Chapter 15: Taken Off Guard

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Zhou Yi wasn’t sure if what he had just seen was a mere illusion. Yet, such keen insight was honed through years of relentless practice—what one might call having eyes in the back of one’s head. Just as he was about to chase after the shadow that had vanished, the old man behind him grabbed his arm.

“Hey young man, who are you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”

That one-second delay was enough for Zhou Yi to lose track of the shadow’s direction, for the hospital had already begun to fill with people—not just medical staff, but numerous patients as well.

“You must be Master Liu from the boiler room, right? I’m new in the Security Department. Just call me Xiao Zhou.”

“New here? Strange, I haven’t seen you around.”

“I just arrived yesterday, but I’ve already heard about you,” Zhou Yi said as he pulled out a fresh pack of Da Qian Men cigarettes, opened it, and offered one.

The old man accepted without hesitation, tucking the cigarette behind his ear.

Zhou Yi had bought the pack on his way to the hospital while grabbing breakfast at a small convenience store nearby, thinking it a good gesture to “pay respects” to Wu Yongcheng later.

“Must be Section Chief Song who told you about me, right?” the old man said proudly.

“Yeah, he said you’re warm-hearted,” Zhou Yi replied, following the lead.

“Oh, so I’m just warm-hearted? I’m a model worker—back in ’94, I was the hospital’s labor model. Why didn’t he mention that?”

Seeing the old man’s displeasure, Zhou Yi quickly gauged his temperament—somewhat blunt and stubborn, yet deeply proud of his personal honors. After all, someone who had been a model worker three years ago still boasted about it daily.

“Section Chief Song told me, my bad, I forgot,” Zhou Yi said.

Old Liu spoke earnestly, “Young man, you can’t just forget that. It’s the noble ideal of the working class.”

“Yes, yes, I understand,” Zhou Yi replied. “Hey, what are you doing now?” He was, of course, pointing to the bicycle tire he was inflating.

“Patrolling.”

“Patrolling? Aren’t you from the boiler room?”

The old man frowned, “That old Song, he didn’t tell the newcomers about such an important task.”

“Around early last year, many people reported to the Security Department that their bicycle tires were being punctured for no reason, severely disrupting their commute.”

“The Security Department staked out for several days and finally caught two little rascals. Once scared, they confessed immediately. They said they had argued with a doctor while seeking treatment and wanted revenge but didn’t know which bike belonged to that doctor, so they just vandalized randomly.”

“Though the culprits were caught, hospital employees blamed the Security Department for poor work and demanded daily patrols, especially since someone had even lost a front tooth because of it.”

“But Old Song said they didn’t have enough manpower and were overwhelmed.”

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As the old man spoke, a proud smile spread across his face. “In times like these, one’s sense of responsibility shines through. I volunteered, saying, ‘I’ll do it.’”

“I’m a model worker and a labor model. When there’s trouble, if not me, then who?”

Zhou Yi nodded. The older generation’s sense of duty was indeed different from that of the younger.

“So, you patrol the bike shed every day?”

Old Liu nodded, “Of course, rain or shine. I even learned how to patch tires at the repair shop. If anyone’s bike has a problem, I can fix it.”

Zhou Yi gave a thumbs-up in admiration. “Looks like I’ll have to learn a lot from you, Master Liu.”

“Ha, it’s all about serving the people. If you don’t understand something, come find me in the boiler room.”

“Master Liu, how many times do you patrol a day?”

“At least twice—once around seven or eight in the morning, and again around four or five in the afternoon. If I have time during the day, I take a stroll through as well.”

“What about at night...?”

“Too old, my eyesight’s poor. I can’t see well at night,” Old Liu said, smiling sheepishly.

After some light conversation, the old man left, leaving Zhou Yi alone.

This time, Zhou Yi was absolutely certain—whether before or after his rebirth, the culprit would never come to inflate Du Xiaolin’s bicycle tires. It had nothing to do with his involvement; the murderer had already planned from the start that Old Liu would inflate the tires during his patrol the next day. The culprit didn’t need to act personally.

Moreover, it was certain that when Old Liu patrolled the bike shed around four or five in the afternoon yesterday, the tires were still inflated.

This meant the culprit appeared in the hospital between five in the afternoon and midnight.

The most likely scenario was that the culprit worked the same middle shift as the victim.

The hospital operated in three shifts, mainly in the emergency department and wards. Other departments mostly worked day shifts, with only the Security Department occasionally assigning someone to night duty.

Given the hospital’s modest size in the 1990s, most staff knew one another, and returning after day shift just to deflate tires would be too risky.

Such behavior did not suit the cautious nature of the culprit.

The middle shift was different—one could easily find an excuse to leave for a few minutes.

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Combined with the information from that young nurse, the target could be narrowed down to: a nurse or female doctor who worked the middle shift yesterday, whose husband or boyfriend had an illicit relationship with the victim.

It seemed they needed to inform Captain Wu. From here on, the matter had to proceed according to protocol.

...

Inside the office of the Third Division of the Criminal Investigation Team at the Municipal Bureau, several of Wu Yongcheng’s elite subordinates had gathered alongside Chen Yan.

Wu Yongcheng paced back and forth, his brows tightly furrowed, murmuring, “He’s just a rookie cop with only six months on the job. Can we rely on him?”

After some hesitation, Wu Yongcheng clapped his hands. “Xiao Chen, let’s go to the Third Municipal Hospital.”

Chen Yan, busy organizing files, looked up. “Yes, Sir. I’ve just finished compiling the emergency department staff records.”

“Good. Bring them along. I’ll review them on the way. You drive.”

“You all continue to investigate Du Xiaolin’s interpersonal relations, focusing on her romantic and family conflicts.”

“Also, check if there have been any recently released criminals or known transient offenders. We can’t completely rule out those suspects.”

Just as the two were about to leave, the phone on the desk rang.

A female officer answered, then immediately called out to Wu Yongcheng.

“Captain Wu, someone’s calling for you. He says his name is Zhou Yi.”

Hearing the name, Wu Yongcheng hurried over and took the call.

“Speak.”

On the other end, Zhou Yi quickly relayed his findings and deductions.

“Alright, wait for us at the hospital. Chen and I are on our way.”

“No, Captain Wu, I’ve already checked the emergency department’s shift roster. Besides Du Xiaolin, two doctors and three nurses worked the middle shift yesterday.”

“They’re all resting at home now. My suggestion is to visit them directly.”

“Catch them completely off guard!”