Replacing the Evil Way

Chapter 32: Rest is not active

There were four pamphlets on the table, advertising a hotel, a supermarket, a pharmacy, and an English learning institution. Alongside them was a stack of photos. He Wei crossed his arms, while the members of the special task force stared eagerly at him, waiting for Captain He to begin the discussion.

With a slight lift of his eyes, He Wei noticed the awkward scene and said, “What’s with those looks?”

“Captain, do you know where Cheng Zhenqing went?” Yun Xiaoxiao asked.

“Where do you think he went?” He Wei’s gaze swept across the people present. “Let’s all share our thoughts. We’re all on the same team, and brainstorming is essential for solving the case.”

“…” If we had any ideas, we would have gone to arrest him already, Captain He.

“Kids have flexible thinking, and their brains need to get moving,” Chong Zhen patted Xia Liang on the back of her head. “Come on, Edogawa Xia Liang, show us what you’ve got. Let us witness the power of over seven hundred episodes of anime.”

“Chong-ge, please don’t put me at gunpoint like that,” Xia Liang nearly cried. “I’ve looked at the map, and these places aren’t even close to each other. Could it be that he just picked up the pamphlets on the street and casually left them at home?”

“That’s a possibility.” He Wei turned to Hu Songkai. “ErHu, the items were brought back by you. Do you have any thoughts?”

“I feel like he might have gone to a hotel. He’s on the run, and if he has no place to sleep, he would need to find a place to rest.” 

“The surveillance is tight now. Nearly all hotels require ID registration, whether with real information or a fake identity. The moment it’s uploaded to the network, it’s exposed. Cheng Zhenqing wouldn’t take such a risk,” He Wei’s gaze met Wu Xiaolei’s. “Xiaolei, where do you think we should go?”

“Huh? I, I don’t really have any good ideas. Normally, we just follow Captain Heng’s task assignments.” Wu Xiaolei scratched his head apologetically.

“That won’t do. What if Captain Heng isn’t around one day? Then wouldn’t you be clueless?” He Wei coaxed gently. “It’s okay. Anything related to the case is worth saying. Having ideas is a good thing.”

Wu Xiaolei felt troubled. The most convenient technique for locating a suspect was through mobile phone signal tracking. However, the number obtained from the private trainer had been turned off for some time, and the base station hadn’t received any information. The final location was near the Hutaoli Community, but it was almost useless. The pamphlets further added to the confusion; the shops mentioned were scattered all over the place, and they couldn’t narrow down a specific area.

He had been seconded to the Criminal Investigation Division, supposedly to assist, but in reality, Heng Luzhou sent him to learn. According to Captain Heng, any supernatural being would be exposed when faced with He Wei’s methods. Their job was to do legwork and investigations, leaving the thinking to He Wei.

Every time Wu Xiaolei watched He Wei examine a piece of evidence and quickly deduce a conclusion, his admiration for He Wei grew stronger. But when it came to trying it himself, he encountered numerous difficulties. His mind became a mess, like walking into a maze without an exit.

“Are you all racking your brains trying to figure out which one of these places he might have gone to?” He Wei picked up the leaflets and shook them. “Many times, you can’t just look at the surface. There’s a lot of information printed on these colorful pamphlets, and what we need to do is extract the useful elements from within.”

Everyone at the table listened attentively. He Wei took out the pharmacy pamphlet and handed it to Yun Xiaoxiao. He instructed each of them to take a careful look and emphasized not to just focus on the surface information but to be good at spotting unnoticed details.

Taking advantage of the break, He Wei made tea. The cup was filled with honeysuckle tea, the same kind that Jingyuan had given him the last time they met. Once you reach thirty, you start paying attention to your health. Back in the day, He Wei could come back from a run in the summer and pour ice water over his head, but with age catching up, he couldn’t afford such extravagance anymore.

As the pamphlet passed from Yun Xiaoxiao to Xia Liang, it had already been through the hands of three people. Hu Songkai admitted defeat voluntarily, giving himself the label of “Erquan Yingyue1Performer.” Chong Zhen scolded him for being without ambition, giving up on himself, saying, ‘Look at Chong-ge.

With a cup of tea in hand, He Wei seemed quite amused. After staring at the pamphlet for a few seconds, Chong Zhen suddenly slapped it on the table, pointing his index finger at the building behind the pharmacy. “Go check that area. He might be hiding in that office building.”

Xia Liang covered his face, uncomfortably interjecting, “Chong-ge, this building… it’s photoshopped.”

“…”

He Wei couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. Chong Zhen’s face turned ugly, wanting to execute Xia Liang on the spot. Little brat, don’t you care about your brother’s face? Can’t you sabotage the plan after the audience disperses?

Xia Liang picked up the pamphlet, scrutinizing it thoroughly. He didn’t miss a single word and found nothing unusual. It wasn’t until he lifted it up and held it against the overhead fluorescent light that the thin, shiny coated paper revealed something. Xia Liang asked in confusion, “Huh? There seems to be a mark here.”

Everyone looked up together. Just below the elaborate red lantern in one corner of the pamphlet, there was an imprint that seemed to have been left by writing above the pamphlet. Chong Zhen patted Xia Liang on the back, saying, “Your eyes really are sharp!”

He Wei saw that the secret of the pamphlets had finally been discovered. The sight of these people looking up at the sky, engrossed in their thoughts, was so picturesque that he couldn’t bear to look directly at them. So he walked over and took the pamphlet down. “It’s difficult to discern from this angle. Haven’t you learned physics? It’s the principle of light refraction.”

He rolled the section with the imprint downward and held it up to the light. Everyone focused their gaze, and they saw a series of numbers.

“The medium on which something was written might have a thickness, causing the imprint to be less visible. The middle and last digits aren’t clear; it could be 5 or 9, or maybe 8 or 7. Try them all and make the call to find out where it is.” He Wei closed his cup. “Also, what about the man who issued the adventure notice?”

Hu Songkai waved his hand, signaling not to ask, because asking would only yield the answer that his whereabouts were unknown.

Wu Xiaolei’s eyes flickered. “Captain He, could that man and Cheng Zhenqing be the same person?”

“The features do bear some resemblance, but Hutaoli and Fuxin Road are half the city apart. Besides, he picked up my classmate’s ID. So, I think the person who issued the adventure notice might be near Huyue Xingchen.” He Wei smiled. “However, your hypothesis is also possible. You’re showing promise. Let’s first bring Cheng Zhenqing in; it could resolve a lot of issues.”

Wu Xiaolei’s spirits lifted. “Yes!”

———

After the meeting, Huang Zhanwei called Cheng Zesheng over to his office.

Cheng Zesheng didn’t know what tricks this old fox was up to, so he asked cautiously, “Chief Huang, what can I do for you?”

“Oh, nothing much, just asking how you’ve been lately.” Huang Zhanwei sat beside Cheng Zesheng, his gaze was full of kindness. “Zesheng, if you encounter any difficulties, don’t keep them to yourself. It’s not good for your health.”

“Chief Huang, thank you for your concern,” Cheng Zesheng looked at his smile, feeling a sense of déjà vu, as if a weasel were wishing a happy new year to a chicken. He put on a polite smile. “Is there anything else? If not, I’ll head back.”

“Actually, there is,” Huang Zhanwei grabbed his arm. “Zesheng, you’ve been working diligently since you joined the Municipal Bureau. Seven years have flown by in a blink, and you haven’t taken any vacations, right?”

His assistant chimed in, “Vice-Captain Cheng has indeed worked hard. I’ve checked the attendance records. Vice-Captain Cheng has accumulated nearly a month of annual leave.”

“A month? That’s quite a while. Since it’s piling up and can’t be used as cash, why not take a break?” Huang Zhanwei chuckled, his small eyes narrowing. “It’s a good time to relax. Talk to your parents; maybe join a tour group for a trip?”

Cheng Zesheng shook his head. “Not for now. I still have ongoing cases, and my master is in the hospital. If I take time off, who will handle them?”

“That’s not a problem. You can delegate the work to your colleagues. Our Municipal Bureau always squeezes you… Let you investigate all the cases, that’s not appropriate.” Huang Zhanwei stood up, pulled out a leave form from the drawer, and handed it over. “Here, fill it out on the spot. I’ll sign it right away. Just hand over your work and take a break.”

Cheng Zesheng stood up, quickly walked over, and held onto Huang Zhanwei’s hand. “Lao Huang, is this a vacation or a suspension? Just tell me straight. Don’t wait until I come back carefree from a trip and find out I’ve lost my job.” An even worse scenario could be getting transferred directly to the Provincial Department.

Huang Zhanwei looked surprised. What was wrong with this kid? While others were crying out for a vacation, he was refusing one that was being offered willingly. Was he out of his mind?

Cheng Zesheng let out a cold hum. When someone was being kind for no reason, there had to be an ulterior motive. The Public Security Bureau had always been understaffed, and during meetings, they often reassured officers that the police were here for the people, and for every extra day they worked, society became safer. But now they were making him, the backbone of the Criminal Investigation Division, take annual leave? Wasn’t that basically implying that something was going to go wrong? Did they think his eyes were holes used for exhaling?

“Chief Huang, I don’t know if it’s a work-related mistake or some other issue that requires a suspension for reflection. But whatever it is, I, Cheng Zesheng, can say with a clear conscience that I haven’t done anything wrong. If you’re not at ease, you can directly report it to the Disciplinary Committee for investigation.”

Huang Zhanwei was getting anxious. He was genuinely trying to do Cheng Zesheng a favor by giving him a vacation. Why was this kid so stubborn? Was he cut from the same cloth as his brother? Advising him didn’t seem to have any effect.

Cheng Zesheng’s attitude was firm. He didn’t want a vacation; he wanted to continue working on the case. Forcing him to take a vacation was out of the question unless they wanted to directly suspend him.

“…” Huang Zhanwei paced around the office with his hands behind his back. He suddenly stopped and angrily said, “Cheng Zesheng, it looks like you’ve been possessed by a spirit!”

“Ah?” Cheng Zesheng looked puzzled. His assistant brought over a cup of tea for the director and explained, “Vice-Captain Cheng, Chief Huang is genuinely concerned about you. You’ve been under a lot of mental stress recently, and your state… seems a bit off. It might be a good idea to rest at home for a while. Maybe have Mrs. Cheng take you to a temple to burn some incense and dispel evil spirits.”

Finally, Cheng Zesheng understood what was happening. So, they suspected he was haunted? He exploded, “Lao Huang, I already told you last time that I was just joking! Why can’t you take a joke? And now you’re not only telling my mom but also forcing me to take a vacation. Have I been possessed by something? As a police officer, I’m filled with righteousness. What kind of evil spirit would dare come near me?”

Huang Zhanwei slapped the table. “Then tell me, why were you living together with someone, undergoing psychological evaluations, and showing up at the crime scene in the middle of the night, calling the victim’s name? What were you doing? Summoning spirits?”

“… How did you know?”

“I know a lot!” Huang Zhanwei was getting exasperated. He chugged down a cup of tea and handed the cup to his assistant. Cheng Zesheng fell silent for a long time before taking a deep breath. “Let’s have a proper conversation. It’s not that I have a problem; it’s the case itself that has significant issues. But I’ve made some progress now, and I’ll do my best to solve it. You can rest assured. Forget about taking leave; I’ll save that for my wedding.”

Huang Zhanwei’s eyes brightened. “Have you set a date?”

“I don’t even have a partner.”

“…” Huang Zhanwei pointed at Cheng Zesheng, left speechless by the unexpected response. His assistant quickly brought another cup of tea, trying to calm the director down, reassuring him that Vice-Captain Cheng seemed to be in good spirits and that there was no need to worry too much.

Feeling refreshed, Cheng Zesheng returned to his office. When Le Zhengkai saw the barely concealed smile at the corner of his mouth, he knew that Cheng Zesheng had successfully teased Lao Huang again. If Cheng Zesheng spent a few more years in the Municipal Bureau, Huang Zhanwei might transform from the Mediterranean Sea into a venerable master.

“Lao Huang, always making a fuss over nothing. He thinks I’ve been possessed and insists on making me take a vacation.” Cheng Zesheng complained without restraint, “What era is this? Can’t we have a bit of a spirit that advocates science?”

He didn’t realize that his own presence was already quite unscientific, especially in the eyes of someone like He Wei, who had turned extraordinary into something ordinary.

Last night, he had caught a glimpse of He Wei through the mirror, which put him in a good mood. On the way back in the evening with Le Zhengkai, they passed by a braised food shop. Cheng Zesheng went in and bought fried chicken feet, crispy pork rinds, and chicken wing tips. Le Zhengkai was surprised, “You’ve already had dinner, and you can still eat all this?”

“Buying it for someone else.”

“Who?” Le Zhengkai raised an eyebrow with a mischievous smile and nudged Cheng Zesheng’s arm. “That consultant? You have a good relationship with them.”

Cheng Zesheng didn’t deny it, and Le Zhengkai continued prying, “Is it a guy or a girl? What do they look like?”

“You still remember He Wei, right? Just imagine his face, and you’ll get the idea.”

“…” Le Zhengkai’s mind conjured up the image of a pale and lifeless face, and he pushed Cheng Zesheng. “You’re crazy. I really think you’ve been possessed.”