“You’re gonna call the property manager who fixes the pipes?” Lu Mingfei thought that sounded plausible.
Chu Zihang froze for a moment. Clearly, he hadn’t expected that fixing the toilet would be as simple as calling property management. Young Master Chu worked hard even at home, but he had never fixed a toilet before—there were plenty of maids and drivers in his house.
“Don’t worry, I arranged for professionals,” Chu Zihang said.
Lu Mingfei sighed in relief. Chu Zihang was evidently a perfectionist, and if he said he’d gotten professionals, they would certainly be the best—fixing a toilet wouldn’t be an issue.
The car stopped, about 500 meters from the southern train station, where a yellow blockade was set up. Under the blazing sun, the once magnificent building now looked like a postmodern art piece, with only a large, twisted aluminum framework left—utterly desolate. Cicadas chirped desperately, and crows croaked hoarsely as they perched on the frame. The municipal government’s “Shoddy Construction” press conference was being held in the afternoon at the City Hall, and all the reporters had already rushed over, leaving draft papers scattered everywhere. The police and security guards hid in the shade, fanning themselves with their hats.
“Wow… Was the earthquake really that bad? I didn’t even feel it!” Lu Mingfei marveled. It wasn’t until he stood in front of these ruins that he truly grasped the magnitude of the force that had destroyed the building, making him feel so small in comparison.
It was like two ants standing before a giant sea turtle shell that had been dead for millennia.
“It’s hard to imagine. Its mechanical structure was very stable, capable of withstanding an eight-magnitude earthquake. The aluminum alloy frame had undergone heat treatment to remove all internal stress. This morning’s tremor was just a level three—by rights, it shouldn’t have even been damaged. Yet, it collapsed—there’s not even a single intact piece of glass left.” Chu Zihang said in a low voice. “I imagine that when Raymond was inside, it must have felt like the sky was falling.”
“Stick with me, and don’t talk randomly.” He opened the car door.
The security guards began shouting, “Move the car! Move the car! It’s closed ahead!”
“Damn, it really is like the sky fell.” Lu Mingfei sucked in a cold breath.
Chu Zihang gave the guards two packs of cigarettes, telling them he was a student majoring in seismology and wanted to take some photos for his thesis, and the guards let them through. Now, Lu Mingfei stood amid the shattered glass, looking up at the sky. The aluminum beams twisted into an unusual, extraordinary kind of beauty.
Chu Zihang squatted down, gently shaking the shards of glass embedded in a wooden bench. They were deeply lodged—anyone standing in that glass rain wouldn’t have had a good outcome.
“Bloodstains,” Chu Zihang pointed to a spot on the ground, “Raymond was standing here.”
“Senior, with all this broken glass everywhere, can you really figure anything out?” Lu Mingfei followed Chu Zihang, looking like a sidekick.
“You can’t see it, and neither can I.” Chu Zihang said calmly. “But someone else can. It’s a skill—observing and imagining the scene at that time. And you know that person.”
He put on a baseball cap, with a high-resolution camera fixed to its brim. The camera was connected to his phone, and he initiated a video call.
“Nono? I need your help,” Chu Zihang said.
“Norma has already set the task. I understand it now, but I need you to retrace Raymond’s steps. I will try to reconstruct the scene,” Chu Zihang turned on the speakerphone, and Lu Mingfei could hear Nono’s voice clearly.
Lu Mingfei was debating whether to greet the little witch when he heard her say, “Who is that on your left?”
Lu Mingfei was startled—he wasn’t even in front of the camera.
“Lu Mingfei, he is the agent for this mission, and I am assisting him,” Chu Zihang said. “How did you know he was here?”
“The glass fragments in front of you reflected his image, though it’s quite small,” Nono replied. “Have him move away; he’s interfering with my assessment.”
Lu Mingfei had no choice but to retreat to a corner. He was already familiar with the little witch’s exceptional ability to capture details during profiling, and though he didn’t mind, he did feel a bit annoyed that she hadn’t even wished him a happy birthday—it was all business.
Chu Zihang wandered around the large space, and every detail captured by the camera was transmitted to Nono. At this moment, he was Raymond, entering the intact southern train station, carrying important documents, surrounded by danger, unaware of where the enemy might be hiding.
“Stop, he probably paused here,” Nono said. “This is when he first entered the train station. He wasn’t familiar with the new station, so he must have stopped to look at the signs.”
Chu Zihang slowly turned his head, scanning the entire station.
“Good, Raymond’s Yanling ability isn’t related to vision, so his scan probably took three or four seconds, which is when someone noticed him,” Nono spoke confidently.
“Now move forward, stop, and turn your head. Here, Raymond would have turned to assess his surroundings—it’s his habit, and it also aligns with the college’s reconnaissance process,” Nono added.
Chu Zihang turned around as instructed, looking in all directions. Lu Mingfei watched from the corner, feeling a twinge of envy as Nono and Chu Zihang recreated this crime scene. Chu Zihang was the perfect player for such games—calm, poker-faced, obediently following Nono’s instructions, and somehow coming off as a bit adorable. If it were Lu Mingfei, he would only be awkwardly responding with “Really?” and “No way,” lacking the coolness. But he couldn’t imitate Chu Zihang’s demeanor, so he could only feel envious.
“Raymond didn’t find anything suspicious at the recon point, so he moved forward 15 meters to the ticket gate, where he realized the southern train station was collapsing,” Nono said.
“Are you sure it’s this spot?” Chu Zihang asked.
“Yes, when Raymond realized the station was collapsing, he wouldn’t have been in a fatal spot. He died near the bench, and given Raymond’s training, he would have hidden under the bench, but he didn’t. That means he discovered the danger in a place where he had no chance to hide, then ran toward the bench to take cover but didn’t make it in time. The most likely location near there is where you’re standing now,” Nono explained.
“Understood,” Chu Zihang nodded.