Chapter 63: Mr. Chen's Phone Call

Half an hour later, the rain finally stopped.

Water droplets dripped from the eaves, hitting the muddy ground with a monotonous sound, and the humid air inside the shed felt so heavy and stifling that it was hard to breathe.

Le Dong and the others packed their simple luggage, looked at the broken-down van, and then gazed at the muddy path outside, utterly at a loss.

"Let's go, head outside and see if we can hail a passing car."

Le Dong patted Cai Kun on the shoulder and took the lead, walking toward the open green paint iron gate.

Just as they stepped out of the repair shop shed, a low rumble of an engine approached from a distance. Following the sound, they saw an old Audi A8 driving unsteadily along the muddy path. A striking red banner was plastered across its car body, printed with a few large characters: Cash for Cars at Top Prices!

"Hey! A car!"

Cai Kun's eyes lit up, putting the matter of the divine statue to the back of his mind as he cried out excitedly, "Truly sending a pillow when one is dozing off! Quick, stop it and ask!"

Le Dong also felt a wave of relief and was about to raise his hand to signal when the A8 screeched to a halt right in front of them.

The car door pushed open, and a burly man stepped out. He was around thirty years old, with a buzz cut and a face full of fierce flesh.

The moment he got out, his fierce gaze swept over Le Dong and the four others, finally landing on the open door of the repair shop, his expression instantly turning gloomy.

"Hey, you lot!" The man pointed at Le Dong and the others, shouting in a booming voice, "What are you doing? Who let you break into my repair shop? What are you up to?"

Le Dong and his companions were stunned by this sudden interrogation. Cai Kun turned back to look at the faded plaque above the door frame behind them, and retorted with displeasure, "What are you yelling for? Doesn't this say 'Li Gang Repair Shop'? Are you also called Li Gang?"

Hearing this, the man paused visibly, then erupted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, flying into a rage: "What the hell are you talking about! This is my dad's repair shop, and my dad's name is Li Gang! Did you guys pry open the door to steal spare parts?! Huh?!" He glared, his gaze sweeping back and forth over Le Dong's group as if he had already concluded they were thieves.

Upon hearing this, Le Dong understood instantly. The fierce-looking man in front of them was the unfilial son Li Gang had mentioned.

This image and demeanor fit Le Dong's stereotype of an unfilial son to perfection.

Yet when Cai Kun heard the other party directly slapping the label of "thief" on them, his anger flared instantly:

"Pry open the door? Steal things? What kind of nonsense are you spouting! Your dad was the one who opened this door for us!"

"My dad?" The man laughed as if he had heard the most absurd joke in the world, his fleshy face twitching as he let out a sneer. "How many days has my dad been dead?! Even his bones are stone cold, and he opened the door for you? Did a ghost open the door for you?

I reckon you lot are nothing but thieves. We're living in a society ruled by law now, otherwise, back in the old days..." He took a step forward with a fierce and aggressive air, pointing at the tip of Cai Kun's nose. "Do you believe I'd throw you into a pot and boil you down for oil? Humph, just wait, I'm calling the police right now!" With that, he pulled out his mobile phone and began dialing.

"Boil me down for oil?" Cai Kun trembled all over with rage, his fat shaking and his face turning red. "You son of a bitch, who the hell are you cursing?! No wonder your old man said—"

Hearing Cai Kun go this far, Le Dong hurriedly yanked his sleeve.

He really didn't want to drag anything related to wandering spirits into other people's lives; after all, the death of the jewelry store owner last time still weighed heavily on his conscience.

Besides, matters concerning wandering spirits should be known by as few people as possible, otherwise heaven knew what new variables it might attract, adding endless trouble!

Le Dong let go and signaled for Cai Kun to step back, then lied to the burly man in a calm tone: "You've misunderstood. The door was already open when we got here. We thought there was someone inside, so we went in. How could we possibly be thieves?"

"Misunderstood?" The man sneered, obviously not believing a single word. "The door wasn't locked? Humph, make up stories, go on! After my dad died, I locked this place up tight. Unlocked? Ghosts would believe you!

Not only are you suspected of theft, but let me tell you, a murder took place right here a few days ago. My dad was murdered in this very spot, and you lot are also suspected of tampering with a crime scene! Wait to eat prison food!"

While speaking, he picked up his phone and shouted loudly, "Hello, Officer Liu? I want to report a case. I've caught a few burglars who pried open the door to break into my dad's repair shop, and they've also tampered with a murder scene..."

Le Dong's heart skipped a beat. This was bad. Once the police arrived, questioning, statement-taking, and investigations would waste at least half a day, if not a whole day!

He wanted to explain, but saw Lin Xun giving him a slight shake of her head. Le Dong was startled for a moment, then slapped his own forehead hard. He must have been flustered—how could he have forgotten this detail? Lin Xun herself was a police officer! With her here, what was there to fear about police questioning?

Thinking of this, Le Dong's tense nerves relaxed slightly. He watched as the man, Li Yang, finished his phone call and arrogantly parked his car right across the middle of the road, staring at them as if they were criminals.

Le Dong helplessly fished a crumpled cigarette pack from his pocket and silently lit one. Time ticked away, and as Le Dong lit his fifth cigarette, the sound of sirens finally echoed from afar.

Two officers stepped out of the arriving police car: an older one, around forty years old, with a steady expression, and a younger one in his early twenties wearing a solemn look.

The older policeman's gaze swept over Le Dong and the others, then glanced at the Audi A8 blocking the middle of the road and Li Yang standing with his hands on his hips, his brows furrowing imperceptibly.

"Li Yang?" The older officer addressed the man, his tone carrying a hint of familiarity and a trace of undetectable helplessness. "Why did you run over here? Tell me what's going on." As he spoke, he beckoned to Le Dong and the others, signaling them to come over.

Li Yang immediately put on a fawning smile and trotted forward. "Officer Wang, Officer Liu, you've had a hard time! Well, you see, I missed my dad, felt terrible inside, and came to look at the place he spent his life in to find some comfort.

And guess what? The moment I got here, I saw these four people swaggering out of my dad's shop! This door was locked up tight, so how did they get in? Isn't it obvious they pried the door open to steal things?!" He pointed at the four of them, spittle flying as if he had caught heinous criminals.

The older Officer Wang listened with a blank expression, then gave a faint smile and glanced sideways at Li Yang. "Give it a rest, Li Yang. You miss your dad? I'm afraid you're eyeing your dad's savings passbook, aren't you? And what's this? You even know the phrase 'tamper with a crime scene'? Weren't you planning to break in here yourself today anyway? Humph, I'll deal with you later." The mockery and distrust in his tone were self-evident.

Li Yang choked on his words, offering a sheepish smile and daring not to say any more.

Officer Wang ignored him, turning instead to Le Dong and the others, his gaze turning sharp. "You lot, what's going on here? How did you get inside?"

Le Dong was just about to explain when Lin Xun stepped forward, placing herself directly in front of Officer Wang, and calmly spat out three words: "We walked in."

Officer Wang raised an eyebrow, sizing Lin Xun up. Seeing her cool temperament and unflinching, calm gaze—showing no trace of panic when faced with police questioning, but rather carrying an indescribable aura—he hesitated.

The young Officer Liu beside him muttered quietly, "Hoh, quite the prickly character, aren't you?"

"What did you say?" Lin Xun didn't catch it clearly, her gaze locking directly onto Officer Liu.

Officer Liu felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze and wanted to say something, but Lin Xun ignored him, instead reaching straight into her pocket and pulling out a leather folder to hand over.

Officer Wang felt some doubt, but looking at Lin Xun's resolute and calm demeanor, he felt she wasn't just putting on a bluff. He hesitated for a moment, then took the identification booklet, opened it, and carefully examined the emblem and text inside, a look of surprise and solemnity crossing his face.

Without saying much, he held the identification and walked briskly back to the police car, picking up the radio transmitter on the dashboard and speaking in a low voice, seemingly to verify.

The atmosphere grew slightly tense for a moment. Li Yang craned his neck to look toward the police car, then back at Lin Xun, his eyeballs darting rapidly as if he were turning something over in his mind.

Within two minutes, Officer Wang stepped down from the police car, the expression on his face replaced by a warm smile. He walked briskly over to Lin Xun, returned the identification with both hands, and spoke with a tone of clear apology and respect: "Ah, so you're comrades from a fraternal unit! Forgive my ignorance, forgive my ignorance!" As he spoke, he reached out a hand for a handshake.

Lin Xun merely gave a slight nod, took back her identification and tucked it away, without extending her hand: "Understood. Just executing official duties."

Seeing this, Li Yang, who had been observing the scene the whole time, reacted with extreme agility. He instantly piled a full smile onto his face, clapping his hands as he scurried closer. "Oh! So this beauty is... here at the scene on official business? Look at me, I truly had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai! It's a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! Please don't take it to heart! It's my fault, all my fault!" He bobbed and bowed, his attitude executing a 180-degree turn.

Lin Xun ignored Li Yang's flattery and exchanged a few simple pleasantries with Officer Wang. Just as he was speaking, the mobile phone in her pocket suddenly rang.

Le Dong was standing close by and caught a sharp glimpse of the caller ID on the screen: "Mr. Chen."