Outside room 828, a large crowd of onlookers had already gathered.
Songxin Town Police Station's Zhang Dayou and Liu Haiquan, both veteran officers, were maintaining order with Zhao Le and Wu Wei, two intern officers, manning the barricade.
Inside, the crime team was busily occupied—some were securing evidence, others were excavating a body near the balcony, and some were collecting evidence in the bedroom.
As for the perpetrator Gu Youguo, as soon as the detectives arrived, he was taken away.
In the living room, Zhang Haiyang was briefing Detective Team Leader Zhao Donglai and Police Station Chief Zhou Weimin, while Luo Fei was standing by.
It took Zhang Haiyang about ten minutes to explain the general situation.
Upon hearing that it was intern officer Luo Fei who first sensed something amiss and uncovered this murder case, Zhou Weimin and Zhao Donglai were quite surprised and proceeded to praise Luo Fei extensively.
At seven in the evening, Luo Fei finished work and headed home.
Since he didn't have a car, Luo Fei walked back.
Luo Fei's home was on Longxing Street, near the cement factory, about three kilometers from the Happiness District—not too far.
Twenty minutes later, Luo Fei arrived at the courtyard below the cement factory employee dormitory.
This cement factory dormitory was rundown, and both the environment and sanitation were extremely poor and dilapidated beyond recognition. No one seemed to know when it was built, as most employees of the factory no longer lived here. Nowadays, it's mostly occupied by elderly people from rural areas who came to care for their grandchildren's schooling.
Only those struggling financially were forced to rent here, because compared to other places, the rent here was indeed much cheaper. Luo Fei's family also rented here, due to sheer lack of money.
When Luo Fei first crossed over, he wanted to earn money to improve his family's situation. However, besides writing some suspense novels, he was skilled at nothing else, and as merely a third-rate writer, he couldn't earn anything significant.
Later, Luo Fei pinned all his hopes on the "Gold Finger," focusing solely on preparing for the civil service exam to bind to the gold finger, excluding anything else from consideration.
Luo Fei's home was on the third floor. Just as he was about to go upstairs, he saw his brother Luo Hao coming down the staircase holding a basketball.
Luo Hao had just gotten into high school this year. His grades weren't great, but with a bit of effort, he was hopeful of getting into a Tier Two university.
"Did you do your homework today?" Luo Fei asked. After half a year in this world, this time allowed the orphaned Luo Fei to immerse completely in this family, embracing the elder brother role wholeheartedly. He hoped Luo Hao studied well, eventually got into a good school, and after graduation, found a decent job.
"Finished," Luo Hao nodded quickly.
Ever since being caught smoking secretly in the alley behind the cement factory and receiving a harsh beating from his brother, Luo Hao developed a fear of Luo Fei, particularly now that Luo Fei was a police officer, intensifying this fear.
"Alright then, go play basketball, but be back by nine tonight so mom doesn't worry," Luo Fei said with a nod and another reminder before going upstairs after Luo Hao left.
"Luo Fei is back."
"Off work already."
"This kid's promising, gotten into the police force; he surely has a bright future."
The elderly men and women gossiping in the third-floor hallway greeted Luo Fei warmly. The residents here were older folks with no relatives or friends in the county and no other forms of enjoyment, so naturally, they gathered for gossip.
At his front door, Luo Fei saw his mom from afar, stringing a bracelet by stringing pearls together and tying the ends in a specific way; thus, the bracelet was completed—a processed bracelet earned one dime for labor.
Typically, Mom could make seventy or eighty in an hour, equivalent to seven or eight bucks. If enough bracelets were available, she could make about three hundred outside working hours—a substantial income for her.
Unfortunately, bracelet-making work wasn't available daily. Just because Luo Fei's second aunt worked at the bracelet factory, she occasionally brought home a quantity to make.
To help Luo Fei's family, the second aunt usually split some work for Mom.
Regarding others, without connections, even though they wished to do this, no way to get stock existed, because throughout Ningjiang County, only one bracelet factory stood.
Mom Wu Yan worked intently, and not until Luo Fei approached did she notice him.
"Xiaoxiao, your brother is back, come out for dinner," Wu Yan called inside, ceasing her work and tidying up before standing up.
Luo Fei entered the house, which was cramped—a mere thirty square meters with two interconnected rooms.
The first room, upon entering, served as both the kitchen and bedroom where Luo Fei and Luo Hao slept; the adjacent room featured a worn-out sofa, a small table, and a second-hand TV—doubling as both the living room and mom's and Xiaoxiao's bedroom.
With no bathroom, only a communal restroom on the ground floor existed. The concrete floor was full of pits and stained, the walls painted dull black with oil marks and scratches, impossible to clean.
Luo Fei had long wanted to move out of here, but previously, getting into the civil service as an officer was the immediate priority, consuming his focus. Having no income, the family of four relied solely on Wu Yan's meager salary, making talk of moving out blatantly unfeasible.
Now, having successfully passed the civil service exam, receiving a stable monthly income, the first thing in mind was to move out of here.
Luo Fei frowned at the uncovered dishes on the table: "Mom, didn't I call to say I'd be back late tonight—that you shouldn't wait, just eat first?"
"We've been idle all day at home; we're not really hungry. You've worked a full day; you must be hungry. Xiaoxiao, serve dinner for your brother."
Honestly, having someone care was a wonderful feeling.
Two dishes and soup: stir-fried potato strips with smoked meat, cucumber salad, and small cabbage soup—simple home-cooked meals, but Luo Fei relished them for their homely taste, devouring three bowls.
After the meal, Luo Fei intended to help his mom with the bracelets but was refused. Wu Yan remarked Luo Fei had worked all day, suggesting he rest and watch TV, and Luo Fei didn't insist.
Luo Fei initially wanted to lie down and rest, but looking at the room shared with the kitchen, affording no privacy, he abandoned the thought.
After informing his mom, he left, heading to the path behind the cement factory.
"Hasn't today's case been solved? Why hasn't the system reacted? Must we wait until the case ends and the court rules to settle?" On a rock on the hillside behind the cement factory, Luo Fei pondered this matter deeply churned in his mind since noon.
The Gold Finger was his greatest reliance. Without it, Luo Fei realized he was truly insignificant, lacking background, education, and ordinary capability—unlikely to ever leave Songxin Town Police Station.
He had endured mundane life long enough in his past life—not wanting to live ordinary again fueled his fervent pursuit of the police force through the Gold Finger.
Just when Luo Fei was stressing over the Gold Finger.
"Ding, congratulations Host on cracking a murder case. Due to the Host's first case solving, a double reward of 2,000 Gold Coins is granted."