Chapter 10

Inside the interrogation room, Jiang Wu recounted the events of that night exactly as they had happened.

The pen scratched softly against paper. The police officer asked him another question, “Where did you go after leaving 271 Kongming Village?”

“Convenience store.”

“What time?”

“Can I check my phone?” Jiang Wu explained, “I went in to buy a late-night snack. There’s a payment record.”

The officer turned and nodded to his colleague. The officer taking notes put down his pen, left the room, and quickly returned with Jiang Wu’s phone.

Under the officers’ watchful eyes, Jiang Wu navigated to his payment history. There were three separate transactions at the convenience store.

One was when he entered the store, at 1:23 AM. Two were when he left, at 5:03 AM and 5:09 AM.

The officers confirmed the name of the convenience store. One of them left the room. The remaining officer pulled out a photograph. “Does this look familiar?”

The photo showed the attic Jiang Wu had previously rented. But by the time the photo was taken, it had already become a crime scene.

The narrow, dim attic room was a horror to behold; the bed was drenched in blood, a sight so gruesome it could make one nauseous. Jiang Wu, however, stared at the bottom right corner of the photo—where the blanket hung over the floor. There, lying on the ground, was a broken feather, grayish-white with brown vertical streaks.

Jiang Wu’s eyelid twitched.

It was an Old Harrier!

One of the monstrous birds that had attacked him the night before last.

He had speculated that night. The reason he hadn’t foreseen the landlord’s death was because it hadn’t been a natural one.

The flock of Old Harriers had tracked him to the attic. When he wasn’t there, they attacked the landlord.

An unexpected, sudden death. That was why he hadn’t seen a death notice.

“Did you remember something?” The officer keenly caught Jiang Wu’s lingering gaze.

Jiang Wu nodded. “That’s the attic I rented.” If he told them the real killers were a flock of monstrous birds now, he’d walk out of the police station and immediately get driven to a mental hospital.

The officer suddenly swiveled the desk lamp so its harsh light shone directly into Jiang Wu’s face. With immense pressure, he asked, “Aren’t you being a little too calm, looking at such a brutal crime scene?”

“I went back that morning.” Squinting uncomfortably in the bright light, Jiang Wu paused, then added, “My luggage was still at the landlord’s place. When I got downstairs, I saw the police tape and heard people talking. The landlord was found dead in the attic, his head was gone.”

He had a perfect explanation. “I already knew. That’s why I’m calm looking at the photo.”

The officer followed up, “You didn’t go get your luggage after that. Where did you go?”

“To look for a new apartment,” Jiang Wu replied.

The officer who had left returned. He leaned in and whispered a few words to his questioning colleague. The questioning officer nodded and looked back at Jiang Wu. “The convenience store’s surveillance cameras caught you. You did enter the store at 1:20 and didn’t leave until 5:18.”

With the video record proving his whereabouts, Jiang Wu didn’t relax. He keenly sensed the next sentence was the key point. The officer continued, “However, the footage can’t prove your innocence. Wang Wanglin’s time of death was between 12:20 and 12:50 AM.”

Wang Wanglin was the male landlord. The officer flipped through Jiang Wu’s file, sighed silently at the “Mathematics Department, Xianjiang University” entry, and went on, “Wang Wanglin’s wife testified you left the rental around 12:10 AM. Where were you between 12:20 and 12:50 AM?”

Jiang Wu fell silent.

He was… in the Ghost Emperor’s car… at that time.

He weighed the pros and cons. If he stayed silent, the police had no evidence whatsoever that he was the killer. He’d merely be a suspect. According to Regulation 83, questioning and investigation couldn’t exceed 8 hours. He could still make it to class on time tomorrow.

But if he got the Ghost Emperor involved…

Jiang Wu immediately dismissed the thought. He answered, “I can’t quite remember clearly. Probably running to the convenience store.”

The officer’s eyes flickered. “So you can’t produce an alibi?”

“No,” Jiang Wu replied neither servile nor overbearing. “I can’t.” This time, he took the initiative, “But that doesn’t prove I’m the killer, right?”

The officer asked another question, “What about the wound on your right arm?”

“I went to sweep a grave. There are very few streetlights in that public cemetery and it was very dark. It was dark and windy, I fell into a ditch and bumped it.”

The officer gave Jiang Wu a deep, long look. “How coincidental.” He snapped the file shut and left the room.

The interrogation room fell silent. Jiang Wu let out a soft sigh. He wasn’t going anywhere soon, so he decided to close his eyes and rest.

Perhaps from sheer exhaustion, he actually fell asleep. He was deep in a groggy slumber when he heard someone saying, “Wake up! Quick!”

Jiang Wu opened his eyes. His blurry vision cleared to see it was the questioning officer. He blurted out, “Hello.”

The officer shook his head in amazement. “You’re something else, sleeping so soundly in an interrogation room.” He patted Jiang Wu’s shoulder, not too hard, not too gently. “Alright, you can go. But remember, don’t leave Xianjiang for the time being.”

Jiang Wu nodded. He followed the officer out of the interrogation room. The officer picked up a paper bag waiting outside the door and handed it to Jiang Wu. “Your shoes. The rest of your luggage is in the guard room, you can take it. All those books you read, young man, don’t you ever go out to have fun?”

The officer wasn’t fishing for information this time. They’d retrieved Jiang Wu’s luggage from the landlord’s house for examination. According to his colleagues, apart from clothes and an old, small TV set, Jiang Wu’s luggage was entirely books—all kinds. If the wear and tear on those books was all from Jiang Wu’s reading, that massive volume meant he’d basically been reading every single day from birth until now.

Jiang Wu took the paper bag and said, “I do, occasionally.”

The rest of the walk was silent. The officer escorted Jiang Wu to the front door of the police station and turned back. Jiang Wu looked up at the sky. It was pale white with light; dawn was about to break.

After several trips back and forth, Jiang Wu moved his luggage to the security office of a nearby park, paid a small fee for them to hold it for two days, and headed to school with the paper bag.

When he reached Xianjiang University, the convenience store at the gate was already open. Jiang Wu bought two steamed buns, a cup of congee, a pack of Russian Purple Candy, along with a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a lighter, and a bag of solid alcohol tablets.

After finishing his breakfast, Jiang Wu went into the men’s restroom. He quickly washed up, then took the pair of casual shoes out of the paper bag.

The upper was a bright silver-white, made of leather and mesh. There was some staining near the heel. Jiang Wu rinsed his used toothbrush several more times, squeezed a line of toothpaste onto it, and carefully scrubbed the stain away along the heel. Once it was clean, he continued brushing the soles. After completely cleaning both shoes, he dried them with tissues, wrapped them up, and put them back in the shoe box.

He had just sat down in the classroom when someone settled into the seat next to him. Seeing Xie Qingyuan, Jiang Wu looked slightly surprised. “You’re here?”

Xie Qingyuan smiled and pulled out his textbook. “Is it that surprising? I do have class today.”

Xie Qingyuan hadn’t told Jiang Wu about Xie Peitang’s passing. Jiang Wu schooled his expression. “I got mixed up. Thought it was Thursday.”

“But actually, the main reason I came today was to say goodbye to you,” Xie Qingyuan added.

Jiang Wu wasn’t surprised. Xie Qingyuan often traveled on a whim—to see an aged silver-tipped tree in bloom, or to breathe the 3:52 AM air at 6 degrees East, 46 degrees North. He’d leave as soon as the notion struck him.

Jiang Wu nodded, his reaction calm. Xie Qingyuan chuckled, shook his head, uncapped his pen, and started writing leisurely. “I’m dropping out. Today is my last class.”

This time, Jiang Wu was shocked. He turned his head. What Xie Qingyuan was writing was exactly that—a withdrawal application. And from the relaxed, even joyful look on Xie Qingyuan’s face, he was happy to be dropping out.

After a moment, Jiang Wu turned back, opened his book, and said, “I’ll treat you to a meal after school.”

“I have to take care of something at noon,” Xie Qingyuan said. “Let’s meet at the old place in the afternoon.”

The old place was a hot pot restaurant on the back street of Xianjiang University—cheap, good, and fresh. Jiang Wu had taken Xie Qingyuan there once, and he’d loved it. Every time Xie Qingyuan asked to eat with Jiang Wu, it was only at that hot pot place.

After one class, Xie Qingyuan left with his withdrawal application. Jiang Wu had a full schedule today. When classes ended in the afternoon, he packed his things and rushed to the back street.

The main road from today’s teaching building to the back street took half an hour. There was a small path, entering and exiting through a narrow gate, that only took 20 minutes. Jiang Wu sprinted to the small gate when an old man suddenly burst in, and they were about to collide. Jiang Wu swiftly dodged to the side.

His forehead slammed hard against the iron railing. His eye twitching in pain, his first instinct was to cover his forehead with his hand.

He was worried it might be bleeding, afraid someone would see it.

The old man stopped. Far from thanking Jiang Wu, he shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Fool! Who asked you to dodge? Totally unnecessary.”

Feeling no sticky sensation on his palm, Jiang Wu lowered his hand. He looked at the old man. He was very thin and small, wearing an emerald-green knit cap, a fiery red tracksuit, and running shoes. He looked very energetic.

Jiang Wu nodded. “Oh.”

He adjusted his bag and left.

The old man’s voice carried from behind him. “Rude little ghost!”

At the same time, the old man’s phone rang. He answered with an impatient “Hello!”, then said, “Nonsense! I’m not slacking off, I’m searching every day! The last spot…”

Jiang Wu walked further away and couldn’t hear anymore. He jogged to the hot pot restaurant. Before the main dinner crowd arrived, he managed to snag a table by the window.

Xie Qingyuan arrived soon after. They ordered, ate their fill heartily, leaving only some broth at the bottom. Xie Qingyuan scooped himself another bowl of soup, sipping it slowly, and sighed with satisfaction. “Tastes so good. Pity I won’t be able to come for a while.”

Jiang Wu asked casually, “Going somewhere far?”

Xie Qingyuan blinked slightly. “That… not far, yet not near. Could be at the edge of the world.”

Jiang Wu didn’t ask further. If Xie Qingyuan wanted to tell him, he would on his own accord. If not, Jiang Wu wasn’t in the habit of prying into other people’s privacy.

Everyone had secrets.

Himself included.

The two chatted in the restaurant for a while longer before leaving. A glossy, expensive car pulled up smoothly and stopped right in front of them. The driver got out, walked quickly over, and opened the door in front of Xie Qingyuan.

Xie Qingyuan turned back to Jiang Wu. “Going home? I can give you a ride.”

“No need, I still have my part-time job.” Jiang Wu smiled. “You go on ahead.”

“Alright then.” Xie Qingyuan waved. “I’ll contact you when I’m free.” He ducked into the car and left.

Jiang Wu watched the car drive into the distance, then turned and walked in another direction.

Not far from Xianjiang University were two connected mountains, called Two Boundary Mountain. During the day, people still came to hike and exercise. At night, it was desolate, rarely visited by anyone.

Perfect—for non-human activities.

By the time he reached the foot of Two Boundary Mountain, it was completely dark. The two rolling peaks merged seamlessly into the night, deeply silent, devoid of human sound.

Jiang Wu found a clump of bushes to hide his paper bag and backpack, and unhurriedly entered the mountain.

At the same moment, the door to Lu Sheng’s study was knocked on once more. Gongliang Ye’s voice came from outside. “Master.”

Lu Sheng closed his book. “A phone call came?”

Gongliang Ye was silent for two seconds. “Yes.” Then he coughed lightly. “But it was a call from the police station. They said Jiang Wu left at 5:32 AM.”