Looking at the woman, her hair a mixture of black and white, kneeling on the ground, clutching the white sheet-covered body and wailing, Chang Erbing adjusted his collar and said solemnly, “Don’t worry, ma’am, we will catch the murderer quickly.”

He was interrupted by the woman’s cries.

The word “murderer” triggered her nerves. She grabbed Chang Erbing’s trouser leg and asked in a trembling voice, “Who killed my daughter? Why? She was only sixteen years old.”

Chang Erbing looked around at the teachers and students, who seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for his answer.

“Based on the evidence at the scene, we have identified the murderer as Zheng Hang. He lured Wang Wei to the storeroom two nights ago and brutally murdered her.”

Chang Erbing’s face was grim as he tried to conceal the details of the ritual, saying in a low voice,

“Fellow students and teachers, if you have seen Zheng Hang recently or been in contact with him, please report it to the precinct immediately.”

The scene immediately buzzed with excitement, quickly turning into a discussion amongst the more astute students.

“I knew it! It was impossible for two people to go missing at the same time by coincidence. It was definitely…”

“When they only carried out one body, I guessed. Sure enough…”

“…”

Ivy’s lips twitched. She instinctively adjusted her backpack strap, feeling a strange sense of unease.

She thought, “Even though I staged the scene to frame him, the police solved the case too quickly. It seems a little irresponsible…”

Then, she reconsidered, “No, wait. Wang Wei was indeed killed by Zheng Hang. The officers weren’t irresponsible. They were incredibly sharp, solving the case brilliantly.”

“You’re full of shit!”

Suddenly, a thunderous roar cut through the air. A dozen burly men in short sleeves pushed through the crowd. Zheng Si’s face was grim as he strode towards Chang Erbing, his voice a low growl, “My son couldn’t have done it.”

His expression was sinister. One of his eyes, a glass prosthetic, stared coldly at Chang Erbing, devoid of any warmth.

Chang Erbing’s breath hitched. He felt like he was being stared down by a venomous snake, a chill running down his spine.

Li Xiang walked over from the storeroom, pulling Chang Erbing behind him. Without any hesitation, he blew a smoke ring in Zheng Si’s face and said scornfully, “You say your son didn’t do it, but I think you’re hiding him. Do you think people will believe you or the precinct?”

Zheng Si’s temples throbbed, and he was about to retort when someone pulled him back from behind.

He turned his head, only to be met with a sea of suspicion, disgust, anger, and fear.

Even surrounded by tattooed thugs, his claim that his son was innocent was unconvincing. The crowd wasn’t blind.

“Give my daughter’s life back!”

Wang Wei’s mother suddenly stood up from the ground, lunging at Zheng Si like a madwoman.

A cruel expression flashed across Zheng Si’s eyes. The muscles on his back bulged, resembling a fleshy tumor growing on his arm. He was about to strike, but the person behind him held him back firmly.

Li Xiang remained motionless, his gaze piercing through Zheng Si towards the figures behind him. His brow furrowed slightly.

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Ma Ban was slender and effeminate, a stark contrast to the burly thugs surrounding him. He stood out amongst the hardened men.

He held Zheng Si back tightly, avoiding the latter’s furious gaze, signaling to one of his underlings with his eyes.

The underling gritted his teeth and stepped forward, slapping Wang Wei’s mother across the face with the back of his hand.

Blood and several broken teeth flew into the air. Wang Wei’s mother fell to the ground, no longer screaming, her fate unknown.

Li Xiang finally reacted, taking a half-step forward, grabbing the man’s violently trembling arm with one hand, and with a slight tug, tore his arm clean off.

Li Xiang casually threw the severed limb to the ground, ignoring the man kneeling on the ground, clutching his bleeding arm and screaming in agony.

Li Xiang’s hand fell, blood and shreds of flesh flung onto Zheng Si’s face. He said coldly, “Dare to assault in front of officer of the precinct? You’re asking for it!”

Zheng Si narrowed his eyes. He considered himself ruthless, but the officer’s brutality seemed to match, if not exceed, his own.

And the officer had the backing of the law!

Zheng Si’s anger subsided slightly. He glanced at Ma Ban.

Ma Ban released his grip on Zheng Si and walked to Li Xiang, speaking before Zheng Si could interject. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it, saying meekly, “My men are impulsive and made a mistake. The precinct can take them into custody. The Qinglang Gang will cover the medical expenses for the deceased’s mother.”

Having spoken, Ma Ban took a step back, picked up the severed

arm from the ground, brushed off the dust, and placed it in the underling’s embrace. He said softly, “Don’t worry, after you’ve served your time, your parents will be taken care of by the gang.”

The screams ceased. The underling clutched his severed arm, his face ashen.

After the Qinglang Gang members left, Li Xiang slowly and deliberately sent the unconscious woman to the hospital. The man with the severed arm received no such treatment; a rough bandage was applied, and he was bundled into a police car and taken to the precinct.

Ivy, hidden in the crowd, watched the Qinglang Gang leave, her gaze lingering on Zheng Si and Ma Ban for a moment. She thought, “A violent wolf and a cunning fox.”

“And a cannibalistic tiger,” Ivy added silently, finally looking at Li Xiang, who was extinguishing his cigarette.

Li Xiang seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up at the crowd. Ivy lowered her head without changing her expression.

Although she lived with a precinct officer, Ivy wasn’t truly familiar with how the precinct operated. Today was the first time she had witnessed a police investigation firsthand.

Her understanding of this world deepened significantly.

“Dark, it’s so dark. Everyone is cruel and ruthless, incredibly dangerous. I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot let them notice me,” Ivy thought, letting out a long breath. Her thoughts wandered.

“Does Eric Ruiz usually handle cases like this?” she wondered.

...

The school bell rang in the afternoon.

Students reluctantly returned to their respective classrooms. Ivy blended seamlessly into the crowd and went to the Academic Affairs Office.

With the body discovered and the case classified as a murder, she had no reason to remain at school.

In less than three minutes, she emerged from the Academic Affairs Office, tucking her thin graduation certificate (withdrawal approval) into the top of her bag.

Pushing her bike out of the schoolyard, Ivy paused, gazing at the Class 47 sign. It looked old and weathered.

“In my previous life, even though I wasn’t a top student, I did manage to complete my doctoral studies. I never imagined I wouldn't even finish high school in this life,” she sighed.

It wasn’t nostalgia for Class 47. Ivy didn’t have much affection for this old school. She was reminiscing about herself, about her previous life, her ivory tower self.

A life she wouldn't see again.

Ivy turned her back to the school gate, took two strides, mounted her bike, and pedaled away. She passed the government building, the hardware store, the precinct…

Screech.

Her bike brakes screeched, the leaning shadow cast by her bike merging with the perpetual smoke from the incinerator’s chimney, a black plume hanging heavy in the air.

At the incinerator’s gate, Wang Jian, wearing a thick dust mask, retrieved his phone from his pocket and waved to Ivy.

The still-lit screen in her pocket showed a string of chat messages:

[04:04

Ivy: I didn't notice your message earlier. Congrats on getting the job at the incinerator! It might be tiring, but at least you'll be able to eat.

Ivy: I’m not doing so well. My dad is biased towards my sister and doesn’t care about me at all. I don’t know where I’ll get a job after I drop out of school.

Ivy: Sigh, are you still hiring at the incinerator? I’m going to get my withdrawal paperwork tomorrow. Can I come see you then?

09:27

Wang Jian: Just woke up.

Wang Jian: The plant lost two corpse incinerators last month. I replaced one, so there’s still an opening. Are you in?

13:27

Ivy: The bodies found at school are scary.

Wang Jian: ???

Wang Jian: What happened? Tell me everything.

Ivy: They found a body in the abandoned storeroom. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you more this afternoon.

Wang Jian: Ok, I’ll meet you at the incinerator gate then.

17:11

Ivy: I’m here.]