Mad Detective
[Author: Kuang Hai Wang Hu]
[TL: Spades]
[PR: Blitz]
[QC: Lumi]
Chapter 12 — Camel! Camel!
——————
With the Hand-Chopping Case involving so many people and the Major Crimes Unit short-staffed, even the clerk Li Beini was sent out to investigate.
But Li Beini was thrilled today, as she was paired with Zhao Yu. Getting to work fieldwork with her crush made her over the moon.
Judging by his demeanor, Zhao Yu was in high spirits too. On the bus, he kept humming a tune, chatting with Li Beini about this and that, completely forgetting his bet with Liu Changhu.
How could he not be excited when the Adventure System had kicked in again?
That morning, he'd woken up and, without even hitting the bathroom, lit a cigarette. One puff sent him into a coughing fit, like he'd been zapped.
"Adventure System activated successfully," the thrilling system voice announced. "Kan-Gen Hexagram! Kan Water, Gen Mountain. Water before mountain,颠簸 in motion, a glimpse of the mortal world, ties of fate hard to discern…"
This time, Zhao Yu was ready, frantically memorizing the system's words. But the hexagram's cryptic wording slipped away, and by the time he jotted it down, he only recalled bits about water, mountains, and phrases like "mortal world" and "颠簸."
Though he still couldn't grasp the system's mechanics, his two prior miraculous experiences filled him with confidence about cracking the Hand-Chopping Case.
Hmph!
Just you wait, rotten Liu Changhu. Let's see you cough up 1,800 yuan to cover your grandpa's computer bill!
Zhao Yu set out brimming with confidence, unaware that this trip would start poorly, nearly getting him chewed out.
He and Li Beini were tasked with interviewing one of last year's Hand-Chopping Case victims, the second to lose her right hand, Yuan Lili.
According to the files, Yuan Lili was a piano teacher at the city's music academy. Losing her hand had devastated her life and career. Rumor had it, her husband divorced her because of it.
She was the one who, along with the first victim, had raged at the police, sparking a media frenzy that led to several officers' transfers.
It was clear she wasn't easy to deal with. The moment Zhao Yu and Li Beini stepped in, she unleashed a tirade, calling the police useless, whining about no arrests after over a year, demanding justice, complaining about rehashing her statement, and accusing them of rubbing salt in her wounds. She even threatened to team up with the latest victim to protest at the station again.
Yuan Lili ranted with gusto, acting high and mighty, which grated on Zhao Yu.
If not for her empty right sleeve, he'd have cussed her out. Thankfully, Li Beini's tactful words and eloquence barely got them through the interview.
At first, Zhao Yu was puzzled. Yuan Lili's original statement was detailed and clear, so why bother re-interviewing her? Only after finishing the notes did he learn the questioning focused on the latest Hand-Chopping Case.
The police wanted to know if Yuan Lili had any connection to the newest victim, to help steer the investigation.
But Yuan Lili said she didn't know the latest victim, nor the first one. The three victims were strangers to each other, suggesting the culprit might be picking them randomly.
This taught Zhao Yu the meaning of "keen observation." Police work truly left no detail to chance.
Yuan Lili lived in a posh downtown complex. Though she could no longer teach piano, she still received university benefits, and her ex-husband had left her a hefty settlement, so her lifestyle remained affluent.
Outside, the area was bustling, surrounded by massive malls. When Zhao Yu and Li Beini stepped out, the narrow road was jammed with cars, completely gridlocked.
"Good thing we took the bus!" Li Beini said, relieved. "If we drove, we'd be eating dinner here! Hey, Senior, look, look…"
Mid-sentence, Li Beini spotted something unusual and nudged Zhao Yu to check it out.
Turning, Zhao Yu saw it too and found it intriguing.
From the sidewalk below the mall, a tall camel, a double-humped one, was plodding along! A man in ethnic clothing led it, with a sign around the camel's neck reading, "Photo, 5 yuan!"
"Camel!" Li Beini clapped her hands excitedly, like a giddy kid. "A real camel!"
Since Qinshan City was further south, camels were rare outside zoos. Zhao Yu was curious too, eyeing the towering animal.
"Hey, handsome, pretty lady, want a photo?" the camel handler grinned. "Five yuan a shot, cheap!"
"Yes, yes!" Li Beini tugged Zhao Yu's arm, thrilled. "Let's take one together, it's so rare…"
Before Zhao Yu could agree, the handler brought the camel right up to them.
"Uh, do we sit on it?" Li Beini asked, looking up.
"Of course!" the handler nodded.
"Both of us together? Will it hold?" Li Beini asked, hoping for a cozy photo with Zhao Yu.
Before the handler could reply, a woman's scream came from around the mall's corner, "Thief! Catch the thief! My bag…"
The shout startled all three, who turned to look. A short man in a denim jacket darted between them, clutching a woman's handbag that clearly wasn't his. No doubt, he was the thief the woman was yelling about.
"What? A thief!?" Li Beini snapped to attention, pointing and shouting, "Hey! Stop! Freeze, you hear me!"
The thief, no fool, sped up, making Li Beini yank at Zhao Yu, "Senior, what are you standing there for? Chase him! Thief!"
Zhao Yu didn't budge, saying lazily, "What's this, a joke? We're Major Crimes detectives. Catching petty thieves is below us."
"What kind of talk is that!" Li Beini fumed. "Major Crimes are cops too! Catching thieves is everyone's duty, come on, Senior, chase him!"
Seeing Zhao Yu still unmoved, she rushed to the road to flag down cars, but the traffic was so clogged, even stopping them wouldn't help.
"Alright, alright!" Zhao Yu waved her back. "Save your energy, come take the photo!"
But as he turned, he caught sight of the bag's owner. When he saw her face clearly, Zhao Yu froze, as if a gale roared past and lightning struck him.
Damn it!
How, how is it, her!?