Chapter 957: The Function of Life

Back at the crime scene, an officer handed Chen Shi an envelope. He asked in surprise, “What’s this?”

“Captain, it was found in the victim’s car.”

The envelope wasn’t sealed or stamped. Inside was a printed paper with the title “The Function of Life” followed by a series of strange formulas and symbols. The only readable parts for Chen Shi were a few Chinese characters: “M = Murder; P = Passionate Killing; A = Accidental Killing.”

“What is this?” Chen Shi was puzzled.

“Death note?” Lin Dongxue looked over. “But who could understand this kind of note?”

“Hmm… Old Peng is a science guy. Maybe he can make sense of it. Let’s pack up.”

Back at the station, they learned that Peng Sijue was at a branch office examining an unidentified female corpse.

Gu You had been missing for two years, and Peng rushed to check every unclaimed female corpse. Chen Shi felt conflicted about whether to tell him that Gu You was likely just a skeleton in the wilderness by now.

Chen Shi set these thoughts aside. Today’s case felt off, so he headed to the archives to check for similar cases in Long’an over recent years.

Time flew as he sifted through files. Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Lin Dongxue, “Where are you? Something happened to Yueyue!”

“What?!”

“She’s in your office now.”

“I’m on my way!”

Chen Shi rushed back to his office and found Tao Yueyue on the sofa, her hand bandaged, looking panicked. Seeing Chen Shi, she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.

Yueyue was usually a strong kid and rarely cried. Chen Shi patted her back gently, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Lin Dongxue explained, “Today is the weekend. Yueyue went shopping with friends when a mysterious person pushed her from behind. She fell onto the street. If she hadn’t reacted quickly and rolled away before the car hit her, she could have…”

“A mysterious person?!” Chen Shi was shocked. “Did you check the surveillance?”

“Not yet.”

Chen Shi wiped Yueyue’s tears, “Do you remember anything?”

“He called my name before pushing me. I turned around but couldn’t see his face before I was shoved onto the street. My mind went blank, and I instinctively rolled away.”

“That bastard, attacking a young girl!” Chen Shi muttered. “Could it be related to Zhou Tiannan?”

“I doubt it. Even though it was reported, Yueyue used a pseudonym. The movie she impulsively acted in was never released due to funding issues. No one knows she was the one who caught Zhou Xiao.”

“What if Zhou Tiannan had some remaining cronies?”

“That would be a long-delayed revenge. Zhou Tiannan has been dead for three years, and Zhou Xiao was executed long ago. They’re history.”

“The method… it seems familiar. Wait, Liang Zuoming!”

Tao Yueyue’s classmate Liang Zuoming was also pushed into the street by an unknown person. The case was unresolved due to numerous other issues at the time. Chen Shi rummaged through his desk while Lin Dongxue found a memory card with the video.

Chen Shi played the surveillance footage on his computer, calling Yueyue over. He paused at the moment a hat-wearing man left the bus stop after the car accident and asked, “Does he look familiar?”

Yueyue shook her head, “I don’t know… My mind is still a mess.”

Lin Dongxue comforted Yueyue, “Let Yueyue rest. Maybe she should skip school tomorrow and stay home.”

Yueyue pouted, “I’ll be alone at home. You can’t stay with me. I’d rather go to school and just not leave the campus.”

“Yueyue, whoever did this to you, I’ll make sure they pay!” Chen Shi said determinedly.

“I believe you… I’m hungry now.”

“What do you want to eat? I’ll order it for you,” Lin Dongxue said.

“High-calorie junk food.”

“Alright, anything you want!” Lin Dongxue took out her phone.

Chen Shi was still shaken. If Yueyue had reacted a bit slower, he couldn’t bear to imagine finding her lifeless body.

Luckily, her police training paid off. Once a frail girl, Yueyue now had a tan, a strong spirit, and knew some martial arts. She often sparred with Chen Shi at home.

When the food arrived, Yueyue sat in Chen Shi’s chair and watched the video again. She said, “Uncle Chen, if it’s the same person, why did he wait two years to target me? And what do Liang Zuoming and I have in common?”

“Other than going to the same school, I can’t think of anything,” Chen Shi replied.

“Maybe he just likes pushing people into the street. We should check with the local police and traffic department to see if there have been similar cases,” Lin Dongxue suggested.

Chen Shi shook his head, “He called Yueyue’s name. He had a specific purpose.”

“What purpose? Revenge on us? Like the murders targeting police families?”

Mentioning that case brought back bad memories for Chen Shi. He rubbed his face, unable to deny the possibility but praying it wasn’t true.

Since Zhou Xiao’s arrest, Long’an had been peaceful for a long time, as if its evil had been sealed. Chen Shi hoped nothing would disturb that peace.

“I do have something in common with Liang Zuoming,” Yueyue said. “We’re both not exactly model students. Maybe the killer targets bad kids.”

“You’re quite self-aware. How are you behaving at police school?” Chen Shi asked.

“Better than in middle school. At least I don’t have to deal with annoying classmates every day… What’s this?” Yueyue picked up the “Function of Life” paper found on the victim.

“It’s from a case this morning. A domestic abuser was killed with an injection. This was found on him. Can you understand it?” Chen Shi asked.

“It looks like a set of proofs, involving advanced mathematics. M = Murder? Is the killer justifying murder?”

“Though I can’t understand it, I think it has a direct meaning: the killer had a motive unrelated to the victim’s wife,” Chen Shi said, resting his head on his hand. “I have a bad feeling that Long’an is about to face another deranged murderer.”