Chapter 35

"The Place of Great Evil 5, Simplicity and Complexity"

"Oss, what brings you here?" asked Anger, "Another case?"

"Yes," Oss nodded and sat down, saying, "You were right, Anger. Those kids weren't kidnapped. Their parents hid them to scam donations for gambling debts. We owe this breakthrough to you."

Anger raised an eyebrow and inquired, "Are those parents guilty?"

Oss nodded affirmatively, "Of course, they are."

Anger pondered and said, "Actually, I shouldn't have told you."

"Why?" Oss asked, puzzled.

"Think about it," Anger said, crossing his legs, "If I hadn't informed you, the parents would have successfully received donations to pay off their debts. The public would be satisfied with the joy brought by their charity. Regardless of whether those parents would gamble again, at least those children would still have a relatively intact family. But now that I've told you, the parents will be imprisoned, the debt remains, and they'll have to pay it back with their future. They'll face public condemnation, and the children will lose their families, leading to another tragedy."

Oss sat speechless, not knowing what to say.

Without waiting for him or Mofei to respond, Anger continued, "But this world is full of contradictions. Think about it, this logic can be extended. Take murderers, for example. Executing a murderer avenges the victim, but at the same time, the murderer's family suffers the pain of loss. Thus, a crime is the start of one tragedy, and solving it begins another. Tragedies are always starting but never ending, unless humanity ceases to exist. But the extinction of humanity would be the greatest tragedy of the universe."

Os brooded for a moment, then turned to Mofei and said, "Brother, get me a glass of water, I'm thirsty."

Mofei, bemused, went into the kitchen to pour a cup of tea for Os and came out asking, "Another case?"

"Yes," Os nodded, speaking as he took out a document and handed it to Anger for inspection.

Anger took the document and opened it to see a photo on top, showing a string of ruby necklaces. The necklace was beyond description with any number of adjectives - beautiful, luxurious, dazzling... And the giant rose-colored ruby in the middle, surrounded by thousands of tiny diamonds, was undoubtedly very valuable.

"So beautiful," Anger lifted the photo, holding it up and afar, and asked, "Mofei, do you know why humans like these shiny, hard minerals?"

Mofei paused, glanced at the photo, thought for a moment, and said, "Because they're valuable?"

Anger smiled and said, "Even the bright lights can make many linger and forget to return, and jewelry even more so. In this world, many live for jewels and money – common people, rich merchants, Gobseck, even Captain Jack."

"Their tastes seem different though," Os commented.

"Yes," Anger nodded, "One enjoys the process of possessing them, while the other relishes the process of acquiring them."

"What happened to this jewelry?" Mofei asked.

"It was stolen," Os sighed, "At a jewelry exhibition, it just vanished without a trace, without any clues."

Anger chuckled, asking, "Oss, did you arrange for police protection? That's going to cost money."

"Even selling me wouldn't cover it," Os shook his head and said, "The police are for protecting lives, not jewels. These were guarded by professional bodyguards hired by the auction house."

Anger nodded, and Os asked him, "Can we leave now?"

Anger set down the jewelry and told him, "Wait a moment, help me look up some information first."

Os looked puzzled, raising his eyes to Anger and asking, "Look up what?"

Anger picked up a piece of paper from the table, on which was written the address of the haunted construction site. Handing the note to Os, Anger said, "Help me find out about an amusement park that used to be at this location... There should have been someone named Zheng Jiu, possibly the owner of the park and also a performer."

Os, taking the note and still somewhat perplexed, asked, "Anger, why are we looking this up?"

Anger offered a slight smile, saying, "Before searching for the gem, I'd like to know his identity."

"Can't we start with the gemstone?" Os sulked.

Anger slightly squinted his eyes, turned back to look at Ace lying nearby, and said, "Ace, bite him!"

"Ah!" Oss exclaimed in surprise, quickly standing up and saying, "I'll go check right away. Don’t you two go anywhere, wait for me!" With that, he turned and ran off.

After Oss left, Anger sat down on the sofa and, while petting Ace who came to his side, said to Mofei, "Mofei, I'd like some blueberry cake."

Mofei, startled, asked, "Anger, how did you know I bought blueberry jam to make a cake?"

Anger replied nonchalantly, "You were reading a pastry chef's blog yesterday, which had a blueberry cake recipe that you looked at closely. Then today, you bought some items early in the morning, including a bag from the bakery at the door. But I didn’t smell any cake or bread, so you must have bought the jam from there, probably to make that blueberry cake. After all, you had some baking ingredients left over from last time, and you’re not one to waste."

Mofei, half laughing and half crying, said, "Anger, I'll make the cake. Will you tell me about the haunted construction site?"

Anger thought for a moment and said, "Okay."

Afterwards, Mofei and Angler headed to the kitchen, while Ace dozed on the couch.

Mofei's actions of sifting flour and beating eggs were much more skilled than before, as Anger watched from the side. Mofei possessed a remarkable ability to mimic and learn behaviors; he could master certain things, especially physical movements, just by observing them once.

"Tell me, how did you know that Zheng Jiu was connected to the amusement park?" Mofei asked Anger.

Anger thought for a moment and asked, "Mofei, when you encounter a bizarre, haunted event, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?"

Mofei pondered and shook his head; he didn't grasp Anger's point.

"Well... let's put it another way," Anger said, "All ghost stories, if you remove the ghost, become very simple stories, right?"

"Yes!" Mofei nodded.

"If we take out the strange zombie appearances from our current case, it can simply be said: someone came to us to investigate a case—we went to the construction site—we found that the person didn’t exist—strange phenomena occurred at the site—the workers all saw it—there was no report the next day," Anger summarized succinctly.

"Hmm," Mofei nodded in agreement.

"Mofei, in this world, even ghosts have their reasons for doing things," An'ge'er said. "Some reasons are simple, some complex, and hard to guess, but we can try to deduce from the outcomes."

"How do you deduce that?" Mofei asked, puzzled.

"Did you notice any details?" An'ge'er inquired. "When we arrived at the construction site, not a single light was on."

"Hmm," Mofei nodded. "Because the workers had gone to eat."

Angler shook his head, "Most of the workers usually eat in small groups, and although I'm not well-versed in everyday knowledge, I do know that many of them buy food to eat back in their shacks."

"That's true," Mofei acknowledged with a nod.

"I observed that the site is large, but sparsely staffed with rudimentary facilities, and there's a watchman. Do you know what this means?" An'ge'er asked.

"Hmm…" Mofei pondered, then said, "The boss must be strict."

"Exactly!" An'ge'er nodded approvingly. "Mofei, you're learning fast. If only Os had half your wit, he wouldn't be outsmarted every day."

Mofei, caught between laughter and tears, said, "Os has his strengths. He's not dumb; everyone has different talents."

An'ge'er laughed and said, "You're remarkable. If a person always sees the good in others, they become more positive and learn a great deal."

Mofei felt a bit embarrassed as An'ge'er's compliments were always direct. He replied, "I think the boss doesn't let the workers use lights to save electricity and makes a few do a lot of work, plus there's a supervisor. So, I thought he must be harsh. And didn't I see a report yesterday? He's the villainous type."

"Quite right," An'ge'er nodded, then continued, "A harsh boss will inevitably be resented by his workers. If the ghostly disturbances at the site become a big issue, it would cause the boss severe losses, something the workers would probably enjoy. But guess why, despite many photos taken, none were made public?"

After thinking, Mofei answered, "They... used the evidence to extort money from the boss?"

"Smart," An'ge'er nodded in satisfaction, patting Mofei on the back of his neck with a sense of achievement, "Silence is maintained when there are profits to be made."

"The workers are behind this?" Mofei exclaimed in surprise.

An'ge'er waved his hand, saying, "This is a costly and golden prank. To pull this off requires bigger incentives and more capable individuals."

"Are you saying Zheng Jiu benefited more from this?" Mofei asked.

Anger reflected and said, "We deduced a reason from one outcome, so we can deduce another reason from a different outcome."

"Another result?" Mofei seemed puzzled.

"Why involve us?" An'ge'er asked Mofei. "This ruse could have been managed with just the evidence from the site's workers. Why the need to involve us specifically?"

Mofei paused, then said thoughtfully, "He deliberately let us see the walking zombie and the ghostly shadows at the site... Does he want us to believe?"

"Mofei, beyond superficial reasoning, we need deeper analysis," An'ge'er advised. "I don't know who directed Zheng Jiu to me, but he understands me well enough to achieve two objectives."

"Which two objectives?" Mofei inquired further.

"The truth is always the simplest thing in front of us, Mofei!" An'ge'er stated. "First, I learned about this incident, and second, I learned about it but didn't disclose it."

Mofei frowned, "Are those points significant?"

"Extremely," An'ge'er nodded. "The reason for the boss to comply is the haunting at the site. Whether it's paying compensation or selling the land, any action is less damaging than the exposure of the ghost incident and continuing construction."

"Right," Mofei nodded.

"Meaning, the workers used the promise of secrecy and the threat to get compensation from the boss, and Zheng Jiu likely bought the land at a low price," An'ge'er explained. "This is one of the reasons I deduce he's the owner of that amusement park."

"Is he so sure you won't spill the beans?" Mo Fei asked. "You still have the photos."

Anger smiled, looking at Mo Fei. "What do you think? Would I talk?"

Mo Fei fell silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "You wouldn't. If you did, those workers wouldn't get their compensation. You've always been one to help the underdog."

Anger nodded and said, "That Zheng Jiu, he successfully tied his interests to those of the workers, effectively sealing my lips. Plus, didn’t he also give me a sum of money?" He said this, gesturing towards the money on the table.

"What about the other matter?" Mo Fei asked. "You're aware of this situation and it's caught your attention, but what good does that do?"

Anger chuckled and replied, "As you said, the construction site boss is a villain. Naturally, he knows about Zheng Jiu's actions and is bound to be upset. In terms of legitimate business strategies, he might never outsmart a cunning old fox like Zheng Jiu in his lifetime, but he could act in the shadows. Perhaps he'll send someone to cause trouble at his site, or maybe even arrange an assassination, all in the name of revenge."

"I see," Mo Fei nodded. "You're Zheng Jiu's fallback. With your close ties to the police, if anything happens to him, you'll know it's the construction site boss. Plus, you have this evidence... He can use it to threaten the boss, to save his skin without any risk. He's really clever."

"Hmm," Anger nodded. "Indeed, very astute."

"By the way," Mo Fei continued, "you just mentioned that Zheng Jiu might have bought that land cheaply, so you suspect he's the owner of the amusement park. Any other reason why you think he's also the performer?"

Anger smiled, extending his slender finger to wipe off some cream on Mofei's nose, licked it off, and said, "Ghosts, Mofei. As I said, it's about ghosts. Who else can make two zombies appear out of thin air, disappear before us, and create ghostly shadows in front of so many people?"

Mofei, taken aback, suddenly realized, "A magician?"

Anger nodded, smiling, "Not just making two ghosts disappear. Even making the Statue of Liberty vanish is within the realm of possibility for the omnipotent human magician."

……

As the cake came out of the oven, fragrant and sweet, Oss also returned, telling Anger, "I found the person you were asking about, Anger. He's the former owner of the amusement park, a magician."

Mofei turned to look at Anger.

Anger thought for a moment and said to Mofei, "Call the Disease Control Center in S City. Tell them there are rabid dogs near the amusement park construction site and that the circus animals there seem to lack vaccination certificates."

Mofei's eyes widened and he asked Anger, "Anger, is this your way of sabotaging him?"

Anger smiled and replied, "Clearly, he knows me well but not well enough. I believe in fairness; there's no reason for him to have all the advantages. If he wants to use me, he must pay a price. Moreover, if it helps the circus animals return to nature, all the better." Standing up, he said to Oss, "Let's go, Oss, to the auction house."

Oss, utterly confused, said to Anger, "Anger, you always dominate with your intelligence and wit!"

Angler raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Oss, that's why I say you're not clever. Reasoning never needs brilliance, only the right thought process. An overly bright mind fosters excessive imagination and a lack of focus." He then picked up a piece of blueberry cake, took a bite, and remarked to Mofei, "Delicious!"