Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Until dark, the project team members had not seen anyone from Wang Liguo's family return. It seemed they would not be coming back. Old Shao turned off the lights in Wang Liguo's house and gently closed the door. By the time the team returned to the police station, it was already early morning.
Throughout the journey, Guan Deng was busy comparing a blurry photo, trying to find a clearer image of the murderer and gather more information about them. However, time had passed, and the murderer had not taken any action.
Deng Xiangyu had committed suicide, Liu Huairou had been beaten to death by an angry mob, and both Liu Huairou and Wang Liguo had left on their own. If they could capture the murderer before any further actions were taken, everything would be resolved.
Xu Yiman had glanced at Old Shao for the third time and finally couldn't help but speak up, "Old Shao, aren't you going to take a break? You've been sitting here in thought for five minutes."
Old Shao looked up and realized that none of the others who returned to the police station had gone back to their dorms to rest; they were all sitting with him in the conference room. He reached for his tea cup only to find that the water inside had already cooled down. He didn't mind though; he took a big sip and said, "I just feel that there must be something odd about this case."
"What seems to be the problem?" Jiang He asked.
Old Shao rubbed his tea cup repeatedly, staring at the red characters that formed a cluster on it. "Regarding Wang Liguo's murder case, while five years can change a person, what’s puzzling is why the testimonies from five years ago and now are inconsistent. Five years ago, he firmly claimed he didn’t kill anyone, yet five years later he admits to having killed."
"And there's more," Old Shao set his tea cup aside. "Especially considering that his own child has died, this family showed no desire to report it to the police or even seek justice. Even stranger is that shortly after, they sold their house in the village and seemed to disappear completely."
Xu Yiman nodded. "That does seem a bit strange."
"Where there’s smoke, there’s fire!" Old Shao stood up slowly and said, "The child who drowned was named Ai Hua; the police station must have his file. Look it up. Also, since we can't find Ai Hua's parents right now, let's track down Ai Hua's homeroom teacher. I want to know what kind of person Ai Hua was."
"Five years ago, Wang Liguo was only twelve years old; Ai Hua was two grades below him. What kind of grudge could a twelve-year-old have against a ten-year-old that would lead him to kill so brutally?" Yuan Jun spoke up.
Old Shao shook his head. "Not necessarily; human nature is inherently evil. A twelve-year-old might act recklessly without fully understanding their actions. However, your point is valid; this case needs thorough investigation without any negligence."
"We might not have enough manpower," Yuan Jun added. "The police station is currently investigating Zhuang Qinyun's disappearance while also looking for Wang Liguo, and someone needs to track down that murderer who left a note. But this matter doesn't seem directly related to our investigation; aren’t we primarily focused on that note-leaving murderer?"
"Even if we lack manpower, we still need to investigate," Old Shao said as he paced around the conference room while picking up his tea cup again. "Any detail related to this case cannot be overlooked. Often, seemingly unrelated clues may be the key to uncovering the truth."
Meanwhile, Guan Deng had already researched Ganqu Village School and found the principal's phone number.
After reviewing the number, Jiang He took out his phone and prepared to contact the principal to locate Ai Hua's homeroom teacher from back then.
Old Shao noticed Jiang He's anxious demeanor and chuckled lightly. He said to Jiang He, "Forget it, it's so late now, everyone else is asleep, so there's no need to rush. We still have to investigate tomorrow. Go back, take a shower, and get a good night's sleep."
After running around, the group was panting as they exited the conference room and headed back to their dormitory.
Yuan Jun glanced at Old Shao, who was still pacing in the conference room. Unable to hold back, he asked, "I haven't been here long, but there's something I really want to ask you all. Is Old Shao's teacup really that valuable? I see him taking it everywhere; he might as well hug it while sleeping."
The others shook their heads; none of them knew the origin of that teacup.
However, Jiang He spoke up, "Although I don't know what special significance that enamel cup has for Old Shao, judging by the wear and tear, the outer layer of porcelain has been worn down quite a bit. There used to be some writing on the surface of the teacup, but now all that's left is a patch of red. Based on my experience, it must be at least twenty or thirty years old."
Yuan Jun inhaled sharply and said, "Twenty or thirty years? That’s probably older than I am. Wow."
As they chatted, they returned to their dormitory.
Jiang He turned off the light and lay in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. Ever since joining the project team, he had gradually developed a strange feeling that he couldn't quite articulate. It was an occasional itch in his heart.
Jiang He didn't understand what was happening to him; whether this change was good or bad. He looked out the window at the darkness across the street.
Guan Deng was also awake. Unlike Jiang He’s silence, his computer emitted a faint glow from running programs. He spoke to a green plant on his windowsill, "Green, today Jiang He praised me for being talented. Do you know how happy that made me?"
Guan Deng's face couldn't hide his joy as he lifted the flowerpot and exclaimed like a young girl, "For over twenty years, besides my mom, no one has ever called me talented; they all called me foolish. Am I truly talented or just foolish?"
Time passed without him noticing. When Jiang He finally fell asleep, he was abruptly awakened by urgent knocking on the door.
"What happened?" Jiang He groaned as he ruffled his messy hair and shouted toward the outside.
"Ge Dongyun is dead!" someone called from outside.
"Ge Dongyun is dead?" Upon hearing this, Jiang He sprang up as if propelled by springs. He hurriedly threw on some clothes and dashed out of his room.
Outside the door stood a police officer who saw Jiang He and hurriedly said, "It's bad. We just received a call from Ge Dongyun's mother reporting that after she sent her son to school, she came back and called Ge Dongyun to get up for breakfast, but there was no response. So, the stepmother opened the door to check and found Ge Dongyun lying in a pool of blood."
"What about the others?" Jiang He asked.
The officer replied, "Everyone has been called. Old Shao wants you all to gather downstairs immediately."
Jiang He nodded and followed the officer downstairs. After waiting for about two minutes, everyone arrived. It was evident that none of them had even had time to wash their hair; each person sported a messy hairstyle.
"Get in the car," Shao the Elder said. "We're going to Ge Dongyun's house."
Yuan Jun was driving again, while Old Shao sat in the passenger seat. "We just received the report that Ge Dongyun is dead. We still don't know the situation at the scene. Ge Dongyun's mother called me directly; she just discovered Ge Dongyun's death."
"How did he die?" Jiang He asked.
"We don't know yet," Shao the Elder replied. "We'll find out when we get there."
This situation was truly bizarre. Just yesterday, members of the special investigation team had seen Ge Dongyun, and now he was dead. This meant that the killer who had left a note had finally struck while the police had only just obtained a tiny bit of information about him.
If they had been a little faster, Ge Dongyun might not have died.
"Damn it," Yuan Jun suddenly cursed and said, "The killer is really despicable."
Old Shao spoke up, "Ge Dongyun lived in an upscale area. Although it was a standalone house, the security here is usually very diligent, with plenty of surveillance cameras and patrol teams. Why would the killer choose such a target?"
"Maybe it's because Ge Dongyun was one of those who bullied Xiao Xuanmiao," Xu Yiman suggested.
"We'll know once we investigate," Old Shao sighed.
The police car's siren blared as they arrived at Longling District, but just as they reached the entrance of the district, various cars blocked their way. The retractable gate of Longling District was tightly shut, and several security guards were confronting a crowd of people on the other side of the gate, arguing loudly about something unclear.
Yuan Jun got out of the car and walked to the entrance of Longling District, revealing his identity as he asked, "What's going on? Why are there so many cars here? Hurry up and open the gate; we need to investigate."
A security team leader in his forties hurried over and said, "You must be a police officer. I don't know what's happening either. A lot of cars suddenly arrived here not long ago. When we asked, we found out they are reporters from various newspapers and media outlets, here to investigate Ge Dongyun's death."
"Reporters?" Yuan Jun asked.
The security team leader nodded, looking troubled. "Yes, with something like this happening in the district, I can't escape responsibility as the security team leader. But honestly, if the news gets out, it won't be good for us. Yet these reporters refuse to leave, and it seems some have even snuck inside. I'm like an ant on a hot pan right now."
"By the way, you all come over here and open the gate just a crack to let a few officers drive in. Remember, no one else is allowed in except those in police cars," the security team leader instructed several guards.
Yuan Jun got back into the car and drove in under the guidance of the security personnel.
"What’s going on?" Old Shao asked.
"Most of them are reporters, along with some onlookers," Yuan Jun replied as he drove into the district.
"Reporters? How did they find out?" Xu Yiman asked in confusion.
Old Shao frowned. "We should be asking why these reporters got here faster than the police."
Comment 0 Comment Count