341: Chapter 341 The Butcher in the Rainy Night, The Hunting Moment

Jiangbei District Police Station, Criminal Investigation Division's main office hall.

At any given moment, this place felt like a pressure cooker on the verge of blowing its top.

Telephones rang incessantly with "ding-ling-ling," and keyboards clattered away.

Intermingled with these sounds was an officer growling through suppressed rage at a suspect handcuffed to a chair.

The air was thick with the burnt bitterness of cheap instant coffee, the grease of overnight takeout, and a faint whiff of tobacco.

Together, they painted a picture of chaotic busyness.

Fang Cheng sat quietly on a spare metal chair.

Beside him were a few yellow-haired delinquents brought in for questioning.

Oblivious to the commotion around him, his gaze was fixed on the whiteboard in the corner.

A few crime scene photos were haphazardly pinned with magnets, with messy red marker arrows and question marks drawn across them.

It seemed Uncle Zhou's Criminal Investigation Division had bumped into another tough, major case.

Just then, a series of urgent and forceful footsteps approached from afar.

"A-Cheng, sorry to keep you waiting!"

A tall, capable figure walked over with brisk strides, his jacket unzipped to reveal a dark T-shirt underneath.

His whole demeanor exuded a lean, sharp sharpness.

It was none other than Uncle Zhou's trusted right-hand man, A-Bang.

Ever since Zhou Yongnian was promoted to Captain of the Jiangbei District Criminal Investigation Division with the rank of Senior Inspector,

the old brothers who went through life and death with him had risen as well.

A-Bang was now the leader of Serious Crime Unit 1, wearing the insignia of a Probationary Inspector on his shoulders.

"Brother Bang."

Fang Cheng immediately stood up and greeted him with a smile.

"Don't 'brother' me, I'm only a few years older than you. Just call me A-Bang."

A-Bang grinned and slapped a yellowed manila folder into Fang Cheng's hands.

Then he lowered his voice, his expression turning serious:

"I pulled the file for you. You can only look at it here—no photos, no copies, and definitely no taking it with you."

"This is a sealed cold case way past its deadline. I'm taking a big risk here. If it weren't for you..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

In A-Bang's eyes, Fang Cheng was not only his boss's prospective son-in-law,

but also the "mysterious informant" who had helped them solve countless strange cases—an absolute insider.

One could say part of the credit for the epaulets on his police uniform belonged to Fang Cheng.

Although he couldn't fathom why a law school graduate entrance exam would require studying such a bizarre homicide,

this small favor was something he had to do, even at some risk.

Fang Cheng understood and nodded:

"Brother Bang, I know the rules."

He then took the document envelope and noticed a label affixed to the seal.

Printed clearly on it was the status: [Unsolved].

Below were several striking words—[The Rain Night Butcher Case].

Fang Cheng sat down at A-Bang's vacant desk, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the file.

A musty odor unique to old, archived paper wafted out.

"This case is a sore spot for everyone on our team."

A-Bang poured him a glass of water, leaned against the desk himself, lit a cigarette, and knitted his brows tightly.

"The killer is extremely slick and brutal, with strong anti-reconnaissance awareness. We suspect he was professionally trained or is a retired top operative because the scenes were wiped so clean."

"We used every technical means available, but couldn't find a single full fingerprint or usable hair strand. We couldn't even determine what the weapon was."

Listening to A-Bang, Fang Cheng's eyes fell on the case summary on the first page.

[Preliminary Suspect Profile: Male, approximately 180cm-185cm tall, around 75kg, lean build, exceptionally agile, inferred to have received systematic anti-reconnaissance or special operations training...]

"The only thing we can be sure of is his modus operandi, or rather, his specific fetish."

A-Bang's voice carried a hint of powerlessness and emotional sigh.

"All the crimes occurred on rainy nights. The locations were spread across Dongdu, mainly in Jiangbei, Jiangdong, and Wenchuan districts."

"The killer specifically targets solitary young women—students, female office workers off late shifts, bar dancers, all sorts. The only commonalities are that they're young and attractive, frequently visit entertainment venues, and have night habits."

"From the first case in early March last year to now, there have been thirteen homicides with similar MOs. We've consolidated them all into one case..."

Fang Cheng turned through the file, his eyes sweeping across pages of victim profiles and photos.

Each had once been a living, breathing person, but was now cold evidence.

"Were there no witnesses at all?"

he asked softly without looking up.

"There was one."

A-Bang's eyes dimmed:

"Strictly speaking, it wasn't much of a sighting."

"Back in May last year, a brother on patrol near a crime scene saw a suspicious dark shadow dart past in the distance through heavy rain."

"By the time he gave chase, the person had vanished into the alley, leaving not even a shadow behind. It was almost... like a hallucination."

"Still, it was thanks to him that we got a rough idea of the killer's physical characteristics."

"What about that colleague?"

A-Bang was silent for a moment before squeezing two words out through his teeth:

"Dead."

"Killed by the murderer?"

"Not sure. He died of poisoning afterward."

A-Bang shook his head, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists:

"The forensic report concluded accidental overdose of hallucinogens, but I always felt... putting the two together, it was just too coincidental."

Fang Cheng didn't press further and continued reading through the file.

Then, he came across a forensic report:

[...Trace amounts of a yellow viscous residue were detected deep within the wounds of multiple victims. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed the main component to be an unknown, structurally complex protein with extremely strong bio-enzymatic activity, capable of producing neurotoxins and rapidly catalyzing tissue necrosis...]

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, as if something had occurred to him.

He sought confirmation from A-Bang:

"Besides the rough physical characteristics, were there really no other clues left at the scenes?"

"There was one thing."

A-Bang tried to recall and said:

"A strange yellow slime was found at all the scenes. When sent to forensics, they said it was some... catalyst that accelerates reactions, a protein. Weird, isn't it?"

He took a heavy drag on his cigarette, his face full of resentment.

"That scoundrel isn't human! Every victim was tortured beyond recognition. You haven't seen what the families looked like coming to claim the bodies... That scene... sigh..."

Fang Cheng turned a page, and his movements paused.

In the photo was a female student in a school uniform, her face still bearing a trace of youthful innocence.

Yet the wounds on her body were gruesome and terrifying, as if bitten by countless venomous insects, without an inch of unmarred skin.

"Captain Zhou led us under immense pressure for months of investigation, but ended up with nothing. During that period, the whole division was nearly driven crazy."

A-Bang's voice sounded somewhat husky:

"That guy isn't an ordinary murderer at all. He must be a devil!"

"Are there many bizarre cases like this where the killer can't be found?"

Fang Cheng followed up with a question.

"Not really that many."

A-Bang shook his head:

"For most cases, as long as there are leads, we are confident in solving them."

"As for those unsolved for over a year with no leads, proper procedure dictates reporting them to the Metropolitan Police Department."

"To be honest with you, there's a special department up top dedicated to handling these bizarre cases. I heard they're all elites with abilities beyond our imagination, though they're short-staffed and rarely meddle in ordinary cases."

"This serial murder case was reported early last month. I believe it won't be long before justice is served for all the victims."

While listening, Fang Cheng rapidly committed the contents of the file to memory.

A few minutes later, he closed the file and solemnly returned it to A-Bang.

"Thanks, Brother Bang. You've been a huge help."

"Don't mention it."

A-Bang locked the file in a metal cabinet and turned back to say:

"By the way, the boss went to the Metropolitan Police Department for a meeting. He should be back around three in the afternoon. Do you want to wait a bit longer?"

"No, I need to head home to revise for my exam."

Fang Cheng smiled, shook his head, and casually asked, "What meeting did Uncle Zhou go to?"

A-Bang shrugged and answered:

"I heard it's a special work report regarding 'Operation Thunder'. Over the past two months, higher-ups ordered a special campaign against organized crime and evil forces. Our entire police force has been run off our feet."

"It's good to be busy. Your hard work is all to eradicate evil, promote good for the public, and maintain Dongdu's social order."

Fang Cheng imitated the tone of a TV news reporter and said with a smile:

"By the way, I haven't congratulated you on your promotion yet, Brother Bang."

"Ah, just staying busy, that's all."

A-Bang demurred verbally, but his face beamed with smiles.

After exchanging a few more words, the phone on A-Bang's desk suddenly rang.

He picked up the receiver, his expression changing, and then yelled to several subordinates:

"A floating corpse was found west of town! Everyone get off your asses and move!"

Seeing this, Fang Cheng rose to take his leave.

Stepping out of the police station doors, a damp gust of wind rushed against his face.

The sky had turned gloomy at some point, heavy dark clouds layering over each other like spilled ink spreading slowly across the horizon.

A few police cars with blaring sirens sped past him, quickly disappearing into the traffic.

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered as he muttered softly:

"Rain Night Butcher... Scorpion..."

That was right. Both names referred to the exact same person, who was also the next target Fang Cheng prepared to hunt down.

At this moment, besides the cold text and bloody photos from the file just now,

another piece of intelligence surfaced clearly in his mind:

"Target: Scorpion, Level 8 Officer of the Noah Organization, Head of Field Operations, Dongdu Branch."

"Solitary and eccentric, rarely communicates with others; even his subordinates know very little about his details."

"Basic Abilities: Skilled in tracking and anti-reconnaissance, highly vigilant, master combatant, physical qualities far beyond normal humans."

"Special Ability is extremely uncanny, provisionally named 'Venom Dissolution', capable of liquefying body parts with astonishing corrosive power."

"Someone once witnessed him turning a finger into a liquid bullet, shooting it out to pierce an enemy's chest, causing nearly half the enemy's body to rot, after which his finger instantly regenerated."

"Others saw that his body seemed able to merge into the rain, vanishing without a trace, with not even footsteps audible."

"Currently believed to be hiding in JB District, No. 444 Linjiang Middle Road, inside an apartment building."

"Remarks: This individual possesses a sick fetish for torturing and murdering young women, preferring to go out on rainy nights, stalk targets in secret, kidnap them, and torture them to death with extreme cruelty. In police files, he bears the codename 'Rain Night Butcher'."

"The Red Tiger Gang has cleaned up after him multiple times and thus learned partial intelligence regarding the target, but due to limited capability, cannot fully confirm everything. Mr. Killer, please be cautious and conduct prior investigation."

This was intelligence obtained from Chen Chen yesterday.

Although this intelligence seemed quite sincere and even included suggestions,

Fang Cheng still kept his guard up and chose not to trust it completely.

He knew full well the risks of collaborating with a cunning fox.

After all, this was their first actual operation together; probing each other and keeping cards hidden was inevitable.

That was why, upon seeing the name "Rain Night Butcher," he made today's trip to the police station.

Now, with the two pieces of intelligence corroborating each other, it was clear Chen Chen had likely not lied to him regarding key information.

Though he hadn't lowered his guard against Chen Chen entirely because of this, it didn't impede their current phase of cooperation.

"Now, since the target is confirmed..."

Fang Cheng whispered to himself and looked up.

Then, the hunt was about to officially begin.

The sky grew darker and darker.

Just as the weather forecast predicted, a heavy downpour was imminent.

Feeling the stifling atmosphere in the air turn increasingly oppressive,

Fang Cheng tugged at his collar and briskly merged into the hurried crowd on the street.

...

A curtain of rain enveloped the entire city glowing with scattered lights.

The orange halos of streetlights cast trembling, unsettled reflections onto the asphalt.

A car sped past, wheels churning through standing water.

The sharp, brief screech of tire friction dissolved quickly into the depths of the night.

This was located in the old urban area of Jiangbei.

Red-brick apartment buildings, none exceeding ten stories, stood silently with blurred outlines in the rainy night.

Rain continuously washed over the aged walls, dampening the bricks to a deep, dark hue like congealed blood.

At the roof's edge, a figure draped in a black raincoat stood motionless, as if merged as one with the building beneath his feet.

Water dripped from the edge of his hood without affecting his posture in the slightest.

Underneath the hood lay deep shadow, obscuring his face.

Only when distant neon lights flickered did a sharp glint occasionally reflect within that shadow,

resembling a lurking predator quietly opening its eyes in the dark.

From a room downstairs came the faint sound of a television, muddled by the rain.

"...From tonight into tomorrow morning, moderate rain will turn to heavy downpours. The Municipal Meteorological Observatory has issued an Orange Rainstorm Warning. Residents are advised to stay safe when traveling..."

As the weather report concluded, a light commercial jingle followed.

The ten o'clock evening news was over.

The rain-cloaked figure kept staring at the equally dilapidated apartment building opposite.

Sparse lights shone through windows, resembling random holes poked in a giant black cloth.

He could clearly see what was happening inside.

Someone sat on a living room sofa, yawning while watching a drama.

A couple was arguing, the woman's silhouette pacing excitedly back and forth before the window.

The figure's gaze locked onto the seventh floor, the third window from the left.

Heavy curtains were drawn there, completely blocking out the interior.

Just a moment ago, even the single faint light behind those curtains went out with a click.

The figure slowly raised his hand and produced a white mask from inside his raincoat.

The mask featured a ferocious expression and blood-red eyes, its smooth surface glinting with a cold, porcelain sheen in the damp air.

Slowly, he fitted the mask onto his face.

Then, he took a step forward, stepping right off the rooftop's edge.

His body instantly plummeted vertically like a stone, the black raincoat flapping wildly in the fierce wind.

Just an instant before smashing into the ground, his falling figure experienced a brief, physics-defying pause.

It was as if time had been put in slow motion for a few seconds, or as though he were gently cupped by a pair of invisible hands.

Immediately after, his feet landed nimbly on the slick concrete ground.

He made almost no extra sound, like a falling feather.

Only the faint, dense pitter-patter of raindrops hitting his raincoat proved he was truly standing there.

The figure raised his head, looking up at the apartment building opposite, and then quietly stepped forward toward it. (End of Chapter)