Ren Yi nodded. “Good idea. Catch them off guard. By the way, any new discoveries on the dark web?”
He said he wasn’t afraid, but with his personal information exposed in a place like that, there was no way he could not be worried. What was more, his father lived at that address.
“Xiao Tan has already registered an account, but that website has a rule that newly registered accounts have to be active for seven days before they can do anything, such as livestreaming, posting on the forums, or paid transactions. The accounts are also divided into levels, and the levels are tied to spending and activity. The higher the level, the more things you can participate in. There’s even a dark web within the dark web.”
“What about Zhou Chuan’s account?”
Gong Yingxian said, “It was banned by Archangel a long time ago. Archangel knows we’re watching them, so recently, IP addresses from mainland China have been restricted. Of course, anyone who really wants to get on can find a way.”
“This website is operating so openly, and we can’t do anything about it?”
Gong Yingxian frowned. “Right now, we’re hoping to find domestic users through Archangel. But even if we find those users, it’s useless if they haven’t actually committed a crime. At most, they can be put on file for reference.”
“But both the Wanyuan Residential Community case and the arson case have already been filed. We’ve found at least three suspects on this website.”
“Exactly. That’s also the main reason we’re investigating the website. But when it involves people overseas, there’s nothing we can do.”
Ren Yi said angrily, “The people running this website have committed all kinds of crimes, yet we can’t arrest them.”
“Their users don’t only commit crimes in our country.” Gong Yingxian’s gaze was deep. “But by the time they attract the attention of other countries, they’ll definitely have committed some major crime.”
The two of them immediately felt heavy-hearted, yet there was nothing they could do.
Ren Yi placed the materials on the table. “The case has made quite a lot of progress. As long as Peng Fei slips up in front of Zhou Chuan, we should be able to catch that hooded man very soon.”
“Mm.” Gong Yingxian hesitated. “It’s just that there are still some details about the Wanyuan Residential Community case that I can’t quite figure out.”
“Like what?”
“For example, the surveillance footage and eyewitnesses we found only saw the hooded man enter the apartment. There was no record of any other activity. There are surveillance cameras covering the front entrance and exit of the apartment building. The only place without surveillance is the back door used for taking out the garbage. So there are two possibilities. First, the hooded man left through the back door. But why didn’t he use the back door from the beginning? That way, he wouldn’t have been caught on camera entering or leaving. What’s even stranger is that there were no eyewitnesses. Second, the fire had already started before the hooded man left. The fire caused a short circuit and tripped the power, making the surveillance system fail. That happened approximately fifteen minutes after the fire started. Why would the hooded man stay inside the building for so long?”
“Yeah. Normally, anyone who started a fire would leave as quickly as possible, especially with an oil fire. Staying at the scene would be extremely dangerous.”
“There’s also something else. Some of the garbage I found at the scene did not belong to 2209, and some of it was ‘unclaimed.’”
“Unclaimed?”
“Yes. We found the owners of some of the garbage, but no one admitted that some of the other items belonged to them.” Gong Yingxian said, “Fortunately, I was cautious at the time and brought all the garbage that had been preserved back to the precinct.”
“Could some people simply be afraid of getting involved and not want to admit it?”
“Maybe. But something this serious happened in their own residential community. If they had nothing to hide, most people would cooperate with the police investigation. I think some of it is suspicious.”
“Do you want to find out which household all that garbage belonged to?”
“That would be difficult to investigate, and we don’t know whether it would be useful.”
Ren Yi nodded. “Let’s investigate Peng Fei first. Maybe he can explain all those inconsistencies.”
Gong Yingxian thought for a moment. “I hope so.”
Just then, a colleague called out, “Dr. Gong, there’s a new discovery in the surveillance footage. Come take a look.”
“I’m coming.” Gong Yingxian stood up. “You should head back first.”
Ren Yi stood up as well. He winked at Gong Yingxian. “See you Saturday.”
Gong Yingxian looked deeply at Ren Yi and gave a low “Mm.”
“Oh, right. What do you want to eat? Anything except food that’s served hot. My cooking is average, but I can make a few things.”
“Greasy food, spicy food, and very uncommon ingredients.”
Ren Yi laughed. “Got it. You’re the guest, so just go with whatever the host serves and don’t be too picky. If all else fails, I’ll have Uncle Sheng deliver something.”
Gong Yingxian raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t even gone yet, and you’re already thinking of having the guest just go with whatever the host serves? You should be thinking about how to properly entertain your guest.”
“I’ll ‘do my best’ to entertain you,” Ren Yi said with a grin. “Don’t be too demanding either.”
Gong Yingxian turned his face away. “We’ll see how you do.”
Ren Yi left the precinct with a smile, whistling as he went. He and Gong Yingxian had finally made up, and all the irritation he had felt over the past few days had been swept away. Even his footsteps had become lighter.
When he returned to the squad, everyone saw how radiant he looked and began teasing him.
“Captain Ren, where did you go for that little while? You came back looking like a completely different person. Did something good happen?”
“What good thing could possibly happen? I spend all day worrying myself to death over you guys.” Ren Yi laughed and cursed jokingly.
Liu Hui grinned. “You definitely went for a massage.”
“Massage your head.”
Qu Yangbo also asked curiously, “Where exactly did you go?”
“I went to Hongwu Precinct to follow up on the case.”
The moment he heard “Hongwu Precinct,” Qu Yangbo raised an eyebrow and gave an ambiguous “Oh.”
“What’s wrong with Hongwu Precinct?” everyone asked curiously.
Ren Yi shouted, “Are you all too idle? Fine, wash the trucks today!”
The firefighters wailed toward the heavens and, with drooping heads, headed for the garage.
Qu Yangbo hooked an arm around Ren Yi’s shoulder and said with a teasing grin, “Si Huo, did you see that young and beautiful Dr. Gong?”
“Mm, I ran into him.” Ren Yi gave a vague answer. “Why are you putting it like that? It’s disgusting.”
“How did I put it? I only asked a perfectly normal question. You’re the one feeling guilty.”
Ren Yi glared at him. “What do I have to feel guilty about?”
“Yeah. What do you have to feel guilty about?”
Ren Yi suddenly wrapped Qu Yangbo in a bear hug and drove his knee toward his stomach. “I think you’ve eaten too much and need some exercise.”
“You bastard, you’re definitely feeling guilty! Hahaha—”
The two began roughhousing.
After lunch on Friday, Ren Yi received a call from Uncle Sheng. They had previously agreed that he would go to Ren Yi’s home that afternoon to clean.
Ren Yi gave Uncle Sheng the password to his front door and told him he could just go inside.
Uncle Sheng sounded a little hesitant. “But there’s something very important I want to personally give to you.”
“What is it?”
“If it’s convenient for Captain Ren, could I bring it to the squad?”
“Sure.”
After dark, Uncle Sheng indeed arrived at the squad, carrying a very large gift box in his arms. Just the box itself looked extremely high-end.
Ren Yi thought it must be something Gong Yingxian needed, but he couldn’t understand why Uncle Sheng insisted on giving it to him in person.
Uncle Sheng caught the question in Ren Yi’s eyes and said sincerely, “Captain Ren, this is something particularly important. My young master takes it with him whenever he goes abroad or goes on business trips. Without it, the young master can’t sleep.”
“Huh?” Ren Yi became even more curious. “What is it?”
Uncle Sheng opened the gorgeous box.
Inside lay a…
pillow.
Ren Yi was stunned.
Uncle Sheng said very seriously, “The young master has slept on this particular model of pillow since he was little. He’s not used to sleeping on any other pillow.”
“…Has he slept on this pillow for twenty-four years? Isn’t this one new?” Although the pillow seemed to look somewhat old, it was obviously unused.
“It’s this model, not this particular pillow,” Uncle Sheng explained. “This model of pillow was manufactured by an old textile factory in Hangzhou. Later, the factory went bankrupt. If not for… if not for what happened to the young master’s family, they might have bought the factory back then. Afterward, we bought up every pillow of this model that was available on the market. There are now fewer than thirty left. Every single one is extremely precious.”
Ren Yi was utterly amused and exasperated. “Your young master really is… Does he need a pea under his mattress too?”
Uncle Sheng smiled sheepishly. “The young master is a little willful, but once you figure out his temperament, he’s very easy to get along with.”
Ren Yi smiled and shook his head, reaching out to take it. “All right, give it to me.”
Uncle Sheng said solemnly, “I’ve never given the young master’s pillow to an outsider before. Of course, this is also the first time the young master is spending the night at someone else’s home. Captain Ren, you absolutely must take good care of this pillow.”
Ren Yi nodded. “Okay. I definitely will.”
With an air of great importance, Uncle Sheng handed the pillow to Ren Yi with both hands. Holding it in his arms, Ren Yi felt a ridiculous yet inexplicable sense of responsibility.
“Oh, and I made a list of the foods the young master likes. I put it on the table, and all the ingredients have already been prepared in the refrigerator. If you don’t know how to cook, I can make them and bring them over for you.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle Sheng. He’s coming to my home as a guest. I’ll take good care of him.”
Uncle Sheng looked up at Ren Yi, his eyes flickering with anticipation and delight. “The young master has not only made a friend, but is also going to spend the night at his friend’s home. I’m truly so happy. I’m sure the young master will have a wonderful time at your home.”
Ren Yi patted Uncle Sheng on the shoulder. “Don’t worry.”
Although he thought this whole family was rather amusing, he would never let down someone’s sincere hopes.
After Uncle Sheng left, Ren Yi looked at the pillow in his arms and couldn’t help smiling gently.