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"In the interpersonal relationships centered around Lu Zhengye, we have overlooked one crucial person: Detective Wang Chao." Old Shao sat in the passenger seat, turning to look at everyone. "It was Wang Chao who personally captured Lu Zhengye ten years ago. Following this simple logic, ten years later, the first person Lu Zhengye would seek revenge on is Wang Chao."
"But Lu Zhengye is missing, right?" Yuan Jun scratched his head. "I heard from Mao Dafang that he escaped by train. Could it be that Lu Zhengye pretended to flee but is actually plotting revenge?"
"No," Old Shao shook his head. "From the clues we have now, the possibility of Lu Zhengye seeking revenge on Wang Chao is very high. Because when the Criminal Consultant devised this plan, the core figure was not Lu Zhengye at all; everything was aimed at Wang Chao."
Old Shao paused for a moment before continuing, "Think about it. If you were Wang Chao, what would be your greatest fear?"
Xu Yiman interjected, "Of course, it would be a criminal seeking revenge on his wife and daughter."
"Exactly!" Shao the Elder exclaimed. "When the Criminal Consultant started this plan, Lu Zhengye could not be present. Because once Wang Chao finds Lu Zhengye, the game ends. Only if Lu Zhengye is missing or dead can this game continue."
"Why?" Yuan Jun asked.
"Because once Lu Zhengye shows up, the game is over," Shao the Elder explained. "Lu Zhengye's desire for revenge hangs over Wang Chao like a sword; Wang Chao doesn't know when that sword will fall. So I believe he will take action first to find Lu Zhengye."
"Only by finding Lu Zhengye can he feel at ease, right?" Old Shao countered.
"Exactly," Yuan Jun nodded.
Shao the Elder said, "So we need to contact the police immediately and go to Wang Chao's home. We must find his wife and children first."
"Can't we just call them?" Yuan Jun suggested. "We can give Wang Chao a call and inform him of everything."
"It's already too late," Jiang He replied.
Old Shao looked at Jiang He and nodded, sighing, "That's right, it's already late. Mao Dafang just received a call from the police inquiring about Lu Zhengye's whereabouts. That person must be Wang Chao. If Mao Dafang told Wang Chao that Lu Zhengye had left, then everything that followed wouldn't have happened."
"What exactly happened?" Yuan Jun asked, unwilling to accept the situation. He tried calling Wang Chao, but found that Wang Chao's phone was already turned off. He attempted to call Wang Chao's home, but no one answered there either.
Old Shao shook his head and said, "Who do you think could have imprisoned Wei Linghui and killed Wang Ziyi?"
"Wang Chao?" Yuan Jun looked at Old Shao, uttering this impossible name.
"Absolutely impossible!" Yuan Jun replied. "This isn't a joke. Wang Chao is a criminal investigator; how could he possibly commit murder?"
"What if he was threatened through his family?" Old Shao looked into Yuan Jun's eyes. "If a Criminal Consultant threatened him in the name of Lu Zhengye, what would he do?"
Old Shao continued slowly, "For the sake of his family, he might do the following. He would kidnap Lu Zhengye's wife and interrogate her about Lu Zhengye's whereabouts. If Wei Linghui didn't know where Lu Zhengye was, he would go to Wang Ziyi's house to ask. If Wang Ziyi also didn't know, he would seek out Wei Qian."
"Do you remember how they described the murderer?" Old Shao asked.
Jiang He recounted the characteristics of the suspect: "About 1.78 meters tall, slightly overweight, with darker skin and a round face with short hair."
"Wang Chao fits that description," Old Shao said. "Doesn't he?"
"There's one more crucial point," Old Shao added. "Wei Linghui confirmed that the murderer is left-handed, and Jiang He and I deduced that the person who killed Wang Ziyi is also likely left-handed. And Wang Chao is left-handed as well. Of course, this is all speculation without solid evidence. But let's not forget that we have two very important clues; if these two can connect, then everything will fall into place."
"What are those important clues?" Xu Yiman asked.
Old Shao turned his body and said to Yuan Jun, "Let's drive. These two clues are at the City Bureau. First, we found a piece of glass, and the blood on that glass is not Wang Ziyi's. Secondly, there is a witness who saw the face of the murderer. Ms. Liu is sure that the person she saw was not Lu Zhengye. If we compare it with a photo of Wang Chao, perhaps we will know who the murderer is."
Upon hearing Old Shao's words, everyone felt as if a dark cloud had settled over them; each person's heart was heavy with gloom.
Xu Yiman kept tapping her head with her fingers, while Yuan Jun wore a serious expression, saying nothing.
Xu Yiman and Yuan Jun understood that during their time in Desolate Village, if it weren't for Wang Chao risking his life to protect them, they would have been chopped into pieces by the out-of-control villagers long ago. But now, Wang Chao had become the prime suspect. If it were just about imprisoning Wei Linghui, that would be one thing, but now someone was dead.
If Wang Chao really did it, once he was caught, he would only face a dead end.
"I've notified Ms. Liu," Jiang He said after hanging up the phone. "Ms. Liu will go to the police station to identify the murderer soon."
Xu Yiman turned to Jiang He and asked, "Jiang He, what would you do if Wang Chao really is the murderer?"
"Catch him," Jiang He replied firmly.
"You wouldn't hesitate?" Xu Yiman asked again.
"No," Jiang He said without any change in expression.
"Sometimes, it's nice not to have feelings," Xu Yiman remarked.
Back at the City Bureau, Xu Yiman dove into the Technical Room. She needed to confirm for herself whether this blood was indeed Wang Chao's. Meanwhile, Yuan Jun followed Ms. Liu into the conference room; he also needed to determine whether Ms. Liu had really seen Wang Chao that night.
Jiang He pulled Old Shao aside and said, "Old Shao, I have a question to ask..."
Old Shao led Jiang He out of the police station lobby and replied, "I know the clues I can see, and you must be able to see them too. It's just that now is not the right time for these things."
"Why?" Jiang He asked.
"Jiang He, do you trust me?" Old Shao did not answer Jiang He's question but instead posed one of his own.
"Trust?"
For Jiang He, this word was something he could hardly comprehend. He could not understand how such a bond of mutual reliance could form, nor did he know why one person could believe in another without any basis.
Jiang He stared at the man before him, known to everyone as Old Shao. His real name was Shaoshilin, and he was sixty-two years old. Jiang He could vaguely see in this elderly man the visage of a young man from twenty-five years ago. Back then, Jiang He was just a six-year-old child.
Jiang He clearly remembered that it was this very old man who had held him through many moments in his early life. It was also during that time that he decided to become a criminal investigator. Everything stemmed from this Old Shao; he felt something stir within him.
"Although I don't understand, perhaps you have your reasons," Jiang He said.
"Good," Old Shao nodded and replied, "I have been troubled for a long time, wondering if what I did would repeat the mistakes of twenty years ago. I hesitated. But until yesterday, when I resolved my confusion at that old lady's house, I realized that while justice may bring pain, that pain is temporary."
"I don't understand," Jiang He said.
Old Shao smiled and said, "I know that no detail escapes your eyes. Even if I can't catch him now, you will be able to in the future. But I'm getting old; I must clean up the mess I've left behind myself. Experiencing pain isn't really anything; without pain, one wouldn't know what it means to cherish."
“Jiang He, this is the first step towards growth,” Old Shao said as he paced back to the police station, turning to Jiang He. “Don’t avoid the pain; face it, and it won’t seem so terrifying.”
Jiang He watched Old Shao's retreating figure, feeling a mix of understanding and confusion.
Before long, Yuan Jun was the first to emerge from the conference room.
“What’s the result?” Old Shao asked.
Yuan Jun shook his head. “That’s right. According to Ms. Liu’s confirmation, she is very certain that what she saw was Wang Chao. I showed Ms. Liu several different photos, and she confirmed that it was indeed Wang Chao. It seems that Wang Ziyi… but why would he kill Wang Ziyi? This…”
Old Shao also shook his head. “Wang Chao doesn’t know he has been played by the Criminal Consultant, and we have no idea how conflicted he must feel inside. However, no matter how he thinks about it, he has already done something wrong. Right now, Wei Qian is still in Wang Chao’s hands; I hope he won’t do anything that betrays his own identity.”
Moments later, Xu Yiman walked out of the Technical Room, holding a document in her hands, her face streaked with tears. “I just compared the DNA from the glass shards and blood; it matches Wang Chao’s DNA.”
“It’s confirmed then,” Old Shao said, rubbing his head. “Issue a wanted notice and start a citywide manhunt for Wang Chao. Wei Qian is still in his hands; he can’t possibly leave Dragon City.”
“Understood,” Yuan Jun nodded.
Xu Yiman looked at Yuan Jun and asked, “What will we do if we catch Wang Chao?”
Yuan Jun’s eyes reddened slightly as he replied, “To capture him myself would be my greatest gratitude to him.”
“Xu Yiman,” Old Shao gently embraced Xu Yiman and said, “I’ve already made arrangements in the car; just follow my lead and trust me, okay?”
Xu Yiman cried in Old Shao's arms for a while, her tears soaking his shirt.
"I will never forget the moment he let us go first and stayed behind," Xu Yiman said, taking a few deep breaths but still sobbing. "He was a good police officer; he shouldn't have done something like this."
Old Shao sighed lightly and said, "All the clues point to him."
"What do we do next?" Jiang He asked.
Shao the Elder replied, "Let's give them some time to calm down."
With that, Old Shao turned and walked away into the distance.
In fact, Old Shao had known for a long time that Wang Chao had sought out Wang Ziyi. During his conversation with the old lady at her home, Old Shao had already guessed the pattern of how the old lady misheard words with about ninety percent accuracy.
"Rice cake" meant "to know," "Ginger Tea" referred to "police," "Wife Cake" indicated "wife," and "honey wrapped" meant "to keep it a secret."
At that moment, Old Shao understood what was happening: Police Officer Wang Chao was looking for his wife and daughter's whereabouts, but Wang Ziyi didn't know this. Therefore, Wang Chao asked Wang Ziyi to keep it a secret that he had come to see her.
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