TWELFTH FLOOR MYSTERY - PROLOGUE, PART 1

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PROLOGUE

PART 1

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Compared to the majority of cities in the country, the summer in Lishi City could hardly be considered hot. Thanks to the plateau monsoon climate, it's almost like spring here all year round. As a result, Lishi City has become one of the most famous tourist and vacation destinations in the country.

Nevertheless, the temperature during the hottest days of summer reached an unusual thirty degrees Celsius or more. It was quite strange to see someone standing at the entrance of the Criminal Investigation Bureau under the scorching sun for more than half an hour.

The first person to notice this was a young police officer named Li Bin. His desk was located on the second floor by the window, and he could see the situation outside just by raising his eyes. He said to his colleague next to him, "Lao Tan, I noticed an old lady standing at the entrance of our bureau for dozens of minutes. Is there something she wants to report?"

"If she wants to report something, why would she stand at the door? She could just come in directly," the person named Tan Yong responded. He was a middle-aged police officer in his forties, slightly different from the typical image of a detective. He had a kind appearance with gentle eyes and spoke with a loud and energetic voice. His desk was against the wall, so he couldn't see the outside scenery. Lishi City had good public security, and detectives usually had relatively idle work. Tan Yong stared at the computer screen, scrolling the mouse to browse the news online.

"I think I'll go and ask her. Something seems off about her demeanor; I have a feeling there must be something," Li Bin stood up and walked out of the second-floor office.

A few minutes later, Li Bin returned and sat back in his seat, taking a sip from the cup of honeysuckle tea. Tan Yong glanced at him and asked, "Did you ask her?"

"I did. She was evasive and said there was nothing, but I could tell she wasn't being truthful with me. Her expression was unnatural," Li Bin replied.

"Why would she wait at the entrance of the Criminal Investigation Brigade if there's nothing wrong? Does she even know this is the Criminal Investigation Brigade?" Tan Yong wondered.

"She definitely knows. I went out wearing my police uniform and asked her if she had something to report. She said it wasn't the case. It's really strange," Li Bin explained.

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This incident piqued Tan Yong's interest. He walked to the window and saw the old woman waiting at the front gate. She was dressed plainly, with white hair and a hunched figure, clearly belonging to the lower working class. After observing her for a while, Tan Yong said, "I know her. She's an old scavenger near my home, living in a dilapidated cottage on the old street. Her husband passed away, and her son isn't around. She lives alone and is quite pitiful."

"Really? Is she here to see you?"

"Why would she come to me? I haven't had any dealings with her. I just feel sorry for her, so sometimes I let her collect some recyclables in our residential area," Tan Yong explained.

"Then maybe she really came to find you. You know, some people prefer to deal with acquaintances when they need something, especially uneducated old ladies like her," Li Bin suggested.

Tan Yong smiled bitterly. "We're detectives, not officers at the local police station dealing with household registration. What difference does it make whether we know them or not? Do we only investigate cases involving people we have good relationships with? Besides, I don't have any special connection with her."

"Anyway, you should go and ask her. It's not right for her to keep waiting at our door on such a hot day. What would we do if she had a heat stroke?"

"All right." Tan Yong put on his hat and walked out of the office.

When he came to the gate, Tan Yong asked the old woman who scavenged waste, "What's the matter?"

"Is your surname...Tan? Officer Tan?" The old woman asked tentatively.

"Yes, are you looking for me?"

"Um…"

She was really looking for me, and that boy Li Bin confirmed it. Tan Yong asked, "What do you want from me?"

"I have to trouble you about something..."

"Then when my colleague came out to ask you just now, why did you say it was all right?"

"That boy? I don't know him."

Tan Yong pointed to the sign hanging at the gate and said, "This is the Criminal Police Detachment, a place to report crimes, not a place to find acquaintances, do you understand? It's the same with anyone who reports the crime. What happened to you?"

"No... I won't report the crime, but I just have something to trouble Officer Tan."

"What's up?"

"My house has encountered some problems."

"You mean the bungalow in the old street?"

"No, it's another house in Yuehai Bay Community."

Tan Yong was slightly surprised: "You bought a house in 'Yuehai Bay'?"

This community is a new residential building facing the Yuehai Scenic Area. The location and environment are very good, and it is a hardcover room. Tan Yong did not expect that this old man who looked a bit poor and desolate in picking up waste would buy a house in such a good community.

"Yes, I bought it for my son. He is in his thirties and has no family. The reason is that he doesn't have a decent house. So I took out my life savings and bought a two-bedroom apartment in this community. Commercial housing." The old lady explained.

"What happened to this house?"

"I rented out the house, the monthly rent is 2,500. The renter is a young girl from other places..."

"Wait a minute, didn't you say that the house was bought for your son for his wedding? Why did you rent it out again?"

"Because my son doesn't have a girlfriend yet, and I don't know when he will. And I got a loan to buy a house, so I thought about renting out the house first and using the rent to repay the loan. When my son has a girlfriend, we can really talk about it. When it’s time to get married, I won't rent it any more, and give them the house as their wedding gift."

Tan Yong understood. "So, you are still living in the dilapidated house in the old street, and the new house is used to collect rent?"

"Right."

"What happened to this house? You said it was rented to a young woman from another place, and then what?"

"It's like this. This girl's rent is one deposit and three payments. She has been renting for more than half a year. It is normal to pay the rent before. But this month, when it is time to pay the rent for the third quarter, I can't contact her…"

Tan Yong frowned. "You are looking for me because the tenant doesn't pay the rent? This kind of thing is not under the control of our criminal police."

"No, I'm looking for Officer Tan because..." The old woman hesitated for a while, then said, "At noon today, the property management of the community called me and said that they had received complaints from neighbors in our building, and many people smelled it. The smell, they suspected, was coming from my house. But the property management went to knock on the door, and no one was home, so they called me."

"The tenant couldn't be contacted, and the neighbors said they smelled a bad smell... Do you suspect that the tenant died at home?" Tan Yong asked.

"I don't know if it's... and I dare not go to see it alone, so I want to ask Officer Tan for help." The old woman said tremblingly.

"This kind of thing is what our police should do. There is no such thing as whether to help or not. You can call any policeman you want." Tan Yong told the old woman. "But since you found me, I'll accompany you to have a look."

"Okay, thank you very much."

Tan Yong called Li Bin and reported that he needed to confirm something. Then, he let the old woman get into the car, and drove the police car towards Yuehai Bay Community.

"Okay, don't worry too much. It may not be what you think. It's summer now, maybe it's just the smell of garbage," Tan Yong consoled her.

"I hope so." The old woman clasped her hands together and prayed.

Ten minutes later, a police car arrived at the entrance of Yuehai Bay Community. The two got out of the car, and the old woman led the way into one of the units. After entering the elevator, the old woman pressed the number "12."

"Your apartment is on the twelfth floor?"

"Yes."

The elevator door opened, and the old woman led Tan Yong to her own door. Tan Yong knocked on the door heavily and waited for a long time but received no response. Tan Yong asked the old woman, "When you called the tenant's phone today, was it not answered or was it turned off?"

"It should be turned off."

Tan Yong took out his phone and called a locksmith, giving him the specific unit number and asking him to come immediately.

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