Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Guan Zengbin and I exchanged a glance, and she sighed, "Let's go. The kidnapper is likely to call again. Liu can't leave, so we need to retrieve that finger for examination."
I had no words, merely following behind Guan Zengbin. Whose finger was it? Although no one spoke it outright, everyone knew.
I couldn't help but picture a scene in a dim basement where a girl was tied to a chair by the kidnapper. Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded for her release. But instead of granting her mercy, the kidnapper cruelly severed her middle finger at the base. Blood pooled on the floor as her agonized screams echoed in the basement, while the kidnapper laughed heartily.
Liu Fei'er was enduring torment; we had to move faster.
What did the kidnapper want from Liu Yinyan? Had Liu Yinyan ever wronged anyone in her life? Was this a hired kidnapping or an unknown act of revenge? Could we really save Liu Fei'er?
What kind of person is the most terrifying in this world? Not a criminal or a murderer, but those who play by their own rules. It's like playing chess when your opponent's cannon blasts your king from four pieces away while claiming it's an Italian cannon from the second battalion.
I felt that way now; the two calls from the kidnapper seemed like a game with Liu Yinyan. There was no urgency for money typical of kidnappers, nor did they display the frantic behavior of someone seeking revenge. The kidnapper remained calm and collected, especially knowing that the police were already involved.
What audacity it took for a kidnapper to act so brazenly while fully aware that law enforcement was investigating! No wonder Captain Shao arrived early; this was no longer just about Liu Yinyan and Liu Fei'er. We were likely facing someone far more dangerous.
We rushed to the villa and learned that Liu Yinyan was still lying in bed, too weak to even stand. The butler had already stored Liu Fei'er's severed finger in the freezer, hoping there might be a chance to reattach it later.
At that moment, Liu was in the hall fiddling with a fallen toy airplane.
Guan Zengbin retrieved the finger from the freezer and said to the butler, "I'll take custody of this finger; I'm better equipped to handle it than you are. As long as time isn't excessively long, it should be possible to reattach it."
The butler sighed and replied, "Officer, please do everything you can to find Fei'er quickly. This kidnapper isn't asking for money or shares; they only cut off a finger this time. What will they do next?"
Guan Zengbin carefully removed a piece of skin from the finger and placed the intact part back into the freezer. "I'll take this with me later; I need to test its DNA first."
With that, Guan Zengbin opened her case and began working.
I went to examine Liu's toy airplane.
How far could such an airplane fly? Where had it come from? The best way to find out would be to purchase an identical one for testing. I sent a photo of the airplane to Mary via WeChat, asking her to try and buy an exact replica.
Moments later, in the distance, Guan Zengbin spoke up, "The DNA comparison results show that this finger indeed belongs to Liu Fei'er. By comparing it with photos of Liu Fei'er, we can deduce that this is her left middle finger. The wound at the base of the finger is smooth, and the bone cut is neat, indicating that the weapon used was extremely sharp. From the blood loss observed from the finger, it is clear that Liu Fei'er was alive before her finger was severed. I will need to conduct a more thorough investigation."
With that, Guan Zengbin placed both the ice and the finger into his case.
Hearing this, the butler stood by in silence.
"Butler," I called gently, "I think I should go see Liu Lao."
"That's fine, but you mustn't mention Fei'er to him. In his current state, he won't be able to handle it," the butler said as he walked ahead. "Liu Lao is a good man; he has clear distinctions between love and hate. Those who treat him poorly will find him returning the favor tenfold, while those who treat him well will receive double kindness in return."
"I didn't see that," I remarked, as my impression of Liu Yinyan was not particularly favorable.
The butler shook his head. "When I was young, I worked alongside him. Once, he broke his leg in an accident, and all I did was serve him meals. After he became famous, he paid me twenty thousand a month. Can you guess what he had me do? I knew nothing, yet he had me guarding the door. How many gatekeepers earn twenty thousand a month?"
"Really? Even now?" I followed closely behind the butler.
"Yes," he continued as we walked. "I've been with him for decades. Not long ago, he even helped my son buy a house in Dongxing City. Why would someone so good be treated like this? He only has one daughter."
"It seems he isn't as kind to others," I teased lightly.
The butler waved his hand dismissively. "You only see how he treats others without knowing how they treated him first. He once told me about a time when he braved the rain to deliver a document he'd worked hard on for a month to General Zhao Dong. But how did Zhao Dong treat him? He brushed Liu Yinyan off and made him wait outside while he was actually on a date with his mistress."
"He stood out in the pouring rain all night," the butler's tone was filled with indignation. "From that moment on, Liu Yinyan decided he would make something of himself. That document ended up bringing in the first pot of gold for Rongding Group. Confucius once said: 'Repay hatred with justice and kindness with kindness.'"
We had arrived at Liu Yinyan's door, and the butler gently knocked before turning to me. "Liu Lao has lived his life by this principle."
Repay hatred with justice and kindness with kindness.
I pondered over this for a moment; it made some sense. No wonder the old man still seemed combative towards the world at sixty years old. I had always thought he carried an air of hostility towards everyone, but now it seemed that at least for those who had helped him, Liu Yinyan was not so bad after all.
Upon seeing me enter, Liu Yinyan struggled to stand up from the bed. A cane was placed beside him, and he leaned on it with his right hand, his entire posture hunched over like that of an eighty-year-old man.
Just a few days ago, this frail-looking elder, who now leaned on his cane with a weary expression, was the unrivaled leader in the venture capital market.
“Officer Wu!” Liu Yinyan's face was lined with age, and his voice was hoarse. “Officer Wu, what’s going on?”
Seeing Liu Yinyan like this, I couldn't bring myself to say anything discouraging. I simply replied, “We have some leads, but the main clue lies with you. The kidnappers are neither after money nor lust; they called just to play a game with you. If you remember what you did, please don’t hold back.”
Liu Yinyan nodded and then shook his head. “I’ll think it over carefully. If I remember anything, I’ll let you know immediately!”
With that, Liu Yinyan took his cane and began to pace slowly around the room, his expression serious as he fell into deep thought.
I decided not to disturb Liu Yinyan's contemplation. However, as I watched him, I felt that something was off, though I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.
As I walked downstairs, I heard Liu calling out to me. “Wu Meng, hurry up! Mary has already bought us the same toy airplane!”
“So soon?” I asked.
“Yeah!” Liu replied. “Mary is quite resourceful.”
Half an hour later, a police officer brought us the toy airplane. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the same model as before, even matching in color. I couldn’t help but admire Mary’s skills.
Liu and I stood on the rooftop of the villa, attempting to launch the airplane into the air. It turned out to be relatively easy; it wasn’t difficult at all.
I said, “Let’s see how far it can go. Then we can figure out from where the suspect flew into the villa. I’ll fly it here while you follow along and measure the maximum distance.”
“Great! Leave the dirty work to me,” Liu said jokingly as he started heading down.
Forty minutes later, the experiment concluded.
The maximum range of this plane is one thousand five hundred meters. Beyond this distance, the aircraft can no longer receive remote control signals and falls to the ground like a bomb. At that time, the butler described how the toy plane was calmly resting at the entrance of the villa, so the kidnappers must have been within that range, definitely not exceeding one thousand five hundred meters.
If the kidnappers were able to clearly land the plane at the entrance of a villa, then they must have been able to see it from there. Since there are no tall buildings near the villa area, the kidnappers should have been controlling everything from a mountain. But with such a large mountain, how could they be found?
It seems the kidnappers had calculated this well; if we were to search for them, it would likely take forever.
I shook my head, frustrated that a lead I had just found was turning out to be so troublesome.
My phone rang; it was Gu Chen calling. "Wu Meng, you need to come here. I think I've found out who made that homemade cigarette."
"Who?" I asked.
"Another escaped convict named Lin Da, forty-two years old this year," Gu Chen replied quickly. "I've already notified Mary to investigate all of his information, but the underground boss told me that just yesterday, Lin Da went to his house to buy that mixed tobacco!"
I was taken aback. "Yesterday?"
"That's right. So you should come over," Gu Chen insisted.
Lin Da, an escaped convict. Why are there so many escaped prisoners in this team? The deceased Chen Lin was also an escaped convict. What is this team doing gathering so many fugitives? Is it because once these people are caught, they face almost certain death sentences? So when they carry out their plans, they won't hesitate and won't leave any room for error?
Death is not terrifying; for those who are accustomed to it, they may have become numb.
I need to check this out.
Comment 0 Comment Count