Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1230: Chapter 71: The Witness

A strong sense of hunger slowly brought Nan Xiao Nan back to consciousness.

After waking up, she realized she had fallen asleep while lying on the desk… She’d been battling until dawn, eventually falling asleep from exhaustion without even realizing it.

But the whole night’s effort wasn’t in vain… the main outline of the Star-Creation Technique and the contents of the first major chapter were already completed.

In the past 0124 Sub-world, Star Creation Technique was a massive academic discipline, with a rigorous system involving various aspects, definitely not something that could be explained with those so-called Divine Skill Secret Techniques comprised of mere hundreds or thousands of words.

Besides, can a few hundred or thousand words explain the power of an academic discipline? Is it a joke… more like a recipe.

“At this pace, it should be completed within four or five days.” Nan Xiao Nan was quite satisfied as she saved the night’s results onto a USB drive, then stretched lazily.

But she heard noises coming from outside… Nan Xiao Nan hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to push the door open and go out.

The smell of oil mixed with heated fat was dispersing in the air… Nan Xiao Nan discovered that someone as terrifyingly powerful as Luo Qiu was actually preparing breakfast by himself.

Simplifying complexity, blending into nature?

Nan Xiao Nan was somewhat unaccustomed to such a lifestyle for someone as powerful as Luo Qiu… She had no choice; if her true self were here, just the Star Creation Creatures serving everyday life would number in the hundreds, and she wouldn’t need to do anything herself. All that extra time would almost entirely be spent on research.

“Good morning, Miss Nan.”

“G-Good morning!”

“It’s almost ready to eat, go wash up first.” Luo Qiu turned around, seemingly in a good mood, “Your pajamas are quite interesting.”

Nan Xiao Nan’s face warmed slightly… she somewhat understood where that faint smile on his face came from—the carelessness when walking out of the room in a set of pink animal onesie pajamas.

This was definitely not her usual taste!

She nodded awkwardly, then quickly slipped back inside as if seeing a ghost… When she reappeared, she was in a full professional outfit.

A grey women’s suit matched with a black skirt and long stockings, then slightly applying makeup… it made for a refined beauty once processed.

She sat at the dining table, staring at the fried eggs, ham, a glass of milk, and some toasted bread slices that Luo Qiu had brought out, slightly stunned, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

It seems last night’s hometown dishes were a rare treat; how could such a powerful individual continuously cater to her tastes… Besides, having done it once was already more precious than most things for her.

Seeing Nan Xiao Nan unmoved, Luo Qiu curiously asked, “Not appetizing to you?”

“No, not at all.” Nan Xiao Nan immediately waved her hand, then added involuntarily, “Just feels like it’s been ages since someone made me breakfast… Thank you.”

Taking a deep breath, Nan Xiao Nan began to eat, the calories consumed by her accelerated spirit were so much that without eating something, she felt she might collapse before noon.

Luo Qiu said nothing, just skillfully prepared a sandwich by taking bread slices and adding lettuce, a fried egg, and slices of ham.

Nan Xiao Nan cupped the glass of milk in both hands, took a small sip, and discreetly glanced over to find that he wasn’t paying her any attention, just calm and natural, as if nothing could affect his mood, making her a bit envious.

She could also enter such a state, but only in her true form; this trace of consciousness, apart from inheriting her true self’s memories, could not achieve that kind of calmness.

It wasn’t a matter of thought but rather that her Soul Power wasn’t enough to support such a state. Forcing entry would only lead to the collapse of this currently fragile soul.

“Eat up.” Unexpectedly, Luo Qiu had just made a sandwich and placed it in front of Nan Xiao Nan, apologetically saying, “Sorry, I made too little.”

Looking at the food in front of her, thinking of how she had been staring at him with a face full of admiration, Nan Xiao Nan knew this powerful individual had misunderstood… but she was really hungry.

“Mr. Luo, last night I already finished writing the outline and part of the first chapter.” Nan Xiao Nan said casually while picking up the sandwich, “Give me four days… no, three days, and it’ll be done.”

“Just take care of your body.” Luo Qiu nodded, neither forcing nor pressing, just slowly starting to make another sandwich.

At this moment, a scream came from the inner room, followed by the sound of things clattering. In a moment, Ren Ziling came rushing out, biting a handbag and hurriedly tying her hair.

“I’m going to be late! I won’t talk to you guys, see you later!!”

As Ren Ziling ran past, Luo Qiu casually handed the freshly made sandwich in a plastic bag, like a baton in a relay race, timing it perfectly. Ren Ziling grabbed it in one swift motion, flowing seamlessly without the slightest pause.

Such a simple exchange, yet it seemed like it had been done countless times before… Watching the interaction between Ren Ziling and Luo Qiu, Nan Xiao Nan found herself a bit distracted.

Ren Ziling opened the door, suddenly remembered something, checked her watch, and then called back, “Forensic Doctor Nan, can you leave? If you want, I can give you a ride?”

“I’m not in a hurry.” Nan Xiao Nan smiled slightly.

“Alright, then I’ll leave you to it!”

She really left… Nan Xiao Nan was taken aback; it seems there’ll be no need for subtlety when interacting with Ren Ziling in the future.

…

“I’ll make you some more then.” Luo Qiu suddenly stood up.

Nan Xiao Nan quickly waved her hands, her eyes drifting, “No need, I’m full. Actually, I don’t usually eat much… I’m not normally like this.”

She had almost finished everything on the table.

Luo Qiu nodded, “Just leave everything, I’ll clean up later.”

Watching Luo Qiu walk back to his room, Nan Xiao Nan finally breathed a sigh of relief, only noticing when she was about to get up that Luo Qiu had left two keys on the table.

Nan Xiao Nan mumbled, “If it weren’t so terrifying, he’d make a perfect deacon, wouldn’t he?”

She shook her head, quickly tidied up, and then headed out… Today she needed to solve the case of the dismembered body—now that they had found the person using the freezer, it was definitively pinned down.

Though the real method could not be disclosed, other methods wouldn’t stump her, either.

“If everything goes smoothly, there should be time in the afternoon to write another half chapter.”

…

Nan Xiao Nan did not return to her workplace immediately but quietly went to Zhou Yusheng’s former rental place again… She spent some time observing the area before finally setting her sights on a fifty-something old man riding a tricycle and collecting scrap nearby.

“Is there something you need?” The old man was puzzled as to why this pretty young lady was looking for him.

Only to immediately feel particularly sleepy and then remember nothing at all.

Nan Xiao Nan was satisfied with the old man’s current condition.

“I initially didn’t want to involve myself in this matter… it’s just that the residual sense of justice from Nan Xiao Nan is a bit too strong.” She sighed softly, extended a finger, and lightly flicked the old man’s forehead.

…

…

“Sir, sir, sir?”

Feeling a touch on his body, Chen Mingming came back from a state of heavy lethargy… The prolonged lack of Qi-Blood circulation left his legs and arms numb.

Waking him was an internet café attendant… Chen Mingming looked at the computer screen, finding it had indeed run out of credit.

“Sorry, I fell asleep.” Chen Mingming rubbed his forehead, “How much is the overtime fee?”

The attendant smiled, “It’s fine, there are plenty of empty spots at night, sleeping is no problem.”

Chen Mingming nodded, “I’ll stay a bit longer, please extend by an hour.”

“Okay.”

After the waiter left, Chen Mingming rubbed his forehead, trying to make himself a bit more awake.

He spent all of last night until early morning reading Mr. Blank’s posts and comments on the forums, so engrossed that he lost track of time, even feeling like he was becoming obsessed. In the end, he couldn’t remember how he fell asleep.

He glanced at the time; it was almost ten in the morning.

His phone had run out of battery and turned off automatically overnight… After charging it for a while, Chen Mingming turned it on and immediately received over a dozen messages, all from Zhou Yusheng, each increasingly urgent.

As he was contemplating how to reply, an unknown phone number called in… Chen Mingming hesitated for a moment, then chose to answer.

“It’s me, Zhao Le… your phone has been off all this time.”

Chen Mingming’s heart skipped a beat, then he took a deep breath and said, “What’s going on?”

“It’s strange, I just realized I didn’t have your phone number. We’re in the same class, but I had to check the directory… I want to ask you something. Do you have time?”

“Time and place.” Chen Mingming thought for a moment before replying.

“After lunch. I need to deliver lunch to my sister at noon… I’ll contact you when I’m done.”

“Alright.”

After that, Chen Mingming quickly contacted Zhou Yusheng, spending some time explaining his lack of contact throughout the night. Zhou Yusheng was half-believing, visibly dissatisfied, and grew increasingly irate.

Chen Mingming listened quietly until Zhou Yusheng ran out of words and stopped, but insisted that Chen Mingming return immediately and write a detailed review report.

Chen Mingming took a deep breath, packed up his things, and was just about to leave when, unexpectedly, he felt a sudden dizziness.

Thud—!

He fell directly to the ground, instantly unconscious.

The internet cafe manager outside heard the commotion and came in, seeing Chen Mingming lying on the ground, startled, and quickly tried to shake him awake, but no matter what he did, Chen Mingming wouldn’t come to.

…

…

Zhou Yusheng’s face was full of anger; sports a stubble, having not slept all night, and his eyes were bloodshot, making the members of his team afraid to breathe too loudly.

At this moment, a uniformed officer knocked on the door and came in, delivering unexpected news to the entire team.

“Team Leader Zhou, someone has come to report a case that might be related to the killer of Wang Liang!”

“Really!”

Zhou Yusheng stood up abruptly, “Bring them to see me immediately!”

Soon, an elderly man was politely brought in by the officer… Facing everyone’s gaze, the old man seemed somewhat frightened. Zhou Yusheng had people move back a little.

“Sir, are you really here to report a case?” Zhou Yusheng locked eyes with the old man and asked seriously… Based on initial information, the old man claimed to be a scrap collector, operating in the area where Wang Liang’s rental house was located.

“Yes, I saw your reward notice…” the old man said nervously at this moment. “It said I could get a reward for providing clues. Is that true?”

Zhou Yusheng smiled and said, “Since it’s posted as a notice, it’s definitely true. But your words must be true; if it’s a fabrication or deception, the consequences are severe.”

“I know, I know.” The old man nodded.

Zhou Yusheng said, “Tell me what you saw.”

The old man recalled, “That night, I had just finished a delivery and passed… oh, passed through that place when I saw a person hurrying down. Quite unfamiliar; I hadn’t seen them before.”

Zhou Yusheng exchanged a glance with his colleagues, “What exact time was it?”

“The night of December 1st.”

Zhou Yusheng frowned, “It’s been several months. You still remember?”

“Of course, my memory is particularly good. I’ve collected scrap from almost every household around here; I can remember most of them!” The old man said, “That day I had a particularly big load, twisted my back, and when I got to that place, the pain was unbearable, so I stopped and sat down. Then I saw a young man with glasses, carrying a bag, running down in a hurry. I thought he looked unfamiliar, so I took a few more glances; it felt odd.”

“And then?”

Zhou Yusheng pondered for a moment, “Sir, can you remember what this person looked like?”

“Not very clearly.” The old man said, “But he was wearing glasses, about 1.7 meters tall, looked quite young, not very muscular. But if I see him again, I should be able to recognize him.”

Zhou Yusheng pondered again, staring at the old man, “Why are you only coming to report the case now?”

The old man said, “Did you post a reward before? I don’t know what that person was doing… Also, I just recently remembered this matter.”

Zhou Yusheng nodded.

Afterwards, he had someone arrange for the old man to create a composite sketch and began research with his colleagues.

About an hour later, a freshly made sketch was delivered to Zhou Yusheng, and everyone started studying it again.

“Does this person look a bit like Zhao Le?”

“Indeed…”

Everyone frowned, waiting for Zhou Yusheng’s instructions.

He thought for a while before speaking solemnly, “We can’t be sure of anything right now… But, bring him in for questioning, let the old man identify him… The time gap is too long; if there’s even a slight possibility, we can’t miss it!”

“Yes!”

…

…

“Your sister is recovering well; after a while, you can reduce the frequency of visits.”

Zhao Le expressed his gratitude to Zhang Xiaoqin’s attending physician before leaving, carrying the lunch box out of the rehabilitation center’s entrance.

Thinking about the time he agreed to meet Chen Mingming, he made up his mind, but just as he was about to make a call, two men approached him.

“Are you Zhao Le? Hello, I’m just fine… we’re from the bureau. We’ve found something new and would like you to come with us to assist in the investigation. Please cooperate.”

The two men showed their badges.

Zhao Le’s expression changed slightly… The police should have stopped pursuing him, so why now?

Could it be that… Chen Mingming disclosed that he’d secretly visited the crime scene the night before yesterday?

“Zhao Le, come with us.”

Zhao Le silently nodded; there was no possibility of escape at this time… As long as he left the impression with the police that he was innocent, fleeing now would only increase the suspicion.

But going with them… have they really discovered something?

Zhao Le glanced back at the entrance of the rehabilitation center, clenched his teeth, and a trace of determination flashed in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Could you not inform my sister about this matter? I don’t want her to worry.”

“Sure.”

The two men nodded in agreement, then discreetly led Zhao Le to the car.