Fog City Detective

Chapter 23: Karin

Just as Liang Xi was about to receive a call from Becker, "Hey, buddy, do me a favor and pick someone up at the airport at 9 o'clock."

Liang Xi: "Why me?"

Becker: "Because we've all been drinking."

Liang Xi, massaging his forehead to alleviate the pain, held his phone in hand. "I've been drinking too."

Becker: "You passed out at 1 p.m. yesterday and only had five bottles of beer in total."

Liang Xi closed his eyes to calculate. The normal metabolic rate for a bottle of beer is three hours. So, five bottles would take 15 hours. Around 4 a.m., the alcohol in his system should have been mostly metabolized. But why was his head still hurting?

Becker: "My sister, a surgeon."

Liang Xi: "Name?"

Becker: "Hmm... let me think. I haven't seen her in two years. Her name is Coffee..."

Liang Xi admired Becker's parents, giving a thumbs up in his mind.

"Wait, that's not right." Unlike Liang Xi, who was out for the count halfway through, Becker and his friends had been playing for four rounds, drinking until around 2 a.m. Becker couldn't recall his sister's name for a moment, and he mumbled, "She's related to Coffee, and I call her Coffee Bean."

Related to Coffee? Liang Xi guessed, "Isn't it Cocoa?"

"Yes, yes, yes, detective, you're good. Her name is Karin."

Did I get it right? I should have shot him in the leg.

Ending the call, Liang Xi first determined his location, took a bus back to his residence, took a shower and changed clothes. After taking a pack of ibuprofen, his headache subsided. He headed downstairs, got in his Beetle, and drove to the airport.

Even though he had made friends, gained some resources, and earned the trust of Liu Zhen's team to some extent, it might not be helpful in Liang Xi's quest to uncover the truth behind John's murder, or it might be. Regardless, Becker and his friends weren't bad people, and making such friends wouldn't be a bad thing.

A black-haired woman walked steadily out of the airport, pulling a suitcase that wasn't heavily loaded. She scanned the crowd for a familiar face and spotted Liang Xi, focusing on the sign he was holding. Yes, she noticed Liang Xi first. Liang Xi also realized this, perhaps attributing it to his charm... or maybe he was just being presumptuous; she might have been looking at the sign.

The black-haired woman was 1.72 meters tall, wearing a loose and comfortable hoodie that still revealed her well-proportioned, long-legged figure. Unlike Becker, who had blond hair, she had black hair. Becker had black eyes, she had blue eyes. Becker was of pure Caucasian descent, while the black-haired woman was a mixed race. She exhibited the distinct physical characteristics and appearance of a Caucasian, but there was a subtle Asian delicacy in her features. The most noticeable difference was her smooth skin, in contrast to the rougher skin typical of Caucasians.

Liang Xi could only conclude that he must be handsome and charming, given his detective instincts. Judging by the fact that Becker was not of mixed race, this stunning black-haired woman couldn't possibly be Becker's sister.

Approaching Liang Xi, the black-haired woman hesitated. Should she give him her phone number? If she did, she might end up supporting him, and if she didn't, it might seem too cruel. The best solution would be for this beautiful black-haired woman to give him a billion dollars first, then insist on being his girlfriend, and he would reluctantly agree due to her genuine feelings.

The detective's mind worked quickly, contemplating various scenarios. In just a few steps, Liang Xi was already calculating the probability of divorce.

The black-haired woman asked, "Where's my brother?"

Her voice was clear, suggesting she probably avoided alcohol, cigarettes, and spicy food in her daily life.

"Huh?" Liang Xi snapped back to reality. "Karin?"

"Yeah," Karin replied, giving Liang Xi a deep, meaningful look.

Liang Xi hastily said, "Becker drank too much. The car is over here. Let me help you with your luggage."

"No need, thanks," Karin replied.

Liang Xi chuckled to ease his own embarrassment and walked with Karin towards the Beetle, saying, "Karin, have we met before? You look familiar."

Karin asked in return, "Have you performed neurosurgeries in France?"

"No," Liang Xi replied.

"Then I haven't seen you."

Unlike Becker's exuberance, Karin was reserved and spoke little. She was hard to read, and her attitude gave no indication of whether she was good or bad. Liang Xi felt that Karin and Becker were likely two different types of people. Karin was rational in her speech and actions, making it difficult to guess or infer her thoughts from her expressions. Such people usually fell into several categories.

The first category: Trained special agents. Becker had already denied this.

The second category: Lack of love, growing up without parental care, no close family, and a cold personality.

The third category: Atypical doctors. Used to the cycle of life and death in their daily work. Initially, healing patients brought joy, and the death of patients brought loneliness. After witnessing the ups and downs of life and death, they gradually closed themselves off. However, judging by Karin's age, around 25, she would likely just be completing her internship, beginning to perform surgeries, and wouldn't have such a mindset yet.

The fourth category: Professional poker players, no need to elaborate.

The fifth category: People who haven't recovered from major mental traumas like heartbreak, widowhood, or the loss of a child.

The sixth category: Rare cases of innate emotional deficiency.

The seventh category: Cold and arrogant. Usually beautiful women with many pursuers, lacking close female friends, looking down on someone like Liang Xi, thus responding to him with simple politeness.

During the conversation with Karin in the car, Liang Xi correctly guessed one point: Becker was not of mixed race, but Karin was. They were half-siblings with the same father but different mothers. However, Liang Xi couldn't deduce the second point, the origin of Karin's slightly unusual attitude. Liang Xi was inclined to think of her as a special agent because, in their communication, Karin displayed some discomfort with casual chatting, restraining her speaking style. However, this could also be explained by her profession as a doctor.

Liang Xi believed that Karin was a complex individual, a mix of factors such as lack of love, an atypical doctor, and having experienced significant mental trauma. It was highly likely that she had faced rejection or exclusion from a group during childhood or at some point in her life.

As they chatted, drove, and pondered, Liang Xi couldn't find a satisfactory answer. It wasn't because he was infatuated with Karin at first sight, but rather, it was a professional habit. Although his profession hadn't brought in money yet, the habits had already been cultivated by John. The biggest difference between humans and animals lies in the ability to engage in complex thinking. Don't let your mind stop. Think from clouds to the weather changes for the next few hours. Judge someone's profession based on their attire. Even if it's just a passerby, as long as your mind has some free time, observe, judge, speculate, and ponder.