Chapter Two, The Cycle of Time.

Li Qian suddenly turned around, but apart from the small insects dancing under the light, there was nothing behind her

Li Qian lay on the ground, yet the shadow was standing.

Zhao Yunlan was clearly very accustomed to this routine and casually followed along with a few playful remarks

However, their people do not come, and there is no place to invite them either

Their case report is thorough, detailing the cause, process, and outcome, as well as the identity of the suspect, the circumstances of the arrest, and even the arrest procedure, all presented clearly and unambiguously, with rigorous logic and distinct formatting, leaving absolutely no room for criticism

The black cat nonchalantly let out a "meow," its thick tail impatiently swishing off Zhao Yunlan's shoulder, proudly arching its neck—though this was somewhat difficult, as its neck was indeed a bit hard to locate

At the scene, the person responsible for organizing the investigation was an older detective named Yang. While warmly shaking hands with Zhao Yunlan, he curiously and carefully examined this individual and politely asked, "What is your name?"

Zhao Yunlan understood and reached out to pull a small cat tag from the neck of the black cat. After much effort, he finally separated it from the surrounding fat and long fur, handing it to Old Yang: "This is a special investigation department permit, equivalent to our work ID. It allows access to any scene. Rest assured, Old Cat, it is sensible and will not cause any trouble."

"Alright, alright, the serious matter—oh my, this smell, it’s deadly within ten steps." Zhao Yunlan bent down and crawled through the guard.

When?

Chu Shuzhi has gone on a business trip to Xiangxi

Old Yang : `` ... ... ''

She seemed to hear a sharp laugh

The fat cat on Zhao Yunlan's shoulder let out a long "meow" and jumped down to the ground. It circled the corpse twice before finally stopping in one spot, squatting there and looking up at Zhao Yunlan, as if it were a trained drug detection dog that had uncovered narcotics.

No one knows exactly how their prosecution process works; in short, once the case is handed over, it is as if it has entered a black box, with only a vague and unclear case closure report made public.

He hung up the phone, finished grooming in three minutes, and then sped to University Road

But the person's status is there, and even if they are unkempt, even if they were to run out naked, people below would still praise Zhao for leading the fashion trend

Although it is generally the case that the cases they handle are extremely serious and the suspects are mostly deemed deserving of their fate, this... this seems a bit too coincidental

Suddenly, Li Qian's pupils constricted, and her whole body trembled violently. The brick in her hand fell to the ground, striking her toe that was exposed from her sandal, yet she seemed oblivious to it. She struggled to take two steps back, her knees suddenly buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Do not think you can cling to me..." She suddenly stood up, biting her back molars and said, "If I can get rid of you once, I can get rid of you a second time"

Where is Lin Jing

Moments later, Director Zhao, who held a position of considerable rank, entered the scene with Old Yang, cradling a cat and walking with a deliberate gait.

There is indeed an indescribable stench in the air, comparable to that of biochemical weapons. Zhao Yunlan parked the car by the roadside, got out, covered his nose with his hand, and frowned as he asked the cat, "Is this smell coming from you?"

The shadow ... ... is the shadow

Old Yang exclaimed, "Oh! You are Director Zhao! This... this, I must say, my eyes are not sharp enough, I truly did not expect our leader to be so young and accomplished..."

Zhao Yunlan quickly slammed on the brakes, stuck his head out of the window, and felt a pang of heartache as he exclaimed: "This is a motor vehicle, a means of transportation, not a litter box! Could you please take it easy?"

As Zhao Yunlan had just slowed down after passing the intersection, a dark shadow suddenly descended from the sky. A round, plump creature landed on the hood of his car with a loud "bang," almost denting the hood with the force of a mountain crashing into the sea.

The further one goes inside, the stronger the pungent aroma becomes, rich with a soy sauce fragrance

"Um..." Zhao Yunlan grimaced as he rubbed his face, "Let Old Chu go first."

Zhao Yunlan worked overtime all night. After arriving home, he did not even change his clothes and directly rolled into bed. It felt like he had just lain down when he was called up again

Zhao Yunlan yawned and said weakly, "You let Daqing accompany the intern to take a look, giving the child a chance to gain some experience"

University Road

"Borrowed by the underworld."

Zhao Yunlan walked over, took out a crumpled pair of gloves from his wrinkled pocket, put them on, felt around where the cat was crouching, and then carefully lifted one of the corpse's arms.

She heard her own intense heartbeat and the footsteps of another person

On the upper end of the car hood sits a completely black cat, possessing a neck that has a remarkably subtle presence. Atop its neck rests a face resembling a fuzzy version of a persimmon, with a spherical body that, at first glance, looks like the African brother of Garfield

Having finished speaking, without waiting for Lao Yang's response, Zhao Yunlan pointed at a dilapidated small door on the wall and asked: "What place is this?"

I, "Wang Zheng said, "but the sun is about to rise, and I will be off work soon. Additionally, there is also Da Qing and the new intern Guo Changcheng..."

Old Yang : `` ... ... ''

Zhao Yunlan scratched his messy hair in surprise: "Is my inch of jade photo really that nauseating?"

It was either last night or early this morning, just a moment ago

Are you upright? If you are upright, how can you fear your shadow

It only curled its hind legs, straining to pull in its belly, and thus, after overcoming numerous difficulties, managed to stretch its relatively short front legs, in comparison to its belly, to the ground, maintaining a very dignified sitting posture for a cat

Several police cars have already parked across the street, and personnel have set up a cordon at the entrance of a small alley.

She has a delicate appearance and was originally a beautiful girl, but her hair is disheveled, sticking to her face due to sweat, and her lips are as pale as her complexion, which limits her attractiveness considerably.

How could there be such a clear shadow in the place illuminated by the streetlight right in front of her?

Their department holds a significant level, yet no one knows exactly what these individuals do or what the regulations are. In any case, whenever personnel from the special investigation office arrive, notifications are issued directly from the superiors, leaving no room for anyone to protest

Zhao Yunlan fumbled for half a day before finally pulling out a tattered work ID from his pocket. The young police officer standing by the cordon was facing away from the crime scene, looking pale. After taking the ID, he hurriedly glanced at it and stuffed it back into Zhao Yunlan's arms, then couldn't help but run away, leaning against the wall to vomit.

The most terrifying thing is to see nothing at all

Old Yang stretched his neck, and he saw a half blood handprint in the area blocked by the corpse

In the public security system, it is well known that there exists a mysterious department called the "Special Investigation Division"

It was a black cat with emerald green eyes. Logically speaking, a black cat appearing at a murder scene sounds very eerie, but due to the fact that this "eerie" cat was simply too plump, upon seeing it, for some reason, the feelings of awe and terror would automatically transform into a concern for its high cholesterol.

Where?

She picked up a brick from the ground, and the sound of footsteps, akin to the gnawing of maggots on bones, surged towards her from all directions, yet she could see nothing at all

At this moment, someone became impatient, and with a sudden "meow," Lao Yang looked down to see a shadow that, in the blink of an eye, swiftly climbed up Zhao Yunlan's pants leg, clawing its way up his clothes to perch on the man's shoulder.

He opened his eyes expressionlessly, his heavy eyelids accentuating his double eyelids. He stared at the ceiling of his room with a gaze that was almost filled with hatred for a moment. Three seconds later, he sat up as if resurrected, struggling to clear the fog in his mind, and stretched out his arm to grab the phone on the bedside table.

My surname is Zhao, Zhao Yunlan. You may call me Xiao Zhao.

Zhao Yunlan's expression was quite unpleasant, as if he was about to burst into a tirade at any moment. However, when he answered the phone, aside from his voice being somewhat hoarse, his tone was perfectly normal, clearly indicating that he had grown accustomed to such occurrences: "What has happened again?"

Zhao Yunlan sat by the bed in a daze for a while, and finally sighed: "It is not appropriate for me to intervene directly, as I fear it might frighten them... However, there is no other way. Alright, I will go over and take a look shortly. You tell Daqing to wait for me."

In the early morning, not yet five o'clock, the phone on the bedside table rang like a soul calling.

The large black cat disdainfully ignored him, leaping down from the hood of his car with tremendous force, presenting its swaying, plump backside towards him, and strutting forward with an air of dominance in a perfect catwalk.

Old Yang and it stared at each other for a moment: "This... this..."

As soon as he made his appearance, someone immediately came out from inside, covering their nose with a tissue, and asked in a muffled voice: "Is a comrade from the Special Investigation Department here?"

Only old-fashioned, soft-soled cloth shoes can make that "shasha" sound. Upon closer listening, the person's footsteps are somewhat sluggish, dragging along the ground, as if their legs are not in good condition

The only point of doubt is that the criminals were all dead at the time the case was closed

Slowly, she revealed a peculiar expression, resembling a cold smile, yet also tinged with resentment, intermingled with an indescribable fear.

Zhao Yunlan asked, "What on earth scared you to faint?"

Old Yang was taken aback upon hearing this; he did not expect that the visitor was actually the current director of the Special Investigation Office. This Director Zhao was not yet thirty years old, which seemed somewhat young for his position. He was tall and slender, with a very proper appearance, resembling a male model from a fashion advertisement at first glance. However, his shirt was wrinkled, with two buttons undone, and the hem was half tucked into his trousers while the other half hung out. Coupled with his hair, which looked as if it had just been ruffled from a nest, he appeared somewhat disheveled.

It is as if a basin of ink has been spilled on the ground, and it is unknown how long it has been there "watching" her.

That is certainly not a human handprint; the palm is only the size of a child's, yet the fingers are at least 20 centimeters long. Old Yang has been a veteran detective his entire life and has never seen anything like this.

Intern Guo Changcheng is unable to go anywhere right now," Wang Zhengping stated plainly. "When he reported in last night, he fainted. He probably fainted and then fell asleep, and he still hasn't woken up.

He was taken aback, and suddenly heard Zhao Yunlan say in a rarely serious tone: "From now on, this case will be transferred to the Special Investigation Department, and the subsequent procedures will be completed within two working days"

The clothes were thrown all over the bed and the floor, leaving one to wonder whether they were intended to be worn or washed. The large double bed was piled high with various clutter, some of which surpassed the imagination of an ordinary person—while a notebook computer wrapped in a single sock could be overlooked, sunglasses and an umbrella were somewhat understandable. However, the large hat made of white paper and the big jar of vermilion were truly perplexing. These items were crammed together, barely leaving enough space for a person to lie down, and it was likely that this small nest was dug out by him before lying down.

Zhao Yunlan's room has a kind of chaos that is unforgettable; to call it a dog kennel would be an insult even to dogs

The large cat with a persimmon-shaped face looked around and, finding no one nearby, twitched its whiskers, slowly opened its mouth, and emitted a somewhat deep male voice: "Stop the nonsense, get out of the car quickly—haven't you smelled this odor?"

I see, as for Zhu Hong... that's enough about Zhu Hong, she took a leave yesterday during the full moon, who else is there?

Li Qian rolled up the three-quarter sleeves of her top, and a layer of goosebumps appeared on her fair arms. On this sultry midsummer night, it felt as if some invisible force was making her feel cold

He finally began to feel that this matter was somewhat absurd

The footsteps came to a halt

They belong to the public security system, yet at times they operate outside of it. Their organization is tightly structured, and the case handling procedures are entirely opaque. Moreover, without special approval, the media typically cannot even find a trace of personnel from the special investigation department, let alone conduct follow-up interviews.

The brick in her hand grew heavier and heavier, the sand and stones rubbed her palms raw. She was exhausted, her vision darkening, bending down with both hands resting on her bent knees, gasping for breath, her gaze inadvertently falling to the ground

Wang Zheng's voice came through the microphone, stating succinctly: "Someone has died"

The firefly-like light is completely unable to support the pitch-blackness of the night. The young girl's disordered footsteps strike against the uneven tiles, worn down by years of neglect. Suddenly, she trips over something beneath her feet and falls heavily to her knees on the ground

Li Qian screamed, brandishing a brick and flailing it wildly in the air.

Zhao Yunlan awkwardly held up his pants, which had nearly been pulled down by the fat cat, and chuckled dryly: "This is our cat director from back home. He usually keeps a tight grip on work, but when he sees us talking, he gets displeased."

The summer night was stifling like a steamer, and Li Qian was gasping heavily, her fingers nervously twisting her clothes.

Sometimes, the personnel of these special investigation units are even more enigmatic than the unsolved cases themselves

Old Yang once again covered his nose with a tissue, his facial features contorted into a tight knot, appearing entangled and reluctant to part.

The black cat, having taken several steps ahead of him, could not help but turn back upon seeing him still dawdling and talking nonsense, and let out a prolonged "meow" with its fur bristling.

In the narrow alley lay a female corpse, dressed in a cultural shirt emblazoned with the words "Welcome to Longcheng University." Her vacant eyes were wide open, resembling a deflated doll, with her limbs arranged in a "大" shape, mouth agape, and her abdomen sliced open by some sharp instrument, revealing that her innards were already empty

I am with Old Wu. Wang Zheng reported in a meticulous manner, and in conclusion, he added, "I have always said that you should find a professional funeral clothing store to make a body for Old Wu. Zhu Hong's hands are clumsier than his feet; the sandbags he sews are all exposed. The paper figures he makes resemble everything but a human being.