Chapter 61: Affection Level Increased
Chen Ge was very glad he hadn’t spoken ill of Zhang Ya behind her back just now. He gave a slightly awkward smile. “I just felt the dance studio was too stuffy, so I wanted to come out for some air.”
Red blood flowed down from her collar, soaking her body over and over again. Zhang Ya stared at Chen Ge for a long time, then raised her pale, slender arm and pointed toward the campus office building.
“You want me to go there?” Before Chen Ge could ask further, Zhang Ya vanished.
Chen Ge was now only a few meters away from the school gate. He felt conflicted—if he went to check it out, he might run into danger again, but leaving now would be a bit of a regret.
“Zhang Ya’s attitude toward me seems to have softened a little. Her hint should be related to the case from four years ago, but there seems to be more than one terrifying presence like her in this school. I’d better wait for the police to arrive before going in—that’s safer.”
Climbing back out of the campus, Chen Ge gripped his tool hammer and stood guard outside the gate. He wasn’t sure if Zhang Peng was still alive, staying on high alert, ready to rush in and finish him off at any moment.
Fifteen minutes later, glaring headlights pierced the darkness as two police cars sped in from the end of the road.
Chen Ge emerged from the roadside, waving his phone’s flashlight. “I’m over here!”
The police cars stopped at the entrance of West City Private School. Captain Li and another officer Chen Ge didn’t recognize stepped out.
“Uncle Li, you guys were pretty quick.” Based on Chen Ge’s estimate, the police should have taken at least another half hour to arrive.
“We got a report earlier from a taxi driver who said he might have run into a robber. We were already planning to come to West City Private School.” Captain Li had dark circles under his eyes; he’d been working nonstop at high intensity for days.
“Hard work, hard work. Come on in—Zhang Peng should still be on campus!” Chen Ge pointed at the abandoned school gate, looking as if he were welcoming guests into his own home.
“Dayong.” Captain Li waved to someone behind him. A burly officer, about 1.9 meters tall, took a hydraulic cutter from the trunk and pried open the school gate. “Once inside, follow protocol. The suspect is very cunning. Stay in pairs and don’t split up.”
He turned to look at Chen Ge. “When was the last time you saw the suspect?”
“I’m not sure where the suspect is right now, but I have something else to report to you.” Chen Ge walked over to Captain Li and glanced toward the office building Zhang Ya had pointed at. “Captain Li, let me take you somewhere.”
“Dayong, stay here. Everyone else, proceed as planned.” Captain Li called over the 1.9-meter-tall officer, and the two followed Chen Ge into the office building.
The building was only three stories high, but its interior decoration was far superior to the other structures outside.
“What are we doing here? Did the suspect show up in this building?” Captain Li shone his flashlight, his eyes sharp, the fatigue gone. Once at a crime scene, he transformed into a different person.
“Zhang Peng probably never entered this building.” Chen Ge walked ahead, recalling the exact spot Zhang Ya had pointed to. “I’m taking you to a place related to the girl’s suicide four years ago.”
“Didn’t I say we’d look into that after Zhang Peng is caught? One thing at a time—the priority now is to catch Zhang Peng.”
“We’re here. This room.” Chen Ge didn’t answer Captain Li. The reason he’d waited for the police to arrive before entering the office building was simply to minimize the risk.
The door read “Sports Equipment Room.” After tearing off the seal and kicking the door open, Chen Ge and Captain Li went inside.
The room was cluttered with various balls, and shelves against the wall held badminton rackets, table tennis paddles, and other sports gear.
“You brought us in here to look at this?” Captain Li swept his flashlight over every corner of the room. “What does this prove?”
“Sports equipment management…” Chen Ge walked to the center of the room, rummaging through cabinets and boxes, finally stopping beside a single bed tucked behind a cabinet.
There was a similar single bed in the dance studio—much narrower than a normal bed frame, likely custom-made.
“Did someone stay overnight in the sports equipment room?” Chen Ge lifted the bed board with suspicion, and a shocking sight appeared.
Beneath the old, moldy bed board were hidden over a dozen ballet shoes of various sizes, including one stained a dark, blackish red with blood!
“So many?” Staring at the shoes, seemingly collected by someone, Chen Ge couldn’t tell if he was more angry or shocked. The case at West City Private School might be even more horrifying than he’d imagined.
“There’s more than one victim.” Chen Ge shouted to Captain Li. “Why would the jumping girl’s ballet shoes be here? Didn’t your report mention the girl’s shoes?”
“There’s no record of shoes.” Captain Li frowned deeply. “Under the bed in a sealed room, the shoes are covered in dust—they’ve been here a long time. All the shoes are neatly arranged, as if someone was collecting them. This person probably has a special fetish.”
“Uncle Li, you’re a people’s police officer. You need to seek justice for the victims.” Chen Ge tossed the bed board aside. “The person who drove the girl to her death could freely enter the dance studio and the sports equipment room. Their identity is likely something like a caretaker.”
“If what you say is true, the scope of suspects has indeed narrowed significantly.” Captain Li was drawn to the black-red ballet shoes, visibly moved. “Don’t worry, I’ll see this case through to the end. No matter who the culprit is, I’ll bring them to justice!”
As Captain Li spoke these words, Chen Ge’s black phone vibrated. He took it out and glanced at it.
A new message appeared on the screen:
“Successfully find Zhang Ya’s red ballet shoes before dawn. Zhang Ya’s affection task completed, task completion at fifty percent.”
“You’re the One! Zhang Ya’s affection toward you has increased! You can write one thing you want her to do on Zhang Ya’s exclusive page (Note: It cannot go against Zhang Ya’s will).”
Chen Ge flipped through the phone and quietly retreated to the doorway. “Tonight’s experience was rough, but the outcome is good.”
He opened Zhang Ya’s exclusive page, watching the screen turn blood red. “As long as my request doesn’t go against Zhang Ya’s will, it’s fine.”
After a moment’s thought, Chen Ge wrote a sentence at the bottom of the screen: “I want Zhang Ya to always obey my commands.”
“Sorry, this goes against Zhang Ya’s will. Please change your request.”
“I want Zhang Ya to protect me from harm.”
“Sorry, this goes against Zhang Ya’s will. Please change your request.”
“I want Zhang Ya not to harm me or have any intention of killing me! That should be okay, right?”
“Sorry, this severely goes against Zhang Ya’s will. Please change your request.”
“Emmmm…”