Blazing Armor

The next morning, the results from the fire investigation lab came back. The melted piece of glass that Gong Yingxian found at the scene, as he had suspected, came from an alcohol lamp.

Ren Yi instructed Qiu Wen to send a copy of the report to the Hongwu District Bureau and then informed Gong Yingxian of the findings via message.

With such conclusive evidence, the case could essentially be closed. Only four days had passed since the incident, and this level of efficiency should satisfy both leadership and the public.

Ren Yi thought the matter was over. But in the late afternoon, he received another call from Gong Yingxian.

“Did you get the examination report?”

“Yeah, I got it. I need to confirm something with you,” Gong Yingxian said.

“What is it?”

“The exact times—from when you received the report of the incident, to when you arrived at the scene, opened the emergency exit door, and when the fire was extinguished.”

“My report isn’t finished yet, but I can send you what I have. It has detailed records. What’s going on?”

“There may be a change in the case.”

Ren Yi sat up straight. “A change? Wasn’t the case ready to be closed?”

“Cai Wan admitted to using drugs and that the alcohol lamp ignited the sofa. But she also said there was another person in the room with her—a strange man. She was disoriented and can’t remember what he looked like. She claims that person deliberately smashed the alcohol lamp. She didn’t mention it before because she was afraid her drug use would be discovered.”

Ren Yi was silent for a moment. “You believe the words of someone on drugs? Her story has already changed several times.”

“People who use drugs often have manipulative personalities. I don’t fully believe her, but there’s something suspicious. The bottles of alcohol lamps are sealed. If it’s just tipped over, the wick might leak fluid, but it’s hard to cause a large-scale spill all at once. Also, the bottle itself is usually thick. How high are the table or the sofa? About forty centimeters, right? I bought seven different alcohol lamps and tested them. From that height, only the one with the worst quality broke. The one I found was pretty thick.”

“It would take a significant amount of accelerant to cause a fire that spreads so quickly and can’t be put out right away. You’re saying someone might have deliberately smashed the bottle with force?”

“Cai Wan said the same thing. Of course, this doesn’t rule out the possibility that she broke it herself. I just need more evidence to either confirm or refute it,” Gong Yingxian paused, “or disprove it.”

“How do you plan to confirm it?”

“I want to return to the scene at the time of the crime and see if I can find any new clues.”

“At night? The lighting won’t be great.”

“Recreating the scene as closely as possible helps in thinking from the perpetrator’s perspective.”

Ren Yi scratched his head. “Alright.”

—

A little after 1 AM, the two of them arrived again at Fourth Perspective.

With the accident just a few days prior, business in the area had naturally taken a hit. The street was now cold and quiet, a far cry from the bustling atmosphere it once had.

At the scene, Gong Yingxian didn’t rush inside. Instead, he walked around the block twice, checking both the east and west routes leading to Fourth Perspective.

Ren Yi trailed behind, taking in the mouth-watering smells drifting from nearby restaurants. His stomach twisted uncomfortably, growling with hunger.

Finally, after midnight, around the time the fire had started, the two of them crossed the police tape and approached the ruins.

Gong Yingxian took a deep breath, put on a mask, and switched on his flashlight.

“Wait a sec,” Ren Yi looked at him, “You’re not gonna throw up again, are you?”

Gong Yingxian said, “No guarantees.”

“You puke over a bit of dirt? Have you ever seen a psychologist?” Ren Yi shrugged. “If it’s this tough, why put yourself through it?”

Gong Yingxian responded coldly, “If you talk less, we’ll finish sooner, and maybe I won’t puke on you.” With that, he strode forward.

Ren Yi rolled his eyes but followed.

The scene hadn’t changed much from a few days ago, except now it was night, and visibility was poor. They had to be careful not to trip over the scattered debris.

The two made their way upstairs, with Gong Yingxian checking the other private rooms, muttering, “The doors here are sealed, so you can’t see inside from outside. If what Cai Wan said is true, why did that person enter their room out of all the others? And why start a fire?”

“I still think she’s lying. That person she mentioned probably doesn’t exist—or if they do, it’s someone she knows, and she’s covering for them.” Ren Yi clicked his tongue. “She’s the only one left alive. Dead people can’t testify.”

Gong Yingxian didn’t comment, continuing his inspection as they headed to the second floor.

Suddenly, Ren Yi had a thought. “Hey, do you think the bar owner knew people were using drugs in his place?”

“That’s a good question,” Gong Yingxian replied. “My colleagues are investigating.”

“Such a young girl, already mixed up with drugs,” Ren Yi sighed.

“There are too many like her. Cai Wan claimed she hadn’t used much, but these synthetic drugs do severe damage to the nervous system. Her confusion might not be entirely due to lying.”

“By the way, are you really a PhD in chemistry?”

“Yeah.”

“So, like, you could… you know… make things like they show on TV?”

“Only basic chemical procedures.”

Suddenly, a faint creaking noise came from behind them. Both men turned sharply, just in time to see a shadowy figure darting past.

In the dead of night, in a charred building where nearly thirty people had died, seeing a fleeting shadow made Ren Yi’s skin crawl.

“Who’s there?!” Gong Yingxian shouted and bolted after the figure.

Ren Yi quickly followed.

The figure ran down the long hallway, heading for the stairwell.

Ren Yi, realizing that the figure was a living person, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn’t slow down. One common trait among arsonists is their compulsion to return to the scene, savoring their “masterpiece.” This person might just be…

Suddenly, Gong Yingxian, running ahead, tripped over something and fell hard. Ren Yi couldn’t stop in time and collided with him, sending both tumbling into the chaotic debris.

Ren Yi felt a sharp pain in his ribs as they hit something, and his ankle twisted, making him cry out in pain. At the same time, he heard Gong Yingxian’s sharp intake of breath.

As they lay tangled together, Ren Yi caught the faint, dry, herbal scent that seemed to cling to Gong Yingxian, the same smell that filled his car—it wasn’t just there, but on him too…

Gong Yingxian shoved Ren Yi off and leaped to his feet, shouting, “Stop!”

Ren Yi looked up and saw that the person they were chasing had already reached the stairs.

Gong Yingxian tossed aside his flashlight, and as it hit the ground, the beam pointed upwards. In that brief moment of light, Ren Yi saw a gun in Gong Yingxian’s hand—he wasn’t sure when it had appeared.

Gong Yingxian hesitated for less than a second, then bolted in the exact opposite direction of the stairs.

Realizing what he was about to do, Ren Yi shouted, “No, don’t!”

But it was too late. Gong Yingxian jumped out of the second-floor window.

Ren Yi scrambled to his feet, gritting his teeth against the pain in his ankle, and ran downstairs.

By the time he reached the ground, Gong Yingxian had already chased down a short man, tackling him to the ground a hundred meters away. The man was screaming, “Let go of me!”

Ren Yi ran over, yelling, “Do you have any idea how dangerous jumping out of a window is? You think this is a damn movie?!”

Gong Yingxian ignored him completely, pulling out his car keys and tossing them to Ren Yi. “In the glove compartment—handcuffs.”

Ren Yi glared daggers at him.

With one hand pinning the man’s wrists together and his knee pressing into the man’s back, Gong Yingxian growled, “Go.”

Grumbling under his breath, Ren Yi went to Gong Yingxian’s car, grabbed the handcuffs, and threw them to him. Gong Yingxian efficiently cuffed the man to a nearby railing.

“Why are you arresting me? Let me go!” The man screamed in terror.

Ren Yi crouched down and studied him. He was a young man, probably in his twenties, short and skinny, with pale skin and the appearance of someone suffering from malnutrition.

Gong Yingxian said coldly, “Who are you, and why are you here in the middle of the night?”

“I-I was just curious, can’t I come and have a look? What right do you have to arrest me? What law did I break?”

Ren Yi caught a glimpse of the backpack behind the man and yanked it over.

“What are you doing? Don’t touch my stuff! I-I have a right to privacy!”

Ren Yi pulled out a laptop, a gimbal camera, a helmet with a night-vision light, and some other miscellaneous items. He turned on the camera and found numerous videos and photos taken from a fourth-person perspective. His chest heaved with anger as he grabbed the back of the man’s neck and growled, “Was it you who started the fire? Huh? Do you know how many people died, you bastard?!”

“It wasn’t me! I didn’t set any fire!”

Gong Yingxian made a phone call, asking for a police car.

Ren Yi glanced at Gong Yingxian and saw his ruined suit. He wasn’t much better off, looking like he’d bathed in a pile of coal dust, filthy beyond recognition. Even for someone like him, who wasn’t normally fastidious, this dirtiness was unbearable. But for Gong Yingxian…

Gong’s body was stiff, his face dark, clearly not knowing how to handle the situation. For someone with a cleanliness obsession, being this filthy must be absolute torture.

Suddenly, Ren Yi noticed blood on the ground. He was startled and circled around Gong.

“What are you doing…?”

Ren Yi grabbed Gong’s arm and saw a long cut on his forearm, gasping in shock.

Gong Yingxian pulled his hand back. “Don’t touch me.”

Ren Yi, too tired to argue, said, “You need to go to the hospital.”

“No need. I’ll handle it myself.”

“You need stitches at least.”

“I said I’ll handle it myself.”

“And just how the hell are you gonna handle it, huh?” Ren Yi’s temper flared. “Are you out of your mind, jumping from the second floor? Just a few days ago, a firefighter jumped out of the same window while putting out a fire, and he broke his leg. He had no choice!”

“It was just over three meters.”

“Three meters isn’t high enough for you?” Ren Yi gritted his teeth. “In the old days, fire stations used to have a pole running from the top floor down to the garage so firefighters could slide down quickly, but they got rid of it. Why? Because every year, people got injured—usually just sprains and minor injuries, but some got concussions, some broke their legs, and some couldn’t walk ever again. You never know when you’ll land wrong, you never know if today’s your unlucky day, you never know when fate’s gonna catch up to you. So as an adult, you need to take responsibility for your own damn safety!”

Gong Yingxian was momentarily stunned by Ren Yi’s fierce demeanor, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he snapped back to reality. “I’m a police officer.”

“I’m a firefighter.” Ren Yi jabbed a finger at Gong’s chest. “Do you know how many accidents I’ve seen in my life? How many times a tiny mistake led to horrible, irreversible consequences?”

The two glared at each other, neither backing down.

Just then, the sound of a police siren cut through the tension, and a patrol car pulled up in front of them.

Two officers got out of the car. “Dr. Gong.”

Gong Yingxian said, “He’s a suspect in the bar fire case. Take him back to the station. I’ll be there later for the interrogation.”

“Understood.”

After the suspect was taken away, Gong walked to his car, opened the trunk, and pulled out a brand new suit. He loosened his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt, one button at a time. Ren Yi followed, still glaring at him.

“You want to watch me undress?” Gong asked coldly.

Ren Yi snapped back, catching a glimpse of Gong’s chest muscles through the open shirt, feeling his cheeks heat up. He cursed, “Who the hell wants to watch you undress? I want to see you go to the hospital and get that wound treated right now!”

“I told you, I’ll handle it myself,” Gong replied stubbornly. “I’m not going to the hospital.”

“You’re either going to the hospital right now, or you’re going to treat it in front of me. Otherwise, I’m calling Captain Song immediately!”

Gong Yingxian ripped open his shirt with such force that the buttons scattered everywhere. His aggressive action clearly reflected his anger.

When clothed, Gong Yingxian appeared lean, but once the shirt was off, his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and solid chest muscles were on full display—he was even more muscular than Ren Yi. His firm pecs and abs, resembling small bricks, left Ren Yi momentarily stunned.

Normally, Gong Yingxian wasn’t Ren Yi’s type, but with a body like that and such a handsome face, he truly was a marvel to behold.

Ren Yi didn’t quite know where to look. Staring seemed inappropriate, but looking away felt like a missed opportunity, and would also make him seem guilty.

“Turn around!” Gong Yingxian snapped.

“… You’re being dramatic.” Ren Yi muttered, rolling his eyes before turning away.

After putting on a new shirt, Gong Yingxian looked around to make sure no one was watching and changed his pants as well. He stuffed his dirty clothes into the trash, then took a good look at the filthy Ren Yi.

Snapping back to reality, Ren Yi said, “Don’t think I’m bluffing. I’ll call Captain Song right now.”

“Get in the car.”

“Huh?”

Gong Yingxian grabbed a few disposable napkins from the cooler and tossed them at Ren Yi. “Put these on the seat. Don’t touch anything.”

“Are you fucking deaf? I told you to deal with your wound.”

“Get in the car. I’ll handle my wound right in front of you.”

Ren Yi hesitated for a moment, then made his way to the passenger seat.

After getting in, Gong Yingxian watched as Ren Yi placed the napkins on the seat and backrest. Once he sat down and was about to close the door, Gong Yingxian stopped him. “Don’t touch it.” He leaned over, bracing himself on Ren Yi’s seat, and reached across to pull the door shut before fastening Ren Yi’s seatbelt.

Ren Yi sat frozen against the seat, not daring to move, as the unique scent of Gong Yingxian filled his nostrils. Their proximity was so close he could feel the warmth radiating from Gong Yingxian’s body. Watching Gong Yingxian’s flawless profile move in front of him, Ren Yi couldn’t help but swallow hard.

After securing the seatbelt, Gong Yingxian started the car.

It took Ren Yi a while to regain his composure. “Where are we going?”

“My place.”