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墨書 Inktalez
After saying goodbye to Zhao Ke'er, she pushed the door and walked out of KFC. I watched her figure through the window as it gradually shrank, eventually becoming a small black dot that disappeared from my sight. I couldn't tell if it was just my imagination or a true reflection of reality, but I felt that Zhao Ke'er’s silhouette was incredibly lonely, like a leaf drifting down from a branch, swaying aimlessly on the street without direction. Shaking my head, I buried these thoughts deep in my heart and tried not to dwell on them.
Dezi and Juan Juan sat down beside me, shrugging their shoulders. I turned to Dezi and asked, "Did you tell Mary the names of those people?"
Nodding, Dezi shook her phone and replied, "Yes, I already informed Mary about them. She’s probably looking up their information right now. I sent her the names of Zhang Zhiyuan, Zhuang Peng, Xiao Jingguang, and Qiang. The only one I’m unsure about is the other person who was with Qiang; the rest have been sent."
"Alright then, let’s wait for Mary’s investigation. By the way, Dezi, please book the nearest flight to Kaiyang City. We need to check out Zhao Kaifang's school," I said with a frown.
During our investigation into Zhao Kaifang, we had already discovered that she was located in a third-tier city in the south—Kaiyang City. Dezi nodded and went aside to book the tickets. Only Juan Juan and I remained at the table. Juan Juan gazed thoughtfully out the window for a long time before finally speaking up, "As such good friends, it's surprising that Zhao Ke'er doesn’t know anything about Zhao Kaifang's situation. I wonder if this is a kind of fortune or a tragedy, or if there’s something else going on."
I sensed that Juan Juan's words carried deeper meaning, so I asked, " Juan Juan, what do you mean by that?"
Juan Juan shook her head and replied, "It's just an intuition of mine; I can't quite describe how I feel. It seems to me that this case involves many layers. As best friends, Zhao Ke'er should be able to notice Zhao Kaifang's behavior. A fire can't be hidden forever; yet Zhao Kaifang has managed to keep this fire wrapped up for five years."
"Think about it—what's most important for high school students? It's studying," I said while pressing my fingers against my temples. "Zhao Ke'er is also one of the top students in their school; aside from academics, she probably pays little attention to such matters. Moreover, Zhao Kaifang's grades are good too. Generally speaking, teachers and parents wouldn’t suspect that someone like her could be involved in such things; that's just human nature."
"You make a valid point," Juan Juan nodded in agreement.
As we spoke, Dezi had already booked our flight to Kaiyang City through the Special Investigation Team's internal line; it was set to depart in an hour. Upon returning to the Police Department to meet Mary, Captain Li drove us to the airport. While driving, Captain Li said, "We haven't found any useful clues from Ma Youshan yet. Before you return, should we continue investigating Ma Youshan?"
I pondered for a moment before responding to Captain Li, "Well, our trip to Kaiyang City is also aimed at investigating Zhao Kaifang's situation. As for the Police Department here, one side should look into the other three people in Zhao Kaifang's dormitory. It's quite interesting; although they appear calm on the surface, they tend to shift responsibility onto others during conversations—it's fascinating how they seem united yet are not."
"Understood," Captain Li replied while driving.
I continued, "On another note, you should keep investigating Ma Youshan’s leads—check his phone and look into his relationships. If there are still no clues after that, we can drop it; that would indicate he likely died accidentally and we won't need to merge cases."
"Got it," Captain Li nodded again.
About twenty minutes later, we arrived at the airport. Captain Li continued his investigation as per my instructions, while we waited at the terminal. Mary said to us, "As soon as you told me those names, I managed to find information on three of them: first is Zhang Zhiyuan, second is Zhuang Peng, and third is Xiao Jingguang. As for Qiang and his Young Man companion, I haven't been able to track them down yet because they are not affiliated with the school. It takes time to search based solely on a name; it can't be done overnight."
"Well, knowing about three people is already quite fast," I replied to Mary. "Have you found any information on Zhao Kaifang's family? In my experience with cases, seven out of ten people who commit such acts come from troubled families—either they grew up in single-parent households or there is domestic violence involved."
Mary shook her head and said, "Brother Shao, you might be mistaken this time. Zhao Kaifang actually belongs to the three exceptions. The data I've gathered shows that Zhao Kaifang's parents are local civil servants; their financial situation isn't particularly wealthy, but it's not bad either. They have always been a model family and never engage in fights or arguments."
"Moreover, this family has always placed a high value on education; otherwise, Zhao Kaifang wouldn't have such good grades," Mary shrugged and continued. "So what puzzles me is why Zhao Kaifang would do something like this? With a harmonious family background, good looks, and excellent academic performance at Lanzhong University—a prestigious institution known for nurturing talent—many people envy her. Her high school was also the best in the area."
Dezi chimed in, "People sometimes do unexpected things; it's actually quite common. Everyone has a rebellious streak; a life that is too stable and peaceful may not necessarily be the best. Sometimes too much stability can lead to instability."
Dezi's words resonated deeply with me. I could relate to this sentiment. For instance, none of the members of our Special Investigation Team could tolerate a mundane life. I remember when our team was forced to disband due to the Human Meat Canning Case; after just a few months, I could no longer bear the routine of a nine-to-five job. The other team members felt the same way; it was hard for us to accept that kind of life.
Some people are naturally inclined towards adventure and dislike living by rigid rules. We are like that; it’s possible that Zhao Kaifang is too. With this thought in mind, I said to everyone, "Dezi's words are indeed insightful; some people inherently enjoy breaking conventions. We can never fully understand why individuals make certain choices."
"Many people feel lost and cannot see their future direction," I continued. "Isn't that a form of happiness? If life's path were laid out before you without any uncertainty, what meaning would life hold?"
Mary nodded in agreement and said, "Exactly. Just like there are many Unsolved Mysteries in this world waiting for us to discover them. If everything could be explained by science, then while the world would be rigorous, it would also lack interest."
"Right! The interesting part of life lies in seeking the known from the unknown," Juan Juan interjected excitedly. "We chose this profession precisely for that reason—to unravel mysteries and uncover truths. When the truth finally comes to light, it brings complete satisfaction and harmony in life."
I hadn't expected Dezi's simple remarks to resonate so deeply with us. Juan Juan's point was also valid; aside from our sense of responsibility to catch the Killer and seek justice for the deceased and their families, finding fulfillment in our work is what we truly desire deep down—it’s what motivates us to keep going.
We boarded the plane and headed straight for Kaiyang City.
Kaiyang City was merely a third-tier city compared to the bustling metropolis of Blue Capital; it felt relatively quiet and serene. However, this tranquility made us feel more relaxed as if everyone had settled into a comfortable routine. Yet we couldn't afford to relax; we needed to find Zhao Kaifang's five boyfriends as soon as possible.
According to Mary's data, Zhang Zhiyuan graduated and enrolled in a local second-tier university in Kaiyang that lacked any notable reputation—many locals were even unaware of its existence. At this moment, Zhang Zhiyuan should still be attending classes at university. If the school could confirm that Zhang Zhiyuan had never left campus within the past week, his suspicion could easily be dismissed. However, if Zhang Zhiyuan had taken any leave during this period, it would indicate he might be involved in something suspicious.
Zhuang Peng, the rich second-generation heir, did not choose to attend university after graduation. Instead, he went straight to work as a manager in his father's company. In this third-tier city, although his father's company was not considered large-scale, it at least made him one of the wealthy in Kaiyang City.
Zhuang Peng's work schedule was always chaotic. Since it was his father's business, it didn't matter whether he showed up or not. Therefore, it was uncertain whether Zhuang Peng had any specific hours of absence. We would need to conduct more investigations to determine this.
Xiao Jingguang, the handsome guy from school and the heartthrob of Kaiyang No. 1 High School, came from an average family and also did not get into college after graduation. However, due to his good looks, Xiao Jingguang managed to do quite well for himself; he currently worked as a model for a Taobao store and often associated with wealthy women, living a carefree life with a monthly income that varied.
His movements were even more unpredictable. Without fixed working hours or any formal leadership, he traveled all over the country and could have easily arrived in Blue Capital a week ago. Thus, Xiao Jingguang became our key target for investigation and had the most potential time to commit a crime.
As for Qiang and his young companion, we had yet to uncover any information about them. We would need to visit the school personally to ask others; perhaps we could find some details about these two individuals.
Dezi said, "So who should we look for first?"
I pressed my fingers against my temples and replied, "Given the current situation, let's start by finding those who are easier to rule out as suspects. We'll first look for Zhang Zhiyuan to see if he has an alibi. Then we'll go after that rich second-generation heir, and finally seek out Xiao Jingguang. Mary, make sure you also gather information on Qiang and his young companion as quickly as possible."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
An unsolved mystery emerged in the 21st century as airborne troops mysteriously appeared in North America, rescuing an Indian red-haired beauty, enjoying the company of a blue-eyed busty blonde, dominating Wall Street, amassing wealth across America, and initiating a Han ethnic colonial global model.
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