SFTD -Chapter 8 The Tragic Jellyfish

Early the next morning, Director Pang hurried into Group Two’s office.

Pushing the door open, he saw only Xu Biao and Xiao Liang inside. The office door hadn’t even been closed properly. With a dark expression, he strode in.

“Doctor Zhou still isn’t here?”

Xiao Liang quickly stood up. “Doctor Zhou came already. He just went to the Pathology Department on the third floor.”

“Da Xu, you’ve been around the center for years. You should remind Doctor Zhou to pick up the pace. The bureau takes this case very seriously. How’s the progress on your investigation?”

Xu Biao stuffed the remaining half of his roujiamo into his mouth and nearly choked to death.

After blinking repeatedly in confusion, he stared at Director Pang.

“Which case?”

Director Pang’s eyebrows twitched angrily. He pointed at Xu Biao and shouted:

“Which case?! The 6.11 Special Case! You handled it and don’t even know which case I’m talking about?”

Xu Biao suddenly looked enlightened and awkwardly scratched his head.

“Oh! You mean the 6.11 Special Case! It was solved last night. The suspect already confessed. I thought our group had taken another case.”

Director Pang’s face shifted from furious rage to utter shock.

“Solved?”

“Yep! Solved. From the crime to the confession, it took less than forty-eight hours. Captain Liu said the killer profile Doctor Zhou provided was incredibly accurate. He even said Group Two should be commended.”

Xu Biao’s leisurely attitude only made Director Pang burn with irritation.

A murder case with absolutely no leads being solved within forty-eight hours was practically a miracle.

Director Pang nodded, trying his best to smooth the wrinkles on his face.

“It’s solved and you didn’t report it? Hurry up and complete the reports and organize the case files properly.”

Without waiting for Xu Biao’s response, Director Pang quickly left Group Two’s office, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Aside from Groups Four and Five, who had all gone out for training, everyone else was present.

With Group Two’s door wide open, every single person had heard the entire exchange loud and clear.

A sly glint appeared in Xu Biao’s eyes. He had deliberately let those people hoping to watch a spectacle hear everything.

Working with Zhou Hai was freaking satisfying.

Xiao Liang listened with lingering fear. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Biao stuffed another roujiamo into his mouth to silence him.

Twenty minutes later, Zhou Hai came downstairs from Sister Zeng’s pathology lab carrying several reports.

In the hallway, he ran into Forensic Doctor Gao coming from the opposite direction. Zhou Hai nodded slightly and stepped aside to let him pass.

But unlike usual, Doctor Gao did not hurry by. Instead, he raised a hand to stop Zhou Hai.

“Doctor Zhou, I heard your 6.11 Special Case was solved within forty-eight hours?”

Zhou Hai paused briefly before nodding.

“Yeah. It’s solved.”

Doctor Gao looked at Zhou Hai’s calm expression and patted him on the shoulder.

“You overseas returnee really are something.”

Zhou Hai replied objectively, “As forensic doctors, there’s only so much we can do. The criminal investigators did most of the heavy lifting.”

Doctor Gao burst into laughter.

“You kid are pretty good. At your age, having this kind of composure and calmness is rare. We should sit down and chat sometime.”

After saying that, Doctor Gao headed upstairs.

Zhou Hai understood that this was Doctor Gao extending an olive branch.

Although Zhou Hai wasn’t good at socializing and always wore an expressionless face, he noticed everything.

Ever since arriving at the center half a month ago, everyone had been observing him.

Only after the successful first battle of the 6.11 Special Case did today’s friendly exchange happen.

Zhou Hai quickly returned to the office. Xiao Liang immediately shut the door.

The two lowered their voices and vividly reenacted Director Pang’s earlier visit to demand answers.

Zhou Hai nodded.

“Then hurry and finish organizing the reports. We’ll submit everything today.”

Xu Biao and Xiao Liang instantly collapsed in misery.

With a bitter expression, Xu Biao counted on his fingers.

“Ah! Hai-zi, the day before yesterday you went to the crime scene in the middle of the night. Yesterday it was almost ten before we got home. If we finish all the reports today too, doesn’t that mean more overtime?”

Without even looking up, Zhou Hai had already sat down at the computer and opened a document.

“Hurry up and finish. We’ve got plans tomorrow.”

Xu Biao and Xiao Liang exchanged puzzled glances.

“What plans?”

“Aren’t you treating us to dinner?”

Zhou Hai’s single sentence immediately silenced Xu Biao. Smacking his lips, he sighed.

“Ah~Oh~Alright then.”

The next evening, the sun slowly set.

On the beach in front of Southeast City Botanical Garden, barbecue stalls lined the shore everywhere. Grilled seafood, meat skewers, and iced Southeast Beer were selling like crazy.

As night fell, more and more people gathered along the beach.

The three of them sat around a round table, eating grilled seafood and drinking beer.

Half-shelled oysters rested on the grill, shrinking slightly as the charcoal fire roasted them, tiny bubbles forming on the surface.

Zhou Hai picked up an oyster. Using a small knife, he gently separated the adductor muscle attached to the smooth shell, dipped it in seafood soy sauce, and placed it into his mouth.

It seemed that only while enjoying good food did even the slightest expression appear on his perpetually emotionless face.

Xu Biao was a carnivore through and through, relentlessly attacking the lamb skewers. A pile of bamboo sticks had already accumulated in front of him.

Watching Zhou Hai eat, Xu Biao licked his lips.

“Hai-zi, are grilled oysters really that good?”

Zhou Hai nodded.

“Fresh and delicious.”

Xu Biao grabbed one immediately, only to nearly throw the shell onto the sand from the heat. Crying out in pain, he jumped up and pinched his ears.

“Damn, that’s way too hot!”

Copying Zhou Hai’s movements, Xiao Liang picked up an oyster, sliced through the thick adductor muscle with a knife, dipped it in seafood soy sauce, and took a bite.

“Mmm~Perfectly grilled. Rich and juicy. I never knew oysters tasted this good grilled.”

“When I was little, I often came to this beach to gather seafood. We’d cook whatever we found right there on the fire. But if you really want to eat fish and shellfish properly, you need to understand their anatomy. That way you can eat them perfectly.”

Xu Biao slapped a hand over Zhou Hai’s mouth.

“Hai-zi, you’re amazing, but we’re off duty right now. Can you not talk about anatomy while eating?”

Zhou Hai shrugged and picked up the oyster Xiao Liang had shelled for him.

After dipping it into spicy barbecue sauce and popping it into his mouth, the juices burst instantly across his tongue. The sensation was indescribable.

“Delicious. But I still prefer lamb skewers.”

Xiao Liang picked up one of the meat skewers and sniffed it before cutting it open with a knife.

“Is this really lamb? I saw reports saying lots of vendors mix pork, duck breast, or even fox meat with lamb fat and sell it as lamb. This meat’s color is too dark, and the fibers are much finer. It doesn’t look like lamb.”

Xu Biao threw down the skewer in his hand and glared at Xiao Liang resentfully.

“Xiao Liang, you’ve inherited Hai-zi’s true teachings now~”

For once, Zhou Hai actually laughed out loud.

“Brother Hai, why did you study forensic medicine?”

Zhou Hai pondered for a moment.

“It was my parents’ dying wish. So I changed majors and studied two degrees.”

“Ah…”

Xiao Liang looked instantly regretful. Before he could say anything else, shouting erupted from not far away on the beach.

“Is there a doctor here?! Someone got stung by a jellyfish!”

Zhou Hai grabbed a pair of disposable gloves from the table and sprinted over.

Under the lights, a burly middle-aged man lay face-down on the sand, groaning continuously. A partially mangled jellyfish still clung to his back, twitching weakly.

Hurting others at the cost of its own life—this jellyfish really was tragic.

“I’m a doctor. Hold him still while I remove the jellyfish. Xu Biao, go get some ice. And ask the owner for a few bottles of soda water!”

Zhou Hai’s calm commands instantly quieted the restless crowd. Several male diners quickly pinned down the man’s limbs.

Putting on the disposable gloves, Zhou Hai swiftly ripped the jellyfish away.

Under the light, he carefully scraped off the remaining tentacles with a small knife. By then, Xu Biao and Xiao Liang had already returned.

Taking a bottle of soda water, Zhou Hai poured it over the man’s back. A series of bubbling sounds followed, and the man immediately seemed less distressed.

“Alright. Wrap the ice in clothing and place it on the wound. Then get him to a hospital quickly. He’ll still need anti-allergy treatment.”

A woman bowed gratefully toward Zhou Hai.

“Thank you, doctor! Which hospital are you from?”

Zhou Hai paused while removing his gloves. Turning slightly, he glanced at the woman.

“I’m a forensic doctor.”