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墨書 Inktalez
"Ming Jiushun" let out a gasp, wrapping his plump arms around his chest as he muttered to himself, "This must be 'Caesar.' But is this a murder or a suicide?"
The train conductor said, "Tunnel 18? That's quite a long stretch; it takes at least five or six minutes for the train to pass through."
"Si Jianxuan" replied, "If we haven't figured this out earlier, based on the current surface phenomena, could we easily assume that 'Gu Qiuxian' jumped off the train to commit suicide and that 'Caesar' died from poison? But what would the motive be?"
"Ming Jiushun" shot him a surprised glance.
The train conductor also found this person a bit eccentric and wondered why "Ming Captain" had brought someone who looked like a failed artistic youth into the mix.
Then, "Ming Jiushun" proposed a shocking theory: "Perhaps the issue lies in their change of berths. 'Gu Qiuxian's' death could very well be a misunderstanding. The killer's target was 'Caesar,' who was carrying a large sum of money.
"The killer approached 'Caesar's' supposed berth, number 024, after the lights went out but didn't realize it had already been switched to 'Gu Qiuxian.' After some time, maybe the killer lingered nearby or coincidentally struck just as the real 'Caesar' came down from the upper berth to use the restroom. That's when he realized he had killed the wrong person. So he followed 'Caesar' to the restroom and pushed him off the train. Moreover, if someone could roam around in the Sleeper Car at night, then the killer must be someone from within the Sleeper Car."
The train conductor was excited by this: "Yes! This clarifies everything and narrows down our search area... But who could this murderer be among those in the Sleeper Car? We don't even know which carriage it is yet."
"Si Jianxuan" shook his head, remaining skeptical of "Ming Jiushun's" theory: "Why would the murderer poison 'Gu Qiuxian's' drink? During the day, he couldn't possibly mistake one for the other."
"Could it be..." The train conductor cautiously suggested in front of the two professionals, "that both individuals were targets of the killer?"
After contacting "Chongqing Police," "Ming Jiushun" verified the identities of "Gu Qiuxian" and "Caesar."
The missing person, "Caesar," was an accountant for an investment company that was under investigation due to illegal loans and was currently undergoing business suspension and restructuring.
Gu Qiuxian was a car sales manager. When his company head was questioned by the police, he mentioned that there had been rumors of disputes between Gu and several major clients, possibly related to unfulfilled large kickbacks. There were also threats from clients who wanted to hire a hitman to deal with him.
Ming Jiushun conducted further investigations with the tour group and neighboring passengers, discovering that the Sleeper Car had been booked by several tour groups. To avoid certain issues, the purchased seats were scattered throughout the car.
As a result, Gu Qiuxian and his four friends were separated across two compartments.
Ming Jiushun brought Gu Qiuxian's four friends to the medical room to identify Gu's body.
The first to arrive were Chen Xing and Guan Xiaohong, a couple. Ming Jiushun noticed that Chen Xing, who appeared to be in his fifties, reacted rather calmly, while Guan Xiaohong was very distressed and cried continuously.
Most of the time, Chen Xing was comforting his wife.
Another couple looked much younger; Xue Zhengying and Xin Yue appeared to be in their early thirties. In contrast to the older couple, Xue Zhengying seemed very sorrowful, constantly sighing and shaking his head. "Gu Qiuxian, what a wonderful young man! How could he just leave us? It’s such a pity; we were just playing cards together yesterday..."
His wife, Xin Yue, maintained a pale complexion and spoke very little. After a while, she reminded him several times, "Let’s go; it’s definitely him."
When they reached F Station, Ming Jiushun instructed several plainclothes officers to take Gu Qiuxian's body and a bottle of drink off the train to investigate the cause of death, time of death, and the chemical composition of the liquid inside.
According to identifications from neighboring passengers and personal confirmations, these two couples had previously visited Gu Qiuxian's location to play. Chen Xing and Xue Zhengying even played some Dou Di Zhu (a card game) with Gu Qiuxian.
Later that evening, Chen Xing said he was tired and returned to his bunk, leaving Xue Zhengying, Gu Qiuxian, and two others from the neighboring compartment to take turns playing cards.
At that moment, Caesar sat on a chair by the aisle, either looking out the window or lost in thought. He had extended an invitation to join in the card game but was politely declined by Gu Qiuxian due to not knowing how to play.
Additionally, an investigation into Xue Zhengying and Chen Xing revealed that they are both project managers at the same port logistics company. They had previously purchased cars from Gu Qiuxian, which led to their friendship. Their wives also work as employees at this trading company.
After hearing the report, Ming Jiushun smiled at Si Jianxuan and said, "The conductor's theory is likely correct. Both victims have questionable backgrounds and could have been killed by a hired assassin. This killer is operating on a larger scale, making a significant deal. I wonder if there are others on this train who are on the blacklist as well. Damn it, in such a small train, two people managed to die right under our noses."
The conductor felt a chill run down his spine and replied, "We must enhance train security to ensure we arrive safely in Zhengzhou by 7 PM tonight."
Ming Jiushun was equally determined: "Then I will catch this murderer before 7 PM!"
At that moment, the Fat Conductor entered with a bottle of hot water and poured tea for everyone present.
While they were discussing, the Fat Conductor casually glanced towards the belongings of the deceased, but Si Jianxuan noticed this subtle movement. Feeling someone's gaze upon him, the Fat Conductor quickly lowered his head and exited.
Si Jianxuan then checked the time; it was 11:40 AM, leaving nearly seven hours until their arrival at 7 PM.
Soon, rumors about the assassin began to spread throughout the train. Some passengers claimed it was a Death Train where people would continue to die one after another.
Many travelers, including those in hard sleeper compartments, expressed their desire to disembark early.
Time was running out for Ming Jiushun and his team; the next stop was at 2 PM, leaving them with less than two hours.
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