Chapter 25 Confession (part 2)
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The stubbled man, finishing his meal, said, “I vaguely remember this guy, but I’m sure I don’t know him well. He’s definitely not a resident of this building.”
The young police officer nodded and asked An Bu, “Does he have any other distinctive features?” After dealing with the first three peculiar individuals, suddenly encountering a normal person felt a bit strange.
An Bu thought carefully and said, “He has a few pimples on his chin, and seems to often scratch them with his fingers, like…”
“Alright, no need for metaphors,” the young police officer interrupted, not wanting to think about pimples anymore.
“No, I’d like to hear,” the stubbled man, enjoying the spectacle, chimed in. “Delivery lady, what were you about to say?”
An Bu continued, “….Like a bunch of crushed maggots.”
The young police officer: This is probably the most disgusting statement he has ever recorded!
The stubbled man admitted, “My bad, I shouldn’t have been so curious.”
The young police officer sighed and changed the topic, “Do you remember the colors of that man’s clothes, cap, and earring?”
An Bu hesitated, then replied, “Sorry, I’m color blind.”
The young police officer: “….”
After completing the record for An Bu, the young police officer turned to the stubbled man and asked, “Were you at home all evening? Did you hear any unusual noises?”
“Of course,” the stubbled man said, “Scuffling with the alluring woman next door in 606, screamed for two hours.”
The young police officer: …Since when?
The stubbled man gave him a subtle look, “It started around 10 pm, on and off. I guess the guy didn’t last long, shoots in two or three minutes, then took a break for twenty minutes before starting again. It finally quieted down around 11 pm, not as enduring as my self-pleasure sessions.”
The young police officer’s mouth twitched, “And what about 604? Did you hear anything strange?”
The stubbled man rubbed his chin, “My attention was drawn to 606. You’re a man too; you should understand. When a man’s mind is focused on lower body matters, he won’t think about anything else.”
The young police officer: Although we’re both men, I don’t want to be represented like that, thanks.
Just as the young police officer was about to ask another question, a middle-aged police officer emerged from the crime scene. He glanced at the stubbled man and An Bu, then said to An Bu, “You’re the first one who discovered the bodies?”
An Bu nodded.
The middle-aged police officer took the statement from the young police officer and, with a strange expression, asked, “Do you remember the specific time you encountered these people?”
“Around 12:35 am, I checked my phone before going upstairs.” An Bu replied confidently.
The middle-aged police officer’s expression darkened, “The forensic examination just determined that the two victims died between 10 pm and midnight last night. So, among the people you saw, one of them is likely the perpetrator.”
“Can you tell me more about the man who looks like a psychiatric patient and the other one with the baseball cap?” The middle-aged police officer asked, evidently eliminating the suspicion of the couple and already knowing their identities.
An Bu felt she had already shared everything she could recall, and it seemed there were no more clues she could provide. Concentrating, she carefully recalled her memories, and suddenly, a scene froze in her mind.
“Identification wristband…” An Bu muttered.
“What?” The middle-aged police officer seemed to not have heard clearly.
“I think that man might really be a psychiatric patient. He was wearing an identification wristband on his left hand. Although I didn’t see the number clearly, the wristband had a pattern composed of four diamond-shaped leaves.”
“Oh, I know. That’s the emblem of the Rehabilitation Second Hospital.” The stubbled man timely provided accurate information, saving the police from the trouble of investigation. It wasn’t clear what his occupation was, but he seemed to know quite a bit about various things.
“This information is very helpful. What about the man with the baseball cap? Can you remember anything else about him?” The middle-aged police officer asked again.
“No, no.” An Bu explained, “I was just talking about the baseball cap; his sleeves were a bit short, and his left wrist was exposed while reaching into his bag, showing half of a wrist with an identification wristband.”
The middle-aged police officer never expected that the man with the baseball cap was the one with mental issues. However, he didn’t rule out the possibility that the middle-aged man and him might be from the same place.
“Do they seem to be together?” he asked.
“I don’t know about that. I can only remember these things,” An Bu said. She wasn’t a mind reader; providing this many clues was already enough to save the police a lot of time.
The middle-aged police officer nodded, “Thank you for your cooperation. We’ll check your phone later. If everything is fine, you can go home. We might need you to come and identify the suspect once we find him.”
“No problem,” An Bu knew that they would check her phone to confirm her identity as a delivery person and, at the same time, to examine the delivery time and route, completely ruling out the possibility of her involvement in the crime.
At this moment, a “ding dong” echoed down the corridor as the sound of the elevator doors opening reached them. Everyone turned to look, witnessing a tall and handsome man stepping out of the elevator. Two sharp gazes precisely landed on An Bu.
Just minutes ago, Jian Ningxuan was at home studying data, while also keeping an eye on An Bu’s movements. Around 12:30, he noticed An Bu suddenly stopped moving, staying in a particular area. Ten minutes, twenty minutes passed… Jian Ningxuan couldn’t sit still any longer. He grabbed his keys and phone, rushing out of the door.
When he arrived at the coordinates displayed for the apartment, seeing several police cars parked downstairs, an unprecedented panic surged in his heart.
It wasn’t until the moment the elevator doors opened, revealing the familiar figure, that the dark clouds in his heart suddenly dissipated, and clarity returned.
He strode over to An Bu, reaching her side quickly, with only her reflected in his deep, profound eyes.
“Are you okay?” His low voice, tinged with a bit of hoarseness, carried an elevated temperature, making his throat feel dry.
“I’m fine.” An Bu looked at his slightly disheveled hair and the beads of sweat on his forehead, asking, “Why are you here?”
“…Just came out for some fresh air.”
An Bu: Just speak honestly, are you worried about getting pregnant? Who comes out for fresh air and ends up in someone else’s apartment, drenched in sweat?
Jian Ningxuan found An Bu, and only then did he spare a glance at the surroundings. Suddenly catching sight of the bloody crime scene, his face stiffened. He immediately took a step to the side, blocking An Bu’s view. She had been staying in a place like this for the past tens of minutes? Could she have been the one to discover the crime scene?
Thinking of this possibility, Jian Ningxuan felt like his skin was about to explode, partly from the heat and partly from shock.
At this moment, a cool sensation spread through his palm, relieving his restlessness.
An Bu’s voice entered his ears, “My questioning is over. Shall we go home?”
She was concerned about lingering around, fearing that someone’s body heat might affect the forensic results…
“Yeah,” Jian Ningxuan held An Bu’s hand, his expression slightly eased.
“Who’s this?” The middle-aged police officer looked at the man who suddenly appeared.
An Bu replied, “My friend, who came specially to find me.”
“How did he know you were here?” The police officer always had a suspicious mind.
Jian Ningxuan came in a hurry and didn’t bring an ID card, but his phone had an identity recognition system. With a fingerprint scan, he pulled up his identity information and handed it to the middle-aged police officer.
His phone was customized, and the installed system was unique.
The middle-aged police officer, holding this obviously high-tech phone, was slightly stunned by the displayed information. He then handed the phone back, saying, “So it’s Mr. Jian. I’ve heard your name before.”
Jian Ningxuan put away his phone, “Can we leave now?”
“Sure.” The middle-aged police officer made a gesture of permission.
Jian Ningxuan held An Bu’s hand and left the apartment where the murder had occurred without hesitation.
After they left, the young police officer curiously asked, “Boss, who is that man? You seem quite wary of him.”
“Not wary, he’s a talented tech guy, but unfortunately, he went off to play the stock market,” the middle-aged police officer explained vaguely. Then he asked, “Did they retrieve the surveillance footage from the apartment?”
“It’s here.” A police officer approached with a laptop, opening the screen to connect to the apartment’s surveillance system. The result was speechless; the surveillance in this apartment was an old product from six or seven years ago. Half of the floor and two elevator cameras were out of order, and the ones that could be used only captured blurry images, making it almost impossible to distinguish between men and women.
“Do they never maintain their equipment? Doesn’t the safety supervision bureau send anyone to inspect?” The young police officer couldn’t help but complain.
The middle-aged police officer waved his hand, “Enough, copy it and take it back to the bureau for a detailed review. This surveillance is less useful than the clues provided by that girl.”
He was now extremely grateful for encountering a witness with exceptional memory. Otherwise, this case would likely require a lot of effort and might even miss the real suspect.
Back at home, An Bu relaxed on the sofa, then turned over with a pillow in her arms. Seeing Jian Ningxuan standing silently not far away, his complexion not great, she raised her hand, summoning him, “Mr. Jian, I was shocked today. How about replenishing my energy?”
Jian Ningxuan walked over, holding her hand, sitting beside her.
Closing her eyes, An Bu felt her vitality slowly rising.
Her death energy had just increased by dozens of points because she encountered dead people. In theory, as long as someone dies within a fifty-meter radius of her, her death energy will increase. However, in a bustling city with strong vitality, death energy can be dissipated by vitality. An Bu usually avoided places like graveyards, crematoriums, and ancient tombs.
“Don’t take night shifts in the future.” Jian Ningxuan spoke up, “This time, you only found a dead body. What if you encounter a murderer next time?”
An Bu opened her eyes, looking at him with a smiling expression, “Then what should I do if I don’t work at night? “
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