CH 15

Chapter 15: Future Domain 404

He Wei parked his car near the Future Domain in an open-air parking lot. Chong Zhen got out of the car and whistled, “Hey, not bad at all. The government’s taste in design has improved.”

The building had an overall exterior of smoky blue, with milky-white stripes distributed at different levels. On the side, there were alternating star-shaped decorative lights, which complemented the starry night sky. He Wei took just a quick glance before putting his hands in his pockets and walking inside. Chong Zhen followed him, still praising, “No wonder everyone is rushing to apply for this place. The exterior is really nice, much more modern than the dorms at the bureau. Our building is all dull gray, and with that huge police emblem hanging, it’s no wonder people don’t think it’s a dorm. They say it looks more like a detention center, and I can’t help but feel the same way.”

“Just stop making things up. I’ve been living there for so many years and have never felt that way.”

“How can you compare? Besides dealing with cases, have you ever managed anything else? You didn’t even move into your own place.”

The two stepped into the Future Domain together. On the ground floor, there was a reception desk, but currently, no one was on duty. Perhaps the allocation of the new apartments hadn’t been fully finalized, as only a few people had moved in. From the outside, they had seen that only two or three units had their lights on.

Once inside the elevator, He Wei’s first impression of the new apartment was positive: “Not bad, the elevator is fast, no slow crawling like a snail. It reaches the fourth floor in the blink of an eye.”

Exiting the elevator, the corridor meandered like an office building. Apartment 404 was located at the far end after making a right turn. He Wei took out his key and opened the door. Upon entering, there was a faint smell of paint and wood. He had heard that after the installation was completed, they had to ventilate the apartments for half a year to dissipate the formaldehyde. However, since the windows and doors were usually closed, the new house smell wasn’t easy to get rid of completely.

After turning on the lights, they noticed three large bags piled up on the floor. He Wei went to open the windows for ventilation while Chong Zhen explored the apartment. The entire place, spanning about 60 square meters over two floors, had a layout typical of a single-person apartment. The first floor had a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Going up a wooden staircase, the second floor had two small bedrooms. Indeed, it was designed like a bachelor’s pad. The best part was that everything was already furnished. In their line of work, there were many single men in their late thirties, and quite a few were saving money to buy a house in the southern city. If they could get their hands on such a small apartment, with a bit of decoration, it could be turned into a marital home.

“So, is Lao Zheng showing favoritism towards you, giving you a separate apartment? Is he planning for you and Youqing to become a couple and live together?” 

He Wei rolled up his sleeves and rolled his eyes, “There’s no way that’s true. You guys talk as if it’s real. Would Lao Zheng really let his daughter live in a dormitory? You’re overthinking it.”

“It’s not that we’re overthinking it. Youqing’s intentions are pretty clear. I refuse to believe she sees you only as an older brother.” Chong Zhen also took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. “The two rooms upstairs, one on the left and one on the right, with doors facing each other. Which one will you take?”

“Which one is closer to the staircase?”

Chong Zhen understood and took one bag in each hand, heading upstairs. He Wei’s belongings were minimal: clothes, bedding, daily necessities, two electronic devices—a laptop and a handheld gaming console—and a basketball. It took only half an hour for him and Chong Zhen to organize everything. He Wei fetched a bucket of water to clean up the apartment while Chong Zhen opted out, as he was never good at doing household chores.

“The balcony is nice too, without iron railings. You can see the stars very clearly.”

“The furniture seems to be fully furnished—there’s even a sofa and coffee table. I wonder if every room has this kind of setup. How much did the bureau have to pay for the renovation and furniture?”

He Wei wiped the coffee table and glanced at Chong Zhen, “Do you think it’s free? Initially, Lao Zheng said we could either bring our own furniture or they’d help us furnish the place after the renovation. I found it troublesome, so I paid for it and saved myself the hassle.”

Chong Zhen understood and looked up at the quartz clock in the center of the living room, laughing, “Ah, this is also your request for the furnishings? Can’t it have a bit more of a youthful vibe? It looks like something an old man would have.”

He Wei also looked up and saw the round quartz clock hanging above the TV on the opposite wall. The dial was deep blue with bright yellow numbers, and the color scheme was fine, but the brass pendulum below gave the clock a sense of the Republican era. It was exactly nine o’clock, and as the pendulum swung, a piano melody played and then stopped.

“It even has a chiming feature on the hour?” Chong Zhen stood on a chair, observing for a moment. “It’s quite high-end, and there’s a USB port at the back so you can change the chiming music anytime.”

“Oh.” He Wei replied casually, handing over a basin. “Get a new one.”

He put down the towel and walked to the balcony, looking up at the night sky with twinkling stars and a bright moon. Tomorrow would also be a clear day. Unfortunately, the case wasn’t clear enough yet. He took the time to tidy up the apartment and considered it a place to rest, but he didn’t know when he’d have the chance to come back again.

After changing three basins of water and thoroughly cleaning all the furniture and ceramic floor tiles, He Wei held the mop and finally showed a satisfied smile. Chong Zhen shook his head in amazement; his obsession with cleanliness was really terrifying. Why bother mopping everything so spotlessly? Was it for vanity?

“Thanks. Let’s head back. I’ll treat you some other day,” He Wei instructed, “Tomorrow, let’s go visit Cheng Zesheng’s parents and investigate his situation in Canada.” He thought for a moment and added, “Also, if there’s any news about the man in the group photo, inform me immediately.”

———

During lunch break, Yun Xiaoxiao was slumped on her desk. Xia Liang walked over quietly and looked at her pale face and tired expression. She asked softly, “Xiaoxiao, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Yun Xiaoxiao lifted her head and rubbed her eyes, “Just didn’t sleep well. If I don’t have to work overtime on weekends, I’ll sleep all day.”

Lately, she had been feeling down because of Cheng Zesheng’s murder. The concert tickets she had bought were lying next to her computer. Although the organizers had started processing refunds, she couldn’t bear to give them up and intended to keep them as a permanent memento.

Zheng Youqing appeared at the door, holding a folder and a cup of milk tea. Yun Xiaoxiao waved at her, “Youqing! Are you looking for Captain? He’ll be back at two.”

“No, I’m here to see you.” Zheng Youqing blushed slightly as she placed the milk tea on the table. “I brought this for you.”

“You truly are an angel, Youqing!” Yun Xiaoxiao inserted a straw and took a sip. “Is this full sugar?”

Zheng Youqing blinked, “Yes, I saw you looking gloomy all the time, so I thought having some sugar might improve your mood.” After saying that, she reached out and pinched Yun Xiaoxiao’s cheek, “And, it’s almost time for your physical examination. I feel like they might ask you to gain weight again.”

Yun Xiaoxiao sighed. She couldn’t really be blamed. Back in police school, her weight used to start with a “9,” but since joining the criminal investigation team, it had been steadily declining, and she often received instructions to improve her nutrition and gain weight during physical exams. This showed just how tough working in criminal investigation was. While others strolled on the streets, she was at crime scenes; while others went shopping, she examined bodies; while others sang, she took statements… In short, her youthful beauty had been forced to endure a face full of weariness.

“Unfortunately, not only am I single, but even my dream husband is dead. My life is pitiful and unpredictable.” Yun Xiaoxiao sighed, propping her cheeks. Xia Liang lightly coughed, “Don’t look so far ahead; there might be good things around you.”

Yun Xiaoxiao and Zheng Youqing both stared at him. Zheng Youqing smiled and remained silent, while it took Yun Xiaoxiao a while to react, widening her eyes in astonishment, “Are you crazy? Captain is the kind of man who’s hard to approach. Only Youqing, possess the spirit of Sisyphus.”

“…” Xia Liang returned to his seat, feeling awkward.

Before two o’clock, He Wei and Hu Songkai rushed in, asking about the progress of the exploration mission. 

Xia Liang promptly raised his hand, “We found it! It was posted at 4 p.m. on the 14th, and the request was to go to Fulong Mountain Mansion after 3 a.m. on the 15th, with the entire process documented. The reward is up to 50,000 RMB.”

Yun Xiaoxiao opened the record, “According to Lu Zhihua, the captain of the exploration team, they received an invitation email and, seeing the location was in our city and the reward was high, they decided to go together at night. On their way up the mountain, they encountered no one. When they arrived at their destination, the gates of the mansion were unlocked. After they entered, even before they could turn on their cameras, a team member discovered the body. They were all frightened and immediately called the police.”

“Let me see the exploration mission.” He Wei stood behind Xia Liang, and the latter opened the webpage, explaining, “This website specializes in the supernatural as its selling point. People can upload various videos related to the supernatural for identification or participate in various offline adventure games. One of its special features is posting ‘exploration missions’ where they pay others to explore certain places, catering to the curiosity of those who want to explore haunted places but don’t dare to do it alone. However, the rewards are usually several hundred to several thousand RMB, and a reward as high as 50,000 RMB is rare on this website.”

They opened the exploration mission, and a pair of blood-red eyes filled the entire screen. Lines of dark blue text floated, resembling dancing will-o’-the-wisps on the screen. Hu Songkai leaned in, “It’s pretty scary, a few people with heart conditions might get scared to death.”

“Who dares to watch this with a heart condition?” After He Wei checked the exploration mission, he clicked on the ID of the poster. The profile had no avatar or information, with zero posts, and one discussion; obviously a new account.

“This person posted the reward on the 14th afternoon and sent an invitation to Lu Zhihua’s team. It just so happened that they found the body upon arrival, not something that can be easily dismissed as a coincidence.” He Wei rested his hand on Xia Liang’s shoulder. “Can you trace the IP address? It’s the quickest way.”

Xia Liang met He Wei’s intense gaze and nodded in understanding. “Got it!”

Zheng Youqing came over today to submit the messy shoe prints for identification. After comparison, the shoe prints not only included ten students but also two other types of shoe patterns, all of which intermingled and overlapped, making it difficult to extract the full shoe prints. 

However, it could be confirmed that one of them belonged to the deceased, Cheng Zesheng. A quarter of the diagonal pattern perfectly matched. As for the other pattern, only parts of the sole and the toe could be extracted, and the middle part of the shoe size couldn’t be determined, but the length suggested it was around size 41, and based on the fragmented pattern, it was identified as a sports shoe. No other information could be gleaned from the partial shoe prints.

He Wei flipped through the report with interest. “Very clever.”

Yun Xiaoxiao, Zheng Youqing, and Xia Liang all stared at him curiously. Hu Songkai sat down with his legs raised, “What you’re saying, Captain, is that this person is willing to leave clues, but they’re all visible yet impossible to make precise deductions from. For example, they could have destroyed the reaction of Prussian blue in the splattered blood at the crime scene, but they chose not to. And the footprints—they could’ve erased them, or even committed the crime wearing shoe covers, which would’ve been more convenient, right?”

Xia Liang glanced at He Wei, sticking out his tongue. “It’s like they’re sending a challenge to our police force, daring us with such nerve, yet they don’t dare to directly confront our true capabilities! How come they don’t dare to leave fingerprints on that marble?”

Zheng Youqing shook her head with regret, “We checked just this morning. There are Cheng Zesheng’s fingerprints, but not suspects’.”

Xia Liang spread his hands and sighed, “They are trying to be mysterious but don’t dare to go all the way. Do we really expect to draw them out with such half-hearted efforts? Does their behavior inspire any resonance in us?”

“From a different perspective, it’s still a challenge. Don’t you expect the process of unraveling the mystery?” He Wei said nonchalantly.

“…” Xia Liang, Yun Xiaoxiao, and Hu Songkai stared at his half-smiling “twisted” expression, sensing both anticipation and a hint of excitement. They fell silent, one after another.

We don’t expect it. We truly can’t resonate with it.