Chapter 219 - 153: Case Established! [Human Skin Blood Robe Case!]

「A little while earlier.」

"Hey, what’s that over there?"

At Wang Chao’s words, everyone reflexively turned to look.

"Hmm... a bunch of people in strange outfits."

Xu Huo deactivated Joy Eye and replied.

"Strange outfits? What’s that all about?"

Wang Chao scratched his head.

"Probably ’cos,’ like when people dress up as characters they like," Xu Huo said.

"That many people... Isn’t something bound to go wrong?" Wang Chao asked with a surprised arch of his brow.

There wasn’t much entertainment these days; most people just watched TV.

So, some foreign anime was still quite popular, and young people were somewhat obsessed with it.

"Let’s go check it out," Wang Chao said, turning to Zhang Liang.

"Nope, not going."

Zhang Liang shook his head.

"Let’s go have a look," Xu Huo chimed in.

Zhang Liang paused. He raised an eyebrow and looked Xu Huo up and down. "What, you’re interested in this?"

"No. I just think you’re the one who should be."

Xu Huo shook his head. Before the other man could ask what he meant, he pointed at the fuel gauge.

"The AC’s been running this whole time. If we don’t find a place to park soon, we’re going to run out of gas."

Hearing this, Zhang Liang quickly turned his head to look at the fuel gauge.

One look was enough to give him a shock—the needle was dangerously low!

"How long have we been stuck in this traffic!?"

"Over an hour, I think," Wang Chao said vaguely, glancing at the time.

"What about the tow trucks?"

"The tow truck is part of the traffic jam. It crashed, too. Then a second one came to pull the first one out, but now its engine won’t start."

"Heh, the Capital City’s tow trucks are really something else."

"The other rescue teams..."

Zhang Liang started to say something more, but in the next second, his words died on his lips as he saw snowflakes drifting outside the window.

The snow had started up again.

Without anyone noticing, the light flurries had turned into a moderate snowfall.

The roads, which had been cleared earlier, were now covered in a fresh layer of white.

"Well, looks like we’ll be stuck for a few more hours."

Zhang Liang sighed in resignation and shot a pointed look at Wang Chao, who pretended not to notice.

’The innocent need no defense.’

’What does the snow have to do with me, Wang Chao!?’

’The Special Fifth Bureau is so petty!’

Wang Chao grumbled to himself, but he put on a fawning smile. "I’ve never seen anything like this. C’mon, let’s go check it out."

Zhang Liang didn’t say anything.

He raised a hand, gesturing to the car behind them. Then, he steered their car into the lane for non-motorized vehicles and headed for a side road.

The car behind them followed.

In the distance, the tiny, ant-like figures gradually grew larger as they approached.

"Whoa, they really are in strange outfits!"

Wang Chao’s eyes lit up, his face beaming with excitement as he looked at the people in front of them.

He looked around at the girls dressed as magical girls and the men dressed as ghosts and monsters, finding it all incredibly novel.

"Alright, go have your fun."

After parking the car, Zhang Liang pushed the door open and got out.

Wang Chao shot off like a rocket toward the main area, where the crowd was thickest.

This was a gathering spot for cosplayers, also known by another name: a comic convention.

Unlike the comic cons of his previous life, the ones in ’03 were very proper.

Most people were just dressing up as characters they loved.

Things like cheongsams slit up to the shoulder or outfits that exposed large patches of skin would only earn you disdainful looks these days.

Therefore, the wholesome environment and pleasant atmosphere made the convention seem extraordinarily lively.

"Tsk, it’s a total gridlock."

"Is the Capital City’s traffic management really this bad?"

Looking at the congested road beside the convention center, which stretched as far as the eye could see, Xu Huo remarked with a sigh.

"This road connects to the train station, the airport, the bus station, and the highway."

"It’s fine when it’s not snowing, but the moment it starts, everything gets blocked up."

Zhang Liang explained casually.

"The trains and planes are suspended."

"People from inside the city are trying to get out, people from outside are trying to get in, and they can’t be diverted anywhere else. Add the car crash on top of that, and being stuck for five or six hours is perfectly normal."

"The weather bureau is probably going to be in for it."

Weather forecasts were always inaccurate back then. It could be pouring rain outside, and the TV would still say it was sunny.

It was a total crapshoot. For farmers drying their grain, the thrill was maxed out.

"Good thing we got here early. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any parking spots left soon."

"Let’s go inside and rest for a bit."

Zhang Liang wrapped his clothes tighter around himself and walked inside side-by-side with Xu Huo, with Li Jianye and the others beside them.

The car was guzzling gas. If they just waited on the road with the AC on, they might see the traffic clear up only to find they were out of fuel.

It was better to come to the convention and save some gas.

They weren’t the only ones with this idea. The already scarce parking spots were all filled up in no time.

A large number of people walked into the convention.

They stood amidst the flowing crowd, looking at all the people in their strange outfits with blank, confused faces.

"Hold me..."

Just then, Niuniu, who was in Li Jianye’s arms, stretched out her hands, her bright, dark eyes fixed on Xu Huo.

Xu Huo picked her up.

"You’ve gotten chubby," he said in a low voice.

The little girl putting on weight was good news. At the same time, the problem with her leg had also greatly improved.

Previously, Chu Xi had taken her to the hospital for treatment. Chu Xi didn’t even know how to register, so she and Niuniu just stared blankly at each other in the hospital.

Fortunately, a staff member was there to help, so they managed to get a diagnosis, pick up some medicine, and set up a treatment plan. Seeing this, Xu Huo, who had been watching from the shadows, breathed a sigh of relief.

She also had a minor surgery. If all went well, Niuniu would be able to try walking on her own by the New Year.

"Brother Huo, Brother Huo, look quick! There’s a green onion spirit over there!"

Just as Xu Huo had found an empty seat and sat down, Wang Chao suddenly looked, shocked, in the direction another person was pointing.