Transcending Boundaries: Journey to the Infinite

Untitled Part 8

Investigation

100 Pui To Road, Tuen Mun Police Station

"...Then he asked me if I had called home to let them know I was safe. So, I quickly went to a convenience store to make the call. When I came back, he was gone.

Madam, he's a good person, really. That taxi driver is the real psycho. If it weren't for him, I don't know what would have happened. I'm so tired, I've already told you everything several times. It's already dark—can we go now?"

In a small office inside the police station, Liang Xiuxin was half-leaning on the table, her chin resting on her hands. Her pretty face was filled with exhaustion as she gave her statement to a middle-aged female officer in front of her.

"What time was it around then?"

Officer Bo looked at the girl, who seemed to be only sixteen or seventeen, and put down her pen without showing any sympathy. She asked the time again.

"I don't know." Liang Xiuxin shook her head. "I waited in the convenience store for a long time. It was probably close to seven when my dad came to pick me up."

"Officer, I remember I arrived at the convenience store around seven to pick up my daughter."

From a bench behind Liang Xiuxin, a middle-aged man, part of a well-dressed couple, hurriedly added, "At first, I didn't know what was going on. She wouldn't say anything. You know, when girls reach a certain age, as a father, it's not easy to ask about everything. We got home, and I went back to work. Her mother, who is a nurse, came back after her night shift, asked her what happened, and then called me. This was such a big deal, so we came right away to report..."

"Alright, alright, I didn't ask you."

Officer Bo waved her hand impatiently at the rambling middle-aged man leaning over the desk.

Just then, a young man who had been standing in the corner of the room stood up and handed a sketch to Officer Bo. "Sister Bo, the sketch is ready."

Officer Bo took the sketch and glanced at it briefly before placing it in front of the exhausted Liang Xiuxin. "Look at this. Does it resemble him?"

Liang Xiuxin seemed to perk up a bit at the sight of the sketch. She tilted her head slightly, scrutinizing the drawing. "Hmm... The nose should be a bit sharper, and the eyes should be a little bigger... just a bit..."

"Hold on, I'll make some adjustments."

The young man took back the sketch and began modifying it with a pencil.

Soon, a slightly revised version of the sketch was handed back to Officer Bo.

"How about this time? Take a good look. Are there any other distinguishing features?" Officer Bo put the revised sketch in front of Liang Xiuxin, a hint of impatience creeping into her voice.

"Pretty close," Liang Xiuxin said, looking at the modified sketch. She then added with a slight pout, "But it doesn't capture the person's aura."

"This is a sketch, not a portrait shoot," Officer Bo retorted, feeling slightly defensive. She then turned and thanked the young artist, "Thanks for your help, junior."

"No problem, I'll get back to work now." The young man smiled, got up, and opened the office door.

At that moment, someone else pushed the door open and walked in.

"Detective Lee Ying!"

The young sketch artist, who was about to leave, called out excitedly as he recognized the person entering.

The man who entered was the same detective who had appeared on Qinglong Street earlier in the day. Wearing a casual suit and exuding a relaxed yet handsome middle-aged charm, he looked around the room.

"Oh? Do we know each other?" Detective Lee Ying asked, a bit surprised as he looked at the young man in front of him.

"You don't remember me, but I'm Ah Lok. You saved me before," the young man said excitedly. "I'm a police officer now too, doing sketch work for the station."

"Oh, is that so? Keep up the good work."

Detective Lee Ying patted the young man on the shoulder with a casual smile. "Let's have tea together sometime."

"Sure! I'll get back to work then." Ah Lok, now seemingly filled with determination after being recognized by his idol, left the interrogation room with renewed vigor.

"Inspector Lee!" Officer Bo greeted Lee Ying as he entered the room, standing up to salute him.

Detective Lee Ying glanced casually around the interrogation room and asked, "Officer Bo, what's going on here? It's already late, and you're still keeping the complainant here."

"Inspector Lee—"

Officer Bo pulled him out of the interrogation room and handed him the statement and the sketch. "Although they're here to report a case, there are still many questionable points. The young girl said she was tied up in the trunk and didn't see the fight at the scene, but then she said the guy let her go, and he looked badly injured, limping, and she even helped him to the convenience store. These statements sound plausible, but Inspector Lee—"

Officer Bo's voice trailed off slightly, her brow furrowed. "The forensic report from the investigation team shows the victim died from severe blunt force trauma to the chest and abdomen, with fractured bones piercing internal organs, causing massive internal bleeding. That's just impossible."

"Well, not necessarily," Detective Lee Ying casually flipped through the statement and the sketch before handing them back to Officer Bo with a smile. "There are always things in this world that defy explanation. Alright, I don't see any major issues. Let the complainant go home for now."

"But Inspector Lee—"

Officer Bo tried to argue further, but just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the interrogation room.

One of their team members, Jin Gang, burst through the door in a rush.

"Inspector Lee, Bull just called the station. They found lots of female body parts and organs preserved as specimens, along with many photos, at the home of the injured taxi driver, Lam Guoyu."

9:30 PM

Sham Shui Po Park Swimming Pool, still brightly lit.

As one of the three public swimming pools in Sham Shui Po, its opening hours stretch from 6 AM to 10 PM daily.

Moreover, this outdoor swimming pool offers a night view of the surrounding high-rise buildings, making it quite a pleasant public spot for leisure on Hong Kong Island.

"Come on, don't bother others. Sorry, sir."

In a knee-deep kiddie pool next to the main pool and the diving pool, a fair-skinned woman in a backless one-piece swimsuit pulled a boy who had been splashing near Yang Chu away, apologizing to him with a smile. She pushed the little boy towards the edge of the pool. "Alright, it's time to go home."

"But I want to keep playing!" the boy protested.

"It's getting late. You have school tomorrow, and the pool will be closing soon. We'll come back next time," the woman coaxed, comforting him as she tugged him away.

Leaning against the edge of the kiddie pool, Yang Chu watched the mother and son leave. He glanced around the pool, noticing that the number of people was dwindling. He slowly closed his eyes.

He had entered the swimming pool by buying a legitimate ticket—17 HKD—and spent another 5 HKD on a pair of swim trunks.

Initially, Yang Chu had tried the deep end of the main pool, but after swallowing water twice, he switched to the shallower kiddie pool.

However, earlier, due to the crowd, even though he stayed in a corner of the pool, many people still passed by him.

Now, with the pool nearing closing time and fewer people around, Yang Chu could proceed with his planned "sleep experiment."