socalfunplaces Chapter 203 Incident Investigation
Chapter 203 Incident Investigation
Chapter 203 Incident Investigation
While Tang Cao and Qin Nan were having a great time in the training room, Tang Zijun was quite relaxed in Chang Lei's office.
I gently pushed open the door, and my eyes were instantly filled with light. A large desk stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and the sunlight streaming in from outside made the office look magnificent.
The side wall was designed very simply, with a finely framed scroll hanging in the center bearing four large characters: "Accumulating Good Deeds Leads to Virtue."
"Your office is quite...quite...big..."
Tang Zijun looked somewhat speechless.
Others might not notice, but in his eyes, there were no floor-to-ceiling windows or sunlight. This office was incredibly dark, almost like a basement.
"Even though I don't avoid the light, I still feel uncomfortable being in the light every day." Chang Lei turned on the light casually, then quickly ran to the cabinet and took out a packet of tea.
Tang Zijun sat down on the sofa and casually touched it, only to find that the unassuming sofa was actually made of genuine leather.
"You're here just in time. Have some, this is excellent tea." Chang Lei carefully took out the tea leaves and said with a smile. "I didn't even drink much."
"Good tea? How good can it be?" Tang Zijun asked curiously.
Chang Lei thought about it seriously. "It's enough for a sentence of three to ten years, right?"
"
Tang Zijun's face went blank.
"Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over a bag of rotten tea leaves?"
"Hey, don't underestimate this lousy tea." Chang Lei smiled slightly. "I didn't understand before how this junk could be so valuable, but let me tell you, just this little bit is enough for Luan Luan's entire tuition fee."
"Let me warn you, Lao Chang, you better watch out, or you'll get taken care of as soon as you come up here. We're not short of money, if you really want some tea, you can just pick a leaf from Hua Xian."
"I know what I'm doing, so you can rest assured." Chang Lei winked meaningfully at Tang Zijun. "That person forgot about the gift as soon as they left, and besides, to others, I was just drinking plain water."
"You're really something." Tang Zijun shook her head helplessly, then walked to Chang Lei's desk. "Are all the documents here?"
Chang Lei didn't even turn his head. "The password is the date we first met. You keep an eye on it while I make you some tea."
"Stop being so ambiguous, okay? It's like we just met for the first time." Tang Zijun felt a chill.
"Aren't you afraid of getting angry?" Chang Lei chuckled. "I originally wanted to say 'the day I defeated you back then'."
Tang Zijun pursed her lips and didn't reply, but her hands moved quickly, and she directly entered the password to turn on the computer.
Old Chang was absolutely right; the day they first met was indeed the day Chang Lei defeated the Wolf Riders.
Compared to other high-ranking officials who were also greedy, Lao Chang's deception skills did indeed cause Tang Zijun immense trouble. After all, it was an ability that could even deceive one's sixth sense, and Tang Zijun suffered quite a bit as a result.
At that time, Tang Zijun already had very senior combat experience, but when faced with the fraudster Mr. Hawkes, he was still manipulated at will. If Lao Chang's deception skills had been more powerful, there probably wouldn't have been any follow-up.
I turned on the computer with practiced ease; the screen was spotless and clean.
Old Chang wasn't some kind of internet addict, so he didn't download anything extra. At this point, his computer mainly contained professional office software.
The mouse clicked on a file labeled "Shadow World," and soon, a series of encrypted files appeared in Tang Zijun's view. However, because the connection was to a private network, these files were automatically decoded.
Numbers 240506, 241112, 250104, 250215, 250322, and 250411.
All the records and investigations about the Shadow World, from last year until the most recent encounter between Tang Cao and Qin Nan and their opponents, are here.
In addition to the reports and pictures, there are also some surveillance videos and law enforcement videos, as well as audio WAV files, all very well organized.
Tang Zijun casually opened a document, and soon, a large number of written reports and archival records appeared.
The first thing that catches the eye is a picture. The photo is not blurry; on the contrary, it is extremely clear. Judging from the location, it should be a red-light district. A man has probably just finished shopping and left, but the shadow at his feet shows an extremely distorted state under the light.
That could no longer be called humanoid; at least in Tang Zijun's mind, she couldn't imagine anything that could correspond to such a shadow.
The image below shows the follow-up investigation by law enforcement. The man died shortly after returning home, and the forensic doctor concluded that he had multiple organ failure, but the cause could not be found.
As Tang Zijun was engrossed in examining the object, a water glass was placed beside him. Looking up, he saw Chang Lei standing next to him.
"This person's record was delivered to me the day before yesterday. I was in Yandu at the time. The bureau had a meeting to discuss this matter, and we thoroughly investigated similar incidents across the country, focusing on this issue."
Chang Lei tapped the attachment at the bottom of the screen and continued.
"There are a total of six similar cases. The first three were located in eastern Guangdong, and then they moved northwards. These are the cases that can be found so far. It is estimated that there are many more cases that have not yet been discovered."
"Have you investigated?" Tang Zijun asked.
"I didn't see the bodies; they've all been cremated. Even if there were any traces, they probably wouldn't be found now. But what is certain is that the deaths of these people are all related to the Shadow World."
"Shadow World..." Tang Zijun tapped his fingers on the table, making a rhythmic sound, while his gaze remained fixed on the computer screen, lost in thought.
Chang Lei was silent for a moment before speaking.
"By the way, there's something quite interesting."
As he spoke, Chang Lei picked up the mouse and opened a folder.
"Take a look at this. It was just sent to me a few hours ago. I guess it's material from this meeting, and it will be a key research subject in the next stage."
Tang Zijun looked over curiously. It was a law enforcement video, and the person filming it was probably an agent from the bureau.
In the video, inside the cordon, on a pitted wall covered with dried bloodstains, several agents are taking samples, and another agent is carefully placing a dark crystal into a recycling bottle.
"This is... a heretical demon?"
"Hmm." Chang Lei nodded. "Judging from the timeline, this should have happened on the day the Divine Tree fell. The local magical girl should have arrived immediately to resolve the situation, but she was frightened by the sight of the Divine Tree collapsing on the way. By the time she arrived at the scene, the heretic demon was already dead."
"You suspect this is related to those creatures in the Shadow World?" Tang Zijun frowned.
"It's not a doubt." Chang Lei shook his head slightly, then opened an audio file.
Soon, a conversation broke out.
"Hello, Mr. Liu, we are from the temporary office of the Magic Management Bureau. These are our credentials."
"Hello, hello, I won't look at your documents, I don't understand them..."
"Could you please tell us what exactly happened that night? We would like to know how you ended up at the scene of the crime and were unconscious."
"Okay, okay..."
"Well, I...I...I was working overtime that night, and I wasn't in a good mood. My wife and I had a fight, and she took the kids and went back to her parents' house. Then my team leader asked me to work overtime, so I drank some alcohol..."
"This isn't the first time I've drunk at work. We report writers usually have a drink late into the night. That day I had too many worries, so I drank a bit more... Am I being too long-winded?"
"It's alright, Mr. Liu. Just say whatever you want, the more the better. We have dedicated staff to study every word you say."
"Thank you, thank you... *gulp* (sound of drinking water)..."
"After finishing work, I didn't go home immediately. I drank some more at the office. I was thinking of just sleeping at the office for the night, but I didn't bring my charger, so I had to go home first."
"On the way home, nothing unusual happened at first. I've been walking that road for over ten years, and I know every blade of grass and every tree very well, so nothing strange happened."
"Later, I couldn't resist needing to use the restroom. Since the public restroom was a bit far, I just found a corner. I knew it wasn't hygienic, but I was drunk at the time, and I..."
"It's alright, Mr. Liu, please continue."
"Okay... I... when I went to the bathroom, I noticed something seemed to be watching me from behind. You know how it is, when you go to the bathroom, you're worried about someone watching you. I... I'm just being a bit sensitive at the time."
"But when I turned around, I didn't see anyone or find anything unusual, so I didn't think much of it. But as I continued walking home, the feeling of being watched grew stronger."
"At first I thought it was my imagination, since I'd had too much to drink and my mind was slow, but I quickly realized it wasn't an illusion."
Something was really following me. I was too scared to go down that road. I wanted to go somewhere with light.
"But the path I took was separated from the main street by an alley. The alley was very dark, and I was hesitant to walk through it. But I was drunk at the time, so I... I didn't care anymore. When I walked into the alley, I... I..."
"I"
"Mr. Liu, please don't be afraid. We are here and will ensure your safety."
"Okay... glug glug... huff... I... that alley was very narrow, only wide enough for two people to pass through, and there were no obstructions. After I entered the alley, I looked back and then I saw that thing. That thing went into the alley with me..."
"Please describe what that thing looks like."
"rabbit.."
"rabbit?"
"Yes... the rabbit... stood up, like a person, very big, with red eyes, staring intently at me, without any emotion in its eyes, it felt... it felt like a monster..."
"You mean, in the dark alley, you could still see that the rabbit's eyes were very red?"
"No, I mean...yes, it's very red. The thing's eyes can glow, it's all red, everything is red, scarlet like blood!"
"Please calm down, Mr. Liu. The rabbit's eyes can glow, right?"
"No, no, everything is red..."