Another Case Solved with Assistance

It took the airport bus a little over an hour to reach the airport. When Du Ruo finally arrived, he still felt a slight sense of tension.

Although he had not brought any concealed steel needles with him on this trip, he had packed his Dragon-Winding Silk.

Du Ruo was somewhat concerned that the Dragon-Winding Silk might be flagged during the airport security check.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. While the security screening was rigorous and the staff did notice the Dragon-Winding Silk on his wrist, they merely asked a single question.

When Du Ruo explained that it was a piece of jewelry, the inspector just glanced at it a second time and asked no further questions. Ironically, the medicinal liquor he brought was completely ignored. Nowadays, Du Ruo's daily physical exertion was so massive that only by consuming large amounts of meat could he meet his basic needs; otherwise, he had to rely on restorative medicated wine to make up for the deficit. That was the sole reason he carried the liquor with him.

It was only then that Du Ruo belatedly realized that the security check seemed to serve more as a reminder and warning; as long as the explanation was plausible, they would not make things difficult for him.

The last time his belongings were flagged during security, it was probably because the hidden weapons he carried were a bit too exaggerated, and the steel needles embedded in his belt were far too dense. The excuse that he was a bed-and-breakfast owner who happened to carry sewing needles simply did not hold water.

That was why those items had been temporarily confiscated. In contrast, the Dragon-Winding Silk—despite being a rather heavy metal ring of considerable size—was worn directly on his wrist in the style of a bracelet. Since Du Ruo defined it as jewelry and the staff found the explanation reasonable, it was permitted to pass.

"Turns out I had the wrong idea. Like I said, for someone like me, dangerous items are hard to define strictly by object; it all depends on the person using them, rather than the item itself. This makes much more sense now. In other words, if I ever want to bring steel needles onto a plane, I can just pack a box of sewing machine needles inside my luggage. But it doesn't matter anyway; I'm only going on a trip."

Du Ruo muttered inwardly with a silent chuckle, then walked into the waiting lounge, took out his phone, and began chatting with Xiang Yuanyuan.

The flight from Huangshan to Harbin would take over three hours, and upon arrival, he still had to transfer to another flight bound for Heihe. By the time he actually reached Heihe, the noon meal hour had already passed.

"The airplane lunch wasn't even enough to get stuck between my teeth. I need to find somewhere to grab a bite."

Du Ruo rubbed his stomach and headed toward the exit of the airport.

"Excuse me, are you Du Ruo? We are from the Heihe Municipal Public Security Bureau. I am Xing Anming, captain of the criminal police detachment. There is a case we need to trouble you to help investigate, if you are available."

Just as Du Ruo was pondering this, three men in police uniforms approached him.

One of them displayed his identification badge, treating Du Ruo with a polite demeanor.

"Huh? Do you guys cover meals?"

Du Ruo was somewhat bewildered upon seeing them. He had just stepped off the plane, never expecting anyone to come looking for him so soon.

Fortunately, he had experienced similar situations back home, so he did not feel too much shock or surprise, asking the question purely out of reflex.

"Eh? Haha! Meals are covered, absolutely covered. You can rest assured on that score. Since you've come to the North, we certainly won't let you go hungry. Come on, let's head back to the bureau first and talk after we eat."

Xing Anming was also momentarily taken aback. This was his first time ever enlisting a specialist like Du Ruo to assist with an investigation. He had already prepared his talking points in advance and was even mentally prepared for a rejection, but he never anticipated that Du Ruo would ask such a question.

"I'm just curious—I literally just stepped off the plane, yet you were already waiting here for me. Have I been flagged in some kind of nationwide database?"

Inside the car, Du Ruo sent a text message to Xiang Yuanyuan before putting his phone away and turning to ask Xing Anming, who was seated beside him. He was genuinely curious.

"Ah, about that... Actually, ever since you purchased your ticket, not only did the airport police station receive your information and subject you to screening, but your personal data was also forwarded directly to our municipal bureau. As for the reason... ahem."

"We just happen to have a criminal case here that requires a professional like you, so we decided to wait for you at the airport."

Xing Anming made no attempt to conceal the truth, but when mentioning the reason, he simply offered an embarrassed laugh without further explanation and continued smoothly. In reality, the primary reason they waited for Du Ruo was his previous track record of assisting the police in solving cases. To verify this, Xing Anming had specifically called Huangshan to confirm that Du Ruo was indeed a master before coming to pick him up.

"Well, that certainly is a coincidence. So, do we eat first or get to work first?"

Hearing this, Du Ruo merely smiled. The reason? What else could it be? Most likely, if a criminal case occurred in this region during this period and fit Du Ruo's specific profile, he would inevitably become a prime suspect of interest.

Nowadays, let alone major criminal cases, even robberies were extremely rare. Whenever one did occur, it was treated as a major felony that required the perpetrator to be brought to justice immediately. This was precisely why the whereabouts of special talents like Du Ruo were closely monitored.

After all, it was far too easy for people of their caliber to commit crimes. Without tracking, it was inevitable that some might turn to unlawful activities for various reasons.

Of course, there were pros and cons. The benefit was that they could assist local law enforcement, often producing miraculous results in cracking difficult cases.

Therefore, unless they chose never to display their skills or lacked true proficiency, it was nearly impossible for someone like him to move about completely without leaving a trace.

"Eating comes first, naturally. I already called the cafeteria ahead of time, though the only staple food they have is steamed buns. I hope you're accustomed to that."

Seeing that Du Ruo did not seem particularly bothered by any of this, Xing Anming replied with a smile.

"I'm used to it. I just happen to have a larger appetite than most, but I'm not a picky eater."

As the two chatted and laughed, the vehicle arrived at the municipal bureau.

Xing Anming personally helped Du Ruo carry his luggage and stored it securely before leading him to a small private dining room in the cafeteria.

Since the meal hour had passed, the cafeteria was empty of other diners. However, steamed buns and four dishes were already laid out on the table. Although the number of dishes was small, the portion size of each was remarkably generous.

"Come, let's eat together. We haven't eaten yet either, Master Du. We have work to do this afternoon, so we'll skip the alcohol at lunch. Please forgive our poor hospitality."

Smiling, Xing Anming invited Du Ruo to take a seat and gestured for the other two police officers to join them as well.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Du Ruo smiled and immediately began to eat.

There was little conversation at the table. Du Ruo ate at a rapid pace; there were twenty steamed buns on the table, and shortly after sitting down, he consumed ten of them all by himself.

Noticing this, Xing Anming exchanged a subtle glance with the other two officers, stepped outside for a moment, and upon receiving a silent cue from the captain, the remaining officers also slowed down their pace of eating.

Before long, Du Ruo had nearly finished all the food on the table. At that moment, Xing Anming walked back in.

* * *

"Haha, Master Du, please go ahead and eat. More steamed buns and dishes will be here right away."

As soon as Xing Anming sat down upon his return, he smilingly picked up the last remaining steamed bun from the basket and placed it into Du Ruo's bowl.

"Please excuse me. Practicing martial arts gives one quite a large appetite. As the ancients used to say, I've barely managed a thirty-percent-full meal."

Du Ruo chuckled while keeping his hands in motion, picking up side dishes and eating the buns concurrently. He wasn't exactly devouring the food like a wild animal, but his eating speed was undeniably fast.

"Oh, haha! There's plenty, more than enough!"

Xing Anming wiped a bead of non-existent sweat from his forehead. At that moment, someone began bringing in fresh food—another twenty steamed buns and four more dishes, which looked as though they had just been freshly purchased from outside.

Just as Xing Anming had sat down and heard Du Ruo's remark, he had rushed back out to intercept the food delivery person with further instructions before returning to the table.

Du Ruo had naturally overheard Xing Anming's instructions, which essentially amounted to ordering more steamed buns and meat.

He did not object and simply continued eating and drinking. In truth, he wasn't hungry to the point of desperation; since he hadn't exerted himself physically yet, his energy depletion wasn't that severe. Skipping meals wouldn't really affect his combat readiness at all.

Doing this, however, was also a way of subtly demonstrating his strength and unique traits. Eating a lot didn't prove much on its own, but eating vastly more than a normal person spoke volumes.

Northern steamed buns were dense and solid; an ordinary adult or a growing adolescent would typically consume four or five at a single meal. Yet Du Ruo did not stop until he had cleared a full fifty of them.

"Master Du, if that's not enough, I can have them buy some more."

Xing Anming watched in a daze, utterly baffled as he stared at Du Ruo's flat stomach, unable to comprehend how on earth he had managed to fit all that food inside. Seeing Du Ruo finally pause, he quickly spoke up.

"Haha, no need. No matter how many of these buns I eat, it only barely meets my daily baseline needs. Let's leave it at that. We've already delayed quite a bit of time—it's time to get to work."

Du Ruo smiled and waved a hand. He didn't claim to be full, but he picked up a napkin to wipe his hands and took the initiative to wait for Xing Anming's arrangements.

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you shortly."

Xing Anming offered a strained smile, his eyes still involuntarily drifting toward Du Ruo's abdomen, completely stumped as to how he had consumed so much food.

The destination Xing Anming led him to this time was not the forensic autopsy room, but the morgue of a nearby hospital. Fortunately, it was not far away—just a few minutes' walk.

Without needing for much conversation along the way, Xing Anming and his men greeted the staff, retrieved the key, and the four of them headed straight inside the morgue.

"We received the report three days ago. The deceased was a mountain patroller. When he failed to return by the expected time, the villagers reported it to the police. We deployed a drone to search the area, and that's how the body was found."

Xing Anming explained as he guided Du Ruo forward, pulling open a drawer in the refrigerated corpse storage unit to reveal a black body bag.

"What are the specific circumstances?"

Du Ruo took the gloves and mask handed to him by a nearby police officer and asked casually. The main reason he was confused was why they had invited him in the first place; he was not a forensic pathologist, and ordinary cases wouldn't normally warrant calling him. At the same time, he watched as Xing Anming unzipped the body bag.

Xing Anming pulled the zipper all the way down, exposing a corpse. Overall, the body was relatively well-preserved, with the facial features still clearly recognizable. The clothing remained intact, and multiple bloodstains were clearly visible across the torso. However, the most striking feature was a distinct, prominent mark around the neck.

"Because we found him in a timely manner, the body hasn't been scavenged by wild animals. The current dilemma is that we haven't been able to identify the murder weapon. Only by confirming the weapon can we deduce the identity of the perpetrator. Take a look at this."

As he spoke, Xing Anming pointed to the deceased's neck and continued:

"This is the fatal wound. It's a very strange injury—it lacks the clean smoothness of a blade cut, looking somewhat like the strangulation mark left by a steel wire. But a wire rope wouldn't leave such a clean impression either; strangulation marks typically leave red abrasions on both sides, or signs of violent downward pressure on the back of the neck. Yet none of those traces are present on his body."