The Last Hacker

Wang Dali rushed over as soon as Xiaotao and I walked out of the music classroom. He indignantly said, "That old man surnamed Qin is too overbearing! Xiaotao, don't worry. Even if the task force kicks you out, I and Songyang will always be your staunch supporters."

"Thank you both!" Xiaotao forced a smile. She had just been the leader of the prestigious task force, but now she was a lonely hero with no one to turn to. This huge drop must have made her feel awful inside.

"But I'm a little confused. How can a forensic doctor have so much power that he can lead the task force and kick you out? I thought forensic doctors just stayed in the morgue all day long, rarely making appearances and preferring the dead over the living. Plus, they're usually sexy and aloof beauties wearing white coats." Wang Dali lecherously said.

"That's a misleading depiction by films and TV shows! Forensic doctors actually have formal positions, and don't spend all day shut in the morgue. Not only do they examine corpses and write reports, they also work with the police at crime scenes, provide necessary forensic evidence, and even testify in court." I explained.

"You're so knowledgeable!" Xiaotao exclaimed admiringly.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, right?" I laughed.

"Qin's position is equivalent to police superintendent, two ranks above me. He's on equal footing with Captain Lin in the detective squad." Xiaotao said.

"No wonder he's so arrogant!" Wang Dali nodded.

I asked Xiaotao, "Is Captain Lin your direct superior?"

"Yes." Xiaotao nodded.

"Who's above him then?"

"The chief of the detective squad..."

"And above that?"

"Chief Sun of course."

"Who's Chief Sun?"

"Sun Hu. We call him Tiger Sun behind his back because of his ferocious temper." Xiaotao blurted out.

Hearing those three words, I couldn't help but chuckle. I hadn't seen Tiger Sun in over three years and he was already chief now. Looks like he's been quite successful these past few years. Xiaotao asked what was so funny. I said, "Oh nothing, 'Tiger Sun' is just such an amusing name."

Xiaotao gave me a puzzled glance. "You have a weird sense of humor!"

She then heaved a long sigh, "Ah, the police at the scene will surely tell Forensic Doctor Qin about your discovery just now. That's like handing him first-hand information. Plus with all those cops and resources at his disposal, he'll definitely crack the case before us."

"You distrust me that much?" I asked.

"No, I trust you. But all you can do is autopsy, how can you investigate?" Xiaotao pouted.

"Don't judge a horse by its hide. You never know until you let it run free!" I said.

"Why make such rash boasts? What if you can't deliver in the end?" Xiaotao looked at me worriedly.

"Actually during the autopsy, I already had some clues about the whole case. Just a few doubts left to confirm." I said.

"Really?" Xiaotao excitedly said, "Then how confident are you about cracking it?"

"A hundred percent! Don't worry, I will definitely help you solve this case before Forensic Doctor Qin." I gave her a confident smile.

Xiaotao movedly said, "We just met barely over an hour ago. Why help me so much? How can I ever thank you enough?"

"Let's make a dinner date then!" I suggested.

"Huh?" Xiaotao widened her eyes, probably misheard me and thought I said something indecent like 'let's make a marriage pact'. She reacted and said, "Sure! After the case is solved, just name any restaurant you want to eat at and it'll be my treat!"

"Fuck yeah, I'm gonna eat until I drop at McDonald's!" Wang Dali excitedly clapped his hands.

I looked at him with utter contempt. With the average spending level around campus, McDonald's was already considered pretty decent. Since she's offering to treat, we should at least go for hotpot or Haidilao.

We arrived at the dorm building where the two girls lived. A sign saying 'Girls' Dorm, No Boys Allowed' hung high above the entrance.

Wang Dali worried the dorm manager wouldn't let us in. I said, "No need to go up. You go ask the manager if Fangfang and Tiantian are in their room."

Wang Dali came back shortly, cursing, "Damn, that nasty old Qin is too crafty! He already took the eyewitnesses away before us! Dude, why did you have to broadcast it so blatantly earlier? Now our only lead is gone!"

I suddenly burst out laughing.

They asked what was so funny. I said, "This Forensic Doctor Qin has such a simple mind. I intentionally said that earlier to make him think those two girls were key witnesses. And he totally fell for it!"

"Aren't they important? What they said earlier contradicted what we found at the scene. Clearly they're hiding something, which could be a vital clue." Xiaotao pondered.

"Those two are completely irrelevant to the case. In fact, they're dispensable, because they didn't see the truth of the bloody scene at all. What they saw was just something the murderer deliberately staged for them to see, nothing more. Further questioning them would be a total waste of time." I replied.

"Then where do you plan to investigate?" Xiaotao asked.

"Let's go to Deng Chao's dorm room." I said.

"You sly dog!" Wang Dali suddenly slapped my shoulder. "Buddy, I thought we hung out all the time and I knew you pretty well already. But after today, I feel like you're kind of unfathomable, leaving me at a loss!"

I grimaced, saying, "Dude, why do you sound so gay today? Don't tell me you share the same interest as Lao Ye?"

"No no, absolutely not! That freak Lao Ye is so disgusting, I'd never associate with him. I'm a thorough straight dude, you hear me?" Wang Dali waved his hands in denial.

"What are you guys talking about?" Xiaotao sighed. "I've been in the police force too long, I'm completely lost when it comes to the slang you college kids use nowadays."

"Oh nothing, just chatting about a classmate." I explained with a smile.

Lao Ye was an eccentric in our department, a sleazy dude skilled at hacking. Guys are always perverts in private, but Lao Ye's perversion was extraordinary. He didn't like pretty girls, but had a thing for fresh meat pretty boys, making all the guys in school avoid him like the plague.

In our daily chat, Lao Ye had become a byword for certain special proclivities.

The mention of Lao Ye suddenly reminded me of something. I told Wang Dali, "Oh right, Xiaotao and I will go to Deng Chao's dorm. You go find Lao Ye to help with something."

"What?!" Wang Dali reacted as if someone had stomped on his tail. "No way, why look for him out of nowhere! Don't you remember him secretly taking pics of your junk when you didn't lock your door that one time?"

Damn, why did he have to dredge up my dark history in front of Xiaotao? The honorable image I'd painstakingly erected seemed to crumble in an instant.

Sure enough, Xiaotao was looking at me a bit differently now...

"Nonsense, no such pics exist, it's pure slander. Ahem, to get back on topic, only Lao Ye can help with this. So I have to look for him." I said, then took out an evidence bag from my pocket containing the victim's phone.

Xiaotao turned pale. "Hey! You withheld evidence?!"

"No no, I was preoccupied during the autopsy and absentmindedly put this in my pocket. I only found it when I reached in just now. I swear I didn't intentionally withhold evidence. If it gets you in trouble, I'll return it to Forensic Doctor Qin right now." I said.

"It's fine, we found this evidence, it doesn't count as withholding. I didn't expect you to be capable of such shady tricks too. You really have my admiration now!" Xiaotao suddenly gave an wicked grin.

I maintained my innocence. Surrounded by so many cops and arguing sharply with Forensic Doctor Qin earlier, how could I have surreptitiously pilfered the phone?

Wang Dali frowned worriedly, "You want Lao Ye to unlock the phone?"

"It's not just about unlocking the phone. This phone should belong to Deng Chao himself. I think there may be some encrypted or deleted files inside, which could be important clues to crack the case. After thinking it over, the only person who can help is Lao Ye the invincible hacker." I explained.

Wang Dali took the phone and sighed, "For friendship, I'll give it my all and sell my chastity, so what!"