Chapter 24: Chapter 24 Wang Qiang: You definitely have some connection with Conan
“God, you’re totally ckmailing me!”
Fang Xiaocao eximed in feigned indignation.
“So what if I am? Bite me!”
Su Wanqing said with a giggle.
“If you don’t treat me to spicy hotpot, you’ll never hear the end of it.”
Su Wanqing threatened in a teasing tone.
“Alright, alright, you win.”
Fang Xiaocao conceded helplessly.
“Hehe, remember what you promised, huh.”
“Whoever backs out is a pig!”
Having achieved her goal, Su Wanqing said with a smile.
“Fine, I’ll meet you at the school gate at noon.”
After setting a time with Su Wanqing, Fang Xiaocao hung up the phone.
She nced at the time, it was 08:15 in the morning.
Still early, Fang Xiaocao wriggled a few times, found afortable position, and was ready to fall back asleep.
“Two tigers, two tigers, running fast~”
Before Fang Xiaocao could close her eyes, the devilish ringtone echoed in the bedroom once again.
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“So annoying~”
Fang Xiaocao, frustrated, scratched her head and sat up.
She picked up her phone and nced at the caller ID.
It was Wang Qiang calling.
Fang Xiaocao was startled and pressed the answer button with confusion.
“Hello, Officer Wang?”
“It’s me!”
Wang Qiang’s voice came through the phone.
“Officer Wang, what’s the matter?”
Fang Xiaocao asked, confused.
“Do you live in Xintiandi Restaurant?”
Wang Qiang didn’t answer but instead asked a question.
“Yeah!”
Fang Xiaocao replied subconsciously.
“Huh?”
“Officer Wang, how did you know?”
Fang Xiaocao asked in return.
“Come down, I need to talk to you about something.”
Wang Qiang said cheerfully.
“What?”
“Talk about what?”
“What’s the matter?”
Fang Xiaocao asked, totally confused.
“Let’s talk when you get down here.”
Wang Qiang said gravely.
“Okay, I’lle down right away.”
Sensing the seriousness in Wang Qiang’s tone, Fang Xiaocao answered and hurried out of bed.
After quickly freshening up and throwing on some athletic wear, Fang Xiaocao grabbed her bag and rushed out of her home.
She ran into the elevator and went straight to the first floor.
As soon as she stepped out of the apartment, she saw Wang Qiang.
“Officer Wang, what happened?”
Fang Xiaocao asked perplexed.
“Which floor do you live on?”
Wang Qiang inquired.
“Third floor, 302!”
Fang Xiaocao responded, still baffled.
“Officer Wang, what on earth happened?”
Fang Xiaocao pressed, curious.
“302?”
“What a coincidence, huh?”
Hearing this, Wang Qiang also paused in surprise.
Fang Xiaocao and Wang Qiang stared at each other, bothpletely bewildered.
“Did you hear any strange noisesst night?”
After a long pause, Wang Qiang asked in a grave tone.
“No…”
Fang Xiaocao replied.
“It’s not that…”
“Officer Wang, what’s going on?”
Fang Xiaocao asked, confused.
Wang Qiang’s barrage of questions made Fang Xiaocao increasingly curious about what had happened.
“A homicide urred in room 402 above your apartment.”
Wang Qiang said quietly after a moment of silence.
“What?”
Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaocao eximed in shock.
“When did this happen?”
Fang Xiaocao asked nervously.
The mention of a murder case brought memories flooding back to Fang Xiaocao: the night her neighbor was killed by Qi Yu.
“It happenedst night. An olddy from the residents’mittee discovered it during her morning walk and called the police.”
Wang Qiang looked up at the apartment building as he answered.
“Damn it~”
Upon hearing Wang Qiang’s story, the thought of sleeping just one floor below a corpse the previous night gave Fang Xiaocao goosebumps and made her hair stand on end.
“Did you really not hear anythingst night?”
Wang Qiang asked again.
“No…”
Fang Xiaocao shook her head, looking lost.
Suddenly, Fang Xiaocao cocked her head and said, “That’s not right, actually, there was something. Last night, when I came back from Bar Street and was opening my door, I heard a loud noise from upstairs, like a door being mmed.”
Fang Xiaocao thought carefully and then said, “And it wasn’t just once, it happened twice in a row.”
“Other than the sound of the door, I didn’t hear anything else.”
“The soundproofing in this building is really quite good.”
Wang Qiang nodded, took out his notebook, and jotted down a few notes, then looked up at Fang Xiaocao with a serious expression and asked, “Xiaocao, you must be rted to Conan, right?”
“Conan?”
“Not at all!”
“Isn’t that just a fictionalic character?”
Fang Xiaocao blinked, looking utterly confused, and asked.
“Doesn’t matter, howe wherever you move, there’s a murder case just like Conan?”
Wang Qiang said jokingly,ughing heartily.
Fang Xiaocao: …
“So?”
“I’m a grim reaper elementary student, huh?”
Fang Xiaocao said hesitantly.
“Ha ha ha…”
“Just kidding.”
Wang Qiang said,ughing.
“I see you are not short of money, why don’t you just move into a hotel for the time being? Move back here once we’ve cracked the case.”
Wang Qiang put away his notebook and spoke in a grave voice.
Upon hearing Wang Qiang’s words, Fang Xiaocao immediately became tense.
Last time Wang Qiang said this, she ended up being chased by Qi Yu.
“No way, no way…”
“Am I going to be hunted down again?”
Fang Xiaocao eximed in her mind.
“I… am I going to be hunted down again?”
Fang Xiaocao hesitated, then asked weakly.
“What are you thinking about? There’s nothing like that.”
“I’m just ying it safe.”
Wang Qiang said, stillughing.
“The crime scene is a bit strange, giving me an indescribable eerie feeling.”
“Because the victim was cooking when they were killed, we’re tentatively attributing the crime to an acquaintance.”
“The suspect is likely among the neighbors in this apartment building or within the social circle of the victim.”
“Of course, it’s just a preliminary direction for the investigation; other possibilities aren’t excluded.”
Wang Qiang said solemnly.
“So, there might be a ruthless killer hidden in this apartment building. Considering the safety of the murderer, I think it’s necessary to advise you to temporarily move out.”
As he spoke, Wang Qiang nced at a red Land Rover parked in the nearby parking spot.
“This car… looks like it’s been through a lot.”
“Just bought it a few days ago, not worth the trouble, ha.”
Wang Qiang saidughing.
Listening to Wang Qiang, Fang Xiaocao felt numb all over.
“What now?”
“So…
“I’m more dangerous than the killer?”
Fang Xiaocao said helplessly.
“Ha ha ha…”
“That’s what you said, I didn’t say anything.”
Wang Qiang continued tough as he spoke.
“That’s what you meant, I get it!”
Fang Xiaocao showed an expression that she understood him perfectly.
“Ignoring you, I’m going to pack up.”
Fang Xiaocao flipped her ponytail and turned to go upstairs.
Upon reaching the entrance to the unit, she turned back, clenched her fist, and said in an oath-like tone: “Dear Uncle Wang, I will move out tonight!”
When Wang Qiang heard Fang Xiaocao’s words, his face turned green: “Uncle?”
“Am I that old?”
Wang Qiang started to feel a bit uncertain of himself.
Wang Qiang stared at the fourth floor for a long time before turning to walk toward the police car parked on the side.
Sitting in the police car, Wang Qiang said, “Third floor, apartment 302, can be temporarily ruled out as a suspect.”
“Got it, leader!”
The fair-skinned young man in the passenger seat responded and drew a circle on the form in his hand.