I open my eyes to a messy apartment. Crumpled pieces of paper litter the floor. The place is small, less than sixty square meters, with a single bathroom. In the living room, there's a bed, a writing desk, and a small sofa. A laptop sits on the sofa, still running.
"Damn, I'm going to be late."
Without another word, I get up. This time, I'm Ethan Zhang, a freshly graduated police officer. My grades at the academy were good, and luck was on my side. The previous officer in charge of license evidence resigned—seems he couldn't stomach seeing those things every day—so there's a temporary vacancy.
I've seen plenty of corpses and violent crime scenes, and none of it bothers me. After passing the tests, I was transferred straight to F City, to the East District Police Station's Criminal Investigation Division. My job is to respond to major crimes, visit the scene, collect evidence and photos, then file and archive everything. Basically, I'm a runner. The pay's not bad.
"Shit, what kind of messed-up setup is this?"
I've got no choice. I follow the memories in my head, hail a cab, and head to the East District Police Station.
I arrive at the station after nine. Flustered, I hurry inside, head straight to the fifth floor where the Criminal Investigation Division is, and enter a large conference room. More than a dozen detectives are already seated, some smoking, others deep in discussion.
"Reporting in! Officer number 789521, Ethan Zhang!" I call out loudly, and everyone turns to look at me.
"Ethan, late on your first day, huh? Get in here. Next time, you'll have your pay docked." The speaker is a woman in her thirties, pale-skinned, attractive, wearing glasses. She's the boss here—Yvonne Liu. Rumor has it she's got a bad temper in private, has had several boyfriends, but none lasted long.
I sit down.
"Just now, at 8:50, someone found the fifth victim in the trash heap at Dongming Estates. Her eyes were gouged out. She was a 21-year-old migrant worker living nearby. We'll head over soon. Ethan, go to the evidence room and grab the equipment. Move!"
I nod, rush to the evidence room, grab a forensic kit, and head out with the team. In the police car, I look around, realizing this story wants me to find the killer ghost.
"Ethan, it's your first day, so keep a few things in mind. The scene isn’t as simple as you think. Be mentally prepared, stay calm. And tonight, make sure you head home early."
I nod again. When we arrive behind Dongming Estates, at the garbage pit, flocks of crows circle the utility poles. The area is cordoned off, surrounded by curious citizens. I follow the other detectives, camera in hand.
At the edge of the garbage pit, I almost throw up. The stench is overwhelming. Inside lies the corpse of a young woman, her eyeballs missing, just two bloody holes left. The body’s been here a while, and the stink is strong—even in winter, the smell is thick.
Yvonne Liu walks over, wearing a mask.
"Don’t you know to wear a mask?"
She hands me a mask. I put it on, fighting the urge to gag, and move a little closer, taking a deep breath. A few detectives nearby chuckle, and I glare at them.
It’s the pus oozing from the corpse’s eye sockets that makes me sick. After a moment, I catch my breath and start taking photos, collecting evidence from around the scene.
By lunchtime, we’re finally done. The body’s been bagged, and after wrapping up, we head back to the station. I’m about to grab some food when Yvonne Liu calls me over.