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Whether Lu Zhiqiu's brother would return for revenge was still uncertain at this moment. However, if they could find the insurance policy from Corning Company at that time, they would know who the beneficiary was. If it really was Hu Pei, it could potentially be a case of murder motivated by money.
After all, one million might not stir much trouble in Dongxing City, not even enough to buy a house, but as startup capital for a company, it would be quite sufficient. If someone were willing to kill Lu Zhiqiu just to commit insurance fraud, it wasn't an impossible scenario. People had killed entire families over mere tens of thousands; how much more for a million?
To avoid suspicion, dismembering the body to create the illusion of deep-seated hatred against the deceased was also a plausible explanation.
Hu Pei, oh Hu Pei, if you didn't do it yourself, why did you feel haunted and even scared to death by something? And how did the murderer manage to frighten Hu Pei to such an extent? The police must have already intervened in the investigation; I wondered which group from the Qingcheng Criminal Police Team was responsible for it.
From the traces we left behind earlier, it seemed most likely that Liu would take over the investigation.
Just mentioning Liu stirred a mix of emotions within me. I couldn't help but think of Guan Zengbin and Gu Chen. At this moment, I had no idea what had happened to them, especially Guan Zengbin, who had been kidnapped and was now missing. As for Gu Chen, he had been recalled at a critical moment; I wondered if he would ever return.
Everyone is born free, but who can truly achieve freedom in this world? We are all shackled in invisible cages; no matter how hard we fight like Sun Wukong against the heavens, we ultimately cannot escape the palm of Buddha.
I bought a smartphone for several thousand yuan in the market and finally inserted the SIM card that Sister Mao had arranged for me. I didn’t know which brother Sister Mao had sent to get it done, but when I checked the balance, I found there were already two thousand yuan in credit. Adding to that the stack of cash Sister Mao had stuffed into the box for me, there was probably around forty or fifty thousand.
I recalled Sister Mao's words: even a prostitute can have feelings and loyalty. But thinking about it, Huang Erge would likely be out of prison soon; one was a pimp and the other a prostitute—finally able to be together again.
I first dialed Gu Chen's number. After about ten seconds, he answered: "Hello? Who is this?"
I replied, "I'm the delivery guy. Are you available to talk?"
"Delivery?" Gu Chen said. "Hold on a second; I'm not home right now. I'm out picking someone up."
Then there was silence on the line. After a minute, he continued, "What the hell? Are you crazy? Did you escape from jail? Do you know you're now a fugitive?"
I chuckled and said, "Well, your ears aren't broken."
"Get lost," Gu Chen replied. "I've listened to your voice for so long; how could I forget? Where have you been? Everything okay?"
Although my life on the run had only lasted a night, it had been nearly a week since I last contacted Gu Chen. Hearing his voice now brought me a sense of relief.
I spoke up, "Since I was taken to the detention center and went through the trial, I haven't seen any of you. What happened afterward? Captain Shao, how are Mary and Guan Zengbin doing?"
Gu Chen's voice sounded weary. "Captain Shao is still at the Ministry of Public Security, confronting Deputy Director Bai over this matter. He doesn't believe you're a murderer; it's just that the current situation leaves him no choice. Even he has been dismissed from his position. Mary has been reassigned back to Yuzhou City, where their Special Cases Unit operates. Director Li from the Yuzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau is doing what he can to protect those he can."
"And Guan Zengbin?" I asked.
"Guan Zengbin still has no news. A lot has happened since you left," Gu Chen said, his tone filled with sorrow. "The murderer with multiple personalities, whose real name is Li Ai, escaped halfway through the investigation! He provided a lead about Wu Zui in hopes of reducing his sentence. Li Ai confessed to his crimes and even submitted a video of his multiple personalities. Everyone thought he was genuinely cooperating, so they let their guard down."
Gu Chen sighed. "Who would have thought Li Ai would escape? There’s another unknown personality within him, one that has remained deeply hidden and never revealed itself before. It’s a female personality; the cameras caught her killing a guard and fleeing!"
I had suspected this all along. The Boss Lady from the Adult Store was killed by this hidden female personality. Every time Uncle Personality disappeared, it was likely this female personality controlling the body. When she took control, she must have reached some agreement with Wu Zui.
Li Ai was responsible for luring us into their trap while Wu Zui and others captured Guan Zengbin. Wu Zui was tasked with helping Li Ai find the Twelve Bowls to eliminate the remaining personalities within him.
Gu Chen continued, "In Yan Wang's notebook, many things were recorded. Wu Xiufang's death was not a suicide; Wu Jianguo and Wu Xiufen killed her themselves. Their father knew that Wu Xiufang had given birth to a transgender child, so he was willing to sell everything to treat Li Ai."
He paused before continuing, "Seeing their factory being sold off without getting a penny, Wu Jianguo and Wu Xiufen hanged Wu Xiufang in the factory. Their father witnessed this scene and died from anger. Li Ai was only five years old at the time; he went to the factory looking for his mother but accidentally saw this scene. His young mind couldn't handle it, which is how Yan Wang's personality emerged."
"And at the same time, another personality appeared!" Gu Chen said. "This personality is the most deeply hidden one; it’s darker and more cunning than Yan Wang—more anti-human than anything else. Yan Wang knows everything and recorded it all in his notebook. Uncle Personality could have known the whole truth but chose not to look because he feared what he might find."
"But Liu saw it!" I suddenly remembered. "Liu read that diary but never mentioned it!"
Gu Chen frowned. "Liu is now the captain of the Qingcheng Criminal Police Team in Dongxing City."
Liu must have known something was off but chose not to reveal it. Perhaps from that moment on, Liu intended to use this murderer to push me out of the picture. Such deep scheming—he seemed to expose his weaknesses before me while hiding his true intentions beneath layers of deception. If Liu was this cunning and intelligent enough to deceive us all, then he must have wanted to understand the connection between Li Ai and Wu Zui.
So, who is Liu? Why did he figure out the truth but choose not to reveal it, and instead spoke against me during the trial? Isn't this exactly what Wu Zui wanted to see?
Were all those heartfelt conversations I had with Liu just an act, all fake?
I suddenly recalled a mysterious man from the armed police who had once interacted with me. There was a force within the police station that was twisting our investigation and its direction. I had suspected many people, yet never Liu. Now it seemed plausible—why couldn't it be Liu, who appeared not very clever but was actually hiding the deepest secrets?
He deceived us all; what was his true intention?
But now, even if I knew Liu was problematic, no one would believe me. Liu had successfully consolidated power into his own hands. What would he do next? Would he have any connection to Wu Zui?
"Liu is problematic," I said to Gu Chen. "You must keep an eye on him."
At that moment, however, Gu Chen fell silent. After a moment, he said, "I might not be able to anymore."
"What happened?" I asked.
"I've applied to resign," Gu Chen replied.
"From the armed police?" I inquired.
Gu Chen slowly responded, "That's right. As an armed police officer, my actions are constantly restricted. I want to investigate this matter thoroughly and find Guan Zengbin quickly. But if I'm in the capacity of an armed officer, I can't conduct the investigation. I've just left the office; from this moment on, I'm just an ordinary citizen."
"Damn it!" I exclaimed. "Have you lost your mind? How many times have you told me you wanted to be a righteous People's Police officer, to uphold justice like that cop who saved your family? And now you're just quitting! Do you think you'll ever be able to go back?"
On the other end of the line, Gu Chen chuckled softly. "From the moment I stepped out, I knew I couldn't go back. You’ve become a fugitive, and Guan Zengbin has been taken away—am I supposed to just stand by and do nothing? I want to be a police officer, but more than that, I want to save you all. You made me believe in you; now you have to believe in me. I will find Guan Zengbin and prove your innocence."
I fell silent. In just a year and a half, none of us could escape each other.
I suddenly remembered that I had once jokingly asked Gu Chen if he would shed a few tears for me if I really died. At that time, Gu Chen had given me a definite answer.
"Don't bear everything on your own," Gu Chen said. "I've already moved on. I'm your brother; if something goes wrong, we face it together. Our Special Operations Group can't function without anyone. Right, Captain?"
A warmth surged in my heart, and my eyes felt moist as I replied, "Gu Chen, I'll keep in touch with you at all times. Remember to keep everything confidential, understood?"
"Understood," Gu Chen answered.
After hanging up the phone, I couldn't help but tug at my hair, feeling an overwhelming headache.
Li Ai indeed had a hidden personality related to Wu Zui. It seemed like she had no special abilities and relied solely on hard work, yet she managed to deceive everyone. Liu's connection with Wu Zui was undeniable. Guan Zengbin's arrest was also linked to Wu Zui. And Zhao Mingkun, who had evaded capture for seven years, was similarly connected to him.
However, the Special Operations Group that had dealt with Wu Zui was now in disarray; none of us could mobilize our forces to pursue him.
What did Wu Zui want to do? What grand conspiracy did he have?
And at this moment, would the case Zhao Mingkun and I were investigating have anything to do with him?
All signs pointed to this most mysterious criminal mastermind.
In the next confrontation, would I still lose?
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