of Shanghai's underground forces, with a mysterious figure taking on gangs," and Liu Er was watching with great interest.
The doorbell rang.
I went out and closed the study door behind me.
It's Grandpa Qu.
"Oh, I saw him again today. This time he was wearing reading glasses, so I'm sure I wasn't mistaken. Around 3:15 pm, I came back from grocery shopping and saw someone enter your house."
I frowned and asked, "What does he look like? Is he the same one you saw last time?"
"A very strong and burly man, I think he's about 1.9 meters tall, much more imposing than the last one I saw. It's not the same person, is it? Check if anything is missing. Did someone secretly make a duplicate of your key?"
Regardless of what really happened, it's best to keep the old man out of it. Thinking this, my brow relaxed, and I pretended to suddenly realize something, saying, "I remember now, I asked a friend to come over to pick up some things today. He's not a bad person, thank you for your concern."
"Then I'm relieved. I wondered who it could be. But there are so many. You can't just give out your house key to anyone. You can't see into someone's heart. You have to be careful. I've lived for over seventy years and seen a lot. No matter how good your friend is, you never know when they might do something to you."
"Yes, yes." I nodded and saw the old man off.
I pushed open the study door, and Liu Er was still reading news online.
I wondered if he heard me, and I was thinking about how to ask him.
"Six Ears, this afternoon..."
"No one has been here." Liu Er turned to me.
I didn't expect him to deny it so readily. But Grandpa Qu wouldn't just knock on my door and spout nonsense for no reason.
I was so kind to let him stay, and even went to great lengths to help him, and this guy actually lied through his teeth, bringing other people to my house without telling me. What does he think this place is, some kind of guesthouse he runs?
I think my displeasure was quite evident on my face.
"I'm not lying to you, no one has come here," Liu Er insisted.
"So my neighbor must have been mistaken? Twice in a row?" I questioned him.
"Perhaps."
Perhaps? What kind of answer is that?
He muttered something under his breath, as if talking to himself. I looked at his face, but I couldn't see his expression. I haven't been able to see his expression for many days.
Liu Er lowered his head slightly. He turned back to look at it again, then stood up and walked back to his room.
This bedroom was like his refuge. He hid in that darkness and never came out again.
"Your Majesty, come out for a moment."
His full name is Wang Dong, but we call him "Wang" not because of his surname. He has another name, Paparazzi Wang.
This kid was a gem that the entertainment department poached from other newspapers last year. He has a wide network of connections, a thick skin, and ears that stand up like a rabbit's—he's always on the lookout for any trouble. Since he arrived, the entertainment section has become much more lively and interesting.
If someone can sneak out into the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night to watch film crews shoot, how could their writing be anything but good? Calling him the King of Paparazzi is absolutely fitting; he's definitely a top-notch paparazzi, at least in mainland China.
Wang and I strolled into the corridor, arm in arm.
I rubbed my hands together, finding it difficult to speak.
"Go ahead and say it, buddy."
"You can get your hands on things like hidden cameras, right?"
"Hey, Togo." Wang patted my shoulder heavily, his small eyes narrowing. "You're quite experienced at taking pictures of me. Who do you want to photograph? The toilet, the bathroom, or the changing room?"
“I’m from the building department,” I smiled. “There are some tenants who don’t want to show their faces. The owner wants to see who they really are.”
The clinking sound of the dice stopped.
"Life is like rolling dice; you never know what number you've rolled until you see it," I said, pressing my hand against the dice cup.
Liu Er lifted his dice cup, glanced at it, and said, "Good hand."
I laughed: "Even if you see it, it doesn't guarantee a win. You call first." I gently lifted a corner of the dice cup, and six bone dice lay quietly inside.
"Four sixes."
“Five fours,” I said.
"Five sixes."
"Six fours."
"Six sixes!" Liu Er shouted without hesitation.
"Then let's go with seven sixes," I said after thinking for a moment.
Liu Er laughed: "Open."
He only had two sixes, I had three. I lost this round.
“Your trickery is quite clever; you lured me in,” I said.
Liu Er started shaking the dice again.
"What's your zodiac sign?" I suddenly asked him.
"Twins."
"It's a very complex constellation. The outward appearance is usually quite different from the inner self." I slowly moved the dice cup, and the dice rolled and bumped around in the small space.
"Um?"
"Actually, I came back yesterday at noon."
Liu Er suddenly raised his head and looked at me.
"You don't know, because I didn't even go inside. I installed a camera on the other side of the door. That little thing ran for four hours yesterday afternoon."
Liu Er stared at me, and I could vaguely see his Adam's apple bob a few times.
"Beige plaid T-shirt, blue jeans, short hair, probably over 1.8 meters tall, really a great figure, is she a model?"
Liu Er lowered his head and stared blankly at the dice cup.
"This time... you're not going to say the camera made a mistake, are you?"
Using a hidden camera to monitor a room door is certainly a very disrespectful act to a friend, but since Liu Er deceived me first, he has no reason to accuse me of anything.
Liu Er remained silent.
He was lost in thought.
Was he contemplating how to tell me, or was he preparing to remain silent? Perhaps he would stand up and walk back into that dark room.
The atmosphere gradually solidified.
The fluffy, curly fur on Liu'er's body drooped down and clung to its skin.
I hesitated, wondering if confronting him like this was the right thing to do, but ultimately decided it was time for him to give me an explanation. Otherwise, I would have to ask him to leave. As a friend, I had already done enough.
Relationships require mutual maintenance; this applies to both romantic and friendship relationships.
Liu Er remained silent. I sighed inwardly, lifted the dice cup, glanced at it, and said, "Four ones."
Liu Er opened the dice cup and looked at it for a long time.
"If you had gone inside after installing that camera yesterday at noon, you would have found that no one was home at all." He took the dice cup aside and found five ones and one four—an absolutely perfect hand.
My eye twitched slightly involuntarily. Liu Er paused after saying that, but I didn't rush to ask him anything. I think he had already made up his mind to say something.
Liu Er suddenly raised his head and grinned. It was the first time I noticed how white his teeth were.
"What time did your camera stop recording? A little after four? You got back at six-thirty, right? Guess when that pretty woman left?"
I shook my head.