American homeless people, surviving in the city

Lynch's fork fell back into the baking pan with a "thud".

He abruptly raised his head, forgetting all about the delicious food on his plate, and stared incredulously at Chen Kelei's face:

"What do you mean by that? What do you mean by 'stopping the investigation'? What do you mean by 'closing the case'?"

"It's only been three or four days since the incident, I don't believe your police have thoroughly investigated this case?!"

"Sigh, you're right, but it's exactly what it sounds like." Chen Kelei took another big gulp of beer, his voice weary. "This is the chief's order. He said the case is basically clear; it's a simple home invasion murder case. The killer committed the crime randomly, and the motive was financial gain. The fruitless investigation over the past few days suggests that the suspect may have already fled Seattle."

"Therefore, the police department decided to issue arrest warrants to surrounding states, but would no longer continue the investigation, as the chain of evidence was conclusive, and the case was closed."

Lin Qi stared in astonishment at Chen Kelei's face, his mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't utter a word. The news was simply too absurd for him to comprehend.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he slowly spoke:

"But I also found..."

"It's no use!" Chen Kelei suddenly growled, interrupting Lin Qi. Then, as if realizing his lapse in composure, he forced an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Brother Lin... what I mean is, whatever you found, the investigation into this case is over. That's not something I can change."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'. The higher-ups have already defined the nature of this case, and the reasons given for closing it are quite plausible—"

"The chief said that Seattle is about to host a crucial international conference, and dignitaries from all over the world will be gathering in the city. Therefore, in order to safeguard the honor and reputation of Seattle, the 'Queen City,' the city's police force must be fully committed to ensuring social stability in the near future, and resources cannot be wasted on 'closed' cases."

"But this is too absurd!" Lynch almost shouted.

Everything he had seen that day flashed through his mind: the locked room, the eerie statue, the cult books, and those photos... Even if the police hadn't found anything, at least they must have seen the scene of the deceased's lower body skin being completely peeled off and hanging in the living room, right?

How could such a murder case be classified as a random home invasion for financial gain and hastily closed within four days?

Realizing that he was also getting agitated, Lin Qi took a deep breath and lowered his voice:

"Kelei, this is absolutely unreasonable. Even if I don't tell you what I discovered today, you can definitely tell that something is wrong with this case, right? Murder and dismemberment, this is definitely not something a home-breaking robber would do."

"This kind of explanation wouldn't even fool members of the public who know a little about the case. How could the police department draw such a conclusion? Does your chief think everyone in the police department, from top to bottom, is stupid?"

"Of course I know something's wrong!" Chen Kelei slammed his empty wine glass onto the table, his voice heavy with breath. "I'm the damn person in charge of this case! I went to the crime scene! It couldn't possibly be a robbery; it was premeditated, a ritualistic murder! The killer will definitely continue to commit crimes!"

"When I first heard the bureau chief say that, I even thought I was hallucinating! I wondered if I was out of my mind from working overtime these past few nights investigating the case!"

"But when I came to my senses, I realized that, for some reason, no one objected to what the director had said."

"Whether it was the deputy chief, the superintendent, the federal liaison officer, or the head of our investigation team, my senior... I don't believe that none of them understood how absurd the chief's conclusion was, but not one of them had any objection to the chief's decision on this case."

"Their eyes... were all very calm. After the chief finished speaking, they clapped like robots, and that... frightened me."

Lin Qi stared silently at Chen Kelei, whose eyes held confusion, anger, fear, and a deep sense of powerlessness.

The young officer could only sigh deeply at the end: "From that moment on, I understood one thing."

"What?"

"There are some things that even a policeman like me can't just investigate whenever I want."

Chen Kelei raised his head, his eyes bloodshot: "It's not that I didn't think about resisting. When the director asked, 'Does anyone else have any objections?' I thought about standing up and loudly rebuking his absurdity."

"However, the fact that no one else objected may mean that they had already united as a whole for some reason."

"As for me, my parents are already in their fifties, and they're about to retire. I can't keep relying on them to support the family... I've only recently become a police officer, and I have to think about my family and my future..."

"So I...didn't dare...make a sound."

His eyes were frighteningly red.

Lin Qi finally understood why Chen Kelei was so dejected today, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

The entire Seattle Police Department, united by certain external forces, prematurely ended its investigation into the case.

As a result, the darkness within the police station was completely exposed to Chen Kelei, and the worldview of this young man who had always been proud to be a policeman was severely damaged.

Lin Qi reached out and patted Chen Kelei on the shoulder: "It's okay, it's not your fault."

"Don't worry, your family has some influence in Seattle's education sector. Just focus on doing your job well, there's no need to collude with them."

"But this isn't what I want! I can't continue my work!" Chen Kelei clenched his fist in agitation, but after a moment, he could only lower his head helplessly.

"Sigh, never mind, I have no other choice. Tomorrow, I'll just continue to follow the bureau's instructions and clean up the homeless encampments on the streets."

...How did the final turn end up on us homeless people?

Lin Qi felt a bit tense, but aside from that last sentence, he could sense Chen Kelei's helplessness and confusion, and he could also understand his anger.

But the news brought by Chen Kelei also signifies a harsher reality: regardless of the cause, the result is that even the Seattle police are no longer trustworthy.

If they become targets of that cult, then the victims can only rely on themselves.

The roasted meat on the plate gradually cooled down.

Lynch lost his appetite and took another swig of wine. A bold idea quietly sprouted in his mind.

After a few seconds of silence, Lin Qi suddenly turned his backpack to face forward:

"Kelei, well then, let's not talk about the police investigation. I brought back some evidence from the villa; let's take a quick look at it, treat it like a deduction game, okay?"

"Then...that works too?" Hearing Lin Qi say that, Chen Kelei also managed to perk up a bit.

So, Lin Qi recounted his experiences of the day in detail, while taking out the silver bowl, the handwritten copy, and the photos of the cult's targets from his backpack and placing them on the table.

"...In short, based on what I saw in the locked room, I suspect that the cult behind this case is related to the recent spate of missing homeless people on the streets. I also personally witnessed them stalking their targets, and that woman in the photo is Sylvia Lopez!"

As Chen Kelei listened to Lin Qi's account, he became increasingly agitated:

"This...and this...! This is solid evidence! Thinking back, the time allotted by the bureau during the initial on-site investigation was extremely tight, which prevented us from thoroughly investigating all the details inside the house."

"If we had these things earlier, we might already have identified the suspect! Unfortunately... unfortunately, we can't continue the investigation now!"

Lin Qi shook his head: "Perhaps that's true, but are you really content with that?"

"Of course I'm not reconciled, but what can I do?" Chen Kelei clutched his head in anguish.

Lin Qi calmly said, "Actually, there's a problem with what you just said."

"What?" Chen Kelei looked up, somewhat confused.

"It's not that the police were unable to continue the investigation, but rather that they stopped investigating altogether."

Lin Qi's eyes were intense: "Although you can no longer investigate that villa since the case has been closed, I will still be cleaning the crime scene inside for the next two days. I can bring out the materials from the locked room and any other clues that may be found in the villa."

"And you, surely you can find some clear clues and files related to this case at the police station, right?"

"What...do you mean?" Chen Kelei's expression turned serious.

Lynch picked up his beer glass and took a big gulp:

"Although I am not a police officer and am not interested in solving cases, based on the information I have so far, this cult has clearly extended its reach to the streets and poses a serious threat to the safety of me and my friends."

"So what I mean is... since you're still unhappy about this case being closed so hastily, I might be able to cooperate with you from the sidelines, and we can work together."

"Even if we can't bring the mastermind to justice, at least we should find out who the real culprit is. If you can uncover the truth, we can be more prepared when we face them in the future!"