Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Mary found a safe spot to park the car and plugged the USB drive into the computer. We retrieved the surveillance footage from the first to the tenth. A long time ago, Captain Shi had told me that checking surveillance was one of the most effective yet laborious investigative methods, and I wholeheartedly agreed. It was an extremely time-consuming and energy-draining task. With our four eyes glued to the screen from afternoon until dawn, we finally uncovered some clues in the footage.
On the second of this month, someone had been loitering outside this hotel, and we could see this figure for three consecutive days. This person wore a hat like I did before, but walked with a vigilant demeanor, occasionally stopping by the roadside as if observing something happening. I estimated that this person was checking the locations of the surveillance cameras.
The individual was approximately 1.75 meters tall, with an unclear appearance and an average build, lacking any distinguishing marks.
After the fifth, this person never appeared again, but a black Volkswagen frequently showed up in the footage. From the surveillance outside the hotel, we vaguely saw the license plate of this car. Then, it vanished from the recordings.
Aside from this individual who had been near the hotel multiple times, almost everyone else were passersby who appeared only once and never returned. However, this person seemed to lack strong counter-surveillance awareness, appearing repeatedly in the footage, which did not align with someone capable of committing such a meticulously planned murder like the Killer.
Yet based on existing evidence, this individual was currently the prime suspect. I closed my eyes and began to contemplate this person's actions. At the time of the incident, they first infiltrated the second floor of the gathering place and emptied out Stone Rail before lying in wait to commit murder. Then they repeatedly loitered near the hotel, gradually removing iron railings from the men's restroom used by staff on the first floor.
Next, they killed their first victim, Xu Rong. After stealthily entering Xu Rong's home, they murdered him and staged the scene, leaving behind a mysterious murder note to attract the Special Investigation Team's attention. When we arrived here, the Killer learned through police channels that we had discovered information about the gathering. Subsequently, at that gathering, either the Killer or their accomplice stole my Police Badge and phone card to call Wu Shuhau.
After that, we were placed under house arrest. During my time away with Mary, he hid in a restroom to commit murder, meticulously leading me into this case and making me the prime suspect. Now what the Killer aimed to do was connect me with these deceased individuals and create a motive for murder so that physical evidence, motive, and timing would all align—at which point there would be no way for me to clear my name.
But what connection could I possibly have with these people? Suddenly, I thought of my Police Badge! At that moment, I realized the true intention behind the Killer stealing my Police Badge. With it in hand, they essentially had access to my basic information; using that information, they could do many things! The simplest and most effective would be to frame me for bribery—forcing me into a corner where I would have no choice but to commit murder to prevent exposure!
With this thought in mind, I immediately said to Mary: "Earlier my phone got wet and I switched to a new card, so I haven't received any messages from the bank. Can you check how much money is in my bank account right now?"
Upon hearing my words, Mary didn’t say much more. I directly entered my bank card password and account number and was shocked to find that there was suddenly an extra one million yuan in my account! As a police officer, it would take a lifetime of work to earn that much money; anyone would find it unbelievable that there was suddenly one million yuan in my bank account!
"What’s going on? When did this money come in?" I stared at a string of numbers on the computer screen and asked: "Who transferred it?"
Mary began to perform some operations on the computer that I couldn't understand. After a while, she told me, "The specific time was during your party, almost exactly when you lost your phone card, and that money was transferred into your account. I don't know who made the call; the source is overseas, possibly from a foreign scam. Even if we find this person, it might just be Killer borrowing someone else's name."
I frowned, rubbing my temples where I felt a headache brewing. This matter involved too many aspects; it was definitely not as simple as a serial murder case. No wonder during the investigation, while examining the crime scene, I always felt that the murderer didn't seem to be acting alone. Now it seemed I might have been right.
A single Killer would find it quite troublesome to simultaneously steal my phone card and tamper with Wu Shuhau's car. However, if there were more people involved, it wouldn't be difficult at all. The problem with a serial murder case is that the more perpetrators there are, the easier it is for them to be exposed, increasing the unpredictability of the situation. If this were indeed a group operation, who would be giving the orders? Could there be an organization behind this?
If this is an organization, its power must not be underestimated because they could even have planted spies within our ranks. So who could that person be? I had hoped that watching the footage would bring me closer to solving this case, but now it seemed there were even more mysteries awaiting us.
It was already two in the morning when I said to Mary, "We definitely can't stay at the hotel anymore. I've already been exposed during the day; they know I'm in Jing City. Tonight they will surely check every hotel thoroughly. For safety's sake, we can only make do in the car for one night without starting the engine. Fortunately, even though it's autumn, the weather isn't too cold..."
"I'm sorry for putting you through this," I said apologetically to Mary. "Because of my situation, I've dragged you into this mess. You could have distanced yourself from me and slept comfortably at the Police Department. Instead, here we are cramped in this car; I'm really sorry."
Mary curled up in the back seat, covering herself with her clothes and quietly said in the dark, "I think Sister Juan and Dezi are probably having a hard time sleeping at the Police Department. They must be worried sick; if given a choice, they would definitely come out to help you."
I sighed and slowly replied, "This case is clearly targeting me. I just hope that this organization isn't also targeting our Special Investigation Team. You and Dezi are still young; your police careers are long ahead of you. As for Juan Juan, I owe her so much—I'm still indebted to her for a wedding."
Leaning against the passenger seat with my eyes closed, I recalled my five or six years of experiences with Juan Juan. It had truly been tumultuous—full of ups and downs. For instance, when I gave up on joining the Special Investigation Team, I thought I might never see Juan Juan again. Or when I fled on the eve of our wedding, I believed our relationship had come to an end.
But things always seem to take unexpected turns in the end. It reminded me of what comedy master Stephen Chow once said: life’s ups and downs can be incredibly thrilling.
Mary seemed not to have fallen asleep yet; she quietly asked me, "So, Captain, how did you and she meet and fall in love? From what I remember, only you and Sister Juan have been able to maintain a long-term relationship; others barely last a year."
"That's quite normal," I replied with my eyes still closed, trying to clear my mind and calm myself down. "You're only in your early twenties; young people are naturally full of passion. It's great to meet more people and experience love while you're young! To be honest with you, back in the day, I was quite a player myself. I had girls falling for me left and right; many wanted to have my kids..."
Mary let out a disdainful sound and then said, "Brother Shao, I'm not joking with you. I genuinely want to know. I wish to meet someone like that too, someone who won't leave after we argue or even fight. We should be able to understand each other's thoughts with just a glance or a subtle movement."
Hearing Mary's heartfelt sentiment stirred an indescribable feeling within me. In the past, I was either chasing after Killer or watching live events; every night before sleeping, my mind was occupied with thoughts of Killer. I never expected that when faced with the issue of being hunted, I would find myself in a state of calm.
Indeed, one must often change perspectives. I wondered what those criminals think about during the quiet nights—regret, sadness, anxiety, or loneliness. I felt at peace within myself, which allowed me to calm down, while those fugitives probably wake up startled in the night.
"Brother Shao, just tell me," Mary insisted.
I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before saying, "Since you want to hear it, I'll share. After graduating from the police academy, I was assigned to Yuzhou City. At that time, Sister Juan had already become a full-fledged forensic doctor, while I was just a rookie cop who knew nothing."
"When I was assigned to my post, my mentor was Shi Huacheng, and my combat coach was Wang Gang." As I reminisced about five or six years ago, I continued, "Yuzhou City is a first-tier city with hidden talents in the Police Department; my mentor and Wang Gang were among them. We formed a four-person team in the Police Department, similar to today’s Special Investigation Team. Back then, Sister Juan had the same foul temper she has now and would often explode in anger."
I chuckled as I recalled, "Relying on her one-year seniority in the Police Department, she frequently bullied me as the newcomer. We would bicker and argue until we sometimes ended up fighting. People in the Police Department said we were sworn enemies. I couldn't even remember when I started liking her; similarly, she probably forgot why she liked me."
"If it weren't for a certain incident, I doubt we would have become a couple," I reflected.
The first time I went out to sea on a boat, I encountered a well-known Bengal Aid Worker. Young and impulsive but too poor to actually make a move until the First Mate told me that a bag of instant noodles could lead to spending the night with a group of women...
Comment 0 Comment Count