Replacing the Evil Way

Chapter 27: Consultant and Informant

Before leaving work, Cheng Zesheng remembered He Wei’s words. Pondering for a while, he eventually decided to make copies of the inspection reports and evidence photos. As for the actual evidence, he didn’t want to risk bringing it to He Wei’s world, as that could lead to significant consequences.

Throughout the day, Jiang Tan appeared listless. After work, he didn’t go home. Wearing his white coat, he stood behind Cheng Zesheng and softly asked, “Why haven’t you left yet?”

The photocopy room was dark, with only the two of them inside. The hallway light slanted in diagonally, and Jiang Tan stood in the backlight, his white coat billowing, exuding a somewhat eerie charm. Cheng Zesheng was startled and turned around to complain, “What are you doing? Standing silently behind me like this, trying to scare me?”

“To scare you,” Jiang Tan glanced at the photocopier, “Why did you personally come to make copies of the materials? Didn’t you have a junior assistant for that?”

“I’m not like you, always delegating everything to your disciples. Wait until Xiao Liu can’t take it anymore and quits. Let’s see who will still make you wolfberry tea.”

Jiang Tan wasn’t in the mood to banter with him. Seeing that the materials coming out of the photocopier were all related to the case reports, he curiously asked, “What are you copying these for? Planning to show them to your master and ask for his advice?”

“…Mhm,” Cheng Zesheng nodded vaguely. He neatly arranged the printed contents and put the original documents back. Jiang Tan had been waiting for him all this while, feeling frustrated and wanting to invite him for a drink to lighten the mood, finding solace in alcohol.

With plenty of time left, Cheng Zesheng agreed. They went to a barbecue restaurant they often frequented, ordering a large plate of grilled fish, some meat, and vegetables, and then Jiang Tan asked for five skewers of grilled lamb kidneys. He even inquired if Cheng Zesheng wanted a few skewers too.

As Cheng Zesheng poured beer, he casually teased, “Aren’t you wasting money by ordering lamb kidneys? Even if you’re healthy, there’s no one to appreciate it.”

“Hey, as if you have someone to appreciate yours. That face of yours is just a waste!” Jiang Tan playfully brought the beer bottle close to Cheng Zesheng’s lips, “Do you know how people used to talk about you back in school? ‘Either an ice-cold guy or gay.’ Tell me honestly, are you really not interested in beautiful women?”

Cheng Zesheng sneered, “Then why would you dare to invite me out? What if I behave inappropriately when I’m drunk? You’ll be the first one to suffer.”

Forensic Doctor Jiang said with determination, “Ha, I’ve been working out lately. Take off my shirt, and you’ll see my eight-pack abs!”

“I don’t believe it. Take it off right here and now.” Cheng Zesheng tapped the beer bottle and said, “If you have it, I’ll drink; if not, you drink.”

“…” Jiang, who wanted to drown his sorrows in alcohol, hesitated.

As they ate and chatted, they avoided discussing the case and focused on life topics. Jiang Tan’s main subjects revolved around the struggles of being single: “Why don’t I have a girlfriend yet?”, “How can I get a girlfriend?”, “What kind of girlfriend should I look for?” Faced with these questions, Cheng Zesheng summed it up with a single phrase, “How would I know?”

…Jiang Tan felt he couldn’t fathom it either. What was the point of talking to this stubborn straight guy? He might as well find Liu Renyu, his junior disciple, who was patient and obedient. Jiang Tan might even inquire about what type of girls he liked and might consider introducing him to a junior schoolmate.

Around nine o’clock, Cheng Zesheng prepared to leave. Jiang Tan hadn’t had his fill of drinks yet and asked why he was leaving so early. Cheng Zesheng mentioned he had something to attend to but didn’t go into details.

Jiang Tan propped up his cheek, his eyes dazed, his cheeks rosy: “Are you going to meet Captain Yan? Visiting hours should be over by now, right?”

“No, I made plans with someone.” Cheng Zesheng stood up, getting ready to settle the bill, when Jiang Tan grabbed his arm. He saw Jiang Tan’s eyes light up as he stared at Cheng Zesheng, asking eagerly, “Is there something going on? Are you dating someone?!”

“…Dating someone? It’s about a case.” Cheng Zesheng came up with a more appropriate explanation, “I, um, hired a consultant—someone with decent expertise.”

Jiang Tan’s face fell disappointedly. “Fine, let’s go then.” All he ever did was work on cases. His principles were shaken today. He wasn’t even up for handling cases, let alone the regular work.

As Cheng Zesheng settled the bill, he noticed the restaurant had started serving crayfish and decided to pack some to take back. After having eaten He Wei’s pan-fried dumplings last time, treating him to three pounds of crayfish this time should be considered fair, right?

They spread out a map on the coffee table, and He Wei was studying Cheng Zhenqing’s recent activities. He had already met with the local police station this afternoon and arranged a survey under the pretext of household registration checks. Tomorrow, he planned to visit the small road where Cheng Zhenqing was last seen, hoping to find some clues.

After 9:30 p.m., the sound of the door lock finally echoed through the house. He Wei perked up his ears, listening carefully as if he could hear the rustling friction, like the sound of plastic bags. Gradually, he caught a faint scent of spiciness and freshness, both numbing and fragrant, stimulating his taste and smell.

It was the aroma of crayfish.

Not knowing where He Wei was, Cheng Zesheng casually placed the crayfish on the table and pulled out a chair as a signal, indicating that it was time for a late-night snack.

As the chair was pulled out, a box of packaged thirteen-spice crayfish appeared on the table. Although the packaging was tightly sealed, it couldn’t prevent the tantalizing fragrance from wafting out. It was like a seductive beauty lying on the table, enticing He Wei to come and unwrap her.

Subconsciously, He Wei’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he didn’t reach out to touch the food. Instead, he took out a notepad and calmly wrote to Cheng Zesheng, explaining that he was allergic and couldn’t eat it, thanking him for the gesture.

Cheng Zesheng recalled the genetic sequencing results he had obtained today. He Wei here had allergies, and it was quite normal for a situation like this to occur. Although crayfish weren’t seafood, they contained various types of foreign proteins. For individuals with allergies, they could still trigger allergic reactions.

Cheng Zesheng: [Let’s forget about this time. Next time, I’ll bring back some lamb hotpot for you. It’s a signature dish from a famous restaurant.]

He Wei: [Allergic.]

Cheng Zesheng: [Then how about some Dongshan Roast Goose? There’s a branch nearby.]

He Wei: [Allergic.]

“…” Cheng Zesheng fell silent. What does this guy even eat? Was there anything he wasn’t allergic to?

He Wei had undergone an allergy source screening a long time ago, producing a long list of items he couldn’t consume, including many common foods. He had become accustomed to merely observing without being able to eat. The box of crayfish remained unopened, sitting on the coffee table in the living room. They both moved to the kitchen, feeling unlucky that even their refrigerator seemed to have turned against them. They couldn’t have predicted a day when it would play the role of a whiteboard.

Cheng Zesheng took out the photocopied documents and placed them on the countertop. He Wei had initially prepared tweezers, worried that if he touched the original reports, he might accidentally take them all and not be able to return them to Cheng Zesheng. However, he noticed that all the documents on the cabinet were photocopies, which pleased him. He then reached out and picked them up.

Within the stack of documents were field investigation reports, trace evidence reports, autopsy reports, as well as crime scene diagrams and photographic evidence. The layout of the diagram was similar to what Cheng Zesheng had drawn earlier, with the body positioned near the sofa close to the entrance.

He Wei meticulously read through the field investigation report and noticed the line that mentioned “sofa shifted by 0.5cm.” His eyes widened, and he picked up the corresponding scene photo for verification.

One by one, the color photocopies presented the decorations and arrangements within the Fulong Mountain Mansion. The crime scene here was almost identical to the scene they had surveyed earlier. This was the second instance He Wei knew of where the scenes overlapped in parallel worlds, following the 404 Apartment incident.

After a moment, he used a marker to write on the refrigerator door: [Was there any detection of gunpowder residue at the scene?]

Gunpowder residue? Cheng Zesheng was puzzled. The victim had been strangled, not shot. There were no bullet impacts, bullet casings, or shells at the scene, so how could there be gunpowder residue?

Another line of text appeared on the smooth surface of the refrigerator door: [In your case, the sofa’s position also shifted by 0.5cm. It was speculated that there was a struggle between someone at the scene and the killer, leading to the shift in the sofa’s position. There were also extremely trace amounts of gunpowder residue on the sofa.]

Cheng Zesheng was stunned, quickly asking He Wei: [Are you suspecting a connection between these two crime scenes?]

[Yes.]

He Wei thought for a moment and then wrote: [I’ll bring your case materials tomorrow, and you’ll understand.]

Such speculation wasn’t baseless; after all, both of their parallel counterparts had died within this mansion. It sounded mysterious, laden with a certain kind of connection. Cheng Zesheng decided to visit the scene again with Cheng Aiyue tomorrow to check whether there were any gunpowder traces.

If there were indeed gunpowder residue, then the mansion might be a nexus between the two worlds. The two murder cases could be related, and the mastermind behind the killings of their parallel selves might very well be the same person.

As it wasn’t too early, they first attended to their evening tasks and decided to engage in a brief exchange around midnight. By now, they had grown accustomed to having an unseen neighbor in the house. They even established an order for showering, leaving a note on the door if one of them wanted to shower first, ensuring the other person understood.

At the stroke of midnight, Cheng Zesheng and He Wei returned to the living room; the same time, and in the same place, not even changing the chairs.

“I mainly want to ask about your brother, his interests, hobbies, and daily habits. Please give me detailed information.” 

“Is my death related to my brother?” Cheng Zesheng felt this question was rather awkward. He Wei replied, “I’m not sure at the moment, but he’s a suspect. He’s also wanted for illegal possession of weapons. Even if it’s not related to the murder, he still needs to be apprehended.”

“My brother is an anti-drug officer. What’s his role in that world? And how did he end up with illegal weapons?” Cheng Zesheng inquired.

“I’m not sure, but you two brothers are quite capable,” He Wei fished out a cigarette box from his pocket, shook one out, and held it between his lips. “To think you guys even set up an armory. That’s the largest case of concealed firearms we’ve cracked in Shengzhou City over the past few years.”

“…,” Cheng Zesheng mentally sighed. It seemed like those who relied on their looks didn’t have a promising future. He was, after all, a police officer here, serving the people. Yet, in this other world, had he become a criminal?

As the cigarette was lit, a wisp of blue smoke spiraled up. Suddenly, Cheng Zesheng caught a faint whiff of smoke from a familiar brand—something he would smoke during gatherings or high-pressure cases to perk himself up.

“Marlboro?”

“You smoke this brand too?”

“Yeah, the popping beads are quite good.”

He Wei glanced at the cigarette in his hand, and in that moment, a strange sensation overcame him—it was as if his connection with Cheng Zesheng was deepening.

Including the smell of crayfish he had sensed when the other party entered the door, and the scent of cigarettes now, olfactory memories were among the most enduring. The two parallel universes seemed to be gradually merging and deepening, almost unconsciously.

—

The special task force’s small team gathered together, with a map of Shang’an District spread out on the table. He Wei held a pen and circled a few locations, saying, “Wu Xiaolei, Xiao Xia, take two teams and focus on these two gyms in the Dahua Building and Shunhe Road, the audio store in Pingju Square, the Fulong Supermarket—keep a close watch on these places.”

“Xiaoxiao, go with the officers from Shunhe Street Police Station for the household registration investigation. ErHu, go with her and protect Xiaoxiao. If you find the suspect, don’t act impulsively. Ensure he’s not carrying any harmful weapons before taking action. If anything seems unusual, don’t startle him and wait for backup.”

“Chong Zhen, go ask Youqing for a set of evidence collection tools. Come with me to that alley.”

He Wei folded the map, saying, “Chief Zheng talked to me a couple of days ago. Cheng Zesheng’s case needs to be progressed quickly. We don’t have a breakthrough yet. If we can catch Cheng Zhenqing, it might unravel a lot of mysteries. Everyone, work a bit harder and bring him in as soon as possible.”

The people in the room all responded in unison and went their separate ways. He Wei set off with Chongzhen, who asked, “Are the places you arranged reliable?”

“Unless something unexpected happens, they should be reliable.” These were the locations he had circled based on Cheng Zesheng’s description. Although he didn’t know if Cheng Zhenqing in this world would have the same hobbies and habits, they didn’t have much information about this world’s Cheng Zhenqing. It was better to trust Cheng Zesheng’s insights.

“Hey, you look so confident. Where did you get this information from?” ChongZhen’s eyes shifted. “Did your old contacts provide this?”

“Not them, it’s someone else,” He Wei chuckled. “A newly developed informant. They’ve been extremely helpful with this case.”