Chapter 40: The Battle of Wits and Valor

A tourist heading to the bathroom approached them, still zipping up his trousers. The pair immediately fell silent and halted their investigation. Who knew the visitor would stride straight over to them and fix Chen Tianyu with a peculiar stare. "You've heard every word we said," he stated calmly. Liu Zichen's jaw dropped. "Yun Ji?! ... How did you get here?" "Heh." Yun Ji, in a different guise and deliberately stooped, straightened his posture. "As a detective, it's rather odd for me not to appear at a crime scene." Chen Tianyu sneered. "So you were eavesdropping on our conversation?" Yun Ji nodded without hesitation. "Precisely." Liu Zichen bristled with indignation. "What a surprise today. A towering detective like you, hiding in a toilet to inhale smoke for so long. Where's that tiger skin of yours today? Why not flaunt it and strut around? How imposing." Yun Ji paid no mind to the jabs. He fished out a cigarette. "No need to rile me. You arrived first, so I've graciously ceded the main stage to you." He exhaled a plume of smoke, grinning. "You probably never imagined I'd slip in here as a tourist. But disguising oneself is a basic skill for any seasoned detective." Chen Tianyu tested the waters. "So the police have already granted you investigative powers?" "How amusing." Yun Ji mirrored the probe. "Do you have such authority?" Liu Zichen exploded again. "You're not chasing some affair, are you? What does a murder case have to do with you? It's like a dog chasing its tail." "Watch your tongue, little miss." Yun Ji's face remained impassive. "Every citizen has the right to the truth, and I'm a legitimate detective." His retorts left her utterly speechless. Chen Tianyu finally grasped that disentangling from this man would not be simple. He sighed. "You've heard enough. Strictly speaking, you had no need to intervene. So tell me your purpose." "Straightforward." Yun Ji was equally blunt. "I want to compete with you directly." Chen Tianyu nodded. "As you like." "Yet I do have a condition." Yun Ji continued at his measured pace. Liu Zichen nearly choked on her laughter. "You seek us out to compete, yet you impose conditions? Are we the ones begging you?" "Of course." Yun Ji affected an unyielding stance. "Any contest demands equal footing, so if you know something, I should know it too." "Then what do you know?" Chen Tianyu asked with a smirk. "The police station is your second home; you come and go as you please." Yun Ji shook his head. "I'm close with the head of the criminal investigation bureau, but I never touch core files on major cases; that's their rule. Fabricating stories needs no notes." Chen Tianyu had a fair idea but kept his counsel. "Our information is roughly balanced." He spoke coolly. Yun Ji was half skeptical yet refrained from further probing; he recognized the opponent's cunning. "I want to know the victim's name." Yun Ji spoke without preamble. "Xiao Su, entertainment reporter, your client's boyfriend, cause undetermined." Chen Tianyu kept it brief. "Have you met Xiao Su? Perhaps you know him well?" "A couple of times. Not closely." "I see." Yun Ji paused. "You were speculating on how Xiao Su entered the alley. I happen to have an observation." "Oh?" Chen Tianyu perked up. "Do tell." Yun Ji lowered his voice. "Xiao Su entered through the public toilet." Chen Tianyu chuckled in disbelief. "I was just about to check there; you've saved me the trouble." "Mm." Yun Ji offered no elaboration. "Though the window is small, it lacks any barrier. I spotted traces of entry and exit." Chen Tianyu frowned. "Why didn't the police notice?" Yun Ji declared triumphantly. "Those idiots couldn't spot such a faint sign; they jumped to conclusions, assuming no perpetrator, which would explain it." Chen Tianyu smiled. "So the killer must have left the same way." Yun Ji shook his head. "I never claimed that. I only know that given Xiao Su's build, he could squeeze through that window—nothing more." Liu Zichen interjected in bewilderment. "There's a wide avenue outside. Why would Xiao Su crawl in from there? Did he mean to enter the toilet and exit onto the street? Your reasoning strikes me as absurd." Chen Tianyu was unconcerned. "How did you conclude it was entry rather than exit?" "The dust smudges face inward." Yun Ji stated flatly. "In this domain, I'm an expert; even police officers might not match my expertise. The dust accumulation there is minimal, or rather, invisible to the naked eye." "How can you be sure those marks belong to Xiao Su and not the killer?" Chen Tianyu pressed sharply. Yun Ji replied unhurriedly. "Would the killer only come in and not leave?" Chen Tianyu nodded. "So Xiao Su clearly meant to sneak inside and meet someone. He never anticipated dying here. Are you certain there are no outward traces?" "Absolutely none." Yun Ji affirmed with conviction. Chen Tianyu puzzled. "Then the killer didn't exit through the window." "We can't confirm the presence of a killer yet." Yun Ji corrected the phrasing. Chen Tianyu smiled faintly. "You're correct. We can now say with certainty that Xiao Su slipped into the toilet with intent, walked into the alley, and met his end unexpectedly... His intended destination was that bar, yet he never arrived." "That part I know nothing about." Yun Ji sounded unusually candid. Chen Tianyu chuckled. "Then let's suppose another killer exists; where did he come from and where did he go? Emerging from the alley mouth would be far too conspicuous. Did the murderer sprout wings?" "In truth, while Xiao Su was slain, the killer might have concealed himself in the toilet. Seizing the chaos to slip out disguised as a tourist wouldn't be impossible. Entering was simpler still; when I pretended to use the bathroom earlier, you showed no alarm." Liu Zichen suddenly spoke up. "You've truly got some moves I didn't expect." "Flattery." Yun Ji waved it away. "I'm in this field; these are merely trifles." Liu Zichen let out a soft snort. This man climbed the bamboo pole with remarkable ease. "I'm rather impressed with you..." She lifted her thumb. "...your cheek."