Frightening Joke: Above the Mist
Chapter 39 Investigation

Chapter 39: Chapter 39 Investigation

Bai Yanliang was also surprised to hear this from Officer Wang’s mouth.

"The time of the crime was 7:05, but when we received the call from Director Li, the time was 6:30." Officer Wang frowned deeply; this case was full of abnormality.

The director seemed to have known about his fate long before—the time, the place, and even the method of the attack.

But... he still didn’t choose to avoid it?

And even though he decided to call the police, he remained quietly in the director’s office at 7 o’clock, not going anywhere. He didn’t mention the matter to anyone else except the police.

What exactly was he worried about?

Could it be... that there was a pair of eyes in the school constantly watching his every move, making him feel that no one could be trusted?

Bai Yanliang stood up, walked to the window of the office, and looked outside.

This was the first floor; outside the window was only an empty playground.

Officer Wang had been observing Bai Yanliang’s every move. On the phone, Yang Wanlong mentioned that many of the cases he had solved over the years had benefited from Bai Yanliang’s help. He was a clever person, but... one needed to be cautious.

Suddenly, Officer Wang’s phone rang.

Everyone’s gaze instinctively turned towards him.

"Hmm, I got it."

Officer Wang responded twice and then hung up the phone, his expression becoming increasingly serious.

"Li Degang is dead."

"His throat was pierced through, and the carotid artery on his neck bled massively. Blood entered his lungs through the trachea, and he suffocated to death."

Officer Wang’s words were heard distinctly by several school leaders standing on the outer circle, causing their faces to turn slightly pale one by one.

What deep hatred did that student have with Li Degang, to result in such an extreme and vicious method?

And Yang Yiyi, a high school girl who was very interested in police work, turned pale upon hearing the confirmation of death.

Everything seemed simpler from the sidelines, but once slightly involved, the feeling was entirely different.

Especially... after realizing such a bizarre murder had occurred in this office.

Even after leaving the scene, Yang Yiyi’s mood remained very low.

Bai Yanliang walked ahead, not paying her much attention, as he was pondering this strange case.

There were currently many doubts.

The victim who knew he was about to be harmed, the abnormal emotion, and the extremely strong killer.

While adrenaline can indeed enable people to do many unusual things, this wasn’t a sufficient reason for a group of retired veterans to be unable to completely subdue a freshman high school student.

Bai Yanliang’s interest in this case and his proactive request to come and see it were partly due to this reason.

This incident closely resembled a case from Yang Wanlong’s childhood memories and might have some connections with Yanren’s matter.

"Yang Yiyi."

Bai Yanliang suddenly stopped, looking at Yang Yiyi, who had been silent since just now.

"You should head back."

Yang Yiyi raised her head and looked into Bai Yanliang’s eyes, feeling she might have been underestimated.

But strangely, she didn’t see any emotion in those eyes. On the contrary, Bai Yanliang’s demeanor was gentle, but... she could sense a dead silence emanating from within.

This feeling made her hesitate to look into Bai Yanliang’s eyes further, as she felt... they didn’t seem like the eyes of a living person.

"Where... are you going?"

She gathered her courage to ask.

"To the killer’s home."

Yang Yiyi’s eyes lit up, just about to say she wanted to go too, but a tinge of fear rose in her heart.

She dared not... go to the home of the classmate who had committed murder.

Realizing this thought, Yang Yiyi bit her lip tightly, then lowered her head to look at her toes, whispering, "Hey, am I... useless?"

Bai Yanliang remained silent for a moment before reaching out his hand.

He tousled the hair of the high school girl with a smile and said, "Miracles rarely happen ’overnight.’ In learning, work, love, or even life’s entirety, we can’t achieve everything at once. Right now, you may feel inadequate, but as long as there’s a next time, a time after that, as long as our lives continue, we can keep challenging adversity and hardship. Then, you’ll find that with each little persistence, life has changed dramatically."

Yang Yiyi grumpily shook her head, brushing off Bai Yanliang’s hand. At the same time, she looked back into his eyes. She still didn’t see a smile, but she did see a seriousness that made her anxious.

"So now, continuing to study seriously and striving for small progress is enough." Bai Yanliang withdrew his hand. The girl, who longed for a career in policing, felt slightly better emotionally but was not content, constantly tidying her tousled hair and occasionally glaring at Bai Yanliang.

He didn’t lie, but he didn’t tell the whole truth either.

In fact, some people are naturally unable to do certain things. Humans are inherently... unequal.

...

In the afternoon, Bai Yanliang accompanied Officer Wang to Hao Bowen’s home.

Hao Bowen was the freshman male student who committed the murder.

His family conditions were not poor; this could be seen from the residential environment of the community.

The door was opened for Bai Yanliang and Officer Wang by a middle-aged man with a gloomy expression, who said not a word after inviting them in, merely sitting on the sofa chain-smoking one cigarette after another.

Hao Bowen’s mother stood beside the two, tears streaming down her face, continuously insisting that Hao Bowen was an obedient and sensible child who would never do such a thing, and there must have been some mistake.

Officer Wang comforted Hao Bowen’s mother with helplessness, while Bai Yanliang took the opportunity to enter Hao Bowen’s bedroom.

As soon as he entered, Bai Yanliang sensed something strange.

No wonder, it was too neat.

Books neatly arranged, clean walls, a quilt folded like a tofu block, and the floor spotless.

Bai Yanliang knocked on the door, drawing attention from everyone.

"May I ask, has anyone tidied up Hao Bowen’s room?"

Hao Bowen’s mother began to cry again, shaking her head and biting her lip to say, "No... Bo Wen cleans it himself, he’s a very sensible child..."

Bai Yanliang nodded and didn’t ask anything further.

This bedroom was beyond mild neatness, more like... an almost obsessive compulsion for tidiness?

Everything was arranged meticulously, precisely in its rightful place.

From the current observations, Hao Bowen seemed to be an extremely self-disciplined person.

There was no computer, no cellphone in his room, not even a modern-looking desk lamp.

Bai Yanliang flipped through Hao Bowen’s books and found that in addition to textbooks, there were only common, ordinary reads.

Hao Bowen appeared to have a keen interest in drawing; several of his extracurricular reading materials were art instruction books, with visible signs of frequent use.

But... Bai Yanliang searched the entire bedroom and couldn’t find a single piece of his artwork.

Where were his drawings?