Chapter 1 Investigator

Kangyang District Public Security Bureau investigator? My cousin's workplace, looking for me?

Zhang Yuanqing felt a jolt of apprehension. He was about to tiptoe to the bedroom door to eavesdrop when something occurred to him. He opened his phone and deleted the chat logs and call records with Bing Ge (Brother Bing).

Then, he carefully folded the letter Bing Ge had written to him and tucked it under the potted plant on the windowsill.

Only then did he cautiously open a crack in the door and secretly observe.

From the entrance came his grandmother's voice, not answering the question but asking one of her own:

"What do you want him for?"

She didn't invite the investigators in but blocked them at the door.

"We need to ask him some questions. These are our credentials."

The speaker was a young woman with a sultry voice.

His grandmother glanced at the credentials and then frowned, stepping aside to let them in.

Zhang Yuanqing opened the door at just the right moment, scrutinizing the investigators as they entered the living room.

The lead investigator wore a black suit with a white shirt and black vest, leaning on an ebony cane. He had a thin face, a neatly trimmed mustache, and his hair was slicked back in a pompadour.

The strong British vibe and the mustache reminded one of an émigré gentleman from the Republican era.

To the émigré gentleman's left was a pretty young female investigator with striking features that suggested she might be of mixed race. She had a smile on her face, and her watery eyes were very lively.

She was probably around 175cm tall, with legs that rivaled a supermodel's. She wore a suit, with the hem of her blouse tucked into her pants, accentuating her slender waist and full breasts, giving off a sophisticated and capable air.

The last investigator had a wooden expression, wore thick-rimmed glasses, and his hair was slightly disheveled, giving him the air of an IT nerd.

"I'm Zhang Yuanqing. What do you want me for?"

While Zhang Yuanqing sized them up, the investigators were also observing the young man.

The mixed-race female investigator said with a smile:

"We're investigators from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau. We have some questions we'd like to ask you. Please cooperate with our investigation."

"Okay..."

Zhang Yuanqing led them to the sofa in the living room. His grandmother poured the three investigators a glass of water, then stared at her grandson with a puzzled expression.

She couldn't imagine what her outgoing, sociable grandson, whom she had raised herself, could have done to warrant a visit from the police.

The young investigator with messy hair and a vacant stare took out a notebook and pen and uncapped the pen.

The man with the pompadour sat down on the sofa, resting both hands on his cane, and said seriously:

"Do you know Lei Yibing?"

So, they were here about Bing Ge. They came so fast... Zhang Yuanqing answered truthfully:

"We've been friends since we were kids. Why are you suddenly asking about him?"

A question flashed through his mind. His cousin was the captain of the Second Squad of the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau. These three investigators must have checked his family background before coming.

Logically, they should have informed him that they were going to interview the family member of the Second Squad's captain since they were all colleagues, right?

Didn't people in the system understand basic social skills?

But his cousin hadn't said a word, which meant he didn't know. Otherwise, even if he didn't come along, he would have called to let him know.

"Oh, a childhood friend!"

The man tapped his shiny leather shoe lightly and said in a measured tone:

"Here's the thing: Lei Yibing is missing. The Public Security Bureau in Hangzhou, Jiangnan Province, contacted us, saying that they found out Lei Yibing sent a package before he disappeared, and you were the recipient."

His eyes were as deep as pools, staring at Zhang Yuanqing as if he could see through him. "Is this true?"

Zhang Yuanqing put on a surprised and bewildered expression. "Missing? How is that possible..."

The IT nerd taking notes reminded him:

"Just answer yes or no."

"Yes, just now I received a package, but there was no sender's name on it. I was wondering who sent it to me," Zhang Yuanqing said with a grave expression.

There was no point in denying it. Since the police could track the package, checking the security cameras in the complex would be a piece of cake.

The man with the pompadour nodded and asked:

"What was in the package? We hope you answer truthfully. This is a very important clue for us."

At the same time, his grandmother felt relieved but couldn't help but worry about Lei Yibing.

She had watched that child grow up too, even though they had moved away years ago.

Zhang Yuanqing replied:

"There was nothing in the package. It was empty."

"Empty?" The man with the pompadour narrowed his eyes. His eyes, which seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, scrutinized Zhang Yuanqing.

Even though I lied, the black card disappeared out of thin air, which is practically the same as empty. I'm not afraid of your investigation... Zhang Yuanqing didn't flinch. He looked him in the eye sincerely and said:

"When I opened the package, I found it was empty, with only some protective air cushions. Oh, right, the package is still in my room. You can go take a look if you don't believe me."

If Bing Ge's disappearance was what he suspected, he definitely had to hide it for now and wait for his cousin to come home from work before explaining everything.

It was always best to discuss potentially risky matters with family.

The man with the pompadour gestured to his female subordinate with his eyes.

The latter entered the room with a smile and, after a moment, returned to the living room, nodding slightly to her colleague.

The man with the pompadour pondered for a moment and said:

"If it's convenient, we'd like to check your room and your computer. Also, please let me see your phone."

Checking the computer was fine, but please don't open the browsing history or the study materials on the hard drive... Zhang Yuanqing unlocked his phone screen without batting an eye and handed it over.

The man with the pompadour took the phone and swiped around a few times with his thumb before returning it to Zhang Yuanqing and waiting patiently.

After a quarter of an hour, the female investigator came out with her long legs. This time, she shook her head.

The man with the pompadour nodded slightly and said gently:

"Thank you for your cooperation. We won't disturb you any longer."

Zhang Yuanqing quickly asked:

"Can I ask about Lei Yibing's situation?"

He asked this out of genuine concern and to make his lie more convincing. It would be too suspicious if he didn't ask about his childhood friend's situation after hearing he was missing.

The man with the pompadour answered patiently:

"Lei Yibing disappeared from his dorm room. The surveillance cameras in the hallway didn't capture him leaving. According to information provided by a roommate, he saw Lei Yibing sleeping in bed when he got up to go to the bathroom that night.

"But when he woke up in the morning, he was gone. After 24 hours, when they couldn't reach him, their counselor notified the school, and the school immediately called the police.

"You'll have to call the local Public Security Bureau for more detailed information."

This was the same as what Uncle Lei said. It seemed that the local Public Security Bureau hadn't made any progress. Hmm, maybe this guy just didn't want to tell me... Zhang Yuanqing nodded.

"I understand."

The man with the pompadour walked towards the door with his two subordinates, stopping halfway to turn around and say:

"If you have any clues, you must notify us in a timely manner. Don't hide anything from us."

Zhang Yuanqing was about to nod when he heard him say with a meaningful smile:

"Otherwise, you might be the next one to disappear."

The next one to disappear?

What did he mean by that? Was he threatening me? If I didn't hand over the black card, I would disappear like Bing Ge?

Speaking of which, what exactly happened to that card? It disappeared out of thin air... Even if I wanted to hand it over, I couldn't.

"Thanks for the reminder!"

He returned a smile that wasn't very genuine.

In any case, he would wait for his cousin to come home from work before doing anything.

Bing Ge definitely wouldn't want the card to fall into the hands of the Public Security Bureau. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent it to him.

Besides, as his best friend and childhood friend, he believed that Bing Ge wouldn't screw him over.

His grandmother's face darkened, and she said coldly:

"I won't see you out."

What was wrong with this person, cursing her grandson for no reason?

The man with the pompadour smiled, took out a business card from the left pocket of his suit, and handed it over. "Contact me anytime if you have any questions."

After Zhang Yuanqing took it, he led his two subordinates away.

"How could A'bing (Bing) disappear? Sigh, I'll make time to visit A'bing's mother." After they left, his grandmother said worriedly.

The two families used to be neighbors, seeing each other every day for more than a decade, so they still had some feelings for each other.

Zhang Yuanqing said with a tired expression:

"Grandma, I didn't sleep well last night. I'm going back to my room to rest. If I don't wake up by noon, don't call me.

"If Grandpa comes back, tell him about this and have him contact Uncle Lei."

He had stayed up with his aunt until two or three in the morning and then woke up this morning with a relapse of his old illness. He was already sleep-deprived, and he had forced himself to use his brain to find Bing Ge and the black card.

Now, he was so tired that his brain was swimming.

After his grandmother nodded, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room.

He closed the door, stepped on the heels of his shoes to take them off, and threw himself onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

.......

Inside the black business car, Li Dongze sat on the soft leather seat, a cane with a gold handle leaning against the side of the chair. He held a goblet in his palm, swirling the scarlet liquid inside.

"Guan Ya, what did you find in the room just now?"

He turned his head to look at the mixed-race beauty in the seat next to him.

Guan Ya leaned languidly against the soft chair, her long legs pressed tightly together, her pretty face serious.

"I made a major discovery."

"Speak," Li Dongze said seriously.

The IT nerd in the back row also looked up from his phone.

Guan Ya said in a solemn tone:

"That kid is into black stockings and mature women. His study materials are full of mature women, but his trash can is so clean, which is simply unreasonable.

"His social circle is very broad. He's in all kinds of groups, but he's only active in game groups and *lsp* groups. He's muted notifications for all the other groups... His room, besides the game console, doesn't have any entertainment. This kid is actually a bit of a loner... By the way, Chief, do you know what *lsp* means?"

The mixed-race beauty grinned and made a *lulu a lulu* gesture.

Her two colleagues were dumbfounded. Li Dongze quickly raised his hand to stop her, angrily saying:

"Oh, my God, I really want to kick your ass with my boot. I'm talking to you about serious matters. Why are you saying all this nonsense? I've told you many times, don't be a rogue, don't tell lewd jokes. Your habits are very bad, very ungraceful."

The long-legged *yu jie* (mature woman) wasn't afraid of her angry boss at all, laughing:

"Don't be so boring. Appropriate jokes are good for enlivening the atmosphere."

She slowly put away her smile and said:

"I didn't find anything suspicious on his computer, but I found the letter Lei Yibing sent to him under the potted plant on the windowsill. Lei Yibing did send him something. It's probably a role card, but I don't know what kind of profession it is."

Li Dongze was silent for a few seconds, closing his eyes to rest:

"You go back there again tomorrow. Heh, if he hasn't disappeared."

......

ps: Thank you to everyone for the Alliance Master and Silver Alliance.