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墨書 Inktalez
I received the answers we were looking for from Wu Shuhau's mother, and I left the hospital room. By the time our conversation ended, a torrential rain had begun to pour outside, with dark clouds obscuring the sky, casting a shadow over the world. Through the glass of the hospital door, I saw Wu Shuhau's mother staring blankly at the dim world outside, like a painting frozen in time, or a statue devoid of expression.
So far, we had only gathered one clue: the connection between the three individuals. However, there was a flaw in this line of reasoning. If Wang Chaoyang killed Wu Shuhau, it could be understood; but why would he also kill Wu Shuhau's father? Could Wang Chaoyang really have lain in wait for twenty years only to emerge and commit murder? Was that frail man Yang Yi saw in the hallway truly Wang Chaoyang?
A series of mysteries in this gloomy environment made my head throb with confusion. The wind howled and rain lashed down; neither of us had an umbrella. If we had to go to the parking lot to drive, we would surely end up drenched. It seemed Yan Junde was about to dash out to get the car when suddenly a Bugatti Veyron sped toward us and came to a halt right in front.
The car was red and black, and who else could be driving it but Zhao Mingkun?
I was puzzled as to why Zhao Mingkun would show up here when she rolled down her window. At that moment, she looked striking with her short hair and tight-fitting outfit, exuding a certain androgynous beauty. This seemed to be Zhao Mingkun's true self; what I had seen at the party was merely a wealthy woman draped in a "lady-like" facade, which I had managed to pierce through with one blow.
"I didn't expect to run into you here!" Zhao Mingkun exclaimed angrily upon seeing me, but then she quickly flashed a smile and said, "Officer, it looks like this rain isn't going to stop anytime soon. Would you like me to give you a ride to the parking lot?"
I was furious upon hearing this; Zhao Mingkun had blocked the entrance of the hospital. What if an emergency patient arrived? Wouldn't that delay their treatment? With that thought in mind, I decided not to hesitate any longer and told Yan Junde, "Wait for me; I'll drive over." With that, I opened the passenger door and took my seat.
As soon as I sat down, the powerful roar of the Bugatti Veyron's engine filled the air. In an instant, before I could react, we were already on the street. The parking lot was clearly not in this direction; I had no idea where Zhao Mingkun intended to take me. The sports car sped along the main road of the city and quickly reached the outskirts, where I noticed Zhao Mingkun shifting gears.
In just a few minutes, we were cruising at around two hundred ten miles per hour. In that torrential rain, I felt death looming close by. Fortunately, due to the severe weather and being in a rural area, there were hardly any other vehicles on the road; otherwise, an accident would have been inevitable.
My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest. Although I was buckled in, I clutched my seat tightly. I barely dared to breathe as I stole glances at Zhao Mingkun, terrified that one wrong move could lead to disaster. The car surged forward through sheets of rain; within just an hour, we had traveled from downtown to the edge of the city.
The speed climbed to two hundred forty miles per hour when just as I thought my life was over, Zhao Mingkun gradually slowed down and came to a stop. She stared at me intently; I returned her gaze as we locked eyes for a moment. Then Zhao Mingkun smiled and said, "Exciting, isn't it? Get out!"
By now, the rain had lessened significantly. Compelled by some strange impulse, I got out of the car. I simply couldn't bear sitting there any longer; it seemed that sports cars were truly beyond my appreciation. I'd heard that during tests, the Bugatti Veyron could reach speeds over four hundred miles per hour—an unfathomable figure.
Then I heard Zhao Mingkun's voice: "Consider this payback for how you bullied me at the party! No one will be coming here for a while! Call your colleagues to pick you up! Haha!" With that, she sped off in her Bugatti Veyron while I stood there speechless and near tears because my phone had long since been waterlogged and was unusable! My new phone hadn't even been given to me yet!
In this desolate place without any means of communication or transportation, how on earth was I supposed to get back? To think that after all my calculations and plans, I had been outsmarted by this girl barely in her twenties—it was truly careless of me. After waiting for more than an hour in that wilderness, I finally encountered a tricycle driver who reluctantly agreed to let me make a call for ten yuan. I hurriedly asked Yan Junde to come pick me up.
I waited alone in that remote area for over an hour before Yan Junde finally found me. When he asked about my earlier ordeal, I honestly didn't know how to respond as we returned somewhat awkwardly to the Police Department. Just as we arrived back at the Police Department, Director Wang rushed over to find me.
"What happened?" I asked Old Wang.
Old Wang looked at me without saying a word, then called all the members of the Special Investigation Team to the conference room. When we entered, we saw some city leaders inside. Old Wang had set up quite an elaborate scene, leaving everyone a bit puzzled. Once all the important people gathered in the Police Department's conference room, Old Wang nodded and prepared to begin.
He first glanced at me, then at everyone else, and said, "There are some things I need to say. Whether you believe it or not, this is the truth. Unfortunately, Captain Shao, you may need to take a temporary leave from work. This decision was made by our city's important leaders after careful consideration, and we have reported the situation to higher authorities. Of course, it’s possible that things are not as they seem, but as police officers, we cannot afford to be careless."
Seeing Old Wang's serious demeanor and the gravity of his words, I felt he was hinting at something more personal. The other members of the Special Investigation Team looked at me and then at each other, all furrowing their brows in confusion.
After a pause, Old Wang continued, "We all know that on the night of the incident, someone called Wu Shuhau's phone, luring him out. He ended up driving a tampered sports car and got into an accident. This morning, while following this lead, we discovered that this phone number is one we are very familiar with."
He then recited a string of numbers—an actual phone number.
Upon hearing it, everyone was shocked. Yan Junde slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "This is absolutely impossible!"
Juan Juan added, "Weren't you all present at the scene? If he made a call, how could you not have noticed? This doesn't make sense; there needs to be physical evidence to confirm any claims. Do you have any proof of the killer's motive? Are you just suspecting others?"
"Using a fake base station to make calls can result in any number appearing on caller ID; it's not difficult to do!" Mary chimed in. "We often receive scam messages for that very reason! It could even be a number starting with 955!"
Old Wang's expression turned serious as he responded, "As I mentioned earlier, please don't get angry; we haven't clarified everything yet. But since we've uncovered this information, it shouldn't be too hard to find out what really happened. You all know that if it turns out someone close to you is involved, by regulations you must recuse yourselves... And suspicion alone does not equate to fact..."
Listening to everyone's debate, I remained silent. The number Director Wang had just mentioned was my phone number. This meant that on the day of the incident, someone had used my phone to call Wu Shuhau. I tried to recall what had happened that day and wondered how my SIM card could have ended up in someone else's hands.
The only possible moment was during my altercation with Zhao Mingkun; could someone have stolen my SIM card in the chaos? Then called Wu Shuhau? That seemed likely since I had also lost my police badge at that time. But who would do such a thing? Was the killer among us?
When I argued with Zhao Mingkun earlier, I had carefully observed everyone at the gathering. I closed my eyes and replayed those scenes in my mind like a movie—every person, every face. Despite exhausting my memory, I couldn't find any trace of a thin person; could it be that what Yang Yi saw wasn't actually the killer? Were we merely projecting our assumptions onto this situation?
Everyone fell silent, waiting for me to speak. I racked my brain but couldn't figure out who might be responsible for this or what their motive could be. Was the killer targeting me? With no answers forthcoming and seeing everyone’s expectant faces, I finally said, "First of all, I didn't make that call; secondly, the Special Investigation Team is willing to accept this arrangement."
Old Wang visibly relaxed and gave me a grateful look. I understood that he was simply addressing the matter at hand. Since the investigation had pointed towards me, according to regulations I could no longer participate in this case; my team would also have to step back from investigating until everything was clarified.
"Team Leader!" Old Wang was certainly grateful, but the members of the Special Investigation Team were naturally unwilling to comply. Mary shouted, "We're not killers! Why do we have to be isolated?"
I shook my head and said, "It's the rule. We can only continue participating once we prove our innocence. Let's leave it at that for now. I trust Old Wang will investigate thoroughly, and I hope you find the truth."
Then, the city leaders read out some regulations and arrangements. Until the investigation was clear, we couldn't leave Jing City at will and had to be on standby at all times. After everyone left, Old Wang helplessly patted my shoulder and said, "I believe you didn't do it; otherwise, how could you let me investigate this lead?"
"The killer is likely targeting you on purpose!" Old Wang pondered aloud. "Of course, if I find any clues, I can share them with you privately, but I hope you won't make things difficult for me. Don't leave Jing City and don't get involved in the case we're investigating."
I smiled helplessly at Old Wang.
"What should we do now?" A few of us gathered in a dormitory, and Juan Juan asked. "Now that we no longer have the authority to investigate the scene or the case, are we just going to sit here and watch?"
Yan Junde said, "We should do what we need to do! This is clearly a setup!"
"We still need to investigate," I said with a frown. "But we can't do it openly; we need to go underground. From this point of view, things have become even more complicated. The priority is to find out who Wang Chaoyang is and what he looks like now."
On my first trip out to sea, I encountered a well-known Bengal Aid Worker. Young and impulsive, but too poor to really make a move until the First Mate told me that a bag of instant noodles could get me through the night with a group of women...
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