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墨書 Inktalez
I wasn't sure if the plan with Yuzelin would ultimately succeed, but at least we had taken a step that belonged to us. If this tactic worked, we wouldn't be led around by Guo Guoqing anymore. However, high rewards often come with high risks, so it was better for fewer people to know about this until it succeeded.
Seeing Yuzelin looking tired, I patted his shoulder and said, "It's almost eleven o'clock. You should head home and get some sleep. We have a mission tomorrow. The Special Investigation Team is going to the south of the city to look into Angel's situation. Old Yu, check the surveillance footage and see where that SUV went. We need to locate the owners of the Front Four and Rear Eight vehicles."
Yuzelin nodded and rubbed his eyes, saying, "Got it. But I'm not going home tonight. I'll check the surveillance first and then get some sleep. I can't fall asleep until around one or two in the morning anyway. I think I'm developing a bit of insomnia, haha!"
Looking at Old Yu, I sighed. He was really putting in a lot of effort for this case. Staying up until one or two in the morning meant that if he lay down on the floor, he would probably fall asleep immediately. It seemed he was just trying to crack this case as quickly as possible. I didn't want to point it out; after all, it was Old Yu's choice.
At that moment, a female staff member beside Old Yu said, "Captain Yu, how long has it been since you went home? Your wife must be feeling lonely."
Old Yu patted the girl's head and replied, "Hey, Swallow, I see you're getting brave enough to joke with your brother Yu now. Hurry home; don't make your parents worry. Let Xiao Wang give you a ride while I check the surveillance!" With that, Old Yu smiled at me and left the meeting room.
Old Yu was still the same as he had been years ago; whenever faced with a task, he liked to finish it as quickly as possible. This trait hadn't changed since college. But Dezi and I were exhausted after running around all day.
The night passed without incident, and early the next morning, we were already up. To our surprise, Juan Juan and Mary had woken up even earlier than us. It made sense since they had gone to bed around eight in the evening and slept through until morning.
When they woke up, they were completely unaware of what had happened. They only remembered entering the Heavenly Palace Bathhouse and then going upstairs where they encountered a Lecherous Middle-Aged Man; after that, their memories were hazy. Mary and Juan Juan pressed me and Dezi for details about what had happened.
Both of them still felt a bit groggy; it was likely a side effect of whatever drug they had been given. Juan Juan, being a forensic expert, knew this wasn't an ordinary situation and realized something must have happened between her and Mary. I couldn't hide it from them any longer and recounted what had transpired.
Of course, I omitted many details about our battle of wits with Boss Huang and simply told Mary and Juan Juan that they should never stray from our sight again. Their shocked expressions were completely understandable. At the same time, I felt a sense of dread; now that Guo Guoqing had escaped, he was lurking in the shadows while we were exposed in the light. For someone who harbored extreme hatred for women—especially beautiful ones—Guo Guoqing might have already set his sights on Mary and Juan Juan.
He wouldn't find satisfaction until he destroyed someone else's loved ones; it was quite pathological behavior. But this was Guo Guoqing—the person we understood him to be. At least we knew what kind of person he was, which gave us an idea of how to approach preventing any unwanted incidents from occurring. This was certainly better than dealing with an entirely unknown Killer.
I briefly explained what had happened at Heavenly Palace and my subsequent deductions to both of them. Upon hearing about Guo Guoqing's escape, Mary and Juan Juan furrowed their brows in concern.
Juan Juan said, "So you're saying Guo Guoqing actually planned everything out in advance and had different accomplices? One accomplice specifically helped him commit murder while another prepared for it?"
I nodded, watching the leaves fluttering in the air outside the window, and said, "That's right. Currently, we can confirm that there are already two accomplices. But how many more are lurking in the shadows, unseen by us? Analyzing the current situation, the Boss Lady of Prison Island Cafe has been missing for three days now. The Police Department has not given up on searching for her, but they still have no leads."
"The fact that her body hasn't been found indicates that the chances of the Boss Lady still being alive are quite high. Last night, Guo Guoqing even took two of our team members and a female doctor hostage. As of now, their situation is unclear; we don't know what Guo Guoqing has done to them."
Mary and Juan Juan looked somewhat guilty. If it weren't for their insistence on going to Heavenly Palace Bathhouse, this wouldn't have happened. Consequently, Guo Guoqing wouldn't have been able to provoke Dezi, and Dezi wouldn't have acted. On our way to the hospital, there wouldn't have been an arranged Front Four, Rear Eight to hijack the SUV.
I reassured Mary and Juan Juan that they shouldn't think like that. This incident had already occurred; I firmly believed that if our Special Investigation Team didn't have any women, Guo Guoqing would still have found another way to provoke us. Although Guo Guoqing was inside, he had already devised multiple scenarios based on different people’s reactions.
For example, at Tiansen Supermarket, we received a note directing us to Heavenly Palace Bathhouse. If our team had been all male, it might have led us to another note in a different locker, taking us to a different location and trapping us in another way. From this perspective, the enemy is in the dark while we are in plain sight; we are inherently at a disadvantage.
When we went to the lounge for instant noodles, we found Yuzelin sleeping soundly inside as soon as we opened the door. Seeing her like this, I quickly waved my hand and stepped back, saying to everyone, "Let’s go eat outside. Yuzelin has been tired for so many days; let’s not wake her up!"
After greeting the Police Department personnel and grabbing a quick meal outside, we headed south of the city. A forensic friend provided us with three addresses where the Killer was most likely to have been. As for whether there were Azure Chrysanthemums or purple petals at other locations, I assumed there might be some, but my forensic friend wasn’t omniscient and couldn't know every little detail.
At this moment, we were treating this like a dead horse being used as a live one; any small clue should be pursued. However, if none of these three places yielded any leads, we would be powerless and would need to change our approach.
The three locations were Flower Market, a Flower Park, and a Flower Tea House. Dezi drove us toward the southern part of the city while I rapidly pondered in my mind about where they might meet.
The Flower Market was bustling with people, making it easy to hide; even if someone was being followed, it would be easier to escape amidst the crowd. The Flower Park had ample space for a discreet conversation but both parties would likely be distrustful; a beautiful woman like Angel might feel some danger despite being a professional. The Flower Tea House had many patrons but was relatively quiet and safe.
From the photos I had seen of Angel, she seemed to possess a certain refined taste—someone with special requirements for life. Therefore, the Flower Tea House should be the most suitable place for their meeting. With this thought in mind, I said to Dezi, "We marked down the addresses last night; let's head to the Flower Tea House first!"
Dezi nodded in agreement as we drove straight to the tea house.
From the outside, this tea house exuded an antique charm with an air of tranquility and elegance. The greeter at the entrance wore a kimono; it seemed that this place had a Japanese theme. An old-fashioned bulletin board outside advertised mainly tea and pastries. With such a Japanese-style name combined with an antique atmosphere, I wondered if the Boss of this establishment was Japanese as well.
As soon as I entered the store, I heard two greeters say, "Welcome!"
I didn't waste any time; it seemed that the boss of this place was indeed Japanese. We revealed our identities and showed the boss a photo of Angel. Although she was Japanese, her Chinese was quite good. She mentioned that she had been in China for five or six years and admired Chinese culture. She said that the tea ceremony originated from China but later declined there while flourishing in Japan.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, I asked the boss, "Have you ever seen this woman? If she has been here, she would have come with this man, probably yesterday afternoon or evening." As I spoke, I took out photos of both Angel and Zhao Qi.
The boss looked at them for a moment and then said, "I have seen this woman before; she comes to our store often. She was indeed here yesterday!"
Hearing this from the boss filled me with joy; indeed, hard work pays off. If we had overlooked this small detail last night, we would never have found Angel's whereabouts. I immediately asked, "Since she comes here often, do you know where she lives? How can we contact her now?"
The boss wasn't very clear about this matter but called over a clerk. The clerk was a young Chinese man in his mid-twenties, looking quite refined. After briefly explaining our purpose, the young man said, "I know her; she is from our village. The reason she comes to this café often is that she hopes I can give money to her parents."
"He gives you the money, and then you pass it on to her parents?" I couldn't understand why Angel couldn't give it herself.
"This matter is a long story," the young man sighed.
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