Futile Devices Scans

The man didn’t look at Ke Bu. He simply tossed over his identification. “Two people have already died here. It attracted attention from higher up, so they sent me to investigate. I didn’t expect another person to die just as I arrived.” Ke Bu looked at the identification. Zhi Li? The higher-ups had sent this guy to investigate? Were they serious? He was clearly just a wet-behind-the-ears brat. Still, Ke Bu felt solving the case was more important. Chu Hao Yu and Ying Xiu Jie seemed to have already known someone would be sent from above and didn’t think much of it. The two of them were busy holding back the steadily growing crowd of onlookers.

There wasn’t time to worry about that now. Ke Bu returned to the previous topic. “Cosmetics? Was he trying to dress up like a clown or something?”

Zhi Li lifted the leg of the corpse’s trousers. “Would a clown wear these?” Ke Bu stared at the dead man’s feet. He was indeed wearing them.

“Why would he wear something like that?”

Zhi Li didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he unbuttoned the corpse’s shirt and stated calmly, “There are marks from bra straps on the shoulders. He had makeup on his face before. The hair on his legs was shaved very clean. This man appears to have had a cross-dressing fetish.”

“A cross-dressing fetish?” The term was unfamiliar to Ke Bu, but he quickly refuted the conclusion. “It’s also possible the killer dressed him in women’s clothing after killing him and shaved his legs.”

“If the killer paid attention to details like that, why wash off the makeup and change him into a suit instead of leaving him dressed as a woman?” Ke Bu was left speechless. Zhi Li carefully examined the surroundings, his attractive brows furrowing slightly. “The scene is very clean. There are no defensive wounds on the backs of the victim’s hands. A wallet was dropped nearby. His identification and other documents are still inside, but the cash is gone.” He continued flipping through the wallet on the ground.

Ke Bu listened attentively behind him, waiting to hear what nonsense he would come up with. “Robbery and murder?”

“If it was robbery and murder, then why kill the previous two drifters? They didn’t have any money.” Ke Bu found himself agreeing.

Looking at the corpse, he said, “His face was beaten almost beyond recognition. He was hung upside down for people to see, humiliated like livestock. The previous two drifters hadn’t been beaten in the face. The killer only targeted this victim. The murderer must have had a grudge against him.”

“First the pig, then the drifters. The crime scenes are becoming cleaner and cleaner, and the methods more practiced. It looks like the killer murdered two people just to rehearse and ensure this attempt succeeded.”

The remark was like a bolt of lightning. Ke Bu slapped his hand in realization. Of course. The reason the killer chose drifters was because their identities were difficult to trace, and no one cared about them.

By the time the scene had been processed, it was already late at night. Zhi Li stretched lazily and said to the three of them, “Hey, where am I sleeping?”

Chu Hao Yu and Ying Xiu Jie exchanged looks. Then they simultaneously took a step backward and pointed at Ke Bu. “He’ll stay at your place.”

Ke Bu turned around and snarled, “Why does he have to stay at my house?”

Chu Hao Yu pulled him aside. “You know both of us are married.”

“So?”

“If we bring Zhi Li home, that’s basically inviting a wolf into the house. Do you know how many women would be able to resist a face like that? You don’t want our wives doing something that betrays us, do you?” The moment they finished speaking, the two vanished at top speed.

Ke Bu made one final attempt at resistance. “Don’t you know hotels exist? Why do you have to stay at my place?”

“They’re dirty.” Zhi Li’s answer was concise. Defeated, Ke Bu brought him home.

The moment they entered, Zhi Li sat down on the sofa and switched on the television, acting completely like he belonged there. “Hungry.”

Rolling his eyes, Ke Bu prepared two cups of instant noodles and handed one over.

Then Zhi Li asked, “You live alone?”

“If I didn’t live alone, would I be sleeping with your girlfriend?”

“Are you trying to trick me into saying I don’t have a girlfriend?”

“You’re seriously overthinking this!”

The two sat at the table eating. Zhi Li disliked talking while eating. Ke Bu loved talking while eating, but couldn’t think of anything to say.

“The body’s already been sent away. When will the autopsy results come back? You know how backward this town is.”

“I’m eating.” Zhi Li had no intention of discussing something that ruined one’s appetite.

“Other than the hair on his legs, were other areas shaved too? Like—”

Ke Bu was about to say something that sounded extremely indecent when Zhi Li interrupted him. “I said I’m eating.” That immediately shut Ke Bu up.

After dinner, Ke Bu cleaned up while Zhi Li took a shower. When he emerged, he was wearing nothing on his upper body and only a bath towel around his waist, revealing a highly tempting physique. Ke Bu turned his head away, blushing, yet couldn’t stop sneaking glances in that direction.

(“Hey, Zhang Luo, if you’re going to tell a story, then tell the damn story properly. Stop adding weird scenes like this.” Ke Bu finally couldn’t help interrupting. In return, everyone glared at him, since the story had just reached a tense moment. Even though he knew it had nothing to do with him, hearing his own name and Zhi Li’s used like this felt unbearably awkward and embarrassingly suggestive.)

“Where am I sleeping?” Zhi Li asked.

Trying to avoid eye contact, Ke Bu replied, “The sofa.”

Zhi Li seemed not to hear him and headed straight toward the bedroom. “I’m talking about the sofa,” Ke Bu shouted after him.

“Didn’t hear you.” Zhi Li casually lay down on the bed. After a long day, he quickly fell asleep.

Standing beside the bed, Ke Bu glared irritably at his sleeping face. Asleep, he looked like a child, completely different from when he was awake. In his sleep, Zhi Li unconsciously grabbed Ke Bu’s wrist and tugged lightly, pulling him into his embrace.

“Hey, let go.” Ke Bu struggled, but Zhi Li never woke up. Eventually, Ke Bu became tired and fell asleep in Zhi Li’s arms.

(Seriously, is this supposed to be a detective story or an erotic novel?)

The next morning, when Ke Bu woke up, Zhi Li was already gone. He sat up and scratched his head, only to discover Zhi Li in the living room, drinking coffee while looking at the laptop he had brought with him. Noticing Ke Bu, he said, “Awake?” Remembering the previous night, Ke Bu blushed slightly. “Yeah.” A voice came from the laptop.

“The victim has been identified as Xue Fang. Aside from the visible injuries, insulin residue was found in his body. It’s likely he was injected with an excessive amount, causing dizziness and weakness, allowing the killer to control him before beating him to death.”

Curious, Ke Bu moved behind Zhi Li. The laptop was in a video call. On the other side was a beautiful woman.

“Tell me about Xue Fang.”

“Xue Fang, an architect. He has two daughters, aged thirteen and ten. His wife is pregnant. They came to this town to avoid family planning regulations. They don’t have any relatives here. Xue Fang also has a younger brother. It’s said that before marriage, his wife and his younger brother were once lovers. I’ve already called his wife. She thought her husband had gone to the county town to buy supplies and was unaware of his cross-dressing fetish. Also, his wife is diabetic and has used insulin.”

“Thanks for your hard work. I’ll contact you again if anything comes up, You Yan.” Zhi Li closed the laptop.

After hearing everything, Ke Bu immediately began analyzing. “Then the killer must be from out of town, right? Xue Fang had only been in this town for two months. How could that kind of hatred develop in such a short time? Maybe the killer already escaped.”

“The town isn’t large. A stranger would attract more attention.”

“I had Xiu Jie bring in several witnesses and the victim’s family members. Let’s question them.”

When the two arrived, the police station was already packed. Zhi Li sat before several witnesses. Everyone spoke at once. Some smoked. Some still carried hoes over their shoulders. One particularly thin farmer appeared nervous. His legs trembled slightly. He drank several gulps of water before finally speaking.

“I was hurrying home last night and decided to take a shortcut. As soon as I entered the woods, I saw that guy hanging there. His face had been beaten beyond recognition. Damn, it was terrifying. I started yelling immediately.”

Another man carrying a hoe clenched a cigarette between his teeth and frowned. “We’d just finished work and happened to be passing by. The moment we heard the shouting, we ran over.”

“Yeah. I’ve lived this long and it’s the first time I’ve seen something so horrifying,” said another man whose trouser legs were rolled up.

“Did you see anyone suspicious nearby?” Ke Bu asked.

“No. Besides, if there were a stranger in the village, people would’ve noticed. Officer, we’re done here, right? We still need to get back to work.”

“You can go.”

They gained nothing from the witnesses. Still, Ke Bu felt the first witness seemed hesitant, as though he wanted to say something but had reservations. Several times, Ke Bu caught him looking over. Whenever Ke Bu looked back, the man would hurriedly avert his gaze and pretend to drink water.

Today, Chu Hao Yu looked exhausted. Despite the hot weather, he was wearing long sleeves. Concerned, Ke Bu asked, “Are you okay? The case is important, but don’t wreck your health over it. And aren’t you hot dressed like that?” Just as Ke Bu was about to move closer, Chu Hao Yu walked away and picked up a file. “I’m fine. Had a fight with my wife last night and got kicked out. Spent the night outside, so I caught a bit of a cold. Don’t worry. I’m okay. Wouldn’t be good if I passed it on to you.” As he spoke, Chu Hao Yu raised his collar and headed toward Ying Xiu Jie.

Meanwhile, Chu Hao Yu and Ying Xiu Jie were questioning the victim’s family.

Ying Xiu Jie took a hard line. “We’ve already investigated. Your husband purchased an insurance policy recently, and you’re listed as the beneficiary. Couldn’t wait for him to die so you could collect the money?”

“N-No, I didn’t! Why would I do something like that?” Zhou Xin He’s face turned bright red. She was clearly agitated.

Gong Zhu, the victim’s younger brother, patted her shoulder with his left hand. “Sister-in-law, take it easy. They’re just making guesses.”

“What am I supposed to do now? What about the children?” As she spoke, Zhou Xin He began to cry. She took out a white silk handkerchief and dabbed her tears. The handkerchief seemed very precious to her, kept close to her body. A small red flower decorated one corner.

Seeing her cry, Chu Hao Yu softened. He poured her a glass of water and placed it in her hands. “We’re not accusing you. We just want to understand the situation. Did your husband argue with anyone recently?”

“N-No. We don’t know many people in this town. There are also two children to take care of, so Gong Zhu came to help. Besides, the cross-dressing…” Zhou Xin He seemed too embarrassed to continue.

“How long have you been pregnant?” Zhi Li suddenly asked.

Zhou Xin He froze for a moment before stammering, “F-Five months.”

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