After delivering the human head from the travel bag to the forensic department.
Duan Chen dragged his weary body back to his rented room. He placed the late-night snacks he had brought back on the table and called into the inner room:
“A Kai, dinner’s ready.”
“Why are you back so late? My stomach’s growling like crazy.”
A young man wrapped in bandages walked out of the inner room.
His head, neck, left shoulder, and arm were all bandaged, with yellowish ointment seeping from beneath.
Fortunately, his face was unharmed. A pair of smiling, almond-shaped eyes was now appraising the late-night snacks on the table.
“Aiyo, my Chen Ge is the best! Lamb skewers, big squid, and fatty lamb kidneys. You know I’m injured, need to replenish. I’ll go grab two bottles of ice-cold beer! Hahaha~”
As he spoke, Gao Tiankai hummed a tune and walked towards the kitchen. He was bare-chested, wearing only a pair of loose shorts, one hand holding a magazine of swimsuit beauties and the other clutching a pack of tissues.
“You’re still doing that with these injuries? Be careful you don’t ejaculate yourself to death.”
Gao Tiankai, a senior agent of the Spirit Hunter Guild in Suzhou, was Duan Chen’s former partner.
A few days ago, he was suddenly assigned to investigate a serial murder case. He returned with work-related injuries and had been staying with Duan Chen ever since.
Duan Chen took off his suit jacket and scoffed, “You’re about to marry Xiao Xing’er, and you still have no sense of decency.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to avoid worrying her. I’ll stay with you for a couple of days and stock up on some supplies for you bros. Isn’t that what friends do? You, on the other hand, haven’t found a girlfriend. What a waste of that handsome face.”
Duan Chen smiled indifferently, “We agents, our lives are always on the line. It’s inconvenient to talk about the supernatural with ordinary people. I’m fine this way.”
“Are you still thinking about Li Wei? Bro, you were dumped two years ago. That woman, aside from being good-looking and having a good figure, what else makes her worthy of you? So many women are lining up for you, and you, Tsk, so devoted.”
“It has nothing to do with her.”
Duan Chen’s mind conjured Li Wei’s cute smile. They were a campus couple, but the Li family held a prominent position and status, utterly disregarding Duan Chen, a penniless young man with no background.
Even with his extraordinary talent, obtaining the senior agent license from the Spirit Hunter Guild in the shortest possible time, in the eyes of the Li family, who only cared about money, he was still trash.
As soon as they graduated, Li Wei proposed a peaceful breakup. Their last embrace was warm and lingering. Three days later, while on an assignment, Duan Chen saw her embracing an old man with a beer belly.
He immediately felt like the past few years of his youth had been wasted.
Duan Chen privately investigated the old man. He was the second-in-command of the Zhong Corporation, with immense power and status, owning more properties than he could count on his fingers.
Indeed, a fitting match for the Li family.
After that, Duan Chen threw himself into his work and never fell for anyone else.
“Women only affect your draw speed… Chen Ge, I know you have the world and its people in your heart, but you should at least consider your own affairs.”
“Let’s wait until the siren incident is resolved.” Duan Chen didn’t have the mind for romantic affairs right now.
The two of them ate around the small, dimly lit table. The skewers from this place were always grilled well, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, seasoned just right. Paired with ice-cold beer, it was utterly satisfying.
At this moment, it was a rare moment of relaxation for Duan Chen.
“Any leads on the siren matter?” Gao Tiankai asked.
“Somewhat. I’ve gotten two new clues,” Duan Chen recalled the siren’s words.
“They’re hard to investigate. They have a perfect substitution technique beyond memory. Whether it’s appearance, blood type, or DNA, they can replicate it perfectly. It’s like ‘amnesiac rebirth.’ If they want to hide, it’s very difficult to find them.”
Duan Chen took a gulp of beer, his expression grave.
“And I always have a feeling that this is just the beginning.”
…………
As dawn was breaking, Duan Chen was already out.
Weighing the heavy cloth bag in his arms, Duan Chen turned into a street corner alley.
Low-rise bungalows came into view, uncommon in this era.
Several small boys, chasing each other, ran past him at the narrow entrance, casting curious glances at the young man in a suit.
Rainbow Pawnshop.
A small pawnshop located in an old residential area.
The storefront was very small, barely wide enough for an adult to pass sideways. A glass counter dominated the interior, displaying handcrafted gold and silver jewelry.
How confident in public safety could one be to be so brazen?
Duan Chen walked over with his long strides.
Behind the glass counter, an old man in his fifties, with reading glasses perched on his nose, was looking at a newspaper with his feet propped up.
“Boss, I’d like to pawn something,” Duan Chen tapped on the glass counter.
The boss looked up from behind his glasses, squinting as he sized up Duan Chen.
A perfectly fitting, elegant custom suit, a relaxed and natural demeanor, and he looked about twenty years old. Those deep eyes seemed capable of seeing right through him.
The boss quickly averted his gaze and said in a deep voice, “My gold prices are low, have you thought about it?”
Duan Chen placed the small cloth bag on the glass counter.
He lifted a corner, and a dazzling golden light immediately shone forth.
The boss’s eyes widened. He couldn’t sit still this time. He fetched his appraisal glasses and randomly picked out a few glittering gold coins to test.
The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became. He couldn’t help but suspiciously examine Duan Chen.
This man was dressed respectably, not like a gangster.
“Illegally obtained goods?”
“Legitimate channels.”
“Hmph, young man, if it was through legitimate channels, wouldn’t you go to the one in the city center?”
The boss’s hand moved towards the area beneath the counter, and a sinister smile suddenly appeared.
“Most people who come to me are involved in shady dealings, and those who come here… are the fearless fools who court death.”
Ding!
A strange bell rang out from inside the small room.
The boss snatched the bag of gold coins from the counter. At the same time, five tall, burly men rushed out from behind the room, wielding sticks and cleavers. Their faces contorted with arrogance as they surrounded Duan Chen.
“Pretty boy, today we brothers will teach you a lesson and show you what a harsh world this is.”
The boss grinned sinisterly, his eyes gleaming with malice.