The previous air of leisure vanished instantly. Lu Linjiang’s muscles coiled with tension, making him look like a leopard lurking in a corner, poised to spring upon its prey.
The man carried the suitcase, chatting idly with Luo Jia as they walked. "Is that 'granny grey' hair color popular abroad too?"
Since the man was technically helping him, Luo Jia, despite his internal agitation, couldn't very well vent his frustration. He forced himself to answer patiently, "No, it’s natural. Genetic."
"Oh, my mistake, my mistake! I was just thinking, your dye job looks so natural; I was wondering if foreign techniques were really that much better." The man clicked his tongue for a moment before slapping his forehead. "Well, I wasn't wrong then. It *is* foreign technique—purely natural ones."
Luo Jia: "..."
Lu Linjiang pressed himself against the wall; the space, less than fifty centimeters wide, was just enough to conceal him. He barely registered their idle chatter, focusing entirely on the sound of their footsteps, silently calculating Luo Jia’s distance from him.
With a sharp *clack*, the wheels of the suitcase hit the floor. They had finally reached the tenth floor. The man with the booming Northeast accent let out a long sigh. "Good lord, I tell ya, this thing is actually pretty heavy."
Lu Linjiang watched coldly as the man passed. Luo Jia, following a step behind, finally appeared in his line of sight. Lu Linjiang moved decisively, reaching out to seize Luo Jia’s shoulder. At that exact moment, however, the man swung his hand back and gave Luo Jia a heavy pat on the back. "With a small frame like yours, coming down from which floor—"
Lu Linjiang decisively swatted the man’s hand away and grabbed Luo Jia firmly. "Where do you think you're going?"
Luo Jia’s vigilance had been eroded by the sudden appearance of the meddling Good Samaritan. He hadn't expected Lu Linjiang to be lying in wait here and let out an involuntary cry of surprise.
The "helpful" man reacted quickly. "Hey, hey! What do you think you're doing? You're a grown man—is it fun to go around scaring people like that?" He spoke with a face full of disdain, reaching out to shove Lu Linjiang’s hand away.
"Police!" Lu Linjiang barked, stoically enduring the man’s buffeting.
"Police?" The man scoffed. "You don't look the part at all!" With that, he gave Lu Linjiang another forceful shove.
Lu Linjiang had feared the man might be a reckless sort from the way he talked; he hadn't expected his luck to be so bad that he’d be proven right. He was about to use one hand to push the man aside, but Luo Jia took advantage of the scuffle. With a twist of his shoulder, he slipped out of Lu Linjiang’s grasp.
Unfortunately, both Lu Linjiang and the meddling stranger were large men. In the cramped space that remained, Luo Jia would have had to squeeze past them to continue down. Fearing Lu Linjiang would grab him again, he gritted his teeth and bolted back upstairs.
Luo Jia’s explosive strength was startling. In a few bounds, he reached the mid-floor landing and vanished around the corner. Lu Linjiang gave the man obstructing him a violent shove and gave chase.
Lu Linjiang stopped holding back. With a few swift moves, he slammed the large man hard against the wall before turning to run. Seeing Lu Linjiang disappear around the corner as well, the dazed man slapped his own head. "Oh no, looks like I’ve caused trouble!"
He scooped up the suitcase from the floor and chased after them without a second thought.
Thanks to the Northeast man who had charged in out of nowhere, Luo Jia had gained a moment to breathe. He moved like a nimble rabbit, leaping up two flights of stairs in a single breath.
However, his stamina didn't last long. He was no match for someone like Lu Linjiang, who ran several kilometers every morning. Luo Jia’s steps grew increasingly heavy; Lu Linjiang was now only two strides away from catching him.
Realizing that climbing stairs was a losing game, Luo Jia glanced sideways and saw that the door the man had come through was still ajar. Gasping for air, he lunged inside.
Lu Linjiang gave a perfunctory shout of "Stop!", which the other man predictably ignored, fleeing headlong into the thirteenth floor. The thirteenth floor housed a large banquet hall with an outdoor terrace; compared to the other floors, its layout was much simpler.
Lu Linjiang followed close behind, pulling the fire door shut as he entered.
The hall offered a clear field of vision. It seemed a banquet was scheduled for that evening; dozens of round tables were lined up, all covered in red tablecloths. Several busy servers stared blankly at the two men who had suddenly burst in. Luo Jia wove through the tables, panting like a bull. One quick-witted server shouted, "Sir, you can't come in here right now!"
Lu Linjiang roared, "Luo Jia, stop! Even if you run out of the hotel, where could you possibly go?"
Luo Jia instinctively looked at his hands, only then realizing that in his frantic flight, he hadn't even thought to grab his suitcase. He stood momentarily dazed. The nearest server was already jogging toward him, saying, "I'm sorry, sir, this area is currently closed."
Luo Jia looked up. Seeing Lu Linjiang nearly upon him, he instinctively grabbed the server and shoved the person toward Lu Linjiang, successfully halting the officer's advance.
There was a door just two steps behind him. Without thinking, Luo Jia threw it open and ran out.
Lu Linjiang caught the server with one hand and steadied a table that was nearly overturned with the other. He spun his body, slipping through the gap between the server and the table, and burst through the door just as it was about to click shut.
The moment he stepped out, Lu Linjiang breathed a sigh of relief. In his blind panic, Luo Jia had run onto the terrace. This terrace had only one door—it was the perfect terrain for catching a rat in a hole.
Luo Jia clearly realized this as well. He stood a few paces from the terrace railing, helpless and frantic, looking back at the steadily approaching Lu Linjiang.
Lu Linjiang’s expression shifted to something more composed. "Mr. Luo Jia, why are you running? I just thought of a few more questions I wanted to ask you."
Luo Jia retreated as Lu Linjiang drew closer. Realizing the only exit was behind the officer, he had to find another way. "Captain Lu, you don't look like someone who just wants to 'talk'."
"Of course it's just a talk. I'm a law enforcement officer; I can't do anything to you." A gust of wind blew past, carrying a dusting of snow from the roof above. Both men, still overheated from the chase, couldn't help but shiver simultaneously. "Look, it's freezing out here. Why don't we go back inside to talk?"
A strange smile appeared on Luo Jia’s face. "What do you want to talk about? You might as well say it here."
Luo Jia was a Danish national. Lu Linjiang knew very well that if he mishandled this, it could lead to immense trouble. He flexed his hands, his knuckles cracking, but maintained a seemingly friendly smile. "It's too cold. The flu is rampant lately, and it's easy to get sick right after intense exercise. By the way, what happened to my colleague?"
Luo Jia let out a cold snort. "Captain Lu, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Lu Linjiang pressed a few steps closer. "Mr. Luo Jia, speaking of which, why were you running? And with such a large suitcase, too. Professor Tao’s case isn't closed yet; it's hardly appropriate for you to just up and leave, is it?"
Luo Jia had already retreated to the edge of the platform, his back pressing against the railing. He gripped the rail behind him, staring at Lu Linjiang with icy eyes. "Oh? Jiang Cheng hasn't returned since he went to the station to cooperate with the investigation. Officer Lu, am I right to suspect that Jiang Cheng’s fingerprints were found on the storage tube?"
He spoke with malice. "I’ve already called the embassy about this. You’ve detained a suspect but have failed to take further action! And now, Officer Lu, you're chasing me in an attempt to restrict my freedom. I highly doubt your motives!"
"I should explain that point. Are you really sure you don't want to go inside to hear it?" Lu Linjiang turned slightly to gesture toward the door. Seeing that Luo Jia wasn't biting, he continued, "While Jiang Cheng’s fingerprints were indeed found on the storage tube, according to regulations, we must establish the source of the tube, the process of the crime, and a logical motive."
"However, the police found some issues. For instance, Jiang Cheng never applied for the influenza strain, nor did he have the opportunity to take it from the only person who did. Furthermore, evidence shows that the storage tube should have been kept in a laptop bag, but..." Lu Linjiang looked at Luo Jia, who was maintaining his distance, and asked with feigned confusion, "But, Mr. Luo Jia, I recall you saying the storage tube was found in Professor Tao’s luggage. That’s quite a discrepancy."
As they moved in a dance of advance and retreat, Luo Jia had already backed halfway along the railing. The platform was a semi-circle; if he retreated a few more meters, he could almost turn and dash back inside. Lu Linjiang didn't seem to notice the plan, merely continuing his steady approach.
Luo Jia glanced out of the corner of his eye and clenched his fists tight. "Oh? That question seems more appropriate for you to ask Jiang Cheng."
Lu Linjiang hummed in thought. "Even stranger, Mr. Luo Jia—before you all departed, the institute’s system underwent maintenance, and the surveillance video stopped in segments. It’s theorized the strain was stolen then. Guess who appeared in front of Matthew’s lab in those final few seconds?"
Luo Jia’s expression changed abruptly. He looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. His eyes flickering, he suddenly turned and bolted toward the room. Lu Linjiang felt a wave of relief. As long as Luo Jia went back inside, there were plenty of ways to get him back to the station; staying on this balcony was the real liability.
He feigned a slow reaction, following a few steps behind. Luo Jia had already opened the terrace door when trouble found them again—the "helpful" man had arrived, dragging Luo Jia’s suitcase.
He collided head-on with Luo Jia, knocking the man, who already had one foot inside the hall, back toward the railing. Lu Linjiang nearly cursed out loud in frustration.
The loud-voiced man burst in, shouting, "I see it now! You don't look like a good person at all!" He planted himself firmly in the doorway, completely blocking the exit. "Officer, let me explain—I was just having a smoke in the stairwell when I ran into him. I’m really not with him!"
Lu Linjiang had no patience for explanations. He moved quickly toward Luo Jia, asking, "Mr. Luo Jia, are you alright?"
Seeing Lu Linjiang’s movement, the man dropped the suitcase and lunged toward Luo Jia. "I’ll help you catch him!"
Luo Jia’s face went deathly pale. Without hesitation, he turned and vaulted over the railing. A little over a meter below him sat an external air conditioning unit, and the window diagonally above it happened to be open.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
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奶奶灰 | Granny Grey | A trendy silver-grey hair color.
雷锋 | Lei Feng | A famous Chinese soldier held up as a model of selflessness; "doing a Lei Feng" means performing a good deed.
江澄 | Jiang Cheng | A character/suspect mentioned in the investigation.
马修 | Matthew | A character mentioned, likely a researcher or lab owner.
保存管 | Storage tube | A vial or tube used for biological samples.
流感毒株 | Influenza strain | The virus sample central to the case.
