Killer Nights

“Of course! How else did you expect to find me?” Jiang Zhengkai glanced at Mu Mingyuan. He stood up and then gestured for Mu Mingyuan to sit across from him. “You"re pretty quick! How was it? Has everything been settled?”

“It"s all complete.” Mu Mingyuan nodded. Then he sincerely asked, “How was it? No breakthrough in the past two days? I heard from Zhang Ping that she gave you multiple makeovers.”

“Yes,” Jiang Zhengkai confirmed. “I already discussed it with Ziyuan. She believes that the killer won"t show up because of my cop-like face. So, she dressed herself like a prost.i.tute, while I went for a gangster appearance.”

“Haha, what a great idea!” Mu Mingyuan chuckled. “According to Zhang Ping, you looked very much like a gangster.”

“Yup!” Jiang Zhengkai leaned back in his chair before mocking himself. “Even though I"ve never been a gangster or caught one, it seems that I"ve dealt with them often enough to act like one.”

“Very true! For once, we finally got to witness a pig flee,” Mu Mingyuan chuckled in response. “So What are you planning to do next? How do you want me to coordinate with you?”

“Let"s maintain this act for now!” Jiang Zhengkai took a moment to think about it before he gave a reply. “Though, I"d rather you do my makeup instead of Zhang Ping. Since this case is so unusual, I want less women to be involved just for their own safety.”

“Alright,” Mu Mingyuan nodded. “Then tonight I"ll be on duty in the alley.” As he stood up, Mu Mingyuan walked towards the exit before suddenly turning around. “Alas! I never thought that such a beautiful lady like Miss Ren wouldn"t be a woman.”

Jiang Zhengkai was at a loss for words. He could only helplessly shake his head. He did say that he had wanted less women to be involved in the case.

Not long after Mu Mingyuan left, Lu Xiaoqiang entered Jiang Zhengkai"s office. Under the indication of Jiang Zhengkai, he also sat down across the desk.

“Inspector Jiang, the investigation"s progress has been very slow these past few days.”

“How come? There hasn"t been any progress whatsoever?” Jiang Zhengkai raised his head to stare at Lu Xiaoqiang.

“None!” Lu Xiaoqiang shrugged, “I went through all the residences of the women in the alley, including the hotel where Xiao Mei had previously worked. Their evaluation of Xiao Mei was pretty much all consistent. Based on the information they provided, I can basically confirm that Xiao Mei didn"t have any friends here.”

“So what you"re saying is that, besides Jiao, there is no one else that would want to avenge her?” Jiang Zhengkai leaned back even further into his chair as he helplessly sighed. If they weren"t both aware that Ren Ziyuan was Jiao, they would have already pinned Jiao as the prime suspect.

“There"s no one else!” Lu Xiaoqiang shook his head. Afterwards, he raised his head and forced out a smile. “Inspector Jiang, if there are any suspicions, I"m afraid I am the most likely candidate.”

“Haha! Really?” Jiang Zhengkai kindly laughed. “Alright then, I will arrest you tomorrow!”

“Ah? Why not today?” Lu Xiaoqiang maintained his forced smile as he shook his head.

“Today? I will give you today to find evidence of your own guilt!” Jiang Zhengkai bantered. Nevertheless, he comforted Lu Xiaoqiang with his next words, saying, “It"s a good thing that Xiao Mei isn"t suspicious. You don"t need to be disheartened. I told Jiao that this murderer was after Zhao Renchu. Xiao Mei"s death could be an accident after all.”

“I hope so!” Lu Xiaoqiang nodded.

“Okay! If there"s nothing else, get back to work!” Jiang Zhengkai gestured for Lu Xiaoqiang to leave. Lu Xiaoqiang hest.i.tated again before probing Jiang Zhengkai. “Inspector Jiang, for the past two days, I"ve discovered something strange while looking at the victims" photos.”

“Ah? What did you notice?” Jiang Zhengkai stared at Lu Xiaoqiang.

“I found that Zhao Renchu looks eerily similar to Sui Dequan,” Lu Xiaoqiang spoke uncertainly.

“Really?” Jiang Zhengkai indicated for Lu Xiaoqiang to sit down once more. “Where did you find a photo of Sui Dequan?”

“From a recent newspaper article,” Lu Xiaoqiang answered. “There was an article written on Sui"s crime syndicate. It mentioned Sui Dequan and even included his photo. I noticed some resemblance between their photos.”

Really?” Jiang Zhengkai leaned on his chair. What does it mean that Zhao Renchu and Sui Dequan looked alike? Were they related by blood? Based on Zhao Renchu"s position in Sui Dequan"s crime syndicate, it could be possible. When Jiang Zhengkai"s thoughts reached this point, he told Lu Xiaoqiang, “Xiaoqiang, why don"t you deprioritize Xiao Mei"s matter for now. Let"s change the angle of the investigation. Go and investigate Zhao Renchu"s background first!”

“Yes, Inspector Jiang!” Lu Xiaoqiang readily accepted.

After Lu Xiaoqiang left, Jiang Zhengkai got up from his chair and went through two rounds of exercises in the office to clear his mind before letting out a deep breath. If they could confirm the suspicion that Lu Xiaoqiang had, then Sui Zhongyi"s concern for his underling would be justified. Deep in thought, he stood in front of the window. The easiest method to find out more about Zhao Renchu is to personally ask Sui Zhongyi. If Sui Zhongyi has any secrets, he will definitely deny that Zhao Renchu and Sui Dequan look similar. After Jiang Zhengkai formulated this plan, he packed up quickly and left his office.

Jiao hadn"t been feeling well these past two days. She could not explain the reason for this discomfort. However, her body temperature indicated she was fine. She had checked the calendar and found that her reexamination with Doctor w.a.n.g was this weekend. Maybe she had been having too much s.e.x lately? At this point, Jiao stopped worrying.

In the afternoon, Jiao put on some light clothes and ran to the balcony lounge to comfortably bask under the sun. Apart from the discomfort in her private area, she was very healthy. So whenever she had minor illnesses, she didn"t like to take pills. Just endure the slight ailment! In short, basking under the sun was just something pleasant.

Jiang Zhengkai entered Sui Zhongyi"s hospital room. He willfully sat down on the stool next to Sui Zhongyi"s bed. “How are you? Have you been recuperating well?” Jiang Zhengkai asked in a casual manner as he sized him up.

“Not bad! Officer Jiang,” Sui Zhongyi greeted courteously. “It"s been some time since you last visited!”

“Hehe, my job is not that of a caregiver. I"m also not a doctor, so I can"t visit you on a frequent basis.” Jiang Zhengkai stretched his arms. “What"s up? Do you feel vexed by anything? If so, I can ask Commissioner Yao for another room.”

“No need.” Sui Zhongyi waved his hand then chuckled, “I have nothing to say to them. We don"t have any common interests.”

“Really?” Jiang Zhengkai leisurely asked. Then, they both made inconsequential small talk for some time. Afterwards, Jiang Zhengkai appeared to have remembered something. “Oh right! Have you seen the newspaper?”

“Newspaper?” Sui Zhongyi was startled. “I haven"t noticed anything special in the newspaper recently.”

“Really?” Jiang Zhengkai crossed his arms, and then let them fall to his knees. “I read an article in the newspaper about the Sui family crime syndicate. I noticed that Zhao Renchu and Sui Dequan look quite similar?”

“Oh?” Sui Zhongyi appeared shocked, but then humorously laughed. “Perhaps Officer Jiang thinks that their photos are similar? I also saw this article. Now that you mention it, they do look slightly similar. But if you saw them in person, you would not think that Zhao Renchu and Sui Dequan looked anything alike.” Sui Zhongyi seemed dejected. “Ai! Sadly, they are already both dead. Otherwise, you could go and see for yourself!”

“Oh that"s true!” Jiang Zhengkai leisurely smiled. “Alright, I have nothing else to ask about today. I just came by just to chat with you. Since I don"t think there"s any new info you can tell me, let"s stop here!”

Alright, Officer Jiang!” Sui Zhongyi sat up from his bed. “However, Officer Jiang, you need speed up the investigation! I"m almost fully recovered.”

“Hehe, don"t worry! I will find out the truth before you close your eyes.” Jiang Zhengkai grinned at Sui Zhongyi. Afterwards, he left the hospital, satisfied with the answer from Sui Zhongyi.