Chapter 102 - 100: Fighting with Zhuang Yanzheng, Seeing the Process

Chapter 102: Chapter 100: Fighting with Zhuang Yanzheng, Seeing the Process

Municipal Bureau

The case discussion didn’t wrap up until after three in the morning.

Everyone went to get some rest.

The break room was full, so Zhuang Yanzheng told Su Miaoyi to go sleep on the sofa in his office for a while.

Su Miaoyi asked, "Then where will you sleep?"

"I’m going home to sleep in my own bed, of course," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi just looked at him.

Zhuang Yanzheng chuckled. "I’ll go sleep in Yan Cheng’s break room and make him stay in the autopsy room. It’s nice and cool in there."

"How cruel," Su Miaoyi said.

"Then you can stay in the autopsy room," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi turned and left. "I’m going to sleep on the sofa."

Zhuang Yanzheng snorted.

Su Miaoyi didn’t look back, but she mimicked his snort before entering the office.

Zhuang Yanzheng didn’t go back to his office, nor did he head over to the forensic center. He stayed outside and continued reviewing the case files.

A little after six in the morning, Zhuang Yanzheng was asleep with his legs propped up on a desk, leaning back in his chair with his head tilted up.

He heard his office door open and his eyes shot open, looking toward it.

Su Miaoyi came out.

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at her and asked, "You’re awake?"

Su Miaoyi ignored him. She walked out of the office, left the door open, and kept walking forward.

Zhuang Yanzheng had just woken up and was still a bit groggy. He asked again, "Where are you going?"

Su Miaoyi still didn’t respond and continued walking.

It was only then that Zhuang Yanzheng realized something was off. He put his legs down and sat up straight, watching her.

Su Miaoyi passed through the main office area and headed for the stairwell.

Zhuang Yanzheng quickly followed her.

He followed a few steps behind her, then moved to walk in front of her to get a look at her face.

Su Miaoyi’s eyes were vacant, as if nothing she saw was registering. She had no reaction at all to Zhuang Yanzheng walking beside her.

But she seemed to be able to see some things; she was able to walk down the stairs.

Zhuang Yanzheng followed her.

Su Miaoyi steadily made her way to the first floor.

Once on the first floor, she exited the office building and headed toward the forensic center.

The sun rises late in winter, and it was still very dark outside.

Su Miaoyi had been walking steadily, but she suddenly stumbled on the flat ground and nearly fell.

Zhuang Yanzheng grabbed her arm just in time, steadying her.

He then looked down at her feet.

She had stepped on a small rock.

Zhuang Yanzheng assessed the situation. It seemed she could avoid obstacles in good light, but not when it was dim.

As he was thinking, Su Miaoyi seemed to treat him as an obstacle as well, giving him a shove.

The push was surprisingly strong, sending Zhuang Yanzheng staggering back two steps.

Zhuang Yanzheng was taken aback.

Su Miaoyi continued walking forward.

She entered the forensic center and went straight for the autopsy room.

Then she stood at the entrance, trying to open the autopsy room door, but it wouldn’t budge.

After she tried and failed twice, Zhuang Yanzheng went to find Yan Cheng, only to suddenly hear a loud BANG! from behind him.

He spun around in shock to see a dent in the metal door.

Su Miaoyi was raising her hand to throw a second punch.

Zhuang Yanzheng rushed back, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her back just as she was about to strike again.

Su Miaoyi’s punch hit nothing but air.

She tried to surge forward again.

Zhuang Yanzheng held her by the shoulders, not letting her advance.

Feeling restrained, Su Miaoyi grabbed the hand Zhuang Yanzheng had on her shoulder, spun around abruptly, and applied force.

Luckily, Zhuang Yanzheng reacted quickly, using his other hand to counter the downward force of her move.

Otherwise, his arm would have been dislocated.

Yan Cheng heard the commotion and came out of his office, only to find the two of them locked in a stalemate.

Or, one could say, they were fighting.

He froze for a moment.

’What in the world? Why are they fighting this early in the morning?’

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at him. "Open the autopsy room door."

Yan Cheng immediately went to open the door.

He opened both the inner and outer doors.

Zhuang Yanzheng let go of Su Miaoyi and took a step back.

But Su Miaoyi suddenly lunged forward.

Zhuang Yanzheng said, "Still at it?!"

Su Miaoyi’s movements paused. She stood in place for a moment, then turned and continued toward the autopsy room.

Yan Cheng looked at Zhuang Yanzheng.

Zhuang Yanzheng shook out his hand, met his gaze, and gave a slight nod of his chin, signaling for him to follow her.

Su Miaoyi stood before the skeleton and stopped moving.

Zhuang Yanzheng and Yan Cheng stood a short distance behind her.

Su Miaoyi reached out and slowly stroked the skull, then the sternum, and finally her hand came to rest on the spot where the hand had been nailed.

After nearly a minute, Yan Cheng and Zhuang Yanzheng heard her suddenly gasp.

"Hiss—ah." Su Miaoyi doubled over. She first touched her forehead, which didn’t hurt but just felt uncomfortable, then quickly reached for her right hand.

She clutched her right hand and squatted on the floor. "It feels like my hand just exploded."

Zhuang Yanzheng and Yan Cheng squatted down on either side of her.

Yan Cheng took her hand, feeling the joints and bones in her hand and then her forearm. He didn’t know what had happened outside, but when he opened the door, he had noticed a dent in it. Judging by the size, it must have been made by a fist.

"It’s fine. The bones are okay," Yan Cheng said.

Su Miaoyi breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that her bones were okay.

But... it still hurt so much she felt like passing out.

However, there was something more important than the pain.

Her face contorted in pain, she looked at Zhuang Yanzheng and said, "I saw the faces of the killer and the victim."

"Let’s treat your wound first," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Her right hand had already been injured when she caught Cao Hong. The scab had just formed, and now it was bleeding again.

Su Miaoyi stood up, looked at the skeleton in front of her, then glanced around, completely bewildered. "How did I get here?"

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at her. "Then how do you think you injured your hand?"

"Yeah, how did I injure my hand?" Su Miaoyi suddenly realized.

Zhuang Yanzheng was silent for a moment, then pulled out Lu Zhishen’s number. "By hitting me."

"Huh?" Su Miaoyi’s pained expression turned to one of confusion. "Where did I hit you?"

As the three of them walked out, Zhuang Yanzheng pointed to himself. "My face."

Su Miaoyi looked at his face, which showed no signs of being hit, then held up her own hand. "Then you should apologize. Your face made my hand bleed."

Zhuang Yanzheng: "..."

Zhuang Yanzheng: "Then use your face to hit me back."

Su Miaoyi fell silent.

They went to Yan Cheng’s office.

Yan Cheng treated her wound. After cleaning the bleeding area, he applied some anti-swelling ointment to the rest.

Su Miaoyi was on the phone with Lu Zhishen, describing the killer’s appearance.

She had seen the killer nailing the corpse.

The killer was a woman.

She wasn’t tall, but she was very strong.

It was night. The moon hung high in the sky, and everything was silent.

It had snowed, and the ground was slippery.

The woman was dragging a body. The slippery ground actually made it a little easier.

She carefully pushed open the gate to a courtyard.

She dragged the body inside and carefully closed the gate behind her.

Then she continued to drag the body, trampling down weeds that were taller than a person.

She kept going until she reached the edge of a cellar.

The woman, panting heavily, opened the cellar hatch.

She caught her breath for a few moments, then used all her strength to push the man into the cellar.

Then she went into the weeds to get a ladder, placed it in the cellar, and climbed down.

She turned on a flashlight, flipped the prone body over, positioned it, and then took out a hammer and nails she had with her.

First, she nailed the palms.

The last nail was driven into the corpse’s head.

The instant that nail went in, Su Miaoyi was suddenly pulled out of the vision.

...