A chilling wind blew past. Someone patted Wang Zeyi's face, "Comrade, wake up, wake up. Drank too much, go home and sleep."
"What happened to me?"
"I saw the gate open and thought there was a thief."
"Who are you?"
"I'm the night watchman at the textile factory."
...
The night watchman hadn't seen anyone enter the textile factory. He said he was a light sleeper and would come out to check if the dogs barked. If a stranger came, the dogs wouldn't remain silent.
"I clearly saw a blond guy go in."
The night watchman chuckled, "You drank Erguotou and ate hot pot; the smell in your mouth is quite pungent."
This was unclear. Wang Zeyi didn't go home and went directly to the police station. In the morning, the captain entered the room and was startled to see the disheveled Wang Zeyi, "Did your wife kick you out, you brat?"
"Last night, I followed someone to the textile factory and was knocked unconscious."
The captain was shocked and looked at the people who had already arrived, "Stop dawdling. I can scold my own child, but I won't allow anyone else to bully him. Let's go to the textile factory and investigate. Where's Old Qu... he's not here. Tell Old Qu to assemble at the textile factory as soon as he arrives. This is not over."
...
Wang Zeyi didn't expect the captain to protect him so much. He had a new understanding of this leader who usually only scolded him. Several people went to investigate the events of last night.
The officials on duty last night had all left. The workshop director, a Mr. Zhao, met the criminal investigation team. Director Zhao was the person Wang Zeyi had met during the day. He was cheerful and even sent for the old night watchman from last night. The old man repeated his statement: he hadn't seen anyone and hadn't heard the dogs bark. Besides, there shouldn't have been many people in the factory at that time. Who was this blond youth trying to see?
The workshop director asked who was on duty and had the team leader from yesterday called to cooperate with the criminal investigation. That person said he had fallen asleep and didn't recognize this blond youth named Zhang Ping. The criminal investigation captain returned without success. As soon as he entered the room, he heard Old Qu laughing. At that moment, the captain's face darkened, "Old Qu, didn't I tell you to meet me at the textile factory?"
"What for? Just to prove someone covered Wang Zeyi's mouth and knocked him unconscious. Captain, have you ever heard such a strange thing? I had a toothache and went to have it pulled. I was given anesthetic twice, and it didn't work. Give me the drug that can knock me out directly, and I won't need anesthetic the next time I see the dentist."
Wang Zeyi was a little displeased, "I was really knocked unconscious."
"That smell, you drank Erguotou, right?"
Hearing Old Qu say that, his colleagues couldn't help but chuckle. The captain, losing face, blurted out, "So damn embarrassing!"
...
All morning, Wang Zeyi was teased by his colleagues. They all thought he had gotten drunk and fallen asleep by the roadside, insisting that someone had covered his mouth and nose and knocked him unconscious. Everyone believed Old Qu's words. It wasn't so easy to faint even with anesthesia. Being covered by something and fainting immediately, it wasn't like a Hong Kong drama. In the afternoon, Wang Zeyi couldn't stand it any longer. He tore up the investigation report he had written that morning and went to find Cao Shi.
In the small courtyard, Teacher Wende was wearing a padded vest. Li Jiu was clearing the snow off the table in the yard and drawing on the table. Besides them, there was a man in his fifties standing respectfully beside Teacher Wende.
"Officer, you're here again. It seems we have quite a connection. Come in for a cup of tea. Lao Jiu, you should also draw inside; your hands must be cold."
"Thank you, Master!"
The man in his fifties boiled water, brewed tea, and poured a bowl of tea for Teacher Wende and Wang Zeyi each. Then he stood aside respectfully, with his eyes downcast. Wang Zeyi got straight to the point and spoke of the strange things Cao Shi had been investigating everywhere yesterday.
Teacher Wende stroked his beard and chuckled, "Perhaps I recently told Xiao Shi a story about a demon. He listened intently and went to the market to find the demon. Nowadays, the world is at peace; where are there so many demons and monsters?"
Wang Zeyi nodded in agreement and secretly glanced at Li Jiu. Li Jiu stopped drawing and looked at Teacher Wende. He saw Teacher Wende tap three times on the coffee table, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
"Lao Jiu, how's your drawing?"
"Almost finished."
"Then you accompany the officer and help him resolve this matter."
"Yes, Master!"
Wang Zeyi and Li Jiu walked out of the quadrangle together. Wang Zeyi then asked, "What were you drawing just now?"
Li Jiu was indifferent but still handed him an envelope. Wang Zeyi looked it over and was puzzled, "There's no drawing on this kraft envelope."
"The stamp!"
After Li Jiu's reminder, Wang Zeyi realized the stamp was drawn. He broke out in a cold sweat. If Li Jiu were to commit a crime, how could he possibly discover it?
"Master had a sudden inspiration to write a letter to an old friend. We didn't have a stamp at home, so I drew one."
After speaking, Li Jiu threw the envelope into a mailbox by the roadside.
"Can this be mailed?"
"Yes!"
"How are you going to help me?"
"When you spoke of last night's events, I observed Master. If he wanted me to clean up Xiao Shi's mess, he would tap the table three times with his index finger. If Master has the same habit, the killer will also have it. You were knocked unconscious by having your mouth and nose covered. If it can be proven that the two deceased also experienced unconsciousness before their deaths, it can be proven that the killer is one person."
"That person is already dead, how can it be proven?"
"I need to see the bodies. The dead can speak."
It was against regulations to let Li Jiu go to the morgue, but Wang Zeyi couldn't bother with that for the sake of solving the case. Li Jiu didn't make a fuss over the bodies. He just looked, gently pressed Ren Sanjie's nose, then took off his gloves and walked out of the morgue with Wang Zeyi.
"Miss Bai should have known the killer, so there weren't many signs of struggle. Ren Sanjie, on the other hand, clearly had defenses up, and there are signs of a fractured nasal bone."
Wang Zeyi was a little puzzled, "Why didn't we find anything at the scene?"
Li Jiu snorted, "That's because you don't have the skill. I'm leaving."
...
Old Qu looked distressed when Wang Zeyi said he wanted to re-examine the bodies, "Little Wang, that's enough. Aren't they just two suicides? Have you seen the captain's expression? You don't have any evidence. If you ask him to approve a re-examination, he'll scold you until you cry."
Hearing Old Qu say that, Wang Zeyi also became a little scared, but if the case was closed for such reasons, then he wouldn't be Wang Zeyi. Wang Zeyi wrote a report and went to find the captain. The captain wasn't there; he heard he had gone to the morgue, so he nervously went to the morgue again.
Wang Zeyi ran into the captain coming out of the morgue. The captain glared at him, "Little Wang, I heard you took others into the morgue."
"I was also trying to solve the case."
"You can break the rules for the sake of solving a case? To catch bad guys, you're going to break the law too? I'm telling you, Wang Zeyi, you won't get a single cent of your bonus this month."
Wang Zeyi lowered his head and bit his lip. He saw the forensic doctor smiling. It seemed the forensic doctor had reported him. After speaking, the captain turned and left. Wang Zeyi quickly followed him with his investigation report. The captain frowned, "You still have something to say?"
"Captain, Captain, I... I want to apply for a re-examination of these two suicide cases."
The captain was stunned for a moment. He took the report, flipped through it a few times, and looked back at the forensic doctor. The forensic doctor patted his chest and guaranteed, "Captain, I can assure you that these two women definitely hanged themselves."
"Re-examine them now. Submit the report to me before work."
After speaking, the captain threw the investigation report at Wang Zeyi. The report fell on the ground. Wang Zeyi bent down to pick it up. The captain had already left. Wang Zeyi, picking up the report, quickly chased after him. The captain's face turned green, "You dare to mention the bonus to me, I'll kill you."
"No, it's not that. The substance that can cause short-term unconsciousness has been found, ether. Inhaling it can cause anesthesia, and inhaling it for ten seconds can lead to unconsciousness for half an hour."
The captain was stunned, "Where can this be bought?"
"The textile factory has it, for cleaning. If someone could knock me unconscious, then Zhang Ping is also in danger."
"Who else is in the house?"
"Old Qu!"
"Don't call him. It's just you and me. Let's go save Zhang Ping."
...
Zhang Ping was not in his small room. The room was full of cigarette butts. The condoms on the pillow made the captain's face darken, "The anti-pornography unit gets commendations every year, and this is the result."
"I asked the neighbors. He hasn't been seen all day today."
"Go to the textile factory."
Hearing the captain give the order, Wang Zeyi stopped him, "There's a place we need to check?"
"Where?"
"Beixinqiao, Haiyan!"
"Yue Wang Temple?" the captain asked in surprise.
"Yes!"
Legend has it that the Old Dragon King wanted to flood Beijing, but Liu Bowen subdued him and locked him in this well with a great iron chain. Liu Bowen left a message that when the bridge became old, the Old Dragon King would be released. However, people did not repair the bridge, but built a Yue Wang Temple over this well and named the place "Beixinqiao." Thus, the bridge would never become old, and the Old Dragon King would be forever suppressed in the well. This well is located in the northeast corner of the Beixinqiao intersection.
The reason Wang Zeyi mentioned this place was because the story "The Tale of the Tooth Seat" that Cao Shi told mentioned several supernatural locations: the haunted house in Xizhimen, the coffin ground in Dongzhimen (Prince's Tomb), the Dragon-Locking Well in Beixinqiao, and the disappearing bus route 375.
Most importantly, the story that Cao Shi told, which was a clumsy imitation. In "Dream of the Red Chamber," Jin Ge's engagement was broken off, and she hanged herself with a rope. The guard son who loved her chose to drown himself.
If Zhang Ping died, according to the story's development, he would have jumped into the Dragon-Locking Well.
...
The Dragon-Locking Well was not that terrifying. It was just an ordinary ancient well with two chains. The claim that it was bottomless and the Dragon King was locked below was all nonsense. Liu Bowen's era had no capital in Beijing. Therefore, Liu Bowen trapping the Dragon King in the Dragon-Locking Well was just a folk tale.
The captain was smoking not far from the well opening. The well opening was not large. Wang Zeyi brought an old police officer. He used a flashlight to see Zhang Ping stuck in the center of the well, head down. The old police officer tied his feet with a rope and pulled him up. Wang Zeyi shone the flashlight and suddenly saw Zhang Ping's hand move. He quickly shouted, "The person is alive! Be careful, everyone!" The captain heard this, put out his cigarette, and ran over. Wang Zeyi and the captain shouted, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and call an ambulance!"
No one expected to rescue a living person. The captain looked gratified. Wang Zeyi sat by the well, his heart feeling as jumbled as an overturned soy sauce bottle. Suddenly, he looked up with all his senses and saw Cao Shi watching the commotion from afar with the common people...