Striving for Science C89 pt1

The zoo is a popular place for many children to play, but Shen Chang'an, this big kid, also had a great time. Before leaving, he even bought a few panda hats for everyone to wear.

"Don't move." Shen Chang'an couldn't resist snapping several photos of Dao Nian's face. The usually stoic man wearing this fluffy, cutesy hat was just too much of a contrast.

"You like pandas?" Dao Nian saw Shen Chang'an leaning in to take a picture with him, and he cooperated by tilting his head closer.

"At least half of our country loves pandas, right?" Shen Chang'an took nine photos in a row, then put down his phone and fastened his seatbelt. "What's wrong?"

"Chang'an, there's something I've been hiding from you for a long time. Actually, I'm a…"

Clang!

The car they were in was hit by a flowerpot that fell from the sky, leaving a large dent in the hood.

Liu Mao, the driver, fell silent. What kind of flowerpot could possibly hit the car carrying the Heavenly Dao?

Dao Nian's expression was strange. He looked at the flowerpot, now shattered into pieces on the hood, and suddenly let out a snort of laughter.

"Dao Nian, what's wrong?" Shen Chang'an looked at Dao Nian with confusion. "For a moment there, it felt like a textbook villain's entrance."

Dao Nian: "..."

"I'm fine." Dao Nian took a deep breath. He was old enough not to argue with human cubs.

"We're lucky. A second later, and the windshield could have been hit." Shen Chang'an was still shaken. He opened the car door and looked up at the building. This road was in the old city, with many residential buildings lining the street. But if the flowerpot was in freefall, it should have fallen to the side of the road, not onto a car driving on the road.

Passersby who saw this scene were also startled.

"It's a good thing it hit the car. If it had hit a person, they would have been dead."

"It would have been better if it had hit a person. This car doesn't look cheap. Such a big dent on the hood, I wonder if the parts inside were affected. For a limited edition car like this, repairs might be more expensive than buying a new one." This was the lament of a car enthusiast.

"Oh my, which family has such poor morals, throwing flowerpots down like that? If it had hurt someone, that would be ruining an entire family."

As soon as Liu Mao parked the car on the side of the road, passersby gathered around to see how badly the car was damaged. They were then showered with endless sympathy from the onlookers.

Some people called the police, some comforted Shen Chang'an and Dao Nian, and some filmed short videos of the luxury car, shouting into the camera: "Fellow netizens, look at this! This is a globally limited edition luxury car. Look at its headlights, look at its design, it's practically screaming 'expensive' from head to toe. What a pity, what a pity."

The passerby who was live-streaming on the internet moved the camera to the hood: "Friends, look at this! This car was hit by someone with no manners, who threw something from a high place, leaving such a big dent. If I were the owner, I would have already had a heart attack from the heartache."

"Thank you for the gifts, netizens, but no matter how much you encourage me, I won't film the people involved. I won't do anything without their consent." The live-streaming passerby turned his head and looked at the two handsome guys surrounded by uncles and aunties, sighing, "There are some men in this world who are the public enemy of all men. Not only are they rich, but they're also damn good-looking. It makes us men who rely on our skills feel so sad."

"Don't worry, female netizens, the two handsome guys are fine. They're waiting for the police to arrive, and the person who threw the object hasn't shown up yet. This is an old city built decades ago, with narrow roads and heavy traffic. It might take a while for the police to get here."

"The person who threw the object hasn't shown up yet. They probably realized they hit a luxury car and hid."

Shen Chang'an was worried that the onlookers were too enthusiastic and Dao Nian wouldn't be able to handle it, so he opened the car door and let Dao Nian get in. He and Liu Mao stayed outside to deal with the situation.

There were those who felt sorry, and naturally, there were those who were gloating. He even heard someone in the crowd say, "So what if it's a luxury car? A flowerpot falling from the sky still leaves a dent."

No matter what, there will always be people who gloat. Shen Chang'an didn't bother with them. He looked up at the old residential building.

This building was seven stories high, and the first, second, third, and seventh floors had anti-theft windows installed. Based on the size of the flowerpot, it wouldn't have been able to pass through the gaps in the anti-theft windows.

So the culprit must be on the fourth, fifth, or sixth floor.

Clothes were drying on the balconies of the fourth and fifth floors, while the sixth floor balcony was clean and empty, looking like it was uninhabited.

Did the person who threw the flowerpot live on the fourth or fifth floor?

"The police are here."

"The police are here!"

The cheerful tone of the crowd seemed to tell Shen Chang'an that there was more excitement to be had.

After the police arrived, they took photos of the car, recorded statements from witnesses at the scene, and retrieved surveillance footage from nearby shops. They confirmed that Shen Chang'an's car was driving normally before they went upstairs to visit the residents.

"Captain He, anyone who can afford a car like that must be a big shot. If we can't solve the case quickly, will it cause us trouble?" The police officer who was working with Captain He was a little worried. If this matter escalated, it would affect the image of the entire city and have a negative impact on future economic development.

Who would want to invest in tourism in a city where residents like to throw things into the street?

Although one person doesn't represent an entire city, if the matter gets online and spreads, it will definitely have a negative impact.

"Our duty is to investigate the case. We don't have time to consider other matters." Captain He went up floor by floor, and when he reached the fifth floor, his years of police experience told him that something was wrong. He smelled a… fishy odor, a bit like blood.

"Everyone, take cover." Captain He raised his hand. "Something's wrong on this floor."

The two young police officers following Captain He turned pale. They hid behind cover and gestured to Captain He, asking if they should call for backup from the station.

Captain He nodded grimly. He pulled out his service pistol, gripped it tightly, took a deep breath, and knocked lightly on the door. "Hello, we're the police. A car was smashed downstairs, and we'd like to ask you about the situation."

After saying this, Captain He listened intently. He heard rustling sounds coming from inside the room. After about a minute, someone opened the door.

"Hello?" The man who opened the door was wearing a shirt and a round-neck sweater, looking refined and cultured. He smiled politely at Captain He. "What can I do for you?"

Captain He recounted the incident again.

"A flowerpot?" The man turned his head in confusion and looked at his own balcony. "I don't have any flowers at home."

"Can we take a look inside?" Captain He asked.

"Of course." The man hesitated for a moment and stepped aside. He smiled awkwardly at Captain He. "Sorry, I'm making sausages at home, so it's a bit messy."

The two young police officers went in first. Captain He took advantage of the man's distraction as he accompanied the two young officers into the house and put his gun back in its holster.

He followed them into the house and saw a half-slab of pork on the wooden table. Next to it was a large iron basin containing chopped and marinated meat, as well as a small sausage-making machine.

"Sorry, I'm a university teacher, teaching about food processing. I made these to encourage my students' hands-on skills." The man invited the three police officers to sit down and went to the kitchen to pour water. "I spent the whole morning messing around at home, and I was too tired to rest in the afternoon."

Soon, he came out with a tray, placing the water cups in front of the three. "I'm not sure about the flowerpot you mentioned. I haven't had any flowers for two or three years."

Speaking of flowers, his eyes became a little melancholy. "My wife loved to grow flowers. After she passed away, I…"

"Sorry," the man gave a bitter smile, and said to Captain He, "The apartment above mine is empty, no one lives there usually."

"How do you know no one lives there?" the young police officer couldn't help but ask.

"This building has poor sound insulation, if something happens upstairs, we downstairs can hear it clearly. In the two or three years since I moved in, only a few tenants have lived upstairs intermittently, and then no one came."

"This area is an old district, but there are several good schools nearby. How could the house not be rented out?"

"Because..." The man's smile was a little helpless. "Because I don't know who spread the rumor, but they said this building is haunted, and gradually other tenants stopped coming."

"When did the rumor of ghosts start?" As a police officer, Captain He felt that an old residential building wouldn't suddenly have a ghost story.

"It was probably... a few months ago?" The man shook his head. "I'm a university teacher, how could I believe in such things? So I didn't pay much attention."

"Oh." Captain He nodded. He got up and walked around the living room. "This house, did you rent it?"

"Houses in the provincial capital are expensive, my salary can't afford it." The man's gaze followed Captain He, and when he saw Captain He turn around and walk back, he quickly retracted his gaze.

"You're not from here?"

"I'm originally from Wuming City, but I was transferred here for work a couple of years ago." The man pushed the paper cup, "Captain He, please have some water, it's getting cold."

"Thank you." Captain He picked up the cup and touched his lips, "Wuming City is a good place, beautiful mountains and rivers, and it's good for people. I've been on a few missions to your hometown, the people are very hospitable, and a fugitive was even caught with the help of the locals."

"Yeah, most people from our hometown are pretty straightforward." The man laughed, "It's just that the economy isn't as good as here, and there aren't as many job opportunities as in the provincial capital."

"You can't have both fish and bear's paw, there's nothing we can do about it." Captain He had just finished speaking when he heard footsteps coming from the stairwell. Could it be the resident of the seventh floor? He gestured to his colleague to go out and see.

The young police officer walked to the door and saw that it wasn't the resident of the seventh floor who had come, but the victim whose car had been smashed. He was worried that Shen Chang'an would come up and argue with the person, so he quickly said, "Sir, we are currently investigating the case, please remain calm."

Shen Chang'an's gaze passed through the policeman's shoulder and fell on the edge of the balcony. His eyelids twitched, and he retracted his gaze, saying, "Please rest assured, officer, I'm not here to cause trouble, I just came to take a look."

The young police officer thought to himself, how many people had said this to them, but many of those who said this would end up fighting with the other party, and they would have to go to great lengths to mediate.

He wouldn't fall for it.

But this gentleman didn't seem to have any intention of leaving. He just stared at the room with a sweet and harmless smile, not making a fuss, not even asking to come in. It made the young police officer feel a little awkward.