Chapter 246: Another Chen Shi

On April 12th, Chen Shi was escorted to the interrogation room by Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong, both keeping their heads low. Many police officers rushed out in surprise, quietly asking each other, “What’s going on? How did Chen Ge get arrested?”

Chen Shi’s expression was less calm than cold, as if he was restraining every muscle in his face to hide his true feelings.

Peng Sijue rushed out with coffee stains all over him, eyes widened. “Lao Chen…”

Chen Shi gave a bitter smile and shook his head slightly at him.

There was a commotion in the crowd as Lin Qiupu arrived. He walked up to Chen Shi with a stern face, poking his chest with a finger. “You’re not Chen Shi. Who are you?”

Three days ago…

Zhou Xiao’s case had formed a special task force. The bureau chief specifically instructed Lin Qiupu to involve that “consultant surnamed Chen”, saying, “Good steel should be used on the blade.”

Chen Shi was summoned again. He flipped through the files, viewed the corpse, and confidently stated, “It’s the same person! This guy actually killed another serial killer. It feels like a showdown of titans.”

Lin Qiupu said, “We’ve been asking around the gay community these past two days. Everyone who saw Zhou Xiao’s true face has been killed. They’re all lying in the morgue, and the scene was spotless, no clues left for us.”

“What about the wanted notice?”

“We’ve increased the reward repeatedly, but there’s been no progress at all.”

“This is tough! I’m leaving today.”

“Hey, aren’t you going to investigate?”

“I’ll go back and sort out my thoughts. Even your formidable predecessor couldn’t find him. What miracles do you expect from me?”

It was the first time Lin Qiupu had seen Chen Shi back down. Serial killers were always tricky, and Zhou Xiao was an elusive target. Even in the FBI, chasing a serial killer often took ten to several decades.

Chen Shi had some personal matters to attend to. A few days ago, Peng Sijue sent him a cryptic message: “Dongxue seems to have seen you soliciting prostitutes. Go to the Longjiang Police Station and sort it out yourself!”

Chen Shi cursed inwardly. Of course, he wasn’t involved in that incident, but he already had an idea of what was going on.

The photos sent by Zhou Xiao weren’t of himself but of another Chen Shi, the real one. The intention was clear—to expose Chen Shi’s false identity.

He visited Dr. Yang again, the plastic surgeon, questioning why this face’s owner had appeared in Long’an and allegedly engaged in prostitution, only to be arrested. Dr. Yang looked innocent, confirming that this Chen Shi had indeed disappeared and legally declared dead, chosen by Song Lang himself.

Chen Shi had a headache; this was the cost of lies. He needed to find this loophole and plug it.

In the afternoon, Chen Shi drove to the Longjiang Police Station. Smiling awkwardly, he told the duty officer, “Um, a few days ago… I was caught soliciting prostitutes. Seems like I left the wrong contact information.”

“What’s your name?”

“Chen Shi!”

“That’s pretty honest. Alright, let me check.”

The officer brought out a file. “What’s your phone number?”

“Let me take a look. I was drunk that day, afraid I might have left my wife’s number. If she found out, I’d be done for.”

“Scared, huh? And you still went to such places?”

“I’ve turned over a new leaf, really!”

Chen Shi looked at the number in the file, memorized it, and then left his own phone number.

After leaving the police station, he dialed the number, furious when it didn’t go through. “Son of a b, it’s fake!”

The statement had an address. Chen Shi had no choice but to drive there and try his luck.

He wandered the street for an afternoon, reluctant to ask people directly. He couldn’t just point to his own face and ask, “Do you know where I live?”

He hoped to encounter someone who knew the original owner of this face, but he had no luck.

As evening approached, Chen Shi sat in his car, smoking a cigarette, feeling frustrated. The existence of the original was undoubtedly a time bomb. He had been a former gangster in Long’an; if he got into trouble, or if Zhou Xiao killed him, Chen Shi would be in trouble too.

Chen Shi rubbed his slightly sore forehead and looked in the rearview mirror, seeing the rough face. He seemed to see Song Lang from the past.

Song Lang had a handsome and refined appearance. The last time he had looked at it was in Dr. Yang’s underground operating room, full of blood and the smell of disinfectant. Dr. Yang sighed, “What a waste, Officer Song. This beautiful face is no longer needed!”

“If abandoning this face can bring me a chance to turn things around, I don’t mind.” Song Lang said, but his heart was stabbed with pain. At that time, his mind was filled with the death of Qin Luoxi, and he was already dead inside.

“Come, pick one. These are all usable blank identities!” Dr. Yang opened a stack of photos, each with their resumes written on the back.

Song Lang frowned at the pictures of rapists and human traffickers. Dr. Yang said, “There’s no way to disappear for an upright person. If you want to find a celebrity’s face here, that’s impossible.”

“Are you sure you can make it exactly the same?”

“My skills are worth every penny. You can rest assured. Even your own mother wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. But I must remind you, it can only be done once. Surgery on facial bones and muscles is irreversible. If you want a second change, the risk is too high. I won’t do it. Otherwise, you might end up with facial paralysis!”

Song Lang saw Chen Shi’s photo and said, “Let’s go with him.”

“This one’s not bad, has a bit of a masculine touch.”

“Let’s get started!” Song Lang closed his eyes, bidding farewell to the past. It was October 10th.

Chen Shi opened his eyes, a man knocking on the car window. He intended to say he didn’t take passengers, but when he saw the other person’s face, he froze.

It was like looking in a mirror. Both men scrutinized each other’s faces. The man smirked, “I didn’t know my mom had a second son! I noticed you this afternoon as you wandered this street.”

“Get in!”

The man sat in the passenger seat and said, “I’m Chen Shi. What’s your name?”

“I’m also Chen Shi.”

The other man laughed so hard he almost choked. Suddenly, his smile faded, a small knife now pressed against Chen Shi’s neck. “Playing games, huh? Trying to kill me and cover it up by bringing in a stand-in? This face must have cost a pretty penny!”

He reached to pinch Chen Shi’s face. Chen Shi said, “I’m a cop!”

“I’m the f*ing governor!”

“I know you probably won’t believe it. Three years ago, I was framed for murder, carrying the burden of this face. I thought you were no longer in this world.”

“So you’re Song Lang?”

“You know me?”

The man burst into laughter. “Anyone in the underworld knows the legendary name in the police world. If they see him, they’d avoid him… Buddy, you’re blowing this up big time. If you’re Song Lang, who was the suspect in the 413 case?”

“Li Bo!”

“And the Poison Cocoon murder case?”

“Xu Hai!”

These were all cases not yet publicly disclosed, but figures in the underworld might know.

The man widened his eyes, slowly retracting the knife. “Let’s go. We’re heading to the Fu Gui Ren Jia club.”

This translation aims to capture the essence and flow of the original Chinese text, maintaining clarity and coherence for American readers aged 18-40.