Today, the fresh flowers that Jiayi bought were sitting next to the landline phone—a bunch of small, bright yellow daisies, each petal vigorously bursting into bloom.
Droplets hanging on the petals shimmered with a crystal-like glow, and interspersed among them was a bouquet of assorted, fragrant flowers, bringing a delightful scent and mood upon both sight and smell.
Fang Zhenyue pulled up a chair to sit astride, deeply inhaling the flower’s fragrance while listening on the phone.
“Are you saying that before, in your store, you saw the female deceased, She Jingjing, leaving with a man?” Fang Zhenyue looked down at the flowers, casually flicking a petal, causing water to scatter.
“Yes, on the day of She Jingjing’s death,” came the reply from the other end.
Fang Zhenyue suddenly glanced at the topic, finding the voice eerily familiar, and puzzled, he asked, “Brother Jiadong?”
“Yes, didn’t I mention my name?” Yi Jiadong retorted.
“Ha, the operator didn’t tell me your name,” Fang Zhenyue relaxed further, one leg bent on the chair’s beam, the other stretched out, “The deceased actually had dinner at Yi Ji that day, do you remember what the man she was with looked like, Brother Jiadong?”
Upon hearing her brother’s name, Yi Jiayi immediately bent down to press her ear against the back of the phone.
Fang Zhenyue flicked her forehead with his finger, leaving a droplet from the petal on her forehead, and then switched to speakerphone for everyone to listen.
“I remember not only what he looks like but also his name,” Yi Jiadong clicked his tongue, and reported rapidly:
“The man’s name is Qin Xiaolei, about six feet (186 cm) tall, very robust and capable, a straightforward person. You know, they are building a soccer field on Yanjia Street, I had him come from there to help me set up a rain shelter. He’s from Kui Chong village in the countryside, came to Sham Shui Po to do odd jobs, hoping to earn more money to build a tiled house and marry a good-tempered wife.
“She Jingjing had invited him to her place, apparently to help clean the exhaust hood, and paid him a hundred or so Hong Kong dollars.
“I don’t know where he lives, but if you ask the construction manager at the Yanjia Street site, they might know.”
Jiayi quickly noted down the key information on the side.
“Thanks, Brother Jiadong, the clues you provided are very important, I’ll treat you to a drink later,” Fang Zhenyue said with a smile.
“No need, no need, I’m part of a police family after all, it’s what we citizens should do!” Yi Jiadong laughed heartily, then with a ‘I won’t disturb your case further,’ he hung up.
After hanging up, Jiayi chuckled proudly, “My big brother is really awesome.”
“Yes, the Yi family always produces heroes,” Fang Zhenyue teased her with a smile, standing up from the chair with a suddenly more dignified and imposing demeanor, “Let’s go, let’s head to the Yanjia Street construction site, see if we can find Qin Xiaolei today.”
“Yes, sir!” Voices echoed in the office, as the detectives geared up to depart once again.
….
….
The overnight storm wreaked havoc on the construction site, leaving it a mess with tools scattered everywhere and building materials blown apart, as if it were the scene of a family war where Mother Nature furiously vented her rage.
The children, unable to quell their parents’ anger, had no choice but to silently clean up the mess.
The work must go on despite the wind and rain.
Fang Zhenyue and his group trudged through the mud and debris, with Uncle Jiu reminding the younger ones as they walked, “Be careful of nails, glass shards, rusty metal, and such on the ground. Watch your step and be aware of your surroundings. Stepping on a nail means getting a tetanus shot, and scratches or bumps can be troublesome.”
“Got it, Uncle Jiu, don’t worry,” Liu Jiaming chuckled, carefully watching his step, obviously fearful of getting hurt.
After locating the foreman, Fang Zhenyue went forward to negotiate, while Sanfu and a few others spread out to ask other construction workers if they knew Qin Xiaolei, what they knew about him, whether he had violent tendencies, and about his social interactions.
Minutes later, each had gathered some information and regrouped in the parking lot to share:
“He lives in a cage home on the north side of Sham Shui Po, near Shek Cheung Po. We’ve got the address, let’s head out,” Fang Zhenyue said as he opened the car door and got in first.
Living in a cage home certainly suggested poverty. These places often consisted of a single room divided into countless beds, resembling cages for sleeping, hence the name.
“His coworkers all say Qin Xiaolei is simple and honest, not the type to get into conflicts,” Sanfu reported from the back seat.
“However, many have said that Qin Xiaolei is very strong and capable. Others might push a cart with four bags of cement; he can load a tricycle with six or seven bags, or even more, and push it with vigor,” Liu Jiaming added after getting into the car.
Before Lin Wangjiu left to get his own car, he cautioned, “Qin Xiaolei picks up a lot of scrap copper and cardboard after work to sell for some money. In the hands of a strong man, any of these items with the right shape could become a weapon. We should be cautious.”
“Qin Xiaolei hasn’t shown up for work these last few days, likely hiding from the law. I got his hometown’s exact address from his coworkers. If we don’t find him in the cage homes of Shek Cheung Po, we can head to the Beihe Village in Kwai Chung,” Jiayi said as she got into the car and closed the door.
After the Jeep started, she spoke up, “I haven’t applied for a firearm yet, but if we proceed with an arrest, I won’t be reckless and cause trouble for everyone!”
She promised.
“Little Eleven is really impressive, so sensible,” Liu Jiaming said, patting her shoulder, “You’re smart, capable, and have a great sense of the big picture. You know when to stand strong and when not to show off in the face of danger. How did our Team B get so lucky?”
“Exactly,” Gary chuckled in agreement.
Joking and bantering all the way, they reached the Shek Cheung Po wooden house area, quickly switched to a serious demeanor, took deep breaths, and led by Fang Zhenyue in a fan shape, they approached Qin Xiaolei’s cage home.
Their right hands were all hidden under their coats, pressing on the sidearms, turning them into beasts waiting for the right moment to strike, ready to bare their fangs at any time.
Jiayi looked around and on the grassy slope filled with clutter near the wooden houses, she found half a door panel, wrapped her hands with her clothes, grabbed the door as a shield, and followed everyone else.
In her psychic sense, she saw Qin Xiaolei working hard for She Jingjing like a big ox, huffing and puffing. When the drugs took effect, he started to get confused. When attacked by She Jingjing, his retaliatory expression was also filled with fear.
Jiayi thought he didn’t seem like a bad person, but a cornered dog will leap over a wall and a desperate rabbit will bite. She decided she’d better protect herself first.
Although this body had taken many combative courses in school and had special training, Jiayi was still a ‘scholar’ from another era, having never fought anyone. Even teaming up with primary schoolers in online games, she only ever got hammered; dreaming of instantly turning into a fierce warrior was probably a bad idea.
As she prayed for the capture to go smoothly, Fang Zhenyue had already led Gary and a few others into the doorway.
The wooden houses here were built in two to three stories each, divided into as many units as possible. Qin Xiaolei rented one of the seven cage-like rooms on the first floor.
At Fang Zhenyue’s signal, Gary gently knocked on the door.
There was no response inside. After a minute, Gary knocked a second time and asked, “Is anyone there? I live upstairs, I forgot to turn off the tap, and my place is flooded. Is there any leakage in your apartment?”
Still no response from inside. Fang Zhenyue put his ear against the door, suddenly frowning.
He faintly heard some footsteps, his thoughts racing. Suddenly, he looked towards the window, “Sanfu, be careful!”
Sanfu, who was guarding outside the window, heard Fang Zhenyue’s shout and instantly widened his eyes and clenched his fists. The next moment, the window was violently smashed open, and a huge figure leaped out, landing right in front of Sanfu.
Sanfu immediately extended his arms to grab him while shouting, “Police! Don’t move!”
The man was indeed Qin Xiaolei. His eyes were red with panic, and he couldn’t understand what the other person was saying. Seeing the other man trying to capture him, instinctively, he swung his arm violently.
With that swing, his fist smashed onto Sanfu’s shoulder.
Sanfu felt numbness on one side of his body, his body uncontrollably falling backward, staggering before he could barely stabilize. However, his left arm was already somewhat immobile.
Qin Xiaolei had considerable strength.
As Sanfu gingerly moved his left arm, thinking of chasing after him, he suddenly gasped in shock. It turned out that Jiayi had been following Fang Zhenyue and others, silently observing and learning capture techniques outside the house.
After Qin Xiaolei knocked down Sanfu, he ran towards the other side of the house, accidentally crashing right into Jiayi.
Jiayi was also frightened, but she remained rational. As Qin Xiaolei charged towards her, she pushed the ‘battering shield’ forward while shouting loudly:
“Qin Xiaolei, you can’t escape. Surrender now!”
Qin Xiaolei had raised his fist, but when he realized it was a woman, he paused. With a sudden stride to the side, he bypassed Jiayi and ran away.
Even in a critical moment, he would not hit a woman.
Fang Zhenyue had already caught up close. Amidst the rush, he quickly glanced at Jiayi to see if she was okay before continuing the pursuit.
Qin Xiaolei, more familiar with this area, jumped over a fence and escaped towards the wasteland behind.
While Jiayi was looking for cover, she had quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain, so as she ran, she shouted:
“Brother Yue, there’s a drainage ditch over there. Jump further when you vault the wall, otherwise you’ll fall into it.”
Fang Zhenyue was scaling the wall as he heard this advice. He put extra strength into his hands, propelling his body further.
After landing and looking back, there indeed was a ditch under the wall.
Thankfully Jiayi had reminded him. The thought ‘I didn’t know when she had surveyed the surroundings’ flashed through his mind as he dashed forward nearly ten meters.