S.C.I. Mystery Vol. 1, Ch. 44

T/L Note: I got to this late (due to running a D&D campaign), so I’ll read through it again when I wake up tomorrow to check for errors…

Killer Training Camp 16: Killer Training Camp

"Kitty, what are you going to do?" Bai Yutang started the car and asked Zhan Zhao, who was wearing a treacherous smile.

"Nnn~~" Zhan Zhao pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Xiao Bai, do you think there is any obvious difference between these victims?"

"Are you changing the subject?" Bai Yutang smiled a little playfully.

"I’m serious!" Zhan Zhao looked at him. "Tell me your thoughts on these victims. I know you already have your own ideas!"

"I can't hide anything from you, Cat!" Bai Yutang shook his head and put a smile on his face. "Actually, I felt like something was wrong from the time Yang Feng set the fire. Qi Le and Yang Feng were both being used. Their first victims, such as the sniped philanthropist, the white powder girls, etc., seem to have been randomly selected. However, on the last two occasions, their goals became clear and related to each other. They weren’t random, but deliberately selected."

Zhan Zhao nodded bluntly. "That makes sense. What else?"

"Also," Bai Yutang said, "Jia Zhengyan and Qi Lei—and also including Zhang Hua... they are either victims or targets. These cases seem to be different from the two crimes mentioned above... for the time being."

Bai Yutang looked sideways at Zhan Zhao looking down with an air of mystery, and asked with a smile, "How about you, oh expert, do you already have an opinion? Isn't it your job to study people's motives? Now’s the time."

"Begone!" Zhan Zhao glared at him again, and said, "What I’ve found is actually similar to you, but a I have a little bit more."

"I’m listening!" Bai Yutang's eyes flashed with interest.

“If we classify the victims, we can come up with three different motivations.”

"Which three?"

Zhan Zhao's right forefinger tapped the window gently, and he began to analyze slowly.

"First, as you said, the original victims were Qi Lei and Yang Feng’s. They were chosen randomly, and they seem to be in line with Yang Feng and Qi Lei's own justice values. They were used to incite them to commit crime. As for the manipulator, the purpose is not so much to harm, but more to prove the existence of split personalities. "

Bai Yutang nodded. "Continue."

"The second type is the sniping of Wilson and Jon, Yang Feng making trouble three times on Nishang Street and Laura attempting to assassinate Professor Wilson." Zhan Zhao explained one by one, "The sniper case at that dinner directly brought the ‘Killer Training Camp’ onto the police’s radar, and Yang Feng's incident was to make the ‘Killer Training Camp’ a big deal... Finally, Wilson received the letters and was stabbed. Everything pointed to 'Killer Training Camp'."

Bai Yutang frowned and seemed to understand, saying, "Yeah, Kitty, no wonder you said that we have been led by the nose. So far, it’s not that we have been focusing our investigation on the ‘Killer Training Camp," but that... someone wanted us to. "

"Bingo!" Zhan Zhao agreed. Then he said with some annoyance, "It is only the third category, where Jia Zhengyan was killed and Qi Le and Zhang Hua became targets, that really confuses me. I can't figure it out. "

After being silent for a while, Bai Yutang suddenly said, "Kitty, could we be on a wild goose chase?"

"What do you mean?" Zhan Zhao was puzzled.

"Well, if you don't think about psychoanalysis, the reasons for killing people are generally very simple." Bai Yutang casually listed them, "Hate, love... silencing people..."

Both of them were stunned at the same time—silencing people?!!

Zhan Zhao's grabbed Bai Yutang’s clothes and shook him, "Xiao Bai! You are a genius!"

Bai Yutang grinned widely, "Come! Kiss me."

"En!" When the over-excited Zhan Zhao came back to his senses, he had already reacted with a kiss on Bai Yutang's cheek...

……silence……

"Dammed Mouse! Go to Hell!" The blushing cat started to shove him.

"Be careful, Kitty! I'm driving!!!" The mouse smiled, cunningly making his escape (1).

"Doesn’t matter!!"

On the way back to the police station, the car drove in an "S" shape~~~



After arriving at the police station, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang immediatelty held a meeting with everyone and explained their next plan.

After the meeting, Bai Yutang called the Ding twins over and explained a few things. Then they sat excitedly in the office waiting for the big fish to take the hook.

At around Noon, Bai Yutang received a text message from Ma Han on his mobile phone, which read: "At 2 pm, the 13th floor of the Chuangyi Building."
"The fish is hooked!" Bai Yutang was a little excited and forwarded the text message to the twins.

The Chuangyi Building was now the location of the Bai Group's film and television company. That afternoon, there was another round of band auditions.

At 2:30 p.m., the event was held as scheduled.

Ding Zhaohui appeared in the competition venue for the first time. Since he was one of Bai Group's important shareholders as well as Bai Jintang's confidant, he immediately attracted the attention of the staff present.

Ding Zhaohui paced the area leisurely. When he saw Qi Le, he remembered to say hello, and this move immediately attracted many speculations from the onlookers.

Qi Le was in a bit of a hurry, but Ding Zhaohui was also considered a half-boss, and he had already seen the ugly side of her addiction after all.

Originally, “Boiling Point” had been disqualified from tournament due to drug use, but later on they were notified that they could participate. They weren’t sure why.

But Ding Zhaohui's goal was obviously someone else. He walked up to the agent Zhang Hua and talked to him.

"It’s a pleasure." He passed over a cigarette.

Zhang Hua immediately took it with both hands in astonishment and lit it... smoking.

They chatted about this and that, then Zhaohui patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction and left.

At the same time, Mahan took a black box with him and went up to a tall building opposite the Chuangyi Building.

He had just found the box in his own locker at the shooting club. It contained a Barrett M82A1 sniper rifle.

After Ma Han had grabbed it, he had gone directly to the tall building, pausing only briefly halfway there in a restroom to send a text message to Bai Yutang.

After entering the building, Ma Han did not choose to take an elevator, but took the stairs directly to the roof instead.

On the fourth floor, a janitor with a trash can stood at the entrance of the staircase. The two men passed by each other and exchanged the boxes in their hands.

Ma Han continued up the stairs and the janitor retreated to a sealed room inside the building and opened the box...



2:50 in the afternoon.

Mahan closed the roof door and took the Barrett M82A1 out from the box. He assembled it, loaded it, mounted it on the guardrail, and began to choose an angle with the sight scope...



3:00 in the afternoon.

The venue of the competition boiled up with the performance of the Boiling Point band. Qi Le's outstanding voice was very infectious, not innocent like an ordinary girl's, but full of transformations and unpredictability. The judges nodded with satisfaction. That singer had a bright future.

Zhang Hua watched Qi Le's performance with enthusiasm and said that he had really found treasure this time ... but, why did it make him feel so dizzy?

Ma Han aimed at Zhang Hua's heart through the sight, silently watching his movement, and saw that he seemed to shake slightly.

He pulled the trigger immediately.

As soon as Qi Le finished the song and the music stopped, everyone heard the clear burst of glass shattering.

Zhang Hua felt like his heart seemed to be stinging. He reached out and brushed his chest with one hand, lifting it to see… and saw blood on his hand… A thought flashed in his head… You, you actually killed someone. Then his head got heavy again, and his consciousness blurred, fading.

When everyone present saw Zhang Hua and the blood on his chest, they immediately broke into confusion, screamed, and fled. Ding Zhaohui, who had arrived in a rush, quickly went to check on Zhang Hua's situation.

"Call an ambulance..." A few people who had come to their senses shouted out.

"No need for an ambulance!" Ding Zhaohui touched Zhang Hua's carotid artery and shook his head. "Call the police directly."

Ma Han pulled his gun back and quickly dismantled it. He put it back in the box and quickly walked downstairs. When he passed the fourth floor, he met the janitor again and exchanged boxes...

One minute later, Mahan disappeared into the crowd carrying the box.

Three minutes later, a police car came to the scene and carried away Zhang Hua's body.

Twenty minutes later, Mahan stuffed the box back into the locker of the shooting club, maintaining a trance-like state, and ran home.

After half an hour, someone walked to Mahan's locker, took the black box out and opened it. They saw that the originally brand-new Barrett M82A1 had been used... they laughed with satisfaction.

Everyone at the venue went to the police station in a jumble for the investigation. Qi Le was called to S.C.I.'s office alone.

Seeing Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang again, Qi Le was a little hesitant. She didn't understand what was going on.

"Don't worry, you’re just here to cooperate with the investigation." Zhan Zhao took out the photo of the female high school student he had found at Jia Zhengyan's house and showed it to Qi Le, "Can you recall if you have seen this person before?"

Qi Le took a look at the photo and was a little suspicious. She wasn't quite sure, "Hmm... it's very similar, but it feels different."

"Do you know this person?" Bai Yutang asked.

"I don't know her." Qi Le shook her head. "... I have seen her once. I saw her with Zhang Hua on the street... they seemed to be arguing, but she looked much more fashionable and older than in this photo."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked at each other, and Zhan Zhao took out another photo. It was Fang Jing's photo in a magazine. He showed it to Qi Le, "Is it her?"

"It's her!" Qi Le said with certainty.

Zhan Zhao put away the photo, "You’ll leave with others later. Don't tell anyone that you've been here?"

"OK." Qi Le nodded and followed Zhao Hu down the stairs.

"Wang Chao, Zhang Long!" Bai Yutang called to the two of them. "You go watch Fang Jing twenty-four hours a day. Find out what she does and with whom, but don't let her find out!"

"Yes." they left quickly.

"Jiang Ping, check all the information about Fang Jing, especially regarding her high school."

"Ok."

"Kitty." After arranging the team members' work, Bai Yutang turned to ask Zhan Zhao, "What next?"

Zhan Zhao thought about it and said, "I have to wait for Ma Han. The other side should have new instructions soon. Then, I can piece together his intentions."

Bai Yutang nodded.

Xu Qing ran in, "Boss, Zhang Hua woke up."

"How’s it going?" Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao, "Kitty, shall we continue the act?"

Zhan Zhao laughed, "Naturally."

In a special ward, Zhang Hua was stuck with strange tubes all over his body and was fixed on the bed. He was surrounded by various treatment instruments and felt like he was in an isolated intensive care unit.

When he woke up, his chest felt a little painful and his head was not very clear.

"How are you feeling?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Zhang Hua looked at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang with some effort, "What happened to me~~~" He struggled to sit up.

Bai Yutang hurriedly held him down and said, "You just managed to survive, don't move now!"

"Ah? I..." He seemed to be confused.

"You were sniped, and the bullet was less than a centimeter away from your heart." Bai Yutang said with an air of seriousness. "The doctor said you would be in bed for at least three months."

"I……"

"Do you know who is trying to kill you?" Without waiting for Zhang Hua to calm down, Zhan Zhao chased after him, "You'd better tell us. If the other party knows that you aren't dead, he might send someone to kill you again."

The look on Zhang Hua's face changed, and he seemed to be determined, "Fine, that bitch tried to kill me. I didn’t know she was so heartless... It's Fang Jing! It's that stinky woman Fang Jing that wants to kill me!"

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked at each other. Bai Yutang started a recording and asked, "Why did Fang Jing try to kill you?"

"Because... because I know her past! Also, she was the one responsible for all those murders." Zhang Hua was a little excited.

"Specifically?" Bai Yutang asked.

"Don't look at Fang Jing's beautiful persona now. What star agent, what popularity, she used to be a bitch!"

"Can you speak cleaner?" Bai Yutang frowned.

"Oh, okay." Zhang Hua hurriedly laughed, but his face was disdainful. "I met Jia Zhengyan in high school at a bar. We were both in a bad situation, so we wanted to spend some money. So, we went to an underground casino. At first, we made some money. Later, the addiction became more and more. But then we lost everything in a big bet and came to owe the boss a debt. The boss asked us to pay the money back or else he would kill us." Zhang Hua sighed, "We didn’t have any money, so, um, I knew that Jia Zhengyan had a rather pretty girlfriend, so I proposed that we use her to pay the debt. "

Zhan Zhao was slightly shocked, "That was Fang Jing?"

"... En." Zhang Hua nodded.

"Keep talking." Bai Yutang urged.

"Jia Zhengyan refused at first, but then he became afraid and was willing, and then we used her... to pay off the debt." Zhang Hua mumbled and stammered out.

"Was Fang Jing willing?" Bai Yutang asked coldly.

"Uh ... anyway, she was quite casual all the time, and she was old enough and mixed up with Jia Zhegnyan..."

"I asked you if she volunteered?!" Bai Yutang interrupted him.

"... We... we gave her some pills and she obediently..." Zhang Hua said.

Bai Yutang frowned. "And then!"

"Later, we didn't expect that drug, Fang Jing became addicted..."

"What drug?"

"It's the kind of colorful painkillers you can get from street vendors... I heard that it wasn't addictive. Maybe she was fed too much... And then she was addicted. She refused to forgive Jia Zhengyan and broke up with him. "

"What then?" Bai Yutang frowned. "Can’t you talk faster?!"

"Okay~~" Zhang Hua continued quickly. "Later, Jia Zhengyan turned on me and we lost contact. I heard that Fang Jing later went to college. Jia Zhengyan was like a different person. He had a lot going for him. He got a job as a teacher at M University... Me? I didn’t do so well... Then, I heard that Fang Jing left the country without finishing her studies. "

"Then how did you get involved with her this time?"

"I happened to see her on TV one day. She seemed to be doing well. I went to Jia Zhengyan. I wanted to find out if they were still together, but I didn't expect that he had drunk too much that day. He said that he had told Fang Jing information about two students, and also said that she was probably on her was... I didn’t know that he had been serving her like a dog in order to compensate her... and then... then……"

"Then you use this information to threaten Fang Jing and get benefits?" Zhan Zhao said, "What else did you want besides getting her to find this job for you?"

"I... no, nothing more..." Zhang Hua quickly denied it, "I didn't dare to be too arrogant... After all, she is rich and powerful."

"Did you kill Jia Zhengyan?" Bai Yutang asked.

"No... no."

"But your fingerprints are on the bottle." Zhan Zhao watched Zhang Hua's eyes flicker and deliberately lied.

"Impossible, that bottle of medicine..." Zhang Hua said. He suddenly woke up more and shut up quickly, but it was too late.

"Go on." Bai Yutang sneered. "Who told you it was a medicine bottle? Why didn't you guess soda bottle?"

"I……"

"Why did you kill Jia Zhengyan?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Yes... it was Fang Jing who asked me to do it. In order to save Fang Jing's heart, Jia Zhengyan was taking drugs himself, but I knew he was only taking vitamins or something... Later Fang Jing gave me the bottle of medicine and told me to change Jia Zhengyan... "

Bai Yutang turned off the recording pen, pulled the tubes from Zhang Hua's body, and said to the door, "Come in."

Then two police officers came in, "Team Captain Bai, good acting."

"I’ll hand him to you." Bai Yutang patted both of their two shoulders.

"You... I..." Zhang Hua was a little dazed, "What's going on?"

"What's happening?” It was only when the police officer pulled him up that he noticed that he only had a faint red mark on his chest, not a bullet hole.

"What hit you was a practice bullet filled with plasma." Zhan Zhao said.

"I... you lied to me?" Zhang Hua looked up and stared at Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao in disbelief.

"Lied to you?" Bai Yutang sneered again and again, "Wait in jail, scum."

Zhang Hua was subsequently taken away.

Walking out of that special room, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao were both quite depressed... Although Fang Jing's behavior was abominable it was also pitiful... After all, she was the deepest victim.

Back at S.C.I., Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang walked into the office silently. They had something on the case. Everything seemed to be about Fang Jing ... But was Fang Jing the black hand behind the scenes or was she just a pawn?

Didididdididi～～～～～

Bai Yutang's cell phone rang—it was Ma Han.

"Ma Han, how's it going?" Bai Yutang pressed the speakerphone button.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Finally, Ma Han said, "Boss, he sent me another email. It is prey two."

"Who is this time?" Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao asked anxiously.

"Yes..." Ma Han stared at the familiar picture on the computer screen and said, "It's Gongsun..."

………what?!! ............

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked at each other with astonishment on their faces.



Early the next morning, Gongsun, who had been confined for three days, finally left the house and walked to the police station.

This time, Ding Zhaohui had added some ingredients to his breakfast, and Gongsun felt dizzy while he walked down the street.

Bai Jintang, who was driving carefully behind Gongsun, watched him with anxiety. Why did he look weaker today than yesterday? What kind of system did this guy have? If he did that, it took him three days to recover. How was he going to live his life? Abstinence??

While he was muttering, Bai Jintang suddenly felt that something seemed wrong, and he heard the sound of bullets shooting past...

Gongsun shook slightly and fell to the ground slowly.

Bai Jintang got out of the car and walked over to Gongsun. He saw him lying there, a clear, bloody hole in his chest...

He couldn’t hear anything, and everything around him seemed to have disappeared. Bai Jintang stood rooted to the spot, feeling... like the world was slowly falling apart~~~

"Gong... Gongsun..." Bai Jintang knelt beside Gongsun with a look of confusion and hugged him, "Gongsun..."

In the distance Da Ding poked Xiao Ding, "Oh no, I forgot to tell Brother."

"No need." Xiao Ding's face was indifferent. "Big brother knows that Gongsun is fine."

"Do you think he looks okay?" Da Ding pulled Xiao Ding around and pointed at Bai Jintang in the distance... Bai Jintang's face was more dead than Gongsun.

Xiao Ding became worried, "What's the matter with big brother? Feel his pulse! Otherwise, listen to his heartbeat or check his breathing!"

"Who would think of that in a time like that?" Da Ding sighed. "Will big brother follow Gongsun?"

"No, right?" Xiao Ding was startled.

"Why not?" Da Ding looked at his younger brother with disdain. "How else do you think Romeo died?"

At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted, "Call an ambulance..."

Bai Jintang woke up suddenly, and there seemed to be something vaguely off. Only then did he notice that Gongsun's body was still hot and his pulse was jumping. He took a closer look... he had just passed out...

The ambulance came faster than ever before, and Bai Jintang silently got into it with Gongsun... Sure enough, it was not a doctor who was sitting in the ambulance... but Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang waiting there awkwardly.

With a pale face, Bai Jintang went to the hospital and settled Gongsun in a bed, then he turned back and asked the two coldly, "Who's idea?"

Surprise~~~

Zhan Zhao looked at Bai Yutang. His eyes signaled, "What do we do?" Bai Yutang was frustrated, "What else can we do? Run away!"
Unfortunately, before the two had time to turn back, they were caught by Bai Jintang. "You two little bastards, you’re bold enough to eat a leopard. ‘ll have your skins today!"

"Yaa~~~~~"

Outside the room, the twins turned and fled when they heard the screams coming from inside.

In the room, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang fled to the side, covering their heads~~ Brother Bai was furious~~~

At the critical moment, Gongsun shallowly groaned and rescued the Kitten and Mouse that had shrunk into the corner and were waiting in the corner to die.

The discord on Bai Jintang's face disappeared instantly, and he quickly stumbled over the bed. He saw Gongsun open his eyes and looked at the group in a daze.

"What's the matter..." When he lifted the quilt and sat up, he saw the surprise on Bai Jintang’s face in front of him... To be more precise, it was a look of regained ecstasy that couldn’t be concealed.

Thinking about what had happened, and noticing Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao hiding in the corner, Gongsun seemed to understand. Bai Jintang’s expression caused him to blush slightly...

Bai Yutang pulled Zhan Zhao out and snuck away. When he closed the door, he saw that Bai Jintang had pulled Gongsun into his arms and was holding him tightly.

Gongsun heard Bai Jintang whisper into his ear, "You're all right, you’re all right. I'll listen to you in the future, as long as you're alright..."



Translation Notes:

(1) A mouse smiled like it had fallen from into the oil tank: I’m not entirely what the story behind the phrase is, but it means something akin to being cunning, sly, or slippery.

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