16 Household Registration

When we saw the photo of Fang Qinghe posing with that pervert, Jin Ze and I exchanged a look, both of us stunned into silence.

A terrifying conjecture was slowly solidifying into fact: Fang Qinghe and that deviant really did know each other, and by the looks of it, they were close friends—otherwise, they wouldn’t have taken such a photograph.

"Jin Ze, this... what should we do? There really is something wrong with Fang Qinghe," I couldn't help but say to him.

Jin Ze was clearly shaken as well, but he composed himself quickly. He tucked the photo into his pocket and said to me, "Chen Mu, don't say a word about this to anyone, especially Team Leader Fang. For now, act as if we know nothing. If you find anything else, tell me first, and then we'll decide whether or not to inform him."

I nodded. "But Fang Qinghe is the highest-ranking official in charge of this series of cases. If he's the one with the problem, how are we supposed to continue? Jin Ze, shouldn't we contact higher-level prosecutors or someone similar?"

Jin Ze waved his hand dismissively. "Not yet. Although all these clues point unfavorably toward him, I have a feeling something isn't right. After all, these clues were left for us by the killer. Since Gao Bing and Jiang Haodong could be framed, why couldn't Team Leader Fang be framed as well?"

His words made me reconsider. I replied, "Maybe. Perhaps the photo is a composite; you should find someone to verify it privately. But if he really is compromised, what exactly is his nature? Could he be connected to the Avengers Alliance or the Dawn organization?"

Jin Ze replied directly, "That is precisely why I am still inclined to trust him. During the murder game case, he was dedicated and tireless. Ultimately, the Dawn organization and the Avengers Alliance suffered significant blows; Dawn’s base in our city was destroyed, and the Avengers' operative, Bai Ye, was captured. Thinking about it, though, the Avengers' losses seem smaller. After you and Bai Ye finished that task, you were treated as disposable pawns. To be accurate, the Avengers didn't suffer much, and they didn't even lose their operative known as Shura. So, if Fang is compromised, it is more likely he is with the Avengers Alliance."

As soon as he finished, a flash of insight struck me, leading to a deduction I felt was incredibly logical.

"I see it now," I told Jin Ze. "You're right—Fang Qinghe is with the Avengers Alliance! And that person who looks just like me must be with Dawn. He left these clues for us specifically to expose Fang’s true identity. After all, if someone of Fang's stature were working for the Avengers, it would be a devastating blow to Dawn! I suspect the murder game case dealt a heavy blow to Dawn, so they launched a counter-retaliation, which is why we have this second series of cases. Since I was once part of the Avengers, I am also a target for this killer."

Jin Ze nodded. "Your analysis is sound, Chen Mu. And if your deduction is correct, it leads to something both interesting and quite twisted—a plan that must have been premeditated long ago."

When I asked him what he meant, he explained, "It is rare for two unrelated people to look identical. If they look exactly the same, nine times out of ten, they are twins. I suspect that person who looks like you might be your twin brother. One of you is with the Avengers, and the other is with Dawn. Doesn't this look like a conspiracy? Brothers locked in a cycle of mutual destruction?"

Hearing this, I realized it made perfect sense. Although I was told I didn't have a twin, I already knew I wasn't my parents' biological child—I didn't even know where I came from—so having a twin was entirely possible.

Could it be, as Jin Ze suggested, that our lives were destined from birth to be of the same root, yet forced into this tragic, fratricidal conflict?

Just as I was gripped by this horror, Jin Ze said, "Alright, Chen Mu, let's stop thinking about this for now. The police will be here soon; control your emotions. Team Leader Fang may not necessarily be with the Avengers. Didn't Jiang Haodong say that the man who looks like you was acting under Fang's orders? And that Fang told them to follow that man's instructions? There are too many contradictions here to explain easily. We cannot let ourselves be used by the killer; Gao Bing's death is a perfect example."

I nodded at him, feeling grateful to have a pillar of support like Jin Ze. Without him, I would have been hopelessly lost and utterly bewildered.

The police arrived shortly after. Miao Miao was, as always, diligent, conducting the autopsy and investigating the victim's identity.

Because this happened right next door to my home, it felt even more like a meticulously crafted conspiracy. With Forensic Doctor Zheng Wei living upstairs and the neighbor’s bathroom connected to mine, it seemed as though I were surrounded by eerie people and events.

However, the final investigation showed I had overthought it. The neighbor was an ordinary person, a businesswoman. She was a widow whose husband had died in a car accident years ago, leaving her alone. Her social connections were simple; she had nothing to do with organizations like Dawn or the Avengers.

This proved something else: the man who looked like me was a true devil. Unlike Bai Ye, who only killed those the organization deemed necessary, this demon killed for the sake of killing, driven by a bloodthirsty addiction.

In the end, we kept this to ourselves. As for Fang Qinghe, he didn't seem to notice anything. He even spoke to me that day, discussing safety precautions and telling me to stay in the police station, instructing Jin Ze to protect me at all times. He appeared entirely unaware that we had discovered his secret.

I spent most of the day at the station. By dinner, Jin Ze returned with news: the photo had been examined, and it was not a composite or a forgery. It was a genuine photograph, making Fang Qinghe's existence all the more sinister.

Jin Ze took me out for dinner, but we didn't return to the station afterward. He had somehow acquired an ordinary-looking van with tinted windows. He drove me to an alley to stake out a location. When I saw someone emerge from a nearby apartment complex, I realized what he was doing: he was tailing Fang Qinghe.

Fang hailed a taxi, and we followed from a distance. During the trip, he switched taxis—a behavior that confirmed he was hiding something.

Fang was a master of anti-surveillance, being the head of the Cold Case Unit. To avoid being spotted, we kept a significant distance. Fortunately, Jin Ze had connections; he had friends in traffic control monitor the intersections and the taxi Fang was riding in, allowing us to choose different routes to follow him.

Eventually, we tracked him to an older residential complex. We saw him enter the first floor of one of the buildings, specifically unit 102.

Jin Ze and I waited outside for a long time. After about half an hour, when he still hadn't emerged, we felt something was wrong. Jin Ze crept around to the back of the building and found the window to 102 open, the security bars pried apart. Someone had clearly escaped through the window.

In other words, Fang Qinghe had already left. Jin Ze climbed through the security bars into the room and then opened the front door for me.

As I entered, I was met with a strange smell—something like cooked food, yet not quite.

On the floor of the living room, I saw a person lying still. He was clearly dead. Strangely, his stomach was distended like a balloon, as if a soccer ball had been stuffed inside.

Suddenly, Jin Ze asked, "Chen Mu, what do you think it means that his stomach is so bloated?"

I shook my head. Jin Ze muttered, "It’s as if something is being 'stifled' inside, hidden away. Is it saying that this man knew a secret, and they killed him to keep us in the dark?"

"Wait," I said. "Team Leader Fang was just here. Could he have killed him?"

Jin Ze furrowed his brow, looking troubled.

Just then, he noticed the victim’s right hand was clenched tight, as if holding something. He pried the fingers open and pulled out a piece of paper. When we unfolded it, it turned out to be a page torn from a household registration book.

I was paralyzed when I read it. The name written on the registration paper was mine: Chen Mu; the head of the household was Chen Tianming; and the relationship was listed as: Eldest Son.