Chapter 21: Odd Neighbor 12

Chapter 21: Odd Neighbor 12

The wall-mounted electric fan spun at full speed, rustling the stacks of documents on the desk. Yu Bai answered the police's questions honestly.

"I was focused on watching the people nearby playing Go, so I didn't see exactly how it happened. But I'm certain Qiang and his friends didn't steal anything. They were standing by the flower bed the whole time and only rushed over at that moment."

"They didn't have the opportunity, nor any motive. And..."

Yu Bai's gaze drifted to Qiang and his companions, who were being questioned by other officers not far away.

After Qiang led the group in catching the thief, the chaotic scene, combined with their unusual appearances and demeanor, led the police to initially suspect a serious crime had taken place. As a result, they took everything that could potentially be evidence back to the station, including a suspicious-looking black garbage bag.

One of the officers sternly interrogated the muscular men in floral shirts, "What's inside this bag?"

The group exchanged glances, finding it difficult to speak, "Nothing much... don't bother looking."

Frowning, the officer put on gloves with increased caution and opened the black bag.

Then, amidst the wandering gazes of the burly men, the officer's eyes widened abruptly as he peered into the bag, his expression gradually turning perplexed.

...It was filled with an abundance of sunflower seed shells.

"Even their discarded shells are neatly kept in the bag," Yu Bai withdrew his gaze and sighed helplessly. "They're model law-abiding citizens."

The young police officer conducting the inquiry couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. He quickly composed himself, clearing his throat to maintain professionalism. "The officer on duty today is new, transferred from another city, so they don't recognize you. Next time, they'll know better."

"That's good to hear."

"I guess that doesn't sound quite right." The officer scratched his head. "Actually, it'd be better if there isn't a next time."

"I hope so too," Yu Bai agreed.

"The next time would be the fiftieth one. I'll try to be on duty to pick you up personally."

"..."

"Haha, just joking around."

The young officer laughed and waved his hand, instructing his colleague to document the incident thoroughly. He then addressed Yu Bai, "The facts are currently quite clear, so there's no need to worry. However, since there's no surveillance footage at that spot in the park, and the suspect is denying the theft and talking nonsense, it's a bit tricky. We still need your eyewitness account, please."

Glancing at the quiet blue-eyed man sitting beside him, he asked, "Is this your friend?"

Yu Bai nodded. "Does he need to give a statement too?"

He was somewhat worried about how this inhuman, who couldn't lie at all, would fare under police interrogation.

Moreover, he wasn't even certain if this guy had a human identity recorded in the system.

"Yes, we'll need your friend's cooperation as well," the young officer said, studying the silent Xie Wufang with some curiosity. "Can he understand? Do we need to use a foreign language?"

Just as Yu Bai was contemplating whether he should dare to lie to the police to help his inhuman neighbor avoid giving a statement, Xie Wufang nodded gently and honestly replied, "I can understand. No need for a foreign language."

...

Why be so eager in front of human police!

Yu Bai shot him a subtle glare.

The young officer, hearing that Xie Wufang spoke without any accent, was slightly taken aback. "Wow, I thought you weren't familiar with the area and were just visiting for the first time."

He then glanced at the chip bag still in Xie Wufang's hand and reminded, "Don't eat snacks for now. We're at the police station, so let's maintain some seriousness."

In a way, this guy was indeed visiting for the first time and was completely unfamiliar with the rules here, like a foreigner.

Yu Bai tried to argue, "He was playing chess the whole time and probably didn't notice what was happening in the crowd. He knows about as much as I do."

"Oh, we're not asking him about that," the cop said. "It's something else."

"The old man he was playing chess with was sent to the hospital. Since it coincided with the theft report, some citizens thought there was a violent crime happening in broad daylight at the park... Cough, he's a witness, so we need to take his statement. Don't worry, just tell us the truth."

The young officer asked a colleague to open a new document for recording and then said to Xie Wufang, "Do you have your ID? Show it to me so I can register you. What's your name?"

Just as he finished speaking, a commotion grew louder from behind.

They all turned to look.

Surrounded by the police, Qiang, who had been splashed with water, couldn't hold back any longer and started wrestling with the real thief who was sneering at a bag of sunflower seed shells. The onlookers who had been drunk and were brought to the police station cheered loudly, making the scene quite lively.

Qiang's eyes turned red with anger. "I'll beat you to death today, you little bastard!"

Friends tugged and embraced the eldest, pleading, "Brother Qiang, don't act rashly! This place is swarming with police!"

The thief wailed in agony, "Help! They're killing me! I told you they were no good!"

"Good job! What a punch!" A tipsy onlooker cheered enthusiastically, "Uppercut! Hook!"

The two officers recording statements promptly rose to assist in maintaining order, "Hold on a moment, we'll be right there."

Yu Bai: "..."

Yes, well done.

Taking advantage of the distraction, he quickly turned to Xie Wufang and asked, "Do you have an ID?"

If this fellow hadn't prepared the essential documents for human life, Yu Bai might as well drag him out of the police station unnoticed.

Escaping from under the police's noses would be a new experience for him too.

After all, he could always restart.

But Xie Wufang said, "Yes."

Yu Bai was slightly surprised. "On you?"

Xie Wufang then took out a thin card from his pocket and passed it over.

He was unexpectedly well-prepared.

All the information on the ID card was neatly fabricated, appearing genuine with no abnormalities. The person in the photo on the right was indeed Xie Wufang, with his gray-blue eyes and slightly curly black hair. A glimpse of a white shirt collar could be seen around his neck, identical to what he was wearing that day.

It seemed his phone number and lease contract were obtained through legitimate means as well.

Seeing this, Yu Bai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he had no idea how Xie Wufang acquired these items, at least there was no need to worry about a non-human's identity being exposed by the police on the spot.

Xie Wufang looked at him and suddenly said, "I noticed what happened in the crowd. The man who was pinned down was stealing. He quietly took a phone and a wallet from someone else."

Yu Bai froze for a moment. After realizing what Xie Wufang was referring to, he couldn't help but feel an awkwardness that lingered for a second, as past memories he'd rather forget resurfaced in his mind.

Indeed, his decision to tail this guy previously was an enormous misstep.

Fortunately, it all unfolded within the loop.

Then, Yu Bai whispered, "Then why didn't you tell the police just now?"

That wasn't in line with his exceptionally honest nature.

"I was going to," Xie Wufang paused, "But it seemed like you didn't want me to speak up."

He had perceived Yu Bai's intentions.

Unable to hold back his laughter, Yu Bai thought of something and asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"If someone were to give you a gift, what would you give them in return?"

In this loop, Yu Bai hadn't given a giant watermelon to his neighbor, so he naturally hadn't received the mysterious grayish-white ball as a reciprocal gift.

He was genuinely curious about the purpose of that small ball.

Since he was now certain that the man in front of him wouldn't lie, he decided to ask directly.

"Gift?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Wufang swayed the chip bag in his hand. "This one?"

"This doesn't count." Yu Bai attempted to recreate the context. "It's something more formal, though it could also be edible... but much larger and presented more officially, like with a note describing the gift, left at your doorstep."

Xie Wufang listened attentively, his gaze fixed intently on Yu Bai.

"The note might not have much written on it, but... well, it's a sincere gift, to sum it up."

Recalling his initial motive for giving the yoga ball watermelon, Yu Bai couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

"So, in such a situation, would you give a return gift? And what would you give?"

Under his expectant gaze, the man with black hair and blue eyes pondered seriously for a moment before shaking his head.

"I don't know what I would've given in that situation," Xie Wufang said. "Sorry, I'm not very good at imagining."

"…" Yu Bai felt that he was being a bit too much and blurted out, "Not good at it? You just learned Go and beat two old men."

The mere thought of the endless possibilities after each move on that board gave him a headache.

"That's not imagination," Xie Wufang corrected. "It's simple calculation."

…Simple calculation.

That was quite arrogant.

If the ill-tempered Old Yuan heard this, he might faint again.

As Yu Bai pondered this, he caught a fleeting glimpse of another elderly chess player standing at the entrance amidst the commotion in the police station.

Just as he was about to get a better look, the two officers who had been taking statements returned, panting.

"Let's continue, where were we?" The young officer noticed Yu Bai's ID card and took it from him, placing it on the scanner. "Oh, let me register you first."

After the machine scanned the ID, Xie Wufang's identity information smoothly appeared on the computer screen, appearing flawless at first glance.

Yu Bai completely relaxed.

"Our local resident," the police officer casually glanced at the address on the ID and began the routine procedure. "What's the name of the person being questioned?"

"Xie Wufang."

"And where do you reside?"

"In Sun Avenue, Stellar City..."

Yu Bai observed silently from the side, eager to take out his phone and record this surreal yet ordinary scene.

Suddenly, the rapid tapping of the keyboard slowed down.

The officer in charge of recording paused, nudging the officer conducting the inquiry with his elbow. He said in puzzlement, "Little Li, look at this. Something seems odd here."

"Huh?" Little Li turned to look at him. "What's the issue?"

He held up the ID card and pointed at the screen for comparison, "See, these two portrait photos aren't the same."

"Huh? Isn't this him? What's different—oh!"

Policeman Little Li was also surprised, "Why are the clothes different?"

In the computer records, Xie Wufang in the ID photo was dressed in a formal black suit. However, in the ID card in his hand, he was wearing a white shirt.

He instinctively said, "Could there be an issue with the system? A new ID was issued, but the old photo wasn't updated?"

Another officer shook his head and lowered his voice, "I don't think so. It's not possible to have someone wear white for an ID photo. Besides, look, his profile is empty, no background or history at all..."

"What's going on here?" Little Li's expression turned cautious as he secretly sized up the seemingly calm man, "Fake ID? Fake identity?"

Upon hearing the police mention something odd, Yu Bai immediately sensed that something was amiss.

He whispered to the man next to him, "Why is your photo on the ID different from the one registered in the system?"

The man replied with a casual tone, "Because I change my clothes every day."

"..." Yu Bai took a moment to process this, hardly believing his own ears. "People change clothes, but the clothes in the photo don't need to follow suit!"

No wonder the clothes in his ID photo matched what he was wearing now.

If he were to change, he should have changed it in the system too!

...How did non-humans comprehend the concept of an ID card?

Looking into those lake-like eyes, Yu Bai found the situation both infuriating and amusing. He could already tell that Xie Wufang was about to apologize.

Meanwhile, Police Officer Little Li, undetected by the pair, discreetly informed his colleagues to prepare for surrounding the identity-unknown individual with a fake ID, Xie Wufang.

"Sir, let's continue the interview elsewhere," Little Li offered a standard smile. "Would you please follow me this way?"

The glimpse of the old man playing chess earlier hadn't been an illusion. It was Zhang Lao, who often played with the bad chess player, Old Yuan. He was now straining his neck to look inside the police station. Upon spotting those familiar blue eyes, he promptly waved them over.

"Hey! Old Yuan kept rambling about you in the ambulance, insisting I come find you," Zhang Lao cupped his hands to amplify his voice. "Young man, he wants to learn chess from you, and so do I—"

Detective Captain Li Nanxiao, who was likely in the vicinity on an assignment, had probably heard that Yu Bai had once again found himself at the police station as a witness and decided to drop by for a visit. Little did he expect to stumble upon his old rival's subordinate committing assault.

"Quite the audacity you lot have," Li Nanxiao sneered. "Sun Tiantian planning a comeback, are we?"

Yu Bai thought to himself, what a convoluted day this has been.

So, a bit more chaos wouldn't hurt.

Suddenly, Yu Bai seized the wrist of the man beside him, cutting off his impending apology, and pulled him along as they bolted out.

"You've never tried fleeing from the police before, have you?" A deep, amused glint began to sparkle in his light-colored irises. "Well, now you have."

His fingertips brushed against the cold skin, while a rush of warm summer breeze greeted them ahead.