Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Liu Jixu stood guard at the Liu Residence and arranged for police forces to search the mountain. Although the chances of finding any clues were slim, we could not give up. As a detective, one must find evidence in the minutiae that others overlook, see clues that others cannot, and think of answers that others do not.
Only by achieving these points can one be considered a good detective. Although I might never reach this goal in my lifetime, I could only take it step by step as the situation unfolded.
We arrived at our destination.
This was undoubtedly an illegal underground operation; the Boss did not have a Tobacco sales license. It was only thanks to Sister Mao's assistance that we were able to locate this place. Seeing the Boss cowering before Gu Chen, I knew that Gu Chen must have had a "friendly" and close conversation with him; otherwise, how could the Boss appear so compliant?
"Snap," Gu Chen said, making a sound with his fingers.
The Boss chuckled nervously and said, "Well, about a month ago, a stranger came here. You know how it is in our line of work; we usually only deal with people recommended by acquaintances. Otherwise, who knows what they would do with the Tobacco once they got it, right?"
"Go on," Gu Chen said casually without looking at the Boss.
The Boss nodded quickly and continued, "We don't get many customers as it is, but this one had a distinct characteristic."
He paused again, seemingly wanting to build suspense.
I asked, "What characteristic?"
To my surprise, the Boss burst into laughter before finally saying, "This guy has a full beard but is bald on top. It looks like his head is growing out of his mouth; it's quite amusing to see. He’s about 1.75 meters tall, has a square face, probably in his forties or fifties, a bit plump but still muscular."
"In short, he’s not your average middle-aged man," the Boss added while sneaking glances at Gu Chen. "I remembered him at first sight. Just now, this gentleman brought me a photo—it's definitely him! Although he doesn’t have the beard in the picture, I wouldn’t mistake him."
If that's the case, then the buyer must be Lin Da. I continued to inquire, "Was it Davidoff English Mixture Tobacco?"
"Yes, yes!" The Boss gestured in the air excitedly. "That's the kind of tobacco! You should know that it's quite potent; smoking too much can make you dizzy. If someone inexperienced gets into trouble with it, I’d be in big trouble too. But from what this guy seemed to imply, he’s been around for years."
"Boss" was quite the chatterbox. "You see, this 'Mediterranean Brothers' told me that although this tobacco has been mixed once, it's still not thorough enough to suit the Chinese palate. He loves to add 'Zhangye' wine to it; even though it's cheap, the aroma is rich. Just a pinch of 'Sugar' added, and the resulting tobacco is truly flavorful."
"I could tell right away that I was dealing with an old hand!" "Boss" clapped his hands. "So it’s a coincidence; as they say, high mountains and flowing water meet a kindred spirit. Who listens to the broken strings of a lute? I’m also quite the connoisseur of tobacco, and I wanted to get his name and phone number for future discussions and learning."
"But this guy!" "Boss" shook his head and sighed. "He wouldn’t even give me his phone number, let alone his name. Isn’t that looking down on people? I have quite the temper! If it weren’t for the fact that he knows his tobacco, I would have kicked him out long ago. My methods—he..."
"Gu Chen" waved his hand and said, "Focus!"
"Ah, right." "Boss" quickly nodded in agreement. "So then I decided to raise the price when selling to him. This guy agreed; he seems like someone who’s eager to spend money. Then yesterday he came back again, and he still hadn’t learned his lesson. I refused to sell to him; I'm just that stubborn, and he didn’t bother to inquire."
"Gu Chen" frowned and said, "Weren't you supposed to focus?"
"Yes, yes!" "Boss" hurriedly replied. "Then I told him I had no stock; actually, I just wanted him to beg me for it. But this guy surprisingly nodded and said he’d come back later. Can you believe it? I've figured him out—he's like a stone in a cesspool: foul and hard."
I felt a spark of excitement at that moment.
Despite the forty-something man in front of me looking shifty-eyed and rather punchable, it was precisely this personality that helped us. Though I thought this way inside, my face showed no signs of it.
"Do you know what my brother does?" I pointed at "Gu Chen."
"Boss" nodded vigorously. "I know, I know; he hangs around 'Sister Mao.' I know 'Sister Mao'; she sometimes comes here to buy tobacco."
I smiled; "Gu Chen" had kept his identity hidden, which was wise; otherwise, this guy would probably have packed up and left in no time.
I sneered, "This matter has nothing to do with you. That person is called 'Lin Da,' an enemy of 'Sister Mao.' He had no choice but to run to 'Dongxing City,' and now he dares to show his face again. My brother has been staying with you until we catch 'Lin Da,' understand?"
"Got it!" "Boss" elongated his tone. "Hey, brother, I'm no rookie in this game; how could I not understand such matters? This brother here looks like a dragon among men; don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything regarding him. That 'Lin Da,' just looking at him tells me he’s no good—like a rat in the sewer or a worm in white rice; he's a disgrace among people..."
I quickly waved my hand to stop him and said, "In that case, I’ll trouble you. I'll go back and inform Sister Mao, understood?"
The Boss must have thought I was going to say a few good words to Sister Mao, hoping for more orders in the future. His eyes revealed a hint of a mischievous glint, making him both annoying and laughable.
After walking quite a distance, Guan Zengbin said to me, "This Boss is really something; he's a classic case of being strong on the outside but weak on the inside."
I chuckled and replied, "Yeah, people like him love to act tough and take advantage of others, but they can't really do much harm."
In the office.
I shared this matter with Captain Shao, who nodded and finally showed a hint of relief on his face. "If we can catch one alive, then we might have hope of finding everyone else."
At that moment, Mary said, "I've gathered all the information on Lin Da. He is forty-two years old and has a nineteen-year-old daughter. Four years ago, Lin Da was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. Three years ago, he killed his prison mate and was sentenced to death."
"But before the execution could take place, Lin Da chose to commit suicide. He attempted wrist-cutting, but it failed, and he was sent to the hospital." Mary continued, "During his hospitalization, Lin Da fashioned a rope from bed sheets and climbed down from the seventh floor, disappearing without a trace."
Indeed, once these individuals were caught, what awaited them was death.
"Why did he kill?" Guan Zengbin asked at that moment.
Mary calmly began to recount a story about a father.
The story took place four years ago when Lin Da was thirty-eight years old and his daughter Lin Rong was fifteen.
Lin Da's wife had passed away early, leaving him and his daughter Lin Rong to rely on each other. Lin Da worked at construction sites to support their family and could only return home late at night. Each time he came home, Lin Rong was either already asleep or would tell him she was spending the night at a friend's house.
Fifteen is an age filled with rebellion and restlessness. Lin Da was awkwardly silent; he didn’t understand his daughter's heart. Lin Rong also didn’t understand her father's feelings; she looked down on him. While other fathers were well-dressed and respectable, her father was just a migrant worker. Lin Rong felt embarrassed by her father and didn’t want to see him.
That time, Lin Da had to work long-term at a construction site, leaving Lin Rong home alone.
Fifteen-year-old Lin Rong wandered the streets until late at night before returning home.
At fifteen, Lin Rong's lips were often adorned with phrases like "Fuck your mother" and "You bastard."
That month, Lin Rong met a wealthy second-generation young man in his twenties.
That month, the rich kid suggested driving to another city for fun.
That month, Lin Rong went missing.
The teachers went to Lin Rong's house to look for her, but the door was locked and no one was home. They couldn't reach Lin Da because he didn't even have a mobile phone. Lin Da had been laboring at the construction site for over a month, while Lin Rong had been out enjoying herself for just as long.
The wealthy young man and Lin Rong, along with one of his friends and one of Lin Rong's friends.
Two men and two women.
Two men in their twenties and two girls around fifteen or sixteen.
The rich kid gave Lin Rong over three thousand yuan, a sum she had never seen before.
With the money in hand, Lin Rong beamed with joy; the rich kid was generous.
That month, the four of them were inseparable, indulging in whatever craziness they desired and enjoying every moment.
Lin Rong returned home, and Lin Da was completely unaware of what had happened.
But later, there was a first health check organized by the high school.
At that time, Lin Rong was diagnosed with AIDS.
Later, the rich second-generation heir was caught. It turned out that he had contracted AIDS from some woman when he was twenty years old. Unwilling to accept his fate, he wanted more people to share his suffering. That month, Lin Rong and her friend transitioned from girls to women, and they both contracted the AIDS virus.
During the interrogation of the rich heir, he laughed heartily: "Those women, as long as you have money, you can pry their legs open. Ha ha, it's amusing; I want these gold diggers to feel what I feel."
The police officer who interrogated the rich heir wrote in his report: This smile was the happiest yet most vicious smile I have ever seen in my life.
With Lin Rong diagnosed with AIDS, it was naturally impossible for her to continue attending school. No school would dare accept a student with AIDS, and parents would never agree; they could not risk their child's future for such a gamble.
Lin Rong stayed at home all day, as if she had become a different person. From then on, she was as silent as her father.
Most of the time, Lin Da and Lin Rong sat quietly together without saying a word.
They sat from morning until night.
Either they would explode in silence or die in silence.
Then, Lin Da walked out of the house with a knife in hand.
Comment 0 Comment Count