Pure Darkness

Chapter 32

In this chapter, it was Fang Qing and An Yan who were the center of attention as the investigation continued. Being this close to the young people and their dreams made Fang Qing speechless, while An Yan had an interesting meeting. Not only was he given unexpected information, did the young lady in question also attract his attention? Only time can answer. . .

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Walking out of the interrogation room, a mixture of excitement and shock surged on Fang Qing's chest. Unknowingly, he really wanted to find someone to talk to.

He leaned against the corridor wall, lit a cigarette and took out his cell phone.

It had been a day since he had sent flowers. He did not call or text her.

Fang Qing listlessly finished his cigarette, then walked out towards the bright sunlight.

They are in the middle of an investigation, so he has to be focused.

Fang Qing's team visited the animation park again. Due to a deadly case of poisoning, the animation exhibition was temporarily halted. However, there were still quite a number of people in the exhibition hall who were packing up, dismantling the display booth and so on. Looks like the exhibition will be held again on another date.

Fang Qing had never been to a place like this before. He was surrounded on all sides by young men and women in a youth flush, walking around in strange costumes. On the surface, they appear so bright and dazzling, filled with individuality, and with a somewhat uncontrollable atmosphere. It seemed like they did not care about anything except how they expressed themselves on stage.

However, the hearts of Fang Qing and the other criminal investigators were also moved. As they walked backstage, they saw young people with their headgear and costumes coming off. Their makeup has not been removed, but many of them wear cheap t-shirts and sit with their heads bowed on plastic stools or on the ground, packing lunches that are less appetizing.

This is a very contradictory group of people.

When they perform, it is as if the essence of their personality is liberated and exhibited to the rest of the world to be seen, as if they, as a generation, are fearless.

When they returned to reality, they were just insignificant shells, nothing out of the ordinary, tired by life, and indistinguishable from the rest of the crowd.

The purpose of today's visit is to conduct further investigations, and also to confirm Bo Jinyan's speculation.

Fang Qing found a cosplayer whose exhibition booth was next to Yueying Animation Studio. He was a big, tall, unfriendly young man.

“Do you know people from Yueying Animation Studio?” Fang Qing asked.

The young man, who was currently standing in front of the mirror taking off his heavy armor, replied, “I have seen them several times. But I don't know them well.”

“How many of them are there?”

“I didn't pay much attention. Four or five.”

“When the murder happened yesterday, did you see anything unusual?”

The young man shook his head. “No, we are all busy performing. Who has time to pay attention to them?”

Fang Qing looked at him seriously. “How many interactions are there usually between different animation groups?”

“Not much.” The young man removed the last piece of armor and washed his face vigorously in the pond. “We all participate every activity, and their group recently participated in very few activities, so we don't know them. What's more, these groups are always changing – anyone goes, anyone joins.”

At this point, someone outside the door shouted to the young man, “”Come, a public bus is coming soon! There will be no buses later!”

The young man lifted his heavy tool over one shoulder and asked, “Officers, can I go?”

Fang Qing nodded. “Continue. Thank you.”

This young man is really complex, he thought.

As he thought about his own youth, he had taken the entrance exam of the police academy at the direction of his father, also a police officer. He did not think much about his future. When he looked back at that time, he realized that he didn't even have a dream.

——

At the same time, An Yan, in a police uniform, stood perpendicular outside Yueying Animation Studio, observing the surroundings and terrain. There were no monitoring devices nearby, and the rather distant surveillance cameras did not capture any clues. He had decided to visit the scene to see if any information had been missed.

Now only after noon. The sun shone scorchingly over the heads of the people, and caused everything to be seen through the brilliant halo. When An Yan had been standing there for a while, he heard the indescribable voice of the alluring woman behind him shouting, ” Officer Shushu * !”

*T/N (shu shu) – literally, daddy's younger brother. However, it is used in the sense of ‘paman’ to call an adult male older than himself (but not as sepuh).

An Yan turned his head and stood still, stunned.

Black hair, pale skin, height of 1.65m or more, simple white T-shirt, black shorts, a pair of snow-white long legs, ankle boots, slightly blinding eyes.

When he saw An Yan's appearance, he was a little surprised, and changed the shape of his address, saying, ” Gege * Officer.”

*T/N (gege) – older brother, used to call younger brother who is older than himself.

An Yan looked at him calmly and said, “What's wrong?”

“Are you the police officer responsible for investigating the Yueying Animation Studio case?” she asked.

An Yan replied, “I. Whoareyou? What happened?”

The girl subconsciously slipped her hair behind her ear and replied, “My name is Gu Fangfang, from Chenyao Animation Studio. I wonder if the investigation has paid off?”

An Yan took a step forward. “Why are you worried about this?”

Gu Fangfang instinctively took a step back. “Because . .” He seems to have some problems framing his words. His eyes, like a lake with hidden depths glittering in the darkest night, stared at him.

An Yan dropped his gaze.

At this moment, a voice sounded from the street behind them. It sounded like people were coming towards them, and someone shouted, “Half Great Month! This is a Great Half Moon!* Wow!” “You said you will ask for a signature and a group photo, do you think he will agree?”

*T/N (ye tire da da) – \= month, \= half, \= big/great

An Yan noticed that Gu Fangfang was slightly flushed.

“Eh. . . We can talk later, I'll go first.” Gu Fangfang turned around and walked away.

An Yan moved quickly and deftly grabbed his arm. The couple looked at each other, then Gu Fangfang said softly, “Let's talk somewhere else.”

After that, they crossed several small streets and ended up in a small, empty square. Naturally, meanwhile, An Yan had used his phone to search for all the information related to this ‘Month Half Great’:

Gu Fangfang, 21, is a Physics junior at China's Min Sheng University.

Department of beauty (ie the prettiest girl in the Physics department). Screen name “ ⁇ ” (gu yue tire), famous cosplayer, also famous singer and famous maestro *. Although young, she has been part of the community for many years, and is considered very senior. 300,000 Weibo followers.

*T/N (gu feng quan) – ancient Chinese folk songs. Click here to listen to some.

And, single.

Gu Fangfang leaned against the stairs on the side of the square and said, “Sorry. They are some of my fans now. I found direct contact with my fans quite embarrassing.”

An Yan snorted without commitment.

Gu Fangfang looked at him. “Are you sure you are responsible for the investigation? You look a little young. ”

After a pause, An Yan handed over his police identity card.

Gu Fangfang examined it closely. An Yan, 25, Ministry of Public Security, Special Case Unit of Criminal Psychology.

“Oh,” murmured, and handed it back to him.

Gu Fangfang shivered as a gust of wind blew past them, and shifted his long legs; they were extremely pale.

An Yan threw away his face and asked, “Why are you looking for me?”

Gu Fangfang bit his lower lip and said, “Officer An, I. .”

Yan's gaze was clear and steady.

“I just found out today that people have died at Yueying Animation Studio. Then, after thinking about it, I realized that I might have seen the killer that night. So, I think it's better I immediately find the police.” He continued, “The night before the incident, it was late when I finished my activities. When I passed their studio, I saw someone enter without turning on the lights.”

An Yan's eyes suddenly opened wide. “Who is it?”

“Although that person is wearing a hat, and I can only see the side profile, it must be someone who belongs to their group,” Gu Fangfang replied.

“Siaw”? An Yan looked at him carefully. “Lu Ji, Rong Xiaofeng, Jiang Xueran, Wen Xiaohua or Xu Sheng?”

Gu Fangfang was silent for a moment before saying, “Officer An, did you know? When their group first started, there were six people.”