Blazing Armor

Ren Yi thought for a moment that Gong Yingxian was scolding him and froze for a second.

Gong Yingxian said, “The remnants on the ground should all be trash.”

“Oh, right.” Ren Yi kicked at it. Although most of it had been burnt beyond recognition, it was still clear that it was trash.

“The dark marks on the floor tiles are indeed free carbon, decomposed from the heavy components of a burning liquid, but gasoline? Are you sure?” Gong Yingxian wrinkled his nose and sniffed. The fire had burned too fiercely, and the scorched smell in the air made it hard to confirm whether it was really gasoline.

“If gasoline was only used as a minor accelerant, the smell wouldn’t be that obvious. I was some distance away at the time. The center of the fire was too hot, so we couldn’t get close. I’m not sure either,” Ren Yi called out, “Zhang Wen, what equipment did you bring?”

Zhang Wen opened the toolbox, “Captain Ren, I only brought the hydrocarbon detector. It can’t detect specific types. I’ll need to take samples back to the lab.”

“Alright.” Ren Yi pried off a piece of burnt floor tile. When liquids penetrate, they leave obvious traces underneath tiles or flooring. Volatile liquids, like alcohol or ether, wouldn’t. That’s why they hadn’t discovered the true cause of the fire at first from the fourth perspective.

Gong Yingxian asked, “Zhang Wen, did you take photos inside?”

“Not yet.”

“Hurry up and take some. We need to go inside and check it out.”

“Got it, got it.” Zhang Wen went off with the camera to take photos of the scene.

Gong Yingxian headed toward the nearby resident’s place, with Ren Yi following along.

“2209 is the apartment closest to the elevator shaft on the west side, right next to the elevator duct. The far end of the corridor has a ventilation window. Starting a fire here would make it spread quickly, as it would seek oxygen from both directions,” Ren Yi shook his head, “The result was devastating.”

“The two apartments closest to the west stairwell escaped, but the male owner of 2209 died. Could this be arson targeting 2209?” Gong Yingxian muttered.

The two circled the area, deducing the fire’s path based on burn marks. They didn’t find anything suspicious for the time being. Zhang Wen had finished taking the photos by now, and the three of them entered 2209 together.

The door to 2209 had been completely burned down, and visually, more than 70% of the three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment had been affected. The scene was horrific.

Gong Yingxian took a deep breath, his hand clenched tightly in his pants pocket, then relaxed, repeatedly adjusting his emotions.

Ren Yi asked, “You alright?”

Gong Yingxian nodded.

The two carefully examined the fire scene.

“This was the location of the death. The male owner tried to escape through the living room, but the fire was right outside the door. He got trapped and eventually collapsed here due to smoke inhalation,” Ren Yi observed the fixed line drawn on the ground, looking in the direction of the victim. The distance to the door was only about twenty steps, but even if he had made it, there was no way he could have opened the door.

Gong Yingxian meticulously investigated the victim’s actions before death, checking every room, window, and door. Besides some signs of self-rescue, there was nothing particularly suspicious. He asked, “No signs of forced entry or struggle. What about the autopsy report? Has it come in?”

Zhang Wen said, “I’ll call and ask now.”

Ren Yi focused his investigation on the fire’s spread and the burn marks on the electrical wiring. If the fire followed normal patterns, it would at least prove that the fire inside the apartment wasn’t fueled by an accelerant. Electrical fires are the leading cause of fires, so this had to be examined, even though they were 90% sure the fire had started just outside the door. They still had to rule out other possibilities.

Zhang Wen returned after his call, “Captain Ren, Dr. Gong, the victim died from smoke inhalation, no external injuries, no alcohol or drugs in his system. He was already dead before the fire reached him.”

“Zhang, help me check all the electrical burn marks in the house.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two checked the wiring thoroughly but found no signs of an electrical fire.

Ren Yi emerged from the bedroom and saw Gong Yingxian still crouching on the ground, staring at something. “All evidence points to the fire starting outside, with the trash igniting. The burn patterns are consistent with that.”

Gong Yingxian gave a low “mm.”

Ren Yi sensed something was off about him and crouched beside him. “Hey, you…”

Gong Yingxian’s face was pale, his breathing rapid, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, and his gaze seemed vacant.

Ren Yi sighed, “Why do you put yourself through this? Let me help you out for some air.”

Gong Yingxian shook his head, “I need to adapt. This is part of the treatment.”

“Adapt? By forcing yourself like this?” Gong Yingxian’s behavior suggested severe PTSD, and such ‘treatment’ could backfire.

“Yes, this is…” Gong Yingxian’s voice trembled, “the best way.”

Ren Yi’s heart ached seeing him like this. “Have you seen a psychologist? You don’t have to force yourself like this.”

Gong Yingxian looked up at Ren Yi, “If I can’t even overcome this, how can I be a cop? How can I catch arsonists?”

Ren Yi opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Gong Yingxian steadied his breathing and stood up. “I’m fine.”

“How about we call it a day? We’ve collected enough evidence for Zhang to take to the lab. You also need time to investigate the residents’ social connections. If necessary, we can come back tomorrow.”

Gong Yingxian thought for a moment and nodded.

After they went downstairs, Zhang Wen left first. Ren Yi noticed that some color had returned to Gong Yingxian’s face. “Are you okay? Can you drive?”

“No problem.” Gong Yingxian glanced at Ren Yi, “Unless you’re dying to drive for me.”

Ren Yi scoffed, “You’re getting way too used to bossing me around. Fine, I’ll drive for you. Where to?”

Gong Yingxian adjusted his sleeve and glanced at his watch. “My colleague just messaged me. Cai Wan’s brother has been brought in. He was just sent to the station. Want to go see?”

“Of course. I can’t wait to question him myself.”

“Let’s go.”

They walked to the car, and Ren Yi instinctively held out his hand, “Come on.”

Gong Yingxian first opened the trunk, took out his insulated lunch box, then tossed the keys to Ren Yi.

“What, are you going to serve me lunch in the car?”

“I’m eating myself.”

“You haven’t eaten lunch?”

“I’ve been busy all morning.” Gong Yingxian opened the rear door.

“Nope.” Ren Yi slammed the door shut. “If you want me to drive, you sit in the passenger seat.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to chat with you while looking at you through the rearview mirror. It’s not safe.”

Gong Yingxian frowned, “Why do you need to look at me? We can just talk. What’s the point of looking?”

“…,” Ren Yi rolled his eyes, “Normal people make eye contact when they talk. It’s a habit, uncontrollable.”

Gong Yingxian thought about it. “That makes sense.” He walked around to the passenger seat.

Ren Yi muttered under his breath, “Sometimes, looking at your face reminds me not to hit you.”

“Hit me? What do you mean by hit?”

“…Nothing.”

After getting into the car, Gong Yingxian carefully spread a napkin over his lap, slowly taking out a lunchbox and eating at a measured pace.

Ren Yi glanced sideways at the food he was eating, completely unappetized.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Gong Yingxian snorted. “Don’t think I can’t tell you’re judging my eating habits in your mind.”

“You judge mine too. We’re even.”

“At least we don’t have to eat together.”

Ren Yi shook his head, sounding like a disappointed parent. “Do you even realize how much good food you’re missing out on? Hotpot, barbecue, buns, all served piping hot. Even if you skip those, most Chinese dishes are hot by nature. Aren’t you curious at all? Don’t you want to try them?”

Gong Yingxian shook his head. “No, I hate hot things.”

“How hot are we talking?”

“Anything hotter than human body temperature.”

Ren Yi stared at him in disbelief. “So… do you also hate humans?”

“Unless they insist on unnecessary physical contact.”

“…Wait, are you saying you never engage in unnecessary physical contact with people?”

“Correct.”

“So what’s necessary, and what’s unnecessary?”

“Most of it’s unnecessary. Like shaking hands.” Gong Yingxian glanced at his gloved hand. “But for work, I have to conform to societal customs as much as possible.”

Ren Yi swallowed, curiosity gnawing at him. “So… have you ever, you know, been in a relationship?” His heart pounded as soon as the words left his mouth.

Gong Yingxian squinted at him.

“I mean, in relationships, there’s… you know what I mean.”

With an expressionless face, Gong Yingxian said, “You’re referring to intimate physical contact, the exchange of bodily fluids, friction between organs—is that what you’re trying to say?”

Ren Yi’s face went through a range of expressions, momentarily at a loss for words.

“No, I haven’t. Why would I want to engage in intimate physical contact, exchange bodily fluids, and procreate—”

“Alright, alright, stop!” Ren Yi’s face twitched in embarrassment. Desperate to shift the mood, he let his gaze drop down to a rather delicate area of Gong Yingxian’s body and teased, “Dr. Gong, could it be that you… you know…?”

Gong Yingxian followed his gaze, then shot him a glare. “Are you insinuating I have a malfunction in my male reproductive function?”

Ren Yi immediately regretted his life choices. He felt like he’d asked for this mortification. He wasn’t usually shy, often joking around without a second thought, but this conversation required a certain back-and-forth dynamic, and here he was, tossing a ping-pong ball only to get a bowling ball thrown back at him. It was too much.

“My body is perfectly healthy in every respect,” Gong Yingxian stated. “Just because I don’t use it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. If you think not having sex means questioning someone’s sexual functionality, then I could just as easily question yours.” He deliberately glanced at Ren Yi’s crotch and gave a mocking chuckle.

Ren Yi’s eyes widened. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

“Whatever you meant, that’s what I mean.”

“I—I’m perfectly functional, alright?”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“Your function has nothing to do with me either!”

“Then why ask? Too full to think straight?”

Ren Yi was rendered speechless.

Gong Yingxian smirked triumphantly and put his lunchbox away.

Ren Yi decided to stay quiet, afraid he might dig himself into another awkward hole.

But after a moment, Gong Yingxian suddenly said, “You’re very curious.”

“Uh… maybe.”

“Anything about me that you find different from normal, you like to ask or question.”

“Do I?”

“You do. You’re very curious about me.”

Ren Yi felt a bit guilty. “Just to be clear, my curiosity has no other motives, it’s just that—”

“But you’ve never asked me why I hate fire, hospitals, or high temperatures,” Gong Yingxian interrupted, turning his head slightly, his deep and bright eyes seeming to pierce through everything.

Ren Yi fell silent.

“You already know, don’t you?” Gong Yingxian said calmly. “Heard it from someone else?”

“I—I didn’t ask much… just a little…”

“It doesn’t matter. I haven’t intentionally hidden it. You asked me why I became a cop. Yes, it was because of something from my childhood. But I don’t like talking about it with anyone. Although you’re very curious, you’ve never brought it up. That’s good.”

Ren Yi sighed inwardly. “Everyone has stories they’d rather not tell. There needs to be a certain boundary between friends.”

Gong Yingxian looked momentarily startled. Cautiously, he asked, “Are we friends?”

Ren Yi was also taken aback. “Uh, I guess? We see each other pretty regularly.” His tone grew less confident as he finished speaking.

Gong Yingxian stared straight ahead in silence.

Ren Yi grew anxious. It had been a long time since he’d felt this kind of adolescent-like awkwardness. He took a deep breath. “You don’t want to be friends with me? From what I’ve seen, both your butler and your sister seem supportive.”

Gong Yingxian shrugged, turning his head to look out the window, and said with a forced nonchalance, “Alright, let’s be friends then.”

Ren Yi snuck a glance at Gong Yingxian, feeling the sudden urge to laugh, and a small smile actually crept onto his face.