Puzzle Madness

Chapter 34 Case
"Oh, I'll tell you right now! Although I'm a wanted suspect, I don't know much."

The mathematician tapped his lips with his index finger, perhaps out of trembling or a strange habit:
"You know—besides my research, I don't have any hobbies. I rarely socialize. The only people I keep in touch with are those at Nanyang Technological University."

"Then that day: because research is inherently boring, everyone was frustrated. There were some disagreements on the project, so I had a fight with my supervisor and a senior colleague. I left afterward to prevent the conflict from escalating."

"Before I left, nothing happened to them. They were all fine. The instructor even took out his teaching materials and said he was going to beat me up. I was so angry."

"Then—then, as soon as I got home, I saw the news: My advisor, my senior who was my teaching assistant, my junior who was helping me, and the woman who cleaned the office were all dead. The news also said that some were stabbed to death with a ruler, and some had their heads chopped off with a ruler."

"That's outrageous. The ruler isn't sharp at all, and it's not a cold weapon. It's actually a large triangle. I saw on the news that the murderer just threw it at the crime scene after using it."

"At the time, I thought about it—even though the quarrel caused quite a commotion and there were students gathered in the corridor to watch, would they suspect that I had such a motive?"

"Besides, I live alone, and my dorm is inside the school, not far from the classroom. But someone saw me coming back. It doesn't match the time of their death, so this should serve as an alibi for the police, right?"

"In the end... I heard my fingerprints were on the murder weapon or something. Alas, I don't dare turn myself in or let them arrest me. My research is so sensitive, I'm really worried about a big company tampering with it. Anyway, that's it for now."

Doudou thought of the blurry TV screen in the newsstand and the dramatic descriptions on the radio station:

"That's pretty much what I saw on the news. It's like a blood film, so outrageous: the person who framed you is quite artistic; and he's the real iron-ruled demon."

The mathematician suddenly raised his head, and even the thick glasses could not hide the hope in his eyes:

"So you believe me now?"

Doudou looked at the man with strange behavior in confusion, puzzled by his question:

"Of course I don't completely believe it. But you're my neighbor, so I have to give you some respect. Otherwise, it'll have a terrible impact on this community. Even if you really are a serial killer, let's just assume you're not and give you the benefit of the doubt."

He began to rub his hands together expectantly:

"More importantly! Who's chasing you now? How many people are there? Are there any bionic robots with heavy firepower, biochemically modified weapons, thousand-year-old vampires, alien spy agents, or the like who want to kill you?"

Doudou tried his best to search his mind for any elements that could be related to this matter and would bring him excitement; then he grafted them all on.

Mong Cai City is so small that it can’t even be ranked in Jiaozhi Autonomous Prefecture - the slightest splash would have caused a sensation in the whole city.

The mathematician shrank and trembled. Even though no one was harming him at the moment and some horrible fate still lay in the future, he couldn't control the uneasiness.

He put both hands into his shirt and scratched his chest fiercely:

"I don't know. I can't figure it out. It feels like any company I've heard of could do this. Who knows how powerful these companies are?"

"So it's not just Interpol—the real scary thing is the company's agents and security forces. I'm afraid they don't intend to capture me alive."

Dou Dou scratched his head - he felt like he had done this countless times since he entered this neighbor's house.

What the new neighbor said wasn't complicated, but perhaps being hunted and forced to hide had made him particularly vulnerable, so much so that his ability to express himself was somewhat lacking:
"Then who helped you escape? You don't look like the tough guy protagonist, or like you have a high IQ but can't use it. You definitely can't run away on your own? The person who helped you must know more than you do. Ask him."

The mathematician took off his glasses and clipped them to his shirt collar. He rubbed his eyes again:
"It's strange, actually: I feel like my brain is a little slow tonight. Maybe I've been too tired lately? Or maybe you've shocked me too much."

"Sorry, I'm off topic again."

"I don't know who is helping me--"

"No, it can't be called a favor; it's also a deal."

"I was still watching the news when I received a call. The voice on the other end of the line was processed, and I couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman, old or young. The caller told me to run—"

"As soon as I left the dormitory, I saw a Singaporean police car and followed their instructions."

He rummaged through the tattered cardboard box, then held his hand up to DouDou. There lay three tiny, miniature cassette tapes—not the usual 3.5-inch AIT tapes. “Following their instructions, I went to the self-service locker area at the supermarket entrance and got these tapes. They contained instructions on where to go, what radio stations to listen to at what time, how to convert them into useful information, where to get the instructions, and then I acted according to the information.”

"I used this information to escape Singapore. Finally, I ended up staying next door to your house."

"And in return, I'm going to help them with a project here."

brush!
Doudou suddenly reached out, snatched all the tapes from the mathematician's palm, and stuffed them into his raincoat pocket—these movements were so swift that they were difficult to detect with the naked eye:
"Oh, I'll keep these tapes for you. It's safer to leave such important things with me. It would be a bit out of place for you to see them."

"And then? Go on. Project? About what?"

The mathematician stared blankly at his empty palm, but he didn't dare to ask Doudou for his belongings.
"Uh—didn't I say that before?"

"Crack a code. Besides that, they also want me to complete the RAS code cracking they just mentioned."

Doudou was completely oblivious to the mathematician's daze and continued to talk to himself:
"Oh? So you're actually a cryptographer, not a mathematician? Do I need to change your codename?"

The mathematician picked up the crumpled cardboard box at his feet and hugged it tightly in his arms - perhaps because he was afraid that Doudou would snatch this piece of junk too:
"No, I certainly wouldn't call myself a cryptographer. But—mathematics is a great help in code-breaking."

Doudou raised his fist and lightly hit his palm:
"Who are they, then? And what's the purpose of the code they asked you to crack? I'm sure you have some idea, some guess, right? Is it some secret organization that wants to conquer the world?"

The mathematician shook his head so quickly that his glasses almost fell off.
"I don't know. I really don't know! I'm just following the instructions they gave me: I haven't even started cracking the code yet!"

Doudou narrowed his eyes, looking thoughtful:

"You don't know anything, how can you do this? But you're lucky to have met me: you know, when I was still in elementary school, someone said I could get a postdoctoral degree in the future--"

"You didn't notice it, but I saw the flaw in it!"

"Hey, Doctor, is there a possibility that the same people who helped rescue you actually framed you?"

"Look: the timing of their rescue was just perfect, wasn't it? They must have been keeping an eye on your movements and situation. And then they just happened to need a favor from you."

"If it were a company, they'd definitely consider you a talent. You just made yourself out to be so awesome, like a modern-day Gauss! They'd definitely pay you a fortune to join their lab. As the saying goes, courtesy comes before force."

"Why make things so complicated when money can solve them? Big companies and big groups don't lack money."

"Why would I come up here and frame you? If I were going to do that, I might as well just kill you. Like, I could put laxatives in your coffee and let you die from diarrhea. You seem to have a bad stomach and are as thin as a skeleton. If I tell anyone that you died from diarrhea, no one will suspect anything."

"So, it's more likely that the same people who helped you framed you! After framing you, they then hypocritically came to your aid: wouldn't it be so they could just let you work for free for research? At least you'd be cheap labor. You wouldn't dare do anything else if you were asked to."

"Well, well, that makes sense, doesn't it? That's how it's played on TV. That's why they say art comes from life."

The mathematician's mouth opened wide, his eyes glazed over. He seemed to have never expected Doudou to say something like this:
"Ah—you. It seems that this possibility is indeed more likely. But um. I can't be sure. Especially now—we have to wait until they have their people before we can confront them or get any information, right?"

"So... so we should just wait and see what happens?"

"Anyway—so I just want you to be my bodyguard for a while; I'll help you with your homework, too. Neighbors helping each other, right?"

The mathematician had no energy at all, and his voice seemed to come out of his nose. He seemed to be getting weaker and weaker.

Doudou shook his head, stood up, and zipped up his raincoat:
"You're right. I certainly have to help my neighbors. But I can't do that. I want to help you thoroughly and completely solve your problem. The math problems in our school are so difficult. I have to be loyal to you."

He clenched his fists, secretly pleased with his own logic; he couldn't help but feel that he had taken another big step towards thinking like a human being.

"You never thought, did you? In just a moment, I've come up with a good solution to your problem! Come, come; get up quickly, and let's go out."

(End of this chapter)