Striving for Science C91

A young man from a small fourth-tier city occasionally helped the police solve cases. That was considered an act of bravery, but to help the police catch criminals countless times within a year, that couldn't be just a coincidence.

As a police officer, Captain He didn't want to suspect anyone with a sense of justice. He turned his head to look at the young man at the corner. The young man looked quite young, only a few years older than his own child.

"Sir, we might need your assistance with this case. Could you please leave your contact information with me?" Captain He didn't use a questioning tone when asking Shen Chang'an about this.

"Sure." Shen Chang'an gave Captain He his phone number and work unit, then couldn't help but glance behind Captain He a few times. "Can we leave now?"

It didn't seem appropriate to keep Dao Nian in this place filled with the smell of blood.

"Sure." Captain He hesitated for less than two seconds before nodding. "I hope you can keep your phone accessible in the next few days."

"Our Civil Service Department employees must ensure their phones are accessible 24/7, so you don't need to worry about that." Shen Chang'an got up and returned the stool to the old lady on the fourth floor. He didn't know what he said to her, but he made the old lady laugh and wave at him, asking him to come back and play again.

Shen Chang'an turned his head towards Captain He: "Come with me."

Captain He looked at the handsome man who was only two or three steps away from Shen Chang'an. Shen Chang'an was... calling him, but why did his gaze seem to be looking behind him?

As Shen Chang'an and his friend walked away, the chill on Captain He's back gradually warmed up. He touched his shoulder in confusion. Had his cervical spondylosis affected his temperature perception?

Back at the hotel, Shen Chang'an said to Dao Nian, "Dao Nian, I have something to take care of. You go back to the room and rest."

Dao Nian looked at the female ghost following Shen Chang'an, remained silent for a few seconds, and then suddenly said, "Wouldn't it be inappropriate for you to be alone in a room with a lady?"

"I..." Shen Chang'an suddenly stopped and looked up at Dao Nian in astonishment. "You can see her?"

Dao Nian nodded silently.

Shen Chang'an pulled him into the room and closed the door. "Are you scared seeing this?"

Dao Nian shook his head.

He breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the soft bed. "It's good that you're not scared. I brought her back to find out what exactly happened."

Absolutely no improper intentions towards her! This is important.

"Mr. Shen." The female ghost hid in the corner of the room, afraid to approach Shen Chang'an. For a resentful ghost like her, Shen Chang'an was like a summer bonfire, hot enough to give a ghost heatstroke.

"Was it you who threw that flowerpot?"

"I'm so sorry." The female ghost said, "I saw him trying to torture those two girls again today. I had no choice but to throw the flowerpot from another floor. I didn't expect it to hit your car."

The old city has slow traffic, and it's so easy to hit a car without hurting anyone. As long as it causes a commotion and attracts the police to investigate, it can make that beast helpless, at least giving those two girls a chance to survive.

Maybe their classmates will notice they haven't returned and call the police. That way... there's a glimmer of hope.

She originally planned to make some noise to attract the police's attention when they entered the house, but the leading police officer had such a strong righteous aura that the ghost power she had painstakingly gathered dissipated by half when he entered, making it impossible for her to touch anything.

In fact, she had already exhausted all her strength to throw that flowerpot today. Otherwise, she would have killed that beast with her own hands, why would she let him continue to harm other girls?

She tried to enter his dreams to scare him, but he didn't show any fear in his dreams, and he even thought about killing her again. She was scared.

Even if a wicked person becomes a ghost, they will surely be a wicked ghost.

"You... are you the ghost who lived on the same floor as me?" Shen Chang'an said, "Sorry, I didn't believe in ghosts back then, so I didn't know there was a neighbor."

"It's not your fault." The female ghost lifted the hair that covered her face. She had a very delicate face, fair skin, an oval face, and looked like a very good and gentle good girl.

"I'm that man's ex-wife. He's not a person, he's a beast." The female ghost talked about her past, how she was mentally abused by that man, verbally insulted, and even threatened. He said that if she dared to go out without giving him face, he would expose her private photos and kill her whole family.

She felt like she was being driven crazy by this man. That morning, when the man went to work, he said to her, "If you have the guts, jump off the building."

And she really jumped.

"I regret it so much." The female ghost covered her face and cried, but she had become a ghost and couldn't shed a single tear. "I watched my parents, white-haired people, send their black-haired child away. I watched him pretend to be affectionate in front of others, but abuse animals behind their backs. Later, he couldn't control himself more and more, often buying raw meat of animals home, chopping them fiercely with a knife, and showing a satisfied smile."

"Recently, he started inviting students to his home under the guise of tutoring, to cook and do data, and I knew he couldn't control his beastly nature and was going to attack the students.

Those two girls, he brought them home last night. He sealed their mouths and let them watch..." The female ghost couldn't continue. She grabbed her hair frantically, "He's a beast, a beast, I want to kill him, I want to kill him!"

"Calm down." Shen Chang'an saw that the female ghost was not in a good state, and reached out to hold her shoulder, "Ma'am, please calm down. Those two girls are safe, and that beast has been caught."

"He was caught?" The female ghost gradually regained her senses.

"Yes, he was caught." Shen Chang'an said, "And I can assure you, even if he dies, he will only go to the 18th level of hell."

"Why?" The female ghost shrank back, "Sir, can you stay away from me?"

"Sorry, I was rude."

"That's not what I meant. It's just that the light on you is too dazzling, and ghosts who are used to the darkness can't stand it."

Shen Chang'an: "..."

"Why can you guarantee that he will go to the 18th level of hell?" The female ghost asked again.

"I know the King of Hell." At this time, in order to soothe the female ghost's emotions, Shen Chang'an could only use the King of Hell to make a big deal, "Those who do evil will be punished."

The female ghost stared at Shen Chang'an blankly, and after a long time, she suddenly laughed, and as she laughed, she cried again.

She hated her own weakness and hesitation back then. There were so many paths she could have taken, but she chose the stupidest and most desperate one.

If she had been braver back then, not afraid of the beast's threats, stood up and reported him to the police, divorced him, and then moved her family, it would have been better than this.

"Don't cry." Shen Chang'an didn't approach the female ghost again, "Be a strong person in your next life, and don't be hurt by love again."

The female ghost put down the hand that was covering her face: "Will I have a next life?"

"Yes." Shen Chang'an said, "Weakness is not a sin, the wrong is the person who hurt you. You should let go of yourself and find your next life."

"I..." The female ghost found that her body became light, and she heard the sound of bells in her ears. Her subconscious told her that it was the call of the underworld.

"Go." Shen Chang'an waved to her, "Goodbye."

The female ghost vanished into a beam of light outside the window. Shen Chang'an turned to Dao Nian and asked, "Seeing this scene that defies scientific theory, do you have any thoughts?"

Dao Nian shook his head. He looked at Shen Chang'an, reached out to touch his soft hair, and suddenly said, "Chang'an, if someone told you that your purpose in life is to destroy me, what would you think?"

With someone touching his head, it felt a little itchy, and Shen Chang'an couldn't help but laugh. "I'd probably call an ambulance. People with mental illnesses need help from a psychiatrist."

Dao Nian hesitated, withdrawing his hand. "Get some rest. Those police officers might come looking for you again tomorrow."

He couldn't tell Chang'an that he was the one who disregarded human wars, diseases, death, and all kinds of natural disasters.

He was born cold and aloof, while Chang'an was born with a warm heart, filled with kindness for every living being. Their destinies should have been diametrically opposed. But he chose to conceal everything, allowing Chang'an to feel sympathy, closeness, and even consider him a close friend.

He could imagine how disappointed Chang'an would be when he learned the truth.

Chang'an had placed a heart in his chest, and he didn't want to be the one to rip it out.

"Dao Nian," Shen Chang'an opened the door to his room and looked at Dao Nian standing in the hallway. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Dao Nian turned to look at him, his expression as calm as ever. "Go to sleep."

Even though everything seemed normal, Shen Chang'an still felt uneasy. He tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Was it because the case today was so inhumane, or was it because...

He had discovered that the beautiful and outstanding girl secretly liked Dao Nian?

He was so used to Dao Nian always being with him that he couldn't even imagine, couldn't even bear to think about what it would be like if someone closer to him than him appeared in Dao Nian's life.

He actually enjoyed this way of being together.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his mindset was too selfish. Shen Chang'an took out his phone, opened his chat app, and didn't know who to ask for advice on this matter.

After thinking for a long time, he decided that it would be most appropriate to talk to Grandpa Yang, who had chosen to never marry for love.

Chang'an: Grandpa Yang, I've been feeling a bit off lately. Not only do I not want Dao Nian to have friends closer to him than me, but I also feel very resistant to the idea of him having girls who like him. Are these thoughts and actions a bit selfish?

The poplar tree yao had just finished wiping the dust off the photo frame of his deceased lover, who had passed away decades ago, when he received a message from Shen Chang'an. He almost turned his hair green in fright.

This isn't selfishness, this is the most intimate, close-range brotherhood of the new century!

He quickly replied.

Old Yang: People always have a possessive desire for their closest friends. It's human nature. Don't be too hard on yourself. You're not a saint. It's normal to have these little emotions.

He pressed send, but it failed.

He tried to send it again, but it still failed.

As he pressed the send button for the third time, a sudden clap of thunder echoed through the sky, making his hand tremble, and he quickly deleted many words.

He's not a monk, why can't he tell a white lie? It's just a little lie, why does he need to be warned with thunder?

Shen Chang'an waited for a while, but didn't receive a message from Grandpa Yang, so he had to ask someone else.

Chang'an: Ranran, a friend of mine is very possessive of another friend of his. He doesn't want him to have better friends, and he doesn't want other girls to like him. Is this kind of mentality normal?

Less than half a minute later, Cai Ran replied.

Ranran: Normal.

Ranran: This is the kind of love that moves heaven and earth!

Chang'an: I forgot you're also a single dog, never mind.

"Even if I'm a single dog, I'm still better than a pig-brained man like you." Cai Ran threw her phone aside after reading Shen Chang'an's reply, "If you don't believe me, go ahead and mess things up yourself!"

***

At the police station, Captain He and his colleague were drinking bitter tea, staying up all night.

The colleague in charge of checking Shen Chang'an's information, with dark circles under his eyes, said, "Captain He, Shen Chang'an arrived at the beginning of the year and has no travel records until May, not even any consumption records."

In the age of big data, it's impossible for a person to have no travel records or spending records, as if they vanished into thin air.

"A prestigious university student suddenly disappeared for nearly half a year, yet the school didn't react at all, even helping to cover it up. This suggests he was carrying out a very important mission. We can't investigate further." Captain He immediately realized, "No matter what he did, at least it proves that he's a good person."

His words had barely left his mouth when the leader's phone call came in.

"Old He, you've worked hard on this case. Don't investigate any further if the people involved aren't directly related to the case."

Captain He knew they were investigating Shen Chang'an, and the higher-ups found out: "That Mr. Shen, his identity is very special."

"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't dare to let this slip. I know your character, and I can't say much more. I can only tell you that he's a good kid, and his whole family has made contributions to the country."

"I understand." Captain He knew his guess was right. He said, "Please rest assured, I know what to do."

"I trust you to handle this."

After hanging up the phone, Captain He closed the investigation file related to Shen Chang'an.

"Little Wang, contact Shen Chang'an tomorrow. I want to meet with him."

"Okay, Captain He." The police officer named Little Wang said, "Shen Chang'an is staying at a hotel not far from our station. I'll be waiting downstairs at the hotel early tomorrow morning, and I'll make sure you meet."

"Thanks for your hard work." Captain He rubbed his tired forehead, got up, and went with his colleagues to take the suspect's statement.

This case has already attracted the attention of some media outlets, and it will probably be all over the internet tomorrow.

In the age of the internet, there are no secrets.