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However, when the call to Kong Anping's mobile number was made again, Kong Anping still did not answer. At Old Shao's request, several calls were made in succession, but no matter how many times they called, Kong Anping simply would not pick up. This raised concerns, and even Principal Zhang noticed something was amiss.
Principal Zhang looked at Teacher Gu, who was continuously dialing the phone, and rubbed his forehead, saying, "Is this child usually like this?"
Teacher Gu shook his head and replied, "Kong Anping is not usually like this; he is generally quite calm. After all these calls, he can't possibly not hear them."
At that moment, a clear chain of clues appeared in Xu Yiman's mind. Throughout the inquiry process, Xu Yiman had remained silent, attentively listening to the conversation among the others. It was easy for her to draw a conclusion:
The idle Zhuang Ziming had taken a liking to the gentle Qin Qingxue. After failing to win her over, he harbored resentment and sought trouble with Qin Qingxue's then-boyfriend, Kong Anping. Due to his gentle nature, Kong Anping could not withstand Zhuang Ziming's harassment and eventually broke up with Qin Qingxue. Unable to cope with such a blow, coupled with her unsatisfactory academic performance, Qin Qingxue's life began to crumble. Consequently, she embarked on a path of no return. Kong Anping could easily guess that Qin Qingxue's death was related to him; filled with regret, he sought revenge for her.
Once Xu Yiman voiced her speculation, everyone began to ponder whether the truth could indeed be as she suggested.
Xu Yiman's reasoning was generally sound but lacked many details. It wasn't just Zhuang Ziming who had died; Song You and Shih Wenshan were also among the deceased. The probability of all three of them simultaneously harassing Qin Qingxue was extremely low. Based on the conditions of the three corpses, Zhuang Ziming was the first to die, followed by Song You, and finally Shih Wenshan.
Although only parts of Song You's body were found, there was little difference in appearance from Zhuang Ziming and Shih Wenshan. The distinction lay in the fact that Song You had been strangled before being dismembered, while the others had not. What could be the reason behind this?
Jiang He was currently contemplating this question but found it impossible to make a judgment based on the available information.
Old Shao glanced at the two girls on the sofa and said gently, "Thank you both for coming here. If we need to ask you anything else, we will contact you."
Li Wei looked at Yang Feiwen and said seriously with her hands on her hips, "We are Qin Qingxue's best friends and hope you can find out why this happened to her. If Zhuang Ziming really did something wrong, we both want to kill him."
Li Wei turned to Yang Feiwen, who shyly nodded in agreement.
Li Wei sighed and then addressed Elder Shao again: "Grandpa, do you have our phone numbers? If you need our help with anything, just let us know. We can meet at Yang Feiwen's house; it's big and comfortable there. Plus, her parents are often busy with their business and aren't home, so you can come anytime."
"Don't your parents worry about you?" Xu Yiman remarked as she looked at such a fragile girl being left alone at home; she felt a twinge of sympathy.
Yang Feiwen maintained her composure, saying, "I'm used to being alone. When I was younger, they were always busy outside. It's quite nice to stay at home and read."
Xu Yiman gently patted Yang Feiwen's head and replied, "Once we finish this case, we'll come over to visit you."
Li Wei remained indifferent, adding, "Honestly, there's nothing wrong with it. Living alone means you can do whatever you want—play games or watch TV without anyone bothering you. Plus, you can eat whatever you like without anyone judging if it's cold or not. Xue Er and I often benefit from Feiwen's situation; we sneak out to get ice cream. The first time I had Haagen-Dazs was because Feiwen treated me."
Seeing the lively Li Wei made Xu Yiman feel a bit better. She said, "Girls shouldn't always eat cold food. Come on."
Yang Feiwen nodded in agreement.
Jiang He stood in place, lost in thought.
After dropping off Li Wei and Yang Feiwen at the bus station, Li Wei hurriedly boarded the bus while Yang Feiwen put on her headphones, quietly waiting for the bus to arrive. She looked somewhat lonely and melancholic.
Xu Yiman wanted to offer some comfort and asked, "What song are you listening to?"
However, Yang Feiwen might have had the volume turned up too high to hear Xu Yiman's question. She only noticed Xu Yiman seemed to be saying something to her and took off her headphones, giving Xu Yiman a bright smile. "What?"
Xu Yiman decided against offering any comforting words and simply replied, "Nothing much. Just take care on your way; I'll come find you to hang out."
Yang Feiwen nodded and put her headphones back on.
She boarded the bus as Old Shao turned to Jiang He and Xu Yiman, saying, "Where there’s an unexpected occurrence, there must be something amiss. Kong Anping's alibi is just too perfect; however, such alibis can be easily fabricated. The murderer struck early this morning. If it really was Kong Anping, he probably hasn't gotten far."
"Jiang He, notify the Forensic Science Division to track Kong Anping's phone." Old Shao issued the command to Jiang He.
Old Shao turned to Principal Zhang and asked, "Principal Zhang, have you contacted Kong Anping's parents? What are they like? Kong Anping went on a trip to another province; do you know which province he went to, how he got there, and who he went with?"
Principal Zhang was taken aback by Old Shao's barrage of questions. During his conversation with Kong Anping's parents, he hadn't discussed so many details. As the principal of Key High School, he knew that most students achieved their grades through self-discipline. Good students generally managed their lives well; it was rare for high-achieving students to be incapable of taking care of themselves. In fact, in other aspects, these students often excelled compared to their peers.
Principal Zhang replied, "It seems he went alone. Before leaving, his parents gave him ten thousand yuan, and Kong Anping has been texting them regularly to let them know he's safe. There hasn't been a break in communication, and the messages even included photos from the province. That can't be fabricated, can it?"
Old Shao shook his head. "It's possible that it could be faked. By the way, Jiang He, have Captain Li check if Kong Anping has purchased any recent train tickets, boat tickets, or plane tickets."
Within just a few minutes of the call, Captain Li brought back some news: by tracking Kong Anping's phone location, they discovered that he was not in any other province at all; he was right in Shangxi City, Hujin District. Hujin District is coastal, with a winding coastline featuring several ports and bays. At that moment, Kong Anping's geographical location was near the coastline, though they could only pinpoint it within a hundred-meter radius.
Teacher Gu was surprised by this news as well; how could Kong Anping claim to be out of province when his phone was showing up in Hujin District?
"Let's go!"
Anxiang District is located at the far east while Hujin District is at the far west. However, if traveling by car, it would only take about four hours. If Kong Anping were the murderer, he should have returned home several hours ago after committing the crime in the early morning. Suddenly, Old Shao had a thought and instructed Captain Li via phone: "Immediately notify everyone that until we clarify this situation, Kong Anping must not be allowed to leave."
However, Captain Li's response was strange: "Kong Anping's phone signal has remained near the coastline and hasn't moved."
This was odd, but Old Shao didn't have time to ponder it further.
The police car blared its siren as it sped along for about three hours.
During those three hours, Kong Anping's phone signal remained in the same spot without any movement. According to Old Shao's deduction, after killing three people, the murderer would likely not commit another murder immediately. Since his phone was completely still now, it was very possible that this phone had been abandoned by Kong Anping.
Captain Li contacted the local substation to trace the exact location of the phone signal.
The project team was still on the way when news came from the Hujin District Branch. A mobile phone had been found in a wooden cabin on a cliff by the sea. When the Substation arrived, they discovered that the cabin was locked, but the lock was quite flimsy, and one of the officers easily pulled it open.
Inside the cabin, it was damp and musty. There was a bed made of several wooden planks, covered with a mattress and a blanket. Next to the bed were two stools; one had a basin on it containing a toothbrush and some facial cleanser.
On the other stool lay the mobile phone, which had no lock set.
This seaside cabin had no electricity or light bulbs, and the phone currently had only about ten percent battery left. When turned on, the first thing visible was a notepad, and the entries in it were shocking.
In addition to this, a black plastic bag was found under the bed. It emitted an unpleasant odor, and upon opening it, several items that ordinary people wouldn’t typically use were discovered inside.
However, there were no signs of anyone around the cabin. Based on the information recorded in the phone's notepad, it appeared that the person who lived here was no longer present, and that person was Kong Anping.
There wasn’t much to discuss over the phone; nonetheless, members of the Substation's criminal investigation team had already arrived at the cabin, and personnel from the Forensic Science Division had begun collecting fingerprints and footprints. At that moment, they were just waiting for the project team to arrive.
After hanging up, Old Shao remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: “They indeed found Kong Anping’s residence in Hujin District. According to the criminal investigators’ assessment of the facial cleanser and toothpaste, Kong Anping has been living there for some time. It seems that Kong Anping did not go out of province after all. If he didn’t leave but claimed he did, then he must be hiding something.”
“Even if he’s not the murderer, he is definitely connected to this case,” Old Shao sighed heavily.
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