Case Files Chapter 5: Debut (3)

Translated by Vivian of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

Guan Jin was holding a takeout bag and a cigarette in his mouth, one hand in his pocket as he strolled into the residential area. He should’ve been living freely and happily, but because of his weak, delicate body, he was quite sleep-deprived and looked like a sloppy person who only stayed indoors all of the time.

After turning some corners, he walked onto the path that led through a garden. Guan Jin threw his cigarette butt onto the ground and used his foot to grind it to bits. He was just about to leave, but the keen sense of a reborn beast rooted him in place. There was someone looking at him from the cluster of bushes behind him.

He didn’t sense any danger, so they probably didn’t have any malicious intentions towards him. Guan Jin thought for a moment before striding over.

He pulled aside the thick bushes and saw a pair of eyes with a panicked expression in them, a dirty face, and a thin, faded shirt that was already a little ripped. Guan Jin frowned as he looked at the boy hiding in the bushes. Then, he turned around and made to leave; he didn’t have that much kindness in him.

A face abruptly appeared in his mind, and Guan Jin retracted his foot and turned around. He bent over to peer carefully at the boy. He was trembling, either out of cold or fear.

Could Guan Jin be considered lucky? Thanks to his magical photographic memory, he recognized this face that had appeared in the missing cases records. Guan Jin hesitated for a while before gritting his teeth and dragging the boy out.

“Ahhh…” The boy struggled in fear, though he was very feeble.

The veins on Guan Jin’s forehead bulged a little. Goddamnit, I’m trying to be kind for once, yet you’re struggling against me!

“What are you shouting for?! I’m the police!” Guan Jin revealed reluctantly. Then, he was very despondent when he discovered that the boy had stopped struggling. Saying that he was the police really was almost as effective as using a tranquilizer.

*****

“How is he?” asked Guan Jin, who had spent so much time and effort on getting the person to the hospital and was already on the verge of exploding, through gritted teeth.

“It’s only skin trauma, so it’s not too serious. However, there are some old wounds on his body. In my opinion,” the doctor adjusted his glasses, “he has probably been abused before. More specifically, there’s signs of sexual abuse.”

Guan Jin narrowed his eyes.

“The patient is very emotionally unstable, so I’ve already given him some sedatives. He’s asleep now.” The doctor grimaced. “You policemen really treat this place like your own backyard, if it’s not you guys coming, then it’s you guys bringing people here.”

Only now did Guan Jin notice that this doctor was the ‘evil’ doctor who had treated him very hostilely during his stay here… It really was unavoidable for foes to meet…

*****

“When did you find him?” Wen JingHan asked Guan Jin.

“Yesterday morning.”

“Then why didn’t you notify us immediately?!” exclaimed Zheng Fei.

“Yesterday was Sunday. I wasn’t on duty,” Guan Jin said bluntly.

“…”

“Okay, stop arguing. This kid is very emotionally unstable, and the doctor said that he won’t be able to take any questions for the time being. This isn’t Guan Jin’s first day as a police officer, so I trust his judgement,” said Wen JingHan.

Wen JingHan could make anything sound reasonable and justified; Guan Jin really admired his boss.

“It seems that he escaped by himself?” Chen QiaoYu looked at the information about the boy that was shown on the screen: Tan Qu, seventeen years old, high school student, lives in City S.

“Our initial guess might turn out to be the truth. Currently, when we don’t have any other clues, we can only search for breakthroughs from this kid. Gu Xiang, go to Tan Qu’s house and notify his family and also inspect his personal belongings, especially his computer. Bring it back and give it to Little Bai, and he can take a look at it. QiaoYu, go with DingDing to the hospital and ask the doctors about how he’s doing so we know when we can start questioning him. Zheng Fei, let’s go to where the boy was discovered. Everyone else, continue checking any relevant case files.”

After the leader’s orders, the office emptied at once. Only two people were in the ‘everyone else’ category, and they looked at each other.

“It’s like this every time, it’s so lonely.” Lin Bai wiped away his imaginary tears.

“Lonely?” Le Fan appeared at the door to the Special Cases Unit office.

“FanFan~” Lin Bai bounded over to him.

“How come you’re here?” asked Guan Jin.

“In the tattered clothes from the victim you brought to the hospital,” Le Fan threw a notebook to him, “there’s nothing useful. However, the fabric of that shirt is very special, and under light, it turns translucent, so it was probably custom-made. Usually, this type of material is used in costumes.”

“Translucent?” 

“Little Bai, aren’t you lonely? Why don’t you come with me, I know a very lively place.” Le Fan used his finger to beckon him over.

“Where, where?” Lin Bai asked excitedly

“I heard that a bunch of bodies were just sent to the morgue, and the forensic scientists are very busy, so the atmosphere is very animated.”

“…” 

“Oh?” Guan Jin blinked. “I’m very interested in that.”

Guan Jin and Le Fan walked away together, and Lin Bai held the door frame, feeling aggrieved. “How could this happen, how can you two leave me behind just to do that sort of thing, how rude~”

*****

Special Cases Unit office.

“How can you be so cruel, heartless, and crazy?! You’re so horrible!”

Guan Jin stared impassively at the television, and he was clutching the remote control, tightening and then loosening his grip on it over and over again.

“Look, look, I bet Little Guan Jin is definitely planning on throwing the remote control at the TV,” Zheng Fei whispered to Chen QiaoYu.

“If he damages public property, he’s going to have to pay the compensation fee,” replied Chen QiaoYu.

“That’s still better than being tortured by the screechy voice of that idiotic female lead.”

“Normal people would just use the remote control to turn off the TV, not smash it. Zheng Fei, aren’t you a little inclined to violence lately?”

“…”

Guan Jin was watching some discs that Gu Xiang had brought back from Tan Qu’s house. In order to search for more clues, the leader had appointed him to watch the discs carefully and see if he could spot anything familiar. Thus, he was now at the last few discs, which were a set of odd soap operas.

Guan Jin pressed a button on the remote control, and the video quickly started rewinding.

““How can you be so cruel, heartless, and crazy?! You’re so horrible!” Again.

“How can you be so cruel, heartless, and crazy?! You’re so horrible!” And again.

“Hey, hey, Little Jinjin~, it turns out that you like this type of style.” Lin Bai walked over to him.

“Look at this.” Guan Jin pointed at the screen.

Lin Bai widened his eyes and strained to look, and he blinked. “What?”

Zheng Fei and Chen QiaoYu also squeezed in to see.

Guan Jin placed his finger onto the screen at a small head among the crowd. “See who this is?”

The three people gazed at it for a while before shaking their heads.

“I don’t keep up with celebrities.”

“I don’t watch TV.”

“I only watch beautiful women.”

Guan Jin really wanted to smash the remote control onto their heads.

“This person is Tan Qu.”

“Huh?”

Chen QiaoYu moved closer to the screen. “It seems like it really is. But it really is hard to tell through the television. Little Jin, you’re quite good.”

‘Little Jin’ didn’t feel very happy. He fast-forwarded a little and pointed at someone else in the crowd. “This one is Gao Yu, another missing boy. This is also one, his name is Li WenJie.”

“Three missing people appearing in a TV drama as extras at the same time?” Zheng Fei stopped smiling and frowned.

“Little Bai, check which company the investors and film crew for this drama are from, the main person-in-charge’s background, and where their background actors come from,” said Wen JingHan, who had suddenly showed up behind them.

“Easy.” Lin Bai jumped back to his treasured computer and began to type rapidly.

“DingDing, find the other parts of this TV drama and skim through them with Guan Jin to see if any other victims appear.”

“Yes, boss!” DingDing jogged away. Guan Jin’s eyebrows creased; he had to watch more?! Watching too much of such an idiotic show would infect him!

After being distressed for the entire morning, they finally confirmed that in total, four victims appeared in the drama.

“Boss, the TV drama’s investor is the JingTian Entertainment Group. The film crew is from a famous movie studio, FeiDian,” said Ling Bai.

“JingTian?” Wen JingHan’s eyes flashed. “That entertainment giant?”

“Yep. It’s rumored that this drama was filmed in order to help a little-known actor that JingTian’s president likes. Apparently, this little-known actor is the president’s new lover.”

“Her looks are very ordinary,” remarked Chen QiaoYu as she glanced at the female lead.

“Not the woman, the man,” Lin Bai said quietly, his expression mysterious.

“Huh?” Chen QiaoYu’s eyes lit up. “JingTian’s president is gay?”

“I’ve heard he’s bi!” DingDing added excitedly.

“Why are you getting so excited over a playboy like him?” muttered Zheng Fei disdainfully.

“What do you know? JingTian’s president is a bachelor, and he’s tall, rich, and handsome. Because of his appearance and skill, he’s able to hold so much power in the entertainment industry at such a young age…” DingDing sighed.

They started arguing.

“I know the editor-in-chief of Film Entertainment Weekly,” Wen JingHan suddenly interrupted.

Everyone shut up immediately and looked at him expectantly, waiting for some shocking news.

“He lacks talented people. If you guys are interested, I can recommend you to him.” Wen JingHan smiled.

Ling Bai inexplicably shivered and asked blankly, “Recommend us for what?”

“Joining the paparazzi team.”

“…” 

In an instant, everyone dispersed, returned to their own desks, and buried themselves in their work.

After Wen JingHan slowly walked back to his office, Guan Jin rubbed his chin. “You’re all really scared of him?”

“Apparently, when the boss explodes, he’s very, very, very scary!” DingDing whispered.

“I think that——”

“Hm?”

“——women who repeatedly shout things with parallel structure are even scarier.”

 

DingDing was speechless.