Chapter 30: The First Case

Liu Lang stood in the morgue, surrounded by fifteen or sixteen people.

"Isn't a case like this supposed to be transferred?"

"I heard Qin Chuan say they’re moving their headquarters or something, so they couldn't take it over. They just sent an expert to guide our work."

"This expert looks so young, though his gaze is sharp, like someone who has seen blood."

Liu Lang felt a bit helpless. After arriving in Tianjing, King Feng had told him there were some matters he had to handle personally and that they were short-staffed, so he should use this case to practice and get familiar with the situation. Before leaving, he had also shoved a Tsinghua University admission letter into his pocket.

The efficiency was truly something!

Xiao Rong had gone to Kunlun Academy first, and Liu Feier had followed Dai Li to the research institute; only he had already started working. He hadn't expected to be hailed as an "expert" upon arrival, receiving a warm welcome from the bureau chief, the head of the criminal investigation team, and the local police station captain.

If he hadn't already carved his way through seas of blood and mountains of corpses, his high school education would have made it impossible for him to handle such a situation. He had only ever heard the flowery, professional jargon the chiefs and captains were using in television dramas; unable to play along, he simply requested, with a blank expression, to see the body first.

The white cloth covering the corpse was pulled back, revealing a "blank" face.

Although they had seen it several times already, the staff present still felt a shiver run down their spines.

"This is..." Liu Lang leaned in closely. The technique was very similar to Tu Ning's. Could it be her? Did she also steal men's faces? He checked the torso; it was completely disproportionate to the size of the head.

Had it been swapped? A classic maneuver of the Eight-Foot Kingdom.

The bureau chief, seeing that Expert Liu seemed to have spotted something, sighed to himself that an expert from above truly had insight. If this case were solved, the credit would stay with them.

"I have seen similar methods," Liu Lang said. "But I need more evidence to confirm my hypothesis."

A man with thick eyebrows and a square face hurried over and said, "Hello, Teacher Liu, my name is Qin Chuan. What did you see?"

"This person's face was taken."

Everyone was startled. They had never encountered supernatural abilities; this incredible information carried an air of terror.

"Not only was the face taken, but the current body isn't even his own."

Qin Chuan was so shocked he stuttered, "Are... are you saying the body was swapped?"

Liu Lang nodded. "Finding the victim's identity should lead us to the killer; the killer is likely wearing his face right now. Moreover, there is at least one other victim—this current body might have been brought by the killer as well."

"That's impossible! Absurd!" The information Qin Chuan heard completely shattered his worldview. "Case work is based on evidence! Not ghost stories!"

"I am merely stating my observations. This case will certainly be transferred to our Special Abilities Squad; you ordinary people cannot handle it."

Liu Lang was, after all, only a high school graduate; he spoke without considering others' feelings. The expressions of the bureau chief, the captains, and the station heads turned sour, and Yu Hewei even jumped up, pointing at Liu Lang's nose, ready to lash out. The others didn't stop Qin Chuan immediately, hoping the young man would curse this "expert" out and vent their frustrations.

Liu Lang felt a surge of anger—why was he being berated for telling the truth? He glared, his eyes flashing with the killing intent honed in life-or-death battles. The veteran detectives present felt their hearts tremble at his gaze. Based on that look alone, even if they weren't sure about his expertise, he had certainly taken lives before.

"Xiao Qin, go check your surveillance footage!" the bureau chief snapped, glaring at him. He then turned back, wearing a forced smile. "Expert Liu, I apologize. Little Yu has such a foul temper. Please don't take it to heart."

"This case is still with us for now, and we must follow procedure, don't we? Your valuable insights are a great help to our investigation!"

"I am telling the truth. I have seen the method of taking faces; their true form is just a head, and they can swap bodies at will," Liu Lang said sincerely. After all, it was a human life, and he wanted to help.

Qin Chuan interjected again, "I only listened to you because I heard you were an expert, but you're just a fraud! Swapping faces is one thing, but swapping heads? How ridiculous!"

"You're not an expert, you're a brick-head!"

Liu Lang took a deep breath to calm himself. "I am not an expert. Although I just joined the Special Abilities Squad, I really have seen..."

The boy hadn't dealt with people so experienced in society, and for a moment, he didn't know how to convince them. He pulled his hand out of his pocket to point out the subtle characteristics of an Eight-Foot swap—things he had seen with his own eyes—but the admission letter he had shoved into his pocket came out with it and fell to the ground.

Qin Chuan, standing right beside him, saw it clearly: it was an admission letter from Peking University.

He picked it up and handed it to Liu Lang. "Teacher Liu, are you planning to pursue further studies at Tsinghua?"

"No, I just started university..." Liu Lang blurted out, immediately feeling the subtle gazes of everyone present.

Qin Chuan hesitated for a few seconds, no longer bothering to argue, only vaguely saying, "You truly are a top student."

The bureau chief was skeptical. *Just started university? That means he just graduated high school! He's just a wet-behind-the-ears kid! And I called him an expert all morning!*

*What is this Special Abilities Squad doing? Sending a high school graduate over? Even if he is from Tsinghua, so what? This is a criminal investigation! Is this some rich kid sent here to gild his resume?*

He no longer looked at Liu Lang, his face turning incredibly ugly.

Liu Lang was young, not stupid; he could tell they didn't really believe him. But he didn't care; after all, solving the case wasn't his responsibility. He turned to leave, thinking he hadn't even called his parents since arriving in Tianjing. As for the matter at hand, he had fulfilled his duty to King Feng—he was only told to get familiar with things, not to solve the case.

Behind him, he could still hear the chatter.

"I heard the Special Abilities Squad is specifically for handling unexplainable cases. It seems Expert Liu's opinions are meant for them to deal with."

"Forget it. Our work relies on evidence and science. Do you really believe that nonsense?"

"Exactly. Qin Chuan has solved so many cases. He was just talking this morning about expanding the surveillance search range. That's much more reliable than swapping faces and heads."

"The autopsy report isn't out yet, and neither are the DNA results. That 'expert' was right about the importance of identifying the victim, though..."

"Are you blind? That was a university notice! He's just a little kid who doesn't know anything!"

...

Liu Lang left, ignoring their insincere attempts to make him stay.

"Sigh, he’s just too young. Can't handle a single opposing opinion. He must have something to offer if the Special Abilities Squad sent him, but when it comes to solving cases, you have to rely on us," Qin Chuan remarked.

Qin Chuan had solved countless cases, and he was deeply dissatisfied with the transfer of "unexplainable" cases to the Special Abilities Squad. He was the expert, not the squad, and certainly not this high-school-graduate Liu Lang.