Under Song Lan's exquisite horsemanship, the two of them passed through several blocks and arrived at a neighborhood where one of their colleagues lived.
The department head selected a blind box gift package and straightened his increasingly windswept hair on his forehead.
"You can just wait for me at the entrance later."
He walked ahead and spoke.
Song Lan, following behind the department head, did not express any particular opinion and surveyed the layout of the neighborhood before going upstairs.
It was an upscale neighborhood with spacious asphalt roads, neatly trimmed greenery on both sides, and a total of four entrances. Their colleague's building was close to the north side; upon exiting the neighborhood, there was a main road, and a left turn after some distance would lead to a complex maze of commercial streets.
Before getting on the elevator, Song Lan had already designed an emergency escape plan in case of unforeseen events.
Of course, if possible, he sincerely hoped that this errand wouldn't devolve into a competition with hoodlums.
As for the colleague they were about to visit, Song Lan did not have much of an impression of him.
If he remembered correctly, this should be the guy who had shouted "Don't think you can kill us and live to leave the 17th District" before Chai Ke opened fire.
Although they both worked in clerical departments, they belonged to different sections. In the law enforcement system of the 17th District, departments like surveillance, crime analysis, and audit all fell within the scope of clerical staff. Their work and the atmosphere differed fundamentally from his group, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe them as unsung heroes.
The views of these departments were referenced for every mission of the special operations team.
If there were a food chain within the law enforcement department, then as part of the atmosphere group, they were clearly at the very bottom.
Given these factors, they didn't have much status in the yard on a regular basis, and were the type who no one would actively seek out for a chat during lunch breaks—not even the department head.
Song Lan had been in the yard for quite some time, and could only speak comfortably with those in his department.
With a "ding," the elevator doors slowly opened.
27th floor.
The lighting in the corridor turned out to be dim, and the liveliness from the neighborhood could no longer be heard; only their footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Then, an unexpected chill surged into his heart.
He didn't know if the department head also had a bad premonition, but he walked ahead in silence.
Soon, the two stood in front of the innermost apartment door, which was ajar, seemingly foreshadowing everything.
After staring at the door frame for a good ten seconds, the department head turned back to Song Lan, his eyes widening as he made a silent gesture, and then he pressed his ear against the steel door, listening for minutes on end.
After confirming there were no sounds inside for a while, he pointed in the direction of the safety corridor, and waited for Song Lan to hide in the corridor before mustering the courage to push open the ajar steel door.
About two minutes later, Song Lan heard retching noises coming from the room.
............
Twelve minutes later, colleagues from the crime scene investigation department arrived.
The neighborhood was quickly locked down, and Song Lan and the department head were kept behind as the reporters.
"Multiple lacerations on the ankles, wrists, abdomen, and waist—we found the victim's left thumb, index finger, and right eye in a container by the sink."
The report from an investigation colleague made Song Lan extremely uncomfortable. He sat on the sofa in the apartment living room, with the body separated from him by only a door. He was now very grateful that the department head had reflexively kept him out of the room while retching, sparing him from the sight behind the bathroom door that could have haunted him for a month.
"The victim had been tortured before death."
Lu Xiang, who had just come out of the bathroom, showed no change in her expression; she entered work mode immediately upon arriving at the scene, "The killer is not a remnant of Chai Ke, but a professional assassin."
As she said this, she looked towards the crime analysis department head, an old department head who had seen countless crime scenes and was now lost in a daze.
Song Lan had just heard that the victim was a member of the crime analysis department. After Chai Ke's case happened, the old department head, considering the psychological state of his subordinates, had given him a week off.
"The assassin has had at least his eyes cybernetically enhanced, allowing him to precisely monitor the heartbeat and blood loss of the victim during the crime. We found stimulants in the victim's body, which kept him alert for a long time during the torture. Furthermore, the nerve system inside his right eye socket has been destroyed, indicating that the killer confirmed before leaving that the victim hadn't undergone eye prosthesis surgery."
Through Lu Xiang's succinct explanation, even Song Lan, who had no experience in handling cases, could understand the terrifying ordeal the victim had suffered before his death.
For the one being tortured, even death itself was a long and painful process.
After being reminded by Lu Xiang, the crime analysis department's old department head seemed to wake from a dream and immediately said, "I'll go check the surveillance now."
After arranging work, Lu Xiang approached Song Lan and the department head.
The scene in the bathroom seemed to have caused considerable psychological trauma to the department head. After calling for support, he sat on the sofa, head down, completely silent.
"It's been tough, but there's no need to continue with the consolation visits. Five minutes ago, the second team found Ke Bu's body at Qishan Apartment."
The department head managed to nod.
Ke Bu was the next person they had planned to visit. If this hadn't happened, they would have already arrived at Qishan Apartment by now.
This was an expected result; since Director Lu mentioned that the killer was a professional assassin, then his target would certainly not be limited to just this.
Someone was targeting the survivors of the Chai Ke case.
"Then we'll head back first."
Song Lan stood up, feeling the longer he stayed, the more bad news he would hear.
"Do you need psychological counseling?"
Lu Xiang looked at him, asking very seriously.
"No, you go ahead with your work, Director Lu."
Upon hearing this, she contemplated, looking as if she had more to say, but in front of everyone, she ultimately only nodded slightly, watching Song Lan help the staggering department head out of the apartment.
Shortly after leaving, Song Lan received a message from Lu Xiang:
"I won't be going back tonight; I need to stay at the hospital."
Song Lan replied with a "Okay" and then helped the department head into the elevator. The female colleague, still unconscious in the hospital, was the last surviving member of the three in the Chai Ke case. Perhaps because the professional assassin had so far refrained from visiting the public hospital.
"Song."
As the elevator doors closed slowly, the long-silent department head seemed to have regained some composure and advised, "Don't dwell on today's events too much. When you get home, get a good night's sleep, and try to forget about this if you can."