Spirit Realm Wanderer

Chapter 3: Character Card

Investigators from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau? My cousin’s workplace—are they looking for me? Zhang Yuanqing’s heart instinctively skipped a beat. Just as he was about to walk to the bedroom door to eavesdrop, he suddenly remembered something. He opened his phone and deleted the chat history and call logs he’d sent to Bingge. He then folded the letter Bingge had written to him and tucked it under the potted plant on the windowsill. Only then did he feel at ease enough to open the door a crack and watch from the shadows. From the entryway came his grandmother’s voice—instead of answering, she asked “What do you want with him?” She didn’t invite the investigators inside but blocked the doorway instead. “We need to ask him a few questions. Here are our credentials.” The speaker was a young woman with a sultry voice. Grandma’s gaze lingered briefly on the credentials, then she frowned and stepped aside. Zhang Yuanqing opened the door at just the right moment and scrutinized the investigators as they entered the living room. The lead investigator was dressed in a black suit, paired with a white shirt and a black vest. He leaned on an ebony cane; his face was gaunt, he sported a small mustache, and his hair was slicked back immaculately. This distinctly British style, combined with the small mustache, inevitably brought to mind the overseas-returned gentlemen of the Republic of China era. To the left of the gentleman was a beautiful young female investigator with striking, well-defined features—she appeared to be of mixed heritage. A gentle smile played at the corners of her mouth, and her bright, sparkling eyes were full of life. She was about 175 cm tall, with long legs rivaling those of a supermodel. Dressed in a business suit, with the hem of her blouse tucked into her pants, she showcased a slender waist and full bust, exuding a capable and refined air. The last investigator had a blank expression, wore black-rimmed glasses, and had slightly disheveled hair—he had the look of a typical science and engineering student. “I’m Zhang Yuanqing. What do you need from me?” As Zhang Yuanqing sized them up, the investigators were also taking a good look at this young man. The mixed-race female investigator said with a smile “We’re investigators from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau. We have some questions for you. Please cooperate with our investigation.” “Okay....” Zhang Yuanqing led them to the sofa in the living room. His grandmother poured each of the three investigators a glass of water, then stared at her grandson with a puzzled expression. She couldn’t imagine why the warm, outgoing, and sociable child she had raised all by herself would need police investigators to come to their home for questioning. The young investigator, with disheveled hair and a vacant stare, pulled out a small notebook and a pen, then unscrewed the cap. The man with his hair slicked back sat on the sofa, leaning on his cane with both hands, and said solemnly “Do you know Lei Yibing?” So they were here about Brother Bing after all—and they’d come so quickly... Zhang Yuanqing answered honestly “We’ve been friends since childhood. Why are you asking this all of a sudden?” A thought crossed his mind: His cousin was the captain of the Second Squad at the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau. Since these three investigators had come to his door, they must have already looked into his family background. Logically speaking, knowing they were visiting the family of the captain of the Second Squad at the Public Security Bureau—since they were all colleagues—shouldn’t they have given him a heads-up or at least said hello? Didn’t these people in the system understand even this basic courtesy? But there had been absolutely no word from his cousin—clearly, he didn’t know about it. Otherwise, even if he hadn’t come along, he would have at least called to let him know. “Oh, my best buddy!” The man tapped his gleaming leather shoes lightly and said calmly “Here’s the situation: Lei Yibing has gone missing. The Public Security Bureau in Hangcheng, Jiangnan Province, contacted us and said they discovered that on the morning before he disappeared, Lei Yibing mailed a package addressed to you.” His gaze, deep as a pond, fixed on Zhang Yuanqing as if he could see right through him. “Is that so?” Zhang Yuanqing looked stunned and bewildered: “Missing? How is that possible...” The engineer taking the statement interjected “Just answer ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ ” “Yes, just a moment ago, I received a package, but there was no sender’s name on it. I was actually wondering who had sent it to me.” Zhang Yuanqing nodded, his expression somber. There was no point in denying it—if the police could track down the package, checking the neighborhood surveillance footage would be a piece of cake. The man with the slicked-back hair nodded and asked “What was inside the package? Please answer honestly—this is a very important lead for us.” The grandmother standing nearby breathed a sigh of relief, yet couldn’t help but worry about Lei Yibing. She had practically watched that boy grow up, even though he’d moved away years ago. Zhang Yuanqing replied “There’s nothing in the package—it’s empty.” “Empty?” The man with the slicked-back hair narrowed his eyes, his gaze—which seemed capable of seeing right through a person’s soul—scrutinizing Zhang Yuanqing. Even though I lied, the black card has vanished without a trace—it’s no different from being empty. I’m not afraid of you checking it... Zhang Yuanqing didn’t look away; he met the man’s gaze sincerely and said “When I opened the package, I found it was empty—there was nothing but the shock-absorbing air cushion. By the way, the package is still in my room. If you don’t believe me, you can go check for yourselves.” If Bingge’s disappearance was as he suspected, he would definitely keep it under wraps for now and wait until his cousin got home from work to explain everything. When it came to matters like this that carried potential risks, it was naturally safest to discuss them with family. The man with the slicked-back hair gave his female subordinate a subtle nod. She entered the room with a smile and, moments later, returned to the living room, giving her companion a slight nod. The man with the slicked-back hair paused for a moment, then said “If it’s convenient, we’d like to search your room and your computer. Also, please let us see your cell phone.” It’s fine to check the computer, but please don’t look at my web browsing history or the study materials on the hard drive… Zhang Yuanqing unlocked his phone screen without batting an eye and handed it over. The man with the slicked-back hair took the phone, while the female investigator went back into the room. Holding the phone in one hand, the man with the slicked-back hair swiped his thumb across the screen a few times before returning it to Zhang Yuanqing, then waited patiently. A quarter of an hour later, the female investigator strode out on her long legs; this time, she shook her head. The man with the slicked-back hair nodded slightly and said gently “Thank you for your cooperation. We won’t disturb you any further.” Zhang Yuanqing quickly asked “May I ask about Lei Yibing’s condition?” He asked this both out of genuine concern and to “cover his tracks”—it would have been too suspicious not to inquire about his childhood friend’s disappearance. The man with the slicked-back hair replied patiently “Lei Yibing went missing from his dorm room. The hallway surveillance cameras didn’t capture him leaving. According to one of his roommates, he saw Lei Yibing sleeping in bed that night when he got up to use the restroom. “But when they woke up in the morning, he was gone. Twenty-four hours later, since they couldn’t get in touch with him, their advisor notified the university, and the university immediately called the police. “For more details, you’ll have to call the local police department.” This matched what Uncle Lei had said—it seemed the local police department hadn’t made any progress at all. Hmm, or maybe this guy just didn’t want to tell me... Zhang Yuanqing nodded “I understand.” The man with the slicked-back hair walked toward the security door with two subordinates. He stopped halfway, turned around, and said “If you have any leads, you must notify us right away. Don’t hold anything back from us.” Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to nod, he heard the man say with a meaningful smile “Otherwise, you might be the next one to go missing.” I’ll be the next one to disappear? What does he mean by that? Is he threatening me? If I don’t hand over the black card, will I vanish into thin air just like Bing Ge? Come to think of it, what’s the deal with that card anyway? It just vanished into thin air… I can’t even hand it over if I wanted to. “Thanks for the heads-up!” He gave a smile that wasn’t really a smile. Anyway, I’ll wait until my cousin gets home from work to talk about this. Bro Bing definitely wouldn’t want the card to fall into the hands of the Public Security Bureau—otherwise, he wouldn’t have mailed it to him. Besides, as his best friend and childhood buddy, he trusted Bingge wouldn’t double-cross him. Grandma, standing nearby, turned pale and said coldly “I won’t see you off.” What’s wrong with this guy? Why would he curse her grandson out of the blue? The man with the slicked-back hair smiled, pulled a business card from the left pocket of his suit, and handed it to her. “Feel free to contact me anytime.” After Zhang Yuanqing took it, he led his two subordinates away. “How did Ah Bing go missing? Oh well, I’ll find some time to check on Ah Bing’s mom.” After they’d left, Grandma said with deep concern. The two families used to be neighbors; they’d run into each other every now and then for over a decade, so there was still some bond between them. Zhang Yuanqing said, looking exhausted “Grandma, I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m going back to my room to rest. If I haven’t woken up by noon, don’t bother calling me. “If Grandpa comes back, tell him about this and have him get in touch with Uncle Lei.” Last night, he’d stayed up until two or three in the morning playing with his aunt. This morning, an old ailment flared up and woke him—he was already sleep-deprived—and then, while trying to figure out what had happened to Brother Bing and the black card, he’d forced his brain to work beyond its limits. Right now, he was so exhausted that his head was spinning in waves of dizziness. After Grandma nodded in agreement, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room. He closed the door, kicked off his shoes, and flopped onto the bed, falling into a deep, unconscious sleep. Inside the black minivan, Li Dongze sat in a plush leather chair. His gold-inlaid cane leaned against the armrest, and he held a wine glass in his palm, swirling the crimson liquid. “Guan Ya, did you find anything in the room just now?” He turned his head to look at the mixed-race beauty sitting beside him. Guan Ya leaned lazily back in her soft chair, her two long legs pressed together seamlessly, her pretty face solemn as she said “A major discovery.” “Tell me,” Li Dongze said solemnly. The science and engineering student in the back row also looked up from his phone and turned his gaze toward them. Guan Ya spoke in a serious tone “That guy has a thing for mature women in black stockings. His study materials are full of images of them, yet his trash can is spotless. That just doesn’t make sense.” “He has a wide social circle and is in all kinds of groups, but he’s only active in gaming groups and ‘LSP’ groups—he’s blocked notifications from all the others… Aside from his gaming console, there’s not a single piece of entertainment equipment in his room. This guy is actually a bit of a loner… Oh, by the way, Squad Leader, you know what ‘LSP’ stands for, right?” The mixed-race beauty smiled sweetly and made a “jerking off” gesture. Her two companions were completely dumbfounded. Li Dongze quickly raised his hand to interrupt, snapping angrily “Oh, my God, I really want to kick your ass hard with my boot. I’m talking to you about serious business—why are you bringing up all this nonsense? I’ve told you many times: don’t act like a pervert and don’t tell dirty jokes. Habits like yours are very bad and very inelegant.” The leggy, sophisticated woman showed no fear of her angry boss and laughed, saying “Don’t be such a killjoy. A little humor goes a long way toward lightening the mood.” She slowly let her smile fade and said “I didn’t find anything suspicious on his computer, but under the potted plant on the windowsill, I found a letter Lei Yibing sent him. Lei Yibing did indeed send him something—most likely a character card—but I don’t know what class it is.” Li Dongze fell silent for a few seconds, closing his eyes to rest “Come back tomorrow—heh, that is, if he hasn’t gone missing.”