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墨書 Inktalez
No matter how you put it, this batch of Jade has returned to its rightful owner. Apart from the two pieces that had already been handed over to Mi Si, the rest were all accounted for. It seemed that Mi Si's imprisonment was a certainty; her financial chain could not be restored.
As for sentencing, that was not our job as police officers. Our task was to uncover the truth. Currently, three individuals were detained: a fat man, a thin man, and Mi Si. So far, five people had died: Sun Bikun, Wang Kai, Zhao Yu, Alai, and Shorty. Having investigated to this point, I realized that the case was not as complicated as it seemed; there was a main thread of black jade running through it all.
It was just that too many events had stemmed from this black jade.
"I feel like there's something we've overlooked or neglected in this case," I called the Detective Captain and members of the Special Investigation Team into the Small Conference Room, excluding Yan Junde who was still monitoring Yang Shuai. I glanced at everyone and said, "Let's go through this case thoroughly."
As I pondered, I wrote on the whiteboard in the meeting room: "We will treat Yang Shuai and his three brothers as a main line, while the other characters will be seen as subplots. This case is actually not that convoluted; it’s quite straightforward."
Saying this, I wrote down the names of Yang Shuai and his three brothers on the whiteboard and connected them with a line. Then I continued speaking while writing on the horizontal line: "Yang Shuai buys jade, and the three brothers pretend to sell jade while waiting to rob him back. This is where the whole story begins; it's simple, right?"
"Now, let's start adding other characters to this main line." I continued drawing on the whiteboard: "We begin with Yang Shuai. The first character is Sun Bikun. We connect them with a line; Sun Bikun steals the black jade. The second character is Wang Kai. Wang Kai learns about the Jade Investment incident and threatens Yang Shuai. The third character is Mi Si. Mi Si signs a company acquisition agreement with Yang Shuai."
"This is the first level of relationships," I said while looking at the whiteboard. "For the second level of relationships, we still view it from Yang Shuai's perspective. Sun Bikun should be connected to Zhao Yu; Zhao Yu pretends to elope but actually steals the black jade and escapes alone."
Everyone was focused on what I was drawing on the whiteboard as I continued: "Next, we analyze from the three brothers' perspective. Since there are three people involved, it’s more complex. Let's first look at their relationships. The fat man pretends to be confused but is actually very clever; he records every conversation. The thin man and Shorty are suspicious of each other; the thin man did not return the black jade, and Shorty uses their conflict as bait to divert police attention while he steals Jade from the Jade Exhibition."
"This outlines their relationships." I frowned and said: "Now, we have our first character Alai appearing; Alai stops at nothing to seize jade." With that, I connected him with Sun Bikun, Wang Kai, and Zhao Yu: "He killed three people and returned the black jade to the thin man."
Finally, I connected Shorty with Mi Si and said: "During this time, Shorty called Mi Si wanting to sell that batch of Jade."
"After organizing everything, it still looks so chaotic!" Mary remarked as she looked at the numerous lines on the whiteboard with a furrowed brow. "These people seem unrelated at first glance, but in the end, they all connect somehow. It's like a tangled ball of yarn; it's truly headache-inducing."
I set down my marker and said: "Our task is to untangle this mess of yarn and completely unravel it. You see, there’s only one secondary character here who is only related to Sun Bikun and Alai. Therefore, we can see that this is merely a derived case; let’s try to eliminate him."
With that, I crossed out Zhao Yu's name and continued: "Without Zhao Yu in this case, everything else would still unfold as it has, wouldn’t it? He’s an inconsequential character. Next, let’s look at the fat man among the three brothers; he seems like an observer in all this. Although we obtained a recording device from him, if he weren’t involved, things would still continue."
"Let’s eliminate him too." Saying this, I crossed out the fat man's name as well. Although we had removed only two people, there seemed to be much more space on the whiteboard now. I said: "There’s one more person—Alai—who is perhaps the most enigmatic part of this case and also our biggest headache."
"We have been puzzled because we don't understand why the Killer wants to kill." I looked at everyone and said, "To kill for a piece of jade, and to do so while stealing, is simply not worth it. But Alai is exactly that kind of person. However, Alai's purpose is the same as that of the three brothers who came here. He is just an extreme factor in this case; we should try to eliminate him from our considerations."
"Now let's consider this: if we eliminate Alai, the black jade might have already been taken back by the Thin Man or Shorty using the Insect Eater. Sun Bikun, Zhao Yu, and Wang Kai would continue their lives, having nothing more to do with this matter."
"And then the contradictions arise!" Although everyone was still confused, my mind felt like it had cleared up, revealing a shadow of the truth. I excitedly said, "The first contradiction lies with Wang Kai; everyone should note this down because I will elaborate on it shortly."
"Let's continue. The black jade returns to the hands of either the Fat Man or the Thin Man. They would suspect each other, and regardless of who got the black jade, neither would take it back to the village. The other would inevitably suggest stealing from Tianyu Company, leading them to kidnap Yang Shuai—one would keep watch over him while the other would carry out the theft."
"This is the second contradiction," I continued. "Make sure to note that down as well."
Upon hearing this, everyone began jotting notes.
I said, "Then we would be misled by a bait; one of them would steal from the Jade Exhibition. After that, they would call Mi Si to request a deal for this batch of goods. Then he would kill Yang Shuai and escape while waiting for the money to enter his account. Afterward, he could withdraw the money abroad and wouldn't have to worry about anything else."
"But Shorty didn't kill Yang Shuai!" Juan Juan interjected at that moment. "This doesn't align with your deduction."
I nodded and replied, "This brings us to the third contradiction. Now let's analyze from the first contradiction why Wang Kai died; from the second contradiction why Yang Shuai was kidnapped; and from the third contradiction why the Killer did not kill Yang Shuai. Before answering these three questions, I want to clarify something."
"Who ultimately benefited from this case?" I looked at everyone and said, "Think carefully about it—after all this trouble, who is still doing well?"
Detective Captain suddenly caught on to my implication and said, "You mean... Yang Shuai!" His tone grew serious.
I snapped my fingers and said earnestly, "That's right; it's Yang Shuai. Among the three brothers, one is dead, two are in detention; Alai is dead; Sun Bikun, Zhao Yu, and Wang Kai are all dead. Mi Si used company funds and will definitely go to jail. What has Yang Shuai lost?"
"If we talk about losses, he almost died," Mary chimed in at that moment. "And Tianyu Company is no longer under his control..." As she spoke, Mary seemed to realize something and said to us, "Tianyu Company is deeply in debt; if Mi Si hadn't taken over, Yang Shuai would be in jail. But now that Mi Si has taken over—though he has paid off some debts—couldn't it be said that Mi Si is taking Yang Shuai's place in jail?"
"Exactly." I heavily circled Yang Shuai's name several times and said, "Understanding this issue allows us to answer those three questions. If Wang Kai had publicly exposed Tianyu Company's issues before Jade was stolen, then Tianyu Company would collapse early. Without Jade as a shield, Mi Si wouldn't take over Tianyu Company, and Yang Shuai would end up in jail. Therefore, Wang Kai must die—and he must die before Jade is stolen."
"The second contradiction," I continued. "Although Shorty and the Thin Man have their differences, they could still collaborate to steal Jade from Tianyu Company; why don't they do that? Because one of them knows that Tianyu Company is essentially a shell! This is something we only learned later! Before this, we had no idea that Tianyu Company was deeply in debt!"
"I'm presenting the third contradiction." I erased everyone's names, leaving only Yang Shuai's: "The reason Yang Shuai is not dead is that this whole situation is under Yang Shuai's control. Based on this judgment, Shorty is simply acting under Yang Shuai's orders."
"This explains why Shorty knows Mi Si's phone number and why Yang Shuai dared to fight to the end," I continued. "Because Yang Shuai knows there is an antidote for Insect Eater, he feels invincible. Therefore, Wang Kai was not killed by Alai. Alai only killed those holding the Jade, and Wang Kai was actually killed by Shorty!"
"And the one who orchestrated all of this," I said, "is the person we previously thought was a victim. In reality, Yang Shuai is not a victim at all! In this matter, he has gained more than anyone else!"
Listening to my words, Detective Captain replied, "This is all just speculation. We don't have any substantial evidence to prove that Yang Shuai is guilty! Relying solely on reasoning and conjecture cannot lead to a conviction..."
I pressed my fingers against my temples, pondering how to convict Yang Shuai. Just then, a call came in from Yan Junde. He said, "Captain Shao, Yang Shuai just drove away. It looks like he's heading to Tianyu Company. What should we do now?"
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head. I said into the phone, "Follow him. Don't let him enter Tianyu Company until I say OK. Bring headphones and keep the call connected. I'm heading to Tianyu Company right now. Bring me some radio equipment and a voice recorder. Captain, get me to Tianyu Company immediately! Whether we can catch Yang Shuai depends on this last faint piece of evidence!"
"Understood," came Yan Junde's voice.
"Understood," said Detective Captain.
A Charming Widow sent a letter to a Young Man, inviting him over for dinner in the middle of the night. Afterward, she let him drive her husband's Gallop. Coincidentally, on the way, he encountered a hitchhiking Young Woman. Her actions after getting in made it hard for him to maintain his composure—more benefits for homebodies await...
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