Chapter 259: Return to the Scene (Third Update)

Being in the detention cell felt like an eternity. Last night, a drunk driver was put in the neighboring cell, ranted for a while, and then fell asleep, only to be bailed out by his superior early this morning.

Chen Shi spent the whole day leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, resting. By evening, Lin Qiupu arrived, holding what was clearly a DNA test report.

Chen Shi sighed, preparing himself for the upcoming challenge.

“Why are you pretending to be Chen Shi?” Lin Qiupu asked coldly.

“I am Chen Shi,” Chen Shi insisted.

The two stared at each other for a full minute. Lin Qiupu seemed to give up and handed the DNA report through the bars. “I was bluffing. It seems you’re telling the truth. Your DNA matches 99% with your parents’. Captain Peng personally conducted the test.”

A huge weight lifted from Chen Shi’s heart. He restrained his joy and didn’t take the report. “You should compensate me for emotional distress.”

“Don’t push your luck. I detained you for less than 24 hours, which is within regulations.” Lin Qiupu pulled out his phone. “The officers who took the sample said your father is ill and probably won’t last the year. Do you want to call your family?”

Chen Shi knew Lin Qiupu still doubted him. He took the phone and dialed a number, speaking fluently in his local dialect. “Dad, it’s Chen Shi…”

After the call, Lin Qiupu’s suspicion faded. Chen Shi returned the phone. “Have you caught Hou Yue?”

“Yes, we found the murder weapon at his house and some data on his computer. We’re still decrypting it.”

“Quick work.”

“I can’t take all the credit. You laid the groundwork for us.”

Chen Shi thought, if Hou Yue hadn’t panicked and killed Wang Daji before stupidly going on the run, he wouldn’t have been caught so quickly.

But the fact that Hou Yue found his house meant Wang Daji had died in Chen Shi’s place.

“I want to see his body,” Chen Shi said.

Lin Qiupu took Chen Shi to the morgue. Looking at Wang Daji’s body, Chen Shi felt a pang of sorrow. He said calmly, “He really does look like me.”

“He had two IDs, one for Chen Shi and one for Wang Daji. The latter is also fake. We still don’t know why he was impersonating you or who he really was. But we’re checking the DNA database for a match.”

Chen Shi’s eyes widened slightly. If they found a match, the dead man would turn out to be Song Lang. He realized that Peng Sijue must have switched their blood samples.

“Of all people, why impersonate me?” Chen Shi said.

“This case is over, but I still have my suspicions about you. You definitely have secrets, but we haven’t uncovered them yet.”

“Give it a rest. When has your intuition ever been right?”

After parting ways with Lin Qiupu, Chen Shi went to the technical team’s office. Luckily, Peng Sijue had left early, and everyone else was gone too.

Chen Shi habitually went to get his car, then remembered he didn’t drive here. Just then, Peng Sijue pulled up in his car and opened the passenger door.

Chen Shi got in, contemplating whether to say “thank you.” Peng Sijue spoke first, “I’ll only help you this once.”

“Is my DNA still being compared?”

“I’m handling it personally. I’ll tell Lin we found nothing… I even have to lie now.”

“I owe you one.”

The car ride was silent. Peng Sijue drove onto the highway, and Chen Shi realized they weren’t heading to his place.

“Tell me the truth, did you shoot Han Luoxi and Li Mu back then?” Peng asked calmly, voicing a question he’d buried for a long time.

“No… Where are we going?”

“Back to the scene of that year! I’ve imagined countless times what I would do when I saw you again. Slap you? Ask how you’ve been? Ultimately, I just want to know the truth.”

“Peng, I…” Chen Shi had a lot to say.

Peng raised a hand to stop him.

As night fell, they arrived at a warehouse in the suburbs. Chen Shi looked at the fiery clouds in the sky, feeling like he was back in that moment.

Three years ago, that night, Han Luoxi called him. “Li Mu’s been captured. He wants me to go alone, or he’ll kill him!”

“Don’t fall for it. It’s a trap!”

“It’s also our only chance to catch him!”

Song Lang yelled into the phone, but Han Luoxi hung up after saying “I love you.” Song Lang tracked her phone and alerted the police, rushing there himself.

He saw Han Luoxi enter a warehouse and followed. Gunshots rang out, making his heart race.

In the dim warehouse, he found Han Luoxi and Li Mu in a pool of blood. He held Han Luoxi’s body, overwhelmed by grief, tears streaming down.

Footsteps startled him. He grabbed Han Luoxi’s gun and pointed it at the culprit.

After over a year of pursuit, he finally saw Zhou Xiao’s face—a plain young man. Zhou Xiao said, “Officer Song, you’ve wanted to catch me, right? Planning to kill me here?”

“Die, scum!” Song Lang, filled with rage, pulled the trigger. Even in this moment, his police training kicked in, and his first shot hit Zhou Xiao’s shoulder.

No second shot—the last bullet was spent.

Song Lang pulled the trigger in vain. Zhou Xiao kicked his wrist, sending the gun flying, then threw powder in his face. Song Lang held his breath but inhaled some. His brain felt like it was swelling.

Zhou Xiao’s face twisted in his view. “Forgot to tell you, the bullets in them came from this gun… Detective Song Lang, you killed your own boss and partner. Tomorrow’s headlines will be interesting.”

Song Lang realized he was in a trap, but his drugged mind couldn’t think. He had one thought: to live and avenge Han Luoxi. He stumbled outside, climbed a nearby hill, crossed a river, and collapsed. The cold water revived him after an hour, awakened by police sirens.

The car stopped in front of the warehouse. Peng turned off the engine and got out.

Chen Shi, pulled from his memories, felt as if he’d returned from another world.

“Tell me what happened back then,” Peng said.