Chapter 374: The Thief Who Called the Cops
Although Chen Shi was not a policeman and had no control over this, he still said, “I’ll make a note of it.”
“Thank you very much.”
“What software do you use to chat on your phone?”
“Anything you sighted people use, we can use too. Phones have screen readers now. I can even read novels. But I prefer listening to storytelling… By the way, there’s this new app called XX for voice chatting. It’s pretty convenient.”
This was the same app the killer used to find victims. Chen Shi asked, “Do many blind people use it?”
“Yes.”
“Do blind people have their own social circles?”
“Yes, mostly former classmates from special education schools. We gather during holidays. People flock together by nature. Most of your friends are probably policemen, right… Is that your girlfriend?”
“How did you know…” Realizing his choice of words, Chen Shi quickly corrected himself, “Sorry!”
“No problem. I can smell her perfume on you. Haha.”
Lin Dongxue blushed and buried her face in her arm. Chen Shi asked, “Silly question, but do you guys have a sixth sense?”
“Hmm…” The owner paused while continuing to massage, “If I say yes, it might sound mystical. For example, when we approach a wall, we can sense the echo and know there’s an obstacle. Some blind people can use echolocation, clicking their tongue… They can locate objects by the returning sound waves. Of course, this requires training. Do you know what blind people fear the most?”
“What is it?”
“Rainy days.”
“Because the sound gets distorted?”
“Exactly. Especially with an umbrella, the rain hitting it drowns out other sounds, making it easy to get lost. So we usually don’t go out when it rains… Can you check if it’s going to rain today?”
“It looks fine for now, but the forecast says it might rain in the next couple of days.”
After the massage, Chen Shi paid and they left. They spent the rest of the day visiting more blind women, who were either working in massage parlors or staying at home as full-time housewives. None seemed suspicious.
By the end of the day, Lin Dongxue was exhausted. She dozed off in the passenger seat. Chen Shi said, “Get some sleep. I’ll wake you up later.”
Lin Dongxue reclined the seat and fell asleep. Chen Shi drove to Longhua Road, parked, locked the car, and walked to Master Information Consulting Office. He entered to find Sun Zhen playing games and KK teaching Tao Yueyue how to pickpocket. Startled and angry, he asked, “What are you doing here?”
Tao Yueyue hid behind the sofa, peeking out. KK stood up, saying, “Chen Ge, what brings you here? Yueyue’s school is nearby. She just comes over to play, and I teach her some skills.” He raised his eyebrows proudly.
It seemed Tao Yueyue had been coming here for a while. This “crime training class” had a strong pull on the little troublemaker.
Chen Shi was furious, “You… You didn’t tell me?”
Tao Yueyue innocently replied, “You didn’t say anything beforehand. You’ve been busy these days and rarely come home.”
“Are you enjoying learning to steal?”
“Yes!”
“Learn if you must, but don’t use it recklessly at school.”
“I have a sense of proportion. If I’m going to learn bad things, I’d rather learn from someone you trust, like Uncle KK, than from some dubious people outside. I promise I won’t misuse it.”
Her confident reasoning made Chen Shi laugh. He thought KK was the last person he should trust.
KK, grinning, said, “Yueyue’s smart and quick to learn. She’s a natural. I want to teach her everything and make her the master thief of Long’an.”
“Primitive skills!” Sun Zhen sneered. “In this era, you still brag about lock-picking? What a joke.”
“Jealous much? Yueyue isn’t interested in your hacking. Someone’s feeling left out, huh?”
Sun Zhen scoffed, “In twenty years, everyone will use digital locks. Knowing hacking will be the real skill. Your short-sightedness will cost you.”
“Alright, you two,” Chen Shi interjected, sitting down with a glass of water. “How’s business?”
“Booming!” KK squatted on the sofa. “Tracking cheaters and mistresses is boring, but we nail it every time. It’s much easier than stealing. I’m even thinking of expanding and hiring some reformed special forces guys.”
“Hiring needs to be careful. At least consult me first.”
“Got it, got it. I’ll definitely ask for your advice.”
“I have something to ask you!” Chen Shi showed the “reporting” text. “Was this you?”
KK scratched his head and laughed, “I wasn’t stealing. Just bored, trying out house-sitting like in that Korean movie, ‘3-Iron’…”
“What’s it about?”
Sun Zhen answered, “Adultery.”
“Shut up! It’s about a guy who breaks into empty homes to live in them. I thought it was interesting and tried it out… But stumbled on a dead body. I didn’t dare call the cops, so I texted you.”
“Luckily, I managed to cover it up. The police didn’t investigate further, or you’d be back in jail.”
KK rubbed his hands, “I swear I didn’t steal anything. Just used their place to shower, eat, and even cleaned up. I swear!”
“If it happens again, report it anonymously. Don’t text me. You think it’s easy to explain?”
Chen Shi sighed, then handed his phone to Sun Zhen. “Xiaochong, look at this new app I downloaded.”
Sun Zhen looked, “It’s a hookup app.”
KK glanced over with interest, but before he could make a joke, Chen Shi said, “It’s mainly for voice chats. Many visually impaired people use it. The suspect we’re looking for might be using it to find victims. She’s about 5’5″, 110 pounds, young, with vision impairment or blindness. The police have downloaded it, but we need more accounts. Can you set up more and see if we catch anything?”
“Entrapment?”
“No, just fishing. I’m hiring you privately for this. I’ll pay.”
“Chen Ge, don’t be so formal. We’re family… But I’ll give you a discount.”
“People who don’t work shouldn’t chime in!” Sun Zhen snapped.
Chen Shi paid Sun Zhen half the fee upfront. Sun Zhen said, “This is easy. I’ll set up two thousand accounts and keep chatting non-stop on the app!”
“The suspect might be blind. She can’t read texts.”
“Voice chatting is trickier, but manageable… Chen Ge, report to you if we find her?”
“Absolutely!”