Chapter 1: Strange Phenomena in the Underworld

  Chen Zhenhua and the police all wanted to find useful clues in the room, but it seemed that the murderer had carefully handled everything, so nothing could be found. It can be imagined that the murderer was not nervous at all after killing someone, such a murderer is extremely ruthless, with thoughts that are meticulous and not panicked.

  Chen Zhenhua stood in the living room, next to the coffee table where the body lay, and looked around carefully. The house was very clean, almost spotless, which suggested that the woman had always been meticulous about hygiene. In the shoe cabinet at the entrance, several pairs of men's and women's leather shoes were neatly arranged, each pair polished to a shine. Two pairs of long boots were placed tidily on the side of the shoe cabinet, also very clean and dust-free.

  Such a clean room, how can there be no valuable clues left behind, even if it's just a thread or a hint?

  Chen Zhenhua couldn't find any clues, and the police were also unsuccessful. Everyone was disappointed as they packed up to return to the police station. It seemed that this case would take some time.

  "I think I asked something before?" As Chen Zhenhua walked out of the room and closed the door to preserve the scene, she seemed to have thought of something again.

  "Who remembers what you said," Huang Aiguo was in a bad mood, he originally didn't want to pay attention to Chen Zhenhua, because he had always looked down on Chen Zhenhua, Chen Zhenhua's cowardice, sloppy work, and speaking nonsense. However, after all, they were colleagues, so he responded with two sentences, which also showed that he had some self-cultivation and temperament.

  But he didn't know, and couldn't have known that Chen Zhenhua was no longer the same person he had worked with for many years. The current Chen Zhenhua took his work seriously, actively solved cases, and as soon as there was a case, he wanted to rush to the scene as quickly as possible, and then use the fastest time to bring the murderer to justice. It's just that the problem of being timid is something that even someone who has been to hell like him can't overcome.

  "I remember," said Chen Zhenhua, "the woman was killed, why didn't I see her husband?"

  "How did I know, I heard that her husband was on a business trip and someone had already called him. He might be back in two days." Huang Aiguo was still as cold as ice, he didn't want to say another word, casually answering Chen Zhenhua's question, then stood in front of the garden pavilion of this residential area, looking back at that happy building, his face hesitant and serious, compared with other police officers who were laughing and chatting while leaving the residential area, he was one with a professional spirit, of course, if you don't count Chen Zhenhua as a police officer.

  Although Huang Aiguo didn't like talking to Chen Zhenhua, when they came out, the two of them walked shoulder to shoulder, chatting about things related to the case but not very helpful.

  It's said that the victim's husband is on a business trip. Chen Zhenhua nodded thoughtfully, but he seemed to have some doubts about the victim's husband in his heart. How could it be so coincidental for him to be away on a business trip at this time? If the husband being away on a business trip was indeed true, then what about the old man saying that the newlywed couple had a fight earlier today? Could it be that the new bride was arguing with someone else? And if so, who could that person be?

  Everyone got on the police car, several cars suddenly started, and in a flash they drove out of the community, leaving behind a few black and white shadows speeding away, leaving behind a few long trails of black smoke.

  Sitting in the car, Chen Zhenhua still couldn't stop thinking about the case. The doubts from earlier made him feel a bit bewildered and restless. He thought this was a very difficult case, the first time he had such thoughts since reading his first detective novel. From borrowing a corpse to revive a soul to entering the police station, he was full of energy and looked forward to having a case that would allow him to show off his skills, but this murder case made him somewhat perplexed.

  However, such difficulties were also fleeting, and soon he seemed to be in high spirits again. He told himself that it was precisely because of the difficulty that one's ability could be demonstrated, or in other words, the opportunity to demonstrate his extraordinary wisdom and detective skills had arrived. Therefore, this case was a very unlucky thing for the victim, but wasn't it also an opportunity for him? Although he deeply sympathized with the victim, since the tragedy had occurred, he would deal with it wisely.

  The next day, the victim's husband finally returned. His name was Xiong Lengbing, in his thirties, with a slender build and wearing black-framed glasses. Although his nose bridge wasn't high and his lips were slightly thin, overall he could be considered a handsome man.

  He rushed to the police station in Haizhou City as soon as he returned, and Huang Aiguo and Chen Zhenhua received him, asking him to make a record.

  "I know you must be feeling terrible right now," Huang Aiguo coughed twice to ease the tense atmosphere, looking at Xiong Lunbing with puffy eyes. "However, in order to solve the case as soon as possible, I have to bring up the matter of your wife's murder, which may stir up your boundless sorrow. Of course, my doing so doesn't mean that I don't feel any pain inside; frankly, I'm very sorry, sir, what's your surname?"

  Xiong Lun Ice cried again, crying very sadly, his whole body shaking. Although he was wearing a neat suit today and looked elegant like a gentleman, his wife had been killed and died so miserably that even in front of the police, a strong man would still lose control. He seemed unable to control the pain in his heart, wailing and crying on the table.

  "Go ahead and cry," Chen Zhenhua also took a deep breath, but he didn't forget that he was now a police officer, nor did he forget the "reading people's expressions" skills he learned from "The Sherlock Holmes Detective Collection". Although he spoke, his eyes were still fixed on the man's face. At this moment, Chen Zhenhua could be described as "astute", perhaps even in his own heart. His expressionless face hid a sense of melancholy, calm and with deep eyes, just like the mysterious Sherlock Holmes in his heart. He tried his best to imitate Holmes! Even if it was just a finger movement, he tried to do it exactly as described in the book.

  "Sorry," said Xiong Lunbing after he had cried and finally calmed down.

  "It's okay," Chen Zhenhua smiled, just like a kind superior leader encouraging his tense subordinate with a smile, "You cry very sadly, but it doesn't matter, men crying is not a sin, as Liu Dehua said."

  "Stop talking nonsense, 'men cry, it's not a sin', do you have to add more 'cry'?" Huang Aiguo turned his head and took a look at Chen Zhenhua. He felt that Chen Zhenhua had already gone off topic. Their task was just to understand the relationship between the victim's husband and wife, which was what Captain Yan Song of the police bureau's criminal police brigade had assigned them this morning. After all, such a big case, anyone could be possible, as long as they have some connection with the victim.

  "I said two 'cry' actually emphasizing the degree of sadness, saying that men cry, then it proves that they are extremely heartbroken inside. Can't this person be so heartbroken and not cry?" Chen Zhenhua explained for his own wisdom.

  "Can I speak?" The man in front of him also seemed to think that Chen Zhenhua's words were even more off-topic, so he reminded the two of them, "But what should I say?"

  Huang Aiguo exclaimed: "Say, say why your wife was killed and you just happened to not be at the scene."

  "Ah," the man nodded, "I'd better introduce myself. My name is Xiong Lunbing, I'm 30 years old, and I work as a sales director at a furniture company. My wife's name is Ran Jiaolu, of course you already know that, she's the general manager of a jewelry store. We met three years ago in a coffee shop, got married half a year ago, and have been relatively happy since then... but didn't expect..." Xiong Lunbing broke down in tears again at this point.

  "Excuse me," Huang Aiguo crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking at Xiong Lunbing and saying, "Can you tell me where you were when your wife was murdered?"

  "I'm happy to cooperate with the police," Xiong Lunbing pulled out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, lit one and handed it to Chen Zhenhua and Huang Aiguo, "Do you guys smoke?"

  The two of them waved their hands to indicate they didn't smoke, then Chen Zhenhua looked at Xiong Lunbing and said: "Then you speak up!"

  "A few days ago, my company sent me to Shanghai on a business trip. Before I left, my wife even knitted this sweater for me. Look at it, the one I'm wearing now, isn't it beautiful? She made this sweater and we had planned to celebrate our third anniversary together when I got back, but unexpectedly, before I could return, I heard that she was murdered. Who would have thought that this business trip would separate me from my wife in life and death? You think I'm pitiful?" Xiong Linbing said, choking back tears again, still looking very heartbroken, he crushed the cigarette in his hand into the ashtray.

  Xiong Lunbing's crying made Chen Zhenhua almost shed tears, after all, the deceased was a family member, and died so miserably, who could not be moved by it? Especially Chen Zhenhua, he was also one of the dead, thinking that he had died because of solving the case, his parents were equally grief-stricken. Now these two old people have become much older due to his death, if it weren't for the inconvenience of borrowing a corpse to return to the soul, he really wanted to run into his poor mother's arms and cry bitterly.

  However, for the sake of the case, he remained somewhat sober. Although his tears were about to flow out, he still didn't forget to continue "facial surveillance" on Xiong Lengbing.

  "Does your wife have any enemies outside?" he said.

  "There shouldn't be any," said Xiong Lengbing. "My wife is a kind person who never wrongs others, so she shouldn't have any enemies."

  "Your wife works in the company, will she be envied by her colleagues for promotion and salary increase, or will she cause dissatisfaction with others due to business competition, thus bringing about a fatal disaster." Huang Aiguo took a sip of tea, looking at Xiong Lengbing said, he thought this line of thinking might have some value, maybe this is the breakthrough in the murder case, for which he was somewhat pleased, just waiting for Xiong Lengbing to nod and say "yes".

  However, Xiong Lunbing shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be."

  But then he seemed to remember something and said, "There was only one time when she came home and said that a colleague named Zhang Yuan sent her harassing text messages. She was very angry, but that was also two months ago. It shouldn't be Zhang Yuan taking revenge, should it?"

  "This is good news," Huang Aiguo slapped the table and said, "Go see Zhang Yuan right away!"

  With the emergence of a new character, Huang Aiguo and Chen Zhenhua felt some excitement in their hearts. They thought that Zhang Yuan might be the murderer, at least so far Zhang Yuan is the only one with a motive to kill.

  This time, Xiong Lunbing stayed at the police station for a whole morning. The three of them said a lot, and in the end, except for that Zhang Yuan who was very likely to be the murderer, they really couldn't think of anyone else who was more suspicious.

  Afterwards, Xiong Lun Ice wept for a long time before leaving the police station. When he left, the streetlights on the streets of the city had already lit up.

  Chen Zhenhua also planned to go home, he walked out of the police station, the street was still crowded with cars and people, the night market vendors had already set up stalls on the side of the road, inside the stalls some people were drinking and playing dice, on the sidewalk there were a few who had drunk too much wine stumbling along, even shouting loudly in a drunken frenzy. In this city, after a few more hours the nightlife would begin. If you weren't a policeman, nobody could tell that a brutal murder case had occurred in this peaceful and prosperous metropolis, and it was just yesterday.

  As he walked down the street, Chen Zhenhua had no time to appreciate the scenery around him. The evening wind was quite chilly, and he adjusted his collar upwards, hoping to block out the autumn breeze that seemed to sneak into his clothes. He strolled alone on the street, and the image of the woman's tragic death resurfaced in his mind, reminding him of the past when Xiong Lengbing had cried herself to death. In her lifetime, she had disobeyed her parents' words, causing them immense heartache. Even after her death, knowing that her parents were now frail and grey-haired, he still couldn't bring himself to meet with them. He didn't dare tell his parents that he had returned from the dead.

  He just walked like that, towards his own home - speaking of home, he didn't originally have one, now he should be heading to the home of Chen Zhenhua, the real police officer whose body he possessed after being scared to death by a rabbit.

  That Chen Zhenhua was not married, and rented a one-bedroom apartment alone. After his death, the sanitation worker naturally turned this home into his own. At first, he didn't even know where "home" was, but after being discharged from the hospital, Chen Zhenhua's friend sent him here.

  The residence of the sanitation workers is in a very deep alley in the west of the city. The alley is not too big, and there are no streetlights inside. Plus, this area is relatively quiet, so walking in the alley can be quite frightening.

  But Chen Zhenhua was not afraid at all, even if he encountered a ghost, he didn't care, after all, he was also a ghost.

  But that night, he didn't know why, when he walked into the alley, he suddenly felt a little uneasy, this unease he couldn't explain, his heart was always apprehensive and restless, in short, it wasn't like before.