Bureau of Paranormal Investigation

On the way back to the surface, I was constantly on edge, worried that Wu Rendi might suddenly come down and we'd run face-to-face. Fortunately, luck was on my side; I safely got on the elevator and didn't see any sign of Wu Rendi.

The elevator stopped suddenly after going up just one floor. The doors slowly opened, and I quickly hid the wooden box behind me. Then a round face stretched in first, smiling warmly as he said, "I'm not saying anything, but coming up late — you must have been visiting Director Wu's private stash, right?"

If I hadn't seen Sun Fatty, that would have been fine. But as soon as I saw him, my eyes widened. I thrust the bag in my hand in front of him and said, "First, tell me about Guangren! Look at this! Pickled mustard greens, sausages, and that nasty salted duck egg — he didn't eat a single bite! He just gave me a mouthful of complaints. And you let him ruin my whole day like that."

"Oh? Pickled mustard greens, sausages, and salted eggs all untouched, but he drank the beer..." After hearing me, Sun Fatty's face broke into an inscrutable smile. He took the bag from my hand, pulled out the two empty beer cans, glanced at them, and grinned at me, baring his teeth: "Let's talk about that later. There's no one here right now, so it's a good place to stash things. You don't want anyone discovering what's in the back, do you, Lazi?"

There was no point hiding anything from Sun Fatty. I just carried the wooden box and followed him down to the third basement level. It was my first time here. From a glance, nothing special about the large space — it was divided into five zones. We went to the front zone, and Sun Fatty took me into a room.

I looked around; inside neatly arranged were about ten or so boxes of various sizes. Each was sealed with plastic and labeled with dates, years, and addresses. After a glance, I turned to Sun Fatty and asked, "Dasheng, what's all this?"

Sun Fatty said, "To put it simply, it's just like the fifth basement — the third basement is the storage for various investigation offices. Except for the Sixth Office, after each investigation finishes, the recovered items get brought back here. Aside from those that need to be stored on the fourth basement, the rest just get dumped here. Lazi, this is the First Office's area. If you hide things here, no one will know."

The First Office... A sudden heaviness filled my heart. Hao Wenming's situation was unknown — whether he was alive or dead was uncertain. Po Jun was gone without even a body left behind. I'd been to the Sixth Office; Sun Fatty was promoted to deputy director. Now the First Office was nothing but a nameplate.

Sun Fatty seemed to read my thoughts. He found a cleaner box to sit on and said, "Don't dwell on the past — good or bad, it's all over. Worrying just causes yourself more trouble. Let's talk about what happened earlier." He changed the subject and, after a pause, continued, "Tell me, how did Guangren react after drinking the beer?"

Mentioning Guangren instantly sparked anger in me. I gave Sun Fatty a sidelong glance and said, "What does it have to do with you whether he drinks or not? He's not teaching me now, and if Wu Rendi finds out, I'm the one who's out of luck. Who do you want me to complain to..."

While I spoke, Sun Fatty kept looking at me with a half-smile that didn't reach his eyes. A flicker in my mind reminded me of the expression he had at the elevator door earlier. Suddenly, I felt like I understood something and stared at Sun Fatty's eyes, saying, "Wait a minute... this was all your plan, wasn't it? The pickled mustard greens, salted eggs — it was all a smokescreen. You just wanted to see Guangren's reaction to the beer, right?"

"Hahaha," Sun Fatty's smile widened until he burst into loud laughter, "Lazi, I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later."

I guessed the beginning but couldn't make sense of Sun Fatty's intention. Seeing him grinning cheekily, I couldn't help but ask again, "Dasheng, stop making me guess — be straightforward. What exactly are you up to?"

"Lazi, first tell me how Guangren reacted to the beer," Sun Fatty said with a broad grin. "It's not that I don't want to say, but Guangren's situation is complicated and hard to explain."

"When did you become so stubborn?" I rolled my eyes at him but still recounted Guangren's reaction to the beer. Sun Fatty listened with a smile. When I mentioned that Guangren had been to Prussia (the predecessor of Germany) in the ninth year of Tongzhi, his eyes squinted. When I spoke of Guangren's grudge with Wu Rendi, his eyes narrowed almost into a slit.

When I finished, I looked at Sun Fatty, waiting for an explanation. But he kept squinting and smiling at me. Feeling awkward, I sidestepped a little, but he kept grinning at where I had just stood.

"Dasheng, look over here," I called out. Only then did he realize and blinked, composing himself before saying, "Next time you meet him, call out 'Ren Guangjia' and see how Guangren reacts."

Sun Fatty's words left me baffled: "Who's Ren Guangjia? Does Guangren know someone named Ren?" Sun Fatty didn't answer directly. Instead, he chuckled and said, "Lazi, now I'll tell you why I gave you the beer."

After finishing, Sun Fatty took out a pack of cigarettes, handed me one first, then lit one for himself. Sitting right under a "No Smoking" sign, he took a puff and said, "Yesterday you described Guangren wearing a long gown from the Republican era, but judging from his conversation with Wu Rendi, he should be from an earlier time—somewhere between the late Qing and mid-Qing dynasties."

"I use the year 1900 as a dividing line to roughly determine the period Guangren lived in. Once confirmed, we can narrow down his exact time. Beer only started entering China around 1900, so even if he hadn't actually drunk beer but only heard of it, that helps us roughly place his timeframe."

At this point, Sun Fatty's expression changed. He seemed troubled by some serious issue. After a pause, he continued, "Originally, I prepared several items to test him gradually. According to my plan, by your fifth visit down there, we could figure out exactly when old Wu locked him up. But unexpectedly, after just two cans of beer, he spilled everything I wanted to know—and even told you about his feud with Wu Rendi. Lazi, I'm just saying, these two beers were a bit strong, weren't they?"

I vaguely understood what Sun Fatty was implying but still asked, "Dasheng, just be straightforward. What exactly does Guangren mean?"

Sun Fatty's smile faded a bit as he looked at me and said, "He saw through my plan and deliberately used your mouth to tell me his story—also patching up the gaps in my reasoning."

Seeing my confused look, Sun Fatty added, "Lazi, my original dividing line was flawed. I overlooked Chinese people who'd been to Europe and could have been exposed to beer. So he proactively told you he'd been to Prussia in the ninth year of Tongzhi. Aside from Chinese who'd been sold as indentured laborers to Europe, not many had been to Europe in that era. So once we know that, figuring out who he really is shouldn't be too hard."

Finally, I understood the mystery of the name Ren Guangjia he mentioned earlier. "So Guangren is actually Ren Guangjia?" Sun Fatty grinned and said, "He doesn't know that. I can fill in some gaps myself."

Sun Fatty's words hinted at a story I didn't immediately catch, so I asked, "How did you fill in the blanks?"

He chuckled, "Though I missed those who'd been to Europe, I still kept 1900 as the dividing line and checked all official records of missing persons related to supernatural cases in the 20 years before and after. There were 21 candidates matching Guangren's profile. But after you told me his story, only one matched perfectly—Ren Guangjia."

By now, Sun Fatty's cigarette was almost down to the butt. After lighting another, he said, "This Ren guy disappeared on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month in 1889. Neighbors reported hearing ghostly wails from his house that night, and some nosy folks even saw blue ghostly flames shooting up in his courtyard. The next morning, his front door was wide open. At first, they suspected thieves, fearing something had happened to him, so neighbors reported it to the authorities. But after inspection, it was clear Ren Guangjia simply vanished without cause, and none of his belongings were disturbed."

"During the investigation, many Western items were found, along with a Western-style portrait of Ren Guangjia. It turned out that Mr. Ren, who had moved in less than a year ago, had spent many years in the West. At the time, it was quite a scandal. But since there were no victims or benefits to be gained, the authorities gradually lost interest and the case became a cold one. Now, with the timeline coming from Guangren's own mouth, it's like the story was tailor-made for him. Also, Lazi, say the name 'Ren Guangjia' backwards."

I couldn't help but say it out loud, "Jia(Note: Jia means Fake) Guangren..." Sun Fatty laughed and winked at me, saying, "Now you get it, right?"

Just one night, and Sun Fatty figured all this out? If I wanted to investigate Guangren's identity, it would take me at least three to five months, and that's if Guangren cooperated. Since Sun Fatty became deputy director, he's become even harder to read.

Not bothering to understand him any further, I asked directly, "Just one night? How did you figure it out? Dasheng, tell me the truth—did you already know Guangren was locked up in the fifth basement?"

"Lazi, don't talk like it's so easy. You were sleeping soundly last night; I didn't close my eyes once." Sun Fatty stared at me, "Even when I wanted to check the files, I couldn't go to Ouyang Pianzou. If I hadn't been foresighted enough to digitize all historical supernatural records, I wouldn't even know who Ren Guangjia was. I spent most of the night searching, compiling 21 candidates by dawn. If I'd known Guangren would be so straightforward, I wouldn't have bothered — just wait for him to tell you himself."

While talking, Sun Fatty glanced at the wooden box in my hands, winked, and said, "Lazi, enough about me. Aren't you going to show me the treasures you got from old Wu?"

Looking at him like that, I had no choice but to show off. I opened the box and revealed the two short swords inside. Sun Fatty practically buried his face in the box, smacking his lips as he said, "Good stuff... now tell me, which one's mine?"

Sun Fatty spoke as if it were a natural right, reaching toward one of the swords. I knew the swords' power but still felt a bit annoyed that he hadn't told me about his secret investigation of Guangren earlier. I didn't stop him, thinking a little mischief after two years apart wouldn't hurt.

Just as he was about to touch one of the swords, he suddenly paused. At that moment, a furry little ball jumped out of his jacket pocket, scrambled quickly up his arm, and bit the back of his plump hand.