Prying Open Her Mouth

"This is fucking...troublesome!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Qin Jin casually found a table, sat down, and stared blankly at Constanze's face for a while:

"Are you also taking the police exam this year?"

John shrugged, his movements still carrying that same air of nonchalance. He walked to the window, a world-weary look incongruous with his police uniform.

"It's a long story, Qin," he paused, as if recalling something:

"To put it simply, I've been through some... how should I put it, not so good things, so I'm groping my way to finding redemption."

He turned to look at Qin Jin, his eyes, which always held a playful tone, now becoming unusually serious:

"Helping others, maintaining order... hoping to earn the forgiveness of some people, so I am now Officer Jack Travin, your new partner. Nice to meet you, team leader."

He vaguely said something, but it sounded like he didn't say anything at all.

Looking at his new partner who was hiding a secret, Qin Jin realized that the whole thing was completely different from his plan, and even if there were another person involved, he couldn't be any worse off...

Since things are already like this, let's just go with the flow and see what happens!

"Fine... Jack!" Qin Jin resignedly accepted this fact, pointing to the file still on the table:

"Our current case is this—"

Dante lit a cigarette and watched as Qin Jin pulled out the information from the case file about the third deceased's participation in a hiking enthusiasts' association and pushed it in front of him:

"I think the owner of this association is a key figure. You take a look first, and I'll find someone to help investigate this guy's background."

Constanze pulled out the file and began to look through it, while Qin Jin went out and found Team Leader Will, who immediately arranged for Amy, the team's internal affairs officer—

She was the bespectacled girl who helped Qin Jin flip through his files and retrieve association information.

About half an hour later, the compiled data was in Qin Jin's hands. The man with the scar on his head was the association's boss.

Chen Bonian is a third-generation Chinese immigrant. His grandfather was involved in a gang in San Francisco, and his father died early. Later, he and his mother came to Los Angeles and, after many years, finally built their own business.

The photo shows Chen Bonian, around fifty years old, with a lean build, a dark red scar on his forehead, and his eyes always slightly narrowed, revealing an unsettling shrewdness.

The document also included his registered address, an older Ford pickup truck, and property information for an old neighborhood on the outskirts of the city.

Upon receiving the information, Qin Jin immediately called Constantine and headed out to Chen Bonian's house.

The community is located in a middle-class neighborhood in eastern Los Angeles. The houses look somewhat dilapidated, the grass in the yards grows wildly, the doors and windows are closed, and the curtains are drawn, showing no signs of anyone living there.

Qin Jin went up and rang the doorbell, then knocked hard on the door, but there was still no response.

"Looks like he's not home!" Qin Jin was thinking about whether to try to open the door when Constanze, who was next to him, looked around, took off his suit jacket and quickly wrapped it around his right hand before walking briskly towards the backyard.

Qin Jin guessed what he was planning to do, but... he didn't stop him!

It's shameless to refuse to help others who break the rules in order to solve a case, and then act like a saint.

As Qin Jin followed, Constantine had already found his position and slammed into him with his elbow, which was wrapped in a suit jacket—

Clang!

With a piercing shattering sound, the window broke open. Constanze Dante skillfully reached in, unlatched the window latch, and climbed inside like a cat.

While this move wasn't exactly low-key, it was simple and direct, which suited Qin Jin's dislike of trouble.

Qin Jin looked around to make sure no one was watching and there were no surveillance cameras. At that moment, the back door opened, and he quickly slipped inside.

The room was dimly lit and filled with the smell of stale sandalwood mixed with dust.

Just as Qin Jin had predicted, the place was filled with a rich atmosphere of Eastern mysticism:

The shrine held a blurry statue of a deity, the incense burner was filled with thick ash, and faded Bagua diagrams and talismans hung on the wall.

In the corner were bundles of thread-bound books and bamboo slips, the contents of which were mostly about feng shui, talismans, and Nuo opera;

Some uniquely shaped wood carvings, bone artifacts, and brightly colored Nuo masks are scattered around.

"This guy... is an expert."

Qin Jin looked at the books, then at the various trinkets. Almost everything here was genuine: the placement of the Bagua diagrams, the writing on talismans, including wood carvings and bone artifacts…

These are definitely not the machine-made products you find online for 9.9 yuan with free shipping; they are all handmade, exuding a sense of antiquity.

The two searched the room quickly but thoroughly. Bedroom, living room, study…

Nothing related to spellcasting was found, just some ordinary gadgets. Also, there were no computers, televisions, or cell phones here.

It's called a home, but it's more like an office; it doesn't feel like a home at all.

"A cunning rabbit has three burrows."

Standing in front of the messy desk, Qin Jin concluded, "This is just a cover, or a place where he stores his 'props.' His real lair or the place where he performs rituals isn't here."

"What should we do then?" Jack looked around, seemingly losing interest in the place.

After a moment's hesitation, Qin Jin quickly made a decision:

"We'll split up and be more efficient. I'll visit the neighbors of the first two victims to see if anyone has noticed Chen Bonian or his Ford pickup truck. I'll try to confirm their connection and see if we can find any clues."

He looked at Jack:

"Go inside the Big Guy Hiking Association. There should be a receptionist there. Try to get her to talk and see if Chen Bonian has any other places to stay, or maybe some other vacation cabin or warehouse."

"Why me? How am I supposed to pry it open?"

"You can pry it open however you want, right? If you're willing, you can definitely pry it open!"

Qin Jin raised an eyebrow: "In this respect, you're more suitable than me."

Jack shrugged. "Fine, I'll do it your way, my team leader."

The two exchanged addresses and contact information, then quickly left the chaotic crime scene.

In a sense, this is something they made themselves!

Qin Jin watched as Jack hailed a taxi and drove off, silently praying that the guy wouldn't mess things up.

Qin Jin's visit did not go very smoothly.

Song Weihe is divorced and lives alone. He has a distant relationship with his neighbors, but he has a deep impression of this car, which suggests that the two have been seeing each other for some time.

Li Yi's neighbors did not provide any useful clues, but when Qin Jin contacted his friend by phone and mentioned Chen Bonian, he learned that the two had been in close contact for some time and seemed to be friends.

Just as Qin Jin was pondering whether to go for another stroll in the third row behind his house, his phone rang. It was from Dante.

Qin Jin answered the phone: "Jack? Any success?"

Jack's voice, deliberately lowered and weary, came from the other end of the phone:

"Team leader, we've got the address. Chen Bonian has a private cabin deep in the Santa Monica Mountains. It's said to have been a rest stop for rock climbers in his earlier years, but since he abandoned the project, no one has been there for a long time."

"Well done! How did you manage to get that information?" Qin Jin was somewhat surprised by the guy's efficiency.

"Mmm..." Jack's voice trailed off, accompanied by the faint sound of dripping water in the background. He responded with a certain profound meaning unique to men:

"Uh, I pried her mouth open!"

Qin Jin understood instantly!

It seems this guy has indeed maximized his charm. However, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing for the waitress. Last time I saw her, she seemed ready to offer herself at any moment, so it can be considered that he got what he wanted.

"Okay, I'll come pick you up. Where is it?"

"The 'Blue Parrot' Hotel next to the Big Guys Club, give me half an hour, I'll wait for you at the door."

Qin Jin opened his phone, checked the approximate distance, calculated the round trip time, and finally decided that after picking up Constanze, he should bring Alessa along as well, otherwise—

If I come home too late, I don't know what kind of trouble she might cause, so it's better to bring her along as a precaution.

Having made up his mind, Qin Jin drove the Dodge towards the club, but just then, Constantin called again. As soon as he answered, he heard Constantin's somewhat confused and frightened shout:

"Something's wrong, Qin! Luke has gone missing!"

"Luke... Damn it! That man who almost got killed by the Paper Bride? Why did he disappear? What happened?!"

"I don't know. The Western Precinct just called me and said that he didn't go back home after he came down the mountain that day, and his family has already reported it to the police!" Constantin clearly sensed something was wrong.

"That's right, something's not right!" Qin Ziran also noticed.